The Perfect Priest

The seventh sunday of easter

Shepherd of the Hills Ev. Lutheran Church (WELS)

Hebrews 7:11-27

11 If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood—and indeed the law given to the people established that priesthood—why was there still need for another priest to come, one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? 12 For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also. 13 He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar. 14 For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. 15 And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, 16 one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. 17 For it is declared: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

18 The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless 19 (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God. 20 And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, 21 but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: 
‘You are a priest forever.’”

22 Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant. 23 Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; 24 but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

26 Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. 27 Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. (NIV)

You may have heard about the perfect pastor chain letter before, but I think it bears repeating:

The results of a computerized survey indicate the perfect minister preaches exactly fifteen minutes. He condemns sins but never upsets anyone. He works from 8:00 AM until midnight and is also a janitor. He makes $50 a week, wears good clothes, buys good books, drives a good car, and gives about $50 weekly to the poor. He is 28 years old and has preached 30 years. He has a burning desire to work with teenagers and spends all of his time with senior citizens. Theperfect minister smiles all the time with a straight face because he has a sense of humor that keeps him seriously dedicated to his work. He makes 15 calls daily on congregation families, shut-ins and the hospitalized, and is always in his office when needed.

If your minister does not measure up, simply send this letter to six other churches that are tired of their minister, too. Then bundle up your minister and send him to the church on the top of the list. In one week, you will receive 1,643 ministers and one of them will be perfect. Have faith in this procedure. One chuch broke the chain and got its old minister back in less than three weeks....so don't break the chain (source unknown).

I believe – or perhaps I should say I hope – that description of the perfect pastor is not intended to be taken seriously.  If it is, I regret to share with you the breaking news that you are out of luck in the “perfect pastor” department.  But, kidding aside, while all pastors are far from perfect, God’s Word this morning assures us that in Jesus Christ, we do have The Perfect Priest.

The book of Hebrews centers on the theme of Christ’s superiority.  While we cannot say with certainly who the author of Hebrews is, the intended audience appears to be pretty clear.  There was a movement among some Jewish Christians to abandon their newfound faith in Christ and return back to Judaism, which for many would have been like a security blanket in the face of persecution for the early Christian Church.  It would have provided familiarity with its well-known rules and regulations.  It seemed to provide a certain pedigree when it came to Moses and ancestral roots.  It also had the draw of the long-established history and tradition of the priesthood. 

To draw a modern-day parallel, the appeal to run to “form” and “history” and “tradition” isn’t completely unheard of in the Church.  Occasionally, when a Christian has been a part of the branch of Christianity that has Evangelical or Baptist roots, he can become fascinated with certain aspects of what are often considered the more “orthodox” circles of Christianity, like the Roman Catholic Church, for example.  The historical pattern of worship known as the liturgy can have an appeal which perhaps seems to be “more religious” than the less-structured “praise” worship he’s used to.  Compared to having a self-appointed pastor who started his own church as a mission plant, who may or may not have ever been theologically trained, there can also be something appealing about a clergy of priests, bishops, and the papacy, all of which have much more history behind them.  The inclination might be to think that the religion with the most forms of religiosity and the longest historical traditions must be the right one.

The writer to the Hebrews was setting out to convince his audience of Jewish Christians that that was not the case when it came to abandoning Christianity for Judaism, because Christ was superior in every way.  In chapter seven of the letter, which serves as our focus this morning, the question of the priesthood was being addressed.  This chapter beautifully compares the established Jewish priesthood – the Levitical priesthood – with the priesthood of Christ, showing that in every way, Christ’s priesthood far surpasses the Levitical priesthood.

A little background on Melchizedek will prove helpful for understanding this section of Hebrews.  Melchizedek is a mysterious individual mentioned on but a few occasions in the Bible. We are first introduced to him during the life of Abraham.  After rescuing his nephew Lot, who had been taken captive after a recent battle, Abraham returned and was met by Melchizedek. Melchizedek was both king of Salem, and a priest of God.  Melchizedek blessed Abraham, and Abraham gave him a tithe.  And just as abruptly as Melchizedek appeared on the scene, he was gone.  He is then mentioned again in the Psalms, and here in the book of Hebrews. 

