Printable PDF:  3-22-2020 Lent 4 Sermon

Vicar Lindemann  ~  Matthew 20:17-28  ~  March 22, 2020  ~  Lent 4 

Jesus Worked Like a Servant

¹⁷Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, ¹⁸“We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death ¹⁹and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!” ²⁰Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. ²¹“What is it you want?” he asked. She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.” ²²“You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,” they answered. ²³Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.” ²⁴When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. ²⁵Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. ²⁶Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ²⁷and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— ²⁸just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” – Matthew 20:17-28

The Servant Works for You

If you call someone a servant, is that a compliment? It can be. It’s a compliment when you describe someone as giving a public service, or that they had a servant-like attitude in their career. It’s more like an insult if you say something like, “What do I look like, your servant?” Being a servant is an admirable quality in someone else, but when people describe us, we can think of a lot more flattering descriptions that we would rather have them use than servant. Instead of a servant, wouldn’t you rather someone say of you, “That person is a real leader,” a great manager or teacher, influencer or warrior. But a servant, follower, or helper? Not my first choice. In a time when everyone was looking for recognition, the Lord of heaven and earth, who created all things, Jesus described himself as a servant. That great Servant works for you. His service teaches us to drink the cup he gives you and to recognize that he will always out-serve you.

1. Drink the cup he gives you. (verses 17-23)

Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem for the last time. Jesus had shown his disciples his glory on the Mount of Transfiguration and had been teaching them how the last will be first and the first will be last. Now he was about to ride in on a donkey to live out his last few days on the earth. And even with his near suffering on his mind, he wanted to serve the disciples. He took the 12 aside with him and served them with the truth about what was about to happen. He tells them about the cup he is about to drink, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!” This is the Servant’s service. He let all this happen to him. Jesus did not put up a fight, take things into his own hands or even tell them to stop. He willingly submitted. Jesus drank the cup he was given. “Drinking the cup” is a phrase the Bible uses which has a similar connotation to “taking your medicine”. He drank the cup given to him by the Father, even though it was horrible.

But after Jesus gets done explaining his service, the disciples James and John quickly shoo away that thought from their mind and ask Jesus for a favor. To James and John, following Jesus meant something different than service. James and John were close with Jesus, they had been learning with him and following him everywhere for three years. They got in with Jesus on the ground floor. So, they wanted to make sure that once Jesus did his work, they would be recognized for following Jesus and wouldn’t have to do the hard work anymore. They were not interested in serving. To try to get this favor from Jesus, they got their mother to ask for them, so that Jesus would be more likely to say yes. They were trying their best to get the better position.

Their tactics and their claims did not flatter Jesus. He showed them what was wrong with the way they were thinking. Instead of answering their mother, he turns to the brothers and says, “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” Instead of pointing out what’s wrong with their tactics and their claims, Jesus wants them to think about the cup that he will drink. He wants them to reconsider how he serves. But the disciples, craving that position of honor, answer yes without hesitation. So Jesus teaches them about the cup God was giving them. He told them they will taste his suffering, but it wouldn’t earn them anything. Their motivation for service was not to be getting recognition or rewarded or the better position. Rather, Jesus taught them to trust God and drink the cup he gives, just like he was doing. Jesus was telling them to serve and trust God to see them through.

James and John’s request makes a lot of sense at first. They saw a way where they could secure a better position and they were willing to work hard to get it. If you saw a way where you could secure a better position wouldn’t you put in all the work you had to in order to get there? That’s the way our world works. I’ll put in work at school, so I can get good grades for myself; I’ll put in the hours at work, so I can work my way up; I’ll live hard and sparing so that I can have enough money in my bank account. That will put me in a better position, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But what kind of recognition or better position have you ever gotten for serving or being a Christian? That is rare. Since that is rare, serving and living out your life as a Christian is not naturally at the top of the list. Since no one recognized when you were doing it, who will even notice that you’ve stopped? It’s hard to go the extra mile for someone if I don’t get recognized for it. It’s hard to put others above ourselves.

God asks us to do that very thing. God’s plan is that we serve. The cup that he gives each of us is that we serve others and put God first and ourselves last. It goes against everything in us to do that. That’s because sin has turned our focus inwardly on ourselves. The first thing we think of is always ourselves, and we can’t bear the thought of not being in control.

