Sermon for 5th Sunday of Easter--May 22nd, 2011

“Conflict in the Church” (Acts 6:1–9; 7:2, 51–60)

1.                  Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  The message from God’s Word this morning comes to us from Acts 6.  What does the church do when it has conflict and fighting within it?  Well, today in our text we’ll see how the early Christians dealt with it.  The message is entitled, “Conflict in the Church,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.                  As a pastor I’m in a unique position to watch people worship on Sunday morning.  Many have come to worship our crucified and risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  But, at the same time I notice from time to time other attitudes being displayed.  A few people, while preparing for the awesome privilege to worship, see an activity in the bulletin they don’t like.  They turn to their neighbor and say, “Did you see what the Vacation Bible School is doing?  We would never have done that when I was growing up.”  Then the Pastor calls the church to worship.  “Let’s turn to the hymn Amazing Grace and sing our praises to Jesus.”  The people sigh and reach for the hymnals.  What was the number again?  Amazing Grace?  We sang that three weeks ago.  Why don’t they pick something else?  Then the Pastor says, “Let’s stand as we worship Him.” Stand, why do we have to stand?  We’ll sing all four stanzas, the Pastor says.  All four stanzas!  Why not sing one and get on with it?  The lips move as they sing but the heart is far from him.  Then the Word of God is preached.  20 minutes into the sermon someone is checking his watch to see why it stopped. 

3.                  The way we worship says a lot about the condition of our heart and our attitude toward God.  I think that there are times when God weeps on Sunday morning.  When His people acknowledge Him with their lips, but their hearts are far from him.  Too many times people complain about the length of worship, or the songs that were sung, or the length of the Pastor’s sermon, etc. etc., but how often do people complain about the length of a movie or TV show that they’re watching.  Or, about the length of time it takes to watch a football or baseball game.  It’s been said that the average person watches over 6 hours of TV a week.  And we have people complaining about an hour and 15 minute worship service?

4.                  When Pastor Joe Stowell was preparing to go into an evening service one Sunday night he heard that Bob his friend had just collapsed on the church’s sidewalk.  As he approached, the ambulance pulled up.  When the paramedics came to Bob’s body they didn’t attempt to rearrange his motionless body.  They didn’t try to straighten his tie or comb his hair or polish his shoes.  This was no time for cosmetics.  They went straight for the heart.  And so to in worship God goes straight for your heart.  It’s where He evaluates us.  The call to being a Christian is to have a heart toward God.  And that requires that we move from externals to internals.  Jesus said that it’s not what goes into a man that defiles him, but what comes out of him that makes him unholy.  For out of the human heart all sorts of evil comes.  In order for God to change us from the inside out we need to be willing to let His Holy Word soften our hard hearts, take away our sinful thoughts, words and actions and make us clean and whole once more.

5.                  Well, just as there is conflict in the church today, so too there was conflict in the early church back about 2000 years ago.  Where two or three are gathered together there the devil is with them also.  It’s not just the Holy Spirit who is working to change our hearts.  The devil is working as well.  Acts 6:1–7 says, “1Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. 2And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. 3Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. 4But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. 6These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.  7And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.”

6.                  It’s helpful that stories such as this one are found in the Bible.  We would like to believe that the first church had a perfect congregation.  That there were always new faces at the worship services, which showed that the church was growing.  Of course the early church was alive and revealed the love and care they showed one another.  But, a vibrant Church also consists of sinners unable to shed, unable to hide the old Adam.  As they say, the old Adam is a good swimmer he always comes up for air, even though he’s drowned through the waters of Holy Baptism.  In Acts 6 we see that the church members were complaining and criticizing, saying that the daily distributions were unfair.  These complaints still take place today.  But, we see here in our text that the early Christians solved the problems without bitterness. 

7.                  We see in Acts 6 that when Grecian Jewish Christians complained that their widows weren’t getting a fair share when food was distributed, the church listened to them.  Then the Apostles got the whole church together, suggested that they choose seven known to be full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, and let the seven solve the problem.  What’s fascinating is that every one of the seven that the church chose had a Greek name.  What does that mean?  Simply, that the church instead of slapping on the label “troublemakers” gave the people who experienced an injustice the power to correct it.

