Free Text on Matthew 18 - preached @ Emmaus Lutheran Church Indianapolis, IN

Sermon Text – Matthew 18:21-35

Title – Forgiven

I.             We want to be forgiven – but we don’t want to forgive.
II.           Jesus forgives and show how to forgive.

THROUGH THE CROSS OF CHRIST WE ARE FORGIVEN AND ARE GIVEN THE WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY TO FORGIVE.

In the name of the Father and the Son + and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Grace, mercy and peace from GOD our Father and our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Out text today is taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the 18^th chapter…

Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.

23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants.[g] 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.[h] 25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant[i] fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii,[j] and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers,[k] until he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

 

I.

In the middle 1800s the Spanish prime minister was visited on his deathbed by his priest. With a look of concern the priest asked "Does your Excellency forgive all your enemies?"  With a look of calm and collectiveness the prime minister replied, "I do not have to forgive my enemies." The priest looked confused and asked, “Why not?”  The prime minister smiled and said, "I have had them all shot."

Most of us don’t have the political clout or intestinal fortitude to have people shot rather than forgive – so I guess we will have to find another way of taking care of handling wrongs against us.

But this is the old Adam in us isn’t it? The old Adam – rearing his ugly, self-centered, “get even, or die trying attitude,” head and enjoying it! For we would much rather repay a wrong done to us by getting back or getting even with the person who wronged us. Oh yes – sweet revenge, we can almost taste its intoxicating flavor dripping from our tongues and lips.

Because it is hard to forgive isn’t it? Sometimes – and maybe even much of the time – it isn’t so much about getting even as it is about holding on to the anger and pain and evil thoughts – for that too is equally satisfying to our old Adam bellies, isn’t it? Someone does us wrong and maybe we don’t get even, but we do withhold forgiveness don’t we? 

But that’s ok isn’t it? After all I was right wasn’t I? I am justified in my words and thoughts and deeds against him for what he said, or against her for what she did – right? I can call her that name because of what she said about me – right? Yeah that’s ok right? Well he isn’t doing it the way I thought it should be done so I am completely in the right here – right?

Besides that puts me in pretty good company doesn’t it? Now I can pal around with the likes of Cain and Judas and Herod and Pharaoh – right? Wait a minute – those aren’t the ones I was trying to be like. Ah, there is my table - David the murderer and adulterer, Peter the liar, Paul the practitioner of genocide – all unwilling to forgive just like me. Whew I feel better – right?

Doesn’t that lack of forgiveness make us into hypocrites? Me - pastor, a hypocrite? You - follower of Christ, a hypocrite? Not me. Yes, you. In your lack of forgiving aren’t you forgetting that you have been forgiven? 

In our text today Peter asks a question…

Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?

What was behind Peter’s question? It had been a Jewish custom to forgive three times – "based" on Scripture, however, done so in error. The Bible never places a limit on forgiveness, nevertheless it had been interpreted by rabbinical scholars that this was all that was required, three times.

So you see when we look at Peter we see his deception as he is trying to look good to Jesus by more than doubling the forgiveness from three to seven times. 

However, Jesus sees through him – just as he sees through us. He knows Peter is thinking in that old Adam way and Jesus answers him…

I do not say to you seven times, but seventy seven times. [or in some versions 70 x 7]

Just as Jesus heard the same from Peter and the other disciples then – the sound of the gears turning in your heads right now is deafening here in the pulpit as you do the math and figure out how many times do I have to do this before I don’t have to do this forgiveness stuff. Let’s see, seven times zero is zero and seven times seven is forty-nine…that’s a total of…four hundred ninety! Then we either pull out our phones, or our iPads, or laptops and begin an Excel file on everyone. Hey look I’m at 490 with him – ah, now I can Biblically go about no forgiving him anymore!

However, that wasn’t where Jesus was going was it? Jesus did not put a cap on forgiveness. Jesus was aware of this error in the teaching of His people that said three times is enough. He heard what Peter said – doubling the amount. So Jesus goes one step further. He multiplies Peter’s doubling by seventy! What this truly means is that the number of times we are to forgive one another is a great number! He is not setting a limit, but saying there is no limit to the amount of forgiveness you are to give to one another – regardless of the sin.

And that’s another question – does the size of the sin matter? Does it matter to GOD? Should it matter to you? Isn’t GOD willing to forgive all sin – small or large? Shouldn’t we be as willing to do so as well?

Then Jesus does what he often times does and that’s teach. He tells a parable about a servant who owes a great sum of money to his king. When the account is called due the servant doesn’t have the sum owed. The king is ready to have the man’s possessions, family and the man himself sold to make payment. 

The king is just and right to ask for payment. There is no unfairness in what he is about to do. Money was owed to the king and it was his right to call the account due. There is no injustice being done here by the king.

The servant then pleads with the king to have patience and that he would pay everything back. The king knows the servant means well, but he also knows that this is an impossibility on the part of the servant. Ten thousand talents is a large sum of money, and the king knows that the servant can’t possibly pay this back. Moved by compassion for his servant the king forgives the debt. 