It is the wrong focus to look for a better position in God’s kingdom for ourselves. The right focus is to look to God’s plan, and to be motivated by Jesus’ cup. Jesus trusted God’s plan. Jesus did the opposite of what James and John were trying to do and the opposite of what we sinfully seek first. Jesus trusted what God had prepared for him. For all of Jesus’ service, he gained nothing for himself but served the world with forgiveness of sins. Jesus drank the cup given to him to save us. He served everyone by living perfectly for us and suffering and dying for us. The servant works for you. Only when we look to the work of the great servant, can we drink the cup that God gives to us. His plan is that we also serve, and he gives us opportunities to serve. When you have opportunities to go the extra mile for someone else, do it not to serve yourself or even them but because of the cup Jesus drank for you. In a time where everyone is worried about what they can do to serve and protect themselves from disease, think about how you can serve, not only your family, but your neighbor, and your Christian family.

Serving is not our natural reaction, but when we see the things that the great Servant did to serve us, then we drink the cup he gives us. So we serve. Once we get past the obstacle of starting to serve, we meet another obstacle. When you do serve, it is easy to think that your service is not worthwhile. Whatever the good reason is that you might think that, Jesus teaches us that service is always worthwhile. No matter how much or how great your service, Jesus will out-serve you.

2. He will out-serve you. (verses 24-28)

When the rest of the ten disciples found out what James and John were doing, it says they were indignant, they felt wronged. Why were they upset? Did the rest of the ten have “service” figured out? No, they were upset because they were jealous of the better position for which James and John were looking! They caught James and John cheating to get a spot that they thought was rightfully theirs. It’s like the disciples caught James and John hoarding all the cleaning and food supplies and were upset because they wanted to have their own stockpile of the same thing. In the coming days, the disciples would always argue about which of them was the greatest. Their mindset shows that they had just as wrong of an idea about how greatness works with God as the brothers did.

Jesus taught them about true greatness. He pointed out the things that the world thinks of as great. They wanted to become rulers who make it to the top, important people who have authority over others. This is not greatness to Jesus. Jesus turns it upside-down with his definition of greatness, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.” Can he be serious? Who would consider a servant great? The whole point of being a servant is showing with your words and actions that someone else is greater than you!

We are like the disciples. We think that others have a better spot than us and we get jealous of them, and sometimes I even feel like a victim. I think that I deserve better than what I’m getting because of my service. To us too, Jesus says that true greatness is being a servant. Jesus flips our world upside-down.

To show that he is serious, Jesus gives the example of what he’s talking about. “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Jesus served his disciples. Jesus served us. We didn’t just need a little help; we didn’t just need someone to go the extra mile for us. We needed a servant who would give his life and die for us. Jesus did that. He paid our price by being betrayed, condemned, mocked, flogged, and crucified. That great servant hung on the cross to serve you, and to earn forgiveness of sins for you. He served you with new life by giving up his life.

Because of Jesus’ work for you, you don’t pay for your sins, you don’t have to fear punishment. Simply believe in Jesus, and it’s yours. But consider again his example, and what he says true greatness is – serving. He gives us this opportunity to follow his example. So we serve our Lord by serving others, like he served us. This perspective makes it a lot easier to serve, because then when we serve, we realize that whatever service we offer, he will out-serve us. And that’s ok. We are happy to serve Jesus in whatever way we can because he served us with his life and death. So let everyone know you are there to serve. Let your neighbors know you are there to help. And even if they use your service, they run you out of all your supplies and don’t even say thank you, you will be following the Lord’s example, who did not spare his own life to save you.

Jesus drank his cup of suffering and death to serve you. Drink the cup of service that he gives to you. Since the Servant works for you, we also serve others. But whatever we do, the Servant will always out-serve you, because he serves you with forgiveness of all sins and life in heaven with him.  Amen.

