There Is No Middle Ground For You, But There Is A Strong Man

Text:  Luke 11:14-28

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

There is no neutrality, no middle ground, and no third party ticket in regard to our eternal destiny.  A person may choose the middle road of being an Independent, rather than a Democrat or Republican; a person may choose to drive a Toyota pickup, rather than a Ford or a Chevy; and a person may choose Minot State University, rather than NDSU or UND; however, in regard to eternity and the spiritual realm, there are only two options – God’s kingdom or the Devil’s kingdom.  Otherwise stated, there is no third alternative, no middle ground, and no third kingdom – it does not work this way in regard to our spiritual identity.  Just two kingdoms: the kingdom of Light and the kingdom of evil. 

Now, “each of these kingdoms has their distinctive mark and power.  Each makes an appeal, each claims its followers.”[1]

On the one hand, the kingdom of evil goes the way of self-independence, where a person: rejects God’s will and grace, exalts their own desires, winks at filth, embraces material things over people, and boasts of their own freewill to choose whatever makes themselves happy. That is right, the kingdom of evil teaches mankind to depend on their own abilities to obtain whatever religious endeavor they so choose.  Furthermore, those in the kingdom of evil hate the Lord and they despise His Word as well.  They call anarchy freedom, murdering of babies in the womb is apparently compassion, sexuality immortality is love, and the Biblical labels of man and woman are apparently oppressive.  Also, according to the kingdom of evil: being discerning is categorized as bigotry, speaking the truth in love is called hate speech, integrity is called intolerance, and the wisdom of the cross is considered foolishness.  For the kingdom of evil, 2 plus 3 is 4 and sometimes 6, depending on the circumstances and depending on whose feelings might be hurt.  The kingdom of evil is for the strong and for those who are self-sufficient and for those who can pull themselves up by their own bootstraps.  It is for those who do not need a Savior, but are a savior unto themselves. 

On the other hand, the kingdom of Light – the kingdom of God – goes the way of beggarly-dependence, where dependent like children: need God’s will and grace, confess their sins, acknowledge virtue and goodness, receive material things as gifts, and exalt the Lord who frees bound sinners such as themselves.  At its center, the kingdom of God teaches its members to depend upon the Lord’s Word and Sacraments for forgiveness, life, and salvation. It teaches its members to speak the truth in love, even when it hurts.  It teaches that the Word of God is the standard and source of ethics, faith, rule, and reality, even when it contradicts culture.  For the kingdom of God: thoughts, actions, and desires are captive to the Word of God and not the aspirations of mankind.  The kingdom of God is for losers and sinners and the sick and the beggarly and children and the weak and those who can’t pull themselves up by their own bootstraps.  It is for those who are in need of a Savior, who are spiritually bankrupt.         

As you have just heard, these two kingdoms are rather different, are they not?  Indeed, they are not the same and there really is no compromise between them.  What this means for you and for me and for our neighbor is that there is no middle kingdom and it is impossible to be in both kingdoms at the same time.  Otherwise stated, you cannot straddle both kingdoms, for the divide between them is just too wide and too deep and too contradictory.  Frankly stated, you, I, and your neighbor are completely in one kingdom or in the other kingdom. Whether a person is male or female, young or old, a parent or a child, white collar or blue color, an employee or a boss, there are only two realms that they can be placed in – the kingdom of God or the kingdom of the Satan.  No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.[2]

Tragically, many people in the kingdom of evil wish to be called Christians.  Blindly they wish to be neutral.  They do not want to make a complete break with the kingdom of evil.  “They want to be considered a Christian brother, but when they see that Christians are busy on behalf of God’s kingdom and against Satan’s in a completely different way than they are, they say that that is uncalled for.”[3]  As a result, they will slander and accuse Christians calling them fanatics or calling them as too strict or too intolerant.  They may even say that these Christians should give in a little bit or simply learn to accommodate for the changing times.  Whether these accusers know this or not, they are attempting to have an alliance with the kingdom of evil, while thinking they are in the kingdom of God.  They are attempting to use Satan’s ways in a good way for the advancement of the kingdom of God.

Dear friends, we may not use Satan’s weapons in the cause of God.  As we learned in our Gospel lesson, Satan will not have a divided kingdom; therefore, how can a divided Christianity be for Christ?  Christ is not divided.  Furthermore, Christ does not war against the kingdom of evil using the armies of the Devil.  Therefore, what gives us the right or the audacity to think that we can make an alliance with the kingdom of evil?  This is the thinking of a fool, for our Lord explicitly states that if His church allies herself with anything that is evil, she goes the way of separating herself from Christ. 

Now, there are those who will hear that there is no middle kingdom, no middle ground.  These individuals may conclude that it is best to drop the ball and simply go home – to not play a part in either kingdom.  They will confess,

“I am neither for nor against the kingdom of evil or the kingdom of Light.  I simply choose not to play this game!  I want no part of it.   I do not want to play spiritual politics.  I want to be known for what I am for, not what I am against.  Count me out of all of this!”