Wow, great story Jesus! Let’s pull this one a part and see what Jesus is saying. The king is GOD the Father. The servant is us sinners.  The debt owed is what is owed for all of our sins. Try as we might we cannot even begin to pay the LORD what is owed – it’s an impossible sum. We can’t possibly pay it back – and in fact go deeper and deeper into debt every day. So GOD forgives the debt owed – through the Cross of Christ and His blood shed there and forgiveness is earned for us. Like I said, wow, great story Jesus!

But the parable doesn’t end there does it? This same servant runs into another who owes him a small amount of money – but equally unbearable. How does this forgiven servant react to the one who owes him so little – even after this one begged for mercy? This forgiven servant shows no mercy and throws him into jail until this one can pay his debt back. 

Hypocrite? You bet.

Hmm does this sound familiar?

Our Father in heaven forgives this enormous debt of our sin, sinned against Him. Yet, when someone wrongs us in such a small way – and let’s face it, the sin of our neighbor against us, pales in comparison to the sin we have been born with and committed each and every day of our lives against God Almighty – this small sin against us we refuse to forgive?

Yet, that is who we are. We are the forgiven servant running around holding grudge, claiming righteous anger and because we have been wronged so terribly – unwilling to forgive the small when the LORD forgives the so very large.

II.

Feeling pretty Law ridden at this point – or at least I hope you do. Ready for some Good News?

Jesus died for that sin too. He died for our hypocritical ways of living our lives. Jesus suffering and death – His blood on the Cross covers the sin of being unwilling to speak forgiveness. Thank goodness GOD doesn’t have an Excel sheet on each of us with a topping out of 490! Thanks be to GOD the forgiveness never runs out.

And now blessed with the forgiveness of sins that we have in Jesus and responding to that constant and unending well of forgiveness – we too can share the love of Christ by forgiving others. Not because we have to, but because we get to. This is a great and wonderful result of being forgiven so much – that we too can forgive what has been done to us.

To be sure we will find ourselves in those situations where we are tempted to be unforgiving, hold a grudge, or even get even. When we do then we count on the power of the Holy Spirit to remind us of Whose we are and what has been forgiven in us and then we can resist that temptation to be unforgiving. For we are the children of the LORD – the new Israel. All we need do is ask for the forgiveness of an unforgiving heart. We turn to GOD and plead with Him, as did the first servant in the parable, to please forgive this debt owed. And in GOD’S perfect mercy and loving kindness, He does forgive that too and then we can share that forgiveness with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. What wonderful words the LORD has given us this morning. Amen.

The Peace of the LORD – which surpasses all understanding – will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus the Light of the world.  Amen.

 

+ Soli Deo Gloria +

Pentecost 2 [series A] - preached June 22,2014 @ Emmaus Lutheran Church

Sermon Text:      Matthew 10:5a, 21-33

Title:           “Who’s the Head of Your House?”

I.        To make Satan the head of your house means death.

II.       To make Jesus the head of your house means life.

THROUGH THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, YOU HAVE REMAINED FAITHFUL AND NOW ENTER YOUR HEAVENLY HOME

In the name of the Father and the Son + and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father, and from our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The sermon text for this 2nd Sunday after Pentecost, is taken from the Gospel lesson.

 

 

These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them…“²¹ Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, ²² and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. ²³ When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

²⁴ “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant^[e] above his master. ²⁵ It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign^[f] those of his household.
²⁶ “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. ²⁷ What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. ²⁸ And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.^{[g] 29} Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?^[h] And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. ³⁰ But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. ³² So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, ³³ but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I.

In our text today Jesus says…

A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 

Jesus is saying here that a student or disciple believes, teaches and confesses that which his teacher believes, teaches and confesses.  So it is also with the slave, for a slave is owned by the master and will do the master’s will – not his own. One theologian puts it this way, “Neither disciple nor slave is above his teacher or master. If he ceases to believe, teach or confess as does his teacher or if he substitutes his own will for that of his master, he ceases to be disciple and slave.” (Buls’ Notes).

Then Jesus says…

It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master.

In other words – it’s ok for disciple and servant to be like teacher and master and to share in their lot in life.

Then Jesus says…

If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!

Here’s where the Law starts to make us feel uncomfortable. Jesus is saying if the head of the house is called Satan, then it follows that those who are of the same house as the head of the house will follow suit. Makes sense and at the same time scares the dickens out of us.

Why? Well – because as we take a good, long, hard look at ourselves, we see that we seem to set Satan up as the head of our household many times don’t we? Throughout the days of our lives we are continually setting our will before the will of the LORD.

I want to do what I want to do. I want to sleep in on Sundays. I want to give less to church. I want to say no when asked to serve at the church. I want to drink until I get drunk. I want to scream at my spouse and kids. I want to be lazy at work. And the list goes on and on and on doesn’t it? And if I’ve missed your particular sin, feel free to add it to the list in your mind. 

