teenager asking questions and answering questions, or you were the adult who investigated the Bible more and pieced together everything God has done and still does for you. You continue grasping God’s Word as you study in Bible class or read your home devotions or read through chapters of the Bible. Some of you even hunched into little Sunday School chairs and discovered just how much God loves you. So, you are here— gathered in a house of God, gathered to hear the Word of God, gathered for the sole purpose of growing closer to God because you are a Christian— someone whose life follows the teaching, example, and love of Christ.
But you’re not perfect, are you? You may know the lives of Abraham and king David, the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah. You may worship every opportunity you have. You may try your hardest to take one key truth and put it into practice. But you still struggle with temptations and still tumble into sin. A Christian and sinner! Those two don’t seem to go together! And you do not want to “sinner.” So, what’s the problem? Why can’t you be one instead of the other? What’s wrong with you? Maybe you woke up looking into the bathroom mirror, asking yourself that very question. So often you feel pulled in two different directions. Verse 18 reveals the first tug: (1) For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. You know what is ‘good;’ you remember God’s Ten Commandments, your mind recalls how just lovingly patient Jesus is with you and others. Your heart yearns to imitate your Savior’s life. So, it doesn’t take long for you to realize that your group conversation has just crossed the line. Everyone else no longer shares heartfelt care and concern. No, you now hear big, fat, juicy gossip meant to attack the character of your politicians, meant to make your friend look stupid, meant to elevate you as the wisest sage of all. And yes, you do not chime in because you know these words are not God-pleasing. The ‘good’ is to defend the reputation of others— but you just stand there, quietly silent, doing nothing because you do not want your reputation attacked. Or, you are well aware God calls your body his temple (1 Corinthians 6:19). A temple not to be filled up with drugs. A temple not to be abused with liquor. A holy temple with mind and body acting in decency. But then, you’re home alone and the struggle for self-control fires up again. The ‘good’ is to honor God with your body— but how difficult to grab the upper hand over your body and its desires! You know the good to do, but fail to actually do it! Then, there’s the pull in the other direction. Verse 19 says: (2) [W]hat I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do— this I keep on doing. Your wife spent hours pouring out her heart for you in dinner. She chars that steak to medium-rare perfection and places it right next to a baked potato loaded with sour cream, bacon, and butter. She beams with glee because she wants to make you happy. Yet, you had a bad day and you’re going to let her know about your bad day. In fact, you are going to make sure her day is not and cannot be any better than yours. So, you gripe the steak is too rare, the baked potato could use chives; you question the use of her time at home and grunt out some gloomy news you heard earlier in the day in the hopes of stifling her joy. Or, you recognize what words you should say. After all, when a four-letter bomb comes out near a church building, you quickly apologize. Yet, as soon as the building is out of sight, you can resume using God’s gift of words to express anger or excitement or astonishment or for so-called fun. It can be so easy to reflect on everything you said, thought, or did last week and see the evil stick out so plainly. It gets frustrating, doesn’t it? You are a Christian. Inside of you is this burning desire to become more Christ-like. You crave the willpower to say “No” to addiction and to say “Yes” to stable relationships. You want to grow more patient and to better control your temper. You want to watch the words that come out of your mouth. Try as you might, you still say things you cannot take back, you still act in ways you later regret, you still struggle to control your thoughts. It may leave you staring into the mirror, asking the reflection looking back at you: “What’s wrong with me?!” What’s wrong with me? [Pastor] What’s wrong with you? What’s “wrong” is trying to find spiritual rest in yourself. No matter how hard you may try to be nicer, kinder, and gentler, it takes only one action to plunge you right back into despair. It takes one sin to remind you: “God is not happy.” It is that guilt which can wrack your soul with terrifying fear: What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Well, it is the one who has the word “rescue” built into his name (and it’s not your name). Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! Let those words sink in. Thanks be to God! Don’t those words just jump out at you? Do you see what’s missing? The Bible doesn’t give a list of ways to earn this forgiveness! No: “Thanks be to God! Now I must be better or else.” No: “Thanks be to God! Now I must commit my life to Christianity more.” You do nothing; you simply sigh: “Thanks be to God!” because through Jesus Christ [y]our Lord you receive true rest. Jesus is the way God’s forgiveness reaches to you. It means when you are crushed by your tirade, look to the cross. When guilt torments you, look to the cross. When you feel absolutely terrible that you [again] failed to control your body, look to the cross. Ask yourself: “What happened there?” Jesus died, right? “Why did Jesus die?” Because he stood before God instead of you. And God sees your (and mine) lack of self-control on him. And Jesus is dealt the death you (and I) deserve. So, what does this mean? Jesus removed any reason for God to damn you to hell! He removes any reason for God to be angry with you! It means you are forgiven! You have peace with God! You can live without fear; you can run to the cross and dump your guilt off there because Jesus has done it all! Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! This is the answer! When you look into the mirror, shaking your head and sighing: “What’s wrong with me?”—understand, rest is not found in you. You (and I) are wretched without Jesus, but you (and I) are blessed with Jesus! So, when the mind stirs up guilt, run to Jesus. And keep running to him. The truth is, you and I will never reach a point when we no longer sin. Our reading makes that clear: So I find this law at work… A better way of saying it: I find this pattern constantly happening. (1) When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law. That’s true. You learned in youth and adult catechism classes that you have a New Man (or a New Adam). The moment you came to faith, your heart had the desire to obey God, to listen to his commands, and to follow him. So, you delight in being the best parent. You want to serve him with your hands, your offerings, and your time. You do not want to gripe and complain; you want to encourage and build others up. Why? Because Jesus never complains about you. He never stops filling your life with money and possessions. He never stops forgiving you. He selflessly loves you, so you selflessly love him (1 John 4:19). (2) [B]ut the same time, I see another [principle] at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. You have this New-man-desire to please God, but the Bible teaches: you still have a sinful nature. Remember Adam and Eve— the first people on earth. The moment they sinned, their hearts filled up with ways to put their needs ahead of God’s wants. Since we all can trace our family tree back to them, it means we inherit their self-centeredness (Romans 5:12-19). So, a part of our hearts still want instant gratification. That’s why babies cry; they want you to stop what you are doing to meet their needs. That’s why toddlers fight over toys— because those are “Mine!” That’s why children spit out food— because it isn’t their liking. That’s why adults argue— because someone else is telling them “No.” You and I will always have this tug-of-war raging inside. On the one hand you crave to serve God; on the other hand, you want to block his Word from your mind. The struggle against temptation will always be present in your life— but never despair. Run to Jesus and collapse into the rest he gives you. Find rest in his Word, in the Bible. See Jesus and how he lives. See how Jesus lives for you. That means, he does not live to be only an example to follow (as though imitating him leads to a perfect life). He lives to be perfect in your place. When you continue grasping the fact he lives for you, your love and appreciation for him grows. So, if you recognize your language is a little too colorful, look to the language of Jesus. He uses his words to encourage and build up— even strengthening disciples who constantly let him down! He uses his words to forgive you. Touched by this love, touched by his words, you imitate him. The struggle will be constant. It will continue until you reach your home in heaven. So, if you ever wonder what’s wrong with you, look immediately to Jesus. See who you truly are— just as our reading does. Tucked in between all the “dos” and “nots” is the word: “I.” That little pronoun stands out apart from the sinful nature. You have been bought and made a possession of God. You are no longer controlled by sin. Your real self—the way God sees you— is a perfect child of God. Perfect— because Jesus puts his life over yours. Child— because God looks at you and smiles. Friends, nothing is wrong with you because you are connected to Jesus. The struggle comes because you love him most of all. Find your rest in Jesus. Then go, Struggle against Sin with Jesus.
on May 9, 1865, President Andrew Johnson reaffirmed that the North and South still remained one United States of America. So then, what is the importance of Juneteenth Day? Well, on June 19, 1865, those bound in slavery finally heard that they were set free.
Now, if you remember your American history, you realize that something about statement sounds odd. Yes, it is true that slave-labor continued an extra two months and two weeks after the war had officially ended. However, on January 1, 1863, Abraham Lincoln announced slavery’s end with his Emancipation Proclamation. Even though the nation was divided, Lincoln’s presidential words still applied to both the United States and the Confederacy. Yet, no one shared the joyful news with the slaves. In fact, no one told them until June 19, 1865 (Juneteenth Day) that they were set free— and that in reality, they had already been set free for 2 ½ years. Can you imagine waking up each day stuck in slavery simply because no one told you that you were actually free? You slave away each day, wishing for relief from aches and pains, longing for the long hours to end, craving a life without fear— even though, in reality, you already have those things! The news of freedom would transform life! That is why Jesus Sends You Out. The good news of freedom from hell has reached your ears, but that good news has not reached everyone. Many still remain slaves to guilt, pride, and uncertainty, living life as though Jesus accomplished nothing. So, Jesus Sends You Out with the message you freely received and with an opportunity to freely give. When you look at our reading, just imagine what Jesus witnessed. [He sees] the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. God had appointed priests to share his love with the nation. Instead, those priest strut down city streets with Bible pages tied to their heads and their noses held high with pride. They added over 400 rules to God’s original Ten Commandments— rules that almost no one but a priest could fulfill. It left every worshipper uncertain of their standing with God! Repentant prostitutes and cheating tax collectors are shunned simply because a priest felt they were too bad to be forgiven. The needs of the crippled and deformed, sick and diseased, orphaned and widowed are ignored because they look so lowly. Still others carry such low respect for worship, they quit caring about their standing with God altogether! No one heard about forgiveness from a Savior! Massive crowds lived unaware of the freedom Jesus brings! Freely [they] have received! Priests do not carry the Scriptures because they are not prostitutes. They do not preach because their children love them. They do not study Old Testament prophecies simply because they do not have deformities. Jesus chooses to put the free promise of forgiveness into their hands. Freely [they] have received, freely give! This is the reason why you share your faith. Jesus points out a fact: Freely you have received and then concludes with a command: freely give. Parents, you have received the good news of a Savior from sin. You trust this message; you believe it. God has blessed you with children. He has even instructed you: “Fathers [and mothers] bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). Do you? Or are you tempted to let them find God’s freedom on their own— at a later age, at another church, whenever they want— if they want it? Friends, you are a friend— a person God has placed into the life of someone else so that you can be a blessing to them. You build memories. You share interests. You complement their abilities. Yet, when your friend wonders why their mom has terminal cancer, do you give an answer… for the hope that you have? (1 Peter 3:15). Or does it feel like life after death is not as serious as it sounds? Christian, when you sit at a group event and a member wonders why someone shoots congressmen, do you point out the brokenness of the world, but a brokenness healed by relying on Jesus? Two thousand years ago Jesus signed the proclamation of freedom from sin— and the devil still fights with all his strength to silence his cross and keep the world locked in spiritual slavery. His most loved ploy in covering up the message is to get you to ask: “Why me? Why not someone else?” He knows if you consider the good news of forgiveness as something only you get to enjoy, then no one else will hear it. He knows if you think someone else will share Jesus with a friend, then that friend might never believe. He knows if you try to treat the joys of earth equal to the joys of heaven, then you will never offer spiritual comfort in a decaying world. If only he can convince you that you somehow deserve God’s forgiveness, then you can start placing restrictions on who you share it with. You can keep it to yourself. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Thousands of years ago, Jesus saw you, here, living in a world fighting to fix itself. He saw you—and the times you would doubt his presence when sick. He watched you reeling from your harsh words, dealing with the aftermath of your actions. He saw the long, weary, anxious face as friends break another promise, as your hope for government to make things better wisp away, as you search for meaning. He has compassion on you. He is born for no other reason than to set you free from fear of death, from the eternal consequences of sin, and from the devil’s crushing accusations. In plain sight hangs a Savior who suffers unfairly, but does not accuse his Father of wronging him. You have a Savior who does not curse his accusers, but begs for their forgiveness. You have a Savior who does not restore a government, but rather establishes a kingdom in heaven. He opens the doors to paradise with his blood. He rises to life to enter and reign in this kingdom. He sends out the good news that you are free to join him! This message transforms life! This message is free; you have freely received it. The reason why Jesus Sends You Out is two-fold: (1) You received forgiveness by God’s grace alone and (2) You know this message of forgiveness. So, Jesus Sends You Out with an opportunity to freely give. Jesus gives two ways how you can put these words into action. (1) First, As you go, preach this message: “The kingdom of heaven is near.” Maybe you have asked yourself: “What do I say to my friend about God? There’s so much: baptism, Christmas, forgiveness, prayer, law, gospel… what do I say?” Chances are, you don’t have 24 hours to instruct someone in the Christian faith. So what do you say? Show them Jesus. Show them Jesus because only he brings spiritual freedom. Tell of a Savior who snaps the chains dragging you to hell and places you in his kingdom forever! Give your confidence and your joy that the kingdom is near. Jesus has already suffered, died, and risen again. The very moment he enters heaven, the countdown clock starts; he can return at any moment. Eternity gets closer each day—and you eagerly wait to stand in the presence of Jesus forever. So, preach this message. Do all of those in your circle of friends or family rely on Jesus? Look at this FRAN-card (friends-relatives-acquaintances-neighbors). Think about those who are searching for answers in this world. Befriend those who were wrongly hurt by their old church. Show them the free, forgiving love of Jesus—a love without any conditions or rules attached to it. You can do that because, well, you have already shared Jesus. You bring your children and your grandchildren to worship. You are freely filling them up with the love of Jesus. You follow God’s command as you raise your children in the Lord. Continue doing so! Be the one to share the message of freedom with them! Or you share Jesus with your spouse. That’s why you invite them to worship. That’s why you share home devotions. That’s why you encourage them to explore the Bible’s teachings. God has chosen to use you to lead a soul from death to life. Sharing your faith grows into something more automatic. It does not need to be this conscious effort— where you set aside two hours a week for faith-sharing time. Make it a part of your life. Tell people plainly that you spend Sunday mornings here and they are welcome to join you. Share your faith on particular subjects. If someone asks: “Where do you go when you die?” tell them. (2) Second, Jesus urges you: Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. How much easier can it get? Ask him in prayer to raise up young men who are willing to serve in the pastoral ministry. Ask him for opportunities in your community where you can openly express your faith. Ask him for the personal courage and boldness to take the step and invite the one person on your mind to worship. Ask him to bless our offerings as we work together as a synod, where we join with other like-minded congregations to carry out mission work all around the world. Ask him to bless our efforts to reach the lost. Pray that you might be the one to share Jesus. Ask God to give you the “right” opportunity to speak. Ask God to give you the words to strike the heart. God has placed you and me in a mission field—with so many souls waiting to be gathered to the Savior’s side. And, by God’s grace, he chooses to use you and me to gather. Invite friends to learn about Jesus. You know these people. You know their interests, their backgrounds, their jobs, their family-life, their worship-life. You know what they believe and don’t believe. You are the answers to the prayer: “Send out workers.” Continue praying. After all, if Jesus is serious about making such a request, would we not want to make use of this encouragement daily? Jesus Sends You Out with an opportunity to freely give. No one really knows why it took so long for the news to reach those in captivity. Some think the messenger might have been murdered. Others wonder if the slave-owners knowingly withheld the information in order to continue receiving free labor. Still others suggest that federal troops withheld the news just long enough for plantation owners to finish harvesting (http://www.juneteenth.com/history.htm). Regardless of the reason for the delay, multitudes lived life under slavery even though they were truly free. The good news of freedom from hell has reached your ears, but that good news has not reached everyone. You freely received a message. This message is for your benefit—and for the benefit of others. And God graciously works through you and me to lead others to comforting freedom of his love. That’s why Jesus Sends You Out with the message you freely received and with an opportunity to freely give.
Sound familiar? We begin each worship service “In the name of the Father, Son, and (+) Holy Spirit.” After you confess your sins, the Pastor assures you: “You are forgiven in the name of the Father, Son, and (+) Holy Spirit.” You sing (in more than one hymn): “Holy [is Jesus]! Holy [is the Father]! Holy [is the Holy Spirit]!” Every single prayer may address God the Father, God the Son, or God the Holy Spirit, or all three at once! Even at the end of service God triply assures you that (1) he fills your life with blessings, (2) that he deals kindly with you, and (3) that you have peace with him.
Our entire worship service constantly reminds you of one central truth: you have a Triune God. That’s right: “Tri-une.” Two Latin words put together with “tri” meaning three and “une” meaning one. This one word [Triune] expresses the truth that your God is three individual, distinct persons, each with a different set of responsibilities, but at the same time, God remains one united God with one same set of responsibilities! Understand that? How can one individual being be, at the same time, three separate persons? That doesn’t make sense to our minds! That is alright. God does not reveal himself as Triune so that you can somehow figure it out. That’s not the purpose behind this truth. The purpose is to reveal and remind you how your Triune God blesses you. This makes the teaching of the “Trinity” something more than just a classroom exercise. I’m not preparing you to answer a jeopardy question. God reveals himself as Triune for the simple assurance: God Is with You! You are Joined through grace, Bound to him by love and United in fellowship. Did you notice how this Bible verse is laid out? Paul the missionary (who wrote 2 Corinthians) could very well have ended this letter with: “God be with you, good bye.” But he doesn’t, does he? Instead, Paul breaks apart how each person of the Triune God fills your life. He brings you to the very foundation of your faith. “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ[…] be with you.” So, how can you be sure God Is with You? How do you know God still cares for you even when your recovery from surgery is taking longer than you thought? How do you know God listens to your prayers for guidance when you have to make a major life decision? How do you know God is not livid-mad with you for failing him again? Well, God Is with You because you are Joined to him through grace. The word “grace” means: “undeserved love.” This kind of love is entirely dependent on your decision to do selflessly love and does not come as a reaction to how someone treats you. Imagine that your neighbor grabs his chainsaw, trots into your backyard, fires up the saw, and cuts down your favorite flower tree. Then he splits the wood in plain sight, hauls it over to his yard, and tosses it into his wood burner. You would be pretty upset, right? He walked onto property not his, cut something down he did not own, and then used your possessions for his personal benefit! He (1) trespassed, he (2) vandalized, and he (3) stole! He wronged you! His behavior does not deserve you observing his health. His character has not earned your friendship. You would probably never talk to him again, never help him again, never look at him again. His actions rightly earn your wrath! Yet, you demonstrate grace when you still love your neighbor, still treat him with full respect, and offer him all your help in spite of the fact that he did hurt you. “Grace” is “undeserved love.” “Grace” joins you to God. Our Old Testament reading says it pretty clearly: God creates an absolutely perfect world and sets Adam and Eve to fill it with children! (Genesis 1:1-2:4) God did not create the universe because you are a pretty good person or because you are so cute and cuddly. God chose to create all things. God chose to make the universe perfect. God chose to put people in the world. With one rebellious act life in paradise became a shattered dream. God gives a crystal clear command: “You shall not have no other gods” (Exodus 20:3). Yet, how often the heart scrounges for a reason of entering heaven: “I’m going to heaven because I’m in church and my neighbor is not!” Giving an offering can feel like you are losing your entire wealth: “Well, that money is for me to go to Michigan’s Adventure!… or buy the five-burner, infrared grill!… or upgrade my car!” That heart within the chest pounds: “Me! Me! Me!” No wonder guilt flares up when selfishness is unmasked! No wonder fear creeps in when recovery takes a little time! No wonder anxiety washes over when you wait for God’s answer! When comparing our thoughts, words, and actions to God’s high demand of love, we realize it falls far short of his standards! And if we would grow furious at a neighbor cutting down our tree, we know God could seize his Bible from life, ignore our prayers, and never ever look at us again. He could whip into heaven, slam the door shut, stop looking down, and just leave such rebels alone! Yet, he does not, does he? God deals with you in grace. “Grace” is “undeserved love.” And you experience the undeserved love of Jesus. Jesus chooses to endure the punishment selfishness deserves. His body is nailed to the cross. He suffers God’s wrath so that you will never endure God’s wrath in hell. God ignores Jesus so that you will not be forgotten from God’s mind forever. When Jesus cries out: “It is finished!” (John 19:30), he means just that. Guilt erased, forgiven, removed. Not: “It is finished on my end, now you need to behave.” Not: “It is finished, but you need to pay me back for my efforts. Grace means Jesus is not waiting for you to earn his love. Grace means Jesus loves you so much that he takes the steps necessary to erase your guilt. Jesus makes grace a part of your life. Because he chooses to save you, you are joined to God. Being joined to God means God Is with You! He is bound to you by love. That is why this verse continues: “And the love of God[…] be with you.” This “love” runs deeper than just emotional love (like joy or happiness). This “love” is more than just a friendship. When you hear God the Father “loves” you, it means he loves you in spite of your actions. He loves you because Jesus has made you pleasing in his sight. God Is with You! The Father is bound to you by love. Bound. Tied. Joined together. Do you always remember that? Our world seems to view God as some Supreme Being who lives out in the universe and sits idly by as the globe spins in front of him. We can easily think God only steps in for life’s so-called “big” problems. We can think God the Father is merely relegated to some helper role— that he pays attention only when things get really bad. “Oh, he has cancer; now I’m paying attention.” “Oh, she’s struggling with her friends, I’ll help.” “Oh, they are a couple hundred short this month. Ah, they’ll figure it out. It’s no big deal.” This is not true! If Jesus joins you to God, then God the Father is bound to you! The entire reason Jesus spends his life on earth is to bring peace to your life! That means God the Father treats you in the same way you treat your own children. He listens to you, just as you direct your attention to the child tugging your leg. He provides food and clothing and house and home just as you automatically provide these things for your children. He protects you, keeping your body and soul safe just as you protect your daughter in the car or at home or watch over her right now! The love of God the Father constantly remains in your life! He has not disappeared into heaven. He does live far away from anyone and everyone else. He is not unwilling and unable to help. Rather, he remains bound by love to help you. That means God Is with You! He unites you in fellowship. Literally. Our verse ends: “And the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you.” You have been baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). At first, that may sound a little odd. “In?” When we say “in” we mean that God put his name on you. He puts papers into your hand, stating that you are a member of his kingdom. The Holy Spirit brings this fellowship, this close relationship between God and you. God Is with You! And he will remain with you always (Matthew 28:20). God knows your frustrations when your recovery from surgery is taking longer than you thought. He knows your anxiety when you have to make a major life decision. God recognizes the fear that appears when guilt creeps up in your heart. So, God the Holy Spirit unites you in fellowship with God. This fellowship means you have access to God! No, not just a one-way access where God will someday choose to intervene in your life. It is a two-way access! You approach God in prayer and God answers. God speaks to you through the Bible and you trust in his ability to do the things has says he can do. God uses Jesus’ body and blood to strengthen your confidence that he (and not you) has fully removed your sin and that he (and not you) are the reason you’re entering heaven. You live confident that God Is with You! Our entire worship service constantly reminds you of one central truth: you have a Triune God. Your God is three individual, distinct persons, each with a different set of responsibilities, and yet, at the same time, God remains one united God with one same set of responsibilities! Understand that? How can one individual being be, at the same time, three separate persons? That doesn’t make sense to our minds! That is alright. God does not reveal himself as Triune so that you can somehow figure him out. That’s not the purpose. The purpose is to reveal and remind you that your Triune God blesses you now and always. God the Son deals with you in grace. You are a child of God—not because you feel it or because you earned it. You are his child because Jesus makes you his child. God the Father daily fills you with his undeserved love. God the Holy Spirit unites you through faith to God. So, rejoice! Be glad! Live comforted now and always because God Is with You! You are Joined through grace, Bound to him by love and United in fellowship.
down from heaven again. People will stop what they are doing, see him, and stand gathered before his judgment throne (Matthew 24:30-31; 25:31-46). So, this string represents the beginning of time and the end of time.
