“The 2nd Commandment” Hebrews 4.14-16 & 5.7-9 Good Friday ‘18

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.  With the Second Commandment, God wants you to use his name properly. You are to fear, love, and trust in God so that you call upon his name in every trouble. That’s called . . . prayer. “Call upon me in the day of trouble,” God invites. Then his promise, “I will deliver you,” as well as your response, “and you shall glorify me” (Ps 50:15).  Prayer, Keeping the Second Commandment, Is the Life of Dependence on God for Everything.

2.              When you don’t believe or trust in God, you don’t pray to him. When you do believe and trust in God, you pray. Prayer is a no-brainer for the believer.  It’s really no surprise, then, that the believingly obedient, reverent, submissive Jesus is always praying to his Father, especially in the day of trouble. For example, he prays when he faces the ferocious onslaught of Satan’s attacks through Peter’s denials, Judas Iscariot’s betrayal, Israel’s unbelief, and Pilate’s violation of his vocation by condemning sinless, innocent Jesus and releasing murderer, terrorist Barabbas.

3.              In John 17, when the supreme hour of Jesus’ life on earth has arrived—namely, his suffering and Good Friday death, drinking the cup of God’s wrath against all sin and every sinner—Jesus dependently prays. He prays for himself (Jn 17:1–5), asking the Father for the promised gift (cf 12:28) of his glorification through suffering and death. He prays for his disciples (17:6–19), that his Father would preserve them in a hostile world, sanctify them in the truth of his Word, and equip them as apostles to preach the Gospel to the world. He prays for his future disciples, who will believe in him through the preaching of his apostles (17:20–26). He prays for their unity, “that they all may be one [perfectly one]” (17:21), and for their remaining with him. That’s why Jn 18:1 remarks: “When Jesus had spoken these words.”

4.              In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus “offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death” (Heb 5:7). As his soul was overwhelmed with sorrow, “even to death” (Mt 26:38), the praying went like this: “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” (Mt 26:39, 42; cf Mk 14:36; Lk 22:42). This is Jesus’ High Priestly work! On his way to do the “it is finished” job of offering his perfect and obedient life as the one and only sacrifice of atonement for all sin, Jesus prays, intercedes for you and for your salvation.

5.              Jesus was “made perfect” because he lived totally by faith in his Father’s promise to use him to become “the source of eternal salvation” (Heb 5:9) for all sinners. Jesus did what Adam didn’t and couldn’t do. Jesus perfectly succeeded where Adam miserably failed. Jesus, as the second and last Adam and the head of a new humanity, lived by faith. In other words, Jesus was the perfect human; he was totally dependent on his Father’s will to achieve the world’s salvation that he accomplished in his Good Friday “it is finished” suffering for all sin and every sinner.

6.              Again, as Jesus “offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death” (Heb 5:7), they went like this: “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” (Mt 26:39). And the Father’s will, Isaiah says, is to lay on Jesus “the iniquity of us all” (Is 53:6); that he “bear their iniquities” (53:11); and be “numbered with the transgressors” (53:12). Isn’t that incredible? Mind-blowing? Sure is. After all, Jesus never sinned. He was tempted “as we are, yet without sin” (Heb 4:15).

7.              And yet, for your sake, sinless and perfect Jesus gets counted as the sinner on the cross. This is what it takes to save you. Jesus takes all your sin away from you, wraps himself with it, and bears it in his body on the cross. He bears the sin of Paul, the former blasphemer, persecutor, and killer. He bears the sin of Peter, who, as he denied Jesus three times, misused God’s name by calling down curses on himself and swearing falsely. He bears the sin of King David, the adulterer and murderer. Yes, Jesus has and carries all the sins of every person as well as yours in his body to make satisfaction for all sin with his divine blood, which gushes and drips from his crucified body.

8.              All this is for you. So St. Paul says in Gal 3:13 that “for us” Christ Jesus “became a curse.” In addition, he preaches in 2 Cor 5:21 that, “For our sake [God] made [Christ] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Again, the prophet Isaiah spoke about this for-you Suffering Servant named Jesus: “He bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors [sinners]” (Is 53:12). Transgressors! That’s you! So Jesus intercedes. He prays as the great High Priest from the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Lk 23:34).

