“I have a dream!” In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke before a large group of people at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. about civil rights. Among other things he said, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

On Tuesday night with the election of the first African-American President, many saw Martin Luther King Jr’s dream be fulfilled. In fact the dreams of many people were fulfilled that night. Thrilled with the election of their candidate, people in Chicago screamed at the top of their lungs, “Yes we can!” For many people that day marked the dawning of a new era of hope for the future.

Now, even if you don’t share the same dreams as those who voted for Obama, there still is every reason for you to have hope for the future. Not a hope that is based on any one leader in our government. Not a hope that is based on any person’s (including your own) strength or abilities. No, we have hope for the future through the One is over all, through all and in all (Ephesians 4:6). We have hope through the One who was, who is and who is to come. We have hope in the One who has all authority in heaven, on the earth and under the earth. We have hope in Him who is our Eternal God, the Ancient of Days! We have such hope because He is our holy and majestic King, and because He is our holy and just Judge.

God’s Word for our consideration today is recorded by the Old Testament prophet Daniel, chapter 7, verses 9-10.

As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. 10 A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.

We’ve all had bad dreams before, but most likely none of our dreams have ever been as frightening as the one that Daniel saw. During the Babylonian captivity, during the reign of King Belshazzar, Daniel had a dream where he saw four monstrous beasts come out of the sea. The first was like a mighty lion with wings of an eagle. The second was like a powerful bear with chewed-off ribs in his mouth. The third was like a leopard with four wings and four heads. And the last was a beast with iron teeth and ten horns that crushed everything in its path. Having seen this vision play out, it’s no wonder that Daniel said, “I was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me” (7:15).

Daniel then was told what his dream meant. The four beasts were four kingdoms that would rise from the earth, each one being more powerful than the next. (Note: Many commentators understand that those four kingdoms were the Babylonian, the Persian, the Greek and finally the Roman Empire.) From that last kingdom would rise up a man that would speak boastfully (7:8). He would speak against the Most High and oppress those who worshiped Him (7:25). He would wage war against the saints and defeat them (7:21). Again, as Daniel came to understand all these things, he said, “I was deeply troubled by my thoughts, and my face turned pale” (7:28).

Now if you would have had such a vision, wouldn’t you have felt the same as Daniel? There’s a part of us that always wants to know the future and what it holds for us. Like the disciples who asked, “Are you now going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” we also ask questions about the future. But the future, for the most part, is not ours to know. All that we need to know God has revealed for us in His Word. Everything else is as Jesus said to His disciples, “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority” (Acts 1:7).

And it’s a good thing that we don’t know everything about the future, because we probably would be very troubled just like Daniel. After all, the Scriptures warn us that things will go from bad to worse. It says that there will be terrible times in the last days. “People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:2-4).

But Daniel’s horrific dream had a wonderful ending. Daniel looked and saw that thrones were set in place (v. 9). [Note: The King James Version says that “thrones were cast down”, meaning that the former kings and their kingdoms all lost their power.] A new King would arise and take the place of those former wicked earthly rulers. This new King would rule together with His Son and together with all who worshipped Him. As the Scriptures say, “If we endure, we will also reign with Him” (2 Timothy 2:12) and as it also says in the book of Revelation, “Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection … they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years” (20:6).

This new King is identified as “the Ancient of Days”. He is the One who is from everlasting. He is the eternal King! He always has been and always will be. Unlike other rulers who come and go, His reign “was, is and is to come”.

And looking at Him, Daniel was inspired by the King’s majesty and glory. He saw that “His clothing was as white as snow, the hair of his head was white like wool”. This King was brilliant and radiant. He was pure and holy. Standing in His presence there was no need for the sun to shine, for this King Himself was Light – Light that overcomes the darkness.

And how would this King rule? Daniel looked and saw that “His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze”. This new King would reign everywhere! He would be at all places at all times! He would carry out His rule with perfect justice and condemn all who disobeyed Him.

Daniel understood that he was witnessing the full glory of the Lord. Much like Moses who saw the burning bush and heard the Lord speak to him, so Daniel must have been thought to himself, “Surely the ground I am standing on is holy ground!”

What a happy ending this was to such a terrible dream! Although godless rulers would rise up and their kingdoms would do terrible things, they would be no match for this eternal King, the Ancient of Days. And this King would make all things good again. He who is pure and holy, who is radiant and glorious, would work everything out for the good of His people. He would deliver them from those wicked rulers who had oppressed them in this life.

So, too, dear friends, we have hope that our “dreams” have a happy ending. Because of the Lord and His promises, we can sing, “I’m but a stranger here, heaven is my home”. Because of the Lord’s faithfulness, we can encourage one another saying, “Blessed are they who die in the Lord, for they will rest from their labors”.

In the meantime, however, the devil, the world and our own sinful flesh will mock us for our dreams. They will wage war on us and oppress us so that we will give up our faith or at least be ashamed of it. As a result, we go about our lives troubled and worried. We ask the Lord, “How long must this go on?”

But look! Thrones have been set in place. Our eternal God is brilliant and glorious! He’s holy and pure! And we will see Him with our own eyes and rule with Him forever.

Yet how can we stand in His presence and live? We are not holy and pure. We are not brilliant and glorious. We are sinful and unclean. We have all fallen far short of God’s glory.

The only way that we are able to see our eternal God and live is because of Jesus Christ our Lord. Daniel saw Him, too, in his vision: “there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed” (7:13-14).

Because Jesus is our Mediator between God and men, we have peace with God. We can stand in God’s presence and live, because Jesus has made us righteous in our heavenly Father’s sight. We have the hope of eternal life in heaven, because Jesus is now sitting at the right hand of God and is interceding for us. Some day, Jesus will come back and take us to be with Him forever!

No matter what may happen in our world and in our country, look to the skies. See that the One who was, who is and who is to come, is seated on His throne in glory. Our Eternal God and glorious King will certainly work everything out for our good.

Daniel’s vision continued and he saw “a river of fire was flowing, coming out from before [the Lord]”. The picture now was of judgment. The end of the world was now taking place, just as Peter described it: “The day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare” (2 Peter 3:10). This was also the way John saw it as he wrote: “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them” (Revelation 20:11). How terrifying this sight must have been for Daniel! This was none other than the great and dreadful day of the Lord!

Yet, this was also a wonderful dream. This was the great and glorious day of the Lord. Daniel was witnessing God’s righteous judgment. First of all, he saw “thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him” (v.10). Daniel saw the multitude of believers and angels worshiping the Lord and serving Him. They worshipped Him because they understood how good and gracious the LORD is. They also honored and praised Him for His perfect justice.

Daniel watched as “the court was seated, and the books were opened”. The living and the dead must all appear before the eternal God and His Son and be judged. The scrolls would tell of the judgment each person deserved. John describes these books in Revelation: “The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done” (20:12-13)

As Jesus Himself said (in our Gospel lesson for today), the wicked will be sent to eternal punishment in hell. He will say to those who rejected Him as their Lord and Savior, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me” (Matthew 25:41-43).

But to those who believe in Him, Jesus has given them eternal life. He says to them, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). Jesus says this because He knows that the Ancient of Days has had favor on them (Daniel 7:22). Having “come to power” Jesus will one day hand over all power and authority to His disciples. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom and all will worship and obey Him (7:27). Every knee will bow before Him and confess Him as Lord (Philippians 2:10-11)

Well, what will happen to us, dear friends? The Scriptures say, “Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27). How can we, who have been ashamed of our faith and have sinned against God and our neighbor, ever hope to enter the gates of heaven?

Our hope of going to heaven comes from looking at whose “book of life” this really is. It belongs to the LAMB OF GOD! It belongs to Him who is the atoning sacrifice, not only for our sins, but for the sins of the whole world. It belongs to Him who takes away the sin of the world through His death and glorious resurrection. The book of life belongs to Him who says, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die” (John 11:25-26). It belongs to Him who also says, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24).

By God’s grace, through faith in Jesus (which is a gift of God), we have the confidence to say that heaven is our home. With confidence we can say, “Yes, we will stand before the Lord in His glory and live, because Jesus has made us righteous in His sight. He has washed away our sins forever. Through faith in Jesus we are God’s children and heirs of heaven.”

But watch out for the boastful things that the devil, the world and our sinful flesh are saying, telling you that you can do anything, that you don’t need God’s help in order to get to heaven. Listen rather to the Lamb of God who has done everything for you so that you might have life in His Name. Listen to Him who says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

Because of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, we can say with confidence, “I have a dream! It’s primarily not a dream that everything will get better for us and our country under the next president. It’s a dream based on God’s Word and His promises. It’s a dream that we will be with the Lord forever in heaven and never experience any hunger or thirst, any pain or sadness, any sin or death. It’s a dream that I know will be a reality because God is our holy and majestic King, and because He is our holy and just Judge.”

And so we praise our God saying, “All hail to our eternal God, the Ancient of Days!” We join the hymn-writer and say …
Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessed, most glorious, O Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, your great name we praise! (CW 240:1)
Amen.

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7) Amen.

Dear friends,

How many awards, trophies or plaques have you received? Maybe you got some ribbons at the state or county fair. Maybe you have trophies or pins on your letter jacket from your successes in sports. Maybe you have plaques that commend you for your faithful service at work. Whatever those awards are, they bring back good memories of times when we were either successful or appreciated. However, even though these awards make us feel a little proud, we realize that there are even greater awards out there that we would never be able to achieve. Take for example, Michael Phelps and his 8 gold medals at the Olympics this past summer! If he stood before us today with his eight medals, who of us would ever stand up and say with pride, “That’s nothing! Look at the prizes that I have won!”

Truly Michael Phelp’s eight gold medals are a great accomplishment. However, in the end all those medals, just like our trophies and awards, are “nothing”. They’re “nothing” because none of them can be taken with us when we die. There is, then, only one PRIZE that’s really important! That PRIZE is the kingdom of heaven. Heaven is the greatest prize because it will never tarnish, fade or be destroyed. Such a wonderful prize was won for us through Jesus’ victory over sin, death and the devil, and it is God’s gift to us and to all who believe in Jesus as their Savior.

So that we might not lose this great and eternal PRIZE that is ours by faith in Jesus, the apostle Paul reminds us today: “KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE REAL PRIZE OF HEAVEN. Press on with Jesus to take hold of it and wait eagerly for Jesus to receive it!”

God’s Word for our consideration today is recorded in the apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi, chapter 3, verses 12-21.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
15 All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained.
17 Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. 18 For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

The Law of God clearly demands perfection. Jesus says, “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). The Law of God says that if we want to obtain eternal life, we must love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind, and that we must love our neighbor as ourselves. Jesus therefore tells us, “Do this and you will live” (Luke 10:28).

The problem, however, is that none of us can perfectly keep God’s commands. The Law quickly shows all our imperfections. It shows us that there is no one who is righteous, not even one. In fact, even the apostle Paul was led to confess, “The good that I want to do, I don’t do; and the evil that I don’t want to do, this I keep on doing.” So the Law of God brings condemnation to all men. As good as God’s Law is, it makes none of us perfect (Hebrews 7:19). Neither did any of those Old Testament animal sacrifices that were offered every year for sins (Hebrews 10:1).

There is only one way, then, that we can ever stand before our holy God in heaven and live! It is only through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord that we can inherit eternal life. Unlike us, Jesus lived a perfect and holy life. He completed the work His Father gave Him and was obedient to death, even death on a cross. Three days later, Jesus rose from the grave for our justification. He later ascended into heaven to prepare a place for us. He has taken hold of the prize of eternal life in heaven for us and all who believe in Him. So the good news of the Gospel clearly states, “By one sacrifice He made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Hebrews 10:14).

But the apostle Paul confessed, “I haven’t yet obtained the prize and I haven’t yet been made perfect” (v.12). Paul realized that as long as he was a part of this world, he still would be troubled by his own sinful flesh and its desires. He wouldn’t be completely perfect until the Lord finally took him out of this world and brought him to heaven. So also, all people must confess that as long as they are in this world, they are away from God and are by nature sinful. They are not yet perfect and have yet to see with their eyes and touch with their hands the glories of heaven.

The apostle Paul therefore urged the Christians in Philippi – and he urges us as well – to run after the prize of heaven just as a runner who runs to win a race. Just as runners in a race never turn around to see where their opponents are, so Paul says that we are to strain forward “forgetting what is behind” (v.13). In other words, we should not look back to all the things that WE have done in our life and seek to justify ourselves before God by our own actions. Instead of looking back to our “good attendance in church” or our “generous offerings to the Lord” or our “wise answers to the weak and straying”, we need to “strain ahead” as a runner who nears the finish line and lean on Jesus alone to save us from our sins.

How sad it was for Paul to see his own people, the Israelites, falling out of the race and losing the prize of heaven! Instead of looking to Jesus alone for their salvation they sought to obtain eternal life through their own righteousness. They stumbled over Jesus Christ, the stumbling stone, and lost out on heaven. On the other hand, how happy Paul was to see the Gentiles being brought into God’s race and being brought across the finish line. They obtained the prize of heaven because they did not pursue a righteousness of their own, but rather looked to Jesus Christ alone, through faith, to make them holy. (Romans 9:30-33)

Dear friends, how are we running in our race for the prize of heaven? Haven’t we all, at times, gotten all caught up in our own accomplishments and achievements? Haven’t we all gotten our priorities mixed up and chased after the things of this world, like fame and fortune, instead of running to receive the real prize of heaven? Haven’t we all gotten entangled in our own sinful and selfish desires? Haven’t we also been tempted to think only about the good old days of the past or the successes of the present, and failed to focus our eyes on the wonderful future which Christ has prepared for us in heaven?

We know our failures and shortcomings! We have sinned and the LORD certainly deserves better! Yet our Lord calls us to “press on” and to be more mature. He tells us to stop thinking like children and build each other up in the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God (1 Corinthians 14:20 and Ephesians 4:13). God wants us to admonish and teach each other, so that everyone might presented perfect in Christ (Colossians 1:28). He wants us to make constant use of His Word so that we might be trained to distinguish between good and evil. So also the Lord makes us stronger through hardship and suffering, for as the apostle James wrote, “Perseverance must finish its work so that we may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:4).

By God’s grace, the LORD has made us mature through the gift of His Holy Spirit. Through His powerful Word and Sacraments the LORD has made us wise to our salvation. He has given us our faith in Jesus and has made us to be His heirs of heaven. By the power of His Spirit working in us, we now seek to do the will of our heavenly Father. We strive to keep in step with the Spirit and to finish our race to the glory of His name. We pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. We fight the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:11-12). Through the Spirit we also can say with determination, as did the apostle Paul, “I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace” (Acts 20:24).

Thanks be to Jesus who has won the prize of eternal life for us. WITH OUR EYES ON THIS PRIZE OF ALL PRIZES, we will press on with Jesus to finish our race and take hold of the crown of life that will last forever. However, our race in this world will not be easy to finish. The devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh will never stop trying to deceive us. They will lead us to think that all our troubles in this life are not worth the effort. Under the weight of such temptation, we may easily become tired of fighting and consider “giving in”. It’s then that our coach, the Lord Jesus, tells us that heaven is indeed worth the wait, and so in faith we wait patiently and eagerly for the day when He will bring us to our eternal home.

Paul told the Christians in Philippi, “Be my fellow imitators” (v.17). Similarly he had told the Christians in Corinth, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). Paul wanted his brothers in the faith to follow the example of Christ and seek out the lost so that all people might be brought to repentance and believe in Jesus for eternal life. He wanted them to be like Jesus and be willing to endure severe suffering and persecution on account of the Gospel. He wanted them to be like Jesus so that they would trust in the LORD and would worship and serve Him in every situation.

Paul also said, “Take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you” (v. 17). There would be those after Paul that would likewise give themselves to the LORD and be willing to suffer on account of their faith in Christ. So God’s Word encourages us to “imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised” (Hebrews 6:12). It also tells us, “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith” (Hebrews 13:7). Consider all those who have gone before you and who have fallen asleep “in the Lord”. How blessed are they!!! They are right now experiencing the eternal pleasures of heaven!!

While we are to imitate those believers who have gone before us, Paul warns that we are to keep away from those who are “enemies of the cross of Christ” (v.18). Paul said of them, “Their destiny is destruction” (v.19). Narrow is the road that leads to heaven and broad is the road that leads to eternal death in hell. Watch out because there are many who reject Jesus as their Lord and Savior and who trust in themselves to earn their way to heaven! The Bible says about such people, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” So Paul also said of them, “their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things” (v.19). These enemies of the cross of Christ are only interested in glorifying themselves and in satisfying their own appetites (Romans 16:18). They have fallen into the devil’s trap and are doomed to eternal death in hell.

So that we might keep running our race until the finish line, Paul once again focuses our attention on our prize that awaits us in heaven. He reminds us, “our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” (v.20). Just think about it! You consider yourself blessed to live in this country (America) and to enjoy all of its freedoms. Well, consider how blessed you will be to live in heaven where you will enjoy perfect bliss forever!!!! What a blessing it will be to see the Lord of lords and King of kings!!! What a privilege it will be to sit at the feet of His throne and glorify His name!!!

And should you think that all the suffering and hardship and persecution isn’t worth it, Paul reminds us that Jesus “will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body”. Just imagine! No more medicine! No more canes or walkers or wheelchairs! No more glasses and hearing aids! Our bodies will be made to be perfect and glorious, just as our Savior is perfect and glorious.

And when will this all take place? Well, we don’t know exactly when it will happen, but we do know from God’s Word that it will happen either when we die, or when the end of the world should come – whichever is first. That means we are to be on the alert and always be ready for Christ to return!

In the meantime, as we strive to finish our race, we wait patiently and eagerly for our Lord Jesus to call us home. In the meantime we will listen to His Word and His promises and we will seek to defend it from those enemies of the cross who try to change it. We will labor with all of His energy (Colossians 1:29), so that all might hear the good news and be saved. We will imitate our Lord and love one another, encouraging them to remain strong in the faith so that they will graciously receive the crown of life when their Savior calls them home.

So, no matter what prize you have hanging up on your wall or in your trophy cabinet, realize that it is nothing in comparison with that eternal prize of heaven that Christ has won for you and will give you when He calls you home. And since nothing can compare to that wonderful prize, press on with all Jesus’ energy to take hold of it. And no matter what happens, don’t give up and don’t be afraid. Wait patiently and eagerly for your Savior to come again, for He promises to come and take you to your heavenly home. In every situation, KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE REAL PRIZE OF HEAVEN, for then you can say with confidence, “There is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8). Amen.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you. (1 Peter 1:3-4). Amen.

Fellow students of God’s Word,

“Why are you here in church this morning?” If I would ask the children here that question, they’d probably tell me, “Because my Mom and Dad brought me. They made me come.” Such an answer wouldn’t surprise me, because I know that if I asked them a similar question tomorrow in school, “Why are you here?”, they’d probably say the same thing, “I’m in school today because my Mom and Dad made me come.”

As children we all had to deal with the frustration of doing things that our parents “made” us do, things like: go to bed at a reasonable hour, eat our vegetables, do our homework, do our chores, say our prayers, go to church, etc. But now that many of us have become adults, and some of us have become parents and grandparents, consider my question again: “Why are you here in church this morning?”

Although your answers to my question might vary, I’d imagine that many of you would say, “I’m here in church because it’s something that I was taught to do on Sundays and now I realize how important God’s Word really is for me (and my children)!” The saying goes, “Old habits die hard”, but God’s Word puts it this way for the Christian: “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it” (Proverbs 22:6). Such words truly show the importance of Christian education at an early age; however, no matter what our current age, it is always God’s will that we continue in what we have learned and become convinced of. It is God’s will that we daily grow in the knowledge of His grace through His Word.

So God reminds us in our text for today’s sermon that we are to “REMEMBER WHAT WE HAVE BEEN TAUGHT”. We are to do this so that it may go well with us and so that we may enjoy long life with the Lord. We are also to do this so that we might be prepared to teach others, including the next generation, about the wonders of God’s amazing grace.

Listen again to God’s Word, recorded by the prophet Moses for our instruction and nourishment, in the book of Deuteronomy chapter 6, beginning with the first verse.

These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 2 so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. 3 Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, promised you. 4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

On Mount Sinai, the LORD appeared to Moses and gave him the Ten Commandments which He had written on two tablets of stone. He introduced these commandments by first reminding His people of all that He had done, how He had miraculously brought them through the Red Sea on dry ground, and how He had graciously delivered them from their slavery in Egypt (Exodus 20:2).

With these commandments God was making a covenant with His people, Israel. If they would keep His commands, they would be His people. If, however, they disobeyed them, God would curse them and destroy them. In awe of God’s power and glory, which God revealed on Mount Sinai with the thunder and lightning, with the thick cloud and the loud trumpet blast (Exodus 19:16), it’s no wonder that God’s people responded in one voice, “We will do everything that the LORD has said!” (Exodus 24:7).

As good as their intentions were, however, we know from history what happened. The Bible tells us that there, even at the foot of Mount Sinai, they “forgot” what the LORD had done for them and they worshipped a golden calf that their hands had made (Exodus 32:4). In the wilderness they later grumbled and complained about the lack of water, and then about the lack of food, and then about being tired of eating manna and quail. And then, as they finally approached the land that was promised to their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, they did not trust in the LORD’s power and refused to enter Canaan because the people there were very strong. Because of their disobedience, none of that generation, except for Joshua and Caleb, was allowed to enter the Promised Land and enjoy its blessings. All of them died in the wilderness because of their sins.

Now, forty years later, as the next generation stood at the edge of the Promised Land and was preparing itself to enter Canaan and to attack those living there, Moses repeated to them the same LAW that God had given on Mount Sinai. He said, “These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you to observe … so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live … and so that you may enjoy long life” (v. 1-2). Moses warned them that if they should disobey God’s commands, as did their parents, they would not be able to enter the Promised Land and would not enjoy long life on the earth. Their lives would be shortened and filled with suffering, just as their parents experienced in the wilderness.

To inspire this young generation to obey His commands, God reminded them of the close relationship that they had with Him because of His grace. Even though they and their parents and forefathers had all sinned against the LORD, He still was “their God”. Moses reminded God’s people, “These are the commands … the LORD your God directed me to teach you” (v.1). “Fear the LORD your God as long as you live” (v. 2). Know that the LORD is “the God of your fathers” (v.3)! Know, Israel, that you are God’s people and that the LORD is “our God, the LORD is one” (v.4)!

Because the LORD was their God, who could compare to them, God’s chosen nation of Israel? By the grace and power of God, they were now “crossing the Jordan to possess” it (v.1). Because of the faithful love of God they had become a great nation and were now about to enter a “land flowing with milk and honey” (v. 3). With the LORD by their side, they had nothing to fear, for the LORD would give them victory over their enemies and, more importantly, would bless all nations through them, namely through the birth of Jesus Christ His Son, the Offspring of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Being reminded by Moses of God’s commands and God’s undeserved love for them, the people of Israel were inspired to worship the LORD and obey His will. They sought to “love the LORD their God with all their heart and with all their soul and with all their strength” (v. 5). From now on they would “be careful to obey” (v. 3) His commands so that God’s name would be glorified among the nations. They would listen [“hear” – v. 3,4] to God’s Word so that they might know God’s will and be inspired to obey it. They would call upon the LORD to give them His Spirit so that they might REMEMBER WHAT THEY WERE TAUGHT and so that it might go well with them in the Promised Land.

Dear friends, we, too, have heard God’s commands, decrees and laws. His law has even been written on our hearts to accuse us of our sins and to condemn us to eternal death in hell. His Law is given to us that we might “fear” the LORD and be careful to obey His commands. However, God’s Law does not fill our hearts with great joy and make us willing servants of our God. It only leads us to say, “Why am I here in church today? … Because if I don’t go to church, God will be angry with me and punish me with death!”

It isn’t until we are reminded of our special relationship with our heavenly Father by the Gospel, that we are glad to serve and obey His will. The Bible shows us that God reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, His Son (2 Corinthians 5:19). It shows us that Jesus forgave us our sins through His blood shed on the cross and made us so that we are now God’s chosen people, a royal priesthood, a chosen nation. It shows us that through God’s gift of the Holy Spirit we are justified of all our sins and have become heirs of LONG LIFE with God in the Promised Land of heaven. The Gospel assures us that OUR God is faithful! He will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear. He will keep us blameless until the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will not let a single letter from His Word disappear or ever let His Church be destroyed. He will make sure that His Word will be proclaimed in every nation and heard by every generation.

Inspired by such promises of a gracious Father and Savior, we are moved to love the LORD with all of our heart and all of our soul and all of our strength. We gladly serve and worship Him because He is the only true God, our Savior. We therefore say, “Why am I here in church today? … Because I know the things I have been taught! It is good for me to sit at Jesus’ feet and to hear God’s Word. It is only right that I sing my praises to Him who called me out of darkness into His marvelous life. I’m here, because God is my Father and I am His child. I’m here, because I know that God is with me and graciously promises to bless me all my days. I rejoice to know that, as He has promised, it will go well with me and I will enjoy long life with Him in heaven because of His grace.”

What a blessing it is to know these things from God’s Word! We certainly are thankful to our parents, grandparents, pastors and Sunday School teachers for the time they spent teaching us the “one thing needful”. But, dear friends, the LORD wants others to know the wonders of His love, too. He wants the next generation to know His goodness and mercy. He wants all to know that Jesus is the Way to eternal life.

In order that God’s will might be carried out, God wants us to make known to our children and grandchildren the things that we have learned from His Word. But how will we be able to do this unless we first remember the things that we have been taught and unless we review them by daily reading God’s Word? In order for us to teach God’s Word to the next generation, we must make the most of every opportunity and have God’s Word “on our hearts” (v.6).

As Moses said to God’s people, so he also says to us, “Impress [these commandments] on your children” (v. 7). Literally, Moses was saying, “Sharpen your children’s knowledge of My will and My grace by teaching them My Word.” Just as a pencil or knife gets dull and worn from being used, so also our conscience can become dulled by the sin-filled world we live in and by our sinful flesh, so that we aren’t able to distinguish what is right and what is wrong. That’s why we constantly need to be “sharpened” by God’s Word so that we can be prepared “in season and out of season [to] correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction” (2 Timothy 4:1).

Moses told parents that they should always be talking with their children about God’s Word. They should do so when they “sit at home”. As they are watching TV, for example, parents can remind their children that certain words and actions are not in keeping with God’s will. As they watch the news, they can remind their children that such things must happen before the end of the world will come. As they watch their favorite sports team win, they can remind their children that Jesus has won an even greater victory which means we have a trophy waiting in heaven.

Moses said that parents should also speak about God’s Word when they “walk along the road”. As they drive on vacation, for example, parents can point out the wonders of God’s creation that show His love and power. As they send their kids off to school in the morning, they can remind them that the ability to do well in school and in life comes from the LORD. They will teach their children to pray for safe travel, to pray for wisdom to do well in school, and to pray for safe keeping from the devil and from those who would try to destroy their faith in Jesus.

Moses also instructed parents to talk about God’s Word “when you lie down and when you get up” (v. 7). By example, parents will teach their children the importance of asking the LORD to be with them when they sleep and then to help them and guide them when they are awake. They will teach their children to number their days and to treat each day as a gift of God’s grace, as time for them to grow in the knowledge of God’s grace and love.

