Trinity XXV [Matthew 24:15-28] (6-Nov-2022)

            

This sermon was preached at St Peter’s Evangelical-Lutheran Church, Public Schools Club, Adelaide, 9am

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ.

But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.

Prayer: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen. 

In the church today, it is rare to hear about the last things. And at this time in the church year, the readings are particularly dedicated to the end of the world, the final judgment, everlasting life, heaven and hell, and all these kinds of topics.

Today’s reading comes from one of Jesus’ last sermons which he gave the week before he died, where he talks about the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, and also how those things that happened in those days, also apply to us today as we set out eyes forward to the time when the world will end.

So, at the beginning of our reading, we read these words of Jesus: When you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, an let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.

There are two things that we see in this passage: first, we see what Jesus calls the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place. And then we see the coming destruction, which follows it. So, we can see that the abomination that Jesus speaks of is a warning from God of the coming destruction, and that when the people see it and recognise it, they should flee and escape what will be a terrible time of tribulation.

Now let’s have a look at these things in detail. Jesus says: When you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand)… What is Jesus speak about here? Firstly, he speaks about: the abomination of desolation. What does this mean? An abomination, normally refers to something that is abhorrent, or repulsive, or detestable, or objectionable to God—often in the Bible, when it speaks of an abomination like this, it is talking about idol, or something like that, something to do with false worship, false gods, idolatry, and that kind of thing. But in this case, Jesus talks about an abomination of desolation. Jesus is talking about an abominable thing that causes or makes things desolate, or deserted, it makes things into a desert waste, where there are no people there anymore. Jesus also talking about a kind of deserting, a kind of desolating, that is also abominable, abhorrent, repulsive to God and which should also be repulsive to his people. The people should also recognise as abominable what God has also called abominable.

Such an abomination of desolation will stand in the holy place. Normally, the holy place refers to the temple. So, Jesus is speaking of a particular sign, where something abominable, or disgusting, will be in the temple, and that such a thing has even been spoken of by the prophet Daniel. In Daniel chapter 9, we have a passage which speaks like this, where it says: And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.

Now, in Luke’s gospel, we also get a further clue about what Jesus is talking about. In that Gospel, it says: When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near.

Now, the interesting thing about this warning is that there would have been many people who simply wouldn’t have believed these words of Jesus. They thought that the temple in Jerusalem would last forever, and that everything would continue as it always had. However, we know from history, that in the year 70 AD, the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans. Jerusalem was surrounded by the Roman armies, and was destroyed in completely terrible and destructive situation, unlike anything that has ever happened before. Even from the history books, we read, that people during these times even resorted to cannibalism. Jesus says: For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.

Now, before this complete and total destruction of the temple and the city of Jerusalem, there was also a warning. As Jesus said: An abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel standing in the holy place. Even Jesus wants people who read the book of Daniel, to take special note of all this, and he says: Let the reader understand. So, in the Jewish temple, leading up to this terrible time of destruction, there were many of the Roman emperors, like Caligula, and Nero, who set up their own statues in the Jewish temple in the holy place, next to the Ark of the Covenant. Of course, this is a terrible thing, and would have made the Jewish people very angry. But it didn’t just happen on one afternoon, it happened over many years. And when one Caesar died, another one did the same thing. It kept happening and happening. Even many Jewish people protested about it, and they were threatened to be executed by beheading, and they willingly laid down and let themselves be beheaded rather than see such a terrible thing happen to their temple.

So, there were these idolatrous statues of the emperors that were placed in the Jewish temple continually, until that time when things became so heated, that the Romans sought to end it all by sending their armies to the city of Jerusalem, and burning it and destroying it, in a period of terrible bloodshed and misery and pain.

Now, at this time, there would have been many people who remembered what Jesus said, and recognised that his prophecy had come to light, and then they would have fled, as Jesus said. He said: Let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is one housetop go down to take what is in his house, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in the winter or on a Sabbath.

So, what is the reasons for this terrible desolation and tribulation? Why does terrible desolation come upon places and cities, like it came upon Jerusalem here? It comes as a judgment of God because of various things. Firstly, because of the idolatry, which so many of the prophets often preached to the people about. Also, at the time of Jesus, there began a terrible persecution of the church, of Christians, of pastors, of the apostles. We can read about this constantly in the book of Acts. So, we see that many people in Jerusalem received their Messiah, but many people rejected him too. And this rejection of Jesus as the Son of God, and as the one whom God sent, does not go unnoticed by God. Also, because of unrighteousness, when justice is not administered fairly, and rich people and poor people are not treated as equal before the law. Also, because of the ungodly lives of people, and especially sexual sin, and disregard of marriage and the family, as we see in the example of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Old Testament. And also, Jesus says: A kingdom which is divided against itself will be laid waste. So destruction may also come when there is discord and disharmony among people and revolts and revolutions and bloodshed.

Now, just as there was a warning sent by God before the city was destroyed, so also there were also special comforts and blessings sent by God, which Jesus speaks about here. First of all, Jesus says that there will be a means of escape. Just as when Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, Lot’s family were given a means to escape, so also, in the case of the downfall of Jerusalem in these days, Jesus also provided for them a means of escape, and says: Flee to the mountains. He says: Don’t go back to your house to get your things, or back to your field—just get out, just run. This will be the escape that God provided for you at the proper time.

And also, Jesus comforts his disciples by giving them not just a means of escape from these terrible times, but also he gives to them the gift of prayer. He says: Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. We see that God gives protection to his people, but he also asks them to pray for his wonderful protection. We read in so many passages of the bible, especially in the Psalms, where God promises his protection for his people. He says: He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty… Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honour him.

Now, we also learn from this passage, that when we find ourselves in a terrible situation, where there might be a plague or famine or war or something, it is permitted for Christian people to flee, and to run, and to go somewhere else, where they can be protected. We see many situations all throughout the world where there are refugees fleeing from their homelands because of famine or war, or something like this. To flee is often God’s means of escape, provided that we don’t have a duty to stay for some reason, and it doesn’t require us to abandon our faith. In this case, we might have some family who we have to look after, or we might only be permitted by some person in authority to leave, if we renounce Jesus and the Christian faith. In these situations, we must stay, and pray for God’s loving protection.

Now, this passage may seem very strange to us and to our ears, because in this country and in this part of the world, we have lived in relative freedom and comfort for many generations. But we must always keep it in mind that the nice things we enjoy in life, and the nice things we have, won’t last forever, but there will come a time when they will be taken from us.

And so, Jesus also tells us about a kind of spiritual abomination of desolation in the second part of our readings. Also, among Christians there is also the abomination of desolation, which is the Antichrist, with his false prophets and false doctrine, who stands in the holy place, who seeks to dethrone Christ in the church, and establish himself in his place.

Now, this also might seem very strange to our ears. But we are living in very strange times, even in recent years, where there have been many idolatrous and blasphemous things which have taken places in large and significant churches all throughout the world, similar to the way in which the statues of the various Caesars were places in the Jewish temple.

For example, during the last year, in Melbourne, in the Anglican Cathedral, there has been an enormous and imposing globe of the world hung there in the sanctuary, in honour of the Greek goddess Gaia, the earth goddess. (I don’t know if it’s still there or not.) So, they put a symbol of nature and earth worship in the church. This is an abomination, which is put in the holy place, in the church, where it shouldn’t be. About three years ago, in 2019, in Rome, there was a synod held there in the Vatican, called the Amazon Synod, where pagan worship—the bowing down in a circle to various idols—was conducted in the Vatican gardens, and statues to the South American goddess, Pachamama, were placed in various famous churches around the city. Once again, these idols don’t belong there, and they should never have been placed there. Sometimes, we read about certain exhibitions of art that happen in various cathedrals or churches, and everyone knows that this particular artwork doesn’t belong in this holy place. We are also seeing a rise in homosexual weddings in various churches throughout the world. In recent years, there have been many examples of Muslims being asked to give their so-called “call to prayer” in famous churches, for example, before a concert, or a special event. There are many examples we could name.