Again, there is no such thing as neutrality.  There is no such thing as an alliance.  You, I, and your neighbor are either with Jesus, or against Him.  That means that even if a person could take the middle ground, they would still be against the kingdom of God. 

So, my dear friends, I ask you this morning, which kingdom are you a part of?  Have you tried to straddle the fence?  Have you tried to compromise?  Have you attempted to make an alliance?  Which kingdom do you belong to? 

If you have gone the way of trying to make a middle ground or have tried to make an alliance with evil, repent.  I say this with love for you and for me, repent!  Why should you and I repent?  You and I need repentance, for that is not who we presently ‘are’ or who we ‘belong’ to.  Yes, you and I do not belong to the kingdom of evil, we are not of darkness, and Satan is not our master.  Sure, we sin daily and we are sinners by nature, like all people; however, you ‘were’ dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked.  You ‘followed’ the course of this world.  You ‘were’ ruled by the prince of the power of the age.  You ‘were’ children of wrath.[4]  But all of this changed.  The strong man Jesus Christ came for you and made you His own – nothing will ever be the same. 

You, who have ears, hear!  

God in mercy looked upon our predicament and had pity.  “He promised one who would overthrow the kingdom of Satan.  He promised He would restore the rule of God’s love in the hearts of people, that is establish the kingdom of God.”[5]  And He has.  You do not belong to evil!  You do not belong to the kingdom of darkness.  You do not belong to Satan’s kingdom.  Satan has no authority, no voice, no power, and no say over you.  This means that we shall not straddle the kingdoms.  We shall not make allegiances.  Satan has no part of us and we have no part of his evil lies and kingdom. 

While it is true that when you were conceived and born into this world that you were conceived and born under the power of the Devil and the condemnation of sin, it is not true that you are now.  You are not ruled by Satan and you are not under sin’s condemnation. Why is this so?  At your baptisms the Strong Man, Jesus Christ, came to you.  He crossed the great divide between the kingdom of evil and the kingdom of Light, in order to rescue you in the mighty waters of baptism.  As the stronger man, Jesus declared that the powers of the Devil must be cast aside – away from you – so that room could be made for the Holy Spirit.[6]  At your baptisms there was a hostile takeover as Christ, the stronger man, came and rescued you from the dominion of darkness, placing you in the kingdom of Light by mighty water-words upon your head and heart. 

Now, as children of God’s kingdom, “at every turn we may see the efforts of Satan to dethrone Christ from our hearts.  [In fact,] the more earnestly we mean to have the rule of Christ’s love in our lives, the more we shall feel of the devil’s efforts. . . . The devil doesn’t much bother with the godless for the time being.  They are safe in his bag, so he bends his special attacks on the children of God.”[7]  The more we cling to Christ, the more the Devil will attack.  The more we are shaped and formed by Lord’s Word and Sacraments, the louder Satan will yell and scream.  The more that we remain steadfast in God’s Word, speaking the truth in love, the more the world will scorn and slander us. 

But do not be discouraged.  Satan’s kingdom will come to an end, while the kingdom of God remains forever.  Furthermore, the decisive battle between the two kingdoms of evil and Light has already been won by Christ on the cross.  Therefore, when the Devil attacks, when temptations arise, and when the world scorns us, we shall fear not.  But rather, we will confess,

“Satan, I am not yours.  Christ has died for me, I am baptized, I have been bought back, and I am forgiven.  You, sly Serpent, have been blinded and are muted; shut your face evil one; be gone.  I belong to the stronger man, Christ crucified and resurrected.”

From faith we will also laugh in the face of the Devil.  We make the sign of the cross, confess our sins unto the Lord, receive forgiveness, and tell Satan to depart from us, for it is Jesus Christ who sits on the throne of our hearts, minds, and lives – now, tomorrow, and into eternity.

Jesus is the stronger man; you commune with the Lord; you are of the kingdom of God. 

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

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[1] Fred H. Lindemann, The Sermon and The Propers: Volume II (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 1958), 70.

[2] Paraphrase of Matthew 6:24.

[3] C.F.W. Walther, Gospel Sermons: Volume 1 (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2013), 180.

[4] Paraphrase of Ephesians 2:1-3.

[5] Norman Nagel, Selected Sermons of Norman Nagel: From Valparaiso to St. Louis, (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2004), 94-95.

[6] Paraphrase of Martin Luther’s Baptism Rite. 

[7]Norman Nagel, Selected Sermons, 96. 

Not Too Much; Not Too Little

Text:  Exodus 16:2-8 and Proverbs 30:7-9

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

What do we mean when we say ‘daily bread?’ 

What do we mean when we ask for ‘daily bread’ in the Lord’s Prayer?

Are we praying for a communion unleavened bread wafer?  Are we praying for flour, flour that is cooked with yeast and water?  Or are we praying for something else other than a wheat product? 

The words, ‘daily bread,’ seem to refer to simple baked bread; however, when we pray for our daily bread in the Lord’s Prayer, we are actually making a very comprehensive request.  In other words, when we ask for daily bread, we are asking for everything that is necessary for us to live and exist in this earthly life.  This includes bread and it also includes all other foods, as well as water, clothing, land, shelter, shoes, money, coats, beds, supplies, and even air to breathe.  That is right, when we pray for daily bread we are praying to the Father for everything that has to do with the support and needs of our physical bodies.

