Sermon for Easter 6: "Overcoming the World" (John 16:23-33)

 

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]

 

Christ Himself says: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

 

So, why, then, do we fear the world as if it were triumphing over us?

 

Have you found yourself worrying about the future? Do you ever feel like the world is winning the culture war?

 

You may be depressed seeing the morals of Christianity shoved to the side in favor of hate, violence and sexual immorality. We see this all the time if you turn on your television set. The moral-oriented television shows of the past have been replaced with sex and violence.

 

Our news programs have been replaced with non-stop political bickering and constant opinion and conspiracy theories.

 

The world keeps telling Christians how to live out the faith. The world desires that Christians keep their faith to themselves, rather than allow Christians to tell others about Christ.

 

The world opposes Christianity and desires to suffocate the good news of Christ.

 

We may feel like our religious freedom is at stake, which it might be. But should that deter us?

 

That surely didn’t deter Jesus as He accomplished His earthly ministry. Jesus was always at odds with the world.

 

“He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him” (John 1:10-11).

 

Jesus came to bring peace to this troubled world, even if the world didn’t want it.

 

So, what are Christians to do in this world that seems to thrive on hatred, violence and sexual immorality?

 

What are Christians to do when we feel we are out of place, out of step, out of time? What are we to do?

 

[The Answer]

 

In this morning’s gospel lesson, Jesus gives us the answer. He teaches us to rejoice and to pray.

 

As the world comes at us with attacks, Christians, one and all, rejoice, with exultation springing. We proclaim the wonders God has done, how His right arm the victory won!

 

First, we rejoice knowing that by grace through faith in Jesus, we are saved. We are reconciled with God the Father. We are secured through Christ’s death and resurrection! As Luther writes in our hymn: “For I am yours, and you are Mine, And where I am you may remain; The foe shall not divide us.” (LSB 556, stanza 7)

 

You see, the foe is the world and the world is led by its prince, Satan. So, no matter what the foe throws at us, as long as we remain in Jesus, we are protected from the evil one.

 

Second, Jesus speaks of prayer. He teaches His disciples to pray once more in order to endure the future. We pray to endure the future.

 

Now, the world is against prayer. The world doesn’t want anyone speaking to God. This is why over and over again, the world says: prayer doesn’t work.

 

The world would rather see humanity respond with unconstrained emotions, rather than speaking to God and reading His Word for answers.

 

In today’s gospel lesson, Jesus speaks to His disciples on Maundy Thursday and teaches us that we are not alone in worldly tribulation, for He has given everyone in Jesus direct access through prayer.

 

Jesus teaches us that through Him, we have access not just to Jesus, but to the Father and the Holy Spirit.

 

Even though Jesus has not died and rose as of yet, He has declared victory over the world. He declares victory, because He knows the outcome. He knows the future. He knows, because He is the very Son of God.

 

Through Christ’s death upon the cross and His resurrection from the grave, we are now free to pray to the Triune God – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – whatever is on our mind. Jesus alone has reconciled us to God the Father by grace through faith in Him.

 

But are there any exceptions to what we can pray for? Well, we are to pray for all things that are good and right, as we prayed our Collect of the Day this morning. The only things we can’t pray for are things that are the opposite, which are evil things and wrong things.

 

To put it simply, God will not accept a prayer about harming your neighbor or anything else that conflicts with God’s Word, but we are free to pray for anything that is good and right, even stupid things, small things, as well as large and impossible things. And when we pray, we are to pray knowing that God’s will is done, not our will.

 

So, we pray when we have doubts, questions, desires and especially when we face tribulation.

 

[Tribulation]

 

Again, today’s gospel text takes place on Maundy Thursday, the very night when Jesus was betrayed. Tomorrow would be Good Friday, the day of His death.

 

For the disciples, they were soon going to face tribulation. They were soon going to face doubt and fear.

 

Jesus knew what His disciples would do when He would be arrested, tried, crucified and die. He knew that they would scatter.

 

Jesus said, “Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone” (John 16:32).

 

And so they did. They scattered and hid from the Jewish authorities in fear that they would soon face the fate of Jesus.

 

They thought the three years with Jesus all came to a close. For it appears that they didn’t expect to see Jesus again, even though Jesus just said a riddle about His death and resurrection, “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while you will see me” (John 16:16).

 

We, too, scatter much like Christ’s disciples. They said they believed Jesus came from God the Father, but when the pressure came, they ran from their confession of faith. They deserted Jesus.

 

We say the same confession in the Creed. But, how many of us run from our confession of faith when we’re questioned if we abide in Christ’s teachings?

 

The world is always assailing us. Sometimes we give in, but when we turn back to God through repentance, we are forgiven. Christ’s disciples were forgiven for their unbelief. Likewise, we receive the same forgiveness.

 

Jesus has promised tribulation as we live in the world. As Christians, we are outsiders to the world. We love as Jesus taught us to love, yet we are persecuted. When we do good by promoting life, we are punished as evil doers. We are attacked precisely because we have one Lord Jesus Christ. We are attacked because we are not one with the world.

