He Came Not To Bring Peace, But A Sword

Text:  Matthew 10:34-42

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

It is often believed in America that a healthy relationship is one that has all sorts of happiness, warmth, and smiles.  It is also taught that a healthy church is one that has the sound of joy, an ethos of cheerfulness, the feeling of friendliness, and an abundance of love pouring out of the pews into the city streets.  Yes, it is believed that churches that ‘get along’ with the community and churches that have internal peace and harmony are those that are the real deal. Otherwise stated, it is taught by some that the highest ideal in society and the church is visible love that yields the attitude of tolerance and harmony. 

According to this way of thinking, if one wants to preserve a true and vigorous church that is filled with happy clichés and warm sentiments, then it must mean that peace should be upheld and protected at all costs.  Yes, agreeing to this way of thinking means that anything which threatens the church’s warmth, anything which intimidates the church’s happiness, and anything which may impede the ability for people to get along with each other in the church and with the culture is to be deemed as a threat to love, tolerance, and harmony.  This results in branding everything that bullies peace as an enemy that should most certainly be disregarded or possibly eliminated.  

The problem with this line of thinking though is that Jesus’ words in our Gospel reading from today usurp this ideology.  Loosely stated, the bridegroom of the church, Jesus Christ, said that He did not come to make life cozy. As the Messiah, He revealed that He did not come to somehow please everyone and make everyone happy, so that everyone could get along together forever with warm fuzzy feelings.  Rather, as we heard in our Gospel reading, Jesus came to cut—make a sharp knife cut—between son and father, daughter and mother, bride and mother-in-law, and so forth.  Yes, His coming cuts through warm domestic arrangements and disrupts the wisdom of the world, which results in slander, pain, ridicule, rejection, persecution, unsettledness, and even death of Christians.  The reason why this is the case is that God ripped open the heavens and sent Jesus into this world.  The sending of Jesus results in the invasion of the Kingdom of God into this sinful world.  Indeed, Jesus—the righteous prophet, priest, and king—was born in a manger and journeyed towards the cross.  This foreign invasion was and continues to be an invasion of a message of truth and redemption that stands at odds with the message of the world and stands at odds to the evil one and our sinful nature. 

My friends, contrary to what well-intentioned Christians sometimes say in our day and age, our lives (that are connected to Christ) are not marked by a good life without pain or struggle, as your future gets brighter and brighter, due to being promoted to new levels of glory where your wildest dreams will come true and every single obstacles in your path topples, but rather lives that are marked by the cross.  A cross, that yields experiences of hostility, tension, loss, and persecution from those who are opposed to the message of Christ.  Indeed, "...as soon as [God’s] Word is proclaimed, men will divide into two camps: some will receive it with joy, others will be offended by it and will begin to hate and persecute those who receive." [1] 

“But Pastor!” you may say, “Isn’t Jesus the prince of peace?  Does He not bring and leave us peace?  Didn’t Jesus greet the individuals in the New Testament by saying, ‘Peace to you?’  Were not the disciples bearers of peace?”   Yes, Jesus is the prince of peace and He does deliver us peace.  However, the peace that He accomplishes and delivers is peace with God the Father.  More specifically, the wrath of God has been satisfied by Jesus resulting in complete and total peace for you and me.  There is no condemnation for you in Christ Jesus; there is indeed peace with the Father.  The stirring truth of Christianity though, is that the disciple shall be as his teacher.  Thus, being at peace with the Lord puts you at odds not only with your own sinful nature, but puts you at odds with the evil one and the world around you as it should.  My friends, the story of and message of Jesus caused offense “when it was first preached in places like Nazareth; we should not be surprised that it continues to offend [today]. In fact [we Christians] ought to be troubled when our handling of the Bible never offends.”[2]

It should not come as any surprise, then, that the message of Christ conflicts with the message of the world for this is indeed what Jesus means by the sword that He brings to the earth. But what about the church, should we expect the sword of Jesus as well?  What about the church, should we expect division?  Should there be division, for we are people of the Word, are we not?  We are indeed people of the Word; however, our sinful natures are alive and well in each and every one of us.  We acknowledge this reality each and every Sunday in this church as we confess our sins at the beginning of each Divine Service.  Therefore, because this is the case, when the Word of God is rightly taught in the church it should bring about tension in you and me.  Yes, we can learn to expect that the Word of God will continually come to you and me confronting, exposing, and killing our sinful natures.  Keep in mind that our nature is weak, our view of truth is tainted, and our reason is warped, because of our sinful conditions.  Thus, we need Jesus’ words, words of Scripture, not to be merely spoken and delivered to us to elicit noble feelings, but rather spoken and delivered to us to reform and form us as hearers, to grant us faith.[3]  Simply put the Word of God needs to invade the world of sinners, you and me, and continually function as our only source of wisdom and truth.  Jesus’ words must invade, for apart from the Word the church is left in her sins, blinded, and lost.

