March 31, 2008 by admin.

In the Name of the Resurrected Lord, the Hope of Sinners, Dear Friends in Christ,

A couple of weeks ago I received a notice in the mail that told me it was time to renew my subscription to the Wichita Eagle. That renewal notice was intended to remind me to once again consider the benefits of receiving the daily newspaper. It encouraged me to renew my subscription or else I would run the risk of letting it run out. Without the reminder, I may have lost interest and let my subscription expire.

In a way, you are here to be renewed. I don’t have anything new to tell you. I don’t have any miracle cures for what ails you. I can’t surprise you with any new antidote for depression. I don’t have some original advice to give you today that will instantly give you hope for tomorrow. I have nothing new. What I do have you’ve heard before, but you need to hear it again and again–you need to be renewed. Without this renewal, your spiritual “subscription” could run out, and you could “expire” eternally.

I’m here this morning to tell you that there’s still time for you to be renewed. That renewal takes place every time you hear about your living Savior, Jesus Christ:

“Renew Your Resurrection Hope!”

I. God did not abandon his Son to the grave

II. God will not abandon us to the grave

Before us this morning we have a portion of the powerful sermon Peter preached on the first Pentecost. With the power of the Holy Spirit Peter showed the crowd of people their sin in putting their Savior to death. With that same power he also showed them their hope in the same Savior who did die for them but was raised again to life.

Peter begins by telling them that this Jesus was no self-proclaimed Savior (v 22), “Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.” Jesus had all the credentials he needed to be the Messiah. He performed “miracles,” supplying evidence of his supernatural powers. His “wonders” aroused the amazement of all who saw them. They served as “signs” for all that there was something special about this man. They had all heard of or even seen Jesus at work. God was working through him to leave no doubt as to who he was.

But what had they done to their Savior? “This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross” (v 23). They had murdered the Son of God. Peter delivered the crushing hammer of the law to these people. They needed to hear it, for “through the law we become conscious of sin” (Ro 3:20). The Jews as a nation had assumed the guilt for Jesus’ death (Mt 27:25), “All the people answered, ‘Let his blood be on us and on our children!’” Still, everything took place “by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge.” God allowed it to happen to accomplish his plan of salvation, a plan he had in motion before the world was even formed. Peter says that Jesus was chosen “before the creation of the world” (1 Pe 1:20). So even the murderous plans of the Jews were used by God to accomplish his purpose.

But God did not abandon his Son to the grave. Peter proclaimed to the crowd that death couldn’t hold Jesus (v 24), “But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.” Peter contrasted what the Jews had done with what God had done: “You killed the Savior, but God raised him up.” He freed him from the agony of death. When Jesus cried out (Jn 19:30), “It is finished,” it was finished. He had accomplished his mission. And now God was not about to abandon his Son to the grave. Death would lose its grip, and God would raise his Son to life.

To prove his point Peter refers to a prophecy by King David where David spoke to the Lord, saying (v 27), “You will not…let your Holy One see decay.” Who was this “Holy One” that David spoke about? It had to be someone besides himself. Peter makes this point in verse 29, “Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day.” The Jews all knew that David’s body did see decay. It had turned to dust. So he must have been speaking of someone besides himself. He was speaking about one of his own descendants, one whose kingdom would never end. He was speaking about Jesus (vv 30,31), “But [David] was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay.” All too often the Jews had looked for an earthly Savior, one who would do great things for them as a nation. Now Peter reminds them that David was speaking of a spiritual Lord, one who rise from the dead, without his body seeing decay. God the Father would not abandon his Son to the grave. He would not let him rot in hell, because his Son had done what he was sent to do. Death and decay are for sinful bodies. Jesus had lived a perfect life and had given that life for mankind. He was the descendant of David whose kingdom would never end.

David’s prophecy found complete fulfillment in Christ (v 32), “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.” The resurrection served as God’s stamp of approval on the work of his Son. It was his personal declaration that Jesus was the Christ, the one chosen to save the world from sin. The resurrection was the focal point of Peter’s message. He wasn’t asking these people to believe in just what one man was telling them. Peter along with many other followers of Jesus were eye-witnesses. They had seen the resurrected Lord! Their hope for a living Lord had been fulfilled!

What a powerful message! It’s nothing new–we hear it every year–but still it’s a message that we can’t hear enough. God did not abandon his Son to the grave, but raised him up to life. He lives as the perfect Savior, our perfect Sacrifice, the world’s perfect Redeemer. Death couldn’t hold him. Satan couldn’t defeat him. Jesus proved victorious. Take to heart the message of a living Lord and renew your resurrection hope!

I’ve reminded you about your resurrected Savior, but let’s go back to David’s prophecy. There we see what a living Savior means to us–the hope of our own resurrection!

Some of David’s words apply both to him and to Jesus. He speaks of the comfort that was his with his Lord by his side (v 25), “I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” David looked to God as his source of strength, his “right-hand man” to hold him steady. If you think that it’s by your own strength that you get through each day, think again. God is by your side, so that you too “will not be shaken.” David felt secure in the presence of his Lord.

There was hope even for David’s sinful body (vv 26,27), “Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.” Here the word “grave” is perhaps better translated as “hell.” God would not let hell claim David as its victim. Why not? Because of the Lord’s “Holy One.” If God did not allow his Son to be abandoned to the grave, if corruption and decay could not touch Jesus, then David knew that his body would not be left in the ground either. He had the hope of his own resurrection, the same hope expressed by Job (Job 19:25,27), “I know that my Redeemer lives….I myself will see him with my own eyes.”

With such knowledge, we have all we need to find our way through life (v 28), “You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.” We know where we’re going and we know how to get there. We know what life is all about, and we know God is with us. That knowledge gives us joy. We rejoice because God is with us now to guide us through life until we are with him finally for all eternity in heaven.

That was David’s hope, and that’s our hope today. David’s Savior is our Savior. He lives, and that means we also will live. God did not abandon his Son to the grave, and he will not abandon those who trust in his Son. Our future is secure. The message of a living Savior renews the hope of our own resurrection.

But we don’t just live for tomorrow. The hope of the resurrection helps us in our daily lives as well. If God has promised not to abandon you when you die, be sure that he won’t abandon you while you live your life here on this earth. He’s always there for you. He’s there to help you fight off temptation. When you slip up and fall into those same old sins again he’s there to offer you his unconditional forgiveness. When you get tired of battling the devil and everything he’s trying to throw at you God is there to give you strength. When you feel like giving up, like just throwing in the towel on life, God is there to hold you up and keep you going. He’s given you his promise (Heb 11:5), “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Put your hope in him, and you won’t be disappointed. Let the Lord renew your resurrection hope!

For some odd reason every spring my counseling load seems to become much greater, and it seems to be holding true again this year. So often I’m tempted to wring my hands and spend sleepless nights wondering what I’m going to say to these people who come to me with such an array of troubles and concerns. But maybe that’s why God holds things back until the spring, for it’s at spring that I’m reminded of our greatest source of comfort, our greatest source of hope. It’s during spring that we celebrate Easter and once again are renewed in our knowledge of a resurrected Lord. So when you come either privately or for Sunday worship, will I give you something new? No, I’ll just renew what you already have. I’ll keep reminding you that you have a living Savior who guarantees that you also will live. In that way you’ll have everything you need–a renewal of your resurrection hope!

Amen

Rev. Jonathan Rockhoff

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March 24, 2008 by admin.

This morning we have come to worship our Lord and to celebrate his resurrection from the dead. As you got ready for this service, chances are you were not feeling the way that the first Easter celebrants felt. Back in Jerusalem, Jesus’ friends and disciples were feeling much differently than we are today.

First there was Mary Magdalene and the other women who woke up early that morning to finish anointing Jesus’ body. On the way they wondered who would roll away the large stone that had been placed in front of the tomb. And then there was Peter and the other disciples. I don’t think any of them slept much over the past two nights, especially Peter. Early on that first Easter Sunday morning, there were broken hearts to be healed and guilty consciences to be cleansed.

When Jesus rose from the dead, he sought out those who were suffering. In our text we are told that Jesus appeared to Mary and then later that evening to Peter. When he came to them, he did not come to express his disappointment, but to offer his comfort.

Today we are able to share in the joy and comfort that the story of Easter brings. We are able to have our own broken hearts healed and our guilty consciences cleansed. And our joy continues because we know that Jesus is alive and that he has promised to be with us “…to the very end of the age.” (Mt. 28:20) Today we travel the final crossroad of our Lenten season as we

“Travel to the Tomb”

I. Where Broken Hearts Are Healed

II. Where Guilty Consciences Are Cleansed

Our text begins, “Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him.’” Mary Magdalene was a woman from whom Jesus had removed seven demons. From that time on, she, and several other women, took care of Jesus and his disciples, especially as they traveled around the country.

