Sermon for Advent 1: "The Lord is our Righteousness" (Jeremiah 33:14-16)

 

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:

[Ambrose of Milan]

A long time ago, a man had plans to become a lawyer, but God had other plans for this man.

This man was quite popular. In fact, he was elected governor without even campaigning.

Then after two years of being governor – and out of the blue – this man was named the new bishop.

Oddly enough, this man was still a catechumen. He wasn’t even confirmed in the Christian faith!

He didn’t know the basics of theology! Even more odd, this man was not even baptized!

Yet, the people wanted him to be their bishop.

Then within a week of his election, he was baptized, ordained and made bishop.

As bishop, this man told the people to be patient with him, because he was learning the faith while he was also required to teach the faith.

This man who wanted to be a lawyer, who was so popular with his people, who was elected governor and bishop to his shock was Ambrose of Milan.

You may have heard of him.

As bishop of Milan, Ambrose did not let his power and his influence corrupt him. Instead, he committed himself to God’s Word and studied God’s Word faithfully. In time, Ambrose became a strong teacher of the Christian faith.

In fact, this coming Friday, December 7^th, is the date the Christian Church recognizes Ambrose for his contribution to the Church.

So, what was Ambrose of Milan known for?

Well, Ambrose was known as the first Latin Doctor of the Church, a theologian of highest rank. The other Latin Doctors were Augustine, Jerome and Gregory the Great. So, this is small company.

He received this honor, because as there was much strife in the Church in the fourth century, he remained ever faithful to God’s Word.

And, you would think that being born after the Council of Nicaea – for which we received the Nicene Creed – that those false teachers that Nicaea condemned would just go away, but instead they were just as loud as ever.

These false teachers were saying that Jesus wasn’t fully God, that Jesus was created.

So, just as these false teachers taught loudly, Ambrose taught God’s truth louder.

Ambrose was a faithful bishop and servant of Jesus Christ, who taught and preached God’s truth, even when God’s truth was unpopular. He was also known for his teaching through music.

In fact, one of the hymns he wrote was what we just sang together: “Savior of the Nations, Come.”

In this hymn, Ambrose proclaims the truth of Christ: that Jesus is fully God and fully man and He came to make us righteous in God’s sight.

[The Messiah Foretold]

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord…” (Jeremiah 33:14a). This is how the prophet Jeremiah begins our Old Testament text this morning.

Usually, when we read “Behold, the days are coming” in Scripture, this is so often associated with judgement and punishment, but Jeremiah uses this phrase to introduce good news.

This good news is first presented in terms of a promise God vows to keep when He says: “I will fulfill the promise” (Jeremiah 33:14b).

Jeremiah writes: “In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land… And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness” (Jeremiah 33:15, 16b).

Here, Jeremiah is foretelling a big surprise for us.

This “righteous Branch” – this coming Messiah – will not only “execute justice and righteousness in the land,” but He will be called “the Lord is our righteousness.”

Jeremiah is, of course, foretelling the incarnation of Jesus of Nazarath, who is of the house and lineage of King David. However, unlike David, Jesus would reign forever.

But, Jesus was not just an ordinary man as we had sung in the fourth stanza of Ambrose’s hymn:

“Then stepped forth the Lord of all From His pure and kingly hall; God of God, yet fully man, His heroic course began.” Savior of the Nations, Come (LSB 332, stanza 4)

Jesus of Nazareth is in fact true God and true Man. He is the only-begotten Son of God, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.

[Our Righteousness]

Now, the plan of the Triune God for Christ’s first Advent was not to lord over us that Jesus is God in the flesh and our eternal King. Instead, God’s plan was to make us righteous with God the Father.

Ambrose refers to this in his hymn:

“For You are the Father’s Son Who in flesh the victory won. By Your mighty power make whole All our ills of flesh and soul.” Savior of the Nations, Come (LSB 332, stanza 6)

You see, without Jesus we, poor sinners are doomed. We are doomed to our ills. We are doomed to our sin against God.

But, Jeremiah tells us that God’s people will be saved, because “The Lord is our righteousness” (Jeremiah 33:16b).

Without our Lord Jesus Christ, we could never become righteous. We could try, but we would always fall short, because of our sin against God. We tend to always put our eyes toward what we want, rather than God’s desire for us.