Practically speaking, when the Word of God is properly divided and taught we should expect a certain amount of tension not only between the church and world, but within the church as well, whether we want it or not.  This means that an absence of this tension in the church can be seen not as healthy, but rather unhealthy, because quite possibly the Word may have been lost.  Yes, if a church does not have an ounce of tension over the scriptures but only love, happiness, and tranquility, I believe this may be a cause not for celebration but for alarm.  Permit me to explain, “Our heavenly Father wielded the righteous sword of His wrath against His own Son so that you would never have to experience such a brutal eternal death.  He slayed His own Son; poured out His holy and precious blood, for you, so that you may have life, and have it to the fullest.  And this once-slain, but now resurrected and victorious Christ continues this amazing, loving work of the Father on us, His blessed creations, as He endeavors to kill the sin within us that constantly seeks to destroy us, confronting and slaying that sin with the sword of His Law, all so that He can make you alive anew in the life-giving joy of His Gospel; making you alive with His Gospel gifts of His own victorious body and blood.  I know that may not be exactly what you want to hear, but it’s true.  Because you still wear sinful flesh; because you still “occasionally” give in to sin and sinfully stand in opposition to Christ, He loves you enough to wield His sword of righteous love against that sin so that that sin within you can be put to death, and you can have and enjoy the life and peace that He purchased for you with His own body and blood.”[4]

Jesus said that He came not to bring peace to earth but He came to bring the sword.  This is the way that it is. Therefore, we do not seek out tension, nor do we manufacture conflicts and fights in the church and community, but rather we strive for peace, but hold to truth at all costs.  We rejoice when harmony, warmth and tranquility fill the church and overflow to our neighbors, but not at the expense of disregarding and eliminating Jesus and His Word.  For we know that a part from Jesus we do not have eternal peace.   

Baptized Saints, “just like your Lord said to His disciples in last week’s Gospel lesson: Have no fear.  Trust in Him above all things.  God knows what He’s doing, even if it doesn’t make sense to you; even if He didn’t run it by you first for your approval; even if it offends you and [puts you at unease].  God knows what He’s doing.  Be not afraid to let God work, whether it’s wielding the sword or waving the palm branch, dividing and slaying or resurrecting and rejoicing.  Be not afraid.  It is finished.  You have nothing to fear, and you have every reason to rejoice and be at peace.”[5]

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  Amen.

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[1] C.F.W. Walther, The Proper Distinction Between Law And Gospel (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 1928), 265-267.

[2] William Willimon, Shaped by the Bible (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1991), 85.

[3] Robert Kolb and Charles Arand, The Genius of Luther’s Theology: A Wittenberg Way of Thinking for the Contemporary Church (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, 2008), 144.

[4] Jason Zirbel, “Christ’s Surgical Love,” http://lcmssermons.com/index.php?sn=3810 (27 June 2014)

[5] Ibid.

The Servant Is As The Master

Text: Matthew 10:5a, 21-33

In the name of the Father, and of the  Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

You and I are not masters and teachers.  We are servants and disciples.  We are the dependent under the control, guidance, protection, and leading of another.

Yes, throughout the scriptures we see countless metaphors that reinforce this ‘servant-master’ relationship that we have with the Lord.  For example: we Christians are sheep, not the shepherd; we are branches, not the true vine; we are clay, not the potter; we are children of God, not the Father; we are the bride of Christ, not the groom; we are disciples, not the teacher; and we are servants, not the master. 

Problems arise though when we try to usurp this proper order. Yes, as soon as we rise to the level of master, this relationship of ‘master-servant’ ceases to exist and we find ourselves in the place of the master bearing all the responsibilities that come with attempting to be God.

