The Coming of the Son of Man

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Text: Mark 13:24-37

Jesus said, “Concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come.” These words, along with our text last week – as I said last week – are easy to get caught up in. Last week, our Lord taught about the signs of the End of the Age and the time of His return. He said that there would be wars and rumors, famines and disasters. There would be continued and increased persecution of His followers. Nevertheless, nothing will happen which is outside of His control, nor will we ever slip out of His care.

If you take last week’s text and this week’s and put them together, it’s easy to become distressed. It is true, as we say in the creed, that Christ will come to judge the living and the dead. It says in the Athanasian Creed, “those who have done good will enter into eternal life, and those who have done evil into eternal fire.” It’s easy to hear these words and become afraid. But, to do so would be to miss the point. As Christians, we know that our names are already in Christ’s book of life by faith in Him. By the working of the Holy Spirit within us good works are produced in our lives, and we aren’t afraid of being locked out of heaven. Christ’s return will be a joy for us, so He encourages us today to watch and wait.

I.

Our gracious Lord and master Jesus Christ suffered for our sins on the cross. He died and rose again for us on the third day. Forty days after the Resurrection, after proving Himself alive by many examples to many people, our Lord ascended to the right hand of God the Father. The Apostles stood beneath Him as He was carried up into the clouds, gazing into the sky. While they were watching, two angels appeared and stood next to them, saying, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven.” The angels reminded them of what our Lord taught them today. Though He would be parted from them for a time – according to the flesh – He would return for all His faithful followers. And, He’ll come in the same way He left, on the clouds. St. Paul adds that He will come with the voice of an archangel and with the sound of the “trumpet of God.”

Before this happens, Jesus said, “the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven…the powers in the heavens will be shaken.” These signs are in addition to the ones Jesus spoke about last week, but with one difference. The things Jesus spoke about last week are meant to teach us that we have been in the End Times since the Incarnation. They are general signs of the state of things. The signs Jesus speaks of here will immediately precede His return. What exactly they will be like, we don’t know. But, their purpose will be to remove all doubt as to what is happening. It will not be a mystery to us whether our Lord is returning at that moment or not. About these things, Jesus said, “When [they] begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

And so, it will be. Jesus said, “[Then, the Son of Man] will send out the angels and gather His elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.” At the last trumpet, our Lord will descend on the clouds. He will raise us, and all the dead. He will change our perishable bodies to be like His imperishable body. He will remove from our flesh all sin and weakness, all suffering and sickness, and we will enter with Him into the joy of the new creation. St. Paul said, “and so we will always be with the Lord.” At our Lord’s return, we will be raised to new life, forever separated from all death and sin. For the faithful in Christ, His return will be a joy.

II.

Our Lord’s return will be a joy for us, this we know; but what we don’t know is, when it will be. Therefore, Jesus said, “Be on your guard, keep awake.” Our Lord has seen fit to give us general signs of His return, so that we might recognize the times and be encouraged in our witnessing to others. Beyond that, it is not for us to know. Our God is patient and kind, not willing the death of anyone – but that they turn from their sin and live. But, someday, His divine patience with sin and unbelief will end. He will no longer restrain wind and wave as He always has. Creation itself will revert into chaos as it prepares for its undoing. Those who live in unbelief will begin to despair and become perplexed at these things, St. Luke records. We will be tempted to do the same.

Jesus said, though, that we should learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches become tender and put out leaves, it means summer is near. So, also, when all these things are happening, we know that He is near. As summer brings joy and life, so also our Lord’s return for His faithful. Jesus also said it is like a master who goes away on a journey, who leaves behind responsibilities for his servants until his return. Our Lord is the master who has given us the task to share His word with the world. In His Word we find life – the forgiveness of our sins and salvation. Jesus encourages us to keep awake, be alert, and be at work hearing and sharing His Word.

The words Jesus uses to encourage us to be on guard and keep awake are imperatives, they are commands; but our Lord never demands from us what He doesn’t also supply. Our Lord commands us to be alert and awake, and He gives us the means to be so. We call them the Means of Grace. The Means of Grace are God’s Word, the Sacraments, and the mutual conversation of Christian brothers and sisters – that is, when we encourage each other as Christians, pointing one another to Christ and His love for us. Through these things, the Lord creates and sustains faith in us. By them the Lord keeps us awake, to keep watch and expect His return. For us, His return will be a joy. He will come on the clouds, raise our bodies, change them to be like His, and bring us to His side forever.

With that, we come to the end of another Church Year. In this year the Lord has blessed us with the forgiveness of sins and with everything we need to support this body and life. Though the events before His return might seem frightening, we know that all things are in His care and keeping. Therefore, we close this year in peace and confidence, expecting with joy our Lord’s glorious return. Amen.

Rich Toward God

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Text: Luke 12:13-21

There’s an idea that’s come up a few times in conversations and Bible studies these last few weeks. The idea is this: the more possessions a person has, the less thankful toward God they tend to be; the fewer possessions a person has, the more thankful they tend to be. Now, this isn’t a universal rule, nor is it a sin to have possessions. It just seems that the Old Adam sometimes has a field day with our possessions, and the more of them we have, the more we tend to focus on the gifts rather than the Giver of said gifts.

We learn from the Scriptures that we are saved by God’s grace through faith in Christ. God the Father sent forth His only-begotten Son to bear our sins on the cross and restore us to life through His resurrection. God the Father is our father through faith in Christ. Through this faith in Christ, we are made rich toward God. In addition, God, as our loving Father, provides everything we need to support this body and life. Often times, He even provides us more than we need. Through faith in Christ we made rich toward God and caused to receive His blessings with thanksgiving.

I.

Our text this evening begins with a man asking Jesus to settle a dispute between him and his brother. St. Luke wrote, “Someone in the crowd said to [Jesus], ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.’” At this point in the Gospel, a crowd of many thousands was following Jesus. They knew Him to be an authoritative and well-spoken rabbi – a teacher. It was not unusual at the time to consult a rabbi in such a dispute. In the centuries after Jesus, certain rabbis would actually travel to settle arguments like this one; but not Jesus. He who would forsake all earthly possessions by His death for us on the cross, would not arbitrate an argument over inheritance, no matter how legitimate the claim may have been.

Instead, Jesus took the opportunity to pivot and teach what our proper attitude toward earthly possessions should be. He said to the crowd, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” As Jesus says elsewhere, our life consists of more than we have, eat, wear, or buy. Our lives, first, are inherently valuable because we are created by God in His image. We find and are assured of this – our worth – by faith in Christ. But, when we seek meaning in possessions and wealth, we fall into covetousness – because there is never enough. And covetousness is idolatry. 