8.                  In the process it was the Hebrew Christians who became vulnerable.  They surrendered their rights to those who had felt and had been victims to their injustice.  So how did the Jerusalem church put down troublemakers?  It didn’t.  Instead it lifted the troublemakers up, and gave them authority they needed to solve the problem that they complained about.

9.                  So can this radical kind of solution work in Christianity today?  Yes, if we keep three things in mind.  First, don’t view people with problems as troublemakers.  Take their concerns seriously.  Second, Don’t be defensive, or try to fix blame for past failings.  The past isn’t the issue, the problem is.  Third, don’t be paternalistic.  Don’t think that the leaders are the only ones who can solve the problems.  Select wise Holy Spirit filled people who know the problem firsthand, and give them the authority they need to solve it.

10.              What’s the church’s final answer to conflict?  It’s to look to our Lord Jesus Christ, the one who bore our sins in his body on the tree and who became a curse for us by dying for our sins.  The one who had it all, but laid it aside for our sake to set us free from sin, death and the power of the devil.  Listen to what the Apostle Paul says in Philippians 2:3-11, “³ Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.  ⁴ Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.  ⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,  ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,  ⁷ but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  ⁹ Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,  ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,  ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

11.              Notice that Paul says in order to have a mind like Christ we must put aside our human pride.  To make a change from selfishness to selflessness requires a change that is caused by our Lord Jesus.  Our thinking must be released from sin.  Our mind is rendered sorry for what we’ve done wrong.  Our soul is moved to praise the Lord in thanksgiving for all that He’s done for us in Christ.  Our Lord Jesus laid aside His divine glory and humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death for our sins.  This is our greatest blessing.  What a joy it is to receive from Him the forgiveness of our sins.  So, when we see conflict arising in the Church, let us first look to Jesus, set aside our pride, and ask Him to help us solve whatever difficulty we’re facing. Amen.

4th Sunday of Easter--May 15th, 2011

“Jesus our Good Shepherd” (John 10:1–10—Easter 4 Series A 2011)

1.            May the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,  ²¹ Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.  (Hebrews 13:20-21)  The Holy Gospel according to St. John beginning with the 10^th chapter,¹[Jesus said:] “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. ²But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. ³To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. ⁵A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” ⁶This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.⁷So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. ⁸All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. ⁹I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. ¹⁰The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”  This is the Gospel of the Lord.”  He who has ears, let him hear. (Matthew 13:9 )

2.               When a young girl named Jonalyn, was learning Psalm 23 from her grandmother, she questioned the first line. "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want," read her grandmother. To which, little Jonalyn innocently replied, "Why don't we want him?"  Had the little Jonalyn taken the verse correctly, she would have known that when the Lord is our shepherd, we won’t lack anything we need. God will be our shepherd. He will lead his sheep to fresh food and drink. When we walk as sheep through the terrible dark valley of the shadow of death, where the wolves, lions, and bears are settled in their caverns, we have nothing to fear.  (And no, I’m not talking about the NFL strike that’s going on right now).  There are real enemies that seek our doom—the devil, the world and our sinful flesh. Jesus our Good Shepherd is with us to protect us.

3.               In the New Testament, Jesus uses the title shepherd to speak of himself to his disciples in John 10. He’s the Good Shepherd. He knows his sheep. His use of this figure of speech for himself is another hint that he’s equating himself with the Shepherd of the Old Testament, God Himself.

4.               The lover and protector that he is, Jesus teaches us as his followers in John 10:10, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." The thief comes as an imposter.  That’s what the devil is, he’s a thief and the Father of Lies.  He only seeks our doom and destructions and he’ll do everything he can do lead us away from Jesus our Good Shepherd.  He comes to harm our lives, suffocate our souls, and keep us captivated by lies, guilt, greed, ignorance, and selfishness. Jesus's message is clear that the only kind of life worth living, the only fruitful life full of fresh-air, green pastures, mountain waters, and wide-open sky, is the kind of life that he provides.

5.               Let us take some moments today to sit at the feet of this Good Shepherd. He’s the only one who offers the eternal kind of life full of peace, safety, and friendship. He’s the only one who can completely take care of the needs we know we have and the needs we don't yet know we have (John 10:28).

