Sermon on Acts 5:12,17-32, April 11 and 12, 2010, Easter 2
Pastor Paul G. Eckert
Sermon text:
Acts 5:12 The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade.
17 Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy.
18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail.
19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out.
20 "Go, stand in the temple courts," he said, "and tell the people the full message of this new life."
21 At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people. When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles.
22 But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported,
23 "We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside."
24 On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were puzzled, wondering what would come of this.
25 Then someone came and said, "Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people."
26 At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them.
27 Having brought the apostles, they made them appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest.
28 "We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name," he said. "Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood."
29 Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than men!
30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead - whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree.
31 God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.
32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him."
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What is the full message of Easter? The celebration of Easter is a week ago already, and for many that means the message of Easter is gone. No more talking about Easter as a reminder of new life showing up in green grass, trees budding, flowers coming up. No more talking about Easter bonnets and clothes, or about Easter bunnies, or about Easter eggs. Those messages of Easter are gone, gone until we get closer again to Easter of 2011.
For us as Christians, however, the full message of Easter is not gone because the full message of Easter is not the things I have mentioned so far. For us its true meaning is daily present, for Easter’s message is
THE FULL MESSAGE OF TRUE LIFE
I A LIFE THAT HAS RESULTS (12)
1. There had been a tremendous result
a) first there seemed to be a disaster: Jesus arrested, killed
b) but then a tremendous result: Jesus arose, Jesus lives; He had
said, "I am the Resurrection and the Life" and "I am the way and the truth and the life"; and Easter proved the truth of what
He said, the truth of His victory for us
2. What was happening now was proof of what happened (12a)
The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people.
a) before His crucifixion Jesus said that after He was alive again
His disciples would be empowered to do miraculous wonders
b) they were now doing that, proof Jesus was alive and not dead 3. Their gathering together also was proof (12b)
And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade.
a) do you think they would have been gathering together like this
if they had gone to the tomb where Jesus had been buried and
had found His body, a dead body, was still there?
b) they gathered because they knew a dead body was not there,
and many, if not all of them, had seen and talked to Jesus after
He had arisen; Scripture even tells us that on one occasion a
crowd of over 500 saw Him alive after His resurrection
4. Let us also gather to celebrate the results (12)
The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade.
a) let us celebrate by gathering together in church, worshiping
together, joining at the Lord’s Table, appreciating the
fellowship of believers in our congregation
b) as to performing miracles, Jesus did give the early church that
authorization as visible support in its formative years
c) today, while God surely could still grant such miracles if He
wanted to, He seems to be telling us that now the message is to
go out by itself without such support; and that is the next point
II A LIFE TO BE PROCLAIMED (17-21a)
1. Jealousy was involved here (17)
Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy.
a) the church leaders had seen Jesus as a threat to their positions
b) jealousy now showed up when they saw people gathering
because of someone they thought they had gotten rid of
2. What really was involved was unbelief (17-18)
Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail.
a) do you notice the reference to the Sadducees?
b) they did not believe there was life after death, and thus they
did not believe Jesus had come back to life; it was because of
that unbelief that they were opposed to people who believed
that Jesus was alive, that He was the Resurrection and the Life
for them too; and so they jailed the preachers of that message
3. But the message of life was to be proclaimed (19-21a)
But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. "Go, stand in the temple courts," he said, "and tell the people the full message of this new life." At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told,
and began to teach the people.
a) God sent an angel with directions that they were to proclaim "the full message of this new life"
b) and that is what the apostles did, in the temple, in public
4. We too are to proclaim Easter’s real message (20b)
" --- tell the people the full message of this new life."
a) yes, do that personally, as God presents us with opportunities
b) do that also with offerings - and please don’t ever see offerings
as membership fees, or something to do to be in good standing,
or something to show off with; but see them as opportunities to do through others (congregation, synod) not what you have to
do but what you want to do to help proclaim the full message
of true life, of a risen Lord who wants us to live with Him
c) and as you do that be aware that as our own Old Adams can
give us trouble when it comes to giving, so also there can be
bad reactions from others when we proclaim Christ
III A LIFE THAT BRINGS REACTION (18,21b-29)
1. The reaction here had been imprisonment (18)
They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail.
a) this had happened before with two apostles, Peter and John
(Acts 4); now it happened with more apostles involved
b) such and other persecutions can and do still happen today
2. The prison escape brought consternation (21b-26)
When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles. But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, "We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside." On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were puzzled, wondering what would come of this. Then someone came and said, "Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people." At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them.
a) guards had been at Jesus’ tomb - but they could not stop Jesus
from coming out alive
b) now guards could not stop this either! - what was going on?
3. Questioning showed who was not liked (27-28)
Having brought the apostles, they made them appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. "We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name," he said. "Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood."
a) do you notice that the church leaders did not use Jesus’ name
but instead said "this name" and "this man’s blood"?
b) how sad! unbelief didn’t even want to use the name of Jesus,
the name which we so love to hear - and it is just as sad when
Jesus’ name is used today, but in a wrong way for "cussing"
4. We too have to expect reaction (29)
Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than men!"
a) proclaim the precious name of Jesus with our words and with
the way we live and there will be reaction from unbelief,
reaction from being ignored to persecution in various ways
b) then always remember that if God has said something, what
He says comes first, that what He wants and says is more
important than what people think or say about us or do to us
c) and don’t forget that whatever they do, the message of true
life also tells us what is to come because of Jesus’ resurrection
IV A LIFE THAT MEANS EXALTATION (29-32)
1. People can persecute and kill (29-30)
Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than men! The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead - whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree."
a) putting God first ("Your will be done") brought death to
Jesus
b) that happened with almost all of the apostles and many others
2. But God can exalt (31a)
"God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior ---."
a) (Phil. 2) "Jesus humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name."
b) Jesus lives! He is exalted! His mission for us accomplished!
3. And that exaltation includes us (31)
"God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel."
a) sinners we are - but God calls us to repentance, to
acknowledgment and sincere sorrow for our sins because of
which God had sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for us
b) now sinners in God’s sight we no longer are because of His
forgiveness of sins which means our exaltation and true life
4. Of this we are witnesses (32)
"We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom
God has given to those who obey him."
a) we are not yet eye witnesses, like these apostles
b) but we are witnesses who have been brought to faith by the
Holy Spirit using Word and sacraments, His means of grace
c) using that Word of the Spirit we are to be witnesses of what
we believe, witnesses who proclaim, as the angel said, "the full message of this new life" until we are eye witnesses in heaven
The full message of Easter. Is it new life showing up in green grass, trees budding, flowers coming up? Is it Easter bonnets and clothes, Easter bunnies, Easter eggs?
You know the answer. Easter is the proclamation of THE FULL MESSAGE OF TRUE LIFE, the proclamation of the truth about Jesus our Savior, risen from the dead to be our forgiveness now, our Way and Truth and Life, our Resurrection and our Life, as He has promised us: "Because I live, you also will live." That is "the full message of this new life."
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
Easter Sunday April 4th, 2010
EASTER SUNDAY
April 4th , 2010
THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS MADE! LET US REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT. AMEN.
Text: Mark 16:1-16
A PORTRAIT OF THE SAVIOR
I. RISING II. REINFORCING III. RULING
In the name of Jesus, our crucified and risen Lord, dear fellow redeemed children of God;
It would have been one of those scenes that would have brought Chopper 4 to the scene with “breaking news.” Reporters would have been calling in via “Skype” and cell phone technology. Had those technologies been available in those dawning hours of Easter, the news channels would been covering every angle. But God in His wisdom had the events of Good Friday and Easter happen at the time He knew was just right. The portraits of the Savior on that first Easter morning we have are recorded in God’s Word. It is a portrait of the Savior that brings joy and peace and comfort. We see 3 portraits of the Savior I. rising, II. reinforcing and III. ruling.
Has it even happened to you that after you have gone all the way through the grocery store with a huge heaping cart full of groceries that you reach the check out and find that you have forgotten something very important- like your wallet or your purse? The women had that experience on that first Easter. After Jesus’ body was taken down from the cross on Friday afternoon and placed in the tomb, the women rested on the Sabbath. Then when the Sabbath was over on Saturday evening they bought all the spices that were need for giving the body of Jesus what they thought would be a proper burial. First thing on Sunday, they were off to the tomb. As they were on their way they had one of those moments where they realized they didn’t have something or someone important along- a stone mover. “When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?"
But the stone moving had already been done. “But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.”
The angel moved the stone to show everyone that the tomb was empty. Jesus was not dead anymore. Now the sight of an angel in the cemetery just after dawn would be a little disconcerting for any human. But did you notice what the angel said to these terrified women? "Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' " So there wouldn’t be any thought for the women that maybe they were at the wrong tomb the angel makes the identification, “You are looking for Jesus, the Nazarene who was crucified. He has risen. He is not here.”
At the site of the pyramids at Giza there is the great pyramid and then two pyramids that are a little smaller. As you approach the pyramids, one might think that the center pyramid must be the great pyramid. Actually it was the burial place of the son of the pharaoh who build the great pyramid for his own burial place. His son built his pyramid on higher ground to give the illusion that his pyramid was bigger. People thinking that his pyramid was bigger would make this pharaoh’s son smile according to the article I read. That sort of tomb competition might make us shake our heads a bit but it also shows the difference between the kings of this world and Jesus. Jesus wasn’t interested in having a huge pyramid that would be around for centuries to hold His body. His tomb would only be used for three days. He has risen!
