I Am the Living One - April 27, 2025 - Second Sunday of Easter - Text: Revelation 1:4-18

Jesus is risen from the dead. He is alive. We worship a living God. This morning we continue in the afterglow of our Easter celebration, and really, as Christians we are reminded that each and every Sunday is an Easter celebration. This morning we continue with using the Epistle lesson as our text and although you might not think it, Revelation is a fitting after Easter text. Let me put it this way. Maybe you remember that Luke wrote both the Gospel of Luke and the follow up book of Acts. In much the same way, John wrote the Gospel of John and the follow up book of Revelation. As we get to our text we will see that Revelation is indeed “A Distant Triumph Song,” as one of my commentaries calls it. I might also begin by saying that John’s revelation is appropriate because what John is seeing is the resurrected Jesus, who is seated at the right hand of the Father, who is in all His glory, which He had given up to be born as one of us.
 

Our text begins right at the beginning of the book. Immediately after introducing this writing as a revelation from God in the first three verses, John continues with words of doxology and greeting in the next four verses. John writes “to the seven churches in the province of Asia.” Many times in the Bible numbers have special meaning. Yet, we need to be careful, because not every number has special meaning. Here in the book of Revelation, which is a vision, many of the numbers do have special meaning. Here John uses the number seven, “the seven churches” to mean the number of completion. In other words, John is seeing this vision which is for the complete number of churches, the whole church of God, all believers in Jesus.
 

John begins with doxology. He begins with trinity. He begins with “grace and peace” “from him who is, and who was, and who is to come,” in other words, he begins with God the Father. God is eternal. He always was, always is and always will be. He is forever.
 

John then speaks of God the Holy Spirit, or as he calls him, “from the seven spirits.” It is possible that John uses the term “seven spirits” to bring to mind “the seven-fold description of the Holy Spirit found in the Old Testament book of Isaiah (11:2).”
 

And John speaks of God the Son. John describes Jesus in His role as the faithful witness, which is the role of the prophet; as the firstborn from the dead, and here I would make an aside to remind you that He is the firstborn from the dead after having made Himself the sacrifice for our sins, which we are reminded that the role of the priest was to make sacrifices; and He is the ruler of the kings of the earth (v.5), meaning that Jesus is our King, even the King of kings. So, we see Jesus as prophet, priest and king. And we see that John begins with the trinity, Father, Holy Spirit and Son. And he begins with Jesus threefold office of prophet, priest and king.
 

John reminds us that Jesus is the one who has freed us from our sins. He did this by the shedding of His blood on the cross for us. He did this by His death and resurrection (v.6) for us, in our place. And John reminds us as Paul does in many of his letters, that we are redeemed, not for nothing, but so that we might serve Him in His kingdom, so that we might do the good works which He has prepared in advance for us to do.
 

John reminds us of the coming day of Judgement. He reminds us that Jesus is the one who is coming to judge the world. In His coming to judge the world, the unbeliever will mourn because of Him (v. 7), because he will know that means his eternal destruction.
 

John goes on to share Jesus’ words of greeting and his description of what he saw (v. 8-18). John tells us that Jesus said, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, that is, He describes Himself as the beginning and the end (v. 8). Alpha is the first letter in the Greek alphabet and Omega is the last. It would be like saying in English that He is from A to Z. Notice also that Jesus’ words remind us that He is one with the Father and the Spirit and that He was with the Father and the Spirit even from the beginning, even at the creation of the world.
 

John writes that he is suffering as Jesus said he would (cf. John 16:33). Interestingly enough, the word that John uses for suffering is the same word that Jesus used for trouble in the Gospel of John when He reminded us that we would have trouble in this world, but we are to take heart, because Jesus has overcome the world. In other words, Christ has overcome the suffering and troubles of this world.
 

John says he saw the seven golden lampstands. These lampstands are symbols of the seven churches. As we said earlier, John is speaking to the whole Christian church.
 

John goes on to describe God (v.13-16). His head and hair were white like wool, not because of His old age, even though I would wonder if it could not be from the trouble we have been, but His hair is white to show His wisdom and dignity. His whiteness shows His purity, holiness, and righteousness. His eyes of blazing fire show with what purifying fire He will judge, as He sees absolute truth from a lie (v.14). His feet were bronze “showing his authority and the exercise of His power over His enemies, who must serve as His footstool,” and His voice was the sound of rushing water, both frightening for sinners and calming for believers (v.15).
 

John describes what came out of His mouth as being like a “sharp double-edged sword.” And what comes out of Jesus’ mouth is nothing but His Word. Paul reminds us that as Christians the only offensive weapon we carry into battle against the devil is the sword of the Word of God.
 

John, quoting Jesus, again, says that He describes Himself as the “living one.” That brings us back to the understanding that we worship a living God. And we worship a God who holds the keys to heaven. Faith in Jesus is the key. Faith saves, unbelief condemns.
 

So, why am I excited about having the book of Revelation as our text? One reason is in the book of revelation we have an answer for those who knock at our door dismissing the idea that Jesus is truly God and truly man. Follow along with me if you will. And you may use the Bible in the pew if you do not have your own with you. I would suggest marking this in your Bible at home so you have it when someone knocks at your door. First, we want to establish that God is the Alpha and Omega. We do that by looking at Rev. 1:8 (p. 1377 in the pew Bible). “I am the Alpha and Omega, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” So, we ask, who is the Alpha and Omega? The answer is, God is. Now turn to Rev. 21:5-7 (p. 1395) “He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.” Again, who is the Alpha and the Omega? He is the Beginning and the End, in other words, He is God. So, not only is God described as the Alpha and the Omega, He is also described as the Beginning and the End. Now, turn to Rev. 22:13 (p. 1396). John writes: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” And again we ask, “who is saying this?” and the answer is that God is saying this. Now for the clincher if you will, turn to Rev. 1:17-18 (p. 1377-1378). And this is again from our text for this morning. John writes: “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.” Now we ask, once more, “who did we say was the Alpha and the Omega?” We said it was God. And then we make our case that Jesus is God by asking, “when did God die and come back to life?” And of course, we know the answer, when Jesus, who is God, died on the cross and rose again. Which is what we just celebrated.
 

A another reason I am excited about having the book of Revelation as our text is because we do not get to have it as a text too often, probably because it is so misunderstood by our society. As I said earlier, the book of Revelation is the second half of John’s Gospel. It is a book of Gospel, reminding us that our God is not dead but is alive. It is a book in which we see Jesus Christ seated at the right hand of the Father ruling over us, interceding for us, watching out for us and caring for us. The book of Revelation shows us Jesus in all His glory. He is in heaven living in all the glory that is His, that He gave up to be born as a human being. He is in heaven where He is using His divine attributes to their fullest.
 

The book of Revelation reminds us that Jesus is our Judge. that He will come again with power and great glory and might. He will come to judge the living and the dead. He will come to take us, the faithful, believing Christians to heaven to live with Him forever in eternity. He will do this because that is what He earned for us by His death on the cross for our sins and by His resurrection.
 

Finally, the book of Revelation reminds us of our need to be ready. We need to be ready at anytime and at all times, because we do not know the day or the hour when He will come again, only the Father knows. We need to be ready and we ready ourselves by being in the word, by reading our Bible, by remembering our Baptism, by confessing our sins and hearing His Word of absolution, by partaking of the Lord’s Supper. We ready ourselves and we show that we are ready by being about the Lord’s business, sharing His Word with others, being good stewards of our time, talents and treasures, using them to extend God’s kingdom, and especially to extend God’s kingdom here in this place. We show we are ready through our thoughts, our words and our actions, as they are directed heavenward. We need to be ready and we are ready as our Lord makes us ready through the means of grace.
 

