John 16,23-33. The 5. Sunday after Easter (Rogate)

X In the Name of Jesus X

John 16,23b-28[29-32]33
Rogate (5. Sonntag nach Ostern)  040  weiß
Cyrillus, boy, Martyr 250/60.
29. May 2011

            1. O Lord Jesus Christ, Everlasting Son of the Father, who after Your glorious resurrection did visit and comfort Your sorrowing disciples, in like manner, we beseech You, appear also to us and to Your whole Church, and bring us peace and joy. Set our troubled hearts at rest. Give peace in our times, and enable us always to praise You in Your habitations. O Lord, show Your wounds unto us and unto all sorrowing souls, so that we may at all times withstand the enemies of Your cross and rejoice in Your glorious resurrection. Grant us Your Holy Spirit, so that we may die daily unto sin and walk in newness of life. And, O Blessed Easter Prince, grant that in the day of Your revelation our bodies may appear like unto Your glorified body. Keep us, therefore, we beseech You, in the joys and peace of this Easter season. O Jesus, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit, are praised and highly exalted forever (Löhe 140-141).  Amen. 

            2. Our sermon text for this morning, dear brothers and sisters, is from the Gospel according to John. The holy apostle and evangelist writes: ²³Jesus said to His disciples, „In that day you will ask nothing of Me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in My Name, He will give it to you. ²⁴Until now you have asked nothing in My Name. Ask, and you will receive, so that your joy may be full. ²⁵I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. ²⁶In that day you will ask in My Name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; ²⁷for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from God. ²⁸I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.“ ²⁹His disciples said, „Ah, now You are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech! ³⁰Now we know that You know all things and do not need anyone to question You; this is why we believe that You came from God.“ ³¹Jesus answered them, „Do you now believe? ³²Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave Me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with Me. ³³I have said these things to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation.[1] But take heart; I have overcome the world.“  This is our text.
            3. Our Lord Jesus Christ tells us the straight and honest truth: we Christians will have tribulation in the world. Jesus is not talking about the trials and tribulations that afflict all men and women because they are sinners living in a sinful world. Such tribulations are natural disasters, such as the tornadoes that have devastated towns like Joplin, MO and Oklahoma City, OK, or raging flood waters that threaten many towns along the Mississippi River, and there are other tribulations that afflict the world as a result of the curse on sin, namely, war, famine, pestilence, and other calamities. Jesus, however, is not speaking about these types of tribulations. Rather, Jesus is specifically discussing the tribulations that afflict only Christians because they are Christians.
            4. The world wittingly or unwittingly causes Christians trouble and distress. Such hard sufferings may take the form of active, hostile persecution against Christians because they are believers in Jesus. All of the apostles suffered persecution from the unbelieving world. Likewise, the Early Church endured many difficulties from the world on account of the Christian faith. Such hostilities included their property being confiscated, the church’s Bibles taken away, imprisonment, and even death by many different methods, including the infamous method of placing Christians in Roman stadiums to be killed by gladiators or wild animals. The Early Church suffered such tribulations merely because they were Christians, and nothing more.
            5. The Church’s tribulation at the hands of the wicked world continues even in the 21. century. Christians in Africa and Asia are harassed or sold into slavery because they are guilty of being Christians. Christians in America are mocked, ridiculed, treated as ignorant and uneducated fools, and have their Constitutional rights of freedom of religious expression trampled upon. These things happen to us solely because we believe, trust, and confess that Jesus is the crucified and risen Christ who has purchased the forgiveness of the world’s sins.
            6. Jesus’ statement: »In the world you will have tribulation.« has been true and is true for the Church. Every generation of Christians has experienced some sort of tribulation. The reason such a tribulation occurs for the Church and Christians is because the Devil and the wicked world conspire against Jesus and His Bride, for as the unbelievers treated Jesus during His lifetime, so will they treat His disciples. Jesus says: »Remember the word that I said to you: „A servant is not greater than his master.“ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you« (John 15,20).
            7. Thus, the law tells us: Christians, you will suffer for the sake of your faith in Christ. It is what it is. There is no opting out of such tribulation. Jesus, however, never leaves us dangling by the threats and distress of the law, for He always abundantly presents us the gospel. The law states: „In the world you will have tribulation.“, and the gospel promises: „But take heart; I, Jesus,  have overcome the world.“  
            8. Jesus’ triumph over the world is not some distant, future reality that always seems on the edge of the horizon but never quite materializes. Jesus’ victory, rather, is a real, present victory over the world and the armies of darkness and wickedness. The decisive battle in this millennia-long war fought by Yahweh against the Devil occurred on the cross. There Jesus paid for all sin and bore mankind’s curse. On the third day Jesus rose from His tomb, and death was powerless to detain Him. Eternal life had triumphed over eternal death (triomphe la vie éternelle!).
            9. Christ’s victory in and over this world are manifested in the means of grace (Mittelgnade) that the Holy Spirit gives to and maintains in His Church. When the preached law brings sinners to repentance and the preached gospel absolves those sinners, then Christ’s victory in really manifested in this world. When the gospel transforms unbelievers into Christians, then Christ’s victory is advancing upon the earth. As our prayers rise before Yahweh as incense (Psalm 141,2), we are comforted in the knowledge that Yahweh hears and answers our prayers whereby He gives us His victory. When a person is baptized in the Triune Name of God, that person is snatched out of the Devil’s kingdom and safely deposited into Jesus blessed, heavenly reign. Each Sunday that the Lord’s Supper is celebrated and received, Jesus’ body and blood gives Christians the victory as they live as soldiers under the cross the confidence that they are  saved and forgiven.
            10. Christ’s victory in and over this world is not merely established through His right hand reign of the Church and her means of grace, but Christ’s victory is also established through His left hand reign of the State. Through nations and their armies, Yahweh establishes peace where there is overt wickedness. Through nations and their laws, Yahweh establishes justice where the innocent are denied basic human dignity. The Apostle Paul lays the groundwork for this understanding when he writes to Bishop Timothy: »First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way« (1 Timothy 2,1-2). The holy apostle explains this further in his Epistle to the Romans: »Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but a terror to bad conduct. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for the ruling authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.« (Romans 13,1-4). When nations and their political leaders exercise sanctions, deploy their armies, or engage with other heads of state in political debate, Yahweh is using those sanctions, armies, or debates to bring a more equitable and just society to people who are under the thumb of wicked and corrupt regimes. Through the State, Yahweh keeps gross sinfulness and wickedness at bay so that people can live their lives in peace and security.
            11. Thus, through Church and State the Lord Jesus Christ overcomes the Devil and the wicked world. Through the State, Christ keeps wicked and cruel leaders and nations from dominating the vast majority of peaceful people, and through the Church, Christ offers the gospel that routs sin and the Devil. Until Christ returns on the last day, Yahweh, through the Church and the State, will engage in both the spiritual and physical conflicts that engulf our world between God and the Devil. The victory, however, is known and certain. Christ Jesus has won the war. His death on the cross and His resurrection from the grave are the twin battles that have successively beaten the Devil and all his wicked hordes. In Christ we have victory over sin, death, and the devil. On the last day, this victory will be manifested throughout the whole earth when Christ returns to inaugurate the victory He has already won outside of Jerusalem on Good Friday and Easter Sunday.  Amen.
            12. Let us pray. O Christ Jesus, Captain and Champion of our salvation, we shout for joy to You and sing the glory of Your Name in our prayers and hymns of praise. Heed our prayers and encourage our spirits through our songs so that we, Your dear Christian people, who live in this wicked, fallen world fraught with tribulation after tribulation may remain steadfast in the certainty (Gewißheit) that You love us and bring us the victory.  Amen.

