Category: Easter 2

The Preaching Office

4/25/2022

Incredulity of Saint Thomas, Caravaggio, 1602. Public Domain.

Quasimodo Geniti Sunday (Easter 2)
John 20:19-31
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
April 24, 2022

Twice in this Gospel lesson St. John points out that the doors were locked, yet Jesus came and stood among them. How did Jesus do this? Was it just a spirit that looked like Jesus? No. Jesus showed them his hands and his side still bearing the marks of the nails and spear. St. Luke reports that Jesus ate food with them. Spirits do not have scars. Spirits do not eat. Spirits do not have bodies you can touch and feel. So, how does Jesus do this? Jesus is God. He can do whatever he wants. Nothing is impossible with him. And Jesus’ human body does not limit his divine power. The Son of God did not become weak when he became flesh. Yes, he hid his divine glory for a while, as he was swaddled in a manger, as he hungered in the wilderness, as he languished on the cross. But Jesus never ceased to be God. Yet now, after his resurrection, his glory is no longer hidden. Jesus’ body is not limited to space and time the way our bodies are limited, because Jesus is true God. This is also how he was able to exit the tomb with his body without removing the stone. And this is how Jesus is able to be present in the Sacrament of the Altar with his body and blood, even though this seems impossible to us. Jesus is able to do far more than we can either ask or think (Ephesians 3:20).

Why then the scars? Scripture tells us that Jesus’ body is raised in glory. All things are placed under his feat. And all who believe in him will be raised to new life with bodies formed after the image of this risen Christ. Why then the scars? If in Jesus’ resurrection his body is changed so that it has no imperfections or weaknesses, so that it is even able to be in more than one place at one time and enter into closed and locked rooms without opening a door, why do Jesus’ scars remain? Why does his body still bear the marks of the nails in his hands and the mark of the spear in his side, if he has been raised to incorruptibility? For two reasons: 1. To show them that he is the same Jesus whom they saw crucified and 2. To show them what they must preach in order to save sinners.

This risen and glorified Jesus is the same Jesus, who covered in blood, bore the sins of the whole world on the cross, died, and was laid dead in a tomb. He is now risen. Our sins are forever banished. Jesus has conquered death. He shows them the nail marks in his hands and the scar of the spear in his side to prove that he is the same Jesus who suffered for the sins of the world, and he has won. The man who suffered and died for the sins of the world is the same God, who is exalted above all things. Those scars prove that he has won our salvation for us.

Jesus bears the scars to show his disciples what they must preach. It is in this setting that Christ institutes the Office of Preaching the Gospel, so it is in this setting that he shows his ministers his hands. It is as if Jesus is saying, “You must preach the way to eternal life, but that way is not accomplished by works done with your hands. Rather, look at my hands. My hands have done the work needed to be done. See their scars!” And indeed, Jesus has accomplished the work needed to be done to save our souls. That is the content of the Gospel. Preachers of the Gospel do not point sinners to their own hands in order for them to work their own way to heaven. Preachers of the Gospel point sinners to Jesus’ hands, so that they may see who has worked for them and earned their way to eternal life.

This Gospel lesson gives us the best proof text for the Office of the Keys. What is the Office of the Keys? Our Catechism answers, “The Office of the Keys in that special authority, which Christ has given to His Church on earth to forgive the sins of repentant sinners, but to withhold forgiveness from the unrepentant, as long as they do not repent.” It then quotes John 20:22-23: The Lord Jesus breathed on his disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

This is why our church teaches that when the called ministers of Christ deal with us by Christ’s divine command, in particular when they exclude openly unrepentant sinners from the Christian congregation, and absolve those who repent of their sins and want to do better, this is just as valid and certain even in heaven as if Christ our dear Lord dealt with us himself. We believe that when a minister forgives sins, what is called the absolution, that Christ himself is forgiving those sins in heaven. We also believe that when a minister withholds forgiveness, that forgiveness is withheld by Christ himself. The Church is supposed to withhold forgiveness from sinners, who openly refuse to repent of their sins, because they show that they do not have true faith in Christ. You cannot have saving faith while continuing in sin without repenting. Christ commands that His Church withhold forgiveness from unrepentant sinners, so that they learn to repent, so that they may be saved through faith. Yet, Christ commands his Church to forgive the sins of repentant sinners, so that they may know that their sins are forgiven before God in heaven and may be saved through faith.