Again, I cannot say it enough, in our text for today, and as we will be in the book of Revelation for the next few Sundays, John reminds us that Jesus’ death and resurrection was not for nothing. His death earned life for us. His resurrection reminds us that we too will rise again. Jesus has accomplished all things for us and to that we say, to God be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Christ Did Rise - April 20, 2025 - Easter Day - Text: 1 Corinthians 15:19-26

He is risen!  He is risen indeed!  Alleluia!
 

In a court of law, witnesses play one of the most important roles. The prosecution, as well as the defense, each get to call their own witnesses and cross examine the other witnesses. The role of the witness is to explain what they saw. As Christians we are witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection. As we read God’s powerful Word, the Holy Spirit works through that word to work faith in our hearts. Thus, by the working of the Holy Spirit, through faith we have seen and bear witness to Jesus’ resurrection. Now, that witness may be good enough for others who share the same faith, but for those who do not believe, that witness may not be enough. Thanks be to God that we have reliable witnesses so that we have proof positive of the resurrection. If we did not have such reliable witnesses then Paul’s words would be devastating, “19If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (v. 19-20).
 

From my Catechetical Helps book I have a list of witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection. According to this list (p. 90) Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene. She is listed with Mary the mother of James, and Salome in our Gospel lesson as having witnessed Jesus alive. Jesus appeared to Peter as we read in Luke (24:34). Jesus appeared to James as we read in 1 Corinthians (15:7). He appeared to the disciples of Emmaus on that first Easter afternoon. He appeared to the disciples when Thomas was absent, again on that first Easter evening. One week later He appeared to the disciples and Thomas. He appeared to the seven disciples by the sea, that was when He helped them catch a large number of fish. He appeared to the eleven on the mountain and possibly these were some of the 500 mentioned by Paul in 1 Corinthians (15:6).
 

These witnesses I have just mentioned are written in our Bible. What about witnesses outside our Bible? Are there any witnesses of Jesus resurrection outside of the Bible? The answer to that question is yes and no. No, there is no specific witness saying that the Easter Resurrection happened without a doubt, but there is evidence which supports the resurrection. The first bit of evidence is the very fact that the Jewish argument shared with Christians the conviction that the tomb was empty, but the explanations for its being empty are different. Dr. Paul Maier puts it this way, “Such positive evidence within a hostile source is the strongest kind of evidence and becomes self-authenticating.” In other words, if the enemy disagrees, which they naturally would, that is one thing, but if the enemy agrees, such as the tomb being empty, that would mean your case holds the strongest argument. Another extra Biblical witness is that of the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus who mentions that it was reported that Jesus appeared alive again three days after His crucifixion. As archeology continues to find ancient relics there is no doubt that even more evidence is forthcoming.
 

There are still other reasons for believing in Jesus’ resurrection, such as the very fact that Jesus Himself spoke of His resurrection. In passage after passage Jesus told the people that He had to die and that He would rise again. Another reason to believe in the resurrection is the fact that the disciples are trustworthy historians. The disciples were out to tell the truth, to bear witness to the facts they saw. Why would they make up such stories, especially if they knew that they would be executed for doing so? More than likely people make up things in order to get out of being punished. Why would the disciples make up the stories of the resurrection in order to be punished?
 

Another reason for believing the resurrection is the change of the behavior of the disciples, and especially that of Peter who changed from being what I would call a reactionary to being a responder, someone who responded to the needs of others.
 

Another reason for believing the resurrection is the observance of Sunday. What else would account for the change of the day of worship, the Sabbath rest, from Saturday to Sunday? It would have to be something very dramatic. And it was, it was the resurrection which moved people to want to worship on Sunday in order that every Sunday would be a little Easter celebration.
 

Another reason for believing the resurrection is that of Christianity. Christianity was not some kind of new sect, rather it is the followers of Christ, the fulfiller of all the Old Testament prophecies and the way to eternal life. And actually most of the first Christians were Jews who were waiting for a Messiah, and especially those waiting for an eternal life, forgiving Messiah. For these first Jewish Christians, their Jewishness no longer had any meaning except in Christ, thus becoming little Christs or Christians.
 

Another reason for believing the resurrection is because of our calendar. We are living in the year 2025 A.D. that is translated as, “in the year of our Lord.” The years before our Lord are cleverly referred to as the years before Christ or B.C. In an attempt to thwart Christianity there are some who are trying to change our references to B.C.E. being “before the common era” and C.E. being “common era,” but the fact remains that for so many years and even with the “common era” reference we continue to reference time according to the days of our Lord Jesus Christ.
 

As Christians we can rest assured in the fact of the resurrection and because of the resurrection we know that we too have victory over sin, death and the devil. Going back to our text Paul says, “24Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power” (v. 24). And “26The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (v. 26). Yes, we may still experience physical death, but because of Jesus’ death and resurrection we are assured that we will never experience eternal death in hell.
 

We have victory over sin, death, and the devil meaning we have victory over original sin as well as actual sin. Going back to our text Paul says, “21For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive” (v. 21-22). The genetically transferred sin of Adam which is born in each and everyone of us is forgiven as well as the sins we commit each and every day.
 

What does this mean? This means that we are free from the bondage of sin, original and actual sin, sins of omission and sins of commission. We are free from death, eternal death and hell, and we are free from the power of the devil. We will still have to face trials and temptations. We will still have the struggle of resisting sin and temptation. We will more than likely still face physical death. But now we have the added advantage that our sins have been forgiven and we have the Holy Spirit, the Comforter who is with us to help us resist sin and temptation and to overcome and win out in the end.
 

This means that we have the promise of eternal life. We may fear the way in which we may physically die, but we do not fear what will happen after our physical death. By grace, through faith in Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection we have the assurance that we have a place in heaven waiting for us, so that we may be sure, as the thief on the cross, that in the very day we die we will be with Jesus in paradise.
 

How is this done? This done by the Holy Spirit working through the means of Grace, the Word, Holy Absolution, and the Sacraments, Holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The Holy Spirit uses these means to bring us to faith, to forgive us our sins, and to keep us in faith. The Holy Spirit uses these means to impart God’s gifts to us, His gifts of faith, forgiveness, assurance of forgiveness, assurance of life and salvation and the list of gifts never ends.
 

What are we to do? With the help and by the power of the Holy Spirit we respond to all our Lord has done for us not because He needs anything from us but simply because of our need to respond. We respond by taking part in God’s Means of Grace so that He can pour out even more of His gifts on us. When we absent ourselves from His Means of Grace then He has no way to give us His gifts and ultimately we fall away, but when we daily read His Word, when we daily remember our Baptism, when we regularly, once a week, come to Him in Divine Service and confess our sins and partake of His true body and blood in His Holy meal as often as we are able, then He has ample opportunity to give us His gifts and even more of His gifts. It is very much like any sport, art, craft, or talent, playing golf, bowling, playing piano or any musical instrument, the only way to continue to do well is to practice, to make time to practice, no matter how many distractions tempt you away from practice. So it is with the Lord’s gifts. We  cannot receive His gifts if we absent ourselves from them and believe me the temptations to be absent from the Lord’s Word are far greater than any other.
 

Yet, as we respond in faith; as we take any and every opportunity to make regular and diligent use of the Means of Grace, being in Divine Service and Bible Class, having personal and family devotions, reading God’s Word, remembering our Baptism, hear His Word of Holy Absolution, partaking of His body and blood in His Holy Supper, offering our tithes, first fruits and offerings, singing our hymns and offering our prayers; as we are moved to respond so the Lord fills us and fills us and fills us so that our desire is to respond even more. Indeed, our desire as little Christs is to be where the gifts of God are being given out and then to respond even more as He has first given to us. With the help of and by the power of the Holy Spirit we respond in gratitude and praise for all our Lord has done for us, all He does for us and all He will continue to do for us. He comes to us through His Means of Grace and we go to Him in pray, praise, and giving thanks.
 

