Sermons Church Year 2011-2012

Grace to you, and peace, from God, our heavenly Father, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Today we hear more concerning the earthly ministry of our Lord Jesus, as He fulfills His role for us, as our prophet, our teacher, our miracle worker. This is all part of the Epiphany to us that reveals Jesus as the True, only-begotten Son of God. Based on the prophecy in Deuteronomy, God has raised up for Himself a True Man like us, who speaks God’s Words. But Jesus speaks them as no other before or after Him ever has, for He speaks these words with the authority of God Himself.

Jesus went into the synagogue to proclaim the Good News. As prophecied in Isaiah, He has come to proclaim the release of the captives, freedom to the oppressed, and the acceptable year of the Lord. Release from what? Freedom from what? From our bondage to sin. From our bondage to the devil. And, knowingly or not, we were all in such bondage.

We hear all the time about our "guardian angels", but very little about "guardian demons". Why is that? Do we believe that Satan does not have his own army to call upon?

Brothers and Sisters, there exists all around us, an unseen dimension, one that is populated by spirits. In this dimension walk the angels of God, and the demons of Satan. And there is an ongoing struggle, and invisible war going on between them. A war for the domination of your souls.

While many disbelieve in the presence or power of demons, Jesus Himself addresses them with personal names. He rebukes demons, not sickness, not epilepsy, not insanity. He knows the difference between sickness and demonic possession. So to disbelieve in demons, is to doubt the Word of God.

In our Gospel lesson today, Jesus is preaching in the synagogue, and immediately a man, who is demon-possessed, having an "unclean spirit" in him, rises up to cry out to Jesus. You would think the demon would be wise enough to keep his mouth shut in the presence of Jesus. You can imagine the disruption and excitement this caused among the assembled people. Something strange and unnatural, beyond our ordinary comprehension, makes this spirit seek out Jesus in public, and then spill out, in an uncanny and supernatural way, what he knows about Jesus. We would think that the spirit would cause this man to run away from Jesus in order to keep his hold on him a little longer. It is beyond us to understand why the spirit makes the man rush into the presence of Jesus and single him out.

And this demon is saying to Jesus: "What do we have to do with one another? Leave us alone!" And in a malicious way he reveals the identity of Jesus, because he knows that Jesus does not want it made known this way. Jesus wants people to believe in Him because of His Word and His works. Jesus never proclaimed that He was God’s Son, but He let men draw their own conclusions, and when they did, He substantiated them. Because it was true.

But this unclean spirit was trying to thwart God’s magnificent salvation plan in Jesus. So the demon tried to reveal who this man among them really was. The demon calls Jesus "the Holy One of God". While prophets and others have been called "Holy Ones", no man in either testament has ever been called this. The "Holy One of God" is the Son of God, whom God sanctified and sent into the world, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit for His Holy office. So He was holy and sinless in all His life and work, lifted above sin and death, possessing power over both to destroy them, and so Jesus was and is a terror to the demon world.

This is such good news for us. For in our own power, we would be as nothing to the demons. They would destroy all of humanity in mere minutes.

And this little story recorded in Holy Scripture reveals much to us about spiritual warfare.

First, it shows how Satan and his dark angels are hidden from human sight. No one knew the man had an unclean spirit in him, until Jesus came to teach at that place of worship in Capernaum. Then the demon was revealed.

Second, Jesus does not go around searching for people with unclean spirits, even though He is engaged in a mission to destroy them. They come to Him, like a moth to the flame. This is rather strange and unexpected. Although people who lived in spiritual darkness often avoided Jesus, and still do, the man with the unclean spirit is drawn to Christ.

Third, Jesus exposes the unclean spirit in the course of the service in the synagogue on that Sabbath. He does not expose the spirit merely by His presence, but by His teaching, His exposition of the reading from the Scriptures that was read on that occasion.

Jesus, the Messiah, the anointed King, the Holy One of God, taught the Word of His heavenly Father as it had never been taught before. The Word of God from the lips of Jesus is the light that reveals the darkness, then and now. The advent of God’s Son, His appearance in the world, discloses the hidden presence and operation of Satan, and the demons are unmasked. Wherever the Word of God is proclaimed in the Divine Service with the authority of Christ, there the demons are exposed and driven away. Mark emphasizes this by associating the preaching of the Gospel with the casting out of demons.

Finally, this episode shows that the battle between Christ and Satan, the battle between the Holy Spirit and the unclean spirits, is not a contest between two equal and opposite powers. All power in heaven and on earth belongs to God. The only power that Satan possesses is what he has usurped and stolen from God. So this contest is, basically, a truth encounter, a matter of spiritual authority.

