Warning: Humble Yourself!

Sermon preached at Our Savior on 9/5/10 for the 15th Sunday after Pentecost. Sermon text: Luke 14:1,7-14

Wow! It's you! I can't believe you're all here! I mean, I've seen some great people in my life, but none of them compare to you. You're literally the smartest, most skilled, strongest, most beautiful group of people that I've ever seen in my life. You can do absolutely anything you want to do, and you came here! I mean, wow. It's amazing. I'm so honored!

Ok. You're probably starting to think, "What does this guy want?" My goal really wasn't to butter you up; I wanted to make a point. It's probably pretty unusual for someone to give you compliments like that. Not just to tell you you're pretty good at something, but the best -- the best at everything! It's enough to make you suspicious or make you think the person saying it has gone a little bit nuts.

But imagine that nobody's telling you that you're the best and great at everything. Imagine that's what you think about yourself. Everywhere you go, you know you're the best. Everyone you meet, you know you're better. No one could have an idea more intelligent than yours. No one can do anything that you couldn't outperform them. You really are the best, and you know it.

Maybe you know a few people who act like that. They're arrogant, they think they know everything, and they're usually not too fun to be around. Thankfully, very few people as arrogant as I've described. But, even if we don't have that kind of arrogance, do we have true humility?

Humility is a very important trait to have. It means you don't think of yourself too highly. It means you put the needs of others ahead of your own. It means you don't rely on your skills and abilities. You don't assume they're better. Instead you look for something better to come outside of yourself.

We need to be humble spiritually. Jesus warns us of that in our text. We need to be spiritually humble enough to realize there is nothing in us that should make God love us. We have done nothing to deserve God's love, his gifts, his eternal salvation. In fact, we deserve the opposite. But being spiritually humble also means we recognize the great things that Jesus Christ has done for us. He paid for our sins. He was perfect in our place. He has given us his forgiveness, his life, his salvation. And he didn't give those things to us because we were so great, but because he is. Realizing that makes you spiritually humble. That's the point that Jesus makes in the events of our text.

He's kind of in a potentially awkward social situation here in Luke's Gospel. One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. (Lk. 14:1) The Pharisees, you might remember, were highly respected people in Jewish society at this time. People listened to them and revered them. And they loved it. For the most part, though, they did not love Jesus. He was a challenge to them. He often spoke against them. And they were looking for a way to take him down.

But here in our text, Jesus turns the tables on them a bit. They're watching him to trap him in something, but he ends up watching them. He noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table. (Lk. 14:7) It's hard to put ourselves in this exact social situation. But apparently where someone sat at a dinner party showed what status they had. Jesus saw that most of the Pharisees he was eating with wanted the best spots. Like little kids rushing to be first in line for snacks, these grown men tried to get the places of honor. They were not being humble.

So Jesus called them on it and told a parable. When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, 'Give this man your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. (Lk. 14:8-9)

Again, it's a little hard for us to imagine this exact situation in our culture today. But this might help: imagine that you're at a wedding reception. You want the best spot available to eat the dinner when you get there. So you go to a really nice looking table and sit down. Imagine your embarrassment when the groom taps you on the shoulder and says, "Um, this is the head table. The wedding party needs to sit here. You have to move."

The not-so-humble attitude of wanting to sit in the best place can lead to embarrassment and trouble. Jesus is warning us to have a humble attitude. He warns us that bad things tend to happen with an arrogant attitude, but blessings come with humility. As he put it, Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. (Lk. 14:11)

I want you all to understand something here. Jesus did not speak this parable so that we could learn better wedding reception etiquette. His main goal was not that we act in a humble way to avoid social embarrassment. Like so many of his parables, Jesus was using common stories to illustrate spiritual truths. He wasn't warning us to make sure we stay humble at parties. He was warning us to make sure we stay humble before our God.

We tend to think that it's good to be at least a little bit proud. We want people to have high self-esteem, right? We don't want people moping around feeling sorry for themselves, like they're no good at anything. A little bit of self-confidence can help people in life, whereas constant humility can be self-defeating.

In the same way, we like to be self-sufficient, don't we? Many of us don't like the idea of accepting charity from others. We want to do it ourselves! We're in the USA, after all; we can do anything we put our minds to. Why bother being humble when we know how good we really are.

Those things are all true to a certain extent. But make no mistake: you've got nothing to be proud of before God. He has commanded perfection of you, 100% of the time. Have you delivered? God demands that you not only don't do anything wrong, but that you do everything right. Every temptation you need to avoid, every person in need you need to help, or you have fallen short of God's demands. Falling short of God's demands doesn't bring rewards; it brings punishment.

In the same way, if you're so proud that you won't accept any charity from anyone, not even from God himself, what are you left with? You're left with your own record. Your own sins. Your own mistakes that only bring death and hell forever. Jesus is telling you: take this warning! Humble yourselves! Recognize that you can't be proud before your heavenly Father!

Instead, humble yourself. The book of Philippians puts it best. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death -- even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:5-8)

Jesus is the only human being to truly live up to these standards. He obeyed his heavenly Father perfectly -- even though he himself is true God. He came to us in humility. And what grace that his humility is what rescues us from our arrogance! What undeserved love of God that Jesus' perfection is what rescues us from our sins!

Our sins condemned us, but Jesus rescued us. Our sins humble us, but Jesus lifts us up. He doesn't do this because there is anything good in us; he does it only because he loves us! Do you see what a Savior we have? He didn't come to teach us party rules; he came to save us. And he did. He gave us more than we could ever ask or imagine.

That's why we can put aside our pride. That's why, by the faith God has given us, we want to live in humility before God. That's why we want to humbly serve God in everything we do in our lives. The humble attitude our God works in us by the love of his Son is bound to show itself in humble actions in our lives.

Of course, in this sinful world, we'll be tempted to be arrogant and proud even in the actions and good things we do. Jesus warned about this too. He said that if you throw a dinner-party, Do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. (Lk. 14:12-14)

Again, Jesus' main point here isn't telling us that we should all throw parties and invite poor and crippled people, or that having a dinner with your family is bad. No, again, he's making a spiritual application for us with a real world example. He's telling us that our actions aren't supposed to be looking for earthly gain.

Don't do people favors so that they'll do one for you in return. Don't help someone so that you will be recognized as some great person. Don't give your time, your talents, or your treasures so that you will get some recognition for it. Give out of love for what God has done for you. Serve, because Jesus served you with his life, death, and resurrection. That's what matters. Not the stuff of this world, but the glory of eternity that Jesus won for us.

When we continue to grow in God's Word and Sacrament, God is going to strengthen us to live like this. Focusing on our Savior's humble self-giving love for us moves us to love him and serve those around us! Jesus saw our humble state. He knew that our sins would shut us out of eternal life forever. So he fixed it. In humility, he saved us. He won us blessings now and heaven forever. Focus on that. Live for him.

Warning: Narrow Door!

Sermon preached at Our Savior for the 14th Sunday after Pentecost on Sunday, August 29, 2010. Sermon text: Luke 13:22-30

The city of Quito, Ecuador is very big, it is very old, and it is filled with big, old churches. I got the opportunity to tour some of them, but none of them were as impressive as the basilica. This huge, neogothic cathedral took nearly 100 years to build. It's filled with sculptures and gargoyles, and two huge clock-towers reach a height of nearly 400 feet in the air.

But none of that is really the best part of the basilica. The best part is found when you go deep inside and start climbing the stairs. There are so many stairs. And as you go up and up, the stairs get smaller and smaller. The doorways and passages that you go through get pretty tight, and it can be a struggle to fit yourself through. But when you finally do, when you finally find yourself going outside, it's all worth it. Because you go outside right near the top of one of the clock towers. And from there you don't just get a good look at the basilica, you can see the entire city and the mountains surrounding it. It's one of the most beautiful views in the entire city. It took some work to go through those narrow spaces, but it was all worth when I got to that view.

