YouTube -- 18th Sunday after Pentecost (September 27, 2026)

Here is the Divine Service from Sunday, September 27, 2026.

Sermon -- 18th Sunday after Pentecost (September 27, 2026)

THE PROMISED REWARD IS RECEIVED BY GRACE ALONE.

MATTHEW 20:1-16

In the name + of Jesus.

     An Old Testament parable which would have been well-known to the Jews came from the prophet Isaiah.  He wrote, “Let me sing for my loved one a song about my loved one’s vineyard.  My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile ridge.  He dug it up and gathered the stones out of it.  He planted it with the best vines.  He built a tower in the middle of it.  He also cut a winepress into it.  He expected it to produce clusters of sweet grapes...” (Isaiah 5:1-2).  The vineyard is the kingdom of God.  It is the Lord’s kingdom.  No one deserves a place in it because everyone is a sinner.  Sinners cannot stand on holy ground.  If anyone would have a place in this vineyard, the Lord has to intervene out and bring people into it.

     This brings us to Jesus’ parable.  “Indeed the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.  After agreeing to pay the workers a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard” (Matthew 20:1-2).  In order to have people in his vineyard, the landowner went out to seek them.  The people he found were idle.  They had no purpose, and they were not engaged in any good works.  Therefore, the landowner called them for a higher purpose and promised them a rich reward.

     This is true for all people who enter the kingdom of God.  No one enters on his own initiative.  We are, by nature, dead in sin.  That means we cannot fix our sinful condition.  The dead cannot take steps to come to God.  If God had not intervened, every person’s life would be a meaningless march to the grave.  We get up.  We go to work.  We eat.  We go to sleep.  And we do it again for decades.  For many, that is all life is; and they wonder: “What is the point?  Is life really that meaningless?”  If you do not have an eternal reward awaiting you, and if there is no God to summon you to a higher purpose, you will become discouraged and depressed. 

     The Lord, however, has intervened.  The Lord summons sinners to receive hope and a future.  The Lord gathers people to enjoy his vineyard and to find satisfaction in their labors.  The work God gives you to do may not be flashy or get you famous, but it is good and serves your loved ones and your neighbors. 

     Besides the work he gives you to do in this world, the Lord also sets you apart for a kingdom of glory and endless peace.  Again, we do not work our way into that kingdom.  God brings us in.  As Jesus said in the parable, the landowner summoned the workers and pledged to give them a denarius.  The promise of the denarius came before any of them did a lick of work.  And when the landowner went out again to gather more laborers into his vineyard, “he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will give you whatever is right’” (Matthew 20:4).  The reward was promised first, then then work began. 

     At this point in the parable, everything seems reasonable.  The workers were promised a denarius—a day’s wage for a day’s work.  They knew what they were getting when they went to work in the vineyard.  But this is where the story takes a turn.  And here, we learn that our Lord Jesus Christ is a bad businessman.  The workers recognized it, too.

     The landowner continued to find people standing around doing nothing.  The first workers began the day at the first hour.  More were sent at the third hour.  And then again at the sixth and the ninth hour.  Finally, with only one hour left in the workday, he sent in the last group.  At the day’s end, each came to receive his reward.  “When those who were hired around the eleventh hour came, they each received a denarius.  When those who were hired first came, they thought they would receive more.  But they each received a denarius too.  After they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner: ‘Those who were last worked one hour, and you made them equal to us who have endured the burden of the day and the scorching heat’” (Matthew 20:9-12)!  Those workers seemed to have a legitimate gripe.  How can the landowner treat equally those who did not labor equally?  How could he give a full day’s wage to someone who labored for only one hour?  That’s not fair!

     It is a common complaint: “Why isn’t God fair?”  Most people are able-bodied, but some are disabled.  Most people have decent vision, but some are blind.  Most people do not have food allergies, but for some, consuming certain foods is life-threatening.  Most people are relatively clear-headed; some endure crippling mental illness.  Most people seem to get through life with minor struggles; some seem to get hit by one crisis after another.  If you are on the wrong end of these scenarios, you may cry out, “All I want is for God to treat me fairly!”

     If we were to judge the landowner on his business practices, we would find a lot of faults with him.  But the kingdom of God is not a business.  The Lord does not cut deals with people.  And we are in no position to negotiate for a better reward. 

     Do you want God to be fair?  Do you want your reward to be something you earned?  Be careful about such prayers, and take to heart what we say when we confess our sins.  After we acknowledge our sinful nature and our sinful deeds, we confess what they have earned us: “I deserve your punishment both now and in eternity.”  It is not God’s fault that this is a sinful world in which bad things happen.  It is not God’s fault that we are sinful beings who do not live up to his commandments.  If we insist that God treat us fairly, then God must banish all people to eternal, hellish torment.  If we insist that God give us what we deserve, then he should let us languish in the evils that occur because mankind brought sin into this world and we continue to add sin to it.

     Our Lord is not a good businessman.  And God be praised for that!  He squanders his grace and mercy upon sinners.  He does not treat us as our sins deserve.  It was Jesus who was treated as our sins deserve.  Jesus’ sufferings and death were incredibly unfair.  Jesus assumed the guilt for sins he did not commit.  Jesus paid the price for a debt he did not owe.  Jesus was sentenced to a death he did not deserve and died under a curse that he did not earn.  It was terribly unfair, but it is also mercy and grace beyond measure.  Jesus Christ has taken away all your sins.  And his mercy does not run out.  When you come back to God’s house confessing your sins again, Jesus continues to pour out his mercy and grace.  A good businessman would recognize that this continual forgiveness is like throwing good money after bad.  A good businessman would cut his losses.  But a faithful Savior shows compassion for the people he has created and redeemed.  He gives his reward freely, and that promised reward is received by grace alone.

     Nevertheless, the sinful nature still demands credit.  When the landowner brought the laborers in for their reward, some were outraged.  “When those who were hired first came, they thought they would receive more.  But they each received a denarius too.  After they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner: ‘Those who were last worked one hour, and you made them equal to us who have endured the burden of the day and the scorching heat!’  But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not make an agreement with me for a denarius?  Take what is yours and go. I want to give to the last one hired the same as I also gave to you.  Can’t I do what I want with my own money?  Or are you envious because I am generous’” (Matthew 20:10-15)?   

