But Everyone Knows That Doctrine Divides!

Text: John 3:1-15

In the name of Jesus. Amen. 

Today is Trinity Sunday, and with it being Trinity Sunday, we confess the words of the Athanasian Creed.  More specifically, we confess that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity, neither confusing the persons nor dividing the substance.  We confess that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are coeternal with each other and coequal, so that in all things that we might worship our Triune God in unity. 

Yes, today is the day that we dust off the Athanasian Creed, stand, and confess with boldness our belief that our Triune God is uncreated, unlimited, eternal, and almighty. 

But why bother confessing such a complex and seemingly confusing Creed?  Why bother confessing such a wordy and apparently messy sounding creed like the Athanasian Creed?  Why not just say that we believe in God and leave it at that?  Everybody knows that details and doctrine divide – right?  So, why sweat the small stuff – right?

Well... no.  That is not right.  You see, throughout the history of the church, thousands upon thousands of Christians would disagree.  Yes, there are thousands of Christian martyrs that would have severely disagreed with the sentiments that were previously mentioned, so much that they staked their life on the doctrines of the Christian faith. 

You see, if we look throughout history and spot solid doctrine, we will most likely find a trail of martyr’s blood attached to it.  The Christians of our past were unwilling to compromise the doctrines of God’s Word, and they were unwilling to settle for vague and imprecise statements about the faith.  Those who came before us, such as our Lutheran forefathers, were quite willing to be burned at the stake for a right confession – for solid doctrine. 

But it seems that this way of thinking about the Christian faith has come to an end.  Today more and more people in the church cry out,  

“Oh, why do we have to be so bull-headed about silly doctrine?  Doctrine doesn’t matter; just stick with Jesus.  He saves, not doctrine.  Just stick with the basics; yes, the basics.  We are Christians after all, and we all worship the same God.”

Now, while this sounds fairly reasonable, there are many hidden problems with saying that we should just stick to the basics.  For example, what are the basics of the Christian faith?  Who decides what the basics will be?  You?  Me?  Will someone else decide for us?  Maybe the world will decide what the basics will be?  Will the basics of the Christian faith be reduced to simple children’s stories that make Jesus into a moral teacher?  If so, we really don’t need the Christian faith but can instead watch reruns of Mr. Rogers.  Will the basics be reduced to simple coffee mug slogans: keep the faith, believe in God, be still, just keep praying, and so forth?  If so, we really don’t need the Christian faith but maybe a Starbucks Coffee membership.  Will the basics be simply sticking with Jesus?  If so, should we be concerned with how Jesus gives Himself to us through His inerrant Word and His Sacraments of Baptism and Communion?  If the Word, Baptism, and Communion are too much to fuss about – beyond the basics – well, I guess we are essentially saying that we don’t need the church and should toss our Bibles in the trash, and call it good.      

Remember dear Baptized Saints that Jesus ‘is’ the way.  Jesus did not come to teach you the way or to show you the way or to be an example of how you can find the way to heaven.  No!  That is nonsense! Jesus came to suffer and to die for your sins and rise again for your justification.  On the cross, your Lord Jesus gave His life for you so that He might give Himself to you and with Himself, He gives you and your children, His grace, His forgiveness, His eternal life.  He is your way. 

What does all of this mean, though?  It means that we cannot talk about Jesus without talking about doctrine.  We can’t talk about Jesus without talking about how He gives Himself and His gifts of life and salvation to us.  In other words, doctrine is far from unimportant in the Christian faith.  In fact, without Christian doctrine, we can’t have the Christian faith.  Why?  Because doctrine is just another word for the teachings that our Lord has given us in the Word. 

So, if we let go of Christian doctrine, we are letting go of the Bible.  If we let go of the Bible, we are left with ourselves and our ideas about God, which are more often than not idolatrous – fake.  Furthermore, if we attempt to reduce and diminish doctrine for the sake of embracing an easier life, then in time we will lose the clear confession of who our Lord Jesus Christ is.  And if not careful, we will eventually lose the Christian faith altogether, making us poor souls damned for hell, while thinking that we are fine and dandy. 