“19If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (v. 19, 20). He is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Amen.

Jesus Is Risen - April 20, 2025 - Easter Sunday - Sunrise Text: Mark 16:1-6

He is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!
 

This is the day we have been waiting for, planning for, and anticipating since Friday, the day we saw our Messiah, God in human flesh, die on the cross. Have you ever thought about it, our God died. For a moment in time it seemed like all was lost. It seemed like evil overcame good. Certainly Satan and all his evil angels were celebrating the death of Jesus. Little did they know that He would not stay dead, but that He would rise again. Little did they know that their fiendish plot to get rid of the Savior would backfire and that instead of being rid of Jesus their plot brought about the salvation of all people of all places of all times. And that brings us to the second astounding thought, our God rose. The Christian church is very different than all other religions. All other religions worship a dead person or persons. You can find the grave of Mohammad, of Buddha, of great cult leaders. You cannot find the grave for Jesus because, well first of all His was simply a borrowed tomb that He only used for a weekend stay and because He did not stay dead but rose from the dead. The Christian church is founded not on a dead God, but on a living God, Christ, the Lord.
 

Our text is the Easter account. We begin with the setting. We read verses one and two (v.1-2), “When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb” The Sabbath, the day of rest was over. They were now allowed to go back to work as it were. As you recall they were only able to make some minor preparations of Jesus’ body on Friday, as it was late in the day and the Sabbath was about to begin. The women came early on the first day of the week, Sunday morning, because they could not do anything on Saturday, the Sabbath, which was from Friday 6 pm to Saturday 6 pm. The Jewish ceremonial law forbid any work on the Sabbath.
 

So, the women came early to complete the preparation of Jesus body that they began on Friday. They came prepared. Perhaps they had purchased the spices on Saturday after 6 pm and were ready to go early on Sunday, even before sunrise.
 

They came early to the grave, as early as possible, probably right at sunrise. They came early because they knew that the body would decay quickly and they needed to hurry in order to give it proper burial. What they were intending to do was one of the deepest devotions of love a person could have for another. They intended to give their Lord, and our Lord, a very decent burial.
 

As they approached the tomb they had certain expectations. We read verse three (v.3), “and they asked each other, ‘Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?’” Their conversation shows that they did not expect Jesus to be gone. They had no expectation of a resurrection. Their concern was the fact that the grave was shut with a large stone and it would need to be removed before they could give the body a proper burial.
 

They may or may not have known about the guards, that there had been guards posted. Remember, the Pharisees asked Pilate to post a guard to that the disciples would not be able to steal the body and claim Jesus rose as He said He would. Perhaps if they knew about the guards they would have thought they could ask them to move the stone, of course they did not know that they would have been gone anyway.
 

They were too preoccupied with preparations to be concerned about any of the other events that were taking place around the crucifixion. They were not concerned about the political part of the crucifixion, only about their love for their Savior.
 

Our text tells us what they found. We pick up at verse four (v.4-6), “But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. ‘Don’t be alarmed,’ he said. ‘You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.’”
 

As Mark relates the account, we are told that they found the stone, as our text meekly says, “rolled away.” I think Marks account understates the reality that is what they found was that the stone had been blown off its “hinges,” so to speak. This stone was a huge stone which probably took more than one person to move. It was probably rolled down in a little “grove” so that it would be with great difficulty to be moved, back up to its original place before being rolled down to cover the entrance to the tomb. So, when they arrived they found the stone thrown out, back away from the tomb and lying on the ground, “blown off its hinges.”
 

When they arrived they entered into the tomb. What they found was an empty tomb, empty with the exception of the angel. The angle was robed in white, a white of purity from sin. The angel was there to comfort them and help them understand what had taken place.
 

They did not find what they were coming to prepare for burial, the body of Jesus. The angel pointed out the place where Jesus was laid and then he gave them some instructions.
 

The angel told the women what they were told to do. We pick up at verse seven (v.7-8), “‘But go, tell his disciples and Peter, “He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.”’ Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. As Mark gives his account he says that they said nothing to anyone, “because they were afraid.”
 

Notice that the first thing the angel tells the women was that they were not to be afraid. Here they were standing in the presence of perfection, and they in their sin and yet they are told that they are not to be afraid. They were not to be afraid because their sins had been forgiven. I hope and pray that you will notice as we move through the Easter season over the next seven weeks that when Jesus appears to show Himself alive He often speaks those same words, “Don’t be afraid.” Indeed, you might recall back in Advent when the angels were delivering God’s messages of the birth of Jesus they often began by saying, “Don’t be afraid.” Perhaps we would do well to remind ourselves to not be afraid in this world, because Christ has over come the world and has won the victory over sin, death and the devil. Indeed, there is nothing in the world for us to fear.
 

Then the angel tells the women to go and tell the disciples and Peter that Jesus had arisen. They were to especially to tell Peter so that he would know he was forgiven for his denial. Although Mark does not relate the telling of Peter, the other Gospel writers fill in more details about Jesus resurrection so that with all four Gospel we get a fuller witness of the events of the first Easter morning.
 

As the women left, notice that our text says “they said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.” Why Mark tells us this information can only be speculation. Perhaps they said nothing because they were in a hurry to speak to the disciples and Peter. Perhaps it was because they remembered all the times people would bear witness of their faith while Jesus was alive and how they were ridiculed by the Pharisees. Why Mark tells us this information is really not important especially since we have the accounts of the other Gospel writers.
 

What a wonderful experience Easter always is for us. During the season of Lent we continually reflected on our part in Jesus’ death. We realized that Jesus died for me and for you. And that if you or I were the only person on earth, Jesus still would have died for us.
 

Easter morning comes and reminds us that Jesus also rose for me and for you. Because Jesus rose we know that we too will rise again. Death has been defeated. Death has no power over us. The victory is our.
 

With excitement we raise our voices. He is risen: He is risen, indeed, Alleluia! To God be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

God Is Dead - April 18, 2025 - Good Friday - Text: Luke 23:46

We have come to the end. We have come to see our God die. That is what happened on the cross, our God died. Maybe Nietzsche was on to something when he declared God to be dead. Putting the best construction on everything, maybe he was talking about Good Friday, but I doubt it. Anyway, we have come to the last hours of Jesus’ suffering on the cross. We have heard His words praying for forgiveness for those who put Him on the cross, not the soldiers who were simply doing their duty, not the crowd who cried “crucify Him,” but us, those of us here today. Yes, Jesus was praying for you and for me. Indeed, as we have heard and heard again, it was because of His love for us, because of our sin beginning in the Garden of Eden. It was because of God’s great love for all people that Jesus was on the cross. We heard the result of that forgiveness as He told the thief on the cross that today he would be with Jesus in paradise, and so we were assured of our own eternal inheritance in heaven. We heard Jesus care for His mother Mary as He fulfilled His fourth commandment duties and gave the disciple whom He loved, John to be her son. We heard Him cry in agony as He became an orphan, being forsaken by His Father in heaven. As we heard, the pangs of hell are complete absence from God and His love. We heard Him ask for a drink after all things had been completed, not necessarily to quench His thirst but so that He might speak His next words of declaration. Thus, we heard Him declare that “it was finished,” that the sins of the world had been paid for. And this evening we hear Him commit His Spirit back to His Father who had forsaken Him, as He loudly declared and cried out in victory, “Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit.”
 