To remind parents that God’s Word should always be with them and especially in their homes, he said, “Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates” (v. 8-9). Now some people today take these words literally. Some Jews, for example, wear little boxes with Bible passages in them strapped to their wrists and on their foreheads. Some also put Bible passages on their doorframes and on their gates. Although wearing a cross on a necklace and having pictures with Bible passages on our walls at home can be excellent expressions of our faith, God wants us, more than anything, to have His Word “impressed on our hearts”! He wants us to study His Word, learn it, eat it, chew it and digest it, for when His Word is on our hearts, our mouths will speak of His glory and our actions will testify to His love and power.

Therefore, as the apostle Paul encourages us, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom” (Colossians 3:16)”. Let us, every day, go back to God’s Word and REMEMBER WHAT WE HAVE BEEN TAUGHT. Then we will know and be certain that, with God on our side, all will go well with us and we will enjoy long life in heaven. Then we will also have the joy, the desire and the ability to teach others about God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ OUR Lord. Inspired by God’s love for us and for our children, we will say with the psalm-writer, “We will not hide [these things] from [our] children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done. (Psalm 78:4) Amen.

“Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation …” (Psalm 71:17-18). Amen.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Do you remember the account of Cain and Abel? Cain was angry that God had looked with favor on his brother’s offering but had not been pleased with his. So, when the opportunity presented itself, in jealous rage Cain went and killed his brother when no one was looking. Hoping to prick his conscience and lead Cain to repent of his terrible sin, God asked him, “Where is your brother Abel?” Instead of repenting, however, Cain responded, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

When we hear of Cain’s terrible actions and cold-hearted words, we think to ourselves, “How terrible! How could someone do that to his own brother? Thankfully God justly punished Cain for his sin!” Yet, while we are quick to nod our heads in full agreement with the Lord’s judgment of Cain, what can be said about the way we treat each other each day? Is our attitude any better than Cain’s? Don’t we sometimes just shrug our shoulders in regards to each other and say, “Why should I confront them about their sins. It’s not my business. I’m not responsible for them. They are responsible for their own actions.” Such thoughts clearly show our lack of love for our “brothers” and “sisters”! Shouldn’t our holy God, therefore, justly punish us, as well, for our sins?

God’s Word for today reminds us of our responsibility to care for and watch over each other. God shows us that WE ARE OUR “BROTHER’S KEEPER”. We are God’s watchmen and our greatest responsibility is to guard and protect one another in God’s Word. We are to warn each other with the Law so that no one will die. We are also to comfort each other with the Gospel so that all people might live. This is the good, pleasing and perfect will of God our heavenly Father, and it is recorded for us in the book of the prophet Ezekiel, chapter 33, verses 7-11.

“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 8 When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. 9 But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will have saved yourself. 10 “Son of man, say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what you are saying: “Our offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of them. How then can we live?” ’ 11 Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?’

The setting, in which the book of Ezekiel was written, was the Babylonian Captivity. Having defeated Judah and capturing its capital of Jerusalem, King Nebuchadnezzar took many of the wisest Israelites into captivity. One of those wise men was a priest by the name of Ezekiel. Five years into captivity the LORD called Ezekiel to be His prophet. The LORD said to him, “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me” (3:17).

The people of Israel, however, did not listen to Ezekiel’s message. Even in captivity they still held onto the hope that the Temple would save them from their enemies. False prophets had convinced them that no harm would ever come upon them since God was in their midst. And so, deceived by the devil’s lies, God’s people refused to listen to Ezekiel and to repent of their sins.

Twenty-two years later (29:17), well after the walls and the Temple of Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Babylonians, God again appeared to His servant Ezekiel. Once again the LORD said to Ezekiel, “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me” (33:7).

Now, imagine that you were in Ezekiel’s situation. What might you be thinking as the LORD tells you again the same thing He told you twenty-two years ago? You’d probably be thinking to yourself, “But Lord, I’ve tried warning people of their sins. I’ve tried leading people to repent of their wickedness, but they don’t listen. Maybe we should try something else this time! Maybe you should do some kind of sign or miracle that would get these people to listen to you. Or maybe I’m the problem, so you should find someone else. People don’t listen to me, so find someone else who is a better speaker or who is more convincing. Lord, please don’t ask me to do this anymore, I’m not good at it and I’m tired of people not listening!”

We’d totally understand if Ezekiel had felt this way, but the Bible never mentions him grumbling or complaining about “having to” preach God’s Word of repentance to his fellow Israelites. That’s because the LORD gave Ezekiel the joy and the confidence to faithfully preach His Word in every situation.

First of all, the LORD reminded Ezekiel of who he was by nature. Each time the LORD addressed him, He called him the “son of man” (v. 7), literally the “son of Adam”. In other words, the LORD was saying, “I am in charge here! Remember who you are! You are weak and are mortal because you are sinful from birth, just like all of your ancestors! Therefore, you have no business questioning Me on My wisdom of picking you to be My messenger. Just do whatever I tell you to do!”

Secondly, the LORD gave Ezekiel confidence by saying, “I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel” (v.7). In other words, “Ezekiel, you don’t need to worry about failure, I am the One who is sending you to do this work. My Word will not return to Me empty! Just as I have been with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; just as I have been with Moses and Joshua; and just as I have been with Elijah and Ezekiel, with Jeremiah and Isaiah, so I will be with you AND I will give you the words to say!” The LORD said to Ezekiel, “hear the word I speak and give them warning from me” (v.7)

That warning that Ezekiel was to preach was: “O wicked man, you will surely die” (v.8). Ezekiel was to preach the Law of God in all of its severity and truth, by reminding each person that the soul who sins must die and that the wages of sin is death. If that person did not listen, then that person would die in his impenitence and unbelief and would be held accountable for his sins. If, however, that person did repent of his sins, then he would be saved and forgiven by the LORD.

Now, what if Ezekiel had made excuses and not done what the LORD had told him to do? Certainly God could have found other men to be His witnesses (…and He did), however, God would have held Ezekiel responsible for not obeying His command. God said, “[If] you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood” (v.8). If Ezekiel had kept silent and not preached God’s Law, then he would have been just as guilty as those Israelites who condemned Jesus to death saying, “Crucify Him!” and then added, “Let His blood be on us and on our children!” By his actions, Ezekiel would have showed that the love of God was not in him, since he did not try to save his brother and warn him to repent of his sins.

Well, brothers and sisters in Christ, the LORD calls you and me today to be His watchmen. He tells us, “Teach them everything that I have commanded you”. But as He does so, He first reminds us of who we are. He addresses us as “sons and daughters of Adam”, as weak sinners with little faith. He does this to remind us of our total dependency on Him our Creator, Lord and Savior.

Having shown us our weaknesses, the LORD then, through His Word, gives us His strength. He tells us, “I have made you to be a watchman for My Church. I will be with you always, wherever you will go. Hear the Word I speak to you! I will give you My Spirit so that you may know what to say and might lead people to repent! Don’t worry! Defend my Word from the attacks of Satan and this world and I will convict people’s hearts with my powerful Law. My Word will not return to Me empty!”

And how have we responded to God’s call to lead others to repentance? We have all tried to make excuses, haven’t we, and we’ve tried to get out of doing what the LORD commands us to do? We’ve argued with God saying, “Lord, I’ve tried preaching your Law and people don’t listen! They get mad at me for interfering in their business! Lord, can’t we try doing something else this time? Can’t you show them that they are sinning with some kind of sign from heaven? Lord, maybe you should just let the pastor, vicar and leaders of the church do this kind of work. I’m just not good at it!”

Our response to God’s call shows a lack of trust in God’s power and a lack of love for our brother. It shows our unwillingness to do what God wants and our selfishness in wanting to do things our way. For such sinful disobedience, we deserve to hear God’s Law in all its truth and severity, “O wicked man, you will surely die”. In fear we drop to our knees because of God’s wrath and pray, “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

Now God could justly punish us all with eternal death in hell on account of our sins, but God does not delight in the death of the wicked. God is patient and wants all people to repent of their sins. He wants all people to come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved. Therefore, God urges us to warn each other to turn from his wicked ways so that no one will die. He also urges us to comfort each other with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, so that all people might live.

When the Law of God “hits home”, it causes a person to feel guilt and shame, sorrow and pain. That’s what the people of Israel were now experiencing as they were forced to live in Babylonian captivity. There they finally came to realize their guilt and they acknowledged that they had foolishly trusted in the walls and the Temple of Jerusalem to save them. They confessed that they had also turned to the armies of other nations and to their false gods to save them from their enemies. All along they should have trusted in the LORD and listened to those who faithfully proclaimed His Word!

Overwhelmed with their guilt the Israelites confessed to Ezekiel, “Our offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of them. How then can we live?” (v.10). Without the LORD’s favor, they were helpless. How could they live, if God was not with them and watching over them? How could they live, if God had turned His back toward them and abandoned them forever?

Seeing their despair and hearing their confession of their sins, IMMEDIATELY the LORD came to them through the words of His servant Ezekiel and said, “As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live” (v.11). In other words, the LORD was saying, “I am the God who never changes. I am the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. I don’t want any of you to die eternally in hell! Look to Me for Life! Look to My ways and see that they are good! Call upon Me and I will deliver you.”

Not only is the will of the LORD good and perfect, but He Himself is good and true to His Word! So that all people might be saved, the LORD accomplished man’s salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ. Through Him all nations of the earth are blessed. Whoever believes in Him and is baptized will be saved. And so that all might know about His gift of salvation, God has recorded everything that we need to know in His Word and has poured out His Spirit on “sons and daughter of men” so that they might faithfully preach God’s Word to all creation!

Having shown the world His great love, our gracious Father urges us all to turn back to Him and His ways. You can just sense the love and concern of our Father for every soul as He calls out in urgency, “Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?” (v.11) “Don’t go back to your sinful ways when you were blind in your unbelief! You died to sin, how can you live in it any longer? You’ve been washed with the blood of the Lamb in Baptism, how can you jump back into the filth of this world? Honor Me now and do as I command, for you are My house; you are My family; you are My heirs of heaven.”

Moved by the love, compassion, mercy and patience of our heavenly Father, we are led by the Spirit to turn from our evil ways and to praise God with all of our time, talents and treasures. We are moved by the LORD’s love for us, lost sinners, to seek out those who are in despair because of their sins, and to comfort them with the Gospel. As the LORD’s watchmen we will watch out for one another and point the penitent sinner to His Savior, who died to atone for all of his sins. We will tell the person who confesses their sins that our risen Lord lives and intercedes for us at the right hand of God. We will comfort them with the Gospel because it is the power of God unto salvation and gives eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ their Lord.

May God give us His Spirit so that we will gladly and eagerly watch out for one another, warning them with the LAW to repent of their sins so that no one will die! May God also give us His Spirit so that we will gladly and eagerly watch out for one another, comforting them with the GOSPEL of Jesus Christ so that all might live! May God, through His Word and Sacraments, make us to be more like Him, so that we, too, will not delight in the death of the wicked, but will want all people to be saved and to live eternally in heaven. Surely I am my brother’s keeper. As long as I live, I will urge everyone to turn from his sins and to trust in his Savior; and I will ever thank my brothers and sisters in Christ who do the same for me! Amen.

Fellow members of the body of Christ,

“Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country!” This well-known saying by President Kennedy is etched in stone at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington D.C. Truly we each have a God-given duty to our country, to serve one another in love and to submit to our authorities as to the Lord. However, as much as I like the statement, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”, it doesn’t make me carry out my God-given duty with great joy and eagerness. It doesn’t inspire me to pay my taxes, to support my local fire-fighters, and to assist with any community projects. Rather, it only succeeds in “guilting” me into doing things for my government and for my community that I “should be doing”. So, what then do I need so that supporting my country and my community will be something totally natural for me to do, something I dream about doing every single day?

The same question could be asked about serving God and His Church. Truly it is our duty as Christians to serve God with our time, talents and offerings. It is also our calling as Christians to love one another and to help one another in their time of need. Therefore we could rightly expect the pastor to preach each week from the pulpit, “Ask not what God and His Church can do for you, but what you can do for God and His Church.” Such a statement, however, would never inspire us to serve the LORD and His Church willingly and with great joy. It might make us “better” givers and more active “doers”, but it won’t make us do these things with a cheerful heart. So what, then, do we need so that serving our God and His Church will come naturally for us Christians?

By inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the apostle Paul today helps us to see how service to God and our neighbor all comes naturally for the Christian. In view of God’s mercy, we are first of all moved to offer our bodies in service to God. And secondly, in view of God’s grace, we are also moved to use our God-given talents to serve one another.

Listen now to God’s Word recorded in the apostle Paul’s letter to God’s Church in Rome, chapter 12, beginning with the first verse:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. 3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

God is holy and He hates sin. He demands that we honor Him in perfect obedience to all of His commands. Jesus reminds us that it is our duty to “love the Lord [our] God with all [our] heart and with all [our] soul and with all [our] mind and with all [our] strength” (Mark 12:30). We are to “worship the Lord [our] God, and serve Him only” (Matthew 4:10). We are to be “perfect as [our] heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).

But what does God see in us who worship Him? He sees selfishness and laziness; fear and doubt. He sees that, even as we worship Him, “evil is right there with [us]” (Romans 7:21). He sees that we do not focus all of our heart, soul and mind on glorifying Him. He sees that we do not always delight in using our time for reading and hearing God’s Word, and for calling upon Him in prayer. He sees that we give Him the “leftovers” in our offerings. He sees that we do not fully use our talents to honor Him and to build up the Church. Our sinful nature makes it totally unnatural for us to do anything to the glory of God. It leads us to say, “It’s MY time! It’s MY money! It’s MY prerogative to do what I want when I want.”

God sees our selfishness, and He sees it in everyone else as well. He sees that there is no one who is righteous, not even one. He sees that we are all “prisoners of the law of sin at work in our members” (Romans 7:23), that the good that we want to do, we don’t do; and that the evil that we don’t want to do, this we keep on doing. God sees that “the mind of sinful man is death” and that the “sinful mind is hostile to [Him]. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so” (Romans 8:6,7).

Because of our sins we are all doomed to die in hell forever. The wages of our sin is death. The soul who sins must die. And so we cry out, together with the apostle Paul, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24)

In response to our sinfulness and rebellion, what has God done? In total unselfishness, God has given us everything. God the Father so loved the whole world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever should believe in Him shall never die, but have everlasting life. God the Son also loved the whole world so much that He lived the perfect life that none of us could live and then died on the cross as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of all people. Likewise God the Holy Spirit has loved the world so much that He has revealed to all mankind that Jesus is the Christ and He comforts those who believe in Him that they have righteousness and salvation in His name. All this the Triune God did to save us from eternal death in hell, “not because of righteous things that we had done, but because of His mercy” (Titus 3:5).

And what has been our response to God’s mercy? Even as Christians, we haven’t always been thankful to God for all His physical and spiritual blessings. We’ve taken the mercies of God for granted and fallen into the devil’s trap many times, thinking that we deserve to be blessed by God because of our own good works. God, however, knows our hearts. He knows how we have used the Gospel as a license to keep on sinning. Such thoughts and actions clearly show that we are, by nature, sinful and weak.

Yet the mercy and love of God is not without effect. It has brought us to faith and given us new life in Christ Jesus our Lord. We, who once were dead in sin, have been made alive in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. In our baptisms God gave birth to our spirit and made us to be a “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17). He washed away our sins and renewed us by the Holy Spirit, so that, having been justified by His grace, “we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:5,7)

Each day this new man in us now struggles against the sinful flesh and its desires. Each day the new man in us leads us to “[take off our old self with its practices] and put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator” (Colossians 3:9-10).

For this “new man” in us, serving the LORD comes naturally. He doesn’t need to be told that he has to go to church, for he says on his own, “I rejoice with those who say to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord’” (Psalm 122:1). So also the new man in us doesn’t need to be told that he “has to” trust in the LORD. On his own he says, “The Lord is my Strength and my Song. He has become my salvation!” (Isaiah 12:2). So also the new man in us, born of the Spirit, does not need to be told that he has to tell others about Jesus, the Savior of the world. In joy and confidence, he moves us to reach out to every person and say, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! There is no other name under heaven, given among men, by which we can be saved!” Serving God comes naturally for the Christian, because the new man in us is not under Law, but is under grace (Romans 6:14).

As long as we live in this earth, however, our sinful flesh will continue to raise its ugly head. That’s why we continually need to hear God’s Law. The Law shows us our sins and shuts our mouths so that no one can boast. It shows us what is God’s good, pleasing and perfect will. But in order for us to truly obey God’s commands and to do so in a God-pleasing way, we also need to hear the Gospel. It’s the good news of our forgiveness that alone can move us to love our God and seek to glorify Him with our bodies. So when the apostle Paul encouraged the Christians in Corinth to “honor God with [their] body” (1 Corinthians 6:20), he inspired them with the Gospel by telling them that they had been “bought with a price”, the blood of Jesus Christ, the blameless Lamb of God. So also when Paul encouraged the Christians in Rome to offer themselves to God, he inspired them with the good news that God had “brought [them] from death to life” (Romans 6:13)

Just as sleeping, talking, thinking, eating and breathing all come naturally for the living human being, so also now the Holy Spirit makes worshiping the Lord something totally natural for the Christian. Having given birth to our spirit in Baptism, the Lord has made us alive and enabled us to pray without ceasing, to give thanks at all times, to be content in all situations and to trust in the Lord no matter what. Thanks be to God for His compassion and mercy. His mercies are new every morning! In view of God’s mercy, let us encourage one another to offer their bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – [after all] this is our spiritual [natural] act of worship.

Besides demanding that we love the LORD with all our heart, God also demands that we love our neighbor as ourselves. He says through the apostle Paul that “each of [us] should look not only to [our] own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4). He also says that “as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved” we are to “clothe [ourselves] with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” We are to “bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances [we] may have against one another.” We are to “forgive as the Lord forgave [us]” (Colossians 3:12-13).

What, however, does God see in us? Once again He sees that serving others doesn’t come naturally for us. By nature, we think more highly of ourselves than we ought. We look down on others and put our own interests ahead of theirs. We quickly judge each other, looking at the speck of sawdust in the eyes of our neighbor, but overlooking the plank that is in our own eye.

Despite our sinfulness, the LORD continues to graciously give us many blessings. On young and old, on men and women, He pours out His Holy Spirit so that they might know the LORD and might worship Him. Through the Spirit, God has also given each Christian various spiritual gifts that he/she can use to build up the Church until Jesus comes again to judge the world. As the Holy Spirit has determined, each Christian has been given talents and abilities, not so that we can pat ourselves on the back and say, “Look at what I can do!”, but that we can build each other up in the knowledge and love of God.

As we remain in Christ and in His Word, the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to see that with His help we are able to do many things to the glory of God and for the good of His Church. He may show us that we are able to prophesy, that is to boldly proclaim God’s Word faithfully to others. He may show us that we are able to minister to people in their needs, that we are able to teach them the way to heaven, and that we are able to encourage people when they feel sad or alone. The Holy Spirit may also show us that we are able to contribute freely and generously when someone else is in need; or that we are able to lead and direct God’s Church in a way that is fruitful and God-pleasing; or that we are able to cheerfully show mercy towards others without feeling that we “have to do it”.

Whatever the talent or talents that God the Spirit has given to us, we are to use them faithfully to His glory. God doesn’t tell us that we all have to become pastors and teachers, or that we all have to become missionaries and Seminary professors. God simply tells us to use the gifts that He has given to us faithfully (1 Corinthians 4:2).

Certainly we also should realize that each person in God’s Church is an important part that we cannot do without. Just as the body has many parts that each have their own function, so also in God’s Church “God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be” (1 Corinthians 12:19). So “the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’ 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable” (1 Corinthians 12:21-22).

Therefore, in view of God’s grace, who has so graciously given us all our talents and abilities, let us use them to God’s glory and encourage others to do the same. At times we will need to hear the Law and be reminded of our laziness and our failure to use all our talents to the glory of God. We will also need the reminder of the Law to guide us in our Christian lives, so that we might know and do what is God’s holy and perfect will. But the Law must not be used alone, without the Gospel. To those who confess their sins, point them to their Savior Jesus, who died to set them free. Encourage them with the promise of God’s unfailing love to preach, teach, share, help, serve, give and pray for one another. And then, together with them, rejoice in the grace of God which has made them to be a part of God’s family and Christ’s body, which is His Church.

There comes a time when we all need to be reminded of our duties to God, to family, to country, to Church, and to our community. But when we realize that we cannot perfectly keep all of God’s commands and perfectly carry out all of our duties in this world, there is only one thing that can give us peace and joy: the Gospel. The only thing that can inspire us to serve our God and His Church cheerfully and willingly are Jesus’ words: “Come to me all you who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest!”

In the peace of our forgiveness, worshiping the Lord now just comes naturally. In view of God’s mercy, the Holy Spirit now leads us to offer our bodies to the Lord as living sacrifices. He moves us to dedicate ourselves to the Lord in our thoughts, words and actions. And in view of God’s grace, the Holy Spirit also continues to lead us to use our time, talents and treasures in a way that builds up the Church and strengthens our brothers and sisters in the faith. In response to God’s grace and mercy, we will do everything to the glory of God and then we will humbly say, “We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty” (Luke 17:10). Amen.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)

Dear friends in Christ,

Have you ever been on a big cruise ship or on a large ferry? If so, you know what it means to be surrounded by lots of deep water. Our family has had the opportunity a number of times to ride the ferry that crosses Lake Michigan, between Wisconsin and Michigan. One of my greatest fears on that trip is that one of my children will wander off, start climbing on the railing and fall into the water.

Regardless of whoever it might be, no one ever wants to hear someone cry out on a ship, “Man overboard”. Those two words would strike fear in most peoples’ hearts, because in many situations, unless that person gets rescued, he could easily die.

In God’s Word for our consideration today, we are reminded once again of man’s sinful weakness and our Lord’s perfect strength. How often the LORD finds us in trouble, sinking in our sinful ways! I can imagine the LORD in heaven saying with disgust to His angels when we stumble in sin, “Man overboard … again”! Still the LORD always comes to our aid. In His mercy, He sends us His Son to save us and to give us eternal life with Him in heaven. And so, we have confidence and hope for the future. Our Lifeguard, Jesus Christ, calls out to us, “Take heart! It is I! Don’t be afraid!”

God’s Word for the basis of our sermon this morning is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 14, verses 22-33.

Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. 25 During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. 27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” 29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” 32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Jesus and His disciples had been on the far side (the eastern side) of the Sea of Galilee. A great crowd of people had followed Jesus there, because they had seen Him perform miracles of healing on the sick (John 6:2). As evening approached, the disciples expressed concern that the people should go home and find something to eat. Instead of doing that, however, Jesus ended up feeding the more than 5,000 people with just five loaves of bread and two fish.

As a result of Jesus’ miracle, the crowd of people began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world” (John 6:14). Their interest in Jesus, however, was not that He should be their Savior from sin and death in hell. Their interest in Jesus was that He might become their earthly king and continue to provide them with their daily bread (John 6:15,26).

How misguided the people were about Jesus! They had gone “overboard” in their love for someone that they thought would simply provide for their earthly needs. Knowing that they intended to come and make Him king by force, Jesus quickly sent His disciples away by boat, while He dismissed the people and went to a mountain by Himself to pray.

So, too, the disciples didn’t “get it” about Jesus. They didn’t understand from His miraculous feeding of the more than 5,000 people that He was the Son of God. They didn’t understand it yet, because, as the Gospel-writer Mark tells us, “their hearts were hardened” (Mark 6:52).

And now, just a few hours after that miracle, the disciples once again showed their lack of faith in Jesus. Tired from rowing all night against the wind and the waves, they looked up and saw Jesus (between 3 and 6 in the morning) walking out to them on the water. Failing to believe that this was really Jesus, they thought that they were seeing a ghost. How quickly the disciples had forgotten that nothing was impossible for Jesus. After all, on this same Sea of Galilee He had once before rescued them by calming the winds and the water with His powerful Word! (Luke 8:24-25)

The Gospel-writer Matthew (not Mark and John) goes on to also include another example of how man is weak by nature. He tells us about the disciple Peter. After the Lord Jesus identified Himself to His disciples, Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water” (v.28). What exactly Peter was thinking, when he asked this of Jesus, I don’t know. Perhaps his adrenaline was flowing so much that he simply wanted the Lord to help him come out to Him. Perhaps he was thinking to himself, “That’s a neat trick! Lord, help me to do it, too!” In any case, the Lord Jesus granted his request. The Lord would now show Peter and the other disciples His power and their weakness.

Because of Jesus’ powerful Word, Peter was able to walk on water toward Him. Just as Jesus’ words before had stilled the storm, created the world, and later would raise Lazarus from the dead, so Jesus’ invitation (“Come”) gave Peter the power to do the impossible. But soon, because of man’s weakness, Peter looked at the winds and waves and began to doubt. Immediately he started to sink and drown. His only hope was his Savior Jesus, and so he called out, “Lord, save me!” How humbling it was for Peter, then, to hear the Lord say to him personally, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”!

Dear friends, we, too, like all mankind, find ourselves sinking in sin. Like the crowds who had their bellies filled with Jesus’ food, we, too, have selfishly gotten all caught up in the things of this world. We’ve thought to ourselves, “Why does the Lord Jesus allow gas to get so expensive? Why doesn’t the Lord Jesus give me a lot of wealth? Why doesn’t the Lord Jesus do something about my failing health? Why doesn’t the Lord Jesus do something about all this crime and war?” Indeed, we’ve all gone overboard in asking our Lord Jesus for the things of this world, and we’ve failed to ask Him for the more important things, like faith, patience, wisdom, the peace of our forgiveness and the hope of eternal life.

And like the disciples who witnessed many of Jesus’ miracles and yet never “got it”, so we also find ourselves forgetting about our Savior’s almighty power. When we feel that we are in danger or in trouble, for example, we often forget that the Lord Jesus promises to be with us and help us. We forget, too, that the Lord Jesus has always protected and preserved us in the past. And we also forget that our Lord Jesus never rests and that for Him nothing is impossible! Instead of always trusting in our Lord, we, like His disciples, fall into sin and sink deeper and deeper in our sinful ways.

And, like Peter, too, we have at times gone overboard in our zeal. We’ve maybe thought to ourselves, “I don’t need to go to church and hear God’s Word all the time, because I’ll never fall away from my faith.” Or maybe we’ve thought to ourselves, “Look at what I can do! Other people can’t do the things that I am doing for the Church! Without me this church would probably fall apart.” Yet, despite our proud claims, each and every day we find ourselves falling into sin, dishonoring the name of Christ our Lord by our thoughts, words and actions. The Lord Jesus, who searches our hearts, could easily say to all of us, “You of little faith, why do you doubt?”

Dear friends, each day we continue to drown in our sins, worries, doubts and fears. We wallow in despair and guilt, knowing that we have not kept our promises to the Lord. Left to ourselves, we would certainly die forever in hell. However, the Lord Jesus is our Lifeguard who saves us from certain death. He reaches out to us and pulls out of the pit. He does everything so that we might have eternal life with Him in Paradise.

Having looked at the weakness of sinful man, we now look at the glory and unfailing love of our Savior Jesus Christ. We note, first of all, that Jesus went alone to pray. Perhaps He prayed that night that the people would repent and believe in Him for their salvation. Perhaps He prayed for His disciples that they would be strengthened in their faith so that they would never doubt His Word. In any case, He prayed in accordance with His Father’s will. In every way, our Lord Jesus perfectly obeyed His heavenly Father and carried out our salvation.

Secondly, we note that the Lord Jesus could see and was watching His disciples as they struggled with the winds and the waves on the Sea of Galilee. Even though it was in the middle of the night, and even though they were miles from the shore, Jesus could see everything that was happening. Watching over them, the Lord Jesus kept things from getting out of control. He kept the boat from being swamped with too much water. He kept the boat from capsizing. He used all of these things to strengthen His disciples in their faith, so that they would learn of His almighty power and love.

