Month: April 2004

Let us pray: Dear Savior, when You look upon us, Your view is colored by grace. It is colored by the fact that You forgave us our sins on the cross and then rose from the dead to instill in us confidence, joy, and thankfulness. Since You have put Your love into our hearts and made it our possession through faith, cause us to always see both You and Your work in our lives through similar eyes of love and thankfulness. Amen

GRACE MERCY AND PEACE ARE YOURS FROM CHRIST OUR LOVING LORD AND SAVIOR!
TEXT: John 21: 1-14

Fellow Redeemed Sinners:
I’m not sure I’ve ever preached on this particular lesson. If I have, it was many years ago. I suppose the reason for my overlooking this text is that it has always seemed kind of cut-and-dried. Outside the disciples’ lack of recognition for the risen Lord and the miracle of fishes, nothing very intriguing leaped out at me—until now. After a close examination of these words of the Apostle John an amazing truth came to me. It is this:

ONLY THE EYES OF LOVE TRULY SEE CHRIST!
I

We know that after His resurrection Jesus appeared to His disciples on two separate occasions in the Upper Room. He comforted them and confirmed His victory to them. And then, He disappeared. Following His instructions to “Go to Galilee” and await Him there, the bulk of the disciples (7 in number) head north. Since they realize that “idle hands are the devil’s workshop” they don’t just lay around waiting for Him by doing nothing. No, Peter takes the lead and says: “I’m going out to fish” to which the others reply: “We’ll go with you.” No doubt, they figured that they would use this time to help support their families, since fishing was their profession. “So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.”

Now, this is a reminder to them and to us of Christ’s words in John 15: “I am the vine and you are the branches, he who abides in me and I in him will bear much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” Yes, without Christ’s presence in their lives nothing meant “no fish” in this instance. So, right here, Jesus is reminding them that when they go out to catch people’s hearts in the coming years, they will always need to remain, abide, and keep themselves glued to Him. For He alone will give any increase and blessing. And it is the same for us today.

“Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.” After His resurrection Jesus was “not of this world” any longer. He had picked up the full cloak of His almighty power and thus did not appear to human eyes as the suffering servant any longer. “He called out to them, ‘Friends, haven’t you any fish?’”

Most of the time the NIV translation which we use is very good, but not here. The word translated “friends” is actually a word meaning: “little children.” It is a term used by superiors toward their inferiors. Now, this is obviously true. For Jesus in His resurrected power is certainly superior to the disciples. But, since they don’t recognize Him, they are a little peeved at these words, thus their rather curt reply: “No.”

But, our loving Lord knows all this, and overlooks their short outburst of pride. He says to them, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.’ When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.”

As almighty God, Jesus knew the fish were there because He put them there. He did so not just to insure a meal for them later that morning, or to help support their families, but to show that His power and love were directed at them. They were His beloved family, the family of faith, and He wanted to take care of them. Also, He wanted to reveal Himself to them in a glorious fashion.—And what better way to do so than through a miracle?

II

“Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!’” Jesus loved John and John was especially close to Christ. It is he who recognizes his Savior first. And from this confession born of love comes recognition by the rest, including Peter who jumps out of the boat and swims to shore. Only the eyes of love truly see Christ! Love recognizes love. John possessed Godly love because Christ had put it into his heart through faith and had also shown that love right here via the miracle. That love ached to be with Christ and to see Him. It ached to honor Him because He had honored John, the other six, and all sinners by sacrificing His life for theirs and ours on the cross.

The rest is history, or “His story” if you will. They come ashore, haul the net in, and it contains a huge catch of 153 fish of all sorts and sizes. Then Jesus eats with them to solidify His love and fellowship with them and also to show that He wasn’t a ghost, but real, alive, and resurrected.

John adds this to his account: “None of the disciples dared ask him, ‘Who are you?’ They knew it was the Lord.” Those little words inform us that Christ now had a glorious, transformed body untainted by the human sin that He chose to bear on the cross. It tells us that He truly was “other-worldly” and still is to this very day. But, in addition, they tell us that the eyes of faithful love don’t doubt or fail to see Him. No, the eyes of love truly do both see and recognize the Lord!

