Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church

He is going before you to Galilee

4/4/2021

Annibale Carracci, Holy Women at Christ's Tomb, 1590. Public Domain

Easter Sunday
Mark 16:6-7

Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
April 4, 2021

“Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.”

On Thursday night this congregation gathered to observe the annual remembrance of the night when the Lord Jesus was betrayed into the hands of evil men, so that he could begin his passion for our sins. It was on that night when Jesus told his disciples that he would rise from the dead and go before them into Galilee (Mark 14:27-28). But the disciples weren’t paying attention to what Jesus said. They were too busy vowing emphatically that even if all others fell away, even if they must die, they would not leave Jesus. Of course, they couldn’t even wait up with him one hour to pray with him in his agony. And when danger came, they all fled.
Now these women, at the command of the angel, are to tell these same disciples to meet Jesus in Galilee. The last time they saw Jesus, they were abandoning him to death. They were breaking their word. Now, they are to see Jesus victorious over death, hell, and Satan. How do you think they feel?
Imagine a troop of soldiers marching with their commander and king off to battle. As they go, each one pledges his loyalty to this king and promises to die on the battle field rather than leave him. They wave his banner. They rattle their swords. They sing their king’s praises. Yet, when they reach the battlefield and see the green valley below them darkened by the bodies of well-armed soldiers, they freeze in their tracks. They watch as their commander and king walks forward without them. Paralyzed in fear, they stand watching until their king meets the opposing army in the center of the battlefield and they see him struck down to the ground, and every one of the king’s men flees in the opposite direction, leaving their swords and shields, even their clothes behind them.
They go and hide. One of them gets interrogated by a peasant woman, and he denies his loyalty to his king with an oath. The cowardly soldiers go and hide behind locked doors, confident that their lord is dead. Then they hear the cries of women. They declare the news that their king did indeed win the battle, what’s more, he has sent a message to meet him at their old camping grounds. Can you imagine how those cowardly soldiers would feel to go and meet him, whom they abandoned? If they can get over the shock that he isn’t dead, they would assume he would rebuke them for abandoning him; that he would tell them that they are worthless soldiers, not worthy of waving his banner; that they deserve death for deserting him on the battlefield; that their offense was as bad as treason!
That’s certainly what you would expect in such a situation. Yet, that is not how our Lord Jesus dealt with his disciples when he met with them after they abandoned him to death. Rather, he said, “Peace to you.” And to assure them that it was he and that he truly was risen from the dead and not some ghost, he ate with them and bid them to touch the wounds on his hands and feet. Yes, he rebuked them, but only for their unbelief. Instead, he focused on forgiving them and strengthening their faith, so that they could forgive others and bring others into his kingdom.
This truly is a marvelous thing. Jesus fought; his disciples fled. Jesus laid down his life; his disciples saved their own skin. Jesus won the battle, but he gives the victory to those who fled the battlefield. It is as we heard in our Epistle lesson, “‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’ ‘O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:54b-57)
And this very much describes our situation as well. Each Sunday, we begin our week by worshiping our Lord and King, confessing him as Lord. We confess our sins and remember the name he has placed on us in Baptism. We confess to not be of this world, but of his kingdom. We pledge never to leave him, that we will do better this week than we did the week before. But quickly our eyelids grow heavy when we should be keeping watch. We fall asleep when we should be praying. We abandon Christ’s teaching and flee from our responsibilities as Christians, to confess Christ and not be ashamed of him and to love others, even those whom we think hate us. And many of us fail to even come on the Lord’s Day to make such a pledge and confession, because the world has so sucked us in to those things which will pass away. And then we come again to the old camping grounds, where Jesus invites us to meet him, to our Galilee, and we’re ashamed. We’re ashamed because we didn’t stay true to that prayer we sang to put to death the sin within us. We’re ashamed, because we forgot Jesus and didn’t abide with him throughout the week or weeks since we last gathered before him. We’re ashamed, because he fought for us, but we did not fight for him.