Even in Australia, it has become common now, almost a kind of national religion that nobody believes in, that we have a “welcome to country” or “acknowledgement of country”, before any public event. As Christians, and as Lutherans, we believe in the real presence of the body and blood of Christ in the Lord’s Supper. But in many of these ceremonies, people are required to “pay their respects to elders past and present”. There is an acknowledgement of the real presence of these past elders. Now, these are particularly religious words which don’t belong to our civil and public life, and should not be imposed on everyone, and these words certainly don’t belong in the church. Sometimes, some Christians (for example, in some Christian schools) have done a good job in trying to make the best of these situations, and turn it around to give a witness to the Christian faith. But many of these things happen slowly, slowly, so that when various abominations finally appear in the church, nobody notices it. And when someone points it out, they are often ridiculed as some kind of fanatic. But Jesus says that things like this will happen, and that when they do, we should notice it, because these things are a warning for a coming destruction, and we should escape from it as we can, and pray for our protection.

Now, in saying all of this, we might start to get depressed and lament and agonise over many things that are going on in our world today. And we always need to separate in our minds between things that are wrong, so that we can recognise them when we see them, but also for the people who are part of these things, who need to hear the Gospel, whom we should pray for, whom we should love and bless.

And so Jesus in our reading speaks about three things, three marks of abomination that Christians should be wary of even after the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem, which will continue until the end of the world. He warns us about false Christs and false prophets. He says: For false Christs and false prophets will arise. A false prophet, of course, is a false preacher, or a person who prophesies or preaches from God, when it is not from God. Also, a false Christ, is someone who tries to sit in place of Christ, and replace Christ in some way in the church.

In the Lutheran Church, it was always confessed that the pope of Rome manifested most clearly the marks of a false Christ, or antichrist. Now, this is a big topic, and many Lutherans have abandoned this teaching. It’s worth our while to make sure that we study this topic and understand exactly what it is that the Luther and the Reformers, and Lutherans for many centuries had taught about this. Because, you see, Jesus Christ is the head of the church: he is the only head of the church, he is our only Saviour, he is our only Mediator, he is the only one who gives us our unity as Christians and prays for our unity, and he is our only atonement and sacrifice and offering for sin. The pope is not the head of the church, only Jesus Christ is. The true church is the one that is united under Jesus Christ as its head, not under human authority in his place.

In the meantime, Jesus also warns us about people who will come and point people to find Jesus in places where he has not promised that he will be. Now, we know that Jesus has instructed us that we should find him in the Word of God, and also in the Sacraments of Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper. He has promised to be there in those places. But then Jesus says: If anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. He also says: So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. So what Jesus is saying here is that we should not look for him in places where he has not promised to meet us. We cannot find Jesus in our own self-chosen works, however wonderful they might seem to us. We cannot find Jesus in our own spirituality, however glorious it might feel to us. We cannot find Jesus in our religious experiences, no matter what heights they might raise us to and all that kind of thing. Many times, Jesus has been calling us, and knocking on the doors of our hearts, through the simple words of Holy Scripture, which we hear read at church one day, or which we read in our bibles at home, and we ignore it, because we don’t realise that it is him. And then instead we go looking for him in all kinds of places where he isn’t to be found. People often find something there, but it isn’t Jesus.

The third warning that Jesus gives us is about false miracles. He says: For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. Many times, people will point to various wonderful things and miracles as a kind of proof that their particular church or particular teaching has authenticity. Of course, even Jesus’ words were confirmed with miracles, and the teachings of the apostles were confirmed with miracles. But just because there is a miracle, doesn’t mean that the truth is to be found there. We have many churches in our country and all throughout the world, who claim to perform miracles on tap, but they don’t teach the truth. They point people to their own works, their own experiences, their own feelings, instead of to their Saviour.

So, we see that Jesus gives us these marks of abomination in the church: false prophets and false christs, finding Jesus in places where he has not promised to be found, and also the false miracles. And where there is abomination in the holy places, there is also the threat of a coming destruction. That is what our text is about today, and it brings a very serious warning for us.

So in light of this, there are a number of comforts for us in our reading. First of all, there is the comfort of God’s election, his choosing of us as his people, and as his followers, and as his children. Jesus says in our reading: But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. Now, sometimes, when we hear the word “elect”, people think: “How do I know if God has chosen me? How do I know if he has called me to heaven or not?” Some people even despair and say: “Maybe God has predetermined that I should go to hell and there’s nothing that I can do about it.”

Well, God creates faith in us, not because of us, but through his Word and Holy Spirit. It is God’s word and the Holy Gospel that reveals to us the light of God’s face and his favour towards us in Jesus Christ. Jesus has died on the cross for us, and shed his blood for us, offered himself in our place as the one perfect and sufficient sacrifice for our sin and the sin of the whole world, and he has risen from the dead to secure for us and win for us the forgiveness of our sins. And all of this, God has applied to you, and poured out on you, by baptising you into his kingdom and making you his own. And so, when you are worried about things happening in the world, or when you are worried about your own salvation, put yourself in a situation where you can hear God’s Word and the Gospel, and remind yourself that you are his baptise child. When you were baptised, it was not your doing, it was God’s doing, and it was his Word that empowered it. And so we commend our faith—weak as it is much of the time—into the hands of our living Jesus, and we ask him to preserve us and protect us to the end.

Also, Jesus gives us another comfort in that he says that the time will be shortened. He says: But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. And so, it has been common for Christians all throughout the centuries, to pray during times of hardship, for Jesus to come quickly. As it says in Revelation: The Spirit and the Bride say: Come! Come Lord Jesus. And this is wonderful thing to pray together with the Holy Spirit for the Lord Jesus to come and rescue us, and to cut the time of difficulty short.

Now, in our whole reading today, there are many more things we could say about it. But in all these things, there is the message that we should not always look for better times to come in the future. There is no promise of that. Maybe we will see some good times in our lives, but overall, as the world gets older, we should assume that it will always get worse, because there is much sin in the world, and it will continue to manifest itself in all kinds of ways. But in all of these things, we should prepare ourselves in faith, and patience, and prayer, for whatever God sends us in our lives, whether as individuals, as families, or as Christians together in the church. God rescued Lot and his family in a time of great hardship. God rescued his people from Egypt through great difficulty. And so, also, St Paul writes to Timothy: Understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. Jesus in our reading even says: See, I have told you beforehand. Don’t be surprised by it, in other words. Don’t be too shocked. But also be comforted, and be strengthened in the knowledge and the fact that God himself will be faithful and will rescue us from it all, and take us from this valley of sorrows to himself in heaven. All glory and honour and wisdom and power be to Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, and who is seated on the throne! Amen.

 

And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.    

 

Reformation [John 8:31-32] (30-Oct-2022)

           

This sermon was preached at St Peter’s Evangelical-Lutheran Church, Public Schools Club, Adelaide, 9am

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ.

If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

Prayer: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen. 

The festival of the Reformation is a wonderful occasion in the church year, which we particularly celebrate in the Lutheran church, where we remember those series of events in the 1500s in Europe, and in Germany particularly, where there was a tremendous theological and spiritual revival, the effects of which changed the course of history, and which are still felt today. At the heard of these events was a rediscovery of the Gospel, as the free forgiveness of sins, which was won by Christ alone in his death and resurrection, and bestowed upon lost and condemned sinners completely free for the sake of Christ, which we then receive by faith, apart from any works, contributions or efforts that we make ourselves. As St Paul says: By grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing, but it is a gift of God, apart from works, so that no one may boast. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.

The 31^st October was chosen for this commemoration centuries ago, because on this day in the year 1517, Martin Luther, who was a priest of the Roman Catholic Church, a monk of the Augustinian order and a professor of theology at the university of Wittenberg in Germany, is reported to have nailed a document to the church door in Wittenberg, his 95 theses. This document was against a certain practice that was alive and well in the Catholic Church of Martin Luther’s day, the selling of indulgences. Although we could talk at great length about what this “selling of indulgences” is, the short version is that it was a certificate issued by the Pope in Rome to cancel the punishments in purgatory for a person’s sins. Purgatory is a Roman Catholic belief, which is not held by other churches, that there is a kind of half-way station between heaven and hell. I won’t go into all the detail now, and I could explain all this much better than I have.

What this meant in history is that this was the beginning of a great controversy where Martin Luther, as a student and teacher of the bible, came into conflict with the Pope in Rome and the Roman Catholic Church as a whole. As a result, Martin Luther was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church, and many Christians throughout Europe who accepted his teaching as true and right became separate from the Roman Catholic Church, to form the Evangelical church, or as it is commonly called today, the Lutheran Church, or the Church of the Lutheran confession.

Now, on one hand, Martin Luther was a highly significant person in all of this history. On the other hand, the whole Reformation which occurred at this time was not about one man, or the teachings of one man. Rather, this whole event was about a return to the Word of God, in such a way that that the Holy Scriptures once again had pride of place in the church over and against every human word, every human tradition, every word of people, of man, every human idea.