Jesus illustrated this with a parable. He said that there was a certain rich man whose land produced plentifully, so he thought to himself what to do with such an abundance. After conferring with his own conscience, he decided to tear down his barns and build bigger ones. That way, he could eat, drink, and be merry for many years. That same night God demanded his soul from him, and all his merry plans went to nothing. Jesus explained, “So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” 

The point of the parable is that all that the man had came as a blessing from God. He could no more have caused his land to bear plentifully than he could’ve caused it to rain. Instead, God blessed him more abundantly than he ever needed. But, rather than consider how to use this abundance to be a blessing to others, the man thought only to bless himself. He thought only of his own happiness and had no sense of thankfulness nor concern for the poor. The man placed the gift in the Giver’s place, and was rich toward himself but not God. When his soul was demanded of him that night, he had to give account to God for pursuing only his own happiness. With this negative example, Jesus teaches us to be rich toward God.

II.

But, what does that mean – to be “rich toward God?” St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians in the chapter before our reading tonight, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you by His poverty might become rich.” To be rich toward God is to receive the richness, the righteousness, of Christ through faith. Though Christ possessed all the riches and glory of the world – as the creator of the world – He set it all aside so that, in Him, we who are poor in sin might be rich in salvation – which we receive by faith. Remember the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. The rich man had all the world’s wealth, but was found to truly be poor while Lazarus – who lacked all worldly goods – was found to truly be rich in faith. 

We who were born spiritually poor and dead in sin, are made alive together with Christ and by faith in Him are made rich toward God. And, being rich in faith toward God, we recognize from Scripture that all that we have comes from His fatherly hand. We have neither earned the things we have nor have we deserved them, but God gives us all things out of His fatherly, divine goodness and mercy. Through faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit brings us to recognize this and receive all things with thanksgiving.

Like the rich man in the parable, God does often also bless us with more than we truly need or can use. Being rich toward God through faith in Christ leads us to receive what God gives with thanksgiving and to use it in the same. In the parable, when faced with such an abundance of fruit, the man should have thought how to use it as blessing toward others. We should do the same. When God blesses us with more than we need, we should see that as an opportunity to care for others – which is actually, God caring for them through us. God has often blessed us through the abundance given to others, and He blesses others through the abundance given to us.

Tonight we gather to give thanks to God for our daily bread. More than that, we recognize that, through Christ, God has provided us with more than we ever truly need. He is always more ready to forgive than we to ask, and to give more than we to receive. When blessed with an abundance, the man in the parable thought only of himself – for he was not rich toward God. Through faith in Christ, we who were poor are made rich in salvation. Our sins are forgiven. We learn from our text, that we should receive our blessings with thanksgiving and use them to be blessing to others. As it is written, “He has distributed freely, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.” Amen.

The End: God is in Control

Text: Mark 13:1-13

2018-11-18 Pentecost 26 BulletinDownload
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“I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let Your Holy One see corruption.” These were the words of King David in our psalm. We learn from the sermons of Peter and Paul in Acts that these verses were fulfilled in the resurrection of our Lord. The Lord did not let our Lord, Jesus, see the corruption of the grave, but raised Him from the dead on the third day – securing for us our own resurrection through faith in Him. These words were of King David and were fulfilled in Christ’s resurrection, but they can also be our words.

With the Gospel text today, we certainly can tell we’re approaching the end of the Church Year. At the end of the year, our minds turn toward the end of the world and the glorious return of Christ. We learn from His mouth today, though, that before His return there will be wars, rumors, famines and disasters. There will be great persecution of believers in Christ. Even families will be split; some will believe in Jesus, and they will be hated by those who don’t. These things have been happening already for some time; they are happening in now our time. Hidden in this somewhat distressing teaching of our Lord are a couple Gospel gems – and they’re the reason why Jesus is telling us these things. Though Jesus says that things will be bad before His return, He promises that they will never be out of His control, nor we outside His care.

I.

Our text this week continues immediately from our text last week. Last week, Jesus ended His teaching in the temple by instructing His followers to beware of the scribes. They loved attention from people, but had no love in their hearts. In contrast, Jesus encouraged them to be like the poor widow who did fear, love, and trust in God. In St. Mark’s Gospel, this is the last time Jesus was in the temple. After He encouraged the disciples, He went out of the temple and, already, the disciples’ minds had shifted. One of them said to Jesus, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” Off the bat, it’s hard to fault them; the temple complex really was a marvel. It had been greatly enlarged by King Herod the Great. It was truly a feat of architecture and engineering. 

Nevertheless, none of the temple buildings remain intact today. Its buildings and stones were obliterated and thrown down when the Romans came through in 70 AD. Jesus’ prediction in response to the Disciples was a foretelling of this. He said to the disciple who had been marveling over the temple, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” But, then, prompted by some of the Disciples, Jesus continued to teach about the End of the Age and time of His return.

Peter and Andrew, James and John were really looking for specific signs. But, as with other times He talked about it, Jesus didn’t give specifics, perhaps to keep people from trying to calculate His return. Instead, Jesus pointed increased stress levels through all parts of creation. There will be many claiming to either be Jesus (what the Greek says) or teach in His name, and they will lead many astray. There will be wars and rumors of wars. There will be earthquakes, famines, and various natural disasters. The end of the age will be marked also by an increased persecution of believers in Christ. Jesus gave us teaching which, even from His mouth, is hard to hear. He said, “brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death.And you will be hated by all for My Name’s sake.”

The Gospel this week is not an easy one to hear. I imagine neither was it easy for the Disciples. Jesus just told them they would be hated by all for His sake. They would be beaten in the synagogues, dragged before councils, governors and kings. These words were true, as all of them died as martyrs, except St. John. Beyond all that, wars will encompass the earth, Jesus said, and there will be natural disasters at increasing rates and scales. If you have sensed that bad things seem to be happening more often in our world, perhaps you’re not wrong. Jesus gave these general signs not just to keep us from trying to calculate specific dates, but also to teach us that we are already in the End Times; we have been since His death and resurrection. That’s what it said the Hebrews reading last week. It said, “[Jesus] has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.”

II.

With a reading like this, it’s very easy to get caught up and not see the forest through the trees. We should ask ourselves: why is Jesus teaching this? Is this Law, meant to show us our sins; or is it Gospel, pointing us to Him? I would venture this is a Gospel admonition. Jesus is teaching this so that when these things are happening, we would neither be led astray into false teaching nor into despair and unbelief. There are two reasons we should believe this. The first is: Jesus is telling us what sort of things will happen before the end of the age, which means He knows what will happen. We should be encouraged by this, because then we know that nothing happens which is outside of His keeping.

