“Satan Our Adversary, Christ our Advocate” 1 Peter 5:6-11, June ’14 Easter 7A

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 7^th Sunday of Easter is taken from 1 Peter 5:6-11 and is entitled, “Satan our Adversary, Christ our Advocate,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.            Do you wonder why your life is often a struggle? Do you wonder why your problems don’t just vanish even though you go to church and pray? Do you groan because of the carelessness, lovelessness, or recklessness of people in your family? Do you wonder why you still find certain sins so fascinating even when you’ve been burned by them before? Well, says Peter, wake up and realize what you’re up against in your life: you have a fearsome enemy, one of the greatest of the spirit world, a dragon whose spiky tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky, that is, seduced other angels to join his rebellious conspiracy as Revelation 12:3-4 tells us. What a dreadful thought—this evil, worldwide, powerful spirit is committed to dragging you off to hell too.  Satan is indeed our adversary who is out to harm us.

3.            How sad it is then that there are so many people today who deny the Devil’s existence.  During the Middle Ages, the common people were aware of the presence and power of the supernatural. They were especially sensitive to the reality of the Devil and sought ways to attack him where he’s most vulnerable. After determining that Satan’s pride was a good avenue of attack, the Evil One was routinely depicted as having horns, cloven feet, and other such things that we normally associate with cartoon illustrations of the Devil today. It was thought that these caricatures would weaken Satan by deflating his pride.

4.            Unfortunately, many people are unaware of the origin of this depiction of the Devil and, having seen only this silly illustration of Satan, don’t take him seriously at all. This is the first mistake we can make whenever we consider the Devil. For as today’s passage indicates, the Evil One is real indeed, and he’s looking for those whom he may devour.  1 Peter 5:6-11 says, “⁶Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, ⁷casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. ⁸Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. ⁹Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. ¹⁰And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. ¹¹To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

5.            We can also make the mistake of ascribing too much power to Satan, viewing him as if he is a being on par with God. But, Scripture knows no such dualism. Compared to our Creator the Devil is nothing — merely a creature who is subject ultimately to  God’s rule and reign as Job chapters 1 & 2 tells us. Nevertheless, the Evil One is mighty and we shouldn’t underestimate him.

6.            The Bible gives us significant information about the nature of the Devil. He’s our Adversary (1 Peter 5:8), the chief enemy of God’s people and therefore the archfoe of God. Satan is crafty and subtle (Gen. 3:1a).  The Devil tries to emphasize what God has forbidden rather than the true liberty found within the boundaries of His law James 1:25. Jesus says that Satan our Adversary is the “father of lies” (John 8:44) who tempts us to believe our desires should always take first place and that we have every right to throw off God’s rule. Finally, Satan is powerful, more than a match for even the great Simon Peter when the apostle placed confidence in himself as we read about in Luke 22:31–34,54–62.

7.            But here’s the good news: Jesus our Advocate, the descendant of the woman, prophesied in Genesis 3:15 in the Garden of Eden, has crushed the serpent’s head. Despite the Devil’s strength and our relative weakness, in Jesus our Advocate, we have all we need to ward off the Devil’s assaults. Satan’s power to accuse (that’s what the name devil actually means) is broken, for Christ has forgiven all sin. Satan’s power to control and manipulate is broken, because the Holy Spirit lives in us through His Holy Word and Sacraments and shares his strength with us. And now comes the great promise—Jesus our Advocate shares with you his power to rebuke Satan, and Satan has to obey you! As James says, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (4:7). One little word can indeed fell him, the word of the gospel, that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. Stand firm in that faith, and remember that as you suffer, it doesn’t necessarily mean there’s something wrong with you. And when you are suffering and being tempted by the
Devil, remember that your brothers and sisters in faith all over the world are suffering too as they wait for Christ to return and create a new heaven and a new earth.

8.            But, when you’re suffering and being tempted by the Devil, maybe there are those times that you feel that Jesus your Advocate is far away from you and unable to help you.  Do you remember Monty Python?  In the classic comedy movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail, King Arthur and his knights aren't exactly models of courage and stamina. When confronted with a threat, they flee. "Run away!" they shout to each other.

9.            We just celebrated the Ascension of our Lord Jesus into Heaven.  Does Jesus’ Ascension make you feel He "ran away" from a messy world full of pain and problems? Not at all. Jesus’ ascension capped off everything that he had accomplished. It wasn't a retreat, but rather the royal procession to his heavenly coronation as King of kings and Lord of lords. From his throne above he now rules over all things to bless and benefit the believers. 

10.        Jesus’ ascension guarantees that our prayers will be favorably received.  It means that we have an Advocate to the Father to speak on our behalf for our good.  Hebrews 4 tells us, "Since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

11.        Though temporarily absent in body, Jesus is always with us in spirit.  In fact, He’s physically present with us in His body and blood in the bread and the wine in the Lord’s Supper to give us the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation we need to support us against the attacks of the Devil, our Adversary. And, Jesus will return to earth the same way he left. In the meantime, he wants us to know he's in charge. He's here. He cares. He helps.  The same God who called you to eternal glory through the gospel will not let your sufferings go on one minute longer than he allows, and he already has his plan of relief ready to go. From God’s point of view, your sufferings last just a little while, for at just the right time our loving Father will come with strength and restoration.  Thanks be to God that we have an Advocate to God our Heavenly Father, who fights for us and has defeated the old evil foe, the Devil our Adversary.  Praise God that Jesus lives and rules and reigns to all eternity!  Amen.

