TRINITY EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH
  • Home
    • Missions
    • Swaddling Clothes
  • What We Believe
    • Christian Education: Sunday School and Catechism Program
    • Baptism
    • Worship
    • Confession and Absolution
    • Holy Communion
  • Our Pastor
  • Sermons
  • Calendar
  • Choir

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

The Test to Strengthen Faith

1/30/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
The Storm on the Sea of Galilee, Rembrandt, 1633. Public Domain.
Epiphany 4 
Matthew 8:23-27 
Pastor James Preus 
Trinity Lutheran Church 
January 30, 2022 
 
In 1 Kings 18, the Prophet Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal to determine who the true God is, the LORD or Baal. Each party set up an altar and prepared a bull to be sacrificed, but neither the false prophets or Elijah set their offering on fire. Instead, they prayed to their god for him to send fire down from heaven. The prophets of Baal went first. After hours of crying out to Baal and dancing around like pagans, Elijah began to mock them saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” (2 Kings 18:27) Elijah mocked the prophets of Baal in this way, because their god was no true God. Baal did not make man in his own image, but rather a bunch of men made Baal after their own imaginations, with needs and wants just like their own. But the LORD, the true God, whom Elijah served, who did send fire down from heaven to consume Elijah’s sacrifice, was not like Baal that he would muse, or relieve himself, or go off on a journey, or sleep. The LORD is not like a man that he does these things. He transcends mankind. He is all-knowing, omnipresent, and eternal. He has no body that he should relieve himself or go to sleep. So, Elijah rightly mocks these prophets of Baal for worshiping a false god, who cannot answer prayers.  


Yet, the Jesus, whom we confess to be God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made, this Jesus does muse. He frequently goes off by himself to meditate in a desolate place and pray. His ministry is described as peripatetic, meaning, that he wanders around, going on journeys. He is recorded to have eaten and drunk like any other man.  And here, in our Gospel lesson, we find this Jesus asleep and his disciples must awaken him. Everything Elijah says to mock the false god Baal, we find our Jesus doing here on earth! What does this mean?  


Well, this means that our Jesus is truly a man. He doesn’t just appear to be a man, as some have supposed. He is a real, flesh and blood human, just like us, yet, without sin (Hebrews 4:15). Our Lord got hungry. Our Lord needed time by himself to think and pray. And yes, our Lord got tired and slept. Jesus worked hard, traveling, teaching, and preaching, and healing every type of disease. This took a toll on Christ. It tired him out. And so, as anyone who has ever put in more than a full day’s work can sympathize with, he fell asleep. So worn out was he, that the tumultuous waves served only to rock him as he slumbered.  


Yet, does this mean that Jesus is not God? By no means. As Jesus is truly a man, he remains God. Although he sleeps here on earth, he remains in full control of the universe on his throne in heaven. Just as Christ held the universe in his hand while he was yet an unborn baby in his mother’s womb, so Jesus continues to be God as he lies tired and worn in the stern of the boat. Jesus’ human nature does not diminish his divine nature. Jesus’ humiliation does not inhibit his ability to rule as God. This is the mystery of the Personal Union of Christ. He is one person, yet man and God at the same time. He sleeps through the storm even while controlling the weather on the entire planet.  


This means that Jesus’ nap does not make him unaware of his disciples’ problem. He does not sleep ignorant of the danger of the wind and the waves. Nevertheless, he sleeps. Yet, why does he sleep? Why does he seem so unconcerned for their safety? Why does he permit his friends to tremble in fear that they might drown, so that St. Mark records them crying out, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”? This behavior of our God was not introduced when he became man. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Even when the people of God knew that God had no body and no need to sleep, the Psalmist still cried out to the Lord in Psalm 44, “Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever! Why do you hide your face? Why do you forget our affliction and oppression? For our soul is bowed down to the dust; our belly clings to the ground. Rise up; come to our help! Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love!”  


Why does Jesus put his disciples through this trial? The answer is given by Jesus, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Jesus puts them through this trial to strengthen their weak faith. This is always why God puts us through trials, so that we may come out stronger in the end. This might seem cruel when you go through such a fright, but you’re always better off when you endure. There was a great storm, and afterward Jesus provided a great calm to make up for it. The sailors on Jonah’s ship were certainly frightened that they would lose their lives. They didn’t want to go through such a storm. Yet, they rejoiced in the true God afterward and inherited eternal life. This is why the Psalmist says, “It was good that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.” (Psalm 119:71) A stronger faith is always worth the trial, because faith is what unites us to Christ and saves us.  