 

But, each time our Christian faith is attacked by the world, we should remember that the victory has been won. Jesus has overcome the world. Jesus has conquered the powers of sin, death and Satan upon His people. Sin, death and Satan no longer have any power of us.

 

[Peace]

 

Jesus gives us assurance that we will come out of the tribulation and receive peace.

 

Jesus says, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33)

 

For His disciples, they were in much tribulation following Christ’s death, but their tribulation turned to joy when Christ appeared to them in the locked room three days later and said, “Peace be with you” (John 20:19).

 

At that moment, they were at peace. Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!

 

No longer did the threats of the world bother them. They knew that Jesus was victorious over the world! Jesus gave them peace!

 

Today, we will have much trouble. The world is against us – just like it was for Jesus and His disciples. But, we know the ending! We know that Jesus has overcome the world. We know that by God’s grace, all who believe and trust in Jesus inherit eternal life.

 

In the meantime, we pray amid tribulation knowing that God is listening. We know that whatever we ask the Father in Jesus’ name, He will give it to us. We know that through Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, Jesus has given us direct access to the Father. We know that we share in Christ’s victory over the world!

 

Each Sunday, Jesus reminds us that we are at peace as we receive strength for our weak faith in the Divine Service. We remember our baptism as we begin each Divine Service with the Invocation. We receive forgiveness of sins and strength for our faith with the Means of Grace, as we hear His Word and receive His Sacrament.

 

[Jesus Has Triumphed]

 

So, why, then, do we fear the world as if it were triumphing over us?

 

We should feel encouraged. We should be at peace. But, as Christians, we live in two spheres. In the world, Christians will face tribulation. We will face trouble, turmoil and persecution, precisely because of our faith in Jesus.

 

In contrast, we also have peace. We have peace in Jesus. Jesus assures us that whatever the tribulation, peace will prevail by grace through faith in Him.

 

Jesus has overcome the world. The battle has been waged and won by Jesus. He won this battle for you and for me. Despite the world continuing its wretched attacks, those in Christ share the victory He has won. As long as we remain in Christ, we cannot be harmed by the world’s evil.

 

We have overcome the world through the blood of Jesus, shed for you and for me. We have overcome the world through the bodily resurrection of Jesus, which gives us sure confidence in our peace. 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 Easter 3: "Chosen Instruments" (Acts 9:1-22)

 

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]

 

Two chosen instruments of God: one a fisherman; the other, a Pharisee. The first man was with Jesus during His entire ministry, but later denied being one of His disciples. The second man believed he was devoutly loyal to God, but later God revealed to him that he was persecuting God’s people.

 

Our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ summoned these men and countless others, including us, to confess the name of the Lord. Despite the unworthiness of Peter and Paul, Jesus redeemed them and all believers through His death upon the cross and His bodily resurrection from the grave. Jesus died, so that everyone who believes in Him would be redeemed and receive God’s grace of forgiveness. Jesus rose, so we would be certain of our hope.

 

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!

 

[Paul, the Persecutor]

 

In the earliest years of the Christian Church, it would have been difficult to find a more dedicated opponent of Christ than Saul of Tarsus. From supporting the stoning of Stephen to rounding up and imprisoning Christians in Jerusalem, Saul did his best to destroy the Christian Church. 

 

Why would Saul do this? Well, at the time he believed he was fulfilling the will of God. You see, Saul was a Pharisee of Pharisees. He boldly spoke God’s Word as he knew it. And, what he believed was that Judaism was the true faith and Christianity was totally fake. What he couldn’t get over is why anyone would follow a man who died a criminal’s death — death by crucifixion.

 

Now, Saul believed that Jesus’ death was justified. He believed that Jesus was a fraud. He believed that Jesus was leading people away from the true God.

Saul was also well aware of the claims that Jesus had been resurrected from the dead, but he thought those claiming this were crazy. He thought everyone speaking of His resurrection was delusional.

 

So, Saul considered it his holy duty to persecute the Christians without let-up and without mercy. He felt this was his godly duty to protect the Jewish faith from these delusional and misguided followers of Jesus.

 

In doing so, Saul was filled with righteous rage and righteous hate. Saul believed it was his duty to arrest Christians and bring them back to Jerusalem for punishment.

 

Today, persecution of Christians continues. Christians in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia deal with persecution every day. Islamist and communist governments murder Christians and destroy churches just because they can. Here in the United States, we typically don’t see the physical persecution, but we do see a sinful culture that daily identifies Christians as haters and lifts up Islam as a true religion, which it’s not.

 

This constant fear of death, but hope in Christ’s promises, is similar to what the First Century Christians faced with Saul. Instead of one Saul, there are many Sauls. This is what the Christians in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia face today. They each know they may have to suffer and die for their faith in Jesus. But, they also know that they will enter paradise for their faith in Jesus. As North American Christians, this should also be our expectation. As Christ was persecuted, we should expect persecution.