Now, let’s chart a few significant events [and we’ll track them by using these clothespins]. In the Apostle’s Creed you confess: (1) Jesus is conceived by the Holy Spirit and (2) is later born. We know after 33 years of life he (3) suffers, (4) dies, and (5) is buried. Three days later he (6) rises from the dead. Forty days after Easter he (7) rises into heaven to sit in power over all things. Now, how does time end? (8) Jesus will come to judge the living and the dead, right? [We’ll place this clothespin at the end of the string.] So, we have clothespins marking the order of Jesus’ life. However, we do not know where these events fall in relation to the end of the world. Are we days from Jesus’ final return? Are we years away?... centuries? … millennia? We don’t know, do we? (Matthew 24:36) There is something you do know, right? Look at this timeline again. What does Jesus have left to do? (Come again to judge). What is the last event he has [already] completed? (Entered heaven to rule all things for our good). So, you see this gap on this timeline between his ascension and his return. Here’s the question: Where and how do you fit in? With all the events of Jesus’ earthly life complete, it can feel like all you have left to do is sit around waiting to meet Jesus. That is not true. Life after Pentecost teaches you to: Prophesy in These Last Days! Why? God has poured out the Holy Spirit. How (do you prophesy)? The Holy Spirit equips you for service. In our reading, a prophet named Joel points to a specific time in world history. In verse 28 he says, “[A]fterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.” “One day,” God says, “the Holy Spirit will fill the hearts of people and they will prophesy.” Now, before Jesus is born, God selected certain people to be prophets. He gave them a message through a vision (Isaiah 6) or a dream (Daniel 7) or conversation (Exodus 3). The prophet would then share this message with an audience. Joel looks ahead to a time when God will send out more prophets, but these would not be your Old Testament prophets. He uses the word: “prophesy” in a broader definition, meaning: “to proclaim.” “There will come a time,” Joel says, “when believers will proclaim God’s message of love to the world.” It is the disciple Peter who tells us when that time is. Fifty days after Easter (which is where we get the word ‘Pentecost’) the disciples sit together in a room, when the Holy Spirit suddenly rushes in and settles on them, giving each disciple the ability to speak fluently in a real foreign language (Acts 2:1-11). Peter stands up before thousands and explains, “We are not drunk! This [miraculous ability to preach in different languages] was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people’” (Acts 2:16-17). So, we can label another clothespin “Pentecost” and put it after Jesus’ ascension; God pours out his Holy Spirit on people and they prophesy. Yet, this “proclaiming” does not stop on this one Pentecost day; it continues. God says: “I will pour out my Spirit on all people.” The verb [will pour] shows continual action. Joel sees the Holy Spirit poured out like a bucket of water on Pentecost and the water spreading throughout every generation. Hasn’t that happened? “Flesh” reminds us of who we are— mortals with skin that ages, bones that break, minds that weaken, and bodies that break down and die. That is because our “flesh” houses a sinful nature. The Bible clearly teaches: The sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so (Romans 8:7). That means, you do not have the power to invite God into your heart so that you have faith. It’s impossible because the sinful mind does not want God. It means you cannot win God’s forgiveness with a large offering. You can be the kindest, most helpful person on the face of the earth and still live separated from God because the sinful mind does not want to obey God. You are dead— a lifeless corpse lying at the feet of God (Ephesians 2:1). That is why God pours out his Holy Spirit. Why? To make you spiritually alive! (Ephesians 2:4-5) How? Well, how can [people] believe in the one of whom they have not heard? (Romans 10:14). You cannot hike through the woods, stare at a tree, and say: “I now believe in God!” A guilty conscience will never teach you: “Hey, you have a Savior. He cancels out guilt.” You cannot come to faith, let alone know who God is, unless you hear the Word of God (Romans 10:17). When God’s message hits your heart, the Holy Spirit teaches you the guilt of your sins. He unveils the cross where Jesus’ life left. That innocent, blameless, sin-free life was given for you. That innocent, blameless, sin-free life is wrapped around you. The Holy Spirit teaches you that you are saved by God’s undeserved love alone—and by no other works (Ephesians 2:8-9). You receive faith, that is, spiritual life, as you hear the message (Romans 10:17). That message is literally poured out on you in baptism. You hear the word: I baptize you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). Yet, those are not just plain, empty words. God attaches a powerful promise to them. God clearly says: Repent and be baptized… And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). You see, your life lived between Jesus’ ascension and his final return is not spent doing nothing. Joel’s prophecy trickles throughout generations. The Holy Spirit has made his home in your heart, creating faith and daily strengthening your grasp on the wonderful truth of a Savior from the consequences of sin (John 16:5-11). This is why you can Prophesy in These Last Days! God has poured out the Holy Spirit. You know the message; you believe the message. You can share this message. How? The Holy Spirit equips you for service. Have you ever stopped to think what brought you to sit here— not just sitting in a church building— but sitting here, listening to the words of a God you love and trust? For many of us, faith can be traced back to Pentecost. The disciples speak the saving message in known languages. People gathered there listen, take the word back to their country, who in turn share it with those in their lives, and they share it further and further. Somewhere along the way those words hit the hearts of your ancestors and they shared it with their family! For others, your parents did not tell you about Jesus, but someone else did. A spouse or a grandparent or a neighbor or a friend. This message that can be traced back to Jerusalem has, by God’s grace, crossed an ocean and hit your door. Joel knew this would happen. He says: Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. Your mom and dad, your Pastor and friends are these “sons” and “daughters” and “men” and “servants” who carried the message of God. They all lived in these days between Jesus’ ascension and his final return, just like you do today. So, how do you live life while waiting for Jesus? Well, you the words to speak. God says in the book of Hebrews (1:1-2), In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways… including visions, dreams, and direct conversation, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son— and those words are recorded in the Bible. And those words bring the spiritually dead to spiritual life. Many still search for peace with God, but they do not know where to look. Some wander through nature or sit in their fishing boats, hoping their time in nature is actually time spent with God— but they never know for sure. Others focus on their emotions, hoping their feelings will convince them of faith. If you feel good and happy, then you must believe. If you feel sad and guilty, then you might be going to hell. So, they scramble for this inner willpower to cling to God. Still others hope their charitable giving and respectable life will get them into heaven. Yet, they never know for sure if they are doing enough. How can they do enough? Scripture makes it clear that their decisions and actions will never be enough! (Romans 3:23) You can prophesy the words of life. You know Jesus enters this world to do what you and I cannot. He alone destroys the consequences we deserved for sin. He rises from the grave to tell us that we are forgiven freely. He tells us this forgiveness is a gift, a completed fact— not a feeling, not something we must earn—but a free gift put into your hands. You know this truth so well, but stop for a moment and consider why God shares this Word. Think of it this way: God has given you this message. He has not hidden it in a far away place. He has not wrapped it up in a mysterious, unknown language no one is capable of understanding. God has spoken in a known language—a language that can be translated into English—so that you (who know English) can read, hear, and believe it and have eternal life! If God sees it as that important to communicate his Word to you, then how important it is for us to remain in the Word ourselves (so we don’t forget it), teach our children of a Savior, and share Jesus with others. Because, as you can see on our timeline, you and I live somewhere between Jesus’ ascension and his final return. Are we days from Jesus’ final return? Are we years away?... centuries? … millennia? We don’t know, do we? (Matthew 24:36) There is something you do know, right? Look at this timeline again. What does Jesus have left to do? (Come again to judge). Every day you wake up it is another day for you to know Jesus better and it is another chance for a nonbeliever to come to faith. The Holy Spirit has been poured out—and yes, on all flesh! He is present wherever the Word of God is spoken. He is always present to strengthen faith and to create new faith. Peter the disciple tells you that Joel’s prophecy has started its fulfillment on the day of Pentecost. From the one city of Jerusalem, the Word of God has spread throughout the entire world. And Joel reminds you the Word will continue spreading. So, you have more to do than sit around waiting to meet Jesus. While time continues Prophesy in These Last Days! Why? God has poured out the Holy Spirit. How? The Holy Spirit equips you for service.
up and lock onto you. You know she hurts; you know she would give away her life’s savings just to get better. So, what do you say?