Jesus had completed His work. He gave up the glory that was His in heaven. He gave up full use of His divine power. He took on human flesh and blood even being born as a helpless infant. He lived a perfect life obeying all of God’s commandments perfectly, never sinning. He suffered all temptation even from Satan Himself and never sinned. He fulfilled all of God’s promises concerning Himself, as Messiah. He freely took all our sins upon Himself. He suffered the eternal death penalty of hell for us, in our place. He had asked for something liquid to clear His throat and now He is able to cry out. His cry was not a quiet, agonizing cry, for His suffering was complete. No, His cry was a peaceful, joyful cry. His cry was the confident cry of a Conquering Victor. The Battle was won.
 

Notice that Jesus cry was addressed once again to God as His Father. Earlier, He was forsaken by the Father. He had taken on the sins of the whole world, of all people of all places of all times upon Himself. He had become a curse and as such He could not stand before God the Father in His Holiness. God the Father left Him, so He was left alone to die on the cross, cursed with the sins of the world.
 

There is something else that we should mention about Jesus’ death. Whenever we see a portrait, a painting, a sculpture of Jesus on the cross, it is usually misrepresented. You see, Jesus died, not with a loin cloth around His waist as we picture Him, but in complete disgrace and humiliation for He was crucified in His nakedness. Remember, the soldiers at the foot of the cross cast lots for His clothes. We picture Him in a loin cloth because we cannot bear His shame. Yet, Jesus died in all His shame. He gave His life, completely for us.
 

Jesus suffered all that needed to be suffered. As we have reiterated several times, no more needs to be done to pay the price for our sins, no good works, no works of satisfaction, no nothing more needs to be done. And then Jesus cries out. His cry was to commit His spirit to His Father, in heaven. Jesus distress, His suffering is past, He is speaking in peace and joy, looking forward to and awaiting His homecoming in heaven.
 

And Jesus breathed His last. Jesus died. His was a usual, human death. Some people have a hard time understanding how God can die. I would ask you to think about us as human beings. We have a body and we have a soul. Some would say we also have a living spirit. An animal has a body and a living spirit but no soul. Our living spirit is the fact that our bodies can be kept alive even after we have died and our soul has left our bodies. Anyway, when we die our soul leaves our body and awaits it reunion in heaven. Jesus is a human, born in a human body. He is God. We might say His is not a human soul in a human body, but His is God in human body. So, when Jesus died His God soul left His human body to wait to be reunited at His resurrection. So, yes, our God in the flesh of the person Jesus died. He died and was buried.
 

God died, does that mean that we have no more God? Does that mean the devil has won? Does that mean the devil is now God? What does this mean? It means that while the devil was celebrating because he thought he had won, instead Jesus’ death reconciled us with the Father. Jesus death brought us back into a right relationship with the Father. As He bows His head to die, Jesus commits His spirit to the Father, after being forsaken by Him and after referring to Him as “God” earlier.
 

As the devil celebrates his seeming victory he has to come to grips with the fact that Jesus’ suffering won victory over sin, death and the power of the devil. The devil now has no power over us because Jesus has taken all that power away from Him. Certainly the devil can go around tempting the world to sin, and that is what he will continue to do until Christ returns, but with Christ as our victor we do not have to worry, because he has no power over us.
 

Jesus’ death was a true death. He was not lying only dead as a human, He died as true man and as true God. He suffered eternal death in hell and then He died. He died and then He descended into hell not for more suffering, but where He went to declare victory over the devil. As we confess in the Apostle’s creed, “[He] suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead.” Thus, the devil’s victory celebration was rather short lived.
 

Ultimately, Jesus’ death means we have life, even eternal life. Because Jesus died we know that we will not have to die, at least not an eternal death in hell. Yes, while the Lord allows us to live in this world, until He should return, we will all die a physical death, but we have no fear of our physical death because we will not have to suffer hell. And as I always remind you, every day that we live in this world brings us one day closer to our own passing or to the Lord’s return, which will be sooner than we know and sooner than we might image. Also, as I have said before, because of Adam and Eve’s sin we are each one born with sin in our DNA, thus from the moment of conception we are destined to die because sin is what brings death and because we know that from the moment of conception a person can die we also know that from that moment the moment of conception we are accountable for our sins. Thus, we understand the importance of infant baptism. Finally, we know the rest of the story, thanks be to God. Jesus is the firstborn from the dead, so because He rose we know that we too will rise again.
 

This evening we come in shame as we realize that it was because of our sins that Jesus died on the cross. We come to remember and participate in His death. Tomorrow we sit and wait. We wait as the disciples did, until on Easter morning we will echo those words of comfort which we have heard since that first Easter morning, “He is risen! He is risen! indeed,” but for now I will leave out that last word of joy. To God be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

The Lord’s Supper - April 17, 2025 - Maundy Thursday - Text: the words of institution (Matt., Mark, Luke, 1 Cor.)

We began Lent forty-three days ago. This year we have been standing at the cross listening to the words of Jesus from the cross. This evening we want to go back to the day before Jesus death on the cross. This evening we want to look at the specific event that happened on that first Maundy Thursday. This evening we come together to celebrate the giving of the Lord’s Supper to His disciples and His Church, to us.
 

The Lord’s Supper is what Jesus gives to us and is taken from His celebration of the Passover with His disciples. We read in Luke (22:7-13), “Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, ‘Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.’ ‘Where do you want us to prepare for it?’ they asked. He replied, ‘As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, and say to the owner of the house, “The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?” He will show you a large upper room, all furnished. Make preparations there.’ They left and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.”
 

The Passover meal was for the children of Israel and any foreigner who might be in their midst. This was a meal to remember and celebrate the “passing over” of the angel of death in Egypt when the children of Israel were delivered from their bondage of slavery in Egypt. This meal was meant to remind the children of Israel to keep from straying and sinning, lest they be overtaken and put into bondage again, as happened many times throughout their history.
 

Although this meal was intended for the children of Israel and any foreigner in their midst, when Jesus gave His Supper He gave it only to those of His closest friends. He gave it to those of the same faith. As you read through the accounts of Jesus giving the Lord’s Supper there seems to be some uncertainty concerning whether or not Judas was there at the supper. If Judas was there then we would understand that his partaking of the supper would have been to his judgement as Paul describes in Corinthians. If he had left it would give a better understanding of the importance of faith and understanding of the supper before partaking. Either way, when Jesus institutes and gives His supper and He gives it as a closed communion, a right faith and understanding, recognizing His body and blood, and the added benefit of an agreement of faith.
 

Which brings us to the correct understanding that what Jesus gives us is the Lord’s Supper, that is, it is His Supper which means we do it best, we do it right, when we do it the way in which He has given it to us to do. For example, when you are invited to someone’s house for dinner you do not go in and say, “I do not want to do it the way you are giving it, I want to do it my way.” No, you sit and are given to as the host gives to you. Likewise, at the Lord’s Supper, you do not say, “this is a me and Jesus thing and so I should be allowed to come to your table.” No, instead you come as a poor miserable sinner, desiring to be given Christ’s body and blood and the forgiveness of sins. You do not come with the attitude that it does not matter what you believe, because we all believe something different about this meal, again, that is a “me and Jesus” attitude. No, you come in faith, believing that with the bread you are being given Jesus’ body and with the wine you are being given Jesus’ blood. You come, not to take, but to be given to. You come to receive. The word used, “‘take’ eat,” is the word, “take or receive,” or be given to. We do not take, we are given the Lord’s Supper. We are given His Supper in faith, preparing ourselves and being given in the way in which He gives it, in this way we participate in His death until He comes again.
 

Getting back to Jesus’ celebration of the Passover meal. During the Passover a lamb was selected. It was slaughtered and it was eaten. The blood of the lamb was painted on the doorpost and the lintel of the house, much in the way of making a sign of the cross, to mark the house so the angel of death would pass over the house. Notice that the people in the house ate the lamb so that the lamb became a physical part of them. They did not symbolically nor simply “spiritually” eat the lamb. No, the lamb became a physical part of them. As Jesus was celebrating, at the point in the meal when the bread was to be eaten Jesus give it to His disciples and tells them that the bread He is holding in His hand is His body. Jesus does not say it represents or is changed into, but is. And after He blesses the third cup of wine He speaks similar words, that the wine is His blood.
 

