Sermon -- 4th Sunday after Pentecost (July 7, 2019)

2 SAMUEL 11:26 – 12:10,13-15

DEALING WITH SIN IS ROYAL BUSINESS.

In the name + of Jesus.

     With Independence Day upon us, it is an easy time to get patriotic.  And it is a good thing to pray for our country and for its leaders.  The Bible encourages us to do just that.  The Bible, however, does not ask us to ignore that our leaders do not always act according to his word.  It should come as no surprise that all our leaders are sinners.  Some prove it with shameful lives and by promoting wicked causes.  While their sins may be obvious, there is nothing particularly noble about sitting on one's high horse and sneering at other people.  And there is nothing particularly artful about being outraged at someone else's faults.  It usually means that we are ignoring our own.
     There are very few rulers who go through life scandal-free.  That was true even for the likes of King David.  David was described as a man after God's own heart (1 Samuel 13:14).  Still, David was a man of sinful flesh, and he proved it in a most shameful way.  When his army was out to battle, David was attracted to the wife of one of his officers who had been deployed.  The result of his illicit affair with Bathsheba was that she got pregnant.  In an effort to cover up his scandal, David arranged to have her husband, Uriah, killed in battle.  This was not collateral damage which happens in war.  Uriah's death was the battle plan.  After Uriah was killed, David took Bathsheba into the royal palace and made her his wife.  I don't know if there were rumors of scandal flying around Jerusalem or not, but God's opinion of the whole matter is spelled out clearly: The thing that David had done displeased the LORD. (2 Samuel 11:27)
     Therefore, the Lord sent the prophet Nathan to David to expose his sin and to call him to repent.  When Nathan told the parable about the rich man who stole and slaughtered the lamb of the poor man, David was enraged at such a merciless act.  David unwittingly proclaimed the sentence against himself: “As the LORD lives, the man who has done this deserves to die... because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.” (2 Samuel 12:5-6)  
     It is always easier to see the faults of others than our own.  We are not really too bothered by our own faults.  We give our sinful flesh whatever it craves in order to find happiness and satisfaction for ourselves.  And we believe that all is well as long as no one gets hurt or no one finds out or if our friends say it is okay.  We can get drunk or stoned on our free time.  We can watch porn with the curtains drawn.  It doesn't matter who we go to bed with; that's our private business.  Abortion becomes a form of birth control as long as you can convince yourself that what is aborted is not a baby.  This reasoning is used to excuse sins—in fact to insist that they are not sins at all.  Repent.  Evil is not determined by who gets hurt or by who finds out or if society says it is okay.
     The Lord confronted David about his sin through the prophet Nathan.  God granted Nathan the courage to confront his king.  There was always the danger of David lashing out against Nathan, saying, “You have no place to challenge the king.  Whatever the king does is royal business.  It is not your business.”  And while we are not kings, we do try to claim sovereignty over everything we do.  Whether motivated by shame, anger, or stubborn resistance about our sins, we are quick to rail against a pastor or a fellow Christian: “Mind your own business.  Stay away from me.  What I do in my own home or on my own time is nobody's business but mine!”  This is a lie.  You are not your own.  Your actions and attitudes may not be criminal, but neither are they harmless.  Most significantly, in all that you and I do, we are accountable to God Most High, King of heaven and earth.  Dealing with sins is royal business.