What does this little lesson mean to us today? It means that Christians who are filled by God’s love for them in Christ will both look for and then see their Savior’s loving hand active in their lives. We will see that love outstretched to us when fellow believers patiently offer Godly advice. We will see that love when we learn to put the best construction on what our fellow Christians say and do. We will see that love when we view the “downs” of life as opportunities for new blessings instead of getting angry with God or blaming Him for them. You know, I looked at a few different sermons written by others on this text. One of them said this: “Many people look at life simply as a dog-eat-dog existence. Life to them is simply a matter of the survival of the fittest. Christians count God in the equation of living. That makes all the difference in the world.” And then they go on to quote Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.” And also Romans 8:31: “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Faith-filled believers are totally different in their attitude than any other group of people on this planet. We’re the most positive, kind, caring, and sharing group of humans there are. And the reason for that is we view other people with eyes colored by love—just as Christ views us that same way. Jesus once said: “Whatever you do the least of these my brothers, you do unto Me.” Yes, only the eyes of love truly see Christ! May Christ’s boundless love for you cause You to see Him active and alive in your life! And since He’s a blessing for You—all the time—thereby you will be a blessing to all others! Amen

Let us pray: Dear Savior, although we live in a world tainted by sin in which people can never seem to get along, You have graciously given us an antidote to such strife. For You have made peace between God and man and also given us the ability to foster such inner peace in human hearts by means of forgiveness. Today we thank You for Your peace. We thank You for Your forgiveness. And we ask that all of us may live in such peaceful forgiveness every day and also spread it to those who are still at war with You, with others, and with themselves. Amen

GRACE MERCY AND PEACE ARE YOURS FROM CHRIST, THE REMOVER OF ALL DOUBT AND INNER TURMOIL!
TEXT: John 20: 19-31

Fellow Redeemed Sinners:
How would you define peace? Is it the lack of physical warfare and violence—which we have seen coming from Iraq lately in abundance on our televisions? Or, is it something more profound and lasting? When Jesus was born in Bethlehem the angelic choirs sang: “Peace on earth, good will toward men.” Some construe that to mean that Christ came to bring a cessation from violence. And since violence hasn’t ceased, they also view those words as a cruel joke. No, the peace referred to in the bible is between God and sinful humans and it involves and resides in the human heart. Such peace is eternal. It won’t go away just because someone lets their temper explode. God won’t withdraw it either, for the cost of that peace—Christ’s death and resurrection—can never be undone. Godly peace, real peace, is the freedom from doubt and fear. It is the joy of a clean conscience. And God offers it to all who are willing to embrace Him in confidence and faith.

So, how does such peace become our possession? How does God transfer it from His heart to our hearts? Of course, the answer is: through forgiveness. Today in our lesson we see that doubt over Christ’s victory, or Godly peace between God and sinners, brought Thomas inner turmoil. We also see that true peace is intertwined with forgiveness since Christ announced that to the disciples in the upper room when He commissioned them to go and share His forgiveness. With that in mind, today let’s examine all this under the theme:

TRUE PEACE COMES ONLY THROUGH FORGIVENESS
I

On that first Easter evening, we find ten of the disciples together locked in the upper room, “for fear of the Jews” as our lesson says. Apparently they had heard that with Jesus’ death His enemies now sought to stamp out His movement with their deaths, as well. They were fearful of their safety. And yet, with that inner dread was mingled awe and a certain amount of joy. For they had heard the women’s report of Jesus’ resurrection, and they had also heard from Peter that the Lord has appeared to him, as well. Then Luke and Clopas arrive on the scene to announce that Jesus also appeared to them that afternoon on the road to Emmaus. Amid their speculation, hope, and reviving confidence—suddenly Christ appears in their midst! And what are the first words from His mouth?—“Peace be with you!” God’s gift of peace—the resurrected Savior—now stood before them! He showed them His hands and His side where the nail and spear wounds were still evident. In an instant He took away all their doubts. We’re told: “the disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.”

Then He repeats His greeting and adds something to it. Something quite profound. “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.’”

