Sermon for Pentecost 20: "What Must I Do?" (Mark 10:17-22)

 

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]

“Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Mark 10:17b). This is the question an urgent man asked of Jesus. This is a question that is asked by many today: “What must I do to be saved?”

For the man we meet today, his actions of running up to Jesus and kneeling down before Him display his eagerness and fervor of his desire. For this man, he hopes that Jesus would be able to give him the vital information he so much desires.

Today, on the 20^th Sunday after Pentecost, Jesus gives us the answer that ponders many: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What works must I do to be saved?” Christ teaches us this morning what is really precious and what we ought to possess.

[What Must I Do?]

Now, this man does not ask Jesus how he may obtain eternal life. Instead, he asks Jesus, what must he do to acquire eternal life for himself. For this man, he had the right intuition: he was attracted to Jesus. He was so close, but at the same time, he was so far from eternal life.

So, urgently, this man says to Jesus, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Mark 10:17b) You see, this man believes that Jesus has figured out this question. He believes Jesus has the answer. It is as if this man is asking, “Good Teacher, how did you do it? Tell me, so that I may do likewise.”

Here lies the assumption that this man has the necessary ability that he may easily reach the goal that Jesus has reached. All this man wants is to know what he may do to inherit eternal life.

Jesus replies saying, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone” (Mark 10:18).

Now, do not be confused. Jesus is not saying here that He is not God. But what He is saying is that only one being is good: God alone. For Jesus, the word “good” if implied in its common sense is too cheap for Him. “Good” does not just mean “kind,” but it also means “beneficial.” Using this meaning, Jesus is teaching what is morally beneficial and who alone bestows salvation.

You see, this man needed to be reminded that God alone is “beneficial,” that God alone is the very source of salvation.

[Second Table of the Law]

So, Jesus proceeds to answer this man’s question, “You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother” (Mark 10:19).

Now, Jesus chose these commandments because He knew that these were this man’s “favorites.” For the works-righteous person, these are always the favorites. For the works righteous, they argue that they stand well with God because of their good lives. So, what do they say?

“I’m a good person.” “I’ve never hurt anybody.” “I’m a faithful husband.” “I’m a faithful wife.” “I pay my bills.” “I never cheat anybody.” “I don’t go around gossiping about people or slander them.”  “I’m good to my father and mother.”

Our sinful nature gives us the thought that we can keep these commandments without too much trouble. Our sinful nature believes we are quite sure that we have a good moral record.

The reason why we can feel so self-satisfied is that, due to our sinful nature, we often overlook God’s requirements of more than an outward obedience to these commandments:

• Many times, we fail to realize that harboring anger or hate in our hearts against a neighbor is breaking the Fifth Commandment: “You shall not murder.”
• Or that sexual lust is breaking the Sixth Commandment: “You shall not commit adultery.”
• Or that taking advantage of others is breaking the Seventh Commandment: “You shall not steal.”
• Or that complaining about our neighbors, spreading rumors, and telling secrets is breaking the Eighth Commandment: “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” In other words, if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say it at all. And, if you have to say it, speak only to the person you are at issue with, and not to others.
• Or that taking for ourselves what belongs to our neighbor is breaking the Ninth and Tenth Commandments: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.”
• Or that rebellious thoughts against parents and others in authority are breaking the Fourth Commandment: “Honor your father and your mother.”

Due to our sinful nature, we have a blind spot to the truth. Now, God demands nothing less than a pure heart that is filled only with love toward the neighbor and devoid of every sinful thought.

So, how does this man respond to Jesus? He says: “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth” (Mark 10:20). Without even the blinking of an eye, this man says he has done all of this. He says he has fulfilled the Second Table of the Law. He claims He has loved his neighbor as himself since his youth.

For this man, God’s Law does not terrify him, since, according to him, he has kept the Law. This man, much like our own sinful nature, believed he was self-righteous in the face of the Law. For him, he was perhaps disappointed to hear Jesus recite nothing but the Second Table of the Commandments, which he claimed, he has kept from his youth.

Now, in citing the Commandments, Jesus was using the Law in preparation for the Gospel. You see, Jesus used the Law to bring this man to the point where he would no longer think that he could keep the Law for his salvation but would realize his utter sinfulness. But in response, this man says, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth” (Mark 10:20).

[Speaking the Truth in Love]

Now, Jesus foresaw this answer. He is the incarnate Son of God, after all! He knew the Second Table of the Law would not make a dent in this man’s self-righteousness. All the while, Jesus was preparing for the next step. He was going to apply the holy Law of God in a way that would shake and shatter this man’s assumption that he had achieved righteousness.

As Jesus lovingly looked at the man, He did not shrink from the hard course required by love. He put the man to a stern test and said, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me” (Mark 10:21).