The portrait of Jesus rising from the dead brings comfort for us today. The angel’s words still speak to us today. “Don’t be alarmed. He is risen! He is not here. Come and see the place where they laid him.” Jesus rising from the dead is all important for us. In the first part of our service this morning we heard the Apostle Paul talk about what a terrible thing it would be if Jesus hadn’t been raised from the dead. “If Christ has not been raised your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.” Our sins that we thought were drown in the depths of the sea would still be hanging around our necks. But the angel’s voice chases away those fears. “Don’t be alarmed. Jesus has risen. Come and see the place where they laid him.” Your sins are forgiven. The empty tomb is your receipt. “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” Death could not keep its hold on Jesus and because it could not keep it’s hold on Jesus it will not keep its hold on you. Jesus said, “Because I live, you too shall live.”
Now I will have to be careful when I drive today to grandpa’s house because the soda and the cupcakes will be in the trunk. No one wants to eat cupcakes that have overturned or soda that has sloshed around in the trunk. The followers of Jesus went back and forth and sloshed all about between belief that Jesus was alive and doubt that Jesus had kept His Word. The second of the portraits in God’s word shows us the Savior reinforcing His followers.
“When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it. Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either. Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.” Don’t you have to marvel that the bible is not a “spin machine.” It doesn’t just report the things that make the disciples look good. It says in a straight forward honest way that some of Jesus’ disciples had their doubts at first.
We can’t really cluck our tongues at those followers because at times we have our doubts too. We have doubts about whether God really can do what he promises. Is He really going to take care of me? Is he really going to be with me? I can’t see what he is doing so he must be doing nothing! The Savior didn’t cut off his followers but assured them that he was indeed alive. He reinforced them with an honest rebuke when it was needed and gave proof that he really was alive.
Finally there is also the portrait of the ruling Savior. We live in a world where there are many things to be afraid of. But Jesus’ tomb being empty just as he said, calms our fears. You see the one who said he who rise in three days and then did, has also made comforting promises to you and me. He says in his word, “For God is our God forever and ever. He will be our guide even to the end.” When we are worried about where our next payment is going to come from, when weary of going to the doctor, when our knees are shaking, let’s come once again and see the place where Jesus laid and know that the Lord who watching over us is a living Lord. Even when we stand face to face with death, Jesus, the one who was dead and is now alive again calms our fears. His empty tomb allows you and me to say with our last breath, “Death where is thy sting? Oh grave thy victory! Thanks be to God he gives us the victory through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
We can see an example of Jesus’ rule. He sends His disciples out. “He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” When Christians stand at the empty tomb and know that they, like Jesus, will rise and live forever, it changes everything. It changes our lives. We live for him. We serve him. We reflect his love and forgiveness and unselfishness and patience in our dealings with others. And of course we talk to our friends and our neighbors and the people we work with and play with about Jesus and his love. Let’s not be afraid to talk with others who don’t know about Jesus but let’s also not be afraid to talk with those who already know about Jesus. Sometimes we think, “O they already know all about Jesus so we miss a chance “ to encourage one another with Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.” Don’t be afraid. Talk to your friend who just lost a loved one about the empty tomb. Tell your discouraged child or parent or brother about the powe of the risen Lord Jesus who takes everything and works a blessing.
Does the name Metin Senturk mean anything to you? Last week he became the world's fastest unaccompanied blind driver. With a former rally driver in a car behind guiding him over the radio, Metin maintained an average speed of over 181 mph. We never have to feel like we are blindly driving through life. Our Savior is alive. He is with us. With love and wisdom he guides us along the way.
Someone once said that the best news in the world came from just outside Jerusalem. Jesus is alive. The living one draws pictures of Himself in His word. Pictures that show Jesus rising. Pictures that show Him reinforcing, pictures that show Him ruling. Amen.
April 4th , 2010
THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS MADE! LET US REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT. AMEN.
Text: Mark 16:1-16
A PORTRAIT OF THE SAVIOR
I. RISING II. REINFORCING III. RULING
In the name of Jesus, our crucified and risen Lord, dear fellow redeemed children of God;
It would have been one of those scenes that would have brought Chopper 4 to the scene with “breaking news.” Reporters would have been calling in via “Skype” and cell phone technology. Had those technologies been available in those dawning hours of Easter, the news channels would been covering every angle. But God in His wisdom had the events of Good Friday and Easter happen at the time He knew was just right. The portraits of the Savior on that first Easter morning we have are recorded in God’s Word. It is a portrait of the Savior that brings joy and peace and comfort. We see 3 portraits of the Savior I. rising, II. reinforcing and III. ruling.
Has it even happened to you that after you have gone all the way through the grocery store with a huge heaping cart full of groceries that you reach the check out and find that you have forgotten something very important- like your wallet or your purse? The women had that experience on that first Easter. After Jesus’ body was taken down from the cross on Friday afternoon and placed in the tomb, the women rested on the Sabbath. Then when the Sabbath was over on Saturday evening they bought all the spices that were need for giving the body of Jesus what they thought would be a proper burial. First thing on Sunday, they were off to the tomb. As they were on their way they had one of those moments where they realized they didn’t have something or someone important along- a stone mover. “When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?"
But the stone moving had already been done. “But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.”
The angel moved the stone to show everyone that the tomb was empty. Jesus was not dead anymore. Now the sight of an angel in the cemetery just after dawn would be a little disconcerting for any human. But did you notice what the angel said to these terrified women? "Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' " So there wouldn’t be any thought for the women that maybe they were at the wrong tomb the angel makes the identification, “You are looking for Jesus, the Nazarene who was crucified. He has risen. He is not here.”
At the site of the pyramids at Giza there is the great pyramid and then two pyramids that are a little smaller. As you approach the pyramids, one might think that the center pyramid must be the great pyramid. Actually it was the burial place of the son of the pharaoh who build the great pyramid for his own burial place. His son built his pyramid on higher ground to give the illusion that his pyramid was bigger. People thinking that his pyramid was bigger would make this pharaoh’s son smile according to the article I read. That sort of tomb competition might make us shake our heads a bit but it also shows the difference between the kings of this world and Jesus. Jesus wasn’t interested in having a huge pyramid that would be around for centuries to hold His body. His tomb would only be used for three days. He has risen!
The portrait of Jesus rising from the dead brings comfort for us today. The angel’s words still speak to us today. “Don’t be alarmed. He is risen! He is not here. Come and see the place where they laid him.” Jesus rising from the dead is all important for us. In the first part of our service this morning we heard the Apostle Paul talk about what a terrible thing it would be if Jesus hadn’t been raised from the dead. “If Christ has not been raised your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.” Our sins that we thought were drown in the depths of the sea would still be hanging around our necks. But the angel’s voice chases away those fears. “Don’t be alarmed. Jesus has risen. Come and see the place where they laid him.” Your sins are forgiven. The empty tomb is your receipt. “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” Death could not keep its hold on Jesus and because it could not keep it’s hold on Jesus it will not keep its hold on you. Jesus said, “Because I live, you too shall live.”
Now I will have to be careful when I drive today to grandpa’s house because the soda and the cupcakes will be in the trunk. No one wants to eat cupcakes that have overturned or soda that has sloshed around in the trunk. The followers of Jesus went back and forth and sloshed all about between belief that Jesus was alive and doubt that Jesus had kept His Word. The second of the portraits in God’s word shows us the Savior reinforcing His followers.
“When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it. Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either. Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.” Don’t you have to marvel that the bible is not a “spin machine.” It doesn’t just report the things that make the disciples look good. It says in a straight forward honest way that some of Jesus’ disciples had their doubts at first.
We can’t really cluck our tongues at those followers because at times we have our doubts too. We have doubts about whether God really can do what he promises. Is He really going to take care of me? Is he really going to be with me? I can’t see what he is doing so he must be doing nothing! The Savior didn’t cut off his followers but assured them that he was indeed alive. He reinforced them with an honest rebuke when it was needed and gave proof that he really was alive.
Finally there is also the portrait of the ruling Savior. We live in a world where there are many things to be afraid of. But Jesus’ tomb being empty just as he said, calms our fears. You see the one who said he who rise in three days and then did, has also made comforting promises to you and me. He says in his word, “For God is our God forever and ever. He will be our guide even to the end.” When we are worried about where our next payment is going to come from, when weary of going to the doctor, when our knees are shaking, let’s come once again and see the place where Jesus laid and know that the Lord who watching over us is a living Lord. Even when we stand face to face with death, Jesus, the one who was dead and is now alive again calms our fears. His empty tomb allows you and me to say with our last breath, “Death where is thy sting? Oh grave thy victory! Thanks be to God he gives us the victory through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
We can see an example of Jesus’ rule. He sends His disciples out. “He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” When Christians stand at the empty tomb and know that they, like Jesus, will rise and live forever, it changes everything. It changes our lives. We live for him. We serve him. We reflect his love and forgiveness and unselfishness and patience in our dealings with others. And of course we talk to our friends and our neighbors and the people we work with and play with about Jesus and his love. Let’s not be afraid to talk with others who don’t know about Jesus but let’s also not be afraid to talk with those who already know about Jesus. Sometimes we think, “O they already know all about Jesus so we miss a chance “ to encourage one another with Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.” Don’t be afraid. Talk to your friend who just lost a loved one about the empty tomb. Tell your discouraged child or parent or brother about the powe of the risen Lord Jesus who takes everything and works a blessing.
Does the name Metin Senturk mean anything to you? Last week he became the world's fastest unaccompanied blind driver. With a former rally driver in a car behind guiding him over the radio, Metin maintained an average speed of over 181 mph. We never have to feel like we are blindly driving through life. Our Savior is alive. He is with us. With love and wisdom he guides us along the way.