The disciples suffered from a weak faith. A weak faith is another way of saying that they served false gods. We learn from the First Commandment, “You shall have no other gods,” that whatever you fear, love, or trust in most is your god. The disciples were confident when they went out on the boat when the water was calm and the wind gentle. Did they embark in the boat, because they trusted in God? No. They embarked, because they trusted in the calm sea and gentle winds. Yet, when the storm suddenly arose and poured water into their boats, did they fear the Lord? No, they feared the water and the waves. The storm proved their weak faith; it exposed their false gods. 


Yet, the disciples did have faith. Their faith was weak. It needed to be strengthened. And so, as God has done many times to those whom he loves, Jesus tested his disciples, so that they would call upon him for help and see his power to save.  


Jesus proved that he is God by commanding the wind and the sea, and they obeyed him. The wind and sea do not have faith in Christ. They simply obey him out of necessity. They are creatures. Jesus is the creator. Likewise, Jesus healed many diseases. The diseases did not have faith in Christ, although many of those suffering from them did. Yet, the diseases needed to obey Jesus, because he has the power to restore his creation. After this episode, Jesus comes across a couple men possessed by thousands of demons. The demons obey Jesus’ command to leave the men, not because they have faith, but because Jesus is God.  


Yet, faith is different. Jesus does not force us to believe and trust in him against our will, as he stills the sea or casts out demons against their will. Our sinful will is indeed unwilling to believe in Jesus, but Christ does not use force. Rather, Jesus makes us willing by the power and persuasiveness of his Word. To have faith in Christ means to willingly follow him and to willingly obey him. Only the Gospel has the power to create such willingness of faith, because only the Gospel promises life and salvation. Yet, Christ does use the preaching of the Law and trials in this life to prepare the heart to accept the Gospel. The Law condemns you as a sinner, as a worshipper of false gods. Trials in life reinforce the message of the Law. The storm on the sea exposed the fact that the disciples trusted in the weather instead of Christ. Yet, the Gospel that Jesus proclaimed many times caused them to call out to Christ for help when their false god failed them. And when he calmed the sea, they knew that Jesus is God.  


God uses our troubles to direct us to the Gospel. They make us weak and needy. The Gospel is for the weak and needy, because the Gospel offers pure grace and forgiveness. This is why St. Paul says, “When I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10) He is strong, because he knows the Gospel. And the weaker he is, the closer he clings to the Gospel. Yet, if you neglect the Gospel and try to solve your problem, searching for other gods or trying to be your own god, then there will be no end to your misery.  


The Gospel comforts the weak and troubled, because it reveals how our God saves the weak and troubled. Our God became a man, just like us except without sin, as we see in our Lord Jesus. He died for us to take away our sins. That man, nailed to the cross dying, remained God, the creator of the universe, the righteous and holy judge. So, by virtue of that Personal Union, that man who died for our sins is also our God. That means that our sins are forgiven, because no sin is greater than God’s righteousness. In this Gospel, we see the certainty of our salvation. We see the depth of God’s love for us. In Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, we see that our Savior is in complete control. This is the Gospel that convinces us of God’s love, that gives us comfort in our trials and faith that God will bring us through them.  


Does God love you? Look at Jesus and how he died for you while you were still a sinner and tell me that God does not love you. Is Jesus able to rescue you? Look at him who rose from the grave after paying the debt of mankind’s sin and ascended to the right hand of God the Father Almighty, and tell me that Jesus is not able to rescue you. There is not a trial you go through that God has not given you. All your suffering is limited by God’s discretion. He may appear to be sleeping; he may seem to be far away, but he is surely watching and ready to answer your prayers. He desires for you to hold on to him closer, to call upon him in every need, to willingly obey him with perfect trust that he will take care of you.  


God’s silence should not tell us that God does not care. Even when Jesus is sleeping, he is aware of his disciples’ troubles. Rather, God’s silence should draw us closer to him, to trust that he is in control, and most importantly, to recognize that he is not silent. He speaks to us today, in the midst of your trial, in his Gospel. What do you need from the Lord? What do you need to know from him? He has already given you everything in Christ Jesus. He has revealed his love for you in the Gospel. The Gospel reveals to you that God has already given you everything you need. If you lose everything, but have Christ, you have lost nothing. You have won. And such knowledge will strengthen you to weather every trial on earth, knowing that all things work out for good for those who love God (Romans 8:28). Amen.  
0 Comments