“We Find Courage in Our Lord’s Ascension” Acts 1.1-11 Ascension Day, COSLHS Chapel May ‘14

1.      Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  It should be a celebration! The house is full of kids. You’re the guest of honor, and you’ve got six candles on your cake to blow out. So what’s wrong? Maybe your brother or sister is playing with one of your gifts. Maybe Johnny swiped a finger across the frosting of your cake before you got to blow. Whatever it is, it’s suddenly all coming apart. The bigger picture of fun, games, and friends has been lost.  Because Jesus ascended into heaven, He’s now exalted over all things. He rules all things in heaven & on earth on behalf of His Church. This should bring us as Christians great hope and joy. But, too often we become discouraged by worldly cares. We become like the unhappy birthday child. Our sinful nature shuts our eyes to what God has done through our risen and ascended Lord Jesus. We see only with our physical eyes, focusing on the discouragements around us in this sinful world. We may become discouraged as we struggle to accomplish the things we feel are important or overcome the challenges we face. We may find ourselves in a state of despair because of our own sins or the sins of others. And as a result, we reel in self-pity brought on by our own disappointment. But, our Lord has ascended on high and rules over all things on our behalf. Let’s not lose sight of this wonderful truth and all that it means for us.  The message this Ascension Day is taken from Acts 1:1-11, and is entitled, “We Find Courage in Our Lord’s Ascension,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.      Ascension Day is important for us in our lives as Christians, but unfortunately many Christians on this coming Thursday will miss it.  In between Wednesday and the middle of a busy work week and Friday’s promise of the weekend, Thursday hardly seems like a day to celebrate and have a festival when there’s still work to be done. So even though Ascension Day is just as holy as Easter Sunday, most of the world will move through it unconsciously.  Even those who have confessed the lines of the Apostles’ Creed: “On the third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.”  Our Gospel lesson from Luke 24 for today records, “Then [Jesus] said to his disciples….’See, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.’  Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them.  While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven.  And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple blessing God.” (Luke 24:49-53)

3.      The ascension of our Lord Jesus after His death on the cross and resurrection might seem somewhat anti-climatic. Maybe this is the reason that the resurrection and ascension statements of the Apostles’ Creed are essentially treated as one in the same: On the third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. One might think that the one miraculous act flowed immediately into the other: that the death of the body of Jesus was answered in the resurrection of Christ, a presence who then floated spiritually into heaven. But, the result of this impression is that many think that the ascension points to the casting off of Jesus’ human nature, as if Jesus is now a presence that only used to be human.

4.      This is far from the experience of the disciples, as we see here in Acts 1, to whom Jesus appeared many times in the days following His resurrection. To them it was clear that Jesus wasn’t any sort of ghost. He ate with them. Jesus talked with them. He instructed them as to the ministries they would lead and the deaths they would face because of their belief in Him as their Savior. Jesus was more fully human than they had ever realized, and it was this holy body, this divine person that they held near as they lived and died to proclaim His kingdom. 

5.      As the disciples were watching and Jesus was taken up before their own eyes, a cloud hid Him from their sight. Our text in Acts 1:9-11 refers to them, “looking intently up into the sky as he was going” when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them: “‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go.’” In this resurrected body, Christ ascended to heaven, fully human, fully divine, and entirely glorified.  

6.      On the day Jesus ascended into heaven, the work God sent Him to accomplish was finally completed. The ascension was a public declaration of Jesus’ dying words on the Cross: It is finished. Ascending to heaven, Jesus continued the victory of Easter—the victory of a physical body in whom God had conquered death. Because of the ascension, the incarnation of our Lord isn’t a past event. Because of the ascension, we know that the incarnate Christ who was raised from the dead is sharing in our humanity even now. And just as the angels informed the disciples, so we carry in our own bodies a guarantee that Christ will one day bring us to Himself.  It’s for these reasons that the Christian scholar N.T. Wright affirms, “To embrace the Ascension is to heave a sigh of relief, to give up the struggle to be God (and with it the inevitable despair at our constant failure), and to enjoy our status as creatures: image-bearing creatures, but creatures nonetheless.” (N.T. Wright, Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church (New York: Harper Collins, 2008), 114). 

7.      WE DO FIND COURAGE IN OUR LORD’S ASCENSION.  Jesus lived. Jesus died. Jesus rose. Jesus left for heaven.  There are six reasons we can find courage in Jesus’ Ascension. First, Jesus’ ascension assures us that we can go home, too. Jesus tells His disciples a little later that he’s going to prepare a place for them in His Father’s house (John 14). Because Jesus returned to the Father, I can say with Paul that, “to live is Christ, and to die is gain,” when I die, I will be with Jesus. 

8.      Second, Jesus’ ascension assures us that He intercedes for us to God.  Jesus, the God-man, speaks on our behalf to God our Heavenly Father. He knows what it’s like to be human (Hebrews 4:14–16), but He’s not just asking God to give me a break. Jesus Himself was broken for my sin, and because of His perfect sacrifice on the cross, He sustains our right relationship with God (Hebrews 9:15). 

9.      Third, Jesus says we should rejoice in His ascension. Jesus says, “If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father.” This alone is reason to be glad. 

10.  Fourth, Christ’s ascension has given us the Holy Spirit. Jesus tells us that He must leave in order to send the Holy Spirit (John 16:7). The Spirit teaches, convicts, and comforts us while we’re here on earth. 

11.  Fifth, we have the inspired Gospels. Jesus promises His disciples that the Holy Spirit will teach them and remind them of all that He said (John 14:25–26). And that’s good for us, because the disciples were able to give accurate accounts of events they didn’t understand while they were happening (Matthew 15:15–17; 16:9; Mark 6:52; 9:32; John 12:16). 