Here, Jesus spoke the truth in love, just as we ought to do. He “admonished the idle, encouraged the fainthearted, helped the weak, and was patient” as He teaches us in 1 Thessalonians 5:14.

Speaking the truth in love is speaking truthfully to others for their well-being by building them up toward the mature fullness of life we have in Christ. This includes gently admonishing or encouraging people to repent of their sin and pointing out the dangers of false teachings and false teachers. This may be preaching the secure sinner within an inch of hell before we can preach them into heaven. You see, each secure sinner needs to realize how filthy they all are before they are reminded that those sins are cloaked by the robe of Christ’s righteousness. And if you say, you are not a sinner, you are only deceiving yourself.

For us, when we speak the Law in a Law moment, we have done the right thing, even if we don’t see the result that we want to see, which is repentance. But when we see repentance, we rejoice! Sometimes, this takes a while; other times, it’s instant. One thing is for sure, our sinful nature never wants to see people walk away sorrowful and angry. So, when we speak Law or Gospel when that moment is called for, we may not always see the results. All we can do is leave it up to God.

For the man in today’s Gospel lesson, Christ’s words were devasting. They shattered his self-delusion that from boyhood on he had kept all of God’s Law. For this man, his love of possessions had become his idol. The one thing this man lacked was the most important thing: a single-hearted devotion to God. He had other gods in his life. He wasn’t fearing, loving, and trusting in the one true God above all things. He had turned his riches into an idol – a false god. He broke the First Commandment and thus he broke every commandment that followed.

The one thing this man needed to inherit eternal life was a complete inward change. He needed to come to the realization that all his works righteousness was in vain.

Here, Jesus is not saying to get rid of all earthly possessions in order to inherit eternal life, but He is laying the finger on the chief sin in this man’s heart: his love of his earthly possessions. You see, he clung to his earthly wealth with all of his heart.

Now, what about us? Is God first in your life, or is there a false idol taking God’s place? What in your life are you not willing to let go? Do you have a grudge against someone? Have you turned your possessions into an idol? Are you worshiping sinful men, rather than worshiping the Triune God? Have you turned yourself into your own god?

[Inheriting the Treasure in Heaven]

Today’s Gospel lesson does not end with a resolution. We don’t know what happens next. But Jesus never gives up on this man. Likewise, Jesus never gives up on us.

The thrust of Jesus’ words today is to summon inward change within this man, and within us. This change is to begin with contrition by realizing our sinfulness, our guilt and our sorrowing over them. So, when we have felt the weight of God’s Law, Jesus turns us to Him in faith as our only Savior from sin and guilt. Once we trust only in Jesus by clinging to Him, we inherit “treasure in heaven” (Mark 10:21). We inherit forgiveness of sins, which leads to eternal life and salvation!

Jesus is offering us something infinitely greater than anything we can have here on earth. He is offering us eternal life that He alone has accomplished for us through His suffering and death, which satisfied God the Father’s wrath over our sins – our thoughts, words, and deeds against God. And all we have to do is cling to Jesus by trusting in Him alone and His inheritance is ours. All He asks of us is to “come, follow Me” (Mark 10:21).

Through the working of the Holy Spirit that began at your Baptism, when the one True God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – made you His own, we are able to follow Christ. God alone has the power to strengthen our faith and this is what He does through His Means of Grace. Through the hearing of His Word, repenting of our sins and receiving His forgiveness through Confession and Absolution, as well as by eating and drinking Christ’s very Body and very Blood under the bread and wine, by faith in Him, we inherit eternal life.

So, what must we do to inherit eternal life? It’s simple: repent and follow Jesus. By following Jesus, He possesses us and in turn, we possess Him. It’s as simple as that, so trust in His grace for Christ alone is our treasure! In Him alone, we have eternal life! 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 19: "Fulfilling Our Every Need" (Genesis 2:18-25)

 

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 Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18a).

If there is anything that we have come to learn over the past couple years: it is not good to be alone. Mankind was never meant to be alone, secluded by oneself. When we are by ourselves, we are incomplete. We are incomplete, because the Triune God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – created man and woman as social beings.

All throughout the Days of Creation, God calls everything good. God created light; God created the sky; God created land and plants and gathered waters into seas; God created the sun, moon, and stars to fill the heavens; God created birds to fill the skies and sea creatures to fill the seas; God created land animals and people to fill the land. God looks at everything He created and says, “It is very good.”

When all seems perfect, God says what we would think is the unexpected: “It is not good.” “It is not good that the man should be alone.”

But for Adam, he had no idea that he needed companionship. Adam had no idea he was incomplete. So, according to God’s definite plan, God built woman from man.

Ultimately, today’s Old Testament and Gospel lessons are about marriage. It’s about how all humanity was created by God as distinct from each other as male or female. It’s about how God ordained marriage as the one flesh union of man and wife. But there is much more! Our readings from God’s Word inform us of our need for relationships — our need to be together — our need of family, friends, and neighbors.