Printable PDF:  3-15-2020 Lent 3 Sermon

David R. Clark  ~  John 9:1-7, 13-17, 34-39  ~  March 15, 2020  ~  Lent 3

SO THAT THE WORKS OF GOD MIGHT BE DISPLAYED

¹As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. ²His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” ³“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. ⁴As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. ⁵While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” ⁶After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. ⁷“Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing…¹³They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. ¹⁴Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. ¹⁵Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.” ¹⁶Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided. ¹⁷Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” The man replied, “He is a prophet.”…³⁴To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out. ³⁵Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” ³⁶“Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.” ³⁷Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” ³⁸Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. ³⁹Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”

Dear friends in our Savior Jesus Christ,

When you say the word, “Coronavirus,” what emotions do you have? Fear? Skepticism? A desire to buy out all the toilet paper at Costco? This has not touched Arizona in a significant way. But somewhere someone is sick, and it’s not a sickness that comes from poor personal habits, unless you count not washing your hands for 20 seconds. A Christian will say this is an evidence of original sin in the world as are all sicknesses. But perhaps there is way to look at this. Jesus says, “SO THAT THE WORKS OF GOD MIGHT BE DISPLAYED.”

1. Jesus gives physical sight.

He didn’t have the coronavirus, but a man was blind from birth. Being men of their time, the disciples offered popular explanations for this. Maybe he had committed some sin or his parents had or even his grandparents. Jesus showed them how ridiculous that was by mixing his spit with a little dirt and smearing the mud on the man’s eyes. The waters of the pool of Siloam washed the mud and his blindness away. For the record, it wasn’t the mud, the water, or Jesus’ spit that did that. It was Jesus’ promise.

If they had understood who Jesus was, that should have been clear, but it wasn’t. So when people couldn’t explain it, their rationalization was anything but the power of Jesus’ promise. So why was he blind from birth? So that on that day for believer and unbeliever alike the works of God, the works of Jesus, might be displayed.

We don’t usually find fault with healing on a Sabbath as their religious leaders did, but there does seem to be a lot of fault-finding and second-guessing about sickness today. When that happens, Jesus’ explanation can be as easy to overlook and hard to accept as it was for the people of Jesus’ time. That doubt is the foundation for not attributing healing to the Great Physician, Jesus.

So what does this mean today? Although Jesus can, we shouldn’t expect to see miraculous healing. But Jesus does work through proper hygiene and medical people and drugs and surgery and so on. For all of these things we give glory to God. But while there is a science to this, let’s not overlook why such blessings have power. God put it there at creation. Although we were not there, God did this so that you and I can see that even in the midst of tragedy or difficulty, we can see the works of God displayed. When someone gets better, God’s work is made manifest. All of this leads you and me to give thanks for such entities and the source of their blessings which is from our God in heaven. As we give glory to God, we take an active step to defeat fear and panic.

2. Jesus gives spiritual sight.

That is even clearer through a higher form of healing that Jesus offers. (16-17,34-39) ¹⁶But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided. ¹⁷Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” The man replied, “He is a prophet.”…³⁴To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out. ³⁵Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” ³⁶“Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.” ³⁷Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” ³⁸Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. ³⁹Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”

The world into which Jesus was born was in much need of healing. Over and over again people looked at Jesus like a traveling free clinic. They would line up with their sick people for him to heal. But that is not why Jesus came. There were many other blind people who Jesus never healed. Jesus came as the light of the world to save the world as true God and true man. As much as this man needed his physical sight, the spiritual sight Jesus offered was an even greater need.

What good would it be to heal him in this life if he ended up condemned to hell? He needed spiritual sight even more. Jesus gave him that sight, and he worshiped Jesus.

Jesus wants to give such sight to everyone, but some people refuse it. The Pharisees, the religious scholars of their day, needed this kind of sight. But they refused to accept that Jesus had such power. They chose to remain spiritually blind.

The world in which we live understands all kinds of physical healing. It does not understand spiritual blindness at all. Which miracle do you suppose the blind man thinks is most important today? Heaven is the far greater gift.

The Biblical novice believed. The Biblical scholars did not. That’s a reminder and an encouragement to look to Jesus as the Son of God and Son of Man and the way he works in this world. He is worthy of being worshiped for our earthly blessings of health, but even more so for giving us spiritual sight, the ability to see the truth in his Word. It’s also a reminder to each of us to confess our faith in Jesus both now and also after the rest of our community feels a little more confident. That confidence that you and I have in our Savior is a witness to each other and to those who are still spiritually blind. And it is an encouragement in uncertain times that no matter how uncertain our times may seem, through it the works of God will be displayed. Amen.

