Sermon for Pentecost 12: "Pride and Humility" (Luke 14:1-14)

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]

In his book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis once wrote: “If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell him the first step. The first step is to realize that one is proud. And a biggish step, too. At least, nothing whatever can be done before it. If you think you are not conceited, it means you are very conceited indeed.”

Today, on this 12th Sunday after Pentecost, Jesus teaches us about humility.

So, how can anyone become humble? Well, if we try to become humble, then we aren’t really being humble at all.

[The Situation]

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus is in a place that we may not expect. He is dining at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees — and on the Sabbath. Now, something we would expect to happen happens: conflict.

Now, we do not know all the details on why Jesus was dining with a Pharisee, but He was there. He was there not with just one Pharisee it appears, since Luke informs us that “they were watching him carefully” (Luke 14:1b). These Pharisees and lawyers were likely hoping to catch Jesus violating the Jewish Law.

We also do not know the exact details on why a man with dropsy — a swelling disorder — was also there. Could the Pharisees have invited this man in order to trap Jesus? Possibly, but we don’t know.

It was the Sabbath and according to Jewish Law, Jews were not to do any work on the Sabbath.

While at the meal, Jesus sees this man with dropsy and He asks those at the dinner table: “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” (Luke 14:3b). But there remained an uneasy silence among the Pharisees. In their silence, Jesus healed the man and said, “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?” (Luke 14:5).

Now, among the Pharisees, there was a disagreement as to the proper answer. Some Pharisees say that no work at all could be done on the Sabbath, including saving people or animals from certain death. Other Pharisees, however, thought that some assistance could be given to those in need on the Sabbath. But these Pharisees did not want to argue amongst each other. They only wanted to see what Jesus would do. Again, only silence from the Pharisees. This follow-up question asked by Jesus implies that actions speak louder than words. But Jesus only receives silence from His critics.

[Pride and the Places of Honor]

Now, prior to the dinner, Jesus noticed something else. He noticed how each man carefully chose where he sat. They each scrambled for places of honor. So, at a dinner like this, what would be the places of honor?

Now, instead of chairs like today, Jews then reclined on couches at the table that would hold three or more people. These choice places were those at the left end of each couch, since the guests in those places had the best view of the host and the other guests.

So, prior to the meal, these men were scrambling to get the best seat at the table. For me, that would have been quite a sight seeing grown men rush for the best seat.

So, Jesus took this opportunity to teach them — and us — about humility as He tells a parable about guests at a wedding feast. Jesus said: “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place” (Luke 14:8-9).

Here, Jesus purposely chose a wedding feast because so many guests would be present. At such a feast, the place of honor would be the left of the couch, which is nearest to the groom. So, if a guest chose the place of honor before so many other guests arrived, he would be seen as “self-important” or “pushy.”

And, if this person were asked to change seats, he would have to take the least desirable place — that is, one on the couch farthest away from the groom and also face deep humiliation in the eyes of the many guests.

Now, Jesus isn’t only talking about proper table manners. He is really teaching about pride and humility.

For decades, many of us have been taught that pride is a good thing. We say things like: “I take pride in my accomplishments,” “I take pride in my school.” But do we know what we are actually saying when we use the word pride? Pride is actually a synonym for conceit, distain, and ego. Do those words actually sound positive?

In reality, pride is the greatest sin. Pride is not fearing, loving, and trusting in God above all things. Pride is breaking the First Commandment. Pride is looking to human accomplishment instead of looking to God. And when we break the First Commandment, we end up breaking all of the other commandments as well.

Now, you may be thinking, “What can I say in the place of ‘pride’?” “How can I break this cycle?” Well, one way to start is to begin using words like: pleased, glad, happy, or delighted.

Now remember, instead of immediately taking the best seat as was the custom of the Pharisees, Jesus says, “Go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’” (Luke 14:10).

You see, the Pharisees’ habit of claiming places of honor at a feast was only a symptom of a serious spiritual sickness: the right relationship with God.

The point of the parable is this: “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11). Some people “will be humbled,” while others “will be exalted.” Now, what does this mean?

Well, first, who does the humbling? God, of course. Now, these Pharisees were puffed up with conceit over their imagined holiness. You see, they were very proud men. They believed they had the God-given right to judge others using their pride, but in fact, it is God who judges.

Jesus told them this parable in order to save them from their unholy pride. Likewise, Jesus is reminding us, as well, since we are just as likely to fall into sinful pride.

I have often heard a radio host say, “ I am humbled to be one of the top radio shows in America.” Each time I hear this — and I hear people say things like this all the time — I always think, this person does not know the meaning of humble. This person is confusing humility with pride.