In our Gospel reading today, we hear these wonderful words of Jesus, where he says: If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. Let’s pray that the Holy Spirit will enlighten our hearts and minds, as we consider this verse today, and remember the wonderful events that occurred 500 years ago at the time of the Reformation. Amen.

Now, in our sermon today, I’d like to first of all talk about what the Lutheran Reformation was, and what it wasn’t. And then secondly, I’d like to talk about the significance of the things that happened at that time for today.

Firstly, at various times and places, in history, there have been all kinds of revolutions. For example, in 1789, in France, there was the French revolution, where the executed the king of France and all the aristocracy. There was a big revolution in Russia about 100 years ago, where communism came in, and they started the USSR. And people might look back at the time of Luther, and think that it was a kind of revolution. But it wasn’t.

The Reformation was not about revolution, or rebellion. It wasn’t some kind of anti-authoritarian event where all kinds of people wanted to drag down the social structures of the day.

The Reformation did have to do with authority, but it was not against authority. It was simply against false human authority in the church, and on the other hand, a return to the true authority in the church, namely, the Holy Scripture. In the church, wherever the authority of the Word of God is lost, it always means that mere human authority can replace it, because that’s the only other authority that there is.

So, the whole of the Reformation, was essentially a call to repentance, and it is one of the most amazing calls to repentance that has ever occurred in church history. When Martin Luther wrote his 95 theses and put them on the church door in Wittenberg, 504 years ago today, the first thing he wrote was: When our Lord Jesus Christ said, ‘Repent’, he meant that the whole of a Christian life should be one of repentance. This document spread like wild-fire throughout Europe at the time, and even reached the desk of the Pope. To think that a document like that made such an impact, with such a strong call to repentance right at the top.

You might remember that in the Scripture, when John the Baptist went out and preached at the River Jordan, he called people to Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. When Jesus began his ministry, after his baptism and his temptation in the wilderness, he also said the same thing. The word, ‘repent’, means to turn around, to change one’s mind, or change one’s heart. It has a picture of a person walking in one direction and then turning around going back the other way.

When we are called to repent, what are we called to turn away from? And what are called to turn ourselves to? We are always called to turn away from our sin, and also our sinful mind, our sinful flesh, our sinful heart, our own ideas, our own human opinions, our own solutions. And we are always called to turn back to God, and to his Word, as he has wonderfully and marvellously revealed it in the Holy Scriptures.

And so right at the heart of the Lutheran reformation was a renewal of the Scripture in the life of the church. It was not philosophy that should direct the church, or human reason, or human tradition, or human leaders, such as a Pope. Instead, the Word of God, as it is revealed in the Scripture, should be the thing that directs and guides the church. The Scripture is clear fountain of Israel, the clear light of God which he shines on human darkness, a lamp which shines in a dark place, the light which is a lamp unto our feet and light unto our path.

Now, just as that light of Holy Scripture then shone its light on human darkness and sin and evil, so also the Holy Scripture reveals to us how lost and condemned human beings can be saved. Human beings like you and me, who carry around with us our sinful human hearts, and are corrupted in our mind and in our thinking by sin, cannot save ourselves by doing things that are tainted by that same darkness. Only Jesus, the Son of God, can save us, and we can only be saved in the way that he prescribes.

And so, in a world that was full of people performing all kinds of works and deeds in all kinds of attempts to save themselves and make themselves acceptable and pleasing to God, the Gospel came to light. That Gospel is that people cannot save themselves by their own works, by their own efforts, by their own actions, and solutions devised by their own choosing and their own thinking, but by faith in Jesus Christ alone. His death on the cross alone was that wonderful event where the divine righteousness and justice and judgment of God was satisfied, where a full payment was made for each and every sin of the whole entire world, and where he defeated death, the devil and every power of darkness. His resurrection demonstrated to the world that this sacrifice and atonement that he made was acceptable to God the Father, otherwise this all would have meant nothing if Jesus was still dead and in the grave. For us, who believe in him, it means that we have the forgiveness of sins delivered to us and applied to us, not in such a way that we reach all the way back to him, but he actually comes to us. In holy Baptism, what Christ did on the cross all those many years ago is applied to us through water and the Word of God. And in the Lord’s Supper, we receive the wonderful body and blood of Christ as our food for this journey of life, until we reach our heavenly home with Christ in his kingdom. On our part, we simply receive these things freely, as a gift, without paying for them, without earning them, without working for them. We simply trust that God is faithful and that he has done these things and given them to us, and they are ours. This wonderful Gospel message was at the heart and centre of the Reformation, which was so long clouded and shrouded in all kinds of human ideas and philosophies. Still today, in many parts of the world, and even in churches, human ideas still prevail, and the Gospel still remains silent.

But also, sometimes we forget that because the Reformation was a biblical renewal, a rediscovery of the Holy Scripture, it also had an effect on all kinds of other things. So for example, in the Roman Catholic Church back at that time, and still to this day, when it came to the next life, they believed in heaven and hell, but also purgatory. Purgatory was a kind of half way place, where a person worked off the effects of their sins before they could enter heaven. However, at the time of the Reformation, they realised that this was not a teaching of Scripture at all. In fact, in the passage about Lazarus and the rich man, it says that there is a chasm fixed between where Lazarus was in Paradise and where the rich man was in hell, such that no one could cross between. So, another thing that came from the Reformation, was a renewed understanding of heaven and hell. This is extremely important when we come to understand faith, because when Christ calls us to eternal life, he saves us from hell, from the devil, and all of that. He saves us for eternal life in heaven. He doesn’t save us from purgatory, and he doesn’t save us for purgatory, because it doesn’t exist.

Also, the Reformation brought about a renewal in the way we understand prayer. At that time, many people prayed to Mary, and all kinds of different saints. And there were all kinds of different saints that were prayed to for all kinds of different reasons. Some of these reasons were quite superstitious, for example, it you lost something, you might pray to such and such a saint. In some sense, many of the old pagan ideas about prayer, from the old religions of Greece, of ancient Rome, of the ancient Vikings, came back into Christianity. People used to pray to different gods for all kinds of different reasons, just as they do today in Hinduism. However, with the Reformation, came a renewed understanding of prayer, because they rediscovered the teaching about prayer in the Scriptures, that we pray to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit alone, that we pray in the name of Jesus, and all that kind of thing. Luther summarises much of this in what he taught about the Lord’s Prayer in the Small Catechism.

But also, at that time, many people thought that living a holy life meant that you had to become a monk or a nun, that you had to go on pilgrimages to holy places, and all that kind of things. This brought about an idea that marriage and having family was a kind of dirty thing. However, the Reformation brought to light the fact that Christians, wherever we are placed in our life, whether as a husband, wife, child, or a worker, or a boss, or as a soldier, or as a ruler or leader, or whatever, that we serve God as a holy person in those callings.

So, there are many things that we could talk about that were affected by the rediscovery of the Scripture, and the authority of Scripture. Of course, at the heart and centre of it all was the bringing to light of the Gospel in all of its glory. However, it’s also useful to see where all kinds of other things were impacted, because they often have some impact on how we understand the Gospel. For example, if people believe in purgatory, they often don’t have a need for the Gospel, because they think that at the end of the day, everything will be fine for them because eventually they’ll get out of purgatory, or they despair, because they think they’ll never get out purgatory. Many people who pray to the saints, often do so because they think they are not worthy to pray to Jesus himself. Of course, no one is worthy to pray to Jesus, but through Holy Baptism and through faith, God makes us his beloved child, and he asks us and commands us to pray to him, because of what he has done for us in making us his own. This is all effected by the Gospel too. If people think that living a life as a monk or nun gives us a special kind of holiness, this can also effect the way in which we understand the Gospel. You see, the forgiveness of sins is not given to us because of the austere life we might live, or because we’re married or celibate, or because of the spiritual exercises we choose to take on. It’s given to us freely for Christ’s sake. Of course, we are called to live a holy life, and some people who are single may choose to live a certain kind of life, but it’s not the life that they choose for themselves that saves them.

So let’s come back to Jesus’ words: If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. These words of Jesus have a profound significance for us, as it had for Christians at that time, and for Christians today. First of all, Jesus teaches us that those who are truly his disciples are those who abide in his word. The disciples of Jesus are never guaranteed to always be his disciples, unless they abide in the words of Jesus. Jesus does not make us join a particular church who are always guaranteed to keep the word pure. No—we must always keep returning to the Scripture, and letting that clear light of God’s Word hold sway.

