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

Trinity 7: Free from Sin:Slave of God

7/30/2017

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Romans 6:(15-18) 19-23 
July 30, 2017 
 
Last week we learned that we are all sinners, who fall short of the glory of God, and that we cannot by our own works earn the righteousness required to enter eternal life. But rather we are saved by grace (that is a gift from God) through faith in Jesus Christ alone, who gives us his own righteousness. You cannot save yourself. God saves you without your works and despite your sin.  

Since we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone without our works, does this mean that we can then continue to sin? Do we describe our relationship with God in this way: "I like to sin, God likes to forgive, so I just go on sinning."? Certainly no one could actually believe such a thing! Yet many behave as if this is true and many others slanderously accuse Christians, particularly Lutherans of teaching this (Romans 3:8).  

Yet we heard St. Paul address this very topic last week in our Epistle Lesson. He writes, "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means. How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life." (Romans 6:1-4) and later St. Paul concludes, "So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus." (vs. 11) 

And this week, immediately before the start of our Epistle Lesson St. Paul again argues, "What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and have become slaves of righteousness." (Romans 6:15-18) 

St. Paul is not simply using figurative language. In Baptism you all died to sin. Sin previously ruled over your bodies from your very conception. We were all dead in our trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1) and because of this we were incapable of doing anything good or pleasing to God (1 Cor. 2:14). In Baptism you were put to death with Christ, so that your sins would be drowned in his blood. This isn't simply a metaphor. No, your heart didn't stop beating nor did your soul depart your lifeless body. But you did die and come back to life. In a much realer way than you can imagine. Scripture calls it a washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5). The Holy Spirit really did come to you and change you in a remarkable way. He woke you from your sleep of death in sin. You were by nature incapable of choosing God or doing anything but sin. The Holy Spirit changed you, so that you can live in Christ; today, tomorrow, and forever. Your new life cannot be separated from Christ Jesus. Otherwise you would fall back into the pit of sinful death.  

Likewise, it is not simply a figure of speech that we were slaves to sin. A slave must be obedient to his master. Paul makes perfect sense when he tells us, "Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey?"  You were born a slave to sin. And whenever you sin you enter into servitude to sin.  
People think freedom is having the choice to do whatever you want; freedom to eat and drink what you want, to marry whomever you want, to say whatever you want, to do whatever you delight in doing. But Scripture makes clear that this is not freedom. It is not freedom to sin. Rather, sin is your slave master. You are not free if you do whatever you want independent of what God says or what is in the best interest of your neighbor. If you follow the desires of your heart or the course of this world, you are not free, but a slave.  

When Christ set you free from slavery to sin he did not break your bonds so that you could continue to serve your former master. He freed you so that you could serve him! This is why the Holy Spirit has stirred your heart, giving you a new birth of the Spirit! We should all cling tightly to our hero, who set us free from our bondage! As that great hymn declares, "Lord, Thee I love with all my heart; I pray Thee, ne'er from me depart, with tender mercy cheer me. Earth has no pleasure I would share. Yeah heav'n itself were void and bare If Thou, Lord, wert not near me. And should my heart for sorrow break, My trust in Thee can nothing shake. Thou art the portion I have sought; Thy precious blood my soul has bought. Lord Jesus Christ, my God and Lord, my God and Lord, Forsake me not! I trust thy Word!"  

Christ has rescued us from a terrible situation. We could not control our own bodies, but were slaves to sin leading to death and hell. And Christ broke the bands of our sin. He freed us and gave us eternal life. And so we should want to hold fast to Jesus! A moment away from him should be a terror to us. Because if we leave Christ we will soon be enslaved again, to serve the flesh and Satan, and be doomed to hell.  

Many treat Christ as if he is a hated, yet wealthy uncle. He dies and leaves you a great inheritance. You still hate him, but figure since he made you rich you'll raise a toast for him once a year. But that is in no way our relationship with Christ. Christ made us alive so that we might walk in him. He freed us from slavery, so that we might serve him. We should love Jesus our Savior and hate bitterly our sins for which we are ashamed.  