And yet, whenever we gather, our Lord does not deny us. Rather, he renews his love for us, he gives us the victory we do not deserve, he joins us to himself. He forgives us our sins against him and he strengthens us to continue the course.
Yet, this shame is real. And it keeps us from going to Galilee, so to speak, to see our risen Lord. That's certainly what happened to Jesus’ disciples. If you read the Easter accounts from the four Gospels, you’ll notice that although Jesus tells them to meet him in Galilee, they don’t meet him in Galilee until the third time Jesus appears to them! Because of shame and unbelief, they ignore Jesus’ invitation to meet him in Galilee. So, it is Jesus who has to appear to them, in the closed room in Jerusalem, to encourage them and invite them once more. When they finally meet Jesus in Galilee, it is after Jesus has caused them to catch a great catch of fish. And after their meal, Jesus asks Simon Peter three times whether he loves him, so that he who denied Jesus three times may confess his love to him three times again. And Jesus commands Peter to preach the Gospel to his sheep.
And so, we learn that we should not let shame or unbelief keep us from meeting our Lord. He did not excommunicate Peter, who was mournful over his sin. He forgave him. And he forgives us. He forgives us, who fail him. He forgives us, who are attacked by the devil, wooed and manipulated by the world, and ruled by our sinful flesh. We lose the battle, and we go to meet our Victor, who gives us the victory.
Now this does not mean that we can go on sinning and abandoning Jesus and ignoring his preaching and Sacrament, because whenever we do happen to return again, he is sure to forgive us. We can’t constantly flee the battlefield and expect to receive the victory when we constantly deny him. No, Christians must repent of their sins. In fact, we must die with Christ as often as we fail him, so that we may rise with him to new life. Remember that Jesus did rebuke them for their unbelief. We must have faith in order to receive Jesus’ victory.
Before his crucifixion, Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:34-38)
We cannot continue to deny Jesus and then receive his kingdom from him. We cannot be ashamed of Jesus now and expect him to confess us before his Father in heaven. Rather, if we are to be Jesus’ disciples, we need to be willing to pick up our cross and follow him. This again is why it is so important that we meet our Lord for forgiveness and strength.
After Peter confessed his love for Jesus, Jesus made a solemn prophecy of Peter’s end. He said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” And St. John adds, “This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.” (John 21:18-19) Now, at first glance, this sounds like very sad news. Peter is going to be killed. Yet, if you have been paying attention, this is very happy news. Peter, who on Thursday night wept bitterly, because to escape death he denied his Lord three times, is now being told that he will confess his Lord to the end. On Thursday night, our Lord told Peter that he would deny him three times before the rooster crows twice and Peter didn’t want to believe it. Now at Galilee, Jesus tells Peter that he will die to the glory of God and Peter is glad to know that he will be with his Lord forever.
This is how we should be. We should gladly die with Jesus, because he has died for us and promises to give us eternal life. We should be willing to lose all earthly treasures and pleasures and praises to be found in Christ. We should desire the courage to follow him, even if it loses father, mother, son, daughter, house, and lands on account of him. Because Jesus is our God and Lord, who has risen from the dead to give us the victory over death and an eternal kingdom to inherit.
Our Lord is not dead in the tomb. He is risen. His body and blood are not dead, but alive. And he bids us not to seek him among the dead, but meet him where he promises to be. Go to Galilee, where he promises to be, as he told you before. Our Galilee is where the Gospel is preached and where the true body and blood of Christ Jesus are administered faithfully. That is where our Lord promises to be with us until the end of the age. There, in our Galilee, our Lord does not condemn us or reject us for abandoning him. Rather, he forgives us and strengthens us, even to die for him, that we might live forever with him.
Our Lord Jesus is with us today here in our Galilee. And he invites us to come to him frequently for forgiveness and strength. Our Lord has won the battle. He is not dead, but living. And he gives us the victory, so that we have the strength to die and rise with him. Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed. Alleluia. Amen.