 

This is how we can picture Saul. First Century Christians knew what to expect when Saul entered the area. They expected to become a martyr.

 

[Jesus Appears to Saul]

 

Now, one day, Saul received permission from the High Priest Caiaphas — via the Sanhedrin — to expand his persecution to Damascus, so he could arrest Christians there and bring them back to Jerusalem for punishment.

 

Jesus, though, had other ideas.

 

As Saul was on his way to Damascus to persecute Christians, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4b) Saul responded: “Who are you, Lord?” (Acts 9:5a). “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do” (Acts 9:5b-6).

 

Everyone traveling with Saul witnessed the bright light and heard sounds, but it was only Saul who experienced the fullness of this revelation. Only Saul heard the voice of Jesus.

 

Immediately, Saul’s eyesight went blind, but he began to see things clearly. He realized that in persecuting the Christian Church, he had been persecuting the true Messiah. He realized that he had been persecuting God.

 

With this knowledge, Saul was led by his men hand-in-hand to Damascus to await what he was to do.

 

While in Damascus, Saul neither ate nor drank, but only prayed to God for he now knew that the Scriptures testified about Jesus.

 

[Jesus Appears to Ananias]

 

Jesus also appeared to Ananias, a disciple of Jesus, who lived in Damascus — a man that likely Saul came originally to arrest. Jesus told Ananias to visit Saul so that he would regain his sight. But Ananias knew of Saul. He knew Saul’s reputation. He knew that Saul could arrest him. He was puzzled. He was confused.

 

Jesus later said to Ananias: “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel” (Acts 9:15). 

 

Later Ananias came to Saul, laid his hands on him, and baptized him in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Through God’s gift of healing, Saul’s eyes were opened to see, and through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, Saul was brought out of darkness into God’s marvelous light.

 

Saul had been Christ’s enemy, but Christ graciously forgave him and transformed him into a friend. 

 

By God’s grace, Saul had been unconditionally forgiven and unconditionally restored by Christ. Jesus then sent out Saul as his chosen instrument to bring that same gift of reconciliation to the world. He received grace and now Saul proclaims this grace to all people.

 

Through God’s wisdom, our Lord chose to send the message of grace to sinners through sinners. Who better than Saul, who called himself the chief of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15), to speak the comfort that Christ is the friend of sinners?

 

[Forgiveness Isn’t Easy] 

 

Even though Saul was forgiven by God, forgiveness from fellow Christians wasn’t as easy. You see, they remembered how Saul terrorized them. They remembered his threats against them. Eternally, Saul was forgiven, but temporally, he was seen as the same old Saul. Even Ananias wasn’t rearing to visit Saul, until Jesus calmed his fears by calling Saul His chosen instrument.

 

We might not have participated in the organized persecution of Christians, but we are every bit dependent on God’s saving grace as Saul.

 

We each come into this life with a fallen, sinful nature that looks in toward itself rather than up to the Lord. We, by nature have a mind that is hostile to God and we do not want to submit to God’s moral law. In short, we are all by nature enemies of God.

 

Our sinful nature wants to withhold forgiveness. Our sinful nature likes having a sense of power over one another.

 

Likewise, our sinful nature doesn’t like saying, “I’m sorry,” either. Our sinful nature always thinks of itself as always right.

 

Our sinful nature does not want to forgive others who wrong us. This is how the early Christians thought about Saul.

 

So, when someone who has terrorized you suddenly desires to be your friend, how would you react? Wouldn’t you be cautious? Would you wonder why? Would you forgive them if this person said they were truly sorry for what they had done?

 

In time, Saul was trusted by the fellow Christians since he never wavered when he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues saying: “He is the Son of God” (Acts 9:20).

 

As a sinner forgiven by Christ, Saul received God’s grace and we too, receive God’s grace. The Holy Spirit inspired Saul to write about God’s grace more than a hundred times in His epistles, which gives every Christian confidence that through Christ’s death and bodily resurrection, everyone who trusts in Jesus as Lord is eternally saved by grace through faith in Jesus alone.

 

[Chosen Instrument]

 

Now, Jesus continually calls those considered least likely to serve His plan of salvation. No one expected Saul – a persecutor of the faith – to become a messenger of the gospel. No one also expected a ragtag group of fishermen, who didn’t always understand Jesus, to become messengers of the gospel. No one would expect Peter to be forgiven for denying Jesus three times as his Lord faced trial. But that is exactly what Jesus does.

 

Jesus said to Peter three times, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” (John 21:15, 16, 17). And for three times, Peter responds in repentance saying, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you” (John 21:15, 16, 17). Jesus absolves Peter saying: “Feed my sheep” (John 21:17).

 

In His threefold exchange with Peter, Jesus restored His disciple to service to Him and His flock. Jesus gave him grace.