Or you bump into a friend having a miserable day. His car wouldn’t start. Something spilled on his shirt, but he didn’t have time to change. He’s running late— and, no matter how hard he tries, just cannot catch up. He’s exasperated, tired, and at wit’s end. So, what do you say? Or maybe you are the one with the IV port dripping medicine into your body. Maybe your day is loaded with frustration and stress. How do you relieve the stress? How do you know with certainty that you will get through this suffering? Suffering often blocks out any hope for relief. It leaves you feeling miserable, cut off, and abandoned. Yet, Peter tells you relief does exist even when suffering. He steers you (and I) away from looking in all the wrong places for help and encourages: Rejoice in All Suffering! Because (1) The Spirit of God rests on you and (2) God is concerned about you. Understand, when Peter talks about “suffering,” he is not talking only about physical pain. He calls “suffering” a “painful trial.” Do you catch the difference? We can easily separate the act of suffering from the reason for suffering. We focus more on the pain, the heartache, the raw feelings and forget why we suffer in the first place. That is why Peter calls suffering a “trial.” The pain you experience pulls and tugs on your allegiance to God. Consider the kinds of suffering you experience. It could be something (1) physical. Yes, no one may be hunting you down for what you believe, but insults still pierce deep. The child you brought to Sunday School now scoffs: “You don’t really believe everything the Bible says, do you mom?” Friends pressure: “Come on, your parents forced their beliefs on you. You’re away from them. Make your own decisions.” Professors, co-workers, and bosses mock the miracles of your Jesus, calling them nothing more than fairy-tale-myths. Those insults hurt. Those insults label you as someone unintelligent or superstitious or stupid. You know that is not what you are. You have educational degrees; you are level-headed. Yet, your reputation and self-esteem can suffer because you believe in God. You may suffer (2) spiritually. You know the Bible’s teachings; you also recognize much of what you believe runs counter to your present-day culture. Facebook lists 58 different gender options— 58 different attempts to defend not just the way someone thinks, but also defends their physical behavior. Universities now mandate tolerance classes— classes which do teach proper respect, but may also push you to lay aside God’s fixed morality in order to embrace what a professor tells you is morally acceptable. School districts make kindergarteners debate the benefits (and not the downsides) of same-sex relationships. Kindergarteners— children who have yet to learn human anatomy! You quickly realize that the morality God teaches you is not the same thing the world wants to learn. So, you are pressured to conform to the world because (1) it does not look so significant and (2) you will not lose friends or freedom or status. You battle cancer; your body hurts. God promises to help; the Bible reveals his miraculous ability to heal. You know this; you believe he still possesses this power. Yet, at the same time you’re frustrated because it feels like the almighty God chooses not to help. You may suffer physically because you believe in a God someone else rejects. You may suffer spiritually because you are waiting for God to [maybe] respond. You may feel that if God were not present in life, then your life would be better. No one would insult your faith because you would have no faith. Your heart would no longer struggle against the ever-changing-standards of morality because you would ignore God’s unchanging morality. You may no longer feel so miserable when sick because you would no longer wait for God to act. The answer to leaving suffering behind is leaving God! Yet, if you leave God now, then you will suffer without him forever! Peter knows this! That is why he says so plainly: Dear friends (that’s you!), do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. Do you hear that? Peter tells you to expect suffering. That’s something you may not want to hear. Sometimes Christians think they will have health and wealth simply because they believe in God. Yet, that simply is not true. Nowhere does God promise life will bring you nothing but joy, riches, and pleasures. God never says all of your troubles will instantly vanish just because you follow him. Rather, Peter says you can expect suffering because Jesus also suffered. The Jews went to Sunday School and studied the Bible, and yet are the same ones who shout at Jesus, “You are not God’s Son!” (John 6:60-66) The religious elite not only mock his miracles, but even accuse Jesus of working for Satan (Mark 3:22). Two criminals suffering the excruciating pain of crucifixion insult Jesus: “Aren’t you God?! Heal us now!” (Luke 23:39) Jesus knew if he simply stopped teaching truths that made people angry or if he simply complied with their wishes and became their king, then he would have had a most blessed life on earth until the day he died. Yet, if he fled the cross and ran after earthly pleasure, then how would you be saved? Jesus suffers in order to fill you with a real reason to rejoice; he suffers to give you forgiveness. For all the times you are ashamed to call yourself ‘Christian,’ he replaces with the times he staunchly held to Scripture’s teachings. For all the times you reject God’s statement: “You will suffer,” Jesus suffers to save you. This is why Peter writes: “Rejoice in All Suffering.” You do not suffer alone. [Y]ou participate in the sufferings of Christ. When the world insults your faith, they are not ridiculing you; they are ridiculing their Creator. When laws are passed against your beliefs, the law does not reject your personal viewpoints; it rejects what God calls “Right.” When illness shakes your faith, that illness calls God “not worth it.” You press on through suffering because The Spirit of God rests on you. You are not suffering because you did something wrong. You suffer because you are connected to Christ. And if you are connected to Christ, then you are connected to the guarantee of eternal life! This is the reason you can Rejoice in All Suffering! The Spirit of God rests on you. Not only does God call you his possession, but God is concerned about you. 1 Peter 5:7 literally says: Cast all your anxiety on him, because it is a concern for him concerning you. Your anxiety is God’s concern because it involves you! So, if you are having a terrible day and nothing seems to be going right, put your stress into God’s hands. God is concerned about your terrible day. Trust that he will take care of it and bless you in spite of what you experience. If you are laid up in a hospital bed and feel anxious, put your anxiety into God’s hands. Trust that he continues watching your health and is teaching you to rely on his perfect timing. Yes, I know it is not always easy to place every burden into God’s hands. It is not easy to endure insults for believing in God. It is not easy to patiently wait for God’s response. That’s why, in verse 6, Peter says: Humble yourselves under God’s mighty hand. It takes humility to trust God. The opposite of “humility” is “pride.” Pride will lead you to think that you can manage life better than God, that you can control what enters life, and that you can solve every challenge. Yet, pride will only throw you deeper into anxiety. When you rely on yourself to get you through every challenge, you will soon realize how little control you have over your life and health and wellbeing. Be sure, the devil will constantly stir up your pride. He always prowls around like a roaring lion. He does not stop. He will poke at your stress, challenging: “Are you sure God takes care of this anxiety?” He points at your health: “God cares for you? Look how long you have been sick!” He shows you the world and dares: “Your friend’s lifestyle really doesn’t look all that harmful. Just embrace it.” These temptations look harmless and innocent, but that is not the devil’s game. His purpose is to devour you! He is your enemy! He will lure you away from Word in such subtle ways so that he can destroy your faith! If he can just attack you the right way, then your soul can be tossed into the lion’s den forever. This is why Peter urges: Be self-controlled and alert! Recognize that the devil will use troubles to doubt God’s love. He wants you to think you know more and better than God does. He will strive to pry you from his arms. Peter wants nothing to keep you out of heaven. After all, that is where you are heading. One day life on this earth will end. The God of all grace called you to his eternal glory in Christ. He has already made a reservation in heaven for you. He will welcome you into the gates of glory. Through the payment Jesus made for you, you possess eternal life. That means even the sufferings you face now will never travel with you into heaven. Until you enter your heavenly home, God will give you strength to rely on him more. He will correct false beliefs and refocus your heart to grasp his promises. He will strengthen your faith, placing it squarely on the foundation of Jesus’ forgiveness. All this God does daily through his Word. He will do all this throughout your entire life because God is concerned about you. It means you can Rejoice in All Suffering! God tells you to expect suffering. Yet, look past the pain, the heartache, the raw feelings and remember why you suffer in the first place. You suffer because you belong to God—the same God who has the authority to declare you his child and preach to the world that you are entering heaven! No king, no government, no friend or family can ever cancel out this powerful Word! Dear friends, The Spirit of God rests on you! You are God’s child! Rejoice! God is concerned about you! He daily blesses you, answers prayer, and increases trust in him! Rejoice in All Suffering!
hammer your fingers? Probably not. You recognized how you placed your thumb in danger and so you took the necessary steps to avoid repeating your painful experience. You learned from history.
Or, look at your kids. If your [grand]son successfully grabbed a bee (and got stung), he probably runs away from bees now. If your [grand]daughter slammed her fingers in the car door, she probably watches her fingers a little more closely. Kids avoid future danger by learning from past experiences. So, what happens if you do not learn from history? …if you do not change your hammer-swinging-habits? … if your [grand]son grabs another bee? …if your [grand]daughter holds the car-doorframe while slamming the door shut? Well, life will be less than pleasant. Life will hurt. Life will be painful because those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. That is why God makes sure you get to hear these very words. He echoes Israel’s history so that you may avoid stumbling into their same suffering. Practice Real Wisdom as you Remember the past so that you can Watch the present and Teach the future. Moses cannot stress that point enough. He stands before two million Israelites who are on the brink of change. They will enter a new land with a lush, fertile landscape, a new government with a new economy, a new way of life with entirely new opportunities for their children. And Moses… well, Moses will not live to join them. In his final address to the nation, he Remembers the past. He points back to Mount Sinai (or as you heard it called in verse 10, Mount Horeb). There, God gave Israel Ten Commandments— ten perfect demands to guide their life. He also gives a ceremonial law, instructing them how to worship, when to worship, what offerings to bring, and who will lead worship. He even hands down a civil law, teaching people how to live with each other, how to pay back debts, how to obtain justice, and treat personal property with respect. Moses commands— not suggests, not gives an opinion, but commands: “Follow them.” From this point forward the nation must live life within the boundaries of God’s commands. If they remembered the past, then they would remember why. You saw with your own eyes what the Lord did at Baal Peor. Now, Baal is the name of a pagan god. Nations believed Baal could send rain and sun to make crops grow, and could multiply the size of their herds. The way to activate Baal (or have him work) is to have sex. So, decades earlier at a place called “Peor,” godless women seduced 24,000 Israelites to worship Baal (Numbers 25:1-9). Even though God first commanded: You shall have no other gods (Exodus 20:3), 24,000 Israelites handed their bodies over to this cow-god in broad daylight. And God witnessed this! He did not ignore their godlessness. The Lord [their] God destroyed […] everyone who followed the Baal of Peor. How does a nation which has God speak to them, lead them, and live with them fall into such deep unbelief? Well, is it really much of a wonder? Twenty-four thousand added a new command: You can have a new god! Twenty-four thousand stripped away an old command: You shall have only one God. Twenty-four thousand listened the devilish whisper: “Did God really say?” and they believed the lie. My friends, that devilish hiss still echoes today. Yes, Moabite women will probably not seduce you to worship Baal. You live in a world that preaches: “Do what makes you feel good!” Love others only when they love you!” Yes, you probably will not worship a cow. Yet, your world challenges: “This is your parent’s church! You surely do not believe everything they believe! You are stronger, wiser, smarter! Believe your own thing!” Yes, you will probably will never erase God’s Word from your mind. Yet, your heart will beat: “You don’t need to listen to him! You don’t need to be in worship as often as possible. You don’t need to let his Word guide your choices. You can live life on your own!” The heart within our very own chest beats, throbs, and pounds for you to stand on top of the Bible, slam down a throne, and render judgments like a judge. God commands: Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord. Yet, you will be tempted to believe every excuse, lie, and reason to change it. So, here’s the real question: if you add and subtract from God’s commands, then whose word are you really listening to? does not say it, then who is? If God commands love and obedience you ignore it, then who are you following? You are listening to the rules of a faulty human heart that has absolutely no power to make life better. Failing to remember the past can throw you into the same eternal pain as those 24,000. So, remember the past. Remember a God who guarantees he is near you. Remember a God who wraps himself in the flesh of an infant. Remember a God who grows up in his very own commands. Remember a God who delights in listening to every Word— even when those Words lead to death on the cross. There, your God, your Jesus remembers you. He remembers to remove every time you stood defiant in the face of God and declared your independence from him. He remembers that his life will cover you so that your sins will be remembered no more. This is who you are now: God’s child. He has called you to be different. To be different means that you no longer live according to the ways the world considers wise. Instead, you Practice Real Wisdom. Remember the past so that you can Watch the present. What do you see? Do you feel a heart which pounds for the voice of Jesus to lead you through every decision, question, and challenge? It can be struggle to do so, right? That is why Moses reminds you: See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the Lord my God commanded me… Observe them carefully. This is where our English language loses a little of the Hebrew flavor. To “observe” means you pay close attention to something like when you drive through a dangerous city, but still pay close attention to your surroundings and safety. You protect your life as you avoid danger. Observe, that is, pay close attention to the Word of your God. You know the commandments; you learned them in catechism class (or if you no longer remember, you can read through them in Exodus 20:1-17). Watch how you use the Word in your everyday life. When you have financial or health or schooling decisions to make, ask: “What advice does Scripture give me?” When you wrestle with temptation, run to the Bible because it is your weapon to end attack (Ephesians 6:10-16). When you feel empty and seek guidance for the future, rely and remember God’s promise that he is always with you (Matthew 28:20). These commands are to be a part of life because this is your understanding and wisdom. Humanity might be wise in its governing and its decisions. While many benefit from this wisdom, it will never translate into eternal joys. Only God’s Word brings true wisdom. Only God’s teaching gives the clear, definitive answer as to how (1) you stand right with God, (2) how you enter eternal life, and (3) how you live confident of entering eternal life. A heart placed on any other wisdom will never, ever grant such security. Watch what your heart loves, believes, and trusts. Watch your actions and behaviors. Watch your present spiritual life and safeguard your faith so that will never forsake your eternal treasure. This is how you Practice Real Wisdom. Yet, wisdom does not stop with the here and now. You are truly wise as you Teach the future. This is how: Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely. Now, Moses is not talking about looking in a mirror and checking over your appearance. Instead, he wants you to watch what enters you spiritually. Why? Because you can forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart. Do you remember everything you ate for supper on Friday? Do you remember everything you learned in gradeschool? (... half of everything?... a quarter?) Do you feel confident enough to step back into your first job and be just as effective and knowledgeable as you were then? We forget things over time. That includes what you learned in Sunday School and Bible Class and Catechism class and even in sermons or personal Bible readings. You can forget how long it took Noah to build the ark, or how many commandments God gave (and what they are), what makes King David an important Bible figure, or what makes an apostle different from a disciple. Forgetting can leave gaps in knowledge, meaning: (1) you don’t have an answer—or worse yet, (2) you make one up. Like why we celebrate the Lord’s Supper so often. How God answers prayer. What is the only way people enter heaven. Because we forget things we must continue relearning and refreshing our knowledge. If you feel you don’t know where to start, then start with your catechism. It teaches you the Bible’s teachings. It is laid out in little sections where you can study a few pages each day. You can even quiz yourself by reading the question and then studying the answer. Relearn what you believe and why you do. Reconsider your time and effort that you may attend Bible study. Ask me if there is something you would like to study on a certain day. Even as we pause some of our education classes and entering the summer, remain in worship. This is possibly the longest amount of time you spend each week in the Word of God. And it’s not just a habit or ritual; God speaks to you so that you may trust him more. As you rely on his promises more, your fears will decrease. Teach [these commands] to your children and to their children after them. Do you notice that God gives you a responsibility? This is not an option. Once again, this is a command, an expectation of you. If you have children, God expects you, the parent, to share him with them. How else are they going to learn about a Savior who will bring them to heaven? If you have friends or family who have wandered into unbelief, you can teach them about the Savior. How else will young adults, retirees, the elderly avoid eternal danger unless someone approaches them? Teaching means revealing something unknown. Not everyone knows what will happen on the other side of the grave. Not everyone knows the only way to stand right with God. Not everyone knows what God expects of life here on earth. Therefore they must be taught. What joy and what a privilege you hold that God should use you to share a message that will bring eternal life! Out of everything you will ever do in life, out of all the things you will learn in life, only one knowledge will give you eternal life. That, my friends, is a Savior who lived and died for you. This is true wisdom. Practice This Wisdom as you Teach the future. Not just the future you— how you will implement this study, but also to the literal future of your family. God has seen fit to preserve these very words for you. He echoes Israel’s history so that you may avoid stumbling into their same suffering. Practice Real Wisdom as you Remember the past so that you can Watch the present and Teach the future.