     When the Lord confronted David, he could have gone through a long checklist of the ways David's sins affected other people: He impregnated another man's wife and destroyed their marriage.  He ended Uriah's life.  He stole Bathsheba's husband from her.  He emboldened all his subjects to copy his rebellion against God.  He brought international scorn against the Lord since people from foreign nations would regard the Lord as a god not to be taken seriously.  And all of those things would have been true.  But this is the main charge Nathan issued: “You are the man!” (2 Samuel 12:7)  You are the one who acted so mercilessly.  You are condemned by your own judgment.  “Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do what is evil in his sight?” (2 Samuel 12:9)  
     Dealing with sins is royal business.  The King of the universe, the creator of mankind, has every right to say how life is to be lived, since he is the one who gives it.  God is good, and his word establishes what is good.  Still, we rebel and do what is evil.  And you cannot insist that your sins do not harm anyone else, because they do.  By your sins, you embolden others to sin against God.  After all, if God's people don't take God's word seriously, why should anyone else?  Even if no one knows about your sins, such as your thoughts, God does know.  And he asks you through the prophet Nathan: “Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do what is evil in his sight?” (2 Samuel 12:9)  Every sin—no matter how shameful, no matter how scandalous, no matter how secret—is a despising of God's word.  Repent.
     Dealing with sin is royal business.  David may have been a king, but God's word reduced him to nothing.  David did not invoke his royal status against Nathan, suggesting God's word applied to him differently.  There were no excuses.  David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” (2 Samuel 12:13)  And immediately, God's prophet absolved David.  Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.” (2 Samuel 12:13)   
     Just as David did not excuse his sin, neither did the Lord.  Nathan's absolution was not, “Oh, it's okay, David.”  It was not okay.  David had acted wickedly against God and against his neighbors.  Dealing with sin is royal business, and so the King of heaven and earth dealt with David's sin himself.
     The King of heaven and earth humbled himself to be a servant.  He became a man to serve us in our need.  In his service to us, Jesus took our sins away from us so that we are not condemned for them.  If you want to know how God deals with your sins, look to the crucified Savior who hangs on a cross for you.  There, Jesus dealt with your wickedness, your guilt, and your rebellion against God's word.  There, Jesus suffered God's judgment against all who have defied his commands.  There, Jesus swallowed the cup of God's wrath and endured the torments of hell for you.  For the sake of Jesus who shed his blood in your place, God has issued his royal decree: You are pardoned of all sins and offenses.  God's wrath has been taken away from you, and you are now under God's favor.  You have been brought into God's kingdom which is ruled by grace and peace and life.
     It ought to be understood what forgiveness is and what it is not.  Forgiveness is the royal decree that your sins are pardoned and that God's curse has been lifted for the sake of Jesus.  This is God's word and promised to you.  By it, you shall live forever in his kingdom.  But God's forgiveness does not mean that the consequences of your sins are taken away.  Uriah did not come back from the dead.  The scorn of the nations did not go away.  In the same way, the fallout from your sins may never go away in this lifetime.  Relationships may never be restored.  Debt may plague you for a long time.  You may fight against your addiction for the rest of your life.  Regrets may haunt you until you go to your grave.  But do not misunderstand: While consequences may not be taken away, your guilt most certainly has.  The absolution which Nathan proclaimed to David applies also to you who are in Christ: “The LORD ... has put away your sin.” (2 Samuel 12:13)
     Dealing with sin is royal business.  God has made it his business to save you, to take away your sin, to mark you for the resurrection to eternal life, and to bring you in his kingdom forevermore.  Since you are God's business, you are God's redeemed.  The King of heaven and earth has decreed it to be so.  And therefore, it stands forever.