 

You see, our own past sins and failures often make us feel unworthy to serve God. We may think, “Why would God ever forgive me? I wouldn’t forgive myself.” But Jesus continues to comfort our souls with forgiveness of sins and with compassion. He gives us grace.

 

This is extremely true for Saul. Saul was on the fast track to influence and power among the Jewish authorities. He was rounding up Christians that he believed deserved what they received by the Sanhedrin. Saul may have eventually become a leader among the Jewish authorities, but instead God chose him to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

In proclaiming the gospel to the Gentiles, Saul uses his Greek translation of his name, Paul. As now God’s chosen instrument, Paul becomes a special messenger of the Gospel.

 

As a Roman citizen, Paul is now able to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ far and wide throughout the Roman world. At the same time, Peter continues to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ among the Jews.

 

[Our Call]

 

Today, the Christian Church continues where the apostles left off.

You see, all of us here today are also chosen instruments of God. Just as Christ did for Saul and Peter, He came to each one of us personally to give us the new life that He purchased for us upon the cross and in His resurrection. By water and the Word, He shined His light into our hearts. Having paid our ransom upon the cross, He came to us personally to free us from sin, death and Satan.

 

Just as Christ cared for Paul and Peter in their mission work, Christ continues coming to us to give us forgiveness and strength for our weak faith in the Lord’s Supper. He comes to us through His Body and Blood in the bread and wine to restore us as His chosen instruments.

 

Though we have not earned this, it is given to us as God’s free gift in Christ through His death and resurrection. This is grace. 

 

As forgiven, redeemed and justified like Paul and Peter, we are chosen instruments of God. As chosen instruments, we live out the one true Christian faith in our words and actions. We live our lives forgiven and tell others of the grace we have received.

 

We were enemies, but through Jesus Christ, we have been transformed from enemies into friends. We have been transformed into Christ’s chosen instruments.

 

So, if someone asks you about your hope, we are to proclaim like Paul and Peter that everyone who repents and trusts in Jesus is no longer God’s enemy, but is God’s friend. It doesn’t matter the sin of thought, word, or deed. Through repentance, we are forgiven!

 

For this, we should celebrate God’s grace! This is exactly what we do each Sunday morning in the Divine Service. We celebrate what God has done for us and what God continues to do for us! In response to God’s grace, we tell others what God has done for you and for me as His chosen instruments! We were enemies of God, but by grace through faith in Jesus, we are forgiven!

 

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia! 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

 

Funeral Sermon: Child of God (Mark 10:13-16; Revelation 7:9-17)

 

Donald, Duane, Daniel and Dana, other family and friends of Donna:

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

[Love of Children]

“Any news?” That’s how Donna greeted me each time I visited her and Donny.

The news she was hoping to hear was that her pastor would again be a father. Donna loved children and especially loved her first son, who passed away way too soon. Donna, Donny and I share this in common. We both lost our first son. They lost Donald Junior and my wife and I lost Henry.

Toward the last months of her life, Donna would say to me, “Well, I guess I have to go in order to make room for your next child.”

Donna loved children. She loved her children. She loved her children’s children. She loved babysitting children. She loved all children.

Donna learned from her Lord and Savior to love all children – those in the womb and those who are in their elderly years. She loved all people.

She took the following words of Jesus to heart: “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for such belongs the children of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it” (Mark 10:14-15).

Donna also believed she had to receive the kingdom of God like a child. You see, she trusted and found comfort in her Savior’s promise of eternal life, forgiveness of sins and salvation. She knew she could not earn salvation, because all she had to do was believe and trust in Jesus and His grace would be given to her.

When Donna and Donny retired, they became travelers. They visited family and often traveled to Las Vegas. Then this all came to an end a few years ago when Donna’s health declined and she later entered hospice care.

[Clothed in White]

As the months turned to years, Donna desired to come home with her Lord. Especially during her last few months on earth, she said she wanted to go home. Then on Sunday, March 31, she finally went home to be with her Lord and Savior.

As Donna left her earthly body, she joined the great multitude that no one could number in heaven. She joined the multitude of people from every nation, people and language. She joined the great throng of saints who cry out “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:10).

As God reveals in Revelation 7, one of the elders asks: “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” (Revelation 7:13b).

This elder is awestruck by the appearance of this great crowd in heaven and wonders: Who are they? Where did they come from? They weren’t here before.

You see, this great crowd has come out of the great tribulation and have been declared righteous through the blood of the Lamb.

This tribulation is the life we live on earth as a Christian. This tribulation is a continuing reality for each of us here today. We all suffer in our earthly life. We all have hardships in our earthly life. Donna had her fair share of tribulation in her life.

This vision of the Church Triumphant is a message of comfort for all Christians, since every Christian experiences testings of faith.

All of us today are living in the Great Tribulation. This is the time between Christ’s Ascension into heaven and His return to earth from heaven when He comes again to judge the living and the dead.

But when our time on earth is over, we will be one of the many coming out of this tribulation. When we enter heaven, we will be seen as perfect, because our robes will be pure white, because we were baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection. We were washed in the blood of the Lamb.