This connection between Godly peace and forgiving others of their sins cannot be broken. For as Paul says in Ephesians: “Christ himself is our peace.” Yes, Jesus won eternal peace for us by giving His life for ours on the cross. His sacrifice placated, erased, and wiped out God’s anger over all human sin. Through Jesus’ blood we’re forgiven and thus at peace with God. And now it is up to the disciples to spread that peace around and share that life-changing truth with everyone they meet.

Dr. Luther correctly points out in the catechism that these words of Jesus are very, very special. First, they commission the public ministry of which the disciples were the representatives. The public ministry is all about announcing forgiveness to hurting souls and thus creating peace in troubled hearts. Secondly, since this life-changing ability has been given to the Church at large, all Christians have the right, duty, and joy of engaging in it in their private lives, as well. So, if you think you’re powerless to really make a difference in this world, you’re wrong! You, too, can change the world, one heart at a time, by practicing and announcing forgiveness to those who have no peace because they’re stuck in the guilt and shame of their own sins.

II

Of course, Thomas, wasn’t with them that night. He’s a classic example of a hurting heart who desperately desires something better but doesn’t know where or how to find it. Even after the others find him and tell him their wondrous news, Thomas still doubts and refuses to believe. Would Thomas eventually come around if Christ hadn’t appeared to him a week later? I like to think so. For the Godly forgiveness and the peace that it brings is a powerful tool. Yet, we don’t have to speculate on that, because our loving Lord wasn’t about to wait. Instead, just one week later He appears again in the upper room while Thomas is present. And again, the first words from His mouth are: “peace be with you!” And then He also confronts Thomas by saying: “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” This demonstration of Godly peace, love, and a forgiving heart by Christ is too much for Thomas’ doubting, hurting heart. And he exclaims: “My Lord and my God.”

Your presence here today says to the world that you need Christ in your life. It says that you have a heart filled with various doubts as to God’s goodness, various sins that bother you, various people problems with which you need help. And so, like Thomas you’ve come to the right place! For today, right here, God has forgiven you in His absolution. And today, right here, He will also offer to you an eternal pledge of that forgiveness—His true Body and Blood—the cost of your inner peace in His holy supper.

As a result of this profound demonstration of His power, He expects something in return. He expects faith. He expects obedience to His will. He expects you to “forgive each other as the Lord has forgiven you.” He expects you to be joyously active disciples! And how do I know that? Because Jesus concludes with these wonderful words: “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Thomas learned the hard way that forgiveness and peace go hand in hand. By God’s grace you’ve learned that same truth today. So, practice it and receive the blessings it brings! Amen

Let us pray: Dear Savior, what a joy and privilege it is to come today and celebrate Your kingship over us! What a comfort to know that we have a Leader Who is not only willing to accept our praise, but Who was also willing to put His life on the line to buy back our souls from worry, doubt, fear, uncertainty, and even death. And then, in their place You give us joy, inner peace, patience, kindness, hope, and the certainty of an eternal future with You in heaven. Yes, Lord, to You we say: “Hosanna in the highest!” Amen

GRACE MERCY AND PEACE ARE YOURS FROM CHRIST, OUR KING!
TEXT: Luke 19: 28-40

Fellow Redeemed Sinners:
The altar color is purple, reminding us that Christ truly is our King! The choir has sung a special anthem. The hymns speak of hosannas and praise. Palm branches decorate the altar and the chancel of the church. And our lessons all speak of a humble King who rode into Jerusalem on April 2nd, 29 AD—riding a colt, the foal of a donkey. It must be, it is:

PALM SUNDAY: A CELEBRATION OF CERTAINTY AMID UNCERTAINTY!
I

For the past 21 years I have preached on Palm Sunday. I have examined the various lessons that pertain to this day and tried to construct sermons for God’s people which are fresh, new, and alive.—Sermons that takes very familiar words and cast them in a new and intriguing light. This week I looked over the 3 lessons and shook my head. What new thought could I give you that I haven’t preached on before? What aspect of this familiar day could I put into your hearts so that you would leave refreshed and uplifted? Then it struck me. I thought of the recent Super Bowl celebration in downtown Boston and the throngs of people that lined the streets. I thought of the ticker tape that was poured out of office windows. And I thought: we humans never celebrate a victory before it occurs, we wait until after the fact. We wait until it is certain and then and only then do we celebrate.