     When we hear the parable, we recognize the goodness of the landowner.  When we see it in real life, we take the side of the bitter laborers.  If someone has dedicated his whole life to fornicating, drugs and booze, lying, stealing, and fighting only to repent shortly before his death, he will have eternal life.  You might feel ripped off.  After decades of faithful church attendance and clean living, you might think that you should receive more.  Beware.  This shows that you don’t want your reward based on God’s grace but upon your own merits.  If you will not receive God’s promised reward by grace, you will not receive it at all.

     The promised reward is received by grace alone.  Even if the Lord brings someone into his vineyard at the eleventh hour, it has cost you nothing.  When you hear a story about firefighters rescuing a family from a housefire, you are grateful for the firefighters and for the rescued family.  Don’t you have all the more reason to rejoice when our Lord snatches someone from the fires of hell, regardless of who or what that person has been?  Our Lord delights in rescuing sinners, bringing them into his vineyard, and giving each one a denarius.  This promised reward is received by grace alone.

     Perhaps your problem is that you envy the wicked.  You wish you could live a debauched life and then repent on your death bed.  Be aware that deathbed conversions are rare.  People die like they live.  Besides, why would you envy the wicked?  Do you not recognize the blessings in God’s vineyard?  You are always covered by God’s mercy and grace.  You know what your final judgment will be thanks to Jesus.  You can be confident that your future is everlasting peace and glory.  You know that God is with you and that God is for you in every stage of life.  God continues to pour out his forgiveness upon you for all sins—even sins like calling God unfair or envying the wicked.  You have the hope of the resurrection—a hope that cannot be destroyed by sickness or death.  And these are not rewards you will receive one day.  Already now you have received the Lord’s grace, mercy, hope, peace, comfort, confidence, and joy. 

     Our Lord not only speaks to his laborers, he also feeds them.  And here, from this altar, the Lord provides you with his living body and blood to sustain you through this life until you receive your promised, eternal reward.  The Lord strengthens your faith and cleanses you of sin.  Week after week, the Lord nourishes you so that you may continue in your godly labors.

     The Lord Jesus is not fair in how he treats the laborers in his vineyard.  He is not a good businessman.  Rather, he is a gracious Redeemer, and he treats all the laborers well.  He promises each and every one the same glorious reward—a joyful resurrection to life everlasting.  His reward is promised because he is gracious.  It will be given because he is faithful.  We receive it by grace alone. 

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

Sermon -- 8th Sunday after Pentecost (July 19, 2026)

GOD’S WORD IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE.

ISAIAH 55:10-11

In the name + of Jesus.

     God’s word is always effective.  We recognize this especially in connection with God’s creation.  When God created the heavens and the earth, everything appeared at God’s command.  On Day One, “God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light” (Genesis 1:3).  On Day Four, “God said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to divide the day from the night, and let them serve as markers to indicate seasons, days, and years.’  … and it was so” (Genesis 1:14-15).  It was so because God said so.  God’s word is always effective.

     God’s word continues to sustain the universe.  Upon creating the birds and the water creatures, “God blessed them when he said, ‘Be fruitful and multiply.  Fill the waters of the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth’” (Genesis 1:22).  That word did not apply only to the initial birds and fish God created.  God’s blessing continues so that birds continue to hatch eggs and so that fish continue to spawn.  The same blessing was given to the man and the woman.  It is why people have a natural drive to produce the next generation of people.  Of course, God’s design is for that to take place within the bonds of marriage.  We are not animals.  God has a higher purpose for us than that.

     God’s word also enforces the universe to continue as God commands.  After Noah left the ark, God gave this promise: “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22).  God’s word affects every aspect of his creation.  Jesus taught us, “Not one [sparrow] will fall to the ground without the knowledge and consent of your Father” (Matthew 10:29).  God’s word is always effective.  He determines the rise and fall of nations.  He commands the wind and the waves.  He determined your birthday, your parents, and your hometown.  God’s word is always effective.

     Our Lord, however, desires to have a more intimate relationship with people.  You are not impersonal seasons or stars which move at God’s command.  You are more than sparrows which God feeds and sustains as long as he wills.  God created mankind to have a special relationship with him.  Birds, badgers, and beavers do not build cathedrals.  The wind and the waves do not offer up prayers, and the planets do not confess the Creed.  God created people to know him and to be in communion with him. 

     You are God’s special creation.  You were put on this earth to receive God’s blessings and to respond to God’s love with willing obedience.  In order for you to know the blessings God gives, God has to make them known.  In order for you to know how God wants you to honor and obey him, God has to make that known too.  God does this by speaking to you in the Scriptures.  God deals with mankind with words.  And God’s word is always effective.

     Through Isaiah, God explained how he works through his word: “Just as the rain and the snow come down from the sky and do not return there unless they first water the earth, make it give birth, and cause it to sprout, so that it gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater, in the same way my word that goes out from my mouth will not return to me empty.  Rather, it will accomplish whatever I please, and it will succeed in the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:10-11). 

     God commands the rains to come down and the snow to cover the mountains.  The snow melts and fills the rivers.  The rain saturates fields, orchards, and gardens so that they produce fruits, grains, and vegetables.  At God’s command, the earth produces food to nourish us and sustain us.  In the same way, God’s word goes out to create and sustain faith in people.  As long as you are hearing his word, the Holy Spirit is working to sustain and strengthen your place in the kingdom of God.  By contrast, when God withholds the rain, the land becomes dry and barren.  So also, faith withers and may even perish when we are not hearing it.  This is our own fault.  The fault is not with God or his word.  God’s word is always effective, but it must be heard if it will have its effect.

     God’s word is always effective, but understand that this does not mean God’s word is always well-received.  The Bible reminds us, “The mind-set of the sinful flesh is hostile to God, since it does not submit to God’s law, and in fact, it cannot” (Romans 8:7).  The sinful heart resists God’s word.  Our sinful hearts despise God’s word when he commands us to do what is hard, costly, or inconvenient.  When someone sins against you, which is your desire—to forgive freely or to plot revenge?  To speak well of him or to slander him by telling others what he did to you?  It does not matter to you that you know what God wants.  The sinful heart does not want to do it.  In Jesus’ parable, the problem was never with the seed.  It was with the hardened path.  It was faith choked out by worldly cares or scorched by hardship.  Take care that your sinful heart does not rule over you. 

