God's Word at Work

I MAKE ALL THINGS NEW
Rev. 21: 1-5

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text for this morning’s meditation is recorded in the book of Revelation, chapter 5, verses 1 through 5, particularly these words:  “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And he who was seated on the throne said “Behold, I am making all things new!” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” This is our text.

In the name of our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, dear Christian friends, and particularly you, the confirmation class of 2010. I want to warn you, that there are many wolves out there in sheep’s clothing! St. Peter said in his 2nd Epistle, “The day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.”

With these words the Apostle Peter told the exact same story which the Apostle John tells in our Epistle lesson for today. There will come a day of reckoning. There is going to be a general destruction of the world as we know it today. Great movie scripts have been written about the “day of Armageddon.” — the day when the world is totally destroyed and Jesus Christ comes again.

We don’t know when that day will come? And we don’t even understand a lot about what will happen on that day. What little we do know about that day is mostly written in figurative language, which is open to many different interpretations, most of which are wrong. That is why people like to set days, and they like to tell us when the Lord is coming again, and why some people will believe them and do crazy things to prepare for the date which they set. — But the truth of it all is this — “the Lord will come as a thief in the night — like lightning across the sky — like the blinking of an eye — the old will pass away, and all things will be made new.” That is why we have confirmation! We want to teach you the truth, so that you will recognize the lie when it comes, and be able to stand in the day of the Lord!

So what about the passing away of this world, and the beginning of a new one? I guess the first and most obvious question might be, “What is wrong with the present world??? Why does God want to destroy the Old?”  After all — didn’t God say after the creation that everything was good??? What happened?

What happened was sin! No longer was the world “good”. No longer was it God’s creation — the rebellion against the will of God completely covered the whole world. God’s perfect creation was defiled, desecrated, and spoiled by the guilt of sin.

Everything in creation was now thrown out of balance because of man’s sins. Before sin, there were no weeds and no thorns! It was part of the curse of sin that man would have to earn a living by the sweat of his brow. It was part of the curse of sin that weeds would choke the plants of the garden. It was part of the curse of sin that child birth would not be an easy process. Sin destroyed the perfection of God’s creation.

It also ruined the crown of God’s creation — Mankind! No longer were people holy and sinless, in the “image of God” — but rather man, in his guilt and sin, hides from God.

On this your confirmation day, remember your own sins. As we studied the 10 Commandments, we learned that it is impossible for us to keep God’s law perfectly, even though that is what God wants. “Be ye perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect.” That we cannot do. We cannot save ourselves. By nature, we are spiritually blind, spiritually dead and enemies of God! We are sinners in need of a savior!

What is wrong with the Old?? It is stained with sin — and nothing stained with sin can stand before God or serve him. And so there must be a purification — the old must Pass Away! As John said in our text, “The first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.”

So, what is there, to keep you from passing away eternally with that sinful world? After all, nothing sinful can stand before Almighty sinless God! What is going to make you, sinless and holy, so that you can move on to the new Heaven and the new earth?

We cannot earn forgiveness on our own, by our good works, so how are we going to be saved? Paul told the Ephesians, “By grace are you saved, through faith, it is a gift of God, not of Works, lest any man should boast!” We are saved by God’s grace alone, through faith in Christ alone!! It all starts with God’s love for us. God reaches out to us with his undeserved gifts – His grace – and claims us as his own! God sends His Son into the world to live the perfect life demanded of us which we could not live. And God’s Son died an innocent death, a death that we rightly deserved because of our sins. “By His stripes, we are healed!” And that grace of God comes to you through God’s own gifts – his means of Grace – Word and Sacrament! In your baptism, you were given saving faith in Jesus Christ as a gift of God! And through the Scriptures, you have learned of God’s grace and love in your life, so that that faith, given to you by God himself, has been strengthened and nourished. Today, by God’s grace, you are ready to give witness to your faith in God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And never forget, even this confession is a gift of God’s grace, because the Scripture is clear: “No one can say Jesus is Lord, but by the Holy Spirit!”

By God’s grace, you are prepared for the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. Jesus promised, “Whoever professes me before men, I will profess before my Father in heaven.”