The Office of the Keys deals directly with confession and absolution as well as excommunication, which is the practice of removing openly unrepentant sinners from the Christian congregation until they repent. Yet, the Office of the Keys really teaches the entire ministry of the Church. Christ has given his Church the authority to forgive sins. The forgiveness of sins is given through the proclamation of the Gospel, that is, through words. Jesus said to his disciples, “The one who hears you hears me. The one who rejects you rejects me.” (Luke 10:16) This is because Jesus has accomplished all that needs to be done for our salvation. He died for our sins. He rose for our justification. We are saved through faith alone. Jesus told Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen, yet have believed.” Yet, how are they to believe? John tells us in this very chapter, “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:31)

Jesus won for us salvation through his bitter suffering and death for our sins and his glorious resurrection. We receive this salvation as a free gift through faith. Yet, there can be no faith without hearing the words of the Gospel. Many people think that they can come to true faith or keep the faith without the word of the Gospel, but it is impossible. Jesus designed for us to receive saving faith through his Word. That is why he gave his Church the Office of the Keys, so that through words spoken by the minister, sinners may believe that they have a gracious and forgiving God. This is why Jesus instituted the Office of Preaching the Gospel, so that sinners may believe the Gospel and be saved.

God planned our salvation; we did not. Jesus, our God and Lord, who became our brother by taking on human nature, died for the sins of the whole world. He is risen from the dead, having made satisfaction for all our sins. God’s plan is for us to receive this salvation as gift through faith, that is, by believing and trusting in the promise that our sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake. God’s plan is that we receive this faith through the proclamation of the Gospel. Jesus showed his disciples his hands and his side, demonstrating that only through the preaching of the cross can sinners be saved. We will not find another way to salvation. There is no other message that can create faith or keep faith alive. Do not be fooled into thinking that you can strengthen your faith in Christ by meditating on your own sinful thoughts or by getting in touch with nature or your garden, or that you can become closer to God by the work of your own hands. No. You can only come to true saving faith by hearing the Gospel of what Jesus’ nail-pierced hands have done for you.

Faith is a gift from God. Because of our sinful reason, no one can believe in Christ unless the Father grants him faith by the Holy Spirit. Thomas proved this by denying the testimony of over a dozen eye witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection, after he himself heard Jesus predict his resurrection, the same Jesus, whom he had witnessed raising the dead. After Thomas confessed the true saving faith, declaring Jesus his God and Lord, Jesus said, “Blessed are those who have not seen, yet have believed.” Those blessed are those whom God has granted faith as a gift. This faith is given through the Gospel message alone.

We speak of the fruits of faith coming after faith, yet they really often happen instantaneously with faith. When the doubting disciples came to faith, having seen the risen Lord, they received two fruits of faith: Peace and Joy. Immediately Jesus declared to them, “Peace be with you.” Having been justified through faith, they had peace with God. And having seen the risen Lord, they had joy.

This is peace, which the world cannot give, which surpasses all understanding. Notice that the threat against the disciples, which compelled them to lock their doors, is still there. In fact, nearly all of them will eventually be killed at the hands of Jesus’ enemies. Yet still, they have peace. God is not angry with them. He has forgiven them and looks favorably at them. And this means that they have peace with their fellow Christians. The Office of the Keys doesn’t give authority to forgive sins to the pastor alone, but to every Christian. Through faith in the Gospel, Christians have peace with one another by forgiving one another their sins.

This peace can only be found in the nail marked hands and the spear scared side of Jesus’ Christ. This is why the pastor says, “The Peace of the Lord be with you always,” as he holds up to the congregation the bread and wine, which is the true risen body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Christ alone do we find peace. In Christ alone do we find the ability to be at peace with one another. Saving faith is knowing that true joy can only be found in the scars of Jesus. And no trial, not even the whole world going up in flames can take that joy away from us.

That man nailed to the cross by his hands and feet with a spear thrust in his side is our God and Lord. In his resurrection he gives his Church the power to forgive sins and grant eternal salvation to all who believe. Where Christians gather around Jesus’ Word, there is Jesus in their midst, not simply in spirit, but bodily present. Do not doubt it or deny it. He is our Lord and God. Nothing is impossible with him. Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!
Amen.

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Real Resurrection, Real God, Real Salvation

4/12/2021

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Doubting Thomas, Karl Heinrich Bloch, 1865-79. Public Domain

Quasimodo Geniti (Easter 2)
John 20:19-31
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
April 11, 2021

Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed. Alleluia!
Last Easter Sunday, the following was posted on the Twitter account of the Georgia Senator and pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Raphael Warnock, “The meaning of Easter is more transcendent than the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Whether you are a Christian or not, through a commitment to helping others we are able to save ourselves.” The post was later deleted and Warnock’s office stated that a staff member posted it without authorization. Warnock declined to state whether he agreed with the statement or not. However, many did defend it. And as a matter of fact, it expresses the belief of a growing religious and political cult, which is present in many religious denominations, a cult which denies the truth of the Bible, ignores Christ’s work of salvation, and devotes itself to earthly pursuits, such as environmentalism, social justice, and other social, economic, and political activism.
Now, to any orthodox Christian, the statement above is absurd and obviously heretical. How can the meaning of Easter transcend the resurrection of Jesus Christ? Scripture says, “[Christ Jesus], though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:6-11)
So, to say that anything transcends the resurrection of Christ is contrary to Scripture. By his resurrection, Jesus was exalted above all things. His Ascension, which we will be celebrating in a few weeks, is simply delayed while Jesus gives final instruction to his disciples. But it is in Jesus’ resurrection from the dead that Christ is victorious over death and hell and gives us this victory. The only way a person could claim that the meaning of Easter transcends the resurrection of Jesus Christ is if he denied that Jesus bodily rose from the dead and that Jesus is truly God.
And that is exactly what this religious and political cult, which I mentioned earlier, does. You’ve heard of higher criticism, which claims that the events in the Bible did not actually happen and judges all supernatural events in Scripture against observed science. Higher critics deny the miracles of the Bible. They frequently deny the virgin birth of Christ, Jesus’ divinity, the doctrine of the Trinity, and Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Yet, these same higher critics preach sermons in churches! Well, what do they preach if they do not believe in the Trinity or that Jesus rose from the dead? They preach a religion of works. This is why that Twitter post said that both Christians and non-Christians could save themselves through the commitment to helping others. According to this cult, faith in Christ does not save, but rather, your own works save you.
Now, this is not simply beating up on some silly tweet. Jesus teaches us to mark and avoid false teachers, who come to us in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. In churches throughout our country, there are ministers who will preach about the resurrection of Christ and about salvation when they don’t actually believe that Jesus bodily rose from the dead or that he won salvation for us by his death and resurrection. How can they do this? Equivocation. Equivocation is when the same word is used with different meanings. When they say, “Jesus’ resurrection,” they do not mean that Jesus’ dead body came back to life, but a spiritual resurrection or even a metaphorical resurrection, that is, a pretend resurrection. When they say, “salvation,” they do not mean that you ascend into heaven to live with Christ or that your body is risen from the dead, renewed after the image of Christ. They mean a very earthly and temporal salvation that you experience here and now, a temporary and superficial liberation of sorts.
This liberal religious cult is more palatable to modern people, because it does not ask you to believe in miracles or other difficult to accept teachings in the Bible, like the Trinity and the divinity of Christ and Jesus’ resurrection. What’s more, it doesn’t condemn many popular sins of the flesh like fornication, homosexuality, or abortion. Yet, the acceptance of these sins does not mean there is no law. This religion has a salvation based on works, yet not the works of God. Yet, in this religion there is no real forgiveness nor any real salvation. Rather, you must obey their rules obediently with the false promise of salvation here and now.
Of course, the Bible makes clear that we cannot save ourselves by our own works. No human being will be justified before God by works of the law, for through the law comes knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:20). All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:24). For by grace you have been saved through faith and this is not your own doing, it is a gift from God, not of works. (Ephesians 2:8-9). Yet, if Jesus did not rise bodily from the dead and if Jesus is not true God, then our faith in salvation through Jesus apart from works is a sham. We are of all people most to be pitied.