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Raised for the Sake of Our Justification

4/3/2021

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James Tissot, The Resurrection, 1886-94. Public Domain.

Easter Vigil
Romans 4:25
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
April 3, 2021

“Who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.”

If you ask any three-year-old child, who regularly goes to church, why Jesus died on the cross, you will hear something like, “to take away my sins.” This is the simplest answer that even our little children can accept. Sin is bad. You are punished for doing bad things. Jesus was punished for our bad things in our place. Jesus was delivered up for our trespasses. Yet, this is a very difficult thing to accept. Our guilty consciences do not want to accept this truth. Our reason is offended that Christ could be punished for the sins of another. Yet, this is clearly what the Bible teaches.
“But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. … the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:5, 6b) “For our sake God made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed be everyone who is hanged on a tree” (Galatians 3:13). “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) “The Son of Man came not to be served by to serve, and to give his life as ransom for man.” (Matthew 20:28) St. Paul did not make up that Jesus was delivered up for our trespasses. This is the clear and persistent message of Holy Scripture. What we remembered this Friday was done in payment for our sins. Our sins were laid upon Jesus for him to take them to the cross.
And was raised up for our justification. What does this mean? The Greek can be translated one of two ways: He was raised up on account of our justification, or he was raised up for the sake of our justification. These seem to be two very different interpretations. The first says that Jesus was raised because of our justification. The second says that he was raised up so that we are justified. Which one is the correct interpretation? Well, they are both in fact true!
Jesus was raised up on account of our justification. That is to say, Jesus was raised up because we are justified. Jesus went to the cross bearing all of our sins. He bore the agony for them. Even before the chief priests laid a hand on him or even the betrayer kissed his cheek, Jesus was bleeding drops of blood in the garden with a soul agonizing to the point of death. So weighed down was he already with the guilt of the whole world. When Jesus paid the debt of our sin, our sins were taken away forever. They were drowned in the depths of the sea. They were nailed to the cross. They were washed away in his blood. They were released, covered, not counted, and whatever other language from Scripture you want to use to describe them. Jesus’ death paid the debt of our sin, so that they are gone forever.
And on account of this, because Jesus had no sin of his own to die for, Jesus was raised, because God accepted his payment for our sins and had declared us justified. Because God counted us just, Jesus rose from the dead. When Jesus rose from the dead, he was vindicated. What does it mean to be vindicated? It means to be declared innocent, to be proven to be in the right. Jesus had no sins of his own. He did not die for his own sins. Had Jesus had sins of his own, had he been guilty in any way, then he would not have risen from the dead. But, by the fact that Jesus was raised from the dead, he was vindicated. He was cleared of all guilt. Jesus’ resurrection proves that his teaching is the truth. Jesus’ resurrection proves that he is the Son of God. Jesus’ resurrection proves that we are justified before God.
Jesus’ vindication is our justification. Justification means that God has declared you righteous and innocent of all sin. Jesus was vindicated in his resurrection, because it proved that he had no sins of his own and that he had the power to pay for our sins. Jesus’ resurrection proves that we are justified, because had our sins been too much for him to pay, then he would have remained dead in the tomb.
And this then proves the second interpretation correct. Jesus was raised up for the sake of our justification. We are justified. How do we know? Because Christ is risen from the dead. If Christ did not rise, then we would still be in our sins. We would be of all people most to be pitied. Our faith would be in vain. Yet, since Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, we know that we are justified before God. How could we not be? If Christ died for our sins and is now risen, then our sins must be gone! So, it is clear, that Jesus was raised for the sake of our justification. God raised him from the dead not only to vindicate Christ, but to justify us!
We can only be justified through faith. That is to say, we can only receive a good relationship with God and receive the benefits of Jesus’ death and resurrection when we believe that God finds us innocent for Christ’s sake. We must not only believe that Jesus died and rose. We must believe that he has done this for us and for our salvation. Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness. Abraham was declared righteous before he had done any works. God justified Abraham through his faith. This is how Noah was found righteous. This is how Moses was justified. This is how the three men in the fiery furnace were saved. It is through faith alone. But these things were not written for their sake only. They were written for us. We too will be justified before God through faith when we believe that Christ Jesus was delivered up to the cross on account of our trespasses and that he was raised, because God has justified us.
Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God. But I don’t feel at peace with God. I feel my sin. But faith does not have to do with feelings, but with facts. God has justified us for Christ’s sake. But, because our sinful flesh still hangs on to us, we still sin and we still feel sinful. That is why we must repent of our sins daily and cling to the promise of Christ’s justification for us. Because we are justified, our new selves will fight against our sinful flesh. Everyday our sinful flesh will grow weaker. Everyday our new self will become stronger. Through this faith, we will continue to grow in love and confess Christ with our actions until we finally shed this sinful flesh once and for all and are raised with Christ in righteousness and purity forever. Amen.