You see, when we violate the First Commandment by promoting ourselves to the master and commander of our own empires, we not only reject our role and status as a servant, but we also reject the Lord as our master.  Our sinful nature is really at fault here, for the sinful flesh cannot stand to be in a subservient role under the Lord.  As foolish as it is, we believe the lie that we can cope with the pressures of the world on our own.  We believe the lie that we can adequately discern the meaning to our life and that we have the ability to actualize our own self-imposed goals.  We naively imagine that we don’t need a master and that we don’t need to be a servant who is dependent on the Lord because we think we can muster up enough wisdom to perceive reality for ourselves.  We think that we can overcome our sin by our own atoning accomplishments.  We presume that we can exert our commanding will over the emotional, physical, and spiritual pressures of life.  It is without a doubt that this notion of being subservient to the Lord offends not only our flesh, but also it offends our North American ideal of independent autonomy and self-sufficiency.  Indeed, we believe the myth that we can and should become greater than our master.  Tragically and sinfully we rebel from this status of being a servant.  Lord have mercy on us.

In our Gospel reading from this morning Jesus states that a disciple is not above the teacher and a servant is not above his master.  Attempting to be above the master is not only a defiant act that breaks the First Commandment; it is not the way things are supposed to be.  You and I are not inherently designed to be the master, to be the teacher, to be the shepherd, and so forth.  Otherwise stated, there is a necessity for someone to be above us and outside of us, namely the Lord.  There is indeed a requirement for us to be acted upon, connected to someone else, and depending on one greater than ourselves. 

Yes, not only is there a need for us to be the servant and the disciple, it is also very good for us as well.  Consider for a moment our previous metaphors.  The shepherd speaks, we hear his voice, and the shepherd then ‘leads’ us as sheep to green pastures and still waters.  As dead branches we are ‘connected’ to the life giving true vine, ‘given’ life and then ‘pruned’ so that we bear much fruit.  As clay, the potter ‘presses’ and ‘shapes’ us into his instruments.  As the bride of Christ, the Groom ‘chases’ after us, ‘cleanses’ us, and ‘binds’ Himself to us.  As an orphaned child, the Father ‘adopts’ us through the blood of Christ and ‘makes’ us a part of His family in the Kingdom.  Thus, as you can see, it is very good for us to be connected to the Lord.

My friends, your identity, worth, and assurance are actually derived from what you obtain from the Lord.  All that you have is borrowed from Him; all that you have is received from Him; who you are, has been given to you and applied to you from Him.  Truly, like a servant you are actually owned by the master.  You are connected to the Lord; you are what the master is. It is enough to be like the master and not ‘be’ the master.

This is what Jesus is attempting to communicate to the Apostles in today’s Gospel reading.  In the Gospel reading from today Jesus is communicating that the disciples and servants are not greater than their master and teacher.  They are also “not ‘independent individuals.’  A disciple is essentially defined by the relationship he has with his teacher, a [servant] by the connection with his master.  So it is with Christians.”[1]  Indeed, the Apostles were disciples and servants who were not greater than Christ, but yet profoundly connected to Him.  The same is true for you and me.  You and I are not greater than Christ; however the Lord is our master and we are His servants for we are not our own.  You have been ransomed from sin, death, and the devil, not with silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ making you His servant.  You are joined to the master and you are like Him.

Being joined to the master though, does bring about certain repercussions for you and me.  You see, being joined to the master means that there will be certain experiences that we can expect and count on.  “What can we expect and count on?” you may ask. Tragically, you may have been told false promises, by well-intentioned Christians, that being a servant of Christ means that you will have a good life without pain or struggle as your future gets brighter and brighter due to being promoted to new levels of glory.  You may have been told that being a disciple of Jesus means you will experience victory over every evil foe and that your wildest dreams will come true, as every obstacle in your path topples.  The stirring truth of Christianity my friends is that the disciple shall be as his teacher, the servant shall be as his master.  Otherwise stated, what you can expect for faithfully standing your ground, faithfully standing on the Rock of Christ and His Word, is that which Jesus received.  Yes, what you can expect as a servant is slander, rejection, persecution, ridicule and possibly death.  Let me explain.  As you walk in vocations such as your jobs, family duties, citizen roles, and so forth, you will find yourself in situations where you will speak the Good News of the reign of God in Jesus.  As you confess Christ though, you will receive the same hostility and persecution that the master received.   The reason why?  Sin has a grip on the human heart and is opposed to the Gospel.  The world rejected Jesus, shall it not reject His servants?  The evil one opposed the Christ, shall he not oppose Christ’s servants?  Hard hearts opposed Christ’s message, shall hearts also not reject it today? 

My friends, you and I live in the twenty-first-century North American context, which means that we have many around us who renounce the exclusive claims of Jesus Christ and the Gospel.  Yes, “many consider Jesus to be one savior among many and Christianity to be one of many religions offering truth that leads to eternal life.  Many will not have the true God to be their only King and Savior.  They will vilify and reject those ‘intolerant,’ ‘narrow-minded’ disciples of Jesus who claim that there is salvation to be found in no one else.”[2]

This is the way that it is.  The servant is as his master.