For none of us sitting here today can escape the accusations of the Law. None of us can look at the Law and honestly say, “Nope, didn’t break any of these.” Not one of us can say, “Holy Scripture isn’t talking about me when it speaks of the sins of man.”

No – not one of us standing on our own merits and worthiness can stand before the Law pure and Holy. Instead we stand accused, tried and convicted of breaking not just one of these, but all of them millions of times over, and in fact we were conceived in this condition.  There hasn’t been one millisecond in our life – even in our mothers’ womb – where we weren’t guilty of the charges leveled against us.  This is our condition – guilty and awaiting the executioner’s axe.

II.

And even though there is seemingly nothing to save us from this verdict and sentence – in steps our Savior – Jesus. He climbs the steps of the gallows He lifts you off of your knees and leads you away from the chopping block and then He goes back and kneels in your place. He is guilty of none of what you have been accused. He is spotless and perfect – without defect. He deserves none of this – and yet there He is ready to take the punishment – your punishment. He is ready to die.  And so He does.

The Father looks at you in your rags and the filth of your sin and He cuts your bonds holding your hands behind your back. You are no longer a prisoner bound by the shackles of sin. He embraces you and calls you child. Your Father washes the dirt from your soul with the waters and the Word of Holy Baptism. He gives you His Holy Spirit – so that you may call Jesus LORD. Your Father gives you something to eat and drink to nourish you – the very Body and Blood of His Son Jesus. He stands ready to clothe you in the white robe of Jesus’ righteousness – which is now yours through faith! 

And you stand in utter awe and disbelief. You say to yourself, “How can this be?”  You look at your hands and wrists. Gone are the biting, red, swollen marks. Gone are the rags. Gone is the dirt and filth. You stand before the LORD washed, fed – perfect. You stand in hope. You know it wasn’t your doing but that of Jesus – the One who went to the gallows in your place – for there is nothing you could have done to accomplish this. And now your risen LORD Jesus Christ stands there ready to welcome you into the Kingdom of Heaven.  For you have – through the gift and peculiar work of the Holy Spirit – remained faithful.

In Christ Jesus and His work on the Cross – you have – through the power of the Holy Spirit – made Jesus the head of your house! And now are welcomed by Him to enter your heavenly home, forever and ever. Amen.

The peace of the LORD which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  Amen.        

 

+ Soli Deo Gloria +

Holy Trinity Sunday [Series A] - preached June 15, 2014 @ Emmaus Lutheran Church Indianapolis, IN

Sermon Text:      Matthew 28:16-20

Title:          GO!

I.        Jesus says to His disciples GO!

II.       Jesus says to Emmaus GO!

WE HAVE THE GREAT NEWS OF SALVATION TO SHARE WITH OUR PART OF HIS HOLY VINEYARD - FOUNTAIN SQUARE!

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father, and from our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The text for the homily for this Holy Trinity Sunday, is taken from the today’s Gospel lesson…

16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I.

Ever been told to do something that you didn’t want to do? When you were a kid? As an adult? Sure you have. In fact some of you may be here this morning against your own wishes!

We are told lots of times to do things. Clean up your room! Take out the trash! Get your feet off of the furniture! And these are just what is said to us Dads!

Perhaps it’s a bit more serious than that. Go tell your teacher that you cheated on that test! Go tell your Mom or Dad that you lied about where you were last night! Go tell your boss that you’ve been stealing from the supply cabinet at work. Go tell your pastor why you haven’t been in church lately!

All of these are of a much more serious nature aren’t they? All of them have consequences don’t they? All of them are going to get us into trouble.

Yet – they are what we need to do. They are what is necessary. Each one is filled with dread and the not wanting to do it – but if we are honest with ourselves we know in our hearts that we have to do it – regardless of the outcome.

In our text today Jesus stands before His disciples giving them such a command. He tells them to GO! BAPTIZE! TEACH!

At first you might think, ‘That’s nothing!’ Telling my Mom or Dad that I wrecked my car or telling my boss I’ve lied about being sick – again, those are hard to do. Talking to people about Jesus, sprinkling some water on their heads – bah, that’s easy!

But 43 days prior to this moment with Jesus they had a very gory, bloody, real example of what happens to someone who preaches and teaches the Kingdom of GOD in Christ Jesus – Jesus Himself hanging on a bloody cross. Flesh tattered and torn, bruises, swollen eyes, hair ripped out, open bleeding wounds all over His body – and you want me to go into this hostile, evil world to do that? NO!

II.

Here at Emmaus we have a similar – no – we have the exact same charge of GO! BAPTIZE! TEACH!

The disciples were given an entire world to go to. We here at Emmaus – although we do things with our district and synod and maybe even individually for missionaries and worldly evangelism – we have a smaller area given to us to cover.