That is all that we really know about Mary, but it is enough. She had been bound by the devil, but Jesus had set her free. When Jesus was crucified, she was at the foot of the cross. She watched as her Savior suffered, and she saw him take his last breath and die. She was saddened and disappointed that she and the other women did not have enough time to properly prepare Jesus’ body for his burial.

So early that next morning, after the requirements of the Sabbath Day had been fulfilled, she went to Jesus’ tomb. But when she got there, she did not find things the way that she expected. The stone that they had worried about was not in front of the grave. Someone had moved it. Her first thought was that Jesus’ enemies had gotten there before them and had taken his body away.

Mary’s heart was broken. She ran from the cemetery to the place where Jesus’ disciples were staying. We’ll hear more about their reaction in a little while. But let’s stay focused on Mary. After Peter and John had gone with her to the tomb, she remained behind after they went back to Jerusalem. Finally she stooped down and looked inside the tomb. John explains, “As

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she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, ‘Woman, why are you crying?’ ‘They have taken my Lord away,’ she said, ‘and I don’t know where they put him.’”

If ever there was a picture of a person who heart had been broken, it would have been Mary. The Lord who had changed here life was now not only dead, but missing. Not knowing what to do she turned to leave the grave. And that’s when things changed quickly and dramatically for her. John wrote, “At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. ‘Woman,’ he said, ‘why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?’ Thinking he was the gardener, she said, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’ She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, ‘Rabonni!’ (which means ‘Teacher’).

The broken heart was now healed. The sorrow was replaced with sheer and utter joy. The missing had been found, or should we say, the missing found Mary. Not only did she see him, but he called her by name, something he had probably done hundreds of times before.

Today as we look into the empty tomb of our Lord, it also brings joy to our hearts. Because Jesus rose from the dead, we know that nothing, not even death, can stop him from doing what he has said he will do for us. The pain that our sins bring into our life is taken away as we look into the empty tomb. The fear of death that some live with every day of their lives is no threat to us whatsoever. Our broken hearts have been healed and we know that our Lord is with us to lead us through our lives on earth to our eternal life in heaven. Nothing can bring us the joy or heal our broken hearts the way that the story of Easter does. At the conclusion of the Passion story of Jesus is the simple message, “Jesus won.” And Jesus says to us, “Because I live, you also will live.” (Jn. 14:19)

Mary reacted the sight of here Savior running to the disciples. John wrote, “Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: ‘I have seen the Lord! And she told them that he had said these things to her.” That message was heard by all of the disciples, but it likely had a special ring for Peter.

II. Cleanse Guilty Consciences

For over two days Peter had to live with what he had done. On the night that Jesus was betrayed, Peter had one of the greatest opportunities to show his love for his Lord. While insults and lies were being hurled at Jesus, Peter had an opportunity to speak up for his Lord and show his loyalty to him. But instead, Peter had denied that he even knew who Jesus was, finally taking an oath to back up his denial. No sooner had he done that than Jesus caught his eye as he was being led from one building to another. Peter would never forget that look.

On Easter Sunday morning, Peter was with the other disciples, trying to figure out what to do next. Suddenly Mary Magdalene and the other women came and told them that they had been to the tomb and found the stone rolled away. Peter had to go see for himself, and he was joined by John. We read, “Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the lined. Finally the other disciple,

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who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)”

On the way back to Jerusalem, a million things must have been going though Peter’s mind. John tells us that he believed, and we have no reason to think that Peter didn’t believe. The two must have discussed what had happened, and they probably recalled the many conversations that Jesus had with them, telling them about this very event.

Later that evening, as the disciples were together, Jesus appeared to them and removed any doubt that might still have lingered. He was alive. Now they not only had the word of Mary Magdalene, but they were eye witnesses themselves. Imagine the joy that must have filled Peter’s house. His guilty conscience probably didn’t allow him to sleep or eat much for the past two days. He had treated his Lord horribly. Have you ever done something like that? Maybe you said something to someone, and when you realized how mean-spirited it was, you didn’t have the chance to talk to them to apologize? But when you finally did, do you remember how relieved you felt?

Each of us has done just that to our Lord. By each sin that we commit we treat him horribly. We heap on him pain and shame that he doesn’t at all deserve. But as we look into the empty tomb, we realize that each day we have an opportunity to apologize, to leave our sins at the foot of the cross and take of the healing that the empty tomb offers. That’s why Jesus came. That’s what he left heaven to do. He came to heal the broken hearts and to cleanse the guilty consciences.

Today, in the words of the Easter story, we find the joy and comfort that was first experienced by Mary and Peter. Each day we can live in that joy and comfort because we know that the Savior who has made it possible lives on, now and forever. Let the message of Easter bring you the joy that God intended it to bring. And thank and praise your Lord every day for the healing of your heart and soul. Amen.

“The peace of God….”

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March 21, 2008 by admin.

In the name of the pure and holy Lamb of God, sacrificed for our sins, dear fellow recipients of that sacrifice,

While growing up in Michigan my brothers and I always looked forward to visiting my grandparents’ farm in Minnesota. One thing we didn’t enjoy was the time it would take for us to get there. And I didn’t envy my parents, having to hear four boys echoing over and over again, “Are we there yet?”– especially when the trip was over 12 hours long! Add to it that Dad never liked to stop much until reaching his destination, and you can imagine that my parents probably didn’t look forward to the trip as much as my brothers and I did.

And yet enduring such a grueling journey was possible all because of what awaited us at the end. We all looked forward to spending time with our relatives, enjoying life on the farm with the barn and the cows and the pigs – all of which was a nice change of pace for us town kids. If not for what awaited us at the end, I’m sure the trip wouldn’t have seemed so tolerable. The destination made it all worthwhile.

For the past six weeks we’ve been traveling down crossroads that our Savior took the last week of his life. In reality, the week we’ve traveled with him was only a short jaunt of his journey. He had been traveling these roads to the cross ever since he was a little baby in the cradle. In our lesson today, he reaches his destination. Was the trip worth it? To be sure, it’s a breathtaking scene, but a different kind of breathtaking. Our text says (v 37), “With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.”

At first, this scene seems like a wasted trip. You mean to say that Jesus did everything he did — taking on human flesh and setting aside the full use of his glory — so he could hang on a piece of wood? That seems as useless as traveling cross-country on an interstate highway that winds up being a dead end. But while this Good Friday may at first glance appear to be a dead end, we soon see that it was not. It wasn’t a dead end for a Roman centurion who traveled with Jesus on the crossroad to Golgotha. And it’s not a dead end for us, as we continue our travels with Jesus on another crossroad.

I. Dead End? Not for the Centurion

For all intents and purposes, this had the makings of a typical day for the Roman centurion. As a captain of the Roman army, he had often heard and executed the command, “Crucify these men!” He expected that by the end of the day, whomever was entrusted to his care would be dead. He expected a dead end as he escorted Jesus to the place of the skull. And it didn’t phase him one bit. While our stomachs would feel squeamish to carry out such a command, repetition led this man to carry it out without a second thought. While we would feel sorry for the criminal who shrieked in pain as we drove nails through his hands, you wouldn’t expect a word or any pity from this professional executioner. If he fit the description of the day, his emotions were nonexistent. He was a stone. A rock.

And not only would that description apply to the centurion’s emotions, more than likely it applied to his faith as well. At this time the Romans, for the most part, did not know about the true God. Their worship centered around mythological figures, such as Mars, the god of war, or Jupiter, the god of the sky. In addition to the numerous gods and goddesses of mythology, the Romans even regarded their emperors as gods. Caesar would have been this soldier’s god. With a faith resting on mythological creatures or human leaders, this centurion’s faith was as good as dead.

But something happened to this emotionally and spiritually dead soldier on this particular Friday. This time there was something different about the prisoner he was guarding. And it wasn’t just one thing. If this centurion had been assigned to watch over Jesus from the time he was handed over by the Jews, he would have heard Jesus explaining to Pilate how his kingdom was not of this world. He would have seen Pilate struggle to convince the people to let this man go because he couldn’t find any fault in him. He would have heard the sermon Jesus preached to that group of women on the way to Golgotha, saying they shouldn’t weep for him. The centurion would have heard Jesus pray on his behalf, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Under an inexplicably dark sky in the middle of the day, the centurion heard Jesus scream in agony, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” He heard Jesus victoriously proclaim, “It is finished!” And then, the centurion witnessed something that perhaps impressed him most: He saw Jesus die in such a way that he did not lose his life but surrendered it of his own free will. With the words, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit,” Jesus showed he was not escorted to the dead end; rather, he went there on his own.