Printable PDF:  3-8-2020 Lent 2 Sermon

Pastor Mark R Jacobson  ~  Lent 2 Sermon  ~  March 8, 2020  ~  John 4:4-26

QUENCH YOUR THIRST WITH THE LIVING WATER

⁴Now he had to go through Samaria. ⁵So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. ⁶Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. ⁷When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” ⁸(His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) ⁹The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) ¹⁰Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” ¹¹“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? ¹²Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?” ¹³Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

¹⁵The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” ¹⁶He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” ¹⁷“I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. ¹⁸The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” ¹⁹“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. ²⁰Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” ²¹“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. ²²You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. ²³Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. ²⁴God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” ²⁵The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” ²⁶Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.” 

1. Jesus knows you and loves you anyway.

How thirsty would you have to be? If you identify with the Democratic Party, how thirsty would you have to be to ask President Trump for a glass of water? If you identify with the Republican Party, how thirsty would you have to be to ask Senator Bernie Sanders or Former Vice President Joe Biden for a glass of water? Would you even ask for water, or would you actually consider dying of thirst?

The Apostle John tells us in one of his parenthetical remarks, “(For Jews do not associate with Samaritans).” That parenthetical remark explains why the Samaritan woman asked Jesus, “How can you ask me for a drink?” Yes, Jesus was thirsty, but he was a Jew, and she was a Samaritan. They were political rivals. The reason for this hostility dates back to the early days of the kings. When King Solomon died, his kingdom split into the Southern Kingdom of Judah and the Northern Kingdom of Israel. About 200 years later, the Assyrians captured and destroyed the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The few surviving Israelites married foreigner settlers. This mix of nations, called the Samaritans, also had a mixed religion. Chapter 17 of 2 Kings tells us the Samaritans worshipped the Lord, and at the same time they served idols. The Jews and the Samaritans were different people. The Samaritan woman knew this, but the Samaritan woman didn’t know everything about Jesus.

Jesus, who was born of a Jewish mother and a divine Father, said to the Samaritan woman, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” The conversation continues and while the Samaritan woman still doesn’t know who Jesus is, she is very interested to learn more about living water. This is where the conversation takes a sharp turn. Jesus told her, “’Go call your husband and come back.’ ‘I have no husband,’ she replied. Jesus said to her, ‘You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.’ ‘Sir,’ the woman said, ‘I can see that you are a prophet.’

In his mercy, Jesus doesn’t rehash all the details for us, but Jesus does speak directly to the Samaritan woman about her sins. What she had done with her 5 husbands was wrong. What she was doing with this man who was not her husband was wrong, too. Not only were her behaviors wrong, her behaviors also left her thirsty. The Samaritan woman was not satisfied with any of her five marriages, and now as she lived with this man, she demonstrated how she wasn’t satisfied with what God says about marriage. Good thing Jesus isn’t talking directly to you or to me this morning about our sins. Oh, but he is! What conversation is Jesus having with you in your heart right now? Jesus knows the dirty details of your sinful heart. Jesus knows what you crave that is opposed to God’s Word whether that craving be pleasure or profit or something else. Jesus also knows how the ultimate pursuit of the things of this world leave you thirsty. That’s why he’s so direct in his Word about sin. His commandments tell us simply what we should and should not do. That’s also why Jesus is so direct in his Word about salvation. Jesus loves you and forgives you and always will be there for you. That’s why Jesus is here with God’s Word today. He wants to give you living water and he wants you to drink living water. You drink well water or tap water or bottled water to quench your thirsty throat. By believing what Jesus says about salvation you drink living water and quench your thirsty soul.

It only seems like the Samaritan woman was changing the subject in verse 20 when she said, “Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” The Samaritan woman wasn’t changing the subject. The Samaritan woman was changing her life. Changing one’s life starts with repentance. The Samaritan woman was “sorry, sorry, sorry” for her sins and she wanted to know where she should go to be forgiven. The Samaritans went to Mount Gerizim for forgiveness, and the Jews went to the temple in Jerusalem.

2. Jesus teaches you the path of God’s salvation.

Jesus’ answer draws her attention away from the place of worship and more toward the meaning of worship. It’s not enough to come to church and rattle off the words, “Lord have mercy on me, a Sinner.” We have to say it, and we have to mean it. It’s not enough to thoughtlessly sing the song, “Create in me a pure heart, O God.” We have to sing it, and we have to want it.