But that view pales in comparison to what we will see in heaven, in the eternal life that Jesus our Savior won for us. That won't be just a view, that'll be the end of all troubles, all pain. There God will wipe every tear from our eyes as he gives us all the good things that his Son won for us.  There we will have perfect joy and peace forever.

But here's the thing. We're not there yet. For now, we are still living in this sinful, painful, trouble-filled world. And Jesus, our Savior, gives us a warning. He says that there is a narrow door to get to heaven. Many people will want to get through this door, but not everybody will. But those who do will sit at the feast in God's heavenly kingdom forever. So let's listen to Jesus' warning. And let's make every effort to go through the narrow door.

Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, "Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?" (Lk. 13:22-23) Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, where he would be arrested, tortured, and crucified. But as you know, he didn't just get on a plane or a greyhound bus to get there. It was a long journey, and Jesus didn't spend his time just traveling. He taught. He preached his good news in every little village and town he came to. And he took every opportunity to answer questions that people gave him.

This was one of them. "Are only a few people going to be saved?" It's a question quite a few people have today. Many today would probably prefer to answer that everyone will be saved no matter what. But that's not what the Bible says. And it's not what Jesus says in our text, either. He doesn't directly answer the question this person asked, but he does give us all a warning about entering eternal life.

He said to them, "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to." (Lk. 13:24) Jesus makes it clear to us. Not everyone will make it through the narrow door to heaven. In fact many will try and fail. So make every effort to enter through the narrow door.

This is a scary thought, isn't it? And if this little text we're using today from Luke was the only part we had of the entire Bible, we might get the wrong idea from it. We might think, "Well, we've got to make every effort to go through the narrow door. That means we have to try really hard to get to heaven. We've got to do lots of good works, lots of good things, to get God to accept us, and then and only then will he let us into heaven."

But that's not how it works. The rest of the Bible makes it pretty clear. The Apostle Paul said that all our works and accomplishments were like garbage compared to knowing Jesus. He said he considered everything worthless that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ -- the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. (Philippians 3:8-9) Paul knew that you don't get into heaven because you were so good. You get there because Jesus was so good for you, by faith!

Think about it this way. I mentioned earlier how I climbed to the top of a clock tower in a big cathedral. What if I tried to do that wearing a huge backpack, dragging a couple of suitcases, and trying to balance a stack of books in my arms? It'd be hard to walk down the street like that, but it'd be impossible to fit through the narrow stairways and passages to get to the top of that tower.

Well, it's impossible to get to heaven with your good deeds, your accomplishments, with all the things you've done in your life. You can't do it! You'll never get through the narrow door with what you've done -- I mean the worst stuff you've done and the best stuff. None of it! Only Jesus can get you through. He alone is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. (John 14:6) As we read in the book of Titus, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. (Titus 3:5)

We get to heaven because of Jesus Christ, not because of us. That's how we get through the narrow door! But still, many will not get through. So it's good for us to remind ourselves why many won't get through so we can really take Jesus' warning to heart.

Listen to the vivid story Jesus told to the people in our text. Make every effort to enter through the narrow door...Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.' "But he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from.' (Lk. 13:24-25)

It makes sense when you remember how we get into the door. By faith! By trusting in Jesus for our salvation -- the faith that God gives us by his Holy Spirit by Word and Sacrament. The people who don't get in the door don't know Jesus. They don't believe in him.

They might think they know Jesus. Then you will say, 'We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.' But he will reply, 'I don't know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!' (Lk. 13:26-27) Thinking Jesus is a great teacher isn't enough. Believing in Jesus for a while and then falling away isn't going to cut it. If the end of the world comes, and you don't have faith in Jesus as your one and only way to heaven you will be lost forever.

Jesus' description of hell is sad. There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. (Lk. 13:28) How sad to be stuck outside the door, to be locked out of eternal life. How sad to finally know the truth, that Jesus is the one and only Savior, but to know it too late. That's how it will be for many people, Jesus tells us.

There's a name for the time we have in our lives: it's called our time of grace. It's the time that God gives us to be brought to faith in his Son our Savior. Listen to Jesus' warning. Use your time of grace. Make every effort to go through the narrow door!

How do you do that? By staying connected to God's power for you, by staying connected to the means of grace. Continue to remember your baptism, where the Triune God put his name on you and made you his own. That baptism is still powerful for you today!

Continue to grow in God's Word! It's not just an interesting collection of stories; it gives us life! The Holy Spirit uses the message of Jesus to create and maintain saving faith in our hearts. Grow in that Word! Study it! Read it! Hear it! Live it out in everything you do in your lives! Come to the Lord's table when we have the Lord's Supper, not because the people around you are doing it, but because Jesus is there! He's there to give you his body and blood! He's there to give you forgiveness, life, and salvation!

Yes, friends, your time of grace is now! Don't get distracted by the things of this world, by the temptations and stuff and doubts that want to pull us away from our Savior. Stay in the Word and sacraments! Jesus said, People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. Jesus came so you would be one of those people! So look to him! Go to the narrow door! You don't need anything of your own. You just need your Savior.

 

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Warning: Division Ahead!

Sermon preached at Our Savior for the 13th Sunday after Pentecost on August 22, 2010. Sermon text: Luke 12:49-53

We're coming to the time of year where great struggles happen every week. Where two groups of people divide themselves against each other for a few hours. You probably know it as football season. The pre-season has started in the NFL, and people are getting geared up for another year, everyone hoping that their team has the best year possible.

Around here, of course, most people are Bills fans. When you've got a lot of Bills fans together, and then a Dolphins fan walks in, what happens? Division. Anger at the rival. I know a dolphin fan who went to a Bills game and did not get a very good reception.

In Minnesota where I'm from, though, we're Vikings fans. At least, a lot of us are. You see, the Vikings biggest rival is pretty close by, just over in Green Bay, the Packers. Because they're so close, it's common for there to be lots of Packers fans around all the time -- lots of chances for division to occur. I used to go to a church where the pastor was a Vikings fan and the pastor's wife was a Packers fan. So you have division even within a family.

Of course, this kind of division is usually just in good fun. But division can be a lot more serious than football. In our text for today, Jesus warns about the serious divisions that can happen -- even within families -- between those those who believe in and follow Jesus, and those who don't. As Jesus began his warning from Luke's gospel, we might be a bit surprised at what he had to say.

He said, I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! (Lk. 12:47) What could this fire be, and why did Jesus want it to happen? We usually think of fire as a destructive and painful force. Of course, when someone is really on a roll and things are going well, sometimes we say that they're "on fire." So it could be a good thing, too.

So, was Jesus' fire going to be a good thing or a bad thing? Well, that depends. For some, Jesus' fire is a good thing, for others, it's not good at all. We'll look at that more later. But notice here in our text that Jesus said the fire he came to bring couldn't really happen until he did something else. So before we figure out what the fire was, let's see what Jesus needed to do to start it.

He said, But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed! (Lk. 12:50) So, Jesus couldn't kindle his fire until he went through a baptism. This seems strange. Jesus had already been baptized by John the Baptist. (Lk. 3:21) So what baptism is he talking about now? And why would he be distressed about it?

We get a clue about this in the gospel of Mark. There, a couple of Jesus' disciples approached him and said they wanted to have places of honor in Jesus' kingdom; they wanted to sit and Jesus' left and right. (Mk. 10:37) They didn't know what they were asking. They thought Jesus would have an earthly kingdom; they didn't realize he had a heavenly kingdom and that there was still a lot of suffering and difficulty to come. Listen to how Jesus answered them. Can you drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with? (Mk. 10:38)

In a similar way, when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, he kept praying so hard that his sweat was like drops of blood. (Lk. 22:44) He kept asking his heavenly Father, Take this cup from me. (Lk. 22:42) He was worried and anxious about his upcoming suffering and death.

That's what Jesus was talking about in our text by his "baptism." He knew the cross was coming! He knew he'd be arrested, beaten, mocked, whipped, and nailed to a cross. He knew that far greater than the physical pain he was going to undergo would be the spiritual pain of hell itself, of being separated from his heavenly Father as he paid the full price for the sins of all mankind. We can't imagine the torment and pain of body, mind, and soul that Jesus would be facing! But he knew! He is true God and true man. He knew perfectly well what was going to happen. He knew it would not be pleasant. No wonder he was distressed about it!

