Hiding Life in death [Lent 5]

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READINGS FROM HOLY SCRIPTURE:

• Genesis 22:1-14

• Hebrews 9:11-15

• St. John 8:46-59

 

Grace to you and peace. (1 Thess 1)
 
Who speaks to you on this day from His Gospel heard, saying:
“So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.”
 
Thus far the words from our Gospel reading, included in God’s Word in order to point us away from the seen to the unseen, for God’s Salvation is hidden in the suffering and crucified Lord, Jesus Christ. With this Faith, we should face the world unafraid, even of death, and in fact welcome death when it comes, because of the Resurrection of all flesh.
 
Jesus is not mentioned in the Old Testament reading today, at least not by name. This is because, as we have done in Service today, Jesus is hidden. Hidden that He may be found. A little backwards to us, but to the Lord, this is the way. The way of Abraham, the way of Isaac, the way of the cross where eternal life is hidden in death.
 
Upon Abraham is laid the cross, in this Word from the Lord. One part of that is the command to sacrifice his only son, whom he loves. And what a command it is! Aren’t you glad you don’t have that cross? Thus, we cannot imagine the anguish and the despair in Abraham’s heart as he sees the mountain after three days, which he had hoped upon hope did not exist.
 
Yet the Word had spoken and there was no mistake. So also the wood is laid on Isaac, that is, the sins of the father fall to the son and Isaac takes up his own cross, for he is made in the image of his father. Isaac, held by the command to honor father and mother, bears his cross, even to his own death.
 
The second cross Abraham has is being the forefather of these Jews, from the Gospel. He has to watch from the sidelines as they slander him, tell lies about him, and run his faith through the mud. For, where Abraham had faith, his descendants seem to have none and do not even recognize their own God, standing in front of them. That is, until He hides Himself.
 
Repent! You say, I don’t worship a God Who would order a father to do such a thing and yet you would turn about and sing “Father Abraham” as loud as you could. Jesus hides Himself from you, because in your sin you believe Isaac was going to die anyway, what difference does the timing make? Maybe the story would be more believable if Isaac had still been in the womb…
 
So what then? God is a hollywood director, ficticiously making suspense in order that He be the Just-In-Time Hero to stop Abraham? Is that the kind of faith Abraham has? Blind and fanatical? Whatever God wants, He gets, even if He is violating His own commands?
 
Dear Christians, Jesus has already revealed to us the Faith He gave to Abraham, in the beginning. Going back to Genesis 15, there we hear God promising Isaac to Abraham. Of course Abraham argues with the Lord, the gall! I am childless, he says, and I’m no spring chicken and you’ve given my wife no children.
 
Just keep singing, Abraham!
 
Then, later on, in chapter 17, the Lord specifically says “to you a child will be born”, from Sarah and no one else, because Ishmael had already been born, oops. Both of them laughed at the Lord, because they were too old to have children. Dried up. A wilderness. Dead inside. There was no life coming from Sarah.
 
Yet, by chapter 21, Isaac sprang out of Sarah’s womb. Life had come from non-life. This is Abraham’s faith which he takes along with his son, to mount Moriah. This is the faith that binds his son and puts him on the Altar. This is the faith that raises the knife. This is the faith that Isaac bears also, as he carries the instruments of his impending death.
 
Likewise, in faith Abraham and Isaac both go to the mountain expecting life to rise out of death. Why? 
Because, a death had already occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant, says our Epistle (Heb 9:15). Isaac could not have been sacrificed, even had the knife descended, because there was Promised life in Isaac. Life that faith, knife, fire, or grave could not pierce. 
 
That life is the Life of the world. That Life that none can touch. That life that orders all things. That Life which, hidden in the Blood, opens the holiest of places to sinners, covers them with purity, and gives immortality to the mortal. 
 
This same Jesus Christ, Who is demon-possessed in the world’s eyes, is risen from the dead, never to die again. He is the Resurrection. He sets down His life at His own convenience and takes it back, just the same. No chance sacrifice of a ram caught in thorns could secure life. Only the Lamb of God, walking open-eyed into suffering, could accomplish such a thing.
 
It is Jesus Who hides Himself behind all this. Abraham cannot see past his only son. We cannot see life in the Blood. We cannot see life after death. We cannot even see eternal life from the Word of God, but this is where the righteousness of God is hidden. This is where the Resurrection is placed. Abraham saw this day of the crucified and risen Messiah and was glad.
 
For, “as [Jesus] was capable of being handled and touched, so again did He, in a 
non-apprehensible form, [hide in] the midst of those who sought to injure Him (Jn 8:59), and entered without impediment through closed doors (Jn 20:26)”, comments St. Irenaeus.
 