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

Something from .... Martin Luther on the New Testament

Martin Luther (1483-1546) wrote a treatise called "On the Bondage of the Will" as a response to a treatise by a Dutch scholar named Erasmus (1466-1536) which promoted the idea of the free will of mankind.  In particular, Erasmus argued that man is free to choose to be good and to come to God.  Luther strongly refuted that claim (more on that in future posts), resulting in "On the Bondage of the Will."  Luther considered it one of the few things he wrote which was worthy of preserving.


This particular entry of Luther sums up what Christians can expect to find in the New Testament for the benefit of salvation and Christian living. 


"In the New Testament, the gospel is preached and this is just the word that offers the Spirit and grace for the remission of sins which was procured for us by Christ crucified.  It is all entirely free, given by the mercy of God the Father alone as He shows His favour towards us, who are unworthy, and who deserve condemnation rather than anything else.  Exhortations follows (sic) after this; and they are intended to stir up those who have obtained mercy and have been justified already, to be energetic in bringing forth the fruits of the Spirit and of the righteousness given them, to exercise themselves in love and good works, and boldly to bear the cross and all the other tribulations of this world.  This is the whole sum of the New Testament." (p 180, The Bondage of the Will, translated by J. I. Packer and O. R. Johnston, Baker Academics: Grand Rapids, MI.  (c) 1957.)

Update from Good Shepherd (July 5, 2019)

Greetings!

SUMMER SCHEDULE
Divine Services are Sundays at 10:00 AM.
        Sunday School & Sunday's Adult Bible Class will be on hiatus throughout the summer.  They will resume on September 8.
        Due to exceptionally low attendance, there will be no more Thursday evening services offered this summer.

FAMILY VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

The dates for our Family VBS are Monday-Wednesday (6:30 – 8:00 PM), July 29-31. 

Rather than limit the study of the Bible to our children (and guests), our VBS will include people of all ages.  There will be an adult study going on the same time as the children.

The topic of study and discussion for the adults will be The Canon of Scripture: Why These Books?  “Canon” refers to a stick or a standard (like a “cane”).  We confess the 66 canonical books to be the Holy Scriptures.  But why those books?  And why not others?  And what about the Apocrypha; why not them?  For three nights, we will consider how God gave us the Scriptures and why we regard only the 66 books in our Bible as the word of God.

We encourage you to invite friends to our VBS sessions—both children and adults.  Look for a registration form on our web page to indicate your participation.

ANNIVERSARY SERVICE

Lola Park Evangelical Lutheran Church of Redford will be having a special service of thanksgiving for Rev. Gregory Gibbons who has served in the office of the ministry for 40 years.  Pastor Gibbons has also been serving at Lola Park for 25 years.  A special service will be held Sunday, July 14 at 4:00 PM with a dinner to follow.  To RSVP for the dinner, contact Lola Park at (313) 532-8655 or via email at lolaparklutheran@gmail.com.  

VBS PREPARATION MEETING

In order to get ready for the children's portion of our VBS later this July, we will need to make sure that we have people in place for teachers, assistants, providers of snacks, promotion, and others to support our efforts.  We will meet after church Sunday July 14.  Even if you do not attend the meeting, please help promote both parts of our Family VBS for both adults and children.

COLLEGE STUDENTS AND YOUNG ADULTS

The WELS is hosting a gathering for college-aged students and young adults on Saturday, August 10 in Columbus, Ohio.  As of this writing, only the dates is known.  More details will be published when they are released.

OFFICE HOURS
Regular office hours at Good Shepherd will be Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM. While there may be some flexibility to this schedule, we will try to keep it as regular as possible. 

DO YOU LIKE US?

Look for Good Shepherd on Facebook.  Then “LIKE” us for updates and other postings.

God bless you.

In Christ,
Pastor Schroeder
==============================
DIVINE SERVICES -- Summer Schedule
     Thursdays at 7:00 PM

     Sundays at 10:00 AM

SUNDAY SCHOOL & ADULT BIBLE CLASS will resume September 8.

GOOD SHEPHERD’S WEBSITE

www.GoodShepherdNovi.org

PASTOR SCHROEDER’S BLOG
www.LutheranSubject.blogspot.com
Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church
41415 W. Nine Mile Road
Novi, Michigan  48375-4306
+   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +
Divine Services -- Sundays at 10:00 AM

Sermon -- 3rd Sunday after Pentecost (June 30, 2019)

LUKE 7:11-17

DEATH IS OVERTURNED BY A COMPASSIONATE SAVIOR.

In the name + of Jesus.