Right here on the corner of Laurel and Orange – in the heart of Fountain Square – IS THE KINGDOM! Right here on our little corner is one small spot in the Vineyard. Right here is our command – just like the disciples.

And although we are small and seemingly insignificant – we are hugely important for the Kingdom!

We have been given the task of carrying out the mission of the Church on this small forgotten corner in a large city – to proclaim Jesus Christ – the very Son of GOD – as the Savior of the world! We have been given the honor and the privilege of telling people that there is a way out of their desperation and despair and loneliness and guilt and fear and hate and sin – and it can be found in Jesus Christ and it can be found right here at this small corner in Fountain Square – it can be found at Emmaus!

How can we say such things? Because we have been where others are. We have felt all of those feelings of abandonment and shame and agony. And to be honest – in a sin-filled world – we still do at times, even as the saved in Christ. Why? Because we take our eyes off of the Cross of Jesus. And others? They don't even know the Cross is there.

But we have a power that goes beyond what this world can dish out, a power that fills us with hope and love and kindness and comfort and faith – we have the Holy Spirit! Sent from heaven to help us through this treacherous, hard-knock life – the Holy Spirit fills us with the Light of forgiveness and salvation, faith, hope and love.

And the greatest thing about all of that wonderful stuff? We get to share it! We don’t have to look at it as a chore, but as a blessing! It’s not a have to, but a get to! We actually get to TELL people about Jesus and His life saving sacrifice on the Cross!

We have a vast amount of potential and opportunity here at Emmaus Lutheran Church and School – even after 111 years – they are still there. And by they I mean the need and the seed. People need to know Jesus Christ. And we have the seed – the Word and the Light and the Love and the Faith that is Jesus Christ. And all we have to do is what Jesus tells the disciples – go. And thanks be to GOD for the Planting Gospel Seeds While Serving Human Needs program we just went through. This is a great and wonderful way to do the GO!

We were planted here 111 years ago to serve this neighborhood. It still needs serving. To quote and add to a movie from my teenage years – this neighborhood has the need for seed! This is our great work entrusted to us by the LORD – to reach His people with the Gospel Seed in Fountain Square. May GOD grant it! Amen.

The Peace of the LORD – which surpasses all understanding – will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus the Light of the world.  Amen.

 

+ Soli Deo Gloria +

Easter 6 [series A] - preached May 25, 2014 at St. Paul Dewberry, IN and Resurrection Centerville, IN

 

Sermon Text:      John 14:15-21

Title:           The Work of the Great Helper.

I.        We cannot keep the commandments of the LORD on our own.

II.       But the Father will send a great Helper to guide us on our way.

THROUGH OUR BAPTISM INTO CHRIST’S DEATH AND RESURRECTION WE RECEIVE THIS GREAT HELPER - THE HOLY SPIRIT WHO GIVES US THE POWER TO BELIEVE.

In the name of the Father and the Son + and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father, and from our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The text for this Sunday’s homily, is taken from the Gospel lesson just.

15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[c] in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I.

Jesus speaks to us today in our text and speaks words of strength, encouragement and love. He makes promises on behalf of Himself and of the Holy Trinity – promises He can keep because of His death on His Cross and Resurrection from the grave.

Jesus opens this dialogue with words of love – but also with a very difficult task. Jesus says if you love me – prove it – keep my commandments!

Sounds like a tall order doesn’t it? Haven’t you heard me and countless other pastors preach that it is an impossibility to keep the commandments? Doesn’t our sainted Martin Luther tell us this very same thing in his Catechism? Doesn’t our beloved C.F.W. Walther – one of the founders of our Synod – remind us that it is because of this sinfulness that is in us that we cannot possibly keep the commandments and this is exactly why we need a Savior?

So what in the wide world is Jesus talking about? Is he asking of us the impossible? So it would seem. But we are Lutheran and that means we believe that Scripture interprets Scripture and therefore we look not to just these few words spoken by our Savior but at the surrounding text and – in fact – the entirety of Holy Scripture.

Ever walk into a movie late – one you haven’t seen before – sit down and start watching? And then quickly you are nudging the person next you, ‘Hey, is that house on that lady? Where does the yellow brick road go? Why is she wearing those shiny red shoes?’ then disgusted because you cannot follow the story you walk out of one of the greatest movies of all time.

Why? Because you only saw a short snippet of the story and couldn’t understand where it was going?

Why would Holy Scripture be any different? Why would we think we could go to one or two passages and think we know everything? We have to know the whole of Scripture to get the pieces.

So let’s not just take verse 15 and think we know it all let’s listen to what else Jesus has to say. Again Jesus says,

If you love me, you will keep my commandments…

And what He is conveying here is a statement of faith. He is saying that if we love Him that means we have faith in Him – faith that confesses Him as the Christ, the Son of the Living God. And in confessing Him as the Messiah – the One sent from heaven to save the world – then there will be love for Him. And in confessing and loving Christ we are one with Him. He has become the Mediator, the Substitution, He has died in our place. He has taken upon Himself all of our sins and has died our death. He lived the life we cannot live.  In other words, He has kept the commandments for us – perfectly.  And now we have that life – that perfect life in the commandments applied to us. And so you see, through Him we are keeping and will continue to keep the commandments. Not on our own – but through Him.