But by grace through faith in Christ alone, we are righteous before God the Father. Our sins are wiped away. Our sins are wiped clean. We are reconciled with God the Father and we are accepted as children of God, because of Christ’s obedience.

So, through Christ alone, we are absolved – we are clean – from all our unrighteousness.

We are given Christ’s righteousness through His death, resurrection and ascension.

Through Christ, we are pronounced innocent from all our sins, so we do not receive the judgement of damnation that we deserve.

We are pronounced righteous through Christ alone and without any merit of our own.

Because of Christ, God the Father sees us wearing the gold medal, given the blue ribbon. We become God the Father’s prized possession.

So now, we share in Christ’s victory over sin, death and hell, because we are covered in Christ’s cloak of righteousness that He gave to us at our baptism.

Since the Lord is our righteousness, our Lord Jesus Christ’s name becomes our name. His righteousness becomes our righteousness.

God declares us sinners righteous because Christ’s righteousness has been given to us. This declaration is our entry into eternal life.

So, all God the Father sees in us is His Son, Jesus Christ. But, this isn’t a free pass into heaven, but a promise – a guarantee – to heaven if we remain obedient to God’s Word and repent of our sins.

It is only through Christ’s power that we are made whole and all our ills vanish.

[Promises]

Now, we may not always think of ourselves as righteous, as perfect. Especially, since we struggle just keeping promises.

We promise to do something and we often fail to make do on that promise.

We promise to obey God and His Commandments, but we often think of our own sinful desires ahead of God. Instead, we put our faith and trust into false idols of money, possessions, entertainment and sport.

Among our relationship with our neighbor – our family and friends – we often fail on our promises to each other.

But, even as we break our promises, the Triune God never breaks His promises.

He has promised us His righteousness. He has promised us salvation.

So, when we break our promises to God, God is always there to offer us forgiveness when we come to Him in repentance.

Through our baptism and our loyalty to Jesus, God the Father sees us as He sees His own Son. He sees us as righteous before Him.

Elsewhere in our hymn, Ambrose tells us how we became righteous:

“God the Father was His source, Back to God He ran His course. Into hell His road went down, Back then to His throne and crown.” Savior of the Nations, Come (LSB 332, stanza 5)

Jesus covered us all in His righteousness when He destroyed the power of sin, death and the devil when He died upon that cross. Through His death, He conquered hell, itself.

Then He rose from the dead to prove that His sacrifice was accepted by God the Father.

Then through His death and resurrection, we are now “blameless in holiness before our God and Father” (1 Thessalonians 3:13).

Indeed, we are blameless in holiness, because of Jesus’ Word and deeds. We are blameless in holiness, because of the Holy Spirit’s work in us through God’s Word and Sacrament.

We are blameless, forgiven and saved, through our Lord Jesus Christ, who is our righteousness.

So, let us rejoice in what Christ has given us by grace through faith – His righteousness – and let us look forward to His Second Advent when He will come again in glory!

Savior of the Nations, Come. Amen.

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

 

T SOLI DEO GLORIA T

Sermon for the Last Sunday of the Church Year: "Stay Awake" (Mark 13:24-37)

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]

Since Jesus bodily ascended into heaven, many people have claimed that they were the second coming of Christ.

One such person who claimed he was Jesus was Arnold Potter. Potter claimed the spirit of Jesus entered into his body and he became the Son of the Living God.

One day Potter even attempted to ascend into heaven by jumping off a cliff. He never ascended, but fell off the cliff to his death on April 2, 1872.

He and countless others have claimed to be the second coming of the Messiah.

But, how would we know when Christ returns?

Believe me, everyone will know when Christ returns. There will be no question. There will be no doubts. He will not return in secret.

“Lo! He comes with clouds descending!”

When Christ returns from the clouds, everyone will know in heaven and on earth.

This is how the Son of Man – Jesus the Christ – will make His triumphal return to earth. 

But, before Christ returns with great power and glory to judge the living and the dead, Christians are to rise to arms wielding God’s Word while remaining steadfast in the Savior’s might.

This is why Jesus says, “Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come” (Mark 13:33).

[Tribulation]

Prior to the Lord’s second coming, there will be tribulation. We know there will be tribulation, because Jesus says so. In last week’s gospel lesson, Jesus said there will be false teachers leading many astray, there will be wars and rumors of wars, there will be much conflict between nations, kingdoms and families, and that we – as followers of Christ – will be hated by all for His name’s sake (Mark 13:3-13).