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The Cross Proclaims God’s Love

4/2/2021

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Tintoretto, The Crucifixion of Christ, 1568. Public Domain

Good Friday
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
April 2, 2021

Luke 23:32-43
Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with Jesus. 33 And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. 35 And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” 36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine 37 and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”

39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

There is no symbol so closely associated to the Christian religion than the cross. Christians put crosses on their church steeples and in all places of the sanctuary. A cross or crucifix is always prominent in the chancel of any Christian church. Christians wear crosses and crucifixes around their necks and hang them on their walls. We make the sign of the cross in our daily prayers. We’re not bothered by the image of the cross. Rather, we cherish it. The cross is for us a symbol of God’s love and our salvation. It is a tradition to hold a cross before the eyes of the dying, so that they see the source of their salvation until they meet their Maker.
Yet, the cross has not always been a symbol of love and salvation. The cross was not invented to communicate any message of love or peace or charity. No sane person would have worn a cross around his neck or erected it on top of a building. The cross was invented to be an instrument of punishment and extreme torture. When we consider the three uses of the Law: the curb, which prevents outbreaks of sin; the mirror, which shows a person his sins; and the rule, which guides a Christian in godly living; the cross primarily functions as a curb. Governments don’t crucify criminals to gain the love of the people. They crucify to gain fear and obedience.
The provinces of the Roman empire were not like our United States, which voluntarily united on account of their shared political and economic interests. The provinces of Rome were conquered nations kept in subjugation by force. In order to preserve peace and maintain functioning trade routes to bring wealth to its imperial cities, Rome could not have insurrections, robberies, and murders run rampant. In order to curb such crimes, they crucified criminals. Lawbreakers were tied or nailed to cross-beams and lifted up high for all to see. Their crimes were inscribed above their heads to warn other would-be criminals that this is what happens to insurrectionists, murderers, and robbers. Crucifixion was the most horrible way to die. It was hours or even days of continuous torture. Even the word excruciating was invented to describe the extreme torture of crucifixion. Cicero called crucifixion the most cruel and terrifying of punishments. For this reason, the cross was hated and feared by men. The Romans used the cross to compel obedience and fear with the threat of torture.
The cross functioned primarily as a curb against crime, but that does not mean that the cross did not function as a mirror of the law. The thief on the cross recognized that he was receiving his due reward for his crimes. When we look at Jesus agonizing on the cross, whose only crime inscribed above his head was, “King of the Jews,” we see what we deserve on account of our sins. Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the word. Behold, him on whom the Lord has laid all our iniquities. Big deal. What are sins? That can’t be such a heavy load. But listen to the words of the hymn:
Ye who think of sin but lightly
Nor suppose the evil great
Here may see its nature rightly,
Here its guilt may estimate.
Mark the sacrifice appointed,
See who bears the awful load;
’Tis the Word, the Lord’s anointed,
Son of Man and Son of God.” (LSB 451)
The torture of the cross reveals the severity of our sin. It is not a small thing to offend God. It is not a small thing to spurn the Creator and pollute his creation with hatred. Think your sins are a small thing? See the blows and wounds they lay upon Jesus; the weight they lay upon his outstretched arms. See how your guilt presses upon him until the blood oozes from every pore.
No one went to the cross freely. The cross was forced upon people unwillingly. The function of the cross was not to create love, but fear. The cross was a symbol of oppression, slavery, cruelty, and servile obedience. Yet, Jesus went to the cross willingly. Though the chief priests and elders sought many times to arrest Jesus to kill him, yet they said, not during the feast of the Passover, lest a riot breakout, Jesus chose to be delivered over to them at the Passover. Though Jesus could fell a band of soldiers with a word or commission twelve legions of angels to come to his aid, he chose to let them bind him and take him away. Although Jesus had silenced the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes with his words and persuaded the crowds with his teachings, so that his opponents were fearful to try to arrest him, Jesus spoke not a word in his defense to try to persuade the crowd or save his life.
Jesus was not compelled to the cross by the Roman government. He chose the cross in order to bear our shame and pay our debt. Love compelled Jesus to the cross. Love for us and the desire to pass over our sins and remember them no more drove Jesus to the cross. And on the cross and by means of the cross Jesus fulfilled God’s love for us. Now, when we see the cross, we see the instrument by which God’s love was perfected for us; we see the tool Christ used to set us free from slavery to sin and from the threats of the Law. The cross for us is not a symbol of tyranny or threats of punishment, but of God’s deep love for us and of freedom from everlasting punishment and death.
The cross was the most draconian form of punishment many centuries before Vlad Dracula ruled. Vlad Dracula, also known as Vlad the Impaler, was a fifteenth century ruler from present-day Romania, who was known for his cruel and excessive forms of punishment. The word draconian describes a punishment that exceeds the crime. Yet, strangely, the more familiar Dracula, the demonic vampire from Bram Stoker’s novel of the same name, was terrified of the cross. Stoker named his vampire Dracula, because Dracula was synonymous with bloodthirst. Yet, the bloodthirsty vampire was terrified of the most draconian form of punishment. Stoker of course did this, because the vampire was from the devil and the cross was the symbol of Christ, who vanquished Satan.
Yet, this proves to be a fitting image this Good Friday as we ponder Christ’s cross. The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. The cross was the law’s instrument against sinners. It was men who were terrified of the cross, revealing their terror of the law. And you could imagine Satan and his demons prancing about the crosses of the condemned like jackals around a lion’s kill. But When Christ willingly went to the cross to bear the terror of the law on our behalf, he changed this around. Now, it is no longer men who fear the cross, but he, who once danced and feasted around it. The cross sends Satan fleeing like a vampire into the darkness.
The cross is a symbol to us of God’s love and forgiveness, that he did not spare his only Son, but gave him up for our trespasses. The cross is a sign that our debt is paid and that the law cannot condemn us. The cross is our comfort when Satan attacks and our consolation when our conscience burns. We are not offended to see Jesus’ body hanged on the cross, because we preach Christ crucified, which is God’s power of salvation to all who believe. Men once fled the cross to escape the law and Satan’s jaws, but now it is Satan who flees and the laws mouth which is stopped at the image of the cross. So, may we ever cling to Christ’s cross and the message of the cross, for there we find love and eternal freedom.
Let us pray:
On my heart imprint Your image,
Blessed Jesus King of grace,
That life’s riches, cares, and pleasures
Never may Your work erase;
Let the clear inscription be:
Jesus, crucified for me,
Is my life, my hope’s foundation,
And my glory and salvation! Amen.