Now having said all of that it doesn’t mean that we can go out into life and do whatever we want and it will be ok because Jesus is keeping the commandments for us. That wouldn’t be right and in fact that wouldn’t be true belief would it? No, God the Father expects from us a life that has changed through Christ. He expects from us an effort in our life to love Him and neighbor as we ought. However, left to ourselves this is an impossibility. As sinful human beings we can’t do this ourselves – this changed life. But we aren’t left to ourselves are we? 

II.

Jesus goes on to say…

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even 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. 

Here come those promises spoken of earlier! Jesus promises us a Helper – an Advocate, a Comforter. He promises us His Holy Spirit and he promises It forever! And although Jesus died for the sins of the world, not all of the world will receive this Great Helper. Only those who confess Him as LORD and Savior will receive this gift of blessing in the Great Helper to the fullest – for He does work on the entire world. However, Jesus points out that we know Him – this Helper – because He dwells in us and will remain with us – forever! 

Where did you and I receive this wonderful gift? In Holy Baptism.  There at the eight sided font representing the Resurrection of our LORD and our resurrection in and through the Word of God joined to the water – there we received life and salvation, faith and knowledge.  There we received the gift of the Great Helper, the very Spirit of the Father and the Son. And it is in this gift that we begin to live the life meant for us. 

No, not in perfection as it was intended from the beginning, nor as it will be for us in heaven someday – but nevertheless – for us saints who are yet still sinners, there in the simple waters of Baptism we are joined to the LORD in a special way. For in this gift we receive a part of our LORD – His Holy Spirit. And it is through this Great Helper that we are able to make the choices we once would have ignored. We begin to love God as was intended at the Creation. We begin to love neighbor as God has written on our hearts. Through this Great Helper we begin to live the life that was lived once in the Garden of Eden – but was lost.

In this promise of the Holy Spirit we are no longer orphaned, but truly we are found – found in the grace of our LORD above. And there is another promise. Jesus will come again. This we confess in our Creeds, that Christ will return one final time into this world, to judge it and to claim His own and take them to Himself in heaven. This is the reward of a life lived in faith – a gift for the Helper. This is what we can expect on the Last Day. This day will not be a day of sadness, at least not for us. This will be a day of great joy when we look into the eyes of our Savior for the first time. This is what it is all about, being with Him for eternity. This is the Crown of Life spoken of in Revelation by our LORD. There we will once again see what our first Father and Mother – Adam and Eve knew – the Tree of Life.

And all of this is made possible by the death of one innocent Man, the Son of God, on the cross for you and for me. And in His resurrection and through our resurrection in Holy Baptism we are granted this Great Helper – the Holy Spirit – to see us through to the end…which is really a beginning. What great joy this brings to God’s people, to know that we will not go it alone – but that Christ Jesus, through His Holy Spirit, will be with us every step of the way. May this bring a smile to your face this day and tears of joy to know that you are that precious to Him.  Amen.

The peace of the LORD which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus and His Holy Spirit.  Amen.

+ Soli Deo Gloria +

Easter 5 [series A] - preached May 18, 2014 at St. Paul Lutheran Church Dewberry, IN and Resurrection Lutheran Church Centerville, IN

Sermon Text:      John 14:1-14

Title:          It’s All about Jesus

I.        When it’s not about Jesus everything is wrong!

II.       When it’s all about Jesus everything is right!
 

JESUS – THROUGH HIS CROSS – IS THE WAY TO HEAVEN – THE TRUTH OF SALVATION AND THE HOPE OF LIFE.

 

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father, and from our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The text for the homily this Sunday, is taken from the Gospel lesson just read. St. John writes…

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In 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? 3 And 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. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus 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’? 10 Do 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. 11 Believe 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. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I.

We all have our allegiances. Some of you may be Colts, Bengals or Bears fans. You may be UK, IU or Purdue fans. You may have voted for Obama or Romney. You may drive Chevy or Ford. And you may be creamy or chunky peanut butter fans. Me? I’m a Bears, Boilers, Chevy, creamy…no I will not tell you who I voted for – but if you’ve paid attention over the past 7 months then you know!

We love Mom, baseball and apple pie – or at least some derivative thereof. We love our brands don’t we? I eat Jif, I drink Diet Coke, I go to Burger King, and wear Ray Bans.

But – if there is only Skippy to eat, and only Diet Pepsi to drink, and only McDonald’s on this exit, and there are only generic sunglasses to wear – by golly I will eat, drink, stop and wear what’s handy, or cheap or available.

I am loyal – many of my family and friends would tell you that you couldn’t find a more loyal person. It’s what makes leaving St. Paul so hard. I am a lot of bad or not so nice things – but I am loyal.