Now, even though the Lord provides and gives these blessings bountifully, even to pagans, the Lord wishes you and me to ask for these physical blessings, so that we may realize that we have received all of it from His hand.[1]  Yes, we pray in this fourth petition of the Lord’s Prayer that God would lead us to realize that He is the one that gives daily bread and that we can receive this daily bread with thanksgiving.[2]  

And yet, even though the Lord provides daily bread for you and for me – exactly what we need and not what we think we need – we grumble.  Tragically, the daily bread never seems to be enough for us poor miserable sinners; we always feel as if we are shortchanged.  On the other hand, if we are not complaining about being shortchanged, it seems that we complain about having too much daily bread for us to handle.  Indeed, we either complain due to not having enough daily bread or we complain with having too much.  We grumble and grumble and grumble. 

We see this grumbling in our Old Testament reading from Exodus 16 as well.  In Exodus 16 we hear that the Israelites are full of grumbling; a grumbling that turns into complaining unbelief – even accusation against the Lord.  As a result, God hears their grumbling and graciously provides them manna –that is bread - from heaven.  This manna – this bread – was provided so that the Israelites would know that it was the Lord that brought them out of Egypt.  It was provided so that they might see the glory of the Lord.  It was provided as a gift to sustain Israel’s need of food and nutrients.   

Though you and I do not get special manna from heaven delivered upon our front lawns, we are really no different from Israel – the Lord daily provides for our bodily needs.  For starters, the Lord has blessed us with the absence of contention, murder, sedition, war, famine, drought, plagues, and catastrophic storms.  He has also given us shelter, clothing, protection, food, and drink.  All daily bread; all gifts; all for you and for me!  However, this daily bread is not good enough for us.  We grumble and want more.  We want today’s manna; we want tomorrow’s manna; we want our neighbor’s manna, as well.  And in seeking to keep our bellies full of manna, we hoard and scrape and store it up for ourselves, only to find that we are holding on to moldy bread with clinched grumbling fists, rather than open hands gratefully receiving the gift of daily bread.  We can so easily resort to grumbling bitterness of unbelief.

For grumblers, like you and me, it is not enough to be spared from natural calamity and it is not enough to have a regular fill of daily bread, we want our daily fill and our neighbor’s as well.  And then when we have accumulated daily bread from every nook and cranny of life, we complain because we have too much.      

Because of this we pray the Lord’s Prayer.  We pray in the third petition that we would see and realize the divine providence of God who provides us our daily bread.  We pray that we would be freed from our grumbling to see our daily sustenance as coming from God.  We pray that our selfishness would be crucified, so that we might share with those who are unable to work and those in need.  We pray that we would be able to see that God makes the earth fruitful and blesses us with the ability to work and receive all things from Him.  We pray that we would be freed from worrying about the future, freed to live contently in the confidence that the Lord will give us what we need day by day.

Dear friends, stated bluntly, everything that we have – from the air that we breathe to the socks on our feet; from the clothes that we wear to the food that we eat – is all divine gift!  We can take zero credit for any of it.  It is all gift.  If God were to withdraw His hand, nothing would prosper or last for any length of time.  Therefore, when we grumble over wanting more daily bread, we are not only communicating that we don’t trust God for our daily needs, but we are also inadvertently communicating that God somehow owes us our daily bread.  We demonstrate our unbelief and we are actually accusing the Lord.[3]    

O Lord have mercy on us. 

There is another reason why we pray this petitions of the Lord’s Prayer and that is due to the evil one.  You see, the devil’s whole purpose is to either take away or interfere with God’s gift of daily bread or to give us so much daily bread that we no longer trust the Lord.  In other words, the devil not only attempts to kill, steal, and destroy our faith through spiritual lies, but he also attempts to overthrow and obstruct the gifts of daily bread.  If murder, war, famine, unrestful governments, and rampant diseases, can prevent and impede daily bread for people, the devil is all for that.  On the other hand, if the devil can convince you and me to unjustly take our neighbor’s daily bread; he may be able to get us to a place of security where we trust in the daily bread itself and not the giver of the daily bread.

And so, we pray.  We pray against our grumbling and against the devil.  We pray for our daily bread.  We pray that we would realize that our entire life and all that we have depends on the Lord.  We pray that our grumbling flesh would be crucified.  We pray that the devil would be subdued.  We pray that the Lord would give us daily bread, just like He did for the Israelites, so that we would daily rest in the good gifts that are given to us, gifts for our physical needs. 

Blessed Baptized Saints, the Lord is so very good to us.  All that we have is gift.  Gifts given to us.  Not too much that we become full with riches and then tempted to rely on these things, rather than God.  And not too little, that we are tempted to steal.  But just enough to sustain us day to day, as we continually receive the gifts of Word and Sacraments for the forgiveness of our sins. 