This is not an easy teaching. We look around at all the bad things that happen, and the Old Adam within us tempts us to think that either God is not in control of the world or that He wills people to suffer without reason. The Scriptural perspective, however, is that God using world events to discipline us and teach us. True, sometimes He does use events to punish, but we can’t necessarily say what things and what for. Also, we know from Scripture that God is able to use things that seem bad to us to bring about His good purposes. Think of the story of Joseph in Genesis. St. Paul says, “we know that for those who love God all things work together for good.”

Jesus gives this teaching today, first, to assure us that all things are within His keeping. The world will seem to get worse before the end – before His return. But, nothing will happen outside of His control and keeping. Second, just as world events are under His control, so will we – through all these things – be in His care. The concern for the Disciples when they would be dragged before world rulers would be what to say. But, Jesus said, “Do not be anxious…but say whatever is given you in that hour.” Jesus would provide for them in their time of need, giving the words to say, so that they might bear witness to those before them and, perhaps, save some.

He who gives the words to say, will also provide all other needed things. Or, should we think that the Lord would provide the words to speak – but not all the other things needed things? Would He care so much to put His Word in our mouths, but not also give us food, clothing, shelter, rest, and peace? Would He not also provide for our ultimate need of forgiveness and salvation? No, He has and will provide for all these things and more. The Lord is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. He will not let us see the corruption of eternal death, but will bring us with our Lord into His eternal life.

This is a hard text. It’s a hard one to hear, and a hard one to believe. Yet, our Lord’s purpose in this is not to cause us fear or distress, but to teach us, to comfort us. Yes, before the End of the Age things will get progressively worse. Yet, nothing will happen outside of our Lord’s control, neither will we be outside His care. Instead, He will continue to provide for us all things needful, most especially, the forgiveness of our sins in His Word and Sacrament. David said, “I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken”

The Widow’s Might

Text: Mark 12:38-44

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In the First Commandment, the Lord teaches us that we are to have no other gods besides Him alone. Martin Luther, in the Small Catechism, explains the First Commandment in this way: “What does this mean? Answer: We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.” In this first Commandment, we learn that we should look to God above all other things for help and support in time of need. Ultimately, whatever else we might place in that position will fail us; our money will run out, our friends and family will die or leave, our things will break and rot. But, God will not fail. He Himself has said and promised, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”

This is the faith expressed by the lonely poor widow in our text. She did not go into the temple to be seen or put on a show like the scribes and rich people. She came to hear the Lord’s Word, and in response to His love, give to support the work of His Church. She knew the Lord upholds the widow and the fatherless, providing them with food and clothing, and so she freely gave. She trusted in the Lord her God and by the work of the Spirit, trusted in Him above all things. In our text we are encouraged by the might of the poor widow’s faith and we learn that the Lord, who sees what’s in the heart, takes care of His faithful ones.

I.

What prompts our Lord’s teaching this week is that He Himself was teaching in the temple. At this point in St. Mark’s Gospel, we have already passed the Triumphal Entry. Our text this week comes during Holy Week, perhaps the Tuesday. By now, Jesus has cleansed the temple and was teaching in it. The day has already been filled with the Pharisees and Sadducees trying to trap Him in His words and the scribes questioning Him. As a great crowd was listening, Jesus said to them, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces…and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

Jesus had just finished speaking with the scribes – who often turned out to be enemies of Christ, rather than friends. So He encouraged His faithful followers to not live out their faith like scribes do theirs. In Jesus’ time, the scribes weren’t just people who wrote things down, but they were also experts in Scripture and, often, legal code as well. They liked to have people know this, too. They would wear long, flowing robes. The robes themselves weren’t wrong, they were a symbol of their office, a uniform, even; but, it was the purpose for which they wore them – to be seen and respected. They loved being greeted and being seated in places of honor. But, inside their hearts there was neither love for God nor other people. They greedily ate up what little wealth widows had and, to cover it all up, prayed long and well-spoken prayers.

Jesus went and sat down by the temple treasury. This is where people would give their offerings to God and to support the work of His Church. The way you’d give is by placing your coins in a trumpet-shaped object. When you put the coins in, in made noise. More coins, more noise. People would hear that. You can see where Jesus is going. St. Mark wrote that Jesus watched the way people put in their money and how the rich put in large sums. Then, St. Mark writes, “a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny.” Jesus said that she had given more than all the others, for they had given out of their abundance, but she – in faith – gave all she had to live on.

II.

At first glance, these two things could seem to be unconnected. We have Jesus teaching about not being like the scribes, and then we have this account of the poor widow. But, I think we can see them as connected in this way – they are both applications of the First Commandment. The Commandment itself is to have no other gods. That means we should fear, love, and trust in God above all things. Let us consider what the scribes trusted in and in whom the widow placed her trust. The scribes trusted in themselves, ultimately. The scribes described by our Lord valued above all their reputation, the greetings and seats of honor. They backed those things up with a false piety. They appeared faithful when in their hearts, they weren’t. The scribes as a whole were associated with the Pharisees, who were famous for their self-righteousness. In contrast, the widow placed her trust in God.

Which of the two do we find ourselves behaving as more often? Since we’ve been talking about the First Commandment – consider, what do I love above all things? Let us each think about our actions and thoughts. If you added everything together, our actions demonstrate what we’re truly devoted to. And, whatever you’re devoted to, as Luther would say, is your God. For the scribes, it was their reputation. For us, it’s likely different. It could be sports. It could be retirement. It could summer recreation. You fill in the blank. But, the widow, she trusted in God.

The widow placed her trust in God and counted on Him to provide for her needs. She trusted in Him, first, for her most important need – the need for forgiveness, life, and salvation. After that, her daily bread as well. She knew that God is not fooled by outward appearances, and that He will punish those who trust only in themselves. Yet, the Lord is also merciful. He is gracious and kind, and He forgives the sins of those who repent. He gives to them eternal life and joy in His presence. Do you think that the scribes were sinful but that the widow was without sin? No, all people are sinful, but the widow knew that by God’s grace her sins were forgiven. And so are ours. This faith – that God forgives us – is what led the widow to give.

She knew that God not only provides for our greatest need, but for the daily care of our bodies as well. She gave freely out of what she had – even all she had – because she knew the Lord would provide her daily bread. She confessed what St. Paul also wrote to Timothy, “if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.” The widow did fear, love, and trust in God above all things. She gave in faith, and in thanksgiving, knowing that the Lord would always provide.

As we are nearing the final weeks of the Church Year, we also can reflect on how the Lord has provided for us in the last 12 months. He has given us the forgiveness of our sins time and again in His Word and Sacraments. He has placed food in our stomachs and clothes on our backs. Everything else we have from Him is a blessing that may be used in service to our neighbor. Our Gospel lesson today is, in a way, a lesson on the First Commandment. Those who trust, as the scribes did, in themselves above all will receive the greater condemnation. But, let us be encouraged by the might of the widow’s faith, and pray that we – by the same grace of the Holy Spirit, might also fear, love, and trust in God above all things.