What blessings are in store for you in the New Jerusalem?? Just listen to the description John gives us in the text, “Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.”

In the new Jerusalem — all those former things which were the result of sin shall be gone and lost, forever.

But how sure can we be that this is all true? Can we really trust what the Apostle John has written in these words?

The Words of God are clear, “God said, Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” There you have it. God’s own personal seal and signature added to the promise.

The promise is as sure as God himself. God has promised us, “The first heaven and the first earth will pass away. Behold I make all things new.”  The Christian will say good-bye to tears — good-bye to pain — good-bye to sin and guilt — good-bye to mourning and sorrow. And through faith in Jesus Christ, God will welcome us into his new Jerusalem — which will be ours for all eternity! This is the faith you profess today! This is our Easter joy, comfort, and faith — Because Jesus Christ lives, we too shall live — now and always. Amen.

May the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.

Another Appearance, Another Proof
John 21:1-14

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text for this mornings meditation is the Gospel lesson for today, recorded in the Gospel of John, chapter 21, verses 1 through 14, particularly these words:  “After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the sea of Tiberius, and he reveled himself in this way. Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?’  They answered him, ‘No.’  He said to the, ‘Cast the net on the right side of the boat.’  So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish.” This is our text.

In the name of our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, dear Christian friends. The last verse of today’s text tells us why John, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, thought it important to tell the story recorded in our text. For there John says, “This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.” Not just once — not just twice — but three times now, Jesus has appeared to his disciples! And, there are even more to come!

The appearances of Jesus to his disciples following the resurrection were very important. They were recorded as a proof to future generations that indeed the Savior, who had died on a cross, was not dead, but was absolutely, positively alive! It was important to believe the truth, that Jesus was alive. Because as Paul said to the Corinthians, “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. BUT Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” The story of today’s text, this appearance of Jesus, one more proof of his resurrection, is our assurance that our Lord is alive, and that our faith in Christ, our certainty of Forgiveness, and our Hope for Heaven, is sure and certain.

So what can we learn from this story and the appearance of our Lord with the disciples, and the miracle that he worked with their catch of fish?

Put yourself in the disciples sandals. Think about that great day of Palm Sunday and the glorious ride into Jerusalem, as the children sang hosannas to the Son of David. Think about that week that followed. There was confrontation every day with the Pharisees and the priests. Then came the great sorrow of Jesus’ arrest, trial, crucifixion, and burial. Then the unbelievable good news of the resurrection. He had even appeared to them himself a couple of times already — always behind locked doors, because they were afraid of the Jews! But they hadn’t seen him for a few days. Maybe they were beginning to wonder if what they had seen was real. Was it really Jesus or a ghost of some kind. Where was he now and why wasn’t he here with them. The pressure of those days and weeks must have been really heavy on them.

Finally, Peter has had enough of this sitting around waiting for something to happen — so he decided, “I’m going fishing” — and other’s agreed to go with him.

We shouldn’t be too surprised by this. After all, they are professional fishermen. Before Jesus made them “fishers of Men” they were by vocation “fishers of fish”. Going back to something that they knew and were comfortable with just might calm down their nerves, just might help them get their thinking straight again, just might help make their lives normal again.

If we only go by Peter’s fishing trips recorded in Scripture, we have to assume that Peter was a lousy fisherman. It seems, at least according to Scripture, that every time Peter went fishing, he caught nothing! He only caught fish, when Jesus told him where to let down their nets! This story is nothing different than the others. They fished all night and in the morning they still had not caught any fish. Peter just cannot catch fish by himself — Just like you and I cannot save ourselves. Even though he knew very well how to get it done — Peter couldn’t put fish in the boat.

You and I know what it takes to be a “good” Christian. All we have to do is “Love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our might… And love our neighbor’s as ourselves.” All we have to do is be perfect even as our Father in Heaven is perfect. That’s all. But by ourselves, on our own strength, we fall short! That’s why we say every Sunday morning — and hopefully every day — I a poor, miserable sinner, confess unto you all my sins and iniquities, with which I have ever offended you. We cannot save ourselves. We need a Savior.

