Sinner and Saint

Who is Jesus?

17^th Sunday after Pentecost

“Who is Jesus?”

Mark 8:27-35

 

 

Grace, Mercy, and Peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

          Let me ask you some questions: Who is God? Who is Jesus? Mormons believe Jesus is lord just as any good Mormon may become lord. Muslims believe that Jesus was a good man and prophet. Jehovah’s Witnesses also believe he was a good man. Jews say that he was either a good man or a blasphemous sinner. The New Age movement that is growing in leaps and bounds says he was a good man; he might have even been god, but of course we all believe in the same god by a different name anyway don’t we? So who do you say that Jesus is?

          Our Gospel lesson begins, “Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” “But what about you? He asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ.” (Mark 8:27-29)

          So who do we say Jesus is? Sometimes I am afraid to ask this question because I may get different answers. Certainly all of you gathered here will say that Jesus is our Lord and Savior; that he is the second person of the Holy Trinity; that he is God and Man. But all too often we let our sin get in the way of our faith. Who do we say Jesus is? Sometimes the greatest stumbling block for others to become Christian are Christians themselves. Far too often we don’t walk the walk or talk the talk. We are comfortable sitting back in our lives minding our own business and not worrying about the salvation of those around us.

          Who do we say Jesus is by our actions by word, mouth, and living? When we get angry with each other what do we show to others. When we use hand gestures to those people that cut us off while driving what message do we give. When others make fun of Christians do we stand up or cower in fear? Do we live our lives like Christians? Do our lives reflect Christ or do they reflect the world? Do we speak out against those things that God condemns or do we sit back and say it’s a woman’s choice to abort a fetus. Abortion is murder in the eyes of God and he condemns it. Is sex just about feeling good? Is marriage just a civil right that anyone may have no matter who their partner is? My brothers and sisters in Christ we have become too politically correct! We must show who Jesus is by faith. We must live the Christ life.

          Jesus has shown us how to live. Many of you have seen and heard of the WWJD bracelets. They ask the question “What would Jesus do?” It is supposed to be a simple reminder of how Jesus would respond to our own situations. I like to think of WWJD as standing for “Walk with Jesus daily.” You see if we walk with Jesus in our lives through faith, prayer, and worship…we will indeed know how to respond to sin.

          In our text St. Peter tells us clearly who Jesus is “The Christ, the Messiah, the Savior.” Jesus then shared with them a statement of who He was by word and action. Jesus said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and after three days rise again.” (Mark 8:31) Throughout the Gospels we see Jesus showing the world who he was by his miracles, his love and compassion, his death on the cross and resurrection. Jesus certainly talked the talk and walked the walk fully knowing the hatred that would be shown him and the suffering that he would endure.

          But wait! A God…a Lord…that was going to die? That’s not what Peter or the others wanted…that’s not what they thought they needed. After Jesus spoke of his coming death “Peter took him aside and began to rebuke [Jesus].” (Mark 8:32)  Jesus couldn’t die…Peter, the disciples…all the people needed him. Everyone understood…gods don’t die…they rule up there somewhere.

          Sure, its easy for us to look at Peter…and wonder what he was thinking…we know the end of the Story…we know of Jesus victory over death and his resurrection. Yet knowing this we still look elsewhere for a god or savior.

          We want God to forgive and forget all of our sins or allow for some sin to not be sin anymore…but we don’t want to be punished or have any suffering in this sinful world. Sure we want God to lead us…but not to death especially death on a cross or by dying. We want God to give us all that we want…and for God not to expect anything back in return…not even thanksgiving. Sinfulness leads us to gods of desire…not the God of forgiveness and love.

          “But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” (Mark 8:33)

          Jesus knew that He had no other choice then to die if we were to be saved. We can’t do it ourselves! The wonderful news is not what we have to do…but what God in Christ Jesus has done for us! It is by the faith God gives to us that we believe and are given tasks; good works to do.

          As Christians we are responsible to share God’s word to all people whether it is politically correct or not. As a commercial I have seen on television says, “Don’t just take a stand…ACT!” Saying that you are a Christian does not mean you really are a Christian. There are many that make that claim but truly aren’t. Don’t just say you’re a Christian…act like a Christian. Don’t just make suggestions…act on them. Don’t just say the church needs more people…share the word. Don’t just say our church needs more money…give. Don’t just agree that VBS and Sunday School are blessings for others to take care of…volunteer your time now or the time shall come when these opportunities are gone.

          Then (Jesus) said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.” (Mark 8:34-35) Sure there will be times when we will be persecuted for standing firm in the Christian faith. Christians do suffer; they suffer when they act as Christians. If suffering on earth is a cost of salvation I would much rather suffer now then suffer for eternity in hell.

          God is with us always. God gives us the strength and courage to carry our crosses daily. God helps us carry all of our burdens until we join Him in paradise. Jesus has died for all of our sins and all of the sins of the world. His love and salvation are for all. ACT by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit that Jesus sent to us so that we would be saved and act as his tools of salvation. Who do you say He is? Thanks be to God that by faith…we share in God’s love, hope, mercy, and forgiveness and share that good news with all people. Who is Jesus? He is my God and my Lord who died on the cross for me a poor miserable sinner. Thanks be to God. Amen.