It’s then, after all these miraculous signs and wonders, that the Holy Spirit records another miracle for us in his Word. On this Good Friday, we witness the miracle of faith as the Holy Spirit sprouted life in a stone-dead heart. Our text says (v 39), “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!’” What seemed like a dead end was actually the beginning of life for the centurion. Now he knew his Savior. Now he would know what life — true life — was all about.

But what about us? Is tonight’s crossroad a dead end for us?

II. Dead End? Not for Us

As we stand here tonight in front of Jesus, hearing his cries and seeing how he died, it has all the appearances of a dead end. It’s the time of year when the altar cloths are black. The hymns are in minor keys. The lights are dimmed. The mood is somber. The silence you hear on the way out will seem a bit eery. You have come here today for a funeral. You have come here today to mourn the death of Jesus.

But there’s something about this funeral that makes it more mournful than others. As we sit in our pews, we cannot escape the thought that we had a hand in this funeral. We cannot escape the anguish that our sins pinned Jesus to the cross. We can’t escape the reality that those nails should have been driven through our hands. The blood staining the ground should have been our blood. We should have been the ones suffering the torments of hell and crying out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” We should have been the ones with parched mouths, begging, “I thirst.” We should have been the ones absorbing the insults of onlookers. We should have been the ones who breathed our last and died. Because of our sin, this should be our funeral tonight. The Bible says, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins” (Eph 2:1). This should be our dead end. But it’s not.

Why? Because this was not a dead end for Jesus. Oh, it’s true, Jesus really died. As he breathed his last, Jesus, the Son of God, died. As the hymnwriter says, “Oh, sorrow dread! God’s Son is dead” (CW 137:2). It wasn’t a hoax. Jesus didn’t fake his death. As we travel this crossroad, we don’t question the word “dead.” It’s the word “end” that we have an issue with. This Jesus, who was dead on the cross, didn’t stay dead. This was not the end. That’s why today is not just Friday, it’s Good Friday — Good Friday because of what would happen on Easter Sunday. The dead Jesus, whom you came to mourn today, would be alive. And not only would he be alive, he is alive still today.

And because of that, this crossroad scene we gaze at with the centurion is not a dead end for us. Rather, it’s the beginning of life, our life with Jesus. Listen to what the inspired writer has to say about how Jesus’ death brings life to you and me: “Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. . . . Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. . . . Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Ro 6:3,4,8,11).

Indeed, brothers and sisters, the only thing that came to a dead end at Calvary was death itself. For Jesus there would be life. And, as a result, for the centurion there would be life, for us there is life, and for anyone else who looks to him in faith, there is life. For believers, funeral processions are no longer one-way trips. The grave is no longer a dead end. And that’s why the story doesn’t end here on Good Friday with our Lord hanging lifeless from that cross as an executed criminal. There’s more. Come back on Easter and you’ll see that the centurion got it right: “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

Amen

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March 20, 2008 by admin.

In Christ Jesus, betrayed by his friends but still victorious over the powers of earth and hell, dear friends,

The most famous crossroad our Savior traveled has been dubbed the Via Dolorosa – the Way of Sorrows. It’s a half-mile walk, the last steps our Savior took before he died. At this time each year, thousands of tourists walk this road in Jerusalem, a road divided into 14 stations, many of which commemorate events for which there is no proof. For example, tourists kiss dented stones that supposedly mark spots where Jesus fell with the cross. The sixth station honors a woman named Veronica who supposedly wiped Jesus’ bloody face. Another station pays tribute to Mary, who met Jesus on the way. How unfortunate that Satan has cunningly converted this crossroad into a tourist trap and shrine that is worshiped by many as much as the man who walked it!

Tonight we walk this crossroad. Not to worship it. Not to speculate about events that may or may not have happened. Rather, we walk it through the pages of Scripture, and we see two events that did occur. One involved a Simon and another involved a sermon. Both events are worthy of our study as we walk with Jesus on the crossroad from Pilate to Golgotha.

I. A Simon
The walk started out at about 8:30 a.m. Already on this Friday, Jesus had been shuffled from ruler to ruler. He’d been beaten by various mobs of soldiers. He’d been passed over in favor of the region’s worst criminal, Barabbas. And now, being found guilty of the crime of being the King of the Jews, Jesus begins the walk to his death with a heavy beam on his back and a large crowd looking on.

As this large crowd paraded out of the city, other travelers were heading into the city to celebrate the Passover, one of whom was a man named Simon. Simon had traveled a long way to be there. He was from Cyrene, modern Libya, west of Egypt, a trek of over 800 miles. Whether he was making a round-trip specifically for this festival or a long-term move to the area, Simon had traveled quite a distance. Many today think it’s too much of a hassle to drive 20 minutes in our plush-seated cars to worship. This man had traveled weeks by foot or by animal to make it to Jerusalem. What joy and relief must have been in his heart as he finally reached Jerusalem, the city the psalmist describes as being “beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth” (Ps 48:2).

But suddenly, his joy came to a halt. As he was making his way into the beloved city, some Roman soldiers heading the opposite direction seized him and forced him to assist a tired criminal carrying his cross. Imagine Simon’s disappointment. He’d come all this way. He had sacrifices to buy, meals to prepare, and a money-changer to visit to get the proper currency to pay his Passover tax. And now he was forced to help a bloody criminal carry a cross?! How humiliating! Even to touch the cross, a cursed instrument of death, was repulsive to a Jew. Worst of all, the association with blood and death may have made Simon ceremonially unclean for the Passover, and thereby unable to participate in the festivities. In other words, his 800-mile trek was all for nothing. Imagine that. Imagine walking from Wichita to Detroit to see the Royals play the Tigers but the game is rained out and you have to walk back home. We would be a tad upset. And it’s likely, so was Simon.

Simon is often exalted as this great crossbearer, the ultimate example of one following Jesus’ words, “Take up your cross daily and follow me” (Lk 9:23). But does that really apply here? Jesus spoke those words to describe the trials we endure because of our faith. To say that’s what Simon was doing here might be a stretch. Simon wasn’t bearing a cross because of his faith. He was forced to carry a beam of wood because a brute soldier didn’t want to wait for a worn-out criminal to carry it himself.

But don’t let me ruin Simon’s reputation for you. There is something in this lesson that we can admire about him, and it’s only the Gospel-writer Mark who mentions it. Mark describes this traveler as, “Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus” (15:21). The casual mention of his sons’ names indicates that the readers of this Gospel knew who they were. In other words, his sons were well-known Christians, and it’s likely that Simon was the one who told them about Christ. Perhaps it was this crossroad that God used to introduce Simon to his Savior. Isn’t that how God often works? During the roughest, most disappointing times, God brings us closer to him. At first, this was the worst of days for Simon. In the end, it may have been the best.

Just how did Simon realize that this man he was helping was his Savior? Perhaps he stayed a few more hours at Golgotha and was convinced by what he saw and heard that this Jesus was the Son of God. Or maybe Simon was convinced of his Savior’s identity before he reached the place of the skull. Maybe he was convinced by the other event that happened on this crossroad from Pilate to Golgotha, namely,

II. A Sermon

Our lesson says (vv 27-31), “A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. Jesus turned and said to them, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. For the time will come when you will say, “Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!” Then “they will say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us!’” For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?’”

What amazing words! At the lowest point of his life, Jesus said, “Do not weep for me.” These women felt sorry for Jesus. They grimaced at his gruesome appearance, thinking, “This isn’t right. No one should suffer so much.” But Jesus said, “I don’t want or need your pity. Don’t feel sorry for me. Rather, worry about yourselves.” And he went on with an illustration, “I’m like a live tree: fruitful, growing, and worth something. And look how I’m being treated. If this is how these enemies treat a live tree, how do you think they’ll treat the rest of you, who are like dried-up twigs?” In other words, things were not going to be pretty for Jerusalem. Forty years later, Jesus’ words were fulfilled. During the Passover in 70 A.D., the Romans laid siege to Jerusalem, trapping all the Passover visitors inside. Historians report that the siege lasted 143 days. With the food supplies cut, the Jews began to starve, with many finally resorting to cannibalism to survive. Then 30,000 Roman troops stormed the city and destroyed everything, including the temple. The Jewish historian Josephus reported that hundreds of thousands of Jews were slaughtered. As Jesus had prophesied earlier, not one stone was left unturned.