Epiphany 4: Jesus Rules

1/30/2017

1 Comment

 
Picture
Matthew 8:23-27 
01/29/17 
 
Jesus went into the boat and his disciples followed him. That's the way it works. Disciples follow their Lord. So it is when you were baptized, when you began to believe in Christ Jesus you followed him into the boat. The boat is the holy Christian Church. Christians are safe when they are in the holy Christian Church, because they are with Jesus.  
But if anyone ever tells you that being a Christian is easy or that their troubles went away when they became a Christian don't believe them. Not long after the disciples pushed off onto the peaceful waters of Galilee with Jesus in tow a great storm arose on the sea and the waves pummeled over its deck and threatened to swamp the ship. And so it is for you Christians, safe within the boat of the Christian Church. The devil sends his attacks. Temptation! That spiritual warfare that tosses about your soul like a little boat in a hurricane. Temptation to doubt God's love; to doubt the benefits of his word; to doubt his presence. Temptation to sin, because it would be so much easier than doing what's right. Temptation to sin, because it's what you want to do. And if anyone tells you, "Don't worry, Satan can only launch spiritual attacks. He can't hurt your body." Think again. He'll use mounting debt, a lost job, sickness, injury, the death of a loved one, anything he can get his hands on (he's an innovator, that devil) to tempt you into sin and unbelief.  
And Satan has powerful allies, the world and your own sinful flesh. And these three attack the Christian Church like a boat on the sea; hailing down persecution from powerful governments and cruel extremists and swamping her hull with scandals and false teaching. And Satan attacks the Christian too. He attacks you. He'll use your own wants and desires to make you believe that they make up your whole world. He'll use national politics, the economy, and your job to cause you to lose sight of who's really in control. But all the wind and rain, thunder and lightning, even the waves rushing over the edge of the ship are just distractions to deter you from seeing who's really in charge.  
Jesus lay sleeping. The disciples cry to him, "Save us, Lord!" So Jesus rises and rebukes the winds and the sea and there was a great calm. The disciples marveled, saying, "What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?" What sort of man is this? Well, he's the Lord God of heaven, the creator of the sea and dry land. Who else can command the winds and sea and they obey him? The disciples see Jesus sleeping. He appears to be just a man. Jesus is a man. But he is not just a man. He is God. And so, he is always in control.  
Jesus never loses control of the situation. Even as waves poured into the boat and no amount of man power could steer the ship straight, Jesus was in control. Even as he trudged up that hill with splinters of wood from his cross rubbing against his already raw back, Jesus was in control. As Roman soldiers drove nails into his hands and feet; as he was lifted up high for all his haters to see; even as he gave up his last breath; Jesus never lost control of the situation.  
Hell itself ranted and raved for the souls of the damned. The Law of God required justice for the sins of the world. Lots were cast to see on whose account this storm raged. Yet the lot didn't fall on you or me, as it should have. The lot fell on Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God. So like Jonah, Jesus was cast into torrents of hell and was swallowed up by death. Yet even then Jesus steered the situation. Our Lord willingly lay down his life, so that he could defeat hell and death by rising from the dead on the third day. 
And Jesus is in control now. That doesn't mean your life will be peachy? Jesus said, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." (Matthew 16:24). You, Christian, must bear your cross. Yes, Christians must suffer more than all people. Satan will not let you pass through this life with ease. He'll try to capsize your boat. He'll make you long to be an unbeliever, who doesn't have to be concerned about the teachings of the Church, who doesn't have to worry about repentance and forgiveness, about heaven and hell. He'll even let your life be comfortable, so that you care more about your nice car, your retirement fund or your next vacation than God's Word.  
Being a Christian takes courage. Satan won't just let pastors preach the pure Law with its full force to lead sinners to repentance and guide Christians in what is right. Nor will he let them preach the Gospel to comfort and save the lost without temptations to compromise to keep the peace. He doesn't want parents to teach their children about Jesus or bring them to church. He wants them to think the task of reading Bible stories and saying prayers is too laborious and not worth the time. He wants parents to give up on bringing their little ones to Jesus thinking, "There's no way they're getting anything out of church anyway." He'll make you feel stupid for being a Christian. He'll make you choose between worshiping your God and making money or doing what you love. He'll make you think that you're in control or that there is no order in the universe, anything if it will knock you out of that boat and get you away from Jesus.  
And this is how the disciples were, exhausted from trying to row to shore and bailing out the boat, drenched to the bone and preparing to drown. So they cry, "Save us, Lord! We are perishing!" Jesus, in complete control of the situation, before he orders the seas to be still, first rebukes his disciples, "Why are you cowards, O you of little faith?"  
"Why are you cowards? Can't you see that I am God? I am in control." Jesus calls his disciples, "O you of little faith." At first this seems like an insult or a harsh rebuke. But Jesus only calls his disciples, "you of little faith." If you read the New Testament you'll see Jesus use this phrase several times, but never when talking to an unbeliever; only when talking to his disciples.  
We learned last week about the centurion of whom Jesus said, "Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith." Oh, how we'd love to have the courage to say, "At your word, O Lord," even as sickness and death pummel us! And truly, we should constantly pray for a stronger faith. Yet, when it comes to your eternal salvation the "greatness" of your faith isn't what matters. Faith isn't some great work that earns your salvation. Faith is only as useful as its object, that is, faith is only as good as the one to whom it clings. The disciples, these men of little faith, clung on to Jesus with their little faith.  
Oh, that we all could have such a little faith! Oh, that each of us here would have the faith to cry to Christ for help when the waves of this life rush over us! God promises in Psalm 50:15, "Call upon me in the day of trouble, I will deliver you and you will glorify me." Faith grasps this promise, it believes it, it takes refuge in it. Often times the reason why Christ, who is always in control, permits trials and temptations to accost us in this life is so that we will come crying to him for help, so our faith will become stronger while we still have it.  
Faith clings to Jesus and his promise. It believes that when Jesus says, "Your sins are forgiven," that God truly is at peace with you. Faith knows to whom you should pray. Faith keeps you from being drowned by the attacks of the devil, because faith clings to Christ alone, who died, so that you might live, who was raised from the dead to give you new life, who bore the pains of the cross, so that you can endure the suffering of this life.  
Now the entire Christian life on earth is not doom and gloom. God sends days of gladness to the Christian; children, family and friends, even prosperity. But these are not what makes a Christian truly happy. A Christian can rejoice, because after the great storm is a great calm. The Christian knows that the suffering of this present age is not even worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed to us in Christ Jesus.  
Having faith does not put you in control. Rather, it attaches you to the one who is in control. And even a little faith that trusts in Christ will join you to the only one who can save you. May God, by the preaching of his Word and the power of the Sacrament strengthen all of you in this faith, so that you may always remain in the safety of this boat, the Christian Church, which carries us to eternal life with Christ.  
Amen.  
1 Comment

