The Comforter For You, Because Haters Are Gonna Hate

Text: John 15:26-16:4

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

It is actually very troubling to read the later parts of the 15^th chapter of the Gospel of John.  Over six different times, we hear Jesus mention the word, “Hate.” 

If the world ‘hates’ you, be aware that it ‘hated’ me before it ‘hated you.’

…therefore the world ‘hates’ you.

Whoever ‘hates’ me, ‘hates’ my Father. 

Yes, we hear the word ‘hate’ some six times in chapter 15 of John’s Gospel.  And here is what is interesting.  It is not the Christian or Jesus that is doing the ‘hating,’ but it is the world. 

Now, this may be very difficult for us to wrap our minds around since we hear on a daily basis that Christians are a bunch of ‘haters’ for standing upon conviction and principle, but Jesus points out that it is the other way around.  That isn’t to say that Christians are innocent and never hate – breaking the fifth commandment.  We Christians certainly do hate our neighbor when we fail to be merciful and kind and forgiving to them.  We should indeed help and support our neighbor in every physical need that they have and be quick to confess our sin when the root of hate grabs hold of our hearts and when we wish them harm.  

As for the world, though, Jesus says that the world indeed ‘hates.’  It hates Jesus and His followers. This is its natural disposition. Contrary to all the slogans of love and acceptance and tolerance and unity and coexistence, the world plainly and simply hates Christ. 

We hear in the New Testament that the world hated Jesus and His disciples.  And we must not delude ourselves into thinking that the world is grateful for the Gospel, but be ready and aware of this harsh fact that the world hates the message of Christianity. 

My friends, we do not live in a world that is friendly toward, or even tolerant of, Jesus and the Truth of His Word.  All we have to do is consider the crucifixion of Jesus to realize that the world hated “without a cause.  While Jesus was on earth, His enemies constantly hated Him without a cause.”[1]  The hatred began with the gossip and slander of Jesus – the mumbling that happened behind His back.  The hatred intensified in their verbal attacks. The hatred increased, even more, when they physically wanted to kill him.  And their hatred culminated with them illegally arresting Jesus and crucifying Him. 

Indeed, while Jesus was on earth, the world hated Him and generally speaking, they left the disciples alone.  However, when Jesus ascended into heaven, Jesus said that the world would turn its hate towards His disciples.  And we see this happen in the Book of Acts, where the disciples receive attack after attack after attack.  The whole book of Acts is full of the attacks on the world – attacks that are leveled against the disciples, even bringing death. 

Now, I would like to tell you that this does not apply to you today, but it does.  As the world hated Jesus, it hated the Apostles, and as the world hated the Apostles, it will hate you and me too.  As it happened to Jesus, so the devil and the world will persecute you and me.  We are pilgrims and strangers in this world – a world that is antagonistic to us. 

Now, keep in mind that Jesus does not share this to dump rain upon your souls, but rather, He shares this so that we might be forewarned.  This is shared with us so that we might know and expect that this is the way that it is.  In fact, this is shared with us so that we would not be caught off guard when persecution does happen.  For this is the lonely way of Christianity – proclaiming salvation and living in eternal hope, only to receive the hatred of the world in return. 

We may be wondering to ourselves, though, does this conflict happen today. Is it really as bad as Jesus said it would be? 

. . .   

It has been reported that over 100,000 Christians are violently – yes violently – killed annually because of their faith.[2]  According to the World Evangelical Alliance, over 200 million Christians are denied fundamental human rights solely because of their faith.[3]  And of the 100-200 million Christians under assault, the majority are persecuted in Muslim-dominated nations.[4]  All of this to say, Christians suffer more than any other faith group in the entire world. 

Jesus is correct; the world will throttle Christians as heretics, troublemakers, evil-doers, and so forth.  This is the nature of the world.  This is the way of the sinful nature present in the world; it is the way of the devil who works to kill, steal, and destroy the faith of Christians.    

Now, even though we have not experienced persecution to the degree that other Christians have experienced, we still will experience this hatred, hatred without a rational reason – pure hatred for just being a child of God.  And when this hatred comes at you in the form of insult, gossip, slander, or neglect, your conscience may become weak.  You may begin to wonder if you are doing the right thing.  You may wonder if you have confessed the faith too boldly, for the world and the devil will press hard upon you to recant and capitulate – to renounce the Christian faith and to get in line like everyone else. 

Dear friends, when this happens – for if it hasn’t, it will – keep in mind that you will find little comfort.  That is right; you will find little comfort when you are under attack from the world – you will find relatively no sympathy from the world.  That is to say; when the world is enraged in its hate and has set forth to persecute, there will be absolutely sympathy or relief within the structures of the world.  HR Departments, Employee Handbooks, Social Norms, and general common sense decency may attempt to curb the hatred of the world, but as we have seen with the suffering and death of Jesus, even a powerful Roman Governor was powerless to stop the momentum and power of the world’s hate. 