But he knew all the pain and suffering was necessary so that he could light his fire in this world. His fire was going to have a huge impact on absolutely every person in this world. Think about it this way: you're at a crowded movie theater and someone yells, "Fire!" But you look around, and you don't see fire or smell fire. Do you believe the person? The people who believe him will probably be thankful that he warned everyone of the fire. The people who don't believe him will probably hate him for ruining their movie.

That's kind of like Jesus' fire. His death on the cross is a proclamation to the world. His death says, this punishment should've been yours, but Jesus took it for you! He has rescued you from the fire that will one day destroy this world! Look to Jesus alone for eternal life! Trust him, and you will live! The people who believe in Jesus love him! They treasure him as their only hope; they look to him for all they need. But those who don't believe in him think he's worthless, a waste of time, and that everyone who believes in him couldn't be very smart.

Either you are with Jesus, or you are against him. Either you trust him and him alone for your salvation, or you're planning on taking your chances on your own. When you realize this, it makes sense that there would be division in our world because of Jesus.

He said, Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.  (Lk. 12:51) Yes, Jesus did come to bring peace, but it wasn't peace between every person here on earth. No, on earth the people who don't believe in Jesus will be divided against those who do.

Jesus is giving us a warning! There is division ahead for you in your lives! If you are a Christian, you will face division! So, are you ready?

Sure, we know that division is out there, that there are some people who hate us because we're Christians. We know that in some countries far, far, away, people still get killed simply because they confess Jesus as their Savior. We're aware of that, but at the same time, we're probably not too worried about it. Unless we travel to one of those far away countries, the odds aren't too good that we'll be attacked. 

But that's not the kind of division Jesus warns us about! Listen to Jesus' specific warning to you and me about the division in our lives. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law, daughter-in-law against mother-in law. (Lk. 12:52-53)

The division and anger over Jesus Christ is not just from people we'll never meet in countries we'll never visit. It's in your family. Your mom or dad or sons or daughters or sisters or brothers. Jesus didn't mean that every single family would be like this. There may be some families in which every member has and keeps a strong Christian faith for life.

But as you look at your families, you probably won't have to go too far to find examples of this division. You see it in your families and people close to you. The question is, what are you going to do about it? Do you ignore the difference? Pretend the problem doesn't exist? Change the subject whenever religion comes up? Finally that's just not going to cut it. At the end of the day it's a sinful way to act, for a couple of reasons.

First of all, it's not showing love to those family members. If you never engage those closest to you about the most important relationship in your life, the one with your Savior, what are you communicating to them? You're saying Jesus doesn't matter. You're saying religious preference is just a preference and the important thing is just to get along. You're missing opportunities to lay before them the love of your Savior who died for them and wants them to come to a knowledge of the truth. If you won't talk to them about their Savior, who will?

Secondly, ignoring the problem is not showing love to your God. When you don't speak up about what your Lord has done, you're essentially communicating that you're ashamed of him. You're showing that the true and holy God is not number one in your heart, but you are, just because you don't want to have an uncomfortable conversation. Doesn't God hate sins like that? Doesn't he have every right to?

And don't think that you yourself are not in danger as you ignore the problem. You can become so comfortable with not talking about it, so comfortable not offending your loved ones, that before you know it Jesus has become offensive to you. Without realizing it you can forfeit your faith and throw it all away. And then, when the real fire at the end of the world comes, what refuge will you have left?

We must confess that at times we've been ashamed of our Savior. But we must rejoice that Jesus was never ashamed of us. He stood up for us, took the punishment we owed, died the eternal death we should've died, paid the price we could never afford. Jesus Christ lived and died and rose again to throw away your sin. He went through the baptism of suffering and death for you. And in your baptism he connected you to his suffering and death forever.

Give thanks! Jesus came into a world that was divided against him, and he draws us to himself in love. He gives us full and free forgiveness. Believe it! Trust him! Look to him now and forever for life and salvation!

Yes, division will come. It will be in your own family. That doesn't mean you should push your family away and shun them. No, show them the highest form of love you can. Tell them about the Savior who loved you so much. Show them the cross where Jesus died for them, too. Point to the waters of your baptism (or their baptism) where God put his name on you. Remind them of all the blessings in Christ. Invite them to trust him. You never know what God can do; it's more than you could ever ask or imagine.

Jesus laid out the warning sign for you. Division is ahead! Be ready for it! When you see division in your life, in your family, don't take that to mean that God doesn't love you. Take that as your chance to rejoice in Christ's love. Rejoice in the cross. Drink in the bread of life in Word and Sacrament and grow in the faith the Holy Spirit has given you! And don't be afraid to point your loved ones divided against you to that same Triune God. He loves them, too. People may change, families may fight, troubles may come. But we have a God and Savior who has overcome this world and has given us the next.

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Wake Up!

Sermon preached at Our Savior on August 15, 2010 for the 12th Sunday after Pentecost. Sermon text: Revelation 3:1-6

American author Mark Twain is famous for having a lot of memorable quotes. One of my favorites goes something like this: "The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated." Mark Twain was usually pretty funny, and when he said the reports of his death had been exaggerated, that was his own unique way of saying that he was alive. Maybe there were people out there who thought he had died, but they were wrong. At the time he made that quote, he was very much alive.

Unfortunately, that quote can be changed around a little bit and applied to the people right here in this church today. This version of the quote is a little less funny: "The reports of your life have been greatly exaggerated." You all look alive. Your smiling faces. Your attendance here at church today. The movements you make. The words you spoke before the service and whispered during it.  The signs all point to your being alive. But you're not.

There is death here today at Our Savior Lutheran Church. I don't mean physical death; I can see that you're really all physically alive. I mean something far more deadly, far more dangerous. You have been infected with a spiritual plague, a spiritual disease: spiritual death. You can't see it with your eyes. For all intents and purposes everyone here, myself included, look like there is nothing wrong. Just a group of the faithful attending a church service. But things are not as they appear. There is death in this room.

Normally, death means the end. It means the battle's over. It means there's no more hope. But that's not how it is with Jesus. With our Savior Jesus Christ, death is never the end. There is always hope. Because he is the life.

In the book of Revelation we see letters that Jesus himself wrote to seven churches. Jesus dictated the letters to the Apostle John in John's vision that takes up the entire book of Revelation. The letter we're looking at today was written to the Christian church in the city of Sardis in the modern country of Turkey.

The book of Revelation can be kind of intimidating. There is lots of figurative language and strange imagery all over the place. It's very easy to read a little bit of Revelation only to say: "I just don't get it." The beginning of our text might make you feel that way. To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. (Rev. 3:1)

It doesn't need to be confusing, though. The angel of the church is another way of talking about the church's pastor. Jesus wrote a message to the pastors of seven churches in Revelation, and he explained elsewhere that the seven stars are also the pastors of those churches. The seven spirits of God is another way of saying the Holy Spirit. Jesus just meant that he is closely connected to the Holy Spirit, which makes sense because they are both persons in the Triune God. The point is clear: God had a special message for these churches.

Jesus didn't mince words in this message. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. (Rev. 3:1) Jesus was telling this church in Sardis, "You think you're alive, huh? Other people seem to think you're alive, too. Well, I've got news for you. You're not." And then Jesus went on: Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. (Rev. 3:2)

It might sound like Jesus gave some mixed signals here. First he says, "You're dead." Then he says, "Wake up!" Dead people aren't supposed to be able to wake up. But remember, this is Jesus we're talking about. He didn't stay dead. He rose. He's the one who said, I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. (Jn. 5:25) In him, death isn't the end.

But what did he mean when he said the people of that church in Sardis were dead? What did I mean when I said that death was here in this church this morning? Sure, Jesus wasn't talking about our church specifically, but as I look at myself, I know it's true. As you look at yourself, chances are you will see the same thing.