Thus, when we come to the Lord’s Supper we come to be given to and what we are given? We are given bread and body. This is what we call real presence. In, with and under the bread is the body of Christ, truly, really present, not symbolically present, nor simply spiritually present, but really present. We physical eat the bread, as we say in a physical way and we eat the body in what we call a supernatural way. As my favorite sainted professor would say, as the bread enters the mouth and God’s Word enters the ear we are given Christ’s body to eat.
 

We are also given wine and blood. This too is what we call real presence. In, with and under the wine is the blood of Christ, truly, really present. We physical, in a natural way drink the wine and as the Word enters our ear we are given Christ’s blood.
 

Through this is eating and drinking we participate in the Lord’s death. This eating and drinking are what we call remembering His death. We participate in His death meaning that His death becomes our death. Just as His perfect life becomes our perfect life. So, His prefect death and perfect resurrection become our perfect death and resurrection. Through this meal the forgiveness which He earned He earned for us and is ours.
 

In good Lutheran fashion we ask, “What does this mean?” This means that we take seriously our statement of our practice of the Lord’s Supper which is printed in the bulletin each week.
 

This means that we come prepared. We examine ourselves to make sure that we believe that we are sinners and are in need of forgiveness. That we are sorry for our sins. That we believe that through the Lord’s Supper we will be given forgiveness of sins.
 

This means that we come in faith, especially believing in the real presence of Jesus body and blood, in, with and under the bread and wine. As Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians (11:27-31), “Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment.”
 

This means that we come as a community of like-minded believers. That we come, not lying about our confession, but confessing together. In other words, if we partake of the Lord’s Supper at the table of other denominations then we are saying that we confess what they confess. If that is true, then we are lying when we come to our table, because our confession is not the same. Thus it is important that we make a clear and honest confession when we come to the Lord’s Table.
 

And this means that we come to be given to. We come to be given forgiveness, strengthening of faith and eternal life.
 

The Lord’s Supper is just that, the Lord’s Supper. It is not our supper. It is not for us to do as we wish or to do what we believe in our own eyes. It is not a me and Jesus thing. It is all Jesus giving and our being given to. He gives it to us and He gives it to us to be given in a certain way, according to how He has given it. The Lord’s Supper is where we go to be given the gifts which the Lord Jesus earned on the cross on Calvary. May the Lord prepare us to faithfully be given and make use of His most blessed Supper. To Him be the glory. Amen.

Our Attitude like Christ’s - Palm Sunday - April 13, 2025 - Text: Philippians 2:5-11

Although our Gospel reading was the reading of what we call the passion of Christ, today is actually Palm Sunday. Today is also the beginning of Holy Week. Today we remember and even celebrate Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, for the last time. Jesus came to Jerusalem to do what He came to earth to do, to give His life, to die on the cross for us, for you and for me. With this as our backdrop, today we hear Paul’s encouragement, even his exhortation to have the attitude of Christ.
 

As we look at our text, the first thing I want to say about our text is that it is thought that this text may have been a part of an early Christian creed which was spoken during a worship service, similar to how we speak the Nicene or Apostles’ Creeds. Our text begins by telling us about Jesus Christ, and specifically, about His attitude, Paul writes, “5Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped” (v. 5-6). Paul exhorts us to have the mind, that is the attitude of Jesus. So what is the attitude of Jesus?
 

The attitude of Jesus is that He is true God. He was with the Father and the Spirit at the creation of the world. He is true God and as true God He was enjoying all the glory that was due Him. He was in heaven where He freely used His divine attributes of omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence, and the like. He was in heaven being God, watching over us, ruling over us, taking care of us. He was in heaven enjoying the eternal bliss of heaven.
 

Yet, His attitude is what moved Him to give up what was His in heaven. He gave up the glory that was His in heaven in order to show how much He loved us, His creation. He gave up use of all His Divine attributes, so that He did not always use His Divine attributes and power nor did He always use them to their full potential. He did not heal everyone while He was on earth, nor did He cast out all demons or raise all the dead. He did use His divine power to some degree, healing some, raising some from the dead, and casting out some demons, but again, He did not always nor fully use His Divine power as He could have. He gave up enjoying the eternal bliss of heaven. His attitude was that He gave all this up because of His love for us.
 

His attitude is that He humbled Himself. Paul continues at verse seven, “7but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, 8he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (v. 7-8). Paul says, Jesus made Himself nothing. Other translations say He emptied Himself, that is, He made a decision not to use His Divine attributes to their fullest. Notice when He was tempted by the devil in the desert, He did not change the rock into bread. He did not jump off the temple. He did not bow down and worship the devil. Yes, He did use some of His Divine attributes to some extent, but He did not always nor fully use them as He could, as God.
 

In His love for us He took on human flesh and blood. As we confess in the Apostle’s Creed, He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit making Him truly God and born of a woman, a human woman making Him truly a human. He had a manger for His first bed. His parents were not wealthy or of seeming nobility, although He was born from the line of King David. He lived a rather obscure life. We do not hear anything about Him from birth until age twelve. Then we do not hear anything about Him until He reaches thirty and is ready to begin His ministry. He was a human being and He showed Himself to be a human being. He was tired. He was thirsty. He had emotions. When His friend Lazarus died we are told that He wept. He walked wherever He went. He slept and ate. He was truly a human man.
 

His greatest humility is seen in this, that He humbled Himself to the point of death. He was obedient to the Father’s will. He lived a perfect life. He was perfectly obedient to the will of God the Father. He obeyed all the Laws perfectly. He could have simply asked the Father to take Him to heaven. But, because that was not the reason He came to earth and because that was not His attitude, instead, because of His great love for us, He took all our sins upon Himself. He became sin for us. Not because He had too, but because He wanted to. He is our prophet, priest and king. As our priest He went to the altar to make sacrifices for us. As our Savior He became the sacrifice for us, in our place, once and for all, on the cross. He suffered the cruelest of deaths. He suffered the most humiliating and shameful of deaths. He suffered so that we might not have to suffer. He suffered so that we might have forgiveness and life.
 

After His suffering, Paul says, “therefore.” Therefore, He was exalted. We continue at verse nine, “9Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (v. 9-11). God exalted him so that now He is seated at the right hand of the Father. There, at the right hand of the Father, He has returned, to the place from where He came. There He is, interceding for us, praying for us, watching over us, ruling over us, guiding and directing our doings in this life.
 

There He enjoys all the glory that was His, that He had given up for us. And Paul tells us what John tells us in Revelation, that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and in earth. All creation will bow before the Lord, both those who believe and those who do not believe. Yes, even non-believers will bow before the Lord on the day of judgement.
 

And, every tongue will confess, in heaven and in earth, that Jesus Christ is Lord. Again, Paul tells us the same thing John tells us in Revelation. The unbelievers will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. There will be no way they can not make this confession nor any other confession. They will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and then will try to blame God for their own unbelief. The believers, the faithful Christians, we too will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. We will gladly confess and then we will rejoice and sing praises to the Holy Name of the Lord.
 