Tragically, I hear the sad regret from pastors and parents over how the children and the young people of our churches are falling away from the Christian faith after High School.  And everybody wants to know why.  Why are they leaving!?  Well, it isn’t the fault of the Holy Spirit.  But rather, statistics show us two things.  First, if parents are not bringing their children to church consistently in the first place and teaching them at home about the Christian faith, there is a 1% chance that they will continue in the church after high school.[1]  Secondly, a recent survey of 3,000 Christians conducted by LifeWay Research found that over half of Christians in America subscribe to ancient heresies.  We are not talking about minor doctrinal errors, but major ancient heresies that are condemned by all major Christian denominations.[2]  Bluntly stated, Christians in America do not even know the basics of Christianity and are often embarrassed to admit it.  The average Christian in America has no doctrinal understanding and is often opposed to learning. 

So, if our children and youth are not going to church and not learning at home about the Christian faith, and if the average parent does not even know the basics of the Christian faith, it should not be a surprise to us at all why so many youths are falling away from the church. 

Tragically when the world is teaching our youth about things such as photosynthesis of plants, but the church scorns the idea of teaching our children the doctrine of propitiation, well, it is no wonder why we have the problems that we do. 

O Lord have mercy on us.  God forgive us.  Yes, God forgive every one of us. 

So, where do we go from here? 

Dear Baptized Saints, before we can begin to teach our children, we must know what we believe and why we believe it.  We must learn the doctrines of the faith, the teachings given to us in things such as the Athanasian Creed.  We must treasure and take up the teachings of God’s Word and the Small Catechism, and never settle for the blandness of the basics.  We must know what we believe and why we believe it. 

Yes, if we are to be faithful as a Church and if we desire to have this Christian faith passed down to our children and grandchildren, then we must be prepared to believe, teach, and confess the doctrines of the faith handed down to us from our Lutheran forefathers – from the Christians who have gone before us. 

But we must also be prepared to stand steadfast as a church, to reject and condemn, all errors and false teachings.  But be warned, we will not be liked for being faithful to God’s Word.  The devil hates those who refuse to compromise.

Dear Baptized Saints, doctrine divides, there is no way around it.  We cannot have it both ways.  Either it will be the Holy Christian faith drawn from God’s Word, or it will be a generic-meaningless-empty faith of somebody else’s basics.

Now, if you think this all sounds too harsh, listen to our Lord Jesus and the way He speaks to Nicodemus in the Gospel lesson.  Jesus does not give a watered down generic answer to Nicodemus’ questions.  But instead, Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”  Jesus goes on to say, “We speak of what we know and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony.”  Our Lord is clear here.  He is specific.  There is one doctrine, one teaching, one way – His way. There is no compromising.  Jesus does not water down His teaching or bend it towards mankind.  The doctrine and teaching of Jesus will not compromise and accommodate to our ideas of easier paths.

So, today we confessed the Athanasian Creed, today we confessed the doctrine of who God is in great detail.  We confessed it not as some dry religious exercise, but we confessed it so that we might continue to stand on what we believe and know in whom we believe.

Yes, we confess the Creeds and we learn doctrine because in so doing, we not only learn about our sin but also hear about our forgiveness, life, and salvation.  Indeed, Christian doctrine points us away from ourselves to Jesus and what He has done for us.  And when we hear and learn about Jesus, we are given faith and assurance and confidence that we are Jesus’ now and forever.

May God grant us the steadfastness of faith to cling to Jesus and to His Word.  May God grant us a hunger for His doctrine – His Word.  May God Grant us boldness to confess Him – today, tomorrow, and forevermore.

In the name of Jesus.  Amen. 

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[1] Matt Richard, “A New Discovery on how to Keep Youth in the Church,” PM Notes, http://www.pastormattrichard.com/2015/02/a-new-discovery-on-how-to-keep-youth-in.html (accessed May 26, 2018).

[2] LifeWay Research, “Americans Love God and the Bible, Are Fuzzy on the Details,” https://lifewayresearch.com/2016/09/27/americans-love-god-and-the-bible-are-fuzzy-on-the-details/ (accessed May 26, 2018). 

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Where Do You Find Truth?

Text: John 16:5-15

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

Where do you go to find truth? Yes, where do you go to find the certainty of truth? Well, I guess it depends. In other words, I suppose if you are trying to find the true spelling of a word, you will go to a dictionary. If you want to discover the true weight of an object, you will go to a scale. And to determine the true distance between two cities, you will most likely go to a map. But what if you want to find out the truth about things such as who you are, where you are going after death, and how you will get there? Then what? Where do you go to find the truth about these things? Indeed, where do you go to find the truth about who you are, where you are going after death, and how you will get there?