Blessed Are You

Text: Matthew 5:1-12

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Today, we are observing the Feast of All Saints, otherwise known as All Saints’ Day. All Saints’ Day is the day set aside by the Church to recognize and give thanks to God for all the those who have preceded us in the faith and now rest from their labors. We believe that, in Christ, all Christians are forgiven saints of God and that, when a Christian’s earthly race is complete, they depart to be in the living presence of Christ, awaiting His return and the Resurrection of the Dead. Those who die in faith are not dead, but very much alive in heaven. Therefore, we give thanks to God for them. 

This Church holiday is an old one. Our first records of it being celebrated publicly date back to the 4th century. Our records of it being celebrated on November 1st date to around the 8th century. Our fathers in the faith celebrated it much as we do – remembering and giving thanks to God for those who have gone before us, and asking that we might, by His grace, follow their example. We also recognize on this day that the blessedness which Christians enjoy in heaven is not received only upon arrival there; it is something we receive now in this present time, through faith in Christ. Our Lord says this Himself in our text, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” He teaches that those who mourn their sin and look to Him are blessed with forgiveness now and will be blessed through the same into eternity.

I.

Our text for this observation of the Feast of All Saints is from the Gospel of St. Matthew, the fifth chapter. Here, the Spirit relates to us the words of Jesus in what is usually called, “The Sermon on the Mount.” If you’ll permit me to be honest, it’s not an easy text. Our readings from the epistles of St. John are vivid and clear in their meanings, but this text from Matthew has been made difficult. It’s a challenging text to preach and teach because it’s so often, well, mangled. Most often, you may have heard this – and I’ve believed it at a time – that the Beatitudes are a Law text; it’s been taught that the Beatitudes are special promises that belong only to the people who fulfill them. In a denomination other than our own, it’s also taught that they only apply to those who would follow the example of Mother Theresa and the like. Regular Christians need not necessarily hear this text.

The key to understanding the Beatitudes and seeing that they belong to preaching of the Gospel is understanding what our Lord meant by “blessed are the poor in spirit.” The word, blessed, crosses our Lord’s lips a number of times in Matthew’s Gospel and He always uses it in a sense beyond just happiness. To be blessed according to our Lord is to receive salvation. In chapter 11, when the Baptist sends a message to Jesus asking if He is the Messiah, Jesus responded that the blind were seeing, the lame walking, the lepers cleansed, the deaf hearing, the dead raised up, and the poor were having the Gospel preached to them. Then He said, “Blessed is the one who is not offended by Me.” After Peter offered his great confession of the Christ, Jesus likewise said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah.” To be blessed according to Jesus is to receive His Word in faith and trust in Him for salvation.

Who is it that receive Jesus’ Word of forgiveness, but those who recognize their need for it? In His response to the Baptist’s question, Jesus was citing from Isaiah, where it says, “the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.” The poor Jesus speaks of are not necessarily those poor in possessions, they are the poor in spirit. To be poor in spirit is to recognize through the preaching of the Law, that we are both dead in and enslaved to sin. 

II.

The poor in spirit, the ones whom Jesus says are blessed, and those to whom the kingdom of heaven belongs are us. They are us, and all Christians. We hear the preaching of God’s Law, the Ten Commandments, and we recognize that there is nothing in us but sin and death. We are filled with anxiety and terror, uncertainty and shame; and we mourn our sinful condition. “Blessed are those who mourn,” Jesus said, “for they shall be comforted.” Jesus’ whole life and work was dedicated to preaching the Good News to the poor in spirit and comforting those who mourn their wretched bands. He proclaimed to those who hungered and thirsted for righteousness that Righteousness had, indeed, come. He who created the heavens and the earth took upon Himself human flesh.

He did this so that His righteousness might become our righteousness. Though we stood afar ways off from God and – ever since our first parents – have been justly barred from God’s gracious presence, God came near to us. In His flesh, on the tree of the cross, Jesus Christ bore the weight and guilt of all our sin. He bore in Himself all the wrath of God that we earned by our many transgressions. As we heard last week, He made propitiation – atonement – in His blood for our sins. In Baptism, we receive the forgiveness He earned and He places on us the white robe of His righteousness. In Him, we poor sinners are made rich in salvation. In Him, we who mourn our sin are comforted with forgiveness. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs” – through Christ – “is the kingdom of heaven.”

III.

Understanding what Jesus meant by, “blessed are the poor in spirit,” helps us to see that the rest of the Beatitudes are Gospel promises to those have received the gift of faith in Christ. By our Baptism, we were not united only to His death – but His resurrection, as well. The life we now live, we live with and in Him. Through the Holy Spirit we strive to be meek, that is, gentle in our relationships with others. We seek to embody toward them the love we have received in Christ. We have mercy on others, caring for them as we are able. We are peacemakers when, instead of holding our brother’s sins against him, we forgive him – because we have first been forgiven in Christ. We are made pure in heart through Baptism and seek to remain in the truth and purity of God’s Word.

Abiding in Christ’s Word, forgiving and having mercy on each other, and loving as Christ first loved us will not bring us friendship with the world. As we strive to remain faithful to His Gospel, we will experience that friendship with Christ is enmity with the world. That is why our Lord speaks of being persecuted for righteousness’ sake and of having all kinds of evil uttered against us falsely on His account. His promise counters all hardships we might face. He says, “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.” The reward that awaits us belongs to us even now through faith in Jesus: our sins are forgiven, we look forward to our rest in heaven, and we expect the joy of the new heavens and the new earth.

This same blessedness, this same hope, is what carried our fathers forward into heaven’s embrace. On All Saints’ Day, we give thanks to God. We give Him thanks for the forgiveness that He has given to all who believe in His Son; we give Him thanks for preserving His faithful against all adversity; we give Him thanks for gathering them to His side. We ask that we would be encouraged by their witness and by God’s grace follow their example, until the blessedness which is ours now in Christ is more fully enjoyed in the life to come.

Free, Indeed

Listen to “2018-10-28 150th Anniversary Service” on Spreaker.

Text: John 8:31-36

Jesus said, “If you abide in My Word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” The Word that He speaks of as His Word is the Good News of His perfect life, sacrificial death, and rising from the grave. This Good News is the capital-T truth, and there is none beside it. Jesus promises to those who, by the Holy Spirit, receive His Word in faith and so abide in it, freedom; freedom from sin, from death, and from all the power of the devil. Those who abide in Jesus’ Word abide in the truth and are truly free.