     If the sinful heart continues to resist God’s word, it will eventually harden itself into unbelief.  Consider Pharaoh.  Moses was sent by God to speak to Pharaoh.  No doubt, Moses told Pharaoh about the Lord, about the promise the Lord had made to the people of Israel, and about the Savior who would eventually come through them.  Based on God’s promises and the special status of the nation of Israel, Moses implored Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go.  “Pharaoh said, ‘Who is the LORD that I should listen to his voice and let Israel go?  I do not know the LORD, and I certainly will not let Israel go’” (Exodus 5:2).    

     Pharaoh repeatedly hardened his heart against God’s word.  The more Pharaoh heard God’s word, the more hardened his heart became.  God’s word is always effective.  Sometimes the effect God’s word has is that it makes sinners become more resistant, hostile, or even violent.  Eventually, God let Pharaoh have his way.  His condemnation was deserved.

     This is a warning for you.  Psalm 95 urges you to not repeat the errors of God’s people from the past.  “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as they did at Meribah, as they did that day at Massah in the wilderness, where your fathers challenged me and tested me though they had seen what I had done.  For forty years I was disgusted with that generation, and I said, ‘They are a people who have hearts that stray.  They do not acknowledge my ways.’  So I swore in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my resting place’” (Psalm 95:7-11).  They had God’s word, but they would not listen.  As a result, they forfeited God’s grace.  Once again, God’s word was effective in sentencing and condemning those who would not repent. 

     Of course, that is not the effect God wants to have on sinners.  What does God tell us his desire is?  “God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3-4).  The truth is the word which God speaks to us in the Scriptures.  The truth is that he is our good and merciful Father in heaven who does not take delight in the death and damnation of anyone.  The truth is that God’s promises are gracious and his commands are good.  The Lord is a Savior God, and everything he says and does is to serve our good both now and into eternity. 

     God knows our nature and that we are sinners.  But rather than despise us and dispose of us, he has acted to set us free from the bondage of our sin and from the curse of death.  As soon as a Savior was needed back in the Garden of Eden, God promised one.  Despite man’s continual rebellion, the Lord never withdrew the promise of a Savior.  Even if people are not faithful to him, the Lord remains faithful to his promises.  And God’s word is always effective.  Even though many harden their hearts against God’s word, that word still produces people who delight in God’s promises and are eager to follow God’s commands.

     True to his word, God the Father sent his Son to rescue you from your sin.  Jesus Christ fulfilled all that God said he would.  Jesus was fully obedient to God’s word, gladly doing all that his Father commanded him to do.  That included exchanging his holy life for your sin.  It did not matter to Jesus that his sufferings and death would be hard and costly and inconvenient; Jesus went to the cross to lay down his life to ransom sinners.  Jesus poured out his lifeblood to atone for those who are grieved by their sins, for those who still struggle to do what is good and right and want to do better, for those who are ambivalent to God’s word, and even for those who despise God’s word.  Jesus took up the sins of everyone. Those who harden their hearts to God’s words of salvation forfeit the blessings Jesus won for them.  God desires their salvation, but he will not force himself upon anyone.  Just as God let stubborn Pharaoh go his own way, so he will let those who love their sins keep them.  But God’s word will be effective upon them.  It will justly condemn them for their stubborn unbelief.

     But for you, God’s word has a different effect.  Through his word, God absolves you of all guilt.  The Lord covers your shame with Christ’s righteousness.  The Lord enables you to take up your cross and endure whatever hardships are laid upon you.  The Lord sustains you through this life and will bring you into everlasting glory. 

     God’s word is always effective.  Through it, the Holy Spirit works in you both to desire and to do what God commands.  The Lord corrects you when you are misguided, deceived, or defiant.  He convinces you that his commands are not burdensome.  The Holy Spirit guides you by his word so that you are spared from suffering many griefs.  Instead, he produces in you a blessed life which honors God and benefits your fellowman. 

     On the Last Day, God’s word will again prove itself to be effective.  The Lord Jesus will give the command, and every grave will give up its dead.  And no matter what anyone ever thought of you or said about you, the only word that will matter is what Jesus says.  To all who believed in him, he will give this word: “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34).  He whose word released you from sin will, by his word, restore you to life and raise you up to eternal glory.  This is God’s promise, and his word is always effective.

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

YouTube -- 18th Sunday after Pentecost (October 12, 2025)

Here is the Divine Service from Sunday, October 12, 2025.

Sermon -- 18th Sunday after Pentecost (September 22, 2024)

NUMBERS 12:1-15

THE GREAT ONES ARE DEVOTED TO HUMBLE SERVICE.

In the name + of Jesus.

     Miriam, Aaron, and Moses were brothers and sister.  Miriam was the oldest, and Moses was the youngest.  At this point, they were all well over 80 years old.  As it can happen among siblings, Miriam and Aaron issued complaints about Moses.  Their initial complaint was that Moses had married a Cushite woman, that is, probably an Ethiopian woman.  We can only guess what their issue with her was.  Was their complaint that Moses had not taken an Israelite woman?  Did they despise a bi-racial marriage?  I don’t know.  But it appears that this was not the real issue.  That was revealed in their next list of complaints. 

     “They said, ‘Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses?  Has he not spoken through us also’” (Numbers 12:2)?  It appears that they were envious that baby brother was receiving greater attention and glory than they were.  Now, both Aaron and Miriam had served the Lord in their vocations.  Aaron was the high priest who ministered daily before the Lord.  Miriam led the women in songs of praise, most notably after Israel had crossed the Red Sea.  But Moses was clearly given greater honor.  He was the Lord’s prophet.  He was the chosen deliverer of God’s people.  Perhaps God favored him above everyone else.

     Envy is an especially ugly sin.  We envy people who have received blessings that we have not received.  And it is not as though we had to be robbed for others to receive their blessings.  We lose nothing, but we despise those who have been given what we have not.  What’s worse is that envy produces other sins.  It fosters a bitterness and hatred.  If you let envy take root, eventually you hate everything about that other person.  You hate the way they dress.  You are annoyed by what they say.  You criticize their gestures, their choices, and their children.  And that leads to slander, as you work to get other people to agree with you that this other person is a terrible person.  Why?  Because God blessed them differently than he has blessed you.  That seems to be what was behind the gripe about Moses’ wife.  Since Miriam and Aaron envied the glory Moses had received, they learned to despise other things about him too.

