Sermon – March 7, 2021 – Lent 3

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David R. Clark  ~  John 2:13-22  ~  March 7, 2021  ~  Lent 3

WHO’S THE BOSS?

13When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” 17His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” 18The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” 19Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” 20They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 21But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

 

Dear friends in Jesus,

          If you have a sibling you have played this game. If you are the oldest, it’s probably humorous. If you aren’t, it probably isn’t. The game? “You’re not the boss of me!”

When my father died, one of my sisters, trying to bring a little levity to a sad time, informed all of us that Dad had left her in charge when he died. Obviously there’s a difference between being the boss and being bossy.

The Jewish leadership tried playing a deadly serious game of “Who’s the Boss” with Jesus. To the average person they were the ultimate authority. So who is the boss?

 

  1. Jesus has authority over our worship.

13When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” 17His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

What makes good worship for you? Is it a familiar hymn? Is it a sermon that strikes you right between the eyes or lifts you up? Is it a sense of humor or a sense of reverence? We have some important feelings in common in this regard and a few different ones. What if the value of your worship was based on your ability to give an offering? And what if you could not give a valid offering unless you stopped at a little table in the narthex where you were required to write a check for “Grace Greenbacks,” because we didn’t accept the American dollar? What if that one “Grace Greenback” cost two American dollars, and the extra dollar went to your pastors?

Would you be offended? Would you be angry? Jesus was. If you were a Jew traveling from some distance to Jerusalem to offer a sacrifice, it was much easier to buy an animal in Jerusalem than it was to transport it all the way from Rome or Ephesus.  But these people had set up a market in the temple courts, a place meant for worship of the true God. So Jesus made a whip and drove the animals out of the courts. He also turned over the tables of the money lenders. Jewish priests wouldn’t allow an offering of Gentile money, so you were forced to exchange it for “temple” money.

Jesus was so offended he drove them out of the temple courts. A place that was dedicated to sacrifices for sin and approaching God had become a marketplace. They cheapened worship of the true God. As Luke says in chapter 6 verse 5, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” Jesus did this twice during his ministry.

I suppose that an account like this could make us wary of “fundraisers” where a simple offering is not good enough, or of people who will buy some baked good or spaghetti dinner but won’t give an honest offering. As Jesus shows, offerings are worship, and Jesus is the authority of true worship.

          There are many distractions that can devalue true worship. In fact, anything that distracts us from approaching God does that. Worship is not play time or business time. It’s Jesus time. We don’t “fit worship” into our busy lives. We organize our lives around worship. We come to show reverence to Jesus and to hear what he has to say to us. We come here with hearts overflowing with guilt for our improper priorities, anxiously looking forward to Christ’s absolution. We come here with planned heart-felt generous thank offerings so that we can continue to support Christ’s ministry. Why? Because that’s the way the Boss wants it.

 

  1. Jesus is the source of our hope.

Not everyone likes to hear that. Not now. Not then. 18The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” 19Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” 20They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 21But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

Different words, but they said it, “You’re not the boss of me.”

So Jesus loved them and gave them a sign to prove his authority. The sign was his own resurrection from the dead after three days. He had the power to do something no mere man could do, to raise himself up from the dead.

Ultimately that is why he is the boss, and it’s why worship is so key for believers. It is here that you and I find Jesus. It’s in his house, hearing what he has to say, receiving hope in a world that has gone hopelessly mad. How many times have you have said or heard, “I just want this to be over,” or “I have had enough,” or “I just want my life back.” As genuine as they are, each show a need for something more important than different rules for wearing masks or a couple of vaccine shots. They show a need for hope that goes beyond any earthly authority. Jesus is that hope.

While his own mother watched through tear-choked eyes, Jesus died for you. With heavy hearts, two distraught men buried his body the best they could in a borrowed grave. Three days later he rose victorious and destroyed the power of sin, death, and hell. The disciples saw and believed and put their hope in him. He is our hope, and that’s why he is the boss. Amen.

Sermon – Wednesday, March 3, 2021

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Pastor Ben Foxen  ~  Midweek 3 Sermon  ~  March 3, 2021  ~  John 18:4-11    

Hands of Misguided Zeal (Peter)

4Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?” 5“Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) 6When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. 7Again he asked them, “Who is it you want?” “Jesus of Nazareth,” they said. 8Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. If you are looking for me, then let these men go.” 9This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: “I have not lost one of those you gave me.” 10Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) 11Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?”

Of course it was Peter. Of the four gospel accounts that record what happened in the Garden of Gethsemane on Holy Thursday, only John identifies Peter as the disciple who grabbed his sword and gashed the right ear of the high priest’s servant. But if John would have omitted that little detail, if the disciple who was responsible would have gone unnamed in all four gospels, if you would have been left to guess the identity of the guilty party, is it possible that your initial reaction would have been, “That sounds like something Peter might do”?

Simon Peter was one of the Lord’s first and closest followers. Because he so often took the lead, Peter had also taken on the unofficial role of leader among the disciples. And that is not necessarily a bad thing. When Jesus asked the Twelve who they thought he was, it was Peter who confessed, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). When Jesus approached his disciples by walking on water in the middle of the night, Peter was the only one to jump out of the boat to meet him (Matthew 14:29). And in the upper room, after Jesus predicted that all the disciples would abandon him, Peter was the first to pledge that he would rather die than disown his Savior (Matthew 26:35).

But there were other occasions when Peter’s react-before-you-think attitude didn’t serve him so well. Shortly after Peter made his beautiful confession of faith, he took Jesus aside and tried to convince him that going to Jerusalem and dying on a cross should not be a part of the Messiah’s mission. Do you remember how Jesus responded to Peter’s attempts to persuade him? He said, “Get behind me, Satan!” (Matthew 16:23).

I am confident that Peter never forgot this stinging rebuke, but I am also convinced that he didn’t fully understand it—because we find him going down a similar path in the inspired words before us tonight. The only difference is that instead of using words to impede God’s plan of salvation, this time Peter resorted to using brute force.

We know why Jesus’ enemies came to the garden. They hated him. They were armed with swords and clubs because they intended to kill him. But Peter wielded his weapon for a very different reason. He loved Jesus. He wanted Jesus to know that he was serious when he said that he would give up his life for him. Peter was full of what he believed to be a righteous zeal, but that zeal turned out to be misguided.

You and I love Jesus, too. We become upset, even angry, when our Savior’s name is dragged through the mud. And when we see how his Word is ignored and ridiculed in our world, we want to do something about it. We want to protect Jesus. We want to defend Jesus. Those are good and godly impulses, but we need to be careful that we don’t go too far, that we ourselves don’t do something that goes against God’s Word, that we don’t become guilty of having hands of misguided zeal.