This is the Good News that has been preached and taught from this altar and pulpit for the last 150 years. For 150 years, God the Father has welcomed children into His family through the washing of Holy Baptism. For 150 years, children and adults have been taught the saving Word of Christ and so set free from sin and its condemnation. For 150 years, the Lord has blessed and kept His precious flock from the assaults of the devil, keeping true His promise that the gates of hell will never prevail. And, by His same saving Word, He continues to set even us – in the here and now – free from our sins, so that we might live with Him here in time and there in eternity. By Christ’s saving Word, we are free, indeed.

I.

The occasion of our Gospel text today is, as the Holy Spirit caused St. John to write, that Jesus was speaking, “to the Jews who had believed in Him.” By this point in the Gospel, Jesus had been preaching for nearly three years and was nearing the end of His public ministry. It was Jesus’ custom to go into the synagogues on the sabbath and teach there to, in His Words, recover, “the lost sheep of Israel.” Jesus was not successful in His own hometown; but in other places He was, and many Jews did believe in Him. We learn from the Parable of the Sower that not all the seed that is scattered endures to the harvest. In fact, 3/4 is devoured by the birds, the sun, or thorns. Therefore, Jesus encouraged those who had believed in Him to abide in His Word, for in His Word they know the truth and are set free.

Those who heard Jesus say this missed the point. They responded, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone.” Now, think for a second, do they speak the truth? Of course not. They must’ve forgotten about the 430 years in Egypt and the various periods of  slavery during the time of the judges, and also their present occupation by the Romans. They missed the point because Jesus wasn’t talking about political freedom or earthly freedom, but a spiritual freedom – a freedom from sin, from death, and from the power of the devil. Jesus said, “Everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever.” Jesus came to bring eternal freedom to light through the Gospel.

Everyone who sins is a slave to sin, Jesus said. When we sin, we do so because it already has hold on our heart, and there’s nothing we can do to free ourselves from it. We were born in sin and we will die in it, left unchecked. Therefore, Jesus came to break the cycle and bring freedom from slavery. Though He Himself was not subject to the Law, He placed Himself beneath its demands and kept them. Though He kept the Law to perfection, He willingly submitted Himself to the condemnation of the Law and, by His death, bore the wrath of God against our sin. By His resurrection from the dead, He defeated death and the devil and brought eternal life back to us. 

He gives this freedom to us by His grace, as a gift through faith. This is what we celebrate every Reformation Sunday. And, the way in which the forgiveness of sins which He won gets to us is through His Word – preached, read, taught, sung, and the Visible Word of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Jesus promised, “If you abide in My Word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Free, from sin, death, and the devil.

II.

For the last 150 years here at St. John’s, and 80+ at Grace, the Lord has been at work setting His people free from sin, from death, and from the power of the devil. Hundreds, if not thousands, have crossed the threshold and entered into the house of the Lord to hear His Gospel preached – to hear that their sins are forgiven and their place in heaven secure in Christ. Hundreds of children and adults of have been baptized here, confirmed here, married here; and we have given thanks from this altar for the many who have preceded us in the faith, who are now with Christ and await the Resurrection. In His grace, the Lord has caused His Word to be openly preached, taught, and believed in Fairbank and Jesup for a combined total of well over 200 years.

The Lord’s promise to set free from sin and death those who abide in His Word is not just a promise given in the past. It is not only true for those who heard it initially or to those who have come and gone as faithful members in the past; it is true now. The Lord has promised to be present wherever His Word is taught in its truth and purity and the Sacraments administered according to His institution. He has promised to be – and is – with us, now. Through the Word of Christ, the Holy Spirit creates and sustains saving faith within our hearts. By the Supper and through Holy Absolution, the forgiveness which Christ won for us is given us anew each week. Through these things we are free. We are free, indeed.

Let us, therefore, live as those who have been set free. We were all conceived and born in iniquity. We were enslaved to trespasses and sin. Christ, out of love and mercy – by His grace – has set us free by faith in His death and resurrection. The salvation He won, He gives us through His Word. When we abide in His Word, we know the truth and are set free. For 150 years the Lord has dwelt among and set free from sin His people here at St. John’s through His Word. He abides among us now, and we in Him, through that same Word. Let us, therefore be free, indeed, in our words and actions. Let us be free in bearing witness to the community around us of the life that we have in Christ. And, let us be free in love, knowing that in Christ, God first loved us. In the words of St. Paul, “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” 

All Things Are Possible With God

Text: Mark 10:23-31

2018-10-21 Pentecost 22 Bulletin

Listen to “2018-10-21 Pentecost 22, "All Things Are Possible with God"” on Spreaker. 

“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from Him.” We heard these words of the inspired prophet King David a few weeks ago when we recognized the blessings God has given to and through the LWML. David sang these words to God at a time when ruthless men – men whom he had trusted – sought his life and chased him away from his throne. Our text a few weeks back ended with David’s encouragement, “Trust in Him at all times, O people…God is a refuge for us.” This same psalm of David also bears witness to what we learn in the Gospel text today.

Later in Psalm 62, David sang, “Those of low estate are but a breath; those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath. Put no trust in extortion; set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, set not your heart on them.” Not only did David learn to trust in God more than all men, he also learned not to set his hope or heart on wealth and riches. David knew that the proper way to use the wealth that God gives us is not to use it only on ourselves, but for the benefit of our neighbor. Jesus also teaches in our text today that we should use what God gives us in service of the Gospel. However, we should not trust in our actions for salvation, for salvation is only possible through faith in Christ.

I.

Our text this week from Mark 10 picks up where we left off last week. Last week, we heard about the rich young man who ran up to Jesus and asked what he could do to inherit eternal life. Jesus answered that if he would like to earn his way in, he must obey all the commandments – which includes fearing, loving, and trusting in God above all things. The man went away sorrowful, for he was not ready to place faith in Christ above his wealth and possessions. After he went away, Jesus said to His disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” At this, the Disciples were amazed – and not in a good way. Then, Jesus said again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

The disciples were exceedingly astonished by this. That’s because, particularly in St. Mark’s account of the Gospel, the disciples are always a mixed bag; they never quite get it. What’s troubling them in this text was their cultural understanding of what it meant to have wealth. If a person was wealthy in Bible times, it was expected that they would also be generous with that wealth. Wealthiness was seen by many as a special sign of God’s favor. It was taught that those who had been so blessed by God were then able to spend their lives in devotion to works of charity and love. The rich people didn’t have to farm or fish or slave away for a living; they could be entirely devoted to good works. In the disciples’ eyes, if there ever was a candidate perfect for salvation, it would’ve been the rich young man. He was wealthy – which meant he was loved by God. He was pious. What more could be expected? So, when Jesus said that it was only with great difficulty that the rich would enter heaven, that brought the disciples almost to despair, “Then who can be saved,” they said.