"You have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God." To be set free from sin means to become a slave of God. If you are not a slave of God you are a slave of sin. This seems like a contradiction, but it is not. True freedom is to be a slave of God. Because if you do not obey God and his righteousness then you are obeying sin. Either sin is your master or God is.  

This might not make you feel good. Who wants to be a slave? I want to be free! But slavery to God is the greatest freedom. Because the will of God is always good. Slavery to sin leads to unhappiness, shame, and death. Slavery to God leads to blessedness, a clear conscience, and eternal life. Sin demands that you serve it to your own hurt and the hurt of those around you. God demands that you love him, who died for you and rescued you from death. Sin cares nothing for your neighbor and knows nothing of love. God is love and demands that if you love him you must also love your neighbor.  

But aren't we God's children? How can we be God's slave if we are his children? Yes, we are God's children through faith and Baptism. And Christ Jesus is our brother. And we the Church are Christ's holy Bride and he is our Bridegroom. But we should not shy away from the title, "slave of God." The Virgin Mary herself, who will forever be known as the Mother of God, because her son according to the flesh, Jesus Christ, is at the same time God, even Mary spoke to the angel Gabriel when he told her she would bear the Savior, "Behold, I am the slave of the Lord; Let it be to me according to your word." (Luke 1:38) 

When we call ourselves slaves of God we do not mean it in a derogatory way or to imply that God is a wicked slave master, who beats and terrorizes us. No, it means that we want more than anything in the world to do what God wants us to do. To be of service to God is our greatest joy.  

I am currently reading the Fellowship of the Rings, the first volume in the Lord of the Rings series by J. R. R. Tolkien. As in many good novels there are great relationships that develop among the characters. Perhaps my favorite one is Sam to Frodo. Sam is Frodo's servant. And throughout their adventure there is nothing that Sam wants to do more than to serve Frodo, to help him, to be at his side in danger or in safety. It's a beautiful relationship, because it illustrates in a small way our relationship with God. We should want to always be with him. This means we want to hear his Word and learn it. To receive his absolution and the Lord's Supper. This should be our greatest delight. This means we should want to serve our neighbor, to help those who are in need, to speak well of others, and to show them the love God has shown us in Jesus.  

Yet most people do not think this way. It is a little thing for them to forego hearing God's word preached for weeks, months, or years. They don't hunger for God's forgiveness or Christ's body and blood. In short, they think the Gospel isn't a big deal. There are more important things than Christ and his forgiveness. If you don't pay your electric bill your electricity will be shut off. If you don't show up to work you'll lose your job. And the church isn't going anywhere. "I can always find Jesus when I need him." People think the Gospel isn't a big deal, because they think their sin is not a big deal. But Scripture makes clear, the wages of sin is death. And this is not simply death of the body. This is eternal damnation. Our sins are serious. And for this reason it is more important for us to hear the Gospel and to be in the service of God than to pay our bills or work or relax or whatever else we think is more important.  

The crowd of 4,000 were with Jesus in a desolate place for three days and they didn't have anything to eat. They clearly weren't thinking about their earthly needs. We'd call them irresponsible. Jesus calls them faithful. They sought after what was more important than food or any other treasure in this life. They wanted to be with Jesus, to hear his words that give eternal life. And as Jesus promised, "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and the rest will be added unto you," he also provided for their physical needs. He fed them to their fill.  

"The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Notice how St. Paul didn't say that the wages of sin is death, but the wages of good works is eternal life in Christ Jesus.  You earn your death and damnation with your sins. You do not earn eternal life in Christ by your works. Eternal life is a free gift. Yes, it is your duty as a Christian, as a slave of God to do good works. Yet, if ever we were to misconstrue our duty to do good works as a mission to earn eternal life, we would fall into despair.  

We do not serve God in hopes that if we are good enough we will go to heaven. We serve God, because he has rescued us from death and hell. We cling close to our master, because he gives us a clean conscience no matter the sins of our past. We cling to God, because when we sin he always forgives us.  