Now, this doesn’t sound like the best of news, but Jesus gives us comfort before we get to today’s gospel lesson when He says: “But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Mark 13:13b).

Even when life looks to be rough, Jesus gives us comfort. Today, Jesus continues where He left off reminding us to “stay awake.”

[Be Ready]

What Jesus is telling us is to always be ready for His second coming.

He could descend from the clouds in seconds, minutes, days or years. We don’t know. In fact, Jesus doesn’t even know.

Jesus tells us: “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come” (Mark 13:32-33).

[Watchman and Servants]

As we wait for Christ, we are to live and act similar to a night watchman. You see, the watchman has to be prepared for anything. And, as much as he may want to rest his eyes, he can’t. Even if he believes nothing will ever happen, but he always has to think that something could happen, because he has sworn to protect and defend the business.

Like a watchman, we too should always be prepared for Christ’s second coming.

In today’s gospel lesson, Jesus compares our waiting to servants waiting for their master.

“It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake – for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the cock crows, or in the morning – lest he come suddenly to find you asleep” (Mark 13:32-36).

Now, this may sound frightening, but it really isn’t. Our role is to be good stewards of what Jesus has given us: His Word and Sacraments.

In His Word, we learn how the Triune God loves us in His Law and in His Gospel. In His Sacraments, we receive His grace.

[Distractions]

In today’s world, we may find ourselves distracted with worldly ideals. We tend to focus more on what’s happening in Washington, D.C. or in St. Paul more than on what our real focus should be: Christ’s return.

Or, we may find ourselves following the sinful culture, rather than Jesus.

After all, it is easier to relax morality by just following the crowd, because we don’t want to be seen as not with the times. Each and every one of us wants to be liked. This is our sinful pride.

Or, you may find yourself tired and beaten for standing up for God’s truth and just give up.

But, remember what Jesus said: “You will be hated by all for my name’s sake” (Mark 13:13a).

So, if we are loved by the sinful culture, then there is something wrong. Something is askew. Now, we don’t simply live our lives contrary to the sinful culture, we live our lives as a follower of Jesus. We live our lives believing that Jesus will return in glory to judge the living and the dead.

[Build Up, Stay Awake]

So, how do we live in this way?

Each Christian is to build each other up in our most holy faith. (Jude 20)

We build each other up by being right here in God’s house. We are built up as we praise God and receive His forgiveness in the Divine Service. We are built up as we learn with one another at Bible studies. This is what prepares us for Christ’s second coming.

We are prepared as we keep ourselves in the love of God. We keep ourselves in God’s love as we stay awake in guarding ourselves and others against false teachings that could only lead us away from the love of God and “wander off into myths” (2 Timothy 4:4).

And when an unbeliever asks you about your hope, we shouldn’t keep our hope to ourselves, but proclaim the good news of Christ in order that the Holy Spirit can “save others by snatching them out of the fire” (Jude 23).

And when we have our doubts, we lift each other up by not criticizing the doubter, but by showing mercy on them and praying with them.

We should always remember that even Christ’s apostles doubted that Christ would rise from the dead. We like to look at Thomas, but remember they all hid behind that locked door. It was only Thomas who was out and about.

So, if the apostles doubted, we are in good company.

But, their doubts turned into hope when they saw Jesus risen from the dead.

Later, those same apostles saw Jesus bodily ascend into the clouds (Acts 1:9). Then, two men in white robes stood and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him going into heaven” (Acts 1:11).

This is what Jesus has promised, for He said, “They will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory” (Mark 13:26).

When Christ returns, this will be a festival day for all Christians, but also a day of turmoil for unbelievers. This is the day of judgement.

This is why Jesus says: “What I say to you I also say to all: Stay awake” (Mark 13:37).

And so, we are to stay awake. We stay awake, because no matter what turmoil may come our way, we know that our salvation will prevail. Our salvation is found only in Jesus Christ who will judge with equity and truth, righteousness and grace.

For no matter what, the words of Jesus will not pass away. His Words will last longer than all of creation, because His Word is eternal. It never ends.

We know that because Jesus died and rose, as followers of Christ, we too, will be like Him. As followers of Christ, we live in His grace for which He gives us eternal life, salvation and forgiveness of sins.