II.

With this teaching, Jesus touched on a nerve that is as active now as it was then, and that is: the proper use of our wealth and possessions. Between last week’s and this week’s texts, Jesus is not saying that wealth and possessions are bad – or that we should necessarily get rid of them – but that we should use them for their intended purposes. The things that we have, the wealth and possessions that are ours, come as blessings of God and – properly speaking – belong to Him. The things that we have should be used in service of the Gospel of Christ and for the good of our neighbors. The problem is that the Old Adam doesn’t want anything to do with that.

The difficulty for the rich, and really, everybody, is that our sinful nature prefers to use our money and possessions in sinful ways. Perhaps the most common way is that we plain use our money in devotion to sinful activities and desires. It becomes a sort of fuel for sinning. We use money to buy things we don’t need, because we covet and lust after things. We use our money to experience things we shouldn’t. We pay for movies and television shows that speak and influence against our holy faith. We invest in items and places that preclude us from hearing God’s Word and receiving the Sacrament on a regular basis. On top of this, money and possessions make us prideful. We feel secure and safe when have them and we despair when we don’t. Both pride and despair both involve rejecting the Gospel of Christ. Or, if we don’t fall into these things, what can also get us is pride in how much we give away. This is the struggle the disciples were falling into – they assumed rich people must be righteous because how much they give away.

III.

These things are what Jesus meant by it being difficult for the rich to enter the kingdom of God. And, ultimately, Jesus taught that it is impossible for man – on his own account – to be saved. It is impossible for us to merit or work out or deserve salvation, even if for no other reason than that we use our money in sinful ways. But, with God all things are possible. With God, it is possible for sinful human creatures who use their money to fuel their sinful desires to go to heaven. It is possible through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus set aside all earthly wealth and possessions and resisted their allure, so that He might gain for us treasure in heaven.

The Scriptures say that Jesus was tempted in every way that we are, yet without sin. He did not use what He did have in pursuit of sin, He did not pride Himself in possessing even the whole universe. Instead, He emptied Himself of all glory to suffer and die on the cross so that our sins would be paid for and that eternal life be restored to us. By faith in Him we are forgiven, and by our Baptism into His death and resurrection we have received His Holy Spirit. The Spirit leads us to walk in newness of life, including the proper use of the wealth that God has given us.

The things that we have do not belong to us, but to the Giver of All Good Things, and we should use them as such. The money God does give us should be used to support, feed, and clothe our families. It should be used to aid those who are suffering whom we are in a position to help. We should use what we have been given in service to the spread of the Gospel of the free forgiveness of sins in Christ. But, we should not put our faith in our possessions and become secure, nor should we count on our giving for salvation. For, with man salvation is impossible. But, with God, all things are possible.

How Good is Good Enough?

Text: Mark 10:17-22

2018-10-14 Pentecost XXI Bulletin

Listen to “2018-10-14 Pentecost 21” on Spreaker.

In 2015, The Atlantic magazine ran an article titled, “The Power of Good Enough.” It was about, quote, “How settling can make people happier and more satisfied than gunning for ‘the best.’” The point of the article was that we, as American consumers, frequently set the bar of goodness for the products we buy too high. Particularly, with technology this is true – according to the article. Why spend so much money on a new computer, when a less expensive one will do what you need just as well – for cheaper? It most likely is good enough for you, and you might be happier in the long run. The article ends with this quote, “It can be hard, in our culture, to force yourself to settle for ‘good enough.’ But when it comes to happiness and satisfaction, ‘good enough’ isn’t just good – it’s perfect.”

Now, this is probably well and true when it comes to our possessions but – to bring us in a spiritual direction – is “good enough” really, as the article says, perfect in God’s eyes? To ask the question in a different way: When are we good enough in God’s eyes for salvation? As Lutherans, we’d probably say that the question itself is wrong. But, it is what’s on the young man’s mind in our text. He asked Jesus, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Through the conversation, Jesus taught the man that – contrary to his measurement – he was not good enough to enter heaven. Entrance into God’s eternal kingdom comes only by His grace through faith in Christ, and not by our works. By our works, we will never be good enough in God’s eyes. Therefore, Jesus became “good enough” for us. By faith in Him we receive salvation.

I.

We are thankful that this doctrine – that we are saved not by works but entirely by grace through faith – is preached clearly and loudly in the Lutheran Church. Still, it does not come easy to our sinful nature. The Old Adam is always looking for something to contribute, always looking to be “good enough” to earn salvation. The problem is, the more I can do myself, the less I need Christ. That, unfortunately, was the man’s premise. By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, St. Mark recorded for us, “As [Jesus] was setting out on His journey, a man ran up and knelt before Him and asked Him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’” Our text this week actually follows our text from two weeks ago – when Jesus blessed the little children. He taught then, also, that little children can be part of God’s Kingdom because salvation is received through faith. But, that’s not what the man is thinking here.

The young man, who was not yet a disciple of Jesus, assumed that – at some point – he would be good enough to enter eternal life. The question is: How good is good enough? Jesus answered him by first asking, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.” That is Jesus’ clever way of telling the man that he’s already missing something here. The first and greatest commandment is to love God above all things. God was there, right in front of the man, and he missed it. Then Jesus taught him – correctly – that if he would like to earn eternal life – to be good enough in God’s eyes – he should keep the Commandments. Jesus didn’t list all of them, but it’s implied. Upon hearing this, the man should’ve been convicted and realized that he wouldn’t be able to earn his way in – if the Commandments are the standard. Instead, “He said to [Jesus], ‘Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.’” Perhaps, he answered more out of pride than truth. Still, he revealed that he thought he was good enough to enter life.

II.

St. Mark wrote that Jesus looked at the man and loved him, and then He proceeded to preach the Law to this young man. We should learn from this example that when the pastor preaches the Law – as Jesus does here – it’s not to be mean or judgmental, but a work of love. Jesus said, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor.” We find at the end of the text that this young man was wealthy, but Jesus had already correctly diagnosed this man’s temptation. The lure of his wealth and possessions had taken the place of God in his heart. He was convinced that by his works he was righteous in God’s eyes, but Jesus showed him that true righteousness is not a matter of outward appearance, but what’s in the heart. The man wouldn’t have treasure in heaven because of the act of giving to the poor, but through the faith in his heart that led him to give. Salvation is never a matter of being good enough to earn our way in, but what’s in the heart, namely, faith.

The Greek better expresses the man’s reaction than the ESV here. I would translate it, “And he, after becoming shocked by the word, went away grieving, for he had had many possessions.” He asked Jesus how good one must be to enter heaven, and Jesus answered, totally. We must fear, love, and trust in God above all things. All things. If you can do that, you can enter eternal life. If you can maintain that in the sight of God’s all-seeing, always watching eye, you will be good enough. But, “If we say we have no sin…” How good is good enough? Perfection…which we will never reach.