This sacrificial Lamb also strengthens our faith and forgives our sins each time we receive His very body and blood at the Lord’s Supper.

Donna became a child of God on April 14, 1940, when she died to sin and was born again to new life at her baptism. At that time, she was adopted by the Triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – as she was wrapped with Christ’s robe of righteousness that covers all her sin. Then on April 11, 1954, with the trust of child, she confirmed that she is indeed a child of the Heavenly Father.

It is only by God’s grace that anyone could enter heaven. We can do nothing to earn heaven. All we can do is to believe like a child and trust like a child all the promises that Christ alone has won for us through His atoning death on the cross, His resurrection from the dead, and His bodily ascension into heaven.

It is through Christ alone that God the Father sees the Church Triumphant as righteous. Because of their faith and trust in Jesus, the Church Triumphant is seen as pure and holy in the presence of God the Father. Everyone is covered in pure white robes and has received the righteousness of the Lamb, for which they share in the victory over sin, death and Satan.

Today, Donna and the others in the Church Triumphant never hunger, thirst, or want anymore, for they are in the presence of God.

However, today we are separated from our loved ones who have died. And our loved ones in heaven are separated from us. We each cry out, “How long?!” Or, Donna may be saying to Jesus: “Any news, Lord?”

We know that one day there will be no more separation, because God the Father will send Christ again in glory to resurrect the dead from their graves and also judge the living and the dead. At this time, Jesus will separate the unbelievers from the believers. Each believer in both body and soul will be made new and sinless in the New Heaven and New Earth.

Everything will be perfect. There will be endless joy!

[Singing with the Church Triumphant]

Today, we sing hymns like “My Faith Looks Up to Thee” where we long to be with our Savior. We long that our sin and guilt are taken away. But one day, we will be living out hymns in the Church Triumphant such as “Behold a Host, Arrayed in White,” because we will be cleansed from guilt and shame as we are arrayed in white as God’s children in His Kingdom. 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 Lent 5: "The Rejected Cornerstone" (Luke 20:9-20)

 

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]

 

“The Stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.”

 

Recently, I came across an article about a new Bible.

 

It reported: “Zondervan Publishing has announced a new Bible with micro-perforated, completely removable pages. This new edition of the Scriptures would allow Christians to remove doctrines, verses, and entire books of the Bible they find unpopular or inconvenient.”

 

“Don’t like some of the heavy-handed calls to repentance, whether in the New Testament or Old? Now, you can just rip that page out. The bottom line is, if you stumble across a snippet of the Word that’s hard to swallow; now you can just get rid of it.”

 

Also, according to Zondervan, the Bible will also ship with a quick-start guide for Christians, indicating which pages they should remove right way.

 

Does this article shock you? Well, it should. But, the good news is that this is from the Babylon Bee, a Christian satirical website, but this article does hold some truth. You see, deleting portions of the Bible for convenience is actually happening. Our sinful nature wants to put itself above what God says. Our sinful nature wants to be in charge, rather than repent of our sins against God. Our sinful nature wants to reject God.

 

[What Authority?]

 

During His earthly ministry, many people rejected Jesus. Today’s gospel lesson tells of some of the people who rejected Jesus — in particular the Jewish authorities, which included the chief priests, scribes and elders.

 

Rejection is nothing new for Jesus, for He had sent the prophets of old to preach repentance and prepare the Jewish people for His coming. These prophets faced rejection, ridicule and sometimes death, because many of the Jews did not care what God had to say.

 

Eventually the promised Messiah came and He faced the same rejection.

 

You see, the Jewish authorities loved the influence they had over the Jewish people and they didn’t appreciate it when anyone shook their apple cart of power. This is why the Jewish authorities hated Jesus. They did not want to lose their power over the people. It was never about God. It was all about them.

 

So, one day as Jesus was publicly teaching in the temple many of the Jewish authorities showed up including the chief priests, scribes and elders who came up to Jesus and publicly criticized him saying, “Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who is it that gave you this authority!” (Luke 20:2).

 

That is to say: “Who are you?! And, who taught you?!”

 

You see, the Jewish authorities were really upset that any Jew would listen to a rabbi from the backwoods town of Nazareth, rather than listening to them. They felt threatened. They saw their power dwindling from them as more people were flocking to Jesus. They needed this Jesus stopped by any means necessary.

 

So with these Jewish authorities present, Jesus took this opportunity to teach everyone a parable.

 

Now, this parable left no one guessing on what it was about, because everyone knew.

 

Jesus began saying: “A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants and went into another country for a long while” (Luke 20:9b).

 

Then time came for the owner of the vineyard to send servants to the tenants so the owner could get some of the fruit of the vineyard. But these tenants beat each servant and gave them nothing.

 

Eventually, the owner sent his son and thought the tenants might respect him. Instead of respecting the owner’s son, they thought: “This is the heir! Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours!” So, they threw the son out of the vineyard and killed him.

