Sermon -- 13th Sunday after Pentecost (September 7, 2025)

LUKE 14:25-35

RECOGNIZE THE COST OF BEING JESUS’ DISCIPLE.

In the name + of Jesus.

     The popularity of Jesus was amazing.  It is not hard to understand why.  Jesus healed many with incurable disabilities.  Jesus had multiplied bread and fish to feed multitudes.  Who could blame people for wanting to be near him?  Even King Herod longed to meet Jesus because he had heard about the miracles.  When he finally did meet Jesus and Jesus would not perform for him, Herod’s fascination turned into mockery.  The crowds also turned from Jesus when they discovered he was not there for their entertainment and to hand out endless freebies.

     Jesus told the crowds that there was a cost to being his disciple.  Jesus was no huckster, conning people in order to get something out of them.  Jesus had come to deliver people from their sins.  That, of course, meant that people needed to recognize that their sins were a problem.  It is not always a love of wickedness that is a problem; it is often a love of blessings.  All our blessings are gifts from God, but they are not to be praised higher than the God who gives them.  The First Commandment is the greatest commandment: “You shall have no other gods.  What does this mean?  We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things” (Luther’s Small Catechism: First Commandment).  All things.  Even precious blessings.

     Recognize the cost of being Jesus’ disciple.  Jesus revealed that cost in shocking terms.  “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26).  This is hyperbole.  (St. Luke likes to do that.)  Jesus does not forbid you to love your family.  The 4^th Commandment tells us to honor father and mother.  That is God’s word, and it is good.  But the 4^th Commandment is never higher than the 1^st Commandment.  So, Jesus intentionally used shocking language to show that being his disciple demands a total commitment.  If you would ever have to choose between Jesus and your family and friends, you would forsake your family and friends before you forsook Jesus.  Recognize the cost for being Jesus’ disciple.

     Our Lord does not expect parents to withhold love from their children.  Even if your child goes to jail, you will still love your child.  You may be disappointed in him, but you will still love him.  However, parents who love their children will also love them enough to tell them when they are wrong.  Discipline is not cruelty; it is done out of love for the good of the child.  So, if your son or daughter is engaged in sinful living, love for your child will compel you to admonish him.  Love for Jesus will compel you to uphold the truth of his word.  Love will tell that child, “This is what the Lord says,” and then hold firm to that truth.  You may be tempted to keep silent because you fear that you will lose your children and grandchildren.  And you may.  But if your child persists in his sins, you will lose him for eternity.  It is important to recognize that cost, too. 

     Jesus said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26).  Jesus comes first.  That is the first and greatest commandment.  It is non-negotiable.  It does not forbid you to love your loved ones, but it commands you to keep things in order.  Recognize the cost of being Jesus’ disciple.

     While Jesus is blunt in telling us that there is a cost to being his disciple, recognize that there was a tremendous cost for Jesus to be your Savior.  God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.  He not only gave him to the world, he gave him to suffer and die for the world. 

     Recognize this cost!  It would be one thing if all mankind had been perfectly devoted to the Lord but were taken hostage by the devil.  Then God would be acting to deliver innocent victims.  But this is what the Lord says: “At the appointed time, while we were still helpless, Christ died for the ungodly.  It is rare indeed that someone will die for a righteous person.  Perhaps someone might actually go so far as to die for a person who has been good to him.  But God shows his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6-8).  God the Father gave up his Son for people who naturally and willingly live in rebellion to his word.  Nevertheless, the Father did not withhold his love.  He sent Jesus to rescue rebels and to die for the guilty.

     Recognize the cost our Lord paid to redeem sinners.  He did not even hedge his bets, sending his Son to be slain for a select few who would eventually prove themselves worthy.  For, no one is worthy.  No one is an innocent hostage.  All are sinners, but God loves all.  He cares for everyone, no matter what their story is.  God loves the world; so, he sent his only begotten Son to be the ransom price for the world.

     Jesus recognized the cost, too.  Jesus did not bask in his popularity.  His ego certainly could have blown up because of the multitudes around him.  But Jesus never forgot his mission.  He was not sent to be popular, but to be the sin offering for the world.  Just days before he was crucified, Jesus told his apostles, “Now my soul is troubled.  And what shall I say?  ‘Father, save me from this hour’?  No, this is the reason I came to this hour” (John 12:27).  Jesus recognized the cost.  He would be consumed in the fiery wrath of his Father for sins he did not commit.  Jesus would suffer damnation even for sinners who would never repent.  But this is the love of God—covering the cost for every sinner so that no one should have to perish.  Jesus recognized the cost, and he willing paid the price for you.  While your salvation was free, it was not cheap.

     Now to you, Jesus gives salvation and forgiveness without any cost.  Your baptism was free.  You have God’s word preached to you for free.  (You do not pay your pastor to preach.  Preaching is free.  Your pastor is paid so he can give his full time to the word of God and prayer.)  The Lord’s Supper is delivered to you for free.  Your sins are absolved for free.  It is like the jailer in Philippi who was about to kill himself because he thought Paul and Silas had escaped.  When Paul stopped him from killing himself, he fell at the feet of Paul and Silas and begged, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved” (Acts 16:30)?  He was convinced that there must be some grand sacrifice to make, some great deed to do, some condition to be met.  Paul gave him none of that.  Paul told him, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).  Though it cost Jesus immensely to save you, he gives his salvation for free.

     Still, you ought to recognize that there is a cost to being Jesus’ disciple.  Jesus alerted the crowds that being his disciple would not be easy.  There would be a cost, and people should consider carefully if they would be willing to endure it.  He told a parable about a man who wanted to build a tower, laid the foundation, but failed to complete it.  He had not really considered the cost.  He told another parable about a king who was preparing to go to war.  Before he mobilized his army, he calculated “if he (was) able with ten thousand to oppose the one who (was coming) against him with twenty thousand” (Luke 14:31).  Just as we are to consider the cost in earthly endeavors, so also we should recognize there is a cost to being Jesus’ disciple.

     The cost of being Jesus’ disciple was summed up in Jesus’ first proclamation recorded by St. Mark: “The kingdom of God has come near!  Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15)!  It is that word “repent” that stands out.  Being a disciple of Jesus is much more than a mental exercise where we know some facts.  It is more than a sigh of relief where we say, “Thank God there will be no punishment for my sins!”  Being Jesus’ disciple means actions as well as faith.  It is a heart, a mind, and a body devoted to Jesus.  It is a life of following his word above everything else.