12.  Sixth, my king is where He belongs. Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, has taken His seat in glory at the Father’s right hand (Hebrews 1:3). He obeyed, and at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, and every tongue confess that He is Lord (Philippians 2:9–11).

13.  Jesus lived. Jesus died. Jesus rose. Jesus reigns forevermore.  We find courage in our Lord’s ascension into heaven.  On this Ascension Day we remember that our Lord Jesus hasn’t left us as orphans. In the same post-resurrection body He invited Doubting Thomas to touch, Jesus invites us to full humanity today. He ascended with a body, he shares in our humanity, and He’s coming back for our bodies. Christ is preparing a room for us in heaven, and we know it’s real because He Himself is real.  Amen. 

“Our Ascended Lord Blesses Us”… Ascension Day, May ’14 Luke 24.44–52

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 day we celebrate the Ascension of our Lord is taken from Luke 24:44-52.  In our text from God’s Word today we see how, “Our Ascended Lord Blesses Us,” 1) with the truths of His Word (vs. 44-47), 2) with the Holy Spirit’s power to witness (vs. 47-49) and 3) with joy in His ascension.  Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.         I once heard a story about Adolph Rupp, the legendary NCAA college basketball coach of the Kentucky Wildcats. In one interview he bragged that he could take any player and make an All-American out of him. The journalist contested his bragging. So a friendly wager was made that Rupp couldn’t turn a certain freshman basketball player, Cotton Nash, into an All-American. At best one would say the student had average ability.  After that news interview, Adolph Rupp always referred to Cotton Nash as his “All-American center”—at every speaking commitment, every news interview, every opportunity. Does it surprise you that Cotton Nash was on the All-American team more than one time? Would you be surprised if I said three times? Rupp won the wager with the journalist. What we believe about ourselves is often of more value than the gifts, abilities, money, or power we start with.

3.         Most people would agree that believing in your potential is important if you want to accomplish something. But no matter how hard we try, no matter how much we boast about what we can do, we have limits: limits on how long our physical bodies will live; limits on how long we can go without food, water, or sleep; limits on how much we can do in a day; limits on our ability to do what God’s law demands of us; limits on our knowledge; limits on our natural understanding. All our wishes and positive thinking will not change this.

4.         Many people have trouble believing that we have limits. Think of the disciples on that first Easter evening. During the past few years they followed a man they were sure was the Christ. But, in the past three days, things went terribly wrong. The religious leaders had Jesus arrested—with help from one of Jesus’ disciples. In a matter of hours, Jesus is dying on the cross. Now on the third day, his body is missing and people say that Jesus is alive!

5.         What is going on? They had such a positive attitude as they entered Jerusalem just eight days ago! Now their world made no sense to them.  The disciples needed our crucified, risen, and ascended Lord Jesus to bless them and give them understanding.

6.         The disciples know the Old Testament books of Moses—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. They know the prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. They’ve read the Psalms and the other devotional writings in the OT. They know that the Scriptures promise the Messiah. For three years they heard the teachings of Jesus. But, they didn’t understand. They were like a person looking in the yard for a four-leaf clover while Jesus is knocking on the front door, speaking to them about repentance, the forgiveness of sins, and everlasting life.

7.         Are we like the disciples? Are we asking what’s going on at the same time Jesus is trying to explain things to us?  Are we asking, “What gets into people? What prompts a person to experiment with dangerous drugs and bring harm to their body? What gets into people to disobey their parents and others in authority?  What makes people hate one another and hurt each other?  What causes people to harm their neighbor’s reputation? Or, to fail to worship God and serve Him only?”  What’s going on? In days gone by it was simply called “sin.” But, in our modern age people want to call it any name they can think of, but not “sin.” We blame problems on society, our parents, genetic factors, the government—anything but ourselves and our own sinful human nature.

8.         Like the disciples we may not understand what’s going on because we’re all “by nature sinful and unclean.” But, here’s an opportunity offered by Jesus, an opportunity summarized by the words “repentance and forgiveness,” an opportunity made certain by the death and resurrection of Jesus.  So Jesus opened the minds of the disciples to understand the meaning of his death and resurrection.  He opened their minds to understand the truths of His Word. Now Jesus is knocking at our front door. Christ is opening our minds so that we can understand the Holy Scriptures.

9.  Jesus told them in Luke 24, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations.” As St. John Chrysostom once put it, “Repentance: this alone will turn a wolf into a sheep, make a publican a preacher, turn a thorn into an olive, make a depraved person a religious fellow” (Homily 5, ca. A.D. 388).

            10.  Christ is knocking at the door. Are we hearing his call to repentance, his words of forgiveness? Or are we wandering away, looking for a four-leaf clover? Our Christian life is a life of continually answering the door. We’re sorry for our sins and sincerely repent of them. We have the Lord’s word of forgiveness, guaranteed by his death and his resurrection life.

            11.  And so our Ascended Lord Jesus blesses us with the Holy Spirit’s power to witness what Christ has accomplished for us and our salvation. Jesus said, “You are witnesses of these things.” After we answer the door, do we go back to looking for four-leaf clovers? Why do many of us fail to be witnesses of these things?