“…with regard to Christ, as He is the Son of man, so is the same Being not a mere man; and as He is flesh, so is He also spirit, and the Word of God, and God. And as He was born of Mary in the last times, so did He also proceed from God as the First-begotten of every creature; and as He hungered, so did He satisfy [others]; and as He thirsted, so did He of old cause the Jews to drink, for the "Rock was Christ" Himself (1 Cor 10:4): thus does Jesus now give to His believing people power to drink spiritual waters, which spring up to life eternal (Jn 4:14). 
And as He was the son of David, so was He also the Lord of David. And as He was from Abraham, so did He also exist before Abraham (Jn 8:58). And as He was the servant of God, so is He the Son of God, and Lord of the universe. And as He was spit upon ignominiously, so also did He breathe the Holy Spirit into His disciples (Jn 20:22). And as He was saddened, so also did He give joy to His people… And as He slept, so did He also rule the sea, the winds, and the storms. And as He suffered, so also is He alive, and life-giving, and healing all our infirmity. And as He died, so is He also the Resurrection of the dead. He suffered shame on earth, while He is higher than all glory and praise in heaven; who,
"though He was crucified through weakness, yet He lives by divine power;" (2 Cor 13:4) who "descended into the lower parts of the earth," and who "ascended up above the heavens" (Eph 4:9, 10) for whom a manger sufficed, yet who filled all things; who was dead, yet who lives for ever and ever...” (ANF 1:576, Irenaeus)
 
Though we are in the thick of Lent, even fasting from images of our Lord in Church, Easter has already dawned. In fact, we can celebrate Lent in all its fasting, because there is Easter hope. Jesus hides in suffering and we hide with Him. He hides healing and salvation in His wounds, so we hide in His wounds. He hides revelation and forgiveness in His Word and sacrament, so we hide there, too.
 
Abraham and Isaac were very familiar with this Jesus, Who is the Resurrection and the Life. They were familiar with His hidden ways, not to be sly or conniving, but to produce the most good and the most glory in reconciling dead sinners to their Life-filled God of Life. 
 
Hopefully now you see, if Jesus did not hide Himself, we would never be able to find Him, His salvation, or His forgiveness. Do not think we have been forgotten just because we do not have the command to sacrifice a son. Not Isaac, nor you, nor I can die in that way, because the only son commanded to die is Jesus Christ. 
 
Jesus hid Himself for Abraham and Isaac. Jesus hid Himself for His Apostles and the Jews. And today, He continues this same strategy, because this is His way. For we too are given access to the same “death that has already occurred”.
 
We have also been led to a mountain to remember three days. We have also been brought to an Altar already prepared, but we have no wood on our backs and there is no knife poised to strike us. All is calm because the wood and the knife have been used up on Jesus, on the cross, where life will spring from death.
 
And in His victory, He gives us Himself, the Only Son from heaven. Where only Abraham had Isaac, we, and all Abraham’s many sons, have Christ Crucified hiding in His Gospel purely preached and His sacraments administered according to it. Yes, dear Christians, the same faith-filled life that sprang from Abraham, Sarah, and that altar on mount Moriah springs in you.
 
Jesus now gives to His believing people power. Power that is hidden, but enables the recipient to drink spiritual waters, which spring up to life eternal. And as we heard last week, He also gives us power to eat the Bread of heaven in which He hides life eternal (Jn 6:33). So you see, the hiddenness of God is not hide and seek, but hide and find.
 

Sardis's Blood [Wednesday in Lent 4]

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READINGS FROM HOLY SCRIPTURE:

• St. John 9:1-38

• Revelation 3:1-6

 

Grace to you and peace. (1 Thess 1)
 
Jesus speaks to you tonight, saying:
“Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy.”
 
In our Lord’s letter to His Church in Sardis, it appears as if His words come too late, for though there is work being done, the people are not alive, but dead. Not too much active or clean about dead people, which is why later in the letter Jesus talks about soiled garments. Not to be too graphic, but they are soiled because of the blood. When you walk in on a crime scene you know there is death, because of blood.
 
Blood outside of a body does it no good and that is Sardis’ problem: they have let out the blood so that they have none. And no matter how active or alive their works were, they were incomplete and inadequate to keep the blood, to keep life. As Jesus said, “the life of the flesh is in the blood” (Lev 17:11).
 
Thus verse 2, when spoken to dead people, seems not very fair. But it’s only not fair if those spoken words are powerless. When verse 2 says wake up and strengthen, it happens. Their works may be incomplete, but “what remains” and “what you received and heard” in verse 3, are complete and powerful, because they are of Jesus.
 
Thus our belief is true: we are dead towards God and need the Word of Life, that is the Spirit to enliven us by His Gospel. And the Gospel Word to the dead-in-sin is wake up, that is be resurrected, not only today after you have repented and received absolution, but also on the Last Day.
 
The next Gospel Word to those fresh from the dead is “strength”, not strength to do it on your own, but strength to “hear what the Spirit says to the” Church, for the Lord has confused our language, but unites us in His language of the Church. This tells us that first we must be raised and given strength, that is baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus. 
 
