LEST WE FORGET
MARK 8:1-9
In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, 2 “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. 3 And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.” 4 And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” 5 And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.” 6 And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. 7 And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. 8 And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. 9 And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away.
In the name of Jesus:
Lest we Forget is a phrase, first made popular in a poem by Rudyard Kipling. The phrase is found in the refrain of Kipling’s poem called “Recessional”. In the poem, Kipling warns about self-confidence, where a nation would become so full of pride or self-confidence that they would forget where they came from and thus suffer a decline as a nation.
More recently, “Lest we forget” has become a popular slogan for the Prisoner of War/ Missing in Action campaign. The phrase reminds us to remember not just the sacrifices of the military as a whole but the ultimate sacrifice made by those who have been lost in battle or captured by the enemy. “Lest we Forget” has become a rallying cry of sorts after the Korean and Vietnam wars, so that we as a nation never forget those who are MIA or POW’s and that we continue to strive to bring them home to our country.
Lest we forget should serve as the rallying cry for the Christian Church, because in spite of the many blessings that God bestows on His children, we who are followers of Christ soon forget those blessings. And even today, as we gather around God’s Word and Sacrament, we come as a people who have, at times, forgotten God’s mercy and compassion to us in Christ. But God still has compassion on us in Christ, He forgives, renews, and strengthens, so that we might not forget His mercies but continue to trust in Christ, and show that faith in our daily lives.
Note our text: In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, 2 “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat.” Did you catch that? Again a great crowd gathered. This has happened before! In fact, it happened four pages ago, in Mark 7 where we see that a great crowd gathered at that time, and Jesus at that time had compassion on the people and fed 5000 with five loaves of bread and two fish.
Here we are, some time later, and the same thing happens, a great crowd gathers and they had nothing to eat. Mark records that Jesus, seeing the crowd, and knowing their needs (because He is the Son of God in human flesh) has compassion on them. Compassion, Jesus felt compassion, a feeling in your gut where you are moved to action out of love and concern for another. And so Jesus, in compassion, acts.
In the feeding of the 5000, Jesus tells His disciples to give them something to eat. The disciples ask the first time where are we going to get something to eat for all these people? Knowing the situation Jesus at this time in the feeding of the 4000, Jesus simply states the problem: “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. 3 And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.” What a set up! Surely the disciples will remember what happened last time. Won’t they? Certainly they will remember who is with them! Or will they? How we forget! For the disciples say to Jesus: “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” They say to Jesus: “What can WE do? How easily they forgot who Jesus is and what Jesus had done for them in the past!
So note what Jesus does: He takes what is available and blesses it. And the people were fed! Listen: “And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.” 6 And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. 7 And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. 8 And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. 9 And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away.”
The people were fed. They were satisfied. Their needs were met, the hunger pangs were quelled and they had no more need to be fed. Having been fed once again there were leftovers! Over seven baskets of leftovers were collected. And the Scriptures state that they went on their way. Did they remember what happened? What would be their response when trouble would arise again?
Dear friends, how easily we forget the mercies of the Lord! The Bible says: Oh give thanks to the Lord for He is good and His mercy endures forever!” God is always merciful and gracious, even to us, and yet, sadly, we forget God’s mercies and grace. When push comes to shove, and when you have needs or are faced with troubling issues in your lives, how do you respond? God has promised to take care of you. Do you remember that, or do you easily forget?
How many times have you worried about your physical needs: will you have enough to live on; can you make ends meet; who will take care of you when you are in need of care; will your children be provided for; what about your health; your friends; what is it that you have fretted about, worried about, what has caused you a sleepless night or two? What is it that your have worried about?
Hasn’t the Lord promised to take care of you? Hasn’t He helped you in the past? Your help has come in the name of the Lord? He has given to you what you need. He has richly and daily provided for all that you have needed to support your body and life. How easily you have forgotten how much the Lord loves you and how much He cares for you. He has never failed you, but you have failed to remember that the Lord your God is good and gracious and that He has been faithful to His promises to you. Your sinful heart has accepted God’s gifts, but has failed to thank Him. You have accepted help from the Lord but sadly, when faced with new challenges and difficulties; you easily forget God and His grace.
Freely you have received mercy from God. But how often as sinners do we fail to show it to others! God has forgiven in Christ and yet we find it within our power to hold a grudge, to withhold forgiveness to someone who has wronged us, and we even seek to pay back evil for evil. Vengeance is mine, says the Lord, but we would rather take maters into our own hands instead of trusting in the Lord to work all things out for us.
You see, time and again the Lord continues to provide for you and His children. But how easily we forget His mercies! Rather than thanking God we run from Him to the pleasures of this world. All too often we despise the Lord, His Word, and His gifts.
But Christ has compassion. On you and for you! Even as He had fed the 5000, and then again the 4000, so also He feeds you today with His Body and Blood. Come and taste and see once again that the Lord is good! His mercy lasts forever! His forgiveness is for sinners! For Jesus became sin for you, enduring the cross, paying the price for your life by giving His life unto death on the cross. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ! (Romans 6:23). Jesus is the Good Shepherd of the sheep. He as the Good Shepherd laid down His life for you! He has called you by name in the waters of your Baptism. You do not belong to yourself, or the sinful world. You belong to God!
See what God continues to do for you today! He feeds and cares for you. Jesus says that He is the bread of life, and this bread, which nourishes to eternal life, is given freely this day in His Word and Sacrament. His Word is a lamp to your feet and a light to your path. Jesus comes in, with, and under the bread and wine to give you Himself, so that your sins are forgiven and that your soul is fed. Jesus sees your sins and in compassion forgives you your sins in this Sacrament. He feeds you with Himself so that you can once again taste and see that the Lord is good and that His mercy endures forever. Jesus bids you to come to this altar, to take and eat and take and drink His true body and blood in remembrance of Him. He is really present and in your partaking of this Meal Jesus calls to your remembrance the price He paid for your salvation: nothing else but His body and blood which is given to you in this Sacrament. Come to the Lord this day you who labor and are heavy laden with sin, for in Christ there is forgiveness of your sins. Here God meets your greatest need, for where there is forgiveness of sin, and then there is life and salvation.
Luther said to God’s people in his day on preaching on this text (and his words are poignant for you and me today): “The lesson is that we get our priorities straight and make the searching of God’s Word our first priority. We have a generous Lord, who is concerned about all of our need and in whom we should therefore trust to provide everything that is essential. Even though at times it may seem to us that we are lacking in necessities, he will always take care of us so long as we diligently hear His Word, believe it, and live a life that is pleasing to God. For when Christ is our provider, there will always be an abundance of everything, even when there is nothing, as we clearly see from this Gospel lesson…. We should burn this lesson into our memories so that we may learn to believe that, regardless how poor we may be, if we faithfully and diligently cling to God’s promises, our Lord Christ will still provide us with food and nourishment” (Complete Works of Martin Luther Vol 6: 333ff).
Jesus frequently said: He who has ears to hear, let him hear! And how we need to hear this lesson, remember it, and believe it today! The news is filled with reports of another down turn in the economy, as if there was ever an upturn in the economy! Yes, the economy today is not doing well. People still don’t have jobs; many are struggling to make ends meet. But God reminds you and me today in this passage that He loves us with an everlasting love. Rather than worry and be anxious over things that we need, He reminds us in the feeding of the 4000 and 5000 of His compassion for sinners. Christ will provide. So turn from your worry, repent of your sins, and do not forget that Christ loves you and will continue to take care of you. Make the Lord and His Word your first love and priority! Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and then all these things will be added to you.
Amen
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Your Only Hope
YOUR ONLY HOPE
MATTHEW 5:17-26
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
In the name of Jesus:
I read about an instant cake mix that was a big flop. The instructions said all you had to do was add water and bake. The company couldn't understand why it didn't sell -- until their research discovered that the buying public felt uneasy about a mix that required only water. Apparently people thought it was too easy. So the company altered the formula and changed the directions to call for adding an egg to the mix in addition to the water. The idea worked and sales jumped dramatically.
This story simply illustrates the reaction that many have to salvation by grace through faith in Christ. For some who balk at God’s grace, it sounds too easy and simple to be true, even though the Bible says, "By grace you have been saved through faith... it is the gift of God, not of works" (Eph. 2:8-9). They think that there has to be more to it, that there is something more they must do, something they must add to God's "recipe" for salvation. They think they must perform good works to gain God's favor and earn eternal life. But the Bible is clear -- we are saved, "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy" (Titus 3:5). God has not changed the Gospel. The Good News is that He saves by a free gift of His love through faith in Jesus Christ. Our good works are merely thank yous, flowing from grateful hearts to God.
When Jesus ushered in the Kingdom by calling sinners to repentance, He proclaimed the Law of God in its sternest terms. This is what He does today. It is the meaning of His words: “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of heaven.” True righteousness, a right standing with God exists only because a right relationship with Jesus. Salvation is given by God’s grace through faith in Christ. The Scribes and Pharisees didn’t grasp this concept because of their hatred of Jesus.
In the Old Testament lesson for today, we read of God’s Ten Commandments. The Law of God was given by God to curb lawlessness, show sinners their sinfulness, and as a third use is to be used by Christians as a guide or rule for thankful living to God. For the Pharisees and Scribes, whose hatred of Jesus blinded them, the Law of God was not enough to be right with God. More was needed, much more.