Besides identifying Peter as the disciple who assaulted Malchus, only John reports something else that happened that night, something that clears up any confusion about who was in control of the situation in the garden…and it wasn’t the Jewish officials or the small army of soldiers who had come to arrest Jesus.

Instead of hiding in the shadows or heading for the hills, Jesus went out to meet his would-be captors. And the One who knew everything that was about to happen to him also knew the answer to the question he asked the soldiers, “Who is it you want?” (verse 4). They wanted Jesus. They had been wanting to get rid of him for a long time. The only reason this attempt would be successful was because Jesus’ time had come.

Jesus declared, “I am he” (verse 5), and the soldiers rushed at him, bound him, and led him back into the city. But that’s not exactly what happened, is it? Something else happened. Something totally unexpected and unexplainable happened. When Jesus announced that he was the man they were looking for, they drew back and toppled like bowling pins. Without raising his hand, without lifting a finger, Jesus demonstrated his divine power with only his powerful Word.

But Jesus wasn’t finished, yet. Even though he was vastly outnumbered, he was the one giving the orders. Even though he would have had every right to defend himself, he was more concerned about the welfare of his followers. He told the crowd, “If you are looking for me, then let these men go” (verse 8), making good on his promise to protect his own.

And Peter was right there taking it all in. He had seen how the mob had been forced to bow down before Jesus and how quickly they acquiesced to the Lord’s terms of surrender. But instead of taking advantage of the peaceful release Jesus had negotiated, Peter decided to take matters into his own hands. Without any warning he drew his sword and “struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear” (verse 10).

What was Peter thinking? We can understand that question in a I-can’t-believe-Peter-would-do-something-like-that sense, or we can take it more literally. When Peter raised his sword, what was he really thinking? One possibility is that he wasn’t thinking. He saw his friend surrounded by hostile men who wanted to harm him, and his instincts and emotions took over.

Another possibility is that Peter did think things through before he sprang into action. He had replayed in his mind his pledge to defend Jesus to the death. He had convinced himself that this was going to be the night he would give up his life. He could see that his Savior needed help, and in spite of the odds, he was going to come to the rescue.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to help a friend in need, except for the fact that Jesus doesn’t need any help—because Jesus is true God. He is omniscient (he knows all). He is omnipotent (he controls all). Of all people, Peter should have known that. In the garden (and for three years before that) he had been given many convincing proofs of that. Peter was guilty of assaulting another human being, but his decision to strike with his sword was only a symptom of a much more fundamental problem. By deciding that he needed to do something to help Jesus, Peter demonstrated a lack of understanding, or even worse, a lack of trust in God.

It could be a struggle for us to find parallels to what Peter did, to come up with examples of Christians who used force to defend or advance the Christian cause. We might think of things like the Crusades or the Inquisition (which were some of the darkest days in the history of the church) or more recently, a Christian extremist bombing an abortion clinic. But for the most part, modern Christianity is a peaceful religion. And I think that I speak for the rest of us when I say that any kind of violence directed at another person (in the name of God or for any other reason) is a clear violation of the Fifth Commandment.

But doubting God’s power, that’s something to which I can relate. Not trusting in God is a sin my sinful nature understands very well. Believing there is something I can do to help God, thinking I need to do something to help God, that is a trap Christians fall into far too often. “If we would only elect the right political leaders or pass the right legislation, then we could get back to the good old days when our country was a Christian nation.” “If our church only initiated more programs for families or talked less about sin or was more like that church in town, then our congregation would grow.” If we only did X, Y, or Z, then we could make things better.

If you want to identify the problem, look at the pronouns. Or better yet, look in the mirror. You don’t have to hold a sword in your hands to be able to identify with Peter. You probably don’t have to try too hard to remember times in your life when your thinking was misguided. Yes, God wants God-fearing leaders. Yes, God wants healthy churches. Yes, God wants Christians to be filled with a godly zeal, but before we put our faith into practice, he wants us to put our trust in him. He wants us to make God’s Word and will our guide. And he wants us to understand how quickly things can go sideways when we don’t.

Jesus reprimanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” (verse 11). Why was Jesus so upset? Why was Jesus so adamant? Because he knew what was at stake. Because he understood that there is only one way for sins to be forgiven, that there is only one path that leads to heaven. God the Father’s plan demanded that his Son be arrested that night and executed the next day. And that plan was carried out to perfection when our perfect substitute died in our place. Jesus willingly took that cup of suffering into his hands and drained it to the dregs to demonstrate how much he loved his misguided disciple—and how much he loves you and me. He did it to rescue us from hands of misguided zeal and set us on a path where our hands might do some actual good—and what good might that be? He himself demonstrates it for us.

John provides us with several unique details about what happened in the garden that night, but he doesn’t tell us what happened to the man Peter struck with his sword. He doesn’t tell us what happened to Malchus. The gospel of Luke reports that Jesus reached out his hand and touched the servant’s ear and healed him (22:51).

It was Jesus’ final miracle before his crucifixion. So why did he do it? Why did he heal this man’s ear? Why was he so eager to help his enemy? Because that is who Jesus is. Because that is what Jesus does. Jesus came into this world to seek and to save. Jesus has a burning love for lost souls. Jesus is full of compassion and mercy, which explains why, a few hours after he healed Malchus, he reached out his hands one last time. He stretched out his hands on the cross to redeem us from our sins, to fulfill Isaiah’s prophetic words, so that by his wounds we might be healed (53:5). Acting in love towards others—even our enemies, especially our enemies—that’s what Jesus did for us. That’s what he has rescued us to do. That’s the kind of zeal that is never misguided. Amen.

Sermon – Sunday, February 28, 2021 – Lent 2

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Pastor Mark R Jacobson  ~  Lent 2 Sermon  ~  February 28, 2021  ~  Mark 8:31-38

31He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” 34Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 38If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

THE CHRIST NECESSITIES

 What would you consider the bare necessities, the simple bare necessities? In years gone by, I think those answers would include a car, cell phone, coffee, and a pool in summertime. In these last 12 months, I think we have learned again about the bare necessities:  air to breathe, food to eat, water to drink, some sort of covering from weather elements, and at least some kind of human interaction are the bare necessities of life.   

In the Gospel today Jesus introduces his disciples and us to what we might call the Christ necessities. The Christ necessities include everything that is truly necessary for Christ to be Christ and everything that is truly necessary for disciples of Jesus Christ to be disciples of Jesus Christ.

  1. For Himself

Today’s Gospel presents a major shift in the ministry of our Lord Jesus. From Chapter 1 of the Gospel of Mark through verse 30 of Chapter 8, Jesus had been teaching the wonderful Word of God and had been demonstrating his divine power through mighty miracles. And just a moment before our lesson, Jesus was asking his disciples about his google review. “Who do people say I am?” The disciples told Jesus what was on his Wikipedia page:  “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” Those are positive comments, a pretty good review, but not as good as what the Apostle Peter says. Peter said, “You are the Christ!”