Second, we must remember that there are no works, good or otherwise, without the Gospel. At the Word of God we rise. At the Word of God we are condemned in our sinful, soiled rags of works and flesh. At the Word of God we are enlightened and enlivened by Word and Sacrament.
 
Again, remember and strengthen what remains and what you have received and heard. The Word of God handed down to you, the Faith catechized into you, and the Divine Service of the Church in your heart by memorization and repetition. 
 
when there is nothing wrong or nothing impending, remembering is easy. We have the calm and peace to make sure nothing is left out. When we are overwhelmed and the waters come over our head, then we revert to the least common denominator of our training, both physical and spiritual.
 
Meaning, in extreme situations when time and calm are not an option, you will only be as strong as you have trained. If you have trained in your sin, then your actions at the end with be conquered by those in white robes. If you have trained in Gods Church, then your actions will be to not forget your white cloak given in baptism and to lean on God’s understanding of how to save you.
 
As St. Peter is pulled from the drowning waters of death, so does the Word and Work of Jesus pull us from the sleep of death. We are not called to innovate and to think up new and relevant ways to approach God. We are called to what has already been accomplished and completed.
 
First comes He Who has the Seven Spirits and the Seven Stars. Now one could be self-centered and think of these as the gifts of the Spirit, found in Isaiah 11: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. And one could be pagan and believe that the seven stars are the seven lights of the menorah-type lamp that used to be in the Temple of old.
 
Or we can think of them as 7 being a completed number, as in the Days of Creation. That 7 is the number of God’s Completed goodness which He now gives only through Faith. So “seven spirits” just means “seven-fold spirit”, that is the Holy Spirit Who is filled with the Gifts of Christ. And the seven stars are the “seven-fold-light” which imperfectly revealed the Lord at His birth, but now shines brighter through the cross.
 
thus, the Crucifixion of Jesus stands as the One Thing Needful, “what remains”, and “what is received and heard”. The loss of Blood is the bloodless Worship Service that modern times dictate we have. The restoration in the white robes is nothing but the Blood of Christ returned, restored, and remembered.
 
Returned as in the preaching of the Spirit says, “Baptism now saves you”. Restored as in the preaching of the pastor then preaches about this reclaiming and regeneration to the people, that they put on this Robe of Christ’s Righteousness. Remembered as in, oh yes, I was baptized and God said it was important. Maybe it should be important to me as well.
 
Thus, godly death and resurrection, Law and Gospel, are given. No greater word could have been spoken to the Church at Sardis than, “you are dead in your trespasses” (Eph 2:1), because then the greatest Word could be spoken over them, “We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Rom 6:9-11).
 
Why? Because it is from He Who Conquers. The promises given to the Church are from the Man Who made promises to suffer, die, and rise again. Those came true, so there is no reason to believe that those same promises made to us won’t come true. He Who promises is faithful, he will do it (1 Thess 5:24).
 
The lesson from Sardis is that our Savior continues to teach and to preach His free forgiveness of sins regardless of what the Church looks like on the outside. Especially if it is in the midst of Babylon The Dead, the Word shall still remain. And since the Word remains, the Sacraments remain. 
 
And since the Sacraments remain, Faith remains for you to find in abundance in repentance and forgiveness.
 

Easy, Hard Flesh of Christ [Lent 4]

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READINGS FROM HOLY SCRIPTURE:

• Exodus 16:2-21

• Galatians 4:21-31

• St. John 6:1-15

 

Grace to you and peace. (1 Thess 1)

 

Who speaks to you on this day from His Gospel heard, saying:

“When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, ‘“’This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!’”

 

Today we hear what God wants us to hear in His Word. Part of that may be that you hear your own feeding done today, in the Divine Service, at His Hand. God speaks His Holy Supper to us, because He wants us to believe that it is His true Body and true Blood, that it gives forgiveness of sins, and that it should be the central focal point of our entire lives, even if we only attend His Service more often.

 

Such an amazing event is the Feeding of the 5000. What a way to produce faith. I wish I could have been there to get such faith. How could anyone be a witness to that and not believe?? And just because Jesus doesn’t work like that anymore today, doesn’t mean we can’t be His hands and feet to others, because we’re better!

 

I would point you to later in the 6th chapter of John (v.66) to show just how easy it is to not believe, even if Jesus comes back from the dead. As we ponder the feeding of the 5000 and all of John 6, we find God including this in His Word in order to point us to a rigorous, fruitful life of faith. The life of a Christian is no easy thing, so we should not only become fit enough for it, but also help to strengthen the weak, which mainly happens at this rail.

 

When we approach the Lord’s Sacrament of the Altar, we think: “so easy”. It is so easy to just show up and receive. I just come at the proper time, sit in my usual seat, fly under the radar, and bing bang boom, I’m a wonderful Christian!