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On the Night When He Was Betrayed

4/1/2021

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SIR PETER PAUL RUBENS, THE LAST SUPPER, 1600s. Public Domain.

Maundy Thursday
1 Corinthians 11:23
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
April 1, 2021

“The Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread…”

We call today Maundy Thursday, because Jesus gave his disciples the new command to love one another. The title Maundy comes from the Latin word for commandment, mandatum. We also remember that on this holy night our Lord instituted the Sacrament of his body and blood for us Christians to eat and to drink. Yet, when you read the chapters of Holy Scripture devoted to this one night, you see that this night was filled with great events and teachings from our Lord Jesus that very much demand our attention now and always. St. Paul titles it well, “the night when [the Lord Jesus] was betrayed.” This was the worst night of our Lord’s life on this earth. On this night he was betrayed by his friend and forsaken for a time by his heavenly Father so that the power of darkness could work. On this night he sweat blood in agony as he prayed. On this night he was abandoned by his disciples, beaten, mocked, and tormented until the morning when they could bring him to Pilate to be sentenced to death.
Yet, this most fateful of nights was also the worst and most dangerous for Jesus’ disciples. And Jesus knew it. On this night Jesus said to his disciples, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’” On this night, Jesus’ disciples were viciously attacked by three powerful enemies. They all fell away for a while; one of them permanently. Jesus knew all this ahead of time, so he prepared his disciples to survive the intense battle before them.
The three enemies that attacked Jesus’ disciples and claimed victories over them were: Satan, the World, and their corrupt sinful flesh. We heard that at supper the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus. Yet, Judas was not the only one taken captive by the devil that night. While still at dinner, Jesus spoke to Simon Peter, “Simon, Simon, behold Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fall. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:31) Yet, certainly it is not for Peter’s sake alone that Jesus spoke these words. If St. Peter the Apostle fell victim for a time to the great serpent, then we too ought to beware of his great power. Peter did return from Satan’s clutches and he strengthened his brothers not only by mouth, but in letter. In his first epistle, St. Peter writes, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)
On the night when he was betrayed, Jesus took his disciples out into the garden to pray. He said to Peter again, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41) And this was proven to be true when Peter could not even keep his eyes open to watch and pray for an hour. Again, these words were not spoken for Peter’s sake alone. St. Paul writes, “I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.” (Romans 7:18) And he warns in Galatians chapter 5, “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh… Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealously, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Here he speaks of our own flesh. We Christians have the desire to do what is right, but we have clinging close to us our treacherous, sinful flesh that seeks to betray us even as Satan is on the prowl.
On that night when Jesus was betrayed Jesus warned his disciples of the attacks of the world saying, “If the world hates you, know that it hated me before it hated you.” (John 15:18) And with these words, Jesus predicted the attacks they would face from the world starting that very night. And just an hour or so later a band of thugs from the chief priests and elders arrived with torches, swords, and clubs. Peter tried to fight with a sword, but Jesus told him that this battle could not be won by such means. The crowd laid hands on Jesus and all Jesus’ disciples left him and fled.
Peter continued to be tormented by the world as he battled fear and shame through the night. He was frightened by a little girl in the courtyard of the high priest, and he denied Jesus, not once, but three times. He even took an oath and swore by God’s name that he did not know that man through whom alone anyone can know God. When the rooster crow reminded Peter what he had done and Jesus gazed at him from across the courtyard (Luke 22:61), Peter ran away and wept bitterly. All this happened yet on that Thursday night when Jesus was betrayed.