Someone once said that the best news in the world came from just outside Jerusalem. Jesus is alive. The living one draws pictures of Himself in His word. Pictures that show Jesus rising. Pictures that show Him reinforcing, pictures that show Him ruling. Amen.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
EASTER SUNRISE
April 4, 2010
Pastor Timothy J. Spaude
Text: Mark 15:42-47
PORTRAITS OF OUR SAVIOR:
“RESTING”
Mark 15:42-47 (NIV) “It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, 43Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. 44Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. 45When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. 46So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.”
It’s one of those things that many book readers and movie goers absolutely hate and despise. I’m talking about the setup for the sequel. You know how it goes. If the authors or screenwriters are good they get you wrapped up into their storyline, breathlessly waiting for the exciting conclusion and then the story or movie just seems to stop. There’s no satisfactory ending. You’re left with a disappointment sometimes even anger that you are left hanging. The Scripture before us is kind of like that. Not the anger and disappointment part but in the way it leaves you kind of hanging there waiting for the rest of the story. It doesn’t seem right to leave Jesus in the grave. And yet these words and actions are so important that the Holy Spirit Himself made sure they are included in God’s Word. What do they show us?
They show us a lot of people waiting. First there was Joseph of Arimathea. He was a prominent member of the Jewish ruling council known as the Sanhedrin. We are told that he was waiting for the kingdom of God, that is the Messianic age, to be revealed. He was also waiting for the opportunity to bury Jesus’ body. But for that to happen he had to wait for permission from Pilate. This he received when it was clear that Jesus was really dead. Others were waiting too. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses. They went to see where Jesus body was buried because they were waiting to prepare it in an honorable way for burial with the proper spices. They couldn’t do that then. Why not? Why were they waiting?
That’s told us at the beginning of our text. It was Preparation Day, that is the day before the Sabbath. Ah! Here’s why everyone is waiting. The Sabbath. Remember that the Jewish day is counted a little differently than ours. Their days begin at 6 PM. The Sabbath began on what we would consider 6 PM of Good Friday. Remember what the Sabbath was for. Resting. Rest from physical labor. Rest from spiritual struggle by worshipping.
Resting is what we see our Savior doing in our text. It’s the Sabbath so naturally He’s resting. He rests from the physical labor and torments His body went through as He paid for sins. He rests from the spiritual agony He endured when He was forsaken by His Father.
He rests because His work is done. Here’s a reason this is contained in the word of God. It’s not setting up a sequel or a writer’s trick to keep us hanging so we buy the next book or see the next movie. It’s God showing us Jesus’ work is done. Remember how Jesus described that work. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Or “I am the Good Shepherd. I lay down my life for the sheep. No one takes my life from me. I lay it down of my own accord.” Everyone who heard Jesus should have expected this, yes, even looked forward to it. The problem the Pharisees, Joseph of Arimathea, Jesus’ disciples, the Marys all had was that for some reason they just weren’t listening. In the case of the Pharisees they didn’t want to. For the others they had been taught wrongly about the work of the Messiah for so long it’s really not surprising that they did not expect Him to die. But die He did because that was His work. To give His life as a ransom for many. And just like His Father at Creation, just like God’s will for His people is, when the work is done there’s rest. Jesus’ work was done, the ransom paid. So He’s resting, waiting for resurrection.
And because of what Jesus accomplished there’s something else for us to learn as we see the portrait of our Savior resting. It’s how we get to approach death too. Here I’m specifically talking about the death of those who believe in Jesus. The death of those who do not believe in Jesus is a tragic waste and cause for great sadness. Even though Jesus gave His life as a ransom for all, even though Jesus paid for the sins of all people of all time, those who reject Him as Savior condemn themselves to Hell. They are forfeiting God’s grace and mercy, the place in heaven that Jesus won for them. The death of an unbeliever is horrible. Whenever someone asks me how people without faith deal with death I have to honestly answer, “I don’t know,” because I don’t. Maybe they fool themselves with pleasant stories or use alcohol or drugs to numb their minds. I don’t know.
Yet sometimes death isn’t always easy for believers in Jesus either. Maybe you’ve seen someone at the end of life just seeming to linger, in and out of the hospital 2 steps forward, 3 steps back. Our bodies seem to know that they were originally designed to live forever so they seem to try to hold on to life as long as they can. That can be hard. When someone we love is dying or has died there is this sense of loss. Death often gets talked about in hushed tones. In a sense this is understandable. Death is a constant reminder of sin. God said it. The wages of sin is death. So there is this wrongness about death.
On the other hand Jesus has shown us exactly what death is now that He paid the wages of sin. Death is resting! Death is a temporary rest when your work is done. Look at Jesus. He finished His work. He calmly committed Himself into His Father’s loving hands and He rested until the time was right to get up and live and rule eternally. Easter! So also for you when your death approaches it’s a chance to rest. You know kids when your parents urge you to take your afternoon nap or for older children that you get in bed by your bedtime. You know how you buck that and fight that? Do you also know how blessed you are to be able to get a nap or enough sleep at night? Your parents would love to take a nap or get a good long night’s sleep. I’m sure some here are looking forward to an Easter afternoon nap. Rest is something to look forward to and to cherish.
And so is the death of a believer in Jesus! Have you experienced in the past year or so the death of a loved one who died in the Lord? Has it been hard on you? Hear God’s truth. They’re resting! Like Jesus did. Waiting for resurrection. No longer was there work for them to do on earth. So they get to rest from physical labor. No longer do they have to labor spiritually, fighting temptation, resisting sin, praying for help, repenting when fallen, dealing with shadow guilt. They get to rest. That’s a good thing.
Is death imminent for you or for a loved one? Think of Jesus. Resting. That’s what’s coming. A time to rest. It’s nothing to fear or dread. It’s something to cherish and look forward to. And then really it’s just the beginning. We know that Jesus did not keep resting in the tomb. On Easter morning, when the time was right, He rose. Right now the souls of those who have died believing in the Lord Jesus are with Him in heaven resting from physical labor and spiritual too. But a time is coming and when that time is right Jesus is going to return to this earth and in a miracle that’s really hard to comprehend He will tell the bodies of all people to wake up and they will. They will rejoin their souls. Sadly those who have rejected will have to spend eternity body and soul in hell. But for the believers there will be the joy and happiness of living body and soul with Jesus forever.
That’s another reason we aren’t angry at this word of God for leaving us hanging because it doesn’t. Eventually the plot lines for movies and books run out. Generally in a still less than satisfying way, and when there’s no more money to be made, the authors wrap it up. But with God it continues. After rest there’s resurrection then sequel after lovely sequel of eternal life in heaven. In a way we will be able to endlessly say, “The best is yet to come!” Amen.
April 4, 2010
Pastor Timothy J. Spaude
Text: Mark 15:42-47
PORTRAITS OF OUR SAVIOR:
“RESTING”
Mark 15:42-47 (NIV) “It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, 43Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. 44Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. 45When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. 46So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.”
It’s one of those things that many book readers and movie goers absolutely hate and despise. I’m talking about the setup for the sequel. You know how it goes. If the authors or screenwriters are good they get you wrapped up into their storyline, breathlessly waiting for the exciting conclusion and then the story or movie just seems to stop. There’s no satisfactory ending. You’re left with a disappointment sometimes even anger that you are left hanging. The Scripture before us is kind of like that. Not the anger and disappointment part but in the way it leaves you kind of hanging there waiting for the rest of the story. It doesn’t seem right to leave Jesus in the grave. And yet these words and actions are so important that the Holy Spirit Himself made sure they are included in God’s Word. What do they show us?
They show us a lot of people waiting. First there was Joseph of Arimathea. He was a prominent member of the Jewish ruling council known as the Sanhedrin. We are told that he was waiting for the kingdom of God, that is the Messianic age, to be revealed. He was also waiting for the opportunity to bury Jesus’ body. But for that to happen he had to wait for permission from Pilate. This he received when it was clear that Jesus was really dead. Others were waiting too. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses. They went to see where Jesus body was buried because they were waiting to prepare it in an honorable way for burial with the proper spices. They couldn’t do that then. Why not? Why were they waiting?
That’s told us at the beginning of our text. It was Preparation Day, that is the day before the Sabbath. Ah! Here’s why everyone is waiting. The Sabbath. Remember that the Jewish day is counted a little differently than ours. Their days begin at 6 PM. The Sabbath began on what we would consider 6 PM of Good Friday. Remember what the Sabbath was for. Resting. Rest from physical labor. Rest from spiritual struggle by worshipping.
Resting is what we see our Savior doing in our text. It’s the Sabbath so naturally He’s resting. He rests from the physical labor and torments His body went through as He paid for sins. He rests from the spiritual agony He endured when He was forsaken by His Father.
He rests because His work is done. Here’s a reason this is contained in the word of God. It’s not setting up a sequel or a writer’s trick to keep us hanging so we buy the next book or see the next movie. It’s God showing us Jesus’ work is done. Remember how Jesus described that work. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Or “I am the Good Shepherd. I lay down my life for the sheep. No one takes my life from me. I lay it down of my own accord.” Everyone who heard Jesus should have expected this, yes, even looked forward to it. The problem the Pharisees, Joseph of Arimathea, Jesus’ disciples, the Marys all had was that for some reason they just weren’t listening. In the case of the Pharisees they didn’t want to. For the others they had been taught wrongly about the work of the Messiah for so long it’s really not surprising that they did not expect Him to die. But die He did because that was His work. To give His life as a ransom for many. And just like His Father at Creation, just like God’s will for His people is, when the work is done there’s rest. Jesus’ work was done, the ransom paid. So He’s resting, waiting for resurrection.