One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you!

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                All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4^th Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 27^th Edition © 1993 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, and the New Testament Greek Manuscripts, John © 1995 by Reuben Joseph Swanson. 

                Löhe, Wilhelm. Liturgy for Christian Congregations of the Lutheran Faith. Copyright © 1902 Frank Carroll Longaker.

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[1] qli/yin (accusative feminine singular): tribulation, trouble, distress, hard circumstances, suffering

Matthew 11,25-30. The 4. Sunday after Easter

X In the Name of Jesus X

Matthew 11,25-30 (Luke 10,21-22)

Kantate (4. Sonntag nach Ostern)  039  weiß
Constantine, Emperor, 337 †
22. May 2011

            1. O Blessed Lord Jesus Christ, Almighty and Victorious Prince, who did burst the band of death, and in great majesty and glory rise from the grave, and become the first fruits of them who slept: during these Sundays after Easter we thank You for Your bitter sufferings, death, and resurrection. You are our Samson to carry away and destroy the gates of Hell, so that we might have everlasting freedom. With a mighty hand and an outstretched arm You have delivered us from bondage, and robbed the grim monster of his power and prey. You are risen from the dead, and become the first in the long line of those whom You have redeemed. As members of Your body and sheep of Your pasture, we cannot be holden of death, but we are free to serve You in holiness of life here and in everlasting blessedness hereafter. Wherefore we praise You, thank You, and cry with joyful hearts: Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! And we beseech You, comfort us even more with the joys of Your resurrection, and enable us firmly to believe that You have destroyed sin, death, and the power of the Devil. And at last permit us to hear Your voice to a glorious and blessed resurrection from the dead, when we shall come forth to praise You with new hearts and lips, O You who live and reign in unity with the Father and the Holy Spirit, God blessed forever (Löhe 139).  Amen.