     Recognize the cost of being Jesus’ disciple.  It means daily contrition and repentance.  Daily, we do battle against our sins.  Daily, we fight to overcome temptation.  Jesus said, “Whoever does not carry his own cross and follow me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27).  As long as we are in this flesh, we must daily put to death the sinful nature and all its desires.  That’s what the cross is for—to put our sin to death.  Just because your desires are intense does not mean they are good.  Just because something brings you pleasure does not mean it pleases God.  Jesus’ disciples follow his words—more than feelings, more than family, and more than friends. 

     On some days, your struggle will be fierce.  But it is a struggle that needs to continue.  If you do struggle, that is good.  It shows you know the way of righteousness and strive to stay on it.  If you give up the struggle, it means that you are letting sin sweep you away, and you will be lost to the kingdom of God.  The devil will convince you that this way is easier.  Your friends may like you more.  Your family may commend you for choosing them over church.  But recognize that your desire to belong and to be praised comes with a cost, too.  Jesus said it: You “cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26).

     The Lord does not leave you hopeless or helpless in your struggles.  He continues to forgive your sins.  He continues to strengthen you in the battle against your flesh.  He continues to show you that the struggle is worth it.  He continues to remind you that there is an eternal victory for all who struggle, battle, and endure; and he is with you so that you will endure.  If you would remain Jesus’ disciple, then continue to hear his word, to confess your sins, to come to the altar for his body and blood, and to pray.

     Recognize the cost of being Jesus’ disciple.  Jesus said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26).  Does that sound steep?  Then recognize this: When you die, you lose all these things anyway.  When you stand before the Lord in judgment, none of these things will be with you to help you, much less save you.  Your loved ones will sing your praises at your funeral, but Jesus’ judgment is the only one that will matter.  Good news: Jesus lived and died for you.  He has paid the ransom.  He will commend you at your judgment.  In the end, he is all you need.  In the end, he is all you will have.  You can enjoy your blessings and your loved ones, but do not fear losing them.  Forsake them if you must; for there is only one who saves.  If your loved ones are Jesus’ disciples, praise God, because then you will get them all back.  And together, you will rejoice with angels and archangels and all Jesus’ disciples forevermore.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Sermon -- 13th Sunday after Pentecost (August 18, 2024)

JOHN 6:35-51

HERE IS THE ONLY BREAD THAT LETS YOU LIVE FOREVER.

In the name + of Jesus.

     The Christian faith does not have secrets.  Some religions have secret rituals or secret teachings that only the elites know.  But not Christianity.  God reveals all that we need to know in the Bible.  Now, there are things that God has chosen not to tell us.  He does not tell you when Judgment Day will be nor the date of your death.  Jesus said that as the Last Day approaches, “nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places” (Matthew 24:7).  But he does not tell us which nations will rise or when they will fall, or where the next earthquake will strike.  God reserves such knowledge for himself.  But what he has revealed—especially in regard to good and evil and forgiveness and salvation—the Church teaches and proclaims.  In fact, we are commanded to proclaim these things.  There are no secrets.

     There are, however, mysteries in the Christian faith.  A secret ceases to be a secret once you know it.  But a mystery is different.  You can know what the mystery is but still not wrap your head around it.  One example is the Holy Trinity.  We worship one God, and our one God has three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  They are not one third God each.  The Father is God.  The Son is God.  The Holy Spirit is God.  And yet, they are not three gods, but one God.  The math does not add up.  It hurts our brains to try to find a rational explanation for the Trinity, because there is none.  Yet, this is who God tells us he is, and we are in no position to correct him.

     Another great mystery is what we encounter in our Gospel for today.  The people Jesus was preaching to found it unreasonable and offensive even though Jesus was pretty clear about it.  That mystery is that Jesus is both God and man.  He is not half God and half man.  Jesus Christ is God, possessing all the power, glory, and majesty as God the Son.  And Jesus Christ is a man, as human as any of us is except without sin.  When we encounter this mystery, we will either stand in awe or we will decide that it is nonsense because we cannot make it reasonable.

     The Jews who spoke with Jesus saw only his humanity.  Jesus was just another guy from Nazareth.  Yes, Jesus did amazing miracles, but they were offended at his claim that he is God.  “The Jews grumbled about him, because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’” (John 6:41).  They responded, “What are you talking about?  We know your parents.  We know your hometown.  Some of us saw you growing up.  How can you say you came down from heaven?  Who do you think you are?”  Jesus’ claim that he came down from heaven was unreasonable to them, and they rejected him for it.  Nevertheless, Jesus’ claims about himself are bold and clear.  It forces us on one side or the other.  Either he is God as he claims, or he is a nutjob.  There can be no middle ground here. 

     Jesus claimed, “Everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:40).  You will notice that Jesus did not say, “Whoever believes in God.”  He said, “Whoever believes in [me]” (John 6:40).  Jesus did not say, “God will raise him up.”  He said, “I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:40).  Here is the only one who lets you live forever.  This is a claim that could only be made if Jesus is true God.  And yet, the one who makes the claim is a man.  Now, this is not doctrine for the sake of doctrine.  This is essential for your eternal life because if you do not have the Savior you need, you cannot be saved. 

     Jesus is God, and when he entered the world he became a human being.  He subjected himself to the commandments of God.  And Jesus did the one thing no other human being has ever done—he kept all of God’s Law perfectly.  So, there is finally a man who has fulfilled the Law of God.  This Jesus did as your substitute—one human being in exchange for you.  In addition, Jesus took into himself all your guilt.  He bore your sin and went to the cross where his flesh was pierced with nails and his body bled and died.  He subjected himself to divine justice which means a cursed death for the sinner.  Again, he did it for you—one human being in exchange for you.

     But if Jesus were just a man, he does you no good at all.  The Bible declares, “Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life, for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice, that he should live on forever and never see the pit” (Psalm 49:7-9).  If you do not have the Savior you need, you cannot be saved.  But since Jesus is God, his life counts for everyone.  He supplies the righteousness that needed to stand before God at the judgment.  And he supplies it for all.  And since Jesus is God, his sacrificial death pays for the sins of everyone.  He takes away the sin of the world.  Here is the only one who lets you live forever.