     “And the Lord heard it” (Numbers 12:2).  Whether we voice our envy out loud or let it fester in our hearts, the Lord knows.  His anger is kindled because his gracious gifts were not enough for us.  And his anger is kindled because we will not rejoice in God’s goodness to others.  The Lord summoned Aaron and Miriam and held them accountable for their sinful attitudes.  They craved greatness; Moses did not.  The great ones are devoted to humble service.

     If you recall the history of Moses, he had desired greatness at one time.  Moses had been raised as a son of Pharaoh, although he knew his parents, his heritage, and the covenant of the Lord.  When he was forty, he chose to reject Egypt and be known as an Israelite.  When he saw an Egyptian beating an Israelite slave, Moses took it upon himself to execute justice.  He killed the Egyptian, perhaps expecting the Israelites to rally to him as their leader and savior.  Moses tried to seize greatness, but it failed miserably.  Moses fled and went into hiding for forty years.  When Moses was 80-years-old, the Lord appeared to him in the burning bush called Moses to deliver Israel.  By this time, Moses did not want this job.  He gave all kinds of excuses why he shouldn’t do it.  The Lord basically told him, “Tough luck.  You are the man.  Go.”  Moses did not crave greatness anymore.  That was fine.  God did not call him to be great, but to humble service. 

     When Moses was criticized, the Lord defended his servant.  Aaron and Miriam had demanded their own recognition as God’s prophets.  The Lord told them, “If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream.  Not so with my servant Moses.  He is faithful in all my house.  With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord” (Numbers 12:6-8).  Moses did what God gave him to do, not because he sought glory, but because God called him to do it.  The great ones are devoted to humble service.

     This lust for glory and this envy is a common malady.  It marks us all as sinners.  Even the apostles fell into it, arguing more than once about which of them was the greatest.  But what makes someone great?  We are accustomed to people who are rewarded and recognized for major accomplishments as the great ones.  Our Lord Jesus Christ defines it entirely different.  He said, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all” (Mark 9:35).  This humble service is done no matter what vocation God has called you to.  The great ones are devoted to humble service.

     The CEO of a corporation may revel in his power and prestige.  If so, he seeks his own honor and glory.  But a CEO may recognize that he is the servant of all who are under his charge.  He seeks their good in how he directs the company, and he seeks the good of his customers in the service or goods he provides.  The same is true for a president or governor.  They should rightly see themselves as servants of the people, not masters of an empire. 

     On the other end, some people have what is deemed a lowly vocation.  We may be impressed with the doctors at a hospital, but what about the people who sweep and mop the floors?  Do we look down on them, as if to say, “I guess that’s the best they could do”?  But they do great things because they prevent infections by keeping the place clean.  The stay-at-home mom who changes the diaper of a child who just spit up all over her shirt is doing a noble work.  She receives no pay or recognition, but she does more for her child than all CEO’s put together.  These are great works even though our society has taught us to think that the only service worth doing is the stuff you get paid for.  For those who are in Christ, we view our vocations differently than the rest of the world.  Like Miriam and Aaron, the world seeks recognition and glory.  But Jesus has taught us that great ones are devoted to humble service, not seeking to be praised, but to serve for the good of one’s neighbor and for the glory of God.  And if you should get recognized and well-compensated for it, well, then, God be praised for that, too.

     “When the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, like snow. … And Aaron said to Moses, ‘Oh, my lord, do not punish us because we have done foolishly and have sinned’” (Numbers 12:10-11).  The Lord had confronted them for their sin.  The Lord chastised them for their sin.  And Miriam and Aaron repented of their sin.  And who interceded for them?  Moses—whom they had sinned against!  “Moses cried to the Lord, ‘O God, please heal her—please’” (Numbers 12:13).  Moses did not revel in Miriam getting her comeuppance.  Continuing in humble service, Moses prayed for her to be healed and restored.

     This pre-figures Jesus.  While Moses was credited with being the most meek man on earth, Jesus exceeds him in meekness.  He is God and possesses all glory and majesty; nevertheless, he emptied himself of these things to become a man.  And more than becoming a man, he came as a servant.  Rather than seek his own glory and good, Jesus lived to secure glory and good for sinners.  He who is worthy of all honor and glory came for those who are worthy of none of it.  Our sins have earned us scorn and shame.  But Jesus came to serve us.  He took upon himself the shame of our guilt.  And even though there is no more shameful death than death on a cross, Jesus scorned its shame in order to redeem us.  Jesus died a death he did not deserve and bore a punishment he had not earned.  What’s more, Jesus did this for the very people who had sinned against him.  As he was being nailed to the cross, Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34).  And then he laid down his life as the atoning sacrifice which has won our forgiveness, has restored us to innocence, and reconciled us to God the Father.  There is no greater service that could be performed for us.  For, Jesus has rescued us from the hellish torment we have earned and has granted us eternal glory in heavenly peace.

     The great ones are devoted to humble service.  And we can take up our humble service without any degree of envy since we do not serve for the praise of men but for the glory of God.  There is nothing shameful about our humble service, whatever it may be.  In fact, we all stand on equal footing before our Lord.

     We demonstrate that when we begin our Divine Service each week.  All of us confess together that we are sinful.  There is nothing in our confession of sins which speaks about degrees of sinfulness.  We are all the same, bearing guilt for the sins we should not have done and for the good works we should have done but didn’t.  We may be different in our specific thoughts, words, and actions, but our guilt is the same.  We are all sinful.

     And then God treats us all the same.  We plead for mercy from God the Father for the sake of Jesus Christ.  And he declares his forgiveness completely.  The innocent blood of Jesus has washed us completely clean.  No one is told that they have more work to do to clean themselves up before forgiveness comes.  God’s mercy is not dependent upon what we promise to do next.  Instead, God gives a full pardon for every offense.  God acquits us of all guilt.  Therefore we are all the same—redeemed by the blood of Jesus, reconciled to God the Father, children of the Most High God, sons and daughters of the resurrection, and heirs to everlasting glory and peace.  This comes through Jesus whose humble service has served our highest good.