And because of what Jesus accomplished there’s something else for us to learn as we see the portrait of our Savior resting. It’s how we get to approach death too. Here I’m specifically talking about the death of those who believe in Jesus. The death of those who do not believe in Jesus is a tragic waste and cause for great sadness. Even though Jesus gave His life as a ransom for all, even though Jesus paid for the sins of all people of all time, those who reject Him as Savior condemn themselves to Hell. They are forfeiting God’s grace and mercy, the place in heaven that Jesus won for them. The death of an unbeliever is horrible. Whenever someone asks me how people without faith deal with death I have to honestly answer, “I don’t know,” because I don’t. Maybe they fool themselves with pleasant stories or use alcohol or drugs to numb their minds. I don’t know.
Yet sometimes death isn’t always easy for believers in Jesus either. Maybe you’ve seen someone at the end of life just seeming to linger, in and out of the hospital 2 steps forward, 3 steps back. Our bodies seem to know that they were originally designed to live forever so they seem to try to hold on to life as long as they can. That can be hard. When someone we love is dying or has died there is this sense of loss. Death often gets talked about in hushed tones. In a sense this is understandable. Death is a constant reminder of sin. God said it. The wages of sin is death. So there is this wrongness about death.
On the other hand Jesus has shown us exactly what death is now that He paid the wages of sin. Death is resting! Death is a temporary rest when your work is done. Look at Jesus. He finished His work. He calmly committed Himself into His Father’s loving hands and He rested until the time was right to get up and live and rule eternally. Easter! So also for you when your death approaches it’s a chance to rest. You know kids when your parents urge you to take your afternoon nap or for older children that you get in bed by your bedtime. You know how you buck that and fight that? Do you also know how blessed you are to be able to get a nap or enough sleep at night? Your parents would love to take a nap or get a good long night’s sleep. I’m sure some here are looking forward to an Easter afternoon nap. Rest is something to look forward to and to cherish.
And so is the death of a believer in Jesus! Have you experienced in the past year or so the death of a loved one who died in the Lord? Has it been hard on you? Hear God’s truth. They’re resting! Like Jesus did. Waiting for resurrection. No longer was there work for them to do on earth. So they get to rest from physical labor. No longer do they have to labor spiritually, fighting temptation, resisting sin, praying for help, repenting when fallen, dealing with shadow guilt. They get to rest. That’s a good thing.
Is death imminent for you or for a loved one? Think of Jesus. Resting. That’s what’s coming. A time to rest. It’s nothing to fear or dread. It’s something to cherish and look forward to. And then really it’s just the beginning. We know that Jesus did not keep resting in the tomb. On Easter morning, when the time was right, He rose. Right now the souls of those who have died believing in the Lord Jesus are with Him in heaven resting from physical labor and spiritual too. But a time is coming and when that time is right Jesus is going to return to this earth and in a miracle that’s really hard to comprehend He will tell the bodies of all people to wake up and they will. They will rejoin their souls. Sadly those who have rejected will have to spend eternity body and soul in hell. But for the believers there will be the joy and happiness of living body and soul with Jesus forever.
That’s another reason we aren’t angry at this word of God for leaving us hanging because it doesn’t. Eventually the plot lines for movies and books run out. Generally in a still less than satisfying way, and when there’s no more money to be made, the authors wrap it up. But with God it continues. After rest there’s resurrection then sequel after lovely sequel of eternal life in heaven. In a way we will be able to endlessly say, “The best is yet to come!” Amen.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
GOOD FRIDAY
April 2, 2010
Pastor Timothy J. Spaude
Text: Mark 15:33-41
“PORTRAITS OF OUR SAVIOR”
DYING THE SINNER’S DEATH
Mark 15:33-41 (NIV) “At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" 35When some of those standing near heard this, they said, "Listen, he's calling Elijah." 36One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down," he said. 37With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. 38The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!" 40Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.”
I’ve seen some pretty nice portraits of the crucifixion scene. The artists usually do a fair job of portraying Jesus’ wounds but the scene is often painted softly. Generally you can still sense the tenderness between Jesus and His mother. Most movie presentations in the past have chosen not to show much of the brutality of the crucifixion with the notable exception of the more recent “Passion of the Christ.” The last hymn we will sing today, “Were You There” urges us to paint in our minds the picture of the death and burial of Jesus. In truth there were some people who were there. Mark tells us of some of them, ”Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.” These women were there. What did they see? They saw the Savior dying the sinners’ death.
And in seeing that they saw sin is ugly. “At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" 35When some of those standing near heard this, they said, "Listen, he's calling Elijah." 36One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down," he said.” Brothers and sisters notice the details in this portrait of our Savior. Look at the ugliness of sin! See the anger of God poured out on His Son. For three hours an unnatural darkness as the Son of God is punished for sin. Look at the Savior’s agony as He suffers Hell, that place that is totally absent of any goodness of God. Forsaken.
It’s this portrait of the ugliness of sin that inspired the hymn writer Thomas Kelly to pen these penetrating words: “If you think of sin but lightly, nor suppose the evil great, here you see its nature rightly, here its guilt may estimate.” And still we have this nasty habit of taking sin lightly, don’t we? Pastor Martin Luther put it this way. “When we should cry and wail, we laugh.” He’s talking about the way we treat some sins. When someone gets drunk there is laughing and joking and mocking , teasing instead of rebuking, shame, sorrow, repentance. Children use foul language, dirty words, tell dirty jokes and is there crying and sadness that filth came from a Christian mouth? No you laugh and think it’s funny. When a brother or sister falls or has a weakness do we cry with them, help them, pick them up, cover over their weakness like we want others to do to us? No. We gather like hens in the barnyard and pick and pick and tear down and take unholy glee that someone’s not as good as me. Look! Look at your Savior and see the ugliness of sin. When we ought to weep we laugh.
And when we ought to laugh and rejoice, we weep. Our portrait of our Savior continues by showing us that sin is paid for. “With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. 38The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!" With a loud cry. We know what that was. The triumph cry. “It is finished!” What is finished? Being punished for the sins of the world. Jesus breathed his last as He committed Himself into the loving hands of His father. The temple curtain was torn in two. God’s way of showing that the barrier of sin that separated man from God was now gone. The Roman centurion who saw Jesus dying the sinner’s death was forced to a conclusion. "Surely this man was the Son of God!" Sin is paid for.
When we ought to laugh we cry. That’s kind of the conundrum or the paradox of Good Friday, isn’t it? We call it good yet our liturgical color is the black of mourning. We are happy that our sins are paid for yet all the Good Friday hymns and songs I know of are written with sorrowful or more solemn melodies. The last half of our service will follow that tone. And while it is good for us who live in a society that likes to gloss over sin and act like it’s no big deal to actually spend some time in sorrow over our sins we do get to have joy because this portrait of our Savior shows us that sin is paid for.
Your sin and my sin. Let me show you another portrait of our Savior. Some of you have seen it before. It’s made up of the pictures of our school children from a couple of years ago. It’s neat what computer imaging can do. What God did is better! Do you remember the last verse of the last hymn we sang? “We were there on Calvary. We were pardoned, saved, set free. Saved to live eternally. Blessed Calvary.” Amen.
April 2, 2010
Pastor Timothy J. Spaude
Text: Mark 15:33-41
“PORTRAITS OF OUR SAVIOR”
DYING THE SINNER’S DEATH
Mark 15:33-41 (NIV) “At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" 35When some of those standing near heard this, they said, "Listen, he's calling Elijah." 36One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down," he said. 37With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. 38The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!" 40Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.”
I’ve seen some pretty nice portraits of the crucifixion scene. The artists usually do a fair job of portraying Jesus’ wounds but the scene is often painted softly. Generally you can still sense the tenderness between Jesus and His mother. Most movie presentations in the past have chosen not to show much of the brutality of the crucifixion with the notable exception of the more recent “Passion of the Christ.” The last hymn we will sing today, “Were You There” urges us to paint in our minds the picture of the death and burial of Jesus. In truth there were some people who were there. Mark tells us of some of them, ”Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.” These women were there. What did they see? They saw the Savior dying the sinners’ death.
And in seeing that they saw sin is ugly. “At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" 35When some of those standing near heard this, they said, "Listen, he's calling Elijah." 36One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down," he said.” Brothers and sisters notice the details in this portrait of our Savior. Look at the ugliness of sin! See the anger of God poured out on His Son. For three hours an unnatural darkness as the Son of God is punished for sin. Look at the Savior’s agony as He suffers Hell, that place that is totally absent of any goodness of God. Forsaken.
It’s this portrait of the ugliness of sin that inspired the hymn writer Thomas Kelly to pen these penetrating words: “If you think of sin but lightly, nor suppose the evil great, here you see its nature rightly, here its guilt may estimate.” And still we have this nasty habit of taking sin lightly, don’t we? Pastor Martin Luther put it this way. “When we should cry and wail, we laugh.” He’s talking about the way we treat some sins. When someone gets drunk there is laughing and joking and mocking , teasing instead of rebuking, shame, sorrow, repentance. Children use foul language, dirty words, tell dirty jokes and is there crying and sadness that filth came from a Christian mouth? No you laugh and think it’s funny. When a brother or sister falls or has a weakness do we cry with them, help them, pick them up, cover over their weakness like we want others to do to us? No. We gather like hens in the barnyard and pick and pick and tear down and take unholy glee that someone’s not as good as me. Look! Look at your Savior and see the ugliness of sin. When we ought to weep we laugh.