     The God who died on the cross is also the man who rose from the dead.  Since a man has conquered death, mankind has been delivered from death.  And since this man is God, he will raise all people from the dead.  It is just as he promised: “This is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:40). 

     Jesus calls himself the living bread.  He says, “I am the bread of life.  …This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.  I am the living bread that came down from heaven.  If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever” (John 6:48,50-51).  To eat the bread of life is to believe in Jesus.  It is to partake of his word and to consume it.  Consider one of the prayers from the Lutheran liturgy: “Blessed Lord, who hast caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning, grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of Thy holy Word we may embrace, and ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life” (The Lutheran Hymnal © 1941, page 14).  We inwardly digest the Bread of Life when we take partake of God’s word, chew on it, and let it ruminate in our minds and hearts.  This is the bread that lets us live forever because it delivers to us all the blessings that Jesus Christ won for us.  There is no salvation apart from Jesus, and Jesus comes to us in no other way than through his word—sometimes preached, sometimes attached to the sacraments.  This is the only way God delivers to us forgiveness of sins, new life in Christ, and eternal salvation.  Here is the bread that lets us live forever.

     Be careful what you are consuming because it always has an effect on your soul.  The Bread of Life is given to sustain and to strengthen faith.  Through his word, Jesus brings blessing, encouragement, comfort, and guidance.  He directs you to what is right and exposes what is deceptive, wicked, and damning.  But what is deceptive, wicked, and damning is preached to you all week long.  You hear it at work, on the radio, on TV, in movies, and in everyday conversations with people who do not chew on the Bread of Life.  Warped sentiments and opinions are presented as established facts.  For example, marriage is mocked and avoided.  Modern opinion is that it is a social contract, not a sacred union.  Marriage is regarded as unnecessary, but it is expected that couples will fornicate and cohabitate.  Chastity is mocked, and promiscuity is celebrated.  Name a TV show or a song where this isn’t the case!  You are being fed these ideas continually.  How does a Christian combat these teachings?  How does a Christian stand against them?  Feast on the Bread of Life.  Partake of Jesus’ teachings every day, and inwardly digest God’s Holy Word in every Divine Service and in Bible Class.  The Bread of Life is how the Lord sustains you in the faith and keeps you in good spiritual health.  Here is the bread that lets you live a godly life in a wicked world and lets you live forever in glory.

     We often think of our eternal life as a future event.  Jesus speaks of it differently.  Listen to his promise: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life” (John 6:47).  Notice the verb tense.  Not that you will have eternal life, but whoever believes has eternal life.  You live in the kingdom of God right now.  You have been set apart as God’s own right now.  Neither God’s favor nor God’s judgment is a future event.  Your judgment is that you are righteous for Jesus’ sake.  God’s favor is yours.  You have eternal life now.  Granted, you are not in glory yet; that is the future.  But you possess your eternal place in God’s kingdom now.  And he feeds you the Bread of Life to sustain you in it.  Here is the bread that lets you live forever.

     When Jesus says, “I am the bread of life.  This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die” (John 6:48,50), your gut reaction might be to object, knowing that a death awaits us all.  At death, the soul and body separate.  But your soul does not die.  It lives and goes to be with Jesus in heavenly peace.  Your body will rest for a while; it awaits the resurrection.  Three times, Jesus assures you, “I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:39,40,44).  He who has authority over the grave will summon you back.  He will restore your body to perfection, never again to ache or age, to get sick or frail, or to be subject to disease or death.  The resurrection to life everlasting is delivered to you only by Jesus—the man who lived and died for mankind; the God who possesses all power and compassion.  He is the Savior you need; therefore, you are saved.  Here is the one who lets you live forever.

     And now, the flesh he gave for the life of the world he gives to you here.  The manna in the wilderness sustained the Israelites only for a few hours.  But here is the living bread that comes down from heaven.  We feast on the living body of Christ.  We drink the blood which has atoned for all sins.  This is what strengthens and keeps us in the true faith.  This is what sustains us in a wicked world until we reach the Promised Land.  Here is the bread that lets you live forever.

     The love of God and the salvation he brings are no secret.  The Lord Jesus proves to be the only one who can save, the only one who grants eternal life.  He is the God who has joined himself to mankind, and he is the man who brings us into the family of God.  He is the Bread of Life upon which you feast and whose word you inwardly digest.  If you hunger for righteousness, Jesus fills you with his.  If you thirst for divine mercy, Jesus satisfies you with all you need.  Just as you cannot live without bread, so you cannot live without him.  He is the living bread which lets you live forever. 

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

YouTube -- 13th Sunday after Pentecost (August 27, 2023)

Here is the Divine Service from Sunday, August 27, 2023.  You may jump ahead to the 4:50 mark for the beginning of the service.

Sermon -- 13th Sunday after Pentecost (August 27, 2023)

MATTHEW 16:13-20

THE CHURCH IS FOUNDED ON THE ROCK, WHICH IS CHRIST.

In the name + of Jesus.

      Peter made two confessions about Jesus of Nazareth.  First, he called him the Christ.  We will get back to that confession in a moment.  Peter also confessed, “You are … the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).  We probably don’t consider those two specific confessions.  We put them together because both are true.  Jesus is the Christ, and he is the Son of the living God.  But to confess that Jesus is the Son of the living God is a bit different and deserves its own attention.

     For one thing, there was a specific start time to Jesus becoming the Christ.  When he was baptized in the Jordan River, he was publicly declared to be the Lord’s Anointed, that is, the Christ.  That is when he began his public ministry as the Savior.  But there was never a start time for God the Son.  God the Son, the Son of the living God, is eternal. 

     Many people do not believe that Jesus is God the Son.  Nevertheless, everyone benefits from it whether they confess it or not.  This is what the Bible teaches regarding the Son: “By him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible…—all things were created through him and for him.  And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16-17). 