Are we better than the Apostles? Are we stronger than they? Do we not have the devil prowling around us like a lion searching for prey, like a serpent looking for a hole in the wall to slide his wicked body into? Does he not know our weaknesses and our guilty pleasures? Have you outsmarted him? Have you conquered your flesh and put it fully into submission to your spirit? Do you never do that which you wish you did not do? Have you escaped from the world? Are you not afraid of what others think of you? Have you no fear of their judgments? Do you not at times desire what they have or find yourself imitating them instead of Christ?
No, on that most awful and dangerous night on which our Lord was betrayed, we see the same enemies at work, which we must battle today. But Jesus did not leave his disciples defenseless. He warned them of what was to come. He prayed for their deliverance. He comforted them with the promise that he would rise from the dead and meet them in Galilee, having rescued from them this world and Satan’s clutches. And furthermore, to strengthen his disciples and to prepare them for battle, so that they would not die or give up in the fray, our Lord Jesus Christ on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to his disciples and said, “Take eat; this is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also, he took the cup after supper and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them saying, “Drink of it all of you. This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do as often as you drink it in remembrance of me.”
This was not simply a memorial meal or an object lesson. Jesus gave them his real body and real blood to eat and to drink. Satan would attack them, so he gave them the body, which crushed Satan under his feet. The world hated them. So he gave them the body and blood, which overcomes the world. Their flesh was weak, so he gave them the flesh that overcomes the grave having all sin and guilt purged from it with his blood. This is the medicine which strengthened them to endure that most fateful, dangerous, and hellish night. And they did endure.
This is the meal Jesus feeds us tonight and every Sunday. This meal is for Christians to eat and to drink for the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. Where there is forgiveness of sins, there is life and salvation. Where there is forgiveness of sins, there is strengthening of faith. Where there is forgiveness of sins there is an increase of love. Where there is forgiveness of sins, there is victory over Satan, the world, and our sinful flesh.
Martin Luther advises those who don’t think that they need this Sacrament to pinch themselves to see if they still have flesh and blood, look around to see if they are still in the world, and to know that they will always have the devil around to attack them. If we knew how many fiery darts the devil is shooting at us at all times, we would flee to the Sacrament for strength.
In the story The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe there is a battle between the good Narnians and the evil White Witch. Lucy is given a potion, which she uses to heal those injured in battle. In the Sacrament of the Altar, we have a potion that not only is able to heal our wounds and strengthen our body, but give us life from the dead. Meaning, in this meal, we not only receive strength to fight against Satan, the world, and our flesh, but we are forgiven of all the times we fell victim to the devil, joined with the world, and obeyed our sinful flesh.
On the most dreadful night in human history, Christ instituted a Sacrament to sustain his Church and his Christians against their greatest enemies. It is the fruit of his cross, which he bore for them on the greatest day in human history, when the Father glorified him for our sake. In this Sacrament, we hold fast to Jesus, who has won the victory for us. In this Sacrament, God preserves us even in the fray of battle. In this Sacrament, we overcome Satan and this world, and we strengthen our spirit. By this Sacrament, Christ will sustain us until we are out of danger. Amen.