One of the ways to answer these important questions is to search your thoughts.  Yes, clear your mind, and then you can search your thoughts for the truth regarding your purpose, identity, and life after death. But there is a bit of a problem with searching your thoughts. And the problem is this, how do you know the difference between truth and the lies coming from your mind? How do you know if something is true or if you are making it up as you go along in your mind? And what if your thoughts are telling you what you want to hear? Furthermore, how do you know if your thoughts are a dream or grounded in reality? It seems that our own thoughts are limited at best.   

Well, if you cannot trust your thoughts to know truth, maybe you can trust your feelings. But how can you understand your feelings? It has been said before that you can understand your feelings by paying special attention to your stomach, heart, throat, head, arms, and legs. They say that as you ponder questions of truth, you need to be aware of the feelings of pain or pleasure in your various parts of your body.  That is right; as you try to discover truth regarding your purpose, identity, and life after death, you need to see if you feel anxiety, stress, anger, or irritation, for if you do, then what you are pondering is most certainly false. However, if you feel happiness, peace, love, joy, and delight, then what you are pondering must be true. Bad feelings indicate that something is false; good feelings indicate that something is true. But there is a bit of a problem with this too. And that problem is this, how do you know that your negative feelings are attached to what you are pondering and not attached to indigestion from the most recent hamburger and fries that you ate? How do you know that your happy feelings are tied to a standard of right, and not caused by the caffeine in that Diet Coke you just drank? Indeed, your feelings are not there to guide you to know truth. Contrary to what some well-intentioned psychologists say, your feelings are not here to guide you in understanding the truth and to guide you when you are stuck in lies. Feelings are not an accurate or consistent guide of truth.

So, if you cannot go to your thoughts and feelings to know the truth about who you are, where you are going after death, and how you will get there, where else shall you go?

A third option to find truth might be to not look within oneself but to look outward to what others are saying. You and I can say to ourselves,

“God would not let all the people of the world remain in error for a long time. Besides, there are so many pious and holy and wise people in the world, it would probably be best just to figure out what the ‘majority’ of the people are believing is true, and go with that.”   

Dear friends, if you and I expect to find truth about our identity, purpose, and life after death from what the majority of the people believe and teach, we will also be severely mistaken. You see, truth does not depend on popular polling. Truth does not care what the popular crowd thinks. Truth is not a reed blowing in the wind of popular fads.  Truth is not like a chameleon that changes colors according to the color of its surroundings. And so, you and I cannot base truth on what other people have determined and concluded, no matter how many people agree.

So, we are again back to our question, where do we go to find truth? Yes, where do we go to find the certainty of truth?

Dear friends, we cannot cling to our thoughts, for our thoughts are often short-lived and misinformed. And we cannot cling to our feelings, for feelings easily betray us. And our ears cannot cling to the lips and pens of people or groups, for that would be like the blind leading the blind. So what can we rely upon for knowing truth?

In our Gospel reading from the Apostle John, we hear Jesus saying that the Holy Spirit will guide us into all the truth. Yes, the Holy Spirit will guide you.

Now, this is one of the blessings of being a Christian. You and I do not have to wonder where truth is found. You do not have to try to discern the dreams of your minds, you do not have to try to dig around in the emotions of your hearts, and you do not have to chase after the changing opinions of crowds, but rather, the Holy Spirit guides you into the truth. Yes, like a guide who introduces a traveler to an unknown destination, the Holy Spirit guides Christians into all truth!

But we still have not answered exactly where this truth is found.

Baptized Saints, the Holy Spirit is not a fortune teller, and He does not point you to some theoretical version of truth held in the halls of academia. The Holy Spirit does not lead you on a wild goose chase so that you might find a supposed treasure of truth at the end of a rainbow. The Holy Spirit also does not guide you back to yourself – to your thoughts and feelings. No, this is not how the Holy Spirit guides. The Holy Spirit is not a skeptic. He does not proclaim doubt or mere opinions. Instead, the Holy Spirit guides us to Jesus and Jesus’ words. And as we hear from John’s Gospel, the fourteenth chapter, Jesus is the way, ‘the truth,’ and the life.

You and I must never forget that truth is not some ideology. Truth is not a thing hidden in our hearts or something buried deep in our subconscious mind. Instead, the truth regarding who you are, where you are going after death, and how you will get there, is connected to the person and work of Jesus. Truth is not an idea, but instead, truth is a person – Jesus Christ.

So, dear friends, whatever is not Christ is not the way, but error. Whatever is not Christ is not life but death. Whatever is not Christ is not truth, but untruth. And that is why the Holy Spirit guides you to Jesus. To be very precise, this is why the Holy Spirit guides you to Jesus’ Word and gives you Jesus’ Word.