     When God the Father created heaven and earth, he used words to bring things into being.  God the Son is the Word through whom all things were made.  Even more than that, he is the Word which sustains all things.  Psalm 147 reminds us, “He sends out his command to the earth…  He gives snow like wool; he scatters frost like ashes.  He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs; who can stand before his cold?  He sends out his word, and melts them…” (Psalm 147:15-18).  At creation, God blessed the animals, “Be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:22).  That blessing continues and results in the animals reproducing each year.  The crops produce according to God’s command.  The earth maintains its orbit according to God’s command.  The oceans know their limits, the meteors keep their distance, and the seasons keep their times all at the command of the Son of the living God.  For we have this promise from God: “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22).  It is a promise you can bank on because it comes from our Lord whose word is always sure.  The word of the Lord is the rock on which creation rests.  So, if anyone is born, breathes, eats, or moves, it is because of the Son of the living God, whether he acknowledges Jesus or not. 

     God the Son is eternal, but in time he became a human being, Jesus.  This Jesus became the Christ.  When Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River at age thirty, the Holy Spirit descended upon him in the form of a dove.  This was the anointing of Jesus, marking him as the Messiah.  It was the beginning of Jesus’ public work in his office as the Christ, the Lord’s Anointed.

     Jesus was anointed to fulfill three offices.  He was anointed as prophet.  A prophet speaks for God, and Jesus is God who came to speak what God the Father had given him to say.  Jesus was also anointed as king.  Kings rule, and Jesus rules over all things.  But Jesus also serves as a king in another way.  When Samuel anointed David to be king over Israel, he took a flask of oil and poured it upon David’s head.  The Holy Spirit came upon David with special gifts and authority.  Immediately after David became the Lord’s Anointed, he went out and battled Goliath.  The Lord’s anointed single-handedly did battle with the enemy of God’s people and slew him.  Likewise, Jesus, the Lord’s anointed, went out to do battle against our unconquerable foes—sin, death, and the devil.  Jesus took our sins upon himself.  He gave himself into death and was slain on our behalf.  But then Jesus rose from the dead.  He has taken away our sins so that we will not be condemned for them.  He has conquered death so that it does not rule over us.  And he has crushed the devil’s head so that his kingdom and reign over us is destroyed.

     Jesus was also anointed to serve as our great high priest.  The job of the high priest is to make sacrifices on behalf of the people.  Jesus not only served as our high priest who made the sacrifice for our sins, he is that sacrifice.  Jesus shed his holy, precious blood to cleanse us from all impurity.  This is what it means that Jesus is the Christ.

     When Peter made this confession, Jesus commended him.  “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah!  For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you” (Matthew 16:17).  Flesh and blood had been talking about Jesus.  Jesus had asked what the people were saying about him.  Their assessments were intended as compliments.  “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets” (Matthew 16:14).  They were wrong.  Jesus is not merely a spiritual man, a religious guru, or a good teacher.  We do not receive his benefits by complimenting him, but by confessing him: Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.  This must be revealed to us, just as Jesus told Simon Peter: “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 16:17).  

     This has been revealed to you, too.  Yes, Jesus was a teacher, but he is the wisdom of God.  Yes, Jesus was a prophet, but his words are the words of eternal life.  Yes, Jesus was nailed to a cross, but that is the atoning sacrifice which has taken your sins away.  Many people know facts about Jesus, but you know the promises which rest on those facts.  In fact, the entire Christian Church rests on those promises.  The Church is founded on the rock, which is Christ.

     After Simon, son of Jonah, had made his confession, Jesus told him, “I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).  This was a play on words.  Jesus called Simon “Petros (PetroV),” which means “stone.”  He received this name because of his confession.  And then Jesus said that his church would be established on this “petra (petra),” that is, rock.  The Lord does not establish his kingdom upon a sinful man.  The Bible teaches us, “No one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11).  If the gates of hell will not prevail against the Church, then it must be founded upon the one who has conquered over death, hell, and the devil.  Jesus is the Christ who lives and reigns over all things.  The Church, therefore, is founded on the rock, which is Christ.

     This means that the Church will always endure on earth.  There will always be people who confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.  Individual congregations may not endure.  Christians may be persecuted and driven out of a particular place.  Those who gather together in the name of Jesus may have to meet in secret.  Church bodies may be swayed by the ideas of our unbelieving world to embrace those ideas and to abandon the Scriptures.  They are usually praised for it.  But only a church which remains faithful to the word of Christ will remain founded on the rock.  Only there is salvation found.  Only there will God’s people dwell secure.  The word of God does not change with the times.  The word endures forever.  Since Jesus lives and reigns forever, his Church will always be found on earth.  Our prayer is that we will be found in it.

     Our goal, then, is to remain faithful.  Peter was commended because he confessed what God the Father had made known to him.  Likewise, we devote ourselves to the Scriptures where the Lord makes himself known to us.  In the Scriptures, God reveals his salvation for sinners.  He reveals what it means for us to live godly lives.  Through the Scriptures, God strengthens us to stand unmoved against a world that mocks him.  He comforts us when we are sinned against.  He forgives us when we sin and moves us to correct our wrongs and to reconcile with those we have wronged. 

     The Church is founded on the rock, which is Christ.  He has entrusted us with his word, and he gives us the authority to speak his truth.  Jesus told Peter—and later would include all the apostles (cf. John 20:21-23): “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:18-19).  Our mission and our joy is to open the kingdom of heaven to other people.  It is opened for others the same way it is opened for us—through Jesus’ sufferings, death, and resurrection.  This is where forgiveness is won.  It is delivered as the word is preached and the sacraments are administered.  What joy it is to deliver someone out of doubt, discouragement, deception, and death by proclaiming the truth of God’s word!  God’s word provides relief to the terrified conscience: Jesus has taken away your sins.  He has died the cursed death of the sinner on behalf of all sinners.  He unshackles us from the bonds of guilt and fear and death, and he is the key which opens the gates of heaven.  He is “The Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin” (Exodus 34:6-7).  And you never have to question this.  Jesus Christ is faithful to you.  He is truthful to you.  He will never deceive you or fail you.  His word is rock-solid.  This is what the Church is founded on. 

     Having received such good things from him, we deliver these good things to the world.  If some refuse to turn from their sins, we will tell them that their sins remain bound to them.  For, the Lord “will by no means clear the guilty” (Exodus 34:7).  If anyone rejects Jesus, they also reject his forgiveness, and their guilt remains.  We do not confess this because we find any joy in it.  We confess it because this is what the Lord says.  We are only repeating what God himself has declared. 

     But we can do this without fear; for we are founded on the rock, which is Christ.  This guarantees our security for heavenly peace and glory.  If the world despises us, they cannot remove God’s love from us.  If they seek our ruin, they cannot strip us of eternal life.  If they kill our bodies, we still have a resurrection from the dead.  These promises remain firm because Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. 