So what is the significance of this Melchizedek?  The writer to the Hebrews makes it clear that he is special in a unique way: he is a type of Christ.  When you look at an accurately painted portrait of a person, you can tell who it is you’re looking at.  You are not seeing the person in the flesh, but the portrait depicts the person clearly enough that you are able to identify the individual.  So Melchizedek is a portrait of Christ.  The incarnation had not yet happened; Jesus had not taken on human flesh.  Yet, when we look at Melchizedek, we see Christ. 

Consider the identifying characteristics the two share.  Melchizedek was both a king and a priest, as is Christ.  The name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness,” and he hailed from Salem, which means “peace.”  Both righteousness and peace are names/titles attributed to Christ as well (cf. Jer. 23:6 and Is. 9:6).  Melchizedek, like Christ, has no beginning and no end, for we know nothing of his genealogy, his parents, or his birth, and have no record of his death.  And, they both exist continually – Melchizedek will always serve as a type of Christ, and Christ is of course eternal. 

The writer to the Hebrews spills no small amount of ink on this Melchizedek, and in doing so he successfully shows how the priesthood of Melchizedek is better than the Levitical priesthood.  But that is to merely establish the foundation so that one might be able then to draw this main conclusion: if Melchizedek’s priesthood surpasses the Levitical priesthood, and Melchizedek is merely a type of Christ, then how superior Christ must be!  Why would one return to Judaism with its inferior priesthood when Jesus Christ is the superior priest???

Is more evidence needed to prove the point?  The author explains, “And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. For it is declared, ‘You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek’” (v.15-17).  Levites became priests because they were Levites; they became priests because of their lineage.  Christ’s priesthood, though, was not his simply because he had the right ancestors or family line; rather, his priesthood was bestowed upon him because of his inherent merit.  What’s more, where Levites would inevitably die and the priesthood would be passed on down to another and another and another, Christ’s priesthood would always remain his, for he is eternal.  Finally, there was never an oath or promise given to the Levites that they would retain the priesthood forever.  However, such a promise was included in the prophetic words of David’s Psalm in reference to Jesus, that he would be a priest forever.  “Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant” (v.22).  Who could refuse a guarantee like that? - a better covenant – a one-sided covenant – where God carries out all the work and we reap the benefits.  Again, why would anyone return to Judaism with its inferior and temporary priesthood when Jesus Christ, the superior priest will retain his priesthood permanently, forever???

Since his priesthood is permanent, “[Christ] is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them” (v.25).  The priests of the tribe of Levi could offer sacrifices repeatedly on a daily basis.  But it didn’t matter – such sacrifices couldn’t save.  All they served to do was point ahead to the ultimate sacrifice – Jesus – who alone could save completely. 

“He is able to save completely those who come to God through him.”  Think of what that means.  There’s no unfinished business when it comes to your salvation. There’s no missed payments.  It’s complete, and it’s completely taken care of by Jesus.  Your salvation is not a shared venture where Christ does a little and you do a little.  He does it completely.  Only he could because “Such a high priest meets our need – one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens” (v.26).  Holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners… how many different ways does one need to say it?  Only Jesus could serve as our Perfect Priest, for only Jesus was without sin.  A “good guy” wouldn’t have been sufficient.  A “fine teacher of morality” wouldn’t have cut it.  Only a sinless Substitute could serve as our Perfect Priest.  And Jesus did – “once for all,” as we’re told in verse 27.  His death on Calvary was the one-time sacrifice, and it covered all people; it covered you.