            2. Our sermon text for this morning, dear brothers and sisters, is from the Gospel according to St. Matthew. The holy apostle and evangelist writes: At that time Jesus declared: „I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was Your gracious will. All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him. Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me that I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your lives. For My yoke is pleasant, and My burden is light.“  This is our text.
            3.  The portion of Jesus’ teaching for us in this morning’s Gospel Reading follows on the heels of what Jesus observed at the beginning of Chapter 11, namely, the promised gospel of salvation history (Heilsgeschichte) has gone out, first in John the Baptizer who prepared the way, and then in Jesus who is that way; incredibly, many Jews had rejected both John and Jesus. Many who were rejecting Jesus and the gospel were scribes and Pharisees who were the wise and educated men in Jewish culture in Jesus’ day. Such individuals, who were the acknowledged teachers of the Mosaic covenant and the Holy Scriptures, were often at odds with Jesus and what He taught and did. They thought they had Yahweh and His Messiah all figured out. Since Jesus did not fit in their preconception of the Messiah, they soundly rejected Him. They were guilty of attempting to put new wine into old wineskins.
            4. In our own day and age we have wise and educated people who refuse to receive Jesus and the gospel. Perhaps they are academic theologians with a long list of doctoral credentials that follow their names along with stacks of books and articles that back up their knowledge of theology and religion. These are the esteemed men and women (like Dr. Bart Ehrman) who appear on TV specials about Jesus and Christianity, but they rarely confess Him as the crucified and risen Lord who is our Savior from sin. Perhaps the wise and knowledgeable people are not educated theologians but people (like Mr. Harold Camping) who claim they have diligently studied the Bible and have uncovered truths never before revealed to Christians. Thus they set dates and teach unscriptural doctrines that they have formulated in their own minds. Their concern is not on Christ and the mercy of God that He brings to this world, but their concern is a message of law, despair, and desperation. You see, the wise and knowledgeable of this age are tempted to think that, just as they can provide for themselves on the basis of their wisdom and intelligence, so they are tempted to think that by their own abilities they can be self-sufficient in even spiritual things. Likewise, you and I are tempted to rely on our own reason and abilities regarding the things of the Spirit, however we cannot by our own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ or come to Him (Luther 17). Although our sinful pride chafes at such a statement, nevertheless the law of God reveals this truth and our conscience, corrupted as it is, even must acknowledge this matter of fact.
            5. Opposite those who rely on wisdom and knowledge are those who acknowledge their inadequacy in the presence of Christ. Such people are like infants who are completely helpless and entirely dependent upon the Holy Spirit for things spiritual. Such an attitude describes the heart of Christians. Yes, even a wise, educated person with vast experience and multiple doctorates can humbly bow his or her knee in the presence of Christ and His word to  acknowledge: „O Lord, I am totally dependent upon You for my physical life and my eternal salvation.“
            6. In these six Matthean verses, Jesus unfolds for us a remarkable Christology, however we may be tempted to asked: „Is God at work?“ (Gibbs 588). In Jesus’ day, it appeared that God was not at work. Many of His chosen people were not receiving the gospel in faith, and even the very religious teachers and leaders of Judaism rejected Jesus and His messianic claims. We likewise look around and see the gospel preached and Christ exalted, but so few hear and believe the proclamation of salvation. So many people ignore God and His Word. Is God at work in our midst? Jesus answers that question in today’s Gospel Reading.
            7. Q: Is God at work? A: Yes, in Jesus, but only in Jesus (Gibbs 588). Christ our Lord proclaims: »All things have been handed over to Me by My Father« (27). All things means all things. Christ’s dominion and reign extends over everything from the subatomic quarks and leptons to the giant elliptical galaxies with trillions of stars. In this universe that is at least 150 billion light-years in diameter, our small, blue planet orbits an ordinary G2V star (a yellow two-tenths towards orange main sequence star) on the outer limits in the Orion Arm of the Milky Way galaxy. Our planet Earth has the unenviable distinction of being throughout Yahweh’s vast universe the one planet that is in open rebellion against the King of Creation. Therefore, the Son of God descended to this Earth to end the warfare between human beings and their God.
            8. Christ Jesus has at His command legion upon legions of angelic warriors. He could have summoned more than 72,000 angels at a moment’s notice. Such a Divine army could quickly sweep across the planet and level every civilization so that all that would be left is a smoldering cinder of a planet with every single man, woman, and child dead. Jesus, however, did not utilize His angelic host. His mission was not to destroy mankind, but to save men and women (John 3,17). This does not mean that Jesus was a peacenik or a sissy. The Scriptures are replete with instances where Yahweh fought His enemies and left them defeated and dead. The Gospels record many miracles where Jesus healed the sick, cast our demons, and raised the dead, all of which were battles actively engaged against the Axis powers of sin, death, and the devil.
            9. The salvation mission of Jesus was one of surrender. Jesus willingly and voluntarily allowed the Jews to arrest Him, to falsely accuse Him of a crime punished by death, silently accepted Pontius Pilate’s guilty verdict, and bravely bore the suffering and humiliation of the cross. Lest we lay all the blame at the feet of the unbelieving Jews or the pagan Romans, each one of us has the royal blood of God’s Son on our guilty, rebellious hand. Jesus bore the punishment and condemnation merited by sinful men and women, and He did so in our place and on our behalf for you, for me, and for the whole world.
            10. The following phrase is a traditional proclamation made in various countries with a monarch, such as the United Kingdom, when the current monarch has died: „The King is dead, long live the King!“ (Le Roi est mort, vive le Roi!) „The King is dead“ is the announcement of a monarch who has just died; „long live the King!“ refers to the heir who immediately succeeds to a throne upon the death of the preceding monarch. Christ died, but He rose from the dead on the third day! Christ the King died, but now He is risen; long live the King!
            11. God, therefore, is at work in our midst through Christ Jesus. The peace treaty is signed and is being announced: »Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me that I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your lives. For My yoke is pleasant, and My burden is light« (28-30). Thus by the power of the Holy Spirit, and under His direction, apostles, bishops, and pastors proclaim that the warfare is ended and peace now reigns between God and the world. No longer do we stand with heads hung in shame, with dirty faces, and with hands caked with the King’s dry blood. Jesus takes us poor, rebellious peasants, cleans us up, and declares us princes and princesses, yes, heirs of His heavenly reign! We need not fear Jesus. He is not angry or vindictive toward us.
            12. Jesus is gentle and humble in heart. Jesus takes our heavy yoke of guilt and sin. In return, He gives us His yoke which is light and restful. „The way to find rest is to trade the heavy burden of sin and failure for Jesus own „yoke““ (Gibbs 590). „As Jesus continues to speak, however, he reveals that the essence of taking his yoke upon oneself consists in learning what he is like. For this „yoke“ is nothing other than to become a disciple of Jesus“ (Gibbs 590).
            13. What burden weighs you down? Fear of the future? Shame over sins? Being hood-winked by a TV Bible teacher who has been shown yet again to be a fool and a false teacher? Family concerns? Employment concerns? Illness? Whatever your burden is, trade it in for Jesus’ yoke. It does not matter how insignificant or overbearing your yoke is, Jesus is willing and able to bear it for you and your sake. Yes, God is at work in our midst only through Jesus. Believe it. Receive Him in faith. Be at peace and joy, for Christ Jesus has chosen you to be His own.  Amen.
            14. Let us pray. O risen Christ, all the earth sings the glory of Your Name, we also give You glorious praise and we ask that You take from us our heavy burdens, shoulder them for us, and give us in return Your light burden which is manifested in the reality of Your resurrection, so that we are comforted and rest in the peace of Christian discipleship that teaches us to trust You in all things.  Amen.