III.

St. Paul wrote in Romans 5, “For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.” St. Paul reminds us with these words that, by the Fall into Sin and by own our evil deeds, we are sinners and unable to merit salvation. By nature, no matter how many good works we do, we will never be “good enough.” When we attempt to be good enough, we miss the point and sin just the same. Jesus taught how good we must be, and we never will be. Therefore, Jesus became “good enough” for us.

St. Paul wrote, “by the one man’s obedience.” By this, he meant our Lord’s fulfillment of God’s Law, His perfect keeping of it, and His total obedience to God the Father’s will. None of these things, we do. Jesus feared, loved, and trusted in God above all things. He loved His neighbor even more than Himself – so much so, that He suffered and died for an entire world of sinful and corrupt human beings. Jesus was “good enough,” to merit salvation. Only, He didn’t just earn it for Himself – but for you. In Hebrews it says, “being made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.”

We’ll hear these words again in a few weeks when we celebrate the 501st anniversary of the Reformation, but let us be glad to hear them already today. St. Paul wrote to the Romans, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” The answer to the young man’s question of how good one must be to inherit eternal life is that one must be perfect. One must observe the Commandments faithfully and completely. Since we are incapable of that, we will never – by our own works – be “good enough.” Therefore, Jesus became good enough on our behalf. He fulfilled God’s Law and kept it to the end. By God’s grace through faith, Christ’s righteousness is counted to us and we are reckoned as “good enough,” in Him. What must we do to inherit eternal life? Repent and believe that Christ already has been and is “good enough” for you.

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God’s Rest in a Changing World

Bulletin: 2018-10-07 LWML Sunday Bulletin

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Text: Psalm 62:1-8

“For God alone, O My soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.” These are the words of the inspired prophet King David, selected as the text for this year’s LWML Sunday. Today we give thanks to God for His 76 years of blessing this organization and, through the same, blessing His people around the world. The theme chosen for this year is reflected in all our readings – God’s Rest in a Changing World. The text is Psalm 62.

Recall, if you will, the reign of King David. It was a long reign, but a difficult one, wasn’t it? It began well, with the slaying of Goliath and David being anointed by the prophet Samuel. But, soon, Saul’s jealousy became all-consuming and he pursued David to kill him. For years, Saul chased David all around the land in an attempt to take his life. Saul eventually failed and took his own life. After Saul, perhaps the most dangerous enemy to David came from his own house: his son Absalom. Absalom led a conspiracy and rebellion to dethrone David – and did – for a time. Included among the conspirators was David’s best friend and most trusted advisor. Long story short, King David knew a bit about life. He knew that life was filled with trials and afflictions. Yet, David trusted in the Lord His God. The Lord was to David a refuge and fortress. The Lord preserved David’s life unto eternity and granted him rest from this restless world. He is the same for us. We learn from the Psalm that God our Father is our refuge, our hope, and our rock through His Son Jesus Christ.

I.

Our psalm text today comes from the Holy Spirit through King David. We don’t know when exactly David composed this psalm. It may have been late in his life, as some scholars feel; it may also have been during the period that he was on the run from his own son, which is when the psalms surrounding this one were written. In either case, this psalm is a psalm of trust and reliance on God, despite all things appearing to the contrary. It is a song of finding rest in God alone, for in the world there truly is none. There are many things that the give the promise of rest and peace, but they ultimately fail and we are left with neither. And instead, the world rolls over us like waves upon the deep sea.

In our psalm, the source of David’s distress was people. Perhaps, his own son. Absalom’s rebellion began when killed his brother Ammon. Absalom fled, fearing punishment, but eventually returned to Jerusalem. He remained in David’s household for two years without speaking to his father. But, after the Lord had put it into David’s heart to be reconciled to his son, Absalom devised a plan to turn the people against their king. His plan worked, and David was forced to flee Jerusalem. Yet, within all this, David’s trust in God did not fail. He found in God refuge, a rock, and hope.

Though our lives are greatly distanced from King David’s through time and space, one thing hasn’t changed: the world. The experiences of life in David’s time and in our own aren’t so different. Just as David could find no rest in the world then, so also us, now. David said in the psalm that so many seek only power, and they beat against a man until they get it. They, “take pleasure in falsehood…bless with their mouths, but inwardly…curse.” These words seem to apply in our time as well, as we are amidst another political season. Promises are made on television and in print, but seldomly are they kept and, even then, with strings attached. “Put not your trust in princes.”

In many other ways, we often receive no lasting rest in our lives. In many ways, we live busier lives now than many other generations, and not in a good way. With so many activities and responsibilities, we barely eke out time to rest our bodies, to say nothing of finding rest for our souls in Christ’s Word and Sacrament. For some of us, our health is sapping out of us each and every drop of life. And, often, along with it, our wealth – what little of it we have. The experience of our lives is filled with failed and broken promises, declining and failing health, little and no rest. But we can find rest in God our Father through His Son Christ Jesus, our Lord.

II.

King David sang in our psalm, “For God alone, O My soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.” In the psalm, David describes God in a number of ways, but I think three are of great comfort and applicable to us today. The first is, as David says, “my refuge is God.” A refuge is a shelter from danger or trouble, somewhere you turn to for safety when there is none. David found in God refuge from his enemies in a literal sense. David was a man of war who did not die in war, but as an old man in his bed.

Second, David found in God a rock, a strong foundation upon which to build. Though David is well known to us as much a sinner as a saint, the Scriptures describe him as man after God’s own heart. David sought the Lord and the Lord granted him success. David built his rule and kingdom upon the rock of God’s Word. Lastly, David’s hope of salvation rested in God alone. David knew that his sins were as many as the grains of sand yet trusted that in the Lord’s Christ, he was forgiven. David saw in the Spirit the death and resurrection of Jesus for the forgiveness sins and in faith awaited a joyous future.

The Lord was not only David’s refuge, rock, and hope of salvation, but He is the same for us. As it says in Hebrews, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” As He Himself said in the Gospel text, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Jesus is, first, our refuge. He is our refuge from this life, from all its sin and death. He became so when He became the victor over sin, death, and the devil, by His own death and resurrection. Because He is risen from the dead and has secured for us forgiveness of our sins, He is our refuge when all else fails. Jesus Christ is love and mercy, and He provides rest for our weary souls.