And in Jesus’ Word – the Bible – you find and receive truth! This is why you and I must stick to the Scriptures. Truth is in the Lord’s Word; there you will be safe; there you will find reliableness and faithfulness – completely, purely, sufficiently, and constantly.[1]

The Holy Spirit guides us to the Word, for there in the Word of God, the Holy Spirit works to enlighten us and give us all truth.

So, if the masses of people around us cry out a different so-called truth than what is presented in Jesus’ Word, you and I shall not be troubled, for without the truth of Jesus we know that there is no such thing as certainty but only self-deception.

And when your feelings contradict the Word of God, in repentance and faith, you shall cry out, “Create in me a clean heart O God.”

And when your mind leads you into fanatical dreams, you shall make the sign of the cross remembering that you are captive to the Word of God and the Word of God alone.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth, for He works to place Jesus before your eyes, ears, minds, and hearts so that you would know with certainty the work of Jesus – for you.

Blessed Saints, truth is never apart from the Word and Holy Spirit, but comes to you in the Word and Sacraments, so that you might know that you are the baptized – forgiven, cleansed, claimed unto Christ; destined to everlasting life with Christ, with resurrected bodies which will be free from sin.

Indeed, truth is here in the Word where the Holy Spirit works.  Yes, truth is here in the Word for you.

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

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[1] Martin Luther (SL 15, 1565). 

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This Life Is Only A 'Little While'

Text: Matthew 16:16-22

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

Go for it now, for the future is promised to no one.

Celebrate your life now. Do not wait until it is over.

Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you might die.

You only live once, so now is the time to live.

Party now, sleep when you are dead.

Laugh at the odds and live your life to the fullest so that death will be afraid to take you.

These are several of the catchphrases circulating in our modern day and age. And in case you did not pick up on it, all of these slogans have the same thing in common. What they have in common is this: these sayings believe that the present is good whereas the future is bad. That is to say; these slogans view life now as full of success, pleasure, and happiness that need to be seized, whereas the future is full of sorrow, pain, sadness, and death. Simply stated, life goes from good to bad with these catchphrases, because death is the final killjoy! Death is the nail in the coffin – the end of goodness.

But is this necessarily true? Does life go from good to bad?  Does life go from happiness to sorrow? Is this the trajectory that we are on, meaning that we need to seize the moment for tomorrow may never come?

In our Gospel reading, Jesus says quite the opposite. He shares that you Christians will not encounter success, pleasure, and happiness in your life right now, but quite the opposite. You will meet sorrow and distress and pain. Indeed, you will cry and groan with pain in this life. You will hurt in this life. And to make things worse, while you are hurting and suffering, the world will dance and party around you. Indeed, life for the Christian is tough. Life will knock you down and keeps knocking you down. It does not let up. Even the Apostles tell us flat out: “In this world, you will have trouble.” Yes, all kinds of troubles. Your heart will break. You will grow old and begin to fall apart. You will have disappointment and heart-ache and trial upon trial.

The reason why it is like this is that you and I live in what is called the valley of tears. Yes, we live in what is called this valley of tears. You and I enter into this valley at the beginning of our life, and we stay in this valley until our last dying breath. And unlike a pleasant valley, this valley of life is dark. The valley contains hardships, suffering, loss, grief, persecution, and pain. It is a valley that is clouded with gloom, where we experience the attacks of the devil, the struggles with the sinful nature, the persecution of the world, and the sting of death itself.

Perhaps you are wondering at this point if I forgot to take an anti-depressant pill this morning. Or maybe you might be wondering if I am a natural pessimist, seeing the glass as half-empty? No, this is not the case. You see, what I am describing about this valley of tears is reality. This is how things are for you as a Christian in this life – in this valley of tears.  Yes, Jesus says that in this life that you will weep and mourn and that you will have pain. As a Christian you live, breathe, and have movement not on the mountaintops of life, but within the valley, the valley of tears.

I can tell you this, though, we do not like the reality of suffering. We do not like hearing about this valley of tears.  We do not like the darkness. So, we Christians like to pretend that our lives are not in this valley of tears. That is right; we love to avoid the valley of tears at all costs. It makes us uncomfortable, and it goes against the view of the world that things are supposed to be great. So, we try to make peace with the darkness of the valley. We try to turn the lemons of the valley into lemonade. We convince ourselves that we are overcomers. We say, “When we get knocked down, we get up again.” And then when we stand as supposed overcomers, we look into the dark valley of tears, and we roar as if we are invincible.   But we are not.  We are fooling ourselves. 