Satan is the arch-liar, his apparent power is all a lie. It is nothing but make-believe, misappropriated authority and rank deception. He gains power by feeding on spiritual disorder and impurity. It thrives on guilt, fear and hatred. This is why they are called "unclean spirits".

Demon power is parasitic, for it gains force from the desecration of what is holy and the defilement of what is good in Creation. Since Satan deals with untruth and unreality, Jesus routs the unclean spirits by teaching God’s Word with authority. That Word destroys the web of illusion and deception that characterizes the dominion of darkness.

The power of Jesus does not just apply to what happened in Capernaum. It applies equally, and perhaps even more fully now in the light of Easter, to us, and to our situation. All people remain in darkness until Christ comes and teaches His Father’s Word with authority. That Word discloses and exposes the darkness. With that Word Christ dispels the darkness from human hearts. With that Word, He sends Satan and his spirits packing.

Everything, therefore, depends on Christ and His victory. Through His self-sacrificial death for our sins, and His resurrection for our justification, He has won the victory for us. All that remains now in this period of history is to mop up the remaining outposts of darkness here on planet earth.

If we are to oppose the powers of darkness, we need to be familiar with the strategy of the enemy, as well as our own vulnerability. Ignorance of the enemy and false self-confidence will not improve our performance. It is important that we know the resources that we have at our disposal.

We have all we need for spiritual combat. Yet, we possess nothing in ourselves, for all that we have, and all that we need to have is available to us in Christ, and only in Christ. He is the champion in the battle; we borrow everything we need from Him. The battle belongs to Him, He also is our salvation, the One who delivers us from the enemy. He is the victor in the contest. All our armor and ammunition come from Him.

So what then, is our armor? It is the "armor of light". Romans 13:12 says: "The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light."

It is Christ Himself, in His full regalia…His righteousness, His purity, His holiness. We don Him for the battle. God the Father gives His armor to His Children. We cannot see it and the protection it provides for us. It is invisible to us, but it is visible to Satan and to all the powers of darkness.

The priests in the Old Testament were vested with God’s own holiness. When they were consecrated as priests, they and their vestments were sprinkled with blood that was taken from the altar for burnt offering, and mixed with an anointing oil. The blood that had been offered to atone for their sins and cleanse them from impurity made and kept them holy. That blood protected them from all the evil powers as they did guard duty at the sanctuary, and kept it from defilement.

Like those priests, you and I have robes that have been washed in blood. The blood of Jesus, by which He has ransomed and redeemed us, justifies us before God the Father, cleanses us from all impurity, and makes us holy.

Jesus gives us that blood to drink in Holy Communion. There He sprinkles our hearts, not just our bodies, with His Blood so that we are holy through and through. In communion, His blood speaks a better word to us than the blood of Abel. Jesus blood does not cry out for revenge and justice, but for pardon and justification. It contradicts Satan when He condemns us for sinning against God and others, and for others sinning against us. It covers and protects us with Christ’s own righteousness and holiness. By our faithful reception and reliance on His blood in Holy Communion, we stand under the protection of Christ. Thus we overcome the evil one by the blood of Christ, the Lamb of God.

Jesus offers you, again, His protection this day, through His most Holy Blood. But it must be received in faith. Faith trusts the Word of God, in, with and under the bread and the wine, and by Jesus’ Authority, this holy sacrament grants us forgiveness from all our sins. Receive this blessed forgiveness and protection……in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

"Where Do You Draw The Line?"

Grace to you, and peace, from God, our heavenly Father, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Everyone who has been blessed with the challenge of rearing children, has had to establish for them the boundaries of their behavior. What they shall, and shall not do. And although these arbitrary boundaries are different for each child, and although they frequently argue about the logic, intelligence, or justice of these lines, we recognize that we have been given the authority by Almighty God Himself to set them. And to enforce them. And woe be to the child who seeks to step over that line. Because by such behavior, by crossing that line, he or she has challenged your authority. And hopefully, swift, firm but loving justice shall ensue.

But what about, when you finally are freed from that Law, when you outgrow the shackles of your parents authority, and you’re expected to draw your own lines, when it comes to morality, and a code of conduct for your behavior?

Where, brothers and sisters, does a Christian draw that line? Is it a little different than the ones you provide for your children? Does it allow more wiggle-room, perhaps leaving you a little more leniency? And the bigger question, does your line move whenever you desire it to? Where do you draw the line?