Grudgingly coming to church is not worship. Gladly hearing God’s Word is worship. Mouthing the words in prayer and song is not worship. Talking to God with sincerity and singing with joy is worship. Just being in the same room with other believers is not worship. Living in harmony with one another is worship. God’s Word extends worship beyond the sanctuary. The Bible says, “In view of God’s mercy, offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.” Living our lives to reflect God’s love is worship. Being a faithful spouse, a loving parent, or a devoted friend out of love for Jesus is worship.

I don’t know if Jesus ever got his water. He probably did, but we don’t have a confirming word that Jesus ever received his drink. However, we do have a confirming word that Samaritan woman drank from the Living Water of Jesus. Later in this chapter, she left her bucket at the well and told other people in town about Jesus, and they believed in him as she believed in him. With God’s help, we can assume the Samaritan woman did what was God-pleasing with the man she was living with, too.

Today, Jesus invites us again to drink of the living water of salvation. There is nothing in all the world that quenches the thirsty heart like the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And there is nothing else like the Gospel of Jesus Christ that motivates us to worship our God with all of our hearts, soul, and mind by all that we think and all that we say and all that we do. Amen.

Printable PDF:  2-26-2020 Ash Wednesday Sermon

Pastor Mark R Jacobson ~ Ash Wednesday ~ February 26, 2020 

We do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. – Hebrews 4:15

SKIRMISHES

The classic TV series M*A*S*H tells the story of an army field hospital located mere miles from the front lines during the Korean War. In one episode, the army chaplain, Father Mulcahy, cannot comfort a wounded soldier because he’s admitted that he’s never experienced what it’s like to be in battle. After some introspection, the chaplain makes a decision. He secretly stows himself away in a truck headed for the front. Upon his arrival he finds himself in the middle of a full-fledged firefight. When it’s finally over, he returns to the hospital where word of what he’s done has already spread through the ranks. The final scene of that episode is Father Mulcahy sitting down once again with the same soldier. The chaplain looks him in the eye and says, “Now, let’s talk.”

Our Lenten Series theme is, “The Son of God Goes Forth to War.” As we make our way through this series each service will have a focus on Jesus as the warrior who fights and defeats sin, death, and Satan. Tonight we focus on skirmishes. What is a skirmish? I don’t remember learning about George Washington and the Revolutionary Skirmish or about Abraham Lincoln and the Civil Skirmish or about World Skirmish I and World Skirmish II. Skirmishes are not those long and drawn out battles that are easily remembered. Skirmishes are short battles, sometimes those battles are so short a person doesn’t realize they were in a skirmish until the skirmish is over.

Adam and Eve were in the first skirmish with Satan. Satan attacked them very strategically. Satan approached Adam and Eve in a friendly manner. Satan directs his question only to Eve and not to Adam. Satan’s question, “Did God really say, ‘you must not eat from any tree in the garden,” was not a boldface lie, but a seemingly innocent question. And yet when Adam and Eve fell into temptation they both fully realized they had been in a skirmish with the Evil One and they had lost.

Satan now skirmishes with us and he is just as strategic with us as he was with Adam and Eve. Satan, of course, is not God. Satan can’t read our hearts or know our thoughts, but Satan can study our behavior like Satan is the Internet. Social media studies our clicks. The Internet knows about what you just bought, about where you are thinking of taking your next vacation, and whether or not you think cat videos are funny. The technology on your Internet will then offer you links to buy more stuff or to watch the next YouTube video and the next one and all the commercial advertising on the sides of your screen. The Internet studies your behavior and has a well laid out plan to manipulate your behavior and so does Satan.

Where has Satan found you at your most vulnerable spot? With what temptations are you struggling? In national religious surveys on temptation, people said they struggle most with worry (worry about finances, relationships, health – we even worry about worrying). The survey said most people struggle with a lack of self-control (that could include eating too much or spending too much or too much time on electronic devices). Another struggle was lust (especially the viewing of pornography). Another struggle was with lying and cheating. Amazingly, when asked why they had given into temptation a few said they enjoyed it and some said their sin gave them an escape from real life, but many said they didn’t know why they fell into temptation. Satan doesn’t care why you fall into temptation, only that you do fall into temptation. Satan is happy to get your minds away from Jesus. He wants you damned. And He could guarantee your damnation if he could get your Savior to fall into temptation, too.