Thirdly, we note that the Lord Jesus came to them in order to comfort them and strengthen them. He showed His disciples that He was in total control … walking on the water, in the middle of the storm, in the middle of the night. He then spoke words which created and strengthened faith in their hearts. He said to them, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid”. And, then, by His powerful invitation (“Come!”), He even enabled Peter to walk on water!

Finally we note that the Lord Jesus came to save them from danger. Matthew tells us that Jesus IMMEDIATELY reached out and caught Peter when he was drowning. He also tells us how the winds and waves stopped IMMEDIATELY when Jesus and Peter got into the boat. And, as the Gospel-writer John tells us, Jesus then IMMEDIATELY brought His disciples’ boat safely to their destination.

Because of all that the Lord Jesus had said and done, the disciples now finally seemed to “get it”. They worshipped Jesus as their Lord and Savior. They bowed down before Him and confessed their faith saying, “Truly you are the Son of God”.

Dear friends, as we marvel at Jesus’ love and power which He revealed to His disciples, let us also realize that He loves us and cares for us just as much. Each day, for example, Jesus intercedes for us before our heavenly Father and prepares a place for us in heaven. He also promises to hear our prayers and to answer them for our good. Our Lord Jesus also assures us that He will be with us, even to the very end of the age, and that He will make everything work out for our good. Throughout our lives, our Lord Jesus also strengthens us with His Word and Sacraments, reminding us that “Because He lives, we also will live” and that in His Holy Supper we receive His true body and blood for the forgiveness of our sins. Through His beautiful Gospel the Lord Jesus has opened our eyes to see that He has done everything to redeem us from our sins and to reconcile us to our Father in heaven. Because of His Word we know and believe that Jesus has saved us from certain death in hell and guaranteed us eternal life through faith in Him.

In response to what the Lord Jesus has done for us and in response to what He promises to do for us, we will worship Him and honor His name. We will call upon Him in the day of trouble and trust that He will help us. We will confess Jesus to be the Son of God and our only hope for salvation. We will thank and praise Him for making us heirs of heaven and will tell the world what He has done. We will support the work of the Church with the best of our offerings.

Looking at the past, we can all see how we have fallen into temptation and sunk deeper and deeper into sin. Looking at the past, we can remember questioning God’s ways and doubting His love. So our LORD must be saying in frustration, “Man overboard … again!” Yet in His never-failing love, the Lord Jesus has rescued us from certain death and given us eternal life. He comes to us and strengthens us in the saving faith and says, “Take heart! It is I. Don’t be afraid!” Knowing this, let us look to Jesus alone for our salvation and let us share His powerful Word with all people. Amen.

“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32) Amen.

Introduction: We all need reminders, because our brains are filled daily to the “brim” with more and more information. When we were young, we were reminded to say “thank-you”. The conversation went like this, “What is it that you tell your aunt for your birthday gift?” And you said in a timid manner, “Thank-you”. Parents have for many years used the refrigerator as the reminder “bulletin board” for the home. On many refrigerators, there can be found each child’s name and the list of duties that they are to have done in the near future.

A list is a great way to remind not only your children of chores, but also a great way for you to remind yourself of the items you need at the store; If you are running errands, you may also make a list of places you are to go, as not to forget any one place on your trip.

Today in God’s Word, we are given a reminder; God tells us that He works all things for our good, because he has called us and because he has justified us.

At this time please read Romans 8:28-30.

Part One: Because he has called us.

The Roman Empire during the time of the Apostles had a lot going for it, and the bright spot of this empire was Rome. Rome was the symbol of ultimate power and prosperity. The empire, in Paul’s day, stretched from modern day Spain to Turkey and from Great Britain to the pyramids in Egypt. The roads the Romans built and the buildings they constructed amaze us even today. Rome had the perfect landscape for its armies to travel. It was the perfect environment for merchants to make a living, and that made the city of Rome a great place for the Gospel to be planted. Once the Gospel was planted in Rome itself, there was no stopping it. The Roman Christians would send out workers and they would find ways to support the work of the Gospel.

With such opportunity and responsibility before the Roman Christians, Paul wants to remind them that when things get tough, “They know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.” Yet, how is it that they would know this? They can only know this from Scripture. They knew this only by faith and the working of the Holy Spirit; it is the same way we know these words to be true.

Whenever something is difficult, an unbeliever can “dig deep” and bring out these words of “comfort.” “I hope things work out for the best.” But without Christ, these words are really just hopeful thinking. There is no guarantee that thinks will work out; what or who is going to fix things? As Christians we may see, first hand if we are fortunate, how God works things out for the good of those who love him. As Christians we may see how in history the Lord has been protecting his flock and spreading his Gospel.

But let us remember that God is working out not only a few things for our good; He is working out all things. All things great and small are working according to His divine plan. Not only does the Lord care about the things we worry and care about. He is also concerned about the matters we take for granted. We know that our God is not a small God, He is a great God who governs all things according to his will.

The Apostle Paul when he wrote down verse twenty eight must have done a lot of thinking about it. How could he not have looked at his own life and wondered, “How did all things work out according to God’s will? How did everything I, Paul, do help those who loved him?” Paul likely came to two conclusions. In the years Paul persecuted Christians; it was God’s way of making his church spread and grow, from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. And the days Paul spent traveling and in prison, was Gods way of testing Paul’s faith and making his trust in God more.

The last portion of verse twenty-eight reads, “God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose”. Paul here shares some important information with us. Not everyone should expect the Lord to bless them, just because. Rather, only those who love God and have been called, should apply rightly these words of comfort. To put it plainly, God does not tell the unbeliever, “I’m going to work everything out for your good.” God does not tell the pagan, “Don’t worry, I’m going to reward you for your life of unbelief.” God would not lie and say such things; therefore, we cannot say such words of comfort either.

Who then is called? What then is God’s purpose for us? We all want to know! The Holy Spirit calls us through God’s Word. “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). God says in Isaiah, “My word will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (55:11). Who then is called? Believers are called; they are the ones who love the Lord. They alone can, because they know who he is.

What then is God’s purpose for us who believe and are called? Our purpose is to: live a holy life, worship and praise the only true God. We are called to share him with those who do not know him yet so that they may come to faith in him.

Now that we are called and know all things will work out for our good, our sinful doubts are gone forever, right? Well, not really. The sinful flesh is often assaulted by the devil, who questions your calling. “ Are you really called?” “Haven’t you committed a few sins which disqualify you from being one of God’s children?” “Do you really love Jesus enough?” “Do you really believe everything the Bible has to say, everything?” You’ve had to answer most of these questions, and you know that they are not born of the Spirit.

So let us answer them with God’s Word. You are called. You have been brought to faith by the Holy Spirit and God’s Word and your faith is strengthened in the Lord ’s Supper and every time you open your Bible. There is only one unforgivable sin, and that is unbelief. Many sins can lead us into unbelief, but all those sins have been paid for on the cross by God himself, Jesus our Savior. God tells us in his Word that we are called, not to make us paranoid Christians; rather, he wants to make us confident Christians.

Part Two: Because he justified us.

Our confidence then as people, who are called by God, does not come from the call itself; rather, it comes from God’s message in that call. And that message is that we have been justified.

Paul in verse twenty nine writes, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the first born among many brothers.” Here Paul tells us that we have a destiny in Christ. He says that were predestined to be God’s children. In the same way that Jesus calls God his Father, we too through Jesus call upon God the Father.

The word predestined means to “mark out”. Every day, in some city or country, a survey crew will use care and precision to mark out and to plan for construction. Everything will have to be measured to perfection, because there is no room for error. Well, in the same way, God the father planned ahead in the construction of his kingdom. There would be nothing left to chance, for he is a God of order as well as love. God told Jeremiah the prophet and us today in his Word, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.” (Jeremiah 1:5a).

We are then told by Paul that this predestination has an ultimate goal. God in his foreknowledge has chosen his children to be in the likeness of his Son, Jesus. And what does that mean? That means we are to be pure and holy. That means we are to be as God intended us to be at creation, without sin. Just as Jesus is pure and holy, God sent Jesus to give us this gift. As our brother, Jesus came down from heaven and became man. He was born by the Virgin Mary and was placed under God’s Law. He did not sin, though he was tempted in every way. He trusted in God the Father every moment of his life, even when he was put to death by us, because he carried the weight of our sin upon himself. This is what Paul is talking about when he said that we are justified. We are declared “not guilty” in God eyes, because our Brother has paid our ransom.

Jesus has justified us so that he also may glorify us. Think about this for a moment. We did not receive a “fresh start” or a “second chance” when Jesus paid for our sin. We were actually rewarded by God, because of Jesus. Think of it in money terms. Not only did Jesus pay off your mortgage or other kind of debt, but he said, “Here, have a couple million dollars as well.” Humanly speaking, this is much better than we could imagine.

We are not only justified. We are confident that we will be glorified. This world will not keep us forever with its pain and suffering. We will be in heaven and receive, by our savior side, both heavenly peace and joy. Paul said in Romans 6:5, “If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.”

Yet, is God’s justification “too good to be true?” Should we believe that we are going to get something like this just given to us for nothing? We are told from little on that when something is “too good to be true,” it usually is. If the guy at Best Buy wants to sell you a plasma screen television at a steep discount, you start to ask, “What’s wrong with it?” If the television ad says that you can just call for your free copy of a book, you may rightly ask, “What are they trying to get from me, my address?” Is our “free” salvation therefore a gimmick? What is in it for Jesus?

The heart and mind can play this game with us. May be salvation by faith alone is “too good to be true?” Our sinful flesh is a “mover” and a “doer”; it would like to see some real evidence that God should and did actually die for our sins. Can you believe you are saved if you don’t come to church every Sunday? Can you believe you are saved if you don’t give ten percent of your income? Can you believe you are saved if you don’t work in the church? Can you believe you are saved if you are not a Pastor or teacher? The sinful mind and the good works can start so quietly that you may not even notice it.

God thankfully tells us boldly that faith is his gift to us. He died to free us from sin, because he wanted to. Listen to what is recored, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). “Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe” (Galatians 3:22).

Conclusion: We all need reminders and God in his Word just gave us an important one. He reminds us not to just say “thank-you” for the gifts we have been given. He does not remind us of all our “chores” by making us a “to do list” and call it, “ways to earn heaven”. No, God reminds us that he loves us. He reminds us that we have been called by his Gospel and are justified us freely by his Grace. When we remember these facts then we certainly can say, “God does work out all things for the good of those who love him.” Amen.

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.

Dear friends in Christ,

Communication. Good communication is one of the key ingredients to a successful and happy marriage. Good communication is also key for our relationships at work and school, and certainly also for our relationships with other nations. When the lines of communication break down, that’s when people misunderstand each other and get offended. That’s also when fights and even wars may begin.

Unfortunately, just like everything else in this world, sin has managed to mess up the blessing of communication. Because of sin, for example, sometimes only a mother can understand what her little two or three-year old is trying to say. Because of sin, we sometimes run into people who speak another language and we are stumped as to what we should say because we can’t understand them. Also it happens, because of sin, that men can have difficulty understanding women, and women can have difficulty understanding men. Sometimes our inability to communicate with others leaves us laughing, however, often it frustrates us and makes us angry. And if we don’t try to work out our misunderstandings and we don’t try to communicate with everyone more clearly, then, sometimes we can have serious problems.

So also our inabilities to communicate with our God can cause us a lot of grief and pain. When we fail to listen to God speak to us in His Word, we can easily fall away from our faith. And when we fail to constantly call upon Him in prayer, we can easily forget that the Lord is our strength. We may, then, begin to trust in ourselves to get us to heaven. So, dear friends, it is vitally important that we always communicate with our God. Doing so, means that we continually learn from Him and seek to obey His will. Doing so, also means that we continually trust in Him and glorify Him with our prayers and songs of praise.

How is it even possible, however that God should hear and answer our prayers? How could a holy God every listen to the requests of sinful man? God’s Word for today helps to answer that question!

Just prior to our sermon text, the apostle Paul told the Christians in Rome to endure their suffering patiently. He reminded them that their temporary sufferings could not compare to the eternal glory that God had prepared for them in heaven. He also opened their eyes to see how the Holy Spirit was making them inwardly groan for a better life to come.

Paul now goes on to explain that the Holy Spirit is the sole reason that we are able to communicate with our God in prayer. He reminds us that without the Spirit we would not know what to say. He also reminds us that without the Spirit we would not know how to pray. Left to ourselves we would only pray with selfish and sinful motives.

In the beginning, Adam and Eve were able to communicate face to face with their heavenly Creator. They could do that because they had been created in God’s image. They perfectly knew God’s will and they gladly and willingly obeyed all His commands.

Today, however, we are not able to communicate with God face to face. In fact, if we did, we would die. The reason that we can’t communicate with God in this way is because of sin, because we were born of sinful parents, in the image of man. Every day we now need to be instructed by God’s Word to know what God’s will is for our lives. We also need to be rebuked and corrected, because our sinful flesh is always hostile to God and does not submit to His commands (Romans 8:6-7).

It should not surprise us, then, when the apostle Paul writes, “We do not know what we ought to pray for” (v.26). Remember how even Jesus’ disciples asked Him to teach them to pray? By nature, how can sinful man ever pray “words” that are pleasing to God and are in agreement with His perfect plan and holy will? God’s ways are higher than our ways. His thoughts are much higher than our thoughts. How right Paul was when he told the Christians in Corinth, “The foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom” (1 Corinthians 1:25a)!

On our own, we would never be able to come up with the right words to say to our God in prayer. On our own we probably would think, “What should I ask for and what shouldn’t I ask for?” On our own we would foolishly think, “Why should I waste my time in prayer, when God already knows what I want?” On our own we also might think, “I’ll ask my pastor or priest to pray for me, or else I’ll call on a saint to intercede for me in heaven, since God would never listen to my prayers.”

So how, then, can we ever hope to speak God-pleasing words in our prayers? The strength to do so, does not come from ourselves, but it comes from God the Holy Spirit. The apostle Paul reminds us that it is the Spirit who “helps us in our weakness” (v.26). “The Spirit himself intercedes for us” (v. 26). He comes to us in God’s Word and teaches us so that we can understand what God’s will is. He then gives us the words to say in our prayers that honor God as our Father and that give Him the glory that He deserves.

Such words of the Spirit might come in the form of the Lord’s Prayer or in the form of a Psalm or another prayer recorded in Scripture. Such words might come in the form of a prayer that we have either written ourselves or been given by others. Such words might be read from a Christian prayer book or simply spoken from our heart. Such words might also come in a form that we ourselves can’t even understand!!!

The apostle Paul explains, for example, that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us before the Father with “groans that words cannot express” (v. 26). The Spirit, for example, is constantly calling out to the Father through the sighs and groans of a single Christian mother who is trying to raise children on her own. The Spirit moves her to pray (without any real words), “Lord, I need your help. I cannot do this without you!” The Holy Spirit likewise moves the Christian family to sigh and groan to the Father, asking that God help them make ends meet. The Holy Spirit also moves the Christian who is tired of being sick and in the hospital to sigh and groan to the Father, asking that God help them to endure their hardships. So also the Holy Spirit moves the Christian who is tired of his sinful failures and who is tired of his life filled with sorrow and disappointment, to sigh and groan to the Father, asking God for His mercy and His love.

How important it is that we have the Holy Spirit in order for us to communicate with our God! How important it is that we ask God to pour out on us His Spirit so that we may know Him and His will better (Ephesians 1:7)! Without the Spirit we would never trust in God to help us in our times of suffering. Without the Holy Spirit, all our words would be tainted with sin and a burden for our God. Certainly, therefore, as Jesus Himself instructed His disciples, we should ask for the Holy Spirit, for God our Father promises to give His Spirit to all who ask of Him (Luke 11:13).

Not only is it important that God the Holy Spirit give us God-pleasing words to say in our prayers, it is also important that the Holy Spirit give us righteous hearts that are able to worship and praise God in our prayers.

Paul goes on to remind us of who we are praying to when we call upon our heavenly Father. He reminds us that we are praying to the One who “searches our hearts” (v.27). While others might be impressed by our nice-sounding prayers and by our outward appearance when we pray, God looks at the heart. He can see whether our words are spoken from a heart of faith or a heart of hypocrisy. He knows all of our sinful desires and thoughts. He knows all things, for nothing is hidden from Him.

It makes you wonder, doesn’t it, how we can ever pray with a ‘straight face’ when we come before God with some of our requests. While our requests might seem God-pleasing to others, God knows our motives. God knows, for example, that sometimes pastors are praying for success in their ministry, not so much for God’s sake, but because they themselves want to be well-liked. God also knows that sometimes we pray for His forgiveness, all the while knowing that we plan on continuing in our sinful ways. God also knows how we sometimes pray for success in our business, saying that we will better support His Church, but God can see into our hearts that we are really looking to get more for ourselves.

And besides knowing our sinful motives, God also can see that we come to Him doubting His power and ability to help us. We might pray, for example, that God would bring our enemy to faith, but all along God can see in our hearts that we don’t think it will ever happen. We might pray that God keep our loved ones alive, but all along God can see into our hearts that we trust more in doctors than in Him to save.

When we consider that we are praying to the One who “searches our hearts”, how can we ever call upon Him, hoping that He will hear us and answer our prayers? We can have the boldness and confidence that our prayers will be heard, because God has given us His Holy Spirit and made us His children through Baptism. In Baptism God made us to be a new creation. He made our hearts to be the temple of His Holy Spirit. He has since strengthened us in that faith through His Word and Sacraments. By the power of the Spirit, we are able to confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior and we are able to approach God’s throne of grace as confidently as a child comes to his own parent for help.

God our Father hears our prayers, because the Spirit “intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will” (v. 27). The Spirit alone “knows the thoughts of God” (1 Corinthians 2:11) and so He enables us to pray in a way that gives God the glory. He enables us to pray in faith and in confidence and in humility, saying, “Not my will be done … but your will be done”. He enables us to pray in accordance with God’s commands and to pray in the name of Jesus, His Son and our Savior. In this way, God the Father is pleased. Our prayers rise up to Him like a pleasing aroma.

But the apostle Paul said that the Spirit intercedes for the “saints”. Who are the saints? According to Scripture, the saints are those who have been made holy through the blood of Jesus Christ, shed on the cross. According to God’s Word, the saints are those who trust in Jesus their Savior and seek to obey His will. They are those who are qualified by Jesus to be heirs of heaven and children of God.

So, then, are we God’s saints? When we look at God’s commands, none of us can claim to be without sin. According to God’s law, there is no one who is righteous, not even one. According to God’s law, we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Yet, according to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus, we have all been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb of God. We have all been forgiven through Jesus’ perfect life and innocent death on the cross. The Holy Spirit, therefore, testifies with our spirit that we are redeemed children of God. He assures us that through faith in Jesus, we have all been made holy in God’s sight and have now become God’s saints.

Will God, then, hear all of our prayers? Yes, He will! He will because the Father promises us, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7,8). He will also hear our prayers because Jesus Christ our Savior intercedes for us and says, “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it” (John 14:14). And God will also hear our prayers because the Holy Spirit assures us saying, “the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer” (1 Peter 3:12).

Thanks be, then, to God the Holy Spirit who intercedes for us before our heavenly Father! In the midst of all our suffering here in this world, the Spirit assures us that God will hear our prayer and will help us.

Left to ourselves, we would certainly break up the lines of communication with our heavenly Father. But God the Holy Spirit promises to keep them open. He promises to give us the very “words” (and “sighs” and “groans”) to say in our prayers! He also promises to give us the “hearts” to pray to our Father in the name of our Savior Jesus. “Let us therefore approach God’s throne of grace in boldness and confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). Amen.

Hear now the invitation and promise of God our Father: “Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.” (Psalm 50:15) Amen.

Introduction: Life expectancy is at all time high and reports show no sign of this stopping in our country. The average age of death is now seventy eight years old. New reports also show that on average a baby born next year will live four months longer than a baby born this year, “What a difference a year makes”.

Please read Matthew 11:25-30 at this time.

As much as we like to hear that our “golden” years will last longer than those of our parents and grandparents, I can’t help but think that the devil is in these details. No, the devil is not making us live longer; however, it often works to his advantage. The fact that you anticipate living longer can get your sinful-flesh to focus on earthy rest and not heavenly rest. How many people right now are storing up for themselves “treasure” here on earth, because they are going to live “forever" and neglecting all things spiritual? Too many.

So, today Jesus tells in our Gospel lesson, “Come to Me”. Because he is the one who will show us what is really important: His Father and our heavenly rest.

Part one: To see the Father

Our Gospel text, for this morning, is really the words Jesus spoke when the seventy two he had appointed them to do mission work, and they had just returned to him. Their mission was one of spreading the Good News about Jesus to the towns and cities that Jesus was about to travel to. Jesus had sent them out and gave them specific instructions for their journey, “Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.” Along with more instructions the Lord was teaching the seventy-two a valuable lesson; they were to trust in God to provide for them. And so with joy now the messengers of Good News returned to Jesus saying that their trip was a “success”. They said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”

The return of these evangelists presented Jesus was a teachable moment. He told them not to rejoice in what they could do and not in all the people that were healed and believed. He told them to rejoice in the fact that they were saved, their names were “written in heaven”. After Jesus said such words, being filled with the Spirit, He began praise his Heavenly Father for the success of the Gospel.

In verse twenty five Jesus spoke, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.” It seems odd for Jesus to praise God for “hiding things” from the wise. Wouldn’t it be better for him to reveal all things to all people?

Scripture again and again tells us that God’s Word is for all people. The seventy-two surely went out to preach and give healing to all the people in the towns they visited. The seventy-two surely baptized freely, regardless of how well a person was educated. However, some people are too smart for their own good; people looked up to them, and in turn they look up to no one. As much as the Lord would like all people to come and follow him; he does not lose any sleep over those who are “too wise” for him. In his Word he tells us, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate” (1 Corinthians 1:19). 26 Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong” (1 Corinthians 1:26,27).

Yet, God has revealed his living bread to “little children”. The word for children here in the Greek can be correctly translated “little children”, but is also can be correctly translated to talk about infants. And the question would be, is he talking about children who are young in age, or people who are infants spiritually? We could say that it is both; Jesus is talking about infants who come to faith by means of baptism or even those who are older with a child-like understanding of their Savior.

Jesus then goes on to say in verse twenty-seven, “All things have been committed to me by my Father”. When Jesus says “all things” he really means all things. The Father has now committed into his care the following: heaven, earth, nations, individuals, time and eternity. He is now the one preserving the planet so that it may sustain life. If, there should be a change in our climate or the landscape of his world; Jesus is the one guiding such events. When a nation rises or falls, such an event as well has Jesus is in control. He will come again to judge us who are living and those of us how have “fallen asleep”; he will separate his sheep from the goats. And in preparation of that day, our last one, Jesus in his good will has made known to us the Father.

How? We see God’s love displayed in the person of Jesus. We see God’s perfect will displayed in Jesus’ Words and in his actions. Jesus shows us that our God is a triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is only through Jesus that we are able to see the father and let me illustrate that using an example from my life.

Last summer, when I worked at a pet food warehouse, I invited the owner to worship and to hear me preach. Knowing that he was of the Jewish faith, I thought that a sermon about Moses and the burning bush would interest him. There was polite thank-you, but no real reaction to my invitation. A few days later, I heard what he told a co-worker about my invitation. He said, “Is he going to preach about our God?” I share this story with you to drive home a point – my boss clearly knew that we worshiped different Gods! He was living proof that what Jesus says here is true; if you don’t come to Jesus, you will not see the Father either.

We are like children, because we do not understand fully how the Lord brings people to faith. We think that if God is all powerful, why would he let anyone live in unbelief? Why would God just not reveal himself to all people like he has us? Why do we all have loved ones that resist the Holy Spirit and know people who would rather stay at home on Sunday morning and not come to church? Our flesh just can’t understand.

The Lord’s way is perfect, so it any surprise that we don’t understand it? God says that he chose us before the creation of the World. (Ephesians 1:4-6) He says that he has called us to live a holy life, because he is gracious to us. (2 Timothy 1:9) We see the Father by means of Jesus and like the seventy-two the Lord tells us to rejoice in that. It is a gift from God that we can see and know the Father through his Son Jesus; it is a gift we shall never take for granted.

Part Two: To receive your rest.

One thing in life that most do not take for granted, especially children, is the rest given to us in the summer time. Often, it is in the summer when people take vacations and when children get a break from school. In the summer the weather may get hot, but that just fine. Warmer weather ushers in the fun season filled sports activities and some enjoyable outside work. With school being out, children have less strain on their brain and like the rest of creation, find a boast of summer energy. We, in large part, have grown to love the summer.

We know all about physical rest, but is that what Jesus is talking about in verse twenty-eight? “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Does Jesus want to give you rest from things that trouble you like: school, employers, bad weather, illnesses and money? Many Christians, faithful ones I might add, would read this verse and say, “Yes”. Now that we have come to Jesus, he wants to give us all sorts of blessings. Family harmony and summer days are right around the corner. They may even say, “Because I have Jesus, whatever I choose to do in my life must be the right decision. God has only rest in mind for me.”

This clearly is not always the case. John the Baptist did not receive much earthly rest and success. If Jesus here was speaking about earthly rest, why is it then that all the disciples died a martyr’s death, except the Apostle John? Jesus is I verse twenty-eight is talking about spiritual rest. He then said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (v.29).

The image Jesus gives us here is a practical one. Jesus shares his yoke with us. The rest we have- we have because Jesus carries our burdens along side of us. Now we do not have animals yoked together today, but something similar to this image would be a two person bicycle. Being yoked together with Jesus is like being the second person on his two person bicycle.

However, your burdens in life seem anything but light, don’t they? Oh to be young again, in those days our burdens were very light! Your sinful nature would love this text to be about how God will bless us on this earth. There is a part of you that says, “Why , if Jesus is going to give me a light yoke, why not just give me no burden at all.”

We learn a lot when we let Jesus guide us and carry our burdens. We see how he is gentle and humble in heart and we learn to how to trust. As Jesus himself said, “Trust in God and also in me”. Jesus himself trusted in his Heavenly Father and that pattern of living rubs off on us. Being with Jesus we learn that God’s Law is no longer heavy; in fact, we delight in it, because in it we are told how to please him. Knowing that Jesus is with us, we then have the strength to bear those manageable “crosses”. Crosses which bring us spiritually closer to God and help realign our earthly priorities.

Today, we see that Jesus is very heavenly minded. Jesus does see our burden as light, because our sins are paid for! Jesus does see our burden as light, because we will not be punished for our sins. Jesus sees us with him forever in glory and he sees that we already have everything we could possibly need as his dear children.

Introduction: The future will be interesting. Why? Because no one has ever been there and the possibilities are endless. The first computers took up rooms and now they are as big as a book. One hundred years ago cars as we know them did not exist; people rode around on horses and in buggies. What will the future hold? Will cars be around in another hundred years as they are today? Will there still be a thing called a computer or will it go the way of the typewriter and ink press?
One thing in certain, God’s Word will be around until the end of time and not one Word or prophecy will go unfulfilled. Today in our text the prophet Jeremiah and a man named Hananiah have a “discussion” about the future. And this morning we’ll look at what Jeremiah in particularly had to say. He said, God will fulfill his Word, regardless of what liars say and according to what God has promised.

At this time please read Jeremiah 28:5-9

Part One: Regardless of what liars say.