Today on this 19^th Sunday after Pentecost, God assures us that He knows our every need. He assures us that He fulfills our every need.

[God Provides for Adam]

Now, even before Adam realizes that he has no companion, even before Adam realizes that he is lacking a helper, God says: “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make a helper fit for him” (Genesis 2:18).

But before God builds a helper for Adam, God gave Adam a task: to name all livestock, to name all the birds of the heavens, and to name every beast of the field. By a single word, Adam was able to compel the lions, tigers, bears, apes, hawks, eagles, and every other animal to come to him to be named. But as Adam chose the names of each animal, he came to realize that each other animal had a mate. Every other creature had a companion. 

Now, do not feel sorry for Adam. For he was innocent and righteous. So, he perfectly trusted God.

“But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him” (Genesis 2:20b). 

You see, God wanted Adam to discover for himself that no other creature was like him. The Lord was using the process of naming the animals and birds as a teaching devise to bring Adam’s loneliness home to him. Every other living creature had suitable mates, but Adam had none.

As Adam now longed for a mate, God caused a deep sleep to fall upon him. Now, just as God gave special care and attention to the creation of Adam, He did the same in the case of Eve. As Adam was asleep, he spared him the sight of having part of his own body removed. With great care God built Eve who was to be the companion Adam sorely needed, and who would become the matriarch of mankind.

When God fashioned Eve, He brought her to Adam. With this act, God instituted marriage and He gave His approval to the estate of holy matrimony.

At once, Adam recognized this great blessing that God has given him in this wife and proclaimed, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man” (Genesis 2:23).

With joy and satisfaction, and with praise to God, Adam found Eve to be just the companion he needed to complete his happiness. God fulfilled Adam’s need for a companion.

From this point forward, “the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed” (Genesis 2:25).

You see, everything about Adam was an open book to Eve. Everything about Eve was an open book to Adam. There was no selfishness. There were no secrets. There was no shame. No uncleanness. 

[Paradise Lost]

Tragically, this time of perfect righteousness would soon come to an end. The very next verse begins Genesis Chapter 3: The Fall. Paradise would soon come to an end.

Due to the Fall, we are ashamed. Due to the Fall, we have sinful thoughts and selfish desires. Due to the Fall, our pride leads us to think that we are our own god. Due to the Fall, our sinful nature causes us to question even our own identity. Our sinful nature even leads people to question how God created us.

Again, this is how God created us: “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth’” (Genesis 1:27-28).

Everything that has been corrupted in the world was due to the Fall into sin. Animals no longer simply trust humans. Humans no longer trust humans. Marriages aren’t all happily ever after. Friendships are broken.

How can this be? As humans, we are God’s crowning glory. After all, we are all created in the image of God! How could everything become so corrupted? Well, that answer is sin.

Sin invades our marriages. Today, a sinful man and a sinful woman are joined together in marriage. Sin invades our families. Sin invades our friendships. Sin destroys reputations.

Due to sin, we look inward – to ourselves, to our wants and our desires – instead of looking outward as we ought to do in loving God and serving our neighbor.

[Paradise Restored]

Despite sin entering the world, by dividing us from God, and us from each other, God prepares for everything. Nothing comes to the surprise of God. He again fulfills our every need. He knows our need before we even know our need. He gives us our Daily Bread, our bodily needs: food, clothing, and shelter. But that is just a small fraction of God’s love for us. From the offspring of Adam and Eve would come the Savior of the world — the Savior from sin, eternal death, and Satan. From Adam and Eve’s offspring would come the incarnate Son of God, the Second Adam, Jesus Christ.

So, where there is forgiveness of sins that Jesus earned for all upon the cross, those sinful thoughts, those sinful desires, that do cross our minds, that do invade our marriages and come between husband and wife, that do invade our friendships and come between friends, knowing that Christ has died for every sin, and that Christ has forgiven them and takes them upon Himself is the way that all companions — husbands and wives, as well as friendships — can once again become together and be unashamed.

Through Christ’s forgiveness won for us, we receive a sampling of what Adam and Eve had in the Garden before the Fall. Through Christ’s forgiveness won for us, we learn how to forgive one another. And, by faith in Christ alone, Paradise is restored!

Christ has indeed defeated sin’s power over all who cling to Him alone! With sin’s power destroyed, we inherit eternal life and salvation!

The Triune God continues to fulfill our every need! He alone builds the house. He builds the house as He increases our faith through His Means of Grace. He reconciles us. He brings us back to Him. And not only that, He sustains us through His Means of Grace. He makes us complete!

Through hearing His Word and receiving Christ’s very body and blood under the bread and the wine, He fulfills our every need. He brings us into relationship with Him and with each other. He brings us into fellowship with Him and with each other. Our true identity as a child of God is strengthened. This is what happens at each Divine Service.