And so, when the world hates and persecutes you, you will have nowhere to go, which is good.  Yes, that is good.  When there is nowhere left to go for comfort, the Holy Spirit through the Word is there for you in the midst of your helplessness to comfort you and actually strengthen your faith. 

You see, Jesus promises us the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit tells the truth about us and the world, as He speaks to us in the Word.  Even the Apostle Paul says in Ephesians chapter 6 that the Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God.  What this means for you and me is this, the Holy Spirit working through the Word of God is like a mighty sharp sword.  The sword of the Word of God not only works offensively but defensively against the devil and the world itself. 

What does this mean? 

It means that the Holy Spirit is our Comforter.  He is the Spirit of Truth.  And we have been given the Holy Spirit in our baptisms and the Mighty Word of God.  The Holy Spirit does not flee from the hate and persecution of the world.    

So, when there is no more comfort to be had in the world, and we find ourselves at the end of our wits, we shall not despair, for the Lord is with us, and we have the Holy Spirit’s Sword, the Word to fight these enemies. 

For example, when the devil accuses us of sin, we admit that we are sinners and ask him, “What are you to do with your accusation now, you pathetic serpent?”  Then we make the sign of the cross over our head and hearts, remembering that we are among the redeemed.  We then confess Christ-crucified for our sins and tell the devil to the hell that he deserves. 

And when the world puffs its chest up and cries out superficial condemning clichés that are here one day and gone the next, we neither get defensive nor agitated, but simply confess God’s Word, for His Word does not change and His Word is Truth – eternal truth. 

Indeed, you and I will get no comfort or honor or power or assistance from the world, but everything the world has will be used to extinguish you and me.  However, do not be alarmed, for what the world offers is temporary and passing.  The Lord Jesus Christ though gives you comfort – He sends you the Comforter, the Holy Spirit who will comfort you when you are frightened and discouraged, miserable and wretched, and forsaken by other people.  The devil is a misfit and a rebel, but the Holy Spirit is Truth and your Comforter who does not fail.[5]

So, when the world entices you with its comfort, by dangling ease, security, and happiness before you; know this, it is a counterfeit comfort.  It is neither real nor lasting.  The Spirit, though, through the Word gives you unfailing comfort that is lasting and true – the comfort that you are forgiven for Christ’s sake.  You will not be snatched from the Lord’s hand; the Lord is with you no matter how bad it gets. 

And if it gets really bad, that is to say; if the world’s hatred is unleashed to the point that you lose your spouse, children, house, property, clothes, and reputation, and even your body and life – know this: Jesus Christ put on flesh so that He could die and rise again for your forgiveness; He has ascended to the Father and will come to judge the living and the dead; you will not be forgotten, but all will be made right. Indeed, you will be given a new body someday and everlasting life.  Therefore, if all of this is true, which it is, what shall you and I be afraid of?  Because the Holy Spirit through the Word tells us that we are loved by the Lord Jesus, whom shall we fear?  Because the Holy Spirit through the Word tells us that Jesus is the victor over death, sin, and hell, we shall fear no evil, and we shall fear no hatred. 

The world may bring its worst, but its hate and persecution cannot snuff out the comfort and sure promise that the Holy Spirit gives to us in the Word.  And that promise is that we belong to the Lord Jesus Christ – today, tomorrow, and forevermore. 

In the name of Jesus: Amen. 

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[1] The Sermon Notes of Harold Buls - Internet Christian Library, http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/wittenberg/bul/east-06a.html (accessed May 25, 2017).

[2] “Vatican to UN: 100 thousand Christians killed for the faith each year,” News.VA, http://www.news.vaJ/en/news/vatican-to-un-100-thousand-christians-killed-for-t?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=catholiclisa (accessed May 25, 2017).

[3] Godfrey Yogarajah (2008). "Disinformation, discrimination, destruction and growth: A case study on persecution of Christians in Sri Lanka" (PDF). worldevangelicals.org. Retrieved 24 April 2011.

[4] Bruce Thornton (July 25, 2013). "Christian Tragedy in the Muslim World". Defining Ideas. Hoover institution. Retrieved 23 July 2013.

[5] Martin Luther, Complete Sermons of Martin Luther: Volume 6 (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2000), 145. 

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Snatched Away From Ourselves

Text: Numbers 21:4-9 and 1 Timothy 2:1-6

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

We are a culture that is filled with slogans that tell us to put our trust and hope in ourselves.  Indeed, we have a tremendous amount of slogans that seem to point us inward to our own resources and skills.  Take these simple slogans for example: “You can do it!” or “You have what it takes within you to discover your potential!” or “Seek to know the power within you!”  Indeed, these slogans tend to take a person’s eyes and direct them inward, towards the resources, abilities, and power within their own being.  While it may be true that some jobs and projects in life require some good ol’ grit and sweat from within a person, this could not be further from the truth regarding Christianity; that is to say, our standing before God Almighty.    