You have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. (Rev. 3:1) What's it take for a church to look like it's alive? Well, there have to be people going there. Here you all are today! There have to be things going on and meetings and activities and budgets and offerings, and sure, we've got all of those things.

But all those activities, the meetings, the budgets, the church services, the hymns, the prayers, they are worth absolutely nothing if they don't flow from a living faith. "But wait," you say. "Church services are good! Helping out the church is good! How can you say they're worthless?" It doesn't matter what you do, how great it looks, how faithful it seems, if it does not flow from a living faith it is worthless and dead.

Is coming to church just a habit you got into? Is it something that you feel you should probably do, because God likes it? Do you want to live a good life and do good things, because that's what you're supposed to do? Or are you just going through the motions? You say the prayers and the creed. You sing the hymns. You might even say church is important, maybe that God, that Jesus, is important. But you have to think twice when asked why it's important. You forget what you heard in church just as soon as the service is done. You go through the motions, and it doesn't even bother you all that much.

We all might feel this way to a different degree at different times in our lives, but I'd be surprised if you never felt this way. And it's a dangerous way to be. Jesus gave a stern warning about this apathetic attitude that we can all to easily have. He said, Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. (Rev. 3:3)

Wake up! Are you just going through the motions in your faith? That's a sin. That's a real sin that brings death! Wake up! Continuing in that sin means that your faith will eventually be snuffed out. You can't just keep on going like everything is okay. It's not. And if it continues, Jesus says, when he comes again like a thief in the night, when all of a sudden your time of grace is over and you are caught faithless, asleep, dead in sins -- it will be too late. You will be lost. Wake up!

Wake up, because it's not too late now. Wake up, because your Savior is still calling out to you in love today. He said, Remember...what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. (Rev. 3:3) Wake up and remember that even though your sins are real, your Savior is just as real! Put your sins behind you. Confess to your Savior your careless attitude toward him. Confess the times you just haven't cared. And guess what? His forgiveness is free and full!

Jesus lived in this world, not half-heartedly, not going-through-motions. He did everything to obey his heavenly Father's will. He did everything to win your salvation. And that's what he did. All the way to his death, even death on a cross. He conquered death forever. He has conquered the spiritual death that might even have its grips on you.

So what do you have to do to wake up? What do you have to do to make sure that spiritual death doesn't keep its grip on you? That's just it. It's not about what you do; it never was. It's about what Jesus has done for you. He is the one who makes the dead alive; they don't do it themselves.

Jesus gives us life in the means of grace that he has given us. God's Word is not a book that gets read once in a while at church and nothing else. No! It's a source of life! God comes to you in his Word to fill you up and convince you that Jesus paid for your sins unconditionally, that your salvation has been guaranteed free of charge, your eternity in heaven has been bought and paid for.

So wake up! Run to God's Word. Don't listen to it in church as if it were like something in a museum: you know, something really old that a few people find interesting. No! It's your source of life. It's the life preserver that God has thrown to a whole world drowning in sin. Take comfort in it! Hear it! Keep it as the most important thing, something you want to study, something that you can't get enough of.

Wake up! Remember your baptism! Remember that it's not just some event that happened a long time ago where your family took a few pictures. It was so much more. The Bible says that all of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ. (Gal. 3:27) In your baptism Jesus clothed you with himself, with his perfection, with his life; he made it yours! Take comfort in your baptism. Wake up! When the devil tells you you're no good, when you fall into sin, when you wonder how you can go on, remember that you have been baptized, so you have been saved.

Wake up! Look to the Lord's Supper. Don't think of the days we take it as the Sundays where church lasts a little longer. Look at it for what it is: another chance for Jesus to come to us with his sweet, free, forgiveness, a chance to taste and see that the Lord is good. And if you're not confirmed yet or you're not a member who can take communion with us, look forward to the time when you can! Take every opportunity to grow in your faith and hunger and thirst for your Savior's love. Wake up!

Jesus' picture in our text is talking about you: He who overcomes will...be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. (Rev. 3:5) Those aren't things that you can do; they're what Jesus has done. He has clothed you in white and given you his perfection. He has acknowledged your name. His love has bought and redeemed you. Wake up and rejoice in his love.

It is not too late. It is not over. In Christ, even the dead can live. So wake up! Repent of your sins. Hold onto the Word and Sacraments. And live in his love. Then all that's left to do is look forward to Jesus' final command. When Jesus returns like a thief and commands all to "wake up!" We and all believers can awake in joy through the life he has won us.

Get Rich! (toward God)

Sermon preached at Our Savior for the 11th Sunday after Pentecost on August 8, 2010. Sermon text: Luke 12:13-21

Have you ever seen the commercials that talk about working from home? "I made over $100,000 last year working from home, and it was so easy!" "I made $20,000 last month! Working from home was the best choice I ever made! "I was skeptical at first, but since I've started working from home, the money has been pouring in!"

I'm not saying these work-at-home jobs are good or bad. I don't know a thing about them. But I get what the appeal is. Anyone watching that commercial is supposed to think, I want as much money (and the stuff I can buy with money) as possible, this work-from-my-home job gets me money quickly and easily, and so I'll call the number and see if I can get some of that money for myself.

Money isn't a bad thing; we need it. We use it to buy things we need: food, clothing, and shelter. We use it to buy things we want: whatever we can think of, most of it could be ours...for a price. And that stuff, those possessions we have or that we want, they're not bad, either. In fact, they are gifts from God that he has given us to enjoy. We should give thanks for them and not feel bad about having them and enjoying them.

But how quickly those good things can take over our minds and hearts. All it takes is a split-second thought, the slightest desire, and those good things can turn into poison for our relationship with our God.  Those possessions, that stuff, that money -- or the desire to get more stuff or more money -- can take over our minds to such a degree that they become more important than almost anything else in our lives, including the God who created us, loved us, and bought us with his blood.

Jesus makes some strong statements about greed and possessions in our text from Luke's gospel. He gives us all a warning about how greed and the love of "stuff" in our lives can push God -- and our faith -- right out of our hearts. Instead, Jesus encourages us to focus not on our possessions and the greediness of our sinful hearts, but on the God who loved us and sent his one and only Son. So, go ahead, get rich! But not with possessions and money and "stuff." Get rich toward God.

God’s Grace Is No Laughing Matter

Sermon preached at Our Savior for the 10th Sunday after Pentecost on Sunday, August 1, 2010. Sermon text: Genesis 18:1-14

They say laughter is the best medicine. Do you think that's true? Laughter can definitely be a good. It's hard to think of many sounds better than the laughter of children. When you laugh, it just makes you feel better. The troubles and worries pressing on your mind seem a little bit lighter. Everything seems little bit better, a little more joyful, when you're laughing.

The Bible mentions that laughing will be a common occurrence in our lives. In Ecclesiastes it says there's a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance. (Ecc. 3:4) Even though there aren't any Bible verses that mention Jesus laughing, I'm sure he did. I like it when you see paintings of Jesus laughing; it's nice to see him with joy and a smile on his face and not always looking extra serious.

But I'm sure you all know that it's not always the right time for laughing. Kids, if you're being disciplined by a parent or teacher, do not start laughing. They will get very angry. Everyone else, if you're in court, and the prosecuting attorney is asking you very serious questions about where you were when a crime occurred, don't start laughing. It won't look good. And when God makes you a promise, when he comes to you with all his undeserved love for you, don't laugh it off. Don't treat it like it's not important. Don't refuse to believe it.

You might be thinking, "No! It wouldn't happen; I would never laugh in God's face!" But it happens. It happened in our text from Genesis today when Sarah laughed at God. And it could happen in your life, too. God has so many gifts of his grace that he constantly wants to give us. And when we don't think those gifts are important, or when we don't believe God could really give them to us, we might as well be laughing in his face. But God's grace is real! It's for you! He has done everything you need! You can always count on that. Because of that, God's grace is no laughing matter. He comes to visit us, and he keeps his promises.

Jesus Says, “Go!”