Air, food, water, clothing, shelter, shoes, land, money, goods, peace, eternal life, salvation, and forgiveness:  all given for you and for me from our Gracious Lord.       

Lord, teach us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread,” as you surely do give to each and every one of us our daily bread as well as daily forgiveness. 

In the name of Jesus:  Amen.

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[1] Martin Luther, The Large Catechism , Part III: The Lord’s Prayer. The Book of Concord Edited by Robert Kolb and Timothy J. Wengert (Fortress, 2000), 451.

[2] Ibid. 304.

[3] Ibid, 451.

The Pain of Being a Christian

Text: Genesis 32:22-32

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

The theologian C.S. Lewis once famously stated,

“I didn’t go to religion to make me ‘happy.’  I always knew a bottle of Port [that is wine] would do that.  If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity.”

What C.S. Lewis rightly understood was that when a person becomes a Christian, the real battle begins. 

Dear friends, many people wrongly believe that when a person is baptized and converted that they can then take it easy, like someone who has arrived in a safe harbor after a stormy voyage; as if the soul is forever safe and never need fear shipwreck.[1]  “I am a Christian; I no longer struggle; let’s go fly a kite; all is well!” 

While it is true that there is rest in Christ – no condemnation in Christ, peace from the present and future wrath of God – this rest does not mean that there is rest from ongoing struggles.  That is to say, it is somewhat misleading to speak of Christianity in a way to imply that Christians do not experience scrapes and bruises and bumps, for when we are baptized and converted the real struggle actually begins. 

Now, if we were baptized, converted, and ‘taken’ unto Jesus immediately to heaven, it would be true that the Christian life is without struggle; however, after baptism and conversion, we Christians live this life in the vale of tears – life under the sun.  We are not immediately zapped to heaven, but remain in the here and now.  This means that as we live this life in the vale of tears, we continue to live with the constant struggle against our sinful nature, the struggle to put to death whatever belongs to the old Adam.  Furthermore, we are continually attacked by the world and the devil.  This means that if we do not continue to battle against these great adversaries, we risk falling under their control and all is lost.

Even though we struggle against the sinful nature, the world, and the devil, there is yet another struggle that has not been mentioned yet.  This struggle is rather difficult for us to accept and embrace.  The struggle that I speak of is God Himself.  Yes, this other struggle is a struggle with God Himself, a holy anguish, if you will. 

We actually see this struggle with God – this holy anguish – in our Old Testament reading from Genesis.  In our Old Testament reading we hear about Jacob wrestling with God.  Jacob is returning home after twenty years of being away.  Then one night Jacob is confronted by not just any ordinary man, but the Lord of Glory, God Himself.  Long story short, they wrestled down in the dirt, fighting all night, ultimately resulting in the Lord blessing Jacob.  In other words, in our Old Testament reading we hear about God dealing rather crudely with Jacob.  It could be said that the Lord was just playing around with Jacob; however, to Jacob it was much more than just mere play – it was anguish.  For starters, Jacob did not know at first who he was wrestling with; he did not know the outcome of the fight; his face was obviously scraped up from the rough earth; and his hip was eventually put out of joint. 

Now what does all this mean to us?  The answer is that like Jacob, the Christian will experience holy anguish – wrestling matches with God from time to time.  Jacob did it physically, whereas you and I will experience this wrestling with God when God uses different circumstances of life to put our faces into the ground and to figuratively put our hips out of joint.  To rephrase this, contrary to what Jacob may have thought at the time, the Lord wanted to make Jacob a fighter, to teach him tenacity – and faithfulness.  Jacob was already God’s child of the promise.  He had already spoken with God and received God’s assurances.  Jacob had the promise.  But He still had fear!  So God came to wrestle with him and drive out fear and gift him faith.[2]  And like God coming to wrestle with Jacob, God comes to you and me, not to destroy us, but to train and strengthen us in the faith.  So, He gives you and me holy anguish. 

It is sometimes difficult to discern whether our anguish comes from the flaming arrows of the devil or the mocking voice of the world or the self-centered sinful nature or from God Himself.  Thus, we may wonder the source of our anguish; however, the better question is to ask is this, “What does the anguish serve?” 

Dear friends, the devil tries to kill, steal, and destroy our faith.  The world attempts to pull us into its blowing winds of vanity.  The sinful flesh endeavors to turn us selfishly inward.  The Lord disciplines us, refines us, and presses upon us.  This can all come about in the forms of affliction, poverty, sickness, death, disgrace, misfortune, and darkness of the soul.  It can feel like we are alone and that even God is not treating us like His beloved children, but rather an enemy.  Regardless though of the source of affliction, all these afflictions serve the same goal.  That goal is to run you and me back the other way to the security and confidence in the Lord.  Yes, all of these afflictions and this holy anguish are meant to ‘drive’ us back to the Lord’s Word and Sacraments – the Word, our Baptisms, the Bread, and the Wine, which are for us. 

So, when the devil tries to kill, steal, and destroy your faith… run back to Christ and confess,

“I belong to Jesus and He belongs to me.  I am baptized; go back to hell where you belong evil one.  You cannot devour me; I will not fear you; I am a Christian.”