Yet, our Gospel lesson makes clear that Jesus both rose from the dead bodily and that he truly is our God and Lord. Thomas declared that he would not believe that Jesus rose from the dead unless he saw the nail prints in his hands and placed his hands in the mark of the nails in his hands and in the mark of the spear in his side. Why did Thomas say this? Because he saw Jesus nailed to the cross. He saw the spear driven in his side and blood and water pour out of it. The disciples watched from a distance when Jesus was taken down from the cross and Joseph and Nicodemus wrapped his body in linen clothes and nard and laid him in the tomb. Thomas knew for a fact that Jesus was dead. And it is an indisputable historical fact today that Jesus was crucified and killed and laid in a tomb.
Yet, when Jesus appeared to his disciples, he showed them his hands and his side. He did the same thing to Thomas, even bidding him to stretch out his hand and touch him! Jesus is not a ghost. This is not a metaphorical resurrection. The man who was dead is now alive!
When Thomas saw that Jesus was raised from the dead, he confessed Jesus to be his Lord and his God. He did not only confess this because Jesus rose from the dead. Thomas witnessed Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead, but he didn’t think Lazarus was his Lord and God. But Jesus taught Thomas that he was his Lord and God. Jesus confessed, “Before Abraham was, I AM.” (John 8:58) Jesus taught his disciples that he was one with God the Father (John 10:30). Jesus taught his disciples that he came from the Father and was going back to the Father. That Jesus, whom Thomas saw dead, is now alive, proves that all his teaching is true. It proves that Jesus is indeed Thomas’s Lord and God.
Both that first Easter Sunday and the Sunday after when Thomas was present, the doors were locked and Jesus suddenly appeared to his disciples. Jesus did not come as a ghost, but in flesh and bone, as we just heard. Yet, he defied the laws of physics and appeared in a closed room. How did he do this? Because Jesus is God. Since Jesus’ human body is united to the same person as Jesus’ divine nature, Jesus’ body is God’s body. This means Jesus’ body can do whatever God can do. This is also why he was able to exit the tomb before the angel rolled the stone away. And this is why Jesus is able to be present on many altars in his flesh and blood while simultaneously being present at the Father’s right hand in heaven. Jesus is able to do far more than we can either ask or think. All things are possible with Jesus. Jesus is God.
So, why does it matter that Jesus both bodily rose from the dead and that he is truly God? It matters, because this is how he saves us. Before Jesus told his disciples that whosever sins they forgive are forgiven, he showed them his pierced hands and side. He does the same thing today. Before we can have forgiveness of sins, we must see Jesus’ pierced hands and side, that is, we must hear the Gospel of how he won for us forgiveness of sins. Those marks on his hand and side declare to us that he suffered and died for our sins. By his wounds we are healed of sin and death.
This is why the Church has the authority to forgive sins, because the Church preaches the Gospel that Jesus died for sinners and rose again from the dead. The reason why this modern social and political cult does not forgive sins, is because it does not proclaim Christ’s atonement for sin. Only the Christian Church, which preaches that Jesus, true God and true man, died on the cross for our sins and bodily rose from the dead, can forgive sins. And Christ has given his Church the authority to forgive all sins.
By proving himself to be God, Jesus proved that he had the power to forgive our sins. He was able to bear our guilt. He is able to declare peace from God to us. He is able to breathe on us the Holy Spirit and give us his victory over sin, death, and hell. This all proves, that we are saved apart from our works, but rather through faith in Him, who conquered sin and death for us.
Jesus showed his disciples his pierced hands. It was as if he said, “Not by your works, but by mine are you saved. I have labored for your salvation. You can only receive it as a gift from my hands.” Our hands cannot earn our salvation. Neither can our feet or tongues or brains. We can only receive salvation as a gift from him who won it, Christ Jesus who was crucified, who was raised bodily, and who is exalted to the Father’s right hand, who is our Lord and God.
When we doubt the biblical account that Jesus is both God and man, that he truly suffered and died for our sins and rose bodily from the dead, then we doubt our salvation. We must guard against such doubt and against such teaching that would say that the historical truth of Jesus’ resurrection does not matter. Thomas doubted. He wasn’t the only one. Yet, when he saw his risen Lord, he confessed him as such. Jesus says blessed are those, who have not seen, yet have believed. But Jesus doesn’t leave us without a witness. St. John writes, “These things are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” These things that are written are not fables or cleverly devised myths. They are the historical, eye-witness accounts that carry the power and authority of the Holy Spirit himself. These truths give us confidence in our salvation, because Christ Jesus has won it for us. Amen.