Jesus summed up the Ten Commandments in two verses: Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength. In addition to this, love your neighbor as yourself. These words sum up the Ten Commandments perfectly. But for the Pharisees, this wasn’t enough. The Pharisees had developed a system of 613 laws, 365 negative commands and 248 positive laws. They continued to invent new laws for new situations. Even though God was the judge, they believed that they could judge others and so they held people accountable to their own standard of righteousness. People had to live to please the Pharisees, not God. The Pharisee and his version of righteousness was cold and heartless, it was not produced by love for God, it was more interested in the praise of men, instead of God’s will and lives lived to His glory.
Make no mistake, the scribes and Pharisees were religious people. They were more interested in the externals; a life rooted in works, thinking that by their works God would be pleased. They rejected Jesus and His message of love and grace. But Jesus rejected their teachings and their works. I like what author Frederick Buechner wrote: “The trouble with religious people is that they try to be more spiritual than God.” How true. The trouble with the scribes and Pharisees is that they tried to be more spiritual than God. They thought that they could live lives, which would give them a right relationship with God.
Who can do this? Not the Scribes, not the Pharisees, and certainly not you or me! NO one can keep God’s Law perfectly, this is what He commands when He says Be holy as I the Lord your God am holy. God requires perfection in thought, word, and deed. His standard is the perfect keeping of HIS commandments, not man made ones. And in this you and I and every human being falls far short!
God demands perfection! God demands holiness! Nothing more and nothing less! And so Jesus says: Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you won’t enter the Kingdom of heaven. Examine your life in light of God’s law: Have you loved God above all things? Or have money, power, prestige taken the place of God? Have you played God in your life, or has God had His way with you? Have you acted in anger, spite, or envy of another? Have you honored those who serve God in the government as His agents and prayed for those over you, or have you complained or have been indifferent?
If you are honest with God, and yourself, you will note that you have fallen far short of God’s standard of perfection. You have not been perfect as God is perfect, your life has not been holy at all times, you have not allowed God to use you, rather you have tried to use God and play the part of God in your life. The Bible says that the wages of sin is death. Even if you were to deny your sinfulness, you can’t deny the inevitability of your death. Death is the payoff for a sinful life. You HAVE sinned, you HAVE fallen short of God’s standard of perfection, and you WILL die.
So where can you go for help? Your help, the sinners’ help is in the name of the Lord. Turn to Christ; trust in what He has done for you. Trust in Jesus, for He is your HOPE, your righteousness, and your ever-present help in times of trouble.
Jesus came to be YOUR righteousness because you can never be right in and of yourself before God. This is why Jesus says: “17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” Jesus came to keep the Law on your behalf. He came to keep the Ten Commandments perfectly for you in your place. Jesus fulfilled all that was written of Him in the Law and the Prophets. The writer to the Hebrews states: “15 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. 16 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.” (Hebrews 4:15-16).
Your only hope for salvation is Jesus! For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. Jesus is your righteousness before the Father for He gave His perfect life in death as your Substitute and Savior. Jesus is the very Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus has accomplished all that is needed for your salvation. His righteousness, and His alone EXCEED the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees. And Jesus gives you this righteousness as a free gift.
This gift was given to you in your Baptism. Note what Paul says of Baptism: “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 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.” (Romans 6:1-4). You have died to sin in Baptism. In your Baptism the Holy Spirit has washed your filthy rags of righteousness. Just as Christ died so too in Baptism you were baptized into His death, so that you might die to sin and rise to newness of life in Christ. This new life in Christ has been given as a GIFT to you in your Baptism. So that, just as Jesus rose from the grave, so daily you are called to rise daily by the power of the Spirit to live for God.
The life you now live, you live to the glory of God. It is done in keeping the Ten Commandments, joyfully, in thanks to Jesus to the glory of God. Jesus explains what this life looks like when He says: “13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:13-16). You are now raised with Christ to walk in newness of life and to share in His resurrection on the Last Day. And so you are to live as if you are dead to sin and alive to God in Jesus Christ, living out your life as a shining light to others revealing the grace of God in Jesus Christ.
Today Christians just shake their heads at the state of things in our world today. It seems as if everything is falling apart at the seams. Those Christian values, which we grew up with and held so dear, are now marginalized and trivialized. I ran across an interesting comment by retired Anglican pastor John Stott. Stott, who was a pastor in London England, once remarked concerning what he saw as the declining values in America by saying:
‘You know what your own country is like. I'm a visitor, and I wouldn't presume to speak about America. But I know what Great Britain is like. I know something about the growing dishonesty, corruption, immorality, violence, pornography, the diminishing respect for human life, and the increase in abortion. Whose fault is it? Let me put it like this: if the house is dark at night, there is no sense in blaming the house. That's what happens when the sun goes down. The question to ask is, "Where is the light?” if meat goes bad, there is no sense in blaming the meat. That is what happens when the bacteria are allowed to breed unchecked. The question to ask is, "Where is the salt?” if society becomes corrupt like a dark night or stinking fish, there's no sense in blaming society. That's what happens when fallen human society is left to itself and human evil is unrestrained and unchecked. The question to ask is "Where is the church?"
Where is the Church? Dear friend, YOU ARE THE CHURCH! You have been called in Baptism to follow Christ, showing by your words and action the God given faith you have in Jesus. The light of Christ has been given to you to shine in this dark world. Your only hope for your salvation is Jesus Christ. The only hope for this lost and fallen world is Jesus Christ! God seeks to use you to bring Light to the darkness and hope to the hopeless. Your hope is built on nothing less than Jesus. The only hope our neighborhoods and communities have is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which has changed your life so that others might be saved!
The power of the Gospel, the power of Christ is most vividly seen in the story told when George Bush was Vice President. As Vice President, George Bush (41 not 43) represented the U.S. at the funeral of former Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. Bush was deeply moved by a silent protest carried out by Brezhnev's widow. She stood motionless by the coffin until seconds before it was closed. Then, just as the soldiers touched the lid, Brezhnev's wife performed an act of great courage and hope, a gesture that must surely rank as one of the most profound acts of civil disobedience ever committed: She reached down and made the sign of the cross on her husband's chest.
There in the citadel of secular, atheistic power, the wife of the man who had run it all hoped that her husband was wrong. She hoped that there was another life, and that that life was best represented by Jesus who died on the cross, and that the same Jesus might yet have mercy on her husband.
Jesus has had mercy on you. He died and rose for you and gives you His light and life. He has called you by name to give hope to the hopeless by living out your faith in Jesus. So let your light shine, giving glory to God, and hope to many. In Jesus’ name.
Amen
MATTHEW 5:17-26
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
In the name of Jesus:
I read about an instant cake mix that was a big flop. The instructions said all you had to do was add water and bake. The company couldn't understand why it didn't sell -- until their research discovered that the buying public felt uneasy about a mix that required only water. Apparently people thought it was too easy. So the company altered the formula and changed the directions to call for adding an egg to the mix in addition to the water. The idea worked and sales jumped dramatically.
This story simply illustrates the reaction that many have to salvation by grace through faith in Christ. For some who balk at God’s grace, it sounds too easy and simple to be true, even though the Bible says, "By grace you have been saved through faith... it is the gift of God, not of works" (Eph. 2:8-9). They think that there has to be more to it, that there is something more they must do, something they must add to God's "recipe" for salvation. They think they must perform good works to gain God's favor and earn eternal life. But the Bible is clear -- we are saved, "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy" (Titus 3:5). God has not changed the Gospel. The Good News is that He saves by a free gift of His love through faith in Jesus Christ. Our good works are merely thank yous, flowing from grateful hearts to God.
When Jesus ushered in the Kingdom by calling sinners to repentance, He proclaimed the Law of God in its sternest terms. This is what He does today. It is the meaning of His words: “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of heaven.” True righteousness, a right standing with God exists only because a right relationship with Jesus. Salvation is given by God’s grace through faith in Christ. The Scribes and Pharisees didn’t grasp this concept because of their hatred of Jesus.
In the Old Testament lesson for today, we read of God’s Ten Commandments. The Law of God was given by God to curb lawlessness, show sinners their sinfulness, and as a third use is to be used by Christians as a guide or rule for thankful living to God. For the Pharisees and Scribes, whose hatred of Jesus blinded them, the Law of God was not enough to be right with God. More was needed, much more.
Jesus summed up the Ten Commandments in two verses: Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength. In addition to this, love your neighbor as yourself. These words sum up the Ten Commandments perfectly. But for the Pharisees, this wasn’t enough. The Pharisees had developed a system of 613 laws, 365 negative commands and 248 positive laws. They continued to invent new laws for new situations. Even though God was the judge, they believed that they could judge others and so they held people accountable to their own standard of righteousness. People had to live to please the Pharisees, not God. The Pharisee and his version of righteousness was cold and heartless, it was not produced by love for God, it was more interested in the praise of men, instead of God’s will and lives lived to His glory.
Make no mistake, the scribes and Pharisees were religious people. They were more interested in the externals; a life rooted in works, thinking that by their works God would be pleased. They rejected Jesus and His message of love and grace. But Jesus rejected their teachings and their works. I like what author Frederick Buechner wrote: “The trouble with religious people is that they try to be more spiritual than God.” How true. The trouble with the scribes and Pharisees is that they tried to be more spiritual than God. They thought that they could live lives, which would give them a right relationship with God.
Who can do this? Not the Scribes, not the Pharisees, and certainly not you or me! NO one can keep God’s Law perfectly, this is what He commands when He says Be holy as I the Lord your God am holy. God requires perfection in thought, word, and deed. His standard is the perfect keeping of HIS commandments, not man made ones. And in this you and I and every human being falls far short!