    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. 

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016

    Categories

    All
    Advent 1
    Advent 2
    Advent 3
    Advent 4
    All Saints Day
    Angels
    Ascension
    Ash Wednesday
    Baptism Of Our Lord
    Christmas 1
    Christmas 2
    Christmas Day
    Christmas Eve
    Circumcision And Name Of Jesus
    Confirmation
    Easter 2
    Easter 3
    Easter 4
    Easter 5
    Easter 6
    Easter Sunday
    Easter Vigil
    Epiphany
    Epiphany 1
    Epiphany 2
    Epiphany 3
    Epiphany 4
    Exaudi (Sunday After Ascension)
    Funeral
    Good Friday
    Good Shepherd
    Last Sunday
    Lent 1
    Lent 2
    Lent 3
    Lent 4
    Lent 5
    Lenten Services
    Maundy Thursday
    Means Of Grace Lenten Series
    Name Of Jesus
    Nativity Of St. John The Baptist
    Palm Sunday
    Pentecost
    Presentation Of Our Lord
    Quasimodogeniti
    Quinquagesima
    Reformation Day
    Robert Preus
    Second Last Sunday
    Septuagesima
    Sexagesima
    St. James Of Jerusalem
    St. Michael And All Angels
    St Stephen
    Thanksgiving
    Transfiguration
    Trinity
    Trinity 1
    Trinity 10
    Trinity 11
    Trinity 12
    Trinity 13
    Trinity 14
    Trinity 15
    Trinity 16
    Trinity 17
    Trinity 18
    Trinity 19
    Trinity 2
    Trinity 20
    Trinity 21
    Trinity 22
    Trinity 24
    Trinity 25
    Trinity 26
    Trinity 27
    Trinity 3
    Trinity 4
    Trinity 5
    Trinity 6
    Trinity 7
    Trinity 8
    Trinity 9
    Trinity Sunday

    RSS Feed

© 2017  www.trinitylutheranottumwa.com
  • Home
    • Missions
    • Swaddling Clothes
  • What We Believe
    • Christian Education: Sunday School and Catechism Program
    • Baptism
    • Worship
    • Confession and Absolution
    • Holy Communion
  • Our Pastor
  • Sermons
  • Calendar
  • Choir