 

Knowing what was on their hearts, Jesus looked right at the Jewish authorities and asked them a rhetorical question: “What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them?” [Pause] “He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.”

 

This fueled even more hatred at Jesus. “How could this Nazareth know-it-all say this about us?! What gives him the authority to call us out?!”

 

Then Jesus spoke again looking directly into the eyes of the Jewish authorities. “What then is this that is written: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’? Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.” (Luke 20:17-18).

 

[Cornerstone]

 

Now, what exactly is a cornerstone? Well, this is a stone that is placed in the most prominent corner of a building. It also serves as a reference to all the other stones or bricks.

 

When the hearers heard this, they knew that the stone is Jesus and the builders are the Jewish authorities. Here, Jesus is saying that His rejection is how He will become the cornerstone and that God’s glory will be manifested in His rejection.

 

In saying this, Jesus is also implying that these Jewish authorities are godless. Since they have rejected the beloved Son, they have also rejected the owner – God the Father. Jesus is telling everyone that these Jewish authorities only think about themselves and never about God.

 

Because of their rejection and unbelief, the power of the Jewish authorities is about to be broken to pieces under the rejected Stone.

 

In his parable, Jesus reminds everyone that it was God who planted the vineyard and that it was God who established Israel as His people.

 

God never asked the Israelites to volunteer to become God’s people, instead He just chose them and not because they were godly. God chose Israel so He could set His love upon them.

 

The only thing God desires from Israel is their repentance, but Israel struggles even with that. Instead of repenting of their sins against God and giving thanksgiving to God for all they have, these Jewish authorities continue in sin and only praise each other.

 

They kill prophets when the prophet tells them to repent. They kill the owner’s Son in hopes of taking all authority.

 

[Today’s Parable of the Wicked Tenants]

 

This parable also speaks of today. You see, we still have wicked tenants. Instead of Jewish leaders, we have Christian leaders. Today’s wicked tenants again make it about themselves, rather than Jesus.

 

This is prominent among the leadership in today’s mainline Christianity as their leaders have moved their people away from Christ’s teachings and instead show favor to man’s teachings.

 

They refuse to recognize that today’s vineyard is built on the truth that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Instead, they say things about the Bible such as “That was then, this is now” to justify their false doctrine. And if they cite Jesus, they only focus on what they perceive as a good teaching. They use their opinion to say if a particular part of Scripture is true or not.

 

This is sin. This is breaking the First Commandment, since they are placing themselves above God.

 

[We Can Become the Wicked Tenants]

 

It’s not just those religious leaders, but us, too. We also sin and want it our way, rather than God’s way. So, like the wicked tenants, we are just as likely to reject Jesus.

 

We may take offense to what Jesus says about abortion, co-habitation, coveting, homosexual lifestyle, or even that unbelievers are damned. How can this be? I want to say Jesus loves everyone just the way they are.

 

Well, Jesus does love us, but He doesn’t love our sin. You see, the power of sin separates us from God. Repentance, on the other hand, shows that we desire to be closer to God.

 

This is what Jesus is teaching in His parable. He is teaching that we are to listen to God’s Word, rather than follow man’s sinful desires. Jesus wants us to be prepared, so that when we hear false doctrine that we do not run toward it and accept it, but instead challenge the false doctrine with God’s unchanging Word.

 

[Christ Alone]

 

The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. Jesus is the rejected son of the parable. Jesus is the cornerstone that the builders rejected. Jesus is the owner’s son who was thrown out of the vineyard and killed.

 

The Jewish authorities rejected the prophets. They rejected Jesus. Likewise, when we desire to do the opposite of God, we have rejected Jesus.

 

As those unbelieving leaders rejected Jesus, their authority crumbled, but the cornerstone remained.

 

Jesus tells us, “Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him” (Luke 20:18).

 

Everyone will be broken and crushed, including those who believe in Him. For everyone must deny their sinful desires and fall into the brokenness of repentance in order to be raised again as new beings – the living stones of Christ – as the temple of God.

 

We must realize the brokenness of our sin against God in thought, word and deed. We must repent of those sins, so Jesus can raise us up to complete forgiveness.

 

You see, Christ — the cornerstone — builds up all believers through Law and Gospel. Christ is the cornerstone and we are His church. As His church, we are dependent on Christ. He holds us together as living stones to Him as He restores us in Word and Sacrament.

 

When we sin against God, and repent of that sin, Jesus again restores us as His living stone. Jesus alone holds us together as our one foundation and He strengthens us constantly when we repent of our sins and receive His forgiveness.

 

But as much as Christ loves those who love Him, this is the opposite for the unbeliever. Instead of restoring them, they are crushed under the weight of the Cornerstone.

 

Christ knew He would be rejected, but this did not stop Him from saving the entire world. Why us? We don’t deserve saving. We would rather disobey God, rather than obey God. Why would He take our flesh and die? This is truly love unknown to us. He was rejected and yet He still loved us to become the eternal sacrifice for our sins as He was killed outside the walls of Jerusalem. It was then that He took on our filthy sin and made every believer in Him clean in righteousness through His suffering, death and resurrection.