The Gospel is the greatest teaching in the world. It tells us that Jesus bore our sin on the cross. Sometimes we glaze over those words. What do they mean? What do you think of when you think of Jesus bearing your sins? It means Jesus felt your suffering, sin, and shame. He died to your sins, washing them away in his own blood. This isn't just rhetoric. Jesus knows exactly how you feel. In fact, he felt the guilt you would feel over your sins if you could possible comprehend their weight.  
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You are no longer a slave of sin, because Christ has set you free. And even in your weekly and daily life, Christ defeats sin for you and in you. By the power of his Holy Spirit you overcome temptation. And by the power of his blood you are forgiven when you fall. This is why you cling to Christ. He gives you life. This is why you strive to do good. Not to earn your salvation, but to serve him who won for you salvation. To cling to Christ your God, to be bound to him is the greatest freedom. Amen. ​
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Trinity 6: The Righteousness Greater than The Scribes' and the Pharisees'

7/24/2017

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Matthew 5:17-26 
July 23, 2017 
 
It's a common misconception that Jesus presents a completely different religion than that of the Old Testament. Some Christians might even disregard certain uncomfortable passages in the Bible saying, "Well, that's the Old Testament. It's the Pharisees and scribes, who want to harp on the Old Testament. Jesus is here to bring something new." But our Lord makes clear, "I have not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets but to fulfill them." And Jesus does. 

Jesus will not remove anything from Scripture. This includes the Ten Commandments, which tell us what is right and wrong. If you follow the Ten Commandments, you are righteous. If you fail to follow them, you are unrighteous. Righteous is a word we don't use too often in our everyday lingo. I don't even know if surfer dudes use the word anymore when they see a sick wave. But we Christians should know what the word righteous means. To be righteous means to be in a right relationship with God. It means that you are pleasing to him. You obviously are pleasing to God and therefore righteous if you follow God's commandments. If you are righteous you will go to heaven. If you are unrighteous you will go to hell.  

The scribes and Pharisees thought they were righteous. Everyone thought they were righteous. They taught God's Law and followed it (so it seemed) to the letter. But listen to what Jesus says! "For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Jesus is God. He knows the correct interpretation of God's Law. And Jesus is not satisfied with outward appearances. He wants you to follow his law both outwardly and inwardly.  

So you've never taken the life of another human being? Good for you. But have you been angry at your brother without a righteous cause. Have you ever insulted anyone? Or called him a fool? Or thought him a fool? Well, then, Jesus says you're a murderer. Not only does he call you a murderer, but he says you are liable to the "Gehenna of fire." Gehenna was a garbage pit near Jerusalem where they burned trash; a very descriptive word for hell used by Jesus.  

And Jesus goes on. Have you ever cheated on your spouse or had sex outside of marriage? You haven't? Good for you. But have you lusted after a woman, or viewed pornography, or used filthy language? Christ says you have already committed adultery in your heart.  

You see, Jesus doesn't want you to have the righteousness of scribes and Pharisees. No, this is just outward righteousness. Jesus says in Matthew 23, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence!" (Matthew 23:25) 

Jesus permits no leeway as he preaches the Law. You must obey the Ten Commandments perfectly, not just outwardly to be seen by others, but in secret, yes, even to the innermost parts of your heart! You must love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind; at all times; 24-7. You must love your neighbor as yourself. No, I didn't say your wife or mother as yourself (that is difficult enough). Jesus wants you to love your enemy, pray for those who hate you and forgive them. You must be righteous. Your righteousness must surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees.  

Then who can be righteous? No one. St. Paul writes, "None is righteous, no, not one." And "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:10, 23) We sang rightly in our hymn of the day, "All mankind fell in Adam's fall; One common sin infects us all. From one to all the curse descends, And over all God's wrath impends."
 
 
No one can say he is without sin. No one can claim that his righteousness meets the mark to go to heaven. We are all sinners.  

It is important now that we discuss the main function of the Law when it is used in sermons. The Law tells us what God wants us to do and be. But as we have just heard, we are not righteous. This is called the mirror of the Law. It shows us that we are sinners. We cannot save ourselves by our own good works. We must repent and ask God for mercy.  