One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you!

X

                All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4^th Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 27^th Edition © 1993 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, and the New Testament Greek Manuscripts, Luke © 1995 by Reuben Joseph Swanson. 

                Gibbs, Jeffrey A. Matthew 11:2 – 20:34. Copyright © 2010 Concordia Publishing House.
                Löhe, Wilhelm. Seed-Grains of Prayer: A Manual for Evangelical Christians. Wartburg Publishing House, Chicago circa 1912. Concordia Publishing House; Concordia on Demand.
                Luther, Martin. Luther’s Small Catechism. Copyright © 1986 Concordia Publishing House.

John 15,1-9. The 3. Sunday after Easter

X In the Name of Jesus X

John 15,1-9

Jubilate (3. Sunday after Easter) 038  weiß
Rupert, Confessor in Mainz, 9^th c.
Dympna, Virgin, Martyr in Gheel in Brabant, Netherlands 7^th c.
15. May 2011

            1. O Christ Jesus, You were raised from the dead and will never die again; death no longer has dominion over You. You abide with us and we abide with Your love, with Your victory, and with Your new resurrected life. O Lord, many times we behold our lives and doubt whether we truly have faith in You. In the hours of our uncertainty, work in us and do what only You can do: give us the faith which assures us of salvation that produces much fruit.  Amen.