And when we ought to laugh and rejoice, we weep. Our portrait of our Savior continues by showing us that sin is paid for. “With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. 38The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!" With a loud cry. We know what that was. The triumph cry. “It is finished!” What is finished? Being punished for the sins of the world. Jesus breathed his last as He committed Himself into the loving hands of His father. The temple curtain was torn in two. God’s way of showing that the barrier of sin that separated man from God was now gone. The Roman centurion who saw Jesus dying the sinner’s death was forced to a conclusion. "Surely this man was the Son of God!" Sin is paid for.
When we ought to laugh we cry. That’s kind of the conundrum or the paradox of Good Friday, isn’t it? We call it good yet our liturgical color is the black of mourning. We are happy that our sins are paid for yet all the Good Friday hymns and songs I know of are written with sorrowful or more solemn melodies. The last half of our service will follow that tone. And while it is good for us who live in a society that likes to gloss over sin and act like it’s no big deal to actually spend some time in sorrow over our sins we do get to have joy because this portrait of our Savior shows us that sin is paid for.
Your sin and my sin. Let me show you another portrait of our Savior. Some of you have seen it before. It’s made up of the pictures of our school children from a couple of years ago. It’s neat what computer imaging can do. What God did is better! Do you remember the last verse of the last hymn we sang? “We were there on Calvary. We were pardoned, saved, set free. Saved to live eternally. Blessed Calvary.” Amen.
Maundy Thursday April 1st, 2010
Pastor Waldschmidt
April 1st, 2010
Maundy Thursday
Portrait of The Savior
Giving A Gift
Text: Mark 14:22-26
In the name of Jesus, God’s gift to the world, dear fellow redeemed children of God,
Imagine a birthday party where everyone comes and there is a gift table. When it comes time to open the gifts, the gifts are handed to the guests of the party by the guest of honor. That’s not the way things usually work. Normally the party guests bring presents for the guest of honor not the other way around. Tonight’s portrait of the Savior takes us to an upper room in Jerusalem where a celebration-the Passover celebration – is being celebrated by Jesus and His disciples. Jesus, the guest of honor has a gift for his followers there and for his followers here. We see the Savior Giving A Gift. I. a precious gift. II. A gift that reminds us of heaven.
Imagine you knew that you were going to die tomorrow. What things might you like to do tonight? You might come up with a list of things that you’ve never done and then quickly try to get them all done. Or maybe we would be in a paralyzing stew about how all this could happen to us. Jesus knew He was going to be arrested in a few hours and then go to a terrible death on the cross the next day. What’s on His mind? We don’t see him stewing about what was about to happen to him. He wasn’t out trying to book a sky diving flight for the next morning checking items he had never done before off of a list. No we see Jesus giving His followers a gift- a precious gift.
That precious gift had been hinted at and pictured for God’s people for a long time. One of those pictures was in the Passover meal Jesus and His followers were eating. The Passover was a celebration of God delivering his people. In their minds they were taken back to the Old Testament, back to the first Passover when the children of Israel were still slaves in Egypt. Remember that God sent Moses to speak to Pharaoh, king of Egypt. "Let my people go," Nine times God demanded. Nine times Pharaoh refused, and each time a plague followed. Finally, God decided to send a plague so devastating that Pharaoh would be forced to let Israel go free. God said, "About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the slave girl, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well"
Then God told his people, the Israelites, "This is what I want each of you to do: Take an unblemished lamb, a year-old male, and sacrifice it. Take the blood of that perfect lamb and paint it on the top and on the sides of the doorframe of your house, and when I see the blood of the lamb, I won’t permit the destroyer to enter that house; no one will be harmed." You see, the people were saved by the blood of the lamb. That blood of the lamb symbolized the precious blood of Christ. If you were an Old Testament Israelite, you would have been very familiar with the blood at church. At the temple you would have seen blood on the clothes of the priests and heard the bleating and lowing of the animals as they were about to be sacrificed. God used those vivid pictures to remind his people that He demands blood to pay for sin-not just a drop but the life blood to pay for sin. The writer to the Hebrews makes the point well, "Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." The blood of those animals didn’t pay for sin but they pointed to the Savior who would pay for all sin by pouring out His blood.
Remember the Lenten hymn, “Not all the blood of beasts, on Jewish altars slain, could give the guilty conscience peace or wash away the stain.” The blood of the Passover lamb symbolized the precious gift Jesus would give to us by offering himself. That would be a gift far more precious than any amount of money. Remember Peter’s words, “It was not with silver or gold that you were redeemed but with the precious blood of Christ- a Lamb without blemish or defect.”
Connected to the gift of His sacrifice on the cross Jesus had another gift for His followers. “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take it; this is my body." Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they all drank from it. "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many," he said to them.”
Jesus could do miraculous things with food. Remember he fed the 4,000. He fed the 5,000. He provided the huge catch of fish. After His resurrection, he cooked breakfast for His disciples on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. He Jesus provided a meal that has fed the faith of Christians through the centuries and we can dine with him 2,000 years later. He held up a piece of the bread and said, "This, this is my body." Then he took the wine and said, "This, this is my blood." Maybe, for a second, they wondered if they had heard him correctly. "This bread is my body," Jesus said, "and this wine is my blood. Here is the payment for sin and the price of your freedom. All the Old Testament sacrifices pointed to this. Here is the body and the blood of the true Lamb!"
I’ve noticed this year that the selection of Easter candy includes “Reester Bunnies” in addition to the Reeses peanut butter eggs. I don’t think those will last long at our house. The meal that Jesus instituted on Maundy Thursday was meant not just for a few hours of comfort for the followers of Jesus that night but was meant for you and for me too. When we come to communion we can have the same sense of awe that the disciples had when they first heard him call the bread and wine his body and blood. In a way we don’t understand, Jesus still comes to you and me today. With my physical eyes and tongue I see and taste only bread and wine. But God lets my faith see and taste Jesus’ body and blood as well. In a precious gift of His grace, Jesus’ body and blood are not merely represented; they are actually there. You see, this is a miracle gift! St. Paul expressed it like this: "Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?" (1 Corinthians 10:16).
Why is it such a precious gift? Because it brings the forgiveness of sins. Just like His word brings the precious news of forgiveness. So the Lord’s Supper brings that assurance to us that our sins have been paid for. The forgiveness is so precious because it is so badly needed. All of us walk around with a lot of baggage: a lot of things you have done wrong, and a lot of words of which you are not so proud. The bottom line is that you will come with a life that is sinful from start to finish. That is why the body and blood of Christ are such wonderful things. On the surface this gift doesn’t look so precious. The bread looks so simple. The wine doesn’t look very imposing. But in this humble wrapping comes something more precious than all the riches of the world: our Lord’s body and blood. He gives us the price he paid to make us his own. Wrapped up in Christ’s body and blood are the humiliation of Bethlehem and Nazareth, the suffering of Gethsemane and Golgotha, the pain, shame, death, and torments of hell that Jesus suffered in our place. Jesus’ sacrifice for sin lies before us. He gives it to us. We can touch it and taste it and see this wonderful gift.
My mom would often reuse boxes at Christmas time. So when you opened the wrapping paper , you might find a “boom box” box but actually inside was socks. So before you celebrated your new boom box, you needed to look inside and see what is really in there. The Bible says that whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup “you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” So when you take communion you are making a public statement about what you believe about the gift Jesus gave us in His death. In other words you are saying that you believe what is taught about Jesus in the church when you go to communion. So that means you would need to look inside the cover of that church and see what the church teaches before making the public statement that you agree with what that church teaches. That’s why we don’t take communion in a church that teaches differently than what we believe about the gift Jesus gave. That’s why we ask those who don’t know what our church teaches to wait to come to communion until they have know and agree with what is taught here about the Savior.
Some of my greatest memories of family times revolved around the dinner table. Some of the greatest moments in our future revolve around a dinner table-the banquet table in heaven where we will celebrate with Jesus forever. Jesus points His disciples and us to that day when we will be with him in heaven.
“I tell you the truth, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God." This banquet reminds us of the banquet that Jesus is getting ready for us right now. Remember on the Maundy Thursday Jesus told His followers, “In my Father’s House are many rooms. If it were not so I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you I will come back and take you to be with me. That you also may be where I am.” In this happy meal Jesus gives us a little taste of the heaven that is coming for us. In heaven nothing- no sin, no problem will be able to separate us from Jesus. God says, "I will be their God, and they will be my people" and Jesus promises, I “will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
“When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.” It was time-time to go to Gethsemane. In His great love, Jesus went. But not before He gave us a gift- a precious gift- a gift that points us to heaven. Amen.
April 1st, 2010
Maundy Thursday
Portrait of The Savior
Giving A Gift
Text: Mark 14:22-26
In the name of Jesus, God’s gift to the world, dear fellow redeemed children of God,
Imagine a birthday party where everyone comes and there is a gift table. When it comes time to open the gifts, the gifts are handed to the guests of the party by the guest of honor. That’s not the way things usually work. Normally the party guests bring presents for the guest of honor not the other way around. Tonight’s portrait of the Savior takes us to an upper room in Jerusalem where a celebration-the Passover celebration – is being celebrated by Jesus and His disciples. Jesus, the guest of honor has a gift for his followers there and for his followers here. We see the Savior Giving A Gift. I. a precious gift. II. A gift that reminds us of heaven.
Imagine you knew that you were going to die tomorrow. What things might you like to do tonight? You might come up with a list of things that you’ve never done and then quickly try to get them all done. Or maybe we would be in a paralyzing stew about how all this could happen to us. Jesus knew He was going to be arrested in a few hours and then go to a terrible death on the cross the next day. What’s on His mind? We don’t see him stewing about what was about to happen to him. He wasn’t out trying to book a sky diving flight for the next morning checking items he had never done before off of a list. No we see Jesus giving His followers a gift- a precious gift.