 

If faith is so easy why don’t you try it? I mean really try it? 

 

At first it may seem very easy to be saved by simple faith. To those who have not tried it seems a very easy matter indeed to receive forgiveness of sins by doing nothing more than simply believing. "If only I were called upon to do good works in order to attain it!" Faith seems to be a trifling matter. 

 

But try how easy it is; then you will see that faith is a divine power and not the power of a man. Although it is thought to be so easily performed, a Christian will say: What a difficult art it is to believe these words! For when your eyes rest on death, sin, devil, and world, and your conscience struggles when the battle is joined, I dare say you will break into a cold sweat and say: I had rather swim the ocean with a millstone than suffer this anguish.

 

The faith seems a trifling matter to folk who live without temptation and are secure, “tough” people. But the Christian says in temptation: Be quiet, my conscience, death, sin, world, and devil. I do not hear you. I will close my eyes and cling only to these words of Promise. Then you will see whether faith is a trifling art. 

 

Otherwise people think: Doing good works is a heavy task, but believing is something that is soon done. To be sure, faith does seem to be an easy matter; but it really is a difficult art. Temptation and experience certainly teach that clinging to God's Word so that the heart is not afraid of sins and death but trusts and believes God, is a far more bitter and difficult task than observing all the rules of them who are super-spiritual. 

 

Reason can easily put up a yard sign, can let the hair be cut off, can mumble, pray, and fast in the name of some ideal or other. Natural, worldly powers are [all] that’s needed to accomplish these “holy works”. But none of them know the art of turning the heart about and boldly relying on God's Word in the agony of death so that a person does not fear death but rejoices when it comes. (“What Luther says”, 1426)

 

Repent! We believe faith is so easy that we don’t even need to approach the Altar to approach God. We imagine that we can find God anywhere we want, which usually means anywhere we feel the most comfortable and can make believe that God approves. Thus, God becomes just another idea on the buffet table of ideas, to be chosen on the third or fourth plate. Maybe.

 

We kneel in Church and at the Communion rail, not just because its meet and right so to do, but because the closer we are to God the heavier our cross becomes. We actually feel our sinfulness in the presence of the Lord, because He has truly come down, as the words and promises of God declare. You cannot “try faith” without bearing the cross.

 

But that cross was carried before us. There is not a thing we do or encounter that Jesus has not encountered before us. In Christ, we bear the cross in hope, because like Jesus’s cross, there is Easter afterwards. Thus, when we bear the cross of following Jesus, at His Word, there is consolation.

 

Our Lutheran Confessions quote St. Ambrose on consolation: “Go to Him and be absolved, because He is the Forgiveness Of Sins. Do you ask who He is? Listen to Him when he says, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty’ (John 6:35).

Here he testifies that the forgiveness of sins is offered in the sacrament and ought to be received by faith.” (Ap XXIV:75)

 

From 1 John 1:7: “the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin,”. This refers not only to the merit achieved on the cross once for all, rather, St. John states in this very place that in the work or action of justification, not only the divine nature in Christ but also His blood, really cleanses us from all sin. Thus, according to John 6[:48-58] the flesh of Christ is a food that gives life. On this basis the Council of Ephesus [of 431 AD] also concluded that the flesh of Christ has the power to give life. (FC SD VIII:59)

 

So there is a twofold eating of Christ’s flesh. First, there is a spiritual kind of eating, which Christ treats above all in John 6[:35-58]. This occurs in no other way than with the Spirit and faith in the proclamation of and meditation on the gospel, as well as in the Supper. It is in and of itself useful, salutary, and necessary for all Christians at all times for their salvation. Without this spiritual reception even the sacramental or oral eating in the Supper is not only not salutary but also harmful and damning. 

 

This spiritual eating, however, is nothing other than faith, that is hearing, accepting with faith, and applying to ourselves God’s Word, which presents Christ to us as true God and true man along with all his benefits (God’s grace, forgiveness of sins, righteousness, and eternal life). These he won for us with his flesh, which he gave into death for us, and with his blood, which he poured out for us. 

 

Moreover, this faith means relying firmly upon this comfort (that we have a gracious God and eternal salvation for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ) with unshakable assurance and trust, holding on to this assurance in every difficulty and tribulation. 

 

Seems easy enough, but now for the not-so-easy:

The other kind of eating of Christ’s body is oral or sacramental, when all who eat and drink the consecrated bread and wine in the Supper receive and partake of the true, essential body and blood of Christ by mouth. Believers receive it as a certain pledge and assurance that their sins are truly forgiven and that Christ dwells in them with his power. Unbelievers receive it, too, but in their case as judgment and condemnation. (Solid Declaration VII:61-63, p. 604)

 

This is a hard saying, who can believe it, says John 6? Submitting to this kind of means of salvation is beneath the sinner, simply because he cannot earn it or pay for it.