 

God the Father even shows mercy to those who reject His Son, by giving them the same grace when they repent of their sins and trust in Jesus.

 

Through Christ’s resurrection, all who believe in Him are raised up as living stones of His Church. We are given all the benefits as a beloved child of God.

 

We are righteous, because the rejected cornerstone laid down His life for you and for me. We are righteous, because through His resurrection from the dead and ascension into heaven, God the Father has given us the vineyard! 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 Lent 4: "Unconditional Love" (Luke 15:1-3, 11-32)

 

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:

[Wandering Away]

On a cold February night in 2001, one-year-old Ericka somehow wandered out of her house and spent the entire night outside. When her mother, Leyla Nordby, found her daughter, she appeared to be totally lifeless. Her legs were stiff and her body frozen, and all the signs of life appeared to be gone.

Ericka was treated at Edmonton’s Stollery Children’s Health Center. To the amazement of doctors, the toddler showed no sign of damage. They gave Ericka a clear prognosis; she would soon hop and skip and play like other girls her age.

Some of us have wandered away from our Father’s house, and it has brought us near the point of death. Our hearts have hardened, and our spiritual bodies look as lifeless as the little girl in the snow. But our Father knows we are missing and He is searching for us. He can take our lifeless body and restore us to health.[1]

It is only God the Father who can pick us up and bring us back to His house.

[Amazing Love]

This morning, we heard about God the Father’s amazing love for us in our gospel lesson. It is no wonder that the Parable of the Prodigal Son has become a favorite of Christians.

How many of us forgive one another without any conditions? But this is what God the Father does for us and we are to do the same with our family, friend and neighbor.

We forgive, because God first forgave us through His Son Jesus, when Jesus took on our sin and made us righteous through His suffering, death and resurrection. God did not have to do any of this, but He did it out of His love for us.

But for us, it is often our sinful pride that gets in the way of forgiving others. We want to lord it over each other. We like that power.

The same goes if we are the one repenting of our sin against our family, friend and neighbor. How many of us fear that we will not be truly forgiven by the other?

So, today, we hear again about God’s amazing and unconditional love for each and every one of us as Jesus tells us the Parable of the Prodigal Son.

[The Parable of the Prodigal Son]

As the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear Jesus, the Pharisees and scribes grumbled about Jesus saying: “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” (Luke 15:1-3).

So, Jesus began speaking the parable of God’s unconditional love as He spoke about a father and his two sons.

The younger son wanted his share of the inheritance now. He couldn’t wait to get away from his family. He wanted to live his own life on his own.

So, his father gave the younger son his share of the inheritance and his son leaves into the far country.

Now, the entire Jewish community would have been aware of this, so this event would not only be known to the family. As was tradition, one would receive their inheritance after the father would have died, not while he was still alive. People would know. People would talk. People would wonder where the younger son went.

Also, the process of disposing of the estate would have been difficult for the younger son in a community that would be completely opposed to the prodigal’s request. At the same time, the community would be equally shocked at the father for even allowing this.

So, the prodigal son would have had to cut a quick deal with someone unscrupulous enough to help a young man turn his property into cash. So, it is likely that the prodigal son went from person to person to turn his inheritance into liquid assets so he could go to that distant country where no one would know him.

I’m sure he was turned down time after time as community members displayed public disgust at him. Some people may have just displayed amazement, others horror and others flat out rejection of him.

But in the end, this prodigal son was able to turn his inheritance into cash as he moved away from his family and started over.

After some time living in luxury, the prodigal son eventually spent his last penny. He squandered it all in reckless living. He had no plan on growing his wealth, but instead spent every last cent.

Now, we don’t know exactly what the prodigal son did with his money. All we know is that he was reckless. We also know that he was only thinking of himself. He had only his own best interest in mind, even though his interests ended up costing him everything.

So, in just a matter of time the prodigal son went from no worries in his life with his inheritance to being penniless and hungry.

Then he hired himself out to one of the citizens of the country — a Gentile — who hired him to feed the pigs.

If he wasn’t already at rock bottom, he is now there. He is a Jew working for a Gentile. On top of that, he is a Jew feeding pigs. This is the lowest of the lows. He is not only rendering himself unclean and outcast, but this shows how far he has sunk in his own personal demise.

He is feeding unclean pigs and yet, he wishes he was an unclean pig, so at least he could eat. He is longing to feed on the pods that the pigs ate, even though it would be unappetizing and lack the nourishment he truly needs.

He has lost it all. He is scraping by through feeding pigs. And, the only friends he has left are the pigs he feeds. At least the pigs cared for him, in as much as they could.

The prodigal has no real friends and he has alienated his family and his community with him only thinking of himself.

He then comes to the realization that his father’s servants have it a million times better than he has it now. The servants have plenty of food. The servants have clean clothing. The servants have a safe place to sleep at night.