That precious gift had been hinted at and pictured for God’s people for a long time. One of those pictures was in the Passover meal Jesus and His followers were eating. The Passover was a celebration of God delivering his people. In their minds they were taken back to the Old Testament, back to the first Passover when the children of Israel were still slaves in Egypt. Remember that God sent Moses to speak to Pharaoh, king of Egypt. "Let my people go," Nine times God demanded. Nine times Pharaoh refused, and each time a plague followed. Finally, God decided to send a plague so devastating that Pharaoh would be forced to let Israel go free. God said, "About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the slave girl, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well"
Then God told his people, the Israelites, "This is what I want each of you to do: Take an unblemished lamb, a year-old male, and sacrifice it. Take the blood of that perfect lamb and paint it on the top and on the sides of the doorframe of your house, and when I see the blood of the lamb, I won’t permit the destroyer to enter that house; no one will be harmed." You see, the people were saved by the blood of the lamb. That blood of the lamb symbolized the precious blood of Christ. If you were an Old Testament Israelite, you would have been very familiar with the blood at church. At the temple you would have seen blood on the clothes of the priests and heard the bleating and lowing of the animals as they were about to be sacrificed. God used those vivid pictures to remind his people that He demands blood to pay for sin-not just a drop but the life blood to pay for sin. The writer to the Hebrews makes the point well, "Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." The blood of those animals didn’t pay for sin but they pointed to the Savior who would pay for all sin by pouring out His blood.
Remember the Lenten hymn, “Not all the blood of beasts, on Jewish altars slain, could give the guilty conscience peace or wash away the stain.” The blood of the Passover lamb symbolized the precious gift Jesus would give to us by offering himself. That would be a gift far more precious than any amount of money. Remember Peter’s words, “It was not with silver or gold that you were redeemed but with the precious blood of Christ- a Lamb without blemish or defect.”
Connected to the gift of His sacrifice on the cross Jesus had another gift for His followers. “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take it; this is my body." Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they all drank from it. "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many," he said to them.”
Jesus could do miraculous things with food. Remember he fed the 4,000. He fed the 5,000. He provided the huge catch of fish. After His resurrection, he cooked breakfast for His disciples on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. He Jesus provided a meal that has fed the faith of Christians through the centuries and we can dine with him 2,000 years later. He held up a piece of the bread and said, "This, this is my body." Then he took the wine and said, "This, this is my blood." Maybe, for a second, they wondered if they had heard him correctly. "This bread is my body," Jesus said, "and this wine is my blood. Here is the payment for sin and the price of your freedom. All the Old Testament sacrifices pointed to this. Here is the body and the blood of the true Lamb!"
I’ve noticed this year that the selection of Easter candy includes “Reester Bunnies” in addition to the Reeses peanut butter eggs. I don’t think those will last long at our house. The meal that Jesus instituted on Maundy Thursday was meant not just for a few hours of comfort for the followers of Jesus that night but was meant for you and for me too. When we come to communion we can have the same sense of awe that the disciples had when they first heard him call the bread and wine his body and blood. In a way we don’t understand, Jesus still comes to you and me today. With my physical eyes and tongue I see and taste only bread and wine. But God lets my faith see and taste Jesus’ body and blood as well. In a precious gift of His grace, Jesus’ body and blood are not merely represented; they are actually there. You see, this is a miracle gift! St. Paul expressed it like this: "Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?" (1 Corinthians 10:16).
Why is it such a precious gift? Because it brings the forgiveness of sins. Just like His word brings the precious news of forgiveness. So the Lord’s Supper brings that assurance to us that our sins have been paid for. The forgiveness is so precious because it is so badly needed. All of us walk around with a lot of baggage: a lot of things you have done wrong, and a lot of words of which you are not so proud. The bottom line is that you will come with a life that is sinful from start to finish. That is why the body and blood of Christ are such wonderful things. On the surface this gift doesn’t look so precious. The bread looks so simple. The wine doesn’t look very imposing. But in this humble wrapping comes something more precious than all the riches of the world: our Lord’s body and blood. He gives us the price he paid to make us his own. Wrapped up in Christ’s body and blood are the humiliation of Bethlehem and Nazareth, the suffering of Gethsemane and Golgotha, the pain, shame, death, and torments of hell that Jesus suffered in our place. Jesus’ sacrifice for sin lies before us. He gives it to us. We can touch it and taste it and see this wonderful gift.
My mom would often reuse boxes at Christmas time. So when you opened the wrapping paper , you might find a “boom box” box but actually inside was socks. So before you celebrated your new boom box, you needed to look inside and see what is really in there. The Bible says that whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup “you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” So when you take communion you are making a public statement about what you believe about the gift Jesus gave us in His death. In other words you are saying that you believe what is taught about Jesus in the church when you go to communion. So that means you would need to look inside the cover of that church and see what the church teaches before making the public statement that you agree with what that church teaches. That’s why we don’t take communion in a church that teaches differently than what we believe about the gift Jesus gave. That’s why we ask those who don’t know what our church teaches to wait to come to communion until they have know and agree with what is taught here about the Savior.
Some of my greatest memories of family times revolved around the dinner table. Some of the greatest moments in our future revolve around a dinner table-the banquet table in heaven where we will celebrate with Jesus forever. Jesus points His disciples and us to that day when we will be with him in heaven.
“I tell you the truth, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God." This banquet reminds us of the banquet that Jesus is getting ready for us right now. Remember on the Maundy Thursday Jesus told His followers, “In my Father’s House are many rooms. If it were not so I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you I will come back and take you to be with me. That you also may be where I am.” In this happy meal Jesus gives us a little taste of the heaven that is coming for us. In heaven nothing- no sin, no problem will be able to separate us from Jesus. God says, "I will be their God, and they will be my people" and Jesus promises, I “will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
“When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.” It was time-time to go to Gethsemane. In His great love, Jesus went. But not before He gave us a gift- a precious gift- a gift that points us to heaven. Amen.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Palm Sunday Sermon-Luke 19:22-40
March 28, 2010
Luke 19:28-40
Pastor Waldschmidt
Blessed Is The King
I. Peace In Heaven. II. Glory In The Highest.
In the name of Jesus, our King, dear fellow redeemed Children of God;
When the Carthaginian General Hannibal attacked the Roman Empire, he used elephants as one of his weapons. This was pretty amazing because he attacked from the north of Italy through the Alps. I know that he didn’t have snow tires on the elephants and I’m not sure about any really big elephant sweaters. Still, he brought the elephants through the snow covered mountains. When it came time to cross one of the wide rivers, he build large rafts and covered the rafts with dirt so that the elephants would think they were still on the ground. Can you imagine the surprise when Hannibal’s army entered the cities of Italy with elephants? Today in God’s Word we see a king come riding into the city of Jerusalem riding on a surprising animal. It wasn’t a huge elephant or a fierce lion. Our King Jesus came into Jerusalem to do battle with sin and Satan to win our freedom riding on a little colt, the foal of a donkey. The sight in Scripture leads us to say with the disciples and children along the road, “Blessed Is The King.” I. Peace In Heaven and II. Glory In The Highest.
Remember what the angels sang on the night Jesus was born? They sang "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." So we heard about peace on earth and glory to Go when the rescue mission began and now peace in heaven and glory to God on Palm Sunday as that rescue mission neared the finish line. The Lord used Luke to record both those songs and it’s almost like he put book ends on each side of the mission. Today we look at the Palm Sunday book end of peace in heaven and glory to God. As we begin we see Jesus looking very much like a man but yet it is clear He came from heaven. “After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30"Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it.' "
Have you ever had the experience of having someone send you to look for something, telling you exactly where it is, but then when you got there, it wasn’t right there where they said and so you have to look all over for it? Notice that this is not what happens here. 32Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 33As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?" 34They replied, "The Lord needs it." The donkey and the colt are tied right there where Jesus said they would be. Jesus who brought peace made it clear that He came from heaven.
The peace in heaven was broken long ago when some of the angels God had created good rebelled against him. One gets the feeling it this is a sore subject with God because He doesn’t tell us many of the details, but God does say, “And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven.” The devil and his followers were tossed out of heaven. Since that war in heaven, Satan tried to get back at God by sneaking into the garden and tempting Adam and Eve to sin. They foolishly listened. So sin and death tumbled into the world.
Some might listen to those verses and think that it’s all just some kind of medieval fairy tale. But you still feel the effects of what happened back there every day. When confronted about something we have done wrong, the very first words to leap to our lips are words of denial and blame. Terrible thoughts jump into our minds and hearts. Martin Luther said that we can find more sin in ourselves than in any other person because we are with ourselves everyday. We know that sin washes down into our lives. That sin does not sit well with God. One day we are going to die and stand before the Holy One enthroned in heaven. If we stand in heaven in God’s presence with our sins, there would be no peace for us in heaven, because of the burning sting of God’s justice.
But the One enthroned in heaven decided to send a substitute. He Himself would come and pay the penalty. Since the Exodus from Egypt that coming substitute was pictured as a Lamb whose blood would save the people. Now as the people of Jerusalem get ready to celebrate that Passover, God works it out that the real substitute comes into the city. This King came in the name of the Lord. Everything is happening according to God’s plan. Matthew brings that out. “This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: “Say to the daughter of Zion, “See your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt the foal of a donkey.”