No matter how hard we try to climb out of the valley of tears or deny it, there is no escape – you Christians are in this valley where the walls are too steep and where it is too dark. No matter how hard you wipe away the tears of hurt, they keep flowing in life – they keep flowing until your last dying breath. No matter how much you try to dull the pain and hurt, it keeps twisting and stabbing you. In this life, the devil continues to attack, the sinful flesh always longs to sin and wreak havoc, and the world continues to spew forth lies. There is no end to this stuff.

So, the reality for you, dear Christians, is that you are not high on a mountaintop, but you are deep in the valley. It is like this because Christ predicted that there would be trials and suffering and pain in this life. He certainly did.  From your birth to your last dying breath, you will experience these hardships, the daily grind, the struggle of the soul, the heaviness of life, the chaos of sin. However, our Lord Jesus Christ also said that this valley of tears would only be a ‘little while.’ In other words, the day is coming that the valley of tears will end and all things will be made anew. Yes, sadness lasts only ‘a little while’ and then will change into gladness. All grief lasts just ‘a little while’ and then is swallowed up in the end. Pain last only ‘a little while’ and will be remembered no more. You see, life does not go from good to bad. But rather, it is the other way around, it goes from bad to good, and it only takes ‘a little while.’ 

Dear Baptized Christians, learn to say these words to yourself: ‘A little while.’ Yes, when the shadows of the valley of tears press in upon you, say, ‘a little while,’ because you know that in a little while it will all be over. It will all be over soon because Jesus promises to see you in His kingdom. After a little while, Jesus will wipe away the tears from all eyes, and He will heal all the hurt. After a little while, He will give eternal joy to you. You see, because you are baptized in Christ, you are a Christian, and as a Christian, you wait for the Lord, you know that there is an end to the pain of the valley of tears. You know that at the end of the valley there will be no suffering, but there will be the unspeakable joy of seeing Jesus and Him seeing you, as He pulls you from this valley of tears to His eternal goodness.  Yes, in death the Lord pulls you to Himself and will resurrect you to eternal life. And when He does, oh, the laughter and unending joy. It will fill your heart and make you dance, and it will cause you to laugh and sing for eternity.

Dear Baptized Saints, do not lose heart and do not grow faint this day. Do not panic and do not fret. Be still this hour and be still at this moment; hear right now. The valley of tears does not last forever; there is an end to the valley. There is an end to the tears, 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!

And as you wait it out, dear Baptized Saints, to get you through, the Lord gives you His Word and Sacraments. Therefore, cling to the promises of God’s Word – the promises that are for you. Hang your body and soul upon His Word. Continually receive the Sacrament of the Altar – that is given and shed for you. Remember your Baptisms – where God’s name was placed upon your head and heart, marking you as one of the redeemed. Patiently endure any misfortune, while comforting yourself with the truth that the Lord is with you. He does not abandon you in the valley. Yes, 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.

Baptized Saints, hang on!. It is just a little while. And then you will see Jesus face to face where your sorrows, sadness, and pain will be turned into joy.   

In the name of Jesus Christ: Amen.

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How To Distinguish Between Good And Bad Pastors

Texts: Ezekiel 34:11-16 and John 10:11-16

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

How do you distinguish between a good pastor and a bad pastor?

In other words, what qualities and characteristics should a church look for in a good pastor and what things should be avoided?

In a 2017 article from the HuffPost, Kelly Battles, answers these questions by saying that good pastors are characterized by the following attributes and features:

• A good pastor has an open mind.
• A good pastor is more spiritual than traditionally religious.
• A good pastor writes sermons that are relatable, current, practical, and that help you walk out of church with the tools and motivation to lead a better life.
• A good pastor integrates a heavy dose of humor and the arts, as well as prayer and the Bible, into the lesson.
• A good pastor makes everyone they meet feel like family.
• A good pastor finally, has a healthy appreciation for pet participation, children squirming in the pews, and people in bike shorts and sports uniforms, all regular occurrences in the church life of her local church.[1]

Ms. Battles goes on to say that in selecting a good pastor that the most important thing is to identify the traits, characteristics, and experiences that best fit with the church’s plans, vision, and priorities.

Now, is Kelly Battles right? Has she described what makes a good pastor in our modern day and age? 