            12.  Those who have received Jesus’ gift of forgiveness and new life also receive his power to be witnesses of the faith. Think of a couple who had dated for nearly two years. On their second anniversary, the young gentleman wanted to propose marriage to the young lady. But, he had cold feet and couldn’t get the courage to ask her. After an agonizing week, he spoke to his father about the situation. He said, “Dad, I have decided to marry Megan. However, there is one minor problem.” “Oh, what’s the matter?” his father asked. After a long pause the son replied, “Well, I have no idea how to ask her.” His father said, with a big smile on his face, “Son, simply ask her. There is no wrong way.”  Like this young man, many people are afraid and don’t know what to say as a witness for Christ. They agonize. They get cold feet. They lack courage. Most of us are like that at one time or another.

            13.         We can begin our witness in the way the disciples began their witness.  After the ascension, the disciples were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. That’s how they began their witnessing of the events that had taken place. They showed that our strongest witnessing begins in a life of giving praise until our Lord returns.

14.       We too can begin our witnessing by praising and blessing God in his house.   If we don’t know what to say, if we’re agonizing, if we lack courage, the answer is simply to begin with words praising God for Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension.  Our witnessing and confessing Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and the Savior of the whole world flows from the joy of His ascension into heaven. That Jesus our Lord and Savior is ruling and reigning over heaven and earth and is preparing a place for us in heaven with Him.  This same Jesus has also given us His Holy Spirit to open our minds up to the Scriptures to give an answer for the hope that’s within us.16.  Like coach Adolph Rupp, many people feel that believing in your abilities is important if you want to accomplish something. However, no matter how hard we might try, we have limits. We are all “by nature sinful and unclean.” That’s why God has given us an opportunity by giving us his Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus has called us to be witnesses to his death and resurrection, witnesses who share a message of repentance and forgiveness. If we don’t know what to say, we can begin our witness in the way the disciple began their witness: by praising our God for Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension to the Father’s right hand. May we lead lives of praise-filled witness as we await the return of our risen and ascended Lord.  Amen.

“Living in the Love of Jesus” John 14.15-21 Easter 6A, May ‘14

1.      Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  The message from God’s Word this 6^th Sunday of Easter and Memorial Day weekend is taken from John 14:15-21 and is entitled, “Living in the Love of Jesus,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.      As I see an ambulance go by, I’m very thankful that there are trained personnel to handle medical emergencies. As I see a house on fire, I’m very thankful that there are trained firefighters who rescue people from such blazes. When I see a police officer, I’m thankful that there are people who are sworn to protect the people.  And, when I see a soldier of our Nation’s Military, I’m very thankful for their service to our Country so that we can continue to enjoy the freedoms we have here in America. One could say that because these people live and do the work that they do, others will be saved and continue to live fruitful lives. Because they live, other people live as well. How joyful we are that Jesus Christ has rescued us from sin and Satan! He did so by his death and resurrection, and he continues to rule us and guide us. Because Jesus lives, we will live.

3.      Jesus says in John 14:15-21, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.  ¹⁶And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, ¹⁷even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.  ¹⁸“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. ¹⁹Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. ²⁰In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. ²¹Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”

4.      We can’t get enough of the grace, love, and forgiveness of our God. Jesus didn’t leave his disciples as orphans. Not only did he promise his presence to be with them always, he also promised them the presence of the Holy Spirit. That same promise is for us as well. It may seem like that is a lot of God, but to truly live we need to have every bit of him in our lives each day. We can never get enough of a good God. In our text for today Jesus said, “Because I live, you also will live” (v 19). Today we want to explore what it means to live, to live in the love of Jesus.  To live our lives to the fullest means that we live our lives always in the love of Jesus. 

5.      The first step of living in the love of Jesus is to examine our lives and realize that we in no way deserve to be God’s children. Because of sin in our lives we don’t deserve God’s love or his care or thought of us at all. Yet, in his great love and mercy for us he called us, chose us, and accepted us to be his very own through the death and resurrection of his Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Rom 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We live in the love of the Lord humbly, confessing our sins and basking in the joy of sins forgiven.

6.      And so to live in the love of Jesus means to worship, lift up, and extol the great name of our powerful God. God through Jesus has done great things for us, still more than we can even yet imagine. So we offer to him our worship and our praise. That’s why we’re here this morning in church to worship our Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for the life He has given us, for redeeming us from sin, death, and the power of the devil, and for breathing new life in us through the hearing of His Holy Word and the Sacrament of Holy Baptism.  How good it is to worship and praise our wonderful God

7.      And to live in the love of Jesus is to inform others of God’s love. We have the Word of the Gospel. We have the truth, and the world in which we live needs to hear it. All people need to be convicted of their sins. They, too, need to hear the Good News of sins forgiven, of life forever in heaven through the blood of Jesus Christ. How will they hear unless we inform them? 1 Pet 3:15 says, “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” This week live in the love of Jesus and pick out someone to inform about the joy that is inside of you because of your Savior Jesus Christ. Think of someone that God has placed in your life that you could tell the good news of Jesus to this week and invite to worship to hear God’s Word.

8.      Finally, to live in the love of Jesus means to love others as Jesus Christ first loved us. Jn 15:12–13 says, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” Elsewhere Scripture says, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve” (Mt 20:28). The greatest acts of love involve sacrifice and service. The greatest acts of love aren’t always fun and are not always met with great thanks. But when we love someone, when we serve and sacrifice for someone in the name of Jesus, fun and thanks don’t matter. What matters is a “well done” from our Father in heaven. Before the sun goes down today, love someone by serving them even if they don’t even notice what you did for them.

9.      On this Memorial Day weekend we honor the men and women of our Armed Services who have made "the supreme sacrifice;" who gave their lives for their country.  They understood Jesus when He said in John 15, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”  Our Armed Service men & women gave up their hopes and dreams, families and friends. They submitted themselves to rigorous discipline all to defend us and our freedoms we enjoy here in America.  Their sacrifice should inspire in us a profound sense of gratitude. Gratitude for the freedoms we enjoy, bought with a price. And that gratitude should compel us to lives of service as well. Serving Christ, our neighbor, and yes, our nation.