You see, when we focus too much on the Christian and not enough on the Christ, the emphasis of Christianity can shift from externally looking at Jesus to internally looking at ourselves.  And when we look internally at ourselves, we end up taking our own spiritual temperature, while fixating on our own spiritual abilities and actions.  Tragically, as soon as this internal shift towards ourselves happens, all is lost for we do not see how great we have become in accomplishing so much but rather; we become overtaken by uncertainty, despair, and ultimately eternal death itself.  That is right, looking inward to ourselves; that is to say, our strength, our experiences, our works, and our person, puts the emphasis on the Christian and not the Christ.  As a result, the Christian ends up doing all the heavy lifting and salvation ends up being dependent not upon what Jesus has done, but upon what we should do to obtain and sustain forgiveness, life, and salvation. 

Dear friends, even if we have everything together in our lives and things seem to be going rather well, we must guard the temptation to take our eyes off of Christ and fixate them internally towards our own abilities. Our relationship with God – no matter how good we think we have it – cannot be based on ourselves, because if it is based on ourselves and not our mediator, Jesus Christ, then our salvation is only as good as we are.  And frankly, the scriptures do not paint a pretty picture of our corrupted hearts.  Furthermore, if our relationship with God is based on ourselves, how will we know if we have done enough to bridge that gap between Almighty God and us successfully? 

So, we must confess today that our Christian faith is not based on looking inward towards our internal abilities regarding our standing and relationship before God but rather, we look outward to our mediator, Jesus Christ. 

We see this idea of looking outside of ourselves in our Old Testament Reading quite clearly.  In our Old Testament Reading, we hear about the Israelites who were bitten by snakes in the wilderness, and many of them died.  The poison ran through their veins.  It infected them, poisoned them, and brought death to them.  However, in the midst of Israel’s grumbling, impatience, and poisoned bodies, the Lord told Moses to make a pole with a bronze serpent on it, and whoever would look at it would be healed – the poison would not harm them.  In other words, the Lord did not banish the snakes that were biting the Israelites, but rather He had Moses put a snake on a pole.  Yes, a bronze serpent was nailed to a cross.  It was then lifted up, and all who looked to it were healed and lived. 

Take a moment and think about this. 

The Israelites were not told to disregard the snake venom.  They were not given a bunch of life principles and life pointers to overcome the snake venom.  They were not told that they were overcomers and had the power within to overcome the venom.  But rather, they were directed away from their snake bites towards a bronze serpent on a pole that was lifted high up for them to see.  Indeed, they were directed to look away from their predicament – they were directed to look outside of themselves, towards a bronze statue for healing and hope and restoration.  

Now, it must be stated that the bronze statue did not have any particular healing power, in and of itself.  But rather, it was the Word and Promise of God that God personally and specifically attached to the bronze statue that healed and saved the people.  (Doesn’t this kind of sound like a sacrament?)  You see, God, in no uncertain terms, was re-directing and refocusing the people back onto Him and His life-saving Word and Promise.  Those who trusted what God said and looked upon the bronze serpent were healed; however, those who did not believe – those who looked elsewhere; those who doubted; those who put their trust and focus somewhere other than where God told them to look, died.  Plain and simple.

The same is true for you, too! 

Dear Baptized Saints, when you look inward to yourself, what we see are lives full of sin, poisonous serpents that the devil, the world, and even our own sinful nature send against us. In other words, looking inward at ourselves does not lead to forgiveness, life, and salvation, but leads to sin and everlasting darkness. The unholy trinity of “me, myself, and I” is not the solution to our predicament of sin. 

However, let us thank God this day that we have been delivered from ourselves.  Yes, let us thank God that “the Gospel commands us to look, not at our own good deeds or perfection but at God Himself as He promises, and at Christ Himself, the Mediator.”[1]

Yes, praise God that the Lord has snatched us away from ourselves and placed us outside ourselves, so that we do not depend on our own strength, conscience, experience, person, or works but depend on that which is outside of us, that is, on the promise and truth of God, which cannot deceive.[2]

You see, our hope lies not within, but our hope is outside of us – on the cross, in the waters of baptism, and in the Lord’s Supper.  Hope is not found in the Christian but is found in and delivered by the Christ.  Christianity is not about you, but it is about Christ who is for you.   

So, dear Baptized Saints, when the devil sinks His teeth into you – look outside of yourselves and behold Christ Jesus, the victor over evil.  When the world sinks its teeth into you – look outside of yourselves and behold the Lamb of God, who was lifted up and sacrificed for you and the sins of the entire world!   When your sinful nature sinks its teeth into you – look outside of yourselves and behold Jesus Christ, your salvation, your life, your hope, and your assurance.  When you reflect upon your relationship with you and Almighty God – look outside of yourselves and behold the one mediator between God and mankind, Christ Jesus, the one who gave Himself as a ransom for all. 