That makes a difference in a life wrought with much that has and will continue to let you down.  Things don’t work out the way they were planned.  No one’s perfect.  In a lot of cases there is just nothing you can do about it.  But you can choose to put it all in perspective, because here’s the bottom-line: none of it matters.  That is, none of it matters in the grand scheme of eternity.  Your eternity, now that matters.  Where you will spend it – that matters.  And so having the Perfect Priest matters because he is the one who has determined our eternity by offering himself up as the perfect sacrifice.  Yet even after doing so, he wanted to remain serving you as your Perfect Priest, so he didn’t stay dead, as every single animal sacrifice ever offered has, but he rose again.  This last Sunday of Easter, let us rejoice that our Perfect Priest rose again, and that he continually serves us with his grace.  CIR HIRI (Christ Is Risen; He Is Risen Indeed)! Amen.

“For the freer confidence is from one’s own works, and the more exclusively it is directed toward Christ alone, so much better is the Christian it makes.” (Luther)

Mothers Reflect the Father's Love

The sixth sunday of easter (mother’s day)

Shepherd of the Hills Ev. Lutheran Church (WELS)

1 John 4:7-11

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (NIV)

You have so much to do over the course of a day that you wake up overwhelmed and you go to bed frustrated because you didn’t get it all done.  It sometimes feels like you don’t have a life.  It’s not that you don’t have things you want to do, it’s just that they always tend to be very low on the list of priorities.  What you wouldn’t give for a little time to read that book or catch up on your favorite show or go out with friends or… do absolutely nothing.  But you’ve gotten used to your interests taking a back seat to everything else.  Everyone else comes first.  It is not an exaggeration to say that your day is packed with so many things that literally will not get done if you don’t take care of them.  What’s more, being underappreciated comes with the territory as well.  And on top of that, you also double as the customer service department, receiving more daily complaints than you can even keep track of!  So the many “thank you’s” that you deserve to be hearing are replaced with complaints instead.  But it’s not about receiving recognition or acknowledgment for all that you do – you just do it because that’s who you are: you’re a mother.

To be fair, “Mother’s Day” doesn’t begin to cut it; you deserve “Mother’s Week” or “Mother’s Month,” if not more.  As far as human relationships go, I don’t know if there is a better example of selfless, self-sacrificing love than the example that mothers put on display on virtually a daily basis.  The bond of love that a mother has for her child is unique and truly unlike any other bond.  That unconditional love is what consistently drives a mother to do the unthinkable, the unreasonable, and the undesirable for her child.  From changing dirty diapers to wet bed sheets to canceling plans because of sick kids to working extra jobs to help pay for school to helping raise grandchildren – mothers do it all, and if you asked most of them why they do it, the answer would not be shocking: “I love my child.” Usually Valentine’s Day comes to mind first when we think of expressions of love and heart-themed decorations, but perhaps Mother’s Day would be every bit as appropriate, for nowhere else on earth do we see love like that of a mother for her child.

Yet as impressive and inspiring as a mother’s love is, when John makes his appeal to his hearers to love one another, it’s not a mother’s love he points to as an example, but a different source of love altogether: God’s love.  Now that doesn’t in any way downplay a mother’s love for her children; rather, I think it manages to speak volumes more to the depth of God’s love!  In other words, if the example of love on John’s mind is an example of love that surpasses that even of mother’s love for her children, it must be quite an impressive love!  And indeed it is.  So this morning, a day on which many of us will be going out to eat or making special plans to celebrate mothers – and rightly so! – we set the tone by celebrating God and his unparalleled love for us.  We’re thankful for mothers then, because in so many ways they help us begin to grasp the amazing love of God.  Yes, Mothers Reflect the Father’s Love.

It shouldn’t surprise us to find John as the author of the books of the Bible in which the connection between God and love is more clearly drawn out than anywhere else.  After all, John took special pride in being “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (e.g. Jn. 13:23; 21:7, 20), as he enjoyed referring to himself in his Gospel.  It is also in his Gospel that we come across what is arguably the most well-known and frequently-quoted passage of Scripture, John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”  Since the author of the Gospel of John and the author of  First, Second, and Third John is one and the same, we can better understand the theme of love taking the center stage in our verses this morning.  John knew and appreciated God’s love, and he certainly had a unique perspective from which to share it.