     For this reason, you do not need to be envious of anyone.  Whatever accolades or recognition anyone gets is momentary glory.  Whatever blessings are poured out are given so that people can do good to others with them.  And if God chooses to give you less, then God, in his wisdom, had determined that this is good for you.  He teaches you to receive his gifts with thanks and to be content with them.  But all these things are temporary.  Thanks to Jesus Christ, you have been given everything that truly matters, everything that has eternal value.  If you are children of the Most High God, what else could God give you that is greater?  You are his great ones, his saints.  The Lord was devoted to you with his humble service; so now you get to imitate his humble service for the good of your neighbor and the glory of God.  This is how you do great things.

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

YouTube -- 18th Sunday after Pentecost (October 1, 2023)

Here is the Divine Service from Sunday, October 1, 2023.

Sermon -- 18th Sunday after Pentecost (October 1, 2023)

EZEKIEL 18:1-4,25-32

UNDERSTAND THE WAY OF THE LORD TO LIVE IN HOPE. 

In the name + of Jesus.

     The prophet Ezekiel was among the very first residents of Jerusalem to be carried off into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar.  The Lord called him to preach to his fellow exiles.  In our reading, the Lord told Ezekiel to address a complaint that was circulating among the exiles.

     “The word of the Lord came to me: ‘What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge”’” (Ezekiel 18:1-2)?  If you have eaten a bad grape, your whole face puckers up.  But the proverb is that the fathers eat the bad grapes and the children’s faces pucker up.  So, here’s the complaint: Why is it that one group does something stupid or wicked and another group has to pay the price for it?

     We utter similar complaints today.  We observe people who do all sorts of wicked things—in government, in businesses, in neighborhoods, or even in our family.  And they never seem to pay a price for it.  They get rich.  They remain popular and influential.  You don’t dare confront them lest you suffer for it.  God doesn’t stop it, either; and then others suffer as a result of it. 

     The opposite is true, too.  Faithful Christians seem to receive no visible benefits for their faithfulness.  The drunk driver kills someone but walks away with minor injuries.  People waste away because of cancer or cancer treatments.  They bury their children at a tender age.  On the other end of the spectrum, the minds of the elderly deteriorate from Alzheimer’s Disease.  It’s like God either does not know or does not care what is going on.  God’s ways are unpredictable, unreasonable, or random.  Our conclusion is the same as the Israelites’: “The way of the Lord is not just” (Ezekiel 18:29).  

     Understand the way of the Lord to live in hope.  If you think the Christian faith should result in a long, healthy life of riches and ease, you will be sorely disappointed.  Those things are blessings to be sure.  But even if God should bless you with long life, great wealth, and robust health, they will all come to an end.  The goal of the Christian faith is what we confess in the Nicene Creed: “We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.”  That is what we pray for and long for.  Understand the way of the Lord so that you live in hope.

     Ezekiel was called to address this complaint and to declare God’s ways to the people.  Through his prophet, the Lord declared, “As I live, declares the Lord God, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel” (Ezekiel 18:3).  At the final judgment, no one will pay the price for someone else’s sin.  Everyone answers for himself.  You cannot vouch for your loved ones no matter how much you love them.  Likewise, you cannot influence God to banish people to hell no matter how much you think they deserve it.  At the same time, no one can convince God to render a particular judgment about you.  Your loved ones cannot get you in, and your enemies cannot keep you out.  Ezekiel stated it plainly: “I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord God” (Ezekiel 18:30). 

     Understand the way of the Lord so that you live in hope.  Do not judge by your own observations; they will deceive you.  Whether your life is prosperous or pitiful, neither proves what God thinks of you.  Not even behavior can tell you about God’s judgment.  There are atheists who are honest and noble.  There are Christians who cannot control their anger, their alcohol, or their passions.  Based purely on observations, who does God favor?  Our best answer is this: We don’t know. 

     The Lord, however, puts everyone in the same category: “The soul who sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4).  Who would be arrogant enough to say that he has not sinned?  Even though people experience different levels of triumphs and tragedies in life, every life ends the same—death and then judgment before God.  Therefore, the Lord implores all people, “Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin.  Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit” (Ezekiel 18:30-31)!

     Understand the way of the Lord to live in hope.  Our hope is Jesus Christ.  He has taken from us all the sins that stand against us.  He made our sin his own, and then he suffered what sinners deserve.  “The soul who sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4); and so, Jesus died for us.

     From an earthly viewpoint, the sufferings and death of Jesus appear to be unjust, unreasonable, and random acts of violence.  Although Jesus was always honest, generous, and receptive to all kinds of people, he was slandered, falsely accused, and unjustly sentenced.  He was beaten to a bloody pulp by religious leaders and Roman soldiers.  He was brutally flogged so that his back was one, giant, open wound.  Then he was stripped naked and mocked as he was being crucified.  Isaiah foretold how it all appeared: “He was despised and rejected by men, a man who knew grief, who was well acquainted with suffering.  … We thought it was because of God that he was stricken, smitten, and afflicted” (Isaiah 53:3-4). 

     But understand the way of the Lord so that you will live in hope.  The Lord has revealed the reason for Jesus’ sufferings and death so that we do not see it as a tragic act of injustice which reduces our meditations to, “Oh, poor Jesus!”  Rather, the reason for Jesus’ sufferings and death so that we would live in hope.  This suffering was for our sins.  This death paid the price to deliver us out of death and hell.  Yes, “the soul who sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4), but Jesus assumed all our sins upon himself.  Jesus did not go to the cross because we experience misery.  No one goes to hell because he is crippled by a car accident, has a heart attack, or dies in battle.  “The soul who sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4, emphasis added).  Sin is the reason we die.  Sin brings down God’s curse and wrath.  Our sin is the real problem which results in all the other problems.  Sin has corrupted the whole world and makes life unjust, unpredictable, unreasonable, and random.  So, Jesus came to deliver us out of that to a life of glory and perfection.

     Understand the way of the Lord so that you live in hope.  And praise God for the hope that you have.  No one is so far gone that he is without hope.  No one.  This is what the Lord says: “When a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life.  Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions that he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die” (Ezekiel 18:27-28). 

     No matter how much wickedness someone has done, it is all washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ.  Jesus did not endure hell on the cross for mistakes, but for sins.  And since it is the Lord who died for sinners, all sinners are covered.  All sins, regardless of how many or how bad, have been paid for.  Those who repent of their sins, believe in Jesus, and are baptized into his name are made pure in God’s sight.  Now, you are robed in garments of salvation.  The world may not think you look any better, but God says you are beautiful because Jesus Christ covers you.