So, what does this mean? What does this mean for us today? To answer that question perhaps we would do well to understand that our attitude is simply a reflection of what is in our heart and mind. In other words, how we live, how we act, how we speak and the like is a reflection of what is in our mind and heart. Thus, on a daily basis we encounter people who are angry, zealous, pious, cheerful, carefree, anxious, and the like. Very often our attitude is learned from past experiences and how we have reacted to those experiences. If our life has been a wonderful life with no difficulties perhaps we would have a very positive and cheerful attitude. Or, if we have experienced difficulties in life and have had difficult experiences we may have a negative or depressed attitude. Of course, the opposite of this may be true as well. If we have had a wonderful life with no difficulties we may still have a negative or depressed attitude and if we have had a difficult life we may yet have a positive and cheerful attitude. Our attitude depends on how we react to any given situation and reflects what is in our heart and mind.
 

As Paul tells us, so should our attitude be, that is we are to have the attitude of Christ. What was Christ’s attitude? His attitude was such that, because of His great love for us, He gave up everything for us. For us to have such an attitude would mean being willing to give up everything for Him, and for others. Which then begs the question, “Have we given up anything for Christ, lately?” Or, have we given up anything for anyone else, lately? And let me confirm you thinking, no, we do not do well at having the attitude of Christ. We tend to be self centered, self thinking, and the like, after all, that is our nature. Yet, Paul’s words are not intended to be such harsh law words. Rather Paul’s words are intended to be words of Gospel and they are Gospel words for the simple fact that it is because of the attitude of Christ that we have forgiveness, life and salvation.
 

For us, then, to take on the attitude of Christ is to understand and acknowledge Jesus Christ is Lord. To profess faith in Him. To desire to be the people He would have us to be, and to understand that it is only with His help that we can even attempt to be the people He would have us to be. Thus, to take on the attitude of Christ is to have the desire to grow in our faith and knowledge of Him. So, when it comes to knowing God, we confess that the more we learn about Him, the more we can see that there is so much more that we do not know about Him. And that reminds us that there is even more reason to continue on with our own instruction in God’s Word, continuing to be a part of Divine Service, Sunday morning Bible class, continuing to read God’s Word at home, and to have personal and family devotions, continuing to humbly learn and grow in faith, this is taking on Christ’s attitude.
 

Many churches have confirmation on this Sunday. Perhaps you have a niece or nephew, cousin or friend who is being confirmed or know of someone being confirmed today. We would have confirmation today, except we do not have anyone of this age, although we do have five that are working toward confirmation and hopefully and prayerfully they will complete their studies next year so that they may be confirmed. With that in mind, I would summarize this morning by reminding you of your own Confirmation. I would remind you of the vows you made at your confirmation, including the vow that very much reflects that attitude of Christ that is that you will remain faithful in faith, word, and action even to death. And so, as Paul encourages and exhorts us, so I encourage and exhort you, now is a time to continue in the attitude of Christ, to continue in living a life to the glory of God by continuing to be in the Word and partake of the Sacrament, and to be willing to give your life for Him. May God grant you the will and the strength to live in such a way. To Him be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

It Is Finished - April 9, 2025 - Sixth Lent Midweek - Text: John 19:29-30

Some of you know that I enjoy working with my hands. Three things I like to do are working on my own and my children’s cars, working with leather, and working with wood. If you have been to any one of our open houses during Advent you have seen the furniture I have built in our house. My goal is to, someday, have built all the furniture in our house. The thing about working with your hands is that when you have accomplished your goal, your task, your project, you feel pretty good. You put your head up, throw your chest out and proclaim, “It is finished.” Those are the words we hear from Jesus on the cross this evening, but Jesus pronouncement that “It is finished” is nothing like our pronouncement of the same, as we will see.
 

Last week we heard Jesus, knowing that all things were complete, that is knowing that He had lived the perfect life demanded of us, for us in our place, that He had perfectly obeyed all God’s commands, that He had perfectly fulfilled all God’s promises, that He had taken all our sins and the sins of all people of all places of all times on Himself, that He had suffered the complete death penalty of hell for us, in our place, He then asked for a drink. We watched as the soldiers gave Jesus a drink, a drink of wine vinegar. The drink was a sour wine which I do not think would ease anyone’s thirst.
 

The drink which was given to Jesus was not necessarily meant to prolong His death, nor was it intended to take away any of His suffering. Remember, the goal of crucifixion was to be a long torturous death in order to give an example and warning for others so that they do not commit the same or worse crimes. So, it was not likely that they were giving Jesus a nice ice cold cup of water or iced tea as we would request here in Texas during a hot summer.
 

I believe Jesus’ request for something to drink had nothing to do with either His thirst, nor His desire for relief. I believe that the drink that Jesus requested and that was given to His was so that it might clear His throat so that He might speak the rest of the words which He wanted to say. Because the last two phrases from Jesus mouth are so very important.
 

Jesus drinks and then He says, “It is finished.” But when Jesus says, “It is finished,” He means more than just the sip of wine vinegar, more than some little project is finished. When Jesus says, “It is finished,” He means that His suffering is complete. He has finished suffering the eternal death of hell for all people of all places of all times. The price, the wage, the cost, for sin, which is eternal death in hell, has been paid. All sins have been paid for, the eternal death penalty has been served, “It is finished.” No more needs to be suffered, on our part, no other satisfaction needs to be made, as if Jesus work was not enough. Our sins, all sins, have been accounted for and paid for.
 

When Jesus says, “It is finished,” He means that the Scriptures have been fulfilled. All the prophecies that foretold of His virgin birth, humble and in a manger, His living in perfection, His being true God, giving up the glory that was His in heaven, His taking on human flesh and blood, His suffering and dying for our sins, all the prophecies, every single one have been fulfilled, they are finished.
 

When Jesus says, “It is finished,” He means that His work of redemption was finished. He had suffered completely for all the sins of all people of all places of all times. His suffering was so complete that nothing else needs to be done on our part. To suggest that we need to do anything to make any kind of satisfaction for our sins is to suggest that Jesus suffering was not enough and that we must in some way help to gain forgiveness by earning some of it ourselves. Jesus says, “It is finished,” satisfaction has been completed. The Father accepted Jesus suffering as being complete.
 

When Jesus says, “It is finished,” He means that He has accomplished all that needed to be accomplished. Before the Reformation and still today in the Roman church it was and is taught that a person is saved by faith and good works. There was a demand for penance. After the Reformation the pendulum has swung to the other extreme, that is that one is saved by faith and “all you gotta do is . . . ” Luther was fighting against the teaching that still goes on today that a person is saved by faith and good works, meaning that all the perfect living and obedience of Jesus was not enough. Today we hear similar words pointing us to ourselves suggesting, and although it is not stated as doing a good work it is pointing us to our having to do something, which is truly a good work. Today we hear how we have to (and this is the “all you gotta do is”) make a choice, make a decision, dedicate our lives, make Jesus Lord of our lives and then be obedient. Again, any time we add anything to our salvation we are making Jesus’ work incomplete and not “finished.” Just as in math, zero plus anything is the anything, so it is with grace, grace plus anything is no longer grace, but the anything.
 

But wait, there is more. The word for “finished” is “tetelestai” the word that is used in connection with a debt being owned. It is finished means, the debt is paid. In the time of Jesus, when someone was put into prison for a debt, the debts the person owed were posted on a list beside the person’s cell. As each debt was paid by that persons family or friends, they were marked “finished.”
 

When Jesus announces that “It is finished,” He is announcing that the debt of our sin is paid and that it is paid in full. He is announcing that we do not have to suffer eternal death in hell, because He has suffered it for us. He is announcing that the complete punishment for sin, for all sin, for original sin, for actual sin, for sins of omission, our failure to live as we should, our sins of commission, our doing those things we are forbidden from doing, the punishment for all sins has been completed.
 