6.               Be reminded that that thief, the devil, comes to boost our pride for he delights that we be aimless wanderers. He encourages us to harbor resentments and grudges because he knows it cuts us off from the love of others. He keeps us focused on other sheep and our wooly coats of self-satisfaction rather than allow our gaze to fall on the Master who keeps us clean of burrs. When the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, remember again that the Good Shepherd is the only one who will lay his life down for his sheep (John 10:11).

7.               During these days of meditation on the Shepherd's sacrifice, take stock of where you are wandering in the fields of life. Are you in step with Jesus Your Good Shepherd? Or are you restless, hurried, and full of internal noise? Jesus comes to bring us rest and refreshment. His sacrifice gives us access to the holiest and most loving place.  When we are sick, Jesus our Good Shepherd, helps us and brings us help and healing.  In fact, Jesus not only brings to us physical healing, but also spiritual healing through His cross, by dying the death we deserve to bring to us the forgiveness of our sins. Jesus said in Matthew 9:12-13, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

8.               In 1985 a man was backpacking through the country Jordan. It was late afternoon or early evening when he stopped and watched three shepherds watering their flocks at a well. As the flocks had mixed together, the man wondered how the shepherds would separate them. Eventually, one stood up and called out, “Menah,” which is Arabic for “follow me.” Unbelievably, 30 sheep immediately walked out of the large flock and began to follow their shepherd up the hill. The second shepherd shouted, “Menah,” and his flock followed after him. As for the other sheep, they acted as if nothing had happened.   When the third shepherd stood, the backpacker asked, “Would your sheep follow me if I called them?” The shepherd shook his head. Having received permission to try, the backpacker called out, “Menah, Menah!” The sheep looked at him as if he had lost his mind. “Will they always follow you?” the man asked. The shepherd said, “Always, except when a sheep is sick; then the creature follows anyone.”

9.               Over the centuries, the Lord, using the power that comes from the means of grace, that is Word and Sacrament, has called a great many people to Him. Many of them, in fact, all of them, in some way were sick. Some had a sickness of the body, but all of us have a sickness of the soul. When by the power of the Law of God we recognize that sickness, Jesus steps in to help us with the Gospel’s healing power. The Great Physician makes us well.

10.           What’s your illness? Do you, like the ex-tax collector Matthew, feel alone and avoided? Have you been disappointed in love or hurt by uncaring hands? Are you frightened by the world’s hatred and prejudice? Jesus sends His Holy Spirit to call you to peace. Maybe you’ve been let down by those you counted on or betrayed by those who are closest to you. If so, be confident; Jesus won’t ever desert you.  He will never let you down.

11.           This healing transformation can be yours. Today Jesus your Good Shepherd speaks to each of us saying, “Come, leave behind your life of sin and separation. Come, believe on Me and I will give you a new life worth living. Sick and sinful souls, come as you are; believe and be saved through your Physician’s healing hand.”

12.           Can we ever sufficiently thank Jesus our Good Shepherd for His complete mercy and love in dying on the cross for our sins?  We’re in the sheepfold, that is the church today, not because of any great wisdom or merit of our own.  But, only because of our all-powerful Shepherd Jesus, who has brought us into the fold through the innocent blood that He shed on the cross for us.  Jesus our Good Shepherd has laid down His life for the sins of the whole world.  He’s willingly died for all people.  He’s died for you too!  It’s so wonderful that Jesus our Good Shepherd had us in mind when he freely laid down His life for us to give to us eternal life.  Amen.