As Americans, we don’t like the idea of being humble. We argue who is the best at this and the greatest at that. We live in the greatest country, after all. We are obsessed with pride. We say or hear people say, “I’m the best!” “I was born this way!” “How dare you say that about me?”

[Humility]

So, in a world that obsesses about pride, how can we truly be humble? How can we  be truly modest, meek, and low? Well, we can’t on our own. On our own, we only focus inward. As I said earlier, once we think about being humble, we are actually filling ourselves with sinful pride. Our sinful human nature always desires to look inward by only thinking about ourselves. So we must look outside ourselves.

Today, Jesus is teaching us to be humble. But how could we ever become humble?

We can only become humble by clinging to Jesus and His Word. You see, Christ “though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6-8).

Jesus humbled Himself for you and for me. Jesus is truly God and He lowered Himself to become man, so that in His lowly state, He would lift us up. In this lowly state, “The stone that the builders rejected, has become the cornerstone” (Luke 20:17).

On our own, we could never become humble, because we are drenched in our sin. We are naturally inclined to look inward. We think, “I can do it on my own.” But, we could never inherit salvation without faith and trust in Jesus.

In our sinful estate, which makes us spiritually poor, crippled, lame, and blind (Luke 14:13), Jesus invites us to His table. Jesus welcomes us. Jesus hears our confession of sins and we receive His forgiveness. Jesus strengthens us as we hear His Word and receive His Sacrament. 

We could never repay Jesus for all that He has done for us. To everyone, He gives daily bread — food, clothing, and shelter. He gives all our bodily needs. But through His atoning death and glorious resurrection, He gives all who cling to Him even more! He gives all who trust in Him forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation!

You see, Jesus regards you and me as more important than Himself. This is true humility. He suffered in order to sanctify us through His own blood. Through His death, He is now exalted. Through His resurrection, all who trust in Jesus are likewise exalted!

We can only become humble through Jesus. We can do nothing to inherit salvation on our own. All we can do is fear, love, and trust in God above all things. When we do this, we receive salvation and all by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. Amen.

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

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for Pentecost 11: "Strive to Enter Through the Narrow Door" (Luke 13:22-30)

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:

Like Jesus, who went on His way through towns and villages throughout His earthly ministry, we, too, are on a pilgrimage, a journey through this life. Our journey is a difficult and rough pilgrimage, which requires patience and endurance. Every person on this earth is on a pilgrimage, and this pilgrimage extends from here to eternity. But where is our destination? Where are we going?

Now, some look inward, as they dig deep into their innermost being, to discover the answer inside themselves. Some conclude that there is no destination. To them, only the journey matters, since there is nothing beyond this life. Others think that we are all being shaped by some Divine being — whatever it may be — and this Divine being will take us to heaven. While the last idea is nice to imagine — especially for those who say all religions lead to salvation, so why not “coexist”? Jesus, however, says just the opposite in Luke 13 on this the 11th Sunday after Pentecost.

You see, there are two paths and only two paths. Either one or the other — the wide way to eternal death or the narrow door to eternal life. To think of our earthly pilgrimage as a destination in itself is along the wide path to eternal death. To forget about eternal death in hell and to believe that all people go to heaven no matter what they believe is actually walking along the wide path to hell.

So, Jesus says, “Strive to enter through the narrow door” (Luke 13:24). Right now, the narrow door stands open. But oddly enough, so many people will try to enter it through their own means, and on their own terms, but they will not be able to do so. These people who refuse to enter through the open narrow door think they have lived a good enough life; they think they have given enough to others; they think that they have enough faith. But the thing is, our good works mean nothing to God. Yes, our good works help our neighbor, but they are of no use to God, since as God, He doesn’t need our good works. We can never do or give enough to please God. And any belief, when it is not clinging to Jesus Christ, will never be enough.

The narrow door is standing open, but the time will come when this narrow door will be closed forever. On that Last Day, when Jesus returns descending from the clouds at the sound of the trumpet blast, the door will be closed.

This time of grace that we have now will end on the Last Day. Right now the narrow door is open but on that Last Day, the narrow door will be finally closed. The owner of the house will turn away from Him those who have nothing in common with Him. And the many who did not enter through the narrow door will stand there shocked, desperate, anguished, and enraged.

Jesus says: “Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets” (Luke 13:26). This is like saying: “We came to church — it might not have been every week, it might not have been every month, it might have not been too often, but I at least thought about it. We gave to to the poor — we gave to the Red Cross through my phone app. Jesus, we know who you are.” Now, even if you do come to the Divine Service every week and hear Christ’s teachings, have you truly taken His teachings to heart?