     The Church is founded on the rock, which is Jesus Christ.  He lives and reigns forever.  His word stands forever.  His mercy endures forever.  By God’s grace, we know him and confess him.  Therefore, by God’s grace, we will live and reign forever with him. 

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

YouTube -- 13th Sunday after Pentecost (September 4, 2022)

Here is the service from Sunday, September 4, 2022.

Sermon -- 13th Sunday after Pentecost (September 4, 2022)

JEREMIAH 23:23-32

A FAITHFUL WORD ALONE MAINTAINS A FAITHFUL CHURCH.

In the name + of Jesus.

     It was a hard time to serve as the Lord’s prophet in the days of Jeremiah.  The political scene was tense.  Threats from Assyrian forces had faded, but Babylon had arisen as a much stronger, more violent empire.  They had already exiled some of the upper crust from Jerusalem, and they were poised to do more damage. 

     The religious scene was confusing.  Jeremiah was called by the Lord to preach repentance and destruction for Jerusalem.  But Jeremiah was not the only preacher in Jerusalem.  There were others, assuring the people that they had nothing to fear.  God had delivered his people in the past; surely, he would do it again.  They preached peace and prosperity.  There was no call for repentance, no appeal for the people to change.  After all, they were God’s chosen. 

     Which message do you think was more popular?

     There is nothing new under the sun.  Preachers have always delivered messages in God’s name.  However, they oftentimes present conflicting messages.  One preaches repentance; another tells you that God loves sinners as they are and does not seek any change in them.  One teaches that Jesus did and said exactly what the Bible tells you he did and said; another says those are legends invented decades after Jesus died.  Culture can influence the message.  Churches fear losing members, so messages are tailored to accommodate worldly ideas.  They hope that this will keep people coming.  Some pastors even claim that God speaks to them directly and provides new revelation.  The claim, of course, is that you need to rally to these pastors if you want to know what God says.

     To top it all off, many Christians say, “We all worship the same God and have the same Bible.  It doesn’t matter.  It’s all the same.”  But how can it all be the same if the messages are saying opposite things?  Either Jesus died and rose, or he did not.  Either Jesus said what the Bible teaches, or he did not.  Either repentance means a change, or it does not.  Either the Bible tells us all we need to know, or God needs to keep adding new thoughts.  These are not the same thing.  We dare not be so careless about how we listen to the word of God.  It truly does matter, and our Lord thinks so, too. 

     This is what the Lord says, “I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in my name, saying, ‘I have dreamed, I have dreamed!’  How long shall there be lies in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart” (Jeremiah 23:25-26)?  Please note what the Lord observed: God said they told their lies “in my name.”  These preachers claimed that they spoke for God.  Well, Jeremiah made the same claim.  Whom to believe?  This kind of confusion still occurs in the church today.  Who has the word of the Lord?  Whom do we believe?  How we listen matters because it has eternal implications.

     In the case of Jeremiah, he did not show up out of the blue and begin preaching an unheard-of-message.  Granted, Jeremiah’s call and ministry were for those people at that time.  It was contemporary, but it was not new.  God’s people had a reliable standard to turn to in order to discern if Jeremiah was preaching the word of the Lord or not.  The Lord had spoken face to face with Moses.  Moses wrote down all these words in the first five books of the Bible.  If anyone’s message stood opposed to Moses, then he was a false prophet no matter how reasonable, how sentimental, or how attractive his message was.  Even if the message was backed up by miracles, if it was not consistent with God’s revealed word, it was a lying message.  A faithful word alone maintains a faithful church.

     So, what had Moses said?  The long, disturbing, and graphic answer is in Deuteronomy 28.  In part, the Lord had forewarned through Moses: “Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart…, therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness, and lacking everything.  ...The Lord will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, swooping down like the eagle, a nation whose language you do not understand, a hard-faced nation who shall not respect the old or show mercy to the young” (Deuteronomy 28:47-50).  What Moses had foretold, Jeremiah reiterated.  The Lord would not endure their rebellion.  He does not withhold his punishment forever.  But since the Lord does not delight in afflicting people with destruction and misery, he sent Jeremiah to call them to repent so that he could have mercy upon them.  Jeremiah proclaimed God’s truth, because a faithful word alone maintains a faithful church.  They would find no mercy in any other source. 

     As we considered before, the confusion which results from conflicting messages has not gone away.  How can you know who has God’s word and who does not?  Whom to believe?  Wouldn’t it be nice if God did come to you personally to tell you exactly what he wants you to know?  Here is the mystery: He does!  He has given you the Bible so that you can be sure of God’s truth, God’s plan for your salvation, and God’s purpose for your life.  In fact, he put it in print so that it would not be misrepresented, misquoted, or misapplied.  A faithful word alone maintains a faithful church.

     Be careful, then, how you listen to God’s word.  Join in the prayer of the Church which seeks faithfulness to God’s word: “Blessed Lord, you have given us your Holy Scriptures for our learning.  May we so hear them, read, learn, and take them to heart, that being strengthened and comforted by your holy word, we may cling to the blessed hope of everlasting life…” (Collect for the Word, Christian Worship, page 25).  By giving careful attention to God’s word, we cling to the salvation Jesus has won for us.  By devotion to the truth, we avoid being deceived by lies.  A faithful word alone maintains a faithful church.

     Why does it matter?  For this reason: An unfaithful message leads you away from Jesus and his salvation.  Just because a message is attractive does not make it true.  All temptations are attractive, but none of them aid faith.  Therefore, flee to the Scriptures to be sure of God’s true word.  Preachers may err.  Denominations may become unfaithful.  Vague messages leave the door open to error.  These things may tug at you emotionally, but salvation does not come from anywhere except Jesus Christ.  And Jesus comes to you only through the word of God.  A faithful word alone will maintain a faithful church.

     This is what the Lord says: “Behold, I am against the prophets, declares the Lord, who use their tongues and declare, ‘This is what the Lord declares.’  Behold, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams, declares the Lord, and who tell them and lead my people astray by their lies and their recklessness, when I did not send them or charge them” (Jeremiah 23:31-32).  Consider what damage can be done by such deceptive messages.  If God’s word is cast into doubt, then it is up to you to determine what is true.  Some people find that liberating because they get to be the judge over God.  That, however, will end very badly.  The Lord does not relinquish his authority to anyone.  His truth is not subject to a vote.  His judgment will be undisputed on the Last Day. 

