Archive for February, 2008

The 4th Sunday in Lent has the following three readings: Isaiah 42:14-21; Ephesians 5:8-14 and the entire chapter 9 of the Gospel according to St. John. Our focus this coming Sunday will be the 7th verse of John chapter 9, “‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’ (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.”

It is possible to have at least a half dozen different sermons on this chapter. For our purposes, attention will be focused on a single application that flows from the 7th verse of John 9. The question that could be asked is, “What is the miracle found in verse 7?” Most of the congregation will answer, “the blind man’s sight was restored.” While that is indeed a miracle God does, there is another item that deserves our attention.

Put yourself in the shoes (sandals) of the blind man. You have been begging all day and then you hear voices of men discussing whether your blindness is due to your sin or the sin of your parents. In the understanding of Judaism at the time, perhaps that is a question you even asked yourself. But then one lone voice declares that your blindness is for the purpose of revealing the works of God.

While pondering that statement, the same man spits on the ground, makes some mud and applies it to your face. Then he tells you to go and wash in the pool at Siloam. What would you do? What is so amazing is that this man goes and does what is commanded. We know the rest of the chapter in that after receiving his sight he can’t stop from giving Jesus all the credit resulted in his being “excommunicated” from the temple by the ruling spiritual authorities.

While there are many applications from verse7, this week the one chosen to make is that of baptism. From the chapter it is clear that the man was not healed because he had faith in Jesus as the Messiah. That didn’t happen until later in the chapter. Like baptism, the water has no power until connected to the Word. And with the Word of command comes the faith to do what is commanded.

Also note well that the man gives Jesus all the credit as he passively receives the gift of healing. In fact, Jesus uses water twice. The obvious one is the pool of Siloam. The less obvious is when Jesus used His spit to make mud. In contrast to evangelicals and the Reformed, the water of baptism, like the holy eucharist, is more than a symbol of God’s presence. Both sacraments promise the presence not only of Jesus but through the Lord’s Supper, of his true body and blood.

The Law of accusation against us is our view that we should get some credit for contributing to our salvation in some way. The Gospel is the revelation that Jesus gets all the credit for our salvation. What makes Lutheran theology unique from Evangelicals, Reformed and Romans is that we confess an objective assurance of our salvation in the holy sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

For this Sunday February 24, 2008 being the 3rd Sunday in Lent, the readings are Exodus 17:1-7; Romans 5:1-8 and John 4:5-26 (27-30, 39-42). We will examine as our text for the sermon Romans 5:5, “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

It appears that in this cycle of presidential candidates, the word “hope” is used again and again. In fact, is it not a fact that some candidates are defined almost in terms of being a Messiah to bring true hope and happiness to the country? But the government is NOT the church and therefore many of the promises of hope will never be fulfilled to the level of expectation.

But we are Christians who have a hope that does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured in our hearts according to Romans 5:5. Then what happens. Even our hopes are often dashed and unfulfilled. There appears to be only one conclusion to our prayers of hope that are unfulfilled. The love of God may be in us but we appear not to have sufficient love toward God or why else are our hopes unfulfilled?

However, hope is like faith in the sense that both need an object. A friend comes up to you and says, “I believe”. What is your first question? “Believe what?” So also with hope. Hope is not isolated but always has an object. My hope is…and you name what is your hope. Part of our answer is found in the context of “Scripture interprets Scripture”.

The previous verses 1 and 2 of chapter 5 reveals, “having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” Now we see the true object of hope that never disappoints. It is not hope in our plans but a sure hope in the plan God made through Jesus Christ that we have peace with God and that sure peace is what brings glory and honor to the triune God.

The Law accuses us of not trusting God when our personal hopes and plans do not come to fruition. But the Gospel is the good news that regardless of our personal unfulfilled hopes, the fact that God is at peace with us is always true. The Law accuses us of depending on our experience as evidence that God is at peace with us and unfortunately, the evidence often is not evident.

However, the Word of God assures us that regardless of our circumstances, God is at peace with us because of the blood-bought sacrifice of our LORD Jesus Christ. For He did what you and I are unable to do. He paid the punishment of the curse of the Law so that while God holds us responsible for our sins, He no longer holds us accountable for the punishment of those same sins. That is the hope we have and it is a certain and sure hope.