At the time of the writing of Paul’s inspired letter to Corinth, it seems the church was asking the very same questions, concerning morality, concerning the spiritual man or woman’s walk with God. How a Christian is supposed to live in this evil world, while still remaining apart from it.

But the problem was that they weren’t walking apart. For inside this metropolis, this busy, wicked city, was offered every possible sin imaginable. Sins no different than the ones offered to Americans today, though perhaps they have evolved a bit in their presentation. And these sins were not only overlooked, but they were even culturally acceptable, so they weren’t hurting anybody.

And so in the Church, the very church of God, inside the holiness of His temple, were a people who were living the Carnal life. Christians, by name if nothing else, who, in their supposed Christian freedom, had erased all the lines, had stretched all the boundaries, and lived according to the dictates of their flesh, while still seeming to enjoy fellowship with God, and redemption through Christ.

That is the very definition of a Carnal Christian, a person who has feet in both camps, in sin and in the church, a person who has discovered in their new freedom a loophole in the Law of God; a person who has decided that "All things, are indeed, lawful for me…Amen."

And just where is your line, O Christian? Where do you draw it, and say "This far I go, but no farther"? Or do you find yourself saying, more and more often, "Well, maybe just this once, because I can always be forgiven"? And please don’t tell me you’ve never had that thought occur to you, for it’s a common tactic of the Enemy to the Body of Believers. In other Words "Did God really say…?"

Brothers and Sisters, understand this: The Corinthian proverb "All things are lawful for me", does not apply to the Law of God, for no one has the authority to set aside what God has commanded, nor to ignore the things He has commanded us to do and be. Every single sin we do is a challenge to His Authority, and is deserving of death.

So to simply imagine that you are not bound by the law, in order to live a lawless life, in no way diminishes its power, or its judgment. That is simply smoke and mirrors to blind you into living the carnal life. It leads you from the freedom of the Gospel, into the things that are not only unhelpful, but enslaving.

The problem is this random line-drawing that everybody does. This setting of the standards for themselves. If we take the example from our Epistle today, we understand the Corinthians to be okay with public prostitution, with pre and extramarital sexual relations, because it was culturally acceptable.

In the same way, could you imagine a Christian committing adultery, living in infidelity, or maybe knocking over a convenience store, or taking the life of an unborn child? Could you imagine a Christian drinking themselves into a stupor and getting into a car? Maybe you can, depending on where you have drawn your own lines. But God promises that such people will never inherit His kingdom.

Not because Jesus did not die on a cross for these sins, and not because these sins are unforgivable, but because those who live in them, unrepentant and uncaring, have demonstrated by their actions, that they do not really desire God’s forgiveness and mercy, but have chosen for themselves instead, sin to be their Master.

Does this also apply to those who view pornography, gossip incessantly, demonstrate hatred and unforgiveness? To those who curse and use His Name blasphemously? To those who are greedy and unloving? To any of the sins that you, yourself, have performed and are still performing in your Christian freedom? Where does God draw the line? Beloved, He draws it at the cross of Jesus Christ. At the cross, He said to our sins, "This far you shall come, and no farther! Here is the judgment, the penalty, the death, all consumed by the blood of the Sinless One. Here sin will lose its power and dominion over My children. I place all that sin on My Son, and I condemn it entirely and completely."

And in your baptism, God gave you all the benefits of that sacrifice. He washed you of your sins, took them all away, and sanctified your body to be, not a plaything for Satan, but a temple of the Holy Spirit. He put His Name upon your forehead, called you His own, and, as we are taught in Holy Scripture, He joined Himself to us. We are indeed fearfully and wonderfully made, and then remade.

And now, you are not your own, but bought and twice-bought, by the redeeming blood of our Savior. The curse you earned has fallen elsewhere, the death you deserved has been suffered, and now you walk, not with the world and not as the world, but on an entirely new line.

It is the line, the road, the way of grace. And the Holy Spirit, who now dwells in you, is your leader, your guide, and your God. Far from living in lawlessness, You learn to hear and obey His voice, for He always takes you the right way, walking in obedience to His Word, not under the written code, but so joined to Christ that you walk completely forgiven and sanctified by the blood of Jesus.

And as you hear His Words, as you learn from Him, as you continue to behold your Savior, and come to Him in repentance and faith, He continues to keep your feet firmly on His path, the narrow road which leads to heaven.

Now I want you to understand that no amount of line-drawing, no adjustments to your behavior, no modifications of conduct can ever do this for you. You can’t make yourself more obedient, for you are still in your rebellious flesh, which shall always be trying to draw you away.