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Quasimodo Geniti (Easter 2): Jesus Gives Us the Ministry of Reconciliation

4/30/2019

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The Doubting Thomas, from The Small Passion,ca. 1510 Albrecht Dürer. German metmuseum.org Public Domain

Quinquagesima 2019
The Cross of Christ Reveals the Glory of the Holy Trinity
Luke 18:31-43
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
March 3, 2019

Natural science seeks to determine how the world and universe around us work through observation and experimentation. The natural scientist uses his senses to observe and test nature in order to come to conclusions. When I was a young student my science teacher told our class that we were all scientists, because we all made observations in order to obtain knowledge. And of course, using the scientific method and employing the senses, which God has given you to learn about creation is a good and useful task. We live in the most scientifically advanced civilization in history, because of the well-cultivated pursuit of scientific observation.
Science is very useful for learning about the creation, but what about the Creator? What can you know about God through observation and experimentation and gathering of information through the senses? I’ve recently been following the lectures of some prominent scientists, who argue in favor of intelligent design. They argue that through what we can observe in the natural world, we can conclude that an intelligent designer designed life and other phenomena in the universe. One scientist said that you could see the designer’s signature in the DNA of each cell. We of course, would call this designer, God, the Creator.
And even Scripture tells us that we can know something about God through natural observation. St. Paul writes in Romans chapter 1, “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” (vss. 19-20) This learning about God through nature is called natural theology. Yet, it is important to note that although one can learn somethings about God through observing the universe, the universe will not reveal to you the way of salvation or the truth of the holy Trinity. Natural theology will not teach you the Gospel. Rather, St. Paul uses the argument that God’s invisible attributes are clearly perceived in the things that have been made to show that the ungodly are without excuse. We can find evidence of God’s wrath in the natural world, but we cannot find God’s grace.
God’s grace and the glory of the holy Trinity can only be known through revelation of God’s word. Yet, God’s word must not be treated the same way as we do science with testing and experimentation, trying to understand something before we say that it is true. That is the stumbling block that Jesus’ disciples stumbled across when they did not understand his plain words. Jesus spoke clearly that he would be delivered over to the Gentiles to be mocked, mistreated, and killed, and on the third day rise again in order to fulfill the Scriptures.
Yet, his disciples did not understand. This is because the revelation of God’s word is not understood through the scrutiny of our senses, but as a gift from the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:12-14 states, “Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”
You will not learn the truth of the one true God; the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, by observing nature. You will only learn of the true glory and mercy of the Triune God through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In John chapter 14 his disciple Philip said to Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus responded, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” God the Father will not be seen apart from his Son, Jesus Christ. We see God the Father when we see Jesus crucified on the cross for our sins.
On the cross we see the Father’s righteousness, love, and mercy. The Father is righteous. Sin cannot dwell with him. In Jesus, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, we see the Father’s righteous wrath against sin as Jesus suffers the turmoil of our sin. We see the Father’s wonderous love, who loved us so much that he did not spare his own Son, but made him to be the propitiation for our sins. In the crucifixion of Jesus, we see the will of God the Father carried out on account of his deep love for us. God the Father will not be known and cannot be known apart from Christ’s crucifixion for us.
Christ Jesus, the Son of God, will not and cannot be known apart from his crucifixion. In John chapter 12 our Lord in great anticipation for his crucifixion said, “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” (vss. 27-28) The crucifixion of Christ was the purpose for which he became a human being and was born of the Virgin Mary. Jesus did this to save us. And in saving us through his crucifixion, the Father glorified his name in Christ.
It was necessary for Jesus to be crucified, so that we could be saved. Isaiah 53 articulates the necessity of Christ’s passion some seven centuries before it took place, “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. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one --to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (vss. 5-6) In Christ’s crucifixion he gathered all people to himself by removing that which separates us from our holy and righteous God. This is why Christ Jesus will not be seen as our victor as we see him on Easter Sunday, unless he is first seen in his passion on Good Friday.
God the Father will not be known apart from Christ and his cross and Christ Jesus will not be known apart from the Holy Spirit, who delivers the revelation of Christ crucified to us. Natural science cannot explain the value of Jesus’ crucifixion nor can it convince us that it takes away our sins. According to scientific scrutiny the crucifixion of Christ is of no value. This is because only the Holy Spirit can grant faith in Christ. 1 Corinthians 1 states, “For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (vss. 22-24) The Holy Spirit teaches us what we need to know about the Triune God by first teaching us of Christ’s death for our sins and his resurrection. And he calls us to believe these truths without seeing them or feeling them or testing them.
The blind man in our lesson is a great example to us. He is blind, which demonstrates a lack of the senses. But he doesn’t trust in his senses. He trusts in the promise of Scripture. That is why he calls Jesus, the Son of David, the title of the promised Christ, who would give sight to the blind (1 Chronicles 17; 35:5). Jesus tells the man that his faith has saved him before he receives his sight. The man believed that Jesus would heal him of his blindness before he could see any evidence of it. This is how faith works. Faith trusts in the promise. The Holy Spirit does not give you something for your senses to scrutinize, but for your faith to receive with hope.
To truly know God, you do not start by searching the stars or examining microorganisms under a microscope. To know God, you must look to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. There is the greatest manifestation of the divine essence. In the historical event where God saves sinners, who God is, is most clearly revealed to us. And this event and its meaning are revealed to us by the Holy Spirit in the holy Scriptures.
The crucifixion of Christ identifies for you who God truly is. The crucifixion of Christ also identifies who you really are. The cross of Christ defines you as a Christian. There you see God’s wrath against your sin and the tremendous distance between the righteous God and your sinful self, closed only by the blood of Christ. There you see God’s mercy and love for you, the extreme measure he goes to save you. There you recognize your worth purely through God’s grace. Through faith the Holy Spirit has joined your identity inextricably with the crucifixion of Christ. You are forgiven by Jesus’ suffering and death. You are joined to his death and resurrection. You are a recipient of God’s boundless grace revealed in Christ’s cross. When you call yourself a Christian or baptized you are saying that you are one redeemed by the blood of Christ. You cannot know yourself for the rest of eternity without knowing yourself in connection to Christ and his cross. Forever you are a recipient of God’s boundless grace.
And you can’t know your neighbor apart from Christ’s crucifixion; especially your fellow Christians, who put their faith in it. Jesus shed his blood for everyone here. This should draw us to treat each other with love and patience and forgiveness. When you look at your fellow Christian you see someone, for whom Christ shed his precious blood, whose identity is inseparable from the same event in which you set your hope.
Faith is different from scientific knowledge, because it is dependent on revelation, not observation. The revelation of Christ’s death and resurrection determines what our faith believes is true, not the observations of our senses. This is indeed comforting, because what we experience in this world often hides God’s grace from us, as we suffer pain, doubt, and guilt. But the revelation of Christ’s suffering and death for your sins remains the same. Your Baptism remains the same. The Sacrament, which gives you the risen body and blood of Christ to eat and to drink for your forgiveness remains the same. And by this you know that your God; the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit remains the same, as does his forgiveness and love for you. This Wednesday we will begin to pay special devotion to the passion of Christ and to examine ourselves according to it as we begin the season of Lent. May our eyes be fixed on Christ and his passion beyond these forty days and into eternity. Amen.