You who have ears, hear the words of Jesus, “Have no fear.”  Surely, take comfort and do not be afraid, dear saints, for Jesus does not share all of this to demoralize you and me.  Rather, Christ shares this because it is the reality how things actually are for those who are connected to Him.  Thus, take comfort and do not be afraid dear children of God; do not be afraid of failure resulting from enemies of the cross, “because the day will come when every secret of God’s plan in Christ—and all of men’s hidden sin and rebellion—will be made know to all.”[3]  Have no fear and remember that the worst a persecutor can do to you will not destroy your relationship with the Father.  Do not be afraid Christians; Christ’s enemies may physically kill the body but are certainly unable to kill the soul.  Take comfort and fear not, for if persecution and even martyrdom come knocking at your door, you are under the Father’s loving care.  “Do not fear; you are worth more than many sparrows.  The Father has not and will not overlook his suffering ones.”[4]

Fear not little flock for even though you are servants, disciples, sheep, clay, branches, a bride, children, and so forth, you are connected to the Master, the Teacher, the Shepherd, the Potter, the Vine-dresser, the Groom, and the Father.  Thus, no one can snatch you, no one can sever you, and no one can possess you for you belong to the Christ.  Truly you have been bought at a price and are connected to the Lord.   You are His servant, His disciple, His sheep, His children, His redeemed and forgiven sinner. 

The servant is as his master is.  And how is the master?  The master, our Lord Jesus Christ, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.  From thence He will come to you, to resurrect you and take you home. 

You are the servant, He is the master, you belong to Him.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  Amen.

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[1] Jeffery Gibbs, Matthew 1:1-11:1: Concordia Commentary Series (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2006), 525.

[2] Ibid, 526.

[3] Ibid, 528.

[4] Ibid, 531-532.

You Bear A Name

Text: Matthew 28:16-20

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

In today’s Gospel reading Jesus says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.”  Yes, disciples are to be made, that is evangelized and taught, through baptizing and teaching.  But what do we make of this phrase, “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit?”  What does it mean to baptize our children and for us to be baptized ‘in the name’ of the Holy Trinity?  How are we to understand God’s name? 

Names; they are important, are they not?  People spend hours upon hours carefully selecting names of children in the womb.  The background of names is researched.  Names are shared with family for feedback.  Entire websites are devoted to help parents place a name upon a child. 

In marriage a name is also important.  Typically the man proposes to the woman by asking her to marry him.  When the woman travels down the aisle to the altar, everything that properly belongs to her will come into the possession of the groom and everything that properly belongs to the groom will become the possession of the bride.  There is a great joining together of the husband and wife.  In that joining though, the woman typically takes the last name of the husband, coming underneath his care and protection.  The husband’s last name is placed over her as they become one, thus showing that he will nourish and cherish her as Christ loved the Church, giving Himself up for her.  The last name is placed over and upon the wife showing that she is one with her husband and that the husband is one with her.  The last name is placed on the bride showing that the husband will love her, honor her, keep her in sickness and in health and, forsaking all others, remain united to her alone, so long as they both shall live. 

Yes, it appears that names matter.  Names mean something.  Names do things to us. 

More specifically though, what does it mean to be baptized ‘in the name’ of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit?  In ancient Judaism the phrase ‘in the name’ was a term to indicate that a person was being committed to something or someone.  Otherwise stated, in baptism God adopted you into His family, into the kingdom.  The name of God was placed upon you as water was poured over you.  Christian baptism was not a work done by you where you showed and expressed your obedience to God; rather, it was the way that the God of the universe adopted you and it was the definable place where God’s name was connected to you.  It was the way that God bound Himself to you and how you were joined to Him.  When you were baptized in the name of the Father, you received a Father.  When you were baptized in the name of the Son, you received all the benefits of what Jesus accomplished—for you.  When you were baptized in the name of the Holy Spirit, you received the life-giving Spirit, life-sustaining power, and the presence of the Holy Spirit.[1]

Do you realize what a gift this is to be baptized in the name of the Triune God?  Consider for a moment the horror, the despair, and the complete hell of not having the name of God upon us.  Consider the pressure of being bound to ‘our’ names, yes our names alone.  Lest we only apply this consideration to pagans, we must heed to the fact that all of us, yes all of us as baptized saints in Jesus, are prone to wander and are prone to leave the God that we love.  We are prone to forget, dismiss, and rebel from God’s name.  You see your old sinful nature (i.e., the old Adam) does not want the name of God upon him, but lives for your very own name.  Thus, we must confess that we do break the second commandment daily when we live for our own name, rather than living for God’s name.  We violate the second commandment when we live in ways that are not marked with the name of God in Baptism. 