There is a strange phenomenon that takes place when people hear that all are sinners and all fall short of the glory of God. Many people seem to be okay with saying that they are sinners, as long as everyone else is a sinner too. It's like they find some sort of comfort knowing that they're in the same sinking ship as everyone else. They're fine saying everyone's a sinner, but if you address their specific sin, then they get upset or respond, "Well, everyone's a sinner." As if the statement, "everyone's a sinner" is the Gospel. Is someone who is dying of a terminal illness comforted if everyone else on the ward is also dying of a terminal illness? I don't think so. Yet this is how people behave with the statement everyone's a sinner. "Fornication is a sin. You should stop fornicating." "Yes, well, everyone's a sinner." Yes, and all are likewise children of wrath. There is no comfort in sin.  

"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" is meant to send a message to you about yourself, not a message to you about your neighbor. Everyone is a sinner. This means you are a sinner. Don't look to the person next to you. His sin is irrelevant right now. God wants you to focus on the fact that you are a sinner. The law must personally condemn you, so that the Gospel will personally comfort you.  

But naturally, people don't want to confront their own sin. It's a lot easier to say, "everyone's a sinner" or even, "I'm a sinner" than to address our personal sins. "You're a sinner." "Yes, I know I am a sinner." "You should stop slandering your neighbor." "Don't judge me!" "You're a sinner." "Yes, everyone's a sinner." "You should stop yelling at your wife." "Mind your own business!" "You're a sinner." "What else is new?" "It's a sin to live with your girlfriend before you're married. That is fornication. You should repent." "Stop being so hateful!" 

Is this not the way we behave to God's Law? We tell God to mind his own business, to stop judging us. And if a pastor or other brother or sister in Christ addresses a particular sin, this is often the reaction they'll get. But the purpose of God's Law is not for you to simply say that all are sinners, but to repent of your actual, real sins and believe in the Gospel. As Solomon writes in Proverbs 9, "Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you." (vs. 8) 

St. Paul writes, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" and he continues, "and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith." All are sinners. And all are justified by grace through faith. To be justified is to be declared righteous. Not to be declared righteous like the scribes and Pharisees, but to be declared righteous with a righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, the righteousness of Christ himself.  

How can this be? Did we not just learn that our works are not good enough to make us righteous and that we are all sinners? Yes, but this righteousness does not come from your own works. It comes from faith in Jesus Christ. Your righteousness will never get you into heaven. Yet, Jesus' righteousness can and does. Jesus' righteousness is the only righteousness that can get you into heaven. For this reason we cannot boast in our own good works or trust in them or trust in the fact that everyone else is a sinner too. We must trust in the righteousness that comes not by works, but by faith, as St. Paul writes in Philippians chapter 3:  

Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order 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 comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith. Philippians 3:8-9 

Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Does your righteousness exceed the scribes and Pharisees? Will it get you into heaven? If you look at your righteousness by your works (what you think, say, and do), you must answer, no, no matter how good you or others think you are. But if you claim the righ
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​teousness of Christ through faith, then your righteousness certainly is sufficient. What could possibly be lacking? Your righteousness certainly gets you into heaven, because it is Christ's righteousness!  

This brings great comfort to those, who felt the laws painful sting. If the law personally convicted you, then you can be joyful that the Gospel applies directly to you as well! St. Paul again writes, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1) Are you in Christ Jesus? Then you are not condemned! You have peace with God! You have entered the kingdom of heaven! 

Jesus redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us on the cross. Jesus fulfilled the Law and the Prophets not only by obeying the Ten Commandments and loving God and his neighbor perfectly, both inwardly and outwardly. Jesus fulfilled the Law and the Prophets by winning our salvation according to God's plan. He died the death we should have. He suffered for the punishment of your sins. Just as he fulfilled God's Law perfectly, so did he perfectly suffer for all your sins.  

Romans 5 states, "Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men." (vs. 18) Just as the law condemns everyone as a sinner. So the Gospel gives righteousness to everyone to be received by faith. So just as you should not deflect God's Law to "well, everyone's a sinner." so, do not deflect the Gospel. Jesus died for you. He forgives your sins. Jesus gives you his righteousness. And the righteousness he gives you exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees and gives you access to eternal life in heaven. Amen.  ​
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Trinity 4: As Your Father Is Merciful

7/9/2017

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Luke 6:36-42

"Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful." What does it mean to be merciful? Jesus tells us, "Judge not, condemn not, forgive, and give. This is how you show mercy. 
 