Peter was spot on with the identity of Jesus. The wonderful words of Jesus and his mighty miracles worked on Peter. By the power of the Holy Spirit, Peter knew Jesus was a prophet and more than a prophet, the Christ. Peter was spot on with his identity of Jesus, but Peter’s rebuke of Jesus demonstrates how Peter was spot off with his understanding of the work the Christ would do. Jesus clearly enumerates what the Christ came to do. Did you catch the list of the Christ necessities, the words that came after “must”? #1 Must suffer many things. #2 Must be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the law. #3 Must be killed.

Without these necessities Jesus would not be the Christ. Jesus had to suffer many things. These many sufferings will be spelled out in the coming chapters and will include the sins of his very own disciples, but look at the people Jesus includes here:  the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the law. These people hated Jesus. These people also hated each other. They were religious rivals, but these religious rivals would be united in their effort to kill Jesus. And because they didn’t have the political power to kill Jesus, they needed the help of the Roman government. They hated the Roman government. These Jews prayed for the Christ to be like a second David and overthrow the Roman government, but they needed political permission in order to carry out their plan to kill Jesus. For Jesus to be the world’s Christ, it was necessary for the whole world to be in on his death, and that whole world would include Peter and the disciples, and that whole world would also include Pastor Jacobson and the members of Grace. 

Are you familiar with that hymn, “Were You There?” “Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Were you there when they crucified my Lord? OH, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” What would you have done if you were there? What would you have done differently than Peter? Peter, being Peter, spoke up. Peter even drew a sword in an effort to defend his Savior. Would you have died for your Savior, and even if you did, how would that have helped Christ be the Christ? I think Mel Gibson got it right in his movie, The Passion of the Christ. I’m not talking about the gory and gruesome death he depicted on the screen although that too was very moving. No, I think Mel Gibson got it right when it was Mel Gibson’s hands in the movie that drove the spikes in Jesus’ hands. If you were there, if we were all there, we could do nothing better than what we are doing right now. We’re not here to feel sorry for Jesus. We’re not here to wish things would have been different. We are here to listen to Jesus and to thank and praise Jesus that the Christ necessities were perfectly fulfilled as planned. These Christ necessities forgave our sins and opened the doors to heaven for us, and if we are to follow Jesus through those doors, we need to listen carefully to what Jesus teaches next.

  1. For Disciples

The Christ necessities for disciples: “Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciples must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” At this time of year many people talk about denying themselves or giving up something for Lent. Maybe you have done that, but have you ever thought what giving up something FOR LENT really means? The word “Lent” is a shortened word for lengthen. During Lent we lengthen the time we spend with Jesus. So give up whatever you wish, but does your giving up or your denying of self, lengthen your time with Jesus? And is this quality time? Are you taking what Jesus says in his Word to heart? Are you merging your concerns and at times making a U-turn with your concerns so your prayers are flowing with the same traffic and as the concerns of God?

Martin Luther used to advise his students: “God does not want us to search for misfortune and to choose it ourselves. Walk in faith and love. If the cross comes, accept it. If it does not come, do not search for it.” Jesus did not pick out his cross like it was a Christmas tree. Jesus did not seek out his cross, but as Jesus denied himself and followed the holy will of his Heavenly Father, his cross certainly found him. Jesus teaches, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must…take up their cross.

The world puts a cross on us. The world loves evolution, not creation. The world loves many paths to any god you want, not the one way of Jesus to the only true God. The world loves whatever-floats-your-boat morality, not only a man and a woman united in marriage. The fallen world is a cross we must bear or we are not really Jesus’ disciples. The fallen church is a cross we must bear, too. We could talk about the false teachings of the teachers of the law here, but let’s talk about the failings of Peter. Peter was a cross Jesus had to bear. Pastor Jacobson is a cross you have to bear. I will never know you like Jesus knows you. And what you know of me will never measure up to the holiness of Jesus. I am a cross especially to those who have been commanded to honor their father, and I am a cross especially to the one has been commanded to be faithful to me as long as we both shall live. At times, I am a cross to you and so are other Christians. The world can put a cross on you. The church, this church, can put a cross on you. God can put a cross on you, too. Financial hardships and physical pain are not technically crosses because even unbelievers suffer in these ways, but when financial hardships and physical pain start to affect our faith then they, too, become crosses God puts on us for a loving purpose. What positive purpose can all these crosses possibly serve? These crosses of the world can teach us what it means to sing “Take the world, but give me Jesus!” The cross of the church can teach us:  It’s not about the man in the pulpit. It’s about the message from God. The cross God puts on us can teach us:  It’s not just about the here and now and living a few more years. It’s about keeping our faith and living forever and ever in heaven. Our individual crosses are necessary for us to keep following Jesus.

And to where does this following of Jesus lead us? The ultimate answer to that question of course is heaven, but there is also an immediate answer to that question. Jesus taught, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.” As Christians we lose our life before we lose our life when we were baptized. As Christians we lose our life before we lose our life when we repent of our sins. As Christians we lose our life before we lose our life when we believe the gospel of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of ours sins and for the salvation of our souls. As Christians, we get a head start on eternal life when the gospel convinces us to live for Jesus and not for ourselves. That’s how Peter and the Apostles lived after Jesus ascended into heaven. They faced death on a regular basis as Jesus did and yet they continued to live and serve him without ever being afraid. That’s how we can live, too. We don’t have to worry about hitting another milestone birthday or about surviving another health scare or financial hardship. We have the Christ necessities. We have everything we need for the forgiveness of our sins and for the salvation of our souls. And as we grow through our crosses, we give a witness of Christ to this world and to our church. Amen.      

Sermon – February 24, 2021 – Lent Wednesday

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Pastor Robert Smith  ~  John 13:21-30  ~  February 24, 2021  ~  Midweek 2

HANDS OF BETRAYAL (Judas)

21After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.” 22His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. 23One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. 24Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.” 25Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?” 26Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” 28But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. 29Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor. 30As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.

 

King David of Israel knew what it was like to be betrayed. As king, he had an adviser named Ahithophel. He was a close friend and trusted confidant, a man who dined at David’s family table. David trusted his counsel. His advice contributed to the success of David’s kingdom. Yet when David’s son, Absalom, rebelled against David, Ahithophel betrayed David and joined Absalom’s cause. In fact, if Absalom had followed Ahithophel’s advice, he might have been successful in his rebellion, but God saw to it that he wasn’t.

Another friend who turned on David was Joab. He was a trusted general. They had gone through any number of battles together. Joab even helped David arrange for the death of Uriah, the husband of Bathsheba. Yet when it came time for Solomon to succeed David, the one David appointed by the will of God, Joab backed Adonijah instead.