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Quasimodo Geniti Sunday (Easter 2):The risen Christ gives the keys to the kingdom of heaven to his Church.

4/9/2018

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John 20:19-31
April 8, 2018

When Jesus rose from the dead he proved that God the Father accepted his payment on the cross for the sins of the whole world. Everything that separated us from God and barred us from eternal life was destroyed. His resurrection is a shout of victory that rattles the very depths of hell. Jesus won. Our sins are washed away. Peace with God is made. Sinners now have access to heaven. And this is what Jesus says when he says to his disciples, "Peace be with you." This is the message of the mark of the nails and the spear; God's peace to you.

Jesus won a tremendous victory with his resurrection, but God desires to give us the victory. He does this when Jesus says to his disciples, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld." With these words Jesus places the victory of his resurrection from the dead and all the benefits that flow from it into the mouth of the Church. It is now Christ's Church, which is the sole possessor of the forgiveness of sins, which are the very keys to heaven. This is what Christ said to St. Peter in Matthew chapter 16, "On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (vss. 18-19)

Again St. Paul says this very thing in Ephesians chapter 2, that after God raised Jesus from the dead, "he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all." (vss. 22-23) God has given Christ to the Church to be her head. The Church is Christ's body. Everything that belongs to the head belongs also to the body. This means, that the Church is the sole owner of Christ's victory over death, the forgiveness of sins, the very Gospel. This means that the only way to heaven is through the ministry of the Church.

People get uncomfortable with that language, because people often think that the Church is a human organization constructed by people. But the Church is not a man-made institution. Christ Jesus established his Church through his suffering and death on the cross. When I say that the Church is the sole possessor of the keys to heaven and only through the ministry of the Church can someone enter heaven, I am saying that only through faith in Christ's word can anyone be saved. And the Church is, by definition, where the word of Christ is preached in its truth and purity and where the Sacraments of Christ are rightly administered. Where there is the preaching of the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ and people who hear and believe this preaching, there is the Church. Where this word is absent, so also is Christ's Church absent.

Martin Luther wrote on this same text, "Christ places his suffering and resurrection in the mouths of his apostles and subjugates under them all the power of the devil and of hell, together with heaven and eternal life." Jesus has done all the work to save us! The benefits of Christ's resurrection are now given through the word alone, which means that they are received through faith alone. By placing all the power of his resurrection into the mouth of the Church, Christ has made it clear that your salvation does not depend on your good works or your ability to reform your life or on any amount of effort on your part. The only access you have to Christ's victory over sin, death, and hell is through his word. And the only way you can receive this victory is through faith in his word.

This should be of great comfort for you, because your salvation does not depend on shifting sand, but is founded on the rock of God's Word. God cannot lie. If he says that your sins are forgiven, then your sins are truly forgiven. This message has the power to bring comfort to even the most bereaved conscience, and even more than that, it has the power to give life to your mortal body.

Pastors ordinarily forgive sins, yet when a pastor is not available any Christian can speak the forgiveness of sins and it is true even before God in heaven, because Christ has given the power to forgive sins not to individuals, but to his whole Church. Yet, people object to the idea that ordinary men can forgive sins. Yet, it is not through the power of ordinary men that the sins are forgiven, but through the power of God himself. When Ezekiel prophesied to the bones, it was God's power working through Ezekiel's words that gave life and breath to the dried-up bones. And for this same reason, your Small Catechism teaches you that in the absolution "we receive forgiveness from the pastor as from God himself, not doubting but firmly believing that by it our sins are forgiven before God in heaven."

It is the chief duty of the Church to proclaim the forgiveness of sins for Christ's sake. And the pastor doesn't forgive sins only when he declares the absolution (whether privately or publicly). The pastor forgives sins when he baptizes and when he distributes Christ's body and blood in the Sacrament, and when he preaches the Gospel in his sermon. In the words of Baptism, the Sacrament of the Altar, and the preached Gospel is the very power of Christ's resurrection. And when you believe these words you receive all the benefits of Christ's victory over death, just as Jesus said, "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven."

Christ gives his Church the awesome authority to forgive sins. Yet, he also gives his church authority to withhold forgiveness. This teaching is even more controversial than ordinary people having authority to forgive sins. Of course, the authority to forgive sins comes from the same source as the authority to withhold forgiveness: Christ himself. And while many disagree with the practice of the church withholding forgiveness from openly unrepentant sinners, this is not a humanly-contrived practice, but an explicit command from Christ. And believe it or not, Jesus knows how to shepherd his sheep better than any of us.