13.           The Prayer: Dear Lord, You are my doctor and my Good Shepherd, and I need Your protection, Your healing and guidance. Sometimes I hear Your voice loud and clear. At times, I hear it in the distance or not at all. I'm pleading with You today to open my ears and heart, so I can hear Your voice through Your Word. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Sermon for 3rd Sunday of Easter

“Bringing Our Children to Christ” (Acts 2:14, 36–41)

1.                  Sanctify us in the truth, O Lord, Your Word is truth.  In the name of our crucified and risen Lord Jesus.  Amen.  The message from God’s Word this 3^rd Sunday of Easter, which also happens to be Mother’s Day, comes to us from the words of the Apostle Peter in Acts 2.  It’s entitled, “Bringing our Children to Christ,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.                  Dr. Dale Meyer, of Concordia Seminary St. Louis, recently had this to say in his radio program the, Meyer Minute.  You sometimes hear of parents who let their children grow up without formal religion because they don’t want to impose upon them a particular faith. That may be well-intentioned but it’s wrong-headed. It instills in a child the attitude that faith is a result of our choice based upon our understanding. No, taught St. Augustine. It’s the other way around. We don’t understand in order to believe but we believe in order to understand. Jesus says, “You did not choose Me but I chose you” in John 15:16.  In a 1938 sermon for confirmation, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the Lutheran theologian said, “Confirmands today are like young soldiers marching to war, the war of Jesus Christ against the gods of this world. It is a war that demands the commitment of one’s whole life. Is not God, our Lord, worthy of this struggle? Idolatry and cowardice confront us on all sides, but the direst foe does not confront us, He is with us. “Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief.” (Eric Metaxas, “Bonhoeffer,” 309)  So then, should we raise children spiritually unprepared and unarmed for the life ahead of them?

3.                  Dr. Meyer’s quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer does make us think doesn’t it?  It’s more important than ever today to train our children in the Christian faith.  As the proverb says, “Train up your children in the way they should go and when they are older they will not depart from it.”  After all, there is so much out there in our secular culture today that can pull our children away from their faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.  That’s why we thank God for godly mothers who teach their children about the life-giving Word of God and continually pray for their spiritual well-being. 

4.                  On this Mother’s Day we take the time to honor our mothers for the sacrifices that they made for us or are continuing to make for us right now.  Mothers do so much for their children don’t they?  They cook and clean.  They make sure that you wash behind your ears.  Mothers show their children and their husbands love by their nurture and care for them in the home.  They make sure that they have a first aid kit to bind up the wounds of their children after they come home playing.  A Mother offers a shoulder to cry on after her child comes home from a hard day at school.  But, the most important thing a mother can do for her children is to raise them up in the knowledge and admonition of the Lord.  The most important thing a mother can do is bring her children to Jesus. 

5.                  And how is this done?  First, it involves bringing our children to the baptismal font where they are washed and cleansed of their sins, but I’m getting ahead of myself.  Let’s hear what the Apostle Peter has to say in Acts 2:14 &36-41, “14But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words…  36Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”37Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.”

6.                  Did you notice Peter’s words there in Acts 2?  That repentance of our sins and being baptized for the forgiveness of our sins in the name of Jesus is a promise that is not only for adults, but also for children.  From Peter’s words we see that Baptism is a means by which God gives us his saving grace.  It is for the forgiveness of your sins.  This forgiveness, given through Jesus’ perfect life and death on the cross for us, is given to us sinners in Baptism.  It is through Baptism that God sends our sins away, which is what the word forgives really means.  And what God sends away is gone.

7.                  The Holy Spirit creates saving faith in Jesus when he comes into the person’s heart through water and the Word in Holy Baptism.  And this promise of the Holy Spirit that Peter talks about here is for our children as well.  God’s Old Covenant with Israel included them, and it’s unthinkable that the New Covenant would exclude them.  Godly Mothers who love their children and want them to be saved and have eternal life will bring their children to the baptismal font, because they trust in the promise of Jesus who says in Mark 16:16, “He that believes and is baptized shall be saved.”  Martin Luther said this about bringing our children to the Lord in his Large Catechism, “We bring the child in the conviction and hope that it believes, and we pray that God may grant it faith.  But we do not baptize it for that reason, but solely because of God’s command.  Why?  Because we know that God does not lie.  I and my neighbor and, in short, all people, may err, But God’s Word cannot err.”  And in Luke 18:15-17 we see that Jesus welcomes the little children to come to him because the Kingdom of God belongs to them.  Our Lord and Master Jesus teaches us that the Kingdom of God comes to all who humbly trust the Lord, no matter what their age or status.  Just as infants may inherit the parents’ blessing and property, so any person may receive the inheritance of God’s kingdom—salvation, Grace, faith and everlasting life are gifts of God.