     The Psalms declare, “In your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them.” (Psalm 139:16)  This means that God had your life planned long before you were born.  God had predetermined when you were to be born, where you were to be born, and to whom you would be born.  Even more than that, God also has predetermined how long your life will be on this earth.  All your days—from conception to death—were written in God’s book before any of them came to be.  God is far more active and interested in our lives than we often consider.
     Even though all the days which God has determined for you are written in his book, he has not revealed those dates to us.  You know that death will come; for it comes for everyone.  But you do not know when it will come.  It will not consult with you or ask permission.  It will not show mercy upon your loved ones.  Death takes, and it does not care whom it hurts.  Death doesn’t just steal people away, death also wounds the loved ones of those taken.
     In a small town called Nain, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. (Luke 7:12)  This widow was all to familiar with this journey.  She had likely made the journey for her parents and her in-laws; certainly for her husband.  Worst of all, she was now making this journey for her only son.  She was not only devastated, she was also going to be destitute.  All means of income or support for her had been carried out to the tombs.  Death had never asked this widow if it was coming at a convenient time.  Death takes, and it does not care whom it hurts or how it hurts them.
     The funeral procession which was departing from Nain was suddenly confronted at the city gate by a different procession.  The Lord of Life and the large crowd with him met the procession of death.  When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her. (Luke 7:13)  It is interesting that we don’t hear about Jesus having compassion on the deceased.  What moved our Lord to act was the fact that his gut ached for this woman.  The compassion that our Lord calls on us to have for widows and orphans was demonstrated at the city gate of Nain.  Death had taken a widow's son.  Death had deeply wounded her.  But death was about to be overturned by a compassionate Savior.
     When he acted, Jesus said something that seems cruel; then he did something that was shocking.  When the Lord saw (the widow), he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.’ (Luke 7:13)  “Do not weep”!?  That is all this woman had left!  Death had wounded her deeply.  It was like telling a paralytic to get up and stretch.  It was like telling a starving man about a five-course meal.  But Jesus was not offering a pep talk.  Jesus was going to dry her tears with a real solution.  Death would be overturned by a compassionate Savior.
     Then Jesus did what was shocking.  He came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. (Luke 7:14)  The Law had declared that anyone who came into contact with a dead body becomes unclean.  Nevertheless, Jesus came up to the dead man and touched the gurney on which he was being carried to his grave.  Jesus took upon himself the uncleanness of death, and then he restored the life of this young man.  He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”  And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. (Luke 7:14-15)  Death was overturned by a compassionate Savior.  Mercy was shown to a devastated widow.  A joyful reunion of saints took place.
     Whenever our Lord performed these miracles, he acted because he has compassion.  He saw sinners whose lives were afflicted with the evils of a sinful world, and he demonstrated his mercy to them.  The miracles such as these also gave concrete evidence of Jesus’ message: The kingdom of God is near.  Each miracle is a glimpse of the heavenly kingdom where all will be restored and perfected.  By raising the dead man, Jesus gave a glimpse of life where death is overturned and where all of the evils, sorrows, and pains that come from sin are eliminated.  Our Lord does not intend us to be reincarnated and to continue re-entering a broken world to live shattered lives over and over again.  Our Lord has come into this world of death and decay, pain and problems in order to deliver us from all of these things forevermore.
     Therefore, Jesus took on human flesh to touch our lives and connect himself to our world.  He knows our world of diseased children, grieving widows, funeral processions, and broken hearts.  Jesus himself had been in a procession to the tomb for his guardian, Joseph.  He did not just watch people hurting; he knows by experience what it is to hurt.  Therefore, he made contact with death and took into himself its uncleanness.  More than that, he absorbed from us all of the filth of our sin and wickedness which is what produces death in us.  The Bible declares: “For our sake (God) made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)  Jesus exchanged his holy innocence for our sinful guilt.  He gave us his perfect life in exchanged for our cursed death.
     “For our sake (God) made him to be sin who knew no sin….” (2 Corinthians 5:21)  Then God did to Jesus was sinners deserve—he put him under judgment, he found him guilty, he sentenced him to death, he put on him a divine curse, and he subjected him to hell.  And this, Jesus did “for our sake,” that is, for us—in our place and for our benefit.  Jesus did not merely witness death or sympathize with people who grieve over death, he gave himself into death for all mankind.  And this he did to put an end to death.  His death has atoned for all our sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.  By faith in Jesus, we are.  Jesus' resurrection from the dead puts an end to death so that in him you too might rise from the grave to life everlasting.  By faith in Jesus, you will.  For, death is overturned only by our compassionate Savior.
     Therefore, it will not be just a young man from Nain who rises from the dead.  The grave must give up all its dead.  At Nain, Jesus gave the command, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”  And the dead man sat up. (Luke 7:14-15)  Likewise, Jesus will come from the clouds and will call forth all the dead.  The grave will have to give up all people—good and bad, righteous and wicked.  All will be raised for judgment.  Death has been overturned; the grave will keep no one.  It will be just as we confess: “On the Last Day, he will raise up me and all the dead and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ.  This is most certainly true.” (Luther’s Small Catechism; Apostles’ Creed, 2nd Article)
     Death is overturned by a compassionate Savior.  The widow at Nain rejoiced to have her son back.  But as I had said, this was a glimpse of Jesus' everlasting reign.  The glories of the heavenly kingdom have not begun yet.  The widow eventually made one more funeral procession—her own.  Later, her son would be carried out again, this time with no interruption in his trip to the tomb.  Likewise, we all know that we have our own grave to face.  But even in these bitter times, we still have a compassionate Savior.  He has overturned death with his resurrection.  And by uniting us to himself in our baptism, he makes us partakers of the resurrection to life everlasting.  It will be just as we confess: “On the Last Day, he will ... give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ.” (Luther’s Small Catechism; Apostles’ Creed, 2nd Article)
     The Psalms declare, “In your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them.” (Psalm 139:16)  Though the Lord knows how many days you will live on this earth, he has hidden that information from you.  But he has revealed how many days you will have in his kingdom, and that will be without end.  You are in his kingdom now, for you believe in him, and by faith in him you have been delivered from the curse of sin.  You still suffer the pains and sorrows here, but soon enough you will be delivered even from those.  For death is overturned and life is given by our compassionate Savior.  He will bring us into the heavenly kingdom where there will never again be death or mourning or crying or pain—or weeping widows or dying children.  For God will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and God's people will live in joy forevermore.