You see, being a Christian is not just about going through the motions. As I said earlier, we are all on a pilgrimage. And this pilgrimage is not an easy one. This is why Jesus says again, “Strive to enter through the narrow door” (Luke 13:24a). In order to enter, we must “strive,” that is “struggle.” Now, when you hear the word “struggle,” what do you think about? Are you picturing yourself doing something? Struggle implies human responsibility. But that is not what Jesus is saying. Rather, “the struggle” is the Christian life of repentance, which is a work of the human heart.

“The struggle” is produced when the Word of God — the very teachings of Jesus — calls one to repent and trust in Him, but at the same time, the sinful human nature wars against God’s Word. This is the struggle known as the Christian life of repentance and faith. The Apostle Paul summarizes our Christian life as the ongoing, lifelong struggle that characterizes the lives of all who are baptized into Christ.

Like any lifelong struggle, we need sustenance. Yes, we come to faith through being enlightened by the Holy Spirit through the waters of Holy Baptism. But our faith life doesn’t end with baptism. Baptism is the entry point of faith. We don’t just get baptized and attempt to be Christians by ourselves. 

Like our need to eat, or to fill our car’s gas tanks, faith has a difficult time running on empty. So, we must remain steadfast “in the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of the bread, and the prayers” (Acts 2:42).

So, as followers of Christ, we each have a loving duty to warn fellow church members, our family, and our friends that habitual, chronic neglect of God’s Word and Sacrament delivered here in the Divine Service runs the risk of draining one’s faith to empty. And if the church member is physically unable to come, then that person ought to be added to the shut-in list, so that he or she would hear God’s Word and receive His Sacrament.

During Christ’s earthly ministry, the table was one of the prime locations for His instruction so they would know His true identity. To those disciples on the road to Emmaus, their eyes were opened to the crucified and resurrected Jesus only after Jesus opened to them the Scriptures and through the breaking of the bread (Luke 24:31).

So after Christ’s bodily ascension, the preaching, teaching, and table fellowship of Jesus continued in the worship life of the church. Jesus is still present now as He teaches through His Word and continues to serve guests at His Table. For those who now ignore this open door, it will be too late to enter when the final feast arrives at His return on the Last Day.

This is the struggle. Again, the entrance through the narrow door is gained only by those who repent and trust in Jesus for forgiveness. Our sinful nature, however, would rather find another way, since we want to enter through the narrow door on our own terms. For many people, they would rather enjoy living in their own sin than repent of them.

But for anyone who refuses to repent of their sin, Jesus, the owner of the house will say, “I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!” (Luke 13:27). This is Christ’s final reply. No more can anyone plead with Him at this point. The narrow door is closed. Every good work will be counted against this person and will be considered evil, filthy, and unrighteous. Everyone who refuses to repent will be barred from the heavenly feast.

So, let us not be one of those who hears Jesus, but refuses to cling to Him. Let us not follow the wide path to hell. Rather, let us strive to enter through the narrow door. Jesus is the Narrow Door. 

Jesus tell us that people will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, taking their places at the royal feast in heaven.

Jesus, the Narrow Door, is drawing all people to Himself. He has come into this church, teaching among us, preaching His saving Word, and absolving our sins. He does not wish to slam the door on anyone’s face, but He wants each one to enter into the feast that He has prepared. This is God’s call to us.

Yes, there is a lot of Law in today’s Gospel text, which is why Martin Luther once said of this warning, “It is enough to frighten the greatest saints.” 

Despite all the frightening talk about a narrow door becoming closed and people being shut out and weeping and gnashing their teeth, there is gospel present. Thank God, there is a door: Jesus the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Thank God, Jesus is the doorkeeper too — that very Jesus who is on His way to Jerusalem to suffer and die and be raised again for our salvation.  Thank God, our salvation depends upon His knowing us and not upon our feeble claims of knowing Him. Thank God, there is a table in the kingdom of God at which we, by grace, may be privileged to eat with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Thank God, people from all directions shall sit down in the kingdom of God. Thank God, some who are last can be first. Thank God, everything depends finally upon His doing, and not our doing.

Right now, the narrow door is wide open. God is gracious to us. Here, Jesus speaks His sacred Word of Absolution: “I forgive you all your sins.” As we receive the Lord’s Supper this day, we receive a foretaste of the eternal feast in heaven, the forgiveness of your sins, the very Body and very Blood of Christ under the bread and the wine. God uses these means — Word and Sacrament — known as the Means of Grace to keep us all on the path to the narrow door. God uses His Means of Grace to guarantee your salvation.

So, while we may not always know where we are going on our earthly journeys, Jesus knew where He was going. He knew His destination. He set His face toward Jerusalem, to the cross of Calvary. And as Jesus spread wide His arms as He was nailed to the cross, the narrow door to heaven was thrown open to all who repent and cling to Him as their Lord and Savior.