     Ezekiel also issued a warning for any who would turn away from the Lord.  “When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it; for the injustice that he has done he shall die” (Ezekiel 18:26).  No one should dare trust that his confirmation vow or even his baptism will save him if he abandons Christ.  Outside of Christ, there is only sin, death, and judgment.  In Christ alone is there hope and forgiveness. 

     The way of the world, however, still appears to be unjust, unreasonable, unpredictable, and random.  Ezekiel preached to people in exile to give them hope in their upended lives.  Those people were never going to return home.  They would all die in exile.  However, that did not negate God’s promises.  Those who believed God’s promises remained God’s people.  The Jews who had remained in Jerusalem did not have it any easier.  Many died by starvation, disease, or sword.  None of those options were good, but those who believed God’s promises remained God’s people.  Whether they died peacefully or violently, they still would be given the glories of heaven.  And that, after all, remains the goal of our faith.

     Understand the way of the Lord so that you live in hope.  Like the believers of Ezekiel’s day, we still experience misery and tragedy.  Christians are still maimed in car accidents.  Christians still succumb to cancer.  Christian parents may bury their young at a tender age.  Aged Christians may be victims of Alzheimer’s and dementia.  If you should suffer these or similar hardships, understand the way of the Lord so that your hope sustains you.  The Lord has given you a new heart and new spirit which knows God’s promises.  The promises are not that you would be bullet-proof, but that you would receive heavenly glory.

     Therefore, in all the uncertainties of life, your hope remains sure.  In the grief of death, you still have joy, knowing that there is a resurrection of the dead.  And if your life should be cut short on earth, eternal peace and glory in God’s presence shall never be cut short.  The goal of the Christian faith is the same whether you die at age nine or ninety-nine: “We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.” 

     Understand the way of the Lord so that you live in hope.  Many people do not have the hope that you have.  People may work feverishly to make this world a better place.  But a world broken by sin will never be fixed by sinners.  Even if people make gains in making their own lives better, that can all be upended in a moment by a phone call with tragic news.  But you have the hope they need; and whether they think so or not, you need to tell them about your hope.  You have the only comfort that is dependable in an unpredictable world.  The Lord Jesus will deliver his people out of a world of sorrow to the glories of heaven.  And his mercy sustains us through all our sorrows until we get there.

     Understand the way of the Lord so that you live in hope.  And your hope will not be disappointed.

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

YouTube -- 18th Sunday after Pentecost (September 26, 2021)

Here is the service from September 26, 2021.

Sermon -- 18th Sunday After Pentecost (September 26, 2021)

JAMES 3:13-18

TRUE WISDOM IS PURE AND PRODUCES PEACE.

In the name + of Jesus.

     There are many places to see the sinful nature on display.  Sometimes, you have to see it in others to recognize it in yourself.  It was on display last weekend when Saginaw Valley State (SVSU) played at Ferris State.  The game went into overtime.  Ferris St. was kicking an extra point.  When the kick went up, the ball sailed wide left.  The crowd erupted; some in disappointment, others in excitement.  But there was a flag on the play.  The referee called “Running into the kicker.”  Ferris St. got another chance which ended up being the difference in the game.  The crowd erupted again, with excitement and frustration on opposite sides.

     The SVSU fans were screaming at the referees about cheating and favoritism.  Laura asked me, “Was it a penalty?”  I answered, “I don’t know.  I was watching the ball.  I didn’t see if the kicker was hit or not.”  Chances are, everyone watched the ball and none of the fans saw what happened to the kicker.  But the interesting part is this: No one seemed to care if it was the right call or not.  Each fan base only cared about how the call affected their team.  If it gained an advantage, it was a good call.  For SVSU fans, it was a horrible call.  No one said, “Is that the right call?”  (Note: I checked with Andrew who watched the game film.  It was the right call.)

     This selfish ambition is typical in sinful hearts.  When there is a car accident, our first reaction is, “Great!  Now I’m delayed”—as if we are more inconvenienced than the people who were actually in the wreck.  The stories we tell are biased toward ourselves because we want to be praised or pitied when we finish our story.  When we are self-centered, we become callous toward other people’s problems.  Soon we become the cause for their problems.  We won’t recognize it, and we won’t care.  As St. James wrote, “Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice” (James 3:16). 

     Therefore, St. James warns us, “This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic” (James 3:15).  If it sounds over the top to call worldly wisdom demonic, remember what the first temptation was.  Satan had told Eve that eating the forbidden fruit would make her like God.  Who could pass that up?  Guided by selfish ambition, she and Adam defied God’s command.  They did not get the benefits that the devil had promised, but corrupted the whole world with sin.  We have inherited that sinful nature from which all selfish ambition flows.  We hold that same desire to be like God—to have our will be done over against everyone else.  It is earthly.  We want to make this life our best life now.  It is unspiritual.  It is not the Lord Jesus who tells you to make sure you put yourself first.  It is demonic, inspired by Satan himself.  It benefits no one, produces disorder and discord, and fosters all kinds of wicked behavior.  Repent.

     How does one escape from such selfishness?  We can tell God we are sorry, and we should.  But that does not take away our sinful desires or the damage we’ve done with them.  We cannot purify ourselves if we are impure to begin with.  But that is why Jesus came.  Jesus is wisdom in the flesh.  He is the wisdom that came down from heaven. 

     True wisdom is pure and produces peace.  Jesus is first of all pure.  There is no selfish ambition in anything that Jesus does.  There is certainly no selfish ambition in Jesus’ work to deliver us out of sin and death.  How does Jesus improve himself by saving us?  Is he more glorious?  Can you be more powerful than all-powerful?  Does he gain money, land, or political clout?  Jesus does not gain anything for himself but you.  You are the ones who are rescued and redeemed by Jesus’ work. 