No wonder David wrote in Psalm 41, “Even my close friend, someone I trusted, who shared my bread, has turned against me.” Did David have in mind Ahithophel or Joab? Probably Ahithophel, maybe both. In any case, David knew what betrayal felt like.

 

Is there anything more biting than betrayal? We might have enemies, people who don’t like us and even try to hurt us. But we know what to expect from them, and we do what we can to limit the damage they can cause. At the same time we expect our friends to be loyal. We trust them. And if our friend betrays that trust, it hurts. Big time.

David wasn’t the first person to suffer betrayal, and I’m sure he won’t be the last. However, when he wrote Psalm 41, he was really pointing ahead to another betrayal. Jesus used the words of this Psalm to predict his own betrayal by Judas. Like Joab, Judas was close to Jesus. Like Ahithophel, Judas was part of the inner circle, one of the Twelve. He was a trusted friend who broke bread at Jesus’ table. And like them both, Judas lifted up his hands in betrayal.

In fact, the name Judas is synonymous with traitor. If we call someone a “Judas,” that’s what we mean. That person is a traitor. Why would Judas do something so evil as to betray Jesus? After all, he was handpicked by Jesus, just like Peter, John, and all the others. He went on missionary trips with the other disciples. He was now with Jesus and the other disciples in the upper room.

The Bible also makes it clear that Judas had a greedy heart. Do you remember when Mary anointed Jesus’ feet with perfume? That perfume was nard, very expensive, worth a year’s wages. Judas argued that the perfume should have been sold to help the poor. However, the Holy Spirit tells us what was really going on in his mind – “He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.”

The love of money was a terrible temptation for Judas, and the devil knew it. The devil now had his foot in the door, and he fanned his greed into flames. Just what would he be willing to do for 30 pieces of silver? It wasn’t that Judas wanted to be a big sinner. Garden variety greed, unrepented and unchecked, was the sin that corroded his soul over time, and eventually put Judas’ betraying hands at the table. “The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus.”

 

Betrayal hurts because it’s personal. It is brutal because it’s usually done in secret. Judas was living a double life, promoting himself as a disciple, but letting his greed run wild in his soul. The rest of the disciples were fooled; they thought of Judas as their friend. At this point they were not aware of his greed. But Jesus knew. We read, “Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, ‘Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.’”

This accusation brought instant tension to the room. The disciples reacted defensively. They stared at each other, “at a loss to know which of them he meant.” Each said, “Surely you don’t mean me, Lord?” They searched their hearts for any sign of betrayal.

We need to search our hearts as well. Do we have secret sins that have gone unrepented and unchecked? Is greed one of the sins that is crouching at our door? It’s easy to fall into the sin of loving money more than God, it’s quite common, and there might even be a little bit of it in our own hearts. In one way or another, we are all guilty of sin. We all have sinful desires, and we need to be aware of the power of temptation.

As the accusation hung in the air, and the disciples scrambled to avoid blame, Peter signaled to John, who was sitting next to Jesus, “Ask him who he is talking about!” Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. So Jesus told him, ‘What you are about to do, do quickly.’”

We should note, however, that Jesus was showing loving concern for Judas. He had given Judas warnings over time. Once he said, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” On another occasion he said, “You are clean, though not every one of you.” Now at the Passover table, Jesus dips his hands into the bowl with Judas’ betraying hands. Jesus was reaching out to Judas. He was telling him, “Resist Satan. Don’t do it.” Even to his own betrayer, Jesus showed love and pastoral concern for Judas’ soul right to the end.

Judas went ahead with his betrayal by identifying Jesus with a kiss. He abandoned Jesus. There was someone else who abandoned Jesus at the cross – his own Father. Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” At the cross the Father did abandon Jesus; he let him suffer painful death and humiliation at the hands of sinners. Why? Why did the Father abandon his Son? The answer is love. In his love for us, God sent his Son to do what it took to set us free from sin and death, even the sin of greed. As Isaiah says, “By his wounds we are healed.”

Does God forgive even traitors? Jesus died for all sins, even big sins like betrayal. However, at least a couple of these stories have unhappy endings. Ahithophel and Judas were filled with so much guilt over their betrayals that they committed suicide. In their despair they felt that God could not forgive them. They were wrong. The gospel teaches us that God doesn’t betray sinners; instead he turned his back on his own Son. He forsook Christ! He reconciled the world. Banish the thought that God will banish us for our sins. Don’t let Satan or anyone convince you otherwise. God made peace with us in Christ. We might ask, can God forgive even big sins and sinners? The answer is yes. Jesus paid the price for all sin. You see, God is no traitor. He keeps his promises. He kept his promise to save us from sin. Thanks be to Jesus that he was willing to suffer betrayal that God might show his loyalty to us by forgiving our sins. Amen.

Sermon – February 21, 2021 – Lent 1

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Pastor Wagenknecht  ~  Lent 1 Sermon  ~  February 21, 2021 ~ Romans 8:31-39 

NOTHING CAN SEPARATE US FROM GOD’S LOVE

31What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written:  “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

I remember the first commercials for “Super Glue” where one drop could lift an automobile. Not sure that was real, but I have glued my fingers together, and I just had to wait for the skin to slough off. I have learned that even Super Glue will yield to fingernail polish remover. But NOTHING CAN SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

  1. We are joined to God’s love by Christ and that is a glue that cannot be dissolved.

Nothing can be against us. 31What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? You catch the argument “from the greatest to the lesser”? If God gave us the greatest gift possible by sacrificing his only-begotten Son, then we can be sure that he will give us the lesser gifts also. It is his free gift, and it does not depend on us. Romans 9:16 tells us “It does not depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.”

So it does not depend on us, our own works or intentions. No matter what charges can be brought against us because of our sins, no accusation can stand against us. That is because it is God who justifies. 33Who will bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies. The justifying Judge is the same God who sacrificed his Son to make atonement for all of our short-comings. He gave him up for us all, and for his sake he justifies us.

God’s grace gives us all things. Out of his undeserved love he gave us salvation and there is life, a time of grace, new life in baptism where he washed our sins away, salvation by faith in Christ’s atoning sacrifice, the certain promise of eternal life in heaven. We have all these things.

So now nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Convinced? Nothing can separate us from God’s love.

 

  1. Nothing can separate us from God because we are firmly glued by Christ’s sacrifice.

We are connected to God through Christ. We have fellowship with God through Christ. We are securely held in the loving arms of our heavenly Father through Christ. The guarantee of that rests in the fact that He gave Him up for us all. His death on the cross is a pledge, a token, a precious treasure that now he will also freely give us all things. He will give us victory over our three worst enemies: the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh.