Yes, look outside of yourselves to Christ Jesus, the one who is completely righteous – the one we all benefit from. It is from the outside that He places His Word into our ears.  It is from the outside that His blood is placed upon our tongues and his body placed in our mouths, so that we may know with certainty that we are forgiven. 

Dear friends, our sin only yields more sin – sin upon sin.  But the one outside of us, Jesus Christ is the fountainhead of grace, life, and truth – grace upon grace for sinners like me and like you.  Therefore, let your hearts be comforted this day.  Your Savior is your mediator and comforter – not some severe judge and tyrant.  You are not left to yourselves, but have an unfathomable goodness and mercy of Christ Jesus who intercedes for you and reconciles you to the Father; a Savior that came for you and comes to you this day – from the outside.   

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

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[1] Luther, M. (1999). Luther’s works, vol. 26: Lectures on Galatians, 1535, Chapters 1-4. (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald, & H. T. Lehmann, Eds.) (Vol. 26, p. 387). Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House.

[2] Ibid, 387. 


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Convictions Of Truth In A World Gone Mad

Text: John 16:5-15

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

Today when we read from the Gospel of John, we hear that the Holy Spirit guides us into all truth.  That is to say; the Holy Spirit is all about truth! 

But what truth will this Spirit guide us into?  In other words, what is truth? 

The question of knowing what truth is, is an age old quest.  Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle spent their lifetimes trying to understand truth. We are even reminded of Pontius Pilate when he asked the question “what is truth?” just before he washed his hands of the guilt he had in Jesus’ death.  

So again, what is truth? 

In our modern day and age, we are hesitant to answer this question.  In fact we prefer to believe that truth is slippery and difficult to nail down.  Because if truth is so slippery, then no one really has it, and that is rather convenient because then no one can really tell anyone what is right and what is wrong.

Indeed, we live in a time where what is true for one person, is true for them, and what is true for another person… well, it is apparently true for them as well.  That is to say, we live in a time where each individual person is the measure of truth – truth is what each person makes it to be for himself or herself.  And this way of thinking has a name.  It is called relativism. 

Relativism basically teaches that there is no such thing as objective and universal truths.  It teaches that what is true for one person may not be true for another.  It teaches that everybody is their own authority, which means that a person can live the way they want, think the way they want, and do what they want, because that is what is true for them.  And nobody can tell them otherwise. 

So, if a person’s personal truth tell them to live a life of unrepentant sin – nobody has a right to say otherwise, because there is no such thing as sin for the person, since they define their own morality. 

You see how this works?  Relativism allows a person to have their own personal truth.  And again, personal truth depends on what the individual believes is right and what is wrong for them.  And not only is this extremely convenient, it appeals to our human nature that wants to be in charge of our own little universe. 

Tragically, our hearts love to sing the apparent truths that we have made up and embraced.  Our personal opinions are what matter and what we exalt.  And so we use our personal slippery truth to justify anything we want to do. 

Indeed we live in a time when one person can have their truth and another person can have their truth.  And as long as these two personal truths do not come into conflict, everyone can get along with bliss and happiness. 

But the catch 22 is this: as humans we are not isolated islands.  We all interact in society as citizens, neighbors, and employees.  So, as it can be expected, the personal truths that we make up for ourselves can come into conflict with other people’s personal truths that they have made up, which leads to conflict.  Typically, what happens is that we hate anyone who would dare tell us that our truth is warped or that our lives are wrong. 

To be a little more specific, let us consider the example of sin.  There are many different convictions about sin in the world.  Some believe sin to simply be a ‘weakness’ in mankind, whereas, others would see sin as a ‘sickness’ in mankind.  And there are other opinions about sin too.  Some see sin as a result of a lack of education, poverty, and a lack of resources.   To them, sin is a result of a social deficiency – the lack of good resources for a certain group of people.  And finally, but not least or last, some see sin as nothing more than an oppressive term used by the church to keep certain people underneath its thumb and to keep people from having fun.  And as long as we do not try to definitely define what sin is for everyone, there will be no conflict.  But as we know, society cannot operate this way.  This kind of thinking leads to chaos and anarchy, no matter how hard we try to keep peace.

There is more to this.  The world also has its varied opinions on what constitutes righteousness as well, that is to say, goodness. To some righteousness is to follow your heart and do whatever makes you happy.  Others believe righteousness - goodness - is found in being a good citizen and a good neighbor to those in need.  There is a third option; these folks see goodness as doing virtuous and morally upright things – not smoking or drinking or chewing or dating girls that do.  Again, even though we can try to keep peace by the way of relativism, this does nothing more than create instability because everyone lives not by truth but by lies.