telling the truth? Well, you first need to look at the facts, right? Do you have a cat? Does the cat typically strut across the mantel? Is the cat in the room or outside or at a kennel? Did your [grand]child have some object he was tossing around? You find evidence, gather proof, and then form a conclusion.
Or, let’s think back to November. You had two presidential candidates trotting around a stage with microphones in hand. A moderator asked questions of each one. One candidate claims to have voted a certain way on healthcare legislation. Another candidate points back to a promise made on immigration. Both candidates dust off a statement on college tuition and claim to have always stood behind their statement. How do you know if what you are hearing is the truth? Well, you have fact-checkers. During every presidential debate, certain individuals scour every past voting record, every promise, and every statement and compare those proofs to the words given now. You gather evidence, examine the proof, and then form a conclusion. I find it safe to assume that people want the truth. No one wants a false report. You know that building your life on a lie can have long-term results. You may punish an innocent cat. You can vote for an elected official who will change the campaign promises you support. Having proof allows you to determine if what you hear is the truth. So, when it comes to your faith, how do you know if what you are hearing is the truth? How do you know if what I am telling you is truth (and not a lie)? How do you know if Jesus truly removed sin’s consequences free of charge (or if you must do something to earn forgiveness)? Since so many different teachers share so many different teachings on the same Bible, you are encouraged to Fact-Check Your Faith. Use Scripture for proof. Examine Scriptures for truth. Paul the missionary does just that. He travels along the northern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, pass[ing] through Amphipolis and Apollonia, [and] came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. There, Jews read the Old Testament Scriptures, hear a sermon, and offer up prayers. Yet, their attentions still fixated on a Christ to come. Yes, even though Jesus had already died on the cross, rose on Easter, and ascended into heaven, some did not (1) know these events happened and (2) others believed the man Jesus was not God’s promised “Christ.” So, for three Sabbath days [Paul] reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. How will those Jews know if Paul is telling them the truth? Well, do you see how he taught? [H]e reasoned with them from the Scriptures. Paul’s beliefs do not come from preconceived notions; he is not teaching his personal opinions. They ask questions and Paul points to the Old Testament prophecies to (1) explain what it means that the Messiah must die. In the Old Testament, the prophet Zechariah predicted: “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered” (13:7). Jeremiah the prophet set the price of Jesus’ betrayal at thirty pieces of silver (32:7; Matthew 27:9-10). Isaiah says: He [God’s appointed Son] was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed (53:5). King David knows the Christ would be forsaken by God, men would gamble for his clothing, the wicked would scowl at him (Psalm 22:1-18). These are clear prophecies. So, Paul takes them and (2) gives evidence that these events are fulfilled by Jesus. His disciples scatter when he is arrested (Matthew 26:31). Judas betrays Jesus for thirty pieces of silver (which the chief priests used to buy a field). Jesus suffers on a cross for our sins, being forsaken by God while men gamble for his clothing (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:24). Yet, not only does the Christ suffer, but he rises again. Paul opens to Psalm 16, where it promises: you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay (Psalm 16:10). This man Jesus not only dies, but so many witness that he lives! So, Paul could say with certainty: “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ. He Fact-Checks Faith by using Scripture for proof. But the Jews were jealous. They are not merely upset Paul’s preaching gains followers; they feel Paul tells lies. Doesn’t that sound odd? Paul points to the Bible, uses clear prophecies and connects them to clear, factual events of Jesus, and still many reject his words. Why? Because some Jews had already made up their minds of what they wanted in the Christ. They wanted a Christ who would chase the Romans out of their land, give the Jews free reign to rule their country, and feed them forever (John 6:14-15; Acts 1:6). And since Jesus appears to completely fail at this task, then (they conclude) he could not be the Christ. Yes, you might be shaking your head, wondering: “How could they ever believe that?” Well, when you divorce the Bible from your beliefs, then you will create anything to believe. The constant temptation in life is to form your beliefs first and then to use the Bible to defend those beliefs. The Bible teaches: “Husbands, love your wives as Christ selflessly loved the church” and “Wives, listen to your husbands as believers listen to Jesus” (Ephesians 5:25-27). Yet, how easy for husbands to change those clear words and say: “Well, I will only put the needs of my wife ahead of my own if she earns my love first.” Or for wives to say, “Well, my husband does not deserve me following his leadership.” The Bible is clear and yet the mind feels free to change its clear meaning. God calls you to live a holy life (1 Thessalonians 4:7)— to stand out from a world which cares so little for the Word. Yet, the mind quickly wonders: “Would God really be angry over my words, my lifestyle, my drinking?” The Bible is clear and yet the mind finds reasons to excuse behaviors. Jesus teaches, “If you hold to my teachings, you are really my disciples” (John 8:31). Still, the moment you realize a friend does not agree with Jesus’ teaching of baptism, how quickly you may want to remove Jesus’ teaching so that you do not anger your friend! The Bible gives a clear teaching and yet the mind feels it has enough authority to cancel out God’s Word! How tempting it is to change the clear meaning the Word of God to fit your beliefs! Yet, if you do that, then how do you know if what you believe is the truth? Basing your faith on your personal feelings of “right” and “wrong” really provides no truth. You have no certainty that what you believe is true. At best, you can only guess. You will never have certainty that you are on the right path to eternal life. Fact-Check Your Faith. Recognize the Bible exposes our heart’s rebellious condition. A part of us will always find fault with God. So, that is why it is necessary for the Christ to suffer and die. When Jesus lives in this world, he sees the words of Psalm 14 come to life: All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good not even one (Psalm 14:3). Yet, Jesus has done good; he alone is perfect. Never does he change the Word to gain popularity; never does he form his behavior first and then use the Word to defend it. Instead, God promised the Christ would die, Jesus goes ahead to be pierced and crushed for our rebellion. Yet, Christ had to rise… because your debt to God had been paid in full. No more debt means no more death. So Jesus can promise you a room in his Father’s mansion (John 14:2-3). The only Way into heaven is by trusting Jesus (and only Jesus) has removed your sins. You can be sure this is true because Scripture gives clear proof. Paul continued using Scripture for proof sharing with everyone (1) that the Christ had to suffer and die and (2) that Jesus is the Christ. This is his custom— even when arriving to a new city called Berea. He shares this marvelous truth in another synagogue. As these Christians listen, they examine Scriptures for truth. Instead of simply listening to Paul and assuming his words were automatically correct, they fact-checked his teachings with the Word of God. If Paul called Jesus “the Son of God,” then they read Psalm 2:7 where God calls Jesus my Son. If they wanted to know if Jesus had to suffer, they could turn to Isaiah 53 or Psalm 22. Psalm 16 reveals God’s promise to raise Jesus from the dead. They paid close attention to Paul’s teachings and compared them to the Bible clear teachings. They Fact-Checked Their Faith by examining Scriptures for truth. It never offends the preacher if the congregation wishes to fact-check his words. In fact, a Godly preacher delights in seeing a congregation place their allegiance to the Word over their allegiance to a denomination or a personality. When we start saying: “I believe because Pastor so-and-so said” or “This is the way we’ve always done it” or “It just feels right,” that is when you do well to return to the Word and learn again the reasons you believe the teachings you believe. The devil knows the more he keeps you out of the Word, the more you will create your own God to follow. Either you rely too much on what you think you know or you grow so lazy that you do not care what you do know. Fact-Check Your Faith by examining Scriptures for truth. This is what makes you “Lutheran.” Being “Lutheran” is more that applying a name to your denomination. It means you follow the approach to the Word of God that Martin Luther had. Luther pointed everyone back to the Word of God and demanded that life and teachings are founded on the Word. So when the Catholic church declared you could be forgiven by paying money or praying or traveling to holy places, Luther asked: “Where does the Bible teach this?” When friends taught the Lord’s Supper simply pretended Jesus’ body and blood were present, Luther declared: “But Jesus, in the Bible, says: ‘This is.’” When you are confronted by an unfamiliar teaching, scour through the Bible. When social issues flare up: same-sex marriage, divorce, how to raise children, how to help those in need— how tempting to stop and blurt out what you think. (What you think might be entirely wrong!) Instead, start with the Word. What has Jesus said? Do your beliefs line up with his teachings? Only then will you know the truth. This truth will place you on the path to Life. Fact-Check Your Faith by examining Scriptures for truth. No one wants a false report. Building your life on a lie can have long-term results. You could base your hope on something that will never come true. You may believe an event (or fact) that simply did not happen. Having proof allows you to determine if what you hear is the truth. So, when it comes to your faith, how do you know if what you are hearing is the truth? How do you know if what I am telling you is truth (and not a lie)? How do you know if Jesus truly removed sin’s consequences free of charge (or if you must do something to earn forgiveness)? Return to the Word and Fact-Check Your Faith. Use Scripture for proof. Examine Scriptures for truth.