God demands perfection! God demands holiness! Nothing more and nothing less! And so Jesus says: Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you won’t enter the Kingdom of heaven. Examine your life in light of God’s law: Have you loved God above all things? Or have money, power, prestige taken the place of God? Have you played God in your life, or has God had His way with you? Have you acted in anger, spite, or envy of another? Have you honored those who serve God in the government as His agents and prayed for those over you, or have you complained or have been indifferent?
If you are honest with God, and yourself, you will note that you have fallen far short of God’s standard of perfection. You have not been perfect as God is perfect, your life has not been holy at all times, you have not allowed God to use you, rather you have tried to use God and play the part of God in your life. The Bible says that the wages of sin is death. Even if you were to deny your sinfulness, you can’t deny the inevitability of your death. Death is the payoff for a sinful life. You HAVE sinned, you HAVE fallen short of God’s standard of perfection, and you WILL die.
So where can you go for help? Your help, the sinners’ help is in the name of the Lord. Turn to Christ; trust in what He has done for you. Trust in Jesus, for He is your HOPE, your righteousness, and your ever-present help in times of trouble.
Jesus came to be YOUR righteousness because you can never be right in and of yourself before God. This is why Jesus says: “17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” Jesus came to keep the Law on your behalf. He came to keep the Ten Commandments perfectly for you in your place. Jesus fulfilled all that was written of Him in the Law and the Prophets. The writer to the Hebrews states: “15 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. 16 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.” (Hebrews 4:15-16).
Your only hope for salvation is Jesus! For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. Jesus is your righteousness before the Father for He gave His perfect life in death as your Substitute and Savior. Jesus is the very Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus has accomplished all that is needed for your salvation. His righteousness, and His alone EXCEED the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees. And Jesus gives you this righteousness as a free gift.
This gift was given to you in your Baptism. Note what Paul says of Baptism: “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 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.” (Romans 6:1-4). You have died to sin in Baptism. In your Baptism the Holy Spirit has washed your filthy rags of righteousness. Just as Christ died so too in Baptism you were baptized into His death, so that you might die to sin and rise to newness of life in Christ. This new life in Christ has been given as a GIFT to you in your Baptism. So that, just as Jesus rose from the grave, so daily you are called to rise daily by the power of the Spirit to live for God.
The life you now live, you live to the glory of God. It is done in keeping the Ten Commandments, joyfully, in thanks to Jesus to the glory of God. Jesus explains what this life looks like when He says: “13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:13-16). You are now raised with Christ to walk in newness of life and to share in His resurrection on the Last Day. And so you are to live as if you are dead to sin and alive to God in Jesus Christ, living out your life as a shining light to others revealing the grace of God in Jesus Christ.
Today Christians just shake their heads at the state of things in our world today. It seems as if everything is falling apart at the seams. Those Christian values, which we grew up with and held so dear, are now marginalized and trivialized. I ran across an interesting comment by retired Anglican pastor John Stott. Stott, who was a pastor in London England, once remarked concerning what he saw as the declining values in America by saying:
‘You know what your own country is like. I'm a visitor, and I wouldn't presume to speak about America. But I know what Great Britain is like. I know something about the growing dishonesty, corruption, immorality, violence, pornography, the diminishing respect for human life, and the increase in abortion. Whose fault is it? Let me put it like this: if the house is dark at night, there is no sense in blaming the house. That's what happens when the sun goes down. The question to ask is, "Where is the light?” if meat goes bad, there is no sense in blaming the meat. That is what happens when the bacteria are allowed to breed unchecked. The question to ask is, "Where is the salt?” if society becomes corrupt like a dark night or stinking fish, there's no sense in blaming society. That's what happens when fallen human society is left to itself and human evil is unrestrained and unchecked. The question to ask is "Where is the church?"
Where is the Church? Dear friend, YOU ARE THE CHURCH! You have been called in Baptism to follow Christ, showing by your words and action the God given faith you have in Jesus. The light of Christ has been given to you to shine in this dark world. Your only hope for your salvation is Jesus Christ. The only hope for this lost and fallen world is Jesus Christ! God seeks to use you to bring Light to the darkness and hope to the hopeless. Your hope is built on nothing less than Jesus. The only hope our neighborhoods and communities have is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which has changed your life so that others might be saved!
The power of the Gospel, the power of Christ is most vividly seen in the story told when George Bush was Vice President. As Vice President, George Bush (41 not 43) represented the U.S. at the funeral of former Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. Bush was deeply moved by a silent protest carried out by Brezhnev's widow. She stood motionless by the coffin until seconds before it was closed. Then, just as the soldiers touched the lid, Brezhnev's wife performed an act of great courage and hope, a gesture that must surely rank as one of the most profound acts of civil disobedience ever committed: She reached down and made the sign of the cross on her husband's chest.
There in the citadel of secular, atheistic power, the wife of the man who had run it all hoped that her husband was wrong. She hoped that there was another life, and that that life was best represented by Jesus who died on the cross, and that the same Jesus might yet have mercy on her husband.
Jesus has had mercy on you. He died and rose for you and gives you His light and life. He has called you by name to give hope to the hopeless by living out your faith in Jesus. So let your light shine, giving glory to God, and hope to many. In Jesus’ name.
Amen
Monday, July 25, 2011
Fishers of Men
FISHERS OF MEN
LUKE 5:1-11
5:1 On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7 They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” 9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” 11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
In the name of Jesus:
Have you been fishing lately? The last time I went fishing was over ten years ago. I had never been fishing before, being a city boy from Cleveland. Drew and Mark wanted to go fishing, some of their school friends had been fishing with their dads and both boys thought it would be a good idea to go with their dad. I had no idea what to do, the only fishing I saw were people fishing on the rocks jutting out to Lake Erie when I was growing up, and I distinctly remember Andy of Mayberry taking Opie fishing at the local pond. But me, fishing? I had no idea what to do.
Luann suggested that I go to Lancaster Sales to pick up a license and some inexpensive rods and reels. I asked around and purchased what we needed but had to go to a store to pick up bait, something to lure the fish to bite the hook on the line. I went to a store that sold bait and found out more than I wanted to know about bait. There are different baits for different fish, some like worms; others prefer something else like chicken. Different lures will entice different fish, as each fish has their own likes and dislikes.
The day of our blessed fishing event was comical. The boys took to it well, but I kept getting the line hooked in a tree or a bush. When we were lucky enough to catch a fish, the boys took holding the fish’s mouth and taking out the hook. Me? I rather watch!
Fishing is great fun, and I enjoyed my brief career as a fisherman. My experience taught me that you don’t have to know a lot about it to enjoy it. Fishing was a major industry in the days of Christ. If you live by Buckeye Lake, or one of the Great Lakes or the oceans, you know that fishing is big business today. People dedicate their lives to the sport. Fishing is a way of life for many.
Fishing is a way of life for the Christian as well. Jesus says as much when He tells Peter that He will make them catchers of men. Instead of fishing for men they will catch men. But what does Jesus mean?
Peter knew about fishing. He was one, as James and John, who dedicated their lives to the fishing industry. They knew of the lures, the bait, the right times to fish, they could tell you how to fish and make a living out of it. In our text for today, Peter, James and John, the fishermen of the bunch, were out all night fishing. The text says, “We have toiled all night and took nothing.” These men worked at their trade, they did everything within the realm of possibility to catch fish, using all of the resources of their intellect, will, and body to catch fish. But in the end, they came up with nothing. Nada. Their efforts were fruitless.
Jesus, knowing this, told Peter to “put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch”. Peter probably thought: “Lord, I have been there and have done that.” But Peter responded to the Lord by saying: “But at your word I will let down the nets.” Peter had nothing; he could only trust Christ and His Word. And so he did, and Luke records that the fish were of such number that they were caught but that the nets enclosed around the fish, so much so that the boats were filled with fish and began to sink. Peter in faith recognized the power of Christ and His Word, confessed His sinfulness and begged the Lord to leave him alone, for a sinner is not worthy to stand before the Holy God. But what does Jesus do, but forgive Peter. He forgives and empowers him to do something other than hunting and killing fish; Peter would be empowered to seek to gather mortal men to everlasting life. But how would this be done?
Not by power or earthly might. Not by human wisdom or insight. To gather people to everlasting life can only occur by the power of God. So where is that power? Listen to the Apostle Paul: 18 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. 19 For it is written,” I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (1 Cor. 1:18-25).
The only fishing lure that God uses to bring people to eternal life is His Word, the Law which shows us our sins and our need, and the Gospel which provides the gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ. Note what Paul is saying here. The Church is called to fish for sinners. Sinners will be gathered to God in Jesus Christ. The power of salvation is found only in Jesus Christ, in His innocent life, suffering, death, and resurrection. Only by the shed blood of Christ does God forgive sins. Only by the sacrifice that Christ paid on the cross are sinners saved. Not by human wisdom. Not by human effort. Not by hooks or tricks or modern philosophy. Only by Christ.
Christ grants salvation only through His Word. At the Lord’s Word did Peter cast the nets out, and at Christ’s Word did the fish gather to be collected. Not only Peter but also the fish obeyed the Lord! Humanly speaking, it didn’t make sense to Peter. After all, he did all he COULD do. There was nothing else FOR HIM to do but trust in Jesus and His Word. Peter’s faith merely accepted what Jesus was giving him, a whole haul of fish!
So too Jesus gives you salvation only through His Word. In Baptism the Spirit gives faith in Jesus. Modern man scoffs at such talk! It is just water, what can water do??? But Baptism is not just simple water, but it is water comprehended in and connected with God’s Word. Without the Word Baptism is no Baptism but is only water, but with the water and the Word Baptism gives faith in Christ and eternal life.