Why was this the topic of Jesus’ sermon on this crossroad? Yes, he was warning the people of what would happen, but he was also sounding a call to repentance. He wanted these women and all other onlookers to step back and see the big picture. Instead of crying about the miserable condition of a beat-up man stumbling to his execution, he wanted them to peer into their own hearts and see an even worse condition — the mangled mess of sin. If they would do that, then they would understand why Jesus had to walk this crossroad — not as a criminal but as a Savior. Then they would understand that their sins had placed him on this crossroad.

And it was not only to the daughters of Jerusalem that Jesus spoke. This crossroad sermon is preserved in Scripture for you and for me. During the six solemn weeks of Lent, it is so easy for us to look with pity on Jesus. We feel for him when we hear how he was dressed up in a shiny robe and ridiculed. Our hearts ache when we imagine the bone-tipped whip tearing the flesh off his back. We cringe when we consider a crown of thorns being pressed into his skull. But if our Lenten journeys down these crossroads do no more than arouse our sympathy for the suffering Savior in Gethsemane, if they do no more than make us weep over the agony caused by rusty nails driven through the hands that healed so many, if these midweek journeys do no more than fill us with anger toward the self-righteous Sanhedrin, then this series has failed. These journeys are not meant to evoke the emotion, “I feel sorry for Jesus.” No, instead they’re meant to make us confess, “I feel sorry for my sins, which did this to Jesus.”

To illustrate, imagine living in a place where every time you would make a mistake, a band of unsympathetic soldiers would come in and beat up your loved one who is tied to a chair in the middle of the room. Every slip of the tongue, every selfish thought, every misplaced priority would bring another bloody welt to your loved one’s body. And this doesn’t go on for a day, a week, or a month. It goes on for years, and you get to witness every blow. Now after 30 years of your loved one being beaten because of your actions, you have a chance to speak to him or her. What would you say? I’m sure the first words would be, “I’m sorry. Not just sorry for you, but sorry for what I did to you.” With tears streaming down your cheeks, you would say, “Can you ever forgive me?”

That’s the heartfelt emotion Jesus is seeking on this crossroad from Pilate to Golgotha. That’s the emotion all the crossroads are meant to summon. Scripture does not record the details of Jesus’ suffering and death so that we can say, “I’m sorry for you, Jesus.” But rather, “Jesus, I’m sorry for what I’ve done to put you through that. I’m sorry that I treated you so poorly. I’m sorry that I used your name to curse my fellowman. I’m sorry that I treated worship like some kind of burden I had to endure. I’m sorry that I acted like my friends, my money, and my free time are all more important than you are. I’m sorry that by my actions, I have put you through hell. Lord, please, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

That’s also the emotion our Savior wanted to work in our hearts as we confessed our sins earlier in the service. That’s the emotion our Savior wants to work in us by telling us to examine ourselves before we commune at his table on this Maundy Thursday. God wants us to realize that our sins caused Jesus to shed his blood.

But then God also wants us to realize something else. He wants us to know that he has heard our prayer. He has had mercy on us. God’s Word, which crushes our hearts by leading us to admit that our sins put Jesus on the cross, also comforts us by assuring that those sins were paid for on the cross. The same God who says, “Your sins put Jesus there,” now says, “Your sins are forgiven.” This same Jesus who on this Maundy Thursday says, “This is my blood which was shed,” adds the words, “for you, for the forgiveness of your sins.”

How wonderful is that! That’s why God invites us to examine ourselves and repent of our sins. It’s not because he wants us to feel guilty for our sins. Rather, he wants us to know and appreciate all the more that we’re forgiven for those sins. They’re paid in full. Our Savior, who walked that crossroad from Pilate to Golgotha, has erased them all. And he no longer holds anything against us.

Amen.

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March 16, 2008 by admin.

Have you ever noticed that it is the smallest birds that do the singing? I didn’t discover this strange fact myself, IU read it somewhere. But I have noticed that it is true. You don’t hear songs from the eagles, or ostriches, or cranes. You hear them from the sparrows, the wrens, and the canaries.

I think that there is a lesson that can be learned in this. Many times we look at ourselves and we determine that we aren’t big enough or important enough to make much of a difference in our world. Based on that analysis, we sometimes choose to take a back seat and rely on others to get things done that we want to see accomplished. That can be true at work, in our personal lives, or even in our spiritual lives.

But remember, it is the little birds that do the singing. The Bible tells of several people whom God used in various ways who didn’t seem like the most important people in the world. A young servant girl helped Naaman, a military leader, who had leprosy. A young shepherd named David became king. Tax collectors and fishermen were chosen to be Jesus’ own disciples.

Humility is an admirable characteristic. But hiding behind humility so that you miss your opportunities to serve the Lord is not so admirable. Our Lord himself was one of the most humble human beings who ever lived. Yet he did what God put him on earth to do, serving in such a way that sets him far above all others.

Today as we follow Jesus into Jerusalem, we will note his humility, but also his determination to do what God called him to do. As we do so, we will see him…

“Exalted in Humility”

I. The Example Set by Jesus.

II. The Opportunities God Gives to Us

Paul says to us in his letter to the Philippians, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus…” Already with these words, Paul establishes what it is that God is looking for in his people. He wants us to have an attitude that is similar to what his Son demonstrated while he was on the earth. You might think—sure, just be like Jesus—that’ll be easy. But in the next verse, Paul shows us what it is that God expects of us.

He wrote, “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” Paul doesn’t deny the fact that there was a tremendous reason why Jesus should be praised—he was God! Although many people and religions deny that, Paul accepts it as fact. He said that Jesus was “in very nature God.” But that is not what Paul, inspired by God, praised Jesus for. He was praised for his attitude. He was God, but he did not “consider equality with God something to be grasped.” He could have played that trump card. He could have claimed his right to be honored and glorified. But he didn’t. He “made himself nothing.” He humbly and obediently did what his heavenly Father called on him to do. And it was that attitude that drew the praise of Paul and the praise of Jesus’ heavenly Father.

Paul went on to further describe what it was about Jesus that brought praises to him. He wrote, “And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death—even death on a cross.” With a humble, servant-like attitude, Jesus carried out his role on earth. He left behind the glory and the honor that were rightly his. He became one of us and took on himself the punishment that should have been ours because of our sins. And all of this he did willingly and without a single complaint. Many times when we think of Jesus our thoughts are drawn to the powerful and divine things that he did. We think of his miracles or the salvation that he won.

But let’s not forget the many ordinary and even mundane things that Jesus did that caught the attention of others. He washed his disciples’ feet because no one else wanted to stoop so low. He sat down and talked to a woman at a well, a Samaritan woman whom others from Judea or Galilee did not consider worthy of their time or attention. He visited a tax collector at his home because he knew that man needed a few minutes of his time.

It was never simply what he did that brought praise from his heavenly Father. It was always how and why he did it that was noticed. Jesus put into action the words that Paul would later write, So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.” (I. Cor. 10:31) That attitude is what God wants us to notice and to emulate. The willingness to give of himself and the selfless decisions that Jesus made are what God wants us to note. Instead of always thinking “me first,” God wants us to put others and their needs first.

And every day that we live, we will find opportunities that God gives to us to do just that.

II.The Opportunities that God Gives Us

Remember Paul wrote, Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus…” We are never told that we have to do exactly what Jesus did. God is not expecting us to heal the sick and raise the dead. But he is looking for us to have an attitude that is similar to the attitude that Jesus had while he lived on the earth. He expects us to serve him humbly, willingly, and devotedly, just as Jesus did every day of his life.

Such an attitude runs contrary to the will and opinion of many who live around us today. It is often considered foolish to do something that doesn’t offer any personal benefits or advantages. While certain sacrifices might be considered gracious and generous, certainly an entire life of self-sacrifice seems like a bit much to expect from anyone. We might consider sacrificing some of our comforts and pleasures some of the times, but to do so willingly, gladly, and without complaining is quite difficult for us to do.

We often see that it is the winners in the world who get the honors. It has been said that nobody remembers who came in second or that second is only the first loser. We see that the squeaky wheel gets the grease—those who complain the loudest or push and shove the hardest often get their way. The meek and humble seem to get trampled and pushed aside.

But Paul wasn’t living in a world void of such things when he wrote, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus….” Jesus didn’t have to make any sacrifices. He didn’t owe anyone his time or his energy. He deserved to be the one being served, not the one doing the serving. But Paul noted that he “…did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.”