When the floaty and empty ideologies of the world attempt to sweep you into falsehoods… run back to Christ’s Word and confess,

“I am not so easily enticed by your blind speculations and floaty unrealistic desires, for I am captive to the Word of God.”

When your sinful flesh hungers and thirsts for that which is sin… run back to Christ, make the sign of the cross, and confess,

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

And when the Lord disciplines and refines you; when you are experiencing holy anguish – even if the Lord should cast you into the depths of hell and place you in the midst of devils, you shall believe and know that you are saved because you have been baptized, you have been absolved, you have received the pledge of salvation, the body and blood of the Lord in the Holy Supper.[3] 

Dear Baptized Saints, are you experiencing trials and temptations and pain and fear and afflictions and worry and loneliness and darkness and hell and evil and discipline and refinement and misfortune and disgrace?  If so, here is Christ for you in His Word.  Here is Christ for you in the true body and blood, for your forgiveness, you blessing, your comfort, and your strengthening – so that you may know that the Lord is with you. 

Dear Baptized Saints, when trials and temptations and pain and fear and afflictions and worry and darkness and hell and evil and discipline and refinement and misfortune and disgrace come at you, you as the afflicted shall live by faith!  Faith clings to Christ and His gifts, which are yours today.  From faith, we see and receive Christ in the midst of everything that comes at us in life.  “From faith, we see the righteousness of Christ that is ours; and from faith, hope is renewed in the coming glory of the kingdom.” [4]  

Dear Baptized Saints, your flesh and heart may fail, your lives may go upside down, your bones may get brittle, afflictions may come and go, holy anguish may press down and release, the flaming arrows may fly high or low, however, the Lord is the strength of your hearts and is indeed yours forever.  

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

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[1] C.F.W. Walther, Walther’s Works: Gospel Sermons Volume 1 (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2013), 167.

[2] Robin Fish, “Got a New Name,” LCMS Sermons, http://lcmssermons.com/index.php?sn=4071 (accessed February 20, 2016).

[3] Martin Luther, Luther’s Works: Volume 6 ed. Jaroslav Pelikan (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 1970), 131.

[4] Steven A. Hein, The Christian Life: Cross or Glory (Irvine, CA: New Reformation Press, 2015), 115.

The Lord Remembers Lloyd Adermann

The following is posted with family permission.  May the Lord give to the family of Lloyd Adermann and to all who mourn, comfort in their grief and a sure confidence in the Lord's loving care.

Text: Luke 23:39-46

To Him who loves us and has washed us from our sins by His blood and made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever:  Amen.

My condolences to you: Leona, Bob, Darla, Laverne, Stanley, and Carol, as well as the rest of the family of Lloyd for your loss of a husband, father, grandfather, and friend. 

As Lloyd’s pastor over the last two and a half years, I was able to get to know Lloyd quite well.  I was able to hear the stories of his great horse getting back on its two legs.  I was able to serve Lloyd communion.  I was able to hear him confess the Small Catechism.  I was able to be with him when he cried.  I was able to see his tender smile.  With that said though, I must confess that I did not know Lloyd as you did, for I never was able to know him before his dementia.  You see, I was always that strange face to Lloyd.  He never remembered me from visit to visit; but I was blessed to remember him. 

I assume that as a family, it has been a struggle over the last several years with Lloyd battling dementia.  I certainly do not want to assume to understand everything that goes on with dementia, but I do know that it can be difficult when a close loved one forgets precious memories, forgets names, forgets birthdays and anniversaries, and can even forget faces.  I can only imagine and assume how difficult it might be to not be able to remember these precious things.  There is no doubt about it that the loss of memory can be unsettling for people who experience dementia, as well as for those who care for them.

With all of that said, dementia can also bring about an unsettling feeling in thinking about the Christian faith.  In other words, how do we handle it when a person’s memory may forget precious scripture verses?  What happens when people forget the basic truths of the Christian faith?  What happens to a person’s status with God when the body begins to shut down and a person is unable to consciously confess Christ?

Our Gospel reading from Luke speaks to all of this.  It is the story of Jesus’ conversation with the thief on the cross.  What should grip us in our Gospel reading is the thief’s words to Jesus, "Remember me [Jesus] when you come into your kingdom."  Yes, "Remember me."  Remember me Jesus.  Recall me Jesus.  Notice me Jesus.  Include me Jesus. 
Acknowledge me Jesus.  All these words are ways that we could translate into modern language what the criminal said to Jesus some two-thousand years ago, when he hung next to Him, bleeding and dying.

Is this not a great confession?  Remember me! 

In Jesus' reply we hear Him saying to the thief, "Today you will be with me in paradise." In other words, Jesus certainly remembered the thief on the cross.  And today I confess to you that Jesus remembers Lloyd as well.  Lloyd is not forgotten by God Almighty.