Here, at each Divine Service, we are at true fellowship with God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – as He unites us to Him by forgiving our sins, by strengthening our faith in Christ, and by strengthening our love toward Him and to service for our neighbor.

Now, faith in Christ is not something that we can figure out on our own — by our own logic and reason. As Christ says, “Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it” (Mark 10:15). Faith in Christ is receiving what is given. Faith is pure trust, like infants instinctively trusting their parents for all their needs. Faith in Christ was given to us by God in our Baptism. This faith and identity in Christ is what God nourishes in us in His Means of Grace.

Today, God gives us a glimpse of His work on the sixth day of creation. God gives us a glimpse of Paradise. But even as we live on this side of the Fall, God the Father continues to fulfill our every need through His Son 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

What About the End Times?

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

 

Jesus said to His disciples: “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains” (Matthew 24:4b-8).

 

I have often been asked this question: “Are we living in the end times?” I then typically ask, “Why do you ask?” “What are you thinking?”

 

Well, the short answer to this profound question is: Yes. We are living in the End Times. But the usual question to follow is this: “When did the End Times begin?”

 

Jesus said to His disciples: “‘It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.’ And when He had said these things, as they were looking on, He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as He went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 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 go into heaven’” (Acts 1:7-11).

 

So, the End Times began with Jesus’ bodily ascension into heaven to which He said previously, “Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before?” (John 6:62)

 

Since, Christ’s bodily ascension nearly 2,000 years ago, the world has been living in the End Times. Generation after generation has experienced wars and rumors of wars. Generations have experienced nations rising against nations. Generations have experienced famines, plagues, earthquakes, and other weather-related phenomenon. This, the fallen sinful world has experienced. But, if we are living in the End Times, why do these End Times last so long? The answer to this is that we are being tested. Our faith in Christ is being tested.

 

Jesus assures us saying, “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew 24:36-44).

 

Regarding Christ not knowing the day and hour, He spoke this during His time of humiliation when He voluntarily limited His divine powers prior to His death upon the cross. Now that He is risen from the dead and bodily ascended into heaven, the exalted Christ certainly knows when He will return, since He has resumed His full and constant use of His divine powers.

 

The end of the world will not be spurred on by man. There is nothing man can do to usher in the Last Day. The Last Day has been prepared by the Triune God — the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As the Holy Spirit inspired the Psalmist: “Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to earth; on that very day his plans perish” (Psalm 146:3-4). So, we are not to cling to sinful man, since sinful man always follows his sinful desires. Instead, cling to Jesus, for He “is the Way, and the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6). By grace through faith in Christ alone, we come to the Father.

 

On the Last Day, the entire world will witness Christ’s return. He will return the same way He went up. On the Last Day, we “will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory” (Mark 13:26) who will “judge the living and the dead” at His appearing (2 Timothy 4:1).

 

In Christ,

Pastor Adelsen

Funeral Sermon: "At Peace with Christ" (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

 

Robert, Randy, Brian, and Jon, family and friends of Judy:

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

[Intro: Times and Seasons]

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

Each day we have is beyond our own human control. Everything comes and goes at the time that God has appointed. As God spoke in Psalm 90: “For all our days pass away under your wrath; we bring our years to an end like a sigh. The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; but their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away” … “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:9-10, 12).

Today, we certainly see the wages of sin, which is death. Due to sin, no human being can overcome death. But, although we all die due to sin, by grace through faith in Jesus, “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23b).

Today, Judy has received the victory! She has joined the happy throng singing the triumph song: Glory, laud, and honor unto Christ, the King! (Onward Christian Soldiers, LSB 662, Stanza 4). She is wearing the robe of Christ’s righteousness that covers all of her sins with her fellow saints in the Church Triumphant! She has received the free gift of God, that is eternal life – and all by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone!

[Faith and Determination]

Judy loved to dance. In fact, she met her husband Robert at the Play-Mor ballroom. Although, that night, the two did not dance – as she declined Robert’s invitation, their dating life and marriage would not be void of dancing.

But back in 2012 and 2013, it was the thought that Judy would not ever dance again, due to cancer and other infections. For a time, she was unable to walk. But due to her faith and determination, she was able to walk again – and dance again.

Besides dancing, Judy enjoyed her flowers, especially her large Hosta garden. She also enjoyed the company of her cats.

She loved her family, especially her husband Robert and her sons Randy, Brian, and Jon.

Most importantly, her faith in Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior is what kept her going all of her life. Through thick and thin, Jesus was always there for her. He never left her, nor forsake her. He is with her to this day! Today she is in the presence of her Lord and Savior. She is completely satisfied as she hungers no more, neither thirsts anymore. She is no longer suffering the effects of sin. She is at bliss with her fellow saints in the Church Triumphant!