8.                  Godly mothers put their hope and trust in God’s promises found in his Word to not only bring their children into God’s kingdom by having them baptized, but also by continuing to teach them the Word of God and point them to Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  This means that they bring them to hear God’s Word in Christian worship as often as they can, that they bring them to Sunday School, and read them God’s Word at home.  It may even mean giving them the opportunity to go to a Christian Day School and High School.  But, most importantly it involves showing what it means to be a Christian by living out their faith and modeling a Christ-like character of forgiveness, love and humility to their children. 

9.                  In Acts 2 the Apostle Peter says that Jesus is God’s Son and the Savior of the world.  The only way to be saved from our sin, from eternal death and damnation in hell, and from the clutches of the vile viper Satan himself is through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Everything that happened through Jesus, God did.  The teachings of Jesus came from God through the miracles God performed.  Jesus died according to God’s plan and God put an end to the agony of death.  God raised this Jesus from the dead and He has exalted Him at His right hand.  Jesus received the Spirit from God and He has given that same holy Spirit to us through His Word and Sacraments.  God made Him both Lord and Messiah.  Everything is the work of God.  This is how God came into the world.  When we see Jesus we can say, “Behold here is our God.”

10.              This is the calling for Christian parents.  Not only for mothers, but also for fathers as well.  It is to do what the Apostle Peter did in Acts chapter 2.  To bring before their children the God-Man Jesus Christ.  Behold here is your God.  It is through Christ and Christ alone that we are saved from our sins.  Without Him we are nothing.  Today we praise God for the mothers and other godly women who are willing to bring our children to see Jesus our crucified and risen Savior.  Amen.

Sermon for 5th Sunday in Lent--April 2011

“Asleep & Awake in Christ” (John 11:1-45)

1.            Please pray with me.  May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.  Amen.  The message from God’s Word this 5^th Sunday in Lent is taken from John chapter 11 and is entitled, “Asleep & Awake in Christ,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.            When Jesus receives the message from Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus, He says to the disciples in John 11:11, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him." Jesus often referred to being dead as sleeping. He did this when Jairus's daughter was dead, and again in the New Testament the dead are referred to as "those who have fallen asleep" such as in 1 Corinthians 15:6, 18. Therefore, death is a kind of sleep. It's easy to misunderstand this expression because people have an incorrect assumption about natural life and sleep. We assume life is something we "own," something we have control over. Sleep is a pause, a period of rest in this life. We still own our lives during sleep and we will wake up. But life isn't something we possess. It's something we receive from the Creator. We are in His hand our entire lives, dependent upon Him. We live only as long as He continues His creative work, and gives us life. That is what sleep is too. The biblical truth about sleep is found in the Psalms, in Psalm 3:5 it says,: "I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me."  If I wake to a new day, it's because God has sustained me. When death is called sleep, it means that the dead are also in God's hand. The Creator has the same power over them that He has over those who are alive. They, too, are in God's hands, completely dependent upon Him.

3.            Upon arriving at Bethany, Martha, Lazarus’ sister says to Jesus in John 11:21, “Lord if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”  It’s like Martha is saying, “Jesus, if you really loved us, You would have come here right away to heal my brother.”  And such is the devil’s temptation.  He loves to make us think, “Jesus, if you truly loved me, You wouldn’t have taken my loved one from me.”  Jesus if you truly cared, then I wouldn’t be so sick.”  “Jesus if You are always there for me, why am I feeling so lonely?”

4.            Jesus loves Lazarus, and his sisters Mary and Martha, and that’s why he waits.  Although it’s hard to understand, Jesus’ inaction is the best action.  He knows what is going to happen—Lazarus will be raised from the dead, and the result of this miracle will be that Jesus will be glorified and many more will believe that He’s the Son of God.  And because Jesus loves you, He often waits.  He doesn’t answer your prayer in the way or the time that you had hoped.  He unexpectedly calls someone you love to her heavenly home.  In the midst of trial, he appears to be slow to help or deliver.  It’s not easy for us to wait on the Lord.  But know this, our Lord will act.  And when He acts, He will bring glory to Himself.  He may not heal your sickness or take away your cancer, but He will strengthen your faith through suffering and even use it as a witness to others.  Because he loves you, your Lord will always do what is best for you.