     If God’s word is in doubt, then we will never be sure of God’s mercy or confident of salvation.  If God’s judgment of certain sins changes with the times, how do you know whether you should repent of them or enjoy them?  If God still gives new revelation to preachers, how do you know whether or not God will change his word in the future?  And if God would change his word later, how do you know that you can believe in it now?  If the words and works of Jesus were inventions of his disciples, can we really be certain that he paid for the sins of the world?  Do you see how your salvation is cast into doubt by unfaithful and unclear messages?  Do you understand why God is so enraged by false prophets and false doctrine?  He defends and preserves his word because that word alone saves you.  A faithful word alone maintains a faithful church.

     God makes these things clear: All are sinners who are marked for death.  We cannot fix our sinfulness, and we cannot escape death.  Therefore, the Lord has acted to deliver us.  God became a man to receive what all people deserve.  Jesus took up our sins.  He absorbed our curse.  He died as one guilty on behalf of all.  Jesus also lived as a man to deliver what all people need for eternal life.  He lived the holy, obedient life and was perfectly faithful to God’s commands.  By being baptized into Jesus’ name, you received that holy status.  Therefore, you have eternal life.  By trusting in his word, you also live now—renouncing your sins and striving for a godly life as the Lord directs in his word. 

     You don’t have to question whether these things are true.  They are not someone’s dreams or opinions.  This message was recorded by prophets and apostles who were guided by the Holy Spirit as they wrote each word.  Therefore, you possess the very words of God.  This faithful word alone maintains a faithful church.  By his word, the Lord assures you of a salvation that is not up for debate.  He declares a truth that stands into eternity.  He guides you in the path of righteousness that will not mislead you. 

     In Jeremiah’s day, many people preferred to swallow a sweet lie than a bitter truth.  Since they were so willing to be deceived, God issued a harsh sentence: “Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream…  What has straw in common with wheat?  declares the LORD.” (Jeremiah 23:28).  Those who reject the Bread of Life will be fed chaff.  God hands stubborn hearts over to the lies they crave. 

     But God also issues this command: “Let the prophet … who has my word speak my word faithfully” (Jeremiah 23:28).  A faithful word alone maintains a faithful church.  It is right for you to hold your pastor accountable to his office and to demand faithfulness to the word.  It is right for you to yearn for faithfulness to God’s word for your own consolation, confidence, and salvation.  If you feel that you are not fully equipped to discern God’s truth from deceptive arguments, then you need to make it a priority to attend Bible classes, to ask your questions, and to seek the answers from the sacred Scriptures.  And if you feel you are fully equipped to discern God’s truth from error, then come to Bible class anyway; for, the devil never stops trying to deceive you.  There are many conflicting messages, but there is only one truth.  Cling to it, and your faithful Savior will keep you faithful both now and forever.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

YouTube -- 13th Sunday after Pentecost (August 22, 2021)

Here is the service from August 22, 2021.

Sermon -- 13th Sunday after Pentecost (August 22, 2021)

PROVERBS 9:1-6

WISDOM SUMMONS US TO THE FEAST THAT SAVES.

In the name + of Jesus.

     Quiz question: If you know that Jesus Christ died on a cross and rose from the dead on the third day, does this save you?  I am sure that your answer is a quick and emphatic, “Yes!”  You might be surprised to learn that you are wrong.  Knowledge of these facts does not save you.  The devil knows all these things are true, too.  There are many people who went to church as children, but then stopped and for years have had no interest in the Bible.  They still know that Jesus died on a cross and rose from the dead; they just don’t care anymore.  Mere knowledge of these facts does not save.  We are saved by faith, that is, by trusting in the promises attached to these facts.  It is a difference in saying, “Jesus died on a cross,” and “Jesus died on a cross to pay for my sins and to gain eternal life for me.”  This is why Wisdom calls out to people.  Wisdom does not say, “Here is some interesting trivia.”  Rather, Wisdom summons you to consume God’s word and to be consumed by it.  Wisdom summons you to the feast that saves. 

     Wisdom has done everything to present this feast to you.  Wisdom built the house and fortified it with seven pillars.  Wisdom has prepared the feast.  The meat has been slaughtered and roasted.  The wine has been poured.  The table has been set.  The banquet is ready.  Then Wisdom sends messengers to the heights of the city so that everyone can hear the invitation.  The feast is a gracious gift.  No one is handed a bill.  No one is asked to provide extra food.  No one is told that the house is too full.  The feast is prepared for all, and all are summoned to go to it.

     In Proverbs “Wisdom” is personified.  Wisdom in the flesh is Jesus.  He has done all the work to save you.  It is he who was slaughtered for the sins of the world and roasted in God’s wrath on the cross.  Whatever sins you have done—the sins that haunt you or the sins that you can’t even recall—all sins have been laid upon Jesus.  He has paid for all of them.  You are not told to bring something extra.  No one is told their sins are too much or that the kingdom of God is too full.  But to benefit from Jesus’ saving work, you must feast upon Christ, that is, believe in him for salvation.  There is no other way for sins to be forgiven.  There is no other name that saves.

     Wisdom summons us to the feast that saves.  “She has sent out her young women to call from the highest places in the town, ‘Whoever is simple, let him turn in here’” (Proverbs 9:3,4)!  It is not a one-time invitation.  It is always needed because we are always sinners.  We always need the Bread of Life to live.  The Bread of Life is Jesus, and it is given when Jesus is at work to save.  It is given to us through God’s word.  It is also given tangibly in Holy Communion.  There, we ingest the body and blood of Christ which have taken away our sins and which have overcome the grave.  This feasting is essential to the Christian faith.  Therefore, wisdom summons us the feast that saves.

     In the US Civil War, Union soldiers who were captured in battle were taken to prisons.  A notoriously bad prison was in Andersonville, Georgia.  Due to lack of food and proper medical treatment, these soldiers became malnourished.  Their bodies were emaciated.  If you saw their photographs, you would not say, “Okay, they are getting enough to keep them alive.  They should be fine.”  Rather, we would say, “They need to eat.  Their bodies need nourishment if they will ever be strong, active, and productive again.”  It is the same with your faith.  If it is not being fed, it will starve to death.  I don’t know how quickly that happens, but who would want to flirt with that?  Almost dead is never a good condition. 