Jesus words reminds us that His work on the cross was for you and me. Yes, Jesus died for all people of all places of all times, what we call universal atonement. He made atonement, satisfaction for all people, but more specifically, He died for you and for me, what we call vicarious atonement. Both universal atonement and vicarious atonement are important because although someone may believe Jesus died for all people they may not believe He died for them, such as was the case with Judas who was condemned because He did not believe Jesus could forgive him, in other words that Jesus did not die for him. And there are those who may believe that Jesus died for them, but not for all people, such as some denominations call “limited atonement.” But Jesus’ death brought both universal atonement and vicarious atonement as the Gospel writers and the apostle Paul all attest. Jesus’ death means that when I die I will only die a physical death, I will not have to die a an eternal death. I will never have to suffer hell. Certainly, I may have to suffer some of the temporal consequences for my sins from time to time, while I am here on this earth, although He suffered many of those as well, but I will never have to suffer eternal punishment.
 

And most importantly, and I cannot stress it too much, and that is why you have heard me say it several times this evening, Jesus’ work on the cross was enough. We must never think that there is something more that we need or must do in order to help Jesus earn forgiveness for us. If we were to think such, we would be depending on ourselves, on what we do for salvation. No, Jesus work was for me, and you. His work was complete and His work was enough, thanks be to God.
 

This evening we are almost at the end. We have only one more phrase to go, Jesus committing Himself into the hand of His Father, God the Father. Jesus has reached the end. His mission is accomplished. No, He does not lift His head up high in pride. No, He does not stick His chest out to boast, as if He could do either while suffocating on the cross. No, but He does give a bold shout of victory over sin, death and the devil as He announces, “It is finished,” then He bows His head to die.
 

Hopefully, prayerfully, as we have been following along, listening to the words Jesus spoke from the cross we may be reassured of the fact that God created us to love us and that the whole while Jesus was on earth and on the cross He had you and me on His mind. He was thinking about us and His love for us. May the Lord have mercy on us all. Amen.

Pressing on Toward the Goal - Fifth Sunday in Lent - April 6, 2025 - Text: Philippians 3:(4b-7)8-14

What is important? Unfortunately, it is often not until it is too late that people ask that question. It is often only at the time of the death of a loved one that we ask the question; What really is important in this life? The topic of what is important is such a big topic that there have been books written and movies made with the underlining theme talking about what the writer thinks is important. And interestingly enough, most books and movies come to the conclusion that the things in life that are most important are our relationships, and the least important thing is money. And even though we would probably agree that this assessment is true, the way we live our lives very often actually shows the opposite. We spend more time engaging in things financial than we do in our relationships and we do so with the explanation (not excuse, but explanation) that we have to have money to live, to eat, to support our family and the like. Instead of our priorities being what we probably would like them to be and what we probably profess them to be, that is: #1 our relationship with our Savior; #2 our relationship with our spouse or family; #3 our relationship with the rest of our family and #4 our job and the like, the way we live our lives tends to show that our priorities are #1 putting in enough or too many hours at work to bring in enough money to pay for everything we need, or think we need, and want and to make sure that we have enough for retirement (don’t get me wrong, I do know that those things are important, but I think we tend to be like the rich man who put so much into tearing down the old barns and building bigger and better barns and then thought that tomorrow he would be concerned with his spiritual life); our #2 priority tends to be being busy with the things of this world, running here and there, running our children here and there to participate in all the social activities of this world; our #3 priority tends to be our relationship with our family and spouse or spouse and family and finally our #4 priority might be our own spiritual life. I know that I am speaking strong words of Law, but I think we should admit, except for a few rare exceptions, this is the way we human beings tend to be. If you do not believe me, then I challenge you to sit down and take an honest look at your life. Take time to look at your checkbook to see who gets the biggest percent of the money God has given you though your work. Think about how much time, out of the 168 hours in a week that God gives you, do you spend in all the activities in which you participate, including amount of time in prayer, reading the Bible, personal and family devotion, and in Divine Service and Bible study and in volunteer service to the Lord at His church. I think you might be surprised.
 

One of the reasons I bring this up this morning is again for the simple fact that we are in the season of Lent, the season we take the time to look at our lives, to look at our sins, and to see the seriousness of our sins and the fact that is was because of our sins that Jesus came to live, suffer, and die on the cross. The other reason I began this way this morning is because Paul talks about what is important in our text for today. While he does not say he is a Pharisee of Pharisees, he does “as to the law, a Pharisee,” in other words, he might actually be bragging that he was truly the best Pharisee. He was well grounded in the faith of his fathers. He could have been a big person in the church. He could have been bringing in the big salary. Yet, he counts this all as loss, compared to his relationship with Jesus. As Paul says, “4bIf anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness, under the law blameless. 7But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ” (v. 4b-7).
 

Paul’s life might remind us of our own life. Maybe we have been educated in the most renown institutions, or at least we have had the opportunity to have completed high school, college and even earned a masters or doctorate degree. We may be seen as smart, wise and intelligent in the ways of this world, but what does that do for us when it comes to our relationship in Jesus? What is that worth if we have no faith with Jesus?
 

Paul reminds us that the most important thing is this life, in this world,  is our faith in ith Jesus. The most important thing in this life is our faith in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection for us. And that most important thing is not something we go out and get, rather it is a gift which God gives to us, at our Baptism or at our conversion. It is God who gives us faith, brings us to faith, strengthens us in faith and keeps us in faith.
 

God gives us faith and it is this faith that is the instrument that makes Jesus’ work our work. It is faith which makes Jesus’ life our life, Jesus’ death our death and Jesus’ resurrection our resurrection. As Paul reminds us, “8Indeed, 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 9and 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—10that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead” (v. 8-11).
 

All of this, God’s giving faith, God’s giving Jesus’ life for ours, God’s giving us eternal life is what we call justification. It is that we are justified, made “just as if I’d never sinned” in God’s eyes. And all of this living, suffering, dying and rising has already been completed. Jesus’ perfect life, suffering and death was enough, we do not have to do anything else, we do not have to suffer eternal death. We want to make sure that we have this understanding clear. There is nothing we do to gain forgiveness and eternal life, it has all already been done for us and is ours by faith which is also given to us. To say that we have to do something extra in order to earn our forgiveness and heaven is to say that Jesus’ death was not enough, that His suffering was not for all people of all places of all times, that His suffering did not completely do what He said it would do. God tells us that Jesus’ suffering was complete and it was enough.
 

It is important that we understand that according to our being made just and right in God’s eyes, everything has been done for us and there is nothing that we can do. This understanding is important because Paul goes on to tell us that we are to press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of us. And this goal is what we call  sanctification. Paul continues, “12Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (v. 12-14).
 

Sanctification is doing the good works which God has prepared in advance for us to do. Sanctification is that we do good works only as we are moved to do good works. In other words, we do not normally, of our own accord, do good works. Normally, as our Lord tells us, ever intention of our heart is evil all the time. Normally we refuse and reject the Lord and His gifts, staying away from Divine Service, Bible class, not volunteering, not giving our first fruits, tithes and the like. Or, if we do good works, normally we do good works because of an ulterior motive, self recognition, or to get something in return. That is just our nature. True good works, good works of sanctification, good works that are good works in God’s eyes are those good works we do because God has moved us to do them.
 

Sanctification is also that we do good works only as the Lord helps us to do good works. Again, in and of ourselves we can do no good thing, at least not in God’s eyes. As Isaiah reminds us, in God’s eyes, even our good works, that is the good works we believe we do on our own, apart from God, are as filthy rags. A good work in God’s eyes is a work which is motivate by Him, worked in us by Him and is done to His glory.
 

Which brings us to the understanding that sanctification is that we do good works only as the good work we do is done to the glory of the Lord. So, as we can see, when it comes to good works that are truly good works, good works that are good works in God’s eyes, everything points away from us and instead, everything points back to God. He gives us faith, forgiveness, life and salvation. He gives us good works to do, motivates us to do those good works, works them through us and we do them to His glory.
 