We are safely cemented to the love of God in Christ, and that makes us safe from all trouble from the devil. We know what temptations the devil hurled at Jesus for 40 days in the wilderness when he began his public ministry and throughout the three years up to the agony in Gethsemane, the torments before Pilate, and the torment of the cross. The devil did not defeat Christ. He cannot overcome us with guilt over our sins, doubt, sadness, worry, sorrow, emptiness, depression, despair, distress, or even unbelief. The devil tempts us with all these fiery arrows, but he cannot defeat us. The only one who can condemn us is Christ, and he is the one who died for us, and more than that was raised to life and now sits at God’s right hand and is interceding for us. Get that? Christ is on our side. And Jesus will not lose the case. We have victory over the devil.

We are also held tightly against all the temptations of the world. Satan’s arrows are spiritual, but closer to our daily lives is the materialism of the world. We can physically sense the lure of earthly success, pride, luxury, ease, physical comfort, indifference, complacency, accidents, storms, drought, cold, heat, hunger, poverty. The world has some answers for all that; have you watched the 15 seconds of soft music in a TV commercial that is supposed to bring you peace? Then there’s the promise of a better life through audible books, comfort food, all kinds of music, alcohol, and drugs. However, none of these brings us closer to God. We need the Gospel – we need to remember the water of our baptisms, hear the Word proclaimed, strengthened by bread and wine, which bring us the body and blood of our Savior right here. Lord, take my hand and hold me. Take my mind, my attitudes, my desires, and my goals and hold me.

It seems to me that we most need to be firmly connected to Christ against our own sinful flesh. Here the temptations are daily, hourly, constantly pushing us away from God. The flesh is prone to pain, sorrow, suffering, illness, fear, failure, trouble, bad habits, evil company, weakness, uncertainty, loneliness, loss of memory, and finally death. We might find some help in medicine, vaccines, close friends, and a good night’s sleep. Yet it is the promise that the Lord is with us at every moment that gives us comfort and assurance. He gave us our bodies and life, and he is the one who works all things for our good.

From your own experience you can probably add many things in your life that tempt you daily to fall from faith in the love of God in Christ. So stay close to God and his Word firmly trusting that nothing can separate you from the loving grasp of your Lord. You are in his hands.

NOTHING, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING CAN SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD THAT IS IN CHRIST JESUS. Amen.

Sermon – February 17, 2021 – Ash Wednesday

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Pastor David R. Clark  ~  Luke 18:9-14  ~  February 17, 2021  ~  Ash Wednesday

HANDS OF REPENTANCE (Tax Collector)

9To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ 13“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ 14“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

 Brothers and sisters in Christ,

          I know we talk about masks. I know we talk about six feet apart. But the one that gets me is the hand washing. I have washed and sanitized so much that I can barely hold on to anything anymore. Smooth objects just slip through my fingers. But there isn’t really a choice. Our hands are our connection with the world. We touch doorknobs and cell phones. We might be shocked by how many people get sick from what they touch.

          Hands figure prominently in our Savior’s passion. That’s why the theme for our midweek Lenten sermons this year is “The Hands of the Passion.” The hands we examine this evening focus on a couple of fictional people from a parable.

As we consider them, I want you to do something you have probably never done before. I want you to make a connection between their hands and the attitudes of their hearts. And then I want you to apply what you observe to your own life and what it means to have HANDS OF REPENTANCE.

  1. The empty hands of the Pharisee

The setting is the temple in Jerusalem. Two people came to this sacred place for the same purpose – to pray. Their only similarity between their prayers is that they both begin with the word, “God.”

Pharisees were the spiritual elite of Jewish society. They were more reverent and more obedient than their fellow Jews, and wanted everyone else to know it.

11God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. A great start but a poor finish. What he was really doing was giving himself a verbal pat on the back. He wasn’t a robber or an adulterer. He was convinced that his obedience went above and beyond what God required. And just in case God hadn’t noticed, he provided some specific examples at the end of his prayer, 12I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get. The Law required faithful Jews to fast one day each year. And he gave God ten percent whether he had earned it or not.

His example was so public, people probably looked up to him. But what was going on inside his head and his heart? Why did he feel compelled to pray this way?

To be fair, we aren’t given insight into his motivation. Maybe he didn’t realize how arrogant he was. Maybe he prayed that proud prayer to mask his insecurity. Maybe he was trying to convince himself of his special relationship with God.

Ash Wednesday is about acknowledging our sinfulness and asking God for forgiveness. It’s a day we look to Jesus as our only hope for salvation. Because the Pharisee was unwilling to acknowledge and repent of his sins, it didn’t matter how many prayers he prayed or how many good deeds he did. He went home empty-handed.

  1. The justified hands of the tax collector

Most worshipers probably didn’t notice the other man. He stood at a distance. His chin was buried in his chest. He was so ashamed he clenched his hands into fists and beat his breast. He knew what he had done. He knew what he deserved. But instead of giving up hope, he offered up a simple prayer, 13God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

The tax collector didn’t try to make himself look better by comparing himself to the really bad people he saw or list his “good” accomplishments. He stared at himself in the mirror of God’s law. What he saw repulsed him. He saw a helpless sinner whose only hope was to plead for mercy.

It was short (only seven words in English), but it was powerful because it was genuine, because it came from a heart of humble faith. And the faith of the tax collector was rewarded when Jesus declared, 14I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Luke tells us that Jesus addressed this parable to people 9“who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else.” Who does that mean? Maybe the classmate who is always talking about how great she is. Maybe the coworker who is always telling you how to do your job. Maybe the friend whose Facebook and Instagram accounts paints their family as the ideal everyone should imitate? Do you think of yourself?

When we complain about “Miss High-and-Mighty,” or “Mr. Know-It-All,” or “Mrs. Don’t-You-Wish-You-Had-It-As-Good-As-I-Do,” are we praying the prayer of the tax collector or the Pharisee? Isn’t that also passing judgment on others to make ourselves feel better? Who are we trying to convince? Ourselves? Others? God? On Ash Wednesday and every day we need to confess, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

  1. The merciful hands of Jesus

But as we do, let’s not forget the third person in this parable, the person who told it. If anyone had a legitimate reason to boast about himself, it was Jesus. He honored his parents. He obeyed the laws of the land. He kept every commandment of God perfectly. Not for his own benefit. Not so that he would have something to boast about. Everything he did, he did for you.

If anyone had a legitimate reason to not be humble, it was Jesus. As true God, he knows all and sees all and rules all, and yet the Creator of all things made himself nothing. He took on human flesh. He took on the role of a servant. He allowed himself to be humiliated and ultimately executed, not to pay for his own sins, because he had no sin. Everything he did, he did for you.

Because of his mercy, Jesus gives you his true body and blood in Holy Communion and through it, gives you the personal assurance of free and full forgiveness.