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March 29th, 2021

3/29/2021

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The Procession into Jerusalem, James Tissot, 1886-94, Public Domain.

Palm Sunday
Philippians 2:5-11

Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
March 31, 2021

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is also in Christ Jesus.” St. Paul tells us to have the mind of Christ. Of course, Christ Jesus is the Lord of heaven, who sits at God the Father’s right hand with all powers and dominions under his feet. So, should we behave as if we are kings and queens? Well, no. Especially not if you believe this means to behave proudly and to look down upon others. No, when St. Paul tells us to have the mind of Christ, he is telling us to follow Christ in his humiliation. Christ’s humiliation is when he was brought low for our sake. Although Jesus was in the form of God and indeed is equal to God the Father, being true God himself, Christ emptied himself.
What does it mean that Christ emptied himself? It does not mean that he ceased to be God. That is impossible. Jesus remained God throughout his earthly ministry, from the time he was in the womb of the Virgin Mary, to when he was laid in the manger in Bethlehem, as he walked throughout Israel, even as he hung nailed to a cross, Jesus remained truly God at all times. Yet, that he emptied himself means that he did not show or use his divine power. Rather, becoming a human being, he took on the form of a slave and became obedient even to death on the cross.
Why did Jesus do this? Why did he humble himself to suffer such pain and death? Well, surely God exalted him afterward and bestowed on him a name, which is above every name. But Christ already was exalted above all names. He was and is God from eternity. He didn’t need to come down to earth in order to earn praise in heaven. He didn’t need to earn the title of God’s Son. By his very essence, he is and always has been true God. All angels in heaven adored him at all times. Why then did Christ empty himself and endure the cross? It was for our sake. Out of love for us, he emptied himself, suffered and died, so that he could be a ransom for all.
Christ Jesus came to serve! He did not deny that he was the Lord of heaven by coming in the form of a servant. He was confident that he would be exalted above every name and that he would receive glory in heaven. Jesus did not scandalize the rulers of this world by riding into Jerusalem. He scandalized the rulers, because he did so in such a humble manner. He didn’t ride up with an army to King Herod’s palace and evict him. He didn’t form an army to fight off the Romans. He didn’t seek a kingdom on this earth or honor from earthly dignitaries. He came with the praises of the lowly, and less than a week later, he was nailed to the cross, without so much as raising a finger for his own protection. Rather, he rebuked his disciple for wielding a sword in his defense.
This is scandalizing to a world that seeks after power and position. Yet, how silly would it be for the Lord of heaven to come to earth to establish an earthly kingdom to receive praise from mortals until they die and go to hell? Why would Christ exchange his infinitely marvelous throne in heaven for a meager kingship here on earth? No, it was precisely because he knew that he would receive his throne in heaven while gaining his precious people ransomed by his blood, that he was willing to forsake all temptation to gain a kingdom on this earth. Jesus came to serve, so that we could be saved. He humbled himself, so that he could possess us in his exaltation.
We are to have this mind of Christ, to be humble toward one another, to think of others’ needs before our own, to consider others more significant than ourselves. Such an attitude is to follow in the mind of Christ. Yet, you cannot fulfill this command of St. Paul by simply trying very hard to be humble and to serve others. St. Paul is not speaking of simply outward actions. He is speaking of having a different mind than the type you were born with. This can only happen through faith in Christ.
A humble spirit is a fruit of faith. We become as Christ is through faith. Saving faith is a gift from God. We do not believe that we deserve to be saved. We do not believe that we have earned our salvation. Rather, we believe that Christ out of love for us emptied himself and became a servant, even to the point of death on the cross, in order to redeem us from our own sins. We do not have grounds to boast. Rather, we receive citizenship in God’s kingdom through faith in God’s promise. If God did not spare his own Son, but gave him up to die on the cross for us, then God must love us! If Jesus did not refuse the cross, but willingly bore its shame, then Christ Jesus must love us. It is only through faith in this promise of forgiveness and adoption as God’s children that we can have confidence to humble ourselves.
Yes, confidence to humble ourselves. Christ Jesus was confident to go to the cross and let himself be killed, because he knew his Father would raise him up and restore his kingdom to him. We too then, should be confident in Christ to bear all suffering, shame, and humility.