Here, Christ calls out to you through His Word and Sacraments. Repent and trust in Him. Receive His forgiveness. Enter the narrow door. Recline at His table. Amen.

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

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for Pentecost 10: "The Race Before Us" (Hebrews 11:17-12:3)

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

The beginning of any half-marathon or marathon is a party. As you begin running, you are swept along by thousands of runners as you witness crowds lining the streets cheering you on through positive reinforcement with chants and music. The runner begins to believe that he or she could run forever.

But as the miles pass by, the crowds begin thinning out. Soon, it is just you and your fellow runners. And the runners begin to become further apart along the course. Eventually, even the best runner hits a wall. It could be from lack of training, it could be from lack of nutrition, or it could be from lack of sleep. Physically and psychologically, you’re busted. You’re done.

Twice, some years ago, I ran the Indianapolis 500 Mini-marathon. I wasn’t the best runner, but as I made my way toward the finish line, I would see runners pull to the side. One of those times, when I was not in my best running shape, I had my doubts. But I was determined to finish the race. You see, I wanted the trophy at the finish line. Eventually, I just tuned out my mind and put one foot in front of the other. The miles eventually passed by and those crowds at the beginning of the race returned at the finish, even when you are not in the front of the pack. The party I witnessed at the start line returned to cheer on the runners at the finish line.

Today, on this Tenth Sunday after Pentecost, we are reminded that as Christians, “we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses” as we “run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1).

[The Race of Faith]

Last Sunday, upon my installation as your pastor, I joined the race of faith that you have been on here at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church. This race of faith is not an easy one. Oftentimes, it is grueling. We are cheered along by the faithful, but oftentimes the jeering of the unbelieving world makes even the most devout Christian wonder: “Should I continue? Maybe my life would be easier if I would follow the cultural trends?”

As we heard preached last week by Pastor Cumming, Hebrews 11 is known by many as the Faith Hall of Fame as it features the Heroes of the Faith. We hear of the great deeds of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and the list goes on. They believed in God’s promise of a coming Savior and for that trust, they were counted among the righteous. This is inspiring to any Christian. This text offers hope, comfort, and encouragement to any Christian.

But oddly enough, as we heard in today’s epistle from the Book of Hebrews, people of faith bear witness to God more clearly through their suffering than their accomplishments. We see this in how the apostles refused to deny their faith in the crucified, risen, and ascended Jesus when they faced the imminent prospect of persecution and death. Through the Holy Spirit, the writer of Hebrews proclaims this of the Old Testament saints: “Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword” (Hebrews 11:35b-37a).

Others just lost their occupations and became destitute due to their faith.

In America, persecution of Christians was once thought of something that only happened “over there.” But, little by little, persecution of Christians is becoming a mainstream idea.

When Christians are faced with public hostility for our confession of faith, we are too often tempted to withdraw from the battle in the public domain, or even give in to what the culture demands. We are lulled by false hopes of social acceptance and economic prosperity if we only give in to the culture by denouncing the Christian faith. This is what the sinful world desires. The sinful world wants every Christian to denounce their faith in Christ.

And, overall, the wider Christian Church here on earth has not helped the situation as so many denominations have abandoned Christian doctrine in hopes of increasing the numbers in the pews.

So, whether we are persecuted or not, we are all engaged in a contest, which is the battle against Satan and the powers of darkness. This is part of our vocation as Christians, the good works that God enables in us by what we do and what we suffer.

For those Heroes of the Faith in Hebrews 11, they all lived in fearless service to God in public life. By faith, they achieved much against impossible odds and powerful opponents. They were all confident in God’s protection and reliant on the power that God provides for them in their weakness.

We, too, are included with those saints of the Old Testament era and the New Testament era. We are included as the congregation that stretches back in time, encircles the world, and reaches out into the future and up into heaven. We are all a part of an eternal community, known as the communion of saints, which includes all the people of God in the Church Militant — those living today — and the Church Triumphant in heaven.

Like those who came before us, the Red Sea was no barrier to faith. The walls of Jericho were no barrier to faith. What appear to be hopeless odds are no barrier to faith. For all of them, faith soon became sight.

For those saints who experienced mistreatment and persecution, don’t feel sorry for them. They valued earthly comfort little compared to the eternal Christ. Earth’s safety was secondary when placed alongside eternal salvation. Through thick and thin, they would not deny their Lord! Faith endures in the face of suffering.

[The Great Cloud of Witnesses Look to Jesus]

All of these descriptions of faith were not about the faithful person. These descriptions were ultimately about faith in Jesus Christ. These Heroes of the Faith looked ahead to the Savior that God was promising. They didn’t know who the Savior would be. But they trusted in God and His word and they believed.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

Again and again, God’s people will face sufferings and persecutions at all times and all places. But Jesus endured the ultimate suffering. 