“They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it.” There were no limousine caravans bringing Jesus into the city on that first Palm Sunday. Though legions of angels were at his beckon call, a donkey was chosen to carry Jesus into Jerusalem for the rescue mission for all of mankind. “As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! The crowd shouted, “Peace in Heaven!" As the prophets had said would happen, Jesus the mighty King- God from all eternity, came riding into Jerusalem, not in a sleek chariot but on a lowly donkey. The other Gospels tell us that the people shouted Hosanna. Hosanna is a Hebrew prayer which asks the Lord to “save us.” It was also used as a way of praising God for being the Savior of his people-for bringing peace in heaven and earth. The people who carpeted the road with palm branches and coats were honoring Jesus as the promised Savior. They welcomed Jesus the Great King who brings peace.
Blessed is the king who brings peace for us in heaven. Whether our death comes today or next year or 50 years from now we don’t have to worry. This king has brought peace in heaven for us. When our last hour is close at hand we can cry out to the King with the people on the fist Palm Sunday, Hosanna, O Lord Save us!” Jesus calmly whispers in his word, “I am the resurrection and the life.” Blessed is the King! He brings peace in heaven for us.
The crowd shouted “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord.” Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Usually when we think of kings, we think of people who are so used to glory that they lose track of the people they serve-people who eat the finest of fair while their people starve to death. What a different attitude we see in our Lord Jesus who “did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking upon himself the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death- even death on a cross.” Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.” His glory really is the highest glory.
The Pharisees were sure Jesus was taking too much glory for himself. Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!" "I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out." Jesus knew that suffering and a shameful death on a cross were waiting for him in Jerusalem. In true humility, the master of all became the servant of all by dying on the cross for the sins of all people. What Jesus was about to do in Jerusalem was so great that if the people had kept quiet on that first Palm Sunday the stones would have cried out! Blessed is the King Jesus. While He deserves the greatest glory as King of heaven and earth takes time to listen to our prayers. He truly cares about how things are going in our lives. He left His throne to suffer and die for us. He’s preparing a place for us right now in heaven. We are blessed because of our blessed King!
Hannibal’s attack against the Romans didn’t go so great. Many of his troops and most of his elephants died. King Jesus achieved His mission. He rescued you and me. Come this week and hear again about that rescue mission. On the pages of God’s Word let’s see the Lamb lay down His life. Let’s run again to the empty tomb and say again “Blessed is the King!” Amen.
Luke 19:28-40
Pastor Waldschmidt
Blessed Is The King
I. Peace In Heaven. II. Glory In The Highest.
In the name of Jesus, our King, dear fellow redeemed Children of God;
When the Carthaginian General Hannibal attacked the Roman Empire, he used elephants as one of his weapons. This was pretty amazing because he attacked from the north of Italy through the Alps. I know that he didn’t have snow tires on the elephants and I’m not sure about any really big elephant sweaters. Still, he brought the elephants through the snow covered mountains. When it came time to cross one of the wide rivers, he build large rafts and covered the rafts with dirt so that the elephants would think they were still on the ground. Can you imagine the surprise when Hannibal’s army entered the cities of Italy with elephants? Today in God’s Word we see a king come riding into the city of Jerusalem riding on a surprising animal. It wasn’t a huge elephant or a fierce lion. Our King Jesus came into Jerusalem to do battle with sin and Satan to win our freedom riding on a little colt, the foal of a donkey. The sight in Scripture leads us to say with the disciples and children along the road, “Blessed Is The King.” I. Peace In Heaven and II. Glory In The Highest.
Remember what the angels sang on the night Jesus was born? They sang "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." So we heard about peace on earth and glory to Go when the rescue mission began and now peace in heaven and glory to God on Palm Sunday as that rescue mission neared the finish line. The Lord used Luke to record both those songs and it’s almost like he put book ends on each side of the mission. Today we look at the Palm Sunday book end of peace in heaven and glory to God. As we begin we see Jesus looking very much like a man but yet it is clear He came from heaven. “After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30"Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it.' "
Have you ever had the experience of having someone send you to look for something, telling you exactly where it is, but then when you got there, it wasn’t right there where they said and so you have to look all over for it? Notice that this is not what happens here. 32Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 33As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?" 34They replied, "The Lord needs it." The donkey and the colt are tied right there where Jesus said they would be. Jesus who brought peace made it clear that He came from heaven.
The peace in heaven was broken long ago when some of the angels God had created good rebelled against him. One gets the feeling it this is a sore subject with God because He doesn’t tell us many of the details, but God does say, “And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven.” The devil and his followers were tossed out of heaven. Since that war in heaven, Satan tried to get back at God by sneaking into the garden and tempting Adam and Eve to sin. They foolishly listened. So sin and death tumbled into the world.
Some might listen to those verses and think that it’s all just some kind of medieval fairy tale. But you still feel the effects of what happened back there every day. When confronted about something we have done wrong, the very first words to leap to our lips are words of denial and blame. Terrible thoughts jump into our minds and hearts. Martin Luther said that we can find more sin in ourselves than in any other person because we are with ourselves everyday. We know that sin washes down into our lives. That sin does not sit well with God. One day we are going to die and stand before the Holy One enthroned in heaven. If we stand in heaven in God’s presence with our sins, there would be no peace for us in heaven, because of the burning sting of God’s justice.
But the One enthroned in heaven decided to send a substitute. He Himself would come and pay the penalty. Since the Exodus from Egypt that coming substitute was pictured as a Lamb whose blood would save the people. Now as the people of Jerusalem get ready to celebrate that Passover, God works it out that the real substitute comes into the city. This King came in the name of the Lord. Everything is happening according to God’s plan. Matthew brings that out. “This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: “Say to the daughter of Zion, “See your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt the foal of a donkey.”
“They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it.” There were no limousine caravans bringing Jesus into the city on that first Palm Sunday. Though legions of angels were at his beckon call, a donkey was chosen to carry Jesus into Jerusalem for the rescue mission for all of mankind. “As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! The crowd shouted, “Peace in Heaven!" As the prophets had said would happen, Jesus the mighty King- God from all eternity, came riding into Jerusalem, not in a sleek chariot but on a lowly donkey. The other Gospels tell us that the people shouted Hosanna. Hosanna is a Hebrew prayer which asks the Lord to “save us.” It was also used as a way of praising God for being the Savior of his people-for bringing peace in heaven and earth. The people who carpeted the road with palm branches and coats were honoring Jesus as the promised Savior. They welcomed Jesus the Great King who brings peace.
Blessed is the king who brings peace for us in heaven. Whether our death comes today or next year or 50 years from now we don’t have to worry. This king has brought peace in heaven for us. When our last hour is close at hand we can cry out to the King with the people on the fist Palm Sunday, Hosanna, O Lord Save us!” Jesus calmly whispers in his word, “I am the resurrection and the life.” Blessed is the King! He brings peace in heaven for us.
The crowd shouted “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord.” Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Usually when we think of kings, we think of people who are so used to glory that they lose track of the people they serve-people who eat the finest of fair while their people starve to death. What a different attitude we see in our Lord Jesus who “did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking upon himself the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death- even death on a cross.” Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.” His glory really is the highest glory.
The Pharisees were sure Jesus was taking too much glory for himself. Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!" "I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out." Jesus knew that suffering and a shameful death on a cross were waiting for him in Jerusalem. In true humility, the master of all became the servant of all by dying on the cross for the sins of all people. What Jesus was about to do in Jerusalem was so great that if the people had kept quiet on that first Palm Sunday the stones would have cried out! Blessed is the King Jesus. While He deserves the greatest glory as King of heaven and earth takes time to listen to our prayers. He truly cares about how things are going in our lives. He left His throne to suffer and die for us. He’s preparing a place for us right now in heaven. We are blessed because of our blessed King!
Hannibal’s attack against the Romans didn’t go so great. Many of his troops and most of his elephants died. King Jesus achieved His mission. He rescued you and me. Come this week and hear again about that rescue mission. On the pages of God’s Word let’s see the Lamb lay down His life. Let’s run again to the empty tomb and say again “Blessed is the King!” Amen.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
March 24, 2010 sermon on Mark 15:16-20 by Pastor Paul Eckert
March 24, 2010, 6th Wednesday Lenten Service
Pastor Paul G. Eckert
Sermon text - Mark 15:16-20
16 The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers.
17 They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him.
18 And they began to call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!"
19 Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him.
20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.
Not too long ago waterboarding was in the news quite often. I have seen drawings of what apparently took place and reports about waterboarded people after the procedure was finished. No doubt being waterboarded was by no means fun. But in what I have seen I noticed no evidence of bruise marks or cuts or crippling or other visible physical results that waterboarding would have caused, nor have I heard of anyone being killed by this.
I need to leave up to the government some decisions as to what is proper and legal in order to protect people. I respect and am glad for the government’s responsibility of protecting its people. I as a citizen would be happy if information could be obtained so that our country could be spared from a 9-11 tragedy or other such horror. Again, I’ll have to leave decisions in this area up to people who have facts I don’t have and who have the responsibility to deal with them.