 

Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen. 

What prophets foretold...Jesus fulfilled

Pentecost 16, 2012

Isaiah 35:4-7a &
Mark 7:31-37

“What Prophets
foretold…Jesus fulfilled”

 

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

 

            “With one hand, she slips the ivorycomb through her wavy black hair. With the other, she checks her progress in a polished bronze mirror. Setting aside the comb, she begins to darken her eyelids, using an alabaster wand to spread the black paint. A pendant for each ear; a ring for the nose. She slides one bangle after another over her wrist until she clinks musically with each movement. Over her head and neck, she lowers a delicate necklace, which suspends a small silver scroll, the gift of her father, a priest. Inside is inscribed the benediction he pronounces over the people at the temple on Mount Zion, including the sacred name of God. As she rises to leave, she adds one more item: a second necklace, heavy with beads. At its center hangs an amulet in the figure of Bes, a troll-like Egyptian god of good luck.” (The Lutheran Study Bible p. 1084)

            The prophet Isaiah records the longest list of clothing and accessories in the Bible. He does this to cite Judah’s affluence, idolatry, and growing indifference and rejection of God and His Word. Isaiah was from Jerusalem, was privy to the king’s court, and saw the extravagance, injustice, wastefulness, spiritual failure, and idolatry of Judah’s leaders. Isaiah would witness the hardships of Judah during its siege by the Assyrians and would prophecy about its downfall and destruction at the hands of the Babylonians. He would see the daughters of Zion in chains; captives of unbelieving Gentiles. He would foretell of the coming Messiah. He would foretell again of the great rejoicing the daughters of Zion would have at the birth of Christ. (Paraphrased from The Lutheran Study Bible p. 1084)

            God’s Word had been recorded. God’s Word had been passed down from generation to generation. The people of Israel had heard of God’s mighty deeds. They knew how God had brought them out of Egypt, protected them, fought for them, gave them military victories, and a land of their own. They knew of God’s punishment and God’s hate for unbelief and idolizing false gods. The people were warned over and over again. God punished their wickedness and forgave them. Now God’s wrath was stirred again as His people abandoned Him for false gods. Isaiah would see much of the suffering and prophecy of even greater suffering by the hands of Babylon. But Isaiah also knew God’s love and grace. Isaiah would prophecy of God’s greatest gift…the gift of a Savior. One of those wonderful prophecies of the Savior is our Old Testament lesson.

            “Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.” Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs.” (Isaiah 35:4-7a)

            Did you hear what Isaiah foretold of the Messiah? He would give sight to the blind, give the deaf hearing, the lame would be able to walk and leap, the mute would shout for joy.” Who do we know that has and continues to do these things? Sunday School answer: Jesus. Our Gospel text records this about Jesus: “Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him. After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”). At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.” (Mark 7:31-35)

            Here Mark records Jesus as giving hearing to a deaf man. We could read and proclaim countless passages of Scripture that record all the many miracle of Jesus that fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah. Jesus fulfilled every one of them…and still performs miracles this very day!

            But just like the woman at the time of Isaiah that we heard about at the beginning of the sermon…we have turned away from God and His Word. Ours is a nation of decadence and greed. We have many who are rich in possessions, many who would rather take from others than work, those that believe they deserve from those that have worked, a government that is morally becoming bankrupt, and a society that is increasingly hostile to God. This is true of Christians and non-Christians alike. How often do we as Christians put on our crucifix…as well as some form of an idol? Maybe you don’t have a necklace with an Egyptian idol…but how many Christians rely on self, read the horoscope, play with Ouija boards, tarot cards, or put their trust in money?

            We live as if Jesus wasn’t born. We live as if Jesus didn’t die on the cross. We live as if there was no resurrection of our Lord. Each time that we sin we show our doubt in God’s judgment and wrath. When we sin show our doubt in God’s love and grace. When we sin we often rationalize our sin away. We either deny that our sin is a sin…or blatantly figure that God will forgive us anyway…and fail to repent or
acknowledge God’s law. When we sin we often decide that nothing worse can happen….or think why not do it…God doesn’t care about me anyway… or think that God couldn’t love me.

            But it’s not just about our sin and our actions…it’s also about what we fail to do. When we fail to share Christ… His Word…His law…His grace and love… we show our doubt in the abilities that God gave us…we show our doubt in the Holy Spirit…we show doubt in God’s power through His very Word. When we fail to call sinners to repentance…we fail sharing the gift of God’s forgiveness. When we fail to share God’s Word of grace and love… we fail to share the gift of salvation and heaven with others.

            We are no better than the Israelites of old. We stand as people deserving God’s wrath. But with God there is forgiveness. With God there is hope. With God there is salvation. As Isaiah proclaimed of old…he proclaims to you this day: “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.” (Isaiah 35:4) Jesus has come. He came to die on the tree. He came to rise again. He has come to save you. Each and every one of you (and me) is a sinner. Jesus came for you…that you would be forgiven. You are His child. What the prophets foretold…Jesus has fulfilled. And Jesus will come again to take you home to heaven…with all the saints. Amen.