God always has a plan and the people of Judah were not going to like it. God planned on punishing Judah and the city of Jerusalem, because their words were deceptive. They said the temple were they were worshiping was the Lord’s, but He was no longer being praised and worshiped there. The people were praising false gods under trees, on hills and wherever they found a “nice spot”. God was going to punish them for burning incense to Baal and other gods which they themselves did not even know. How sad it was, they worshiped gods they did not know or even understand! Punishment also was going to come against them, because the Lord did not like the way they were treating: foreigners, orphans and widows. The details we are not told in Scripture and we can only imagine. They were likely cheating the foreigners out of their money and property, while not taking care of orphans and widows as they were commanded to do.

God was going to use Nebuchadnezzar to punish his unfaithful people. God was going to humble them so that they would once again do two things. First, he wanted them to listen to his prophets once again. Secondly, he wanted them to ignore the false prophets, who keep bringing a message of false hope. God told the people that his punishment would not last forever; they would return home and with them bring the articles of the temple that had been plundered.

Jeremiah the prophet knew all that the Lord was planning. He was, in fact, the messenger of this bad news. The Lord had told Jeremiah to put a yoke, the kind that a beast-of-burden would wear, on his neck to symbolize the servitude the people of Judah would be under. Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, was going to take the people away in slavery if they resisted his rule and that is exactly what happened. The people of Judah resisted Nebuchadnezzar and they were suffering.

And then came along Hananiah, the false prophet. He said that the Lord was going to break the yoke of the king of Babylon in two years. He said that all the articles of the temple, the nations pride a joy, would return to its rightful place in two years. This, indeed, was a message that pleased the people very much; Yet, it was a lie. God did say the people and articles would return, but God had not told the people it would be anytime soon.

Jeremiah in our text said in verse six, “May the Lord fulfill”. Jeremiah would have liked peace too. It was most painful for him to see Gods temple plundered, because he knew it would happen and he couldn’t stop it. It was painful for him to see God’s people separated from each other and their place of worship. But all the desire in the world on behalf of Jeremiah and Hananiah would not change the fact; the words of Hananiah were not from God.

That is why Jeremiah said, “May the Lord fulfill your words”. Hananiah did sound like Jeremiah, a true prophet. He used the same words and phrases as Jeremiah. He said, “This is what the LORD Almight, the God of Israel says…”, and he spoke about the very yoke that Jeremiah prophesied and wore on his shoulders. No matter what he said or how he sounded, Jeremiah knew that Hananiah was sharing his own hopes and dreams; Hananiah was doing his best to make a name for himself among many people who were looking for the prophecies they liked.

So Jeremiah in verse eight went on to say, “from early times the prophets who preceded you and me have prophesied war, disaster, and plague…” To paraphrase, Jeremiah was saying, “Hananiah, you are not in line with other prophets.” “They spoke about war, disaster and plague, and what are you talking about?” “You are the first to say things like, ‘in two years the articles of the temple will return’”. “You, Hananiah are really contradicting me, the one who has spoken for God and has been right all along.” “In this case, Hananiah, God is not taking directions; he is giving them to his people.”

There are still people like Hananiah running around toady, wouldn’t you agree? People are still trying to fill in Scriptures “gaps” when it comes to the future, and we know about a number of them. David Koresh and the Branch Dravidians believed that the end of the world was going to come in the year 1995; however, it was the year 1993 when they meet their maker. He is just one example of a false prophet bringing false “hope” with his lies. Also, there were numerous groups and authors who thought that the year 2000 would be the end. They said it would be a year of chaos with the unmistakable rise of the Antichrist. Only the Lord knows how many fragile Christians were hurt by these lies. The lies and prophesies to this day are still coming. The House of Yahweh said the end was going to come in 2006,2007 and now this year; a judgment day that will come by nuclear war.

In each case, we see the legacy of Hananiah is alive and well. God has said one thing, and false prophets are trying to guess at and predict God’s future timing and actions. But there is a more important legacy we can learn from this text. Did you notice how Jeremiah handled Hananiah?
He did not: argue, get upset or even try to out-due him. He simply spoke the truth in love; he took a public sin and corrected it in public.

A false prophet brought out the best in Jeremiah, but they don’t always bring out the best in us. We can be found mocking them, because of the foolish lies they say. You are tempted to slander them behind their back when they are long gone. You and I can be eager to argue with them, instead of gently correcting them. But that’s only the half of it; we have also entertained their lies. Some of you have pondered such predictions about judgment day that are not found in Scripture. A number of you have read and took seriously things like horoscopes and other such lies told about your future.

Yet, because of the Spirit’s work, the truth still gains and holds our attention. God’s Word tells us not to worry about our future and to just be prepared for Judgment day. Our times are in the Lord’s hand, and his Word is not a lie. The promises he makes, he keeps; when it comes to false prophets themselves, we are asked to remember that they are sinners too; Men and women for whom the Lord has died. The same drops of blood Jesus shed for our sins were shed for them too. So, with the Spirit’s help, we will like Jeremiah will do our best to season all our actions toward them with salt.

Part Two: According to what he has promised.

Jeremiah then in verse nine of our text therefore shared with us these words, “But the prophet who prophesies peace will be recognized as one truly sent by the LORD only if his prediction comes true.”

All prophets, Jeremiah included, would like to bear good news. They would like to share a message peace and prosperity. Jeremiah did not enjoy wearing a yoke around his neck as a symbol of Judah’s future slavery. Jeremiah did not like to bear the prophecies of bad news each and every day, one after another. How popular do you think his message made him?

Regardless, Jeremiah said in verse nine, you cannot argue with the historical facts. If you read between the lines, Jeremiah was saying very evangelically, “Hananiah, you will be proven false”. “God does not change his mind to fit your wishes. God’s mind has been set about this for some time now.”

Jeremiah with his words in verse nine, gentle as they may be, really “struck a nerve”. Hananiah in the verses after our lesson really became angry. He broke the yoke that Jeremiah was wearing to symbolize what he was saying, and then repeated his prophecy. Hananiah said, “In the same way I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon off the neck of all nations within two years.” To this persistent man Jeremiah said, “Listen, Hananiah! The Lord has not sent you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies.” “Therefore, this is what the LORD says: ‘I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This very year you are going to die, because you have preached rebellion against the LORD’ ” (v.15,16).

God kept that promise, Hananiah died soon after. God’s Word was true. The slavery did not last forever, but it did last a lot longer than two years. Jeremiah was not to be that prophet of peace who would have the joy of seeing his prediction come true, that man would be Jesus our Savior.

Jesus’ prophecies always came true. There was never a promise he spoke that he didn’t keep. For that reason God the Father said about Jesus, “This is my Son, Listen to him” (Matthew 7:15). For that reason the disciples said, “You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).

We have a lot in common with the prophet Jeremiah. We know time will reveal the truth to us and to the unbelieving world. Jesus is the prophet of peace who bears the promise of everlasting life. We like Jeremiah are certain of one thing, if someone contradicts our Lord, then they are wrong.

We do however have the same impatient sinful nature in side us that Hananiah had. We want peace and happiness now. Now, would be a good time for Jesus to return. Now, would be a good time for Jesus to fix my problems. His ways, however, are not are ways and that is a good thing. Why, because he is in control. Left to our own devices, we are quick to stray; we would be like a sheep without a shepherd. Let us now be reminded that we already do have peace. We have salvation in Christ’s blood. The offspring of the women has crushed Satan’s power and death has lost it sting. Heaven is our home and our punishment has been sweep away.

The future will be an interesting place, indeed. Who knows if we will have cars or even computers in the future? But one thing in certain, God’s Word will be around until then and all his prophecies will be fulfilled according to what he has promised regardless of what liars say. Amen.

There are some today who believe that once you become a Christian, everything in life will flow smoothly. They promise that once you believe in Jesus, you will become wealthy and prosperous. They promise that you will never get sick and that danger will never come near you. They basically promise you a “heaven on earth”.

While this message might be appealing to all of us, the Lord makes it clear in His Word that we all must pass through many hardships and difficulties in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. After all, just look at how Jesus Himself lived in this world, and how He suffered great agony and pain on the cross! See how the world hated Him and mocked Him! So the Lord Jesus also warned His disciples on the night before His death, “Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also” (John 15:20).

We likewise, then, can expect to be persecuted and mocked for our Christian faith today. To a certain extent, our Christian faith is already now being ridiculed by politicians, by scientists, by professors, by media and by Hollywood. However, the LORD has graciously spared us of any direct, physical persecution. We don’t live in danger like the early Christians did under Emperor Nero. Why is that? Could it be that it is because we have conveniently tried to hide our faith and not let it be known to our neighbors and friends that we are Christians?

If that is the case, God’s Word today reminds us that either we are FOR the LORD or we are AGAINST Him. There is no middle ground. God therefore commands that we FEAR, LOVE AND TRUST IN HIM ABOVE ALL THINGS! Certainly that is only good and right, for God our Father is the One who could send us to hell, and God our Father is the One who promises to welcome us into His heaven.

God’s Word for our consideration this morning is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew 10:24-33.

[Jesus said,] “A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household! 26 “So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. 32 “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.

Jesus was now sending His twelve disciples to go throughout Israel and to proclaim that the Christ, their Savior, had come. They were to go to the “lost sheep of Israel” and preach that “the kingdom of heaven [was] near” (Matthew 10:6-7). However, the disciples would have to be as “shrewd as snakes” (Matthew 10:16) because Jesus told them that there would be many who would reject their words. Jesus warned them that they would be handed over to the local councils, flogged in their synagogues and brought before governors and kings, all on account of their faith in Him. Just as the Pharisees hated Jesus and called him a man possessed with demons, so God’s enemies would hate His disciples, too. Jesus therefore said, “If [I] the head of the house [have] been called Beelzebub, how much more [you] the members of [my] household!” (v.25)

In the face of such persecution, how could the disciples ever be bold enough to carry out the Lord’s mission work? How could they hold onto their faith when their very lives would be in danger?

Knowing that His disciples were very weak according to their sinful flesh, Jesus gave them the strength to do His work. He said to them about the Pharisees, “Do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known” (v.26). In other words, Jesus was saying that God would bring about His justice. He would judge those who brought harm to His Church and who despised His Word. God’s enemies would get what was coming to them, because God sees everything that they have done in secret and He knows all their sinful thoughts.

The Lord Jesus also strengthened His disciples by saying, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul” (v.28). Even if the Pharisees would succeed in having them arrested and killed, the disciples still didn’t need to worry. They were ever in the caring hands of God their Father! The Lord was with them and would protect them. And, even if they should die, that would just mean that God would take them home to heaven, where there would be no more sorrow, sin or pain.

Having strengthened His disciples with His promises, the Lord now sent them out to preach His Word. He said, “What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs” (v.27). The disciples were to take the message of the Gospel, the mystery of Christ, and make it known to all God’s people. They were to tell the children of Israel, that the Son of David, Jesus Christ, had come.

While the disciples did do as they had been told, we know from Scripture that there were many times in their lives when they wavered in their faith. Peter, for example, doubted Jesus as he went out to Him walking on the water (Matthew 14:31). The disciples, too, worried about what they would eat, even after Jesus had fed the 5,000 + and 4,000 + with just a few loaves of bread and fish (Matthew 16:8). The disciples also asked Jesus why they couldn’t drive out demons, to which Jesus replied, “Because you have so little faith” (Matthew 17:20). And finally, look at what the disciples did in the events surrounding Jesus’ death. Instead of carrying out their pledges to even die with Him, they ran away and hid. Peter even went to the extent of swearing that he did not know Jesus and Judas betrayed his Lord and then killed himself.

Because His disciples were weak, by nature, Jesus warned them not to worry about what man could do to them, but what God could do to them. He said, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell (v.28). [Understand, my brothers, that God your heavenly Father can send you to hell for your sins and for your unbelief. Understand that if you are ashamed of Me, God’s Son, I will be ashamed of you on the last day.] Whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven” (v.33).

Dear friends in Christ, such words cut at the heart of Jesus’ disciples and they also cause us to tremble with fear. The Lord Jesus has made it perfectly clear that we, like Him, will be persecuted on account of our faith. And so, what have we done? Have we publicly spoken about Jesus with everyone we met? Have we made the most of every opportunity to talk with our neighbors and friends about the Lord and His Word? Have we boldly confronted people with their sins and joyfully told them about their Savior’s death on the cross for them?

No! Each day we have wavered in our faith. We have joined the rest of the world in their sinful ways, because “everyone else is doing it”. At times we have all been ashamed to confess our faith in the Lord Jesus to others. We have tried to hide our faith so that people won’t ridicule us. Each day we have doubted God’s power and protection, and we have kept silent out of fear of being persecuted.

On account of our shame to witness Christ to all people, we deserve to be punished. Because we have been ashamed of our faith, Jesus could easily be ashamed of us when we will appear before God’s throne on Judgment Day. Because of our unwillingness to fear, love and trust in God above all things, we all deserve to be sent to hell.

God certainly deserves better from us! Instead of being afraid of what man can do to us when we share our faith with others, we should fear God our Father and His wrath, who could justly and easily send us all, body and soul, to hell. Yet, at the same time, because of God’s undeserved love and mercy shown to us lost sinners, we will fear, love and trust in Him above all things, for He is the One who promises to welcome us into His heaven.

One would think that Jesus would have given up on His disciples for their lack of faith, but He didn’t!. He came back to Peter and reinstated him as an apostle in His Church. He sent the rest of His disciples to go out and preach the good news of salvation to both Jew and Gentile. He poured out His Spirit on them and empowered them to be bold in the face of persecution. For the sake of His Church, He empowered His apostles to do miracles in His name.

Despite the disciples’ sins, Jesus remained with them and taught them. Despite their weaknesses, Christ was their strength. Jesus forgave them and strengthened them to be His messengers of the Gospel.

And why did Jesus do this for His unfaithful disciples? He did it because of His unfailing love. He did it because each soul is precious to God. He did it because God wants all people to be saved from their sins and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

To strengthen His disciples for mission work, Jesus reminded them of how important they were to Him and to God their Father. He said, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

The LORD promised that He would always be with His disciples. Not one of their hairs would fall apart from the will of God their Father. Just by looking at God’s creation they could see how much God cared for the birds of the air and the flowers of the field. From Jesus’ words, they could understand how great God’s love must be for them. The One who created them in His image, who had made them a new creation through baptism, who had redeemed them from their sins through Jesus Christ their Teacher, He would forever love them and bring them to their eternal home in heaven to feast with Him in everlasting joy!

Wow! Such mercy, love and patience the LORD showed to His sinful and weak disciples! And, dear friends, what rich measure of mercy, love and patience the LORD has shown to us! He gives us our daily bread. He pardons our sins. He calls us to follow Him. He gives us His Spirit to obey Him. He hears our prayers. He works everything out for our good. In love, He rebukes us and disciplines us. He patiently teaches and corrects us. He gives us the privilege of telling others about Him, and finally, He will graciously take us to be with Him forever in heaven.

See how precious we are in the eyes of God of our Father! He loves us all more than we deserve! Through faith in Jesus our Savior our sins are forgiven and heaven is our home. So Jesus Himself comforts us, saying, “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven” (v.32). So the apostle Paul also encourages us when he writes, “If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. 11 As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame” (Romans 10:9-11).

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us boldly proclaim God’s saving Word to all people! Let us joyfully share the message of Jesus Christ our Lord in all places! Let us shout from the rooftops and tell the world what great things God our Father has done for us through His Son and through His gift of the Holy Spirit! In the face of persecution, cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7). In the face of persecution, fear, love and trust in God above all things, for He is the One who could send us sinners, body and soul to hell; and He is the One who WILL keep His promises and WILL welcome us into His heavenly Kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

So we join the hymn writer and say, “Satan, I defy thee; Death, I now decry thee; Fear I bid thee cease. World, thou shalt not harm me Nor thy threats alarm me While I sing of peace. God’s great pow’r Guards ev’ry hour; Earth and all its depths adore him, Silent bow before him.” Amen.

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! (1 John 3:1). Amen.

Introduction: It has been said, “People will do almost anything for love.” We would have to agree with that statement, because just last week we celebrated Memorial Day. On that day, we respect and honor those who gave their life to protect our country on behalf of us and many future generations. We agree that, “People will do almost anything for love,” because we too would do anything and everything for our loved ones. If they are hungry, we will feed them. If they are in trouble, we will rescue them.
But can you imagine showing this kind of love to all people? Could you feed a starving terrorist? Could you rescue such an enemy from death? In our country such an act would not be considered virtuous; you would be called a Benedict Arnold or a traitor.
Jesus however did help his enemies, you and me. Paul wrote about his aid in our Epistle lesson as a reason for us to rejoice. Rejoice in the fact that Jesus in love has made a great sacrifice – a sacrifice that assures us of our salvation.

Please read Romans 5:6-11 at this time.

Part One: A love which make great sacrifices

The Word of the Lord had spread to Rome long before Paul or any other teacher could reach that important city; its spread was a testament to how the Holy Spirit was working and adding daily to the number of people who were being saved. The harvest field was ripening in Rome, and Paul had a great desire to work in that “field”. Enter Romans, Paul’s letter, “Christianity 101” according to the Holy Spirit.

This letter lays it all out for the Romans. How the Jews had God’s Word given to them directly long ago, but how they wondered from the faith and rejected the promises that were given to them. Paul said that these people were only “outwardly circumcised” meaning that they looked like God’s people and they acted like Godly people, but it was just a show. The law they obeyed and added to was not God pleasing, but man pleasing. Their men were circumcised, but this no longer was a sign of faith and trust in the one true God.

Then, Paul lays out the situation for the Gentiles. He says, “Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of gentiles too, God does not show favoritism (Romans 3:29; 2:11). It is true, God came to the Jews first; however, the gentiles were always part of his plan. The Jews were to reach out to the Gentiles; nonetheless, that had now become impossible, because the Jews were not worshiping the one true God any longer.

Paul went on to say that all men were unrighteous; that they are full of: envy, murder, strife, deceit, gossip and pride. All men alike had one origin and one God who created them, but many rejected him and chose to go their own “way”. Man, in general, chose to ignore the wonders of creation and their very own Creator. Yet, Paul says, the Lord had mercy on all mankind and sent Christ to make man righteous once again. A righteousness that comes now by: faith, God’s undeserved love, and Jesus’ redemptive blood.

In our text Paul said, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6, 8). Understand clearly, that we had nothing to offer God. Nothing in us or about us prompted Christ to die for us. God did not send his one and only Son to be the sacrifice for our sins, because he liked what he saw. We were his enemies; we were “terrorists”. God looked down from heaven immediately after Adam and Eve sinned and saw what had happened; they were sinful and would give birth to liars, gossips, cheats. Adam and Eve would give birth to you and me.

We are then reminded of what an unusual gift from God our salvation is. In verse seven it states, “Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.” Someone may die for a good or righteous man, but the point is that we were not even close to being a little good or righteous! Without Christ our deeds were nothing and our motives were all sinfully selfish.

Thanks be to Jesus our Lord, the innocent one, died for our sins. Paul makes it clear in Romans; Jesus’ sacrifice was for all people. The sins of all the Jews and all the gentiles had been paid for. Those who hated the Lord and those who loved the Lord have all received the same exact gift: salvation according to God’s plan of love.

As men and women who have a relatively easy life as compared to the Roman Christians, we know our life of service and our daily “offerings” to the Lord are not much to look at. They are nothing compared to the sacrifice of love done by our Lord and Savior Jesus. Many of us are usually pretty good about making it to God’s house for worship, some times. You know the Lord has given you twenty four hours in the day; however, he gets only a few minutes if we say our prays and do not read his Word as part of our daily devotion. You know that the Lord also loves a cheerful giver, but he gets only a small “thank offering” and that isn’t always given with much cheerfulness.

Why could this all be? Could it be Jesus’ death seems less grand, because it has taken place in the past? “My sins are already forgiven, nothing can change it now.” Consequently, we are tempted to live our lives without fear or trembling. We say, “The deed has been done, victory has been won, and so I’m going to live however I feel like.”

Fortunately for us, sinners, Jesus still loves us now. The all knowing Lord knew about our sin, and still chose to remove it. Can you believe that despite our sin, Jesus still wants us to live with him forever? Well, it is true. Our salvation is done, sealed and delivered; all this, because of God’s immeasurable love for us.

Part Two: A love which assures us of our salvation

In the year 57 A.D. word did not travel as fast as it does today, yet God’s Word traveled remarkably well. The Apostles started in Jerusalem and they traveled from town to town; they wrote letter upon letter, traveling first to the synagogues and then to the marketplaces and beyond. Family’s shared with friends the good news as they came on pilgrimages and friends shared with merchants who traveled all over the known world.

As the wonders of God were shared among many nations, so too spread the worship and rejoicing of God’s people. Praising him from whom all blessing flow. In verse eleven of our text it tells us to, “rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” We, as Christians, continue to rejoice in many different ways.

With our tongues we sing the songs which have been written and sung by believers for a few years, and even for a few thousand years. We rejoice and worship our Triune God by defending His holy name in our daily lives. We rejoice in his great love every time we share that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that by believing in his name everyone may have eternal life. (1 John 5:13)

In our prays we rejoice and thank the Lord for his great acts of kindness. Confessing our sins to him and trusting in his forgiveness. Requesting also that others may too know of his love as we do.

In our thoughts we are hopeful because of Christ. We are not hopeful for “hope’s” sake. We live in the light of Christ’s love, drowning those sinful thoughts early and often as they arise in our minds.

In our actions we rejoice and encourage others to come and worship. We even encourage other as we worship alongside them. Building up one another in love and equipping the saints for acts of service, because we have received Christ’s reconciliation.

It was Jesus’ life that makes all the difference to us. His perfect life means that I will not be judged as I deserve, because he has paid the ransom for my life. His perfect life on earth means that he still loves us perfectly. He is now hearing our prayers and interceding on our behalf before the Father. Our salvation, which Jesus won, means he will call us to be by his side on the last day. Our salvation fills us with Joy now in the presence of our God.

And out of love, the Savior warns us all to not take our salvation for granted. He tells us to be in the world, but not of the world. (1 Corinthians 5:10b) “But I don’t want to live that way,” says your sinful nature. “You don’t want to live that way,” says the devil. “You won’t live that way,” says the world. All too often the sinful thoughts, words and actions linger and grow; consequently, the warnings of our Savior go unheeded. He tells us a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough; a little sin will become in our life a big sin, if we do not put a stop to it.

Each day, the battle we each fight seems hopeless. How can we ever expect to be saved on Judgment day? It is because of God’s love, Jesus’ love, we have certainty. The Lord Jesus gives us strength to follow where his Spirit leads us. The Lord gives us the strength to hold tight onto his promises and to trust in his salvation. The Lord gives us the desire to read his Word and cherish his son for whom he is - the bread of life.

As little children we all wondered why there must be “rainy days” when we can’t go outside to play. But then we learned in school that “April showers bring May flowers”. We learned that rain is necessary for flowers to grow, as well as for our fruit trees and vegetables. We learned that farmers and gardeners throughout our country depend on the rain to fall each spring for their crops to grow. And we also learned, from God’s Word, that each year the rain WILL fall because God is faithful. We have this confidence because the LORD keeps His Word spoken thousands of years ago to Noah when He said after the flood, “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” (Genesis 8:22)

Well, just as children wonder why there must be rainy days in the spring, so we as adults wonder why there must be “rainy days” in our life, why we must all face hardships and sufferings. God’s Word for today helps us to understand that the reason for “rainy days” in our life is twofold. “Rainy days” happen that we may turn to God, confess our sins and repent of them. Rainy days also happen that we might press on to acknowledge the LORD who alone forgives us all our sins.

God’s Word for our consideration today is recorded by the prophet Hosea, beginning at the last verse of chapter 5 and going on until chapter 6, verse 6. The Lord begins this dialog with His people Israel, saying:

Then I will go back to my place until they admit their guilt. And they will seek my face; in their misery they will earnestly seek me.”
6:1 “Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. 2 After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. 3 Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.”
4 “What can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah? Your love is like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears. 5 Therefore I cut you in pieces with my prophets, I killed you with the words of my mouth; my judgments flashed like lightning upon you. 6 For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.

The time in which Hosea prophesied was a prosperous time for the northern tribes of Israel. Because of their allies to the north (the Assyrians), their enemies were held in check and their kingdom expanded in size. However, the nation of Israel was doomed to fail, for it no longer worshipped the one true God. Under the leadership of its evil kings, the people of Israel bowed down to idols made to look like calves. They also worshipped the gods of the Canaanites (Baal and Ashtoreth) hoping that these gods would cause their fields and their flocks to prosper. Led by their ignorant priests, they also sacrificed their children in the fire to please these false gods.

Because of their idolatry, the LORD was furious with them! He said through Hosea, His prophet, “What can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah? Your love is like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears” (v.4). Here the people of Israel thought that they must have been doing something right because they were enjoying such prosperity, but all along they were deceiving themselves thinking that their heavenly Father would continue to allow such open idolatry.

In His anger the Lord condemned His people. He said through Hosea, “There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land. There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery” (Hosea 4:1-2). He also said about His people, “I know all about Ephraim, Israel is not hidden from me. Ephraim, you have now turned to prostitution; Israel is corrupt” (Hosea 5:3).

Through Hosea and others like him, the LORD rebuked His children for their sins. He “cut” them to pieces and “killed” them with the words of His mouth (v. 5). He showed them their unfaithfulness to Him by even having His prophet Hosea marry an adulterous woman. And so God warned Hosea, saying, “I will punish them for their ways and repay them for their deeds. A whirlwind will sweep them away and their sacrifices will bring them shame” (Hosea 4:9,19).

This was God’s righteous judgment on His unfaithful people. Like lightning from the sky, the LORD would act quickly (6:5). Soon God would bring judgment on His people by having them be defeated by their so-called allies, the Assyrians. He would do this since His people had no regard for His holy Word spoken by His prophets (Hosea 9:7). He would do this because they continually provoked him to anger with their idolatry (Hosea 12:13-14) and ignored His commands (Hosea 8:11-12).

Outwardly the Israelites continued to worship the Lord. They held their morning and evening sacrifices, and celebrated their yearly religious festivals. However, God’s people were not worshiping the LORD with all their heart, soul and mind. Their religious practices were only empty rituals, since they were not done out of faith in the one and only true God. God rebuked His people saying, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings” (v.6). He reminded them, “I am the LORD your God who brought you out of Egypt. You shall acknowledge no God but me, no Savior except for me” (Hosea 13:4).

The more the LORD called for Israel to repent of their ways, however, the further they went from Him (Hosea 11:2). They refused to return to the LORD or search for Him (Hosea 7:10). Rather than acknowledge the LORD as being the One who had given them all that they had, they continued to offer sacrifices of silver and gold to Baal. Therefore God said through His prophet, “A spirit of prostitution is in their heart; they do not acknowledge the LORD” (Hosea 5:4). “A people without understanding will come to ruin” (Hosea 4:14).

Because of their sins and because of their unwillingness to repent and return to the LORD, God would now take action. He said, “I will drive them out of my house. I will no longer love them; all their leaders are rebellious” (Hosea 9:15).” He said in our text, “I will go back to my place until they admit their guilt” (5:15). The LORD rebuked His people for foolishly trusting in Assyria, their ally, to save them. He said, “[Assyria] is not able to cure you, not able to heal your sores. For I will be like a lion to Ephraim … I will tear them to pieces and go away. I will carry them off, with no one to rescue them” (Hosea 5:13-14).

Indeed God’s judgment on His unfaithful people would be terrible. They would say to the mountains, “Cover us!” and to the hills, “Fall on us!” (Hosea 10:8). They would become like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears (Hosea 13:2).