Every day we have opportunities to imitate our Savior. We have opportunities to give of our time and energy to help others. We have opportunities to put others and their needs ahead of ourselves and our own needs. God allows us to serve him by serving one another. When Jesus road into Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday, many lined the roads and sang his praises. But they were there for the wrong reasons. They thought that they were welcoming their new earthly king, the one who would soon win their political freedom and offer them riches and a life of ease. Just 5 days later many of these same would turn on him when they realized that he wasn’t going to do that.

But God the Father did not turn on his Son. He saw the accomplishments that were hidden behind the humility. He was the love and devotion that brought Jesus to Jerusalem that day. He saw the determination and the dedication that carried Jesus into the city where he would die. And that is why he praised him through the pen of Paul.

God is also watching to see how we live our lives. He looks beyond just what we do and sway to why we do and say those things. Remember Cain brought sacrifices and the Pharisees brought offerings to the temple. But both were rejected because, although the outward actions were right, the interior motives were all wrong. God sees what is in our hearts, and he notices the attitude that we have as we live our lives.

You don’t have to be a big bird to sing. You don’t have to heal the sick and raise the dead to catch the attention of our heavenly Father. It’s the little birds who sing. It’s the little thoughts, words and actions that are noted by our heavenly Father. You don’t have to be the first or the best. God just wants our attitude to be like that of Christ Jesus. So take advantage of every opportunity that God gives to you to serve him. And as we live to his glory, may he help us to be more like Christ Jesus.

Amen.
“The peace of God….”

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March 13, 2008 by admin.

In the name of Jesus — stricken, smitten and afflicted for your sins and mine – dear Christian friends,

Have you ever felt like a human ping-pong ball? How about when you were a kid? Maybe you ask your dad if you could go to your friend’s house. He says, “Ask your mother.” You ask your mother and she says, “Ask your father.” And you keep getting bounced from parent to parent. Or, as an adult, you go to see your family physician, and he sends you to the cardiologist, who sends you to the pulmonary doctor, who sends you back to your family physician, all with a different diagnosis of your problem. You get so frustrated, you feel like saying, “I’d just like to get all the doctors in the same room so I wouldn’t have to keep running around.”

In our lesson today, Jesus is bounced around like a ping-pong ball between two heathen rulers named Pilate and Herod Antipas. Pilate wins the serve and sends Jesus over the net as a rebel. Herod returns him as a reject. Jesus — the rebel and the reject. Certainly not titles we normally reserve for our Savior, nor does he deserve them, but that’s how we’ll see him as we travel with him on the crossroads tonight — the crossroads from Pilate to Herod and back. First of all, we see

I. From Pilate to Herod — Jesus the Rebel

That’s the way the Jewish chief priests and teachers of the law presented Jesus. At dawn, this group had assembled and found Jesus guilty of blasphemy — a crime worthy of death according to Jewish law. But there was one problem: This sunrise court didn’t have the authority to issue the death penalty. So they had to appeal to the Roman governor named Pilate, who was visiting Jerusalem to oversee the large crowds that had gathered for the Passover.

Pilate wasn’t winning any popularity polls with the Jewish people. Historians describe him as being a harsh, spiteful, and brutal man — a thug. From the time he stepped into office about five years earlier, he had antagonized the Jews. He desecrated their holy city, Jerusalem, with images of the emperor, whom the Romans worshiped as a god. He used the temple treasury to finance a new water supply to Jerusalem. He even slaughtered Jews while they were worshiping. And now with this mind-set toward Jews, you can bet he wouldn’t care in the least if Jesus broke some Jewish religious law. So the Jewish leaders who wanted to get a death warrant would have to paint a more threatening picture of Jesus if they wanted to get Pilate to see their side.

Initially the Jews levied three charges against Jesus: (1) subverting the nation, i.e., he was undermining the government; (2) opposing the payment of taxes; and (3) claiming to be a king. Based on these charges, Pilate conducted an interview with Jesus and came up empty, which is where our lesson begins. Pilate said (v 4), “I find no basis for a charge against this man.”

But the chief priests and accompanying crowd wouldn’t take no for an answer, which shows their passionate hatred for Jesus. Think about it. Would you challenge someone who had a reputation of being a thug? Yet these Jews didn’t fear what Pilate would or could do to them. They simply focused on getting Jesus killed. So they emphatically insisted that Jesus was indeed a criminal – a rebel. They nagged at Pilate (v 5), “He stirs up the people all over Judea by his teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here.”

Listen to that charge again: “He stirs up the people all over Judea by his teaching.” There’s an element of truth in that statement. The whole land was buzzing with heated discussions on the question of whether this Jesus of Nazareth was the promised Christ. But Jesus didn’t just stir up conversations at the office watercooler. He stirred up his listeners’ hearts. And for that he shouldn’t have been condemned. They should have been singing his praises! These people were in dire need of being stirred up out of their idolatry and spiritual slumber. Their souls needed to hear Jesus’ cry, “Repent, the kingdom of God is near.” Yet they wanted nothing of it. His heart-stirring message just infuriated them all the more.

Can’t the same be said about our world today? Can’t the same be said about us at times as well? When Jesus sounds his stern warnings through his church and stirs up our consciences, don’t we at times resent his Word? Don’t we want to haul him off and charge him with putting his nose where it doesn’t belong? Brothers and sisters, understand that Jesus’ warnings are prompted by his overflowing love for us. It’s just like the wife who notices her husband dozing at the wheel and shouts, “Watch out!” Doesn’t she love her husband? Does the husband yell back, “Let me sleep!”? No, he’s grateful that his wife loved him enough to wake him up. So too Jesus’ warnings may cause us to stir. They may cause us to jump. But if they awaken us from sin and ultimately an eternity in hell, shouldn’t we praise Jesus as our Savior rather than regard him as an agitator?

Of course. But that’s not what happened in the hearts of these Jews. The more they heard Jesus, the more provoked they were to get rid of him. Jesus’ message had stoked such a fire of hatred in their hearts that they called his work evil and cunningly charged Jesus with being a rabble-rousing Galilean. And that was the magic word to Pilate’s ears. When Pilate heard Jesus was from Galilee, he saw his way out. Galilee was out of his jurisdiction. Pilate was the governor of Judea and Samaria. The northern region of Galilee fell under the rule of Herod Antipas, who just happened to be in town for the Passover. How convenient! So Pilate sent Jesus, the rabble-rouser, to his Galilean counterpart. And Jesus walks another road, another crossroad, from Pilate to Herod.

II. From Herod to Pilate — Jesus the Reject

Herod Antipas was the son of Herod the Great, the brutal Bethlehem baby slayer who had killed all baby boys two years old and younger when the wise men had asked him about a newborn king. Herod Antipas, the ruler in our lesson, doesn’t seem to have that degree of cruelty in him. Don’t get me wrong. He was no angel either. In fact, Jesus had once referred to him as a sly fox. Herod had John the Baptist imprisoned when John confronted him about his sinful marriage to his former sister-in-law, who also happened to be his niece. And at one of his birthday parties, his wife’s daughter danced for the king. He was so pleased that he promised to give her whatever she wanted in return. When she asked for the head of the imprisoned John the Baptist on a silver platter, Herod followed through with it. So, you might say, he was not a guy you necessarily would want to meet and spend time with. But Pilate served Jesus to Herod. The ball was now in Herod’s court.

Herod wasn’t looking to necessarily harm Jesus. In fact, the Bible says (v 8), “He was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform some miracle.” Herod wanted a private magic show. It was like having David Copperfield in your living room, only better. But Jesus didn’t leave the golden streets of heaven to walk the dusty crossroads of earth as an entertainer. He came to be a Savior. Therefore, no bunnies were pulled out of hats in Herod’s living room that day. Even after Herod and his soldiers interrogated him (v 9), “Jesus gave him no answer.”

And it’s the silence of Jesus that shouts out his love to us on this crossroad. If Jesus would have pulled a few miracles out of his sleeve and entertained Herod, he might have been set free. Herod had the authority to let him go. But as a sheep before its shearers is silent, Jesus did not open his mouth, thus insuring that he would stay his course on the crossroads. And that’s what happened. Upset at Jesus’ lack of performance (v 11), “Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked [Jesus]. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate.” Herod sent Jesus back on the same road, the same crossroad he had just traveled. But this time he wasn’t traveling as a rebel. Jesus was traveling as a reject. Like a little girl’s dressed-up doll, Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords, allowed himself to be dressed up, ridiculed, and mocked.