Like that half-marathon or marathon race, we, too, have people of the faith surrounding us on all sides, like a huge crowd in a public place. This crowd is like “a great cloud” that envelops us. These witnesses are hidden from us now and are only seen by faith. But we still hear their voices as they testify about God in word and deed through the Scriptures. We hear the voices of the prophets and apostles in Scripture who support us and urge us on as they wait for us at the finish line.

So, we run with endurance the race that is set before us. But how do we run this race? How do we endure? Well, we endure by “looking to Jesus,” just as the great cloud of witnesses did. Jesus is just as present with us as He was and is present with those before us as “the author and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 2:2).

Jesus is the One and only Champion. This list of Heroes of the Faith culminates with Him. Through His obedient life, suffering, and death, He opened up the way into God’s presence by taking our sins upon Himself. He is the “author” of the race. He is both the founder of faith and its content. He was the first to run the race to the end. By faith in Christ, we are perfected by His sacrificial death as He protects us and He brings us to the goal of the race by His offering for us and by providing for us with His very flesh and blood. So, by running the race of faith, we wholly depend on Jesus from its beginning to its very end.

Here in the Divine Service, the crucified, risen, and ascended Lord Jesus is before us. He is here for us to see with the eyes of faith.

By faith, we, too, look to Jesus. And, by faith, we see Him, we behold Him, here, in our midst, through the Means of Grace — Word and Sacrament. By faith, we see our joining to the Lord’s death and resurrection in the waters of Holy Baptism. By faith, we trust that the forgiveness of sins proclaimed is Christ’s forgiveness. By faith, we discern Christ’s Body and Blood under the bread and the wine. By faith, we recognize that the Word proclaimed is the only sure and certain Word that grants eternal life. By faith, we witness God’s consoling love in our hands and in those of others.

Jesus is in our midst in His Word and Sacrament. The race is set before us. We continue to run, but this race is already won! We have the victory and all by grace through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen!

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

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for Pentecost 5: "Giving Thanks to God" (Colossians 1:1-14)

 

Grace 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]

Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul addresses his epistle to the Colossians as “the saints and faithful brothers in Christ” (Colossians 1:2a). He writes this, because these Colossian Christians have been set apart from the world by the Lord to serve and glorify Him through loving the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength and through love and service to their neighbor.

These Colossians are not the only ones set apart by God as saints. You see, every Christian is set apart as holy, and especially here at First Lutheran Church. Even though we are set apart by God, the sinful world around us, along with our own sinful nature, and Satan’s deceitfulness through confusion, each attempt to pull us away from God.

When Paul wrote this letter, the Colossian Christians had been faithful to the Lord, but there were troubles ahead. Despite the troubles, Paul wrote this epistle to encourage those Colossian Christians – and us today – to continue in our faithfulness to Christ.

[Encouragement and Thanksgiving]

Grave dangers were beginning to threaten the faith of the Colossians. And as it was then – as is now – these dangers stemmed from false teachings that downgraded the Person and work of Christ. But knowing the Colossians to be Christians, Paul begins with the thankful affirmation of Christ’s eternal relationship to the Father and the benefits for believers as he writes:

“We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before the Word of Truth, the Gospel, which has come to you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in Truth” (Colossians 1:3-6).

Yes, there were spiritual dangers that the Colossians were facing, but despite that, Paul encourages them to stand firm in Christ.

Before Paul begins with his specific warnings and encouragements, he gives thanks to God. Paul thanks God that the Colossians are believers. From all the reports he had heard, Paul was convinced of the sincerity of the Colossians’ faith and love. He is especially thankful that they are continually giving evidence of their faith in loving concern for one another, which sprang from their sure and certain hope in Christ.

So, Paul writes to encourage them to hold on to the Word of Truth, the Gospel. You see, another word – claiming to be the truth – was trying to gain entrance into their hearts and minds. So, what was this thing claiming to be the truth? It was in fact, human wisdom.

Paul’s point of encouragement to the Colossians was that they possessed the Gospel, the very Word of Truth. That Gospel is universal, and it is all-sufficient. It needs no changes or improvements. It does not need to be supplemented by human wisdom. And when human wisdom leads the Christian, instead of God’s inerrant Word, it deprives the Gospel. Paul’s warning to the Colossian Church is the same warning Paul gives us today.