As we hear these words spoken to God’s impenitent people, we may find ourselves shaking our heads at them, wondering how they could have been so foolish and so sinful. However, dear friends, these words are written for our sakes as well. Because of our sins, God our heavenly Father could also say of you and me, “What can I do with you? Your love is like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears.”

We, too, are just like the people of Israel, for we also worship other gods. By nature, we all put our own will ahead of the LORD’s. See how God in His Word invites us to come to Him and yet we go further and further away from Him. See how God tells us to love one another just as much as He loves us, but instead we put our own interests ahead of others – we fail to pray for them and to encourage and correct them in love with God’s Word. See how God also assures us that He will be with us and protect us, yet we often doubt the LORD and His power.

While we’d like to justify ourselves by saying that others are much worse sinners than we are, God’s Law “kills” us and “cuts” us up. God condemns us all, saying that all have sinned and fall short of His glory. He shows us that the wages of our sin is death. Our sinful thoughts, words and actions deserve eternal death in hell. No matter how good we think that we are, compared to God’s love, our love and mercy towards others is just like the morning mist that quickly disappears with the heat of the day.

God warns us that we should not simply go through the outward motions of being a Christian. God doesn’t want us to think that by our going to church and that by our offerings that we can somehow appease God’s anger with us. God reminds us that He desires mercy not sacrifice. God wants us to repent and to come to the knowledge of the Truth. He wants us to trust in Him and never think for a moment that WE can reconcile ourselves to God by obedience to the Law.

For that reason, then, God sometimes inflicts hardships and afflictions upon us, so that we might search Him out and repent of our sins. As the LORD says in His Word, “He disciplines those He loves”. He uses trials and sorrows to remind us that we are sinners and that this world we live in is imperfect. He uses “rainy days” in our life to remind us to worship and serve Him only. He brings catastrophes (tornados) into this world that we might know that the end is near, and that those who do not turn from their evil ways and do not acknowledge Him as LORD will be sent to hell.

Therefore, dear friends, let us confess our sins to the Lord and plead for His mercy! Let us return to the LORD and acknowledge that our mercy and kindness towards others is as fleeting as the morning mist. But how, then, can we ever hope to stand before God’s throne in heaven and live? How can we ever be saved from our sins? Our only hope for salvation must be found in the LORD and in His mercy! Unlike our love for Him and one another God’s mercy, like the spring rain, will never fail!

The people of Israel, for the most part, refused to repent of their sins. Many of them realized their foolishness only after they were defeated by the Assyrians. However, some of God’s people were cut to the heart by God’s Word. Some of them joined God’s faithful prophet, Hosea, in saying, “Come, let us return to the LORD” (6:1).

Because of His mercy and for the sake of His holy name, God promised that He would not let His people be destroyed forever. He promised that He would reunite them as one Kingdom (Hosea 1:11) with One Shepherd (Jesus Christ our Lord). God assured His unfaithful people, that He would forgive them and once again make them to be His “sons” (Hosea 1:10). He promised to be faithful to them and to love them as His spouse.

And so, on the basis of God’s own promises, God’s people could say with confidence, “[The LORD] has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. 2 After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence”. Because of such wonderful promises of God’s mercy and kindness, God’s people could live out all their days – even the rainy days of captivity – in peace and hope. From God’s Word they could see and hear that the LORD is good and that He is faithful to all who put their trust in Him.
Hosea, therefore, went on to encourage his brothers and sisters in the faith, saying, “Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth” (v.3)

Brothers and sisters in Christ, so, too, God’s Word cuts us to the heart, making us to see our sins and the need for a Savior. Our conscience convicts us all of our imperfections. If the wages of our sin is death, how then can we be saved? God, however, calls out to us in His Word, “Come to me! Trust in me! I am the LORD! Apart from me there is no Savior!” Having heard the Lord’s invitation, we join the prophet Hosea and all God’s people and say, “Let us return to the LORD! Let us confess our unworthiness! Let us acknowledge the LORD and trust in Him alone for His mercy and grace!”

Guided by God’s Word, as we walk through the rainy days of our life, God offers us true comfort and hope. He shows us that we are forgiven children of God through Baptism. He shows that we have been redeemed from our sins by the blood of Jesus Christ, shed on the cross. He reminds us that even though we go through many hardships and trials, yet none of them can compare with the glory that will be revealed in us when we die and will be taken to heaven. He assures us, “I will be with you always, even to the end of the age. I will take you to be with me in Paradise.”

Why does the LORD promise to do all this for us? He promises to do this for us, because He is faithful just like the rising of the sun each day and like the rain that falls each year at the proper time. The LORD forgiven us and saved us, not because of anything we have done, but because of His mercy, because He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love and faithfulness. The LORD comes to our aid, receives our offerings and answers our prayers, because Jesus has opened the floodgates of God’s grace for us and has showered on us every spiritual blessing, making us righteous in God’s sight through faith.

Dear friends, let us daily grow in the knowledge of the LORD, listening to His Word. See how the LORD has had mercy on us! See how the LORD loves us! See how the LORD works everything out for our good and how He strengthens us with His Spirit through Word and Sacrament!

Let us also learn from Him to show Christ-like mercy and kindness to one another. Let us forgive as Christ has forgiven us. Let us love our neighbor as ourselves. Let us speak the truth in love, encourage one another and build each other up as we sing spiritual songs with gratitude in our hearts.

The rainy days of spring serve their good purpose. So also the “rainy days” of our lives are good and necessary. Let us acknowledge that our mercy towards each other is like the morning mist that quickly disappears. Let us also acknowledge that the LORD’s mercy toward us is new every morning. His mercy, like the seasonal rains, will never fail! Praise be to our gracious and compassionate God! By the power of His Word and Holy Spirit, we will confess our sins and say on bended knee, “COME, LET US RETURN TO THE LORD! He has torn us to pieces but He will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds” (6:1). Amen.

Introduction: Did you know, that in China there is now being built,the largest ever hydro-electric dam? It is called the Three Gorges Dam and when it is completed it will be: 1.4 miles long, 607 feet tall, and hold back a reservoir of water 410 miles long. All things being considered, this dam will be five times larger than the Hover Dam when it is completed in 2011.
How important then, would a solid foundation be to have in this project? How many lives would be lost if another earthquake would shake China, but this time be centered under the Three Gorges Dam? We pray that would never happen, but you see the point. A solid foundation is very important, and our solid foundation as believers rests upon our Savior. Jesus is our solid foundation, because the world is a dangerous place and because there is no other "place" on which to build.

Please now read Matthew 7:15-29.

Part One: Jesus is our solid foundation.

Jesus had just given the Sermon on the Mount to his disciples and the message was: sin is more prevalent than you think. A sin, like murder, occurs even when a person is not killed. You are guilty of murder even when you think evil thoughts about someone. The sin of adultery also occurs when you physically do nothing. You can commit adultery in your heart. Jesus, also in his Sermon on the Mount, spoke about greed. "You can not serve two masters; you can not serve both God and money." To the disciple's ears and even to our ears today, his words are powerful and eye opening.

Jesus knew what the people were being taught by the Pharisees. They were being taught that all sin was outward, and that sin could be completely removed from their lives with enough effort. The teachers of the "law" were legalistic and wanted to impress each other. The Pharisees thought they were being holy and righteous on their own, but they were not. They were attempting to win favor with God, by limiting the outward appearances of sin; however, God was looking at their heart and when he did he didn't like what he saw. The Pharisees were not looking for the Savoir from sin and had already replaced him with their "laws".

Jesus told his disciples and us, in our Gospel lesson, to watch out for false prophets like them. Oh sure, at first glace these men will appear to be good, like a harmless sheep. They will say things that you will want to hear; however, their actions will lead you away from God and reveal who they really are, ferocious wolves.

To find out if a prophet is from God or not, you must do some inspecting. Just like if you were to buy a used car. You would drive the car around the block and you wouldn't stop there; you may also see what consumer reports has said about this model. You would look at the outside of the car, but more importantly you would look to see how it runs on the inside.

Jesus says, to do your inspecting of a false prophet, you must look at their fruit. Look under the hood, so to speak. False prophets will go out of their way to disguise themselves and to hid their faults. This is who they are and they know how to fool people. Jesus tells us their actions will speak louder than their words. Which means it is important to know what the fruit should look like. Here are the basic fruits that false prophet will not produce. They will not be faithful to God's Word. They will not be in it or make reference to it, when they should. They also will not share with others what is important to know about Jesus. They will not share that Jesus had to come and die for our sins, because we couldn't save ourselves. They will not be sharing how our Lord is a triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They will not teach that the Bible is God's Word, but say that is just a great place to start.

Jesus would have us all be careful listeners and continual students of his Word. For, God's Word will not only help us to avoid a false prophet, but perhaps even bring such a prophet into the light of the Gospel.

To show the Gospel to a false prophet would ultimately be any Christian's goal when meeting with one. Yet, we are told in verse twenty one of our text, that not every prophet will be joining us in heaven. They will say the right things, they will call out to God on their last day, 'Lord,Lord'. They will have a "check list" of "good works" they have done. But, they will not have a broken spirit or a contrite heart over their sin. They will not point to Jesus and his mercy as the reason they are made righteous. Like many Pharisees, they will have their own man-made laws and point to as their reason to enter heaven. Like many of the prophets today, some will not realize that have sinned at all! Sin to this group of prophets continues to be just an outward action, sound familiar?

Unfortunately, the false prophets will not be the only ones saying, 'Lord,Lord' and not be entering heaven, their followers too will be excluded from paradise. They will believe what the teachers believe and have taught, salvation without Jesus. They will appeal to the Lord and believe that God will in his kindness have pity on them; however, Jesus will testify against them.

Verse twenty three reads, "Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!" Literally the word "tell plainly" is the courtroom term for "testify". The Lord will in that final Judgment testify against them and say, "I never knew you, away from me you evil doers." Their punishment will surely seem unfair in their minds, but that is because they did not look in God's Word to see what he told them. They did not "kick the tires" and get the "report" on the prophets they trusted.

So I ask you, do you see false prophets in our society today? Are they telling people what they want to hear, and are they following God's Word? I'm sure you can think of a number of people and/or religions that are not pointing to Jesus. They may even appeal to you at times. They will tell you to do more, if you are feeling guilty. If you are overburdened with guilt and sin, they will tell you not to worry about it. They may say, "Your sin is not that bad."

The only person who can tell us, "things are ok", is Jesus our Savior. He has enlightened us with his Word. He has made known to us who he is; he make's known to us what good fruits are to looks like. Salvation rests on Jesus and not on any man made "laws" or philosophies. The Lord knows us now and will testify on our behalf on Judgment day, because he speaks to us through his Word and strengthens our faith through the sacraments.

The world is a dangerous place not only because there are many who would knowingly or unknowingly do us harm. It is dangerous also because there is on no one other than Jesus upon whom we can build.

Part two: Because there is no other place on which to build.

How a home is built, is very important to those who are living inside; Jesus, the son of a carpenter, knew this well. It is most likely that he himself had worked on a number of homes with his father. Homes are important, because they fulfill a few of the basic needs that every person has: shelter and security. We can only imagine what life would be like, if we didn't have such a place to rest our head.

With that said, not every house is "created" equal. Some are built on the sand and some on rocks. Now a house built on sand, would have its own benefits. What a view you would have, if your house was on a beach! What a luxury! This would be true of such a house when the weather is good, but not in all weather. Therefore, a house built on a rock has some very important advantages; it will be practical and safe. The storms will come and when they have gone, the house will still be there. That house will still be offering its protection and security for many more days and years after a hard storm.

Jesus is our solid rock. He is the foundation of our 'spiritual' house. He is the rock of our salvation; because of him we do not fear the storms of this world. Because of him, we will not collapse under the weight of a heavy conscience. In Christ their can be found no wickedness. He is the foundation with no flaws; he will never change or shift like sand. We can rely on him, and we can continue to build on him. Paul tells the Corinthians this about Jesus, "No one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ" (1 Cor 3:11). God has given us no other name by which we can be saved. (Acts 4:12)

To build on the sand, is to trust in man and in our own good works. God has given us his Law to us, but it is not to be our foundation. The Law is just a blueprint of what is needed to be done. It sows us our need for Jesus, a carpenter. Yet, man in his foolishness makes the law the foundation of salvation and even makes more laws "just in case", "to get the job done".

We know why many do not build on Jesus and why they rely on themselves. They are taught this in life, "you can depend on no one, trust in yourself". Because of our selfishness, You and I are stubborn. You and I have our own ideas on what is right and wrong; our own idea of what God should expect. We are also taught to "demand more" of everything and "never be content". For this reason, options are dangerous when it come to faith. Devil knows this well. It is exactly the reason why we have so many false prophets and false religions. The Devil uses them to attract us to "buy lots" on his beach.

We are reminded from Scripture that we have everything and we have perfection with Jesus as our foundation. He alone has called us to the truth. He alone has enlightened us with his wisdom. He is patient with us, even when we have been difficult. He loved us before we ever loved him. He was sent by God the Father, to rescue us from a major storm, death.

How important then is a solid foundation? It is very important. For the world we live in is a dangerous place, and there is only one person upon whom we can trust and rely on: Jesus our solid foundation. Amen.

Fellow members of God’s family of believers,

This past Sunday was Mother’s Day. On that day, mothers received from their little children projects and pictures that they had made at school or pre-school. Just by looking at those gifts a mother can tell a lot about its “creator”. For example, just by looking at the colorful squiggles that go back and forth on a piece of paper, with no concern of staying within the lines, Mom knows that that picture was beautifully created by her little 3-year old. By looking at the carefully colored picture and the meticulously assembled art project, Mom knows that this is the wonderful work of her 12-year old. By looking at the pretty picture that has a card attached to it with beautiful hand-writing, Mom knows that this is the work of her daughter. And by looking at the project that’s all broken in pieces from being carried and dropped in her child’s backpack, and by looking at the tears in the eyes of her little first-grader, Mom understands who made this precious gift for her as well. By looking at all these gifts, Mom understands a lot about her little artists, and so, each gift is special to her.

So also, whenever we look at artwork and listen to music, we can understand a lot about the artist and musician. For example, when we look at a painting of Jesus, we understand that the artist must have been a Christian. When we look at a picture of the ocean or lake, we think that the artist must either live or have grown up living nearby water. When we listen to music that is light and upbeat, we imagine that the song-writer must have been in a happy mood when he wrote it. And when we listen to someone singing the blues, we might easily understand that the singer or musician is sad because of something that’s gone wrong in his life. When it comes to art and music, our impressions about the artist or musician are very subjective. What we think about the artist’s life or feelings, however, may be totally incorrect!

So, too, by looking at the beautiful world around us and by looking at our wonderfully-created bodies and minds, we can understand a lot about our Creator. We can see that He is all-powerful and wise; that He is good and gracious. But simply by looking at creation, we can get the wrong impression about our Creator. From creation, for example, we can not fully understand who the true God is and how much He loves us. That’s why our Creator has not only revealed Himself to us in creation, but He has also revealed Himself to us in His Word.

God’s Word for our consideration today is the account of how God created the world and everything in it. It is recorded in the first chapter of Genesis and also the first three verses of chapter two. Because of the length of the text, I will not read it all now, but will read portions of it throughout the sermon.

Common sense tells us that the homes and buildings that are around us today did not simply come into being or evolve on their own. They were built over time by people who used building materials and tools. So, too, we understand that this world did not simply come into being on its own, but that it has a Creator. The warm sun, the beautiful blue sky and green grass, the mountains and oceans, the animals, birds and fish … they all were created by Someone. But who is our Creator?

Looking at the world around us, we first of all understand that our Creator must be ETERNAL – namely, that He has been in existence since before the creation of the world. God’s Word proves that point as it says in our text: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (v.1). In His Word God identifies Himself as being the one who is “before all things” (Colossians 1:17), who “alone stretched out the heavens” (Isaiah 44:24). He reminds us of that fact as He did Job when He said, “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?” (Job 38:4). In the beginning there was only God. In the beginning God alone created all things!

By looking at everything in this world, we can also see that our Creator is POWERFUL. After all, who could possibly create a human body, soul and mind that could be capable of doing so many things? Who could possibly create a world that keeps spinning around the sun, yet never flies off out of control? Our Creator must be very powerful! And certainly He is, for God tells us in His Word how everything came into being. He reminds us in our text that He created everything out of nothing, that everything that is seen today was not made out of that which is visible (Hebrews 11:3). He tells us that in the beginning “the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters” (v.2).

But how did God create everything? What tools did He use to bring everything into existence? As the Bible tells us, God used His almighty Word. God spoke and everything came to be. So we read in verse 3 of our text, “God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” In verses 6-7 God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water” … and it was so. Again we hear in verse 9, “God said, ‘Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.’ And it was so”. In verse 11, God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. Also in verses 14-15, God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. In verse 20 of our text we hear God speak again, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.” [And] so God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind” (v. 21). And finally on the last day of creation, God also said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind,” and it was so (v.24). From the account of creation, we can clearly see the power of our Creator. “He spoke, and it came to be; he commanded and it stood firm” (Psalm 33:9)!

By looking at this world and everything in it, we can also see that our Creator is WISE and is a God of ORDER. We marvel at how each day consists of 24 hours, and how each year consists of 4 seasons and 365 1/4 days. We marvel at how the planets do not collide and how the earth continues to provide food and water and air for us and all animals to live. We marvel at how our bodies recover from illnesses and surgery, and how our minds can develop new technology and medicines that enable us to live healthier and longer lives. We also marvel at how plants continue to produce plants according to their kinds and how animals continue to reproduce according to their own kinds, too.

From the Bible’s account of creation, we certainly can see the wisdom and order of God our Creator. We see how, in just six normal 24-hour days, God wonderfully brought everything into existence so that it would work together perfectly. He began, on the first day, by making the materials from which all things would be made, and He created light and separated it from darkness both to mark time and to give all living things that which they needed to sustain them in life. On the second day God created the sky, separating the water in the air with the water on the ground, so that we would have water to drink and air to breathe. On the third day, God gathered the waters and separated them from the land, so that everything would have an appropriate habitat in which to live. He also created vegetation to provide every living thing with food. On the fourth day God created the sun, moon and stars to mark time for us and to give us light. And on the fifth and sixth day God created the fish, birds, animals and finally mankind so that they might complete His perfect world.

By looking at the world and everything in it, we can also see that our Creator is GOOD. He gives us sunny days and good weather. He gives us tasty food and refreshing drink. He gives us our friends and family. He gives us wisdom and strength. He gives us health and life. Everything we that we have reveals that our Creator is good.

So the account of creation in the Bible also reveals that God is good. Everything God made was perfect, just like Him. At the end of the first day, after He had created light, God “saw that the light was good” (v.4). At the end of the second and third day, after He had created the sky, the land and the seas, and all the plants and trees, God “saw that it was good” (v.10,12) At the end of the fourth day, after God had created the sun to “govern the day” and the moon and stars to “govern the night”, He “saw that it was good” (v.18). At the end of the fifth day, after He had created the fish and the birds, God “saw that it was good” (v.21). And when all was said and done, after God had finally created Adam and Eve, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good” (v.31)

All the more, dear friends, we see God’s goodness in that He didn’t simply create this world so that He would have something to look at, like a painting. He created this world and everything it, for the benefit of the crown of His creation. He created all of this for you and for me, for all mankind! He created this world so that it would be “inhabited” and that we all would know and confess that the LORD is the Maker of heaven and earth and there is NO OTHER (Isaiah 45:18).

But how does the world receive its Creator? How does the world honor the One who made it? Today many reject the Lord as their Creator. They ignorantly say that this world evolved after millions and millions of years. They also say that “religion is very SUBJECTIVE” and so they argue that it doesn’t matter what or who you believe in. The Lord of heaven and earth looks down in anger, for He sees that the unbelieving world has “neither glorified Him as God nor given thanks to Him” (Romans 1:21). They are without excuse, for “since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made” (Romans 1:20). So the wrath of God is now being revealed against all godlessness (Romans 1:18) and on the last day, they will be condemned to the eternal fires of hell.

And what about us, dear friends? Haven’t we also despised our Creator? Haven’t we also failed to give glory to Him and to thank Him each day for all His blessings? Haven’t we also been careless with the things that God has entrusted to our care? Haven’t we failed to be faithful managers and stewards of the gifts that God has given to us? Haven’t we also failed to trust in the power of our Creator, forgetting that nothing is impossible for Him? And haven’t we all fallen into the devil’s trap, thinking that we don’t need the Lord our Creator in order to live out our lives? We ignorantly think that without Him we can live and move and have our being! Because of such sinful pride, we, too, deserve eternal death in hell. The wages of our sin is death!

From creation, we can learn a lot about our Creator. We can learn that He is ETERNAL, POWERFUL, WISE and ORDERLY, and GOOD. However, there are some things about our God that we can not know unless we read and hear God’s Word, the Bible. There God reveals Himself to us so that we might know Him better.

In the Holy Scriptures, God reveals Himself as the ONE and ONLY true God. He says, “I am the LORD, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God” (Isaiah 45:5). He says through Moses, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4). He also says through the apostle Paul, “There is no God but one” (1 Corinthians 8:4).

In the Scriptures, God also reveals Himself as being three persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Through His prophet Malachi, God reminded His people Israel: “Have we not all one Father? Did not one God create us?” (Malachi 2:10). Through the evangelist John, God also revealed that Jesus, His Son, was involved in creating the world, for John wrote, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made” (John 1:1-3). So also, about God the Holy Spirit, it is written that He was involved in creating the world, for in our text it says that the Spirit hovered over the waters (Genesis 1:2).

Seeing that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit were all involved in the creation of the world opens our eyes to the secret things of God. Understanding that our God is Triune (three in one), we rejoice to hear our Lord say in our text, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground” (v.26).

How wonderfully our Triune God has made mankind that he should be made in HIS image! How great is our God that our first ancestors, Adam and Eve, were made to be holy and righteous in His sight! How gracious is our God that He gave our first parents the wisdom and desire to perfectly know and love His will!

But what about us today? Does God still love us and care for us? Has He created us in His likeness, in His image? From creation, we would never know whether or not God loves us and has forgiven us. We would always be afraid to stand before God our Creator, because of our sins. From God’s Word, however, we know that God loves us. From God’s Word, we know that God our Father gives us our daily bread; that Jesus, God’s Son, has died to save us from our sins; and that God the Holy Spirit has made us to be a new creation, created to be like Him in holiness and righteousness, through faith in Jesus.

For this reason, after the six days of creation, the Triune God “rested” from His work of creating. He “rested” that we, too, might rest from our labors, both for the sake of our bodies and our souls. And how might we find rest for our souls? We find true and meaningful rest when we listen to the Gospel message of Jesus Christ our Lord, who says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). We find true and meaningful rest when we are reminded of how God “saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy” and how, in Baptism, He “saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:5-7).

We can learn a lot about our Creator, by simply looking at His creation, however, we can learn a lot more about the only true God by listening to His Word. From God’s Word we learn that God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit; that He is our Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier; and that He preserves us, saves us and strengthens us in the one true faith, solely because of His grace. Therefore “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:16) for “these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that by believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31).

All praise be to our Triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit! He has revealed Himself to us in His Creation. He has fully revealed Himself to us in His Holy Word. Now, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything Jesus has commanded you. And surely God is with you always, to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:19-20). Amen.

Many people are well known, because they were good speakers. They have said things that have endured the test of time or are still relevant. Here are just a few quotes that are familiar to many of us: "The buck stops here", "Hitch your wagon to a star", "Time is money", "To err is human, to forgive divine", "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise".

The inspired prophet Joel, in our Old Testament lesson, too said some very relevant words. Listen again to what he said in chapter 2:28,29, ‘And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. 29 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

Here, Joel is taking about a gift that would be given by God to his people, the Holy Spirit. As we celebrate Pentecost today, we see that this gift of the Holy Spirit is still being given and is still very much needed.

Part One: See how the gift is given.

Joel was a kind and gentle prophet compared to many of the other Old Testament prophets. He pleaded and begged with God's people to turn away from their sin and worship the one true God. He was saddened by the sin he saw in Israel and expressed grief in his writings.

About Joel, we know very little. We have only a few words in Scripture, but they are powerful. Joel talks about the great and dreadful day of the Lord, namely judgment day. He says, "It will be great to see that day, because we will see the Lord's love and power when he grants pardon and salvation to those who believe in him." He also says, "Judgment day will be a dreadful day, because many will see God's wrath and punishment for their unbelief."

One thing we know well about Joel is that his message was a non-factor in his day. Little really changed because of him and people did not quote his words; however, on Pentecost Peter quotes Joel in his sermon. He said that Joel's prophecy was now being fulfilled and that these are the last days of which Joel was speaking.

Joel's words were revolutionary. He basically was saying, "Everyone will prophecy: sons, daughters, young and old." Prophecy, up until this point, had only been a privilege of a few people: Joseph, Daniel, Isaiah, and King David. Yet, in the last times there would be a richer revelation that would come to all people, and Peter saw it begin to happen.

A sound like the wind came and the Spirit of the Lord came and separated into what appeared to be little tongues of fire and rested upon each person. Those men began to speak in different languages to God-fearing Jews about the wonders of God. Telling them that Jesus was the Messiah, the Anointed One, that was promised to them from long ago. Some outsiders dismissed the miracle that was taking place saying, "those men are drunk". Peter knew otherwise, he knew that this was the fulfillment of Jesus' promise to them, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Peter knew now that the wonders of God would no longer be spread by a small group of people who were "in the know"; it was going to be spread by them and many others, who would be lead by the Spirit.

We too are continuing to live in the "last times", but days like Pentecost appear to be long gone. Does that mean the Spirit is no longer with us? Do we need a sign? Of course not. God is still pouring out his Spirit upon his New Testament church and he does this through his Word. The Holy Spirit creates faith in our hearts and strengthens that faith daily. The Holy Spirit is not seen in flames of fire on our head; he is seen in the good works, the fruits of faith we produce. Joel told us in our text, God's Spirit will be poured out upon all "flesh". The NIV translates the word as "people", but flesh is a more accurate translation. This draws our attention to the fact that God's prophets in the last times will be sinful - sinful human being, like us, will share God's prophecies. Paul himself said, "we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us…with that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak" (2 Corinthians 4:7,13b).

In God's wisdom he chooses us to share his Gospel. Yet, your old Adam does not see the wisdom in this at all. Your sinful nature doesn't want to be a prophet or herald of the Gospel. Your sinful nature would rather "rub spiritual elbows" with those who teach contrary to God's word, because that is much easier than being a Bible reading and believing Christian. Our old Adam would like us to grow God's kingdom by entertaining the un-churched, rather than telling them about the wonders of God. How Jesus came and died in our place, because we have sinned against him.

Our new man, however, is strengthened by the Gospel and is behaving much differently. He is daily drowning our sinful desire so that the Spirit of God in us may get to work. You know that you are full of God's wisdom; you live knowing that Jesus died for your sins, once for all, to bring you to God. In your daily life you cherish God's Word and the sure gift of your salvation.

We know today who Joel is talking about; we have the privilege of sharing God's message because it has been revealed to you and me. We are all "Flesh".

Part Two: See why that gift is still needed.

When it comes to sharing of themselves, we know that Mother's have done a lot. They have shared with us their time: changing our dippers, teaching us Bible lessons, and listening to us when we inquire of them. Mother also have shared with us much of their energy. They have come to many of our activities and still find a way to provide for the family in many different ways. Mothers have shared with us their wisdom and love; both have been given to us in that past and are welcomed in the future. Mothers are a gift from God that we need, there is no question about that. We would keep our mothers around us forever if we could.