People might be attracted to a particular kind of music in the church, to a certain kind of style, to a certain feeling of being new, or to a certain feeling of being old, or to a church being ancient, or a church being really modern, or all kinds of things like that. But none of this makes the church the church. The thing that makes the church is the Word of God and abiding in that word. It is the word of God that makes the church and when people are gathered around that word, there God’s church on earth grows.

However, today, we live in very strange times. Jesus says about his Word: You will know the truth and the truth will set you free. In many parts of the world, in many parts of our country, in many of our towns and cities, in many of our homes and families, the truth is not known, and as a result people are slaves, bound, captive, and are imprisoned. They are slaves to their own selves, to their own sin. And as a result they are not free.

If we want to know the truth, we must go to Jesus Christ and his Word. We know today that there are many people who don’t hold to the truth about all kinds of things. The fact that a lot of people hold to a particular opinion doesn’t make it true. There are many people, for example, that don’t believe in God at all, and who don’t believe he created the world. There are many people who don’t believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. There are many people today who believe in abortion, who don’t believe that a baby in a mother’s womb is a human life worthy of our protection. There are a growing number of people who believe in the transgender philosophy, that sex and gender are completely interchangeable, and that men and women don’t really exist. This is a powerful lie, which is causing great problems especially among young people, and young women especially. There are many people who believe in communism, that people shouldn’t be allowed to own anything, and that everything should be the possession of the state. There are many people who believe in eugenics and transhumanism, that human beings are going to get better and better, and that technology is going to turn us into a kind of super-people. All of these things are lies—powerful, destructive lies—which many people believe. But just because many people believe them doesn’t make them true. Power and numbers is not the same thing as truth.

Rather, Jesus is the Truth. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. No-one comes to the Father except through him. Jesus will destroy ever lie and error and falsehood in his path. And every lie and error falsehood stands in direct opposition to the Gospel, because every lie is from the evil one, who is the father of lies, and he concocts every lie and falsehood, because the Gospel rescues people from himself. Of course, every lie will be directed against the Gospel.

So when we have the Gospel, what a wonderful gift it is. It is something to rejoice in, but not to brag in, and boast, and be proud, in such a way that we think we are better than the people who don’t have it. No, the people who don’t have the Gospel are living in darkness, the darkness that each and every single person was born in. The Gospel must be kept, held on to, and shared. And every error, every lie, every falsehood, must be deconstructed and destroyed.

So let’s abide in Christ’s Word, so that we may truly be his disciples, so that we may know the truth, and that the truth may set us free. Let’s thank God for the wonderful event that the Reformation was, the wonderful gift of the Gospel that it brought to us through the rediscovery of the Word of God, and also for the wonderful example that is gives to us for our times. Amen.

 

The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus. Amen.    

 

Trinity XIX [Matthew 9:1-8] (23-Oct-2022)

          

This sermon was preached at St Peter’s Evangelical-Lutheran Church, Public Schools Club, Adelaide, 9am

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.

Prayer: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen. 

In our Gospel reading today, we read about an amazing event where Jesus heals a paralytic, a man who is paralysed, and unable to walk. And we read at the beginning of Matthew, chapter 9: And getting into a boat [Jesus] crossed over and came to his own city. And behold some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.”

Now, in the Gospel of Mark, we read a bit more detail about the magnitude of this event. We read: And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay.

It’s quite amazing! We have this man who was a paralysed, and he has heard about Jesus and his reputation, and he thinks to himself that he should go and present himself and his problem to Jesus too. But then, he can’t get there by himself. So he gets four of his friends to carry him on his bed. But then, when they get to the place where Jesus is, to the particular house, they realise that they can’t get to Jesus because there are so many people there. So, they take him up to the room, and start to pull apart the roof above Jesus and lower him down through the hole in the roof.

We read in our Gospel reading: When Jesus saw their faith… What is this faith that Jesus saw? Well, normally, faith isn’t something that we can actually see. It’s something that Jesus only can see, but we might see the fruit of people’s faith, we might see the actions that spring from a person’s faith. You see, when we say that we are saved by faith, and not by works, that is true. However, faith is always doing something: it doesn’t stay still, but it always produces something. So, for example, when faith has to wait for God’s blessings which are to come in the future, then faith produces hope. When a Christian person sees his neighbours in need, and shares with them the things that he himself has received from God, then faith produces love. When a Christian goes through a difficult time, and has to bear the cross, then faith gives birth to patience. When Christians start to sigh to God in their trouble, or thank God for blessings that God has given to them, then faith pours itself out into prayer.

And so, we see how faith is always producing new things, and pouring itself out into new Christian virtues, and actions, and characteristics and qualities and good works. However, these things in our life are only begun, and they are never finished. We are always learning what it means to hope, we are always learning to love, to bear the cross and to be patient, we are always learning prayer, humility, we are always learning the fear of God, and other things like that. In this life, these things are only begun and never finished.

But when it comes to faith, there is something about it that is unique, which is why it saves us. Because when we talk about faith, we are not talking about how strong or weak a person’s faith is. Rather, we are talking about the object of our faith, the thing which we put our faith in, the person whom we trust. And this person is Jesus himself. And with Jesus, his work is always finished. His work is never simply begun like our work, but it is always finished, complete, and perfect. Remember the wonderful words of Jesus on the cross, when he said, It is finished. And so, faith saves, not because of our strong or weak our faith is, but because of how strong Jesus is.

And so, we see here in our reading that there are these people who are busy, even tearing apart the roof. But the thing that Jesus sees is their faith. And we can see it too in our reading, because all of this travelling, all of this carrying the paralytic on his bed, all of this pulling the roof apart is directed to one thing and one person: Jesus. Jesus is the one they trust, Jesus is their only hope, the only one who can help them, and so they will do anything they can to come and see him. This is the faith that Jesus sees here.

We should also notice in our reading that it says, not just that Jesus saw this one man’s faith, but that Jesus saw their faith. It was not just the paralytic who was involved here, but also his friends. This also gives us a wonderful example in our own faith. Sometimes, we have a problem in our life, whatever it may be, and we often keep the matter to ourselves. We might talk to Jesus about it and pray about it, but deep down, it is almost as if we want Jesus to answer our own prayer, without anyone else’s help. Of course, there are many things that could tell Jesus that we don’t tell anyone else about. But when Jesus answers our prayer, and we have kept the matter to ourselves, then the whole thing is of no benefit to anyone else. In our reading, it is not just the paralytic who is encouraged and healed, but everyone who is involved in the whole business is strengthened and is encouraged by it all.

Also, we read in many places in the Gospels that Jesus sends out his disciples two by two. Or he says: If two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them. This is also part of the reason why we present the names of sick people in our own midst in the prayers each week in church. We come to Jesus, carrying our paralytic friends on their stretchers to Jesus, we pull apart the roof to lower them into Jesus’ presence! So when our burdens and our needs are shared between Christians, also the encouragements and the joys are also shared, because we see and witness the work of Jesus together.

Also, in our reading, Jesus says to the paralytic: Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven. Jesus first of all says to him: Take heart. Jesus is our wonderful Good Shepherd, and he constantly leads us, sharing with us his encouragement. He is always wanting to share his victory with us, his joy, his encouragement. Jesus does this because he is our true friend, our ever-present help in trouble.

And so, Jesus is the answer to every problem. Sometimes, we Christians are tempted to think that it is arrogant of us to think that Jesus is only the solution to spiritual things, but has nothing to do with anything else. No – Jesus knows every problem, and he knows the solution to them all. Even we might think of someone we know, and we know they have a problem, and also we know that almost no-one in our country knows how to fix it, or how to solve it. Don’t be ashamed to ask Jesus to solve the problem. We should never be ashamed to pray in such a way that we can’t possibly imagine what the answer could be.

But also, Jesus is not a solution, he is not a fix. He is a living person, our living and resurrected master, our Lord, our Good Shepherd, our doctor, our counsellor, our friend, our God. There is always a temptation among us to think of Jesus and Christianity as a kind of system, an equation, a piece of mathematics, a piece of engineering, a machine. No—when we meet Jesus, we meet a living person, who comes to people and he says: Take heart, my son, my daughter, my child.

Now, the thing that Jesus then says to this paralytic man might strike us as a bit unusual. He says: Your sins are forgiven. The man comes to Jesus with his paralysis, he comes to Jesus with his disability, and Jesus forgives his sins. Now, why is this? We might scratch our head and think: had the paralysed man done something wrong, or committed a particular sin in his life, which then caused him to be paralysed? No, that’s not the case at all.