Here is when the prodigal becomes determined to come back home and repent of his sins. So, he begins practicing what he is going to say to his father: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am not worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants” (Luke 15:18).

I wonder how many times it took him saying that repeatedly to get up the courage to make his journey back. I’m sure it wasn’t easy. His pride had fallen.

So, while the prodigal son was still a long way off from knocking on his father’s door, his father sees him coming.

You see, ever since the prodigal son left, his father has been searching for him. His father never gave up on him. His father searched day after day in hopes of finding his lost son and bringing him home.

As soon as his father saw him, he began running toward his son and once he met his lost son, he hugged him and kissed him. His son began to speak his prepared speech to his father, but his father didn’t care what he spoke. All he was thinking was that his lost son “was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found!” (Luke 15:24 and Luke 15:32).

I’m sure this catches the prodigal son off-guard. He wants to work off his debts, because he is the cause of his miserable sinful condition against his father and against heaven. He came back not to be called son, but to become a servant. He is a true outcast, just like the tax collectors and sinners who were coming to be near Jesus and to hear Jesus speak.

In the first century, repentance was seen different than today. In that time, repentance was understood as a human work with conditions, terms and reparations. Repentance was something that humans could initiate outside God’s initiative. This is why the prodigal son wished to work off his debt as a servant.

But instead, his father does something radical: He forgives his son without any conditions. His father reinstates his lost son as his son. The lost son has been given the dignity and status as son.

His father calls the servants, “Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost and is found!” (Luke 15:22-24).

[Continuously Searching for the Lost]

This parable displays God’s unconditional love for all of us. God the Father is always searching for everyone on this earth when they wander off in search of their own desires.

Many times people wander off because they feel that the church is too judgmental. Or they seek another church that appears to free from judgement – a church that pleases our itching ears, instead of being fed with God’s truth, which afflicts and comforts. This is similar to the prodigal son, who wanted it his way. Until he realized that his way was getting him nowhere.

For it doesn’t matter what you do. God will forgive you when you repent. You could quit coming to church for decades, you could murder a person, you could ruin another person’s reputation, you could steal property from your neighbor, you could be engaged in a sinful sexual lifestyle, such as being gay, lesbian, transgender, or even watch pornography. It doesn’t matter if you lie, cheat and steal. For as long as you repent of your sin and trust in Jesus, you are forgiven by God the Father. No conditions, just love and forgiveness.

Yes, you may still have to face consequences in this life, but in the life to come, you are forgiven. Your sins are wiped clean!

This is truly amazing unconditional love. You see, God the Father is continuously searching for the lost. We see that especially in Luke 15 where Christ teaches us three parables where God is searching for the lost. He is searching for anyone who has wandered away from His presence with the parable of the lost sheep, the parable of the lost coin and the parable of the lost son — the prodigal son.

[The Older Son]

At the same time, when God the Father forgives the lost and brings them back into his flock, we — who have been loyal — may sometimes feel like the older son in this parable.

When the older son heard the celebration for his lost brother, he was upset. He was angry.

He was likely thinking the following:

Why should this lost son be rewarded? Why haven’t I been rewarded for my loyalty? Where is my party? Why don’t you remember the sins that my younger brother committed against you? My younger brother spent his inheritance on sinful living! Why are you throwing him a party?!

We may become like the older brother when we see a person we know who has committed public sins be forgiven. We may take offense to that, like the Pharisees and scribes.

But, everyone in Christ receives the same inheritance. It doesn’t matter if you sinned against God in thought, word and deed all your life and repent on your deathbed, or if you live your entire life in repentance. We all receive the same reward. We all receive salvation.

[Unconditional Love]

The one true God — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit — does not put conditions on His love for you and for me. He loves us all! He only desires that each one of us repent and trust in Jesus, for He alone gives us forgiveness. We do struggle with forgiving others. We struggle with forgiving and forgetting.

It is only God who unconditionally forgives and forgets our sins. 

We were all lost when we were born. But, we were found when God drowned us in our baptism as we died to sin and rose to new life in Jesus.

Now, some of us know others who have wandered from the one true Christian faith, but God the Father is continuously searching for them and He never gives up.

For it is God’s desire that no one perishes into damnation, but that everyone is saved through His Son Jesus, who gave His life as a sacrifice for our sins, so that we would be found and forgiven through His death and resurrection. We are given God’s unconditional love by grace through faith in Jesus.

As sinners, who need forgiveness, Christ forgives our sins at each Divine Service with confession and absolution. Better yet, Christ even throws us a party – a foretaste of the feast to come – when we receive His very Body and His very Blood, which forgives our sins and strengthens our weak faith in the Lord’s Supper.

Because we are forgiven and reconciled through Jesus – who took on our sin and punishment to make us righteous – we too are to forgive one another as we have been unconditionally forgiven by God. 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] 1001 Illustrations that Connect (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008), 244.