Sermon preached at Our Savior for the 7th Sunday after Pentecost on July 11, 2010. Sermon text: Luke 10:1-12,16

"On your marks! Get set! Go!" I'd imagine all of you know exactly what those words mean. A race is about to start! When you hear "On your marks!", the racers find the starting line. At "Get set!" the racers get down into their racing stance. Finally, all the energy and training those racers had is used as they start running the course, not stopping until they hit the finish-line.

That's kind of how it works on Sunday mornings, right? In the announcements after the service, I might announce some sort of project that the church has going on or some need we have at the moment. I won't say "On your marks! Get Set! Go!," but I might say words almost as energizing: "sign-up sheet." Then, when an usher is excusing the different rows it's like a race has begun; people practically sprint to that sign-up sheet. Sometimes you can hear them, "I want to clean the church next month!" "VBS?! Make sure to sign me and the whole family up for the entire week!" "No! The snack schedule is all filled up again!" Yes, it can be quite the sight. And when it's all over and the dust has settled, I quietly go and pick up all the full sign-up sheets and try to make sense of it all.

Maybe you're starting to sense that I'm telling a pretend story here. I'm not saying that sign-up sheets are the greatest thing ever; they're not. Usually, I'm more surprised when anyone has signed up for something than when no one does. Do we treat opportunities to serve our Savior -- not Our Savior the congregation, but our Savior Jesus Christ -- do we see those as opportunities? Do we see them as a great way to show our thanks? Or do we see them as a burden? Do we just hope someone else does it so we don't have to? Do we just ignore it and not give it a second thought?

Jesus gives a very simple command in our text for this morning: "Go!" (Lk. 10:3) He's not commanding the start of a race; he's sending people out to serve. And if the call to serve our Savior isn't appealing, or if we can always think of something better, it's time for us to reevaluate our priorities and change what we're doing. Fortunately, we have our Lord to help us with that. He leads us with his love. He motivates us with his forgiveness. And he sends us out with his message. So, the time for getting on your marks and getting set is over. Because Jesus says, "Go!"

Our text starts with Jesus laying out the mission for his followers. After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. (Lk. 10:1) Jesus was essentially sending out these 72 people to canvass the neighborhoods that he would be visiting next. In case you're wondering how Jesus found seventy-two people, you have to look back into the previous chapter of Luke.

There, Jesus was trying to get people to follow him; it was sort of his version of a sign-up sheet. But things didn't go well. Wouldn't you know it -- people had all sorts of excuses! They had this and that other thing to do. So finally Jesus gives them the bottom line. No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God. (Lk. 9:62)

As a Christian, serving your Savior is not an option. Jesus doesn't mince words here. When we refuse to serve him, no matter how long our list of excuses, that's a sin. That's a sin that cannot stand before God. And that's a sin that can only find forgiveness in Jesus himself, his blood, his death, and his resurrection. There, in the joy of his forgiveness, in the shadow of his cross, there we have the reason to serve, the motivation. We love because he first loved us. (1 Jn. 4:19)
So you think, OK, I want to serve, but what do I do? Where do I go? The story of our text shows us some good things to remember. Listen to Jesus' words to those who would be serving him. The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. (Lk. 10:2) When Jesus says, "Go!" you pray.

You pray because look at all the work there is to do! Think of this world we live in; think of how many people don't know their Savior. Think about how those who don't believe in him have rejected the salvation he won for all. It's overwhelming when you think about it. I don't care how motivated you are, you aren't going to be able to travel all over the world and reach everyone with the gospel.

And it's not much better when you look in our immediate area. Sure, there are a lot of churches here in Springville, or in the greater Buffalo area, but does that mean everyone's a Christian? How many people still don't believe in Jesus? How many people had believed but have fallen away, or are straying from their Savior and in grave spiritual danger? I don't think you have to look very far around you to find people like that. It's overwhelming. How could we ever reach them all? And then we look around at our congregation... It's a small group. The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

So, what do we do? We pray. Our heavenly Father knows the need around us. He knows it better than we do. He's the one in charge of this all. We pray to him. In fact, this is the way that everyone can listen to Jesus' call to "Go!" I don't care how old you are, what your physical abilities are, you can pray. And what a powerful thing that is! We get to approach God's own throne with our requests, and he's promised to hear us! So go! Pray!

Most of us will have lots of opportunities beyond our prayers, too. Jesus showed us this as he sent out the workers. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. (Lk. 10:3-4)

Jesus isn't shy in telling us that serving him can be dangerous. "Like lambs among wolves." Wolves eat lambs; it's dangerous to be a lamb. And we've seen time and again in God's Word the dangers and troubles we face as Christians. Our lives will not be easier because we are Christians; they may in fact be much more difficult.

So doesn't it strike you a bit odd that Jesus sends his sheep among the wolves, he sends his soldiers into the battle, with nothing! He tells them to bring nothing with them. Shouldn't they pack up everything they can think of? Shouldn't they be packing weapons, maps, strategies, psychological profiles of those wolves? Why would Jesus send them into danger completely defenseless and powerless?

He doesn't. And this is the second thing you need to remember. When Jesus says, "Go!", you go in his strength alone. When you know there's an opportunity to serve your Savior, what stops you? Think of some of the excuses that might come to your mind. "No one will listen to me." "They'll laugh at me." "I don't want people thinking I'm some sort of nut." "I won't know what to say." "I'll say something wrong and make everything worse."

To those excuses, Jesus says, "Go!" Go out and serve him, but don't worry, it won't be your strength, it will be his. His strength at work in you by the Holy Spirit through God's Word. One of the reasons we study the Bible is because there Jesus strengthens us, he prepares us and equips us to serve him. That's why we continue to go to the strength found at the Lord's Supper time and time again. Jesus wants to give us his strength to go!

When you go up to someone and tell them about Jesus, I'll tell you right now, you have absolutely no chance of convincing them to believe. No chance! But with Jesus' power, with the Holy Spirit working through the Word, people are brought to faith. Miracles do happen! The responsibility to do those miracles doesn't rest on you. It's Jesus' strength.

And when you come with Jesus' strength, remember what the message you speak really is. Jesus said in our text, When you enter a house, first say, 'Peace to this house.' If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. (Lk. 10:5-6) Of course, in this specific case, Jesus was having his workers go out and stay in people's homes. That's probably not going to be our goal most of the time as we serve our Savior. But there's still a principle here for us. When Jesus says, "Go!" you go with a message of peace.

That's what the gospel is. It's peace. Peace between us and God. The book of Romans tells us, Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Rom. 5:1) It's tempting when you talk with someone to get into an argument or to talk about what our church is against and all sorts of things like that. The most important message you have is peace. Jesus won us peace. He won us eternal life and forgiveness and salvation. That is your message.

And don't think you don't have the right to share it. You do. Jesus said it in our text. He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me. (Lk. 10:16) We might  not think it's any of our business to tell someone about their Savior. We might think they'll say, "Who gave you the right to tell me what to believe?" But remember, when Jesus says, "Go!" You go with his authority.

Spreading Jesus' message is spreading good news! It's news of peace, news of salvation! It's not your ideas; it wasn't your plan to share this. Jesus commanded it. He has sent you. And if someone doesn't like it, their problem is with Jesus, not with you. Remember that. Take comfort that you have the Savior and God of all behind you when you tell others about him.

So when you put it all together, it's clear. We need to go. We need to go and share our Savior's love. Now, that's going to look differently for different people. It doesn't mean you have to sign up on every sign-up sheet at church. Yes, there will be opportunities for you to serve here. But there will be many more opportunities in your everyday lives outside of this building.

You work with people. You have people in your family. You see people when you're out and about. That's your mission field. That's where God has placed you. And if God has placed you in a place where you can't go anywhere or talk to anyone, you can still pray. Yes, this is a mission for all of us.

So let's go! Let's go into this world with the good news of our Savior's love. Let's stop with the excuses and fears and the paralysis of sin. Instead, let's hear Jesus' command and go! Go  in prayer to your heavenly Father. Go with Jesus' power alone. Go with a message of peace. Go with the authority of Jesus himself. There's a big world out there. There's a lot of people who need to hear about their Savior. On your marks! Get set! Your mission field starts when you leave this church today. Go!