Of course it would be Tiger, right?! He is the golf professional with almost 40 years of experience! He knows every rule of the game. He understands the technique of swinging a club and knows how to get your knees, hips, and wrists to coordinate together. Even if you do not hit the ball well you would probably be more open to receiving correction from Tiger than from me. Yes, even if you struggle you would listen to his comments. Why? Because he has had success in golf. If you have never played golf, you will gain confidence through from his knowledge, experience, and demonstration through both easy and difficult lessons.
Have you ever considered that before? When life gets difficult and frustrating, many usually search for an easy way to dodge suffering. Even if the only way to victory is through suffering, it is tempting to surrender victory if it means you can avoid suffering. Yet, when you have a leader in life, you follow his encouragement to (1) overcome suffering and (2) grow in spite of it. That’s an easy truth to forget. So your God reminds you just what it means to Follow in the Footsteps of Your Good Shepherd. He heals you. He guides you. He protects you. Did you catch what jumps out in those three parts? (He heals you. He guides you. He protects you.) “You” are not the subject. “You” are not doing the action. “You” are the object. And “He” is Jesus and Jesus is doing the action. Listen again to verse 25: For you were like sheep going astray. This is how you once lived; you were like sheep going astray. Pay attention to the verb. “Were” describes a past action. At one time you behaved a certain way, but this behavior no longer happens today. You see, when Peter says: You were like sheep going astray, he is not describing your constant battle against sin. So, he is not referring to last week, when your attention drifted from the Word of God and followed the self-centered “word of me” or when you put more trust in your efforts than in God’s promises. Peter is pointing out how one time you lived like a sheep who followed no shepherd. Life was aimless. Maybe you searched for happiness in wealth. Perhaps you felt drinking could solve problems. Self-centered-serving felt good. No matter if you came to faith at an older age or through your baptism just a few days after your birth, you once lived like a wandering sheep searching for some lasting satisfaction, but you were unsure of what that satisfaction was. But something changed. Your life goals, your sense of purpose, your direction has all changed. You have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. This translation may be a little misleading because “you” still did not do the action. A more literal reading is: You were returned, meaning, “you” are still the object and someone else returns you. And Peter says that Jesus himself returned you. Like a Good Shepherd, he looked for you (John 10:16). He opens his mouth; his Word goes out. His message is clear: He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree. Life without Jesus would result in hell. Money could never buy lasting happiness. Alcohol cannot numb guilt before God. Selfishness could never move God to let you into heaven. It is Jesus who sheds his blood to bring you into heaven’s eternal pastures. It is Jesus who suffers your punishment and removes your guilt. Jesus died for your sins on the cross in order to mark you as his sheep. [B]y his wounds you have been healed. You now live in this flock of Jesus, brought into this fenced-in-pasture. How does this appear in your life? Well, you have died to sin. No longer do you search for happiness in the bottle or online or in money. You live to righteousness. Your behavior and choices, words and actions, are shaped by what God, in the Bible, says is pleasing. Put another way, you Follow in the Footsteps of Your Good Shepherd. Jesus is “Good” because He heals you from the death of sin. Jesus is a “Shepherd” because He guides you. The picture of a Shepherd leading his flock through life is so near and dear to our hearts. That soothing image reveals the fact you are loved— that Jesus uses his time, his power, and his ability to pluck worries and dangers from life. Yes, even if life feels more complex than it once did, you can live anxiety-free because Jesus guides you. Yes, even if life feels more complex than it once did, you can live anxiety-free because Jesus guides you. It may not feel like that is true. Just look at the verses that come before verse 25. Peter talks about everything that robs comfort from life! You can endure pain of unjust suffering and you suffer for doing good. That happens, right? You shape your life around what God calls “right” and “wrong.” You worship a God serious about punishing sin and forgiving sin (Exodus 34:6-7), but the world labels you “bigoted” and “hateful” and calls your God a “tyrant.” You may reach out to a child straying away Jesus, but are told to “back off.” You may stand up for what is right, but realize you stand in the minority. Suffering can happen even when you do the good God wants you to do. Sometimes suffering may just not feel fair. You suffer in life. Cancer comes back; it might never go away. You prayed to God for deliverance, but then it comes back— and you wonder: “Is my Shepherd listening?” You pour yourself into making relationships better, but the other party just does not seem to be returning love. Your heart grieves as you watch your cousins and siblings, children and grandchildren get sucked into the decaying morality of society. You get hurt. You know you will heal— but you are away from a normal routine, your wages are decreased, your body aches, and you wonder if you will ever feel the same. Laws are passed that you do not like; taxes increase; FoxNews and CNN and MSNBC only seem to churn out doom and gloom. You are in this flock of Jesus, but it feels like the Shepherd leaves you. You feel forgotten, abandoned, forsaken— almost as though life is this monotonous routine that offers nothing more than pain and misery until you finally reach heaven. Suffering is not pleasant or enjoyable or as our reading calls: a gracious thing. No, suffering hurts. It hurts your emotions. It hurts your pride. It hurts your sense of joy. To end the hurt, you may search for what is not helping remove the hurt. And that one thing is—well… it may appear as though God is doing nothing to guide you. Suffering can push you to blame the Good Shepherd of hurting you. Yet, do you find it interesting that Peter brings up the Good Shepherd here? Peter mentions that suffering will be present in life. He knows the devil will use suffering to pry you away from the Shepherd’s fold. So, Peter reminds you: Follow in the Footsteps of Your Good Shepherd because Christ [also] suffered for you. He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. Not only is Jesus innocent, but he never shakes an angry fist at God accusing him of sending him to the slaughter. When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate, even though Jesus could have damned the world to hell or cursed God. [W]hen he suffered, he made no threats. Instead Jesus suffers unjustly— and this is why: The only way to save you eternally is for him to suffer death for your sins. No suffering, no forgiveness and no heaven for you. If he suffers, then you gain heaven. Not only does your Good Shepherd suffer for your eternal benefit, but you may suffer because you are connected to your Good Shepherd. Why? Because your suffering does not come because people do not like you. Suffering comes because an unbelieving world cannot stand the teachings of your Jesus. So, it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because your suffering comes as result of you following Jesus ahead of society. Your Good Shepherd will continue guiding you through every challenge because he is leading you to the pastures of heaven. Be sure, until you reach those eternal pastures, your Good Shepherd protects you. He l[eft] you an example, that you should follow in his steps. Imagine you, the parent, trudging through deep snow. Behind you is your child following in those impressions. In the same way, Jesus also suffered but now lives in eternal glory. Imitate him through joys and challenges, knowing that you also are walking to heaven. You can follow his steps by removing false ideas. Sometimes you may be tempted to have God meet your terms. You may expect God to fill you with happiness by healing you the way you want. You want God to fill you with peace by enforcing the laws you know should be passed. You expect God to give you health and wealth. Yet, where does he promise these things? God does not promise you a life full of joys and bliss. Instead, he makes it so clear that you can expect suffering. Or, as our beloved Psalm 23 says: Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death… Even this psalm tells you that you will walk through some challenging moments in life. The joy is not found in a pain-free life. The join is found in the fact Jesus is with you; his rod and staff comfort you (Psalm 23:4). Jesus the Good Shepherd is your overseer. An overseer is someone who protects you. You could picture sitting in the middle of an Army humvee caravan driving down enemy streets. Danger surrounds you on every side, yet the humvee, the weapons, and surrounding troops protect you. Your Good Shepherd, recognizes the suffering you face in life. Yet, he leads you not around them, he does not abandon you to them; he leads you through them because he has conquered every suffering. Jesus protects you from death in hell because he (1) died, but (2) rose again (reversing death forever). Jesus can promise you eternal life in heaven because when his earthly ministry was over, he entered heaven. Jesus can protect you because he still possesses the power to return and bring you to heaven. Until you reach your heavenly home, your Good Shepherd is protecting you on the way. He is your leader. Just like if you have never played golf, you will learn from a professional’s knowledge, experience, and demonstration. Even if you do not hit the ball well you would probably be more open to receiving correction from a professional than from me. You rely and follow someone who (1) has won success and who (2) offers you success. Life may have suffering. You may suffer from someone ridiculing your beliefs or you are pressured from within to give up on your beliefs. Yet, press on. Your Good Shepherd walked through suffering and now lives in heavenly glory. When you have a leader in life, you follow his encouragement to (1) overcome suffering and (2) grow in spite of it. Your God reminds you of this truth. Follow in the Footsteps of Your Good Shepherd. He heals you. He guides you. He protects you.