Because of God’s great mercy, you don’t have to be weighed down by guilt. Because of his mercy, you have nothing to fear. Your Savior will be with you as long as you live. You know where you are going when you die. You can leave church today with humble confidence because you are in the best hands you can be – God’s hands. Amen.

 

Sermon – February 14, 2021 – Transfiguration

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Pastor Mark R. Jacobson  ~  Transfiguration Sermon  ~  February 14, 2021

12Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. 14But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 1Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. – 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2     

           

When Your Christianity Is Not Appreciated

daisy she loves me

“She loves me.” “She loves me not.” “She loves me!” “She loves me not!” “She loves me.” “She loves me not.” This is a stressful game, but it’s the story of Valentine’s Day. Does she love you? Or does she love you not?

 

  1. The passing glory of the Old Covenant will fail you like it failed Moses.

The Apostle Paul started the church in Corinth on his second missionary journey. And Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half teaching them the Word of God. And she loved him. The Corinthians loved Paul. And that church should love Paul. Paul brought them the gospel message of Jesus. Then the Corinthians loved Paul not. See as Paul traveled to other cities and brought them the gospel, the Corinthians became more interested in who was talking rather than what they were saying. Critics of Paul were quoted as saying, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing” (2 Corinthians 10:10). Other teachers came in and taught a different gospel which is really no gospel at all and many of the Corinthians loved them and they loved Paul not. It was like they had a veil over their eyes to keep them from appreciating the truth of God’s Word.

Paul speaks of that veil in our lesson, “We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts.”

The Old Covenant is the law. The Old Covenant includes the Ten Commandments and the many other ceremonial and civil laws. These rules and regulations were the holy standards the Lord God called his holy people of the Old Testament times to obey. There is certainly glory in the Old Covenant. You could see that glory all over the face of Moses. You can see that glory in your lives as well. Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy, and your pastors will love you. Honor your father and mother, and your parents will love you. Do not murder, have some compassion, and your brothers and sisters will love you. Do not commit adultery, respect the principles of marriage, and your spouse will love you. Do not steal, be diligent in your studies, work hard on the job, and your community will love you. Do not gossip, speak the truth in love, and your neighbors will love you. Most of the time, that’s how it is with Christianity. Do unto others and they will do unto you, but that doesn’t happen all the time. What happens when your Christianity is not appreciated? What happens when you do everything you are supposed to do for the people in your life, and they love you not? Do you love them with the same Christ-like love as you had before? Do you serve them with the same Christian service as last time?

There is glory in the Old Covenant, but the glory of the Old Covenant passes away because of sin. Moses hadn’t even come down from Mount Sinai, and God’s holy people had their glory pass away by worshipping a golden calf. Moses and Elijah had their glory pass away, too. Remember the glory of Moses and Elijah? Moses successfully led Israel through the Red Sea. Elijah successfully defeated the 400 false prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel. And yet, when their Christianity was not appreciated their glory passed away. In anger Moses struck a rock with his staff and brought out water for the Israelites. The Lord God had instructed Moses to speak to the rock and bring out water. And because of that one angry outburst, Moses did not enter into the Promised Land of Canaan. In despair Elijah abandoned his prophet post. After the dramatic events of Mount Carmel, King Ahab and the Israelites did not repent of their sins as Elijah hoped. Not only did Elijah need the Lord God to pick him up and set him back on his prophet post, if the Lord hadn’t arranged a heavenly uber ride, Elijah would have never made it to heaven on his own.

I suppose I could tell you that you shouldn’t fall into sin and that you shouldn’t get angry or fall into despair when your Christianity is not appreciated, but that’s kind of like telling a kid not to walk on the carpet with muddy shoes when the kid has already walked on the carpet with muddy shoes. It’s too late. We’ve sinned. Even the best among us like Moses and Elijah, have gotten angry or have fallen into despair when the people in our lives have loved our Christianity not. To ignore this truth is to live with a veil over our eyes. The glory of the Old Covenant has passed away. We need a new covenant.

  1. The ever-increasing glory of Jesus will transform you like it transformed Paul.

The Apostle Paul continues his teaching with the new covenant of Jesus. Paul explains, “Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

Do you see the ever-increasing glory of Jesus? How did his glory increase? Jesus had already kept the Ten Commandments as a little boy. Where children have stumbled and fallen, Jesus stood tall in the truth of God’s Law. But now, starting Wednesday, something more is about to take place. Do you see it? Do you understand why we have a cross at the center of our church and not two tablets of stone? The ever-increasing glory of Jesus was his willingness to suffer and die for our sins, including the sins of anger and despair when our Christianity is not appreciated.

Christ has won this forgiveness for us by not getting angry or falling into despair when he was not appreciated. The Bible says, “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” And yet from the cross Jesus said, “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” In love Jesus brought 12 individuals into his inner, most trusted circle. One of those 12 betrayed him, another denied him, and the other ten deserted him when he needed them the most. And yet Jesus called the betrayer a friend. Jesus made breakfast for Peter and sent him off as his Pentecost Preacher. In the same way he reunited with all his Apostles. How could Jesus love when his Christianity wasn’t appreciated? How did our Savior have the strength and the stamina to serve when his Christianity was not appreciated?

The Mount of Transfiguration. On the Mount of Transfiguration the Father said for our benefit, “This is my Son, whom I love.” And God the Father never flipped. He loved Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, and he loved him on Mount Calvary, too. In the same way Jesus loved the Father on the Mount of Glory, and Jesus loved the Father on Mount Calvary, too.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. How could the Apostle Paul make at least three visits and write at least 3 letters to the Christians in Corinth without getting angry like Moses or falling into despair like Elijah? How could Paul teach the same gospel to the same people when it had seemed the gospel wasn’t working like it should? How could Paul be so bold? How could Paul not lose heart? How can you be like Paul? How can you love and serve the people in your life when your Christianity is not appreciated? How can you attain that ever-increasing glory?

It’s easy, and it’s difficult. Listen to him! Listen to him! He loves you. He loves you. He loves you. He loves you. He loves you. He loves you! Amen.

Sermon – February 7, 2020 – Epiphany 5

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Pastor David R. Clark  ~  Mark 1:29-39  ~  February 7, 2021  ~  Epiphany 5

Jesus Cares!

29As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 30Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. 31So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them. 32That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. 33The whole town gathered at the door, 34and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was. 35Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!” 38Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” 39So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

 

Brothers and sisters in Christ,

Do you care about who wins the Super Bowl this afternoon? What we care about is one way we define ourselves.

Or maybe a better question is, “Who cares about you?” That question can seem a little self-serving, like no one matters but me, but we are living in a different time. Are you depressed? Are you afraid? Are you lonely? Do you feel isolated?