            2. Our sermon text for this morning, dear brothers and sisters, is from the Gospel according to John. Jesus said, „I am the true Vine, and My Father is the Vinedresser. Every branch in Me that doesn’t bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it bears more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, as I abide in you. Just as the branch isn’t able to bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me. I am the Vine, you are the branches. The one who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for without Me you aren’t able to do any thing. If anyone isn’t abiding in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up, and they gather them and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you shall abide in Me, and My words shall abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, namely, that you are bearing much fruit, that is, you shall be My disciples.“  This is our text.
            3. Our Lord Jesus Christ does what He says and says what He does. Here, in his 15. chapter, the Apostle John tells us that Jesus chops off fruitless vine branches. This is not something new and innovative to the New Testament Church. In the Old Testament Church, commonly called Israel, Yahweh broke off Jewish branches from Israel. The most drastic example of this can be seen when Yahweh delivered the Ten Tribes of Israel up to the Assyrian Empire. Shortly after King Solomon died, the nation of Israel split into two nations in 950 B.C.: the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin (and Levi) formed the southern nation of Judah, and the northern ten tribes became the nation of Israel. Yahweh promised that if Israel worshipped Yahweh alone, then He would bless the fledgling nation as He had blessed the House of David. The first King of Israel, Jeroboam (of Ephraim), immediately had competing temples built: one in Bethel and the other in Dan where golden calves of Baal were worshipped. Despite repeated attempts, Israel refused to heed the words of the prophets. They continued in their wicked way of worshipping idols, and so 230 years later Yahweh broke off the ten branches of Israel (721 B.C.) and dispersed them among the Gentile nations where they have become lost to history.
            4. During Jesus’ ministry another massive breaking off of branches occurred. Those Jews who refused to receive and believe in Jesus as their promised Messiah were broken off. This especially happened in the years after Pentecost when thousands of Jews and many priests became Christians (Acts 6,7). The Book of Acts tells us that not only did many Jews become Christians, but also that many more Gentiles became Christians. The Apostle Paul explains that the unbelieving Jews were broken off the Vine and believing Gentiles were grafted on in their place (Romans 11,17-21).
            5. The vine is the source of the branches. If you’ve ever had a grape vine growing in your yard, then you know that cutting off individual branches does not harm the vine; in fact, the vine will just sprout more branches elsewhere. In fact, if you are an enterprising gardener you can cut off some of the grape branches and graft onto the stump of those now severed branches a completely different grape branch that you obtained from somewhere else, and with tender-loving care that newly grafted grape branch will thrive on the vine and become just like the other original branches. This image magnificently describes Christ and His Christians. Jesus is the Vine, and we are the branches. Christ is the Source of our faith and works, and we are the recipients of that faith and good works. Any branch, however, separated from the vine quickly shrivels up and dies once it no longer receives the necessary nutrients. The same is true of Christ and His Christians.
            6. The seriousness of this situation is that God the Father cuts off people from Christ. What gets a person removed from Christ is not sins, but lack of faith; and where there is no faith then there are no good works. Throughout the Holy Scriptures, what got individual chosen people removed from God’s holy nation of Israel was their utter absence of faith in Yahweh, and this absence of faith manifested itself in works of wickedness. The Apostle Paul applies it thusly, »Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue righteousness by faith, but as if righteousness was based on works« (Romans 9,30-32).
            7. We who have faith in Christ must take care not to lose that precious faith. Many of Yahweh’s chosen people, Israel, took their chosen-ness for-granted. King Jeroboam and Israel were branches on the Vine of Christ, but Israel deliberately chose to forsake this life-giving Vine and instead worshipped Baal, the golden calf. Yahweh sent prophets to Israel, but the nation refused to hear the word of Yahweh. God was patient, but after centuries of Israel’s gross idolatry and faithlessness, Yahweh cut Israel off the Christ-Vine.