And yet – given the opportunity – I will jump ship when it comes to the things we’ve already talked about. And if you’re honest with yourself you will admit you do too.

But there is one thing we must be rock solid on – our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ.

We cannot be wishy-washy when it comes to our allegiance to GOD – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. No – there we must be rock solid. Jesus says in Revelation [3:16] that we can either be hot or cold when it comes to Him, but don’t be lukewarm. What happens if you are lukewarm water in the mouth of Christ? He will spit you out! Now I don’t know about you – but I’m thinking anything involving me and Jesus and Him spitting me out doesn’t sound good.

But aren’t we just that? One minute we are on fire for the LORD and the next we are as cold to the LORD as death. One minute we shine brightly the Light of Christ and the next we are as dim and dull as a coal that has lost its spark.

Truthfully? One minute we show our allegiance to the Good Shepherd, and the next we are off gallivanting after another shepherd – a shepherd of lies. No, I am not talking about the devil – I’m talking about you. For your greatest allegiance is given to yourself.

Christ says believe and you doubt. Christ says abide in me and I will abide in you, and you choose to abide in yourself. Christ says love one another, and you love yourself. I can go on and on down this list – but it’s unnecessary isn’t it?

Jesus says that He is the Truth – and you know the truth about yourself – don’t you? The truth is we love Me. We worship me.

When Jesus is not everything to us – He is nothing to us.

Jesus said He is the Way, but if He is nothing to us – then we have lost our Way. Jesus said He is the Truth, but if He is nothing to us – then there is no Truth. Jesus said that He is the Life – but if He is nothing to us – there is only death.

II.

However, there is hope. Jesus didn’t die on His Cross for the big sins only – but for all sins. And the sins we commit daily are the sins of self-absorption, self-importance, self-righteousness and self-centeredness.

That’s right – we are rescued not only from that unholy trinity of sin death and the devil – but also from ourselves! We can blame our lives and situations and shortcomings on a lot of things – and there is even a song or two that tells us we can blame it on the rain! But the truth of the matter is we have only to look in the mirror and see the culprit responsible for our predicament.

Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He is our way into heaven. He is the truth that sets us free. He is life and in Him we have it abundantly.

Jesus tells His disciples in our text today that He is GOD. He does so when He tells them that He and the Father are one. He says He is in the Father and the Father is in Him. He is shouting from the mountain tops that He is GOD! Not to brag – but to assure the disciples that He is the Chosen One – the Savior – the One Who forgives sin. They need to see in Him that He truly is the Way, the Truth and the Life. They need to believe this not only for themselves, but for the world that they will go into so that they can teach and preach and baptize!

These disciples will be the ones sent out to proclaim the news that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of GOD Who is in the world to save it from itself. And because we have faith – the gift of the Holy Spirit – then we have the Way to heaven, we have the Truth of salvation and we have hope of Life. Thanks be to GOD for the great love He has shown us in His Son Jesus Christ – our Savior from sin! Amen.

The Peace of the LORD – which surpasses all understanding – will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus the Light of the world.  Amen.

+ Soli Deo Gloria +

Easter 4 [series A] - preached May 11, 2014 at St. Paul Dewberry, IN and Resurrection Centerville, IN

Sermon Text:      John 10:1-10

Title:           “How Can You Hear?”

I.  The voice of Jesus is heard most clearly in His Church.

II. When we aren’t in His Church we have difficulty hearing His voice.
 

THROUGH THE CROSS OF CHRIST WE ARE GIVEN EARS TO HEAR WITH - AND AS A RESPONSE TO THAT GRACE WE WANT TO BE IN CHURCH TO HEAR HIS VOICE MOST CLEARLY.

In the name of the Father and the Son + and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father, and from our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The text for the homily for this 4^th Sunday of Easter, is taken from today’s Gospel lesson…

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I.

A man is out in the backyard assigned the task of cooking supper on the grill.  His attention is focused on the grill so that he does not burn the burgers – again. He hears a tap on the window of the kitchen, looks up and sees his daughter trying to tell her dad something. She is making hand singles that the dad isn’t comprehending and she is seemingly shouting but the dad can only hear muffled sounds through the glass. This goes on for a few minutes and then finally the dad goes inside and exasperatedly asks, “What do you want?” The daughter says, “Mom, wanted me to remind you to NOT burn the burgers again.” The dad furrows his brow and says, “That’s it?!” And then out of the corner of his eye he notices out the window that his burgers are on fire!

If it was so important why didn’t the daughter come outside and tell her dad what she wanted to tell him? Wasn’t there an urgency in the message?  Wouldn’t it make more sense for the daughter to go and tell the dad her message at the grill rather than trying to communicate with him through the glass? But now it is too late and the supper is ruined. 

St. John writes in our text today…

But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

The Shepherd has come among the sheep of His flock and He calls out to them to come and they hear and follow His voice, for they know Him, they recognize His voice and they come.  But how do we know Him?