Left to our own names, that is living this life on our own under the banner of self, does create true dreadfulness.  If we live to our own name, we will be under constant compulsion to bolster our own name, to prop it up, establish it, and to make it authoritative.  There is no escape to this.  Living for your own name, forces you to justify your name and it forces you to make sure your name is righteous and whole.  Living by your own name will bring about the need to constantly endorse your name.  Living by your own name will demand continual confirmation of your name and constant renewal of your name.  Tragically if others don’t agree with the prestige, authority, and worth of your name, you will be constantly driven to gain their approval and you may even try to sinfully coerce it from them. 

My friends, living ‘in, upon, and by’ your own name results in the need of having to constantly justify and fulfill your name.  There is no end to it.  It is a perpetual trap.  You become enslaved to this awful situation as all of your time and energy are devoted to seeking and enforcing that which will make your name great.  Yes, all of your time and energy will be devoted to denying and defending that which threatens your name.  Living by your own name will destroy you by constantly driving you to fear; it will destroy you by constantly bringing about a lack of assurance.  Ultimately the harsh reality is that there is only one name by which we are saved, and that is Jesus, not your name.  Your name and my name yields hell and damnation.

Thank God that there is another name for you; a name placed upon you; a name that joins you to the accomplished work of the Crucified One.

Once again considering our Gospel reading from today, Jesus says that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him.  He then proceeds to say that the church is to baptize in the name of the Triune God.  What this means is that because you are baptized into the name of the Triune God—a baptism that is founded upon the authority of Christ Jesus and a baptism that includes the name of Jesus—you are baptized into the one who has all authority.  This means that your baptism has teeth.  Your baptism did stuff and does stuff for you.  Consider this, when you were baptized the Triune God called you by your own name in the waters, severed you from Satan’s kingdom, and joined you to His kingdom by His own name.  Yes, God’s name is powerful and special, it means something.  “It means eternal life, complete forgiveness, and peace that surpasses all understanding.  No other name—not Allah, not Buddha, not Enlightenment or Wisdom or Reason, not even the powerhouse trinity of Oprah, Dr. Phil, and Dr. Oz—can bring about the love, the forgiveness, and the everlasting salvation that's found only in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”[2] 

As baptized children of God, you bear this name on your heads and on your hearts; you are marked and sealed by His name making you one redeemed by Christ the Lord.   This means freedom from your own name.  This means freedom from the urge or pressure to make a name for yourself.  This means that your identity is in who God says you are.  Indeed, you are connected to the Lord in His name which means that you can rest securely knowing that He will never leave you nor forsake you.  He will be with you to the end of the age for you bear His name.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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[1] Concordia Self-Study Commentary (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 1971), 42.

[2] Jason Zirbel, “What’s In A Name” http://lcmssermons.com/index.php?sn=2269 (12 June 2014).

Pentecost - A Work Of God - Not Mystical Emotionalism

Text:  John 7:37-39a and Acts 2:1-21

Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Today is Pentecost Sunday, the day where we hear about the amazing events recorded in the book of Acts.  It is the day that we hear about the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit being poured out.  Yes, at Pentecost some two-thousand years ago, the Holy Spirit was poured out.  Keep in mind though that this was not the first appearance of the Holy Spirit in the Bible, for the Holy Spirit was at work in the Old Testament as well.  Rather, what we hear about in the history book of Acts and what Jesus speaks of in our Gospel reading from today is that the pouring out of the Holy Spirit is a pouring out that is above and beyond the norm.  Yes, the pouring out of the Holy Spirit during Pentecost was not the creation of the Holy Spirit and it was not the first appearing of the Holy Spirit, but rather it was a time where the Holy Spirit fulfilled His Office.

But what does it mean for the Holy Spirit to fulfill His office?  My friends the Holy Spirit functions to reveal and glorify Christ; He preaches Christ and testifies of Him.  This office; this role; this force of His Office, came into effect at Pentecost.  Let me explain, prior to Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, the disciples of Jesus were not ready or even able to function the way Jesus intended them to function.  Otherwise stated, the disciples had not yet witnessed the glorification of Jesus.  They had not witnessed nor did they fully understand Jesus’ glory; glory that was revealed in His crucifixion, burial, resurrection, and ascension.  Furthermore, the Holy Spirit couldn’t fulfill His office until after all these glorious events of Jesus had been completed. 