For us today, we are experiencing loss. With any loss, we grieve. So, do not be ashamed to grieve at the loss of Judy this day, or in future days. But also know this: As Christians, we grieve not as the unbelieving world grieves. We grieve in the sure and certain hope that we will be with our loved ones again who have died in the faith! “For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with Him all those who have fallen asleep. … Therefore encourage one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:14, 18).

So, don’t be ashamed to grieve. Grieving is natural. And we all grieve in different ways. But always remember, Christians have the sure and certain hope that because Christ lives, everyone in Christ also lives!

[At the Appointed Time]

We should also remember that “for everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

All things have their time. All things have their definite hour. Everything comes and goes at the time that God Himself has appointed: “A time to be born, and time to die” (Ecclesiastes 3:2a).

Birth has its own time, and death has its own time. As we do not have our own birth planned out, we also do not have our own death planned out either. A baby is in the hand of God and is not born until its hour of birth comes. Women labor and concern about the birth of their baby, and they predict the time, but there is nothing certain about it. Nor do we die, except at our appointed hour.

For Judy, she may have thought when she was diagnosed with cancer in 2012 that death was near, or when her kidneys failed, but only God knew her appointed date and time.

Essentially, God is saying: “Why fear death?” Afterall, we cannot live any longer than the Lord has prescribed, nor die any sooner. So, we each have “a time to be born, and a time to die” (Ecclesiastes 3:2a).

But our sinful nature may say: “What about those people who die of their own initiative? What about those who died too young? Could they not have saved their lives?” No. God has set this hour and even the means and kind of death. God sets the moments of our life and of our death. They are fixed.

Now, our sinful nature may not like this. Our sinful nature likes the idea that we have some form of control. But this is a great comfort. God has indeed numbered our days. Our birth and our death are in His control.

Now, the time between our birth and our death, we perform the works of man.

“A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted” (Ecclesiastes 3:2b).

These are the works of human life. In the spring there is planting, in the autumn there is plucking up. As Judy enjoyed taking care of her flowers and plants, she would be familiar with this. The flowers and plants would only last so long, then they would be plucked up for the next season. This is our life. This is our life now.

So, for everything there is a season. A season to weep, a season to laugh, a season to mourn, a season to dance, and on and on.

For each of these works, there is a defined time. There is a time to weep, there is a time to laugh. But it often happens that when we want to be very joyous, a sudden disturbance arises. Therefore joy – like all seasons – has its appointed time.

What God teaches us in Ecclesiastes 3 is this: Enjoy the present things. Enjoy all the blessings that God has bestowed upon us and all creatures – His Daily Bread – because they will come to an end.

Even as the grass withers and the flower fades through the seasons of our life, the Word of our God will stand forever (Isaiah 40:8). The Word of the Lord never withers nor fades but endures forever!

All material things are temporal – they will fade away, but our faith in Christ is eternal! Our faith is eternal, because the eternal God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – strengthens our faith through His Means of Grace: Word and Sacrament!

Since, the Word of the Lord endures forever, Judy is at peace. She is at peace because she has entered by the Door of the Sheep – Jesus Christ, who is our Good Shepherd.

She – and all who trust in Christ – received this peace at their Baptism. For “there is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call – one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6).

You see, at your baptism, you were joined to Christ Himself. You were joined to His suffering, His death, and His bodily resurrection. In doing so, by faith in Christ alone, we share in the fruits of His cross: forgiveness of sins, which begets eternal life and salvation!

So, we acknowledge one Lord: Jesus Christ; one Faith: that is true doctrine as confessed in the Creeds; one Baptism: where we are joined to Christ.

Jesus came to “lay down [His] life for the sheep” (John 10:15b), so that He “may take it up again” (John 10:17) for which He did on that Good Friday and Easter morning, so that all who would trust in Him would live with Him forever.

Today, Judy and her fellow saints are at peace. They are dwelling in the house of the Lord and receiving the feast that is prepared for all the faithful (Psalm 23). May we on our appointed day join her and all the faithful in heaven!

For us this day, we have the sure and certain hope that because Christ lives, we shall also live, as we – with the Church Triumphant in Heaven – await Christ’s coming on the Last Day! 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

Judy Sellnow's Obituary: https://hantge.com/obituaries/judith-judy-sellnow/

Funeral Sermon: "Receiving God's Inheritance" (John 14:1-6)

 

Ida, family and friends of Del:

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

[Intro]

“Let not your hearts be troubled” (John 14:1a). Del’s death came as a shock. One day, we are expecting his return home from the hospital. The next day, to our surprise Del did return home, but not to the home we expected. He was called to his heavenly home.

Even with Del receiving his inheritance – “an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading” (1 Peter 1:4) – our own sinful nature still asks questions, like: “What could I have done differently?” Or: “Why couldn’t I have had more time?”

When we lose a loved one, it is natural to ask questions to God through prayer. And don’t hold back. God can handle all we ask Him.