5.            If Jesus says that Lazarus has gone to sleep why is it that in our text he weeps?  It seems strange to the grieving family and friends of Lazarus.  Their response in John 11:37 is, “Could not He who opened the eyes of the blind man also kept this man from dying?”  If Lazarus’ death would make Jesus cry, why didn’t He keep Lazarus from dying?  And it’s strange to us as well that Jesus wept.  Jesus stayed where he was for two days before going to Bethany to see Lazarus and his family.  And when he finally decided to take the journey he told his disciples, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.”  Jesus knew what He was going to do in Bethany and it’s for that reason that He waited.

6.            Keep in mind that Jesus doesn’t weep because Lazarus had died or because he felt helpless or weak.  He weeps for Mary and Martha, and their family and friends that the pain of death brings.  Jesus is the resurrection and the life.  The one who believes in Jesus will live even though he dies, and the believer shall never experience eternal death.  He who conquered death and the grave by His own death and resurrection gives life to all who believe now and also at the resurrection on the Last Day.  And as true man, Jesus sympathizes with our weaknesses as Hebrews 4:15 reminds us.  In the church, we rejoice with those who rejoice, and we weep with those who weep.  And what is true of the church, is also true of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the head of his body the Church.  When a loved one dies, we can be certain that Jesus, the resurrection and the life, has given eternal life to our loved one who died in the faith.  We can be confident that the one we love will be raised again on the Last Day.  We have that sure and certain hope and yet we weep.  We feel empty and alone and our tears freely flow.

7.            Yes we weep at the face of death and our Lord Jesus weeps too.  Even as He gives life to all who have fallen asleep in faith, He weeps with us who continue on our earthly pilgrimage.  He not only weeps, but He also comforts us, He reminds us that He’s the resurrection and the life and by His word of promise, He strengthens us as we mourn.  Please pray with me, Heavenly Father, Your beloved Son befriended frail humans like us to make us Your own.  Teach us to be like Jesus’’ dear friends from Bethany, that we might serve Him faithfully like Martha, learn from Him earnestly like Mary, and be raised by Him ultimately like Lazarus; through their Lord and ours, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.     

Sermon for 4th Sunday in Lent 2011

“Spiritual Blindness” (John 9)

1.                   Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  The message from God’s Word this 4^th Sunday in Lent is taken from the 9^th chapter of the Gospel of John.  It’s entitled, “Spiritual Blindness,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.  Amen.

2.                    There’s a story about Sherlock Holmes, the great detective of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s novels, and his sidekick Dr. John Watson about a camping trip that they went on.  After sharing a good meal and a bottle of wine, they retired to their tent for the night.  At about 3 AM, Holmes nudges Watson and asks, "Watson, look up into the sky and tell me what you see?" Watson said, "I see millions of stars." Holmes then asks, "And, what does that tell you?" Watson then replied, "Astronomically, it tells me there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, it tells me that Saturn is in Leo. Theologically, it tells me that God is great and we are small and insignificant. Horologically, it tells me that it's about 3 AM. Meteorologically, it tells me that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What does it tell you, Holmes?" Holmes retorts, "Someone stole our tent."

3.                   Have you ever had something like this happen to you?  The problem that you were facing was staring you right in the face and you didn’t even notice it.  It’s like when you lost your keys and you search everywhere in your house for them only to find that they were lying on your desk or on your nightstand right where you last left them.  Sometimes people have spiritual blind spots when it comes to seeing plainly what God wants to reveal to us in His Word.  We see that in our Gospel reading for today from John chapter 9.

4.                   A few excerpts from John chapter 9 say, “¹As [Jesus] passed by, he saw a man blind from birth.   ²And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” ³Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. ⁴We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. ⁵As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” ⁶Having said these things, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud ⁷and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing. ¹³They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. ¹⁴Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. ¹⁵So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” ¹⁶Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. ¹⁷So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.” ³⁴They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out. ³⁵Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” ³⁶He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” ³⁷Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” ³⁸He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. ³⁹Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.”