But, that’s not what happened on Palm Sunday, is it? Christ’s victory over human sin and eternal death happened on Good Friday when He willingly sacrificed Himself on the cross for you and me. And to mere human eyes, His victory actually seemed like a defeat. Darkness enveloped the land. He suffered horribly and bled and died right before the disciples’ eyes. And then they had to watch as His disfigured body was hurriedly laid in a tomb. For the next day and a half the believer’s hearts were crushed and their faith appeared misplaced. Where was their smiling, happy Savior Who said He would always be there for them? Where was their hope of eternal life?—It lay in a cold grave. But, then Easter morning came and Christ arose from that cold grave. He took back His life. And thereby proved to all creation that “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their sins against them anymore!” You’d think that Easter would have been the logical day for the people of Jerusalem to celebrate and shout their hosannas. After all, Easter truly proved beyond any doubt that Christ is the King of all! So, why all the hoopla on Palm Sunday—a week before that most holy event of all time?

II

Since God knows all things, He doesn’t have to deal with the uncertainty factor which we face. Before He created the world, God knew that we would fall into sin and that it would take the death of His Son to make us right with Him once again. So, God ordained all those future events and shaped them in order to show forth His tremendous love for us. Thoughout the Old Testament He gave multiple prophecies, the truth in advance as it were, about what He had planned. He gave minute detail, too, down to the fact that Christ, our King, would ride into Jerusalem on the foal of a donkey as Zechariah told us today. Jesus wasn’t just King for a day—Palm Sunday. No, Jesus was a King from His birth to His death and beyond to His resurrection. And isn’t such a self-sacrificing King always worthy of thanks and praise? Isn’t He always worthy of a celebration, even when our human future appears dark and full of despair? For with God nothing is ever uncertain!

Why did Jesus agree to this wonderful outpouring of joy on that first Palm Sunday knowing the anguished times that awaited later that week? We’d say: “Why rush it? Why not wait for Easter to occur?” And or course, the answer is two-fold. First, He did it because He was worth it and because His future victory over sin and Satan was totally in the bag. And second, He did it to try to strengthen His followers and get them ready for those hard days ahead. He wanted to inscribe on their hearts the reality of His Kingship. He wanted them to remember those words: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” when later that week He would be hanging on a tree. He wanted to give them hope and certainty amid an uncertain world. He even reminded them that “if the people keep quiet, the stones will cry out!”—In other words, Jesus is God Almighty Who all creation must adore!

III

After Easter, just when you’d expect a parade of joy to honor Christ, you don’t find it. Instead, what you do find is believers, singly and in groups, pondering the awesomeness of what Jesus has done. You find them contemplating their salvation. You find them sweeping their hearts clean from all doubt and uncertainty as to God’s plan for their lives by embracing Him in humble faith—instead of simply being caught up by the crowd or the moment.

I’ve always wished that I could have been there at that first Palm Sunday. I’ve always wished that I could have seen the throngs lining the road, waved my own palm branches, and shouted my own hosannas. And yet, if I had, would I have retained the certainty that Christ was really my Lord come Good Friday? Or, would I have been as grief-stricken as the rest? Well, I think you know the answer.
So, today I’m grateful. I’m grateful that Christ is my King and that He has removed all doubt over my future. Come what may: sickness, economic hardship, the temptation toward apathy, or even death—my Lord reigns in my heart!

You and I live in a seemingly uncertain world. God’s definition of marriage is under attack. War and terrorism seem to be omnipresent. Most of your jobs could be gone by next year. Will you ever have enough to retire? Will you kids bring heartache or joy as they get older? Will friends fail? Those are questions that trouble us. And yet, the biggest question of all: “What will happen to me when I die?” has been answered. The question: “Does God really care about me?” has been answered! For Christ, my King, lives!

Palm Sunday truly is a celebration of certainty amid uncertainty. It reminds us that our King cannot and will never let us down. And that’s why we celebrate—even before the fact of Easter. Yes, that’s why our entire lives are to be a celebration of joy—even before we actually experience the happiness of heaven. For Jesus has done away with all uncertainty! Amen.