Jesus says in Matthew chapter 18 that if a sinner refuses to listen even to the church, "let him be to you as a Gentile or a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." And St. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians chapter 5, "When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord." (vss. 4-5)

From St. Paul's words we learn why Jesus gives the command to remove unrepentant sinners from the Christian congregation. Paul tells us it is "so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord." The goal is always for the sinner to repent and receive forgiveness of sins. But if a sinner does not repent, he cannot receive forgiveness. Yet, if a sinner does repent, even if he has been removed from the congregation through excommunication, the repentant sinner should be welcomed back as a lost brother returning home, or as a son, who is raised from the dead (Luke 15:32). As St. Paul speaks of the same excommunicated sinner in 2 Corinthians 2, "For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him." (vss. 6-8)

The other reason for removing openly unrepentant sinners from the Christian congregation is for the sake of the weak. "A little leaven leavens the whole lump.", St. Paul says. The church only has authority to remove openly unrepentant sinners, because none of us can see the hearts of individuals and we are forbidden to judge (Matthew 7:1). But openly unrepentant sinners hurt not only themselves, but others, by leading them into sin or scandalizing them, so that they flee from the church. So, the binding of sins to sinners, who refuse to repent not only benefits the sinner, so that he can repent and be forgiven. It also benefits the whole church by setting a good example.

The authority to preach the Gospel is the authority to forgive and retain sins. This means that it is the duty of the preacher of the Gospel to also preach the Law. Without the bitterness of the Law, the Gospel will be as appetizing as rich food to someone who's belly is ready to burst. St. Paul writes, "For apart from the law, sin lies dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died." (Romans 7:8b-9) What this means is: apart from the Law, although sin is active in our members, it is hidden from our conscience. This is why St. Paul writes, "Apart from the law, sin lies dead." It is not that sin does not exist or that we don't sin. But rather, we sin without realizing the great danger we are in. But when the Law tells you what your sins are (for example, in the Ten Commandments), then sin comes alive in your conscience and burdens you greatly, so that, as Paul says, you die. You must become aware of your sins and their danger in order to receive the Gospel, which rescues from sin.

Pastors preach the Law, so that you become abundantly aware of the danger you are in; that you deserve to be punished in hell; that your sins separate you from the love of God. This preaching of the Law has the ultimate goal of you repenting of your sins, so that you can receive the forgiveness of sins through faith. The Law is also preached, so that Christians know that they do not have saving faith if they continue in sin without repenting. True faith causes Christians to constantly turn from their sins and seek absolution. This does not mean that Christians do not sin. It means that Christians constantly seek the remedy for sin, which is forgiveness from Christ through his death and resurrection.

The Gospel must predominate over the Law, because the forgiveness of sins is the primary task of the Church. This is why Christ placed his resurrection victory into the mouth of the Church. The Law is a servant to the Gospel, used to drive sinners to repentance by enlivening sin in their conscience. The Church does not preach the Law in order to drive people away from Christ, but so that they seek Christ, who alone offers safe-haven from their sins.

Christ won a great victory for you in his resurrection; a victory that gives you peace with God and eternal life. The only way for you to receive this victory is through faith. So, Christ put all the power of his resurrection into his Word and placed this word into the mouth of the Church, so that he might transfer his victory into your heart. Hear these words: Your sins are forgiven. These are not empty words, but words empowered by the very resurrection of Christ. They have Christ's authority and are true even before God in heaven and are believed by him and his angels. These words have the power even to raise your dry bones to new life. These words have the power of Christ's resurrection. And if you believe them, so do you. Amen.

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Quasimodo Geniti (Easter 2) Peace with God Won and Given

5/8/2017

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John 20:19-31

April 23, 2017

"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:1) To be justified before God is to have peace with God. To be justified means to be forgiven: God has removed your sins from you. It means to be in a good relationship with God. This is true peace.

When we talk about justification before God we speak of it in two ways. First, how it is achieved or won. And second, how it is received by sinners.

Jesus won justification for all mankind when he died on the cross for the sins of the whole world and rose for the justification of all people, as St. Paul makes clear: "...Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25) And St. John writes, "[Jesus Christ] is the propitiation for our sins, and not for our sins only but also for the sins of the whole world." (1 John 2:2) Our Lord makes clear how he won peace with God for us when he showed his disciples his pierced hands and side saying, "Peace be with you."

Jesus won peace for everyone. There is no sin that escapes the forgiving power of Jesus' blood. There is no sinner for whom Jesus did not die and rise. Yet, a sinner must receive this peace. Peace with God is received by faith in Christ. If you do not have faith in Christ then you do not have peace with God. So the great question is: How do you receive peace with God?
I used to work as a dishwasher and a prep-cook in a restaurant in East Grand Forks, MN. I used to have long discussions with a professed agnostic, who worked as a line cook. I remember once after telling him about the Gospel he asked me, "Well if God wants me to believe in him, why doesn't he come down and show himself here on earth?" As a teenager I was a bit taken back and said, "He did." But this isn't the way God chooses to reveal himself to us and create faith in our hearts. This is not the way Christ has chosen to bring peace to you. What did Jesus say to Thomas? "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

God creates faith (and therefore gives you peace with him) through his word. The Evangelist writes, "But these things are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." "Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.", writes the Apostle Paul. Jesus is not going to appear to you with his nail pierced hands and perforated side. At least not this side of the Resurrection of the Dead. Rather, God creates faith in Jesus through his word.