Jesus today comes to you in, with, and under the forms of bread and wine. Modern man once again scoffs at such “silliness”. It is just bread and wine, the “wise people” say. What good can that do? But Jesus says that He is really present, He invites you to take and eat, take and drink His body and blood. Why? For the forgiveness of your sins, for the strengthening of your faith, so that you might go in peace and serve the Lord. Without the Word the elements are simple bread and wine, but with the Lord’s Word God gives His gifts of salvation won by His cross.
Peter trusted the Lord’s Word. He was blessed, called by God to cast out the net of salvation to sinners and see many believe in Jesus BY THE POWER OF THE CROSS OF CHRIST. For man is saved by grace through faith in Jesus, not of his own doing but solely by the grace of God through faith in Jesus. God has so blessed you this day with faith in Jesus, and has so strengthened your faith in Jesus through this Meal that you are now sent by Him to fish for men, that through the Word of Christ working in and through your life sinners will be gathered to the Savior, Jesus.
Peter in one sense hit the fishing jackpot. He caught a boatload of fish which, when taken to market, would have been a huge financial windfall for him and James and John. But Peter wasn’t interested in the cash. Recognizing his sinfulness, he confessed his sin and trusted in Christ. And note: “when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.” Peter and the others had a change in their life and priorities. What mattered most was not financial gain, or the growth of the fishing company. What mattered the most was Jesus. Receiving Christ’s forgiveness they were empowered to reach out and gather sinners to Christ, by simply proclaiming Christ crucified and risen again.
God has given to you a calling. Whether you are a husband or wife, parent or child, worker or retired, God has called you to be His disciple in this time and place. As God’s disciple God calls you to live out your faith. As Martin Luther wrote: “It is a great gift of God to live in the light of the Word and the divine calling. For the Word directs the course of life day and night…we should do nothing contrary to the obedience and reverence we owe to God.” (LW 8:83).
Dear friend, in Baptism God has called you by name, you now belong to Him. As a disciple of Jesus, Jesus now calls you to a life of discipleship. Daily you are to follow Him, listen to His Word, trust in Christ for forgiveness and life, and live out that faith in Christ for all to see. Even as Jesus sent Peter to share the Gospel of Christ, so too this day Jesus challenges you to become a fisher of men. that through your words, actions, and attitude you will proclaim Christ as Savior, to the glory of God.
Amen
LUKE 5:1-11
5:1 On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7 They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” 9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” 11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
In the name of Jesus:
Have you been fishing lately? The last time I went fishing was over ten years ago. I had never been fishing before, being a city boy from Cleveland. Drew and Mark wanted to go fishing, some of their school friends had been fishing with their dads and both boys thought it would be a good idea to go with their dad. I had no idea what to do, the only fishing I saw were people fishing on the rocks jutting out to Lake Erie when I was growing up, and I distinctly remember Andy of Mayberry taking Opie fishing at the local pond. But me, fishing? I had no idea what to do.
Luann suggested that I go to Lancaster Sales to pick up a license and some inexpensive rods and reels. I asked around and purchased what we needed but had to go to a store to pick up bait, something to lure the fish to bite the hook on the line. I went to a store that sold bait and found out more than I wanted to know about bait. There are different baits for different fish, some like worms; others prefer something else like chicken. Different lures will entice different fish, as each fish has their own likes and dislikes.
The day of our blessed fishing event was comical. The boys took to it well, but I kept getting the line hooked in a tree or a bush. When we were lucky enough to catch a fish, the boys took holding the fish’s mouth and taking out the hook. Me? I rather watch!
Fishing is great fun, and I enjoyed my brief career as a fisherman. My experience taught me that you don’t have to know a lot about it to enjoy it. Fishing was a major industry in the days of Christ. If you live by Buckeye Lake, or one of the Great Lakes or the oceans, you know that fishing is big business today. People dedicate their lives to the sport. Fishing is a way of life for many.
Fishing is a way of life for the Christian as well. Jesus says as much when He tells Peter that He will make them catchers of men. Instead of fishing for men they will catch men. But what does Jesus mean?
Peter knew about fishing. He was one, as James and John, who dedicated their lives to the fishing industry. They knew of the lures, the bait, the right times to fish, they could tell you how to fish and make a living out of it. In our text for today, Peter, James and John, the fishermen of the bunch, were out all night fishing. The text says, “We have toiled all night and took nothing.” These men worked at their trade, they did everything within the realm of possibility to catch fish, using all of the resources of their intellect, will, and body to catch fish. But in the end, they came up with nothing. Nada. Their efforts were fruitless.
Jesus, knowing this, told Peter to “put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch”. Peter probably thought: “Lord, I have been there and have done that.” But Peter responded to the Lord by saying: “But at your word I will let down the nets.” Peter had nothing; he could only trust Christ and His Word. And so he did, and Luke records that the fish were of such number that they were caught but that the nets enclosed around the fish, so much so that the boats were filled with fish and began to sink. Peter in faith recognized the power of Christ and His Word, confessed His sinfulness and begged the Lord to leave him alone, for a sinner is not worthy to stand before the Holy God. But what does Jesus do, but forgive Peter. He forgives and empowers him to do something other than hunting and killing fish; Peter would be empowered to seek to gather mortal men to everlasting life. But how would this be done?
Not by power or earthly might. Not by human wisdom or insight. To gather people to everlasting life can only occur by the power of God. So where is that power? Listen to the Apostle Paul: 18 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. 19 For it is written,” I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (1 Cor. 1:18-25).
The only fishing lure that God uses to bring people to eternal life is His Word, the Law which shows us our sins and our need, and the Gospel which provides the gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ. Note what Paul is saying here. The Church is called to fish for sinners. Sinners will be gathered to God in Jesus Christ. The power of salvation is found only in Jesus Christ, in His innocent life, suffering, death, and resurrection. Only by the shed blood of Christ does God forgive sins. Only by the sacrifice that Christ paid on the cross are sinners saved. Not by human wisdom. Not by human effort. Not by hooks or tricks or modern philosophy. Only by Christ.
Christ grants salvation only through His Word. At the Lord’s Word did Peter cast the nets out, and at Christ’s Word did the fish gather to be collected. Not only Peter but also the fish obeyed the Lord! Humanly speaking, it didn’t make sense to Peter. After all, he did all he COULD do. There was nothing else FOR HIM to do but trust in Jesus and His Word. Peter’s faith merely accepted what Jesus was giving him, a whole haul of fish!
So too Jesus gives you salvation only through His Word. In Baptism the Spirit gives faith in Jesus. Modern man scoffs at such talk! It is just water, what can water do??? But Baptism is not just simple water, but it is water comprehended in and connected with God’s Word. Without the Word Baptism is no Baptism but is only water, but with the water and the Word Baptism gives faith in Christ and eternal life.
Jesus today comes to you in, with, and under the forms of bread and wine. Modern man once again scoffs at such “silliness”. It is just bread and wine, the “wise people” say. What good can that do? But Jesus says that He is really present, He invites you to take and eat, take and drink His body and blood. Why? For the forgiveness of your sins, for the strengthening of your faith, so that you might go in peace and serve the Lord. Without the Word the elements are simple bread and wine, but with the Lord’s Word God gives His gifts of salvation won by His cross.
Peter trusted the Lord’s Word. He was blessed, called by God to cast out the net of salvation to sinners and see many believe in Jesus BY THE POWER OF THE CROSS OF CHRIST. For man is saved by grace through faith in Jesus, not of his own doing but solely by the grace of God through faith in Jesus. God has so blessed you this day with faith in Jesus, and has so strengthened your faith in Jesus through this Meal that you are now sent by Him to fish for men, that through the Word of Christ working in and through your life sinners will be gathered to the Savior, Jesus.
Peter in one sense hit the fishing jackpot. He caught a boatload of fish which, when taken to market, would have been a huge financial windfall for him and James and John. But Peter wasn’t interested in the cash. Recognizing his sinfulness, he confessed his sin and trusted in Christ. And note: “when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.” Peter and the others had a change in their life and priorities. What mattered most was not financial gain, or the growth of the fishing company. What mattered the most was Jesus. Receiving Christ’s forgiveness they were empowered to reach out and gather sinners to Christ, by simply proclaiming Christ crucified and risen again.
God has given to you a calling. Whether you are a husband or wife, parent or child, worker or retired, God has called you to be His disciple in this time and place. As God’s disciple God calls you to live out your faith. As Martin Luther wrote: “It is a great gift of God to live in the light of the Word and the divine calling. For the Word directs the course of life day and night…we should do nothing contrary to the obedience and reverence we owe to God.” (LW 8:83).
Dear friend, in Baptism God has called you by name, you now belong to Him. As a disciple of Jesus, Jesus now calls you to a life of discipleship. Daily you are to follow Him, listen to His Word, trust in Christ for forgiveness and life, and live out that faith in Christ for all to see. Even as Jesus sent Peter to share the Gospel of Christ, so too this day Jesus challenges you to become a fisher of men. that through your words, actions, and attitude you will proclaim Christ as Savior, to the glory of God.
Amen
Friday, July 22, 2011
Standing in the place of God
STANDING IN THE PLACE OF GOD
GENESIS 50:15-19
15 When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.” 16 So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died, 17 ‘Say to Joseph, Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” 19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? 20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. 21 So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit:
This past week at VBS I had the opportunity to teach the pre school children. One of the techniques that were suggested in teaching 3, 4, and 5 year olds was play-acting. When one play-acts in teaching children, the teacher lead the children in acting out the story being told. For example, in the case of Moses parting the Red Sea, the students will act out with their arms the separation of the waters, and make believe that they are walking through the Red Sea as on dry ground. These types of techniques can be helpful in learning.