Helmut Thielicke, an old German theologian, once said,

"Praise God that the Gospel is more than a philosophy or ideology.  If it were only a dry religious idea, you would just have it as long as you could keep it in your mind so that it could give you comfort.  However, thank God that it is so much more, that even when you can no longer think about God, He still thinks of you.  If we can feel nothing of His presence, He still feels for us." (Paraphrase of Quote)

Dear friends, the good news of the Gospel for Lloyd and for all of you is that even when Lloyd’s mind slowed at the end of life, Jesus remembered him.  Even when we are plagued by the pain and numbness of losing a loved one, God still feels for you. 

Today in this funeral service, we praise God that the Gospel is dependent on God's actions toward us and not dependent on our actions toward God.  We praise God that Lloyd’s salvation was not dependent upon his remembrance of Christ, but Christ’s remembrance of him.  There is comfort in this message of the Gospel.  There is a concrete nature to the Gospel.  In other words, there is nothing that could have kept Jesus from the cross and there is nothing in this life that can reach back in time and remove Christ from the cross.  The events of today cannot reach back into time and keep Christ in the grave.  He died and was resurrected for Lloyd and for you.    

Jesus said to the thief on the cross, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."  Without going into a lot of technicalities, Jesus speaks this in a way that communicates certainty.  “You will” be with me in paradise.  This is most certainly true.  It will happen.  You can count on this.  You can depend on this!  It is a promise of certainty.  He belonged to Jesus because Jesus remembered Him!

What this means is that God certainly remembers Lloyd and He has not and will not forget him in death, the cross and resurrection and Lloyd’s baptism are proof of that. 

On the cross some two-thousand years ago God charged all that is sin in us against Christ. That Good Friday, God the Father judged that sin that was laid upon Jesus – your sin, my sin, and Lloyd’s sin.  Do you know what this means?  It means that Jesus’ death destroyed your sin and your death!  It destroyed Lloyd’s sin and Lloyd’s death.  Look to the cross and what you see is the death of your sin and the full satisfaction of your salvation! 

Jesus was made to be sin and you, me, and Lloyd, have been clothed in the righteousness of Christ being declared a saint!  And get this… Jesus has promised to come back and resurrect our bodies.  He will not forget our bodies in the dust of the ground; He will not forget Lloyd who will be committed to the grave!

Can you imagine yourself standing in the presence of God exhibiting full righteousness, being without blemish, perfect, and free?  That’s what Christ promises to do for you, for me, and for Lloyd!  Because of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, you, Lloyd, and I are clothed in Christ’s righteousness – declared Saints!  Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, in God’s eyes you are as perfect as Christ!  It is as if sin never happened, since sin was charged to Christ’s account and not to us! 

Believe, trust and know that Christ is for you and he will not forget you, as He has not and will not forget Lloyd! 

You are buried deeply in the wounds of Christ my friends, as is Lloyd.  Sin puts us in the grave; however, the Gospel puts us in Jesus’ grave – a grave that is open and leads to life eternal.   

Praise God that the Gospel is more than a philosophy or ideology.  If it were only a dry religious idea, you, me, and Lloyd would just have it as long as we could keep it in our minds so that it could give us comfort.  However, thank God that it is so much more, that even when we can no longer think about God, He still thinks of us.

  

Now may the Lord of peace Himself, Jesus Christ, firmly establish you in the forgiveness of sins and the hope of the resurrection and give you peace, hope, and courage always in every way until He graciously takes you from this vale of tears to Himself into heaven. Amen.

Praying Against Ourselves?

Text: First, Second, and Third Petitions of the Lord's Prayer

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

What are we praying when we pray the Lord’s Prayer?

When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, one of the things we are actually praying against is the old sinner in each of us.  Yes, we are praying against the old Adam – the sinful flesh – the sinful nature – who would rather die than do what is good, right, and true according to the Lord.  We are praying against the old Adam whose whole mission in life is to work and lie and cheat and steal on behalf of what we desire and what we want and what we think is needed.  We are praying against the old Adam who daily attempts to build our own kingdoms.[1]   Simply stated my friends, in the Lord’s Prayer (especially in the first three parts) we are praying against ourselves.  That’s right, we are praying for God’s name to be glorified, not the glorification of our own names.  We are praying for God’s kingdom to be realized in us, not the realization of our own insignificant kingdoms.  We are praying that God’s will be done on earth as in heaven, not the doing of our own wills. 

The harsh reality is that we have this sinful old nature until the day we die; we carry the old Adam around our necks from birth to death.  Yes, even we Christian have this sinful nature, for we are simultaneously sinners and saints (Sinners at birth; saints by our baptismal rebirth).  This means that we are at war with ourselves – a civil war – where we experience the struggle between the old Adam and the new life we have in Christ.  Indeed, from the time that we are joined to Christ in baptism until the day we die, we will always be in conflict with ourselves – the civil war within will never end, which means that we are people of prayer; praying against ourselves – praying against our sinful nature. 

We can really thank our first parents, Adam and Eve, for this most un-blessed gift of our sinful nature, for it was Adam and Eve who believed the lies of Satan, resulting in them being coated with this muck of sin, which then resulted in this sinful condition being passed down to each and every one of us.     