            8. When the word of Yahweh is spoken to you, do not turn a deaf ear to its pleading. Yahweh spoke to Moses the commandment: »I am Yahweh your God. You shall have no other gods except Me« (Exodus 20,2-3). The Holy Scriptures exhort us fear, love, and trust in God above all things. There is no other God except the one revealed in the Holy Scriptures, and the God revealed in the Scriptures is the God who saves and ransoms all people by sending His only begotten Son as our Redeemer. Do not forsake this loving and gracious Savior. Worship only this Triune God. Believe in Christ crucified for your sins and risen from the grave for you. If you forsake this wonderful and long-suffering God, if you refuse to fear, love, and trust Him, then He will cut you off of Christ the Vine. »Even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees!« (Matthew 3,10).
            9. There is still time to repent of one’s faithlessness. When the unbelieving Jews were convicted by the apostles’ Pentecost sermon, Luke the Evangelist writes: »Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, „Brothers, what shall we do?“ And Peter said to them, „Repent and be baptized every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit„« (Acts 2,37-38).
            10. »Faith comes by/from hearing the Word of Christ, so that everyone who calls upon the Name of the Lord will be saved« (Romans 10,17.13). Christians await a forgiving Father, not a condemning Judge. Such a gracious Father is received by faith. Those who do not believe will only experience a condemning Judge. Thus we see that faith in the crucified and risen Christ is a precious gift freely given to us by the Holy Spirit; therefore we should and must highly treasure this gift, allow it to be nurtured and watered by regularly hearing the preached law and gospel of God, by regularly receiving the Holy Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, and by appropriating the Absolution that declares all sins forgiven as our very own forgiveness merited by Christ and freely given to us.
            11. With all this said, nevertheless (dennoch) this certainty of salvation (Heilsgewißheit) is often ignored or severely downplayed by many Christian preachers and teachers who darken the gospel through specific conditions. They will say such things as: you cannot be certain if you are one of the elect and saved; you must fervently pray that you might be one of the elect; you must do good works so that you can alleviate your conscience that you are saved; they point those who hear the gospel to themselves, to their own capacity to believe, and to their own preparedness to better their lives; and other similar conditional statements. The Lutheran Church, however (dennoch), confesses and emphasizes in Apology IV,41[1]: this gospel promise does not have any condition („haec promissio non habet conditionem“) (Martens 25). You heard the life-giving gospel in your Baptism and from the Holy Scriptures and the Holy Spirit created faith in Christ Jesus and placed that faith in your heart and mind. You did not create your faith in Christ; you did not make a decision to accept Christ; you did not do any work to achieve faith. God the Holy Spirit did it all for you and freely gave you the gift of faith in Christ Jesus who Himself sacrificially gave Himself unto the cross to obtain your salvation without any permission or assistance on your part, and Jesus did this as the Christ sent by God the Father who loved you even while you were still a condemned sinner and sent His Son to rescue you from that sinful life. We have the certainty of salvation (Heilsgewißheit) and the certainty of forgiveness (Vergebunggewißheit) and the certainty of eternal life with God (ewigen Lebensgewißheit mit Gott) through and on account of Christ Jesus our Lord. He is the Vine. The Holy Spirit grafted us onto that Vine by giving us faith in Jesus. Our certainty is in Christ alone. Those who believe in Christ as their Savior cannot and will never ever be cut off from Christ the Vine, for faith is the certainty of salvation. We are united to Christ in this world and in the next to come. Jesus will not fail us.
            12. Christ is the Vine, and we are the branches. The one who abides in Christ and Jesus in him, he bears much fruit. First, saving faith in Christ alone is created and sustained, then the good works of faith bloom forth. God does not need these works, but they are desperately needed by our neighbors. Just as the fruit of the vine is used to make wine for mankind’s enjoyment, so too the works born from Christian faith are meant to assist our neighbors who are burdened by the cares and worries of this world. Our works uplift our neighbors who are distraught and depressed by the world around them. The Holy Scriptures call these good works diakoni,a||, that is, „works of mercy“. Wherever our neighbor is in need, there our merciful actions are given out to lift our neighbor out of their dilemma.  Amen.
            13. Let us pray. O Heavenly Father, who preserves the lives of His holy ones, keep us safely in the bosom of Your Divine Providence, so that we daily rely upon Christ our Vine for all our earthly and spiritual needs.  Amen.