In the area of the fine arts and drama, actors will attempt to learn all they can about a character in the part that they play in the drama. Actors will seek to get inside the character to actually and accurately portray the part. They will, in a sense, stand in the place of the person they are trying to portray.
All of this is in good fun and is entertaining for the actors and those engrossed in the story. There are times we need to be engrossed in such types of entertainment, to divert us from the problems and trials we all face. We need to be engrossed because life itself is all too engrossing. It is easy to get all wrapped up in our own problems that we fail to not only see the big picture, but that we also lose perspective. The Old Testament lesson for today serves as a reality check for us today.
The story in the familiar story of Joseph, he of whom Andrew Lloyd Webber popularized in his play: “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream coat”. Joseph, one of the 12 sons of Jacob, was an interpreter of dreams. His God given ability to interpret dreams got him into trouble with his jealous brothers, who sold him to traders when he was young, then lied to their father Jacob over Joseph’s whereabouts, saying the Joseph was dead!
God however had amazing plans for Joseph, even though those plans led him to an unjust imprisonment over the false accusation of Potiphar’s wife. While in prison, Joseph was able to interpret a butler and baker’s dream, and once Pharaoh got wind of Joseph, the Egyptian leader summoned Joseph to interpret his own troubling dream. Pharaoh, upon hearing of an impending famine through Joseph’s interpretation, appointed Joseph to be one in charge of preparing for the famine. Joseph, because of God’s blessing and God’s gift of interpretation of dreams, became second in power only to Pharaoh in all of Egypt.
The famine was severe, and Jacob, along with his family, was suffering back home. Jacob sent his sons to see if they could buy any food in Egypt to bring home with them. They came to Joseph, who told them that they could have food only on one condition that they would leave Benjamin behind. The sons reluctantly agreed to this and brought food home with them to Jacob and the family but Jacob was none too pleased. Thinking Joseph was dead, he wondered if Benjamin would meet the same fate. Soon the food bought from Egypt would run out and Jacob once again sent his sons to buy some in Egypt. Once again the brothers approached Joseph, who gave them food along with returning the money they used to purchase the food. Upon returning to Egypt, Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, and they in turn went to get Jacob, to take him and the rest of the family to Egypt, there reunited with Joseph, and Jacob with all of his children, lived until he died.
After Jacob’s death, the sons of Jacob were fearful. Would Joseph now seek retribution? Would he now act in vengeance toward those who had wronged him? This was the question, the big elephant in the room so to speak, that everyone wondered about. And this is where we pick up our text for today. And we read: “15 When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.” 16 So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died, 17 ‘Say to Joseph, Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” 19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? 20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. 21 So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.”
Note Joseph’s powerful words: Am I in the place of God? Can I stand in God’s place and judge you? Heaven forbid, says Joseph, for God is only the one true Judge. He alone brings about good from evil, and because God has shown mercy to me and has used this to His glory many people are alive today! Joseph thus spoke kindly to them and comforted them, for Joseph rightly understood that he could not stand in the place of God and judge his brothers.
You see, God was merciful to Joseph, so he in turn, in thanks to God, was merciful to those others, even though they wronged him. Joseph trusted in God’s mercy throughout his life and having been a recipient of His mercy, he could do no less than share that mercy with others.
Do you stand in the place of God? In one respect, yes , you stand in the place of God when you seek to take matters into your own hands. When you are wronged and then stand in judgment against the one who has wronged you, you stand in the place of God. When you seek retribution and harm over and against those who have wronged you, you stand in the place of God. And this is not pleasing to God. Who are you to judge or to stand in God’s place to work your will when He alone is God and is able to do anything, which pleases Him? God doesn’t call you to take out your anger on another! Listen to what God says: “Vengeance is mine, I will repay.” (Romans 12:14-21). When you condemn another or seek to avenge yourself, you put yourself in the place of God, seeking to stand in God’s place. Does not God say that you shall have no other gods besides Me? To seek vengeance fails to trust in God that He is just and that He will do what is right by you.
This is what God has exactly done! He has sought vengeance and accomplished justice on your behalf. It is not as a result of anything that you have done or what you could accomplish. God has done this solely by His almighty power and His justice flows from His everlasting love.
For God’s good News is that Jesus has stood in your place! He accomplished all that you could not do by keeping God’s Law perfectly. When wronged, Jesus did not seek retribution but turned the other cheek, again, and again, and again. Jesus is the Lamb of God and when led to the cross He was like a lamb led to the slaughter, not opening His mouth but He willing lived, suffered, and died on the cross to pay the price for all sin and injustice. God’s justice in found in the cross of Christ, His only Son who gave His life for your sins and the sins of the world.
Only Jesus is merciful, as His Father is merciful. Just as Jesus forgave those who condemned Him to death so He also forgives you. His blood washes even the vilest sin away. He doesn’t condemn you today, rather He gives newness of life! Jesus places you in Him so that by God’s grace you can stand as His child. In Baptism God has placed you in Jesus so that now you are in good standing with God. Today He feeds you with His true body and blood. Nourished by Jesus you now by His grace stand in His place to share His mercy and love with others.
In Jesus you are now a son of the Father. In Jesus you are called to be merciful to those who have wronged you, forgiving those who have hurt you, doing good even to your enemies. For this is God’s good and gracious will; that you would “be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.” For as you stand by grace through faith in the mercies of God in Christ, you are now sent to stand in His mercy to share His mercy with others.
To God be the glory.
Amen
GENESIS 50:15-19
15 When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.” 16 So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died, 17 ‘Say to Joseph, Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” 19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? 20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. 21 So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit:
This past week at VBS I had the opportunity to teach the pre school children. One of the techniques that were suggested in teaching 3, 4, and 5 year olds was play-acting. When one play-acts in teaching children, the teacher lead the children in acting out the story being told. For example, in the case of Moses parting the Red Sea, the students will act out with their arms the separation of the waters, and make believe that they are walking through the Red Sea as on dry ground. These types of techniques can be helpful in learning.
In the area of the fine arts and drama, actors will attempt to learn all they can about a character in the part that they play in the drama. Actors will seek to get inside the character to actually and accurately portray the part. They will, in a sense, stand in the place of the person they are trying to portray.
All of this is in good fun and is entertaining for the actors and those engrossed in the story. There are times we need to be engrossed in such types of entertainment, to divert us from the problems and trials we all face. We need to be engrossed because life itself is all too engrossing. It is easy to get all wrapped up in our own problems that we fail to not only see the big picture, but that we also lose perspective. The Old Testament lesson for today serves as a reality check for us today.
The story in the familiar story of Joseph, he of whom Andrew Lloyd Webber popularized in his play: “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream coat”. Joseph, one of the 12 sons of Jacob, was an interpreter of dreams. His God given ability to interpret dreams got him into trouble with his jealous brothers, who sold him to traders when he was young, then lied to their father Jacob over Joseph’s whereabouts, saying the Joseph was dead!
God however had amazing plans for Joseph, even though those plans led him to an unjust imprisonment over the false accusation of Potiphar’s wife. While in prison, Joseph was able to interpret a butler and baker’s dream, and once Pharaoh got wind of Joseph, the Egyptian leader summoned Joseph to interpret his own troubling dream. Pharaoh, upon hearing of an impending famine through Joseph’s interpretation, appointed Joseph to be one in charge of preparing for the famine. Joseph, because of God’s blessing and God’s gift of interpretation of dreams, became second in power only to Pharaoh in all of Egypt.
The famine was severe, and Jacob, along with his family, was suffering back home. Jacob sent his sons to see if they could buy any food in Egypt to bring home with them. They came to Joseph, who told them that they could have food only on one condition that they would leave Benjamin behind. The sons reluctantly agreed to this and brought food home with them to Jacob and the family but Jacob was none too pleased. Thinking Joseph was dead, he wondered if Benjamin would meet the same fate. Soon the food bought from Egypt would run out and Jacob once again sent his sons to buy some in Egypt. Once again the brothers approached Joseph, who gave them food along with returning the money they used to purchase the food. Upon returning to Egypt, Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, and they in turn went to get Jacob, to take him and the rest of the family to Egypt, there reunited with Joseph, and Jacob with all of his children, lived until he died.
After Jacob’s death, the sons of Jacob were fearful. Would Joseph now seek retribution? Would he now act in vengeance toward those who had wronged him? This was the question, the big elephant in the room so to speak, that everyone wondered about. And this is where we pick up our text for today. And we read: “15 When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.” 16 So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died, 17 ‘Say to Joseph, Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” 19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? 20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. 21 So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.”
Note Joseph’s powerful words: Am I in the place of God? Can I stand in God’s place and judge you? Heaven forbid, says Joseph, for God is only the one true Judge. He alone brings about good from evil, and because God has shown mercy to me and has used this to His glory many people are alive today! Joseph thus spoke kindly to them and comforted them, for Joseph rightly understood that he could not stand in the place of God and judge his brothers.
You see, God was merciful to Joseph, so he in turn, in thanks to God, was merciful to those others, even though they wronged him. Joseph trusted in God’s mercy throughout his life and having been a recipient of His mercy, he could do no less than share that mercy with others.