As we see Jesus walking down these humiliating crossroads from Pilate to Herod and back, join me in admiring the immensity of our Savior’s love. Join me in appreciating what he was willing to endure so he could do his job. Join me in being proud of our humble Savior. He allowed himself to be falsely labeled a rebel and to be falsely portrayed as a reject. But he did it all for us! Now, because of Jesus, we’re no longer seen as rebels in the eyes of God. When it comes to entering his kingdom, we’ll no longer be rejected. Jesus has traveled the road – the crossroad – for us, bearing the punishment of our sins so that we will never have to.

Amen

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March 10, 2008 by admin.

John 11:17-27,38-45 3/9/08

In the Name of Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life, Dear Friends in Christ,

What does a robin, dark skies, a scratchy throat, and baseball games being played in Florida and Arizona have in common? They all serve as signs of things to come. A robin is a sign that spring is just around the corner. Dark skies warn us that a storm is in the making. A scratchy throat, at least for me, is a sign that a cold is settling in. And baseball games in Florida and Arizona at this time of year mean that another season of Major League Baseball is just a couple of weeks away. All these things serve as signs, tipping us off that something else is about to take place.

Today we hear about a wonderful miracle of our Lord — Jesus raises a man from the dead! But there’s more to it. As we take a closer look at this divine deed, we’ll also see that it serves as:

“A Sign of Things to Come”

I. Believe what Jesus says

II. Behold what Jesus does

The sisters Mary and Martha had sent word to Jesus that “the one you love” (Jn 11:3), their brother Lazarus, was sick. Despite the deadly prognosis, Jesus predicts a pleasant outcome (Jn 11:4), “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” God had a reason for allowing Lazarus to get sick, a reason he would use for his divine purpose. We’re told that Jesus ended up waiting two whole days after hearing of Lazarus’ sickness before making his way to their home in the town of Bethany. So why was Jesus so slow in responding? Why the delay? Jesus knew what he was doing. He told his disciples (Jn 11:11), “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.” “Don’t worry — just believe!”

Let’s follow Jesus to Bethany, to the home of Mary and Martha (vv 17-20), “On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.” Lazarus must have died shortly after the messengers left Bethany. By the time Jesus made it to Bethany, he had already been in the tomb for four days. There was no doubt about it — Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, was gone.

Who among us hasn’t felt the loss of a loved one like these two sisters? We know what they were going through. If only Jesus had been there sooner! Martha is the first to express her grief (v 21), “Lord, . . . if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Martha firmly believed that Jesus could have made a difference. But wait! She still had hope that Jesus could do something (v 22), “But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” Keep in mind that this is the same Martha who during one of Jesus’ previous visits was too busy getting dinner ready to stop and listen to his message. Now we see a change in her. We see a faith that rested on Jesus and his power.

Listen to the dialogue that occurs next (vv 23,24), “Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha answered, ‘I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.’” Jesus offered words of comfort to Martha, words that she thought were referring to the final resurrection that would take place on Judgment Day. Where did she learn about this resurrection? Perhaps her knowledge came from Old Testament references like Psalm 49:15, “God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself.” Maybe she had been taught the powerful confession of faith given by Job (19:25-27), “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes — I, and not another.” Or, just maybe, Martha had on occasion followed the example of her sister Mary and found time to sit at Jesus’ feet where she heard for herself the wonderful news of a blessed resurrection. In any case, Martha believed what Jesus said!

Jesus goes on to offer even more of an explanation, giving Martha and us today the foundation for all that we believe (vv 25,26), “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” Jesus himself is life. He tells us (Jn 14:6), “I am the way and the truth and the life.” He’s the way to life eternal, guaranteeing all those who believe in him that the road into the cemetery isn’t a one-way street! Those who live by faith, those who put their trust in Jesus “will never die.” Believe what Jesus says! He proclaims that he has power over death itself!

Martha believed him. Jesus asked her (v 26), “Do you believe this?” Her reply? “Yes, Lord, . . . I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world” (v 27). She believed that Jesus was “the Christ,” the Lord’s Anointed One. She believed that he was the very “Son of God,” not just a mere human being. And she believed that he was the one “who was to come into the world,” the one promised by God, the Messiah. Martha took Jesus at his word. She believed that he could do something special. She believed what Jesus said!

Do we? Sure we do! All the time? Don’t we often find ourselves overcome by grief — the loss of a loved one, financial headaches, family strife, and the like — only to find ourselves asking God, “Why didn’t you do something?” Do we sometimes wonder if God truly has our best interests at heart? Do we sometimes feel as if he’s deserted us, leaving us to fend for ourselves? Do we ever find ourselves questioning his love for us?

When these times come (and we all know that they do), go back and look at what Jesus says! Go back to his Word, the same Word that assures us that God is always in control, that he knows what he’s doing, that he’s working all things for our good, that he’ll never give us more than we can handle, and that he’ll never leave us nor forsake us. One of the songs the children in the child care center love to sing is “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so!” In his Word, time after time, Jesus tells us that he loves us. Believe him! Believe what he says, and let him assure you of his love!

Martha knew that Jesus loved her. That’s what made it possible for her to accept what he said to her. Now she would see Jesus’ love in action. She would see “the glory of God” on display. When we believe what Jesus says, then we’re able to behold what Jesus does.

What Jesus wanted to do certainly didn’t make sense to those who had gathered that day to mourn the loss of Lazarus (vv 38-40), “Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. ‘Take away the stone,’ he said. ‘But, Lord,’ said Martha, the sister of the dead man, ‘by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there for four days.’ Then Jesus said, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?’” First of all, notice Jesus’ attitude in approaching the tomb of Lazarus. We’re told he was “deeply moved.” In the original Greek language it actually says that he was indignant. Jesus was angry. He was fed up. We might say that he was sick and tired of death and the havoc it had wreaked on his Father’s creation. And he wasn’t going to take it anymore! So he told them to open up the tomb, contrary to Martha’s protests that the smell would be something quite unpleasant. Roll the stone away and behold “the glory of God” in action!

“So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, ‘Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me’” (vv 41,42).

Never missing an opportunity to teach, Jesus shows those around him where to turn for strength and comfort. He wanted the people to believe that he had been sent by the Father to be their Savior, the one who would conquer death. Now they were going to see for themselves. Now they were going to be given a sign of things to come!Behold what Jesus does (vv 43,44), “When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, ‘Take off the grave clothes and let him go.’” “The dead man came out.” Still wrapped in burial cloths (after all, he had been dead for four days!), Lazarus obeys the command of his Lord and leaves the tomb! Could you do that, make a dead man walk? This isn’t some cheesy horror movie. There were no special effects involved here. Jesus brought Lazarus back to life because he has power over death! It’s that simple. Behold what Jesus does!

How could anyone not be affected by such a sight! We’re told (v 45), “Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him.” The town must have been buzzing. “Did you see what Jesus did? He did exactly what he said he would do! He raised Lazarus from the dead!” Surely this was someone special! Surely this was someone with godly power! Surely this was the very Son of God!

And yet this glimpse of our Savior’s glory was just a taste of what was to come. After leaving Bethany, Jesus would make his way to Jerusalem for the very last time. He would go there willingly, against the advice of his disciples who feared for his safety. He would go there knowing full well the suffering and anguish that awaited him. He would once again go one-on-one with death, allowing himself to be fastened with nails to a wooden cross, where he would endure the very pain of hell itself — all to pay for our sins! Then he would give up his spirit. Jesus, God’s Son, would die.

But just as he wouldn’t allow death to hold Lazarus, so also our Savior would not let death hold him. The irony of it all is found in the fact that by dying, Jesus defeated death. He took on sin, death, and the devil — none of which was still standing when he was finished. Jesus won the battle and declared his victory by crying out (Jn 19:30), “It is finished.” Behold what Jesus does! He defeats death itself!

Our Lord’s victory on Calvary serves as a sign of things to come for you, for me, and for all believers. Jesus has promised each of us (Jn 14:19), “Because I live, you also will live.” You and I will now live, even though we die, because we’ve been rescued from an eternity in hell. That’s why death no longer scares us. We can proclaim with the apostle Paul (1 Co 15:55), “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” Keep looking to the cross and you’ll see what Jesus did for you and for your salvation!

Believe what Jesus says, and each and every day you’ll behold the wonderful things he does for you. He comforts, guides, and strengthens each of us while we live our lives here on this earth. But his loving care is only a sign of things to come. Just wait and see what Jesus, “the resurrection and the life,” has in store for you! Because he lives, so will we — for all eternity! Truly the best is yet to come!

Amen

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March 6, 2008 by admin.