One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you!

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                All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4^th Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 27^th Edition © 1993 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, and the New Testament Greek Manuscripts, John © 1995 by Reuben Joseph Swanson. 

                Martens, Gottfried. „Certainty of Salvation.“ LOGIA Vol. XIV, No. 2 (Eastertide 2005). Copyright © 2005 The Luther Academy.

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[1] BSLK 168; Kolb 126.

Psalm 23. The 2. Sunday after Easter

X Jesus Christ, the Son of God X

Psalm 23
Miserkordias Domini (2. Sonntag nach Ostern)  037  weiß
Victor the Moor, Martyr at Milan, Italy 303
8. May 2011

            1. O Lord, Most Gracious and Merciful Savior, where there is a fear that lies upon us, there You make that place a place of peace, so that we have the confidence, the joy of the faithful, and the salvation of the sheep who are of Your elect fold, for You have said to us: „You, My sheep, have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you,“ You convert us, and thus we are converted; You heal us, and thus we are healed; You help us, and thus we are helped! (Löhe 218 §11). Amen.

            2. Our sermon text for this morning, dear brothers and sisters, is from the 23^rd Psalm where King David writes: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake. Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever (KJV).  This is our text.
            3. Important events often leave indelible marks in our memory. I remember a Lutheran high school chapel service that dealt with Psalm 23. The preacher was our Dean of Students. Mr. Eismann was a tall, stern man (don’t they make the best and imposing deans of students?) who before his position at our high school had been a missionary for a decade in Africa. Mr. Eismann’s sermon began in darkness. Every light in the auditorium was out. It was pitch black. But we heard his voice as it boomed out. He talked about pain and death, for his father had died a few months earlier. He talked about grief. He mentioned some things that we as teen-agers had faced – some of our struggles that we wrestled with. Looking back, those concerns of a sixteen-year old don’t seem to be the overwhelming darkness they had threatened to be in 1984.
            4. The blessed women going to Jesus’ tomb on that first Easter Sunday were also in a shroud of darkness. Their rabbi and friend had been crucified three days earlier. They had hoped and believed that He was the promised Messiah who would redeem Israel and the world. But He had been executed. He was dead. He had been hastily buried in one of His disciple’s tomb. The forces of darkness had won, so they thought. All that was left for these women was to go to Jesus’ tomb, complete His burial, and try to carry on with their lives without Him. Their hearts were sorrowful in the darkness that enveloped them. Jesus’ apostles were at the time hiding in fear. They were afraid that the Jewish Sanhedrin would come busting through their locked doors to haul them away, put them on trial as disciples of Jesus, and either stone them or deliver them to Pontius Pilate for crucifixion. What deep-seated phobias and concerns depress us so that we cower in fear surrounded by darkness? Is it a sin that troubles your conscience or uncertainty about the future? We know all too well the fear and uncertainty the apostles and women felt on the dawn of that Easter Sunday in A.D. 33.
            5. Although Mr. Eismann preached in darkness, there were times when he would stand in a bright circle created by a spotlight. Whenever he talked about Jesus, forgiveness, or God’s love and protection, he stepped directly into the spotlight. At those times we could see and hear him. When he ended his sermon with the gospel that God is with us no matter what the circumstance, then all the lights in the auditorium were turned on. It was a drastic change. Darkness immediately gave way to brilliant light. The image was clear: Christ, the Divine Light, drives away all fear; Christ cares for us in the darkest moments of our lives.
            6. As the women approached the tomb, they stepped into the spotlight of the grave. The tomb was not closed, but open for the two-ton stone had been miraculously and Divinely rolled completely away. Angels proclaimed to the women that Jesus had risen! Jesus’ body was not laying wrapped in His burial shroud, for Jesus was gone and the shroud was lying there with the napkin that covered his face neatly rolled up next to the shroud. John saw this sight and Peter went in the tomb itself and confirmed it. Mary Magdalene embraced the risen Jesus, and Thomas saw the nail prints in Jesus’ hands and His spear-pierced side. The empty tomb and the risen Christ are not merely a spotlight but a light brighter than the sun at noon on a clear summer day.
            7. The risen Christ Jesus is the Good Shepherd of Psalm 23. King David boldly writes: The Lord is our Shepherd; we shall not want. What do we need in this life to live comfortably? Sociologists always list the big three: food, clothing, and shelter. The Lord Jesus’ provision and providence for His creation goes so much farther. Martin Luther wonderfully confesses it in his explanation of the First Article of the Apostles’ Creed: „God has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them. He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life. He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil“ (Luther 15-16).
            8. Jesus maketh us to lie down in green pastures. How pastoral and peaceful this image is for us who are overworked and overstressed by the daily chores and tasks of our lives. A good contemporary image of this for us (and it is an image that is nearly forty years old!) is the opening credits for „Little House on the Prairie“ when Laura Ingalls and her sisters are bounding down the hillside among the field grass with child-like wonder and serenity. That is what Jesus does for us in our lives: He brings us times of peace and tranquility amidst the hustle and bustle of our urban lives.
            9. Jesus leadeth us beside the still waters. Life in this world is often choppy and tumultuous. The Atlantic Ocean can be treacherous as waves toss boats and crash against homes built along the coastline. The trials and tribulations of this life leave us seasick. Jesus leads us besides the still waters. These waters are calm and soothing. Beside these still waters we can relax and unwind. There is no fear of impending emergencies, but blissful relaxation.