Do you stand in the place of God? In one respect, yes , you stand in the place of God when you seek to take matters into your own hands. When you are wronged and then stand in judgment against the one who has wronged you, you stand in the place of God. When you seek retribution and harm over and against those who have wronged you, you stand in the place of God. And this is not pleasing to God. Who are you to judge or to stand in God’s place to work your will when He alone is God and is able to do anything, which pleases Him? God doesn’t call you to take out your anger on another! Listen to what God says: “Vengeance is mine, I will repay.” (Romans 12:14-21). When you condemn another or seek to avenge yourself, you put yourself in the place of God, seeking to stand in God’s place. Does not God say that you shall have no other gods besides Me? To seek vengeance fails to trust in God that He is just and that He will do what is right by you.
This is what God has exactly done! He has sought vengeance and accomplished justice on your behalf. It is not as a result of anything that you have done or what you could accomplish. God has done this solely by His almighty power and His justice flows from His everlasting love.
For God’s good News is that Jesus has stood in your place! He accomplished all that you could not do by keeping God’s Law perfectly. When wronged, Jesus did not seek retribution but turned the other cheek, again, and again, and again. Jesus is the Lamb of God and when led to the cross He was like a lamb led to the slaughter, not opening His mouth but He willing lived, suffered, and died on the cross to pay the price for all sin and injustice. God’s justice in found in the cross of Christ, His only Son who gave His life for your sins and the sins of the world.
Only Jesus is merciful, as His Father is merciful. Just as Jesus forgave those who condemned Him to death so He also forgives you. His blood washes even the vilest sin away. He doesn’t condemn you today, rather He gives newness of life! Jesus places you in Him so that by God’s grace you can stand as His child. In Baptism God has placed you in Jesus so that now you are in good standing with God. Today He feeds you with His true body and blood. Nourished by Jesus you now by His grace stand in His place to share His mercy and love with others.
In Jesus you are now a son of the Father. In Jesus you are called to be merciful to those who have wronged you, forgiving those who have hurt you, doing good even to your enemies. For this is God’s good and gracious will; that you would “be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.” For as you stand by grace through faith in the mercies of God in Christ, you are now sent to stand in His mercy to share His mercy with others.
To God be the glory.
Amen
Thursday, July 21, 2011
A New Bible Handbook
I recently ordered, and received in the mail today, "Concordia's Complete Bible Handbook for Students" published by CPH. At first glance it is a beautiful book with lots of helpful information. The pictures and illustrations alone are worth the price of the book. I plan on using it as reference, along with the Lutheran Study Bible, as a tool in my sermon and bible study preparation. But one thing that I have noticed which is lacking in this book is an index. I tried to find information on Pharisees but couldn't find it easily. I know it is in there, I just have to find it. So, in the next edition, perhaps it would be helpful to include an index for easier reference.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Sinners on Trial
SINNERS ON TRIAL
I TIMOTHY 1:15
15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.
In the name of Jesus:
In the world of judges and juries, we have recently witnessed another “Trial of the Century” in the events, which transpired in the Casey Anthony trial. Not since the O J Simpson trial has our nation’s attention been fixated on a verdict of a trial. The headlines in the Columbus Dispatch on Wednesday blared the news: “Casey Anthony Cleared in the Death of Her Daughter.” Then, in an Associated Press story, the article explained: “Casey Anthony's eyes welled with tears and her lips trembled as the verdict was read once, twice and then a third time: "Not guilty" of killing her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee.
Outside the courthouse, many in the crowd of 500 reacted with anger, chanting, "Justice for Caylee!" and "Baby killer!"
In one of the most-divisive verdicts since O.J. Simpson was acquitted in 1995 of murdering his ex-wife, Anthony was cleared yesterday of murder, manslaughter and child-abuse charges after weeks of TV coverage.
Anthony, 25, was convicted only of four misdemeanor counts of lying to investigators who were looking into the child's June 2008 disappearance. Anthony could get up to a year behind bars on each count when she is sentenced Thursday morning. But since she has been in jail for nearly three years already, she could walk free. Had she been convicted of murder, she could have gotten the death penalty.”
Many who watched the trial were stunned at this verdict. From the circumstantial evidence, it SEEMS as if Casey Anthony killed her daughter. And yet, the verdict was not guilty. Note, the verdict was not guilty; the jury decided that they had reasonable doubt as to whether Casey killed Caylee. Casey was NOT proven to be innocent, there is plenty of blame to go around in her dysfunctional family, and Casey is not without fault. But the verdict was not guilty, and she will be able to walk away a free person, no punishment for whatever crime might have been committed by whoever killed Caylee.
The nation’s sense of justice has been violated. Many think that this verdict is a travesty. It is not my intent to place blame on anyone in this case in this message, what I do want you to see, though, is that people do walk free who are as guilty as sin of crimes committed. It happens all the time. Maybe not in a court of law, but in God’s scheme of things, in His divine justice, sinners who deserve the death penalty hear the verdict of NOT GUILTY all of the time. That is the message of our text for today; it is the message of the Bible!
In the Old Testament there is a scene recorded in Zechariah 3 of a vision that Zechariah has, to explain God’s sense of justice. The scene is a courtroom and Joshua the high priest is on trial. He stands before God as a sinner. All of the good things that he has done in life are like soiled garments when placed in contrast to God’s holiness and goodness. Satan stands on the side accusing Joshua of his sins, reminding Joshua and God of Joshua’s unrighteousness. God in His divine justice has every right to give Joshua the death penalty, to damn him to Hell. But Joshua has the best defense attorney, the Angel of the Lord, none other than Jesus Christ Himself, who orders that Joshua’s clothes be changed, from soiled garments to clean garments, to signify that Jesus has paid the price for Joshua’s ransom from sin. God the Father, looking at Joshua and hearing Jesus’ plea renders His verdict: NOT GUILTY! Another sinner goes free! Such is God’s justice. And Joshua receives this verdict in faith, leaving the courtroom singing praises to God and telling others of God’s mercy in Christ.
Humanly our sense of justice is that someone who commits a crime should be punished. The punishment should fit the crime. Why would and why should the guilty go free? And yet, in God’s divine justice, this is what has happened to you and me, indeed it is offered to all.
If you were on trial before the throne of the one Holy God, how would He judge you? God has told you what is expected of you, of how you are to love Him above all things, to show love and mercy to your neighbor. In light of God’s commands, how have you fared? What would you say to God when He would inquire of you of how you have lived your life? King David prayed: “Search me O God and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! See if there is any grievous way in me and lead me in the way of life everlasting!” (Ps. 139:23-24). Have you searched your heart? Have you seen yourself in the light of God’s mirror of the Ten Commandments? If so, you will see yourself as you really are. You have not feared, loved, or trusted in God, as He demands. You have not properly used and heard God’s Word. You have been angry, resentful, and unforgiving toward your spouse, your family members, your friends and your neighbors. You have been envious, coveting that which does not belong to you, and you have spoken slanderous words to others. And these are only the things that you know! Think about those sins that you don’t know, that you have no clue that you have committed, but God still holds you accountable! Your unclean heart has led to a life polluted with sin. In light of God’s holiness, you are unworthy to be called His child. You have offended God with your ungratefulness. What should God do? He has every right to judge you as GUILTY, for your life shows that you are guilty of sin. You deserve no good thing from God; instead you should get God’s death penalty.
But God points you to His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus has rendered full payment for your sin. With His innocent life led Jesus stood in your place, offering Himself as the Substitute for sin, for He is the very Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! You who should stand condemned before God’s throne of judgment now hear God’s verdict in Christ: NOT GUILTY! For God’s declaration is that Jesus who knew no sin actually became sin for you, that you might be right with God!
God has given this verdict. How then should the sinner respond? Some will reject the verdict, saying that it is baseless and without fact. Even though God says it in His Word, there will be those who reject the message. Others will hear the message of God’s forgiveness in Christ and rationalize why it doesn’t apply to them. Still others will shake their heads in disbelief. And do you know what? It is normal. Why? Because sinful man in his sinfulness cannot comprehend nor accept the things of God, for the Scripture says that sinful man’s heart and will is hostile to God.
So what does God do? God calls the sinner to change, to repent. But how can you repent? Even then God is gracious, sending His Holy Spirit working through Baptism and the Word to break the hearts of sinners to turn them to Him. The Spirit gives faith and works faith in your heart; so that you can know and believe that what God has done He has done for you! Even though you may regard yourself as one of the worst sinners, God is merciful and just, forgiving your sins in Jesus Christ.
The Apostle Paul knew this from experience. He violently persecuted God’s Church, seeking to destroy those who believed in Christ. Yet God was merciful to Paul, forgiving His sin in Christ and changing his heart and life so that Paul became one of the foremost of the Apostles, dedicating his life to serving Christ and spreading the news of God’s forgiveness.
This is why Paul is able to stand before God and share His love with others. And just like Paul, God has forgiven you. No matter what you have done, no matter what you have thought, no matter what you have said, Jesus has paid the penalty for your sins in His innocent life, His bitter suffering and death. In Baptism God has laid claim to your life. You now belong to Him. Called by God He now sends you to share His verdict of forgiveness with those around you. As shocking as that verdict might be to the ears of sinners today, it is sweet music to those who stand guilty before God. God forgives sinners!
So let the sinner come to Jesus! Turn to Him for He is merciful and tenderhearted. Trust in Him all of the days of your life. Serve Him in thankfulness. And share His Good News with others. For this saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Thanks be to God!
Amen
I TIMOTHY 1:15
15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.