10.  I can't help but recall the brilliant film Saving Private Ryan. James Ryan, now in his seventies, has returned with his family to the military cemetery in Normandy. He visits the grave of Captain John Miller, the man who, a half a century before, led the mission to retrieve—to save—Private Ryan. At the end of the mission, Captain Miller dies so that Private Ryan can return home to his mother, who has already lost one of her other sons to the battles of WWII.   In a scene in the movie, James Ryan kneels at Captain Miller's grave, marked by a cross. And, in tears he remembers the great sacrifice that Captain Miller and the other soldiers gave in order to save him and enable him to return home to his mother and family.  He is overwhelmed with a deep sense of gratitude for the men who gave their lives so that he could live.  On this Memorial Day weekend take some time to thank God for the sacrifice of the men and women in uniform who have served our country.  But more importantly, remember that Acts 17 tells us that in Jesus we live and move and have our being. Because Jesus lives, we also live. Live each day in the love of the Lord.  Amen.

“Jesus—The Way, the Truth & the Life” John 14.1–14, Easter 5A Sermon May ‘14

1.                   Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  The message from God’s Word this 5^th Sunday of Easter is taken from John 14:1-14 and it’s entitled, “Jesus—The Way, the Truth, and the Life,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.                  Who does this guy think he is, anyway? If you or I said words like Jesus did, we would either be laughed off the stage or locked up in a padded cell. Where did he get the arrogance to say something like “Trust in God; trust also in me” (v 1)? Where does a no-name carpenter from no-place Nazareth in nowhere Galilee get the gall to make a statement like “I am the way and the truth and the life”? (v 6). Does he really have access to his Father’s house, and can he really take us there?

3.                  In today’s Gospel Jesus makes statements that ought to take your breath away for their boldness, scope, and frankness. Either they are true or Jesus was a liar or lunatic.  For starters, he thinks He’s the Son of His Father, the Son of God. And in the Gospel of John that means God incarnate. Jesus backs up this claim, both here and throughout the Gospel of John, with statements that make a simple point: all that the Father is and does is equally embodied and personified in the Son. 

4.                  In fact, it’s not just in John’s Gospel that Jesus is made equal with God the Father our Creator.  In Matthew 16 the apostle Peter gave what has been called in church history “the great confession.” It happened in Caesarea Philippi, when Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” They gave Him a report of some of the rumors that were circulating among the people—He was suspected of being John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the other prophets. Jesus then asked: “Who do you say that I am?” That caused Peter to say, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” When Peter made this confession, Jesus congratulated him: “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 16:13–17).

5.                  I mention that account of the great confession to remind us, before we delve into our passage for this chapter from John 14, that the church Christ built and is building must always be a confessing church. When I speak of the church as a confessing church, I’m not simply speaking of the confession of sin that we utter before God, but rather the confession of our faith. Jesus promises redemption to those who not only believe in His resurrection in their hearts but who confess Him with their mouths (Rom. 10:9).

6.                  In John 14:1-14 ¹[Jesus said:], “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. ²In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. ⁴And you know the way to where I am going.” ⁵Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” ⁶Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”  ⁸Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” ⁹Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. ¹¹Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.  ¹²“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. ¹³Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”

7.                  It’s crucial that we see that we confess the uniqueness of Christ. Peter said in Matthew 16, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” The Apostles’ Creed echoes this confession of uniqueness when it proclaims, “I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.…” From the very beginning of the Christian church, the exclusive character of Christ, the uniqueness of the Son of God, has been at the heart of our confession. I stress that because, in this day, in our culture, and even in many areas of the modern church, there’s nothing more politically incorrect than claims of exclusivity given unto Jesus.

8.                  The well-known Pastor & Seminary Professor R.C. Sproul has told the story about how he once took a college class that was taught by a woman who was openly hostile to the Christian faith. She never missed an opportunity to attack Christianity in her classroom. So Dr. Sproul tried to “stay under the radar” in her classroom to escape the arrows of her wrath. But, one day she called on him in front of the class. She said, “Mr. Sproul, do you believe that Jesus is the only way to God?” R.C. knew how she felt about any exclusive claims to Jesus, so he knew he was caught between a rock and a hard place. If he said what he believed, he would experience a great amount of anger from the instructor. But, if he didn’t say what he believed, he would be guilty of nothing less than treason to God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So, R.C. mumbled an answer, but she said, “What was that?” So he said: “Yes, ma’am. I do believe that Jesus is the only way to God.” She went into a fit of rage that spilled out on R.C. She said, “That’s the most narrow-minded, arrogant, bigoted thing I’ve ever heard a student say.” The rest of the class glared at R.C. as she heaped her scorn on him.  After the class, as R.C. was walking out the door, she stopped him and said: “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be so hard on you. But I just can’t understand how anybody could be that narrow-minded.” R.C. said to her: “Well, I hope you can understand my problem. I’ve been persuaded that Christ is the Son of God. I am a Christian. There is nothing more foundational to Christianity than the confession that Jesus is the Son of God. Now if I believed that Jesus was the only way to God because He happened to be my way, and the unspoken premise of my logic was that anything that R. C. Sproul believes must, by logical necessity, be the only true way to think, then I would agree with your assessment that that would be unspeakably arrogant, bigoted, and narrow-minded. But I hope you understand why I believe Jesus is the only way. It is because Jesus said that He was the only way, and if I deny that, I deny Him.”