     Jesus, who is pure, chose to be stained with our sins and iniquities.  Jesus, who is righteous, was convicted with our guilt.  Jesus selflessly endured the punishment we had earned for our selfish ambition.  Jesus took our sins and endured the cursed death we deserve.  We are right to sorrow over our sins, but our sorrow does not take them away.  We are right to put our sinful ambitions to death, but we are not that successful at it.  It is Jesus who takes our sins away.  The blood of Jesus purifies you from all sin.  Jesus washed you clean of every spot and stain of sin when you were baptized into his name.  If your sins are removed, then God the Father has no reason to be angry with you.  Jesus has produced peace between God and all mankind.  Whoever believes in Jesus dwells in this peace.  True wisdom is pure and produces peace.

     The Lord has made you wise for salvation and produces wisdom for a godly life.  St. James wrote, “The wisdom from above is first pure…” (James 3:17).  It is pure because it is the word of God.  His word is always true.  It is always right.  It is always good and shows you what is good.  It has purified you and produces peace with God, for it makes you his saint.  And it purifies your minds and hearts so that they conform to the mind of Christ and the heart of God. 

     True wisdom is pure and produces peace.  Again, from St. James: “The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere” (James 3:17).  Heavenly wisdom produces peace not only with God but also among one another.  Worldly wisdom seeks to take advantage of one’s neighbor.  Even husbands and wives keep score about who is winning arguments and getting their way.  Oddly enough, neither one wins when they do.  But heavenly wisdom seeks the advantage of your neighbor.  It is pure because it does what God’s pure word says.  It produces peace because it strives to never sin against one’s neighbor but rather to seek his good.

     True wisdom is pure and produces peace.  St. James uses the adjectives, “peaceable and gentle” (James 3:17).  Consider how Jesus dealt with people in his ministry.  He was willing to fellowship with prostitutes, tax collectors, and other morally suspect people.  He did not excuse their sins, but rather showed them mercy.  These sinners came to Jesus because they knew his reputation for mercy.  Jesus could have hammered them with God’s Law and brought greater shame upon them.  Instead, he revealed that God has a place for those who have broken and contrite hearts.  If they were to know peace with God, that peace would have to be demonstrated.  Jesus proclaimed peace to sinners.  Later, he went to the cross to secure it.  True wisdom is pure and produces peace.

     In contrast, consider Jesus’ disciples.  Right after Jesus explained that he was about to suffer and die for sinners and rise from the dead on the third day, the apostles began to debate which of them was the greatest.  But what would be gained by winning that argument?  Power?  Fame?  Riches?  What were they building up except their own egos?  Jesus had to remind them that the kingdom of God is not about selfish ambition or jealousy.  It is to love and serve one’s neighbor.  The little child he presented to them was not going to give them any worldly advantage.  Rather, the little child was presented as an opportunity to love and serve one who needed it.  Grace looks for reasons to serve, not reasons to boast.  True wisdom is pure and produces peace. 

     St. James goes on with more adjectives.  “The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason…” (James 3:17).  He who is wise is not unreasonable.  When we form an opinion, we often dig in our heels to defend it at all costs.  But only fools refuse correction when it is needed.  Simon Peter had grown up in a world where Jews do not associate with Gentiles.  The Jews were to be a race separated from all others.  So when a Gentile called him to come to his house to hear the word of the Lord, Peter’s first response was refusal.  He did not want defile himself.  The Lord corrected him, “What God has made clean, you must not continue to call unclean” (Acts 10:15, EHV).  He who is wise heeds God’s word.  So, Peter responded accordingly and proclaimed that the kingdom of God is open to people regardless of ethnicity, culture, misguided judgment, or even moral failings.

     In matters of lesser importance, he who is wise is willing to be corrected, too.  Better evidence or more accurate information allows you to change your mind.  No one knows everything.  Understanding this gives you the freedom to admit you are wrong when you are.  Pride stubbornly holds on to false belief.  Worldly wisdom would rather be wrong than embarrassed.  But he who is wise will stand correction, especially when it is the word of God which corrects you.  God’s word is the only thing that remains true.

     True wisdom is pure and produces peace.  St. James has more adjectives.  “The wisdom from above is …full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere” (James 3:17).  True wisdom always seeks the good of others, no matter who they are.  If you are wrong, you are willing to be corrected.  If you are right, you can be right without being obnoxious or insulting.  You can prove your point with arrogance.  It may win an argument, but it will never produce peace.  If you have to belittle someone to prove your point, you will only harden him in his false belief.  What good does that do for anyone?  It may feed your ego, but it does not love your neighbor.

     We do not confess God’s word to prove, “I am right.  You are wrong!”  We confess God’s word to enlighten people who are spiritually blind, to extend hope to those who are hurting, and to show grace to the disgraced.  But just as a wounded animal interprets any helping hand as a threat, so it may be for the hurting sinner, too.  All we can do is continue to show love with mercy in hopes that they will see we are sincere with our words and actions and that we seek their highest good. 

     True wisdom is pure because it comes from God.  True wisdom produces peace because it reveals the mercies of our God.  Worldly wisdom may supply you with worldly advantages, but these are always deceptive, and they will all be lost.  But the Lord has made you wise for salvation.  It is the blood of Jesus which purifies you from all sin.  It is the Holy Spirit who purifies your intentions and your actions so that they seek the glory of God and the good of your neighbor.  These good fruits produce a harvest of righteousness and peace with others.  They are a reflection of the good Jesus has done—securing our peace with God by his selfless sacrifice for us.

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

YouTube -- 18th Sunday after Pentecost (October 4, 2020)

 Here is the service from Sunday, October 4, 2020.

Sermon -- 18th Sunday after Pentecost (October 4, 2020)

 ISAIAH 55:6-9

GOD REVEALS HIGHER THOUGHTS AND BETTER WAYS.

In the name + of Jesus.

      It should go without saying, but I will say it anyway: God does not think like you do.  While that is obvious, we usually assign fault to God for it.  Man may boast, “If I were God, I would put an end to cancer and COVID.  I would wipe out climate change, wildfires, and floods.  I would eliminate wars and riots and racism.”  Now, if there anything noble to be found in those sentiments, it is that people recognize that this is not the way things are supposed to be.  We do our best to find remedies for the evils we face, but we can't fix everything.

     To assign blame to God for the evils that we see in this world suggests that God is not good and gracious.  It suggests that God is ignorant, negligent, or impotent.  Worse, the root of our thinking is that we deserve better from God.  If I suffer loss, sickness, or calamity, I may get angry with God because, in my way of thinking, I deserve better.  

