Thursday, March 31, 2016

“God’s Alien & Proper Work” (Deuteronomy 32:36-39), Palm Sunday March '16





1.                               In the name of Jesus.  Amen.  The message from God’s Word this morning comes from the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy chapter 32:36-39.  Here we see that Moses describes to us God’s alien work.  God’s proper work is when He makes us alive through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  But, his alien or strange work is when he terrifies and kills our sinful nature within us.  God terrifies us with the holiness of His law so that we may be drawn to the sweetness of the Gospel in Christ forgiving us of our sins.  God’s alien work is to drive us to despair in our sins and get us to see that there’s nothing that we can do to save ourselves from the terrors of hell and death.  God’s proper work is to make us alive in Christ and give to us the forgiveness of sins and eternal life.  This is the mission that our Savior Jesus was making His way to complete as He entered into Jerusalem on that Palm Sunday.  The message is entitled, “God’s Alien & Proper Work,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.                               In the 17th century Britain’s King James invented a name and a custom among royalty. The name was “whipping boy,” and the custom was this. The king’s son Charles was a spoiled brat. But, no one was allowed to punish him or correct him. So the king appointed another boy, William Mayer, to be Charles’s playmate and whipping boy. Whenever Charles misbehaved, William was punished. He received the whipping that Charles deserved. Seems unfair, doesn’t it! But in order to vindicate his people, God, the Holy Judge, had to punish someone for their sins. Incredibly, Jesus, himself the Prince who should have been above all punishment did what Philippians 2:7-8 says, “He made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant . . . and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!”

3.                               As our Epistle lesson from Philippians 2 explains to us our Lord Jesus made Himself a servant all the way to the cross, even to death, so that through Him we’re saved from the punishment of our sins.  Jesus became our “whipping boy” and endured the punishment for sin that we deserve.  We should be the ones to receive God’s “alien work” of judging us for our sins and condemning us to eternal damnation in Hell.  But, God in His mercy and grace sent His one only Son to take our place and fulfill all righteousness for us.

4.                               Let me ask you a question.  Have you ever been to a courtroom?  If you have you know it’s not a warm, fuzzy place. The procedure is formal. First names are replaced by “Mr. Prosecutor,” “the Defendant,” and “Your Honor.” Law, not personalities, is the basis for decision. Worst of all, when a verdict has been reached, there’s the gavel slamming down and the judge’s cold “Next case.” Judgment in court ends even this brief, sterile relationship, which has been established over the last several hours or days.
5.                               In Deuteronomy 32:36-39, our Old Testament lesson for this Palm Sunday, Moses says that God will judge his people.  And as we learned before judgment is part of His alien work. That sounds threatening. And yet, quite unlike our familiar courtroom scene, As Our Holy Judge, the Lord Acts in Such a Way As to Restore Our Relationship with Him.
6.                               God’s “judging” Israel is not to reach a decision but to restore their relationship with him.  Deuteronomy 32:36 begins, 36 The Lord will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants, when he sees that their power is gone and there is none remaining, bond or free.”  Part of his last words to Israel, Moses is prophesying a terrifying future day for the nation.   There would be plenty to judge. After Moses’ death, Israel would often turn to foreign gods. Examples of our likewise following other gods.  The result would be devastation for the people.
7.                               God’s judgment on Israel’s idolatry would begin with the familiar courtroom scenario (vv 37–38). God sounds like any other judge.  He says in Deuteronomy 32:37-38, 37 Then he will say, “Where are their gods, the rock in which they took refuge, 38 who ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offering? Let them rise up and help you; let them be your protection!”   It’s as if God is saying to Israel: “This is the life you chose; now you see where it leads.” “You made your bed; now lie in it.” “You did the crime; now do the time.”
8.                               In Israel, though, all legal enactments were based on the covenant relationship between God and his people.  It can be summarized best in the words of Leviticus 26:12, “I will . . . be your God, and you will be my people.”  This is a concept of justice that’s unknown in other legal circles. The relationship between the victim and the criminal sometimes makes for good news, but the relationship between the judge and the criminal is seldom an interesting story. Once the gavel goes down, the judge never sees the criminal again. End of story.  Instead, God’s judging Israel was for the purpose of reestablishing their broken relationship.  When he sees their strength is gone,” he will judge his people in order to have compassion on them (v 36).  He puts to death and wounds, but he also brings to life and heals (v 39).
9.                               God’s judging Jesus restores our relationship with him.  Jesus’ trial, despite reflecting everything that can go wrong with earthly court systems, also had the divine relationship of God’s holy judgment behind it.  There was a lot going on as far as relationships are concerned during the trial that led to Jesus’ crucifixion.  The immediate cause of Jesus’ passion was his relationship with the Jewish leaders: they wanted to get rid of Jesus because he was disturbing their “peace” and threatening their power.  Jesus’ arrest broke his relationship with his disciples: they all deserted him.  Pontius Pilate’s sending Jesus to Herod created a “strange bedfellows” relationship between them: they had been enemies and became friends.  Pilate condemned Jesus because of his relationship with the crowd and with Caesar: since a riot was breaking out, he caved in and had Jesus condemned.
10.                           Strangely, this terrible injustice was all part of God’s holy judgment.  Jesus was standing in our place. Anyone carrying our sin rightly deserved punishment, both now and eternally. Recall earlier examples of our sin.  As Deuteronomy reminds us, it’s ultimately God who judges sin.  Therefore, it was really God judging Jesus, and God was perfectly holy in condemning his Son to death.  Yet through it all, Jesus upheld his perfect relationship with his Father.  Jesus not only lived the perfect life, but also lived perfect relationships with his Father, his followers, and even with those who condemned him.  His obedience never wavered.  Christ says in Luke 22:42, “Yet not my will, but yours be done.”  Even in being deserted by God, Jesus was still in a perfect relationship with him.  He said from the cross in Matt. 27:46, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
11.                           Jesus’ sentence of death restores our relationship with God by cleansing us from sin and making us acceptable in God’s sight.  We are free from fear of condemnation, of being permanently separated from God.  As Moses says in Deuteronomy 32:39, 39 “See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.”  This is what sets our God apart from all other gods. No other god acts on our behalf in this way.  Our Lutheran Confessions put it this way, “God’s “alien work” is to kill and wound so that sinners blinded by pride might see the reality that they are wounded and dead in their sin and trust the Lord, who alone heals and makes alive.  When they are idle, negligent, and rebellions in this matter because of the flesh, He rebukes them through the Law.  So the Spirit carries out both offices together: He slays and makes alive.  He leads into hell and brings up again.  For His office is not only to comfort, but also to rebuke.”
12.                           This can only benefit our relationships with others.  Living a sanctified life is not the only goal. Living sanctified relationships is just as important.   The importance of the restored relationship between God and his people can be too easily overlooked. It wasn’t enough for Jesus to live a perfect life. He had to live a perfect relationship, which he clearly did. In all his dealings with his Father in heaven and with his fellow human beings, he lived perfect relationships. The theologian Emil Brunner has argued that a basic element of being human is to be in a relationship with our Maker and with each other. That is, bringing to life is not just resuscitating, but restoring these relationships. Since sin destroys the relationship we have with God, sin keeps us from being truly human. We are called to justice, that is, to the work of restoring relationships through faith in Christ.
13.                           Most judges don’t care about their relationship with the criminals with whom they deal. As our Holy Judge, the Lord is different. Through his judging Jesus, the Holy Son, God has restored us to a perfect relationship with him. Though we stood condemned, we now live in sanctified relationships with him and all people.  Amen.

No comments:

Post a Comment