Let us not forget judgment either.  The world has a lot of opinions on this topic as well.  Some do not believe there is such a thing as the last judgment, which means that whatever we do now in this present life will not have an eternal consequence.  These are the ones that cry out, “You can’t judge me!”  On the other side of the coin, there are others who believe that there should be a judgment.  They may or may not hold to an eternal judgment, but what is for sure is this, they want judgement in this life for people who violate their understanding of sin and for people who do not honor what they believe to be good.  The judgment might be to punish people with jail time.  Or the judgment might be to label them as a hater or a closed minded bigot or to possibly slap a lawsuit on them. 

And we mustn’t forget the devil. The devil is also at work here too with relativism. The devil is happy when we walk around in our own invented truth and our own invented awesomeness because we are right where he wants us, we are separated from God’s truth. 

Tragically, what we are hearing today is that we use our own personal truths – what we make up for ourselves - as a way of making ourselves feel good.  We tell ourselves what we want to hear and what we want to hear is how awesome we are – how right we are and how everyone else is wrong. 

We must stop in the midst of this chaos, though, and consider our Gospel reading.  We must make sure to acknowledge that when Jesus said the Spirit will lead us into all truth, He did not mean we each have our own personal spirit in our pocket who will lead us into our own personal truth. But rather, He is talking about the Holy Spirit who leads us into all of God’s truth.

And, dear friends, God has only one truth.  It is the truth of His Word.  It is the truth that the Holy Spirit gives to us! There are not multiple definitions of sin and righteousness and judgment, for that would make multiple Gods.  There is only one God and one truth; truth that is universal and objective – truth that stands overtop of all humanity. 

 

You see, Jesus says that the Holy Spirit proves the world wrong about sin and righteousness and about judgment.  That is to say, the Holy Spirit of Truth shows us that our own truths are nothing but grass that withers and fades.  He leads us to believe and understand that the only truth that lasts forever is God’s truth.  And our truths that we make up for ourselves… well, He shows us that they are lies, lies from the pit of hell.

Yes, we must pause and hear from our Gospel reading that the Holy Spirit proves the world wrong about sin, righteousness, and judgment, because the world does not believe in Jesus, and Jesus is right.   Indeed, do not be deceived by the definitions of sin in the world, but hear the Holy Spirit through God’s Law that is proclaimed to you – know that your sin of unbelief is the chief sin that needs to be absolved and forgiven.

And we mustn’t stop here, but we must also hear that the Holy Spirit proves the world wrong about righteousness and goodness – and therefore shows you and me where we are wrong as well.  In other words, The world has its idea of what is good, which is strangely like what it wants at the moment.  But Jesus came and showed Himself alone to be good in this world.  He shows up the world’s self-righteousness, and ours, for the sham that it is.  The world could not stand Jesus because of His claims; however, the world could not keep Christ in the grave, but Jesus lives and reigns with the Father and the Spirit, one God, now and forever.  And now the Spirit gives you everything that is Jesus’.  Sin is paid for.  Death is dead. The righteousness of God made known in Christ, is yours. 

And finally, the Holy Spirit proves the world wrong about judgment.  There will indeed be a judgment.  All of humanity lives in a morally significant universe.  Our actions and deeds and lives will have consequences in this life and for eternity.  However, we are not judged at the end for breaking the popular opinions of celebrities or breaking what is deemed politically correct at the moment, but rather we are judged for breaking the Lord’s Law as expressed simplistically in the Ten Commandments.  No doubt about it, there will be an end someday to this life, and there will be a judgment, contrary to what Oprah or the latest Cosmopolitan opinion poll may tell us.  Why, because of Jesus – who was raised from the grave. He says so! 

Dear Baptized Saints, hear the good news of the Gospel, though!  Christ was crucified and judged in your place.  In Jesus, you are already judged.  Christ was judged as a sinner – as you.  He was damned – for you.  And because Jesus was damned and judged for you; therefore, you have nothing to fear when the Lord comes again in judgment – or at any time before that.

Relativism is a bankrupt ideology my friends. It comes straight from the pits of hell.  It causes the world to be wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment; however, the Holy Spirit through the Word and Sacraments has come to you and will continue to come to you so that you might be given convictions of truth – real truth.    

Truly, the Holy Spirit has brought God’s precious convictions of truth to you in the Word.  And the Holy Spirit will continue to bring truth to your ears, so that you may believe and know who you are and what the Lord has done for you, in the midst of a world that flaps back and forth like a flimsy reed blowing in the wind.  Yes, the Holy Spirit through the Word and Sacraments will keep your hearts fixed upon Christ, the author, and perfector of your faith… unto the end.

Baptized Saints, there is indeed sin, righteousness, and judgment; however, Christ became sin for you, Christ is righteousness for you, and Christ rescues you from judgment.  This is all most certainly true.

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

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Let The Devil, The World, And The Tyrants Storm And Rage!

2017 Zion Lutheran Church Confirmation Sermon

Text: John 16:16-22

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

Brady, KyAnna, Schuyler, Carissa, Christina, and Bladen, today is Confirmation Sunday.  Today is the completion of your three years of study in the Six Chief Parts of Luther’s Small Catechism.  Today is the day that you publicly confess the Christian faith with boldness and then drink of the Lord’s cup and eat of His body, for the forgiveness of your sins. 