I Pledge Allegiance...

Sermon preached at Our Savior on July 4, 2010 for the 6th Sunday after Pentecost. Sermon text: Jonah 3:3-4:4 

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America." Doesn't that just make you want to stand up and put your hand on your heart? We live in a country that, by anyone's definition, has been richly blessed by our God. We have an abundance of pretty much everything, despite what the news might tell you about a recession. We have freedom. We are free to be here today to worship our God and Savior in peace! No wonder we celebrate our Independence Day.

But wait. Before you start waving flags and celebrating your independence today, it's important for us to see what this all really means for us as Christians following our Savior. Saying the pledge of allegiance, flying the flag, and celebrating on the 4th of July are not wrong; it's right for us to give thanks for the blessings God has given us in this nation. But how do we live when when heaven is our true home, not this country? How do we live in this nation when our true citizenship is in the kingdom of heaven and when our true, full allegiance is to God alone?

The prophet Jonah struggled with this. I realize that Jonah did not live here in the USA. But if anyone had a reason to be patriotic, it'd be someone like Jonah. He was a prophet in Israel, a nation that God himself had chosen and set apart for himself, a nation through which God would send the Savior of all the world. Jonah had a reason to be proud to be an Israelite, because God had chosen the Israelites for something special. But it was Jonah's patriotism -- it was his love for his nation -- that ended up getting him in trouble.

When I say the name Jonah, what's the first thing that comes to your mind? The whale, right? Jonah is best known, by far, for being swallowed by a "large fish" -- probably a whale -- and surviving there for three days before getting out. (Jnh. 1:17, Jnh. 2:10) The Bible even uses Jonah in the whale as a picture for Jesus in the tomb. Jonah was in the whale for three days, but came out. After dying on the cross, Jesus was buried and in the tomb for three days before he rose from the dead. (Matt. 12:40)

But how many of you know why Jonah was swallowed by the whale? Well, let's just say he loved his country too much. The first two verses of Jonah set the scene for us: The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me." (Jnh. 1:1-2) 

As a prophet of God, Jonah's job was to say what God told him to say and go where God told him to go. In this case, Jonah was supposed to go to the city of Nineveh, which was the capital of the nation of Assyria. Assyria was Israel's greatest enemy. There had been wars between the nations. And Assyria's capital city of Nineveh was well-known to be one of the most wicked, violent places on earth. In fact, the entire book of Nahum is about how bad Nineveh was. (see Nahum 3) So you'd think that when God told Jonah to go preach against them for their wickedness, Jonah would've gone happily.

But he didn't. He ran away and went in the opposite direction. (Jnh. 1:3) That's why God sent the whale to swallow him. He wouldn't let Jonah get away from his mission. So why didn't Jonah want to go? He didn't want to go anywhere near the nation that was Israel's biggest enemy. He didn't think God should send a prophet to such an awful place as Nineveh in such an awful nation of Assyria. He thought his country was more important than his God.

This could never happen to us, though. Right? Well, I don't think many of us are tempted to think or say, "The United States of America is better or more important than God himself." But we might tend to wear blinders when we look around us in our nation. We might almost think our country can do no wrong. We might even think of the USA as God's chosen nation for today, like Israel was in the Old Testament.

The USA, for all its blessings, is not God's chosen nation. As part of this country, living in this nation, in this state, in our particular place in it, we will see sin all around us. We do not simply go along with the sins of this nation because everybody else does. The vast majority of people in this nation believe that a couple living together outside of marriage is ok, that homosexuality is just an alternate lifestyle, that every faith or even the lack of faith is just another way to the same god...these are all lies that people are trying to sell us right here in our nation.

Yes, the freedom we rightly celebrate in our country shouldn't be celebrated when it's a freedom to sin. You can probably think of someone doing something to you that you don't like, you ask them to stop, and what is the answer? "It's a free country." That free country mindset we have in this nation often makes us think that nobody better tell us what to do, ever.

For many, that extends to church and to God himself. "The church has "rules" that I need to follow? Please." "God says "thou shalt not..." to so many different things, but what really matters is what's important to me." "Listen to God, read the Bible, go to church? No thanks. It's a free country."

Do any of those ideas of our nation have a hold on you? God blessed the prophet Jonah by having a whale swallow him when he went off track. We have God's Word reminding us that these attitudes are sinful, that they are the fruits of unbelief, and that they can and will eventually destroy our faith.

And when we recognize those sins in our lives, the best thing we can do is act like the people of Nineveh in our text. You see, Jonah had been afraid the mission God sent him on would be a success! And it was! Our text tells the story. Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned." The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. (Jnh. 3:4-5)

God had decided that Nineveh's sins were too great. He was going to take action and destroy in 40 short days. But the people turned around! They recognized their sins. They repented. Our text even mentions that Assyria's king got involved to urge his people to repent so that God wouldn't destroy them all. (Jnh. 3:6-9) 

And you know what? God listened. When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened. (Jnh. 3:10) The people of Nineveh deserved to die. Their sins made death and hell their destiny. But God didn't destroy. He didn't kill. He healed. He forgave them in love.

He does the same for us. God's Word tells us, Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning. (Lam. 3:22-23) God has compassion for us purely because of Christ our Savior. Jesus' perfect life satisfies God's demands, not anything we have done. Jesus' bloody suffering and death satisfies the punishment due for our sins so that we wouldn't have to pay it. Jesus' resurrection guarantees our resurrection, our salvation, our life forever through faith in him.

Jesus gives us true freedom, true independence. While we might pledge our allegiance to the flag, isn't it even more important to pledge our allegiance to our Lord and Savior? Don't our hearts burn within to serve him after he has shown us such love? Let's live out our thanks for him. Let's put aside the sinful ways of this nation (which are the sinful ways of our heart), and instead let's serve our Savior. Let's drink deeply of the water of life in his Word. Let's taste and see that he is good in holy Communion. Let's rejoice to hear those words time after time: "God, our heavenly Father, has been merciful to us and has given his only Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.  Therefore...I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

And just as we rejoice in that forgiveness that God gives us, let's also rejoice to see that forgiveness spread to others. That was Jonah's problem. He didn't want to see his enemies, the people of Nineveh and Assyria, get the benefits of God's love. Listen to the sad story of Jonah's heart. Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. He prayed to the Lord, "O Lord, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, O Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live." (Jnh. 4:1-3) Jonah would rather die than see God forgive his enemies.

Don't let that attitude come into your heart. Look around you and see all the people that Jesus died for, the people he has forgiven! To get the benefit of what Christ has done, they need to hear the message! They need to believe it! Maybe you can be the one to tell them!

Maybe you've thought that you can't share the good news of Jesus because you might say something wrong. This news is too important; it has to be shared. Jesus has forgiven the mistakes you'll make; just reach out with him to others. Maybe you don't want to talk to people who haven't been around church for awhile because it's "none of your business" or you "don't want to step on any toes." Aren't their souls more important than that? Doesn't Jesus' love for them compel you to talk to them, to ask them what's wrong, to invite them back to their Savior and his forgiving love?

Make today the day you say, "I pledge allegiance..." Maybe you pledge allegiance to our nation's flag, but I want you to pledge allegiance to your Savior! Don't go along with the sinful ways of this nation, look to your Savior and rejoice in his forgiveness. Then put the sinful ways aside. Live for your Lord. Make sure everyone you know knows about his love too. In Jesus we have salvation; we have freedom. Because of our Savior, we look forward to a better country than this one -- a heavenly one. (Heb. 11:16)

Is Living Your Faith Really Worth It?

Sermon preached at Our Savior on June 27, 2010 for the 5th Sunday after Pentecost. Sermon text: Genesis 39:6b-12,16-23  

"No good deed goes unpunished." That's a phrase that's often used to explain the strange way that this sinful world often works. Good deeds, of course, are supposed to be rewarded. When you do something good, when you do what's right, things are supposed to go your way.