Knowing this, we can also be confident in Christ our rock. He is our rock and our redeemer and by faith in Him, we can withstand all things. That don’t mean we will be happy in all situations or that life will always be pleasant, but we can know that there is nothing that may happen to us that will separate us from our Father’s love toward us in Jesus. By faith in Christ, we endure all things. In fact, that’s how the translators of the Greek Old Testament phrase the psalm. They say, “my endurance is from God,” (Ps. 62:6 in LXX, my translation).

Finally, with King David our hope is in God. Everything else in our lives fails and fades; nothing in life that promises rest truly fulfills, save Christ and His love. Out of His great love for us He died for us, and then He rose for us. By faith in Him, His death becomes our death and His life becomes our life. By His grace our sins are forgiven and when we die we will be at His side. When He returns, He will raise our bodies and we – with all who have loved the Lord – will enter body and soul into the new creation. This is our hope and our confidence. And, knowing this, we can have rest. King David found His rest in Christ. Let us be encouraged by his words – the last words of our text – “Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.”

Jesus Loves the Little Children

Text: Luke 18:15-17

Bulletin: 2018-09-30 Christian Education Sunday

Listen to “2018-09-30 Christian Education Sunday” on Spreaker.

Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.” He spoke these words to His disciples when they were preventing parents from bringing their children to be blessed by Jesus. They were actually blocking them because, to the Disciples, children were beneath the radar – so to speak. In terms of salvation, children, well, need not apply. Of course, right after our text, they let the rich young ruler through to Jesus without hindrance. Why? They did not yet understand completely how salvation works. Though salvation by God’s grace through faith in Jesus had been clearly preached by the prophets, the Disciples lost sight of that and blocked the children, thinking that they were incapable of meriting salvation.

Jesus set them straight by telling His disciples to let the children through, for He came to save them, too. The kingdom of God belongs also to children, because entrance into that kingdom is by grace through faith, which even a child can receive and have. It is not by our own works or merit. Jesus then said, “Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” He means that unless one receives the kingdom like a child, that is, by faith, he will not enter it. Jesus said that His kingdom belongs even to little children, for they, too, receive Him in faith.

I.

By the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit, St. Luke framed our text today between two other texts that are well-known to us. He did this to teach us something key about how salvation works, about the doctrine of justification, really. The two texts that surround ours today are the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector and the account of the Rich Young Ruler who left Jesus saddened. He left saddened because he had grown fonder of his riches than God’s kingdom. Both of those texts teach a similar lesson – salvation is not something that is earned. It is given by God’s grace through faith. If it had been by works, then surely the Pharisee (and not the tax collector) would’ve gone home justified and the rich young ruler would’ve been rewarded for his good works. But, that’s not how salvation goes. The Disciples weren’t quite tracking this.

So, when parents began bring even their little infants – and the word in the Greek includes children yet in the womb – to be blessed by Jesus, the Disciples blocked them. They rebuked them, it says. The sense is that the Disciples gave a strong and persistent disapproval to those parents and children. They did not want the children coming to Jesus. They weren’t worth His time – not like the rich and powerful young man who would come by in just a bit. The children could wait their turn, for all they cared. But, Jesus said, “Let the children come to me…for to such belongs the kingdom of God.”

II.

This is another text where we often find ourselves falling into the Disciples’ place. Most likely, not in intention or motive, but certainly in end result. The Disciples’ motive for rebuking the parents and children was that they weren’t worth Jesus’ time. I don’t say that we fall into that error. But, we do sin when the end result of our actions (or inaction) is the same as the Disciples’ rebuking  – children being prevented from being brought to Jesus. This happens in many areas of our lives. It can happen when we aren’t as diligent in raising children in the faith as we should be. Raising children in the faith means knowing and studying the Scriptures ourselves, modeling the faith in family life, teaching it at home, and having regular family devotions. Grandparents, the responsibility to teach and model the faith to your children doesn’t stop when your children are themselves adults; it just takes a new form as you continue to encourage both your children and your children’s children.

The end result of our actions is the same as the Disciples, also, when we as a congregation don’t actively pass on and share our faith with the next generation. This happens when we absolve ourselves from responsibility, saying that our time to teach has come and gone, and now it’s someone else’s job. It happens when we as a congregation don’t give the support to our youth that they need or to those who do teach the support and encouragement they need. It also happens when we aren’t given to the work of evangelism and mission. As a congregation, we exist not only to hear the Word and receive Sacraments ourselves, but also as the hands and feet of Christ to call all people to His wedding feast.

Jesus said to let the little children come to Him, because the promise of the forgiveness of sins is for them, too. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost, all of them. St. Paul wrote that sin came into the world through the one man, Adam, and by natural descent has spread to all mankind. By the Holy Spirit, King David taught that we are all conceived and born in sin. We are all – even children – by nature, enemies of God. Therefore, Jesus became like us in every respect. He endured the assaults of the devil and kept God’s Law perfectly. He suffered and died on the cross, bearing all the guilt of sin, so that by His death, all can be forgiven. The forgiveness of sins which He earned He gives to all as a gift, through faith, so that even children can be part of His kingdom. But, as St. Paul said, “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?” Or, remember how the Ethiopian Eunuch responded to Philip when he asked him if he understood the Good News. The eunuch told asked him, “How can I, unless someone guides me?”

III.

As we heard in our Old Testament text (Deut. 6), we have been given the command and responsibility from God to teach our children the one true faith. Jesus desires this and encourages this because He came to die, also, for all the little children of the world. He gives forgiveness and salvation to them by His grace through faith. The Holy Spirit works faith in them when His Word is read and taught in our homes and lives, when it is read and preached here, and through the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. We have this solemn and joyous responsibility from God, but we have not always honored it. We have excused ourselves from it, we have failed to do it; sometimes we’ve become disheartened and stopped doing it. In this, we have sinned.

Hear, again, these words of Jesus before we close. He said, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.” Also, “Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” Jesus didn’t mean that if you don’t receive the kingdom as a literal child, that you won’t enter it. Rather, it’s a childlike faith that receives His grace. Everything a child has is given to him. He doesn’t earn it. In fact, most of the time a child dis-earns what he has by bad behavior. Rather, a child has what he has because His father loves him. It’s the same for us. Salvation is by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ and not by our works. If it were by our works, we would be out of the kingdom forever simply for the times we have been less than enthusiastic to teach our children. But, today, let us recognize that and confess that, and believe that – in Christ – though our sins are like scarlet, we are made white as snow.

And so, as we embark and have begun a new Sunday School year, let us confess our sins and believe that, in Christ – by His death and resurrection – we are forgiven. Let us pray for the grace and aid of the Holy Spirit to teach and model the faith to our children, both those within our congregation and those outside. And, let us trust that God by His Holy Spirit will continue to bless our children with the forgiveness of their sins and the promise of salvation, even as we adults, too, have been forgiven by God’s grace through faith in Christ.