Unfortunately, she has not described what makes a good pastor in our modern day and age, but instead, she has described merely what many churches ‘want’ in a pastor in our modern day and age. And what churches ‘want’ in a pastor is often different than what churches actually ‘need.’ That is to say; what churches often want in a pastor is at odds with what the Lord calls pastors to be and do.

Dear friends, to identify a good pastor, we must not consult and survey the wishes and opinions of mankind. Yes, to distinguish between good and bad shepherds, we must not appeal to the feelings and wishes of mankind, but we must hear what the Lord says about this subject.

In our readings from Ezekiel and the Gospel of John, we hear about the differences between good shepherds and bad shepherds – good pastors and bad pastors. We can also look throughout the rest of the Bible as well, to hear about the criteria of what makes a good pastor.[2] And what we hear is that we can distinguish a good pastor from a bad pastor not by how much humor he has in a sermon or how much he makes a person feel like family, but upon the pastor’s doctrine and life. Yes, the criteria that the Bible lays forth in identifying the differences between a good shepherd and a bad shepherd is what the pastor teaches and how the pastor lives.

Now, regarding doctrine, a good pastor preaches and teaches the Bible to the flock, not his own opinions. In fact, the majority of the time of the pastor is to be preaching and teaching the Holy Scriptures to his flock. He is to be applying Law and Gospel. Law to confront the sins of his flock and Gospel to absolve those sins. From the pulpit, the bedside, behind the desk, and on the streets, the pastor is called to proclaim God’s Law unto repentance and God’s Gospel unto faith. The pastor is not captive to the desires and wants and rules of the congregation but is captive to the Word of God and the Word alone.

Bad shepherds, on the other hand, may well preach and teach with a friendly smile, but will consistently remove the sting of the Law that reveals sin and then condition the Gospel that reveals Jesus. Yes, they will tickle the ears of the congregation by downplaying the seriousness of God’s Law and will undercut the singlehanded sufficiency of the Gospel. By doing this, nobody will feel bad because sin will not be confronted by a stern Law and everyone will be able to have a place in accomplishing their own salvation because the Gospel will no longer be dependent upon Jesus alone, but upon the will-power of the parishioner. As a result, sin is allowed to run rampant in the church, Jesus is pushed off to the side, and a one-way ticket to hell is handed out.

Furthermore, bad shepherds will slobber a bunch of manmade doctrines all over God’s Word, covering God’s Word with meaningless babble. Yes, bad shepherds will say a lot, but when closely examined, their chatter is empty. Their mouths are full of a bunch of empty sounds that have the appearance of knowledge but in reality contradict the Bible.[3]

Dear friends, doctrine is one of the things that distinguishes good and bad pastors. A good shepherd is faithful to the Word of God in season and out of season, telling the church what they ‘need’ to hear, not what they ‘want’ to hear. Bad shepherds, however, will tickle the ears of the congregation, telling them not what they ‘need’ to hear, but what they ‘want’ to hear.[4]  

Good and bad shepherds are also distinguished by their life. A good shepherd lives according to God’s Word and demonstrates his doctrine with good examples in his life. This is not a life of perfection, for no man is perfect, except Jesus alone. But instead, this is a life of upholding what is good, right, and true according to God’s Word. It is a life aspiring to want to do better and confessing sin when failure arises. A good pastor neither conceals sin nor celebrates it, but is quick to apologize to his flock and others when he errors and depends solely on Jesus for his identity, forgiveness, and life.

Bad shepherds, though, live contrary to God’s Word in their life when they conceal sin or celebrate sin. Bad shepherds also make many rules for their church that are not in the Bible and keep few of the rules themselves. To make things worse, bad shepherds run at the first sign of danger from wolves. Furthermore, they do not strengthen the weak, they do not heal the sick, and do not bind up the injured by the Word and Sacraments because they have not only forsaken the Word and Sacraments but are also too fat and lazy in their spiritual apathy – only serving their agendas and appetites.

Indeed, doctrine and life are that which help us distinguish between good and bad pastors. But why are the doctrine and life of pastors so important? Why this criterion? You see, it is quite simple.

If the church were a social club and Jesus was its group leader, then good and bad pastors would be judged upon their personalities, popularity, and relatability, not doctrine and life.

If the church were a business and Jesus was its CEO, then good and bad pastors would be judged upon business principles and financial ratios, not doctrine and life.

If the church were a social justice organization and Jesus was its social justice leader, then good and bad pastors would be judged upon their community campaigning abilities.

But the church is none of these things. And Jesus is none of these things as well. Instead, the church is often referred to in the Bible as a flock – a flock of sheep. And pastors are called to be shepherds of the flock. In fact, the word ‘pastor’ is from the Latin word that means, ‘shepherd.’