     It is a common among sinners to think of ourselves more highly than we ought.  We do that with people, and we do it before God, too.  Should God treat you with more respect?  Does God owe you better?  Perhaps before we consider that, we should ponder this: What does God owe you?  What do you deserve, and why do you deserve it?

     God has revealed his thoughts and his ways to us so that we can know who God is and what God is like.  God gave us his word to reveal what is good and what is evil.  Those standards have never changed.  What is good has been good from eternity.  What is evil will still be evil into eternity.  To those who do what is good, God promises blessing, life, and heaven.  But to those who do what is evil, God promises wrath, death, and hell.  Despite all the promises attached to doing what is good and all the threats attached to doing what is evil, we still do what is evil and fail to do what is good.  This is our wretched condition as sinners.

     Do you respect to people who don't do good?  No.  So, why should God?  Do you think others deserve a reward when they do evil?  No.  So, why would God owe us better treatment when we sin?  Just as God is not stingy with his blessings for those who are righteous, neither is he stingy with his wrath for those who are not.  We have earned his wrath, just as we confess it: “I deserve your punishment both now and in eternity.”  If you do not believe this is true, that your condition is really that bad, then you believe that God is a liar and his grace means nothing to you.  

     But if you do believe it, then hear the Lord's summons: “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” (Isaiah 55:6-7)  God reveals higher thoughts and better ways.  He is not like we are.  The Lord God extends grace to sinners and gives us much better than we deserve.  He is not content to let sinners go their own way and perish in ignorance or unbelief.  He summons all people to himself, because he is the only one who can pardon sinners, and he is the only one whose compassion actually benefits the wicked.

     You might find a lot of people who claim to have compassion on the wicked.  Man's thoughts are to refuse to call anything or anyone wicked.  Man's ways are to encourage the wicked in what they do.  This is called compassion, because then the wicked don't feel bad.  But man's thoughts and ways are foolish.  If you and I agree that certain behavior is no longer wicked, God does not concede to us.  His standards still stand.  Just the same, his judgments still stand.  Therefore, he urges, “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:6) 

     God reveals higher thoughts and better ways.  God has compassion upon sinners.  He wants to see no one damned, but all people abundantly pardoned.  Of course, the pardon is not free.  It is free to you, but not for the Lord.  He gave his only begotten Son to win your pardon for you.  The Lord gave his only begotten Son to be criticized, maligned, abused, and executed by the wicked.  He let sinful mankind have their way with him so that Jesus could rescue mankind from their sin.  Why would the Father allow his own Son to suffer what he did not deserve?  Why would God the Son willingly accept a cursed death and the torments of hell when he was innocent?  And why would the Lord bear such a cost on behalf of people who have defied and denied him?  Does this make any sense to you?  Of course not.  But God does not think like you do.  God does not act to seek his own good, but yours.  The holy one seeks the good of sinners.  God does all this for you, and he is not stingy with his grace.  God reveals higher thoughts and better ways.  

     For the sinner who knows he deserves condemnation, there is no sweeter news.  But some are embittered by this, failing to appreciate grace.  Consider the parable that Jesus told in the Gospel lesson.  The master continued to gather people into his service throughout the day.  When those who were hired at the beginning of the day saw others receive a denarius, they expected more.  They reasoned, “These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat. (Matthew 20:12)  We deserve better from the master because we did more.”  However, that is not grace.  That is a wage.  Shall we conclude that our reward from God is earned because we have received grace from infancy?  We might not begrudge those who are brought into God's kingdom later in life, but do we think that we have a greater claim on grace or deserve better from God?  Beware: The servants who argued that they deserved better were dismissed.  If they would not receive the master's grace, they had no part of the master's estate.

     God reveals higher thoughts and better ways.  This is true in regard to how God grants salvation.  He has compassion on sinners so that we are not condemned.  He abundantly pardons, for he continues to cover our sins so that we are continually righteous and blameless before him.  Therefore, we get to live in continual comfort and confidence.  We get to go to bed each night assured that God is pleased with our works and delights to call us his people.  We can even laugh in the face of death, knowing that we will be raised up from the grave to receive eternal joys and everlasting glory.  All who believe in Jesus are promised such a denarius, and we will not be short-changed.

     God reveals higher thoughts and better ways.  It is also true in regard to how God works in your day-to-day life.  Since God is eternally good, whatever he gives you is for your good.  King Solomon wrote: “In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other...” (Ecclesiastes 7:14)  It is unlikely that you would face the day of adversity with a smile and say, “This is good.  God has sent it; therefore it must be good for me.”  But God reveals higher thoughts and better ways.  The only reason you would know and believe the day of adversity is good is because you know who God is and what God is like.  If you don't understand how the day of adversity is good, you do know that God is good.  And if God makes life hard, you know that somehow, some way, God is doing it for your good.

     This is what the Lord declares: “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)  This does not explain how hardships are for our good.  It just highlights that God's purposes are higher than our understanding of them.

     Consider another parable.  A rancher had a broken fence.  His neighbor said, “That's bad.”  The rancher asked, “How do you know it's bad?”  The next day, a wild horse was found in the fenced area.  He had wondered in where the fence was broken.  The neighbor told the rancher, “That's good.”  The rancher asked, “How do you know it's good?”  The rancher's son tried to break the wild horse so he could be ridden.  He was thrown from the horse and broke his arm.  The neighbor said, “That's bad.”  The rancher asked, “How do you know it's bad?”  At that time, a war had broken out and men were being summoned to go off to battle.  Because the son had a broken arm, he was excused from the war.  The neighbor said, “That's good.”  The rancher asked, “How do you know it's good?”  The lesson, of course, is that our thoughts and our ways are flawed.  We only judge things by considering, “How does this look?  How does this make me feel?”  

     But the Lord's thoughts are higher and his ways are better.  Everything God does—whether you like it or not, whether it makes your life easier or harder—is done for your eternal good.  If Jesus willingly suffered sorrows, torment, and death so that you could be abundantly pardoned, will he not continually have compassion on you?  Will he not continually do all things for your salvation?  And of course, the answer is a heavenly, “Yes!”  He is not stingy with his grace.  While his thoughts are higher than yours, you can be sure that you are in his thoughts.  And while men will always desire their own ways, the Lord has revealed to you a better way.  It is Jesus Christ, and it ends in glory with him.

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