Even this topic comes up in John’s Gospel where it says: As [Jesus] passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

Sometimes, people ask this question, but it is not for us to speculate why this person or why that person has this problem, or sickness, or need, or disability. However, we are all conceived and born in sin, in such a way that in this life, we are always living with many problems. And these problems simply wouldn’t be there if it hadn’t been for the fact that Adam and Eve had eaten that fruit. Even we can see when we cut our finger or something, the wonderful way in which our body works and directs itself in such a way that the blood congeals and then it all dries up, and then over the next few days it heals up. It’s as if we were built to live forever. The reason why we will die, and that one day our time will be up, is because of sin.

And so, when we have some sickness, or injury, or some problem in our life, that hinders us from doing what we want to do, and being who we want to be, or whatever, it should always be for us a call to repentance. I don’t mean that we should go digging for dirt in such a way that we think, “What specific sin did I commit which caused me to have this problem?” We can never really know that. But at that same time, when we come to Jesus with our needs, we must always come to him with our sin, and with the recognition and acknowledgement on our part that we are first of all not paralytics in need of the ability to walk, but sinners in need of grace, in need of atonement, in need of forgiveness. We must always come to Jesus as people who need to be washed in his blood, and who need to be clothed with his righteousness.

And so, when Jesus says to this man, Your sins are forgiven, he shows us two things. First of all, that when we come to him, we should always come to him in repentance, confessing our sins to him. But also, it shows to us that all of his blessings come from the forgiveness of sins.

So, for example, in our reading, the man is healed of his paralysis, and this shows us something wonderful for our own life. We get older, we get sicker, we get weaker, we become more deaf, more blind, we get injured, and all that kind of thing. But one day, when the world comes to an end, Jesus promises us that there will be a resurrection of the body, and that he will raise all people from the dead, and that our bodies will be transformed in such a way that our bodies will be strong, and healthy, and we will hear and see Jesus with our own eyes, and leap and dance for joy. All of this comes from the forgiveness of sins. In the Creed, we say that we believe in the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. The forgiveness of sins, and the wonderful washing with the blood of Jesus, the pouring out of the Holy Spirit in Holy Baptism, in this life, means that in the future, there will be a complete and total healing of our bodies and souls.

So, as people who have received the forgiveness of sins, and look for the wonderful promise of the resurrection and eternal life—it’s on this basis that we commend our weaknesses and disabilities into the hands of Jesus, and pray for ourselves, or for others. Even in the early days of the church, the apostles were sent out by Jesus in such a way that performed similar works to Jesus, and healed the sick, and laid their hands on them. We read at the end of Mark’s Gospel where it says: And Jesus said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs. Notice the wonderful way in which Jesus worked with his apostles in encouraging his people in this way. Also, at the end of the letter of James, we read: Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the son who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

Here we see in both these passages, the forgiveness of sins, faith, and the healing of the sick altogether. Now, in those days, the Holy Spirit worked in a wonderful way to confirm and establish the ministry of the apostles. Today, we still go and visit the sick, lay our hands on them, pray for them, even anoint them with oil, as it says in the reading, and also we should pray for people’s healing, even in a miraculous way, and for the coming of the Holy Spirit with his power and with his gifts to do wonderful things. After all, the God we worship is a living God, and nothing is impossible with him. Even in the Lord’s Supper, we come there to present ourselves with all our sin, but also to receive from him the wonderful medicine of body and soul.

However, if we are miraculously healed or not is completely up to the will of our heavenly Father, and Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Jesus also teaches us about bearing the cross, and sometimes, it is good for our souls to live with some physical trouble. We should always commend our weak bodies to Jesus, that he may use us in his service. As long as we have troubles in this life, we should use these troubles to be an impetus for us to pray and commend ourselves to Jesus. And so, we say, “If it is your will, that I should be healed of my disease, or my disability, or my problem or trouble, then let your good and gracious will be done, to your glory. But if it would glorify your name that I should still live longer with it, then I pray that you would glorify your name in such a way that I can bear the cross to your glory.”

Often our troubles can arouse and make us sin, and be angry with God. But we shouldn’t do this. It is sin to be angry with God – we pray and we don’t get what we want, so we go and sulk like Jonah sitting under his fig tree, saying, “Yes, I’m angry, angry enough to die.” No, let the troubles we have in this life push us in all of our desperation into the presence and the arms of Jesus, even it means calling upon our friends to tear apart the roof for us. Jesus says: Take heart, child; your sins are forgiven.

In our reading, we see that it says: And behold, the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.”

There are some grumblers who are present on this occasion. Once again, we see that these words, “Your sins are forgiven”, do not just strike some people as a bit strange, but even wrong, sinful, blasphemous, sacrilegious. After all, they think, only God can forgive sins!

But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And he rose and went home.

Now, here we see a number of things which reveal to us the true divinity of Jesus, the fact that he is truly God.

First of all, he knows their thoughts. He knows that they are thinking evil in their hearts. Just as Jesus saw the faith at the beginning of the passage, he also sees the evil. His eyes pierce into our hearts with a sharpness and clarity and a precision which belongs to him as true God. This is why when we come to Jesus, in our lives as Christians, in our prayers, in our worship, there is no messing around. He knows our sin much better than we know ourselves, and so we should come to him in repentance, confessing our sins to him.

But also, he demonstrates the fact that he really does have the power to forgive sins. His forgiveness is confirmed by the miracle which is bestowed on the paralytic man. He says: That you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins—he then said to the paralytic—Rise, pick up your bed and go home. And so, at this event, in this situation, the healing confirms the forgiveness. This is a very powerful thing for us, because when it comes to our forgiveness, it is not just that Jesus simply says it, but he also acts and does something. So, many people often think: Why did Jesus need to die on the cross? Why doesn’t God just forgive people? Well, yes, he forgives people, but he wants us not just to rely on his mind, but to look at his mighty works, and to say: Jesus died for me, he suffered for me, he offered his life in my place, he has shed his blood, he has poured out his life, he is my sacrifice, my offering, my atonement, he is my righteousness, he is my Saviour. The forgiveness of sins is revealed in real, visible, physical demonstrations of God’s power in history. Even Baptism and the Lord’s Supper also have the forgiveness of sins attached to them in the Word of God, because God wants not just to put the forgiveness of sins into your ears, but he wants you to see it come down on your head, he wants you to see it go into your mouth.

But also, in our reading, there is something which we could easily miss. In all of this, Jesus calls himself the Son of Man, and demonstrates in this miracle, and through the forgiveness of sins, that he is the Son of Man. He says: That you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins… This title, The Son of Man, comes from the book of Daniel, and shows to us the fact that Jesus existed even before he was in his mother’s womb. This is just what John says in his Gospel. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Daniel writes: I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. This is what Jesus is talking about when he calls himself the Son of Man, when he forgives the man’s sin, and sends him home healed of his disability.

So, we read at the end of the reading: When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

Yes, even today, this whole event should awaken in us and arouse in us such a great fear and reverence and awe when we are in the presence of Jesus. But also, it should open our lips and hearts to glorify God, and to thank him for the wonderful gift of the forgiveness of sins which he still gives to us on earth. And we look forward to that wonderful time, when we shall see him with our own eyes, completely transfigured and transformed and healed, having received from him, our Good Shepherd, the Son of Man, his grace, his blood, and the forgiveness of all our sins. Glory to God in the highest! Amen.

 

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.    

 

Trinity XVIII [Matthew 22:34-46] (16-Oct-2022)

         

This sermon was preached at St Peter’s Evangelical-Lutheran Church, Public Schools Club, Adelaide, 9am

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.

Prayer: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen. 

Today our Gospel reading comes from a part of Matthew’s Gospel which recounts to us the preaching and sermons of Jesus in the last week before death and resurrection, or as we call it, during Holy Week. Our reading, comes from Matthew chapter 22—however, in Matthew 21, we read about his entry into Jerusalem on a donkey on Palm Sunday, and then a few chapters later, in chapter 26, we read about his Last Supper with his disciples, and then, when he was arrested and betrayed, and led to his crucifixion.