            10. Jesus restoreth our souls. Here David reminds us that Jesus is not merely concerned about our bodies and our physical life on this earth, but that Jesus is also concerned about our souls and our spiritual well-being on this earth and on the new earth to come on the last day. Jesus brings not only physical blessings, but spiritual blessings as well. Martin Luther gets to the real heart of the matter here in his explanation of the Second Article of the Apostles’ Creed: „Jesus Christ … has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, so that I may be His own and live under Him in His reign and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity“ (Luther 16-17, emphasis added).
            11. Jesus leadeth us in the paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake. Here is the focal point of the Psalm and Jesus’ Office of the Good Shepherd. All of Holy Scripture is condensed down to this very point: how does one become righteous before Yahweh? David tells us in this psalm that true righteousness comes from Jesus. You and I do not become righteous by our own good works or good intentions. You and I become righteous because Christ applies to us His very own righteousness that is His, according to His human nature, by the fact that He perfectly did His Father’s will and perfectly obeyed the law in all its minutiae, including His vicarious sacrifice and penal substitution on the cross, and also according to His Divine nature, by the fact that because He is the Son of God He is therefore righteous by His very Divine nature.
            12. Yea though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we will fear no evil, for Jesus is with us; His rod and staff they comfort us. Here, David describes the power and authority of Jesus over the forces in this world. By Christ’s death and resurrection, death and evil have been conquered. Death and the fear of death hold no power over Christians. Evil and the devil do not enslave Christians. Christ has tasted death: the little death of the physical body and in doing so He has denuded the greater death of eternal separation from the Triune God. By the rod and staff of His Word, the Holy Scriptures, Jesus comforts us. Death has been swallowed up in resurrection victory (1 Corinthians 15,54). Death has no victory (1 Corinthians 15,55). Death has lost its sting (1 Corinthians 15,55). Death did its worst to Jesus, but His body did not see any decay. The grave could not contain Jesus in His tomb. Jesus rose from the dead and opened the stone of His grave; He walked out of the tomb on Easter morning in defiance of death and the grave. Thus the Apostle Paul proclaims, »The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law, but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ« (1 Corinthians 15,56-57)!
            13. Jesus preparest a table before us in the presence of our enemies. Here David is describing the banquet feast that Christ will host on the last day. David is looking ahead to the beginning of eternal life in the presence of the Triune God when believers have been reunited body and soul together once more in their resurrected bodies. This Divine feast celebrates the beginning of life everlasting, a life that will have no end. Paradise is restored. God, His angels, and all believers are finally together in grand fellowship forever and ever, never to be separated from one another by sin, sickness, or death, for at this feast only holiness, health, and life reign.
            14. Jesus anointest our heads with oil; our cups runneth over. Here David describes what eternal life is like. We will be anointed as Yahweh’s chosen and beloved children. There is no shortage at this feast. There is no fasting. The table is overflowing. There is more there than we can ever hope to eat. The pitcher is being poured into our cups, and the wine is running over the brim of the cup, flowing down the table and onto the floor, and Jesus our host keeps pouring the wine! God is not concerned that wine is running onto the floor and out of the door. He is giving us an overabundance of His love and grace. We have this overabundance right now in His Church. Yahweh’s means of grace give us far more mercy and forgiveness than we have sins. God’s grace in Christ Jesus is so overflowing that His grace sweeps away all of our sins like a raging, surging flood that leaves us pure and clean.
            15. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives, and we shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Here David beautifully and poetically summarizes the effect of Jesus’ grace and mercy. He will not withhold from us any good thing. Martin Luther describes God’s goodness and mercy this way in his explanation of the Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed: „I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith. In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian church He daily and richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers. On the Last Day He will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ“ (Luther 17). Let that sink in for a moment.
            16. The 23^rd Psalm comforts and encourages us throughout our lives: Jesus is our shepherd, and we lack nothing. He provides for our needs. Even if we undergo trials and temptations, we need never fear evil or the devil, for Christ is always with us and He comforts us. Goodness and loving-kindness are ours in this earthly life, and more so in the life to come in heaven, for Christ brings us eternal life and our own resurrection by His righteous life and bodily resurrection from the grave (Psalm 23).  Amen. 

            17. Let us pray. O Jesus, our Risen Christ, You made Yourself known to Your two Emmaus disciples as their Resurrected Lord in the breaking of the bread. At that Easter evening dinner, the three of you shared a foretaste of the eternal, heavenly banquet; teach us, we pray, to understand what it means to have You as our Good Shepherd so that we are comforted by Your precious words, „I know My own and My own know Me.“  Amen.

Christus ist auferstanden! Er ist wahrhaftig auferstanden.

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                All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4^th Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart. 

                Löhe. Wilhelm. A sermon preached in Neuendettelsau, Bavaria, Germany on John 10,12-16. The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind, Tr. © 2011.
                Luther, Martin. Luther’s Small Catechism. Copyright © 1986 Concordia Publishing House.