Philippians 1:21    3/5/08

In the name of him who abides with us in life and in death, dear friends and family of Fred Lietz,

Yesterday was a sad day for any fan of the Green Bay Packers.  Brett Favre, their quarterback for the last 17 years, the man who led this proud franchise back to the Super Bowl, announced his retirement from professional football.  It wasn’t because he no longer loved football.  One of the main reasons Mr. Favre offered for retiring was simply because he “was tired.”  He wants to move on with his life, to spend more time with his wife and children.  He admitted to still enjoying the game of football, but he admitted to looking forward to the future, to a life outside of football that would bring blessings of its own.

When the apostle Paul surveyed his life, he may have had a bit of the same mind-set that Brett Favre had.  For Paul, it was his pride and joy to be able to serve his Lord and Savior here on this earth.  But he had to admit that he looked forward to the future, to a life that would be even more enjoyable.  So, finally, he came to this conclusion (Php 1:21), “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

Only a child of God could understand what Paul meant, to actually picture death as being a “plus” when compared to this life.  Fred Lietz understood what Paul meant.  As long as he lived here on this earth, he had this same philosophy:

“For Fred, To Live Was Christ, To Die Is Gain”

When the doctors finally told Fred that his heart wasn’t strong enough to survive surgery, when they told him that dialysis would do more damage than good, when Fred faced the reality that he couldn’t serve his Savior as he was used to doing, then he didn’t hold back in expressing his preference — he wanted to leave this world and be with his Lord.

And yet while on this earth Fred was all about serving his Savior.  I was privileged to be Fred’s pastor for over 20 years and saw firsthand how important the church was to Fred.  He served on the church council – put it this way, he was never off the church council!  He served as an Elder, making tough calls on people whom the devil had been pulling away from the church, encouraging them by his words and example to be faithful to their Savior. Although he may have never officially been a trustee, Fred might as well have been one for all the times we called upon him to fix a dryer or refrigerator at the parsonage, a toilet at the child care center, or a dishwasher over at the teacherage.  He was the unofficial “handyman” of Messiah.  In between all that he squeezed in a little lawn-mowing.  Just take a look on your way home today at the vast lawn we have surrounding our building.  That’s Fred’s lawn.  He mowed it all by himself, only every now and then allowing his sons or grandsons to take a turn, but not for long.  He was particular about how he wanted it to be mowed, about how it should look.  He wanted it to be as nice as possible, because it was the church’s lawn.  Tell me if you ever saw it in need of mowing.  Fred once told me it took seven hours to mow the whole lawn, so a conservative estimate would mean that Fred spent almost an entire year of his life on his John Deere mowers, serving his Savior!  One of the last conversations I had with Fred emphasized how much he cared about the lawn.  In the midst of talking about the wonders of heaven awaiting him, he leaned towards me and said, “You know, Pastor, when I’m gone, you’re going to have to get a lawn service to take over the mowing.”

Lawncare isn’t what I’ll remember most about Fred when it comes to how he served his Savior.  The work he did in the area of Evangelism shines even brighter.  At the church’s annual meeting back in 1988, just six short months after I had arrived at Messiah, the voters decided to form their first Evangelism Committee.  Fred Lietz was appointed to that committee – one that he would serve on for 20 consecutive years!  Fred loved to share his faith!  Whenever we would have church visitors and I’d call them or stop by their homes for a visit, they always mentioned one person by name who had greeted them and welcomed them to worship – a man named “Fred.”  For the last 10-12 years Messiah has had a booth at the Sedgwick County Fair, and every year Fred would help set it up, man it for hours, and help bring everything back.  Our Evangelism Committee members make monthly phone calls to new members who have moved into our area.  Not everyone can make these kind of “cold” calls on people, but Fred made them faithfully for 20 years.  Again, some quick math tells me that Fred must have made close to 4000 of these calls on people, with the intent of simply finding out if they had a church home and, if they didn’t, inviting them to our services.  Even in his last days, on his last visit to the hospital, he was found sharing his faith with his roommate Lenny.  For Fred, that was what life was all about.  For Fred, to live was Christ!

Can I give another testimony to Fred’s faithfulness?  Look at these front pews.  On any given Sunday, Fred’s entire family can always be found gathered here in the Lord’s house.  I’ve never made a delinquent call on any one of them, and it’s a rare Sunday indeed if they’re not at worship and in Bible Class as well.  And that goes for the grandkids as well.  Whenever Fred would move his family from place to place, his primary concern was being close to a church that faithfully proclaimed God’s Word.  His love for the Lord was evident in how many hours he spent learning from God’s Word.  If there’s anyone who’s heard every story and every illustration I possibly have to tell, it would be Fred, because he was a fixture here on Sunday morning for worship and Bible Class, not to mention the vicars’ midweek afternoon classes and many of the classes I held weekday evenings.  For Fred, life was all about growing stronger in his understanding of God’s Word and in his faith.  For Fred, to live was Christ!

If Fred were with us here today, I’d probably have to apologize to him.  By now he would have cut me off and told me to stop singing his praises.  Unlike some people who seem to constantly want to draw attention to themselves and to be praised for what they do, I can’t think of a time when Fred did something for personal praise or recognition.  He did everything for his Savior, knowing full well what his Savior had done for him, and he’d be the first to tell you that he’s not in heaven because of anything he had done.  Fred was also a sinner, just like you and me.  Fred’s in heaven today only because of Jesus!

Fred never bragged about how nice the lawn looked, about how many Evangelism calls he made, about how well he had raised his children, about how faithful he was in his church attendance, or about how good he was at cracking walnuts – O.K., I did hear him bragging a little about that last one, but only a little!  Fred had the gift of humility, an important gift because it recognizes that by ourselves none of us is able to make up for our sinfulness and earn our own salvation.  Fred was a Lutheran because he believed what Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:8,9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.”  What Fred did to serve his Savior here on this earth was all the result of knowing what his Savior had already done for him on that wooden cross on Calvary.  When Fred was talking to his grandson Colton about playing the organ for this service, he told him that he wanted to make sure this funeral service was most of all a worship service, a service of praise to God.  So I apologize to Fred for spending so much time talking about his service to his Savior.  But I think it’s important to see how much that Savior’s love meant to Fred and how it motivated him to serve his Lord while on this earth.

The best news for Fred and someday for us is that even though we’re privileged to serve and live for Christ, when our time on earth is done, “to die is gain.”  For us as Christians we have a whole different take on life.  We shed tears today because we’ll miss our loved one, but we dare not shed tears for Fred himself.  Where he’s at, he doesn’t need them.  Fred has run the race.  He’s fought the fight.  He’s reached the goal – the goal for which we all strive.  Right now he’s with Jesus, in glory, without sin and its effects, with his sainted parents and brother and sister, waiting for you and me to join him.  And if there’s a lawn up in heaven . . . .well, you can imagine that Fred’s taken over the job!

I want to leave you with one final thought.  So often at funerals we talk about wanting to honor the one who has passed away.  Mike suggested we name the shed outside with the mower inside “Fred’s Shed.”  We can do that, but there’s something that Fred would want even more than that.  To honor the memory of Fred Lietz, make sure you’re using the time right now that you have here on this earth to know and follow your Lord and Savior!  Find a church that is  faithful to God’s Word.  Be regular in attending and in reading your Bible at home.  Raise your family to know Jesus and what he has done for them.  If the Savior isn’t part of your life right now, if you’ve strayed from him and his Word, be thankful that he’s a forgiving God and wants so much to have you back.  To honor Fred, make sure that someday you see him again.  Make sure you’re on the path to heaven!

I’ll conclude with a story that tells us what it truly means to believe that “to live is Christ and to die is gain.”  On Monday my wife was wrapping up Bible time in one of our child care center rooms – the “Purple Room” with the older kids.  As is their custom, they ended with a prayer, but little Kennedy knew they had forgotten something.  She spoke up and said, “Miss Deb, we forgot to pray for Mr. Fred!”  My wife replied, “I’m sorry, I forgot to tell all of you.  Mr. Fred is living in heaven with Jesus!  He went there on Saturday.”  The children’s response?  They all shouted, “Hooray!”  Afterwards my wife reminded the kids that Fred’s family would be sad for a while because they would miss Fred, so they should continue to pray for them, to which Kennedy asked, “Can we do that right now?”  And they proceeded to do just that.  I can’t help but think that little moment must have made Fred smile.

“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”  May that be our motto, just as it was Fred’s while here on this earth.  We can and should continue to say prayers for each other, that God will help us get over our loss and strengthen us in the hope of the resurrection.  But you can stop praying for Fred now.  He doesn’t need your prayers.  When it comes to Fred, all we can do is join with the children and proclaim, “Hooray!”

                                                                                                                                                                                                Amen

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March 3, 2008 by admin.