It is not that God is trying to be difficult by forcing you to believe something based only on his word, while refusing to give you proof. Rather, God's Word is the only thing powerful enough to create saving faith. Abraham said to the rich man suffering in hell according to Jesus' story, "If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead." (Luke 16:31), meaning, that if someone does not listen to God's Word from the holy Scriptures neither will he believe if he sees a man rise from the dead. Of course this statement was prophetic, as the soldiers, who guarded Jesus' tomb accepted bribe money rather than believe in the resurrection, which they witnessed! (Matthew 28:11-15)

Jesus died and rose in order to gain peace with God for all people. He sent his Apostles to proclaim this word in order that you would believe it and yourself have peace with God. The Prophet Isaiah prophesied of Christ, "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound." (Isaiah 61:1) When Christ breathed on his disciples, saying, "Receive the Holy Spirit.", he passed on to them the authority and obligation to proclaim the good news of peace with God won by Christ's suffering and death.

Jesus says, "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld." This is called the Office of the Keys. The Church has the special authority to forgive and retain sins. Jesus has placed all sins under the authority of the Church and has given her the authority to open the gates of heaven! There is no sin so great that the Church cannot forgive it, because the authority does not come from the pastors or congregations, but from Christ Jesus himself!

This is the mission of the Church, to declare forgiveness and peace with God to all people, so that they will believe and be saved. Yet, Christ has also given to his Church the authority to withhold forgiveness. This is not authority to arbitrarily refuse to forgive sins of random people. Nor are there sins that are too great to be forgiven by Christ's suffering and death. Rather, the Church is given the duty of preaching both Law and Gospel.

To be forgiven, you must be a sinner. In other words, you must repent of your sins. Everyone is a sinner. Everyone deserves to go to hell. But not everyone hates their sins and wants forgiveness. The Law makes you aware of your sins. St. Paul wrote, "If it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, 'You shall not covet.' But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. " (Romans 7:7-8) When you are confronted with the Law you are confronted with your sins. When God's Law says, "You shall have no other gods before me", you become aware that you have worshiped your stuff instead of the true God. When the Law says, "You shall not commit adultery", you become aware of the sinful lust in your flesh. The Law needs to make you a sinner before you can be forgiven.

You cannot have saving faith without repenting of your sins. This is why it is necessary to preach God's Law. God's Law diagnoses the cancer of sin. The Gospel cures this disease by washing you in Jesus' blood. So why does Jesus give his Church the authority to withhold forgiveness? Jesus only gives his Church authority to withhold forgiveness from those who refuse to repent and believe in the Gospel. Jesus does this, so that those who refuse to repent would see how serious their sins are, so that they would repent, believe in the Gospel and be saved. The goal of preaching the law and of withholding forgiveness from those who refuse to repent is always for sinners to repent and believe in the Gospel and be saved.

The proclamation of the Gospel is always the goal. This is why Jesus went to the cross. This is what Jesus gave his Church when he returned from the grave: the Gospel, peace with God. This means that you, who have felt your sin well up inside you, who are aware of your transgressions and need for a Savior, you have very good news. The peace the pastor proclaims to you when he says, "Your sins are forgiven," is the same peace spoken by Jesus to his disciples. It is not weakened. It is just as potent, because it is the same peace won by Christ's suffering and death on the cross. Jesus gives you peace from God.

St. John writes, "And this is the victory that has overcome the world- our faith." Your faith overcomes the world, overcomes your sin, the devil, yes, even your sinful flesh. Your faith gives you peace with God. Not because your faith is a great work, but because your faith receives Jesus. If you have faith in the peace Jesus won for you, then you have the peace Jesus won for you.

Your faith doesn't depend on what you see or touch, like Thomas the skeptic. Your faith doesn't depend on great wisdom. Your faith depends on the word of Christ. That is why you go to church: to hear the words of everlasting life. Your faith devours these words, believes them, holds on to them. When forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you for Christ's sake, your faith grasps on to this peace from God. When Jesus offers you his body and blood to eat and drink in the Sacrament, your faith receives this peace from God. Every time you remember your Baptism, your faith confesses that you are born of God. Christ's Word and Sacraments, these are the means by which God has chosen to deliver to you the peace Christ won for you on the cross. God promises that his Word and Sacraments will do more for you to give you peace than even if you were to see the marks of the nails and of the spear.

Peace with God has been won for you by Christ. God is your friend. He is your Father. This reality can only be received through faith in Christ's word and Sacraments. May God grant you such faith unto life everlasting. Amen.

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

The Preaching Office

Real Resurrection, Real God, Real Salvation

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Quasimodo Geniti (Easter 2) Peace with God Won and Given

Rev. James Preus

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