[Even]...eternal life associated with justification is offered not on account of the law or the perfection of our works but through mercy on account of Christ. As Christ says [in] [John 6:40], “This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life”; and elsewhere [John 3:36], “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.” (Apology IV, p. 166)

 

[So it is that] “All good gifts come from God” (James 1[:17]). No one can come to Christ “unless drawn by the Father” (John 6[:44]). “No one knows the Father except...the one to whom the Son reveals him” (Matt. 11[:27]). “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 12[:3]). “And without me,” Christ said, “you can do nothing” (John 15[:5]). (Solid Declaration II:26, p. 549)

 

“Anyone who comes to me I will never drive away” [John 6:37], Jesus says. Though faith seems heavy, His yoke is easy and His burden is light. How can this be? Because all glory, laud and honor are His. His is the heavy lifting. His is the rescuing. His is the sanctifying and His is the keeping of the one true Christian Church in the one true faith, on earth.

 

It is correct and true when it is said, “No one comes to Christ unless drawn by the Father” [John 6:44]. But the Father does not intend to draw us apart from means. Instead, he has preordained his Word and sacraments as the regular means and instruments for drawing people to himself. It is not the will of either the Father or the Son that people not hear the proclamation of his Word or have contempt for it, nor should they expect to be drawn by the Father apart from Word and sacrament. According to his normal arrangement, the Father draws people by the power of his Holy Spirit through the hearing of his holy, divine Word, as with a net, through which the elect are snatched out of the jaws of the devil. (Solid Declaration XI:76, p. 652)

 

His easy yoke is not your flesh and blood on the cross, but His; and His light burden is not your living sacrifice presented for the sins of the world, but His; given and shed for you, as the Divine Word draws us to believe exactly what it says.

 

Unadultery at Thyatira [Wednesday in Lent 3]

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READINGS FROM HOLY SCRIPTURE:

• Revelation 2:18-29

• St. Matthew 27:45-49

 

Grace to you and peace. (1 Thess 1)

 

Jesus speaks to you tonight, saying:

“Hold fast what you have until I come”

 

We come, this evening to our Lord’s letter to His Church residing in Thyatira, from Revelation 2. Last week, we found ourselves dwelling where satan dwells and sits on his throne (Rev. 2:13). Tonight, we still find an equally horrible situation. We are caught in Jezebel’s bed (v.20). And though Jesus does seem to indicate there is resistance to her teachings, we appear to have tolerated those teachings as Gospel.

 

Not just tolerated, but participated; communed. This is the sin of adultery in its fullness. It is not just sleeping around on yours and others’ husbands and wives. It is sleeping around on your God. It is the bringing of foreign doctrine and practice within the cope of faith and calling it good.

 

In the adultery we have been desensitized to, it is no big deal, which in turn make the adultery of faith no big deal. In fact, with the sexual revolution of the 60s and 70s, it has become a lucrative business. The porn industry is one of the highest grossing businesses of our times. If you are not committing adultery, you are an abomination to the world and no one understands your caveman thinking. Those who remain virgins until they marry are considered circus side show freaks.

 

The damage this revolution has caused is incalculable. Not only has it shattered the nuclear family, the firm foundation of all culture and civil institutions, but it has destroyed the human psyche. Divorce rates skyrocket. Fatherless children are the norm and broken. Babies being destroyed in the womb increase each year. Child-psychiatric drug use has never been higher. Not to mention gender-, body-, and sexual dysphoria have become standard and we must accept it or else.

 

And that’s just biology. The human psyche is also fractured. We trust more easily in lies, than our own family. We stake our lives on the words of government-funded “experts”, rather than our own senses. We cause strife and discord by our ego-driven words and actions. No one goes to church anymore and even if they do, they are not given the free forgiveness of sins in said churches.

 

If you ever needed proof of the value of the 6th Commandment and the good it produces, just take all that in. 

 

In the second place, all this destroys faith. For, if you cannot be chaste or faithful to your sister and brother whom you can see, who are you gonna convince that you can be faithful to God, Whom you cannot see? No one. No one will believe you. 

 

This is why Dr. Luther has included the word “chaste” in the meaning of the 6th Commandment, in the Small Catechism. Though it isn’t there in today’s translation because greed, “chaste” means so much more than sexuality. It means being faithful and trustworthy. Adultery means unfaithful; untrustworthy. Once a cheater, always a cheater.

 

So closely does our sin stick to us, that we are unfaithful towards God and neighbor. Marriage is hard. You are not the first to encounter difficulties. Love and honor your husband or wife, regardless. Do not let your sinful thoughts destroy what God has brought together.

 

Similarly, faith is hard. Love and honor your God. Do not seek Jezebel and her Anti-church and Anti-sacraments. Her liturgy is drunkenness, sexual immorality, and the like. She offers only bodily, chemical reactions that wither and fade each time. Like drugs, she sells just one more high as it keeps getting further and further out of reach.