Make no doubt about it, we are born addicted to sin; once addicted, always addicted, until death.  Even our best of intentions are marred by this disease – this viral infection of sin that has corrupted our thoughts, words, and deeds. 

More specifically, this sin condition that we all have is much like ancient Israel in the Old Testament.  Like ancient Israel, we are stiff-necked people who are stubborn.  We do not easily budge and are prone to wander and prone to leave the God that we love, while wanting what we want and wanting it right now! 

And so, we pray. 

We ask the Lord to teach us to pray.  And He does when we are invited into the Lord’s Prayer. 

When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we are praying that God’s name would remain holy among us.  We pray that God’s name would be kept holy in our Christian teaching and preaching.  We pray that God’s name would be kept holy in our Christian living as well.  We pray the same thing that God demands in the Second Commandment: that his name should not be taken in vain, but used rightly to the praise and glory of God. 

With that stated though, we sinners like to misuse God’s name.  We profane God’s name when we teach about God incorrectly – when we say things about God’s character and actions that are simply not true.  We also disgrace God’s name when we openly live an evil life, when we live in a way that is contrary to the name that was applied upon our head in our baptism.  Because of this, not in spite of it, we pray.  Yes, because of our this sinful nature we pray, “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name!”  Our prayer is then heard as a constant shout and cry against all – includes ourselves – who preach and believe falsely; it is a prayer against all who would attack, persecute and suppress our gospel and pure doctrine. 

We also pray in the Lord’s Prayer that the Lord’s kingdom may come among us – that God’s kingdom, rule, and authority would invade our world and invade us, rather than having the unholy trinity of me, myself, and I be the ruler and king of our small petty individualized kingdoms.  Indeed, we pray that the Lord’s kingdom would be realized in us that the Lord may permeate us, through the Word and the power of the Holy Spirit.  We pray that the Lord would have His way with us, so that the devil’s kingdom may be destroyed and so that our stiff-necks and stubborn wills would be recreated anew and softened. 

Dear friends, we pray the Lord’s Prayer, because by our own strength we cannot do or fulfill the will of God, nor can we do that which has been taught to us.[2]  Yes, we pray because our wills and abilities are weak; we pray that the Lord would give us strength to do the good things that are according to His will.  We pray that the Lord would create in us a new heart, that He would take away our stony heart, and subdue and abolish our sinful nature.  We pray that the lusts and sinful desires of our old Adam would be crucified daily.  We pray that we would be conformed to the will of God.  We pray that we would be moved to desire and covet that which is well pleasing and approved by God. 

The Lord’s Prayer is and must be our protection and defense today, tomorrow, and until our death.  Thus, let the world rage and try their worst.  Let the heretics, worldly governments, and flaky culture, plot and plan how to oppress the Lord God.  Let the evil one growl and hiss his pathetic and cowardly message.  Against all of this and against our sinful nature, we pray and all is dashed to pieces, for the Lord is good and He hears our cries for mercy and care.[3] 

Yes, in the face of the devil, the ideologies of the world, and our sinful nature, we pray; not out of fear, but because our heavenly Father has invited us into prayer; He has invited us to respond to Him with all of our needs because He cares for us.

Most certainly, we pray because of God’s character, graciousness, strength, and steadfast love.  We pray because the Lord is for us today and until the end of our lives.  We pray because prayer is the voice of faith, faith that is created by and clings to the Word and Sacraments that are given and shed for you and for me.

Lord, teach us to pray as your kingdom continually comes, as your will is continually done, and as you name is glorified among us:  Amen.

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[1] James Nestingen, The Lord’s Prayer In Luther’s Catechism (Word & World Volume 22, number 1, Winter 2002), 41.

[2] Martin Chemnitz, Enchiridion, The Lord’s Prayer. Translated by Luther Poellet (Concordia Publishing, 2007), 43.

[3] Martin Luther, The Large Catechism: The Lord’s Prayer.

Prayer Is Not A Bargaining Chip, But A...

Text:  Matthew 6:5-18

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

When we sinners try to open our mouths to pray, what typically happens is this: instead of humble praise and thanksgiving, out comes a confession to God of our own greatness and accomplishments.  It is this way because our tongues and mouths are coated with the dirty ashes of sin.    It gets worse though.  Instead of Godly requests for mercy and pleas for grace, we typically attempt to bargain with God through prayer.[1]  That’s right; we create a barter system where we try to exchange God’s favor for our works: 

Oh God, if you could please heal my illness, then I will serve you with all my heart. 

Oh God, if you could help me with this job promotion, I will then increase my giving to the local church.

Oh God, if you could help me win this game, then I will make sure to proclaim your name to all my classmates.

You do your part for me and I will do my part for you.

Unfortunately, when we use prayer as a means to bargain and barter with God, prayer becomes nothing more than a tool of our unbelief.  Yes that is right, you and I will use prayer to help our own self-serving attempts to pry from the hands of God the answer that we want, rather than the gifts that our good Heavenly Father would give us.[2]

If we are left unchecked, prayer becomes a weapon against God as well.  It becomes a way for us to hoist up our demands to God where we try to ‘force’ God’s hand to act according to our will.