Like mothers God's Word and the Holy Spirit are also a gift from above. However, some people that claim to be Christians don't seem to think so, and they show this by their lack of prayer, devotion and worship. Yet, many do think God's Word and his Holy Spirit are important and needed. What then separates these two groups?

It’s a matter of seeing the "big picture" and seeing the "forest from the trees". Believers see the big picture. They know that they are prophets who are told to share God's Word. They know that the days are fleeting and that these are the "last times". After Jesus ascended, we have been put on alert! The last day is coming soon and the signs are all with us now: famine, earthquakes, and floods.

Jesus even gave us an example of seeing the "big picture" in the account of the rich man and poor Lazarus. The rich man due to his unbelief was in hell, and he begged Abraham to have pity on him. He said, "send Lazarus to my father's house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment. Abraham replied, "they have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them" (Luke 16:27-29).

As believers we know who still needs the gift of the Holy Spirit. We know who still needs to hear God's word, and in whom it needs to take root. The stakes are not small, what is in the balance is hell for those who do not believe. As Christians we know that the promise of the Salvation is for all people and their children as Scripture states. "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off" (Acts 2:38-39).

As people born with human flesh, we lack urgency to share our Savior. We will put off bringing up Christ with our neighbor. Telling ourselves, "The next time I see them I'll do it." And this is to our shame - shame because we know what God has asked us to do in these "last times". We are not proud of the fact that we are sinful. Yet, we need God's reminder to take action.

That great day of our Lord is coming, and that spurs us into action both young and old alike. We have been blessed with the gift of the Holy Spirit and we know what joy he brings us. We have peace with God, a peace that we want all people to enjoy. As believers we look forward to the "great day of the Lord" to see our Savior's power and love on display. We will see him return just as he left and hear the loud trumpet sound and see him glorify these "jars of clay".

The inspired prophet Joel in our Old Testament lesson said a lot in just two verses. ‘And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. 29 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

God has given us many gifts, more than we can count, including our mothers. And Joel reminds us that God's Holy Spirit is even a greater gift. For God has given us the Holy Spirit through his Word and gives us the privilege to share this much needed gift of the Spirit with others.

As summer vacation gets closer, I’m sure that there are a lot of young people thinking about getting temporary or full-time jobs. And some of those jobs, we know, are hard to come by. A person is left to wonder, “How can I ever get a job in the bank? How can I ever get a job at the golf course? How can I ever get a job in the factory? I DON’T KNOW ANYONE WHO WORKS THERE!” Certainly, in the case of some jobs, it helps to have “CONNECTIONS”. If someone that we know would work there, they could recommend our name to the boss. Then we would have a good chance of being hired!

I guess that’s the way people sometimes think it works with God, too – that you need someone who is “close to God” to speak on your behalf. I can still remember, for example, when I was a Seminary student and went to preach at a nursing home. As I walked into the building, a resident looked at me in my suit and tie and asked me if I was a minister. And when I said, “Yes”, she said, “Please pray for me”. I don’t remember exactly what I said after that, but since I didn’t want her to think that I was somehow closer to God than she was, I think I said, “I’ll pray for you and for all people, but you also pray to the Lord Jesus”.

Certainly God wants us to pray to Him on behalf of each other, and as His children our prayers in Christ’s name are powerful and effective. But there is only one person that we truly NEED to have speak on our behalf before God our Father. We need the prayer and intercession of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the one mediator between God and men!

Before us today we hear THE PERFECT PRAYER OF OUR PERFECT HIGH PRIEST. He prays for our salvation, as He prays, “FATHER, GLORIFY YOUR NAME!” He also prays for our protection, as He prays, “FATHER, PROTECT YOUR CHILDREN!” Listen now to the words of our Savior Jesus as they are recorded in the Gospel of John, chapter 17, verses 1-11.

John 17:1-11 -- After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. 6 “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one.

It was the night before Jesus’ death. Jesus had just told His disciples that He was going to “leave the world” and go “back to the Father” (John 16:28). He also told them that they would all desert Him in His hour of “need”. Jesus told them these things so that they might have peace in Him. He wanted them later to see that He knew full-well what was going to happen to Him, since this was God’s plan of saving them (and the world) from all their sins.

As a testimony to His divine power and authority, Jesus then looked up to heaven and prayed out loud, saying, “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you” (v. 1). According to Jesus, the fullness of time had now come for Him to be arrested, mocked, crucified and buried. All this must happen because God had spoken through the Old Testament prophets saying that the Christ must suffer and die – that, in this way, the punishment of our sins would be placed upon Him.

But how could Jesus’ suffering and death bring Jesus any glory? How could it also bring glory to God the Father? Didn’t Jesus’ death show that Jesus was “weak” and “helpless”? Didn’t it show that the devil and the world had defeated Him? NO!

Jesus’ death brought Him glory, because in this way He paid for the sins of the whole world and crushed the Serpent’s (the devil’s) head. Jesus’ death brought Him glory, because He “completed” the work God His Father had given Him to do (v.4), as He Himself said from the cross, “It is finished!” Jesus’ death also brought Him glory, because in this way, Jesus revealed the full extent of God’s love for us and all people, so that we must confess, “The zeal of the LORD has accomplished my salvation!”

Because of Jesus’ perfect obedience, God the Father exalted Him to His right hand above all things. He placed all of His enemies under His feet. Ascending to heaven Jesus was given the same glory that He had with the Father from eternity, from before the world even began (v. 5).

There at God’s right hand, Jesus now serves as our High Priest, interceding on our behalf before our heavenly Father. And as the Mediator of God’s new covenant, Jesus has been given the authority to “give eternal life” (v. 2) to all who belong to the Father, to all who know Him and know Jesus Christ, whom God has sent (v.3).

Because of what Jesus our perfect High Priest has done, we, too, will pray, “Father, glorify your name!” We will pray, “Our Father … hallowed be your name! You have redeemed us from our sins. You have brought us into your family through Baptism. Through Jesus Christ, your Son, you have prepared a place for us in heaven. Give us your Holy Spirit that we may glorify you and honor you with our thoughts, words and actions. Use our time, our talents and our offerings to glorify your holy name!”

But instead of always glorifying our heavenly Father, we have dishonored Him with our sinful ways. Instead of always listening to our Lord, we’ve said, “I’ll go to church next week. I’ll read God’s Word tomorrow.” Instead of always obeying God’s will, we’ve said, “I’m tired of always doing what God wants me to do, what my brothers and sisters in Christ tell me I should do. I’m just going to do things my way.” By doing what WE want to do, we have all tried to “glorify ourselves” and have sinned against our God.

How, then, can we ever come before our Heavenly Father who is holy and live? How can we ever stand in God’s presence? God, after all, demands perfection. He hates sin and MUST punish sin with death. And there is nothing that we can hide from God. He knows and sees all things!

Our only hope of standing in God’s presence is to know that we have a Savior who speaks to the Father on our behalf. We have a great High Priest who gave Himself as an atoning sacrifice for the sin of the world (1 John 2:1). We have a great High Priest who gave Himself as a ransom for all people (1 Timothy 2:6). We have a great High Priest who promises to be with us and to watch over us, sending His messengers to strengthen us in our faith.

Because we have such a High Priest, we can come before the throne of our holy God and say: “Father, glorify your name! Make your name known to all the world through us! Use us as your witnesses that every knee may bow before you and praise you for your tender love and mercy.” And as we come before our Father’s throne, we will also pray, trusting in Him, “Father protect us by your name!”

In addition to telling His disciples what was going to happen to Him, Jesus also told His disciples what was going to happen to them. He told them, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33). Jesus knew that the unbelieving world would hate and persecute His disciples, just as they hated and persecuted Him. Therefore, as their great High Priest, He prayed on their behalf.

Jesus began His prayer by reminding His heavenly Father of who these disciples were. He said, “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me” (v.6). These disciples were those that the LORD had chosen for Himself, by His grace, even before the beginning of the world. They became followers of Jesus, not because they had chosen Him, but because HE had chosen them. Because of God’s election, they were “no longer of the world, just as Jesus is not of this world” (John 17:14,16).

And how could it be seen that these Galilean men were “no longer of the world”? It could be seen in that, as Jesus said, “They have obeyed your word” (v.6). It could be seen in that they recognized that the words that Jesus was speaking were God’s words and they accepted them (v.8). It could be seen in that they knew with certainty that [Jesus] came from [the Father] and they believed (v. 8).

Such faith God Himself had begun in them through the preaching of the Gospel. But now, as Jesus could easily see, it was urgent that God His Father would “carry it on to completion” (Philippians 1:6). While Jesus would be “leaving” them, the disciples would remain in this sinful world (v. 11). They would be attacked by the devil, the world and their sinful flesh. Therefore Jesus said, “I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours” (v.9).

Besides belonging to God the Father, Jesus also made it known to His disciples that they belonged to Him. They were His family, for Jesus Himself had said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 12:49-50). As a reminder, then, to His disciples of how precious they were to Him, Jesus thanked His heavenly Father for them, saying, “All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them” (10).

As their compassionate High Priest, who cared deeply for their souls, Jesus went on to pray for their protection. He said, “Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one” (v.12).

Long ago, God identified Himself to Moses and to the Israelites as the LORD (“I AM WHO I AM”), the God who never changes, the God of free and faithful grace. He told His chosen nation, “This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation” (Exodus 3:15). Later, at the time of Solomon, the people of Israel built the temple “for the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel”. They worshiped Him thanking Him that His name was near (Psalm 75:1).

Now, thousands of years later, Jesus Himself asked the LORD, His heavenly Father, to be near His disciples and to watch over them. He wanted His Father to protect them by His name (that is, by His presence, by His grace, love, power and glory) that they might forever remain a part of God’s family. Jesus would be in them and they in Him, and God’s name would be exalted in all the earth. WHAT A PERFECT PRAYER OF OUR PERFECT HIGH PRIEST!!

Brothers and sisters in Christ, through God’s Word and Sacraments, our Lord Jesus has opened our eyes to see God as our heavenly Father. He has shown us that we are God’s children through faith in Him. He has shown us that we are God’s chosen people, a holy nation, a royal priesthood, a people belonging to God.

So what then is our response to what our Great High Priest has done for us? We continue to doubt God’s love and care for us, don’t we? We are jealous of what our Father has given to others (abilities, possessions). We are dissatisfied with all that God has given to us, thinking that God is not treating us as we deserve. We become angry with God when things don’t go our way. We ignore what God says and we do our own thing.

Dear friends, why should God ever let us into heaven because of our disobedience? He lets us into heaven because Jesus, our Great High Priest, is our Righteousness. He lets us into heaven because He has chosen us, called us and justified us, bringing us to faith in Jesus so that we might obey God’s Word, know the Truth, accept it as the Truth and believe with certainty that Jesus is our Savior from sin and death. He lets us into heaven because of His wonderful name … God is LOVE.

And so, when we are troubled by the injustice and suffering of this world, let us listen again and again to our Savior’s perfect high priestly prayer. He prays on our behalf, “Father, protect your children. Protect them because they are yours and they are mine. Protect them because they are still in this evil world, filled with pain and sorrow and death. Protect your children by the power of your name!”

How beautiful is the name of our God! He is the Resurrection and the Life. He is the Prince of Peace. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is our Good Shepherd. He is Immanuel and He is love. He is our Savior and Redeemer, our Creator and our Judge, our Advocate and Guide. Thanks be to Jesus, our great High Priest! Through Him we have the sure hope that God our Father is watching over us and protecting us by His Holy name.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, without Jesus interceding for us in heaven at God’s right hand, we would never be able to stand in God’s presence. But since Jesus is our perfect High Priest, we know that God’s name will be glorified and we will be protected from all those who would try to separate us from God’s love. How precious is this PERFECT PRAYER OF OUR PERFECT HIGH PRIEST! How precious is His wonderful name! Amen.

“The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” (Psalm 121:7-8). Amen.

Dear friends,

In this election year, most likely by now you are pulling for one of the candidates to become the next President of our country. Perhaps you are even afraid of what will happen, if the candidate that you don’t want to win does become the next President. In any case, one thing is for sure: No matter who is elected President, that person, like every other ruler, will have flaws and will make mistakes. After all, in this world no one is perfect.

That statement, of course, is true of all people, with the exception of the greatest Ruler of all time, Jesus Christ our ascended Lord. Unlike every other earthly ruler, Jesus has done everything well and will continue to do everything well. Unlike every other ruler, Jesus is without sin and judges all people justly. Unlike every other ruler, Jesus’ reign is not limited to 8 years OR to any other length of time, for Jesus reigns both NOW and FOREVER to the glory of His Father and for the glory of His Church.

Knowing this, King David tells us today, “REJOICE! OUR RIGHTEOUS KING SITS AT GOD’S RIGHT HAND!” Certainly this is wonderful news for at God’s right hand our Lord Jesus will rule His Church forever with His strength and will judge the world justly in His anger. God’s Word for our consideration is recorded in Psalm 110, verses 1-7.

The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” 2 The LORD will extend your mighty scepter from Zion; you will rule in the midst of your enemies. 3 Your troops will be willing on your day of battle. Arrayed in holy majesty, from the womb of the dawn you will receive the dew of your youth. 4 The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” 5 The Lord is at your right hand; he will crush kings on the day of his wrath. 6 He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead and crushing the rulers of the whole earth. 7 He will drink from a brook beside the way; therefore he will lift up his head.

For the most part, King David was a good king who did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. He led the people of Israel in worshiping the true God, praising Him alone as the reason why they were able to defeat their enemies. However, led astray by his weak sinful flesh, David committed adultery with Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba, and then he had Uriah killed in battle. On account of these sins, David would experience turmoil and unrest within his own family.

Because of the LORD’s mercy, however, God forgave David his sins. And, even more than that, the LORD made David an amazing promise. He said, “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:16). With these words the LORD was not referring to David’s son, Solomon, or to any of his descendants that ruled over Israel for a time. With these words the LORD was telling David that the Christ, the promised Messiah, would come from his family and would rule forever for the good of God’s people.

In the knowledge that the Messiah would come from his family, David rejoiced to hear the wonderful words of God, which he recorded for us in Psalm 110. By inspiration of the Holy Spirit, David heard the LORD God say to his Lord (the promised Messiah), “Sit at my right hand” (v.1). In other words, David was given the opportunity to see God the Father take His Son, Jesus Christ, and seat Him in glory and power in heaven. Jesus would be given authority over all things, in heaven and on earth and under the earth. He would be exalted above every other name, so that before Him every knee should bow.
Listening further, David also learned from the LORD that the Christ would sit at God’s right hand “until” He made His enemies a “footstool for His feet” (v.1). While David had been very successful in defeating many of Israel’s enemies, the Lord Jesus would be completely successful in defeating all of His enemies. He would defeat death and hell, the devil and the unbelieving world.

Truly Jesus is already victorious over His enemies RIGHT NOW. Jesus rose from the dead to declare His victory over the grave. Jesus descended into hell to declare His victory over the devil. Jesus also ascended into heaven in order to prepare a place for us and to send us His Spirit that we might declare Jesus’ victory over sin and death to the whole world.

Even though Jesus has won the victory against all His enemies, for a time these enemies continue to exist and exert their power. The devil continues to lead people astray with his temptations. Death continues to take away the lives of those we love. The unbelieving world continues to reject the Gospel and persecute the Church.

However, Jesus is the one who is in control of all things. With Jesus exalted at the right hand of God, the devil can not deceive any of God’s elect. With Jesus at the right hand of God, death can not harm us. It merely serves as a means by which God calls us home to heaven. And with Jesus at the right hand of God, the unbelieving world can not stop the proclamation of the Gospel and the saving of many souls.

So what then is the LORD talking about when He says, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet” (v.1)? God is speaking about the Last Day, the day when Jesus will come again to judge the living and the dead. On that day Jesus will be completely victorious. The devil will be locked away forever, never to deceive us or to tempt us. After that day there will be no more death; no more pain or sorrow or sin. And the world as we know it will be destroyed with fire. Everything in it will be gone and those who rejected Jesus as their Savior will be punished eternally in hell.

As for now, what is our Lord Jesus doing at the right hand of God? He is working to advance His kingdom, His spiritual kingdom, in the hearts of all people. David wrote, “The LORD will extend your mighty scepter from Zion” (v.2). Starting from Zion (or Jerusalem), where the Lord Jesus sent out His disciples to go and preach the Gospel to every creature, Jesus has spread the good news of forgiveness and salvation to every nation. And through its preaching, still today the kingdom of God continues to grow each day, until finally the end of the world will come.

As Jesus continually pours out His strength on us, His Church, through His Word and Sacraments, God tells His Son, “Rule in the midst of your enemies!” (v.3). And that’s exactly what Jesus is doing now. Each and every day, Jesus rules and the devil must submit to Him. Each and every day, Jesus rules and His Church will never perish. Each and every day, Jesus rules and sees to it that those who are God’s chosen people will be justified and glorified on the Last Day. Each and every day, Jesus rules and works everything out for the good of His Church. Each and every day, Jesus gives us our daily bread and determines exactly when, where, and how long we will live in this world.

Because we have such a mighty King who is working everything out for our good, we certainly have every reason to rejoice as King David did. As members of God’s Church, we know that Jesus has brought us peace with our heavenly Father. As members of His body, we know that Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church, will watch over us and protect us. And being His beloved bride, we know that Jesus will continue to shower us with His blessings, blessings of righteousness and salvation that He gave us at our baptisms.

But instead of joy and happiness, what has our response been to our Righteous King as we live out our lives in this vale of tears? Have we always trusted in Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords, to work everything out for our good? Have we always looked to Jesus to find comfort and hope in the midst of all our trials and sufferings? Have we always confidently shared our faith with others, telling them all that Jesus has done to save us from our sins? No, we haven’t! Therefore because of our lack of trust in Him, and because of our fears about the future, and because of our unwillingness to share God’s Word, we, like every other sinner, are worthy of death!

But our ascended Lord Jesus, our Commander-in-Chief, has had mercy on us and has clothed us from on high with His power by giving us His Holy Spirit. By His grace He has made us to be His soldiers, who defend the Truth of God’s Word from the lies of the devil. He has clothed us in His armor so that we can resist the flaming arrows of the evil one. Dressed in the breastplate of Christ’s righteousness, the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith, and the sword of the Spirit, we fight on the Lord’s side and we will win. So will be fulfilled the words God the Father told His Son in verse 3 of our text, “Your troops will be willing on your day of battle”.

On the Last Day, the Lord Jesus will be exalted, and we will reign with Him in glory. Dressed in the robe of His righteousness, we will be “Arrayed in [His] holy majesty” (v.3). The Lord Jesus will look on with joy as all the saints gather together to worship Him in heaven. The Father will be glorified, too, for His plan of salvation will be complete. Then as it is written, “from the womb of the dawn you will receive the dew of your youth”. Perhaps with these words, it is meant that from that day forward, everything will be made new. A new life, free from sin and death will begin. On that new day we will sing our praises to Him for having given us the joy of eternal life with Him in heaven.

Certainly, then, dear friends in Christ, we have every reason to rejoice that our Lord Jesus has ascended to the right hand of God. There Jesus rules forever as the Head of Church, working everything out for the good of those who love Him. And as our ascended King, the Lord Jesus also assures us that He will come again and He will judge the world justly in His wrath.

Imagine for moment that you were in the following situation. You learned that your child was being bullied around and abused at school. As a parent you would want that abuse to stop immediately. You would probably talk to the teacher and ask him/her to watch out for your child. And if the abuse took place after school, you would do everything possible to keep your child from being hurt. You’d probably pick them up from school and bring them home yourself.

Well, in a somewhat similar way, God our heavenly Father sees how we as Christians are being bullied around by this unbelieving world and by the devil. As a caring and loving Father, He wants this abuse to stop immediately. He watches over us, His children, so that we do not lose our faith in Him.

For the time being, God is patient. He lets this abuse go on, but all along He is leading the unbelieving world to repent of their sins and to turn to Jesus for their forgiveness. Then finally the time will come when God must judge and punish the wicked. God is just. He has to keep His Word – both His promises and His threats. And how will God judge the wicked? He will judge them through His Son, Jesus Christ, for David was blessed to hear, “The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek” (v.4).

At the time of Abraham there lived a man named Melchizedek. He was the King of Salem (which means “peace”) and was also a priest of the True God. His calling was unique, for God had not yet chosen Levi and his tribe, to be His priests. Melchizedek, too, was recognized as being “greater” than Abraham, for Abraham gave him a tenth of all that he had. Also, much of this Melchizedek’s history is a secret to us, for we do not know the name of Melchizedek’s parents or ancestors, and we know nothing about his death.

In many ways, then, Melchizedek was a type or a picture of Christ. The very name of “Melchizedek” is a fitting title for our Savior, for it means “My King of Righteousness”. How fitting, too, that just as Melchizedek was the king of Salem (“peace”), so Jesus is the Prince of Peace! And certainly, like Melchizedek, Jesus is “greater” than Abraham, for Jesus Himself said, “Before Abraham was, I AM”. As our High Priest, it is also unique that Jesus would come from the tribe of Judah, and not from Levi. And finally, because Jesus is the eternal Son of God, certainly it is a mystery to all of us how Jesus could be without beginning and without end.

So, through this Righteous King, Jesus Christ our Lord, God will judge the world. He will do so in “the day of His wrath” (v. 5). “He will crush kings … He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead and crushing the rulers of the whole earth” (v.5-6). On the Last Day, Jesus will judge the wicked in His wrath. He will justly punish all those who have rejected Him as their Savior and who have persecuted and “bullied” the Church. He will send His enemies to suffer in hell forever.

And then, following that day, there will be peace. As it says in verse 7, “He will drink from a brook beside the way”. The battle will be over, once and for all. There will be no more war, no more death, no more pain, no more sorrow and no more sin. In that day, when God’s enemies have been destroyed, then the Lord Jesus will be exalted. “He will lift up his head” (v.7). He will look up in joy as we gather together and praise Him for His gift of eternal life.

And so, as we go around in life, being bullied by the devil and the unbelieving world, we should not grumble and complain about how difficult our life is, like Elijah did. We should not try to hide our faith so that we won’t be persecuted, as Peter did. We should not doubt that the Lord truly cares for us and is able to help us, as the Israelites did. We should go through life being confident of our future with the Lord.

We have this confidence because the LORD has sworn and does not change His mind. He has sent His Son, Jesus, to be our great High Priest, who will forever intercede for us in heaven at God’s right hand. And as God has promised, Jesus will come again and punish all who are against Him.

Therefore let us live in peace and joy, drinking from the Gospel’s living water. Let us revive our souls with God’s faithful promises of forgiveness and eternal life. Let us trust in the Lord Jesus, our Righteous King, that He will watch over us and protect us from our enemies who “bully” us.

As election time comes closer, we may be tempted to worry about the future and wonder whether or not each candidate will help us or hurt us in the years ahead. But don’t worry. Trust in the LORD who says to our Lord Jesus, “Sit at my right hand”. Jesus is our righteous King who will rule over His Church, working everything out for our good. Jesus is also our righteous King who will judge the world justly, condemning those who have persecuted His Church and rejected His Word.

Therefore we can say with joy and confidence, as did the hymn writer:
Crowns and thrones may perish, Kingdoms rise and wane,
But the Church of Jesus Constant will remain.
Gates of hell can never ‘Gainst that Church prevail;
We have Christ’s own promise, And that cannot fail.
Onward, Christian soldiers, Marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus Going on before. Amen.

Introduction: Now and again a news program or paper will come out with a list of things that make people feel "special". On the top of almost all those lists are things like: go to the spa, eat-out, buy a new car, start exercising and more. Yet, I have noticed, that there is one very simple way of making a person feel "special", it is by introducing them to someone else. When you introduce two people, you are sending the message, "You are important to me, and I want you to meet another special person."

Please read 1 Peter 3:15-22 our sermon text.

Today, in our text, Peter talks about an introduction. Jesus has brought you and me to meet our Lord. A meeting that takes place in two special ways: by his death on the cross and by his washing of us in baptism.

Part One: By his death

Jesus' life was filled with pain and grief, and it wasn't because he sinned, because he didn’t; his life was difficult, because he always did what was right. Sure Jesus could have moved from place to place faster than a "speeding bullet", but he chose to walk with his disciples on his own two feet. He didn't need to get in a fishing boat to cross the Sea of Galilee, but he did it anyways. Jesus too would get hungry and instead of creating a meal from rocks or thin air, he would send his disciples to buy more food. Jesus shows us in Scripture that he was not interested in taking the easy way out of any situation.

Remember how Jesus was taken before Herod and Pilate? Jesus was not interesting in forcing these men to spare his life; he was not about to save himself when he knew that the sins of the world needed to be paid for. Even on the cross, Jesus would choose to suffer the full weight of our sins. He did not give up his life moment to soon, not until the sins of the whole would were paid for. Then again, on this coming Thursday, Jesus did something else that was tough; he would ascend to heaven bodily, leaving his friends behind.

You and I don't like life when it is tough do we? "The doctor says I should exercise. Can't I just take a pill?" "Is there anything faster than eight minute abs?" "You would like me to cook a meal? Can't I just order a pizza?" "Read the Bible? Nah, what is on the television?" And the list goes on. We don’t like tough.

There is one thing that Peter mentions in our text that we as Christians are to do, and it shouldn't be tough. Listen again to part of verse fifteen, "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." What is the reason we as Christians should be hopeful and optimistic? We should be, because we are strangers here. This earth and its hardships are not going to last forever, we are just passing through. Also, we know that Jesus works all things to our good! Yes, even: a crummy job, a poor harvest and difficult children. God is using them to bless our souls and to have us desire the greater gift of his love.

"Give the reason for the hope that you have." Did you hear Peter clearly? He is saying, "People should be noticing your hope in Christ." The Holy Spirit is giving us a command in these words. We are not to be gloomy people. We are not to be fair weather Christians. Paul is writing this letter to Christians that were being persecuted for their faith and he tells them to "show your optimism in Christ!" That means we are to work hard in this life to please your heavenly Father in all the things that you do, be Christ like. When you open your mouth the words should be seasoned with salt, you are not to behave like pagans.

Be prepared, are the first Greek words of verse fifteen. Paul wants us to focus on something that is important. We are to be ready to jump at opportunities that we have to share our faith. We are to know the basics and "jump in the water" of sharing. Our hope plus others noticing, Paul tells us, will lead to questions being asked.

Which lead us to the type of answer God would want us to give. "Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit" (verse 18). Peter is saying, "if you know who is unrighteous and who is righteous, then you have all the tools to share the hope that you have." Sinners are the unrighteous. They are the ones who have sinful thoughts and words and actions. They live in a world too that is sinful, which is evidenced in the crime, abuse and death that surrounds everything around them. However, Jesus is the Righteous One. He is the one who took away the punishment for our sins: hell and our troubled conscience. He is the one who has taken away the stain of sin, and makes us pure and holy in the sight of God.

Why then could it be that our hope needs a "boost"? Why could it be that our optimism needs a "wake-up-call"? Could it be that our God gets just an hour a week? And everything else gets 167 hours? Could it be, you want a bigger home and nicer tractor right now, not a home in heaven in 10-60 years from now? Could it be nobody like a "God" person and you want to be liked?

Being hopeful is not hard work for us, because Jesus had done everything. By his life, death and resurrection he has brought you to God. He is now interceding on our behalf. He is the light to our path and he is the only way to heaven. We have every reason to have hope. Jesus has preserved his Word for us to study and has given the promised Holy Spirit to enlighten us through our baptism.