With an early Easter for 2008, the 2nd Sunday in Lent is on February 17 with the following three readings: Genesis 12:1-9; Romans 4:1-8, 13-17 and John 3:1-17. Chosen to preach about is Romans 4:3, “Abraham believed and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”

It is not true to say that only Christianity teaches a forgiving deity. The Islamic faith also believes that Allah is forgiving. However, his forgiveness is based on the works of the individual. There is no atonement for Muslims necessitating that through their meritorious works they appease Allah’s anger with the unsure hope that they will be taken to Paradise.

What a contrast between all such religions and Christianity. For the Christian Bible reveals that salvation is assured through faith in Jesus Christ. For “Abraham believed and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Such a statement might give the impression that one is saved by faith as the basis for our salvation. That is not correct. Rather, the basis of our salvation is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ which resulted in the curse of the Law being lifted from us.

Faith therefore is the means by which we receive the benefits of the cross and the resurrection. This indeed is a mystery in light of the fact that there is no analogy anyone has thought of as a comparison which demonstrates how a person’s trust in a promise changes his status. For some reason, unknown to us except for His grace, God declares that anyone who trusts in the promises of Jesus Christ connected to His death and resurrection are now forgiven, sinless and a saint.

Our salvation is assured not on the basis of our works but on the basis of the works of Jesus Christ. For a Christian to doubt his salvation is to call God a liar. It is not that we are no longer sinners; it is that God has declared that He will not “impute sin” to us (Romans 4:8). Now that is indeed Good News even to Muslims who have such a need to hear about a truly gracious and merciful God.

As we begin the season of Lent this coming Sunday, February 10, the three readings are Genesis 3:1-21; Romans 5:12-19 and Matthew 4:1-11. The sermon is based on Genesis 3:6, “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.”

Traditionally, it is not the 1st Sunday in Lent unless the temptations of Jesus in the wilderness are read. So we begin there in Matthew 4. A sermon could be proclaimed as to how Jesus provides us with insight in overcoming the temptations of the devil; namely, by simply remembering the holy Scriptures. For each of Jesus’ answers to the devil’s temptations is a quotation from the book of Deuteronomy.

But Jesus is more than an Example. He is our Savior. Matthew is writing to an audience of Jews and therefore presents the historical facts of Jesus’ life and words as a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy again and again. However, such fulfillment is not just in having the prophecies become true; it also involves Jesus fulfilling the Law perfectly in the place of and as the Substitute of those in the Old Testament times who failed.

The book of Matthew is thought to be written with five primary discourses paralleling the five books of Moses. While Israel was in the wilderness for 40 years, Jesus was tempted for 40 days. It is tempting to compare Jesus’ temptations only to those of Israel in the wilderness. For this sermon, however, the comparison will be between those of Jesus and those of Eve and Adam.

The first temptation about making bread from stones can be summarized as “good for food.” The second temptation about throwing oneself down from the pinnacle of the devil can be summarized as “pleasant to the eyes.” For there is a tradition that on the Day of Atonement the Messiah would appear at one of the pinnacles of the temple. Then Jesus would be acclaimed as Messiah without having to go through all that messy crucifixion and the like. The third temptation of receiving all the kingdoms of the world would indeed give Jesus the reputation of being the wisest man of all.

Now having read Genesis 3:6 above, you know where I am going. The Fall of Eve and Adam into sin was due because the temptation of the devil was agreed to by Eve, and Adam who was with her, who concluded that the tree was “good for food” and “pleasant to the eyes” and “the source of wisdom.” I don’t think it is a stretch to demonstrate how Jesus’ successful overcoming of those temptations was in stark contrast to how human beings fell into sin.

Though such a sermon is insightful and provides new information, it still is not proper proclamation. The preacher now needs to take each of those temptations and demonstrate how every person in the congregation is also so tempted and often gives in. Proper preaching of the Law needs to execute the hammer of the Law upon the lives of the hearers to demonstrate our continual need for a Savior.

The Gospel is not just that God, in Christ, forgives our falling into temptation. It also would include the fact that while we continue to fail, Jesus succeeded. That results in His righteousness being exchanged for our sin providing us with the gift of the robe of righteousness. The gift of forgiveness offsets our sins of commission while the gift of the robe of righteousness offsets our sins of omission. With both of these gifts, we are now privileged to thank and praise, serve and obey.