Now, considering all of this, we live in a time where many perceive Confirmation as some Christian Graduation.  To be honest, this view of Confirmation is not only misguided but downright foolish.  Yes, foolish.  You see, today is not a day where you somehow graduate and are released from the church into the grandiose world where life will be easy and smooth.  Indeed, life for the Christian beyond Confirmation is not quiet walks on the beach, and the Christian life beyond Confirmation is not roses and teacups.  But rather, Confirmation is a time to prepare you to not only know what you believe and why but also to prepare you to live, as Christians, in the valley of tears.  Yes, Confirmation is a time to equip you to live your lives in the valley of tears.  Or, as they poetically say, in this vale of tears. 

Now, the phrase, “vale of tears,” is a phrase that is often used to describe the tribulations of life that humanity experiences in the here and now.  In other words, from the time of your conception until your death, you and I and the rest of the church, travel, and labor through this valley of life – a valley that is characterized by tears, trouble, and sorrow.  Indeed, we live, breathe, and have movement not on top of the mountains, but more often than not, within this valley of tears. 

Brady, KyAnna, Schuyler, Carissa, Christina, and Bladen, let us considering this valley of tears a bit more.  This valley is dark.  In other words, this life as a Christian contains hardships, suffering, loss, grief, persecution, and pain.  It is a valley that is clouded with gloom, where you will experience the attacks of the devil, the struggles with the sinful nature, the persecution of the world, and the sting of death itself.

As you will find out, though, many people in North Americans like to pretend that our lives are not in this valley of tears.  That is right; many like to avoid the valley of tears at all costs.  It makes them uncomfortable, and it goes against their ingrained view of entitlement.  So, they try to make peace with the darkness of the valley.  They try to turn the lemons of the valley into lemonade.  They convince themselves that they are overcomers.  They say, “When I get knocked down, I get up again.”  And then, when they get up and stand as supposed overcomers, they look into the dark valley of tears and roar as if they are invincible.  This is foolishness and naiveté at best. 

Brady, KyAnna, Schuyler, Carissa, Christina, and Bladen, you will also find that there is a temptation to buy into every kind of fad and gadget that promises to take you from the valley’s tears to happiness – every gadget that promises an easier life.  Indeed, we humans are suckers when it comes to fads promoted by movie stars and infomercials with their three easy payments which promise miraculous happiness and ease.

Oh, and don’t forget death!  You will find that mankind does everything possible to sanitize the effects of death.  Plastic surgery can fix dying skin that sags on our faces, makeup covers the wrinkles of age, Rogaine attempts to reverse hair lose, and medication can temporarily reverse the effects of disease.  You will find that everybody dreams that they can be like the Joneses down the street who have apparently overcome the valley of tears.

All this stated though, dear Confirmands, know this, no matter how hard you try to climb out of the valley of tears or deny it, there is no escape – the valley’s walls are too steep, and the valley is too dark.  No matter how hard you wipe away the tears, they keep flowing – they keep flowing until your last dying breath.  In this life, the devil will continue to attack, your sinful flesh will always long to sin and wreak havoc in your lives, and the world will continue to spew forth lies, deceptions, and false promises.  There is no bottom to this stuff.

 

Now, I do not share this to be a killjoy, and I am not trying to place a raincloud over your heads.  I am not trying to earn a medal for the most depressing Confirmation Sermon in the history of the church; but rather, I am sharing this because this is the way that life is.  This is reality.  Life in this world is tough.  In this earthly pilgrimage, the devil and the world will never stop assaulting you.  That is to say; if you speak the truth the world rages in anger; it begins to curse, condemn, persecute, and you will endure its scorn and mockery – which leads to tears.[1]  “And if the world can whip out its sword against you, it will surely do that too, with master devil joining the fray, driving such poisonous, fiery darts into your heart that you will almost literally suffer a meltdown.”[2] 

Now, let us pause a moment.  Considering this valley of tears, when you Confirmands will experience this kind of suffering, what will you do?  Keep in mind that you cannot escape the valley – the walls on each side are too high.  Also, you cannot turn around and get out of the valley – it is too dark.  Maybe you can give up – curse the valley, curse the world, and curse God and live this life in bitterness, shaking your fist at God and grumbling to the grave!  But this still does not change the fact that you are in the valley.  So, what shall you do dear Confirmands?

Brady, KyAnna, Schuyler, Carissa, Christina, and Bladen, do not panic and do not fret.  Be still this hour and this moment; hear right now.  Did not Christ predict that there would be trials and suffering and pain in this life?  He certainly did.  However, our Lord Jesus Christ also said that this valley of tears will only be a ‘little while.’  Truly, this valley of tears is only ‘a little while.’  The comfort of the Christian is that this life on earth is only ‘a little while.’ 