9.                  Let me say that again what R.C. said, “If you deny that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, you deny Him.” There’s probably no greater point of pressure in our society than that very point. Our friends, community, and even many churches tell us that we must deny the uniqueness of Christ. But to do that, we must deny the church’s confession of faith, and more importantly, we must deny Jesus’ own confession about Himself.  When R.C. explained all this to his college professor, she said: “But how could God be so narrow-minded? I thought God was a God of love.” You see, she believed the widely accepted saying in our culture that it doesn’t really matter what you believe, just as long as you’re sincere. But, if the Ephesians were sincere in their devotion to the goddess Diana, if the followers of Baal were sincere in their worship of Baal, or if the Muslims are sincere in their worship of Allah, that’s all that matters. God doesn’t care whether you worship idols just as long as you worship them sincerely. We remember that Satan appeared to Jesus in the wilderness and said: “All this authority I will give You, and their glory.… If You will worship before me, all will be Yours” (Luke 4:6–7). It was as if Satan was saying to Jesus: “It won’t do any harm for You to bow to me for a moment. God won’t mind. Don’t be narrow-minded. There’s room in the mercy of God for a little Satanism.” But Jesus knew better. He said: “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve’ ” (Luke 4:8).

10.              I really can’t think of anything more against biblical Christianity than the idea that it doesn’t matter what you believe, and yet it has been instructed in us from the time we were in kindergarten. I think it is because, here in the United States, all religions are equally tolerated under the law, so we make a leap from equality under the law to equal validity before God. That’s a dangerous place to stand because the Scriptures say there’s a difference between truth and error, between the true Messiah and false messiahs, and between Christ and Antichrist.

11.              So again let’s listen to what Jesus says, in John 14:6 Jesus tells us, “No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6b).  As I said before, our politically correct world can’t tolerate such a claim, as the illustration of R.C. Sproul and his college professor shows.  They contend that there must be many paths to glory, that truth is found in all religions, and that eternal life can be obtained through any number of belief systems. 

12.              But, Jesus tells us that He is the way, the only way.  These words of Jesus and this confession by the early Christians placed believers in opposition to both the Jews who had rejected Christ and the Gentiles who worshiped many false-gods.  For all those who claim that there are many ways to heaven, all the other so-called ways are ultimately the way of works and self-centered individualism: Do your best.  Live a good life.  Try your hardest.  Follow these principles.  Obey these commandments.  No matter what the religion or belief system is called, if it’s not Christianity, the way to eternity is always focused on what the individual does or doesn’t do.

13.              And that’s why Christ is the only way.  Trying your hardest is never good enough.  Even your good works are tainted by sin.  That’s why adherents of false religions are never certain if they’ve done enough to be saved.  But, you know that what you could never do, Jesus has done for you.  He lived the perfect life.  He walked the way of the cross, and by His death and resurrection has opened the way for you to the Father.

14.              Jesus is the truth.  Some claim every religion has truth.  Others go to the opposite extreme and say there’s no such thing as absolute truth.  There’s truth, and Jesus embodies that truth.  He can be completely trusted, for His words are truth.  When He promises that He’s preparing a place for you in the Father’s house, you can be certain that there’s a place waiting for you there in heaven.  When He promises you the gift of the Holy Spirit, you can be certain that His Spirit dwells in you.

15.              Jesus is the life.  If Christ is the way, He must also be the life.  Not only does He make this claim, He reveals its validity.  Jesus is your life, because He rose again from the dead on the third day.  Death has no power over Him.  And because Jesus lives, you will live also.  Because He lives, you will see the Father.  Because He lives, you will dwell in the place of life and light prepared for you by Christ Himself. Amen.

“Our Family, the Church” Acts 2:42–47, Easter 4A, May 2014, Mother’s Day, Good Shepherd Sunday…

1.                   Please pray with me.  May the words of my mouth the and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock, and our Redeemer.  Amen.  Well, a very Happy Mother’s Day to all of you, but did you know that it’s also Good Shepherd Sunday?  Today, we recognize our mothers for all the sacrifices they made for us for our good.  But, did you know that Jesus our Good Shepherd has given to us another mother?  That’s right, He’s given to us the Church, His bride, to be our mother.  And, within the Church we receive life, nourishment, encouragement, and so much more.  The message from God’s Word today comes from Acts 2:42-47, and it’s entitled, “Our Family, the Church,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.                  Do you remember your interactions with your mother growing up?  How many times did you walk up to your mom and say, “Mom I’m hungry or mom I’m cold.”  Maybe you said, “Mom can I have this or Mom where are you?”  Or you said, “Mom can you help me with this?”  “Mom he hurt me, Mom she hurt me.”  “Mom why can’t we do this?”  Mom, I want to go there…”  But, when you saw your dad you asked the question, “Dad, where’s mom.”  Oh, how we depended on our mothers growing up and still do.   We thank God for the mothers who gave birth to us, but also for those “spiritual mothers” who watched over us and taught us about Jesus our Good Shepherd, whether it was our grandmother, a next door neighbor, our babysitter, our Sunday School teacher, Lutheran School teacher, and many others.