As followers of Christ, we are presented blameless to God the Father, because we have been wrapped in Christ’s righteousness, which makes us perfect.

So, before Christ returns, we stay awake. We stay awake knowing that we have been forgiven. We stay awake knowing that we are loved by God. We stay awake knowing that our salvation will be forever. Amen.

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

T SOLI DEO GLORIA T

Sermon for Pentecost 25: "The Lord Provides" (Mark 12:38-44)

On this Veteran’s Day, we thank the Triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – for His loving care among everyone who has served or is serving our country.

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:

[The Temple Courtyard]

As the offering plate moves down the pew, do you ever look to see what is written on your neighbor’s envelope? Are you ever curious?

Well, that is what was happening on that day in Jerusalem when Jesus brought His disciples to the temple courtyard to watch people place their tithes and offerings into the 13 receptacles spread throughout the courtyard.

Now, Jesus and His disciples were not alone for this was often a spectacle. 

Often, large crowds would gather to see how much money their neighbor would contribute to the temple offering.

Unlike today, there were no envelopes, checkbooks and dollar bills, but only gold, silver and copper coins, so everyone would have an idea on what others were giving.

As Jesus and His disciples were watching, there were plenty of people dropping in shiny coin offerings.

But, then comes along a woman, an obviously poor widow, with only a couple of copper coins.

Now, when it comes to coins, the type of coin often told which financial bracket the person was in. You see, copper coins were the smallest coins in circulation and in today’s money would only be a fraction of a cent.

As Jesus and His disciples watch the poor widow place her offering, He says to His disciples: “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box” (Mark 12:43).

Now, how could this be? She gave two copper coins – a fraction of a cent – while most of the others gave gold and silver coins, which are worth far more?

[Proper Giving]

Well, there are two things going on here. First, Jesus is reminding His disciples about proportional giving.

For He said, “They all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on” (Mark 12:44).

Jesus knew that many of those giving gold and silver coins were giving out of their abundance and not of their first fruits. These coins were a surplus, an overflow of wealth. They made a lot of money, so they gave a lot of money.

But, the poor widow gave everything she had. She gave 100 percent of her wealth.

Now, the monetary offerings couldn’t compare, but percentage wise, this poor widow gave God everything. She gave God everything because she entrusted her life to God.

Now, proportional or percentage giving has always been the way God prescribed. As we know from the Old Testament times, Israel was required to give 10 percent of their crops or income they received back to God.

Today, some people may say, “If I had a larger income, I’d give a tithe, but I just can’t afford it.”

Now, God is not going to smite you if you do not tithe. God isn’t going to take away your salvation if you do not tithe. But, our offerings should still reflect the way we have been blessed by God.

This is what Jesus was teaching His disciples then and His disciples here today.

So, are you thanking God appropriately for the money you have received? And, are you putting your dependence in God more than your money and possessions? 

Remember, the poor widow gave everything she had. She gave everything because she knew that God would provide for her.

[Faith]

You see, the other thing going on in today’s gospel lesson is about faith.

Yes, it is appropriate to give to the church to help spread the good news of Christ, but there is more than that here.

You see, the poor widow had so little of everything, except for faith.

She had lost her husband, which in those days meant she’s lost her source of income.

Yet somehow, this woman believed God would be right there for her at that moment and in her future. She knew that somehow the Lord would provide for her.

She did not know where her next meal was coming from, or if she’d even have a meal. She did not have faith in the next meal, but faith that God would take care of her.

Now, Mark does not tell us what happens next in the life of the poor widow, we end our gospel reading with uncertainty.

But, one thing is for sure: God provides for all our needs of body and soul.

Now, the poor widow knew that her faith in God did not mean that everything would be perfect in her life, but she knew that trusting in God would not end in disappointment (Isaiah 49).

Sometimes, we may be uncertain about how we will pay an unforeseen bill, such as a car repair bill or medical bill. Or, if we are at work or school and we have a project nearing its deadline and it’s far from finished, what do we do?

First, stop and take a breath. Then, pray to God and read God’s Word. He may give you the answer right there, or you may have to wait. 

But, know that if you put your dependence on God, He is right there with you. He will provide even when you least expect it.

[God Provides]

Now, I’m sure that many Jews in the First Century did not expect God to walk amongst them. But, there He was.

Jesus the Christ came down from heaven to provide us His grace. 