Today, though, we hear from our reading in Acts that there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind.  Divided tongues as of fire appeared.  The disciples began to speak in other tongues; that is different languages.  Thus, this all resulted in the addition of three-thousand new converts to Christianity.  Indeed, it is truly astonishing to read about the events of the early church.  It is awe-inspiring hearing about the reversal of Babel; yes, the Gospel was not restricted due to language barriers, but rather the Gospel was spoken in various languages so that the message of Christ crucified for the forgiveness of sins could go forth to individuals of every nation under heaven. 

Yes, the Holy Spirit came upon the people in the book of Acts fulfilling His office which resulted in thousands of people hearing the message about Jesus, repenting, and converting; the church grew by thousands due to the Word going forth through evangelistic efforts of a small group of men.  This was all possible because it was the day where the Holy Spirit was poured out above and beyond the norm, as prophesied in the Old Testament. 

But why do we take time to contemplate this event in the church each and every year on Pentecost Sunday?  Not only is this event a part of our Christian history, but it is also important for us to consider due to many Christians failing to grasp who the Holy Spirit is and what He does.  Otherwise stated, many Christians unfortunately fall into two errors.  On the one hand there are some Christians who confuse the work of the Holy Spirit with mystical emotionalism and vague spiritual romanticism. On the other hand there are other Christians who are apathetic about the practical influence and workings of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

You see, on the one hand we fall when we are tempted into trying to repeat and manufacture the historic events of Pentecost.  Mistakenly churches and individuals can attempt to reproduce the great events of Pentecost by trying to conjure up awe and inspiration in the church so that the church can experience its own Pentecost resulting in massive influxes of new converts and an increase to church budgets.  “If we can just be joyous enough and if we can call down the Spirit and overcome our feelings of inadequacy, we may just see another Pentecost in our midst.”  Tragically there is a temptation among all of us that if we just put on the biggest, the most entertaining, and the most uplifting show in town, then we can create a twenty-first-century Pentecost and our wildest dreams will come true.  We say to ourselves, “We can’t make tongues of fire appear and we can’t make the sound of a rushing violent wind, but we can spice up our worship service and we create an evangelistic fervor if we just try hard enough.”  Sadly my friends, we cannot call down the Holy Spirit by force through our own agendas and He is not sent as a reward due to our own spiritual endeavors.   Rather, He is sent to us as a gift due to Jesus’ request to the Father.  Furthermore, we do not possess the Holy Spirit as a personal possession where He is put into our debt.  It is idolatry to attempt to tame God and to attempt to harness the Lord for our own personal plans.  Finally, we don’t stand a chance in creating a personal Pentecost.  We don’t and we can’t re-produce what occurred during that Pentecost some two-thousand years ago.  Why not?  “You see, the disciples never set out to have this Pentecost experience.  They didn’t organize focus groups and community polls to find out what the public masses were looking for so that they could “scratch the itch of the masses” and make a big public splash.  They didn’t sit down at a board meeting and discuss membership data, and formulate marketing plans and advertising so that they could increase their market share.  They didn’t even wake up that morning with the intention of going out from behind the safety of their locked doors.  It wasn’t their plans and purposes and intentions that made that first Pentecost what it was.  It was Almighty God.

It was the work of the Holy Spirit, who not only spoke the Truth of the Gospel through these men, endowing them with the gift of proclamation in a foreign tongue, but who also summoned a huge crowd of people to these guys’ front yard so that the crowd could hear the Gospel proclaimed to them. Remember: The text tells us that the sound of this great rushing wind caused everyone to come running so that they could find out what was going on.  Faith comes by hearing.  This hearing led the masses right to the source and wellspring of the Gospel.  These men didn’t manufacture anything.  In terms of “success,” these men were grossly inadequate, in and of themselves.  Left to their own devices and schemes and plans, they would’ve produced nothing but ruin and despair.  This Pentecost miracle was all God’s working.  All glory and honor (and credit) belongs to Him.”[1]

Yes, Pentecost is not something that is found in our own emotions or is conjured up from our own energy.  With that said though, was Pentecost nothing more than a unique historic event?  Did the Holy Spirit only operate at one point and time?  Does the Holy Spirit operate in the world and church today?  Is the Holy Spirit dead or is He alive?