If you ask those questions, you might also ask: Does Jesus care about me? Where is God when I need him most? Perhaps Jesus’ time in Capernaum can help.

 

  1. When you are sick

29As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 30Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. 31So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.

Peter had been with Jesus and seen him heal, probably more times than he could count. I’m sure he rejoiced that people’s lives were changed in such a significant way. But what must it have been like when it was his own mother-in-law? His wife’s mother was sick. That’s a lot more personal. Jesus healed her so completely that she was back to full health.

Sickness always seems worse when it is someone close to you. COVID is bad when you know someone has it. When you see someone in your own house struggling with it, it seems a lot worse. That’s not just true of COVID. It’s true of every trouble in life.

That’s why it is so comforting to know that Jesus heals us, too. Our great Physician has the ability to heal all of us just as miraculously. He usually does that through doctors and nurses, and vaccines, nutrition, exercise, and moderation. And every time we are healed through those things, we can know that Jesus is working through them. In fact, that is true of all difficulties in life. Every time there is a solution, we can know Jesus cares for us.

 

  1. At the appropriate time

The problem we usually have though, is that it doesn’t happen as fast as we would like. 32That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. 33The whole town gathered at the door, 34and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.

When you are sick or you have one of those problems that really seems unsolvable, there isn’t much comfort in knowing that it will be better “someday”. We want it to happen right now. That’s what happened with all of the people who came to the door in Capernaum where Jesus was staying. People came and brought sick and demon-possessed and Jesus fixed it – right there on the spot. But when the demons would want to blurt out who he was, he wouldn’t allow that to happen.

The reason Jesus wouldn’t let them blurt that out is that Jesus wasn’t ready to be seen as the Messiah on that day. It would happen, but it would happen when it was best for God’s kingdom. Sometimes the reason our sicknesses and problems linger is the same thing. Jesus is using them to serve his kingdom. By serving his kingdom, he serves you and me who are members of that kingdom. It may be difficult to see but the delay is actually an act of love to ultimately bless us.

 

  1. For your soul

In this instance we know why it was not the appointed time for people to know who Jesus really was. 35Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!” 38Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” 39So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

As much as he cared for people – and there are so many instances – the greatest need at that time was to proclaim the gospel. There were people outside of Capernaum who needed to hear the promises of God before they knew Jesus was the fulfillment of them. A day was coming when he Jesus would heal the greatest sickness, death, by raising himself from the dead for the sins of the world, but it wasn’t this day. On this day, he needed to share the message of God’s love with other people. It was even more important than healing more sick people in Capernaum.

As much as we all want to be healthy and problem free, we must admit that all of us have a much greater need. That need is spiritual. We can be sick in our bodies but we dare not be sick in our souls. We need the inoculation of the great Physician all the time so that we are prepared to deal with those temptations of impatience and lack of trust. We need the medicine for our souls, the assurance that our sins are forgiven and that even though our bodies may be weak or sick, our souls can be strong. And we know we have them because we know and believe that Jesus cares for us. Amen.

Sermon – January 31, 2021 – Epiphany 4

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Pastor Mark R Jacobson     †  Epiphany 4  †  January 31, 2021  †  Mark 1:21-28

21They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 23Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, 24“What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” 25“Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” 26The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek. 27The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” 28News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.

 

CHRIST BE MY LEADER

What makes for an amazing teacher? Is that a question you can answer with words, or is an amazing teacher something you know when you see it? I’ll try to put an answer into words. An amazing teacher knows her stuff. She’s an expert or at least very familiar with her subject. An amazing teacher also knows how to connect with his students. He’s able to make his history class come alive for them. Somehow he makes math fun. And, finally, an amazing teacher can change a student’s way of thinking, and with that an amazing teacher can change a person’s life so they are never the same person again. An amazing teacher knows the subject, relates to the students, and changes their lives. 

  1. Speak to my life with your Word.

Early in his ministry Jesus had already achieved amazing teacher status. Verse 22 says, “The people were amazing at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.” The teachers of the law taught the law. The teachers of the law taught people they could earn God’s favor by keeping God’s commandments. The teachers of the law taught people they could separate themselves from others by keeping man-made traditions. Jesus taught the law, too, but Jesus taught the law differently. Jesus taught that the letter of the law is the heart of the law. Jesus taught, “Anyone who hates their brother is a murderer.” “Anyone who looks at a woman lustfully in his heart is an adulterer.” “Love the Lord your God with all of your heart and all of your soul and all of your mind. Love your neighbor as yourself.” That’s what Jesus taught about the law. “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect,” Jesus said. The reason Jesus taught the law this way was so that no one could think they could earn God’s favor by keeping God’s commandments.

Jesus taught his disciples, “It’s easier for a camel to walk through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God,” the disciples appropriately asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus answered, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” What God does for us as sinners is called the gospel. Jesus taught, “For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Jesus taught, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.”

Jesus taught the good news of the gospel so that people would stop trying to live for themselves. You can’t live for yourself and at the same time live for him who died for you. You live for Jesus when the gospel comforts you with the forgiveness of sins and when the gospel compels you to serve the Lord with gladness. Our goal as students of Jesus is to carry out God’s will on earth as the angels carry out God’s will in heaven. Do you hear Jesus teaching you this morning through his called servant? Has Jesus convicted you of your sin? Convinced you of his forgiveness? Compelled you to serve with love and good deeds. God’s Word calls us to action, to change our lives.

We live in a mean world sometimes. And some of us live in a meme world. Have you seen the meme of Senator Bernie Sanders? He’s sitting outside at President Biden’s inauguration. He looks cold and miserable and wearing beautiful mittens. I don’t know why this meme is so funny, but it’s hilarious. It’s as hilarious as former Vice President Mike Pence having a fly land on his hair. There are all kinds of memes with Senator Bernie Sanders and his mittens, but this is the one that got my attention. It has the same two pictures of Senator Bernie Sanders and his mittens, but under one picture the caption reads, “This is a Pentecostal not enjoying a Lutheran sermon.” And with the very same picture it says, “This is a Lutheran enjoying a Lutheran sermon.” I think you get the point.

The Bible is Jesus’ voice. In his Word, Jesus speaks to me and my life. In the Word Jesus teaches me the beautiful truth of God’s love – because of his redemption, I have eternal life in heaven. Will this amazing teaching of Jesus move me toward love and good deeds, or will my faith remain cold and unmoved? How about you? May Christ be my leader and speak to my life with his Word. May Christ also be your leader and speak to your life with His Word.