Peter couldn’t catch fish, he needed help. So a man yells out from the shore — “Let your nets down on the right side of the boat.” The Bible just says that the disciples did just that — and the net was filled with fish — not just a few, not just a bunch, but 153 fish — so many that they could not pull them aboard the boat — and still the nets did not break or tear! They had to paddle the boat to shore pulling the nets behind them. What a blessing! Remember the joy and excitement when only one fish pulls on your line? What about 153 in the net at the same time?

In this excitement John leans over to Peter thinking out loud, “You know, not just anybody would know where to let down that net. That man on shore must be the Lord — It’s Jesus!” Peter puts on his cloths and dives into the water to swim to shore.

Indeed it is Jesus who blesses us with abundant blessings. By his life, death, and resurrection He has brought to us forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. He is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He is the one who goes to prepare a place for us in heaven where we can live with him, forever.

And when they get to shore, Jesus has breakfast ready for them. He is not a ghost. He is not a spirit. He is not a figment of their imagination — this is truly Jesus Christ. The teacher they have lived with and learned from for the last few years. This is their Savior, who died for them, and arose again that they too may have life — and life eternal. THEIR savior and OUR Savior.

This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. He is risen — He is risen indeed. Hallelujah. Amen

May the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.

We are having some problems with the website, specifically… it looks like we have had someone put some Trojan code. I *THINK*that everything is cleaned up as of today… but VirusScans and other “nasty-code-finders” need to be updated regularly and run on your computer. If you haven’t done so in a few days… NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME!

If your system is clean, make note if there is any sermon you need to keep a copy of. If I cannot resolve to prevent the situation, I may need to… at least temporarily… lock down the sermons. While I will try to avoid this, just be aware that the treasury of archived sermons may be going away.

THE UNFAITHFUL TENANTS
Luke 20:9-19 (English Standard Version)

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text for this mornings meditation is recorded in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 20, verses 9 through 19, particularly these words, “Jesus began to tell the people this parable; ‘a man planted a vineyard, and let it out to tenants, and went into another country for a long while.’ The scribes and the chief priests tried to lay hands on him at that very hour, but they feared the people; for they perceived that he had told this parable against them.” This is our text.

In the name of our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, dear Christian friends. How many of you have someone very close to you, that you have tried to help get over a bad habit? It might be your wife or husband. Maybe it is your child or your parent. Maybe it is a close friend at school or at work. But it is someone you really care about and you want to help them get over this bad habit — not for your sake — but for their good, and health, and happiness. Maybe your friend is having an affair that they cannot seem to break. Maybe it is not that dramatic — maybe they just keep on smoking even through their blood pressure is up and they are coughing badly. Maybe they are overeating even when they already have heart trouble. Maybe they have trouble communicating with others without using rough or foul language. But whatever the problem is — you want to help that person overcome that problem.

Maybe you’ve tried many techniques. Maybe you’ve complimented them when they did well. Maybe you nagged and fussed when they didn’t do so well. Maybe you gave rewards for a job well done. Maybe you punished when they failed. Perhaps, in a last desperate hope to save your loved one — you made some great and gallant personal sacrifice, just for them — far and above the call of duty — hoping that this great sacrifice on your part will bring about the desired results in the other person.

Doesn’t it hurt when you really want to help someone, but they don’t want to help themselves; when they tell you to mind your own business; when they just ignore your warning message; when they tell you to leave them alone? OR — probably the worst hurt of all comes when that loved one SAYS they will reform or do better — and then they don’t do it.

I hope by now, you have already noticed the parallel between this loved one in your life — and the parable which Jesus told. God is like that man who planted the vineyard — He created the heavens and the earth. The man rented out his vineyard to tenants — God put man and woman on earth and told them to take care of it. Regularly, God sent servants to his tenants to remind them to thank, praise, serve and obey only Him — servants like Moses, and Isaiah, and Jeremiah, and Jonah, and many, many more. These messengers brought God’s peace to his tenants and called on them to pay homage and honor to God himself. But throughout history, God’s messengers were treated like the servants of the vineyard owner — they were beaten, people refused to listen to them, they ran them out of town, they cursed them, and at times — they even killed them.