3.                  When we think of our mothers the first thing we may think of is that’s the woman who gave birth to me, nurtured, fed, and cared for me.  Do you ever think that way about the church?  Do you see the church as the place where you were born?  Where you were reborn through water and the Word of God in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism.  That’s what we hear about in the verses before Acts 2:42-47.  In Acts 2:38-39, St. Peter preaching his Pentecost sermon says, “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. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”  As the people heard the Gospel of Jesus their Good Shepherd preached to them, who gave His life for us His sheep, they were “cut to the heart” and wondered what they should do.  Peter calls them to repentance. Repentance is literally a “change of mind” that only the Holy Spirit can effect. Notice that Peter doesn’t point his listeners to themselves, but to God. In answer to their question, “What shall we do?”, Peter doesn’t say, “Do penance, pray the rosary, go to the priest and hope that somehow God will forgive you.” Nor does he tell them, “Make your decision for Christ. Give your life to God. Invite Jesus into your heart, and he will be your Savior.” Peter doesn’t point his listeners to their own efforts, but to the works and promises of God in Jesus our Good Shepherd.

4.                  Peter points them to Jesus in whose name they were to be baptized. In connection with their baptism they would receive the forgiveness of their sins. Baptism isn’t a symbol, but a means by which the Holy Spirit creates faith in the heart—faith that receives the blessing of forgiveness.  And, the gift of the Holy Spirit is for everyone—“for you and your children and for all who are far off.” No one is left out—not babies or adults, not Jew or Gentile. The Holy Spirit can work in the hearts of all people to create faith and bestow the blessing of forgiveness.

5.                  Acts 2:42-47 reminds us about, Our Family, the Church.  Just as it takes more than one person to make a family, so too we see that the Church is a family made up of a body of believers.  Christianity isn’t an individual thing.  We don’t turn to Christ in faith and then go on with no regard for fellow believers.  It’s not me and Jesus alone.  Staying home and listening to the Lutheran Hour or any other Christian radio program or watching some preacher on TV doesn’t replace gathering with the saints for corporate worship.  Our American individualism works against our faith at this point.  You’ve been saved into the body of Christ.  The restoration of our relationship with God must also be seen in the restoration of our relationship with one another.   Jesus, our Good Shepherd, paid the price for our sins and now we’re called to walk after Him.  It’s called sanctification.  Baptism is the beginning.  Now we must learn to walk with Jesus and build the community of our family, the church.

6.                  In our reading from Acts 2 we have a description of what the earliest Christian church looked like. Here we see the early church in a routine in which they hold fast to the instructions and practices of their Lord. What did this routine consist of?  Devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching: This is another way of saying that the pastors were teaching all the people all the teachings of their Lord Jesus.  The fellowship in the breaking of bread: This is the Lord’s Supper, being shared together as the core of the Christians’ “fellowship,” that is, their “life together,” flowing out of the teaching.  The prayers: Again, the Christians do as their Lord has instructed them and pray; that same instruction which they will continue to hear from the lips of the apostles as they teach.

7.                  The Divine Service on Sunday is the center of the Christian life. Week in and week out, we attend the “temple” together, and then return to the rest of the week.  Through worship in the church we’re refreshed by our Lord, and made ready to reach out to our neighbor. This same ebb and flow of the Christian life is what Luke describes here as well in Acts 2. Coming out of the Divine Service, “all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.” Having shared in the witness of the apostles (through their preaching and teaching), and having received together the life-giving food of their Lord’s Supper, the Christians now live their life together in mercy.

8.                  These early believers, in acknowledgement that they have life together in common with their fellow believers, they shared what Christ had given them with those in need. They served their neighbor as Christ had served them. This is only possible through the gift of the Holy Spirit. Coming from the Divine Liturgy (liturgy simply means service), now they carry out the liturgy of life, the liturgy flowing from the liturgy, the liturgy where we serve others with Christ’s gifts.

9.                  This is the way that your Good Shepherd cares for you.  He gives to you a family, the church.  In the church Jesus your Good Shepherd gives you new life, feeds you, cares for you, and gives you encouragement. Jesus your Good Shepherd has called you his own, He’s taught you to hear and know His voice, and He’s opened the gate for you and led you into His sheepfold. He’s provided a pleasant pasture where you can come to rest – here in this place. He overflows your cup with His gifts of mercy, forgiveness, life, salvation. He even feeds you with His very own body and blood!

10.              The witness of the Church is that which Peter first declared, “This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.” This witness is now preached by pastors for your benefit. And day by day you have the opportunity to also witness. This is wrapped up in mercy, in which we all care for one another, as any have need, reflecting the love of Christ for His people and providing opportunities to speak of that love clearly as well.

11.              And we have glad hearts. Glad because Jesus rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, is present among us in his Word and Sacraments, provides for all our needs of body and soul, and eventually calls us home to be in His presence for all eternity. We have life, together, eternally.  Not only just me and Jesus, but also everyone else whom the Lord our God calls to himself.  We thank Jesus, our Good Shepherd, that He has given to us our family, the Church.  Amen.

“Jesus Sets Our Hearts on Fire” Luke 24.13-35, Sermon for 3rd Sunday of Easter May 2014

1.       Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  The message from God’s Word for this 3^rd Sunday of Easter is taken from Luke 24:13-25 and it’s entitled, “Jesus Sets Our Hearts on Fire,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.      Remember Easter just a few weeks ago and the joy of that day? Were not our hearts “burning within us” (v 32) as we celebrated the day of the resurrection? Just like the two men on the way to Emmaus, after they encountered the living Lord, had burning hearts (v 32). Hearts that burn—aren’t these the kind of hearts that we desire?  It’s so easy for our hearts to “grow cold” to the joy of the resurrection. There are “sad hearts”—hearts weighed down with sorrow, suffering, and sin. There are “troubled hearts”—hearts perplexed by the problems of life. There are “weak hearts”—hearts that struggle with the trials and temptations of life. There are “doubtful hearts”—hearts that are uncertain whether Christ really “walks with them” and works for their good. There are “lukewarm hearts”—hearts that are indifferent to the things eternal and the relevancy of God’s Word. There are “cold hearts”—hearts that aren’t burning with faith in the living Lord.  Whatever the temperature of our heart, the risen Jesus meets us on the road of life. He speaks to us and “breaks bread with us” and reveals himself again as the risen Lord. Once again he kindles our faith and brings our hearts “from hopelessness to hearts burning with abounding joy.”