It might seem strange to consider your lives in this valley of tears to be a little while, especially since you have so many more years before you to live; however, when we measure our short lives to God’s eternity, it really is a short time in comparison.  Your lives are infinitely small compared to the amount of time that awaits you in eternity. 

Though it might come across as a peculiar illustration, consider for a moment a woman about to give birth.  Her agonies and contractions increase.  Her laughter is silenced.  She sees no end to her pain.  In the midst of labor, the contractions seem like an eternity of hurt.  The pain blinds her from reality.  Fear can take hold of her as she may wonder if she and the baby will be preserved through the anguish and pain of birth.  However, objectively speaking the labor is only a little while – there is an end to it.  In a moment, all of her tears are turned to laughter, her fear is turned to victory, and her sadness is turned to joy.  At once the anguish and pain and fear and doubt are forgotten as she hears and sees the beloved newborn child in her arms.

This exchange will be the same for the church – for you dear Confirmands.  As the church, we too are in this labor with its contractions of pain.  Yes, the valley of tears is like the pains of labor.  As with labor though, your sorrows in the valley of tears will not last forever but will be turned into eternal joy.  Indeed, the valley is dark, but soon there will be a glorious day.  You will walk with the shadow of death in the valley, but soon there will be the light of life.  You walk with evil around you in the valley, but in a short while the devil, sin, and the world will have their end. 

Brady, KyAnna, Schuyler, Carissa, Christina, and Bladen, you mustn’t forget that the Lord Jesus Christ has all things in His hand.  The wind, the sea, sickness, disease, and death itself have submitted and will submit to Christ once again.  Therefore, dear Confirmands, let the devil, the world, and all the tyrants storm and rage.  Let them have their worst.  Let them growl, let them thrash, for they can only do so as God permits them and they can only do so for a little while.    

As for the time being and as you continue to walk through the valley of tears, remember what you have been taught.  Hold fast to that which you have been given.  You must cling to the promises of God’s Word – the promises that are for you.  Receive from the Lord’s Altar this day for the first time and continually receive the Sacrament of the Altar – that is given and shed for you.  Remember your Baptisms – where God’s name was placed upon you.  Patiently endure any misfortune, comforting yourself with the truth that the Lord is with you in His Word and Sacraments.  Comfort yourself with Jesus’ Word that this life is only a ‘little while.’  Know that as tough as it gets in this life that the Lord holds not only the beginning but the end of this world. 

Brady, KyAnna, Schuyler, Carissa, Christina, and Bladen, do not lose heart and do not grow faint this day on in the days to come.  The valley of tears does not last forever; there is an end to the valley.  There is an end to the suffering, an end to the persecution, an end to sin, an end to pain, and an end to the devil.  It is only a little while.  Be patient, wait it out, take courage!  The day is coming that the valley of tears will end and all things will be made anew.  Therefore, lift up your chins, confess Christ boldly this day, and know that the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.  Indeed confess Christ boldly today and know that His mercies never come to an end.  All grief will be swallowed up in the end and pain will be remembered no more.  Christ holds the final victory – victory for you and for me and for all of us here this day. 

In the name of Jesus Christ: Amen.

---

[1] Martin Luther, Complete Sermon of Martin Luther: Volume 6 (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House Company, 2000), 90.

[2] Ibid.

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Can These Bones Live?

Text: Ezekiel 37:1-14

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

Ezekiel saw something startling.  He saw human bones; skulls and ribs and jaws. They were not in some small grave or a pile but spread throughout a valley.  It probably looked like a holocaust - destruction on a mass scale.  Instead of hiding Ezekiel’s eyes, though, the Lord led him around the valley and through the bones to show him just how many there were.  And as Ezekiel stood there in the valley of dry and bleached bones, the Lord asked him “Can these bones live?”  Indeed, can these dry bones live? 

Now just to clarify, these bones in this vision were God’s people, the house of Israel, the Kingdom of Judah to be precise.  These were the people that came forth out of Egypt with Moses.  They were the people who were in the wilderness for 40 years.  They were the people who had settled in the promise land; however, in this vision, they were dead – all of them.  Long dead – reduced to dry white bones because of their sin and rebellion.

This vision of dead bones depicting the dead-ness of Judah should not come to a surprise to the people of Judah.  The Lord had warned the people of Judah that this very thing would happen.  In fact, God already made good on another warning more than one hundred years earlier when He sent Sargon, King of the Assyrians to destroy the northern kingdom of Israel because of their idolatry and rebellion.

Then only little Judah was left, the last of God’s people.  But they did not learn from what happened to the other kingdom.  God spared Judah, but that did stop the people of Judah from the same path of disobedience and idolatry. 

You see, Judah too chased after other gods.  They set up idols.  They flirted with other kingdoms for security and protection instead of trusting in God.  In a word, Judah had sold out.  They had abandoned God. 