At the beginning of our Gospel reading today, we read these words: But when the Pharisees heard that [Jesus] had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. At that time, there were two factions, two parties, if you like, or two camps, to which different Jewish scholars and leaders belonged. You had the Pharisees and also the Sadducees. We often hear many things about the Pharisees, but then also, sometimes we read about these Sadducees. Just before our reading begins today, we read where they put to Jesus a curly question. But it says there too: The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question. The question they ask Jesus is about the resurrection, and the evangelist Matthew makes a special point for our benefit so that we know that the Sadducees didn’t believe in the resurrection. Actually, in Acts 23, there is also an incident which relates to the Pharisees and Sadducees, and we read there: For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.

So we can see the theological differences between the two parties. And so, when the Pharisees see that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, or we might say, that Jesus had “stumped” them, they also think that maybe they can put a question to Jesus.

So, we read: One of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” We see in a few different places in the Gospels where people were trying to test Jesus. Of course, it’s a good thing to ask Jesus questions, but we should make sure that we have the right attitude. Of course, we know that Jesus is our wonderful Good Shepherd, and is a great teacher, and there are just so many things that we need to learn from him. But also, on the other hand, sometimes people want to go to Jesus and put a curly question to him, so that they can say, “I got you in a corner!”

Jesus says in answer to this question: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.

Now, notice that in the question, the lawyer asked Jesus, “Which is the great commandment?” He wants Jesus to give an answer, which says: “This is it! This is the one!” And then of course, they will be able to say, “But what about this one, and this one?” If Jesus had only spoken of loving God, then they would have said, “But what about our love towards our neighbour?” If Jesus had spoken about loving our neighbours, then they would have said, “But what about our love towards God?”

And so, Jesus answers very carefully, and very wisely, and also quite truthfully. He speaks about the love towards God, but then, he says, there is a second commandment which is like it: this is the love towards our neighbour.

Now, just before we go on, it’s very important for us to talk about a doctrine in the Scripture, which is taught in our reading today. That doctrine is the proper distinction between the Law and the Gospel. (Summary from Edward Koehler). The Law is the doctrine of the Bible in which God tells us how we are to be and what we are to do and not to do. For example, passages which teach us the Law, are like this: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. Observe what I command you this day. These words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children.

On the other hand, the Gospel is that doctrine in the Bible in which God tells us the good news of our salvation in Jesus Christ. For example, passages which teach us the Gospel, are like this: In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that might live through him. God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.

So there are many differences between the Law and the Gospel. The first difference, is who is doing the work? The Law teaches us what we are to do and not to do; the Gospel teaches us what God has done, and still does, for our salvation. Another difference is what the Law and Gospel show us. The Law shows us our sin and God’s wrath and judgment against sin, whereas the Gospel shows us our Saviour Jesus Christ and the grace of God. Another difference between the Law and the Gospel is what kind of effect it has in our hearts. The Law works in our hearts sorrow over sin and fear of punishment; but the Gospel works faith in Christ, love of God, and the hope of eternal life, and creates in us a new heart to that we have new desires to walk in God’s ways. And also, there is a difference between Law and the Gospel concerning the people to whom each must be preached to. The Law must be preached to all people, but especially to sinners who don’t repent and are unrepentant. The Gospel must be preached to sinners who are troubled in their minds because of their sins.

So, in our Gospel reading today, the Pharisees ask Jesus a question about the Law, and Jesus teaches the Law very clearly. He says: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.

So, let’s think for a moment about this teaching of Jesus. Jesus gives a summary of the Law. We also have another summary of the Law in the Old Testament in the Ten Commandments. Actually, the way that Jesus summarises the Law here also connects very closely to the Ten Commandments. For example, the first three commandments are: You shall have no other gods. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God [or, You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain]. And, Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. These three commandments speak about having God alone as our God, about the name of God, and about the worship of God. We could say that all these first three commandments have to do with what Jesus says: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.

The remaining seven commandments are: Honour your father and your mother. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour. You shall not covet your neighbour’s house. You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour. All of these things involve other people: our parents, people in general that we shouldn’t kill them, our husband and wife in the commandment against adultery, telling lies about people, and wanting to get things that are not ours which belong to our neighbour. We could also say that these seven commandments have to do with what Jesus says in our reading: You shall love your neighbour as yourself.

So, you can see that Jesus is summarising the Ten Commandments. He says: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. We can see here the tremendous standard that God holds us to. There should not be anything in our lives, anything in our hearts and souls and minds, right in our inmost being, that does not reflect the love of God. Now, we might ask: What’s in it for God, though? Why does he want us to love him so much, when it is so difficult for us? Why does he want our unconditional allegiance, why does he want our complete undivided attention? Isn’t it a little selfish of him to ask this of us? Well, not at all – you see, right from the beginning of creation, God created people, and he created them to flourish and prosper and to be happy and to enjoy their life. God is actually our great source of happiness and joy and enjoyment, and so, we actually always find our greatest joy in God. We have been created in such a way that things work like this.

Because of the fall into sin, our hearts are so troubled, our souls are often in great turmoil, and our minds are often not at peace. That’s because we direct our love to other places, to ourselves, to things, to the world, to other people first, but not to God. And so, we have great conflicts which rage within us. God is the joy of our heart, the satisfaction of our souls, and the peace for our minds.

And so, with every ounce of our effort, every movement and action of our heart and soul and mind, with every word and thought, we should love our wonderful and eternal God who made us. We might look at every moment we have, every second, every day, and every skill we have been given, and ask, “How can I glorify God with what he has given me?” Jesus says: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.

And then he says: And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets. Here’s a question: Why is this commandment like the first? Why is it that loving our neighbour is like loving God? Aren’t they completely different things? Well, not at all, because you see men and women, people, human beings, are created in the image and likeness of God. Of all of God’s creatures, people are most like God, and so, to love them, is like loving God. Even Jesus when he came to his earth, didn’t actually become a snake, or a bug, or a panda bear, or a dog or a cat. He became a human being, he became a real man, he became like you and me. We were created in the likeness and image of God, but we lost that image, and that image was damaged and tarnished, in such a way that because of sin, we are now nothing like God when we compare ourselves to his purity and his holiness and his righteousness. And so, Jesus showed to us the perfect manhood, the perfect humanity. He showed us what it is to be a perfect person, a perfect human being—he showed us what a perfect human being in the likeness and image of God is really like, and because he was actually truly God, having God the Father as his own father, the perfect divinity of God shone through in everything he did, and in everything he said. We Christians are called to follow after him as his disciples, and to learn from him, and to follow in his footsteps.

So, when we demonstrate love to our neighbours, we should do it as if we are doing it to Jesus, who is both God and man in one person. And so, loving God and loving our neighbour are not two separate things. We don’t love God in such a way that we forget about the people around us—that creates self-righteousness. We don’t love people in such a way that we forget about God—that creates ungodliness, and we even start to forget what love is, because we learn it from God. We should love God, and then that love that we learn from God should pour out in love for people around us. We should think about all the time and the energy and the resources we have and ask ourselves, “How can I put these things to use, and myself to use, for God’s kingdom in serving the people around me whom he has called me to serve? If I were in their position, what would they need from me? If I were in their situation and if I were in their shoes, what would I need from them, and what would give me such great joy and happiness if I received some help or something from them? And so as Jesus says: You shall love your neighbour as yourself.

Now, we have been discussing so far the doctrine of the Law. You can see that the Law is a truly wonderful thing, it is a glorious thing, it is a holy and pure thing. The way Jesus teaches the Law is also so perfect and so wonderful. He answers the Pharisees’ question in a beautiful and wonderful way.

However, the Law of God is so wonderful and perfect and pure and holy and good, but we have fallen so far beneath it and its glorious standard. As St Paul says: All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We do not love God as we should, and we do not love our neighbours as we should. In fact, there is a bubbling fountain of poison in our hearts, in such a way that we excuse ourselves constantly for all the times and moments we haven’t loved God and our neighbours. And it’s not just the things we have or haven’t done, but it’s our entire existence: our entire existence is really for the most part turned completely in the other direction, and most of the time, we don’t even care, it doesn’t even bother us, we are completely asleep and apathetic to it. If we had the slightest inkling of the high and glorious standard of God’s law, we would completely collapse into a pile of dust and dirt at the very mention of it.

And so, you sinners, Jesus calls us to repent—each of us, you and me. But there is another message, another doctrine, the Gospel. The Gospel shows us what God has done and still does for you and for your salvation. The Gospel points you in all your helpless and hopeless to your Saviour Jesus. There is a glory that far surpasses the glory of the Law. The glory of the Law was so great that when Moses came down from Mt Sinai, he had to wear a veil over his face, because the people just couldn’t handle this glory. But there is another message, another doctrine, and greater and brighter glory, which is the light and wonder and the beauty that shines from the face of your Saviour Jesus Christ. This is the glory as of the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.