But sin came into this world and sure made a mess of things. Sin, going against God's commands, has turned everything we would expect to happen upside-down. No, good deeds are not a guarantee of a good outcome or reward. Sometimes, that good deed done with the best of intentions, ends up costing you -- and hurting you -- big time.

Think of a time when you did something nice for someone. A little favor here, a little help there. And instead of getting thanked for it, the person got mad at you. And now, when you started out trying to be nice, trying to do something good for someone -- this is the thanks you get! It turned into a big fight. And it's enough to make you think that maybe doing nice things for others isn't really worth it.

No good deed goes unpunished. That phrase sometimes rings true even as we look at our life of faith, even as we look at our relationship with our God. As Christians who rejoice in having a Savior, we try to withstand temptation. We try not to sin. And sometimes when we stand up to temptations in that way it works out really well. Maybe you were tempted to drive too fast on the 219, but you resisted, knowing that it's right to obey the law. And as you rounded the next curve, there was a police officer who would've pulled you over for speeding. But you weren't speeding, and because you resisted temptation, things went better for you.

That's not how it always works, though. Quite often, it works in the opposite way. You live out your faith, you let your light shine, and your life just gets miserable because of it. That's what happened to Joseph in our text from Genesis. Joseph's case is going to remind us of the  problems we encounter. We'll be reminded of the crosses we are called on to bear as Christians. It makes us ask ourselves the question I'm asking you all today: Is living your faith really worth it? 

The Perfect Gift

Sermon preached on June 20, 2010 for the 4th Sunday after Pentecost at Our Savior. Sermon text: 2 Chronicles 33:1-6,10-18  Note: the sermon was preached on Father’s Day.

The Perfect Gift

In case you hadn't realized it, today is Father's Day. Now, you don't need to give your dad a gift to show your love and appreciation for him, but some families have that tradition. Those that give gifts their to dads on this day run into a common problem: what do you get him?

Sure, there's always the cliché gift of a new tie. But some people like to try a little harder. They want to get dad "the perfect gift." I suppose this might be an easy thing to do for some dads. Everyone might know what your dad wants, so getting him the perfect gift is no trouble at all.

But for others, it's not so easy. Your dad might be one of those notoriously hard people to buy a gift for. For a gift to be "the perfect gift" it needs to be something that dad really wants. It needs to be something that he'll actually use and not leave sitting on a shelf somewhere collecting dust. And of course, to really be "the perfect gift," your gift has to show in a meaningful way the love you have for your dad. That's not always easy to do.

I can't help you with picking out the perfect gift for your dad, but I would like to help you see the perfect gift that every one of us has already received on this Father's Day whether you're a dad or not. I'm talking about the perfect gift from our heavenly Father to all of us: the forgiveness of sins. This is a gift that our heavenly Father has given us in the person and work of his one and only Son, our Savior Jesus Christ.

This morning I want to remind you why this is the perfect gift for all of us. I want you to remember how much you need this gift. I want you to give thanks for how this gift has become yours. And I want you to see how this gift changes your life. You see, this is no necktie. The forgiveness of our sins is the most precious gift that has ever been given in the history of time. And this gift, the perfect gift, is yours.

Our text from 2 Chronicles takes us to the time of King Manasseh of Judah. In the spirit of Father's Day, though, I think it's worth looking a little bit at Manasseh's dad, King Hezekiah. When you think of great kings from the Old Testament, it's not a very long list. You've got David, Solomon, maybe Josiah, and very few others. But one of those others has to be King Hezekiah.

Hezekiah's father had worshiped false gods and had practically shut down the temple. But Hezekiah changed things. He reopened the temple. He got rid of false gods and their altars all through the land. He restarted the celebration of the Passover again, which had basically stopped happening for years. Hezekiah did everything he could to turn an entire nation back to the true God. The Bible has high praise for him. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. He held fast to the Lord and did not cease to follow him. (2 Kings 18:5-6)

And we think, wow! With such a great dad, his son Manasseh is bound to be great, too! But that's not how it went. Actually, Manasseh couldn't have been less like his dad. The things that he did during his 55-year reign as king are enough to make you sick to your stomach. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had demolished; he also erected altars to the Baals and made Asherah poles. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them. He built altars in the temple of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “My Name will remain in Jerusalem forever.” In both courts of the temple of the Lord, he built altars to all the starry hosts. He sacrificed his sons in the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, practiced sorcery, divination and witchcraft, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, provoking him to anger. (2 Chron. 33:2-6)

You can see why King Manasseh needed the perfect gift, can't you? He did some awful things, even sacrificing his own sons to false gods. And he was leading an entire nation away from the true God. Manasseh couldn't make up for this. He needed the forgiveness that only God can give.

But now think about your life. Do you need the perfect gift of God's forgiveness like King Manasseh did? Maybe you're thinking, "Yes, I need forgiveness. I'm not perfect. But I don't need it like King Manasseh needed it. I haven't been as bad as him." And you might just have a point. There's a lot of things that Manasseh has done that you have never done. I don't think any of you have sacrificed any sons to a false god. I don't think any of you have ever led an entire nation away from the true God. That's a good thing!

But what have you done? Sure, you've never sacrificed any children, but have you ever been unkind to a family member? Ever said hateful words to someone who is supposed to be important to you, to someone that God has given you for your good? I'm sure you have. Maybe you've never bowed down before an actual idol. But have you put something, anything, as first place in your heart instead of God? Have you ever, even for a moment, put God and what he wants aside so you could focus on yourself and what you want? The answer is yes. So God's answer is guilty.

Yes, you are guilty of sin. Maybe they're different sins than King Manasseh committed, but your sins make you no less guilty than he was. You are no less deserving of eternal death than he was. See, it's easy to agree that Manasseh was evil and deserved eternal punishment, but you and me? Yes. We were conceived and born in sin, we are by nature sinful and unclean, and we sin every day in thought, word, and deed. We are guilty, just like Manasseh.

And just like Manasseh, we have a heavenly Father who does not treat us as we deserve. Rather, the most loving Father of all gave his Son, his only Son, so that rebellious, guilty sinners could live. To give them forgiveness. To give them eternal life. That's what God the Father did for us by sending his Son. That's what Jesus did for us by living perfectly and dying in my place and yours, to turn our guilty into not-guilty. So that our sins would be forgiven, covered, gone forever.

There was a problem in King Manasseh's case, though. God had all those blessings in mind for him, but he wasn't interested. The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. (2 Chron. 33:10) The forgiveness was there, but Manasseh rejected it.

That's a problem you can run into when buying a gift, too. Getting the perfect gift that someone really needs doesn't really matter in the end if that person doesn't use it. I don't care how nice the tie is; if dad doesn't wear it, he misses out on that gift.

Our God gave the whole world the perfect gift when Jesus came and won us forgiveness of sins. But if we don't use that gift, we lose the benefit. How do we use the gift, you ask? We believe it! The forgiveness is ours by faith. And our faith grows as we continue in the Word and Sacrament as the Holy Spirit continues to feed and strengthen that faith.

But sometimes we wander away from that. Maybe going to church becomes less important, or maybe we go but we don't really listen. Maybe we don't get to take the Lord's Supper very often. Maybe we haven't cracked open our Bible for a long time. Slowly but surely, we walk the path of rejecting the perfect gift that Jesus won for us.

So sometimes our heavenly Father does the most loving thing he can do: he calls us back to him. That's what he did to Manasseh in our text. After Manasseh had rejected God and his forgiveness, God showed his love for him. The Lord brought against them the commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon. (2 Chron. 33:11)

Yikes! This does not seem loving at all! But it was. It was the most loving thing that God could have done. It was a wake up call that brought Manasseh back to God. His horrible situation helped him realize his sin. It helped him to turn to the Lord in repentance. He prayed to God for forgiveness. Then our text tells us, When he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God. (2 Chron. 33:13)

Sometimes God does the same thing to us. No, he probably won't send you to prison in ancient Babylon. But he might allow some very unpleasant things to come into your life. We might not always know why God does this. But the next time he does, ask yourself: Is God trying to wake me up? Is he trying to remind  me that I've neglected him. Is he calling me back to him in love to recognize the perfect gift that he's already given me?