So God let them have what they wanted.  You see, God has a way of letting humanity chase after their own dishonorable passions.  Yes, often as a way of Judgment, God will give mankind up to mankind’s own debased mind.  If people do not want anything to do with Him, He will let them go their own way as a way of Judgement, even if it is the way to destruction. 

And so, we know from history that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and destroyed everything – the temple burned and destruction was unleashed.  Those who survived were marched off to Babylon.  And there they sat.

As a result of the destruction, wrath, suffering, and being displaced the people began to self-exam themselves.  This is how it usually goes with pain and discomfort – people are shaken and sobered up from a spiritual stupor when bad things happen.  In other words, the people knew why Jerusalem was not outside their windows.  It was because of their sin and unrepentance.  And like a dry bone, they ached for what once was.  That is why they cried out “our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are clean cut off.”  And they were.

But God does not remember His anger forever; His mercy is everlasting.  To His hurting and crushed children, God sent His prophet Ezekiel, no longer with a message of repentance and wrath, but now with a promise of grace and forgiveness. 

Dear friends, do you realize that this is how God works?  God tears us down that He might heal us; He strikes us down so that He will bind us, and He kills to bring life. That said, God does not merely kill for the sake of killing, His killing is not separate from His bringing to life. God kills ‘so that’ he may bring to life; He strikes down ‘so that’ he can bind up.  He reduces us to the fine powders of repentance so that He may raise us up in faith! 

The same is true for Judah in our Old Testament reading.  The Lord would once again bring His children into their own land.  His glory would return to the temple.  They would again be His people because He would sprinkle them with clean water and wash them of their sins and put His Spirit within them.  “You shall be my people, and I will be your God,” said the Lord.

To drive home the truth of what He promised and to dismiss any doubts that the Lord of heaven and earth can do the impossible, God showed Ezekiel the valley full of bones.  He asked him, “Can these bones live?” 

In other words, can God’s people be given new life where sin, death, and hopelessness reigned?  Can their spiritual dryness be quenched with the water of life?  And the great answer is, YES!

And at God’s command, Ezekiel spoke to the bones: “Hear the Word of the Lord.”  And those dead bones came to life, the Spirit of God was breathed into them, and they became a living army, brought back from the dead according to God’s Word and promise.

And just like the dead bones being raised to life, God fulfills His promises to Judah by giving them life and bringing them out of the valley of Babylonian oppression to life in Jerusalem. 

Now, dear friends, we must not just commit ourselves to the Old Testament reading as a matter of doing a mere history lesson, but we must also confess along with ancient Judah that we too have our idols and false gods, those things we look to for our worth and value, instead of God. We all have stuff and concerns that are more important than God’s Word and God’s will for us.  We fail to learn from past mistakes and fall into the same sin time after time, even sinning against conscience doing what we know we ought not to do.

And all of that sin sucks the life right out of our bones, leaving nothing but a pile of sin parched souls in the pit of hell’s gut pile.

But our Lord doesn’t leave us there in the hellish exile of sin and death without hope.  “Can these bones live?”  Yes, they can!  You see, on Easter evening long ago, when the disciples were in the upper room, Jesus breathed on the disciples while saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit.  If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

Jesus breathing and bestowing His Spirit upon His servants is no different than that valley of bones.  Indeed, the breath of God was breathed into the disciples with sin dry bones, that they might speak that same Spirit of life and forgiveness to others with sin dry bones. 

What this means is that the prophesied word upon the valley of dry bones was not meant only for the people of Judah exiled to Babylon.  It is also intended for you.  In Jesus’ death, our Lord paid the penalty for our idolatry, our mistrust, our sin and rebellion against God.  And that forgiveness He imparts to you and bestows upon you in His Word, spoken at His command through His servant the pastor.

And so, when the breath of the Lord breathes forgiveness, life, and salvation into our aching bones through His Word in the absolution, the life of Jesus Christ is made ours.  Our sins are forgiven as sure and certain as God’s promises are true.

Dear friends, we need that Word of God’s life and forgiveness as much as Judah did in Babylon.  Because even now, like then, as God’s people we sin and rebel against the God.  We need God’s Word – we need His forgiveness spoken over us and into our ears and souls so that we might be forgiven and have life.   

Yes, we need forgiveness and life… and today we actually have it.  You dear members of Zion Lutheran are in Christ alone, having been sprinkled with clean water in Holy Baptism, having the Spirit of life spoken into you through the absolution.  And as God’ forgiven children, you wait for the final and complete fulfillment of what Ezekiel viewed in the valley.  The final resurrection to eternal life of all those slain who have died to trust in Christ. 

That is the greatest part that is yet to come.  Make no mistake about it, the Lord has already fulfilled His promise and so He will bring His promise to completion by His Word calling into graves and resurrecting departed saints who died in Jesus.  And you will be among those who rise because even your bones will live.  So says the Lord Jesus.

In the name of Jesus: Amen. 

This sermon is borrowed in part from Rev. Joshua Reimche.

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