And so, Jesus, in the second part of our reading speaks of this glory, the glory that comes from him. He says: Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” Many people have the Law, but they don’t have Christ. They have the rules, and there is a great glory of the law, but it is only a glory of condemnation, it is such a bright light that can do nothing but blind them and curse them. But what about Christ? Whose son is he?

They said to him, “The son of David.” Jesus is the true Son of David, and was descended from the lineage of King David, it is true. But then Jesus says: How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet’? If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?

Now, King David, was the writer of many psalms, including Psalm 110, which Jesus is quoting here. Jesus is David’s Son, but how is it that he is also David’s Lord? Well, I’ll tell you how! Jesus, the Son of God, even before he became a man, was there at the beginning of the world, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and created everything. The one who would become the Son of David, is actually also the Son of God, and truly God together with the Father and the Holy Spirit. We sung about him even today: You alone are holy, you alone are Lord, you alone, O Christ, with the Holy Spirit, are Most High in the glory of God the Father.

And Jesus as true man and true God, atones for the sin of the world with his blood, he offers his life as a sacrifice for sin, and which is a completely sufficient and perfect offering, and acceptable to God, in such a way that Jesus enters into heaven with his wounded hands and feet at His ascension, and is seated at the right hand of God. And from this time onwards, the enemies of God, the devil and his armies and his minions have been destroyed, and all their power is completely vain, because the victory has already been won by Christ. David wrote: The Lord said to my Lord, that is, God the Father said to my Lord, the Son of God, Sit at my right hand, that is, enter into heaven and be enthroned in your human flesh, until I put your enemies under your feet, that is, until that glorious and wonderful time when the devil and death and sin will be completely defeated, and those who are covered with the blood of Christ will live with Christ in his glory together with the angels and archangels.

We read in our Gospel reading: And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions. The glory of the Gospel, the glory of the person of Christ, who he is, and what he has done for us, is just too amazing to comprehend. Jesus just tears back the corner of one of the pages of the psalms, and shows us the glory of the Gospel there. Jesus says that David said this in the Spirit. We are shown a tiny glimpse of the way in which God has breathed out and inspired the Scriptures with the power of the Holy Spirit, in carrying along holy men of God.

Even today, while Jesus is at the right hand of God, he doesn’t rule there, in such a way that he is absent from us. Rather, he descends into our midst, and brings his glorious gospel of his grace into our midst, and absolves our sins, and forgives us. He sends us the Holy Spirit, and fills our ears and hearts. He baptised people into his kingdom, and makes them his own people, and claims them for himself, and makes them citizens of heaven. He feeds us with his own body and blood in the Lord’s Supper, for the forgiveness of sins, for our strength, for our health and healing in body and soul according to his blessing and his grace and his will, and for a wonderful preparation for a holy death.

And so, at the right hand of God, Jesus is constantly putting his enemies under his feet, and giving us the encouragement of his victory which he won for us on the cross, and which is manifested and revealed in such a wonderful way in his resurrection and his ascension into heaven. And we look forward to that wonderful time in the future when we shall see him with our eyes, face to face. Amen.

 

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.    

 

Trinity XVII [Luke 14:1-11] (9-Oct-2022)

        

This sermon was preached at St Peter’s Evangelical-Lutheran Church, Public Schools Club, Adelaide, 9am

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?

Prayer: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen. 

Today in our Gospel reading we read about an event described in the Gospel of Luke where Jesus goes to the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees, and heals a man, and also tells a number of parables. The particular parable that we read about today is where Jesus speaks about taking a lower place at a wedding banquet, rather than a higher place.

Our Gospel reading begins where it says: One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully.

In the Gospels we are constantly coming across the Pharisees, who were the religious experts and theologians in the time of Jesus. When we hear the word Pharisee today, it usually has bad, negative connotations for us, and if someone were to call someone else a Pharisee, it would usually be an insult. However, in these times, a Pharisee was a very well-respected person. They were well educated, pious, religious people, theologians, leaders, and all that kind of thing. We might think of various people like this that we know, and we would never think of them as Pharisees. It’s not a bad thing to be educated, and educated in theology—it’s not a bad thing to be pious or religious, to be a theologian or a leader.

However, when it comes to Jesus and his teachings, there is something very special about him, because sometimes, educated people don’t understand things as clearly as the uneducated people, and such like. For example, St Paul and St Luke were both very educated people. St Paul was a Pharisee who converted to the Christian faith, but only after he had been a violent persecutor of Christians. St Luke, too, who wrote the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts, was a doctor, a highly-educated man. But then also, St Peter and St John and many of the other disciples were fishermen, uneducated men who worked hard for a living. So, we can see that sometimes God uses educated people and sometimes he uses uneducated people. Sometimes scientists only listen to scientists, doctors only listen to doctors, but sometimes Jesus says something that completely shatters everything we ever knew. It’s a bit like being a candlemaker who could never have imagined for a moment what it must be like to have a light-bulb, let alone invent one and make one. Sometimes we understand this in the church well: it’s not unusual for an uneducated person to express the wonderful truths and realities of the Christian faith much clearer than someone who has a PhD in theology.

In 1 Corinthians, St Paul says: For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart. Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

The main thing, if people are educated, is that they always have to be careful not to use their book-smarts as a means to justify their conscience. There are many clever people who use their cleverness to cover up their sin, or their false beliefs. We always need to be careful. There’s something very special about reading about the conversion of Matthew, where it says, Jesus said to him: follow me, and he rose and followed him. That’s it! The Word and the person of Jesus had such an effect that he just stood up, left everything and went with Jesus. The same thing happened with the Ethiopian eunuch, who after a reasonably short conversation with Philip the evangelist, asked to stop his chariot and be baptised immediately.

Of course, we should think carefully about things, but when we listen to the words of Jesus, and when we are in a situation to learn from him, then we must submit our whole mind to him as if we know absolutely nothing at all, and there is nothing that we already know that could possibly be more important. Remember the passage about Mary and Martha, where Martha is fussing about in the kitchen. Jesus says: Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.

So we come to our reading, where Jesus goes to the house of the ruler of the Pharisees. Here we see the Light of the world, who created light, the sun, the lightning and thunder and electricity, paying a visit, as it were, to these candlemakers! We read that they were watching him carefully. They were not watching Jesus with the attitude of learning from him and submitting their minds and hearts to their Maker and their God, but in such a way that would catch him out with something, and be able to say: “Aha! We are the experts, and we are able to solve the great problem, what is really wrong with Jesus.”

We read: And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy. And Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?”

Now, dropsy was a fluid condition, which caused terrible swelling in a person. This person was there before Jesus. And Jesus asks the lawyers and Pharisees: It is lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?

Now, in the Old Testament, God had commanded the Jewish people to keep the Sabbath day holy, and in such a way that they should do no work on that day. Of course, the whole purpose of keeping the Sabbath was so that they could dedicate this day and this time to their sanctification, to being made holy. The commandment says: Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. And so what it is the thing that makes us holy? It is the Word of God, and so this commandment has especially to do with going to the place where people can hear the Word of God, and hear it read and preaching and expounded, and all that kind of thing.

But the Pharisees made such a big deal about not working on the Sabbath, that they became almost quite silly in their self-righteousness about what they could and couldn’t do, what do we define as “work” and what isn’t technically “work”. Even today, amongst Jewish people, I have heard that there are some people who won’t use light-switches on Saturdays, or go up in an elevator, and all kinds of things, because they think that it would come under the banner of “work”.

Now, Jesus puts this question to them: Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not? When Jesus puts his hand on a person, and miraculously heals him, and takes away his debilitating medical condition, is this technically “work”? Is Jesus breaking the Sabbath?

Now, if we read the beginning of the book of Genesis, we read that God created the world in six days, and even God didn’t need to fill a whole week with his work! And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. Now, this is a great and wonderful mystery, that God should rest. But this is not to say that God was worn out and exhausted and was sapped of all his energy after a long week’s work! No—of course not! God rests on the seventh day, to manifest and show to us his great, perfect and divine peace. And when people rest on the Sabbath, and hear the Word of God, God shares his divine peace with us, and works on us through his Word, and sends us the Holy Spirit.