 

Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ
Jesus our Lord and Savior. Amen.

We are at war!

Pentecost 15, 2012

“We are at war!”

Ephesians 6:10-20

 

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

 

             Yesterday I read online at Foxnews.com that a man was released from jail in Iran after being held in jail for the last three years. What was it that this man allegedly did to be jailed? He was charged with apostasy…a crime carrying the death penalty in Iran. According to Sharia law, an apostate has three days to recant. After mounting pressure from around the world Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, who was originally sentenced to death in his native country for his Christian faith, was acquitted of apostasy charges and released from custody.

            My brothers and sisters in Christ we are at war. Listen to Saint Paul’s words: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:10-12)

            As Christians we are at war with sin, with Satan, with those that reject Christ, and with our very own nature. We are at war with rulers, authorities, and the world that side with Satan against God and His Word. These are tough words to hear and accept. Do you feel like you’re at war? When you go to the store, to school, to the doctor’s office…does it look like we are at war? Many will try to say that the world isn’t at war with Christianity. Tell that to our brothers and sisters in Christ that are being imprisoned and killed for their faith in Africa and the Middle East. Tell Christians that are called “sexist, bigots, homophobic, hateful, or the like” that the world is not at war with their faith when they are called these things for believing that homosexuality is a sin, that women should not be pastors, that marriage is between a man and a woman, that the world was created in six twenty-four hour days or that Christ is the only way of salvation. Tell our children that aren’t allowed to pray in school, hear about creation in school, or have Christmas or Easter breaks that the world isn’t at war with the Christian faith.

            Satan uses every means possible in his war against Christians. If you want to know how powerful, cunning, and deceitful Satan is…read the Bible. Satan does not attack each of us in the same way…he goes for our weakness. According to the Greek myth, Achilles, the great hero of the Trojan War, was dipped as a child in the waters of the river Styx by his mother, Thetis, to make him invulnerable. The result of that plunge was that every spot on Achilles’ body was protected against wounds except the heel by which his mother had held him. For many years Achilles escaped unhurt, but at last the poisoned arrow of the Trojan Paris found the weak spot and inflicted the death wound there. So Satan tempts Christians where they are the weakest. Having found their pet inclinations, passions, and desires, he attacks them at their weak spots.

            Satan will try anything to get you to lose faith. Remember how he attacked Job with the weather, his wife, diseases, and his friends, to make his life very miserable. Some people suffer from physical ills. Some from mental ills. Some from emotional problems. Some suffer innocently because of terrible diseases and calamities. We all suffer. We are all tempted. We are all at war with Sin and Satan.

            But what do we do? Satan is stronger than any of us…he is stronger than all of us combined. “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:13-17)

            God gives to the Christian the means of protection, defense, and attack. The protections are three: the breastplate, the girdle, and the shoes; the defenses are two: the shield and the helmet; the weapons are also two: the sword and the spear. Literally these seven items are: truth, righteousness, the Gospel of peace, the faith, salvation, the Word of God, and prayer. These items are given to us because we cannot win the battle on our own. God has given us these weapons not only to keep us in the faith but to share the faith with the world. The Gospel must prevail and will prevail for all generations.

            Truth may be suppressed for a time, but it always rises from its apparent grave. Savanarola and Huss were burned at the stake for their faith, but the Reformation was not prevented. Stephen sank in blood, but his place was taken by the young man who stood by to incite the murderers. Four years after Jesus had died on the cross, Stephen was stoned to death for being His disciple; for sharing the good news about Jesus. Christianity was in the midst of heavy persecution to the point of death. The truth about Jesus seemed to be in jeopardy. God’s Word prevailed…Stephen’s confession of faith and preaching of the Gospel was not in vain…God’s Word created faith in a person that was responsible for the deaths and persecution of Christians. 30 years after the death of Stephen his deadliest opponent Saul died for the same holy faith; Saint Paul the Apostle.

            Saint Paul wrote our Epistle to the Ephesians. He wrote as someone that had both persecuted Christians for their faith and was persecuted for His Christian faith. Paul wrote knowing the power Satan had. More importantly he wrote of God’s power to save. My brothers and sisters in Christ we are at war. We are being attacked on every side by Satan and his minions. We must stand firm. Our faith depends on it and more than that the faith of our children and our children’s children depends on it.

            You and I can’t win this battle alone. Left to our own devices we fail and fall away from the faith. But God does not leave us in this battle alone. He has given us the full armor of God. More than that He has given us a Champion; He has given us His Son. Jesus Christ has defeated sin, death, and the devil. The war has already been won. By faith…stand firm…defend the faith, share the Gospel to future generations, and pray for each other. Continue coming to this place…to God’s House. Here God forgives your sins. Here you stand together with your brothers and sisters in Christ. Here you receive Jesus body and blood. Here we share in the foretaste of the victory feast to come with all the saints. Amen.

 

Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. Amen.