  1. Silence the evil around me with your work.

The authority of God’s Word calls for a response, and in our lesson, we see a startling response from a strange creature. Verse 23, “Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are – the Holy One of God!” Martin Luther has been quoted as saying, “Where God built a church, there the Devil would also build a chapel.” Apparently, everything was peaceful and calm when the teachers of the law taught in the synagogue, but when Jesus taught with authority, there was unrest and confrontation. That should teach us something, shouldn’t it? Just because everything is all right in your life and even in your church, doesn’t mean everything is all right in your life and in your church. The opposite is also true. Just because everything is not all right in your life and even in your church, doesn’t mean everything is not all right in your life and in your church.

The devil is actively working where Jesus is teaching with authority. We see that in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. Remember Job? In the history of Job we see the devil cut a deal with the Lord to bring Job a whole slew of hardships. The devil wants to tempt Job and cause him to lose his faith. The Lord wants to test Job and make his faith stronger. In the New Testament Jesus is quoted as saying to Peter, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 11:31-32). Are we tempted to think the devil or Satan, who gave a great effort against the Lord and against his people like Job and Peter, will somehow leave us alone and not attack us?

We live in a meme world. We also live in a mean world. Did you see this sign on the freeways this week? The Arizona Department of Transportation warns to not stop our cars and pick up hitchhikers. Those hitchhikers could have been the two convicts who escaped from the prison in Florence. Did you take greater precautions this past week because of those mean men?

Satan poses a greater danger to you. The Bible describes the devil as a “roaring lion looking for someone to devour,” but listen to how easily the Lord shut him up with his authoritative word, “‘Be quiet!’ said Jesus sternly. ‘Come out of him!’ The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek. The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, ‘What is this? A new teaching – and with authority! He even given orders to impure spirits and they obey him.’”

No, it’s wasn’t a new teaching. Near the beginning it was taught how Jesus would crush Satan’s head. This matchup of Jesus versus Satan is not like the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Super Bowl. A better comparison would be the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against a pee-wee football team. It was never a contest. Through Jesus’ death on the cross, the devil is finished. Through Jesus’ resurrection from the grave, we have new life again. Christ’s victory is our victory. Even the roaring lion, Satan himself, must obey him even though Satan does not want to obey him.

We have nothing to worry about. Satan has been silenced by Jesus. The news about him spread quickly in the whole region of Galilee. Jesus is the most amazing teacher. Let’s pray that the whole world, this meme and mean world, would listen to Jesus’ teaching and take everything Jesus says in the Bible to heart. Let’s pray that it would happen in Glendale, that it would happen at Grace, that it would happen with me, and that it would happen with you. Amen.

Sermon – January 24, 2021 – Stewardship 3

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Printable PDF:  1-24-2021 Stewardship 3 Sermon

David R. Clark  ~  Mark 12:41-44  ~  January 24, 2021  ~  Stewardship 3

SHOULD JESUS REALLY BE WATCHING MY OFFERING?

41Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. 43Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

 

Dear fellow stewards of the grace of God,

You would think Jesus had enough to do! He had to clear moneychangers out of the temple. He had to give people a final chance to hear God’s Word directly from his lips. He had to prepare his disciples for what was about to happen and institute the Lord’s Supper. Gethsemane to Golgotha was before him. But the Bible tells us: Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. You would think that was enough for one week.

Perhaps you feel that way about stewardship sermons. With all the troubles in this world, doesn’t Jesus have enough to do? Does he really need to be looking at my offering? Well, that’s exactly what he is doing. We can all take comfort that the Lord who watches over you neither slumbers nor sleeps. But that’s not all he watches. If he watched their offerings, he must be watching mine. SHOULD JESUS BE WATCHING MY OFFERING?

 

If we were Jesus’ personal advisors, we would say, “Absolutely not. Don’t do that!” Because, Jesus, if you sit there watching people give their offerings, then you’re going to give the impression that you’re actually interested in what people give to you!

Well, what did Jesus see? Many rich people threw in large amounts. This doesn’t seem all that surprising. We sort of expect wealthy families to be big givers. Jesus said: “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked” (Luke 12:48). But it turns out that Jesus was not only watching the amount of their gifts, but he was also staring right through their motivation for giving them.

Then Jesus saw another person. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Jesus was watching the widow’s offering, too! She was poor and there was no such thing as stimulus payouts. She offered two tiny copper coins.

What should surprise us is what Jesus said about her: Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. This widow that no one else took notice of was the one our Lord really noticed! She had given more than all the others. Jesus could see what the disciples couldn’t see: 44They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

The widow was different. She didn’t give some frosting off the cake, because she didn’t have any cake. She gave her bread money, her milk money. She gave everything—all she had to live on.” The amount was tiny, but her self-sacrifice was total. From an outsider’s perspective she gave until she had nothing left. That’s not the way she looked at it. She had God’s promises and God’s gift of faith to trust them. She gave beyond her ability because she trusted her Lord’s ability to care for her.

 

That is the greatest “take home” we have today. We may have this suspicion that giving primarily has to do with the wallet when what Jesus is really watching is the attitude of our hearts and the actions that follow. Simply put: Do we trust God or don’t we? That’s a “yes or no” question. So when was the last time you gave as if you really trusted in God and staked your future on his promises?

When you send thousands of dollars to the Social Security Administration or Fidelity or Vanguard or Charles Schwab, you do so because you trust what they will do with the investment. But there is no guarantee. Yet the Lord promises: You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God (2 Corinthians 9:11).

No one would say it takes a great act of faith to pay an electric bill or your cell phone bill or your cable TV bill. So why do people of faith? Two-thirds of our congregation have total offerings that are less than a yearly electric or cell phone or cable TV bill?

The answer is painful but clear: because the Lord isn’t first in our hearts. We don’t give sacrificial gifts because we don’t believe that God will truly care for us.

St. Mark doesn’t tell us how the widow’s story ends. But do you really think that Jesus let the widow starve? Do you think Jesus was ignorant of what the widow needed? The widow gave her all trusting in the God who gave his Son for her.

 

That same God didn’t offer two copper coins for your salvation. He offered his Son’s life and his death for you.

And to be clear: Jesus knows all about widows and what they need. Three days after watching the widow give her gift at the temple, he looked down from the cross upon another widow—his mother. Even with his hands nailed to the cross, he opened his hands and took care of her future needs. And to this day, he opens his crucified hands and fills our desires with good things.

Jesus commended the widow for her gift. He also knows what it means to be forsaken by someone—as he was by his Father for our greed, for our doubting his care, for our disregard of God’s Words about worldly wealth. Jesus’ hands were pierced with spikes so that our hands could be completely cleansed of their death grip on the copper coins of this world.

And in him, both we and the widow have the forgiveness we crave and the motivation we desperately need to open our hands and give in a way that glorifies God and cares for our neighbor.

Jesus is still watching his people’s offerings. What will he see? A tip? God forbid! Or deep-seated trust? God give it! Your Lord is faithful; he will do it! Amen.