"Judge not." Because this statement of our Lord is so grossly misused, let us first examine what it does not mean. Jesus does not here forbid all types of judging. It would be absurd to say that a judge and jury cannot pass judgment in court. No society would survive such a practice. Parents too must judge. A mother, who catches her teenager returning home at 3 AM reeking of alcohol can't simply shrug and say, "Who am I to judge?" So those, who are given the proper authority to judge must still carry out their God given duties!  

In fact, Jesus commands all Christians to judge. In Luke chapter 12 our Lord says, "Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right" (vs 57) and in John 7 Jesus says, "Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment." (vs. 24) Christians must judge themselves according to God's Word to see whether they themselves are going astray. Christians must judge what is being taught to them to determine whether they are being taught the truth or lies, as Jesus warns, "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves." (Matthew 7:15) And so each Christian should pay attention to what their pastor preaches to them (and to whatever is taught them) and judge that teaching based on the truth of God's Word.  

Scripture also commands that Christian congregations judge so that public and scandalous sins are not committed freely within the congregation. St. Paul writes, "But I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler- not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. 'Purge the evil person from among you.'" (1 Cor. 5:11-13) 

So God commands specific authorities to judge within their jurisdiction, he commands Christian congregations to judge what is right and wrong and to address public sin, and he commands all Christians to judge between right and wrong both in what they are taught, believe and confess, and how they behave. So what does Jesus mean when he says, "Judge not and you will not be judged"?  

It means don't set yourself up as a judge where God has not made you a judge. We confess in the Creed that Christ will return to judge the living and the dead. Such judgment is Christ's prerogative not ours. And yet people pass judgment all the time. A man walking down the street in the middle of the day and he's thought of as a jobless bum. People make assumptions about a young lady with young children not wearing a wedding ring.  

Our judgments are harsh and they assume evidence that is invisible. "He just said that, because he thinks he's better than me." "She knew that that would upset me and she did it anyway!" "He clearly doesn't have the love of Christ in him!" Not only do we put our neighbor on trial in the most unfair kangaroo court of our minds, but we condemn! Denying them the very love of God if we could.  

Imagine being put on trial without the right to an attorney or even a witness to come to your aid; no right to present any evidence to support your cause; not even the right to face your accuser! To be guilty until proven innocent and then to be condemned and have your name slandered! You'd be hard pressed to find such an unfair court in North Korea! Yet that is what you do to your neighbor when you judge him! 

Do you practice such judgment and condemnations? Do you refuse to forgive? How foolish we are to act this way, and even to our fellow Christians! Oh, sure, God may have forgiven that person, but I just can't forgive him. My, my, a person may survive the strict judgment of God, but woe to him if he falls under the condemnation of Joe Shmo!  

And this shows how silly it is to refuse to forgive. God sent Jesus into the world to die for all sinners. Not a one is excluded. Yet somehow the person who sinned against you can't receive God's forgiveness. How can you go to the Lord's Table to receive Christ's body and blood for your own forgiveness and join in the Communion of all Saints, yet withhold forgiveness from your brother or sister going to the same Table, to receive the same body and blood, to be united with the same Community of Saints. No, this is not right. And here we must listen to our Lord's strict warning, "But if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." (Matthew 6:15) 

Do not judge. If someone does you wrong, confront him as Jesus directs you in Matthew 18. If he does not repent bring witnesses and then bring the matter to the church. If you see criminal activity report it to the proper authorities. But do not pass judgments yourself or try to carry out justice yourself. As you all learned in your catechism, defend your neighbor and speak well of him and put the best construction on everything. Assume the best of your neighbor even if your gut tells you to think the worst.  