But God did not stop loving those people, and after all the servants were sent, he finally made one last and great sacrifice, He sent his only Son to the tenants — thinking they might respect him — but they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. And so we remember the words of crowd, pushed on by the scribes and Pharisees very early on Good Friday morning — “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”

Our text says that the Scribes and the Pharisees “perceived that Christ told this parable about them.” And they perceived correctly — it was about them — But not JUST them, it was about all sinners, including you and me. At times we too are unfaithful tenants in God’s Vineyard. God spoke to us through the prophets and the Apostles, giving us his Holy Word. But we were not always ready to listen. God sent messengers to us, pastors, family members, and friends, who helped to guide us and lead us out of our sins into the righteous path before God — but even that didn’t always work — because at times we would refuse to listen to them — especially if it hurt our own pride and self worth.

And then God sent his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ into the world FOR US! And even though we were not there when it happened — our sins and our rebellion against God’s will, helped to nail Jesus to that Cross. Yes, we too are the unfaithful tenants to whom the son has been sent.

What comfort there is here for us in this parable. When you and I try to help a friend overcome a bad habit — quite often we give up rather quickly. You and I just do not have the patience to work year after year trying to get someone else to break their bad habit.

But God keeps on, year after year. God never gives up on his people. Just as the man in the parable never gave up on the tenants, and finally sends his own son.

But the parable does have a very serious warning. There will be punishment for those who reject the Son. Jesus ended his parable by telling his listeners that the owner would return, “He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” There will be a judgment day. Rejection of God’s Son, as Savior and Lord, will have eternal consequences. Jesus quotes Psalm 118, verse 22, “The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner’” And in our text, he explains just how important this stone is, “Every one who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but when it falls on any one, it will crush him.” It’s just another way of saying, “he who believes and is baptized, shall be saved, and he who believes not shall be condemned,” or broken, or crushed. The Scriptures tell us that Christ is a stumbling block for the Jews and foolishness to the Greeks. Whether they stumble and fall on the Rock — or whether the Rock falls on them — the result is the same — A lack of faith in Jesus Christ brings about eternal death and condemnation. “He who believeth not, shall be condemned.”

The Scribes and Pharisees were sure Jesus was talking about them –But instead of hearing the warning and repenting — they immediately started plotting to kill him.

Let us heed the warning. Let us listen to God’s messengers as they speak to us through the Holy Scriptures. Let us, by God’s grace and strength, live our lives in faith toward Jesus Christ as we thank, praise, serve, and obey our gracious God. Let us look to Jesus Christ, God’s own Son, as our redeemer from sin and our only hope for eternal life. To God be the glory. Amen.

May the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.

THE FIG TREE
Luke 13:1-9

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text for this mornings meditation is recorded in the Gospel of St. Luke, chapter 13, verses 1 through 9 — particularly these words, “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘Cut it down; why should it use up the soil?’  And he answered him, ‘Leave it alone, sir, one more year, and I will dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.”  This is our text.

In the name Jesus. (Amen.)  Do you remember our simple definition of a “Parable?” A parable is an earthly story, with a heavenly meaning. A parable was a teaching device which Jesus used very often to get across a point that might not have been very clear being taught any other way. In today’s text, Jesus was answering what appears to be a very simple, theological question — “Does God punish people because of their sins?” And there were two very recent events that were on the people’s minds — raising this question. Some Galileans were killed by soldiers from Pilate. Now that would not have been so unusual, in and of itself, — but what made it unusual was that they were offering their sacrifices to God at the time it happened. Our text told us, “Now some present at that time told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices”. And Jesus added another incident — 18 people had died when a tower in Siloam fell on them. And the question that people were asking was, “Why did God punish these people this way? What did they do? Was there some great crime or sin that they were guilty of which caused them to die in such a harsh way?”  Jesus answered that question very clearly. He said in our text, “I tell you, NO! BUT unless you repent, you too will all perish.”  And then he told the parable to explain his answer.