3.      Emmaus was a small village outside of Jerusalem. The two men walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus were discouraged disciples who had no reason to be discouraged. They’d heard the reports of the women that the tomb was empty and that Jesus was alive, but they didn’t believe them. They’d hoped that Jesus would redeem Israel (Luke 24:21), but their hopes had been shattered. We get the impression that these men were disappointed because God didn’t do what they wanted Him to do. They saw the glory of the kingdom, but they failed to understand the suffering.

4.      Jesus graciously walked with them and listened to their conversation (Luke 24:17). No doubt they were quoting Old Testament prophecies and trying to remember what Jesus had taught, but they were unable to put it all together and come up with an explanation that made sense. Was Jesus a failure or a success? Why did He have to die? Was there a future for the nation?

5.      There’s a touch of humor in Luke 24:19 when Jesus asked them in the middle of their conversation, “What things?” Jesus had been at the heart of all that had happened in Jerusalem, and now He was asking them to tell Him what occurred! How patient our Lord is with us as He listens to us tell Him what He already knows (Rom. 8:34). But we may come “boldly” to His throne and pour out our hearts to Him, and He will help us (Ps. 62:8; Heb. 4:16).  Did you notice that the longer Cleopas talked, the more he accused himself and his friend for their unbelief. What more evidence could they want? Witnesses, including the Apostles, had seen the tomb empty. Angels had announced that Jesus was alive. Witnesses had seen Him alive and heard Him speak. The proof was there!

6.      “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17). This explains why Jesus opened the Word to these two men as the three of them walked to Emmaus. Their real problem wasn’t in their heads but in their hearts (see Luke 24:25 and 32, and v. 38). They could’ve discussed the subject for days and never arrived at a good answer. What they needed was a fresh understanding of the Word of God, and Jesus gave that understanding to them. He opened the Scriptures and then their eyes, and they realized that Jesus wasn’t only alive but right there with them!

7.      So the main point of the text here in Luke 24 is that Jesus opens the Scriptures for these two men.  That’s the turning point.  As these men begin to understand the Scripture, and more especially the life and work of Jesus in light of Scripture, their sadness departs and they return to Jerusalem rejoicing.  The deepest cause of their sadness hadn’t been Jesus’ death.  Not even His death by crucifixion.  What was crushing their hearts is expressed in their words, “We had hoped that He was the one to redeem Israel.”  “We had hoped,” they said, with so pathetic a use of the past tense.  We hope no more, they say.  Their Master, Jesus, is dead in the grave.  They believe that buried with Jesus are all their hopes that He was the promised Messiah.  That ended their dream.  But, Jesus pointed them to the Word of God, where there’s a clear account of the Messiah’s suffering and His victory.  Had they only believed, they would’ve been spared much misery and avoided that false conception of the Messiah’s work.  They would’ve realized that this work was greater than they had believed, not to deliver a small nation from Ceasar’s rule and taxes but to deliver all nations from Satan’s rule.  Then they would’ve believed Christ’s own word that He would rise again, and what they saw on Good Friday couldn’t have brought them such despair.  And on Easter morning they wouldn’t have gone to the tomb to anoint a dead body but to meet a living Christ.

8.      It’s just when we go back to the old grind we remember “Christ is risen!” It’s just when we face a HUGE problem that we believe “Christ is risen!” It’s just when we stand at the grave of a loved one that we have hope because “Christ is risen!” It’s just when we find our steps heavy, our spirits sagging, and our hearts growing cold that we “hear and taste” in the Scriptures the goodness of the Lord (cf. Ps 34:8).

9.            Once again Jesus walks with us. He speaks to us in his Word. He opens to us the Scriptures. He opens our eyes to see. And our hearts are warmed. Sad hearts are filled with joy. Troubled hearts are filled with peace. Weak hearts are filled with strength. Doubtful and despairing hearts are filled with hope. Lukewarm hearts are filled with conviction. Cold hearts are burning with faith and hope.  We know and believe that there’s no sin he doesn’t forgive, there’s no hurt he doesn’t heal, and there’s no emptiness he doesn’t fill. Jesus brings our hearts from hopelessness to hearts burning with abounding joy!

10.  What a lesson for us!  As we walk along the path of life, how much grief we would spare ourselves.  How many disappointments, fears of the future, doubts of God’s love and the Savior’s constant care, if we only had a better knowledge of and a firmer trust in the Word of God.  If we would only and always remember that in His Word, Jesus comes to us and abides with us!  How blessed the assurance that there’s no time in our live when the risen Lord isn’t with us—in war and in peace, at work and at rest, in health and in sickness, in life and in death.  And when Jesus is with us, all is well.  That’s the blessing of Easter that we share with these two disciples.

11.  Prayer:  Abide with us Lord Jesus!  Abide in our homes and in our hearts.  Open our eyes to see You, our minds to know You, our hearts to give heed to You and to Your Word.  Be our companion on the way of life, and teach us in the perils of the day and in the darkness of the night to trust in Your loving care.  Above all, when the evening of our life turns into night, abide with us in that last trial, and keep us safe until we see You face to face in our Father’s house.  Amen.