Although Del’s death comes as a shock, due to Del’s faith in Christ, we grieve not as the unbelieving world grieves. As Christians, we grieve in the sure and certain hope that we will be with our loved ones again who have died in the faith. “For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with Him all those who have fallen asleep. … Therefore encourage one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:14, 18).

So, don’t be ashamed to grieve. Grieving is perfectly natural. Afterall, Jesus grieved. And everyone grieves in different ways. But always remember, Christians have the sure and certain hope that because Christ lives, everyone in Christ also lives.

[Receiving Christ’s Means of Grace]

Throughout Del and Ida’s marriage, they had many lively conversations together. Although they never argued, the two discussed many topics. At the beginning of their marriage, one conversation went this way: Ida said to Del, “I am going to church every Sunday.” To which Del replied, “I go to church four times a year.” “Well, I am going to church every Sunday.” To which Del said, “I don’t want you to go alone.”

For practically every Sunday, you could find Del and Ida right here at First Lutheran Church as they received Christ’s Means of Grace through His Word and Sacrament. At each Sunday Divine Service, the Triune God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – continually forgave Del’s sins and strengthened his faith in Christ as his Savior.

Even on Tuesday mornings, Del and Ida would be found here at First Lutheran together as they came for fellowship and to study God’s Word at each Tuesday morning Bible Study. While at home relaxing on their back porch, Del and Ida continuously studied and discussed God’s Word as God strengthened their faith.

Del was a kind and caring gentleman who would do anything – including giving up his life – for his wife Ida. This, he took to heart from His Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:25-31). Today, Del has joined the Church Triumphant with all the faithful. He is wearing the robe of Christ’s righteousness that he received at his baptism that covers all of his sins. Today, Del is in the presence of His Lord Jesus Christ who has “swallowed up death forever” and has wiped away all his tears (Isaiah 25:8). All his pain is gone. He is completely satisfied as He is in the presence of the Good Shepherd.

[The Way to God the Father]

For us here this morning, “Let not your hearts be troubled” (John 14:1a). Today, we see the wages of sin, which is death. Due to sin, no human being can overcome death. But, although we die due to sin, by grace through faith in Jesus, “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23b).

For Christ’s disciples, they certainly did not want to see Jesus leave them. They are stirred up and shaken at the thought that Jesus was going away from them.

To this, Jesus says to them and us, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me” (John 14:1). Now, this departure of Jesus is a cause for distress. Nobody wants to be left alone. Nobody likes to be separated from our loved ones and friends. This grief is only natural. But Jesus does not leave them and us alone, even after He departs.

Jesus says we have no reason to be troubled. He says, “Believe in God; believe also in Me” (John 14:1b). Now, this is not a reference to just general faith, but this is a reference to trust. Jesus is saying, “Trust in God the Father; Trust also in Me.”

God the Father sent Jesus on a mission and when His mission is complete, Jesus is to return. His mission was to suffer and die for all the sins of mankind, so that all who trust in Jesus would receive forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation – and all by grace through faith in Him alone!

As Jesus says “believe, believe,” He is giving us the assurance that trust in God the Father would be enough, but trust in God the Father and God the Son is more than enough.

We and the disciples are to keep on trusting in the view of Christ’s departure of what Jesus again assures us: “In my Father’s house are many rooms” (John 14:2a). These rooms are all permanent abiding places. This is the promise the Good Shepherd makes to us in Psalm 23: “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:6b).

This departure of Jesus ushers in the glorious and eternal reunion. With this great promise, Jesus plants the comfort of the sure and certain hope in His disciples and in us!

But how do we get to the Father’s house? This is what Thomas asked Jesus: “How can we know the way?” (John 14:5b)

Jesus said to Thomas, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).

Here, Jesus does not say, “I show you the way,” like a second Moses; but, “I am the Way.” Nor, “I have the truth,” like another Elijah; but, “I am the Truth.” Not only, “I lead to life,” as one of his apostles could preach; but, “I am the Life.”

Jesus – the Word made flesh – is the Son of God and is of the identical essence of the Father, born of the virgin Mary, who was sent on His mission as the one Mediator between God and man, in all that He is and all that He does. Jesus as the Way bridges a chasm. Now, if the bridge lacks as little as an inch of reaching across, this bridge is not a bridge, but plunges down and is only rubble. Jesus is the only Bridge that lasts forever. He is the only Bridge to God the Father.

“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned – every one – to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). As we have all gone astray, the Good Shepherd took upon Himself all of our sins, so that we – by faith in Him – would know the only Way to God the Father.

Jesus continues saying, “I am the Truth” and thus “I am the Way.” This means far more than Jesus is truthful. Nor is He merely of the truth. If this were all, Jesus could not be “the Way.” But Jesus is the actual embodiment of the Truth. He is the very reality of God the Father’s plans of grace and their execution.