But such is the power of God, that He can do, and does this miraculous thing in you, each and every day. It is He who creates, strengthens, and increases this faith in His Son as Your Savior, He who guides you in the paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake, who shows you what is helpful and unhelpful in your Christian walk, He who frees you from the enslavement of your sins, He who forgives you all of your sins, all your stepping over His line, and it is He who always brings you back to the cross.

And that is where you have come today. To the cross, to see again your Lord and your God. To be strengthened for your weekly flesh battles. To understand that you are indeed forgiven, and now walk in the newness of the Holy Spirit, always abiding in and by His Word.

And to praise Him forever who has taken away your punishment, and has made you His Temple. He has taken up permanent residence, and will never leave nor forsake you. And every step you take from now on, He takes it with you. Amen.

Grace to you, and peace, and joy, on this Holy Day, from God our heavenly Father, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Do you remember a few years back, when there was so much hoopla concerning the political battle of how people are supposed to greet one another during this time of year? I can hardly believe that people have so little to do; I usually find myself too busy, especially this time of year!

To those involved, however, it seemed they were taking a stand on what they believe in, as you should, but I think we should understand what the real issues are. It’s not the greeting the matters, but the faith behind it. As for me, I do wish that you have some happiness during the Holy Days, that’s not wrong. I hope you find some joy, a time to laugh with friends and family who gather at your house. I hope you experience the warmth of friendship and fellowship; that you find a spirit of celebration and thanksgiving.

And I also hope you are merry and joyful, and that you remember to keep Christ in your celebration of Christmas. For although most of Europe and the Western world takes the time off to celebrate this holiday, it really means nothing without the object of your love being invited and welcome at your celebration.

As for myself, I want to extend to you this day a "Mary Christmas", and I spell that M-A-R-Y. For in the annunciation of the Christ Child, and the visitation to her cousin Elizabeth, and then Mary’s responding in a joyful song of praise, which we hear in our Gospel lesson, we can truly see a celebration worth having.

Why does Mary sing, why does Elizabeth shout, why does the baby John in Elizabeth’s womb jump, and why should we rejoice during this time of year? The answer is the same for all, it is because of "Immanuel", the Lord with them and with us. The Son of God, in his incarnate presence, is already in our midst today. He left His throne room above, the majesty and glory of heaven itself, to squeeze His entire essence into the small womb of a young, Hebrew maiden.

The same God who spoke and created a World is now about to recreate a fallen one. To redeem His people from death. This is not just a miracle, this is the miracle of all miracles! A Miracle of epic proportions! Not because it took so much more Godly, Omnipotent power to accomplish; but because it was harder for Him to do, and let me explain why.

When you open your toys, you know before too much time has passed that one or two of them are going to get broken. Usually a day or so after the warranty is up. And the fact is that we don’t usually fix them. It’s usually too expensive to repair them, and if we do, there’s no warranty to cover them now. And there may already be newer and better toys and gadgets out on the market by now. So we don’t fix them, we toss them, and get something new and better.

But the Word of God does not do that with us. He doesn’t throw us away. He fixes us, by remaking us. And remaking creatures is harder than making us in the first place. Think about that: He first made us by a command. He remade us by becoming one with us in the flesh and then dying for us. He made us by commanding, He remade us by suffering. Even though we left Him He did not leave us, such is the perfect love of God for you that Jesus leaped out of heaven and jumped both feet into His Creation. And this mighty miracle took place tonight, the night we celebrate His blessed birth, His coming to us for the purpose of our salvation.

The absolute immensity of this miracle staggers the mind, and it cannot be reduced to a few lit bulbs on a tree and some tinsel and wrapping. It cannot be reduced to a goose dinner. It cannot be reduced at all, it shall stand for all time as God’s greatest miracle. The only thing that we reduce is our conception of it, and our response to it, and our faith in it.

Grace comes down from heaven, it will always be wonderful and joyful and blessed and miraculous. But faith in that grace, faith that responds to the child in a manger, faith that believes in all that Child stands for and all He will do for us, that’s what we need today.

And so when Mary went to visit her cousin Elizabeth in the hill country near Jerusalem, when Mary, in her overwhelming joy, had to share this wonderful news, I want you to just look at the response of faith of all those people involved.

At the greeting of Mary, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leaped up! I can’t even imagine what that feels like! The presence of the Son of God in His Creation causes great things to happen in His creation.