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

Update from Good Shepherd (June 27, 2019)

Greetings!

SUMMER SCHEDULE
Divine Services are Thursdays at 7:00 PM and Sundays at 10:00 AM.
        Sunday School & Sunday's Adult Bible Class will be on hiatus throughout the summer.  They will resume on September 8.
        There will NOT be a service on Thursday, July 4.

FAMILY VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

The dates for our Family VBS are Monday-Wednesday (6:30 – 8:00 PM), July 29-31. 

Rather than limit the study of the Bible to our children (and guests), our VBS will include people of all ages.  There will be an adult study going on the same time as the children.

The topic of study and discussion for the adults will be The Canon of Scripture: Why These Books?  “Canon” refers to a stick or a standard (like a “cane”).  We confess the 66 canonical books to be the Holy Scriptures.  But why those books?  And why not others?  And what about the Apocrypha; why not them?  For three nights, we will consider how God gave us the Scriptures and why we regard only the 66 books in our Bible as the word of God.

We encourage you to invite friends to our VBS sessions—both children and adults.  Look for a registration form on our web page to indicate your participation.

IN OUR PRAYERS

>  Thanksgiving for Ron Schmidt's, father of Laura Schroeder, successful surgery and for continued recovery 

ANNIVERSARY SERVICE

Lola Park Evangelical Lutheran Church of Redford will be having a special service of thanksgiving for Rev. Gregory Gibbons who has served in the office of the ministry for 40 years.  Pastor Gibbons has also been serving at Lola Park for 25 years.  A special service will be held Sunday, July 14 at 4:00 PM with a dinner to follow.  To RSVP for the dinner, contact Lola Park at (313) 532-8655 or via email at lolaparklutheran@gmail.com.  