barked that he “Shut up!” and “Get back to work!” When another employee stepped in to defuse the situation, Mr. Stevens challenged him to a fight. When yet another employee tried to intervene, Mr. Stevens yelled back: “I’m not going to let you continue telling me I’m disrespecting my crew. Have you been in the fast food business before?” This employee calmly replied: “I have been in the restaurant business for over 20 years. And I’ve been in the fast food business for over 20 years. I’m CEO for this company.” (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2104085/Rallys-Checkers-CEO-Rick-Silva-shuts-restaurant-Undercover-Boss-episode.html#ixzz4fNijv8Ra )
Can you just imagine the sheer horror spreading across Mr. Stevens’ face? He verbally attacked his employees. He abused them. He even so smugly challenged the authority of his boss! Now he stands in front of the judge who holds his livelihood in his hands! Maybe that is what many love watching when it comes to revealing a hidden, but powerful identity: Justice is served. Yet, when the tables are turned and you are the one caught red-handed by a powerful identity, well, you can feel the hope drain out of life. And when Peter points at you and trumpets: “You challenged the authority of God!” What shall you do? Let’s Be Sure: Jesus is ‘Lord’ and ‘Christ.’ This truth cuts to the heart. This truth creates new life. This truth could not be ignored. Peter’s own eyes took in the sights of an empty tomb. His ears heard Jesus breathe: “Peace be with you!” (John 20:19). His fingers touched real flesh and blood. Jesus is not dead; he is risen indeed! Yet, fifty days after Easter, life returned to normal and so many people act as though nothing happened. Something did happen— an event no one can ignore or shrug off or pass over. Peter stands up in Jerusalem’s city square to let everyone know. “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” This Jewish nation knew exactly who Jesus was. He is the carpenter’s Son, the teacher in the synagogue, the man who healed their neighbors. And Peter shouts: “You crucified him! You laughed at his authority, mocked his miracles, cut his Word out of your heart, and sent innocent life to death! You cannot blame Pilate for complying with your chants of ‘Crucify!’ He tried to calm you down, but you pushed harder. You cannot hide behind soldiers; they did what you asked them to do. You cannot look at the pitch-black sky, the earthquakes shaking the earth, and the dead coming to life and shrug it off, acting as though nothing divine was happening. You killed the Son of God! You crucified this Jesus!” That’s right, “you” crucified Jesus. Not just this Jewish nation, but you and I as well. I know, you did not actually pound nails into his hands and you didn’t taunt him and mock his miracles. You were not even born to be there on Calvary! Yet, you made it necessary for Jesus to be crucified. You, who confess every Sunday that your ‘Lord’ is seated at God’s right hand in power— and yet you still worry about your future. You, who believe Jesus ‘Christ’ preaches for your ears— and yet you still found reasons why the Bible’s clear teachings on marriage still do not apply to you or why you can rip into your neighbor’s reputation or why your daily schedule cannot prioritize even ten minutes each day of Bible reading! Yes, even right now, you can create a mountain of excuses: “Well, I am human after all, I’m just fearful over where the world is heading.” You can defend your case: “Well, my family deserves my anger.” You can justify your stance: “Well, my schedule is too busy for God every day.” But know this: Jesus is not crucified for the rebellion of your neighbor or spouse or child or the person next to you. Your behavior made it necessary for Jesus to be crucified. If hearing this makes you squeamish, then God’s Law is doing exactly what it is supposed to do. Remember what God’s “Law” means? (Catechism students? Bible class attendees?) God’s Law is a list of “Do this!” and “Don’t do that!” “Do” be perfect! “Do not” be anything less than perfect! If you obey it always, you have eternal life (Proverbs 11:18). Fail and you reap death (Romans 6:23). So, why do you need to hear this? After all, no one admits they are perfect. Isn’t that the reason why— because you aren’t perfect? The sinful nature within you hears these commands and bristles. It creates those myriad of excuses: “Yes, but…” “ I don’t need to hear this anymore…” “Everyone does it…” “It’s no big deal.” Your sinful nature will try to shrink the seriousness of sin so much that you too are tempted to shrug off sin’s consequences. If you think rebellion against a holy God is nothing significant, then you will soon think you do not need a Savior— just the like the Jews thought. Like them, you will reject his Word for your life. You will mock his promises. You may even reject any use for him at all! Instead of running away from God’s Law or trying to soften its stinging words, let This truth cut the heart. Listen to God’s Law. Let it expose your failures and faults as they truly are. Let it kick out any excuses, remove every hiding place, and take away every defense. Let God’s Law slice you to pieces so that you appreciate more fully just what God has done for you. Let this truth create new life. Just look at the crowds’ reaction. When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” No excuses. No defense. No scrambling around to figure out a way to make things better. Just a simple: “God, I confess that I am by nature sinful… Have mercy on me, a sinner.”And Peter replied, “Repent… which means: “Turn!” (like making a U-turn). You do. Not because you realize how far you have fallen and that you need to choose Jesus as your Savior. The Bible clearly teaches that you and I do not choose to come to faith (John 15:16; Romans 10:17). That is what God has done; he has brought Jesus into your life. When you are baptized, the water and the Word joins you to Jesus Christ and Jesus puts his name on you, claiming you as his own. [B]e baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ. Do not overlook his titles. Names have meaning. “Lord” means “master” or “one in authority.” When Peter calls Jesus “Lord,” he means that Jesus holds authority. No other person has the ability to control the weather or universe as Jesus does. No other human being has the privilege, right, or power to judge the living and the dead. Not only is Jesus “Lord,” but also “Christ.” Remember, “Christ” means “Anointed One.” To “anoint” someone means to “mark” them or “set them aside” for a specific mission. The “Christ” would be “set aside” for the special work of removing the sins of the world. No one would miss the “Christ.” The life of “Christ” would match up to every single Old Testament prophecy. Be Sure: Jesus is ‘Lord’ and ‘Christ.’ Be Sure that your ‘Lord’ is perfect— never spewing out filth against his neighbor or fearing for his life. Be sure that your ‘Christ’ is without sin— always spending time with God—even though he is God! He meets the demands of God’s Law in your place. Jesus fulfills the role of “Christ” by removing your every sin. That is why, when you are baptized, the Holy Spirit applies forgiveness to you. To “forgive” means to send away or to cancel (like releasing a dove to fly away). If God “sends away” your sins, then they are forever gone! If God “cancels” out what you owe him, then you owe him nothing! Your every single sin is removed, forgotten, cancelled out, and never brought up again. This is a promise for you— and Peter stresses that. For you and your children and for all who are far off— for all whom the Lord our God will call.” Yes, this gift is for the Jews who killed Jesus. Their unbelief was not too bad for God to forgive. This gift of forgiveness is for you—regardless of your past and present. This gift of forgiveness means you will have a blessed future with God. So, when Peter pleads: “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation,” you can be sure you are saved, rescued, delivered, set aside from a generation that still scorns its Lord. Your baptism has washed away sin and marks you as a child of God. This truth creates new life. Yes, it means you are different; you live different from a corrupt generation. The Holy Spirit lives within you. He strengthens you with the Word. He helps you to fight temptation. He increases your reliance on God and every single promise he makes. The Holy Spirit continues bringing you back to the hope of eternal life. You know, there will be times when guilt throws you into despair. Maybe your remember some foolish thing you did years ago. Maybe your words are still fresh in your mind. Perhaps you wonder if God’s forgiveness sounds too good to be true. The temptation is to look into yourself and find a reason to believe you are saved. Yet, is that where Peter points you? To yourself? No! He points you back to the work of Jesus. Be Sure: Jesus is ‘Lord’ and ‘Christ.’ Your ‘Lord’ is God himself. Your ‘Christ’ lived a perfect life for you. That is a fact. It does not change with how you feel today. Your guilt does not undo the fact Jesus had no guilt. When Jesus died, he made payment for sin. This became yours personally at your baptism. The Holy Spirit brought into your heart. When guilt flares up, point to the cross, point to the baptismal font and say: “Jesus died for me to forgive me!” Live Sure: Jesus is ‘Lord’ and ‘Christ.’ The more you study it, the more your appreciation for God’s tremendous love will grow. The more you will gladly serve him, study his Word, and give him thanks. This truth creates new life. You could say Mr. Stevens lived an entirely new life too. His CEO exposed his every shortcoming and failure. There was nowhere for Mr. Stevens to hide, no excuse he could make, no reason he should keep his job; he was caught red-handed. And yet, his CEO forgave him. So, how do you think Mr. Stevens manages now? Well, you guessed it: more generous, kind, and compassionate. His life has changed. Just like God has changed your life. Your world— even people you may know— may love defending their wrongs. They may hold up reasons why God must love them. It will be tempting for you to do the same. Yet, let God’s Law cut into you. It hurts. Others may tell you it is unnecessary, but God knows his Law is necessary. It cuts into you so that you may have new life. A new life with him in heaven. A new life to thank him with your behavior. A new life which relies on his promises more and more. Be Sure: Jesus is ‘Lord’ and ‘Christ.’ This truth cuts to the heart. This truth creates new life.
Now what? After all, Easter Sunday was last week. Last week you heard heart-pounding testimonies that Jesus is alive, but you will not hear this testimony repeated today. Last week you sang beloved Easter hymns and responded with heartwarming Bible verses, but some of those hymns you will not sing today. Last week your heart fluttered with the joy of knowing peace with God. Yet, that was all last week and six days stand between last Sunday and this Sunday. Six days that trumpeted cancer treatments and doctor appointments and school deadlines and global anxiety and stress from family and fears of nuclear war and— anything but that peace you experienced on Easter. It can leaving you feeling that Easter lasts only one day. That Easter Sunday gives you joy and peace and a reason to sing, but when Sunday ends, you pack Easter’s joy away in boxes for another year.
Treating Easter like a one-day event can rob you of its lasting joy for today (and tomorrow and the day after). In fact, if you ever read through the entire New Testament, you will realize that every Bible writer treats Easter as more than just a one-day event. You see that today. The events of that first Easter fill every part of life, Making Every Day Easter Day! You carry joy in every situation because You are born into a living hope. Look again at our reading from 1 Peter. Blessed (or Praise) be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy, has caused us to be born again. See the life you live now. At one time, you lived in the darkness of uncertainty— not sure how you stand before God, not sure if you will enter heaven, not sure if you are living a truly fulfilling life as God would have it. But you have clarity now. Your way of life has changed. Not because you chose to have life with God, but because [as Peter says] God, in his mercy, chose to give you new life! He uses baptism to create faith in your heart and he strengthens you in faith through his Word and sacrament. So, even though the first Easter Sunday happened thousands of years ago, God’s Word continues whisking you and me back to the empty tomb. There you see a lifeless body regain life. Jesus lives again to declare the wages owed to God for sin paid in full. If a debt is fully repaid, then there is no more debt. If sin’s consequences are fully repaid, then there is no more consequence of death. That is why, in verse 6, Peter says: In this you rejoice… You rejoice that Jesus makes God at peace with you. When Peter says “rejoice,” he does not mean singing hymns, but rather jumping up and down and fist-pumping as though your favorite team just won a championship. You “rejoice”— not just for one day, but for every day, every moment, all the time! Yes, you can rejoice even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials. Is that what you do? Look over last week. Did you wake up every day knowing that a risen Jesus means eternity in heaven and a risen Jesus means God-for-you? Did this deep, lasting, satisfying joy trump every trouble that entered life? It is not easy to jump and shout for joy when you endure various trials, is it? Your sibling gets sick— and she is a Christian. To you, it seems she did nothing to deserve this struggle. She is not a drunk or argumentative. She is kind, loving, and supportive. You wonder if she struggles because God is angry with her. Cancer enters your life. You don’t know why. You ate healthy, exercised, and watched what kind of stuff you inhaled. You even go through months of exhausting treatments. Yet, you wonder if God really cares about you enough to heal your body. You obey God’s command and you worship here, but you don’t feel any different. You still mourn the death of your spouse. Yes, you know she lives in heaven, but you still hurt inside. You still have no God-sent answer as to whether you should move or you should stay. You daily deal with the increase of evil in the world, the increase of people avoiding worship, the insults you absorb because of what you believe, the pressure to compromise your beliefs and tolerate false teaching, the battle inside between the lifestyle you want to live versus what Scripture so clearly and plainly teaches, and the thought of approaching death. All these troubles and trials suffocate any whimper of joy. What is it that makes it difficult to rejoice even when you are going through a challenge? Could it be that you doubt God is with you? Could it be that your focus is attached to fixing a problem yourself? Could it be that you are looking away from Easter? The more our attention drifts away from the empty tomb, the more you will doubt if God really loves you at all. Peter knows this can happen. He knows that you can experience grief and a debilitating illness and that you can hurt sometimes. If you notice, he never says: “Ignore your problems and put on a brave face.” No. Peter does not leave “Rejoice!” hanging by itself. Rather, he reveals the reason you and I can rejoice— even if we encounter trials. Listen again to our words: In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Go home and search the internet for “raw gold” and you will be amazed by what you see. Gold just mined up from the earth looks like a dull, jagged, gray rock. It is not the glistening, shiny-yellow, smooth material with which we are familiar. Someone heats a fire to 1,100 degrees, throws the chunk of gold into a pot, and everything melts. The dirt covering the gold melts off and floats on top of the golden puddle. Any bugs, twigs, or grass stuck in the gold incinerate. After burning away all the impurities, you are left with pure gold; you are left with a better, more valuable product. The troubles you face in life refine faith. The greater the intensity, the more you despair of yourself. By that I mean, instead of looking to your mind for deliverance, turn to the risen Lord who brings you peace. Let any fear that God has abandoned you melt away when you see Jesus return to his disciples (and return to you through his Word). He would have every right to leave us for questioning the sincerity of his love, but he remains to forgive you and me. Let the thoughts that God is angry with you disintegrate when you hear Jesus say: “Peace be with you. If you are forgiven, you are forgiven indeed!” Let worries about the future or griefs in the present find comfort in a Savior who says: “I am alive.” Jesus lives to prove that he is the Savior who comes to take away the sins of the world! Your life will go through this world and into eternity! The fact that Jesus lives now means you can Make Every Day Easter Day! Why? Because you run to the cross of Jesus again and again. There you discover a Savior who loves you so much that he removes every sinful impurity so that you can be his priceless treasure. You carry this joy in every situation. You can be confident of this because you are born into a living hope. Already, in this life, God promises in six different ways that you can be sure you are his child. He calls eternal life an inheritance. At your baptism, God etched your name into the book of eternal life. The sign of the cross made on your head and heart marks you as his child—not an orphan or a stranger, but his! In case you are still uncertain about that, then listen to him call this inheritance imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. God’s promise does not decay or rot over time. His guarantee is not untrustworthy. God is not a lawyer who changes terminology. God never forgets what he promises you. Your confidence that Jesus always stands beside you is living. It will never change, never fade, never expire. Even if your life-situations change, God’s guarantee to be with you never changes. Then this inheritance is kept in heaven for you. If a business owner puts money in his safe and leaves, he expects to return and find the money still there. God secures your guarantee of life in heaven. If God is protecting it, then you can be sure it remains there for you. Yet, you not only look forward to life with God. Rather, if God loves you so much that he prepares eternity for you, then you can be sure he stands beside you in every trouble. You, by God’s power, are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Imagine military men forming a circle to keep an official safe. God constantly guards you against all danger, delivers you from trouble, and strengthens your faith through his Word. At just the right time, heaven will be revealed (either on the Last Day or at the moment you leave this worldly life). Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Persevere through every struggle because you are not alone. By faith you trust God is with you always, even to the end of the age. So, the more trouble presses into you, the more you look up to God who helps you. Run to him in prayer, constantly pleading and trusting. He lives to put your heart and mind at peace. This is your living hope. Make Every Day Easter Day even if last week was Easter. The days and months might change, but the new life Jesus wins for you never changes. Your life situations might pose new challenges, but God constantly stands beside you. New fears and doubts may creep up. Yet, run to the Word, be assured of God’s love in baptism and communion, flee to him in prayer. Light and momentary trials stretch you to trust and rely on your God in ways you might never have done before. All this makes the testing of your faith far more valuable than the gold our world cherishes. Easter is more than just a one-day event. Jesus is not still dead and in his tomb. He has not re-entered his tomb a second time. He lives—and he lives now! He lives for you to Make Every Day Easter Day! You carry joy in every situation because You are born into a living hope.