In the name of Jesus:
In the world of judges and juries, we have recently witnessed another “Trial of the Century” in the events, which transpired in the Casey Anthony trial. Not since the O J Simpson trial has our nation’s attention been fixated on a verdict of a trial. The headlines in the Columbus Dispatch on Wednesday blared the news: “Casey Anthony Cleared in the Death of Her Daughter.” Then, in an Associated Press story, the article explained: “Casey Anthony's eyes welled with tears and her lips trembled as the verdict was read once, twice and then a third time: "Not guilty" of killing her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee.
Outside the courthouse, many in the crowd of 500 reacted with anger, chanting, "Justice for Caylee!" and "Baby killer!"
In one of the most-divisive verdicts since O.J. Simpson was acquitted in 1995 of murdering his ex-wife, Anthony was cleared yesterday of murder, manslaughter and child-abuse charges after weeks of TV coverage.
Anthony, 25, was convicted only of four misdemeanor counts of lying to investigators who were looking into the child's June 2008 disappearance. Anthony could get up to a year behind bars on each count when she is sentenced Thursday morning. But since she has been in jail for nearly three years already, she could walk free. Had she been convicted of murder, she could have gotten the death penalty.”
Many who watched the trial were stunned at this verdict. From the circumstantial evidence, it SEEMS as if Casey Anthony killed her daughter. And yet, the verdict was not guilty. Note, the verdict was not guilty; the jury decided that they had reasonable doubt as to whether Casey killed Caylee. Casey was NOT proven to be innocent, there is plenty of blame to go around in her dysfunctional family, and Casey is not without fault. But the verdict was not guilty, and she will be able to walk away a free person, no punishment for whatever crime might have been committed by whoever killed Caylee.
The nation’s sense of justice has been violated. Many think that this verdict is a travesty. It is not my intent to place blame on anyone in this case in this message, what I do want you to see, though, is that people do walk free who are as guilty as sin of crimes committed. It happens all the time. Maybe not in a court of law, but in God’s scheme of things, in His divine justice, sinners who deserve the death penalty hear the verdict of NOT GUILTY all of the time. That is the message of our text for today; it is the message of the Bible!
In the Old Testament there is a scene recorded in Zechariah 3 of a vision that Zechariah has, to explain God’s sense of justice. The scene is a courtroom and Joshua the high priest is on trial. He stands before God as a sinner. All of the good things that he has done in life are like soiled garments when placed in contrast to God’s holiness and goodness. Satan stands on the side accusing Joshua of his sins, reminding Joshua and God of Joshua’s unrighteousness. God in His divine justice has every right to give Joshua the death penalty, to damn him to Hell. But Joshua has the best defense attorney, the Angel of the Lord, none other than Jesus Christ Himself, who orders that Joshua’s clothes be changed, from soiled garments to clean garments, to signify that Jesus has paid the price for Joshua’s ransom from sin. God the Father, looking at Joshua and hearing Jesus’ plea renders His verdict: NOT GUILTY! Another sinner goes free! Such is God’s justice. And Joshua receives this verdict in faith, leaving the courtroom singing praises to God and telling others of God’s mercy in Christ.
Humanly our sense of justice is that someone who commits a crime should be punished. The punishment should fit the crime. Why would and why should the guilty go free? And yet, in God’s divine justice, this is what has happened to you and me, indeed it is offered to all.
If you were on trial before the throne of the one Holy God, how would He judge you? God has told you what is expected of you, of how you are to love Him above all things, to show love and mercy to your neighbor. In light of God’s commands, how have you fared? What would you say to God when He would inquire of you of how you have lived your life? King David prayed: “Search me O God and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! See if there is any grievous way in me and lead me in the way of life everlasting!” (Ps. 139:23-24). Have you searched your heart? Have you seen yourself in the light of God’s mirror of the Ten Commandments? If so, you will see yourself as you really are. You have not feared, loved, or trusted in God, as He demands. You have not properly used and heard God’s Word. You have been angry, resentful, and unforgiving toward your spouse, your family members, your friends and your neighbors. You have been envious, coveting that which does not belong to you, and you have spoken slanderous words to others. And these are only the things that you know! Think about those sins that you don’t know, that you have no clue that you have committed, but God still holds you accountable! Your unclean heart has led to a life polluted with sin. In light of God’s holiness, you are unworthy to be called His child. You have offended God with your ungratefulness. What should God do? He has every right to judge you as GUILTY, for your life shows that you are guilty of sin. You deserve no good thing from God; instead you should get God’s death penalty.
But God points you to His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus has rendered full payment for your sin. With His innocent life led Jesus stood in your place, offering Himself as the Substitute for sin, for He is the very Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! You who should stand condemned before God’s throne of judgment now hear God’s verdict in Christ: NOT GUILTY! For God’s declaration is that Jesus who knew no sin actually became sin for you, that you might be right with God!
God has given this verdict. How then should the sinner respond? Some will reject the verdict, saying that it is baseless and without fact. Even though God says it in His Word, there will be those who reject the message. Others will hear the message of God’s forgiveness in Christ and rationalize why it doesn’t apply to them. Still others will shake their heads in disbelief. And do you know what? It is normal. Why? Because sinful man in his sinfulness cannot comprehend nor accept the things of God, for the Scripture says that sinful man’s heart and will is hostile to God.
So what does God do? God calls the sinner to change, to repent. But how can you repent? Even then God is gracious, sending His Holy Spirit working through Baptism and the Word to break the hearts of sinners to turn them to Him. The Spirit gives faith and works faith in your heart; so that you can know and believe that what God has done He has done for you! Even though you may regard yourself as one of the worst sinners, God is merciful and just, forgiving your sins in Jesus Christ.
The Apostle Paul knew this from experience. He violently persecuted God’s Church, seeking to destroy those who believed in Christ. Yet God was merciful to Paul, forgiving His sin in Christ and changing his heart and life so that Paul became one of the foremost of the Apostles, dedicating his life to serving Christ and spreading the news of God’s forgiveness.
This is why Paul is able to stand before God and share His love with others. And just like Paul, God has forgiven you. No matter what you have done, no matter what you have thought, no matter what you have said, Jesus has paid the penalty for your sins in His innocent life, His bitter suffering and death. In Baptism God has laid claim to your life. You now belong to Him. Called by God He now sends you to share His verdict of forgiveness with those around you. As shocking as that verdict might be to the ears of sinners today, it is sweet music to those who stand guilty before God. God forgives sinners!
So let the sinner come to Jesus! Turn to Him for He is merciful and tenderhearted. Trust in Him all of the days of your life. Serve Him in thankfulness. And share His Good News with others. For this saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Thanks be to God!
Amen
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
The Great Banquet
THE GREAT BANQUET
LUKE 14:15-24
15 When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” 16 But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. 17 And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ 18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.’ 19 And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’ 20 And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ 21 So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ 22 And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ 23 And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.’”
In the name of Jesus:
It’s the Fourth of July Weekend, so let’s have a party! Imagine, if you will, that you have decided to throw a party for all of your closest friends, in honor of the 4th. You have spared no expense to make certain that all is in place. There are table decorations, party favors, a red white and blue theme, and the food, oh the food! You have purchased the finest of meats and the beverages are free flowing and will be unlimited! What a great time you are planning for your friends!
Everyone shows up. The food is all prepared, the barbeque and all of the fixings have been spread out, and the table service is set. You are ready to eat. Then one friend pipes up and says, “I am sorry, I have to leave. I just bought a house today and I need to go look at it so as to see what kind of house I bought and how many rooms it has!” Now, you being you, the perceptive person that you are, recognize that this is the Fourth of July. NO ONE sells homes on the 4th, NO ONE closes on a house on the 4th, in fact, you recognize that people just don’t buy homes THEN decide to look at them, the proper course of action is that the buyer looks at the house FIRST THEN decides to make a purchase or not. You see right through this person who you called a friend and realize the flimsiness of the excuse.
Soon, another person approaches you and says: “I need to go because I just purchased a car today and I need to look at it.” Immediately you wonder what is going on here, for the car dealerships are closed, no one buys a car on the 4th, no one can get financing on the 4th, and who in their right mind buys a car without first looking at it, knowing what they purchased and at least having a test drive! And so, this friend leaves with his excuse in tow but the excuse doesn’t hold water.
Immediately another friend says to you: “I need to go and be with my wife.” And you respond: “Your wife is here with you!” But that person winks and nods, and leaves. Soon, the banquet that you prepared for your friends has more than enough spaces at the table. What do you do? Probably you stew, your feelings are hurt, and you will write these so called friends off of your “friends” list.
Get the picture? Can you relate, even if this has not happened to you, anyone with feelings would feel incredulous at this type of thing happening to anyone. And yet, this situation is exactly what Jesus is describing in our text for today. Jesus is seated at a table, having a meal with the Pharisees and religious leaders of the day. The host would have gone to great expense to make certain all was in order at this meal, for Jesus was the guest. One who was eating with Jesus remarked: ““Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” And then Jesus responds by telling this parable.
In the Scriptures, a life with God is explained in terms of having a meal with God. One way to explain it would be table fellowship. In other words, just as you have Thanksgiving dinners, Christmas dinners, cookouts with family and friends which show your close relationship with your family and friends, so also those who of the family of God, who are God’s children, have friendship or fellowship with God in terms of having a feast or banquet with the Lord. This is an image, which is consistently used throughout the Scriptures. This is why one says in our text: “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” This one is remarking that whoever breaks bread with the Lord, whoever has a relationship with the Lord is truly blessed by God!