If we do not go the route of bargaining or using prayer as a weapon, then there is a chance that we can turn prayer into a theatrical production where we make a big show out of our prayers, hoping that other people will recognize our super spiritual powers. 

Oh, my dear friends, this way of prayer is certainly messed up.  It is this way because we are people who have rolled around in the soot of sin.  We have been ruined by sin, which means we will constantly ruin the gifts of God, gifts such as prayer. 

Lord have mercy on us for using prayer to barter; Lord have mercy on us for using prayer as a weapon; Lord have mercy on us for using prayer as a way to show off, for it is none of these things. 

You see, prayer does not originate out of our unbelief or out of our fear.  It is not a weapon to be brought forth towards God.  It is not the place where we attempt to bend the Lord’s arm to our own desires.  But rather prayer is something that the Lord invites us into.

Permit me to explain. 

Because God is our Heavenly Father, He tenderly invites us to believe that we are His true children – you are His true children despite the fact that you are smeared with the ashes of sin.  And as His true child, by your cleansing baptism, you may approach Him and call upon Him in prayer.  Most certainly, you may ask Him to help you with your needs, as a dear child asks His loving father.[3] 

Remember that our God is not unjust but He is just; our God is not uncompassionate but He is compassion; our God is not one who is deaf but One who listens.  Our God is good not evil!  Therefore, as baptized believers, we pray not to overcome or persuade an evil God, but rather, we pray because God is good and just.  We pray not to overcome an uncompassionate, ruthless and worthless God; we pray because we already have a compassionate, caring and worth-ful God.  We pray because the Lord invites us into prayer and then shapes our prayers by His Word spoken to us.  We pray because we have been given faith, forgiveness, life, and salvation.

Prayer then is the voice of faith, faith from the faithful that cries out, “Lord may your will be done,” and God responds from above, “Yes, dear child, it shall be done indeed, in spite of the devil and all the world.”[4]

The implications of this are phenomenal!  Yes, when we are troubled and tortured by our own stains of sin and when we are confronted by the hellish attacks of the evil one and when we are pounced on by the ideologies of the world, nothing is so necessary as to call upon our Father in prayer, so that He may give, preserve, and increase in us faith and remove all that stands in our way from receiving Him. 

Simply stated, this Ash Wednesday we remember that we are simply too weak against the devil, the world, and our own sinful desires.[5]  Therefore, we are invited and taught to pray the Lord’s Prayer.  And when we pray this Lord’s Prayer, we are effectively praying against the old sinner in each of us, as well as praying against the Devil and the world that continually attempt to kill, steal, and destroy our faith.  We are praying that we would be strengthened in faith, sustained, and protected.

This is all good, for God wants you and me to cry out and grit our teeth to Him about our concerns, concerns that come about from the sinful nature, the world, and the devil.  He desires us to pour out our anguishes upon Him, not because He is unaware of them, but in order that you and I may be unburdened and moved to open our arms to receive the Lord’s gifts.[6] 

And what are those gifts?  Those gifts are the Word and Sacraments – spoken, given, and shed for you.   They are the Lord’s immediate, continual, and potent answer to our prayers.   

Furthermore, as we lay vulnerably before the Lord in prayer, we are reminded and remember God’s promises that He has spoken to us and know that when the Lord answers yes to our specific situations, it is because He loves us, and when He answers no, it is because He loves us, and when He provides neither a yes or a no, it is because He loves us. 

Dear Baptized Saints, tonight we remember and confess that we are dust and that we will return to dust.  We remember also that God put on human flesh – dust – and joined to our temptations and sorrow.  Yes, Christ Jesus welded our death, was roasted to death by the Father’s wrath, was reduced to ashes and laid to rest in a tomb.   However, we also remember that Christ rose from the ashes of the earth and from the ashes of sin – He lives today and intercedes for us.[7]  Therefore, as the Lord’s beloved and forgiven, we can and do pray vulnerably for all things, knowing that our confidence is not to be found in the strength of our prayer, but the strength of the Lord who works all things for the good of those who love Him. 

We pray, because Christ died for sin; we pray because Christ rose from the grave; we pray because the Lord cares for us. 

Lord, teach us to pray.  Lord, teach us to listen and receive your Word and Sacraments in all the events of life. 

Lord, open our lips and our mouth in prayer that our prayers may be the voice of faith – faith that confesses our struggles in this life and faith that clings and receives all gifts from you.

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

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[1] Rev. John Pless, “Prayer: The Voice of Faith,” PM Notes, http://www.pastormattrichard.com/2010/06/prayer-voice-of-faith.html (accessed February 9, 2016).

[2] Ibid.

[3] Martin Luther: The Small Catechism (The Lord’s Prayer Introduction)

[4] Ibid.

[5] Martin Luther: The Large Catechism (The Lord’s Prayer: Introduction)

[6] Ibid.

[7] David H. Petersen, Thy Kingdom Come: Lent and Easter Sermons (Fort Wayne, IN: Emmanuel Press, 2012), 15.