At his birth Jesus Christ stepped into our humanity. Jesus wasn’t born with a sinful nature. Jesus was pure like the original Adam. But Jesus succeeded where Adam and Eve failed. Jesus’ victory over Satan wasn’t just one major battle. Jesus’ victory over Satan was any number of skirmishes every day. In the wilderness Satan went one-on-one with Jesus for forty days. Satan strategically studied Jesus. Satan tried to use Jesus’ hunger against him. Satan tried to show Jesus an easier path to victory than suffering and dying. Later, Satan would seek allies for his damning work. Jesus was rejected by his own people. Jesus was deserted by his own disciples. Finally, perhaps even to Satan’s surprise, Jesus own heavenly Father had also forsaken him. Jesus remained pure and holy throughout his entire life and yet Jesus was tempted in every way, just as we are! So when you realize that Jesus was perfectly faithful every second of his life, you begin to understand how massive the battle of temptation and sin really was!

This victory over Satan’s skirmishes wasn’t a divinely appointed exercise to see if Jesus could keep his own commandments as God AND man. Rather, Jesus faced those daily skirmishes and the final battle with the devil because none of us could handle the job. Sinful humanity needed a perfect human to serve as their substitute. Sinful humanity also need a holy God so that his victory over Satan could count as their victory. Jesus won the victory over Satan’s skirmishes for us and our salvation!

Our great hero hasn’t left you alone to face the skirmishes of your enemy. Jesus understands your skirmishes. When you are hurting, Jesus knows what you feel like. When you have problems, you know Jesus experienced all kinds of problems. When you talk to Jesus in prayer, you’re not talking to some far-off God. He hears the words of your heart and he can relate. When you tell Jesus you’ve reached your limit, he knows what you mean. When your plan doesn’t seem to match up with God’s plan he knows what it’s like to journey down a difficult road. And yet Jesus also knew God’s promise to protect us and rule over all things – Satan included for our good. Our Savior taught Peter, James, and John, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” Peter would later teach us in his epistle, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” Believe in the power of prayer! When you are tempted to keep quiet about our Savior, pray as King David did in Psalm 51:15, “Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise.” When you are surrounded by impurity and immorality, pray as King David did, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (51:10).

Believe in the power of prayer. Also believe in the power of God’s Word. That was how Jesus defeated Satan. Jesus didn’t listen to his gut! Jesus didn’t follow his instincts. Jesus listened to God’s Word, and Jesus did what the Word said! Isaiah said in the Old Testament, “Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint. St. James, the Lord’s brother wrote, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Satan is not almighty. Satan’s strength is limited and as we win our skirmishes with the strength the Lord provides in the Word, Satan will give up on us as the loser he is and come back at another time.

Tonight has been good for us to have this talk with God. He knows what it’s like to be us. He’s been where we are, and he’s won the victory we couldn’t. Because of him we are forgiven! And now at the right hand of God, Jesus aims to help us win our daily skirmishes. We are not alone. We have a Savior who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet did not sin. Talk to him. He won all his skirmishes. Let him also talk to you. He understands our skirmishes and he helps us win. Amen.

Printable PDF:  2-16-2020 Epiphany 6 Sermon

David R. Clark  ~  2 Samuel 11:1-17, 26-27  ~  February 16, 2020  ~  Epiphany 6

A LESSON ABOUT TEMPTATION

¹In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. ²One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, ³and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” ⁴Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (Now she was purifying herself from her monthly uncleanness.) Then she went back home. ⁵The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, “I am pregnant.” ⁶So David sent this word to Joab: “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent him to David. ⁷When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were and how the war was going. ⁸Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king was sent after him. ⁹But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all his master’s servants and did not go down to his house. ¹⁰David was told, “Uriah did not go home.” So he asked Uriah, “Haven’t you just come from a military campaign? Why didn’t you go home?” ¹¹Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my commander Joab and my lord’s men are camped in the open country. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and make love to my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!” ¹²Then David said to him, “Stay here one more day, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. ¹³At David’s invitation, he ate and drank with him, and David made him drunk. But in the evening Uriah went out to sleep on his mat among his master’s servants; he did not go home. ¹⁴In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. ¹⁵In it he wrote, “Put Uriah out in front where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die.” ¹⁶So while Joab had the city under siege, he put Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest defenders were. ¹⁷When the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of the men in David’s army fell; moreover, Uriah the Hittite died….²⁶When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. ²⁷After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the Lord.