This is a very important lesson for us here in this congregation. No congregation will survive if its members pass judgments and condemn each other without following Christ's strict command. If you think one of the members of this congregation or the pastor has done you wrong, don't go talking about that person behind their back. Jesus says to speak with the person who sins against you first. Perhaps you can be reconciled, forgive, and live in unity, which is a beautiful thing as the Psalmist declares, "Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!" (Psalm 133:1)  

And why is it that we judge others anyway? Is it not to justify ourselves? But our judgments don't matter. Our condemnations will not stand on the Last Day. God judges according to his own law. And our judgments against our neighbor will not make us look any better to God. Our measurements don't matter. The only measurement that matters is God's.  

When we look at God's measurement, his commandments, we should not examine our neighbor first, but ourselves. You can't take the speck out of your neighbor's eye, while you have a log protruding from your own. You must first repent of your own sins, before you can help your neighbor repent from his. The blind can't lead the blind.  

When we examine ourselves according to God's law instead of our own standard our defenses give way. We cannot justify ourselves. We're forced to plead with the Psalmist, "Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you." (Psalm 143:2) We must admit that our neighbor has not offended us nearly as badly as we have offended God. God's law makes you take the Gospel more seriously. You cannot justify yourself. You cannot get to heaven by condemning others. Rather you need God to show mercy and compassion to you.
 
 
And this brings us back to the beginning of our text, "Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful." The first thing you must take from this statement of Jesus is that God, your Father is merciful! He does not judge you, even though he has the right to do so. Instead of condemning you he sent his Son into the world to be condemned in your place. Jesus cried, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me!" from the cross, so that you would not cry it in hell.  

God forgives. And he doesn't wait until you're sorry enough to forgive you, as we would do to those who sin against us. He doesn't wait until we've shaped up and made amends. Rather, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Jesus was the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world long before you ever acknowledge your sin.  

God gives. He gives richly. Not only does he provide you with all you need to eat and drink, clothing, house and home, health, friends and family, shining his sun on you whether you love him or hate him, God gives even more generously to those who have faith in him. No, I'm not talking about earthly wealth. Jesus compares it to illegal measurements. A merchant at the market will usually be sure to not give you an ounce more flour than what you've paid for. Yet God gives you a good measure. He's the merchant that jams the flour into your jar, pressing it in so that he can fit even more in. Shaking it down and pouring more in until it spills over the top. And so does God shower you with spiritual blessings. He baptized you, pouring his Holy Spirit into you and washing you in Jesus' blood. He forgives you over and over and over again. He offers you Christ's true body and blood, a gift you didn't ask for, but you so dearly need.  

With this in mind you too can be merciful. You can't find this mercy in yourself. You must find it in God through Jesus' blood and merit. God's mercy flows into you and out of you. You withhold judgment, because God withholds from judging you. You do not condemn, not only because you have no right, but also because God withholds his condemnation from you. You forgive, not by your own power, but by the power of God's forgiveness for you.  

A disciple is not above his teacher. You will never be superior to Christ. But every student when he is fully trained will be like his teacher. This is not optional. You, who have received God's mercy and forgiveness through Christ must also show mercy and forgiveness to others. When you refuse to show mercy you reject Him who showed you mercy. When you refuse to forgive you deny the only saving faith. When you refuse to give to those in need, you do not show forth the love of God, as St. John writes, "But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?" (1 John 3:17) Yet when you show mercy, you confess the God, who shows you mercy.  

And so each of us must constantly repent and return to the God, who shows mercy. Plead to your Father to forgive your unforgiving heart. Pray that God would give you the strength to show mercy and forgive. Return to your merciful Father. The Psalmist declares of him, "The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities." (Psalm 103:8-10)  

Your heavenly Father is much more merciful than you are. Not because he permits sin or has a less strict law than you. But because he has a compassionate heart. God's compassion led to the passion of our Lord, who won your forgiveness with his blood. There is your mercy and forgiveness. You didn't ask for it. You don't deserve it. You'll never be able to pay it back. But God gives it to you freely and joyfully. Oh how great is God's compassion on us. Let us praise him in this life and the next.
​Amen. 
​
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Trinity 3 Rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents

7/5/2017

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Picture
Luke 15:1-10 ​

"What does God say about all these commandments?", asks Martin Luther at the close of the Ten Commandments in the Small Catechism. The answer comes from Exodus 20:5-6, "He says, 'I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.'"  