9.              This is his constant prayer for you too! After all, you think you know what you’re doing, but you really don’t. You fail to live by faith, and so you don’t pray either at home or with the baptized holy and royal priesthood at church. You let your old Adam run your life. You let your sinful nature be the lord of your life. So you misuse God’s name to curse people instead of blessing them. You misuse God’s name to commit perjury, cast spells using God’s name for some kind of manipulative magic (white or black). You misuse God’s name to tell all sorts of lies and to deceive. So, you live like a sub human creature because you refuse to live dependently on God your Creator through faith—a faith that obediently prays in the way of the Second Commandment, that prays and calls upon God’s name in every trouble, praises, and gives thanks.

10.        Here’s the good news for you this Good Friday. Jesus, the Son of God, is the great High Priest for you. His dying breath was this: “The salvation job that I came to do, ‘It is finished.’ ” Accomplished! Totally and completely! You are given to “hold firmly” to this truth. After all, what he says and does for you is certain and sure.

11.        As your pastor, I have been sent by Jesus to tell you that the “throne of his Good Friday grace” is extended to you tonight. Confidently, I declare to you Christ’s forgiving mercy and grace. He’s the great High Priest, and his prayer for you and for your forgiveness has been answered. The Father listens. He hears his crucified and risen Son on your behalf. His sacrifice did atone for you. You are forgiven. All your sin is answered for. The body and blood that Jesus offered and shed on the cross counts for your salvation. In the Sacrament, he actually gives you his Good Friday body and blood to eat and drink with the bread and wine. Your totally-dependent-on-Jesus prayer goes like this: “O Christ, Thou Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us.” He hears you. He answers. Behold the throne of heavenly grace! Right here! When Good Friday Jesus promises that this is “given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins,” he means you and yours!  In the name of Jesus. Amen.

“The Third Commandment” Mark 14.12–26, 1 Corinthians 10.16–17, Maundy Thursday ‘18

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 on this Maundy Thursday is taken from Mark 14:12-26 and it focuses on the third commandment.  Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.              A wise man commented as the cars sped by, “This is typical of our age, tearing like mad to get nowhere.” Everyone seems to be in a hurry, complaining they don’t have time for things they should be doing. Most folks don’t even get enough rest at night, let alone make time to spend with their families, or time to spend with God. We’re a restless generation. Our lifestyle seems to be cheating us out of rest.

3.              For 1,500 years, from Egypt to Christ’s coming, Israel was searching for rest. But it passed them by because of a lack of faith. The children of Israel wandering in the wilderness paint a picture of humanity chasing after rest. They failed to enter the Promised Land with its rest from their weary wanderings. This rest is the great Sabbath that God created on the seventh day of creation. It’s Christ’s work of redemption. It’s the rest that’s given to us by promise. We enter this heavenly rest by faith. The Israelites didn’t enter this rest because of the hardness of their hearts. Unbelief was their downfall.

4.              Unbelief is also at the root of today’s troubles. Some influential theologians claim the Bible isn’t infallible, historical, reliable, or authoritative. This leads to false teachings and human suppositions, such as the belief that the creation and the fall into sin is just a story Moses made up. Postmodernists deny the virgin birth of Christ, the sinful nature of man, and Christ’s resurrection, among others. With these denials Christ and His work of salvation is lost. There’s no longer a need for a Savior from sin. 

5.              No wonder then within the 3^rd Commandment is this command to remember, remember and don’t forget, don’t change the teachings, and promises of God found in His Word. It’s a lie from the devil himself when people say there’s no longer a need for an eternal rest because it can be found in the comforts of this life. But, we have a better promise given us to enter a rest from our weary pilgrimage. We have the good news of the rest in our Lord Jesus. He replaced the ancient Sabbath that we might know rest can only be found in Him—He is our Rest! By Jesus’ death, to cancel our sins, and His resurrection to guarantee the resurrection of our bodies, He gives us evidence of what real rest in God is. Not repeating the foolishness of the Israelites who died in the wilderness without entering their rest, may we hold to our faith and the promise to enter our rest in the mansions prepared for us. “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God” (Hebrews 4: 9).

6.              Remembering the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy is all about God being God for you, his sinners, through his Word. God is a talker. A speaker. Doing and giving what he says with his words. Catch that? I’d better say it again:  God Gives Gifts, Serves His Sinners, through His Words!

7.              So, you’re given by God to take a little time out of your busy schedules (yes, that even includes sporting activities; yes, that even includes work schedules) in order to let God speak to you through his Word, to be receivers of his speaking to you through his Word. Through his Word, God actually holies you. He sanctifies you. He purifies you from all your sin through his divine Word preached and proclaimed by the preacher; namely, “I forgive you.” When you’re hearing those words or any of Christ’s words, you’re hearing Christ himself. The living voice of Christ is heard in the divine word of forgiveness. You are to make use of God’s Word and exercise yourself in it. Or, as the Small Catechism teaches: you should fear and love God so that you do not despise preaching and his Word but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.

8.              Magnificent preaching about the Sabbath Day in the way of the Third Commandment by the Lord Jesus on the night in which he was betrayed. They are his divine words of promise attached to and filling the Passover meal’s bread and wine. “Take,” Jesus says of the bread, “this is my body.” With regard to the cup of wine, Jesus flat out guarantees: “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many” (Mk 14:22, 24).

9.              These are the words of the divine, eternal majesty himself. From his own divine mouth. From his own divine lips. Who spoke all creation into existence by speaking. “Let there be light,” and it was! The words of the Lord’s Supper are God’s sacred Word. They are his most holy Word. Gladly you are to hear them. Happily you are to learn them, make use of them. After all, they are for you. For your benefit—giving you the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.

10.        But will you? Or are you bored with his words? Do you routinely blow off his words, ignore them, disregard them, snub your nose at them? Or would you change the Lord’s words to what you believe are better words? Such as, “This symbolizes my body,” or “This is only a symbol of my blood,” which translates into . . . just bread and wine on the altar . . . only bread and wine in the pastor’s hands . . . merely bread and wine in my mouth. No body. No blood.

11.        But that’s not what Jesus says or promises. “Take; this bread is my body.” “This cup of wine is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.” There’s no spinning it. No massaging it. Is means is. The bread in the Lord’s Supper is his body. The wine in the Lord’s Supper is his blood. St. Paul makes this very clear when he asks you rhetorical questions. “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation [or communion] in the blood of Christ?” Well, is it? Of course it is! “The bread that we break, is it not a participation [or communion] in the body of Christ?” (1 Cor 10:16). Well, is it? Of course it is!

12.        So tonight you hear the Lord’s words from the Lord himself. It’s his sermon, his preaching to you and for you: “Take; this is my body.” “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.” Again, these are the words of the crucified and risen Jesus, who won and achieved the treasure of salvation for you in his Good Friday death. That which was once acquired under Pontius Pilate at the cross on Golgatha is ever again distributed: the body of Jesus given for you, the blood of Jesus shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. Through these specific words of proclamation (“Take; this is my body,” etc.), Jesus speaks to you. He gives you exactly what he says through his words—namely, his body and his blood for you for the forgiveness of your sins. That’s why the Words of Institution are to be spoken facing the congregation. Again, his words are preaching words. He’s talking to you in and through his words so you know and believe exactly what he’s giving.

13.        The whole point of the Sacrament is this. It’s the Lord’s service to you and for you. He came not to be served but to serve. Jesus is among you as one who serves. He bestows his body and blood with the bread and the wine by virtue of his Word. You are to receive or commune passively, to be given to by the Lord from his Word of promise. That’s in keeping with the Third Commandment’s point of making sure you hold his Word sacred and gladly hear and learn it—making use of it, exercising yourself in it. That means you go to the Lord’s Supper when it’s offered and that you believe what Jesus gives according to his Word. As you believe his Word, you have precisely what he promises.  In the name of Jesus. Amen.