So, if the church is like a flock and pastors are like shepherds, what does this mean about Jesus? It means that Jesus is the chief Shepherd. Jesus is the good – the ultimate good – Shepherd. He is the good Shepherd that laid down His life for the sheep. Jesus is the chief Shepherd of our souls, by whose blood we are purchased and redeemed. And as our chief Shepherd, Jesus places pastors into churches to feed and preach the Gospel to ‘His’ sheep according to ‘His’ example and according to ‘His’ Word. Simply stated, good pastors are those who live by faith in Jesus and teach according to Jesus. Bad pastors disregard Jesus’ example and Jesus’ doctrine. That is why a pastor is judged upon doctrine and life. Is the pastor speaking the doctrines of Jesus? Is the pastor living by faith in Jesus? Or is the pastor peddling something else?

Dear Baptized Saints, if your pastor ever strays from the chief Shepherd or if your ears are ever tickled away to a bad pastor, beware! Whoever strays from the chief Shepherd – Jesus – does not have peace and safety but will have to contend with the wolves, that devour souls. 

You, though, are sheep. You hear and follow the shepherd’s voice. Together you and I know that we cannot help ourselves but depend on Jesus’ protection and help and His Word and Sacraments.  

So, dear Baptized Saints, when I step into this pulpit, wear this clergy alb, and place the stole around my neck, may I be faithful in doctrine and life to proclaim and give you Jesus’ Word. May I be faithful to proclaim to you Jesus and Him dying for your sins.

And when you have marital struggles, a new job, a failed pregnancy, a death of a spouse, and whatever this life brings, may you always have an open ear to hear about Jesus and Him dying for your sins.

No matter the circumstance, pastor and congregation must speak, hear, and trust in the message of Jesus dying for them. No matter the situation, the message of Jesus – His Word and Sacraments – must never be compromised because Jesus is the guardian of our souls, our rescuer in death, the hope of everlasting life, and our good and chief Shepherd, now and forevermore.

In the name of Jesus Christ: Amen.

---

[1] Kelly Battles, “What Makes a Good Pastor in 2017?,” HuffPost, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/what-makes-a-good-pastor-in-2017_us_597b70fee4b06b305561d02b (accessed April 12, 2018).

[2] Take special note of the Pastoral Epistles that outline the criteria of Pastors.  

[3] See 1 Timothy 6:20.

[4] See 2 Timothy 4:1-5.

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Why Good Friday Makes Us Feel Uncomfortable

Text: John 19:1-42

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

Good Friday has a way of making us uncomfortable.  The darkness of Good Friday, along with the bloody cross makes us squirm. 

If we were, to be honest, the cross of Jesus is painful to contemplate.  Even individuals who have been desensitized to violence through violent movies and video games, struggle with looking at the cross of Jesus.  And there are whole church denominations that are very adamant that crosses in churches should not have the figure of Jesus on them.  These churches are opposed to crucifixes.  In technical terms they say that crosses should be bare and not have a corpus – that is a body.  They argue, “Jesus is off the cross and risen from the dead; we should not use crucifixes.”  While this rationale makes sense to a point, I am still convinced that a huge reason for wanting an empty cross versus a crucifix is that empty crosses are tamer.  Empty crosses are a little more sanitized.  Empty crosses are a little easier to look at, whereas a cross with a bloody Messiah makes our heads turn to the side and our faces cringe. 

But why is there such difficulty with a dark Good Friday and the bleeding Savior upon the cross?  Why does this Good Friday service grab our hearts in such a profound way?  Dear friends, the answer is that the death of Jesus is no ordinary death.  The darkness of Good Friday is no ordinary darkness.  It would be ordinary if Jesus were dying on the cross for a wrong that He had committed.  That is to say; if Jesus was on the cross for something that He had done wrong, we could shrug our shoulders and say, “Well, that is too bad, but I guess he got what was coming,” and then we could go on our way.  But this is not the case. 

Dear friends, the death of Christ is no ordinary death, and it is no ordinary darkness and here is why.  Look and realize that the wounded, bloodied, and crucified Christ did not suffer on the cross for a single wrong that He had done. But rather, that bloody cross and that darkness were because of you and me.  Yes, He was on the cross because of us.  That is why it is no ordinary death and no ordinary darkness. 