You see, Jesus the Son of God had immense wealth, since He created everything. He owns everything that we see and what we don’t see. But, Jesus came to us impoverished when was incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary and was made man.

Although Jesus was man, He still carried the attributes of God, but He chose to walk among us – in our flesh.

He walked in our flesh to provide for us. Now, God always provides our daily bread – our food, shelter, clothing – but Jesus came to provide us even more. Jesus came to provide us grace.

When God the Father sent Jesus for us, Jesus knew His mission.

For His mission was to reconcile everyone back to God the Father and He would accomplish this through Himself by fulfilling the Law, through taking on our sins as He died upon the cross and reconciling all who believe in Him through His resurrection from the dead.

This was the mission of Jesus. He came to provide us grace, which is undeserved forgiveness. We didn’t earn this grace of God. It was provided to us by God.

We live in this grace everyday as a follower of Christ.

We received this grace at our baptism. We continue to receive this grace of forgiveness of sins, eternal life and salvation each time we repent of our sins and we are forgiven those sins by God the Father. We also receive this grace each time we receive Christ’s true body and true blood at this altar.

So, like that poor widow – who trusted that God would provide for her – we should put our faith and trust into the One who always provides for all our needs of body and soul – including life everlasting – our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

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

T SOLI DEO GLORIA T

Sermon for Reformation Sunday: "The Truth Sets Us Free" (John 8:31-36)

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:

[The Goose and the Eagle]

As the official executioner was about to light the pyre at the feet of the reformer, he said, “Now we will cook the goose.” 

This condemned man replied: “Yes, but there will come an eagle in a hundred years that you will not reach.”

Truth may be suppressed for a time, but it always wins the day.

This cooked goose was Jan Huss, for “Huss” is Bohemian for goose. Huss was condemned by the Roman Church as a heretic for his attempted reformation. But, as Huss felt the heat of the flames, he spoke of an eagle who would not be condemned to death.

This eagle that the Roman Church was unable to reach was, of course, Martin Luther.

Today, we celebrate the reformation that brought back the importance of God’s Word.

[God Provided for Luther]

We, as Lutheran Christians, should have much pride this day. We don’t have pride in Luther, but in how the Triune God – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – used Luther and protected Luther in order to bring the truth of Christ out of the darkness.

Now, the gospel was not totally hidden in Luther’s time, for there were attempted reformations, but much of the gospel was repressed from God’s people, including from most priests. 

You see, very few priests had a Bible in their possession or if they had a Bible they likely couldn’t read it, so they just took orders from their bishop, who took orders from their cardinal, who took orders from the pope.

For Luther, the Triune God lined up everything for him. God gave Luther the proper friends and the protection needed to proclaim the good news of Christ that had been repressed from the people.

• Because of the Lutheran Reformation, lay people are able to participate in the Divine Service. 
• Because of the Lutheran Reformation, lay people are able to receive both the body and the blood of Christ at the Lord’s Supper for forgiveness of sins. 
• Because of the Lutheran Reformation, we are able to read God’s inerrant Word in our common language. 
• Because of the Lutheran Reformation, we are reminded that we are not saved by works, but we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus.
• And, because of the Lutheran Reformation, we do good works for the benefit of our neighbor.

The Reformation can be summed up in the four solas: Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone), Sola Fide (Faith Alone), Sola Gratia (Grace Alone), and Sola Christus (Christ Alone).

The Reformation can also be summed up into one word: Loyalty. So, who or what are you loyal to?

[Loyalty]

In our gospel lesson, Jesus spoke to the Jews who had believed in Him. He said to them: “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32).

What Jesus is saying is a hard teaching for many of us in the pews today.

What Jesus is saying to us – His followers – is not to be superficial. He requires all Christian disciples to be genuine. So, in order to be a disciple of Jesus, you must accept all of Christ’s teachings and remain faithful to it.

This means to be a Christ follower – a Christian – we are to at all times and in all places abide in Christ’s Word. For Jesus never said, “My disciples can pick and choose what they want to believe.”

Here, Christ is speaking of the First Commandment: You shall have no other gods.

For which Martin Luther says: “We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.”

This teaching of God has been tough since Man’s Fall into Sin. From that time, we have become confused in what we fear, love and trust in above all things.

You see, we often listen to our sinful self-centered self, rather than God. 