Part Two: Through your baptism

Do you remember your baptism? Most of you, I'm guessing were baptized as infants and so the events of that day are not something you remember. But, for a moment if you will, try to picture it. It's a Sunday morning and everyone is dressed in their Sunday best. The baptism font has been moved so that most people can see it and the top has been taken off, and there is a bowl of water sitting in it. There are a number of people who are there with you: your pastor, relatives and a congregation of people. And lets not forget that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are also there this day along with many angels watching the miracle that was about to take place.

Your baptism, it was not just a physical or symbolic act, but an act of God. "It was also a pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saved you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ" (Verse 21). As Paul said to Titus, "He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5). As believers we are to cherish our baptism, for it gives us sure hope of eternal life and sin forgiven through our Savior Jesus Christ. "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved" (Mark 16:16a).

However, do we think about our baptism in this way? Do we cherish our baptisms as part of God's plan of salvation? The temptation would be not to value our baptisms as we should. Like a child that has been blessed so much, we can take for granted this gift from God: his Holy Spirit. Do you look at our baptism as a reason to have Christian hope and optimism in your daily life? We all should. Do we value what baptism really is, by encouraging the parents of un-baptized children to get their children baptized and in Church? Do we ask adults if they have been baptized? How will you know, if you don't ask them?

Peter tells us in verse twenty and twenty one that Baptism is really special. He said that just like Noah was lifted up by the water to safety, so too we are saved though this water of baptism. Peter said, "God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you."

The world was a tough place during the time of Noah. Only eight people believed in the true God, and they were all related to Noah. Noah we are told did his best to share the Gospel, but was not successful, humanly speaking. God was itching to start over, for the people of this earth were not holy, and didn't care to be holy. (Lev. 19:2) It seems like two odd things to compare, the water of the flood and our baptism, but they do have much in common.

Just like the water of the flood was to save the message of the Gospel from a hostile and sinful world, so too your Baptism saves you from this sinful world and your hostile flesh. Water washed away many sinners, who would resist the Gospel, while the water of our baptism washes away your sin. And in both cases, we see something rather remarkable, God is the one who is doing all the work. Noah didn't bring the water down from the sky or up from the ground, any more than a "holy" person can give the Holy Spirit to another person. In both cases God is the one who has the will and desire to work a miracle.

Remember the scene of your baptism again. Mom and/or dad brought you up to the font, and you could not do anything about it. In such the same way the Lord brings you to his Heavenly Father and gives you the gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus says, "Here he is, take him Father. He is clean, because I have died and bleed for him."

Conclusion: So then, what are on the list of things that make you feel special: a new car, dinner out, a massage? How about the fact that Jesus has introduced us to someone rather special, his Father? Today and always let us remember that Jesus has brought you and me to meet our Lord in two very wonderful ways: by his death on the cross and by his washing of us in our baptism.

Little children don’t easily understand length of time or distance. When they go somewhere they ask, “How much further do we have to go?” Parents try to answer in terms that children can understand, saying, “We’ll be there in the length of two Disney movies (or two of their favorite TV shows).” A little while later, however, the children still may ask, “How long do we have to go yet?” And then, as children ride longer and longer in the car they get agitated. It’s hard for them to sit still. They begin to whine and pick on their brothers and sisters. That goes on until the parents finally say, “That’s enough, just close your eyes and take a nap. We’ll be there when you wake up.”

As we go through life, we, too, sometimes act like little children. None of us knows how long we will live. None of us even knows exactly where we will live all our days. All we know, because of God’s promises, is that someday we will go to heaven. And so, what do we do, when life gets difficult? We whine and complain, don’t we? We wonder, “When are we ever going to get to heaven? When are we going to be free from all sorrow and pain?” Well, today, our Lord doesn’t tell us to “just close our eyes and take a nap”, but He does tell us, “DON’T LET YOUR HEARTS BE TROUBLED.” He says, “Don’t be troubled, because I am preparing a place for you in heaven.” He says, “Don’t be troubled, because I am preparing a place for myself in your heart.”

God’s Word for our consideration is recorded in the Gospel of John, chapter 14, verses 1-12.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” 8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” 9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. 12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

These words were spoken by Jesus on the night before His death, on Maundy Thursday. Jesus had just washed His disciples’ feet, showing that only in Him could they be made “clean” before God their heavenly Father. Jesus then identified His betrayer and told the disciples that He would soon be put to death. He told them, “Where I am going you cannot come” (John 13:33). Jesus then told Peter that He would deny knowing Him three times. Foretelling Peter’s martyr death, Jesus said to him, “Where I am going you cannot follow now, but you will follow later” (John 13:36).

All these things that Jesus had said and done that night troubled the minds of the disciples. Why should He be acting like a servant and wash our feet? Peter therefore said, “You shall never wash my feet!” (John 13:8). And why should the Christ have to die? And why would one of us ever betray our Teacher? Peter therefore said to John, “Ask Him which one He means?” (John 13:24). And why would Jesus say that, of all people, Peter would deny Him three times? Troubled by these words, Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you” (John 13:37).

Seeing that His disciples were troubled by what He had said and done, Jesus spoke very comforting and reassuring words. He told them to “trust in God” and to “trust also in [Him]” (v.1). He said, “In my Father’s house are many rooms” (v.2). Jesus, of course, would know these things, for He Himself had come from heaven and was with God the Father from eternity. Jesus then assured the disciples, “I am going there to prepare a place for you” (v.2). “I will intercede for you before my heavenly Father. I will reconcile you with God and make you righteous in His sight”. And this Jesus promised to do, because He loved them and wanted to take them to be “with [Him]” (v.3) forever in Paradise.

Even after such comforting words, the disciples were still troubled. When Jesus said, “You know the way to the place where I am going” (v.4), Thomas responded, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” (v.5). The disciples were absolutely confused! They had thought that Jesus was going to reign forever on earth as their King. They had thought that Jesus was going to bring their nation peace and glory. So now why would Jesus have to go anywhere and leave them? This all was “too much” for the disciples to comprehend.

Jesus, then, in His great patience and mercy reminded His disciples of how to get to heaven. He told them, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (v. 6). Instead of worrying about the future and when the Kingdom of God would come, Jesus reminded them to simply trust in Him and follow Him. Jesus would get them into heaven. Instead of listening to the lies of the false prophets who were teaching salvation by good works, they should listen to Jesus, who speaks the very words of God in all their truth and purity. And instead of trusting in others or themselves to get to heaven, Jesus reminded them to believe in Him, for whoever lives and believes in Him shall never die.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we, like the disciples, are troubled by what is going on around us. Our sinful nature causes us to wonder if God could possibly forgive our sins. The devil causes us to wonder if God is really with us, because we have so many hardships and sorrows. The world causes us to wonder if God is really in control, because there are so many murders and wars, and because the Church of God is getting smaller and smaller.

Seeing that our hearts are troubled by all our trials and tribulations, Jesus comforts us with His Word. He guarantees that there is a place waiting for us in heaven. He guarantees that He has gone to heaven right now to prepare that place for us. He guarantees that He will come back and take us to be with Him that we might live with Him in Paradise.

Even after these comforting promises of our Lord, our hearts are still troubled. The devil causes us to doubt our salvation and leads us to think that we must do something in order to be saved. The sinful world leads us to think that it doesn’t matter what each person believes, God will reward each person for the good that they have done. And our sinful nature also leads us to think that heaven is ours, because we are much better than other so-called “Christians”. In time, however, all hope seems lost, for we realize that we all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory. We wonder then, “How can I ever know, for sure, if heaven is my home?”

So that we might have peace with God and be able to approach our heavenly Father in joy and confidence, Jesus says, “Look at ME!!!! Stop looking to yourself or to others! I am the Way to heaven!! I have the words of eternal life! I am the Son of God, sent by the Father, so that you may believe the Truth and be saved. Don’t be troubled about your sins or about the power of the devil! I am preparing a place for you in heaven. I have promised you a home there with Me! Trust in God, trust also in Me, I always keep My promises!

Truly only Jesus’ words can ease our troubled minds! As He has promised, Jesus has gone to prepare place for us in heaven. Our future with Him is certain! And to erase all doubts from our minds, Jesus gives us further comfort. He assures us that He is preparing a place for Him to live and rule in our hearts through faith. He promises to make our hearts to be His holy temple so that we might see Him as our Savior and trust in Him.

Because the disciples couldn’t fully comprehend the words that Jesus was telling them, He chided them for their ignorance. He said, “If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well” (v.7). Certainly Jesus had good reason to rebuke His disciples, for their spirit was willing to believe in Him, but their flesh was weak. Yet, seeing that they did have faith in Him, Jesus said, “From now on, you do know [the Father] and have seen him” (v.7).

Once again the disciples were troubled by Jesus’ words. “What does Jesus mean that we know the Father and have seen Him? We do not know the Father. We did not descend from heaven as Jesus did! We have not seen the Lord with our own eyes!” In confusion, Philip, this time, spoke up saying, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us” (v.8).

How frustrated Jesus must have been with His disciples! After so much teaching – after so much listening and watching – the disciples still did not understand who Jesus was! Jesus had told them openly, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). He had told them, “The Father is in me, and I in the Father” (John 10:38). How could the disciples now ask Jesus to “show [them] the Father” (v.9)”?

Despite their ignorance, however, the Lord Jesus again patiently taught His disciples. He told them, “Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work “ (v.10). By His words and by His teaching, the disciples should have understood that Jesus was the Christ, sent by God to speak to His people. After all, Jesus spoke with such great authority that He amazed everyone, wherever He went. He also showed that He was never afraid of what man could do to Him. He always obeyed His heavenly Father and spoke whatever words the Father had given Him.

And if Jesus’ teaching wasn’t proof enough for the disciples that He was from God, surely all Jesus’ miracles would testify to the fact that this was the Son of God! Clearly God was with Jesus and the disciples needed to listen to Him!

So Jesus said, “Trust in God! Trust also in Me!” “When you believe in Me,” Jesus says, “then I am with you and in you. I have made you citizens of my heavenly kingdom through faith in me. And when you believe in Me, you can be sure that the Father has also made His home in your hearts. He has enabled you to believe in Him and to be saved. And when you believe in Me, thank the Holy Spirit that He has made your heart to be His holy temple.”

In conclusion, Jesus assured His disciples that through faith in Him, they would do marvelous things. He told them, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing” (v.12). Filled with the Holy Spirit the disciples would be able to KNOW God and to SPEAK the Truth. They would be able to see the Father and to tell the world what He had done to save them. Through faith in Jesus they would be able to do miraculous things … further proving to the world that the Lord Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life!

Besides all this, Jesus promised His disciples that they would do “even greater things than these, because [He was] going to the Father” (v.12). The disciples would be able to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They would be able to preach the Gospel and watch as the eyes of the spiritually blind were opened. They would see the spiritually dead raised to life through the preaching and administering of God’s Word and Sacraments. They would do these things, because Jesus promised that He would “clothe them with power from on high”, sending them His Holy Spirit, after He had gone to the Father.

Like the disciples, we can not fully comprehend the wisdom and power of our God. How frustrated Jesus must get with us when we doubt His promises to watch over us and to protect us from evil! How frustrated Jesus must get with us when we speak evil about His representatives in government or when we despise hearing and reading God’s Word! Our Lord Jesus rebukes us all, “Don’t you know me, even after I have been among you such a long time?” Why do you always have to see it to believe it?

In His mercy, however, Jesus continues to teach us! Through His Gospel he shows us the Father’s great love for us, that He would send His one and only Son into this world to redeem us all from the curse of the Law. Through His miracles, Jesus shows us the great power of our heavenly Father, reminding us that nothing is impossible for God. Through His Word, Jesus shows us that God has made us fearfully and wonderfully, and that He is worthy of all our praise because of His goodness. Through His promises, Jesus also assures us that God our Father is in control and the Church on earth shall never perish. Certainly we can trust in God and trust also in Jesus, because He knows all things and because He works all things out for the good of the Church.

Having taught us through His Word, Jesus is now busy preparing a place in our hearts for Himself and for His Heavenly Father. He has made us heirs of heaven and made us citizens of His heavenly kingdom. He has made us temples of the Holy Spirit and built us up together as living stones in the Church of God. He has made us a royal priesthood and a holy nation, a people belonging to God.

Certainly, because the Lord Jesus has done (and continues to do) such marvelous things for us, by the power of the Holy Spirit we will let our lights shine before men that all might glorify Him. To those who are wandering in life’s wilderness and are lost in the darkness of sin and unbelief, let us proclaim the Light of the world, saying, “Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Whoever believes in Him and is baptized will be saved.” To those who are suffering and are wondering, “How long, O Lord?” let us remind them that the Lord will work everything out according to His good and perfect will.

As we proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to others, watch what great things the Lord will do through you! Souls will be saved. The lost will be found. The dead will be raised. The hostile will be reconciled to God through faith in Jesus. Trust in God! Trust also in Jesus! The Word of the Lord will never return to God “empty”.

Dear friends, as we go through life, we often lose sight of our Savior Jesus and the sure hope that He gives us of heaven. Our hearts quickly become troubled by our sins, our hardships, our worries and our sorrows. But RELAX and listen to the words of your Savior. He tells us, “DON’T LET YOUR HEARTS BE TROUBLED! Don’t worry, because I am preparing a place for you in heaven and because I am preparing a place for myself in your heart.” With such words, we continue on life’s journey in peace and joy. We KNOW the goodness of God our Father. We have SEEN His glory and will tell the world all that He has done. Amen.

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7) Amen.

Greeting: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Introduction: I'm going to ask you a question. What am I? Here is your only clue, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." I'm a sheep. For centuries Christians have been known as sheep, and all too often that has been a negative term. People have said, "Christians are like sheep: naïve and even blind." They say to you and me, "You are naïve to think that God cares about you so much. You are blind to say 'God is love'; while there is so much pain and disease in this world. You, like a sheep are lead by the simplest and most dangerous of lies, Jesus is Lord."

My friends, today, we do not have a problem being called sheep; rather, we find comfort in it, because we are the sheep of God's pasture. We are sheep who listen to God's voice and have been given life by him.

Part one: Sheep that listen to his voice

Jesus, in our Gospel lesson today, tells a parable about a Shepherd and his flock, and there is an important reason that he told this parable. It was the Sabbath day, and our Lord Jesus was once again performing a miracle. This time, he was healing a man who was born blind. The disciples, as Jesus walked with them, asked him this question, "That man over there, who sinned that he was born blind?" "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, Jesus said. But this happened that the work of God might be displayed in his life." To which Jesus, using some saliva and mud, healed that man of his blindness.

Jesus did this to create faith in the man. He did this to display God's power to his disciples and to increase their faith in him. Jesus did this miracle to create faith in the hearts of others. Yet, the Pharisees came as usual with their accusations against Jesus, "He is working on the Sabbath." They even came after the blind man, trying to figure out if he was really a born blind by asking his parents.

Jesus told the Pharisees these words, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains." Jesus was rightfully upset with those men, and spoke out against them in the form of a parable. Indirectly he was telling them that they were not spiritual shepherds, but the ones who were thieves and robbers.

Jesus said that the sheep will listen to the voice of their Shepherd, which was not them. But why would the sheep listen to his voice? Well, it's because the Shepherd knows each of them by name and they have a history together. Trust has been built up; the sheep have been feed by the Shepherd. He has been the one who took care of them day after day. He was the one who cared for them when they got sick or fell over. He has always been protecting them from wolves and other wild animals that would come and attack them. Just as the psalmist said about our Lord, "I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."

We find comfort in these words, we know we are the sheep whom Jesus has been protecting and have been purchased with his life blood. Yet, can we honestly say that we are listening to our Lord, as he says in this parable? How is it that we listen? There is only one way: by reading God's Word. In God's Word, he tells us many things; we are told the Holy Spirit works through the Message. "But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name" (John 20:31). So then, how well are you listening? How is your devotional life? Only you can answer that question. Some may say, "It is better than it has been for some time." Others of you may say, "It needs much improvement." But, there should be no one here today saying, "My devotional life is perfect." There are always: devotions missed, services missed, and prayers that go by the way side.

Don't find comfort in the fact that you and your neighbor are not perfect, sit up and realize this is important! If you are not in contact with God's Word, you won't be hearing the Shepherd's voice. You are not grazing in his sheep pen. What you are hearing outside of God's Word is not from a familiar voice; it will not lead you to your Savior, despite what other will have you believe.

Listen to your Lord and study his Word only. We are his sheep and he has built up in our hearts a great deal of trust. He knows you and me by name. He is the one who provides food for us. "The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time" (Psalm 145:15). We know he cares for us even when things are tough; He is making all things work for our good. He is the one protecting us from the Devil, the lion who is seeking to devoir us. He is the one sending his angels to guard and protect us. He is the one who came down from heaven as our good Shepherded and laid his life down for the sheep by dying on Calvary, destroying our sin and the power the devil to make our sheepfold a lasting home.

Part two: Sheep that have been given life

Being a sheep of God's pasture is just fine with us. We enjoy his presence and we love to listen to his voice, but that doesn't mean everything for us is easy and that there is no danger. Jesus said in our text, "All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them" (verse 8). What is interesting in this verse are the verbs which Jesus uses to describe the situation. He says that the robbers have come. Its not like they just showed up, the thieves and robbers have long wanted to get at his sheep and we know who many of them have been. The devil had for centuries now been tying to steal God's elect from him: in the garden, in the wilderness, and even on this particular Sabbath day. He would through out history play to man's weak spots, using false prophets to get the people to worship the Baals of this world and using the superstitious nature of people to get them to pray to Greek and Roman gods.

Did God's sheep, his chosen ones, hear all the lies of the Devil and false prophets? Yes, they did hear them; however, there is one important thing that separated God's people, his elect, from all other people, they did not trust in the false gods and Satan's lies.

God's elect know that these strangers and their lies did not come from their Lord. God's elect may have stumbled on numerous occasions, but they could not fall. The Lord would always be watching and protecting them. God's sheep, his believers, did not hear Christ in the lies of this world. When the false prophets would come with their own ideas and wisdom, the sheep knew this message was not from God. The message of God has always been constant and firm, "I am the gate."

"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6). "He who rejects me rejects him who sent me" (Luke 10:16).

Even with God's message being so sure and uncompromising; we still live in a society that would have us believe that Jesus is not the "gate" or the "way" to heaven. Many would have us believe that there are other worthy alternatives to listening to our Shepherd and his Word. The false prophets of our day are saying, "All paths, and all gods, really lead to the same place. You know God as Jesus and I know god as Ra or Allah. You know, when it comes to heaven, 'where there is a will there is a way'. God is love, so nobody will really be in hell. Hell is just an old scare tactic. Can't we agree to disagree; I'm ok, if you're ok."

We can think about it now, how foolish and silly these human thoughts really are. They are not equal to what God has revealed to us in his Word and they certainly are not good for anyone. A false alternative is no alternative at all. It would be like planting 180 acres of milo and then taking it to the ethanol plant. They won't take it, will they? They do not make fuel from milo. It's a false alternative. What if you tried to substitute water in your gas tank for gasoline, how far do you think you will get? This is exactly what false religions do; they replace the salvation Jesus has won for us with another salvation. They replace Jesus with a false alternative. They will take Jesus and water him down with "good" works and say, "Go and drive to heaven now."

We are not patient people by nature; we want our "new life" and the joy of salvation right here and now. Every day you wake up and struggle with the urge of a different kind of false alternative: materialism. When it comes to money, what is the dollar amount that will make you happy? I'm sure a number was reached in many of our heads in just a nanosecond. When it comes to popularity, how close are you to having the right kind of relationships and respect that you want? When it comes to making this life the best it can be, how is your appearance? How many pairs of shoes more do you want, what kind of vehicle will make you happy?

God's little flock, you already have the "good life" and those "other things" are not nearly as important as you think. True life, our salvation, comes from Jesus our
good Shepherd. He is the only way to heaven and the only true God. He is the only one who ever was raised to life, and is now at his father's side preparing a place for us. That gives us joy; our life is more precious than gold and sliver, because Jesus has purchased it with is own blood. He tells us, "Peace I leave with you and peace I give you" (John 14:27). He blesses us with his abundant grace as John says, "From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another" (John 1:16).

Conclusion: My friends, I'm going to ask you a question. Who are we? We are sheep, and today that doesn't bother us one bit. For we are the sheep of God's pasture; sheep who listen to our loving Savior's voice and have been given life in his name alone. Amen.

Votum: "Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture" (Psalm 100:3).

“So how was your Easter celebration?” That’s a question that many of us have either been asked or have asked of others. The general thought, behind that question, is that Easter is over and done with. All that is left from the holiday are some jelly beans, some colored eggs and maybe an Easter lily on the kitchen counter. But, dear friends, the celebration of Easter is never something that should be “over” for us. Jesus’ resurrection should always be kept fresh in our minds and in our hearts! Jesus’ resurrection helps us to live our lives in thankfulness and peace to the glory of God. It helps us to live our lives in God-pleasing fear and faith.

Listen now to God’s Word recorded for us by the apostle Peter in his first letter, chapter 1, verses 17-21:

Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. 18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

This morning the apostle Peter begins by reminding us of the special “calling” that we have in life. By the grace of God, through His Word and Sacraments, we are God’s children! As God’s children, Peter reminds us that it is our privilege and duty to live in a way that pleases and honors our heavenly Father. Therefore, in the verses immediately before our sermon text, Peter urges us, “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” (1:14-16)

Having reminded us of our “calling” in life, Peter then reminds us of who it is that we are “calling upon”. We call upon God our “Father” who has created us, giving us our bodies and souls and all our abilities. We call upon God our “Father” who has given birth to us in Baptism, who has given us new life in Christ through His Word.

In addition to being our heavenly “Father”, Peter reminds us that God is also our righteous “Judge”. On the Last Day, God will judge the living and the dead. Through Christ, His Son, God will judge each person according to His perfect Law and commands. He will not show favoritism, but will judge every person as they deserve.

History shows that God does not show favoritism, but that He judges all men impartially. We recall the account of the flood and how God destroyed all the wicked (the young and old; the men and women) and only spared Noah and his family because of their faith in Him. We recall the account of Sodom and Gomorrah and how God destroyed all the wicked there with fire, but in His mercy He spared Lot and his family on account of the faith of Abraham. We remember, too, how God judged the people of Israel by putting to death those who worshiped the golden calf, and also how He later dispersed the children of Israel in Babylonian captivity because of their idolatry. And certainly we can also see God’s justice in that He punished and forsook His Son on the cross, because the punishment of our sins was upon Him. Indeed, God hates sin and must punish sin with death!

In the knowledge that God our Father will judge us impartially, what kind of lives should we now be living? Peter reminds us that we are to live our lives here as “strangers”. In other words, we should always be living in such a way that shows that we believe that the Lord will come again and take us to our real home in heaven. We should live in such a way that shows that we know that our time here is short and that we can’t take anything with us when we die.

Peter also goes on to tell us that we are to live our lives here “in reverent fear” (v. 17). Certainly when we listen to God’s Law, our knees naturally tremble with fear. Knowing that the soul who sins must die, we are left to wonder, “Who can stand before the Lord our God? Who can stand before the Lord and live, for God is holy and we are sinful from birth?”

But is this the kind of life God wants us to be living now, in constant fear and trembling? Does God want us to live out our lives like the cowardly lion as he came before the almighty wizard of Oz? No! To live our lives in “fear” of God means to live in awe of our Creator and Redeemer and to desire to obey His will in all things.

In the Old Testament, believers spoke positively about the “fear of the Lord”. Job said, “The fear of the Lord – that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding” (28:28). The psalm-writer said, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding” (Psalm 111:10). King Solomon also wrote, “The fear of the LORD leads to life: Then one rests content, untouched by trouble” (Proverbs 19:23). And so it was also said about Jesus through the Prophet Isaiah, “The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him – the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding … the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD – and he will delight in the fear of the LORD” (Isaiah 11:2-3).

Living in “reverent fear” means that we will put God’s will first in our lives, even though it may mean being persecuted or suffering hardships on account of our faith. Like the apostle Paul we can say, “I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, because when I am weak, then in Christ I am strong”. We can say together with the apostles, “We must obey God rather than men”. We shouldn’t be afraid of what man can do to our bodies, but we should watch out that we do not lose our faith because God our Father could condemn our bodies and souls to hell.

Living in the “fear of the LORD” also means that we will look only to God for our salvation. We give Him all glory and honor in our lives, for He know that God is being patient with us. The reason He hasn’t sent His Son yet to judge the living and the dead is because He wants all people to repent and to come to the knowledge of the truth. Understanding the Lord’s goodness and mercy, we therefore live out our lives in reverent fear and in joyful anticipation. We look forward to the Day of the Lord and speed its coming (2 Peter 3:12). We pray, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus!”

There are a lot of things that people are afraid of: snakes, tornados, crime, terrorism and war. But most of these fears stem from man’s greatest fear: death! The good news of Jesus’ resurrection silences those fears! It shows us that even though we die, yet we will live. Death, then, is merely a door that we pass through in order to get to heaven. That’s why God recorded in His Word that the death of the saints (that is, believers) is precious in His sight!

HOW IMPORTANT it is, then, that we keep before our eyes the account of Easter Sunday and celebrate it constantly! JESUS’ RESURRECTION MOVES US TO LIVE OUT OUR LIVES IN FEAR (not in terror, but in awesome reverence and love) knowing that God our Father judges all mankind impartially according to His perfect Law. JESUS’ RESURRECTION ALSO MOVES US TO LIVE OUT OUR LIVES IN FAITH AND HOPE, knowing that Christ has redeemed us from sin, death and the power of the devil.

At the time of the apostles, slavery was a pretty common thing. Slaves could often earn their freedom, if they wanted to, after years of service. They could purchase their freedom with gold or silver.

With that in mind, Peter reminds us all that we were by nature slaves. Our master was the devil. Through his lies, Satan had deceived us all. He had led us astray, darkening our minds and hardening our hearts in unbelief.

Our master was also the sinful world. We inherited from our parents “the empty way of life” that was handed down to us. As a result, we were misguided by our sinful pride and we thought to ourselves, “I can do anything by myself”. Misguided by our selfish desires, we thought, “I don’t care if others get hurt, most important is that I get what I want.” We also thought, “Since tomorrow I may die, I will eat, drink and be merry while I can.”

Our master was also our own sinful nature. As the apostle Paul reminds us, we by nature are dead in sin and hostile to God. Our sinful flesh despises God’s commands and cannot submit to His will (Romans 8:7).

While we were in this hopeless situation (slaves to the devil, the world and our sinful flesh), Jesus, God’s Son, came to set us free. And just as we say about our political freedom today, especially in times of war, so we also say regarding our salvation that “FREEDOM ISN’T FREE, IT COMES WITH A GREAT PRICE!”’

The price of our freedom, however, was “not with gold or silver – or any other perishable things” (v. 18). Such things could in no way pay for our sins, for the Bible says that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness! And in no way could we save each other by dying for each other’s sins. If you died for me and I died for you, we would still be in our sins!

But Jesus’ death on the cross could and DID take away all our sins! Jesus gave us freedom from the devil, the world and our flesh “with His precious blood”. His blood, shed on the cross, cleansed us from all our sins. Because He is the righteous Son of God, His life is the atoning sacrifice for our sins and for the sins of the whole world.

The Lord Jesus did what He had come to do – destroy the work of the devil. Through His perfect life He defeated Satan by not falling into temptation. Through His innocent death He crushed the serpent’s head, freeing us from the eternal death in hell which we had all deserved!