COLLEGE STUDENTS AND YOUNG ADULTS

The WELS is hosting a gathering for college-aged students and young adults on Saturday, August 10 in Columbus, Ohio.  As of this writing, only the dates is known.  More details will be published when they are made known.

OFFICE HOURS
Regular office hours at Good Shepherd will be Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM. While there may be some flexibility to this schedule, we will try to keep it as regular as possible. 

DO YOU LIKE US?

Look for Good Shepherd on Facebook.  Then “LIKE” us for updates and other postings.

God bless you.

In Christ,
Pastor Schroeder
==============================
DIVINE SERVICES -- Summer Schedule
     Thursdays at 7:00 PM

     Sundays at 10:00 AM

SUNDAY SCHOOL & ADULT BIBLE CLASS will resume September 8.

GOOD SHEPHERD’S WEBSITE

www.GoodShepherdNovi.org

PASTOR SCHROEDER’S BLOG
www.LutheranSubject.blogspot.com

Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church
41415 W. Nine Mile Road
Novi, Michigan  48375-4306
+   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +
Divine Services -- Sundays at 10:00 AM

Sermon -- Chapel at MLS (June 26, 2019)

This was preached at Michigan Lutheran Seminary in Saginaw for the Pastors' Summer Quarter on Wednesday, June 26.

LUKE 7:18-23

EXPECT WHAT IS PROMISED.

In the name + of Jesus.

     Immediately after Jesus raised up from the dead the young man from Nain, St. Luke recorded how John the Baptist was languishing in Herod's prison.  John's disciples reported to him the miracles that Jesus was doing, and how his popularity was surging.  Jesus was receiving praise for the works of God which he performed, and John the Baptist was suffering for the word of God which he proclaimed.  You can understand why John had questions for Jesus.  More to the point, John had questions about Jesus.  John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” (Luke 7:19)

     You and I have not had to face jail time for preaching.  If that should change, so be it.  But we do face some level of wrath and ridicule for preaching the word of the Lord.  Even faithful members will get angry with us when our preaching calls them or their children to repent of their sins.  To make matters worse, we see other churches who pervert the gospel.  They proclaim some form of the message “Love wins,” preaching a Jesus who is cuddly, but not crucified.  These churches are bursting at the seams. We even lose members to them.  It is easy to wonder, “Lord, I am trying to be faithful.  Is this the reward for it?”

     Repent.  A servant is not above his master.  Although the people praised Jesus for giving sight to the blind, giving strength to lame legs, and even raising the dead, they turned on Jesus when he told them that the kingdom of God is more than healing what ails you at the moment.  The works they liked because they benefited from them.  The words they hated because it exposed their wickedness and need for a Savior.  If this is how they treated Jesus and John for their preaching, should you expect any different?  Expect what is promised so that you will not be deceived or despair.

     The people we serve have their share of doubts, too.  They expect that life will be easier and happier.  They are dismayed when it is full of hardship, sorrow, and pain.  They expected that life in the Church would not see problems or pettiness.  Then they see their fellow Christians commit sins, and they are sinned against by their fellow Christians.  They expected that the Christian faith would give them all the answers.  Then their faith gets challenged by arguments based on science, politics, and emotions.  They find themselves stumped.  They fear that they’ve been duped.  They may be reluctant to say it out loud, but they wonder, “Is this all the Christian faith is, or should I expect something better?”

     You are not unique with your doubts and fears.  We confess that God is our merciful Father in heaven.  We teach our children to sing, “Jesus loves me.”  But it does not often feel like it.  We want answers.  So did John the Baptist.  And John rightly sent his disciples to Jesus for answers.

     And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord...  And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’” (Luke 7:19-20)  You might have expected Jesus to answer differently.  Jesus could have uttered a direct, “Yes.  Tell John: I am the one.”  But that would have not settled John's doubts and fears.  After all, wouldn’t a conman have answered that question the same way?  Instead, Jesus urged John to expect what was promised.  