When I was growing up my younger brother and I would play out in the backyard and when it was supper time, or time to come in my Mom would come to the back door and tells us so. Then as we got a little older we would play out front [we lived on a deadend street]. And when it was time to come in Mom would yell out the front door, “Ray and Todd!” Then as we got a bit more older we began to venture out into the neighborhood on our bikes. And it was then that something changed. We had to keep track of time on our own. Our Mom could scream and yell our names until the cows came home – but we wouldn’t hear her. Why? Because we weren’t near her enough to hear her. Now we might hear another mom shouting for her kids to come home, but we wouldn’t listen to her because we didn’t know her, she wasn’t our Mom.

Isn’t the same true of you? Are you likely to follow a voice you don’t know? Many of you who gather here in this sanctuary each week would NOT follow the voice of another pastor. There is no trust there. You don’t know this voice. You may have even felt this way when I was first sent to you. Over time and through the hearing of my voice and through my speaking the truth as you now it through GOD’S Holy Word, you have begun to trust me – or at least I hope you have. You hear from me the truth of GOD’S Word, truly you hear the voice of the Good Shepherd – Jesus Christ in what I preach, teach and confess.  Because you know His voice and you can hear that voice in me, you continue to follow Him.  And that comes from being here in the pew each Sunday.

Then there those times when you think being here every Sunday, or at least very often is not necessary. And so you become this person named Skip. You skip Sundays, you skip Bible class, you skip reading the Bible, you skip praying, and the list goes on. What about Skip? Does he hear the voice of the Shepherd? Not as clearly. It’s like the dad trying to hear his daughter shouting through the window. It’s all muffled. The words she’s saying are not reaching the ears of the dad.

The same is true for you too. You who aren’t in the Word, who aren’t in church and Bible study and prayer. How can you hear when you aren’t in the same area code as the Shepherd? How can you hear when you are only hearing YOUR thoughts and words? For this is the voice that competes with the Shepherd’s voice – along with your spouse’s, your kids’, your best friend’s your co-workers’ – but in the end it’s all your voice doing all of the damage. 

I want to do this or that rather than go to church. I would rather watch TV than read His Holy Word. I need to be here or there rather than in Bible Study. I am too sleepy for prayer tonight. I don’t feel like fighting my children in order to get them to church and Sunday School. And as we speak these words out loud or think them in our minds we are drowning out the voice of the Shepherd.

There is one more voice in the background trying to overcome the Shepherd’s voice and this one does so with a whisper. This one is sickeningly sweet. It is the whisper of Satan, the shepherd of lies. Is he shouting? Not usually. His is a more subtle, devious, and deceitful word spoken in the ear of the faithful. He whispers things like, “did He really say…” and “surely a man can’t survive in a fish for three days…” and “surely a baby in the womb is NOT a life…” and “surely you can’t get to heaven merely by the death of this Jesus on the cross, surely you have to add something to that, like your own works…” and the list goes on and on. The devil has whispered his lies into the mouths of some TV evangelists, politicians, and even popular daytime talk show hosts. His whispers can be heard in the music we listen to, the movies we watch, the Facebook and twitter and Instagram that we cannot live without. He has even added his falsehoods to what we are told by some within our own beloved Missouri Synod.

And that whisper competes with, and oft times drowns out, the voice of Jesus – especially when we aren’t close enough to Him to hear His voice.

II.

How can you hear the voice of the Shepherd? When your ears are filled with so many voices, how can you hear? 

We look to the Cross and in this Cross and this one only, Jesus is recreating the ears of His people. He is making His voice heard above all the others. This is the wonderful gift that is embedded in the grain of the Cross of Christ, where His blood stained that wood a deep red. Here we find that Christ is making His voice loud and clear for all to hear. He is tuning our ears to His voice. 

But if we are not in the Word, if we are not in church, if we are not in prayer, how can we hear the voice of our Shepherd calling to us, leading us through the wilderness to the gates of THE Promised Land? Out there in the world there are so many voices competing with the voice of the Shepherd and we can choose to listen to those voices, shutting out the Shepherd. Here – in His house – the voice of the Shepherd is heard by His sheep. It is heard in the Word rightly preached, and the Sacraments rightly administered. It is heard for the forgiveness of sins. 

So it is here in His House of Prayer that we come to hear clearly the voice of the Shepherd – Jesus Christ. Here we are reminded He has forgiven us our sins – even the sin of tuning Him out. Here in His Church He begins again the same work each Sunday of fine tuning our ears so that we can hear Him.

How can you hear? By being close to the Good Shepherd – and there is no better place to be close to Jesus than right here. Amen.

The peace of the LORD which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, the Good Shepherd.  Amen.

+ Soli Deo Gloria +

Easter 3 [Series A] - preached May 4, 2014 at St. Paul Dewberry, IN and Resurrection Centerville, IN

 

Sermon Text:      Acts 2:14a, 36-41

Title:           “The Promise.”