[Wisdom]

So, what exactly was this human wisdom that was infecting the Colossian Church? Well, the opponents of the Gospel in Colossae boasted a great deal about their supposed “knowledge.” According to their “knowledge,” these false teachers were convincing many of the Colossians that Christ alone was insufficient to guarantee their salvation, so they taught that works of the Law were necessary for salvation, such as Jewish practices, Jewish festivals, and Jewish dietary scruples. These false teachers sought to supplement the ministry of Christ with the works of the Ceremonial Law.

Today, human wisdom has led many Christians astray into believing that they must do something to “improve” God’s Word. But how could we “improve” upon perfection? Our human wisdom certain tries. The reality is: our human wisdom – though given by God – is marred by sin. So, whatever we may do by attempting to “improve” God’s Word actually ends up doing the opposite. By adding to or subtracting from God’s Word, we are usurping God and placing ourselves in His office.

Well, if wisdom does not come from man, where does wisdom come? Job famously asked that question to which he knew the answer: “God understands the way to it, and He knows its place” (Job 28:23). You see, true wisdom belongs to God, who created the world by wisdom and imparted wisdom to His creation. Wisdom was the personal agent by whom God created (Genesis 1; Psalm 33:6).

The lack of wisdom that we experience reflects our sinful condition, lacking a right relationship with God. This lack of wisdom is evident because we are out of harmony with the way God created things to be. Therefore, wisdom must be revealed by God “for the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding” (Proverbs 2:6) if humanity is to gain the knowledge of salvation.

Wisdom became incarnate in Jesus Christ, who is true God – wisdom made flesh. Christ restored wisdom for us by His cross, as His death provides redemption from sin. “And because of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30). Thus, divine wisdom is equivalent to forgiveness and righteousness.

As Paul writes about wisdom here, note how he concludes our text. Through the word of the cross, which the world’s wisdom sees as foolishness, this salvific Christological wisdom is revealed “in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:14).

This wisdom comes through faith in “the fear of the Lord [who] is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight” (Proverbs 9:10). To truly possess wisdom is to have the gift of eternal life and salvation. Such fear in faith moves and empowers Christians to live a life of wisdom. This life of wisdom is characterized by good works, which is living in a manner worthy of the Lord, well pleasing to Him and increasing in every good work. Now, good works are those things that are pleasing to the Lord, such as the thoughts, words, and deeds that please God, which are fruits of faith.

By faith in Christ, we increase in the knowledge of God and live a God-pleasing life. An important element in a life that pleases God is receiving the Means of Grace, which is the Gospel in Word and Sacrament. As we receive the Means of Grace, the Holy Spirit works in our hearts to strengthen us in faith and in the knowledge of God and His will, especially His saving will in us.

You see, it’s all about encouragement. The Holy Spirit uses Paul here to encourage the Colossians to joy and thanksgiving. Likewise, the Holy Spirit is encouraging us this day through joy and thanksgiving to God.

We ought to thank and praise the Triune God – the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit – every day of our lives. We give thanks because, we, who were once disqualified from salvation, have now become qualified to share in the inheritance of the saints in light (Colossians 1:12). You see, Christ transplanted sinners from the spiritual kingdom of darkness, ignorance, and eternal death to the kingdom of wisdom, life, and light in Jesus, our Savior.

God did this for sinful human beings by one mighty act of love in human history. You see, in the fullness of time, He sent forth His Son into our world of sin and shame. That Son, took on a true human frame and became the substitute for the whole human race. He lived a perfect life to satisfy God’s Law in man’s place and to gain for sinners a righteousness that none have by nature. On Calvary’s cross, He shed His blood and died to pay the penalty God’s perfect justice demanded for man’s countless transgressions of His Law. Then by the bodily resurrection of Jesus, it was declared that the world’s sin had all been paid for. By grace through faith in Christ alone, a world of sinners has been rescued from Satan’s kingdom.

We all receive this grace personally through the Gospel when we believe and trust the good news of God’s perfect salvation in Jesus Christ. The whole world of sinners has been justified in Christ Jesus and this is the central teaching of God’s Word. You see, the primary purpose of Scripture is to bring sinners to repentance and faith in Christ, so that they also share in His perfect righteousness and inherit eternal life. If these truths are lost by “human wisdom” then there is no Christian faith left, and there is no salvation. So, Paul urges the Colossians and us to remember and continually thank God for these saving truths.

[The Lord Provides]

Like Paul before me, I, too, encourage you all to faithfulness. Even when Abraham was prepared to sacrifice His only Son Isaac, he had faith that the Lord would provide a substitute, for which He did. The Lord provided a ram caught in a thicket as a sacrifice. The Lord also provided Jesus as the one and only sacrifice for his and our sins.

In the coming weeks and months, things will be different at First Lutheran Church, but always know this: The Lord provides! At the proper time, the Lord will provide First Lutheran with another associate pastor to work alongside Pastor Welch in team ministry for Christ’s church in this place. In the meantime, the Lord provides through His Word and His Sacrament.