After all, I’m assuming you consider this day significant. You are here today, maybe even dressed in a new outfit. You may be planning an Easter brunch or Easter dinner for after service. Perhaps a part of you is excited to sing some favorite Easter hymns. Yet, what is it about Easter that sets it apart as “special?” How do the events of this one single day change life as you know it?
Come & See! the empty tomb of the risen Savior and then discover your newfound life in the risen Savior. What do you think Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were up at the crack of dawn looking for? Look at the first verse of our reading: After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week [they] went to look at the tomb. They are on their way to tuck fine-smelling spices into the linens wrapping the body (Luke 24:1). If you are carrying burial spices to a tomb, then you expect to find a dead body. If you expect to find a dead body, then you expect the dead body to remain dead. If you expect a dead body to remain dead, then you expect this body will be forever out of your life. So here it is: The women are not expecting to lead Jesus home, eat Easter brunch with him, sit around the table, and hear him teach. They expect to find the dead body of Jesus Christ, to finish burial customs, and then leave it behind in the cemetery as they walk home. Really, that is no different from what we expect to experience in cemeteries. On their journey there, There was a violent earthquake, [because] an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. When the women arrived, they saw the angel and the angel [immediately] said to the[m], “Do not be afraid.” What reason to be afraid! The women had seen what happened to Jesus. He is crucified! The noontime sky turns pitch-black. Earthquakes split stones and rip buildings in two! Jesus shouts out: “My God, why have you forsaken me!” They had witnessed just how serious God is over sin! May I confess something to you? I have never gone hunting. I have never sat in a deer blind, huddled next to the heater, with rifle in hand, looking and aiming for deer. I have never hunted. Yet, I think I know what the point of hunting is: to shoot the deer. Right? To aim a rifle at (or near the heart), pull the trigger, and make sure the bullet strikes home. So, does it matter if you miss? What if you find a 10-point buck, aim, fire, and miss? The big buck scampers off into the woods. Is it a big deal? Of course it is! The point of hunting is hit the mark, to strike the bull’s-eye. Missing the mark is to fail. Or, as the Bible teaches, missing the mark is to “sin.” That’s what “sin” means: to “miss the mark” of being as perfect as God. If it is a big deal to miss shooting your 10-pointer, then be sure it is a big deal missing God’s standard of perfection. God is not laughing when you pick just the right word to destroy the ego of your boss. He does not look past the fact that global tensions send you running for help in your government, rather than placing trust in his Word: “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). When you think you are sitting alone with the bottle or online or any other substances, your God sits right beside you. He declares: The soul who sins will die (Ezekiel 18:4). Yes, you can try to ignore the wrongs you have done. You can point to others who struggle with the same addictions (as you) and shrug off your consequences. You can try to create your own rules and believe that God must love you— in spite of your behavior. Yet, nothing you say or think can change what God, the Lord of death and life has to say about sin: the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). That is why the fiercest fighters of the day— the seasoned Roman soldiers wrapped in armor and armed with the finest of deadly daggers, were so afraid of [this holy angel] that they shook and became like dead men. That is why these women running to the tomb trembled before this heavenly messenger. That is why, my friends, sin is a big deal. It misses the mark of God’s perfection and earns eternal death. But that is why the events of Easter change life as you know it. God knows the fear that can plague our minds and so he sends his angel with a message for you: “Do not be afraid!” That means right now. This is not a suggestion, it is a command! “Do not be afraid,” because Jesus was crucified— once, in the past. He was crucified to die the death you (and I) deserve. Our words “missed the mark” of being perfect words to encourage, but Jesus suffers our consequences. Our trust misses God and fixates other objects, and yet the life of Jesus is cut dead. The wages of sin is death, but Jesus uses his life to pay for the consequences of our sins (Romans 6:23). This is what makes Easter change life. The women expect to find only another dead body, thinking that Jesus is just like everyone else. He is not. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. His heart beats. His brain functions. Breath rushes into his lungs. Blood courses through his veins. Muscles contract. He opens his eyes, sits up, swings his feet over the side of the stone slab, stands up, and leaves the tomb! He lives! And he lives to declare to you and me that the wages of sin have been paid in full. Where there is nothing more to pay for guilt, there is nothing more owed to God. It means you will not die forever, but rather you will rise to eternal life! If you wonder if this is really true, then Come & See the empty tomb of the risen Savior. The stone rolls away like a coin on its edge, spins, and falls down. You can see inside the tomb. What is in there? Nothing! No more sins holding Jesus down in death. Our wrongs have been removed as far as the east is from the west! Seeing the empty tomb of the risen Savior means that he has fixed death. Since death is no longer a fearful consequence, you can discover your newfound life in the risen Savior! The women hurried away from the tomb… because they have new news to share! The dead in Christ come back to life! Yet, they still run out of the cemetery afraid yet filled with joy. Then suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. What a message! Just think about it. These are women who heard he would rise again on the third day, but still carry burial spices in their hands because they doubted Jesus would actually come back to life. These are women who wailed in utter despair because they feared he was still dead. These are women who think Jesus failed his mission to bring them to God. Out of all the things Jesus could have said regarding the fear of the women, out of all the reasons he could be angry with them women, he sends greetings of peace. Jesus says, “Do not be afraid.” You— you do not need to be afraid! Jesus is not against you; he is for you! He does not afflict you with cancer because you were not the best parent. He does not call your loved one to heaven because you fight with your family. Your accident is not the result of making God angry. Jesus has restored a right relationship between you and God! So you can “Stop being afraid!” Stop probing the very recesses of your heart, hoping to figure out a way to rise up into the presence of God! Stop searching for comfort in human advice or to manmade remedies. Stop thinking your Jesus is dead, lifeless, and unable to help you—because he is not dead. He has risen, risen indeed to proclaim you at peace with God! In case you still worry that Jesus meant something else, then listen on. “Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” Go and tell… who? “My brothers.” Jesus is not speaking about going to his literal family (—his mom and dad, brothers and sisters). Rather, these are Jesus’ disciples— his followers who completely failed him at the end of Holy Week. One disciple gets caught in this mob— and he wants to escape so much that he wiggles out of his clothes and runs away naked! Peter promises to cling to Jesus, but denies knowing him three times. Every single disciple abandons him, not standing by his side, offering refreshment, or working to free him! If there were ever a time for Jesus to make life a living hell, this would be it. Instead, he calls them: “My brothers.” People who will live in his house, share the same view towards life, and share the same Father in heaven. It means your relationship with God has changed entirely! Come & See your newness of life in the risen Savior. The empty tomb reveals a Savior who conquers death— literally. He does not leave his body behind and live on in our hearts (as some disembodied spirit). He rises— body and soul united— and Jesus is your brother, your family member. Because of the events of Easter you have a right relationship with God. You can bring every worry, anxiety, fear to him in prayer and know that he is listening. You can face challenges and illness, confident that this is not a punishment for a specific action. You know God will stand beside you to strengthen and heal. You can even walk into a cemetery and trust that you will rise to eternal life. This is not some unfounded hope or wish. Rather this is a certain truth (1) demonstrated in the empty tomb of Jesus and (2) promised by Jesus himself. Come & See the newness of life you have in the risen Savior. Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed! So what? Do you have a concrete, specific answer now? Easter changes life as you know it. Because Jesus lives, it means you also will live in heaven forever! Because Jesus lives, it means you can approach God as your Father—and approach him without fear or trembling. You stand in a right relationship with God. Not because you are trying to make up new methods. Not because you are trying to convince yourself this is true. But because Jesus tells you so and because Jesus shows you so. Come & See! the empty tomb of the risen Savior and live your newfound life in the risen Savior.
sermons and Bible classes. Nor am I talking about the times I leave to visit fellow members at their homes. No, when I would put her down for bedtime, say good-night, and shut the door, she thought I was leaving her. Tears streamed down her face. Her face grew flush and she got hysterical. She would even stand up in her crib and try to climb out of it just to be with me.
Just because I am not physically in the room with her does not mean that I left her. (from our mid-week Lenten series)
(from our mid-week Lenten series)
(from our mid-week Lenten series)
(from our mid-week Lenten series)
The two stare each other down— until the cornered man, in one last bout of desperation, darts to flee. A muscle flinches. A finger presses the trigger. The hammer strikes. The bullet shoots from the barrel. A criminal slumps to the ground.
Whether you are watching James Bond take down a super-villain or your favorite television crime show, you see a tense scene like this and the first thought that floods your mind is?… “He got what he deserved!” If someone breaks the law, then consequences follow.
No one’s there. Noisy Main Street doesn’t cut through the mountain. There are no mountaintop subdivisions jam-packed with homes. This is not like a high school cafeteria, where there’s groups of people walking past you talking and chattering— and you’re off to the side in your little group. No one is here— only Peter, James, John, and Jesus. It’s quiet, peaceful, serene. Can you picture it?
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