Paul uses the analogy of an athlete pressing on toward a goal. The goal for which we are heading is heaven. Interestingly enough, heaven is ours. It is a present reality. We may have to wait to move in, but it is ours now. And so we press on toward heaven.
 

Because of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, because of the faith which the Holy Spirit has given to us at our Baptism or conversion, we are no longer what we were before that is, we are no longer complete sinners. But at the same time we are not yet what we will be in heaven, that is complete saints. We are somewhere in the middle. We are at the same time sinner and saint. And this fact is what adds to our struggles in life. This sinner, saint-ness in each of us is what adds to our difficulty in determining what is important in life, and not only speaking Godly priorities, but also in living those priorities.
 

As we press on through this short life, our goal is the “upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” As we go though life we tend to mess things up. Time and again we mess up. We get in the way of the Lord working in and through us, we refuse and reject the gifts He has to give by staying away from where He gives His gifts and at times we even become instruments of the devil working in and through us. Yet, the Lord continues to be our God. He continues to show us what a great God He is, what a loving God He is. He continues to grant us forgiveness. He continues to work through His Word to bring us forgiveness of sins, strengthening of faith and life.
 

Getting back to the question of what is important?, I pray that the Lord will continue to work though His Word so that you can confidently say with Paul, “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” And to that end I pray that the Lord will guide you to see what is truly important in your life until you reach the point of truly making the Lord number one, so that your very life says, to God be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

I Am Thirsty - April 2, 2025 - Fifth Lent Midweek - Text: John 19:28-29

So far we have seen Jesus forgive those who crucified Him, including us, because it was because of our sins that Jesus went to the cross. We heard Him declare that the one believing thief would be with Him in paradise, today. We watched as He fulfilled His fourth commandment responsibilities by providing a new son, a care taker, the disciple He loved, John to care for His mother. And we watched as He became and orphan as God forsook Him in His dying hours. This evening we draw closer to the end.
 

As pathetic as this antidote may sound; I remember as a youth the “joy” of hauling hay. We would work through the day, lifting, loading, stacking and mostly sweating. By the end of the day we would be ready for something cold to drink. The work had been done and it was time to relax. Now, certainly I know that what I did was nothing compared to what Jesus endured on the cross, eternal death and hell, but I can understand in a very small way Jesus’ words in our text for this evening. Again reading, “Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, ‘I am thirsty.’ A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips.”
 

Jesus knew that all things were now complete. He had given up the glory which was His in heaven. He had not always, nor fully used His divine powers. He had lived perfectly for us, in our place. He obeyed all God’s commands, perfectly. He fulfilled all the prophecies concerning Himself, perfectly. Of His own free will, because that was the purpose for which He was born, He took our sins, all our sins, the sins of all people, of all places, of all times, our sins of thought, word and deed, our sins of commission and our sins of omission upon Himself. He had suffered temptation, forty days by the devil in the wilderness and even more, suffering sin and temptation every day of His life. He suffered the same temptations we suffer and even greater temptations. He suffered the temptation to not go through with His plan of salvation for us. He was completely obedient to His Father’s will. Remember in the Garden just a few hours earlier when He prayed that this cup of suffering might be taken from Him, He prayed, “Not my will, but Your will be done.” He did everything that we are commanded to do and are unable to do, He did perfectly for us, in our place. Now He has taken all our sins upon Himself. He has become a curse for us. He has completed the suffering which we should have suffered. He suffered, for us, in our place. He has suffered the complete torment of hell for us. Now that everything is complete Jesus was ready to die.
 

Jesus had accomplished what He came to earth to accomplish. He had reached the end of the day and He asked for a drink. There is some discussion concerning the drink which was offered earlier and which was now given to Jesus. The discussion focuses on the understanding that what was usually given to those dying on the cross was something that was somewhat of a pain killer. Jesus did not drink anything of the sort while suffering for our sins. He suffered the whole suffering. He suffered with no pain killers. As we heard last week, He suffered complete absence from the love of God the Father as He had become orphaned on the cross, no mother, no Father, and deserted by His own disciples. He suffered beyond what you or I may ever imagine. Now His suffering was complete and so He asks for something to drink. Perhaps simply to wet His lips so He might speak yet again. Yet, even now the drink that was offered to Him was a vinegar drink, not too refreshing I would think.
 

Rest assured, Jesus suffered the torments of hell as well as physical hell on the cross. He suffered physically; being beaten, a crown of thorns pressed down on His head, the nails through His hands and feet, the suffocation. He suffered spiritually, the torments of the absence of love. He suffered completely. He suffered for the sins of all people of all places of all times. And His suffering was enough. Jesus had completed His suffering and now He wanted water, again, possibly to clear His throat for what was to happen later.
 

Our text for this evening reminds us that Jesus is the Messiah. He is the Christ. He is true God taking on human flesh and blood. He suffered physically as well as spiritually. Crucifixion is dying by suffocation. As the body hangs on the cross with no support of the legs, the muscles which are used to push up the diaphragm to breath out are not able to push the carbon dioxide air out of the lungs so that fresh oxygen can flow in, thus over a period of time the person slowly suffocates. Of course, for Jesus this suffocation came after public humiliation, a beating which would kill almost anyone, a crown of thorns being pressed down on His head and mocking. This punishment was just the physical suffering. The greater suffering that Jesus suffered was the spiritual suffering of the eternal death penalty, hell. Jesus suffered hell, total absence from God’s love. He suffered hell for all people of all places of all times. He suffered hell for you and for me.
 

Jesus did what Holy Scripture said He would do. He was the promised Messiah. He was the Word made flesh. He was true God, giving up the glory that was His in heaven and taking on human flesh and blood. He lived perfectly, never sinning, never falling for temptation, always doing right.
 

And He gave His life for ours. He became our substitute. He became the sacrifice for us. He gave His life that we might have life. Remember, the price for sin was set in the Garden of Eden. The price for sin was death, human death for human sin. No amount of animal sacrifices as prescribed in the Old Testament Ceremonial Law was enough, they simply were a reminder and pointed to the fact that the price for sin is death, eternal death and hell and physical death. And even though God had given the ceremonial laws and the sacrificial system in the Old Testament to the Children of Israel, again, those animal sacrifices were not sufficient for the sins of humans. Those sacrifices were merely a reminder that the price for sin is death and that blood needed to be shed. Those sacrifices merely pointed to the one ultimate sacrifice of a human, God in flesh, Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, once and for all.
 

Jesus suffered and died that we might have forgiveness and life, eternal life. And I can never say it too much, His suffering was enough. We do not have to do anything. He has done it all. We do not have to make any satisfaction for our sins. And although our desire, our response of faith is to live God pleasing lives, to live as priests in the priesthood of all believers, to offer our lives as living sacrifices, with the help of the Holy Spirit and always this side of heaven doing so imperfectly, for us, to claim that we need to do anything to add to what Jesus has accomplished is to say that Jesus’ suffering was not enough. We can be confident that Jesus’ suffering was enough and that His suffering and dying accomplished everything for us in our place.
 

This evening we are getting close to the end, that is the end of our Lent season, our being reminded of our sin and our part in putting Jesus on the cross. We are getting closer to Jesus’ actual death preparing us for our Easter resurrection celebration. Jesus has taken care of everything. He has suffered for our sins. He has made it clear that His suffering has earned heaven for us. He has taken care of His mother. He has suffered, alone, for all the sins of all people of all place of all times. He is ready to die, but before He dies He asks for something to drink to clear His throat for the words which He is to speak next. And if you remember what words come next, “It is finished,” followed by “Father into your hands I commit my spirit.” But those last two sentences are for services yet to come. Until then, may the Lord bless us as we continue to remember the suffering and death of His Son, our Savior, for us, because of God’s great love for us. To God be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.