Brothers and sisters in Christ,

            A number of years ago I had the privilege of attending a service of thanksgiving for the pastor who confirmed me and recruited me to be a pastor. I think he was a good pastor. At that time he had served for 50 years. At the dinner afterwards, people told stories about him. What do you suppose people remembered the most? Was it the way he had started a congregation and LES from nothing? His recruitment for public ministry? It was the one Saturday morning when he got up and sat at his kitchen table drinking coffee and reading the newspaper when he got a phone call. You see, it wasn’t Saturday. It was Sunday and he had missed the early service. People never forgot.

            That was pretty innocent and repeated not as criticism but in fun. But it shows that all it takes is one out of character thing for people to define you. King David was a shepherd and a musician. He slew Goliath and was the greatest king in Israel’s history. But he also had that one thing. But the thing David had done displeased the Lord. Even when he died, David was described this way: 1 Kings 15:5 For David had done what was right in the eyes of the Lord and had not failed to keep any of the Lord’s commands all the days of his life—except in the case of Uriah the Hittite. You and I usually call this dark chapter in David’s life, “David and Bathsheba.”

            Our greatest witness to the world is in the way we live our lives. So what can we learn about one night’s temptation from the human author of Psalm 23 and 51?

1. There’s no such thing as free of temptation.

            David had achieved a certain level of success. He didn’t need to fight with the army but could stay in Jerusalem and be king. That night was probably like a bunch of other nights. Just like people will sit out on their porches at night, David couldn’t sleep so he went on the roof of his palace to enjoy the night. He looked down and saw a beautiful woman bathing. There was nothing planned by either of them, but that is the way Satan works! Temptation is destructive even for a strong believer.

It can start out innocently. Then comes a sinful thought or look. Then its sinful actions. It can be any kind of sin. Perhaps it is jealousy or anger. Perhaps its money or position. But let’s be clear! We all have our weaknesses, and Satan will keep probing until he finds that one. For David it was sexual temptation, and he failed.

2. There’s no such thing as one sin.

            And once Satan had found David’s weakness, he turned one “innocent” situation in a domino of sins. Lust turned into adultery. Adultery turned into a pregnancy and a need for a cover up. The cover up turned into the murder of Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah, and a hurried marriage. No one had to know! But God knew.

            Brothers and sisters, this is the nature of sin. A sin in the heart turns into talking about it. Talking about it turns into committing it. Committing it leads to guilt and finding a way to cover up the guilt. But there really is no cover up. We may fool people. We may fool ourselves. But we can’t hide from the Lord. He sees everything. He knows.

3. There are consequences to every sin.

The thing about a successful cover up is that we think we are getting away with it. So let’s be crystal clear: there is no getting away with sin. David’s consequences were severe. The child they had conceived, died. 2 Samuel 12:10 (NIV) ¹⁰Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’ There is even more. You can find it in 2 Samuel 12.

Consequences are not the same as paying for sin. Some people think that if they say they are sorry all of the consequences of sin should go away. They do not, and we should not expect them to any more than David expected them to go away.

4. There is a need for forgiveness.

            What can go away is the payment for sin. A gracious God cannot stand to have those near to him suffer because of the sinfulness of their actions. When David admitted his sin, the prophet of the Lord assured him that he would not die. That’s how serious sin is! In addition, despite the consequences that would haunt David his entire life, God still blessed him. David and Bathsheba had another child who became the next King of Israel. You know him as Solomon. How great is God’s grace? The measuring stick for greatness in Judah’s kings wasn’t Josiah or Hezekiah or Jehoshaphat or even Solomon. It was David, sinful but forgiven David.

When you sin, you need to know that it is also deserving of death. That’s why Jesus had to die. Because your God is so gracious he died so that you won’t have to. David repented and turned away from his sin. We do, too. We need to go back to living our lives for Jesus and not for ourselves. A Christian life will always have further blessings. Repent, turn back to God, and then look for the blessings he gives you.

            That means strengthening your faith so that you can withstand temptation and the whole anatomy of failure David went through. That only happens through the Spirit working through Word and Sacrament. Make them a regular part of your life. Then maybe you can be a measuring stick for greatness in your own family. Amen.