Why is it good to humble yourself? First, in order to crucify your prideful flesh, so that you remember that you are a citizen of heaven. St. Paul writes later on in this same epistle to the Philippians, “Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. There end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” (Philippians 3:17-21)
To live in pride is to live contrary to the Gospel. It is to serve your own belly and to live in a delusion. Through faith, we must believe that we are sons and daughters of God! We must believe that we are princes and princesses of God’s kingdom. Why on earth would you exchange that for some glory here on earth? We fight with each other. We think we’re better than others. We seek honor, and respect here on earth. Everyone behaves like Yertle the Turtle, trying to be king of all that we see, but in the end we’re king of nothing but mud. Our sinful flesh drives us to exalt ourselves above others, to think that our wants are more important than the wants of others, that our needs are more pressing than the needs of others, that our opinions should be considered more exceptional than others'. And all this just to give ourselves a nice view before we fall into the mud.
Yet, when we crucify our pride every day, and walk in humility, we walk according to the Gospel. We confess that we do not deserve anything in heaven or on earth, but we trust that God will give us what we need. We do not need to fight for status in this world, because God has given us the greatest status imaginable by adopting us as his children through faith in Christ. Jesus didn’t seek to dethrone Herod or Pilate, because he had a throne in heaven that would never fade. So, we do not need to prop ourselves up or tear others down, because God will exalt us, as Jesus promised again and again, “Whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
Secondly, we humble ourselves for the sake of our neighbor. St. Paul says, “In humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” By having the mind of Christ and humbling yourself, you benefit your neighbor’s body and his soul. You benefit his body, because when you stop thinking only of yourself, you’re able to think about the needs of others. Is your neighbor hungry or thirsty, cold or naked? Is your neighbor mourning, distressed, anxious, or otherwise in need? You won’t know if all you think about is yourself.
But much more, by being humble, you benefit your neighbor’s soul. When you don’t bite back or insult those who revile you, you send a message to your enemies. When you’re patient, kind, and forgiving, you show Christ to your neighbor. St. Paul says that he has become all things to all people, so that he might by all means save some. Although, it is the proud who demand attention from others, it is the meek and humble, the patient and kind who are able to touch the hearts of others. When we forgive others, bear with their weaknesses, and seek not to boast in ourselves, but in Christ alone, we do not put a stumbling block in their way to believe in Christ. Rather, we glorify our heavenly Father by showing honor to Jesus.
Christ has received a name that is above every name. That name is Jesus. At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the Glory of God the Father. Every knee means every knee. Every tongue means every tongue. In heaven the saints and angels shall praise Jesus and confess him as Lord. On earth, everyone, both Christians and unbelievers will confess Jesus as Lord. In hell, even Satan himself will bend the knee and confess Christ Jesus as Lord. This is Christ’s victory over Satan and hell. All powers are placed under Jesus’ feet. Yet, not all willingly. Satan will not confess Jesus as his Savior. The damned will not be glad that Jesus is Lord. They will confess with gnashing of teeth, because they rejected him. But everyone will confess him, because Jesus is Lord of all.
But we who bend the knee today and who confess Christ Jesus as Lord today, will with joy and gladness confess Jesus Christ as Lord to the glory of God the Father, because Christ has humbled himself for our sake, to rescue us in our misery. He has humbled himself, that he might lead us out of captivity and bring us into his kingdom. We are humble today, because we are confident in Christ’s exaltation. And we are confident that on account of Christ’s humiliation, he will exalt us in his exaltation.
The name Jesus means, The LORD saves. This salvation can only be received through faith. So, we in humility bend the knee to Jesus and confess him as Lord through faith alone. We believe that Christ has put his name on us in Baptism, that we have died and risen again with him in Baptism. In fact, we die with Christ every day to sin and pride, and we rise with the mind of Christ, set on serving our neighbor and our God. Jesus did not lose his throne in heaven by humbling himself in service to his neighbor, so neither can we lose our inheritance in heaven by losing praise here on earth. So, let us follow Christ in his humiliation here on earth, so that we may follow him in his exaltation to glory in heaven. Amen.

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"For faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." ~ Romans 10:17

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March 29th, 2021

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