I.        Without the promise one is lost to Christ.

II.       With the promise one is found by Christ.
 

THE PROMISE IS THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS WON FOR US BY CHRIST ON THE CROSS AND APPLIED TO US THROUGH THE WATERS OF HOLY BAPTISM.

In the name of the Father and the Son + and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father, and from our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The text for the homily this Sunday, is taken from our first lesson – the book of Acts chapter two.. St. Luke writes…

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?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 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.”

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I.

What’s in a promise? A pledge or an oath to follow through on what one has said he or she will do. We make promises all the time don’t we? We promise to be faithful to our spouses. We promise to pay our house payment on time. We promise to uphold the laws of the land when we get a driver’s license. Doctors promise to do all that is in their power to care for people. Missouri Synod pastors promise to be faithful to the Holy Scriptures. 

What’s the problem with all of these promises? They are all broken promises. Husbands and wives cheat on each other, house payments are not paid on time, people speed in their cars, doctors perform abortions, and pastors interpret Scripture any which way they want. All of these promises are broken promises.  The speakers of each of these promises has failed to keep their word, their pledge, their oath. 

Such is the life of a sinner. Such is the life of you and me. We make promises all the day long and time after time we renege on those promises. Such is the life of every human being on the face of God’s green earth. I’ve noted all of political signs popping up lately. Is it really too surprising that whomever is elected to these various offices, that person will NOT keep all of their promises made?

And aren’t there times when we make promises we don’t intend to keep - fingers crossed behind our backs? Sure there are. Think back to when you were a kid. Wouldn’t we all at some time or another say anything to get out of trouble? Wouldn’t we promise to never do it again? And then wouldn’t we often times find ourselves doing that very thing once – AGAIN? The funny thing? We don’t outgrow it.

As sinners our promises always fall short. A few weeks ago on Palm Sunday young people spoke their confirmation vows – stood in front of the church and in front of God and promised to do certain things. All of you who have been confirmed in the church have promised the same things. Have you lived up to that promise? Have you done what you promised before God? Have you kept your word, your pledge, your oath? Or have you, like all others, let the LORD down? Have you gone the other way instead of the way of righteousness and truth, the way you promised?

That’s us in a nutshell. We are constantly saying we will do one thing and then doing another. For isn’t that really what our lives are – a great big promise to do the right thing? Aren’t we expected by God and others to follow through on what we say? Isn’t it a promise every time we commit to doing something? Isn’t it that simple? If we say we are going to pick up some milk at the store, or pick the kids up from school and we forget to do so, aren’t we in essence breaking our word, breaking a promise? If not, then why do we apologize when we forget to do something we said we would do? It’s because of the promise. And when it comes to promises – we can’t keep them.  We have failed. 

And in our failure to live up to the promises we make we are lost. We can’t live up to the promises we make to each other, and we can’t live up to the promises we make to GOD. We break our oath – daily. We sin against the commandments that GOD has laid down before us – to follow perfectly mind you.  We break the first table by sinning against God and we break the second table by sinning against neighbor – and God. This is the life we lead – saying one thing and doing another, promising this and that, and then breaking that promise. And in the process of being great oath breakers we are lost to our LORD.

II.

God on the other hand keeps His promises – perfectly.  He promised to never to destroy the world in a flood again and He’s kept that promise. He promised Abraham to make His descendants like the stars and He’s kept that promise. He promised to lead His people out of bondage and He parted a sea and kept that promise. He promised our parents, Adam and Eve, that He would provide a way out, a Savior, and in Jesus He’s kept that promise too.

In our text today we find St. Peter preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ and His victory over our sinful flesh, death and the devil. Upon hearing this sermon they turned to Peter and asked him what they should do.  St. Luke writes…

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?”

And Peter says to them…

“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

He tells them to repent – to turn from their wicked ways. He says they should be baptized in the name of Jesus, for the forgiveness of their sins. 

And here today, Jesus is saying the same thing to me and all of you.  Repent. And for those who have not been baptized, they are to be washed in the flood of Holy Baptism. Be drowned in the waters at the font.  And be raised a new person in Christ – forgiven. And receive the promise which is the Holy Spirit. That’s right. In the waters of Baptism we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, for St. Luke writes…

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.”

Here God is keeping another promise. Jesus said he must ascend so that the Helper could descend and take care of us – and that Helper is none other than His Holy Spirit. This is the gift we receive from our heavenly Father in Holy Baptism – the gift of the Holy Spirit, the grace of the giving of faith, and the power of His Spirit in our lives to see us through, to help us along the way. 

We have left a vast trail of broken promises along the way of our lives, but GOD has kept each and every promise He has made. And there is one more promise. He has promised He will come again – and given His track record, you can bet He will keep that one too. Praise be to GOD that He is faithful and steadfast, that He keeps His promises.  Amen.

The peace of the LORD - which surpasses all understanding - will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our LORD the Great Promise Keeper.  Amen.

 

+ Soli Deo Gloria +