You see, on that cross, the totality of human sin – from the first sin of Adam and Eve to the last sin of the last human being alive – all of it was gathered up, pressed together, and then loaded on Jesus while He hung on the cross in darkness.  Jesus bore the whole weight of it and owned it as His own.  And so, Jesus experienced both temporal and eternal death because of you and because of me.

This is why it is tough to look at a crucifix because it is hard to accept the truth of our sins.  The wounds, the nails affixed to His hands and feet, the blood running down His face from the thorns, are because of us – our sin.  His mutilated back rubbing against the tree as He is forced to push upward to breathe is because of us – our sin. 

Jesus’ whole life was only love. He was the only human being who completely loved the Father with His all and His neighbor as Himself; however, this perfect life ended at a cross because of us. 

And so, tonight we find ourselves lowering our heads.  Our eyes drop to the side.  Shame sets in, and we shake our heads because we know that Jesus suffered and died on that cross because of us. 

Dear Baptized Saints, while it is hard to look through the darkness to the bleeding Savior on the cross, tonight I must tell you that it is good and right to do so.  Hard to look at the cross, yes.  Good to look at the cross, yes, as well.  In fact, this night we must lift our heads, open our eyes, and gaze through the darkness upon the suffering servant on the cross.  We must fall on our knees before this image of Jesus bleeding.  We must ponder this picture of the suffering and crucified Savior. 

But why should we look at something that is hard to look at, such as Christ-crucified?

Baptized Saints, we must gaze upon the crucified Christ because it is a picture of the Lord’s love for you!  Because Jesus is love, this loving Savior will not leave sinners in sin.  And so, the bloody cross with a bloody Savior is the most dramatic display God’s love for you.  Yes, Jesus – who is perfect love – takes sin upon Himself.  Jesus – who is perfect love – is wounded to grant us healing.  The dark and bloody cross is love towards you.

And so, tonight we beg the Lord to imprint this image of Christ-crucified on our hearts and minds so that we might carry this image with us wherever we go.  We pray that the Lord would engrave this picture of Christ-crucified upon us so that it can be before our eyes at the moment of our death.

You see, when the moment of your death comes to you, the devil will press you.  At that moment of death, the devil will seek his last chance to snatch you away from God forever, and he has a powerful weapon to use.

During your everyday lives, the cunning serpent minimizes sin and tries to lure you into sin with temptations.  However, at death, the opposite happens.  At the end of your life, the devil then maximizes your sins in your memory to bring you to despair.  Yes, when death is coming for you, the devil will happily set up the projector in your mind and replay for you the many sins you have forgotten.

The devil will taunt you, that you are not a Christian.  He will declare you unfit for the kingdom of God.  He will tell you that you are his and that by your sin that you have committed yourself to the kingdom of darkness.

All those sins will be playing over and over and over in your mind as you are struggling in death.  And that is why it is vital that we gaze upon Christ-crucified.  This is why it is so important that we lift up our chins and look through the darkness to Jesus hanging on the cross.  This is why it is so essential in life to look upon Christ-crucified.  This is why it is so important to behold our Savior’s wounds and to hold them close to our hearts, counting them as our most precious treasure.  This is why the image of Christ-crucified needs to be imprinted on our minds and hearts. 

So, in the hour of your death, Christ-crucified will be your only weapon against the despair of the enemy.  You will be able to look at all of your sins as the accuser brings them before your eyes, and you will be able to acknowledge that they are indeed awful and wrong.  However, against the devil’s accusations, you have something far greater – you have Christ-crucified. Yes, we can admit before the devil that Jesus is on the cross because of us; however, we can also confess boldly that Jesus is on the cross because of us.  He is there because He loves you and me.  He is there because there must be an end to sin, death, and the devil.  He is there because He cannot tolerate sin and chose to do something about it for you and me.

Baptized Saints, the dying Savior shatters the devil’s accusations for all the accusations, and all of your sins were atoned for at the cross.  The blood of Jesus blotted out every single sin that you have ever committed or ever well.  And so, the devil cannot contend with Christ’s blood. 

Awful as your sins are, each one has been paid for, covered by innocent blood, the blood of your Savior, Jesus.

So, tonight we lift up our heads.  We look into the darkness without fear.  We look upon the crucified one with confidence.  And as we consider our Crucified Savior, we ask the Lord to imprint this image on our minds and hearts, so that we might have the sure confidence that Jesus Christ – God in the flesh – has proved Himself as our dearest friend by dying for all of our sins, making you and me, His forever.   

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

Note: this sermon is borrowed in parts from William Weedon’s Good Friday Sermon on Isaiah 53.

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