Because yes, that gift is yours! Forgiveness is yours! Eternal life is yours! Jesus did it all! Believe it. Trust it. And then live it. When you get a gift that you love, you use that gift, it's always with you. It doesn't sit on the shelf. And we want to be living in thanks for the perfect gift that we've received as God's forgiven children.

Manasseh used his gift. He was so thrilled that he was forgiven, that he had come back to the one true God, that he showed it. He got rid of the idols. He broke down the false altars. He restored the true temple again, and he told the people of Judah to turn back to the Lord. (2 Chron. 33:15-16)

You'll show that forgiveness in your life, too. It will be different for everyone, but you will show it. You'll show it in your relationships with others, as you reflect the forgiveness Christ won for you, as you show and tell of God's amazing love that forgave you when you were unforgivable. You'll show it as you forgive others as in Christ God forgave you. (Eph. 4:32)

So, today, on Father's day. Give thanks for your dad. Give thanks that God gave you that gift. But even more importantly, today and every day after, give thanks for the perfect gift that your heavenly Father gave you. Rejoice in your forgiveness. Believe it in faith and joy for what Jesus has done. Then live that forgiveness as you show your faith in everything. Your forgiveness is real! It's the one gift you need! It's the gift that's yours in Christ alone.

We Have Peace with the Triune God

Sermon preached at Our Savior on May 30, 2010 for the 1st Sunday after Pentecost – the Holy Trinity. Sermon text: Romans 5:1-5

Peace: everyone wants it. Look at the political scene in our country and our world. The governments of this world want peace, right? The police want peace on the streets and in our homes. We want peace in our families and jobs and schools. There's only one problem: this peace seems hard to come by.

Look at the nations of the world. There's conflict! There's hatred! Wars and rumors of war are all around, many done in the name of peace. The government and police and other agencies locally are plenty busy keeping up with crime and problems -- and overall lack of peace -- around here. And how is the peace in your lives? Are you happy with everyone and is everyone happy with you? It's possible, just not likely.

Then there's the peace that you want inside yourselves. Are you at peace with your life in every way? Again, it's possible, I suppose. But what about your relationship with God himself, the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Are you at peace with him?

The quick answer is "yes, of course!" And if you've taken a look at the sermon theme you might feel at ease and think, "Yes, at least I'm at peace with God." The only problem with that is that you're not acting in a peaceful way towards God. Did you know that? None of you are. I guarantee it. That's because none of us are free from sin.

What are our sins but acts of war and rebellion against our holy God? Jesus said, "Be perfect...as your Heavenly Father is perfect." (Matt. 5:48) But we're not perfect. And you think, "Sure, I'm not perfect, but I'm not that bad, either! I've never murdered anyone or robbed a bank. There are a lot worse people than me!" But that doesn't really matter. The Bible reminds us that if you even break one of the commandments, you're really guilty of breaking all of them. (Jas. 2:10)

But we still probably want to object. "God is love! (1 Jn. 4:8) He loves me no matter what! You can't say that I'm doing something wrong." But your sins are wrong, and they're a problem. They have real consequences. The Bible tells us, "Your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear." (Is. 59:2) Your sins put a barrier between you and God. One sin is enough for God to never listen to your prayers again.

But if only that was the worst of it! The worst of it, of course, is that the wages of sin is death. (Rom. 6:23) God told it to Adam, and it is just as true for us today: you sin; you die. Death comes with sin, and God does not hold back eternal death as the punishment for every sin. And with eternal death, not only do we not have peace now, but we have no peace, no hope for all eternity.

Thinking about that is enough to create a lack of peace in our mind. That's our conscience that can take away our peace. It reminds us that we haven't lived up to God's standards. It accuses us of our sins -- and it's right. And all we want is peace.

And if that's what we want, Trinity Sunday is a great day to celebrate. Celebrating Trinity Sunday is not meant to be an academic exercise. It's not meant to talk about God as an interesting concept. It's meant to talk about the God without whom we would be lost, without whom we would be condemned, without whom we would have no peace whatsoever. But because we do have our Triune God, we have hope, we have a rescue for the seemingly inescapable problem that our sins have given us. Because of the Triune God, we have peace.

We have peace, because God the Father justified us. He justified us. That's one of those big church words that we hear a lot, but it might be hard for us to remember what it means. God justified us means that God declared us not guilty. He banged the gavel down, and instead of saying, "guilty of all sins, condemned to hell," God said, "You are not guilty. You are perfect. Your reward is eternal life in heaven." The fact that we are justified means that God treats each one of us "just as if I'd" never sinned at all.

How can God do this? Because he sent his one and only Son. As our text tells us. "Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand." (Rom. 5:1-2) Our Heavenly Father could declare us not guilty because he sent Jesus to save us.

That's exactly what Jesus did. Jesus, God the Son, redeemed us. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom. 6:23) Jesus redeemed us by becoming one of us, being a human being like us in every way -- except he was without sin. (Heb. 4:15) Then this sinless, son of God went to the cross, and he took the full brunt of God's anger and punishment for sin -- for our sins -- onto himself. He bought us back from the punishment our sins deserved. He redeemed us. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of God's grace. (Eph. 1:7)

He has won us peace with God; he has given us hope of eternal life. We live in a world that's not peaceful. We have lives that aren't always peaceful. Our consciences aren't peaceful as they condemn us for our sins. But God shows us his Son. And what his Son has done gives peace to all those things. We don't have to worry about the lack of peace in this world, because God has given us peace in heaven. Our consciences are put at peace with remembering Jesus' love and forgiveness, since his blood covers all our sins.

Does this mean that everyone's going to heaven? Unfortunately no. Many reject God's free gift in Christ. But God has another free gift to make sure we hold on to what Jesus has won for us forever. He gives us faith by the Holy Spirit.

Our text tells us, "Hope" that is, our hope of eternal life, "does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." (Rom. 5:5) The Holy Spirit gives us faith, as God gives him to us. He does that through our baptism, through his Word, through the Lord's Supper. Through it all, the Spirit is there to work that faith in us and strengthen it.

It's all a part of the peace we have. We can never completely understand the Trinity, but we can give thanks that each Person in the Triune God contributes to our salvation, our rescue from sin, death, and hell. The young people who will confess their faith in a couple minutes (in the confirmation oral examination) will not just do so in order to have an academic exercise or show that they can remember a few lines. They will do it to show their faith in the Triune God, their saving faith.

On this Trinity Sunday, that's the faith and salvation that we all give thanks for. So rejoice today and always that God the Father has justified you, that God the Son has redeemed you, and that God the Holy Spirit has given you faith. You don't have to be afraid again. Peace is yours! We have peace with the Triune God!

The Spirit Speaks / We Speak

Sermon preached at Our Savior for the festival of Pentecost on May 23, 2010. Sermon text: John 15:26-27

Some businesses have a "silent partner." This is the person who has a stake in the business, but never speaks or makes decisions for the company. He simply provides his part of the money for it, shares in the profits, and no more. He's a silent partner.

That's how we might think of the Holy Spirit: God's silent partner. We can think of all sorts of things that God the Father and God the Son say and do. Our text for today consists of the words of Jesus. We've heard the words that God the Father spoke as he created the world: "Let there be light!" (Gen. 1:3) But the Holy Spirit? It's probably a little harder to think of what he does, let alone to think of anything he says.

Think about Jesus' baptism. Jesus was the one baptized, and he speaks to John the Baptist beforehand. (Matt. 3:15) God the Father speaks afterward, from the sky, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." (Matt. 3:17) The Holy Spirit was there, too, but he was silent. We just hear that he descended on Jesus "like a dove." (Matt. 3:16) All in all, it's pretty easy to think of the Holy Spirit as the "silent partner" of God. It might even be easy for to think the Holy Spirit doesn't really do that much at all.

But he does! The Holy Spirit is vitally important for our life, for our faith, and for our eternity. And don't think for a second that