     Wisdom summons us to the feast that saves.  The Bread of Life keeps our faith alive.  We feast on it as the word is preached and as Holy Communion is given.  This is how God comes to us to save us.  This is what makes us wise for salvation.  This is how the Lord keeps our faith living and active.  This is what brings comfort throughout this life and confidence for the life to come.  Therefore, wisdom continues to summon us to the feast that saves.

     Wisdom summons us for more.  “Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight” (Proverbs 9:6).  “Simple ways” refer to how easily we can be swayed away from God’s word by socially accepted attitudes and the deceptive arguments that support them.  Wisdom continues to summon us because we live in a world that entices us away from God’s word.  The devil seeks to deceive you.  And when the devil lies, most of what he says is true.  The devil wants to make his lies sound like they agree with God’s word.  This is how he leads people astray.  And the world has adopted his tactics.  The world has learned how to argue that an evil is actually good.

     Consider the arguments for abortion.  People don’t talk about a baby who grows in a mother’s womb.  Everyone knows that murder is wrong.  So now it is about women’s health care and her individual freedom.  Only a scoundrel would be against women’s health care or deny her freedom.  And just like that, the murder of unborn babies becomes good.  This is how God’s people are deceived into defending the abortion of babies. 

     Another example is demonstrated by the mantra, “Love is love.”  Well, who could argue with that?  What else could love be?  The mantra, however, is used to defend perversion.  To pervert is to use something apart from or opposed to its intended use.  God established marriage.  He gets to define what it is and how it is observed.  God’s word is clear that marriage is the joining together of one man and one woman for life.  The word of God also includes this instruction: “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous” (Hebrews 13:4).  So, sexual intimacy is good within the bond of marriage.  Everything outside of it is a perversion of God’s institution.

     When God’s people hear his words, they respond, “This is the word of the Lord.  Thanks be to God.”  Even if it convicts you, you know that God’s word is right.  The world despises these things.  It mocks God’s word and those who hold to it.  It insists that, in the end, there is no such thing as perversion.  Again, people invoke freedom—that they are free to act however they want.  The world, however, does not give you the freedom to uphold God’s word.  The world chants its mantra, “Love is love,” convinced that saying it loud enough, often enough, and by enough people means God’s word can be shouted down and ignored.  Even Christians are swept up by it.

     Wisdom summons you so that you will not turn from a true faith to a perverted one.  The devil is good at using even God’s word to deceive God’s people.  Consider what Jesus said in John 5.  “An hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment” (John 5:28-29).  This makes sense to most people, that those who have done good will be saved.  Therefore, many people produce a resume of works they have done and a list of references who will tell them that they are good people.  Chances are, you’ve made similar assessments of yourself.  I don’t think you can live a long life without wondering what kind of difference you have made in the world.  Naturally, you want to be able to recall good things you have done, and you hope that you will be remembered for them.  You hope that God will remember them, too.  As sensible as this sounds, where does it put your focus?  On yourself.  Where do you put your confidence for heaven?  On your works.

     Now, the devil can leave you there, convincing you to trust that you are good enough for God.   But if you demand to be judged on your own merits, citing only good deeds and ignoring your sins, you will be lost because “there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins” (Ecclesiastes 7:20).  The devil is more likely to question what good you’ve done.  You will wonder if it was enough and begin to fear that it is not.  Then he will remind you of your sins, and you will become convinced that there is no hope for you at all.  You will recognize yourself for the sinner you are, but since you are focused on yourself, you will find no Savior, no comfort, and no hope.

     This is why Jesus declared, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven.  If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.  And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh” (John 6:51).  Jesus is your Savior and your hope.  He takes away your sins so you are not condemned by them.  He credits you with his innocence.  So, God not only calls you good; he declares you blameless.  Only Jesus delivers this salvation.  Only Jesus grants eternal life.  Therefore, Jesus summons you not merely to know facts about his life, but to believe in him, to cling to his word, and to feast on all the benefits he has won for you.

     Wisdom summons you to the feast that saves.  You need to hear wisdom’s words again and again.  The world will always promote corrupt ways.  They expect you to march with them.  The devil will always deceive.  His lies are slick.  If you want to stand firm, your faith needs to be fed.  If you want to remain on the path of righteousness, you need the proper insight.  Therefore, wisdom summons us all: “Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight” (Proverbs 9:6).

     Jesus does not just plop us onto the path of righteousness and leave us there.  He calls us to walk in the way of insight.  He speaks to us in the Scriptures so that we will not be led astray by a seductive voice.  He instructs us so that we will always know what God declares to be good and what God forbids as evil.  He encourages us so that we do not grow weary in doing his will.  He feeds us and keeps us nourished so that we remain strong, active, and productive.  We offer numbers Bible Classes to aid you in the feeding of your faith and for enlightenment in God’s wisdom.  By being regularly fed, you will recognize that there are great blessings for walking in the way of insight.  For, you spare yourself many griefs by living according to God’s word.  And when we struggle, stumble, or fail, the blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin.

     Wisdom summons us to a feast that saves.  Our Lord has prepared the banquet.  He presents his blessings free of charge.  He gives himself for our salvation—given into death to pay for our sins, given in the word to declare his salvation, given at the altar for the forgiveness of our sins.  Jesus gives us the wisdom to pass through this life, and Jesus makes us wise for salvation for the life to come.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Sermon -- 13th Sunday after Pentecost (September 8, 2019)

HEBREWS 12:1-13

YOUR FATHER DISCIPLINES YOU FOR YOUR GOOD.

In the name + of Jesus.