“I am the Life.” Jesus is the one and only source of blessed existence and life for us. In our sin is death, the separation from God the Father. Left to ourselves, we would remain in this separation forever, dead beyond hope. But in the Person of Jesus, God the Father sent us “the Life.” Through Himself, Jesus abolishes the separation and once more unites us with God the Father. This union kindles life in us! This union gives us “eternal life.”

So, how is this union accomplished? How does Jesus become ours, and we His? It is all by faith when He comes to us and kindles confidence and trust in us. This He does through His Means of Grace: Word and Sacrament. Through hearing and believing His Word, Christ is in us, and we are in Him. God fills us with His grace so that we will be with Him forever. This is what Del received throughout His life and by his faith in Christ, he is still receiving this grace as He is in the presence of the Good Shepherd, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Today, Del and all the faithful in heaven are at the table that Christ has prepared for all who trust in Him. Del and the entire Church Triumphant are at the Great Banquet in heaven receiving the “feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined” (Isaiah 25:6). He is in the presence of the Good Shepherd. Though we have yet to see Christ in the flesh, Del is seeing Him as he rejoices in His sight.

For us this day, we have the sure and certain hope that because Christ lives, we shall also live, as we – along with Del and his fellow saints in the Church Triumphant – await Christ’s coming on the Last Day!

May we receive the same victory over death – the inheritance – that Del has received by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, who alone is the only Way to God the Father. 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

Del Rutske's Obituary: https://hantge.com/obituaries/delbert-rutske/

Sermon for Pentecost 15: "Show Me Your Faith" (James 2:1-10, 14-18)

 

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]

Too many of us are partial Christians. As “partial” Christians, our Christian convictions only apply to a small part of our life – and for many, that portion is shrinking.

We see this often in our personal and public lives. We may say – or hear fellow Christians – say things like:

• “Due to my faith, I am personally opposed to abortion, but I think women should have the right to choose.”
• “Religion and politics must be kept separate.”
• “I can believe in evolution and still be a Christian.”
• “My religious faith should have nothing to do with how I vote.”
• “I know Jesus is the only way to salvation, but I don’t want to offend people by talking about Jesus.”

Our modern world tears us apart. The modern world separates our lives into independent sectors: Education is education, politics is politics, science is science, and so on.

Our history has been a long story of each sector declaring its independence from the control and presence of religion. There certainly has been some good through secularization, but this process has had its costs: we are no longer whole. We often are forced to become partial Christians.

Our modern world also breaks us apart as we no longer trust in the mystery of God’s presence and His action. Instead, we live our lives reduced to a series of causes and effects that science can describe and predict. Thus, our lives become increasingly this-worldly. We focus on today, but not eternity.

Religion, itself, has become increasingly individualistic, as well. Instead of attending a Confessional and Christ-centered church, many people choose churches that adhere to their personal thoughts and feelings, instead of a church that adheres to God’s Law and Gospel. We see this within our own family and friends.

If anything, many people would rather have a “god” who fills in the gaps. So, whatever cannot be understood by science and human reason, then “god” fills in those parts of our life.

Partial Christians believe Christianity only applies to only small parts of their lives. In doing so, they are succumbing to the compartmentalized secular world.

Today on this 15^th Sunday after Pentecost, the Triune God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – teaches us that we ought to live out the whole Christian faith in our daily lives.

[Sin of Partiality]

Due to our sinful nature, we are a partial people. For good or bad, we care how people look, dress, and speak. We even tend to divide people by age and skin color. Through the Holy Spirit, James teaches us that partiality has no place in God’s Kingdom.

James writes: “My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory” (James 2:1).

James then cuts to the core. You see, our sinful nature likes shiny things, rather than dull things. Our very eyes catch the costly gold ring and fine clothing, and we think, “This man must have money. Come on in. You are welcome here.”

Some time ago, I experienced this at a department store. Now, I never dress shabby, but I noticed a change. After eating at a nice restaurant, I walked around a fancy department store wearing a suit, tie, and dress shoes. While there, I was certainly noticed by the staff. They wanted to assist me everywhere I went. On other times, when I wore only a polo, I was not even noticed. When it appeared, I had money to spend, I received all the help a man could ever want. But when it appeared I didn’t, I was ignored.

Through the Holy Spirit, James is saying that showing partiality is indeed a sin. To the rich man in fine clothing, we may say “‘You sit here in a good place,” while [we may] say to the poor man, ‘You stand over there,’ or, ‘Sit down at my feet’” (James 2:3).

The fine dressed man receives all the attention, while no respect whatsoever is shown to the poor man. The poor man is just told to sit over there, as far from us, on the floor. No one would ever think of treating the rich visitor in this way. This is the point James makes. Instead of respecting people as equals, James’ hearers were only following evil worldly ideas.