 

These are the “deep things of satan”, from our letter. That somehow, through the flesh, you can attain godlike status, godly enlightenment, and godly nirvana. And the best part is, you do not even have to go through Jesus to get it. You just find the next partner, the next religion, and make your own faith.

 

Adultery is having marriage and sex outside of God’s order. Adultery is seeking salvation and righteousness apart from Christ. The remedy is not just “stop doing it”, although that’s part of it. The remedy Jesus offers is His Works for you (v.26).

 

What are the works of Jesus? They are the things which you already have, since He gave you faith. He says in verse 25, “hold fast what you have until I come”. Not only hold fast to the husband or wife that you have, which you chose willingly, but also hold fast to what you have in Church. Maybe not your church today, but what has been handed down to the Church from the ages.

 

The Divine Service is specifically designed to accomplish this task for you. It places you among things that you did not create or choose. It sits you in the midst of God’s Work, of which you did not approve. It orders you under His Word, which you did not write and it communes you in His Sacraments for which you did not vote. This is Church.

 

You may not like them. It may be hard. It may be confusing. It may not even be relevant, according to the kids. But this is “what you have” and more importantly, you can trace it to exactly what God gave you, what He wants you to have, which far exceeds any approval you may need.

 

This is similar to the promise given to the Church in Ephesus: remember your first love. Remember the commandments, the creeds, the prayers, the hymns you memorized. Remember the joy and happiness coming from church things. Remember the work God has done on your behalf, which is continually preached in the Divine Service.

 

When we are quick to exchange worldly fads for godly traditions, we fall into the Jezebel trap. We are sold when they are billed as “making an impact”, “reaching the youts”, or “being relevant”. 

 

Really, all those mean the same thing: give up Christ and Him Crucified, and you will succeed in the world. But who wants that? Who wants worldly success if it costs your soul? Who wants friendship with the world when it costs your mental well-being? Who wants peace, when it kills and destroys the good,, the true, and the noble?

 

Repent of these sins. Hold fast to what you have, what you have been given by those who were faithful before you. Keep the works of Christ in front of you, for the Morning Star is dawning. The night is ending. There is not much longer you have to endure under the tribulation of Jezebel and there is only a short time of suffering under the alleged success of Jezebel.

 

The Son of God comes, indeed He is already here with flaming eyes only for His Bride, the Church. The Son of Man marches on bronze feet towards His Divine Service. His authority authorizes Word and Sacrament, Divine Liturgy, and chastity towards those things of God, wherein we hear and find His promises.

 

His promises that He works on our behalf. He promises that He will rescue us from the deep things of satan and the Anti-church of Jezebel, for we cannot escape on our own. Indeed, it doesn’t even feel as if we are a part of all that evil. Yet Jesus is still the Crucified, the Crucified because of our unchastity and in His sacrifice, grants us His Chastity and the remission of all our sins.

 

 

Lying wonders, True Faith [Lent 3]

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READINGS FROM HOLY SCRIPTURE:

• Jeremiah 26:1-15

• Ephesians 5:1-9

• St. Luke 11:14-28

 

Grace to you and peace. (1 Thess 1)

 

Who speaks to you on this day from His Gospel heard, saying:

“And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order.”

 

In the Gospel reading today, we see that God has given gifts to His people. One of those gifts is the power over demons, the power to exorcise (Mt 10:1). First and most importantly, it was given to the Apostles. It is an Apostolic gift, because they needed to be the only ones called and chosen by the Lord to spread His Word. If you wanted a relationship with God, you had to have an Apostle and they proved their apostleship with signs and wonders no one else could do.

 

Secondly, it is a gift given to the Lord’s Church to use as needed, for demons are real and so is demonic possession. Do not fall for the satanic, Hollywood trick of thinking the devil doesn’t exist or is lazy. Though he is against God and His Church completely, he is a better student of Scripture and the Life of Faith than you, for his one goal is to undermine God. For that, he needs to know everything.

 

When we ponder our Lord’s words, here, we come across a very disturbing picture. No, not that the devil is a better Bible-believer than you are, though that is depressing in and of itself, but that the devil uses the same “gifts” to lead people away from God. Jesus says in 2 Thessalonians, “The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception” (2:9-10). 

 

And, “false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect” (Mt 24:24).

 

And even though Jesus tells us there will be false signs and wonders, He never tells us what the difference will be, only that they will be false. The first problem this creates is for those who today want to prove God’s presence in their lives by the presence of one of these gifts. That, because they can do a great sign or wonder, they have true faith and you don’t. But, as we have seen, signs and wonders can be done by the demons, just like quoting Scripture.