5.                   For every effect, there has to be a cause.  Things just don’t happen by blind chance.  There has to be an explanation.  That’s what makes sense to us.  This is the disciples’ way of thinking when they encounter this man born blind.  He’s blind; that’s the effect.  So what’s the cause?  Somebody must have sinned.  So they conclude either this man sinned in the womb before he was born or his parents sinned.  Something was the cause of this man’s blindness.

6.                   So they ask Jesus, “Who sinned.”   Their thinking though is misguided.  John 9:3 says, “It was not that this man sinned or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”  This man’s blindness isn’t the punishment for his sin or the sin of his parents.  Instead, his blindness is the means by which the works of God are revealed.

7.                   With these words, Jesus nullifies this type of cause and effect thinking when it comes to sickness and suffering.  Still, many people today succumb to this line of reasoning.  The televangelist announces to his worldwide audience that a recent natural disaster is a result of the nation’s sin.  We saw some Christian leaders do this last year with the devastating earthquake in Haiti, or in 2005 with Hurricane Katrina that terrorized the Gulf Coast of the US.  The Christian wife and mother who’s diagnosed with breast cancer assumes it was because of some past sin that she is now plagued with this terrible disease.  The father whose teenage son dies in a car accident concludes that if he’d been a better father, God wouldn’t have taken his son from him.

8.                   But, Jesus tells us here in John 9 that it’s not someone’s sin that resulted in the suffering and sorrow described above.  We live in a world that is sinful where natural disasters, sickness, and death occur.  God not only displays His works in miraculous events but also in the midst of suffering and sorrow.  The man who was born blind had his sight restored.  Without a doubt, God’s work was displayed in him.  However, God’s works are also displayed when following natural disasters, God’s people respond to serve those affected, providing for both physical and spiritual needs.  God’s work is displayed when those who are sick, instead of turning away from Him are drawn closer to Christ and strengthened in their Christian faith.  God’s work is displayed when those who are grieving are filled with the hope of Jesus Christ, who is the resurrection and the life. 

9.                   God’s works were displayed in the man born blind, and God’s works are constantly displayed in your life.  Whether in prosperity or adversity, abundance or need, God is working to save, help, deliver and strengthen you.  That’s why there’s more to the story of this man who was blind from birth receiving his sight from Jesus.  Jesus not only intended to remove his physical blindness but also his spiritual blindness.  He not only desired for this man to see the beauty of the world that surrounded him, but also to see Jesus and believe in Him to receive the forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

10.               After the man’s sight is restored, his neighbors take him to the Pharisees.  Before the Pharisees he confesses that Jesus is a prophet.  He acknowledges that Jesus is from God, for only one sent from God could make the blind see.  But this confession is too much for the religious authorities.  And the man is thrown out and excommunicated for speaking the truth.  Although he no longer suffers from physical blindness, his suffering isn’t over.  He now suffers for confessing Jesus.

11.               However, Jesus wants this man to believe that He is more than just a prophet, and so He searches for the man.  After conversing with Jesus, the man confesses Jesus to the Son of Man and worships Him.  Now the man who was once blind truly sees.  God’s works have been displayed in him.  His eyes see, and he also sees with the eyes of faith.

12.               God’s works have also been displayed in your life.  You were born spiritually blind, unable to see, groping around in the darkness of sin and death.  But now you do see.  God was working for you at the cross of Calvary when Jesus closed His eyes in death to atone for your own sinful blindness.  God was displaying His works in you when at your Baptism He gave you spiritual sight by giving you the gift of faith.  God continues to open your eyes through His Word to His life, truth and forgiveness.  When Christ comes again on the Last Day, your eyes will be opened once again and your lifeless body will be raised from the dead.  You will see God face to face.

13.               It’s an amazing paradox:  the blind see and the seeing become blind.  The blind man receives both spiritually and physical sight while the Pharisees refuse to see what is clearly revealed.  By their rejection the Pharisees become spiritually blind.  Ultimately, this spiritual sight was the greatest work that Christ worked in the blind man, and there is no greater work that God has accomplished in our lives than when by His grace He made us, who were spiritually blind to see.  Amen.