But now let’s move on to what can surely be spoken of as horrible physical abuse that led to visible scarring and to death, a horrible abuse that had to do not with saving maybe up to 3000 lives as on 9-11, but with saving a whole world full of lives. That brings us to today’s sixth and last portrait of our Wednesday Lenten services. What we see is
A PORTRAIT OF OUR SAVIOR
SUFFERING HORRIBLE ABUSE
I WHO WAS ABUSED? (16a,18,20b)
1. It was a man named Jesus (16a)
The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace ---.
a) He had grown up and looked like any other human being
b) we in faith know He was also more, the Son of God
2. It was someone charged as a criminal (20b)
Then they led him out to crucify him.
a) crucifixion was not for minor infractions
b) this form of execution was carried out by Roman officials
and was reserved for the category of major crime
3. It was someone mocked as a king (18)
And they began to call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!" a) this was a charge picked up by the soldiers who had heard
the people bring this accusation against Jesus to Pontius Pilate
b) it makes you wonder: what if Pilate would have listened to Jesus when He said, "My kingdom is not of this world";
what if he would have researched this and found out that Jesus
was foretold as a descendant of David who would have an
eternal reign, not an earthly reign that threatened the Roman
Caesar?
4. Was what was happening valid?
a) any human court should have thrown this out
b) but is there another court that was involved?
c) before going on with that thought, let’s go from "who was
abused?" to "who did the abusing?"
II WHO DID THE ABUSING? (16-20)
1. At this point it was the soldiers (16-20)
The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. And they began to call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!" Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.
a) look at this scene; it clearly shows uncalled-for brutality
b) can you imagine what our evening news would do with this?
2. Before this it was the people
a) it had reached mob mentality dimensions, even total
unreasonableness in releasing Barabbas, a known criminal
b) and who was behind this? the real instigators were the
church leaders, religious people who should have been
proclaiming Jesus as the promised Messiah, not rejecting Him
3. It still is the world
a) yes, Jesus seems to be popular to many as a teacher, a model
b) but speak of Him as the only Savior and hope for heaven,
then slaps of rejection are clear: "How can you say that?!"
4. But was there more behind this?
a) we believe in God almighty
b) if He is in charge of all things - and we believe that He is
c) then could God Himself somehow be involved in all of this?
III WHAT WAS ACCOMPLISHED? (17-19,20b)
1. A quick answer is the crucifixion (20b)
Then they led him out to crucify him.
a) this was horrible physical abuse
b) while that is a fact, the Bible really downplays the physical
side of this, in contrast to the portrayal in "The Passion Of The
Christ," a 2004 movie by Mel Gibson many may remember
2. What really was accomplished was fulfillment
a) fulfillment of Scripture prophecy that said the Savior would
be pierced, no bone broken, forsaken because of our sins
(here was the real torture for Jesus), would die on a tree
b) fulfillment of a sacrifice, like the Passover lamb, that would
spare from death those who looked to the Lamb in faith
3. Here God’s love shone brightly
a) prophecy said, "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all."
b) on Jesus our iniquities were placed; for us He was forsaken
and suffered the hell we deserved; for us He said His mission
to save us was finished, completed, fulfilled, done
4. And our salvation was accomplished (17-19)
They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. And they began to call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!" Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him.
a) Jesus was robed in mockery and abused and mocked as a king b) now He has robed us with His righteousness
c) now we sinners can stand before God and know that because
of what His Son accomplished "Therefore there is now no
condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
IV WHAT IS OUR RESPONSE? (19b-20 )
1. The soldiers mocked and abused and crucified (19b-20)
Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.
a) ignorance and "just doing my job" no doubt involved here
b) do you sometimes wonder what a later response was after
they heard Jesus pray for them and say, "Father, forgive
them, for they do not know what they are doing"?
2. Is our response always what it should be?
a) do we who have been forgiven really show love because God
first loved us, loved us so much that He gave His Son for us?
b) or do we abuse our Savior by slapping Him in the face with
some language we use, with some of our behavior and actions;
do we abuse Him by neglecting His invitations to His special
meal, the Lord’s Supper, and by not making time to worship
Him; do we abuse Him by hearing Him say He wants children
brought to Him, but then we don’t train them in regular church
attendance because sports and entertainment and other
activities are put first?
3. Let our response be thanks for what has happened
a) thanks to God for planning our salvation
b) thanks to His son for being stricken, smitten, afflicted and
horribly abused for us
4. And let our response be sincere worship (l9b)
Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him.
a) the worship of the soldiers here was mockery and abuse
b) may ours never be that, never be outward only
c) instead may we worship in spirit, in truth, and in sincere
joy because Jesus willingly suffered horrible abuse so that
we might experience fullness of joy in glory in
Pastor Paul G. Eckert
Sermon text - Mark 15:16-20
16 The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers.
17 They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him.
18 And they began to call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!"
19 Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him.
20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.
Not too long ago waterboarding was in the news quite often. I have seen drawings of what apparently took place and reports about waterboarded people after the procedure was finished. No doubt being waterboarded was by no means fun. But in what I have seen I noticed no evidence of bruise marks or cuts or crippling or other visible physical results that waterboarding would have caused, nor have I heard of anyone being killed by this.
I need to leave up to the government some decisions as to what is proper and legal in order to protect people. I respect and am glad for the government’s responsibility of protecting its people. I as a citizen would be happy if information could be obtained so that our country could be spared from a 9-11 tragedy or other such horror. Again, I’ll have to leave decisions in this area up to people who have facts I don’t have and who have the responsibility to deal with them.
But now let’s move on to what can surely be spoken of as horrible physical abuse that led to visible scarring and to death, a horrible abuse that had to do not with saving maybe up to 3000 lives as on 9-11, but with saving a whole world full of lives. That brings us to today’s sixth and last portrait of our Wednesday Lenten services. What we see is
A PORTRAIT OF OUR SAVIOR
SUFFERING HORRIBLE ABUSE
I WHO WAS ABUSED? (16a,18,20b)
1. It was a man named Jesus (16a)
The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace ---.
a) He had grown up and looked like any other human being
b) we in faith know He was also more, the Son of God
2. It was someone charged as a criminal (20b)
Then they led him out to crucify him.
a) crucifixion was not for minor infractions
b) this form of execution was carried out by Roman officials
and was reserved for the category of major crime
3. It was someone mocked as a king (18)
And they began to call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!" a) this was a charge picked up by the soldiers who had heard
the people bring this accusation against Jesus to Pontius Pilate
b) it makes you wonder: what if Pilate would have listened to Jesus when He said, "My kingdom is not of this world";
what if he would have researched this and found out that Jesus
was foretold as a descendant of David who would have an
eternal reign, not an earthly reign that threatened the Roman
Caesar?
4. Was what was happening valid?
a) any human court should have thrown this out
b) but is there another court that was involved?
c) before going on with that thought, let’s go from "who was
abused?" to "who did the abusing?"
II WHO DID THE ABUSING? (16-20)
1. At this point it was the soldiers (16-20)
The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. And they began to call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!" Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.
a) look at this scene; it clearly shows uncalled-for brutality
b) can you imagine what our evening news would do with this?
2. Before this it was the people
a) it had reached mob mentality dimensions, even total
unreasonableness in releasing Barabbas, a known criminal
b) and who was behind this? the real instigators were the
church leaders, religious people who should have been
proclaiming Jesus as the promised Messiah, not rejecting Him
3. It still is the world
a) yes, Jesus seems to be popular to many as a teacher, a model
b) but speak of Him as the only Savior and hope for heaven,
then slaps of rejection are clear: "How can you say that?!"
4. But was there more behind this?
a) we believe in God almighty
b) if He is in charge of all things - and we believe that He is
c) then could God Himself somehow be involved in all of this?
III WHAT WAS ACCOMPLISHED? (17-19,20b)
1. A quick answer is the crucifixion (20b)
Then they led him out to crucify him.
a) this was horrible physical abuse
b) while that is a fact, the Bible really downplays the physical
side of this, in contrast to the portrayal in "The Passion Of The
Christ," a 2004 movie by Mel Gibson many may remember
2. What really was accomplished was fulfillment
a) fulfillment of Scripture prophecy that said the Savior would
be pierced, no bone broken, forsaken because of our sins
(here was the real torture for Jesus), would die on a tree
b) fulfillment of a sacrifice, like the Passover lamb, that would
spare from death those who looked to the Lamb in faith
3. Here God’s love shone brightly
a) prophecy said, "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all."
b) on Jesus our iniquities were placed; for us He was forsaken
and suffered the hell we deserved; for us He said His mission
to save us was finished, completed, fulfilled, done
4. And our salvation was accomplished (17-19)
They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. And they began to call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!" Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him.
a) Jesus was robed in mockery and abused and mocked as a king b) now He has robed us with His righteousness
c) now we sinners can stand before God and know that because
of what His Son accomplished "Therefore there is now no
condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
IV WHAT IS OUR RESPONSE? (19b-20 )
1. The soldiers mocked and abused and crucified (19b-20)
Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.
a) ignorance and "just doing my job" no doubt involved here
b) do you sometimes wonder what a later response was after
they heard Jesus pray for them and say, "Father, forgive
them, for they do not know what they are doing"?
2. Is our response always what it should be?
a) do we who have been forgiven really show love because God
first loved us, loved us so much that He gave His Son for us?
b) or do we abuse our Savior by slapping Him in the face with
some language we use, with some of our behavior and actions;
do we abuse Him by neglecting His invitations to His special
meal, the Lord’s Supper, and by not making time to worship
Him; do we abuse Him by hearing Him say He wants children
brought to Him, but then we don’t train them in regular church
attendance because sports and entertainment and other
activities are put first?
3. Let our response be thanks for what has happened
a) thanks to God for planning our salvation
b) thanks to His son for being stricken, smitten, afflicted and
horribly abused for us
4. And let our response be sincere worship (l9b)
Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him.
a) the worship of the soldiers here was mockery and abuse
b) may ours never be that, never be outward only
c) instead may we worship in spirit, in truth, and in sincere
joy because Jesus willingly suffered horrible abuse so that
we might experience fullness of joy in glory in
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