James’ point is that his readers should have shown courtesy to every visitor without making distinctions. He says: “Have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?” (James 2:4)

Is the soul of the one worth more than the soul of the other? Are not all men, rich and poor, equal in the house of God? Something is really wrong here with the faith of these people. They are fine attending church services – sitting in the pew, singing hymns, and going through the motions – meanwhile, they are judging each person around them. They are hearers only and not doers of the Word (James 1:22).

So, James reminds them about fulfilling the royal law: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (James 2:8b). If the Christian is doing this, they are doing well. “But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it” (James 2:9-10).

[Faith Without Works is Dead]

James then cuts deeper into the core. This sin of partiality is a faith issue.

“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?” (James 2:14)

Typically, “faith” usually means trust – a dependence upon something. But that is not what James is saying here. When James says: “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?” he is referring to “faith” as a mere knowledge of a subject.

Satan and his demons most definitely believe in Jesus. But they do not trust in Jesus. Or if you ask a random person, “Do you believe in Jesus?” A “yes” to this question only answers the fact that they have knowledge in Jesus. This is not the same as trust.

This is what James is saying. He is discussing a false understanding of faith: faith that is just mere knowledge that has no effect on the person who has it.

Faith itself cannot be seen. Faith makes its presence known by a proper confession and through natural works.

This is exactly what Jesus taught! He said: “You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16-20).

So, if there is a man who declares that he has “faith,” but everyone sees, that his “works” do not belong to such a faith, this man has no such true faith. So, if a man says, “My Christian faith has nothing to do with how I live my life” or he says, “Due to my Christian faith, I am opposed to this or that, but I will not withhold your right to do what you want” then this man may not be a Christian. There are no fruits falling from his supposed faith. Or, what if a person devoutly attends Sunday church services, but acts like a heathen the rest of the week?

The question James issues is this: “Is that faith able to save?” That answer is: No. True faith in Jesus Christ certainly saves, but a fruitless faith does not save. To this, through the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, James says to us: Show me your faith!

Now, you may be thinking, does this align with our favorite Lutheran verse from the Apostle Paul: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9)? That answer is: Yes. Sometimes we forget what follows those verses: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

James and Paul have exactly the same conception of saving faith. We are indeed justified by faith without works of the Law: a true and living trust in the Savior Jesus Christ.

You see, Paul does not have in mind one kind of faith when he says that faith without works saves, while James has in mind another kind of faith when he says that without works faith does not save. Both Paul and James refer identically to the same kind of a faith, and they both attribute to it regeneration, justification, and salvation.

Now, Paul and James do deal with different kinds of works. Paul deals with works of Law with having nothing to do with true faith, which are the boast of all the Pharisees and all works-righteous people, who think they are able to save themselves by such works. Now, trust in works of the Law is the direct opposite of faith in Christ alone. Works alone in order to earn salvation do not save.

James, here, deals with gospel works – the fruits of our faith – which is the evidence of the presence of true faith.

Both James and Paul attribute salvation to a living faith. Paul roots out what destroys and excludes faith. James stimulates sluggish faith. These two are in perfect agreement! They both call for the fruits of faith!

“So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17).

What good is a dead tree? What good is a dead branch? What good is a tree that does not bear fruit? They are worthless. They are thrown into the fire and burned.

“But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works” (James 2:18).

So, the absence of good works that flow from faith in Christ show that this “faith” is not genuine. This person has a false faith. He has the same faith as that of a demon, who certainly believes in Jesus, but will not trust in Jesus and follow Him. 

[The Whole Christian]

So, how do we protect ourselves from being a partial Christian? How do we become a whole Christian? God gives us the answer!

True faith is the product of God through His Means of Grace. “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). Therefore, if we have no constant life in God’s Word, we cannot have true faith. Jesus says: “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the Vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:4-5). But when we are in His Word by hearing His Word, receiving God’s forgiveness through Absolution and the Sacrament of the Altar, God strengthens our saving faith. We also grow in true faith when we have an active life in Bible Studies. You see, God strengthens our faith through Word and Sacrament! The Triune God does all the hard work! True faith receives salvation.

True faith is also always productive. Good works are those which the Word of God commands, describes, and effects through us. If we claim to have faith, but have no good works, that claim is a lie. Good works are loving our neighbor. Good works are living out the Christian life.

True faith is what draws us to the Triune God: redemption.

We are all poor, miserable sinners. But God did not leave us in this state. God the Father showed His steadfast love to you and me by sending His Son Jesus Christ to take on all of our sin and replace it with His righteousness. This Christ accomplished through His atoning suffering and death, so that by grace through faith in Christ alone, we would receive forgiveness of sins, which leads to eternal life and salvation.

Christ has come to redeem, forgive, regenerate, and fulfill all His promises. So, trust in Christ and cling to Him! Show your faith in Him! It is only through clinging to Christ and His love for us that we live the whole Christian life as we love God and serve our neighbor in repentance and true faith. 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