First of all, God has a right to expect good works and good deeds from all people — and that includes you and me. God is the owner of the vineyard in the parable. He is the one who pays for the land and plants the plants. He is the one who has a right to expect a profit from his investment. When we translate that parable into our lives, it is God who created this world of ours — it belongs to Him. It is God who has given life to each and every human being who inhabits this earth, we all belong to him and to him alone. It is God who gives us nourishment, and strength, and fellowship, and comfort. And because of all that he has given to each one of us—we owe him everything that we have, everything we are, and everything we hope to be. We are the fig tree, which owes fruit to our owner.

But have we produced the fruit which our owner wants us to produce? Have we always put God first in our lives? Have we always loved our neighbors as ourselves? Have we always put the best construction on everything? Have we always been faithful to our God in THOUGHT, WORD, and DEED?? As sinners who fall short of the perfection which God demands—every one of us must answer “NO”. We have not produced the “fruit” our God wanted us to produce. Maybe we have done better than some other people — but that is not our standard. Have we been perfect, like God is perfect?? — That is God’s standard!

And so the judgment of God is clear–“The soul that sins, it shall die.” “The wages of sin is death.” And so the owner in our text tells the keeper of the vineyard “Cut down the tree!” If that was the end of the parable, then it would be possible to say that those Pilate killed, and those on whom the tower fell were indeed being punished because of their sins — and also, that their punishment, their death, was justified and right. And if that were true, then nothing but fear could live in your heart or mine — because we would spend our days waiting for the time when God would choose to get even with us, and to punish us for our sins. There could be no peace — only fear and trembling.

But the parable didn’t end there. For some reason, a reason which Scripture does not share with us, the keeper of the vineyard cares about that fig tree — and so he pleads with the owner to spare it for one more year.

The vineyard keeper is very obviously Jesus Christ; because Christ is the one who intercedes for us before the Father in Heaven. Jesus is the mediator between God and man. Jesus is the one who stands up for you and me, and asks God to spare us — not because of what we have or have not done — but because of what He himself has done. In the parable, he promised to dig around the tree and to give it some fertilizer so that that fig tree might produce fruit. In life, he gave his life — He himself suffered at the hands of the Jews and Pilate and He himself died on the cross of Calvary so that we might have forgiveness of sins. He paid the price of our debt of sin so that we might be forgiven. And then, together with the Father, he sent us the Holy Spirit, so that working through the Means of Grace, through Word and Sacrament, you and I might be brought into Saving Faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, so that we might be kept in the faith in Jesus Christ, and so that we might be strengthened in our faith so that it would be possible for us to accomplish the good works that God himself has prepared for us to do — in other words, so that you and I might be “good trees,” “bearing good fruit.”

And if that were the end of the parable, we would all rejoice with exceedingly great joy, because our future in heaven would be absolutely and completely secure without any worry, or care, or response whatsoever on our part! But the parable didn’t end there. There was still a possibility that even after the caretaker did all that he possibly could — that fig tree could still parish.

The last line of our text said, “If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.”  Jesus gave the same warning before he told the parable. He assured his listeners that those who died at the hand of Pilate, and who died under the tower were not being punished by God — but then he added a warning, He said, “But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

The theme of Lent is “Repentance of sins”. During Lent we remember our sinful nature. We remember our total inability to please God by our own goodness and our own good works. It is only through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior that we are at all able to come before God.     During Lent, we are reminded to humble ourselves before our gracious and loving God, and to renew our commitment and our dedication to Him and to his will — so that through the Holy Scriptures and through the Sacraments, The Holy Spirit will strengthen our faith, so that we can live our lives to his glory and we can bear the fruit that is fitting for a child of God, redeemed in the Blood of the Lamb. Not in our own strength, but in the Grace of God alone!

No! God does not punish us as we deserve, or else we would all be dead already, both temporally and eternally. But for Jesus sake He forgives us our sins, He creates saving faith within our hearts, and He strengthens our will to follow his holy will. Let us repent of our short comings and let us rejoice in His grace, His love, and his forgiveness. To God alone be the glory, now and always. Amen.

May the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.