Romans 8:1-10

In the name of Jesus, the only Hope for all who grieve, dear friends,

When I was in the 5^th grade, I probably knew more about kangaroos than any of my classmates. No, I wasn’t an expert on Australian wildlife. The reason I knew so much about kangaroos was because my teacher – Miss Burmeister — made me copy out of an encyclopedia everything written about these animals as punishment for having too many marks behind my name on the chalkboard. You know how the system works, don’t you? When you misbehave the first time, your name goes on the board. Then for each time you act up after that, a mark is made after your name, until finally you get so many marks and have to pay the price. My punishment that day came in the form of about five pages of writing – everything written in the encyclopedia about kangaroos.

Once the punishment had been completed, Miss Burmeister would then allow the thoroughly-disciplined student to erase his name and the accompanying marks from the chalkboard. What a feeling of relief that was! We were able to start all over again with an unsoiled record! And that’s how Miss Burmeister wanted it to remain, for she would routinely remind us, “Now keep the slate clean!”

Our sins bring with them an even greater punishment than just encyclopedia-copying. Eternal death and damnation await all who sin and fall short of the glory of God. But someone volunteered to take our punishment for us! Someone took upon himself the “chalkboard marks” of the entire world! That someone was Jesus, the one who wiped our slate clean by dying in our place. Now, instead of eternal death, we have eternal life to look forward to – all because of our Savior!

This morning the apostle Paul takes us back to our spiritual chalkboard as he encourages us to:

“Keep the Slate Clean!”
I. Look at what God has done for your salvation

II. Look at what you can do to show your appreciation

Paul had been speaking to the Romans about how difficult it was for him as he struggled with sin. He made this statement in the previous chapter (Ro 7:21), “When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.” And a couple verses later he lamented (Ro 7:24), “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” Thankfully, Paul was able to answer his own question (Ro 7:25), “Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Paul had joy in his heart because he knew the solution to his sinfulness was already revealed to him in Christ!

This thought serves as the background for our text this morning, as Paul shares his joy with us. He begins (vv 1,2), “Therefore (i.e., because of Christ’s victory over death), there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” Our sins dominate us by nature, and “the law of sin” says that as a result we deserve nothing but death. But we’ve been set free from that law by another law – “the law of the Spirit of life” – the Holy Spirit himself. Paul mentions the Holy Spirit 21 times in this chapter alone, focusing our attention on the one who is the controlling influence in the lives of believers. It’s only by his power that we realize what Christ has done for us, that we realize we’ve been set free from the law of sin and death.

A friend of mine once told me about a time when he and his brother caught some pigeons and put them in cages. They kept them hidden from their dad until he discovered that they were using the pig feed to feed them. So they were told to open up the cages to set them free. But when they did so, the dumb pigeons just sat there! Finally they had to physically take them out of the cages and toss them into the air. But even then the next day some of them came back and were found once again in their cages!

It’s the Holy Spirit who has to take us and toss us into the air, convincing us that we are free from sin because of Jesus. And it’s the same Holy Spirit who has to come after us time and time again when we foolishly climb back into those cages of sin. He keeps reminding us of what God has done for our salvation. Paul continues (vv 3,4), “For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.” Here’s what Paul means: Because we inherited a sinful nature, our own flesh is weak. We cannot live up to God’s expectations, so there’s no way we can save ourselves by keeping the law, because “the law was powerless.” Paul knew that and earlier admitted as much when he said (Ro 7:18,19), “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing.”

But this is where God steps in by supplying a “sin offering” of his own. He sent Jesus, his own Son, “in the likeness of sinful man,” a true human being, minus the sinfulness. He was the perfect Lamb of God sent to switch places with us. You’ve heard the passage before (2 Co 5:21), “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” That’s so important! Say it with me (repeat with congregation)! Look at what God has done for our salvation! Notice that he says that “the righteous requirements of the law” – what we need to get into heaven – are “fully met in us,” not by us. We’re not saved by what we do, but because of who lives in us – that same Holy Spirit who tells us all about how Jesus did everything for our salvation! He’s wiped our slates clean and made us fit for heaven!

If I would have had a classmate back in the 5^th grade who would have volunteered to step in for me and copy my little essay on kangaroos in my place, I would have been so happy that I would have tried to think of something to do to thank him – maybe give him the Baby Ruth candy bars from my lunch for a whole week! In the same way, realizing how Jesus stepped in for us brings forth a desire to react. Now we want to look at what we can do for him to show our appreciation.

The first thing we do is to ask the Holy Spirit to help us develop a new mind-set (v 5), “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.” Two conflicting mind-sets are described here. They’re totally opposite of each other. One is to live for the flesh and please the sinful nature. The other is to live for the Spirit and please God.

The end results are also on opposite ends of the spectrum (v 6), “The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.” Try for a moment to put yourself into the position of an unbeliever to try and imagine the haunting fear that they must have concerning their future. All they know for sure is that someday they will die – “the mind of sinful man is death” – that’s all it leads to, and the sad fact is that it gets worse, because physical death leads to eternal death for the unbeliever, whether they believe it or not.

Notice the contrast for the believer – “the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.” As Spirit-filled believers, we know where we’re going. We have “life” – eternal life – to look forward to. And with that knowledge comes “peace.” Most of you may know by now that early yesterday morning Fred Lietz was called home to be with his Lord. If you spent any time with Fred over the last two years since he had been diagnosed with his illness, you couldn’t help but see on display the “peace” that exists for a believer even in the face of a disease that would ultimately take his life. That’s because Fred’s mind was “controlled by the Spirit,” the Spirit who gave him “life and peace.” And that’s why Fred was never afraid of death. It had no power over him. Instead he truly died in “peace,” and now he lives with his Savior in “life” eternal.

Do you want that same kind of peace, peace that will keep you from flinching even in the face of death itself? Then don’t let sin be your guide. Reacting to God’s love by living contrary to his will only pushes him – and his peace – farther away (v v 7,8), “The sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.” One theologian puts it this way, “Fleshly men are set on pleasing themselves; spiritual men please themselves by pleasing God.” We need a new guide to help us show our appreciation for what God has done for us (v 9), “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit (there he is again!), if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” Show that you belong to Christ, that you’re “controlled . . . by the Spirit” by the choices you make in life. In Galatians Paul tells us (5:24), “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.” The sinful nature no longer has to control us, because when Christ was nailed to that cross so was our sinful nature!

That’s why Paul can conclude with this thought (v 10), “But if Christ is in you, our body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.” Because of sin our bodies will die, but because of Christ they won’t stay dead. They will be raised up and cleaned up – they’ll be glorified! Then they’ll hook up once more with our souls — eternally “alive because of [Christ’s] righteousness” — once more to live forever in the mansions of heaven! This is every Christian’s hope, because “Christ is in you,” and he’s given you a clean slate!

Let’s keep it that way! With the Spirit’s power, keep that slate clean. How? In 2 Corinthians Paul says (13:5), “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.” We all hate tests, but here’s one that’s so important. Test yourself to see if you “have the Spirit of Christ,” if you “belong to Christ.” Answer these questions: What motivates the decisions you make in life? Do you usually do what you want, or do you look to see what God wants? How eager are you to let God guide your life? Do you look to him and his Word for answers? What does your church and Communion attendance look like? Do you come to his house merely out of habit or enough to stay off the delinquent list, or do you come to let the Spirit have more control of your life and to let him strengthen you through Word and Sacrament? When it comes to heading home to heaven someday, are you O.K. picturing yourself traveling alone, or are you looking for ways to bring others along with you? Is your faith – and your Savior – such a personal matter that you keep it all to yourself, or are you driven by our Lord’s Great Commission to go out into the world and use his Word to make more and more disciples?

If you’re like me, you got an “F” on that test. But that’s what happens when we let the sinful nature rear its ugly head in our lives. I wish that I could say that my article on the kangaroos was the last document that I had to manually photocopy during my grade-school years, but I sadly admit that I made use of a couple more volumes of the encyclopedia before I reached high school. My slate didn’t stay clean. Each and ever day, we all sin. We all fail the test. Thank God that his Son didn’t! And thank God that his Son swapped papers with us, and that he keeps giving us a new paper – a clean slate – to start over again and again in showing our appreciation for all that God has done for us! With the Spirit’s help – and only with his help – slowly but surely we get better at doing what God wants us to do. And when we mess up, Jesus is there with that giant, cross-shaped eraser to make everything clean once again!

In view of such love, why would we ever want to live to satisfy the sinful nature? Instead, get in step with the Spirit, and let him help you keep the slate clean!

Amen

–Rev. Jonathan Rockhoff

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