Or, if we believe in God, then face a challenge in our life – such as loss of a loved one, loss of employment, or a friend or family member demeaning you for your Christian faith – sometimes we may just give up on God, and instead seek refuge in a false god.

Martin Luther even speaks of this:

“I dare say I, too, would gladly be a Christian and have the Gospel if no danger were connected with it but one might expect only good days upon its acceptance; for not everybody is able to bear hatred, envy, contempt, and ingratitude in the world. But when one undertakes to become a pupil of this Man (Jesus Christ), the devil and all the world rise in opposition. Stand fast, then, hold on, do not flee, do not draw back. If you have begun to believe, carry it through to the end. There are many who stay with it, who shed their blood and boldly stake and risk everything. These are the true disciples, and they remain constant.”

As Christians, we should remember that we walk in danger all the way as Satan assails us, but when we abide in Jesus, His guidance never fails us. You see, Christ leads us on the right path. (LSB 716: I Walk in Danger All The Way)

So, who is your master? Jesus or sin?

[Our Master]

As we heard in the gospel today, those Jews responded to Jesus saying: “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” (John 8:33)

At this moment, Jesus had to have chuckled, at least a little bit. 

Are these Jews serious?! Is this a joke?!

As we all know, it was God who led the Jews out of bondage in Egypt. And since the exodus, the Jews had become enslaved or taken over numerous times.

In fact, at that very moment, Rome had control over the Jewish land.

Jesus responded to the Jews saying, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin” (John 8:34).

Now, when Jesus says, “Truly, truly,” He is saying that you better listen, because what follows is very important.

So, who is your master? Jesus or sin?

[The Truth]

So, if we abide in Christ’s Word, we will know the truth and the truth will set us free.

We may believe that we have freedom living in the United States of America, but this is not true freedom. Here we pay taxes, or else the IRS will come after us.

True freedom is only found in Jesus. It is only in Jesus and His teaching that we are free from sin, death, and Satan’s rule.

The truth is that everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. “For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:22b-23).

But there is good news! There is a way out from the grips of sin and that is through Jesus Christ alone. He is the truth that sets us free!

The Apostle Paul tells us of this good news: “The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe” (Romans 3:22a)… “And (we) are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24).

You see, although everyone has fallen short of the glory of God, God has not forgotten you. He still loves you – despite your sin.

Now, are we to sin all the more since we have been given this grace? Paul gives us the answer: “By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law” (Romans 3:31b).

The law that Paul is referring to is Moral Law.

You see, a Christian should be easily identified from society. We should not be following the waves and winds of the sinful culture, but abiding in God’s Word.

God reminds us that one day we will all have to give an account of ourselves to God. This is something we should remember when we do our civic duty to elect people to represent us. When we vote, will you do so with your Christian faith in mind, or will you vote according to the sinful desires of men?

You see, if we are no different than the culture, then we have replaced the one true God with a false god and we are still under the bondage of sin.

Instead, non-Christians should notice that we are different from the rest of society and ask us why we live as we do?

And that answer is that we are free through Jesus Christ.

[The Truth is Jesus]

We are free because we know the Truth and the Truth is Jesus Christ. Jesus alludes to this when He says, “The truth will set you free.”

This is Him. 

In fact, He even says He is the Truth outright later in John’s gospel: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

So, how does the Truth set us free?

We were set free when the Triune God adopted us at our Baptism. You see, when we were baptized, we were baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection. We were cloaked in Christ’s righteousness. Now, we share in what Christ has done.

And why does our Baptism matter?

Jesus set us free when He died nailed to the cross on that Good Friday and when He rose from the dead on that Easter Sunday. This is how we were set free.

It is only through Christ that we are set free from the powers of sin, death and Satan. And in return, Jesus gives His disciples: forgiveness of sins, life and salvation.

You see, through the Truth of Christ we are free! Instead of living in sin, we are forgiven and made clean. We are free when Christ says: “You are forgiven, now go and sin no more.” We are free when Christ says: “Take, eat; this is my body. Take, drink this is my blood, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins and the strengthening of your faith.”

We are free by God’s grace through our faith in Christ, we are redeemed through Christ’s death and resurrection. We are covered in the blanket of Christ’s righteousness.

For it is Christ alone, who is the Truth who sets us free.

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

T SOLI DEO GLORIA T