The Holy Spirit, as we learned several weeks ago, was not given as a reward for your prayers or given because of your obedience and doings but rather He comes at the request of the Son to the Father.  As a gift, the Holy Spirit is given to you through the Word in order to be your constant companion.  The Holy Spirit stands aside you, counsels you, helps you, teaches you, reminds you of scripture, convicts you of sin, points you to Jesus, guides you, and gives all glory to Christ. Indeed, Jesus comforts His disciples and us by this profound promise.  He promises that He will not leave us but will continue to come to us through the Counselor and live within us through faith.[2] 

Furthermore, like Pentecost, the Holy Spirit does not and will not bring the message of Christ to you vacuous and vague generalities.  No, His message will have substance; it will be the certain and absolute truth, for He will preach what He receives from the Father and from Christ.  Unlike the spirit of lies, the devil, and his mobs, the Holy Spirit will preach about Jesus and will Glorify Christ so that people will believe in Christ.  “In Christ your sins are forgiven.  Christ died—for you.  Rejoice and be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven.  Fear not, little flock; it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.  Christ Himself bore your sins in His body on the tree.  There is now, therefore, no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  It is finished—for you.”  Yes, one should know and learn that the Holy Spirit will be in and with the Word.  He will guide you into all truth, in order that you may believe it, use it as a weapon, be preserved by it against all the lies and deception of the devil, and prevail in all trials and temptations.

While it is true that we cannot recreate Pentecost by our own doings, it is not true that Pentecost is a mere isolated and unimportant event.  Rather, the whole point of Pentecost is that it is an event where God works in spite of us.  It is an event where the Holy Spirit comes to the disciples to empower them to confess Christ.  It is an event where the bold proclamation of Christ went forth for the forgiveness of sins.  It is an event where the Holy Spirit fulfills His office.  It is an event where the Holy Spirit through the Word creates hunger and thirst in souls and then fills souls with the satisfying message of Christ crucified.  It is event that continues to this day because the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity who is active in calling by the Gospel, enlightening, sanctifying and keeping.  Yes, calling you, enlightening you, sanctifying you, and keeping you.

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

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[1] Jason Zirbel, “Extraordinarily Ordinary & Adequate” http://lcmssermons.com/index.php?sn=3791 (7 June 2014)

[2] Paraphrase of the Third Article of the Apostle’s Creed from Luther’s Small Catechism.

Glory Hidden In Wounds

Text: John 17:1-11

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Glory: it is a word that communicates beauty, splendor, majesty, and nobility. The word glory is typically attached to persons or things that have great renown, fame, prestige, honor, eminence, and acclaim. Indeed, something that is described as glorious is something that has striking magnificence and brings about feelings of delight. But what about the word ‘glorify?’ The word glorify is a verb. Thus, to glorify someone is to show and give him or her respect and reverence and honor, so that it can be seen by others. To glorify someone is to make the oohhs and aahhs public and visible. Typically to glorify someone is not something that is done in private that is, behind closed doors; but rather, is done publicly so that all can see and know that they are in the presence of somebody of worth and in the presence of a glorious event to be remembered.

As we heard in our Gospel reading this morning, Jesus is praying to the Father and mentions the word ‘glorify.’ Jesus prays, “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.” Yes, Jesus and His disciples are in the upper room the night before His passion; it was the night that Jesus instituted the Holy Supper. From that upper room Jesus taught the disciples and then He began to pray in chapter seventeen of John’s Gospel. As He prayed He confessed that the time had come. The time had indeed come for Jesus to complete God’s plan to save the world; the climax of Jesus’ saving work was at hand. Glory was going to be bestowed upon Christ and upon the Father. The time of glory was near.

As Jesus prayed and the disciples listened I can imagine them looking at each other with excitement when they heard the magical word ‘glorify.’ I can envision them being like little children, with heads intently bowed and hands firmly clasped together for a brief moment, that is, until their heads jolted upwards in delight and their eye lids forcefully opened showing pupils of glimmering hope; “Did He just say glory?” Indeed, the word glory typically brings about euphoric feelings in each and every one of us as we anticipate something that will be incredible and awe-inspiring.

With that said, what do you consider the disciples were thinking when they heard that enchanting word ‘glory?’ What were they thinking when Jesus said, “Father, the time has come. Glorify the Son”? Was it time for Jesus to plunge into the crooked religious system of that time, make heads roll, and unleash vengeance on those who ridiculed Him? Was it time for Jesus to gather, establish, and orchestrate a revolution to overthrow the powerful Roman Government, thus establishing His own dynasty for years to come? Was it time for Jesus to clean up the corruption in the Temple? Was it time for Jesus to call on His Father and thus have more than twelve legions of angels at His disposal to make things happen? Keep in mind though, if any of these scenarios would have been the glorification that Jesus talked about, the events of Christ’s cross would not have happened and frankly my friends, if the events of Christ’s cross would not have happened, you and I would still be in our sins and would be eternally damned forever.