And St. Paul writes to the Corinthians, "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
 
 
And this is by no means the only place that Scripture condemns these wicked sins and the sinners who do them. And to top this all off, the very first Psalm begins, "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;" and the Psalm concludes, "Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish." (Ps. 1:5-6) 

And yet here we find Jesus receiving sinners with favor and eating with them! To eat with someone, especially in first century Israel, is to join in fellowship with them. This is why the scribes and Pharisees are so upset. Is Jesus accepting tax collectors and sinners? Yes, he is. Jesus accepts sinners, just as they are! 

How can this be? Is Jesus contradicting the rest of Scripture by accepting sinners? Is Jesus some type of liberal theologian, who dismisses the moral demands of God's Word? By no means! "I have not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets, but to fulfill them!" Jesus says. In fact, Jesus preaches the law more strictly than any other teacher sent by God. "You have heard it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment..." (Matt. 5:21-22) "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (vss 27-28) "It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife let him give her a certificate of divorce.' But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery." (vss 31-32) Thus does our Lord Jesus preach God's Law! And as we heard last Sunday, Jesus does not shy away from preaching about hell either.  

And yet, here we see our Lord Jesus accepting and eating with tax collectors, adulterers, divorcees, yes murderers (whether in thought or deed). Does Jesus have a split personality?  Isn' t this a contradiction? No, here we meet the two main teachings in the Bible: the Law and the Gospel. The law is the love God commands of us. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind and love your neighbor as yourself. And if you do not love, the law condemns you to death and hell. The Gospel is the good news that Jesus died on the cross to wash away the sins of the world, so that sinners can be accepted by God. These two teachings do not contradict each other. Rather they serve each other. A sinner confronted with the law must fear God and despair of his own righteousness. The Gospel rushes in to comfort the broken sinner with God's acceptance and forgiveness. But if the law does not do its job, the sinner will not accept the Gospel. Rather it would be like throwing pearls before swine. 
 
And so there are two types of sinners, those who are comforted by the Gospel of Jesus and those who receive no comfort from it; those who draw near to hear Jesus and are welcomed by him and those who will not listen and therefore will not join Christ at the table.  

Notice that I did not say the two types of sinners are the really bad sinners and the not so bad sinners! No, Jesus accepts the sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, swindlers, and every type of sinner. See how gracious Jesus is! The scribes and Pharisees hate these tax collectors and sinners so much. Why? Because they know or think they know their sins. But they don't know the half of it. They don't know their wicked thoughts and motives, the evil words they've said in private, and much of what they think they know is probably conjecture! Jesus actually knows!; not only their outward sins, but their private ones, done under darkness, in secret, even in the privacy of their own minds. If Jesus wanted to, he could expose every one of these sinners' most horrendous and secret sins. But instead he chooses to cover them. To hide their sins in his own flesh, as the Prophet prophesied, "He bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors." (Is. 53:12) 

And so it is with you. Christ knows every single one of your sins. Not just the sins you know or others know about you. He knows the sins you think are secret, which no one else knows about, perhaps that you have even forgotten about. Yet instead of expose them and cast you into hell in shame and guilt, he covers them with his own blood and he covers you with his own righteousness. And it is this promise of grace that draws you, a sinner to Jesus.  

It is not the severity of the sin that determines whether or not the sinner will sit at Jesus' table. It is whether the sinner repents, as Jesus says, "There is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance." To repent is not only to be sorry for your sins, but to turn to Christ and listen to him, as these sinners in our text did. They came to listen to his words of grace, to believe in this forgiveness, and to learn from him how to live a life pleasing to God.  