Listen to how Isaiah the prophet describes it in chapter 25 of his book: “6 On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. 7 And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. 8 He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. 9 It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
Salvation is described in terms of a banquet. God prepares this banquet for ALL PEOPLES. On that day, God will dispose of sin, of death, and he will wipe away all tears and pain from His people so that God’s children will live with the Lord forever. On that day those who have been saved by God’s grace in Christ will sing praises to the Lord saying in effect: This is the day we have been waiting for! Praise God, let’s rejoice and celebrate God’s goodness to us forever!
Note, the Bible says that ALL ARE INVITED. But the point of Jesus’ parable is that even though all are invited, many refuse to come. Many find excuses as to why they cannot fellowship with the Lord. This is more than evident every Sunday where the Lord provides His banquet of the gifts of salvation in the Lord’s Supper, where Jesus gives us Himself, His very body to eat and blood to drink so that we might taste of God’s salvation. But how do those who are invited respond to God’s invitation to come to His house on a Sunday morning?
Sadly, with excuses such as I need my own time, it’s the only day off I have, I need to sleep in, it doesn’t interest me. What excuses have you heard, or used????
Dear friends, God has invited you to His Great Banquet. This relationship and feast has already been prepared. God’s only Son offered up Himself, giving His body and shedding His blood on the cross. God has invited and called you into a relationship with Him, not on the basis of your works, or excuses, but on account of His Son, Jesus. For you have been saved by God’s grace through faith in Christ, it is not of your own doing. He has called you by name in the waters of your Baptism. By the powerful working of the Spirit through water and the Word you possess a saving faith in Christ. Even though many today make excuses and reject God’s gracious invitation, know full well that God will not be mocked. His judgment is swift. For those who reject Christ, on the Last Day they will be rejected by Him, but those who hunger and thirst after righteousness will be satisfied.
God invites all to the Banquet that He has prepared, but note that the Banquet is for only those who are hungry, who hunger and thirst after His righteousness. If you are righteous in your own eyes, don’t come to the Banquet. The Banquet is not for those who are full of themselves; it is not for those who don’t believe that they are sinners; it is not for those who don’t want what God has to offer; it is not for those who believe in Jesus; it is not for those who reject Christ; or who love the world more than God. God offers this Banquet to those who are truly hungry, who hunger for a relationship with God. God offers in this Banquet help for sinners who repent of their sins and turn to Him for salvation. God offers in this Banquet His Son who was sacrificed on the cross for your forgiveness. God offers in this Banquet the Lamb of God who takes away your sins and the sins of the world.
So God invites you and sinners who hunger for what God offers satisfaction for your hunger by giving you Jesus to be your Savior. Today in our Old Testament Lesson God issues an invitation to you: “Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight” (Prov. 9:5–6). The Lord calls you to repentance and faith. Repent of your sins, turn from the wisdom and the temptations of the world and trust in Christ for all things. Today He offers Himself to you in this Holy Supper, as a foretaste of what is to come. Even though many reject His offer, as did the Pharisees in Jesus’ day, His invitation to you is to come and taste and see that the Lord is good, that His mercy lasts forever.
His offer of salvation if for you this day, and His offer of salvation proclaimed through you as your live your life for Christ. For you have been reconciled to Christ, so that by the power of His Spirit you are empowered to love one another, in keeping with God’s will. For in Baptism you have been placed in Christ, and through His Word and Meal you have been fed at His Table so that you might be strengthened to live your life in His service. For this is the good and gracious will of God: “16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” (I John 3: 16-18).”
Amen
LUKE 14:15-24
15 When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” 16 But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. 17 And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ 18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.’ 19 And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’ 20 And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ 21 So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ 22 And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ 23 And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.’”
In the name of Jesus:
It’s the Fourth of July Weekend, so let’s have a party! Imagine, if you will, that you have decided to throw a party for all of your closest friends, in honor of the 4th. You have spared no expense to make certain that all is in place. There are table decorations, party favors, a red white and blue theme, and the food, oh the food! You have purchased the finest of meats and the beverages are free flowing and will be unlimited! What a great time you are planning for your friends!
Everyone shows up. The food is all prepared, the barbeque and all of the fixings have been spread out, and the table service is set. You are ready to eat. Then one friend pipes up and says, “I am sorry, I have to leave. I just bought a house today and I need to go look at it so as to see what kind of house I bought and how many rooms it has!” Now, you being you, the perceptive person that you are, recognize that this is the Fourth of July. NO ONE sells homes on the 4th, NO ONE closes on a house on the 4th, in fact, you recognize that people just don’t buy homes THEN decide to look at them, the proper course of action is that the buyer looks at the house FIRST THEN decides to make a purchase or not. You see right through this person who you called a friend and realize the flimsiness of the excuse.
Soon, another person approaches you and says: “I need to go because I just purchased a car today and I need to look at it.” Immediately you wonder what is going on here, for the car dealerships are closed, no one buys a car on the 4th, no one can get financing on the 4th, and who in their right mind buys a car without first looking at it, knowing what they purchased and at least having a test drive! And so, this friend leaves with his excuse in tow but the excuse doesn’t hold water.
Immediately another friend says to you: “I need to go and be with my wife.” And you respond: “Your wife is here with you!” But that person winks and nods, and leaves. Soon, the banquet that you prepared for your friends has more than enough spaces at the table. What do you do? Probably you stew, your feelings are hurt, and you will write these so called friends off of your “friends” list.
Get the picture? Can you relate, even if this has not happened to you, anyone with feelings would feel incredulous at this type of thing happening to anyone. And yet, this situation is exactly what Jesus is describing in our text for today. Jesus is seated at a table, having a meal with the Pharisees and religious leaders of the day. The host would have gone to great expense to make certain all was in order at this meal, for Jesus was the guest. One who was eating with Jesus remarked: ““Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” And then Jesus responds by telling this parable.
In the Scriptures, a life with God is explained in terms of having a meal with God. One way to explain it would be table fellowship. In other words, just as you have Thanksgiving dinners, Christmas dinners, cookouts with family and friends which show your close relationship with your family and friends, so also those who of the family of God, who are God’s children, have friendship or fellowship with God in terms of having a feast or banquet with the Lord. This is an image, which is consistently used throughout the Scriptures. This is why one says in our text: “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” This one is remarking that whoever breaks bread with the Lord, whoever has a relationship with the Lord is truly blessed by God!
Listen to how Isaiah the prophet describes it in chapter 25 of his book: “6 On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. 7 And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. 8 He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. 9 It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
Salvation is described in terms of a banquet. God prepares this banquet for ALL PEOPLES. On that day, God will dispose of sin, of death, and he will wipe away all tears and pain from His people so that God’s children will live with the Lord forever. On that day those who have been saved by God’s grace in Christ will sing praises to the Lord saying in effect: This is the day we have been waiting for! Praise God, let’s rejoice and celebrate God’s goodness to us forever!
Note, the Bible says that ALL ARE INVITED. But the point of Jesus’ parable is that even though all are invited, many refuse to come. Many find excuses as to why they cannot fellowship with the Lord. This is more than evident every Sunday where the Lord provides His banquet of the gifts of salvation in the Lord’s Supper, where Jesus gives us Himself, His very body to eat and blood to drink so that we might taste of God’s salvation. But how do those who are invited respond to God’s invitation to come to His house on a Sunday morning?
Sadly, with excuses such as I need my own time, it’s the only day off I have, I need to sleep in, it doesn’t interest me. What excuses have you heard, or used????
Dear friends, God has invited you to His Great Banquet. This relationship and feast has already been prepared. God’s only Son offered up Himself, giving His body and shedding His blood on the cross. God has invited and called you into a relationship with Him, not on the basis of your works, or excuses, but on account of His Son, Jesus. For you have been saved by God’s grace through faith in Christ, it is not of your own doing. He has called you by name in the waters of your Baptism. By the powerful working of the Spirit through water and the Word you possess a saving faith in Christ. Even though many today make excuses and reject God’s gracious invitation, know full well that God will not be mocked. His judgment is swift. For those who reject Christ, on the Last Day they will be rejected by Him, but those who hunger and thirst after righteousness will be satisfied.
God invites all to the Banquet that He has prepared, but note that the Banquet is for only those who are hungry, who hunger and thirst after His righteousness. If you are righteous in your own eyes, don’t come to the Banquet. The Banquet is not for those who are full of themselves; it is not for those who don’t believe that they are sinners; it is not for those who don’t want what God has to offer; it is not for those who believe in Jesus; it is not for those who reject Christ; or who love the world more than God. God offers this Banquet to those who are truly hungry, who hunger for a relationship with God. God offers in this Banquet help for sinners who repent of their sins and turn to Him for salvation. God offers in this Banquet His Son who was sacrificed on the cross for your forgiveness. God offers in this Banquet the Lamb of God who takes away your sins and the sins of the world.
So God invites you and sinners who hunger for what God offers satisfaction for your hunger by giving you Jesus to be your Savior. Today in our Old Testament Lesson God issues an invitation to you: “Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight” (Prov. 9:5–6). The Lord calls you to repentance and faith. Repent of your sins, turn from the wisdom and the temptations of the world and trust in Christ for all things. Today He offers Himself to you in this Holy Supper, as a foretaste of what is to come. Even though many reject His offer, as did the Pharisees in Jesus’ day, His invitation to you is to come and taste and see that the Lord is good, that His mercy lasts forever.
His offer of salvation if for you this day, and His offer of salvation proclaimed through you as your live your life for Christ. For you have been reconciled to Christ, so that by the power of His Spirit you are empowered to love one another, in keeping with God’s will. For in Baptism you have been placed in Christ, and through His Word and Meal you have been fed at His Table so that you might be strengthened to live your life in His service. For this is the good and gracious will of God: “16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” (I John 3: 16-18).”
Amen
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