Already the New Creation is beginning, and the first to know it after Mary was John the Baptist, who is still in the womb. John, who will be the forerunner of Jesus, who will preach the Saving Lamb of God to the world, is already proclaiming the Presence of God with us, before he is even born.

And Elizabeth, when she feels this, when she is presented with the incarnate presence of God, she is immediately filled with the Holy Spirit. And bursting out of her mouth, she starts crying out in a loud voice: "Blessed are you, blessed is the child, blessed is she who has believed!"

Blessedness, wonderful blessedness, is a condition created by God, and recognized by faith. It is this that evokes all of our joy this time of year. We recognize how blessed we are by God, that He should send His Savior to us. Blessed are the ones who know that God has come to earth, and redeemed them from their sins!

And this part is so huge that sometimes we miss it. When we teach how Jesus humbled Himself to become a man, I hear people say, "Oh how sad, that this poor baby had to be born in a dirty stable, and be wrapped in dirty cloths, and be placed in an feeding trough for animals. It so unhygienic". You don’t know the half of it.

It’s not so much that God, mighty God, Omnipotent God, had to be born under such questionable conditions. It wasn’t that He didn’t get a room at the Holiday Inn Express. It was what He had to do that was going to make Him so filthy that His own Father would turn His back on His Son. He had to take on all the black, ugly sins of the world. The sins of Mary, the sins of Elizabeth, the sins of John the Baptist, your sins and mine, all of this He took from us, and covered Himself with them, although He was the sinless Son of God. That’s what make today so special. That’s why we can celebrate at all. He took them all from us.

This last part of Elizabeth’s confession is of supreme importance: "And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord."

Elizabeth is so joyful now that she’s throwing blessings all over the place. But in reality, she’s only recognizing, by faith, where the blessings have already been bestowed by Almighty God. That’s what faith is…it is the knowledge and belief that what God has promised, will be accomplished, and will be delivered.

And in this mighty miracle, where God has left His temple, and resides now in the womb of Mary, after such a relocation, it should not surprise us that Mary now sings for joy as well. Her song, recorded in Scripture, and is called the "Magnificat", after the first word in the Latin: "My soul magnifies the Lord!"

This is Mary’s hymn of praise to God and God alone for the gracious gifts He has given to the least of His servants. That’s what Mary was, and what she considered herself. God has lifted her up out of her despair and shame of sin, and blessed her solely because of His grace and mercy.

Mary is the first Christian, and this is the first Christmas celebration. It’s even the first Christian hymn. Just a small gathering, only the three of them and the Lord, who is the focus of all this magnifying, this lifting up in praise. No tree, no ornaments or decorations, no presents, except for the "presence" of the Lord Jesus Himself.

This unborn Child is He whom Mary calls her Savior, the Mighty One who has performed such great things. It is this child whose Name is and ever shall be Holy and Hallowed. This child who Mary calls her Lord.

And Mary magnifies, praises her Lord. To "magnify" means to exalt Him, to make Him the greatest thing in her sight and in her mind. She doesn’t say "I magnify the Lord", but "My soul, the inmost, utmost part of me, it exalts God; I feel the sweetness, the unbounded joy, feelings so deep that they’re too inexpressible for human words alone".

Let me ask you: When’s the last time you felt like that? That you had a Christmas celebration that made you feel this way?

For the soul to praise God is no work of man, I can’t try and do this. I can’t make myself joyful. It’s a work of God, to bestow on us such gladness of heart, because of this great news, that the mouth just has to sing praises. This wonder of the Holy Spirit is a true gift for those who have beheld the child in a manger, and really understand what it truly means for them.

That God has been, and shall be merciful to us. That we will live with Him forever in the glories of heaven.

And that mercy is extended to those who properly fear and love Him, that‘s what the Magnificat says.

Not to those who are haughty and proud and securely rich, supremely confident in their own self-righteousness, those who walk past the Child year after year without a glance or a thought. Not to those who are proud in the thoughts of their hearts, in other words, the enemies of Divine Truth, those who would insert their false beliefs instead of obedience to God’s clear Word.

But to the humble of heart, to those who hunger in their souls for the righteousness of Jesus, for the forgiveness of sins, it is You He lifts up in His love and great mercy, and then the text says that He fills you with good things. Things like this joy we‘ve been talking about, this peace that passes understanding, this everlasting hope of glory. Better than anything under the tree, these gifts are not here and gone, but they are presents that remain perpetually present.

And we can go, this day and every day, rejoicing in the fact that God is now with us, always with us, forever with us, Immanuel, Lord of Lords and King of Kings! Let us magnify His Name forever and ever. Amen.