For today’s Divine Service, I selected some of my favorite hymns. And, I was surprised to see that the Senior Choir picked another one of my favorite hymns.

For today’s closing hymn, we will be singing “Built on the Rock.” I enjoy singing this hymn because no matter what happens, Christ never leaves us nor forsakes us. Christ always provides! Some years ago, I preached on this hymn, but I want to leave you with these words from stanza four:

645 Built on the Rock

4   Here stands the font before our eyes,
    Telling how God has received us.
The_altar recalls Christ’s sacrifice
    And what His Supper here gives us.
Here sound the Scriptures that proclaim
Christ yesterday, today, the same,
    And evermore, our Redeemer.

Text: Public domain

We are “in Christ” because of our relationship to Christ. We became one “in Christ” through Baptism. We are strengthened “in Christ” through what the Lord’s Supper gives us: forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation. We are strengthened “in Christ” knowing that God’s Word is all-sufficient!

Like the Apostle Paul, I, too, give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for placing me as your pastor alongside Pastor Welch these past five years. I thought it would be longer, but it is God’s will that I share the Gospel of Christ at Prince of Peace Lutheran in West Salem, Wisconsin. God has certainly bore fruit here and He continues to bear fruit here through the proclamation of the Gospel – the good news of Christ – which is redemption, the forgiveness of sins!

By faith in Christ, I know we will see each other again! That time will either be in this temporal life, or in life everlasting!

The Lord bless you and keep you always in His grace for which we receive by faith in Christ alone! Amen.

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

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for Pentecost 3: "God's Plan for Abraham" (Genesis 22:1-14)

 

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:

Today, we begin the second week of our ten-week exploration of God’s Word. Each week we will look at a real, historical event in the Bible and how it teaches us about God’s Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior, the beginning, center, and end of human history.

Last week, we saw the first humans, Adam and Eve, ruin God’s perfect creation by eating the fruit He had forbidden them to eat. That rebellious act set devastating effects in motion throughout creation. Disease, famine, pestilence, and extinction were unleashed throughout the planet. And hatred, mistrust, war, crime, and death came upon Adam and Eve and their descendants—our whole human race.

We are all impacted by the Fall into sin. We experience it in our lives, the things we do to one another, the hurtful things done to us. We see it on the news and in social media, especially these last couple days with the overturning of Roe v. Wade. As Satan deceived our first parents, he continues to deceive so many into believing that abortion is pleasing. Sin separates us from God and from each other. But with every sin, there is forgiveness through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. You see, sin is at the core of the distrust and unrest that fills our nation and world and is the cause of every problem that plagues us.

But God did not abandon His creation. He promised that one of Adam and Eve’s descendants, His own Son, would crush Satan’s head—freeing humanity and all creation from the curse of sin and death.

Adam and Eve were separated from God and each other by their sin. By nature, they and all of us—their children—are hostile to God and to one another. Only God could bridge that separation by His promise of the coming Savior. All those who believed God’s promise could know peace with God and with their neighbors. But those who rejected God’s promise could not.

That difference quickly demonstrated itself when Adam and Eve’s firstborn son, Cain, offered an unacceptable sacrifice to God. It was unacceptable because he offered it out of obligation rather than true repentance and grateful faith. In contrast, his brother Abel offered a sacrifice in sincere faith and trust.

Cain was angry that God rejected his sacrifice but accepted Abel’s. Though God warned him not to let his anger master him, and promised to accept him if he was repentant, Cain murdered his brother Abel. When God offered him protection and forgiveness, Cain spurned God’s grace, turned his back, and went to live his life without God. Sadly, most of Adam and Eve’s descendants followed in his footsteps.

God kept His promise alive through Abel’s younger brother Seth who believed and taught God’s promise to his descendants. But over time, as new generations came, more and more of Seth’s offspring began to follow Cain, and the number of true believers dwindled. In time, only one family was left, headed by Noah, a believer from the line of Seth.

God was deeply grieved by the violence and hard hearts of Adam and Eve’s unbelieving descendants. They abused one another and the creatures He had entrusted to them. God determined to send a world-wide flood to wipe mankind off the face of His earth. But He had compassion on Noah and his family. He warned him of the coming flood and instructed him to build a large ark in which his family would be preserved, along with representatives of all the animals that would otherwise be destroyed by the flood.

Noah obeyed God and built that ark, gathering the food and supplies and receiving the animals into the ark which God brought to him. The world faced an early Judgment Day that day. It is a preview of the Judgment Day God will bring on this world on the Last Day. God faithfully protected Noah and his family and all the creatures in the ark, and He will faithfully protect you and all those who cling to Jesus in faith on that Last Day.