     The first thing we ought to recognize as we consider this reading from Hebrews is that the writer refers to God as our Father.  He is God Almighty, but he summons us to call him our Father, as we do in the Lord's Prayer.  As a father, he loves you.  The Father sent Jesus to secure our place in his family.  The Father has sent his Holy Spirit to dwell in us to mark us as his children.  As St. Paul reminds us, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Galatians 3:26)  Therefore, you are sons; and he is your good and merciful Father in heaven.
     The Lord is also unchanging.  So, he is always your good and merciful Father in heaven, even when it does not seem like it.  There are many times when God's people wonder if God is paying attention to them, if he cares, or even if he is angry.  Those questions usually come up when we are enduring some kind of hardship or loss or pain.  We want to believe that God is good and merciful, but it is hard when we do not feel mercy or see good.  But even then, he remains your good and merciful Father.  It is like this: Is the sun always a bright light?  The answer is: Yes, the sun is always a bright light.  At midnight when it is pitch black, it doesn't seem like it.  But the sun is always a bright light; that is what the sun is even when we don't see it.  In the same way, your Father in heaven is good and merciful at all times.
     Since he is your Father, he does what fathers are tasked to do.  He provides.  He protects.  And he disciplines.  The writer to the Hebrews quotes the Proverbs: “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.  For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” (Hebrews 12:5-6; Proverbs 3:11-12)  When he disciplines, he does not seem good and merciful, because discipline hurts.  No one enjoys the pains of discipline.  Whether it is following a diet or exercise regimen or having someone correct your behavior, going through discipline is hard, even painful.  But proper discipline is always for your good, and your heavenly Father always disciplines for your good. 
     The problem is that the Lord's discipline often feels like punishment.  If the Lord has us endure pain or hardship or loss, we might wonder what we've done to deserve it.  We feel like God is punishing us is because of what we confess about our sin:  We are by nature sinful.  We have done what is evil and fail to do what is good.  For this we deserve God's punishment both now and in eternity.  So, when we suffer now, we might think it is the punishment we deserve now.  But that is not how your heavenly Father deals with you or feels about you.  God is not punishing you; God is not even angry with you. 
     All the punishment that we deserve because of our sin was taken by Jesus.  Jesus suffered horribly to deliver us from divine wrath and punishment.  The writer to the Hebrews says, “for the joy that was set before him (Jesus) endured the cross, despising the shame...” (Hebrews 12:2)  Jesus despised the same that was associated with the cross.  This includes his crucifixion and everything that led up to it.  Jesus knew that he would be betrayed, slandered, and wrongly condemned.  Jesus knew that he would be beaten, mocked, and flogged.  This is why he prayed fervently and sweat drops of blood in Gethsemane,  Nevertheless, he did not shrink back from death when he was given a crown of thorns, was stripped naked, and was nailed to the cross.  But the worst of it was that Jesus endured the curse and condemnation of his Father who was neither good nor merciful to him.  Jesus endured the punishment of God on behalf of every sinner for every sin.  He was not merely put to death for sins he did not commit, he was damned for them.  We confess, “I deserve your punishment both now and in eternity.”  But Jesus has taken all of it.  God exhausted his wrath upon Jesus.  Therefore, he is not looking to get even or have revenge on you.  If you are in Christ, you are delivered from all punishment.
     “For the joy that was set before him (Jesus) endured the cross, despising the shame...” (Hebrews 12:2)  His joy in saving you far outweighed any shame or pain that came from being crucified.  And he does not save you just to tolerate you.  He saves you to make you children of God and heirs of his kingdom.  He saves you not only from guilt, but even from death.  Just as Jesus rose from the dead to live and reign forever, so will you.  The Lord Jesus who is the Lord over death and the grave will raise you up with perfected bodies to dwell in an everlasting kingdom of peace, glory, and joy.
     And since you and I are not there yet, your Father disciplines you for your good.  He works in your life to keep you focused on his mercy and on the heavenly kingdom he has prepared for you.  God disciplines those he loves, and he disciplines you for your good.  It is for discipline that you have to endure.  God is treating you as sons.  … (Our earthly fathers) disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but (God) disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.  For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:7,10-11) 
     Earthly fathers and mothers properly discipline their children to correct their behavior and to prevent them from continuing in bad behavior.  If you don't discipline your children, bad behavior will lead to worse behavior.  I remember getting a number of spankings when I was a child, and I had earned all of them.  But even when my parents disciplined me, they did not stop loving me.  Because they loved me, they wanted to curb my bad behavior so I would not suffer worse for it later in life.  It is all the more true with your Father in heaven.  Parents, as well intentioned as they might be, may also let their anger or fear influence how they discipline.  But your Father is perfect in love.  He always disciplines you for your good, and he always remains good and merciful.
     The Father's discipline is often hard.  We don't like having our blessings taken away.  It is not fun having to endure sorrow and pain.  But when these hardships come, the Father is training you to not love this world.  Everything in it is passing away, no matter how much blessing and benefit we derive from it.  So, rather than having us love and trust in things which will pass away, our Father takes them away so we can't trust in them.  We are left with nothing but his word which will never pass away.  Now, as was said earlier, and as the Bible freely acknowledges, “for the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:11)  It may even seem like God is being cruel and merciless when he disciplines us this way.  But when such things happen, remember that God does not lie to you.  Your Father always loves you.  Your Father is always good and merciful.  And your Father always disciplines you for your good.
     As we continue in this Christian faith, we continue to struggle and strive toward our heavenly home.  The writer to the Hebrews describes it like an athletic contest.  He writes, “Let us lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us...” (Hebrews 12:1)  Every day, we need the discipline to fight against our own sinful flesh and against our own laziness.  We need the discipline to stand firm against temptations to abandon the faith and to exchange God's truth for whatever the world says is true and good today.  The only way we can continue in this daily struggle is by “looking to Jesus.” (Hebrews 12:2)  
     The world's truth is always changing; the word of our God, however, stands firm forever.  Your Father remains faithful in his love and mercy.  He reminds us that our present struggles do not compare with the glory that will be revealed in us.  The Lord assures us that, although we may lose blessings in this world, we never lose his mercy, his forgiveness, and his salvation.  And although the world's blessings may be pleasant, they are not permanent.  Your Father, however, remains your good and merciful Father in heaven.  He is always the God who saves, who redeems, and who loves you.  He has made you his dear children, and that status is not changed by hardship, pain, or sorrow. 
     Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet. (Hebrews 12:12-13)  For your Father is doing all things for your good—whether you think they are good or not.  And even if your blessings in this world last only a moment, so do your struggles and sorrows.  The word of our Lord, however, will never pass away.  Neither does his mercy.  Nor does your glorious inheritance.  God is always on your side to strengthen and sustain you in the faith until he brings you into your everlasting home.  Though he disciplines you, it is always for your good.  For, your Father in heaven is always good, and his mercy endures forever.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.