Therefore, we must ask ourselves, what glory was about to be revealed? How was Jesus to be glorified? As we peak forward in the Gospel of John, and as I have already alluded to, we see the betrayal and arrest of Jesus leading to His crucifixion. Could it be that the glory Jesus talked about is found in His betrayal, flogging, and death on the cross? You see, while we look for glory in power, wisdom, and generosity, God’s glory is found in the Crucified One. It you take a moment to consider this, it is completely backwards to our way of thinking. For example, at the cross there was nothing great or beautiful or attractive. Rather, at the cross there was humiliation, disgrace, weakness, sorrow, and an agonizing death. Thus, at the events of Jesus’ cross we don’t see what we would typically call glory. The cross is an appalling and depressing sight of the Crucified One. However, even though it does not look like glory to us, Jesus states in our Gospel reading today that He is glorified at the cross and the Father is glorified by Jesus’ death on the cross.

At this point you should be drawing the conclusion that God’s view of glory is quite different than our view of glory. In fact God’s display of glory contradicts all of our senses and all of our thoughts of what glory actually is. Yes, it is indeed true that God’s ways are not our ways and our ways are not God’s ways. Furthermore, His thoughts are not our thoughts and our thoughts are not His thoughts. The way God sees things and defines reality is typically the very opposite to how mankind sees things and understands reality. Let me give you a couple of examples.

• We believe that the greatest is the one who is first; however, the Bible says that the last shall be first and the first will be last. 
• We believe that one who wins is victorious; however, the Bible says that victory is found in surrendering. 
• We believe that the spiritually rich are blessed; however, the Bible says blessed are those who are spiritually bankrupt. 
• We believe that those who laugh and have joy are the ones who are truly comforted; however, the Bible says that those who mourn shall be comforted. 
• We believe that an example of greatness is an independent, autonomous, and self-sustaining adult; however, the Bible says that the greatest are dependent, subservient, and needy children. 
• We believe that mankind is intrinsically good; however, the Bible says that mankind has an evil heart. 
• We believe that mankind is free; however, the Bible says that mankind is bound. 
• We believe that life happens as we truly live; however, the Bible says that we must die to truly live. 
• We believe glory is found in victory; however, the Bible says that glory is found in Christ’s death.

My friends “the cross of Christ demands faith contrary to what our eyes see. What our eyes often see as good can often be sin in the eyes of God. What human wisdom considers good fortune and there strives for—health, success, affluences—these things God in His wisdom may see as harmful for a person’s good and so denies them. [More specifically, at the cross] our eyes see there only suffering, weakness, the agony of being forsaken by God, the disgrace, the crushing triumph of evil and the victory of death. But for faith all these things are the . . . victory of the world’s Redeemer.”[1]   You see, Martin Luther once commenting on this stated, “When God makes alive, he does it by killing, when he justifies he does it by making men guilty, when he exalts to heaven he does it by bringing down to hell.”[2]   Otherwise stated, what this all means is that at the cross—where Christ was cursed, where Christ was put to death, and where Christ was crushed—there at the cross hidden deeply in the blood, suffering, and death of Jesus was the greatest event that the worlds has ever known. Yes, hidden in the nail scarred hands, hidden in the pierced side, and hidden in the words, “It is Finished,” was the redemption of mankind from the curse of the Law—your redemption from the curse. Hidden in the Crucified One was the demise of death—your death. Hidden in the bleeding savior was the destruction of the Evil One—for you. Hidden in the events of the cross is the forgiveness of sins—your sins. Hidden in the cross is the fulfillment of God’s plan to save the world—which includes you. Hidden in the cross is complete and total glory; glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

Jesus is glorified at the cross. Jesus is glorified in the resurrection and His ascension. The Father is glorified in the redemption of sinful mankind to Himself. Glory is found at the climatic work on the cross. It is through shame and suffering of the cross that the Father and Son glorify each other, resulting in your redemption. This. Is. glory.

Indeed, Jesus is glorious in all that was accomplished—for us. Indeed, the Father is glorious that this plan of salvation was enacted—for us. Indeed, the Holy Spirit is glorious because He has called us by the Gospel, enlightened us with His gifts, sanctified and kept us in the true faith. We are indeed recipients of this great glory.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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Sources:
[1] Hermann Sasse, We Confess Anthology (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 1999), 50.
[2]Martin Luther, WA 18, 633 (American Edition 33, 62).