Every time these Pharisees had gathered together on the Sabbath in the synagogue, God was working on them to heal them and to teach them. Now, Jesus is in their midst, and there is a sick man there, and Jesus actually demonstrates to them what the Sabbath is all about, namely, it is for the benefit of our healing, our refreshment, our nourishment at God’s table. It is for drawing living water from God’s fountain, for the refreshment of our minds and our hearts and our bodies. And so, of course, Jesus is here in their midst to give this man with dropsy this wonderful gift.

So, after Jesus asks these men this question about healing on the Sabbath, we read: They remained silent. The experts have their mouths shut. Then [Jesus] took him and healed him and sent him away.

Now, Jesus asks them a further question: Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out? And we read once again: And they could not reply to these things. Silence, silence, silence. It is the Sabbath and their mouths are shut. It is time for God to teach them, Jesus himself to do the talking and for them to do the listening.

They all know that if there is some terrible thing happening on the Sabbath, an accident, or a tragedy, that they will do something about it immediately. If their son, or even an ox, an animal, falls into a well, of course, they’re not going to yell down to their son, and say: “Sorry, lad. I can’t help—it’s the Sabbath. You’ll have to wait until tomorrow.” Of course, no one would do this! Jesus says, you wouldn’t do this to your son, and you wouldn’t even do that to one of your farm animals.

Actually, in one of my former parishes, there was a farming couple who had beef cattle on their farm. They attended church very regularly. But once or twice I remember it happening that the cows got out and were blocking the highway near their house. And so they weren’t at church that week, because they had to get their cows back in. Could you imagine if the people at church had shaken their heads, and said, “Tsk! Tsk! They should’ve been at church.” Could you imagine if the police came to assist the traffic on the road, and the couple said, “Sorry, we can’t do anything now. We have to go to church!”

Jesus is talking about precisely these situations to the Pharisees. Of course, there is some work that needs to be done on the Sabbath, but anyway, Jesus is always working on the Sabbath, he is always working on us, he is working to breathe out his Holy Spirit and to sanctify his people, to make them into living temples of his Word, and to heal and refresh them, and to share with them the perfect peace of his divine rest.

Now, in our reading there is also a parable where Jesus speaks about people at a wedding feast. We see these puffed-up Pharisees, with all their knowledge and sense of self-importance, putting themselves in the important position in the kingdom of God. We also see a man with dropsy in a low position. But Jesus exalts the man with dropsy, and heals him, whereas the Pharisees are silenced and put to shame. Jesus says at the end of the reading: For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

However, instead of looking in detail at this parable, I’d like to dedicate some time in the remainder of our sermon today to a question which comes up again and again, and is important for us to consider. Why is it that Christians worship on Sundays rather than Saturdays?

In our reading we are talking about Jesus healing on the Sabbath. Today, we sometimes meet different Christians who are considering this question, and think: maybe we should all be worshipping on Saturdays instead of Sundays. After all, Jesus, being a Jew himself, worshipped on Saturdays, which is true.

There is even a group, the Seventh Day Adventists, who make a very big deal about this, and accuse Christians of breaking the commandment, by worshipping on the “wrong day”.

However, there are a couple of things we need to think about. Luther, in the Small Catechism, gives this explanation to the Third Commandment, Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. He writes: We should fear and love God, so that we do not despise preaching and his Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it. Notice here, that nothing is really said about the day of worship, but rather about the Word of God and preaching, and about hearing it and learning it, and learning and hearing it gladly, with a joyful heart, with a willing attitude. As it says in the Psalms: I was glad when they said to me, Let us go to the house of the Lord. I will go the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy. How lovely are your dwelling places, O Lord of hosts. My soul longs for, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord.

Now, this is a really fine point that Luther makes, because in the New Testament, if we go through the Ten Commandments, and look at how the apostles teach them, we will find all of the commandments reiterated there, and taught in such a way that takes into account the life and ministry of Jesus, and his sacrifice and death on the cross. However, when it comes to the Sabbath, nowhere does it say in the New Testament that people must be diligent not to work on Saturdays. There are many passages which talk about hearing and learning the Word of God, and many examples of preaching and teaching, and of Christians gathering together. But to worship on Saturdays like the Jews is not promoted in the same way. In fact, in Colossians, St Paul writes: Let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. Also, we see in Acts 20, the example of the gathering on the first day of the week. On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day. Also, in the beginning of the book of Revelation, St John speaks of himself in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, not the Sabbath day, the Saturday, but the day of the Lord’s resurrection, the Sunday.

So, in worshipping on Sundays, we are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, following the example of the apostles. Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday, he visited his disciples eight days later on Sunday, and also the Day of Pentecost with the giving of the Holy Spirit was on the Sunday too. And also, we worship on Sundays, not because there is a law about the day, but we do it out of freedom, to hear the Word of God whenever we can. Sometimes, of course, we worship on other days of the week, like on Good Friday, or whatever day of the week Christmas happens to be. Some churches even hold daily services, which is a wonderful thing, when a church is of that kind of size where people can come along on a daily basis.

Now, many people are not convinced about these things. Many people, like Seventh Day Adventists, or Jews, or even Muslims, will accuse us of changing the day of worship. There were events in history where Emperor Constantine and particular popes made a law about these things, and forbade Christians to worship on Saturdays. People say that it was their fault. No, it wasn’t their fault—they solved an ongoing dispute with heavy-handed, political methods, but that it is a completely different issue.

Sometimes, when it comes to the Scripture, we see in the Old Testament many rules and regulations about food, like eating pork, or festivals and days of worship, which we Christians today no longer follow. And so, many people accuse us of changing the law. It’s not that we changed the law, it’s that the law no longer applies now that Jesus has died and risen from the dead.

Also, sometimes in the Old Testament, there are some rules where it says, you must keep this forever. Even about the Sabbath it says in Exodus 31: The people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. Actually, there are two words for “forever” in Hebrew. One means, forever and ever, Amen. The other means, as long as the conditions are the same. For example, a husband and a wife might say, “I will be true to you forever”. What they really mean is, as long as you’re alive. Once the person is dead, the other person is quite free to marry someone else. The same goes for the day of the Sabbath. As long as we are waiting for the Messiah, the Sabbath and the food regulations remain in place. But now that the Messiah has come, and Jesus has risen from the dead, the situation is completely different.

The way I often explain it is like this. Let’s say a young woman lives by herself, and she is visited by the postman who delivers her letters. There are very strict rules about where the postman is allowed to go: he can only talk to her at the letterbox or the front door. He is not allowed to go inside the house, or help himself to food, or sit in the chairs, or go to bed there. But let’s say, years later, this postman and the young woman fall in love, and they get married. Now, the postman and the young woman share a house and a marriage and home and a family, and so the rules are completely different. It would be quite silly if the postman and his wife only spoke to each other at the front door still, because that is the law for postmen. Sure, he might still be a postman, but now the rules are different, because he is now her husband!

And so, the same goes for us as Christians. Yes, for the Jewish people, there were many rules that they followed, because God had only allowed them limited access to his presence. And so what we read in the Old Testament is as if they are only allowed to visit God at the post box and the front door. But now, that Jesus has come, and has died, and has risen, and has sent his Holy Spirit, and has given us the full forgiveness of our sins, we now have access to God’s house, and so the relationship is completely different. The old external regulations about worshipping on a Saturday, or keeping Jewish festivals, or eating certain food, no longer apply because the relationship is completely different.

Of course, we still gather as Christians to hear the Word of God. The Word of God is our living water, our life, our nourishment. We need to hear the Word and the preaching, because we need to recognise in ourselves our profound sinful condition, and our great need for Jesus. And when the Holy Spirit has broken our stony hearts, and convicted us of our sin, then we need to pointed to Jesus, our Saviour, who has offered himself in our place, and died for us, and risen for us. He forgives our sins, he has baptised us into his kingdom, and he continually works on us, to sanctify us and to share with us his perfect peace and perfect rest which surpasses all understanding. Jesus is our Shepherd, our Life, our Healing, our Health, our Teacher, our Guide, our God, the Head of the church, our fountain of life, our living water, our medicine, our doctor, who exalts the humble, and is our wonderful Encourager, and Friend, our Advocate, and Comforter. We meet him even today on the day of his resurrection, to receive from him the Holy Spirit and the wonderful gifts of the Holy Spirit, not simply to speak to him at the post box, but to be full members of his household, even to meet him as our beloved bridegroom, and to live with him in his house. This is our Jesus who is the Lord of the Sabbath, who breathes on us and shares with us his perfect and divine peace and rest. Amen.

 

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.