     (Jesus) answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them.  And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” (Luke 7:21-23)  The Lord urged John the Baptist to expect what had been promised.  Isaiah had foretold that the Messiah would do exactly what Jesus was doing.  God had made a promise, and Jesus was fulfilling God's word to the letter.  Therefore, Jesus is the Christ and the Savior.  John should not trust what he was feeling or enduring.  Herod's sentence on him was not the word which mattered.  Even if John would be faithful to the point of death, he did not need to doubt.  He had not been duped.  God had told him what to expect.  Jesus urged him to expect what was promised.  Blessed is he who believes what is promised rather than be offended by what he experiences.  Blessed is the one who is not offended by the way the Lord reigns over his Church.

     And so it is with you.  Expect what is promised.  Cling to his word.  Trust with your ears rather than with your eyes or your emotions.  The Lord Jesus never promised you that life would be easy, but he did promise that he would be with you.  Jesus never promised that people would love you and be faithful to you, but he did promise that he would be.  And though you are not told that you will be happy, you are told that you are blessed.  No matter what anyone thinks of you, God's favor rests upon you; for, Jesus has paid the price for your sins.  No matter who despises you, God's love is yours; for it has been declared through holy, innocent blood of Jesus.  His blood covers you, cleanses you, and nourishes you through this harsh life until heavenly glory.  No matter what you feel about yourself, God's verdict upon you is “innocent,” beloved, redeemed.  That verdict was proclaimed by Jesus' resurrection from the dead.  Jesus lives and reigns to enforce it.  It is applied to you in baptism and at the Lord’s Supper.  It is repeated to you in every absolution and benediction.  

     Doubts, fears, and frustrations will come, even to the likes of John the Baptist.  But God's words are the only words that matter.  Flee to God's promises of mercy, forgiveness, salvation, and faithfulness.  Then, expect what is promised and hold God to his word.  For, the word of God stands firm.  The one whom God promised has come and has delivered you from sin.  He promises that he will come again to deliver you to glory.  Blessed is the one who believes and expects what he has promised.

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

Something from ... Francis Pieper on the clarity of Scripture

It was not too long ago that our pastors' conferences (and it likely drifted down to the congregations they served) were consumed with Bible translations.  There have been a number of new translations and revisions over the past few decades.  The result is that there are many versions to choose from.  All have their strengths and weaknesses.  Some are better than others, and even "better" is often considered a matter of preference.

As pastors discussed and debated the best translation to use for our worship and Bible classes, lay people were often left with the impression that they are in the dark about which translation is reliable and trustworthy.  Some even concluded, "There is no way we can really know what God's word is unless we study Greek and Hebrew."  

While knowing the biblical languages is beneficial (and for pastors, necessary), God's word is not impossible to know when it is translated, read, or preached in a different language.  If it were, how did Pentecost have such success when the apostles preached in the languages of the pilgrims who had come to Jerusalem for the feast?

Franz August Otto Pieper
(June 27, 1852 – June 3, 1931)

In his Christian Dogmatics (a four volume set on Christian doctrine), Francis Pieper noted that the Bible is not a hidden book only to be grasped and revealed by the learned.  It is clear and its meaning is clear to all who read it.  Granted, some passages are obscure, but the teachings of God's word are simple enough for even a kindergartner to understand.  (Note: "exegesis" is an explanation or critical interpretation of a text in which the translator analyzes the various words and forms of speech to "lead out of" the text its proper meaning.)

From Pieper: "All exegesis, whether it be in general the unfolding of the sense of Scripture or in particular the explanation of (or rather the attempt to explain) the more difficult passages of Scripture, is based on the fact that the entire Christian doctrine is revealed and set forth in Scripture passages so clear that the learned and unlearned alike can understand them; they do not stand in need of 'exegesis' for explanation.  If Scripture did not have this quality, it would not be for all Christians 'a lamp unto their feet and a light unto their path,' nor would all Christians be able to establish the truth of their faith by Scripture and in the light of Scripture to mark and avoid false teachers." (pp 359-360, Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, Volume 1.  Concordia Publishing House: St. Louis, MO.  (c) 1950.)