 

What this means for us is that we should not base our faith on the ability of anyone to produce gifts, signs, and wonders. Dr. Luther has said, “Beware of lying wonders…We should learn to believe no miracle after the revelation of Christ, even though a person who had been dead for ten days were called back to life. If I now should see a priest or a monk raise a dead person in the name of St. Ann, I would say that it was the work of the devil” (a 1537 sermon on Matthew 24:15-28). 

 

Repent. The swept house in our Gospel reading is just a façade. It is the thin veneer that pop-Christian teachers tell you about when they say things like, “you just have to believe harder”, and “you just need to learn how to live in obedience to Christ to avoid further attack from the demonic realm”, and “just submit to the Holy Spirit”. You just gotta, you just gotta, you just gotta.

 

Well, let me tell you, it was your own “you just gotta” that got you into the demon mess in the first place. First: if you believe God's Word, then you have to admit that you have demons and you dwell among demons, for being possessed is none other than sinning. “He who sins is a slave to sin”, from John 8:34 and “the good I want to do I don’t do”, from Romans 7:19. Sounds like possessions to me.

 

Second: there is nothing the devil loves more than your obedience to Jesus, because its yours. Your obedience, your submission is where the devil wants you focused, because then you are not focused on Jesus. He wants you to clean up your life as best you can and, while you are preoccupied, he and his buddies can sneak back in, because you missed a spot. You always miss a spot.

 

This sort of clean, just means laziness of intellect and piety. Meaning, you may have cleaned up but you have got rid of everything and are now more vulnerable than before. God never leaves anything empty, therefore the solution is to fill yourself with so much God, that there is no room for anything else.

 

But that brings us back to our work and that’s no good. So how?

 

Jesus shows He has power over the demons. They listen and obey. They cannot help themselves in front of Almighty God in the flesh. Much less can they comprehend Jesus in the flesh. In fact, in the same breath that St. John tells us to not believe all spirits and test them, he says “By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God” (1 Jn 4:2).

 

And where has Jesus come in the flesh more obviously than in His Body and Blood given and shed for you??

 

Those who are truly demonic, that is, those who truly do not believe seek other ways to righteousness and salvation outside of Christ. The forgiveness of sins, the Gospel, is only found in the work and life of Jesus. 

 

“God offers the forgiveness of sins only in the Gospel, the Good News that we are freed from the guilt, the punishment, and the power of sin, and are saved eternally because of Christ’s keeping the Law and His suffering and death for us.”  Romans 10:4 states it this way: “Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to everyone who believes" (LSCE q. 84, p. 100).

 

Do you hear John 3:16 differently than I do? “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” 

His only begotten Son. Not you or your best intent or efforts. 

 

You did not redeem yourself from the curse, “Christ has redeemed [you] from the curse of the law, having become a curse for [you] (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”). (Gal 3:13)

 

The one thing Christ has that the devil doesn’t is Faith. Faith that leads to belief. Belief that hears “whoever hears my word and believes Him Who sent me has eternal life” (Jn 5:24), “whoever believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mk 16:16), and “take and eat and drink for the forgiveness of your sins” (Mt 26:26ff). 

 

The Word and Sacrament are God’s works. He makes them, institutes them among us, and keeps them holy. In Christ offering His Body and Blood on the cross, these holy things which faith receives, belong to His Church. And since His Church is His body, they now belong to you.

 

Jesus did great signs and wonders in order that we may truly see and believe that He is Almighty God in the flesh and not a false spirit. He gave His Apostles the same powers in order that they establish His Church, through their doctrines. For no other men could do the works they did unless it be from God. If you have an Apostle’s teaching, you have Christ.

 

There is no more use for signs and wonders, for the Church. Those miraculous signs have served their purpose. They pointed us to the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus. They return us to His Life and His Word. And they usher us ahead, to when He will return for those who seek Him out. 

 

So how do you believe harder, in order that you not be misled by the false signs and wonders that are coming? You pray for belief from Jesus, knowing that He gives belief in His Church of Word and Sacrament. 

 

How do you learn to live in obedience to Christ in order to avoid further attack from the demonic? You trust His work in His Word of the Gospel spoken over you. You trust in His work of salvation done for you in your baptism. You trust in His work of forgiveness given and shed for you in His Holy Supper. 

 

How do you then submit to the Holy Spirit? You set aside the work you do and let God work in you by Word and Sacrament. For the Word became flesh and offered His life as a ransom for many. The cup of blessing which we bless, is the communion of the blood of Christ. The bread which we break, is the communion of the flesh of Christ. For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread. (1 Cor 10:16-17)

 

To those who seek the signs and wonders of God, let him ponder the mystery of the Servant God offering Himself on this Altar, in His House, to sinners. To those facing demons, let them flee to the wounds of Christ, offered to all humanity on the first Easter. 