Last month, I recently learned, was so-called, "LGBT Pride Month," refering to lesbians, "gays," bisexuals, and transsexuals. Now obviously sexual perversion is not something to have pride in. Yet, there appears to be an even greater threat to Christians than the acceptance of sin, which is condemned in the Bible. Those who encourage pride in sexual behavior condemned by God himself are considered loving! People are even invoking Christ and his command to love as a reason to accept and embrace sinful behavior. And even so-called Christian church bodies have embraced homosexuality and other sexual immorality, refusing to condemn it, even performing "same-sex marriages" in direct defiance of God's command and some are even ordaining openly unrepentant homosexuals as pastors to shepherd Jesus' flock! And our children and young people are pressured everyday to accept these sinful behaviors as good and right and equal to the relations God has given to marriage between husband and wife.  

So let me be clear: it is not loving to accept homosexuality or to encourage a person suffering with these temptations and sins to embrace or have pride in their sin nor does it in any way resemble our Lord's behavior toward sinners. Those church bodies that encourage people to continue in their sin are not doing the work of Christ, but the work of Satan. They are confirming poor lost souls in their sin and preventing them from joining Christ at his table. And God will hold them accountable, as the Prophet Ezekiel records God's command to his watchman, "Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand."(Ez. 33:7-8) 

Those who struggle with homosexuality like all of us need Jesus. They are no different in that regard. And so as Christians we are to treat them with respect, be polite, and put the best construction on everything. But that does not mean that we encourage anyone to continue sinning or join in their sinning. Rather it is loving to encourage repentance and belief in the free forgiveness of sins won by Christ Jesus for everyone. You too need to repent every day. And as often as you repent and believe in the Gospel, your sins are forgiven before God in heaven. 

Jesus did not walk in the counsel of the wicked nor sit in the seat of scoffers when he sat and ate with sinners. Rather, they listened to him. He corrected them in their sin and tenderly preached forgiveness to them. Jesus does not encourage anyone to continue in sin. Rather he rescues from sin, as God spoke in Ezekiel chapter 33, "As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live." (vs 11) 
And Jesus, who is the Lord God himself, continued this same ministry when he proclaimed, "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." (Luke 5:32) Jesus never encouraged anyone to continue sinning. Those who do so do no favors to the sinner. They are like sham doctors, who refuse to tell the patient he has cancer, because he's afraid of his reaction. Jesus not only tells you that you have a disease, but he heals you. And this is why these sinners flock to Jesus. Not because he turns a blind eye to their sin, but because he cures them of their sin by forgiving them, no matter how grievous or socially unacceptable  their sin is.  

It's no fun being a sinner. You do the things you know you shouldn't and the things you know you should do you fail to do. The demands of God's law are too much for us to bear. It's no wonder that so many have completely given up trying or have redefined what good is to comfort their own guilty consciences. Being a sinner makes you feel unworthy, even worthless. Well, each of us is certainly unworthy of God's love and affection. But no one here is worthless. You were bought with a price. Jesus determines your worth by what he paid for you: his very own suffering and bitter death. And this is why Jesus calls the entire heavenly hosts to rejoice with him over one sinner who repents. Every single one of Christ's sheep is important to him. You are important to Christ. As the woman could have no rest until she found the coin she lost, so Jesus can have no rest until he has you. And Jesus rejoices along with all his angels and all the saints in heaven, because he has brought you into his fold.  

There is no sin so great that Jesus' blood cannot wash it away. And so there is no sinner for whom Jesus did not die. And so there is no one unwelcome in Christ's Church. Tax-collectors, adulterers, homosexuals, thieves, murderers, child-abusers, gossips, slanderers, blasphemers, Jesus died for them all. And so he wants them all to join him at his table, to repent and receive the forgiveness of their sins. There is no place so welcoming as the Christian Church, no place so welcoming as this congregation, not because of how nice we are, not because we exchange eternal joy for temporary happiness, but because Jesus, the head of his Church, accepts all sinners. He forgives every sinner no matter their sin. And so you know he forgives you!  

Let us pray:  

"Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity 
And passing over transgression 
For the remnant of his inheritance? 
He does not retain his anger forever, 
Because he delights in steadfast love.  
He will again have compassion on us; 
He will tread our iniquity underfoot, 
You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea." 
In Jesus' Name.  
​

Amen.  ​
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    Rev. James Preus

    Rev. Preus is the pastor of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ottumwa, IA. These are audio and text of the sermons he preaches at Trinity according to the Historical Lectionary. 

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