Through His precious blood the Lord Jesus also redeemed us from this sinful world. He brought us to faith and made us citizens of His heavenly kingdom. He has given birth to our spirit so that now we know that heaven is our home. So Jesus says of us now, “You are no longer of this world, just as I am not of this world.”

So also, our Lord Jesus, the holy and righteous Lamb of God, has redeemed us from our sins and from the curse of the Law. Through baptism He has presented us to himself “as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless” (Ephesians 5:25-27).

But why? Why did the Lord Jesus give up His life for us all? He did this because it was the eternal will of God His heavenly Father (v.20). Jesus died on the cross because, from the beginning, God had promised that the woman’s seed would crush the serpent’s head. Jesus died on the cross because, from the beginning, God had chosen His Son to be the Christ, the Savior of the world. He shed His blood for us because, from the beginning, God was preparing a kingdom in heaven for all who believe. Even before the creation of the world, it was God’s plan to choose us by His grace and to make us holy and blameless in His sight” (Ephesians 1:4).

And now, dear friends, God’s plan of salvation has been fulfilled and been made known to us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior! Jesus has been revealed “in these last times” (v. 20) so that we might know that Jesus is coming again soon. Jesus has been revealed for our sakes, so that we might know that He is the Christ, and that by believing we may have life in His name. God has recorded this all for us in His precious Word that we might have peace and confidence, knowing that He is our good and gracious Father in heaven who loves us very dearly.

And so the message of Jesus’ resurrection gives us faith and the hope of heaven. We are certain that Jesus is the Christ our Redeemer. We are certain that Jesus’ sacrifice has freed us from our sins. We are certain that Jesus lives, and that we, too, will live. We are certain that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life, and that whoever lives and believes in Him will never die.

Even now, our Lord Jesus lives to serve as our High Priest, interceding for us before our heavenly Father. Even now, our Lord Jesus lives to serve as our King, working everything out for the glory of His name and for the good of His Church. Even now, our Lord Jesus lives to serve as our Prophet, comforting us with the good news of our forgiveness, and sending pastors and teachers and brothers and sisters in Christ to support us in our Christian faith.

And so, dear friends, “our faith and our hope ARE IN GOD” (v. 21)! God alone has accomplished our salvation and redeemed us from our enemies. He has set us free that we might serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence and blessedness. He has purified us and made us to be His very own, eager to do what is good.

Let us, therefore, make it known to all the world what God has done!!

For many people, Easter is over with, but may it never be said about us! BECAUSE OF JESUS’ RESURRECTION WE WILL LIVE OUT OUR LIVES IN FEAR AND IN FAITH TO THE GLORY OF GOD. We will live knowing that God our Father is a just judge, who judges each person impartially according to His Law. But we also will live knowing that Jesus has redeemed us from our sins and has reconciled us to our Father, making us righteous in His sight by His holy and precious blood. Let us ever rejoice in Jesus’ resurrection! OUR FAITH AND OUR HOPE ARE IN GOD! Amen.

Jude 24-25 – “To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”

Have you ever stopped to think about how skeptical the human nature is? If people don't see something and there were no witnesses, they will believe anything they want to. Why, for example, there are people that a still believe that no American has ever landed on the moon. They say, "John Glen and Neil Armstrong staged the landing. They shot the footage in the Arizona dessert, just to scare the Russians." There are also people who think Elvis and other famous people are alive. Some say, "They are not dead, they are just in hiding." They just can't get themselves to face reality. And to this day, many Germans deny that the holocaust even happened! The mind is powerful and because of the fall a very sinful thing.

Today, in our text, Peter tells us that he and many others are witnesses. They were witnesses of our Saviors resurrection from the dead. As an eye witness, Peter tells us everything has gone according to God's divine plan. Jesus Christ has arisen from the dead, which also means we too shall arise.

Part One: Jesus has arisen

So, doubting Thomas, what was your problem? Why were the witnesses, your friends, not enough? Why did you not believe that Jesus had risen from the dead? You said, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.” Were you upset, because other people had seen Jesus for a whole week before you did? Were you feeling left out? Were you listening to the wrong group of people?

Peter, a witness, told Thomas and tells us in our first lesson, "Jesus has arisen." He tells us today, "It was impossible for death to keep a hold on our Savior. Jesus could not lie about it either, he is accredited." In verse twenty two, he tells us to take a look at three things that prove Jesus is creditable:

-Look at his miracles. Remember how Jesus raised Lazarus? Remember how all those people came directly after his crucifixion?
-Look at his wonderers. Remember the darkness that happened at the noon hour on Good Friday? Remember how the temple curtain was split in two pieces?
-Look at his signs. Remember how he said, "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth". (Matthew 12:40)

Peter goes on to say, "Now look at David, he put his trust in God's Word!" Verse thirty one reads, "Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay." Yes, David did not know Jesus by that name, he called him God's Holy One, and he knew that his Holy One would have flesh and blood and would not see decay. He was not going to go the way of all other men. Jesus, the one who was to come, would hold the power over death -- power he showed by giving up his life on the cross. "Father into your hands I commit my spirit."

All things went according to God's plan. And Peter is trying his best to wake up these sleepy Israelites. He is telling them, "If there is something you just can't believe. Just look in disbelief at what you have done!"

-"You are God's people, and you killed your King!"
-"You didn't believe in him, even when you saw all those miracles and signs."
-"If you want disbelief, can you believe that he is giving you a second chance!?"

"This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross" (verse 23). Yes, God's people, you killed Jesus because God loves you! They should have said, "WOW! Despite us, God was showing love for us?" Peter is telling them the truth, "yes, you acted wickedly, but that doesn't have to be who you are. You can still believe in Jesus, right now."

God's plan can, to us, seem a little to good to be true. When we hear this today, the skeptical sinful nature rears his head, in each of us and we are faced with questions: Do I really believe Jesus was raised from the dead? I haven't seen him. Am I really forgiven of all my sin? I sure don't feel forgiven. If I am unsure of my faith, do I really then have faith?

When we face these doubts and fears, we need to turn to our Lord. In his word he assures us that his plan has been completed. Jesus has been raised from the dead! The Apostles and five hundred others were witnesses to this fact. His empty tomb is also a witness that cries out to us, "He is risen." And that means we will no longer be afraid of God, because our sin has been taken away like the prophets foretold, "Yes, You will cast all our sin into the depths of the sea" (Micah 7:19b). "As far as the east is from the west, far has he removed our transgressions from us" (Psalm 103:12).

Part two: We too shall arise.

Along with raising Jesus from the Dead, God's plan has another part. We too one day shall arise.

Quoted in verse twenty five of our text, David said, “I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken." What a comfort this verse gives us. David, a prophet of God, reminds us that our Lord and our Savior, Jesus Christ is by our side. In the creed, we confess that Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God, on his throne; yet, we shall not also forget that at the very same time he is ruling from on high, he is with us by our side.

This was comfort which the Apostle Thomas needed and King David had. Notice how differently two Christians, the Apostle Thomas and King David lived out their lives:

-Thomas ran in fear from the Romans one week of his life, fearing Jesus had left him; while, David ran for many years of his life from Saul, and gave God the credit for his survival.
-The other apostles told Thomas that Jesus had been raised from the dead, and he did not believe them; while, the Holy Spirit told David, "God's Holy One would live and not see decay" and he believed.
-Thomas had seen Jesus die and would eventually believe, because Jesus showed his wounds to Thomas; while David had to take God's Word on the matter.
-Thomas doubted and David trusted.

The fact was, even when they could not see him, Jesus was caring for them. David said, "You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence."

The path of life is a narrow road. A road we walk on with our eyes fixed on our Savior. If you have ever walked a balance beam, what is it you do? You fix your eyes on an object which is far off. You don't stare at your feet, do you? No. In the same way, we are to not focus so much on the temporal things of this life, because they trip us up; rather, we are to keep our eyes fixed on our Savior.

David also would tell us that avoiding sin is also part of our being on the path to our Savior.

-The sin of adultery, as Nathan pointed out to David is dangerous to our faith and needs to be repented of.
-The sin of pride, which was Saul's downfall.
-The sin of loving other gods more than the true God. A message David himself gave when he would defeat his enemies.

Oh yes, "broad is that gate which leads to destruction" (Matthew 7:13).

But the path is "oh so" worth staying on. For as God's children we are assured of his safety. The sins and troubles that come to us in this world will one day be done away with. There will be no more doubting or troubled consciences in heaven. On this path toward our Savior, we also have physical comfort. These aches and pains are only temporary; we will one day be glorified.

So then, why do many, even Christians, fear death? I think the problem lies in this one question. "How will ____ get along without me? "Who will provide food and shelter for that person? Who will take him (or her) to church? My friends, I'm afraid that is the wrong question. The right question to ask before we die is this, "What is important to take care of now? Do my loved ones know I'll be with Jesus when I die? Do they know death is not the end for them either, just the beginning? Do they know that this is their time of grace, and that God will take care of their needs with our without me?

God will take care of us, and he does have a plan. His plan is for you and me to rise again from the dead. We now have the gift of eternal life. Like David said, "our hearts can be glad and our tongue rejoice in this body, because we have eternal hope" (v.26).

Conclusion: Like no other time in history, we have proof and witnesses. We have King David himself knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus would rise from the dead, and we have Peter and five hundred other people who saw Jesus before he went back up into heaven. There can be no doubt then that all things have gone according to God's plan. Jesus has arisen and we too shall arise. Amen.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7) Amen.

John 20:1-8 [[Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed.]]

Dear friends in Christ,

Let me take you back to a time long ago. Let’s go back this morning to the very beginning of all things, when God first created the heavens and the earth. On the first day of the week, remember how the Triune God said, “Let there be light” and there was light. He separated the light from the darkness, calling the light “day” and the darkness “night”. There was evening and there was morning – the first day (Genesis 1:3-5). God looked at what He had made and it was very good.

Some four thousand years later, on the first day of the week, after being in the tomb for three days, the Lord Jesus again brought “light” to the world. As the apostle Paul reminds us, “Christ Jesus … destroyed death and … brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:10). In a world of darkness, pain and sorrow, the Lord Jesus brought peace, joy and hope. God looked on and He was satisfied. What Jesus, His Son, had done was very good!

That Easter Sunday morning began, as every morning does, with darkness. Such darkness was a fitting backdrop for the beginning of the Easter story, for that day began with great pain and sorrow for the disciples. As the Gospel-writer Mark tells us, the disciples were all mourning and weeping over Jesus’ death (Mark 16:10).

The women who had followed Jesus in His ministry also mourned for Him. However, in their love for Him they were moved to action. They spent Saturday evening preparing spices and perfumes for Jesus’ burial (Luke 23:56). Because of the rush to get Jesus’ body into the tomb before the Sabbath began on Friday evening, they had been unable to give Jesus the proper burial that they had wanted. At the break of dawn on Sunday morning they eagerly set out to anoint Jesus’ body as a last act of their love and respect for their Teacher and Friend.

Imagine the mood of the women as they went to Jesus’ tomb on that Easter morning. Along the way Mary Magdalene and the other women with her (Mary mother of James and Joses, Salome, Joanna and others) must have shed many tears along the way. They surely remembered all of the wonderful things that Jesus did for them and for the people of Israel. They certainly remembered all of the wonderful lessons that Jesus taught them about the kingdom of God. They certainly remembered how Jesus died and how He lived His life in perfect obedience to His heavenly Father.

And as these women journeyed to the tomb that Easter morning their hearts were also filled with anxiety and fear. First of all, they were concerned about who would move the large stone that covered the entrance to the tomb. Secondly, they were probably concerned about what Jesus’ enemies would do to them as they went to anoint His body. And thirdly, they were probably concerned that Jesus’ enemies would have done something to Jesus’ body during the night, because of their intense hatred of Him.

And then, as the women came to the tomb, it seemed as if their worst fears came true. The stone was already rolled away! Who could have done it? In Mary Magdalene’s mind, there was only one answer: Jesus’ enemies had come during the middle of the night and stolen His body.

Immediately, without further investigation, Mary Magdalene ran to tell the disciples the “TERRIBLE” news. She said to Peter and John, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they’ve put him” (v. 2).

Now the Gospel-writer John gives us the details of how he and his fellow disciple, Peter, went to the empty tomb. Filled with sorrow, anxiety and fear because of Mary Magdalene’s words, both went “running” to the tomb. John got there first and he bent over to look inside the tomb. He could see no body of Jesus. All he could see were the linen cloths that had been wrapped around Jesus’ body. Mary’s words appeared to be true: Jesus’ body was stolen.

When Simon Peter arrived, he did not hesitate to go inside the tomb. He went in and investigated the scene. John records for us that “[Peter] saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen” (v.6-7). Was Mary’s assumption correct? Had Jesus’ body been stolen?

Who can blame Mary Magdalene and the other women for their fears and concern? Who can blame Peter and John or the other disciples for their sorrow? Each and every time a loved one of ours dies we, too, feel the “sting” of death. We mourn the loss of their friendship, as we remember their kind words and actions. We mourn the loss of their presence, remembering their witty humor and their beautiful smile. As a last act of love and respect for them we want their funeral and burial to be honorable, remembering them for who they were and what they have done for us.

By nature we, too, go to the tomb with sorrow, anxiety and fear. Like Mary Magdalene, our human nature throws up its hands and says, “I don’t know how I can survive without him/her! I don’t know if the one I love is in heaven! I don’t know how their children will survive without their mother! I don’t know how that family will make ends meet without their father! I just don’t know!!!”

And then, our turn eventually will come when our health fails and we die. In that situation we wonder, “Will I be saved? Will I go to heaven? Will my loved ones survive without me? Will my children and grandchildren remain in the Christian faith when I’m gone? Will my church be able to go on without me? Lord, I DON’T KNOW!”

In the knowledge of our sins and this imperfect world, it would certainly seem as if there is no hope whatsoever for the future! The thought of death fills our hearts with fear … for who can stand before the righteous and holy God and live? God is just! The soul who sins must die! There is no one who is righteous, not even one. And so our human nature goes to the tomb with sorrow, anxiety and fear!

Without Jesus’ promises, Jesus’ tomb would really have been a dead end. Without Jesus’ promises, there would have been no hope of His resurrection? But Jesus did promise that He would rise. Therefore the disciples should have gone to the tomb with joy and hope and confidence. But, as John tells us, they first needed to see, in order to believe.

John tells us that finally he, too, went inside the tomb (v.8). John saw for himself that Jesus’ body was gone. He saw the linens lying there on the place where Jesus had laid. All this was EVIDENCE that Jesus’ body had NOT been stolen. For what thief would have taken the time to unwrap Jesus’ body and carefully roll up or fold up the linen that covered Jesus’ face? Who would have snuck past the guards, broken the seal of the tomb and rolled the heavy stone away? It just didn’t make any sense that Jesus’ body could have been stolen! Perhaps Jesus was alive? Perhaps Jesus had risen from the dead?

To what degree John then believed that Jesus had risen from the dead, I don’t know for sure; however John says clearly in our text that he “saw and believed” (v.8). In the next verse, John qualifies his faith by saying that “neither he nor Peter understood from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead” (v. 9). Later, too, Jesus appeared to him and the other disciples and He rebuked them all for their lack of faith.

In the end, however, because of Jesus’ promises and because of Jesus’ appearances, John did believe. On Easter Sunday in the evening, he saw Jesus and was overjoyed. A week later, he again saw Jesus and heard Him say, “Blessed are they who have not seen and yet have believed” (20:29). FILLED WITH JOY, HOPE AND CONFIDENCE he wrote for our encouragement today, “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31).

So also the disciple Peter, who at first doubted the Lord’s resurrection, saw and believed that Jesus had risen from the dead. Later on the Sea of Galilee he witnessed Jesus’ power in a miraculous catch of fish. There on the seashore he humbled confessed, “Lord you know all things … you know I love you” (John 21:17). FILLED WITH JOY, HOPE AND CONFIDENCE Peter wrote in his first letter to the Christian Church, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3-4).

And what about Mary Magdalene? Remember how she, too, went to the tomb filled with sorrow, anxiety and fear? Well, after Jesus appeared to her, fulfilling His promises of rising from the dead, HER HEART WAS NOW FILLED WITH JOY, HOPE AND CONFIDENCE. She grabbed onto her Lord and said, “Teacher”. She saw and believed. She ran to tell the other disciples the wonderful news saying, “I have seen the Lord!” (John 20:18).

Dear friends in Christ, at each funeral we attend our faith is put to the test: “Is our loved one in heaven? Will we see them again?” In times of illness and as we grow old and weak, our faith is put to the test: “What will happen to me when I die? Will I be ready for Jesus’ second coming?” In times of trouble and difficulty our faith is put to the test: “How will we make ends meet? How will we succeed at work and school? How will we able to live in peace with one another?”

How can we pass these tests that the Lord lays before us? How can we believe even when we have not seen? Consider Abraham! “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed … He did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised” (Romans 4:18,20).

Such faith, dear friends, comes from hearing God’s Word. The Gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord is the power of God to salvation. Jesus’ words are spirit and life. The Holy Spirit uses His Word and Sacraments to create faith in our hearts and to strengthen that faith to maturity.

Just listen to these promises!
o Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled … I am going … to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:1-3).
o God promises, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5)
o Jesus says, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:27-28).
o Jesus says, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16)

Because of Jesus’ promises, and because we know that He always keeps His Word, we leave His empty tomb this morning with joy, hope and confidence. We know that because Jesus lives, we, too, will live. We know that Jesus is the resurrection and the life and that whoever believes in Him shall never perish. We know that heaven is our home and that our bodies will be raised to be like Jesus’ glorious body.

So when your hearts are troubled with sorrow, anxiety and fear, JUST LISTEN TO GOD’S PROMISES! Like the thief on the cross we can be confident that on the day we die, the Lord Jesus will say to us, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” Like the tax collector in the temple, we can be confident from Jesus’ words that we leave this place this morning “justified” of all our sins. And like the apostle Paul, who once persecuted the Church, we, too, with confidence can say, “Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8).

Share this Easter joy with all people, dear friends. For many, the thought of going to the tomb brings with it sorrow, anxiety and fear. But with the good news of our salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord, the thought of going to the tomb brings with it joy, peace and confidence! So we can say with boldness: “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:55-57) Amen!

Dear “followers” of our Lord Jesus Christ,

During this Lenten season, we have followed our Lord and Savior from Galilee to Judea, to the Upper Room in Jerusalem, to the Garden of Gethsemane, to Caiaphas the High Priest, to Pilate the governor of Judea and NOW to Golgotha. Having gone “this far” (this many Wednesdays) with Jesus, our sinful nature may lead us to boast about what great Christians we are, for even Jesus’ disciples deserted Him in His hour of need.

Then again, other Christians around the world may be boasting that their faith in Jesus is stronger than ours. They may boast, for example, that they made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to retrace (the 14 points of) Jesus’ path from Pilate to Golgotha on the well-known street called “Via Dolorosa”. They may boast that they actually touched and kissed the exact places where Jesus fell under the weight of His cross.

But dear friends, the whole reason for following our Lord and Savior to the cross and to the empty tomb this Lenten Season is NOT to earn merits with God. It is to learn again the full extent of Jesus’ love for us, unworthy sinners. It is to learn again that it was because of our sins that Jesus had to suffer and die. It is to learn again that in Jesus alone there is forgiveness and eternal life.

So the Lord reminds us this evening, on the final leg of His journey, of what it means to be His disciple. He tells us, “If you follow Me … 1) you will need to take up your cross and 2) you will need to repent of your sins.” God’s Word for our consideration this evening is recorded by the Evangelist Luke, chapter 23, verses 26-31.

As they led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. 27 A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. 28 Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30 Then “‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”’ 31 For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

How strange it is to our ears to hear that our Lord Jesus didn’t even have the strength to carry His cross to Calvary! Just imagine! This same man, who had healed the blind, who had fed the more than 5,000 with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, and who had raised Lazarus from the dead, could not even handle the full weight of this piece of wood (which He Himself had created)!

We clearly see from this that Jesus was like us in every way! Like us, He was hungry and thirsty. Like us He wept and was troubled. Like us He grew weak and tired. Having been kept awake all night by the unjust trials of the high priest and the Sanhedrin, having been beaten and flogged by His enemies, Jesus was now physically unable to go any further with His cross. Indeed Jesus was like us in every way, EXCEPT He was without sin.

The Roman soldiers wanted to get this over as quickly as possible. Led by the centurion, Jesus was led to Golgotha, the place of the Skull. When Jesus couldn’t go on, the soldiers “recruited” a man from the crowd who was looking on. His name was Simon. Evidently, Simon had come had come to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration. He had come all the way from Cyrene, a city in Libya, which was 800 miles away. By foot or by animal, that trip alone would have taken him weeks to carry out.

Yet now Simon was being forced to carry the cross of a “criminal”. In addition to that, because he had now touched Jesus’ blood-stained cross, Simon would have become spiritually “unclean” – unable to join the rest of the Jews in celebrating the Passover. Just imagine how disappointed Simon initially would have been to be forced to do this for Jesus and to sacrifice his joyous celebration of the Passover on account of HIM!

But this event most likely brought about a wonderful change in Simon’s life. We come to that conclusion based on the fact that the Gospel-writer Mark identifies Simon as the “father of Alexander and Rufus” (Mark 15:21). We note that, some time later, the apostle Paul, in his letter to the church in Rome, sent his greetings to Rufus and to his mother (Romans 16:13). Evidently Simon from Cyrene not only took Jesus’ cross to the top of Mount Calvary, but he also stayed around and watched Jesus suffer and die. Having heard Jesus’ words (spoken on the way to His death and spoken from the cross) Simon could see that Jesus was his Savior from sin. He could see that although Jesus did not have the strength to carry His cross, Jesus had taken on Himself the greater weight – a weight that no one could carry – the sins of the whole world.

Dear friends, the Lord Jesus doesn’t hide from us that following Him will come with hardships and difficulties. He says, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). He also says, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26-27).

Following Jesus means putting Him and His will first in our lives; expecting to be hated and ridiculed, just as Jesus was. Following Jesus means that we “must go through many hardships to enter into the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). But that’s something that our sinful nature doesn’t want to hear. As crosses are placed on us by God’s enemies, our flesh grumbles and complains. Our sinful nature causes us to ask, “Why do I have to suffer so many hardships, while other Christians have life so easy? Why do I have so many health problems, so many problems with my family, so many problems with my finances? Why hasn’t God blessed me with as much wealth OR with as much wisdom OR strength OR abilities OR with as many children (OR whatever) as He has given to others?” Having such “crosses” placed on us, our weak and sinful flesh accuses God of being unjust!

But even these “crosses” are given to us for our good. Through our crosses, the Lord reminds us to “let go” of this world and to not put our trust in ourselves or in others or in our possessions to save us. Our crosses are God’s way of teaching us to look to heaven and to our eternal treasure which Jesus has won for us by His suffering and death on the cross. Led by the Holy Spirit, the new man in us acknowledges that our crosses serve a good purpose. Through God’s Word our eyes are made to see that hardships serve to test and strengthen our faith in Jesus. Strengthened by the good news of our salvation in Christ, we consider it a privilege to suffer on account of our faith and to serve God both in times of peace and prosperity and in times of persecution and poverty.

So as we have seen our Lord and Savior go the way of the cross, by the power of the Holy Spirit we will take up our crosses and follow Him. We will trust in the Lord that He will use our hardships for our good. And as we follow our Savior, we also will repent of our sins, confessing that it was because of us that Jesus was put to death on the cross.

As Jesus was led out of Jerusalem by the Roman soldiers, a large crowd gathered to look on. Quite the contrast from Palm Sunday! Remember how the people paved the way with their outer garments and palm branches as if Jesus were a great King? Remember how they shouted out their praises, saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” (Matthew 21:9)? But now the people look on without any words of praise, without any words to support Him or encourage Him. Their hopes have been dashed as their King now is led away as a common criminal. All they can do is mourn for Him, sympathizing that this man was being unjustly treated – and of all days, on the Passover!

It was then that Jesus addressed the crowd. Unable to carry His cross, Jesus made a determined effort to speak one more time, to God’s chosen nation. He said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children” (v. 28). Jesus didn’t want people’s sympathy. He wanted them to realize that it was their sins that were putting Him to death. He wanted them to repent of their sins and to turn to the LORD for forgiveness so that they could be saved from eternal death in hell.

Jesus warned the people that a time of Judgment was coming. Because of their stubborn unbelief, God was going to punish those who rejected His Son, who said, “Let His blood be on us and on our children”. Jesus said, “The time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’” (v. 29). Some 40 years later, in the year 70 A.D., that terrible day of judgment came upon Jerusalem. On the Passover, the Roman soldiers, led by Nero’s son, besieged Jerusalem for 143 days. After many people died of starvation, the Roman army entered Jerusalem and massacred hundreds of thousands of people. Indeed, in the face of such judgment, the people of Jerusalem would have wished that the mountains had fallen them and covered them, sparing them the cruel wrath of their enemies (v. 30).

In response to those who mourned for Him, Jesus closed by saying, “if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?” (v. 31). In other words, Jesus was saying that even though in Him was Life and Light, He was treated with such contempt by His enemies because this was the will of God. God His Father was placing the sins of the whole world on HIm. That is why the Lord Jesus would later cry out from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” This Jesus had to do in order to save all people from their sins.

Now if the world did that to Jesus – a green tree – in whom was the Life of all people, what will God do to those who are dead in their sins, who are like dried-up and withered branches because they are not in the vine, Jesus Christ, God’s Son? On the Last Day, the Lord will gather them up and will throw them into the fires of hell. The wrath of God will consume them for all eternity. They will endure the full punishment of their sins because they have not repented and believed in Jesus their Savior.

So the Lord speaks earnestly to our hearts this evening. He doesn’t simply want our sympathy. He wants us to see all of our sins according to God’s Law and to confess that it is because of us that Jesus went to the cross. He wants us, with a broken and contrite heart, to repent of our sins and to turn from our evil ways. By the power of His Spirit, He wants us to “go and sin no more”. In the hope of our salvation and forgiveness, He wants us to “go and feed His sheep and lambs”.

Christ our Good Shepherd calls us through His Word and Sacraments. He offers us the Living Water and restores our souls with the good news of our forgiveness. With His Law, our Lord convicts us and condemns us, reminding us that all have sinned and that the wages of sin is death. He pricks our consciences so that our knees tremble with fear and so we ask, “What must I do to appease my God?” But, then, with His Gospel, the Lord Jesus speaks to our hearts and gives us rest for our souls. He fills our hearts with joy and peace and leads us to ask, in humble willingness to serve, “What can I do to honor you, my Lord?”

Thanks be to our Savior Jesus, who on the final leg of this journey, reminds us that it was our sins that nailed Him to the cross. He did this because He doesn’t want any of us to perish. He wants all people to come to repentance and to the knowledge of the Truth. He therefore reminds us this evening that in HIM alone we have LIFE! In HIM, we are like trees planted near streams of water. In HIM, we bear much fruit! Apart from HIM, we can do nothing! Apart from HIM, there is no salvation.

Dear friends, let us, with the power of God’s Holy Spirit follow our Lord and Savior all our days. Let us grow in the knowledge of God’s grace through His Word and Sacraments so that we can carry our crosses and honor our Savior. Let us also pray that through His Word and Sacraments, the Lord will give us a truly penitent heart so that we will confess our sins, honor Him with godly living, and humbly trust in Jesus alone for our forgiveness. God is faithful! He will do this! Amen.

“… if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:1-2). AMEN.