After the flood, God blessed Noah’s descendants and sent them to multiply and refill the earth. But among those descendants of Noah, a similar pattern established itself as we saw with Adam and Eve’s descendants. More and more rejected God and forgot His gracious promise of a Savior. Once again, the number of believing descendants was diminishing. Since God had promised Noah that He would never destroy His creation through a worldwide flood again, He instead chose another man, Abram, and his wife Sarai. Abram lived roughly two thousand years before Christ lived on this earth. From this elderly couple, He would raise up a new nation. Their descendants would not only preserve God’s original promise of a Savior from the Garden of Eden, but He would also give them new and wonderful revelations unfolding many details about the mission and work of that Savior.

Make no mistake. God was not abandoning all the nations to focus on this one. Instead, He was establishing this new nation to bless and save them all.

God called Abram to leave his fatherland and go to a place God would reveal. So, Abram travelled southwest to a land that joined the three continents—what we know today as Africa, Europe, and Asia. And there in the land possessed by the Canaanites, the Lord would do great things for Abram’s descendants, and many people of other nations would hear of these mighty works and come to His people to learn of His great salvation promise.

Abram and Sarai obeyed God and wandered through an unfamiliar land which their descendants would possess. They raised their herds and flocks and lived in tents. But they proclaimed God’s promise of salvation to the Canaanites who lived in the land. Because God blessed Abram with great wealth, the Canaanites considered him a great prince among them.

When they had first left home, Abram was 75 years old and Sarai 65 years old. She was childless and too old to bear children anymore. God changed Abram’s name to Abraham and Sarai’s name to Sarah. Finally, after waiting twenty-five more years, God sent the son He had promised them. They named him Isaac. Several years later, when Isaac was a youth, God gave Abraham a startling command:

“Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you” (Genesis 22:2).

Abraham must have been dumbfounded. Isaac was his beloved son—the son from whom God had promised to raise a nation—a son through whom the promised Savior would come. How could God command him to burn him as a sacrifice? But Abraham did the opposite of Eve. He did not question or disobey; he did not try to figure out God’s reasons for His command. In simple trust and obedience, he took Isaac and the wood and the knife for the sacrifice, and they set out together to the mountain to which God directed them.

When they arrived, Abraham tied up Isaac, laid him on the wood, and raised his knife to slay him. Suddenly Abraham heard a voice calling out,

“Abraham, Abraham! . . . Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me” (Genesis 22:11–12).

Abraham looked up and saw a ram that was caught by its horns in a thorny thicket. Abraham took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering instead of his son. He named that mountain “The Lord will provide,” saying, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided” (Genesis 22:14).

It is easy to be astonished with Abraham’s obedience and willingness to sacrifice Isaac. But we must not fail to see how God spared Isaac. He provided a ram to take Isaac’s place. It was another important revelation about the Seed of the woman who would crush the serpent’s head. He would be a substitute who would be sacrificed in our place. He would suffer and die for our sins so we could live in God’s presence eternally.

Even more pointedly, just as the ram was caught in the thickets because its horns were encircled by thorns, God’s Son, His promised Savior, would have His head encircled by a crown of thorns as He was led to the cross to be sacrificed in our place.

Little by little as the Old Testament times passed, God revealed more and more about His plan to save His fallen human creatures through in Incarnation of His Son: the birth, life, death, and resurrection of His one and only Son and how His Son will restore His glorious creation when He returns on the Last Day.

But Isaac’s sacrifice doesn’t only show us something new about Jesus’ great sacrifice on the cross. It speaks also of that Last Day when we will all stand before Jesus Christ for judgment. Abraham could have sacrificed the one thing he loved most in this world, his dear son, Isaac, but that sacrifice would not save him from the wrath of God for his sins on Judgment Day. God had to provide the sacrifice for Abraham too.

The same is true for you and me. No amount of obedience and good works or suffering and sacrifice will be enough to satisfy God’s wrath at our sins. He must provide the sacrifice.

And that sacrifice could have been none other than God’s own dear Son. God led Him here, near this same mountain, wrapped His head in thorns, and offered Him as a burnt sacrifice on the cross. Burnt not by fire, but by the pangs of hell and the blazing sun that made Him cry aloud, “I thirst” (John 19:28). The very Son of God – the Second Person of the Trinity – died that day, but He rose to life again on the third day.

God has provided the one and only sacrifice that could pay the penalty for each and every one of our sins. In Christ Jesus, you have complete pardon and peace. And when He comes again on the Last Day, He will restore your heart, soul, mind, and body, and gather all of us, His believers, to live in His glorious presence for all eternity in His perfectly restored heaven and earth. Amen.

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

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +