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Good Friday
04/06/2012
John 19:1-16, & 16-42
LSB Hymns – 439, 440
Grace, Mercy, and Peace to you from God the Father and Christ Jesus the Lord. Amen.
The sermon text is the Gospel appointed, the Gospel according to St. John, the 19th chapter, with particular focus on these words:
After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
The text in part.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
After the scourging, the terrible punishment of the carrying the cross (on His beaten and bloodied back), after being nailed to the cross, after that cross was jerked into its upright position, and dropped with a pain jarring thud into its hole in which it stood, after the dark hours of suffering on the cross,
After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.”
Once before Jesus thirsted, but then He stood by a well, and thirsted for the salvation of the Samaritan woman. She heard His Word and was given to thirst after, and to believe in her Savior.
This evening on the cross, Jesus thirsts, for a soothing drink yes, for the crucifixion took its terrible toll on His body, and His ragged breath dried out His throat. But also, Jesus thrists for the souls of those who had crucified Him, and for those who stand by, and mock Him.
He had earlier offered them an Absolution hanging from this tree. “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”
But they didn't care, this man wasn't to their liking, wrong kind of Messiah, He. They had to know that the Scriptures had been fulfilled by Him. They had to see it. They were experts of the Old Testament after all, these scribes, chief priests and Pharisees. The prophecies wouldn't have escaped them. No, He just wasn't what they wanted.
All men, any man can reject the Messiah. Judas, case in point, and now these learned men. Jesus had wept at the sight of Jerusalem a few days ago. He would have gathered them all under His wings as a mother hen gathers her chicks, but they would not.
The Son of God became man to suffer and die for the sins of the world. He thirsted after the salvation of men.
Now He hangs on a cross and He thirsts, and they give Him a bitter wine vinegar. In the Psalms, and in the books of the prophets, the Lord promises, as signs of His provision, mercy, and grace gifts, of fat grapes and very good wine.
He thirsts, and they give Him a bitter wine vinegar.
Jesus had called His body the Church, the branches of Him the Vine. This evening the branches of His people Israel turn on their Vine, and give Him, not the very best vine as Jesus provided at the marriage in Cana, but a sour wine vinegar.
Most executioners of all times, of public executions, have some mercy and feeling for those they are about to kill, and want the taking of that life to go as smoothly, quickly, and painlessly as possible, but not Jesus' tormenters, not His people, instead of wine, or even cool water, they give him a sour and bitter wine turned bad.
Jesus thirsted for them, and not just them, but all men. O you don't get off the hook just because you weren't born yet, weren't there, or didn't hammer in the nails. Your sins crucified Jesus as surely did
- the scribes, chief priests and Pharisees,
- Pilate, the centurion, and Roman soldiers,
- and even Judas the betrayer, and Peter the denier.
You know your sins.
- When you do what you want instead of what God's Word tells you, you sin.
- When you get angry at your neighbor and call him a fool, you sin.
- When you gossip behind your neighbor's back, you sin.
- When you lust after someone who isn't your spouse, you sin.
- When you covet you neighbor's big screen, new car, or lottery winnings, you sin.
And to Jesus' cry, “I thirst,” your sins too, soak a sponge in bitter wine, and offer it
to your Lord, and Savior wagging it in His face on a hyssop branch.
Hanging from this tree, Jesus says. “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”
St. John continues in His Gospel,
When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head, and gave up his spirit.
Men did not kill our Lord and Savior, they scourged Him, and crucified Him, but they didn't kill Him. He gave up His own life in a real death. He gave it up willing to please the Father, and to redeem mankind, especially sinners like you.
But Jesus didn't leave without one more Absolution spoken from the accursed tree, “It is finished.” His work as redeemer is finished. All the sins of the world are paid for.
Christ's blood is spilled, His Spirit is given up, and He dies. But even with His dying breath He proclaims the Good News, that His work is finished, the sins of all men that He carried there to the cross, He has paid for.
Your sins of the past, yours of the even present, and your sins that will commit are paid for in full.
The Father endorses the sacrifice as complete with Jesus' resurrection on that first Easter morning. There the words, “It is finished,” echo with joyful Alleluias. Christ died for you that you too might live to rise from death to eternal life.
Your sins are many, yet Christ forgives you of them all. There are none too big for Him to forgive. But His Word does bring you to repent and sorrow over your sins even as does also bring you to believe in Christ's forgiveness for you.
Christ thirsted for your salvation, and thanks be to God, you, like the Samaritan women before you, heard His Word of forgiveness and thirsted for it, and believed. You too were brought to faith at the well, you are after all His baptized brothers and sisters placed in His Holy name forever.
Let Christ's Word give you to thirst for the things of Christ. Sadly, this evening there is no Lord's Supper, but soon on the Easter morn, your thirst for Christ will be satisfied with His body and blood given for you for the forgiveness of all your sins.
Even this evening Christ absolves you with His Word of forgiveness. Christ speaks into your ears, “It is finished.” Your sins though they be as scarlet are made white as snow. Go in peace, your sins are forgiven you, for Jesus most holy Passion's sake. Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Please stand.
The Peace of God which passeth all understanding, keep you hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.
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Maundy Thursday
04/05/2012
Exodus 12:1–14, 1 Corinthians 11:23–32, & St. John 13:1–15
LSB Hymns – 446, 617, omit, 619, 452
Grace, Mercy, and Peace to you from God the Father and Christ Jesus the Lord. Amen.
The sermon text is the Gospel appointed, the Gospel according to St. John, the 13th chapter, with particular focus on these words:
Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.”
The text in part, please be seated.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
The propers for this evening's service work in a glorious unity to teach what on this Maundy Thursday Christ would teach His Church on earth. The propers are simply the three readings from Holy Scripture and the Introit, Gradual, Collect, Tract, and Proper Preface.
It is the Tract, in particular, that we use this evening to help us examine, for our understanding and strengthening of faith, the Gospel Reading which is our text.
The Tract then reads:
He has caused his wondrous works to be re- | membered;*
the Lord is gracious and | merciful.
He provides food for those who | fear him;*
he remembers his covenant for- | ever. (thus far the Gradual)
My flesh is true food, and my blood is | true drink.*
Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and | I in him.
The Tract takes the Gradual, from Ps. 111:4–5, and using a Hebrew literary tool, parallelism, restates with the remainder of the Tract to clarify the how God shows His mercy to men, particularly His Baptized.
The Tract adds from the Gospel according to St. John this phrase:
“My flesh is true food, and my blood is | true drink.*
Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and | I in him. (John 6:55-56).
This Maundy Thursday, of Holy Week, Christ's Passion draws near. And in the simple act of washing the disciples' feet Jesus teaches them how every thing He does for men works.
Jesus is the incarnate Son of God, true God and true man, our Lord and brother in the flesh. And He comes to serve us, you and me. Peter doesn't like it, and this evening we also consider that our flesh doesn't like it either.
Peter rebels at the thought of Jesus washing his feet.
The washing of the feet seems quite odd to us, a little too up close and personal. We don't like other people getting in our face, or in our space.
Today we find ourselves in a different world so to speak. We have powder rooms with running water, sweet smelling soaps, soft cotton hand towels, and even hot air hand dryers.
We drive to our destinations, and dinner dates in automobiles with air/conditioned or heated spender, whatever the season requires. Our deodorants keep us calm cool, and collected with nice manly or womanly scents.
But in Jesus day they had none of that. They walked dry dusty streets and paths. Their hosts, the people inviting them into their home, would have drawn jugs of water with which to pour into bowls, from which either they, their children, wives, or servants would wash the feet of those arriving.
Certainly they would have made themselves presentable before going to someone's home, yet the walking of the dusty way would make their sandaled feet dirty. The washing of feet was a common courtesy of the day. It was expected.
Jesus had sent some disciples ahead to get all things ready. And yet, no one was designated to wash the feet of those arriving. Certainly it might have been expected of the disciples getting all things ready. But they didn't.
You can almost see the confused and troubled looks on the disciples faces. An obvious oversight was committed in the not washing of the feet. They must of looked at one another with guilty accusations and consciences – one of them should do it!
James and John had earlier worried about the seats of glory, and wondered if they could sit in them. When that cat got out of the bag, the others were furious, they too wanted that honor for themselves, and the brothers had beat them to the punch.
Not one of them is interested in performing this common courtesy for the others, but for Jesus they should have dared to, yet they didn't.
So Jesus begins to wash their feet. He washes several pairs before coming to Peter. It seems the sight of Jesus washing their feet is troubling to them, yet no stops Jesus and says, let me do it Lord. Well..., except St. Peter the bold and the brash.
He doesn't offer to take Jesus' place, yet stubbornly forbids Him to wash his feet. Clearly Peter believes he is taking the high road here.
Yet, Jesus startles him to the quick, for Jesus says, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” Ouch, Peter probably doesn't understand fully but knows enough to want a share with his Lord and Savior.
Peter has been taught before that his quick tongue gets him in trouble.
- Peter offered to build tabernacles on Transfiguration mountain for Moses, Elijah, and Jesus, but the Lord's sudden presence in the dark cloud and His Holy voice drops Peter, James, and John to their faces in the dirt afraid.
- Peter tried to stop Jesus from His suffering, death, and resurrection predictions only to be answered quite severely with “Get behind Me Satan!”
- And now He is told, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.”
It is a short and concise assessment of what the Lord does for sinful men. If Peter didn't quite understand it this night, on Pentecost he will. He must be convinced of sins, have them washed away by Jesus, to have a share with Jesus.
Why this is so hard for Peter, the other disciples, and all men to get is because it leaves no abilities to save yourself to you. It means that you are so sinful, so lost, so against God that you cannot by your own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, or come to Him as your Lord.
Peter didn't like it. He was confident in the strength of his own convictions. Later he would boast, “I will never forsake you Lord.” …, well except for three quick times that very night. “I do not know the man.” With the customary curses and swearing accompanying those denials.
Peter thought he didn't need to let the Lord wash his feet, but in his remaining lifetime he would need the Lord's work in him over and over again to be brought back to, and kept in faith.
But thankfully for Peter and you, what the Lord calls clean is clean every whit. For Jesus tells Peter, and the disciples “And you are clean, but not every one of you.” Jesus' grace can be refused, denied, and walked away from, as Judas' actions testify that very evening.
Sadly, Peter isn't the only one to rebel at the prospect of Jesus needing to do anything, let alone everything, required to free us from our sins, spiritual death, and ill-chosen sub-lord Satan.
We want to decide to follow Jesus, yet only His Word heard can produce such faith, and award it as a gift to you. You and I are totally helpless apart from Jesus. St. Paul writes to the church at Ephesus, and to you,
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Eph 2:8-10).
How often your pride hinders your faith in Jesus. Mine too. We want to hold up our strong arm, our good works, our great devotion, our decision to follow, but they just don't exist. You need a Savior, for you can not defeat the enemies of God yourself, indeed you own flesh is in league with the devil and the world.
We must be brought to realize our sinful, deadness. For in this revelation we are prepared for the the sweet Gospel. Jesus became man, suffered, was crucified, died, was buried, and rose from the dead for the full forgiveness of all your sins.
Jesus washing the feet of the disciples taught them, at least by Pentecost, that they needed what Jesus does for them. You need what Jesus does for you too! And unless you are given to believe and trust in what Jesus did and does for you, you have no part with Him.
But you dear Zion have a part with Him. Thanks be to God, you are given a part with Him. For you are His baptized ones, washed clean and given every hope.
Jesus washed their feet the same night He instituted the Lord's Supper, where He feeds you His body and blood for the forgiveness of all your sins. It is Christ that you are given in this Holy Communion.
The patriarchs of the Old Testament, and the prophets believed the promise given them by God. They trusted that He would provide the Messiah to wash away their sins. This they believed, and it was counted unto them as righteousness.
The psalmist confessed this same faith with these words from the Gradual and Tract,
He has caused his wondrous works to be re- | membered;*
the Lord is gracious and | merciful.
He provides food for those who | fear him;*
he remembers his covenant for- | ever.
Now in Jesus the world is shown the fulfillment of this wonderful and gracious life giving promise.
And Jesus adds this clarity to the psalmist's prayer of faith,
My flesh is true food, and my blood is | true drink.*
Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and | I in him.
Jesus washed you too, every whit, in Holy Baptism, and He gives you His body and blood for your eternal good and nourishment in the Holy Communion.
His washing even provides you with the love to love others, and the forgiveness to forgive others. And the hope of forgiveness anew when you fail.
Many make much of this new commandment to love one another, but it isn't new, it was already in the second table of the Law, but sin deadened hearts and minds can't wrap around such a love. It takes Christ and His washing with His blood.
To have a part with our Lord and Savior, o what gracious gift is this! We respond with Peter, anxious to have every part with Jesus, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!”
Jesus answers, “you are clean!” You are washed by the blood of the Lamb!
Do you see it dear Zion and friends, Jesus has washed you clean, and you are given to have a part with Him, for you are forgiven, you are saved, and you have already begun to live forever (point to the fount), for Jesus most holy Passion's sake. Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Please stand.
The Peace of God which passeth all understanding, keep you hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.
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Midweek of the Fifth Sunday in Lent
03/28/12
LSB Hymns 729, 849, 934, & 975
Genesis 22:1–14, Hebrews 9:11–15, & St. John 8:42-59
Grace, Mercy, and Peace to you from God the Father and Christ Jesus the Lord. Amen.
The sermon text is the second Reading appointed, the Epistle written to the Hebrews, chapter nine, with particular focus on these words:
“For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”
The text in part.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Isaac and his father Abraham are given a picture of the Messiah's atonement for sin in this evening's Old Testament Reading. Their little snapshot would be burnt into their minds for the rest of their lives.
Abraham had followed the Lord God's instruction to the tee, even raising the knife to make the cut to drain the life blood from his only son Isaac.
What a price of following the Lord God in faith! Certainly our hind sight sees their experience as taking up their cross, and following their hope in the Messiah.
But such a cross to bear! Can you imagine having to take the life of your own child? And even worse, for here the consequences could mean eternity. Can you imagine snuffing out your clear route to salvation and redemption. For in Isaac's descendants the promise of the Messiah to come rests.
Yet, Abraham trusted in the Lord God, and His promises to save the world through Abraham's seed. This patriarch of the faith believed the Word of the Lord, and all God's promises contained therein.
Abraham's hand was stayed by the angel of the Lord, and a substitute was provided by God, a ram, a son without blemish. This then was their snapshot complete, it pointed to the Substitute, the Savior to come.
It looked like Isaac would die, yet God's promises remained. Isaac, as good as dead, was spared, and another took his place, just as centuries later the real Substitute, the Messiah, would take not only Isaac's place for real, but that Substitute would take the place of all sinners, bearing their guilt to His holy passion and death.
This evening, after the glorious fact of the real Replacement for the price of sin, the suffering, death, and resurrection of the one Jesus Christ, after this, the author of Hebrews writes, summing up the sacrificial system of the Old Testament, of Adam and Eve, of Abraham and Isaac, Moses and the children of Israel, and of all the prophets,
“For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”
The Epistle to the Hebrews does sum up the Old Testament sacrificial system, and shows Christ's atonement far superior, and absolutely complete. In fact the sacrifices of the old covenant find their fruition in the passion, death, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Abraham and Isaac had the promise of the Messiah, and you have the Messiah incarnate, in the flesh.
And so, this evening we want to know what Hebrews is saying, and how it helps us.
The author of Hebrews in this little snippet, these few verses, our text in part, delivers a powerful homily, a sermon. Far shorter than any of mine, but please note, he didn't stop with these few verses either, but he when on with the rest of the Epistle.
He identifies a change, he identifies the need, He identifies the only cure, and he describes the life that results.
A CHANGE:
He begins by offering the condition that if the sacrificial system of the Old Testament did “sanctify for the purification of the flesh,” then he proposes,
“how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”
From this we conclude just as Abraham does, God keeps His promises. We see His promise to redeem men fulfilled in Christ Jesus. The sacrifices of old really did provide the forgiveness of sins through faith in the promised Messiah. God's Word says so.
God says it, we believe it, and thanks be to God that is our story. And by His grace we are sticking to it. What the OT sacrifices provide in anticipation, you believe now in faith's realization of Christ's Passion, death, and resurrection.
This mini Hebrew sermon identifies, now also,
THE NEED:
The author of the Epistle written to the Hebrews identifies Abraham's, Isaac's, your, and all mankind'sneeds as this:
- He begins in his conditional proposal identifying the people under the old covenant as defiled, He writes the phrase, ““For if the sprinkling of defiled persons.” This then becomes an assumed pre-ailment of those under the new covenant as well.
- And the author of Hebrews also adds that the blood of Jesus does “purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”
Dead works are made by dead men. They are empty works and without merit. Ask my confirmation class, dead men can't do anything. Dead in their trespass men can't do good works, just dead, empty, sinful works – works that only add to the deadness.
Apart from the purifying works of Christ's suffering, death, and resurrection, you and I remain in our own dead works and are also apparently defiled persons.
But thanks be to God! The heavenly Father did send:
THE CURE:
Men fell into sin, God promised redemption through the Seed. In many and various ways the prophets of God foretold of the Messiah that would make good the promises of God to save them. Yet fallen men needed rescue immediately, not some 4,000, 2,000, or 1,000 years after the fall into sin.
And God provided it. He gave them the Divine Service where He would gather them to His forgiveness. They offered up sacrifices, but they looked to the promised Messiah, and God counted their faith as righteousness.
You now know that the Son of God did become man, taking on our flesh. He lived a sinless life, bearing our sins upon Himself. He was arrested, scourged, and crucified. He suffered and died on the cross. But He rose again!
And therein you see your redemption in the glorious works of Christ for the atonement of all the sin of the world.
You are forgiven for Christ's sake. In fact you are clothed in His righteousness, a garment worn since your Baptism. You are made a new creature in Christ Jesus, the Lord.
As this transformation takes place, and is preserved, and strengthened,
A NEW LIFE RESULTS:
In our text the author writes that you are now purified through Christ's blood “to serve the living God.”
It is quite simple really. God's Word is very clear about this.
- Forgiven by Christ, you now forgive others.
- Loved by Christ, you now love others.
- Given the Good News by Christ, you now share it with others too.
While these works do not save you, you now do them because you're saved. Christ's works alone save from sin, death, and the devil.
These new works, not your old dead works, but these new works are in and through Christ Jesus. With your new life, your reasonable service to the Lord, you thank the Father for your forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life.
One final word of caution though. This word of caution comes with the Christian life like the list of side effects of any medicine you must take.
Warning, the Christian life is sometimes quite difficult.
- Others, including your own flesh, don't like it.
- It is often a painful self denial (remember the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak).
- And in living your new life in Christ, your are lead by God's own Word, to see your failure, your sin even in this, especially in this, your new life.
Dear ones, rejoice, the Lord God has through the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purified your conscience from dead works to now serve the living God.
You are His baptized, gathered to His Absolution, His Word proclaimed into your ears, and to His Holy Communion where His body and blood are given to you for the forgiveness of all your sins.
Indeed Christ forgives you all your sins of prior dead works, and even now the sins while under His grace.
Your dear heavenly Father, through the Word of Christ, blessed by the Holy Spirit, and through the suffering, death, and resurrection of your Savior, gives you all of Christ's gifts – you are forgiven, you are saved, and you have already begun to live forever (point to the font). For the sake of Jesus' most holy Passion. Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Please stand.
The Peace of God which passeth all understanding keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.
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Midweek of the Fourth Sunday in Lent
03/21/12
LSB Hymns 729, 849, 934, & 975
Isaiah 49:8-13, Acts 2:41-47, & St. John 6:1-15
Grace, Mercy, and Peace to you from God the Father and Christ Jesus the Lord. Amen.
The sermon text is the second Reading appointed, the Acts of the Apostles, chapter two, with particular focus on these words:
“And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people.”
The text in part.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Wouldn't it be neat to be able to go back in time, and see the early believers as they honored the sabbath day, and made it holy? Just how did they fear and love God that they didn't despise preaching, or His Word, but held it sacred and gladly heard and learned it?
In a real sense we are going to go back in time, and observing the faith of our fathers in the Church, and how they worshiped the Lord God for we have the Holy Scriptures that give us these true accounts.
One more thing before we go any farther, please note, the word, worship, by itself, is an inadequate verb to describe what happens to you in Christ's Church, for it indicates action on your part alone. (But let's permit the text to demonstrate this in due time.)
Our consideration this evening is just how does the Church honor the Sabbath Day?
Perhaps you expect to travel back to the days of the early Christian Church as our sermon text, the Acts of the Apostles, would seem to suggest, but actually we are going back a little earlier than that, at least at first.
For a brief visit we return to the garden, around 4,000 years ago, before the fall into sin. There Adam and Eve ate from the tree of life, and did not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This is the worship that they did as indeed God gave them to do. Sinless Adam and Eve of their own sinless free will did worship the Lord God in this way.
Then, they freely sinned against God, wanting to be like gods, and ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Then Adam and Eve and all their expected descendants would be slaves to sin, their new birth right, having lost their free will in the fall into sin. And all their worship of God is useless, so much so, that they hid in the bushes afraid of their Creator and their expected death.
But God came and although He gave them the new consequences of their sins, He also gave them the first Gospel promise. The Seed of the woman would crush Satan. It was this promise from God that placed hope and faith back into Adam and Eve's hearts.
God gave them a faith in the promised Seed, that returns thanks, praise, and aid for their neighbor, something the fall into sin had taken from them along with their free will.
And God covered up their sinfulness with new garments.
Let's travel forward now in our time travel, from the garden, to around 700 years before Christ, in the time of the prophet Isaiah. Here you find the Lord God speaking through His prophet Isaiah to His people:
Thus says the Lord:
“In a time of favor I have answered you; in a day of salvation I have helped you;
I will keep you and give you as a covenant to the people, …,
saying to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’ to those who are in darkness, ‘Appear.’
They shall feed along the ways; on all bare heights shall be their pasture;
they shall not hunger or thirst, neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them,
for he who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will guide them.
And I will make all my mountains a road, and my highways shall be raised up.
12Behold, these shall come from afar, and behold, these from the north and from the west, and these from the land of Syene.”
13Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing!
for the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on his afflicted.
We note with great joy that Isaiah spoke of those from afar and from the north, and from the west, for of such are we, but back to Isaiah's time.
Isaiah proclaimed the Word of God into the ears of God's people. They were told that God's promises of salvation were as good as done, “in a day of salvation I have helped you.” And that Word heard gave them faith in His promised Messiah and they responded in song praising the God of their salvation.
They now see His gracious provision in their Sabbath rest and in their day to day life as well. Sabbath to Sabbath, day to day, the Lord remembered His people and cared for them.
The gave as sacrifices for their sins, their first fruits, of animals and grains, that looked forward to the one sacrifice of the Messiah for their sins.
We know that they sang psalms at the temple and listened to rabbis and priests read the Scriptures, and teach them. Certainly, they listen to His prophets as they too proclaimed the Word of the Lord.
They heard God's Word, and believed it, they gave thanks, praise, and lived in peace and love with their neighbors.
The Lord God robed them in the righteousness of the Messiah that would save His people, for their faith in the promise was counted unto them as righteousness.
And now we travel again to where the Epistle suggests, the time of the early Christian Church after that first Pentecost.
St. Luke has recorded these details of the divine service in our Epistle Reading this evening. And here since it is our text, we take a little more time to observe this service circa 33 AD.
St. Luke begins, “So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.”
The Word they heard was proclaimed by St. Peter to the those present that first Pentecost. He told them,
“Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified” (Ac 2:36).
And St. Luke records their reaction,
“Now 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?” (Ac 2:37).
Now the answer was simple for St. Peter. He said,
“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. For 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” (Ac 2:38-39).
Their God given response describes the divine service, the way they honored the Sabbath day and kept it holy. St. Luke describes their response in both their Sabbath rest and their day to day life.
He says, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”
And as they received Christ's gifts through good faithful apostolic teaching, which is to say, Christ's teachings, and through Christ's institutes – Baptism, the Absolution, preaching, and the Lord's Supper – these holy means of grace had their way with them and,
“And 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.”
Remember they thought the Lord would return any day and take them to heaven. With such an understanding they no longer worried for the day, but rather cared for one another. It was them, gathered around the Word and the Sacraments, against the unbelieving world. (It is the same for you and me!)
And through God's Word, in the testimony of their confession and their lives, St. Luke concludes the text with this note:
“And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
One final ride in our time machine this evening, we return to the present, indeed this very service.
This evening you are gathered by the Holy Spirit here to hear. And what do you hear. Well...,
- Remember the Psalmody – the psalmist spoke of God setting one of David's sons upon the throne, indeed Christ Jesus, the Lord.
- Remember the First Reading from Isaiah – Isaiah spoke of the day of salvation, and the Lord comforting His people, which you have realized in Christ Jesus the Savior.
- Remember the Second Reading from the Acts of the Apostles – St. Luke gave you a glimpse of Christ's divine service of God to men, you in particular.
- Remember the Gospel Reading – where Jesus fed the 5,000, giving you a glimpse of the Divine Service with the Lord's Supper, a true provision for your eternal life in Christ.
It is good to be gathered to the house of the Lord! Life out in the world is hard, full of sorrows and troubles, full of sins yours, mine, and the sins of others.
It seems so odd, so sad, that you and I often take all that happens in the house of the Lord for granted.
You are after all preoccupied with your lives out in the world.
- Do you have enough money to buy all the things you want?
- Do even have enough money to pay all the bills that you have?
- Do you worry about stuff, thinking more of it than even of God?
Consider the loving care the early Apostolic Church gave each other in St. Luke's account this evening.
- Do you love your neighbor as yourself?
- Do you share and share alike?
- Do you clothe, feed, give drink, visit, and love your neighbor as yourself?
- Do you love the Lord your God, and have no other gods before Him?
- Do you honor the Sabbath and keep it holy? And by this question I mean, do you never despise preaching, and His Word but always hold it sacred? And by this question I mean, is it ever difficult to stay awake during the sermon, Christ's message to you, or even always attend it?
Truthfully, your answer is the same as mine. No, I don't keep God's Law. I break His commandments a thousand different ways all my days.
Hearing that you sin. Knowing that's true. It should cut you too, to the heart. Alas what shall you do? What shall I do?
For me, holding Christ's office, I must follow St. Peter's Pentecost lead and point you to,
- first repent your many grevious sins against God and all your neighbors, me too,
- then second to remember your baptisms for Christ made you children of the heavenly Father,
- and lastly then, believe the Gospel, for Christ lived, suffered, died, and rose again for the forgiveness of all your sins.
Dear ones, gathered to His house, the Lord Jesus gives you forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life, this is His Divine Service to you. Tonight you have heard His Word proclaimed, and soon this Sunday you will receive His body and blood for all your sins.
Receiving Christ's gifts, you get to love your neighbor, and help him even as Christ helps you. This is your reasonable service to your heavenly Father. Your life of service to your neighbor doesn't gain you forgiveness, that is all gift from Christ's suffering, death, and resurrection for you.
Go now, and love your neighbor for Christ helps you with this very thing. Indeed Christ does it in His baptized to the world.
The one thing your time travel this evening should show you is that all men sin, (especially you), and fall short of the glory of God, and deserve His eternal punishment, but Christ has paid the price of all sins for you, and in Christ Jesus, the crucified and risen Savior, and Him alone, you are forgiven, you are saved, and you have already begun to live forever (point to the font). For the sake of Jesus' most holy Passion. Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Please stand.
The Peace of God which passeth all understanding keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.
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Midweek of the Third Sunday in Lent
03/14/12
LSB Hymns 663, 716, 934, & 887
Psalm 4, Ephesians 5:1–9, & St. Luke 11:14-28
Grace, Mercy, and Peace to you from God the Father and Christ Jesus the Lord. Amen.
The sermon text is the Gospel appointed, the Gospel according to St. Luke, the 11th chapter, with particular focus on these words:
As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
The text in part.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
We spent quite a bit of time this last Sunday morning considering Jesus and the Beelzebul conspiracy brought on by the hard hearted Pharisees. This evening we consider the same text but with a closer eye on the woman who speaks up at the end of the account, and Jesus gracious reply to her.
The woman isn't wrong, but she misses the main point to which Jesus redirects her to. The woman suffers from the same unnatural ailment as we do, the sin fallen creation of which we are the chief sinners. And so, for our eternal benefit we want to understand her miss focus, certainly one of ours, and learn how we might escape this confusion.
WHAT DOES JESUS REALLY TEACH HERE?
1. Does He teach that the holy virgin mother isn't blessed?
Certainly, Jesus does not teach such. Consider the Magnificant of which you sing a hymn version of this evening in the prayer office.
“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior;
for He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaiden.
For behold, from this day all generations will call me blessed.”
The Holy Scriptures record her song, it is the inspired Word of God.
To be appointed the God bearer, the mother of the promised Messiah, the very Son of God certainly that was blessed! To nurse and raise the infant, to mother and care for the Christ child was indeed a blessed thing beyond our own imaginations to really comprehend.
Yet, salvation does not come from Mary. As promised to Adam and Eve, as promised to Abraham and Sarah, as promised to all if Israel, so the Savior is in time and space delivered of Mary, the incarnate Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, true man and yet also true God, begotten of the Father, conceived of the Holy Ghost, and born of the virgin.
It is He alone Who paid for your sins on Calvary's cross.
So, Jesus does teach to hold mother Mary blessed, (remember the words to the Magnificant). Jesus just doesn't teach it with the words of this text.
2. So, what does Jesus teach here?
The woman witnessed St. Luke's opening account in our Gospel text:
“Now [Jesus] was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled.”
It is quite possible in this community that the woman was well familiar with the man possessed of a demon. It would have been a spectacle hard not to be aware of. Market place gossip, sadly, temple gossip, and gossip at the town well all would have made known to any around about the antics of just such a man.
I remember a trip to Tijuana years ago. There, while sitting at a crowded cafe, everyone was bothered by a man that looked and acted possessed, perhaps he was, or perhaps he was just trying to get handouts, either way he was quite impossible not to notice. The police seemed on to his tricks, and the man quickly left with their persuasion.
To be sure there would have been concern for the man and his family in the community from our text. But sinful ears love to hear the misfortunes of others, and sinful lips like to wag that news about.
No doubt the woman knew the man. Surely everything possible to help him must have been tried. Temple priests, doctors none it seems had helped him. But Jesus did. It must have been an impressive thing to see, a man without hope, a family driven to despair, all helped by the man called Jesus.
Yet as impressive as the healing was it isn't the greatest gift that Jesus has to give.
When most men do brave, noble, or selfless deeds they are praised for their accomplishments. Keys to the city are given out. Newspaper headlines boast the deeds. And parades limousine them down the boulevard. Ticker tape is usually involved as well. Politicians wishing to be associated with good deed doers often jump aboard the band wagon.
The point is, most people liked being noticed for the things they do. Their broad smiles betray the joy of being noticed.
This woman notices Jesus, and His merciful healing work. She may have even believed Him to be the Messiah, or at least the popular misconception of the Messiah. So, excited to praise Him, she even thinks how proud, and blessed that Jesus' mother must be to have such a child.
It is helpful to remember the child is the parents hope for retirement care in their elder years in the Middle East culture of those days. And here is the best of Sons who surely would care for His mother who must be so very blessed indeed.
Indeed those types of hopes ring true as Jesus even sees to His mother's needs while hanging on the cross dying. Jesus says,
“Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to [John], “Behold, your mother!” (Jn 19:26-27).
But, this example of Jesus who keeps the Law in word, thought, and deed, and makes Mary blessed as His mother, as indeed she is, this is not the main thing that Jesus wants the woman, or you to take from this true account.
Jesus says no, that's not it. Truth, Mary is blessed as Jesus' mother, yet Mary's real eternal blessedness is the same as this woman's from the text, and yours too.
Here's the truth, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
Keeping God's Word now, because of Jesus' life, suffering, death, and resurrection is
simply believing in Him alone as your Lord and Savior.
You must hear the Word!
“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Ro 10:17).
The deaf mute possessed of a demon, regained his hearing, and therefore his speaking too. Even the woman who could hear, needed Jesus to cause her to hear to believe. Jesus must teach His Word to you. And so He does!
When the Baptizer's disciples come to Jesus and ask Him, “Are you the One, or do we look for another?” Jesus answers,
“Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me” (Mt 11:4-6).
The miracles confirm the divinity of Christ, but it is only His Word, that He teaches, that gives faith.
The demon possessed mute, the miss-guided woman, and you, all need Jesus' Word proclaimed into your made to hear ears.
Otherwise, you and I would look for the miracles, the provision of daily bread, and luxuries, the things of this world, the praise of men, and good retirement packages for proof that God loves us.
Truly, you are blessed indeed that Christ has placed you into Mother Church where you are nursed with the true Word, washed clean in Holy Baptism, and thereby placed into His name, forgiven, saved and living eternally.
Truly, you are blessed to hear the Word forgive you all your sins of having other gods before the one true God. The woman thought that Mary was so lucky to have such a great Son. Indeed she was. Yet, Mary was blessed truly and eternally to have heard the Word of God and believe it.
For when you too, like the confused woman in the text, look to the here and now, stuff and things, before looking to Christ alone, Christ brings you to repentance and He forgives you all your sins.
Blessed are you, who are nourished by Christ's bride, the Church. Blessed are you who believe that through Christ's life, suffering, death, and resurrection that you are saved. Blessed are you who have heard the Word of God and believed it!
Blessed are you for despite your many sins, for Christ's sake, you are forgiven, you are saved, and you have already begun to live forever (point to the font). For the sake of Jesus' most holy Passion. Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Please stand.
The Peace of God which passeth all understanding keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.
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Midweek of the Second Sunday in Lent
03/07/12
LSB Hymns 915, 754, 934, & 883
Genesis 32:22–32, Romans 5:1–5, & Matthew 15:21–28
Grace, Mercy, and Peace to you from God the Father and Christ Jesus the Lord. Amen.
The sermon text is the Epistle appointed, the Epistle written to the Church at Rome, chapter 5, with particular focus on these words:
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The text in part.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
From the view point of the world, our flesh, and even the devil, the Christian faith is such foolishness. Christians are therefore, in the world's assessment – to be pitied for their great foolishness.
Certainly, we look foolish in our commitment to the Word of God. To the world it doesn't make sense that women can't be pastors, human abortion for choice is wrong, homosexuality is a sin before God, and even that we drink His body and His blood for the forgiveness of all our sins.
St. Paul writes,
“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart” (1 Co 1:18-19).
Central to our perceived foolishness by the world is the Holy Scriptures' teaching that justification is by faith apart from the works of the Law. And because of this, to our neighbors, St. Paul's words this evening make no sense.
And yet these words remain inspired by the Holy Ghost, and indeed are Christ's Word, for that blessed Word alone is what the apostle, and Christ's preachers who follow, are given to preach.
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
- (We rejoice in our hope.)
- (We rejoice in our sufferings.)
1. We rejoice in our hope.
Being justified by faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord, we have peace, not as the world gives peace, but peace with God, who for the sake of Christ's life, suffering, death, and resurrection forgives us all our sins, and beholds us as being robed in His beloved Son's righteousness.
St. Paul then adds in our text, “Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
Now here is an example of our perceived foolishness, “we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” That is, we rejoice in something that the world cannot see, feel, or touch, and therefore in their estimate, it cannot exist.
There is no scientific evidence that Christ rose from the dead, is indeed true God as well as true man, or that He forgives men their sins for the sake of His passion and death.
Yet the Scriptures clearly speak of just such a Savior. This last Sunday the Canaanite woman clung to the word of Scripture that she knew. Words that speak of a merciful, caring, and loving God.
The Canaanite woman believed, even when Christ seemed indifferent, and uncaring, she believed the words like that of the psalmist, in this evening's Psalmody:
I lift up my eyes | to the hills.* From where does my | help come?
My help comes | from the Lord,* who made | heaven and earth.
He will not let your | foot be moved;* he who keeps you will not | slumber.
And so, we do rejoice in such hope, for being reconciled to our heavenly Father we have all of Christ's gifts, and look forward to our heavenly home.
2. We rejoice in our sufferings.
Now here is the height of our foolishness, at least to the world's perspective. To have hope, especially when all things seem hopeless.
St. Paul writes,
“We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame.”
Now our own flesh winces at such confession, although the new man does exactly as St. Paul writes. It is the flesh of the world that is also convinced here is the height of hooey.
So, if our flesh cannot bear or understand St. Paul, to what do you and I derive such hope from? The Word alone.
Jesus says,
“As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty” (Mt 13:23).
That Word bears fruit in different ways. Yes, you begin to love your neighbors as Christ has loved you, but also that love blossoms in others ways. You are able to endure the pain, the sickness, the sadness, the unrest, and even death.
Why?! And how?!
The temporal things become just that, temporal trials, which are endured for the sake of the heavenly home, but even in the here and now, the realization of your forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life strengthens, and preserves, your peace in Christ's mercy, grace, and love.
For He who laid down His very life that you might live will never, never, never, forsake you in any of your trials, tribulations, especially, sickness and death.
St. Paul says,
“We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame.”
For as your faith comforts you in Jesus Christ, your crucified and risen Savior, you begin to see how much tighter you cling to your Savior in these times of sickness, and trials. Our flesh is beat down, and our new man really rejoices in the sure confidence that we have in Jesus.
For we are sinfully forgetful children, and are easily distracted from our Lord and Savior. But if you are given to realize your inabilities to heal, or strengthen yourself, then you understand your poor miserable condition, that is, you are a poor miserable sinner, indeed!
It is then that the Holy Spirit gathers you in Christ's Word, a Word of forgiveness, a word of hope, and according to His gracious will a Word of healing.
- When for the sake of your soul it is helpful, He heals you from your sickness, or delivers you from your trial.
- When for the sake of your soul it is helpful, He lets you remain in such illness, or calamity to cause you to cling to Him in hope.
- When for the sake of your soul it is helpful, He takes you to Himself in heaven completely freed from sin, every illness, and even death.
Dear ones, as you struggle with your sins, your illnesses, your aging and even your eventual deaths you will find sin still present. But Christ forgives you all your sins.
Dear Zion, your hope in Christ Jesus your Lord is not a foolish pipe dream, it is your new life, your baptismal reality, it is your forgiveness, your salvation, and your eternal life, and it is all for the sake of Jesus' most holy Passion. Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Please stand.
The Peace of God which passeth all understanding keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.
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Midweek of the First Sunday in Lent
02/29/12
LSB Hymns 905, 656, 934, & 918
Psalm 118:1–13, Hebrews 4:14–16, & St. Matthew 4:1-11
Grace, Mercy, and Peace to you from God the Father and Christ Jesus the Lord. Amen.
The sermon text is the Epistle appointed, the Epistle written to the Hebrews, chapter 4, with particular focus on these words:
“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
The text in part.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
The unidentified author of Hebrews begins his letter to the Church with these words: “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son” (Heb 1:1-2).
Christ still speaks His Word to His Church. And further, St. Paul writes to St. Timothy,
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work” (2 Ti 3:16-17).
Christ speaks it, the Holy Spirit inspires it, and it is the Father's Word as well.
Jesus' endorsement and dependance on the Word of God in His battle against Satan as the that wicked devil who tempted Him in the wilderness was this last Sunday's text. And there Jesus tells the devil straight up,
“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
The Hebrews' text this evening speaks of a sure confidence, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace.”
This evening we consider what that confidence is in.
I.
The Reading begins, “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.”
This letter to the Hebrews isn't written to people that don't know Christ. Certainly, it may benefit them greatly, but at first only indirectly will it help them. This letter and indeed all of Holy Scripture is written to the Bride of Christ, His church.
For those in His Church are given, strengthen, and preserved in faith by the work of the Holy Spirit in the Word of God alone, then mother church takes this Holy Word heard with her out into the world as you enter and live your lives in your own vocations.
And so as the Holy Spirit galvanizes you through God's Word you too rely on it alone. Your flesh struggles a bit to be sure, but your new man awaits with true devotion for “every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
It is the Word of God that tells you Christ became man, lived, suffered, died, and rose again for the forgiveness of all your sins.
“We have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God.” He is our great High Priest and our sacrifice both. He is the both the Word, and the Speaker of the Word.
It is the Word of God that brought you to, and preserves you in, faith.
- It is the Word with the water of Baptism that washed away all your sins and made you children of the Father.
- It is the Word in the Absolution that gives Christ's forgiveness to you.
- It is the Word proclaimed in preaching and teaching that strengthens and preserves you in faith in Christ.
- It is the Word with His Body and Blood in the Holy Communion that delivers to you a real take-home-with-you forgiveness.
Christ is our great High Priest. He is our Priest and sacrifice both. It is the Word of God that delivers this wonderful saving news to you, and this is your sure confession to which you and I now hold fast.
II.
The Hebrews text continues:
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
Our Lord and Savior couldn't sin. He is Holy God, and Holy God cannot not tolerate sin, wickedness, and unrighteousness. Yet His temptations and sufferings were real battles for He was also true man. True man and true God, but Jesus is one Christ and He is righteous.
The 40 day fast made Him hungry. He would have been thirsty and weary besides. Truly you and I will never know 40 day hunger, thirst, and weariness for it would take our lives long before forty days would end.
At Jesus' Baptism, the Father called Him His beloved Son in whom He was well pleased. And Jesus took that Word with Him into the wilderness. He clung to that particular Word when the devil tried to get Him to doubt the love and care of the Father.
Jesus knew by the whole Word of God that “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
His Father was pleased with His Son as His Son began His ministry on earth. His Father was pleased with the Son who did not sin.
This is important, this pleasure of the Father, for in Baptism you now are robed in Christ's righteousness. Your dirty fig leaves won't do. But Christ's robes of righteousness cover all your sins, indeed they are washed away.
Even as you struggle with aging, sickness, and death, and even as you wrestle with bills, tax collectors, and debts, Jesus knows and is able to sympathize with your weaknesses. He has been through it.
He knows the the diabolical persistence of the evil one. Jesus knows the weakness of flesh – hunger, pain, sickness, and even death.
When you are robed with Christ's righteousness, the Father looks at you and sees the Beloved Son in whom He is still well pleased. You still sin, but graciously, for Christ's sake the Father looks at you and sees instead, the sinless Son of God.
Knowing all this, the writer of the letter to the Hebrews concludes, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Christ does show you mercy, for in His sufferings, death, and resurrection the sins of the world are forgiven. And He has made you His through Baptism, and preserved you through Word and Supper.
Whether you are sick or well, sad or happy, poor or rich, indebted or debt free, in trials or in peace, dying or still living, Christ shows you His mercy, and graciously He speaks into your ears that happy blessed Word from His mouth, Rejoice, my children, your sins are forgiven you, go in peace. For Jesus' most holy Passion's sake. Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Please stand.
The Peace of God which passeth all understanding keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.
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Ash Wednesday
02/22/12
LSB Hymns 614, 607, 623, & 934
Joel 2:12-19, 2 Peter 1:2-11, & St. Matthew 6:16-21
Grace, Mercy, and Peace to you from God the Father and Christ Jesus the Lord. Amen.
The sermon text is the Gospel appointed, the Gospel according to St. Matthew, the 6th
chapter, with particular focus on these words:
[Jesus said:] “When you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
The text in part, please be seated.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Prayer, and fasting, they are the everyday marks of the Christian.…, (Pause), I can see it in your eyes. “Uh, pastor, I don't fast. I pray, but I don't fast.”
This evening I want to address this.
Christians, one and all, that's you too of course, I tell you this truth: You fast, in fact you fast quite a bit.
Jesus begins this evening with these words, ““And when you fast.” This evening, I tell you that,
FASTING IS THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.
- There was fasting in the Old Testament.
- Jesus' fasting done for you.
- How you fast.
THERE WAS FASTING IN THE OLD TESTAMENT.
Our text from Joel certainly calls the children of Israel to fast. Joel writes:
“Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.”
God's command was to repent, that is turn their hearts again toward Him, to fast with weeping and mourning over their sins. It wasn't to be just an outward appearance, but a real heart breaking repentance from their sin of unbelief.
Jonah preached the Lord's anger to Nineveh. Consider their response.
Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.
The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”
When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it. (Jon 3:4-10).
God had brought them to repentance, and a very real knowledge of their grevious sins against Him. They repented, and fasted, and sat in ashes, and God remembered His promises and spared them.
But their fasting didn't save them. God's mercy did. And your fasting doesn't save you.
But graciously, you have a Savior.
JESUS' FASTING DONE FOR YOU.
The Son of God took on our flesh, and He well understands our flesh. This Sunday you will see that He was tempted as we are tempted, and yet remained sinless. His fast at that time was forty days and forty nights.
But really, Jesus entire life was a fast, for He restrained from the fleshly desires – He never broke a commandment of God – He never lusted after a woman, He wasn't gluttonous, He never over-indulged when drinking wine, and He never coveted His neighbor's anything.
Rather, even when weary He healed the sick, fed the hungry, raised the dead, and forgave the sins of prostitutes, tax collectors, and their like.
He always took His flesh captive to the Holy will of His Father. He fasted from the things that the flesh might want, and held dear the things of God.
Just before His arrest, and crucifixion Jesus prayed in the garden to His Father, “Not my will but Thine be done.” His fasting denied everything that His flesh might have desired, for His only desire was to follow the Father's will even to His death.
- Jesus' fast accepted arrest, when our flesh would have run away naked like the young man in the garden.
- Jesus' fast accepted the mockery and even scouring, when our flesh would have tried to grab another sword like Peter's and fought angrily, even desperately back.
- Jesus fasting accepted crucifixion, when our flesh would have desperately looked for every avenue of escape.
- Jesus accepted death, He gave up the Ghost, when our flesh would have fought death with every labored breath.
Jesus followed the Holy will of His Father. What might have been His own desires He set aside. He fasted for you and me.
And after dying on that cross, three days later He rose from the dead, proof of the Father's pleasure in His Son once more, and proof of your forgiveness, and the Father's pleasure in you now for Christ's sake.
And Christ's forgiveness given freely to you now explains,
HOW YOU FAST.
To examine Christian fasting, you must examine Holy Baptism, in particular, yours. St. Paul writes in Romans, chapter six,
“We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Ro 6:4).
Luther explains it with these words,
“it signifies that the Old Adam in us should, by daily contrition and repentance, be drowned and die with all sins and evil lusts, and, who shall live before God in righteousness and purity forever” (SC page 17).
The Christian, through the work of the Holy Spirit through the Word in Holy Baptism is brought daily
- to die to the flesh,
- to daily deny the flesh,
- to daily fast from sinful fleshly desires.
The Christian picks up their cross, their fasting from their fleshly desires, and giving thanks to Father by loving and helping neighbor.
You and I now fast from our selfish desires and help others even as Christ helps us.
Yeah, well, you and I don't do this so well do we? What we do, do right, is Christ's work in us. And the parts where we fail, or stumble at fasting from our sinful fleshly desires, well, they are our sins.
(chuckle softly) The fasting that you I worry about, is do we really have to give up baked goods, or beef, or chocolate? No, you don't. They would be the least of your fasts as Christians. Our flesh is full of its own desires, desires apart and outside the Holy will of God.
But we do agree with Luther, “fasting and bodily preparations are fine outward training.” You see even though baked goods, beef, or chocolate are the least of Christian fasting, they are difficult just the same to deny ourselves.
Our old Adam doesn't like to be denied anything. So some do find this type of fasting, during Lent, helpful. For as they struggle to deny themselves even just these few little things, it reminds them how hard the daily struggle is to repent from all sins.
Another thing that irks your old Adam is that your fasting does not now save you. It is simply how you thank the Heavenly Father. Your Christian life is your thankful and loving response to salvation through Christ and His works of atonement alone.
Our Lenten fast demonstrates, what you already know from your Christian fast of self-denial, that you are poor miserable sinners.
This Lenten season we begin our fast with ashes on our foreheads signifying our repentance and sorrow over our many grevious sins.
But graciously, your repentance, aided by the Holy Spirit through the Word heard, is answered by your Lord and Savior, who sends His shepherds by His divine command to forgive the sins of you who are given to repent from your sins.
Jesus Christ became man, lived under the law for you, suffered, died and rose again all for the forgiveness of all your sins. And all that hear these words and believe them are forgiven.
Even in the midst of your life of Christian fasting and self-denial. Christ forgives you over and over again. And forgiveness on top of forgiveness, He gathers you this evening to His table where you receive His body and blood for the forgiveness of all your sins.
May the Holy Spirit guide and preserve you through this life of fasting and self denial. May He ever grant you great confidence in your Lord and Savior alone.
Go in peace dear ones your sins are forgiven you. For Jesus' most holy Passion's sake. Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Please stand.
The Peace of God which passeth all understanding keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.
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