 

To those seeking confirmation and consolation in God's election, let them hear and believe that God receives into grace all who repent and believe in Christ, that He will punish those who willfully turn away, and “in Christ He has chosen us before the foundation of the world” (Eph 1:4)

 

For our election, our clean and filled house of comfort, is not founded upon our godliness or virtue, but alone upon the merit of Jesus Christ. (FC 11:75)

 

The Stone of Pergamum [Wednesday in Lent 2]

→ → T E X T O N L Y ← ←

READINGS FROM HOLY SCRIPTURE:

• Revelation 2:12-17

• St. Matthew 20:17-28

 

Grace to you and peace. (1 Thess 1)

 

Jesus speaks to you tonight, saying:

“To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it”

 

As we ponder our Lord’s letter to His Church in Pergamum, we can’t help but see a little humor. Recall from the reading that the Church is offered a stone and it is a big deal. This stone seems to be the key to some secret name or secret manna, or bread, that no one knows about except those who have it. 

 

And yet, Jesus has said in St. Matthew 7, “Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?…If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (7:9-11).

 

Its funny, because in the first place, the stone is bad. But now in the letter to Pergamum, it is good. And to further confuse things, a mill stone is bad, especially one around your neck near deep water, but a large stone in front of a tomb is good.

 

In any case, the white stone is a God-send for Pergamum, because in it is redemption from all this sin they are charged with. I don’t know about you, but if I was accused of dwelling near or around satan’s throne, I’d rather have the mill-stone than live there any longer.

 

Here we run into another funny: the sharp two-edged sword. It cuts both ways. “You hold fast to my faith”, says the Lord, but “you dwell where satan dwells”. We can even bring in St. Peter here, who’s name is once again changed, or played with, to mean rock. 

 

Jesus says, “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matt 16:18). So the white rock is the pope’s tiara and the “new name” is the name we figure out when they choose a new pope and he picks a popish name for himself. Halleluiah!

 

Ah, no. Let’s repent of that. Let’s repent of the misunderstanding of God’s Word in Revelation and let’s repent of the darkness of our intellect in regards to the “white stone” of Pergamum. As we maybe sang in Sunday School, “Open my eyes Lord, I want to see Jesus”

 

“The wise man builds his house upon the Rock” “and the rock was Christ” (Mt 7:24; 1 Cor 10:4).

Understanding Revelation is as simple as that. The “white stone” is Christ, His Word and His Sacraments. That is, the New Testament Church of the resurrected God-man, come to commune with His people and unite them to Him. 

 

Here is the sin at the Church of Christ in Pergamum: instead of being in the world and not of the world, they have become “of the world”. They have traded their “white rock” for the fools gold of contemporary worship, bringing in idolatry to the Lord’s House. For with the contemporary, came all sorts of false teaching which seemed meet and right so to do.

 

Yet, even in the midst of satan’s throne room, all that’s needful for escape is the presence of the Spirit of Christ, which constantly cries out for repentance. Satan does not build, but only corrupts and twists. Therefore, the stone the builders rejected remains in place. That is, though the devil has built his chapel, the Church stands or falls on the faith of Christ. 

 

Yes, our “white stone”, clothed now in deathless might, is not defeated and neither does He abandon His wayward sheep. The Rock remains, always there to give His gifts and to give His forgiveness. It remains, because He chooses to. He chooses to come to this corrupt place and call, gather, enlighten, and sanctify His whole Church on earth. None will be left out.

 

Thus, after He completes His work of suffering and resurrection, He hands Himself over to us. After He conquers on behalf of sinners, He chooses us to know His Name. YHWH, Rock of Ages, God-made-Man in the flesh, raised from the dead. That is His Name and there is none other. Those with Faith hear the Name and believe. Those without, receive deafness for their troubles.

 

And in that Name, we are saved. By His wounds, we are healed. Through His meal, we hold the secret manna in our hands, for the forgiveness of sins. When Israel first held the manna, they didn’t know what it was. That is literally what “manna” means: what is it. The manna fed to them in the desert wanderings was but a type, a shadow, unknowable without the resurrection of the Son of Man.

 

Now, having been baptized into the death and resurrection of Christ, the secret manna is the abundant Bread of the flesh of God, given each Lord’s Day, and only received by Faith. This is the stone of Faith that St. Peter was given, which Jesus praised: the faith to hear the Son of Man and believe.

 

Believe that even though he was a man of unclean lips, a sinner, dwelling among a people of unclean lips (Lk 5:8; Isa 6:5), uncleanness is washable. Believe that, though satan has chosen his spot in the church pews, with Balaam and the Nicolaitans, the Word of God comes in the flesh to defeat them for you. 

 

Faith, once again, is key to our salvation. Through Faith God is pleased, therefore, faith receives repentance, that we may avoid judgement and faith receives absolution, that the pure, white robe of Christ’s righteousness may be donned by us, claimed by us, and remain with us, in order that it may be sure and certain we are a part of the Church of Faith which prevails against the gates of hell.