It is that unique and personal experience with God’s love that prompts John to encourage his readers to pass it on, to love one another.  From the very first word of verse seven that John uses in addressing his audience, he gives his audience a reminder of why they’re fit to love others: they themselves are loved.  The King James’ “beloved” is better than the NIV’s “Dear friends” in reflecting John’s address.  For it is not just dear friends to whom John is writing, but those who also are loved by God – fellow recipients of God’s love.  And who is better qualified to love one another than those who know God’s love firsthand?  Indeed it would be near impossible to pass on that of which a person had no knowledge or experience.  For me to encourage you to go out and show somebody how to sail would be quite difficult if you’ve never been sailing.  To be told to demonstrate to another how to plant a garden would be quite a challenge for you if you’d never grown a thing in your life. But John addresses believers in a way that reminds them they are qualified to love others, because they themselves are beloved. 

Furthermore, that title seeks to underscore that when we do love others, we’re merely passing along that which finds its source in God alone, for as John reminds us, “love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God” (v.7).  Does that help us to overcome what is often times a challenge in loving others?  We speak this way: “I have a hard time loving” or “I just can’t love so and so,” when the truth is, loving others is less about you or the other person, and more about God.  It’s not a matter of you “finding it in yourself” to love others, but rather passing along what comes only from God himself.  You are not the source of love, but merely a conduit, passing it along to others.  You cannot take credit for loving others well; neither should your life be wrought with guilt because you struggle so much to love others.  Don’t be so silly and foolish to think that the ability to love others comes from you – it doesn’t.  Love comes from God.

Last Sunday Jesus pointed out that branches cannot do a thing when cut off from the vine.  Believers can do nothing apart from Jesus, and that includes loving others.  There’s simply no native love in our hearts to pass along to others until God first puts it there.  You cannot love others the way God wants you to unless God is in you.  Love comes from God.

Doesn’t that explain why our society today has such a twisted and contorted idea of what love really is?  Should so many headlines and news stories shock us anymore?  Should we be so surprised that what the world calls “love” we cannot even recognize or identify as such?  Are we surprised that ending a life, whether by abortion or euthanasia, doesn’t resonate with us as “loving” when such repulsive actions clearly violate God’s command to love life?  Is it a shock that young and old alike cannot even distinguish between love and sex when they are portrayed as one and the same in our world today, regardless of the clear boundaries God has set?  Is it alarming to see parents not only allow defiant or disrespectful behavior in their children, but actually defend it under the guise of loving their children, when God’s take is that failure to discipline a child is actually showing hate to that child (Proverbs 13:24)?  It’s no wonder an unbelieving generation’s understanding of love is so woefully misguided, for love comes from God.

And if it people don’t recognize love from God, then how can they love others?  They can’t.  They can’t know that loving others involves much more than words – it involves actions.  John explains, “This is how God showed his love among us; He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins” (v.9,10).  See how it makes all the difference in the world to go beyond the spoken word and let love show itself through action!  Isn’t that what is so unique and special about mothers?  They do not mouth meaningless words that fail to touch our hearts when they say “I love you,” because those words are consistently backed by acts of service that clearly show love.  When he hears mom say, “I love you,” a son knows it to be true because mom keeps the pantry stocked with his favorite snacks when his buddies come over.  When she hears mom say, “I love you,” a daughter knows it because mom always makes sure her favorite outfits are clean when she needs them.  When he hears his bride say, “I love you,” a husband knows it because even though she’s worn out from putting others ahead of herself all day long, she is willing to give him the intimacy he so appreciates from his gift-from-God spouse.  When we hear mothers say, “I love you,” we know it’s true because they show it.

So when we hear God say “I love you,” we know it’s true because he showed it.  When John reminds us that the Father sent his Son into the world to give us life, it’s not just about where he went, but also what he left behind.  It’s one thing to enter into this veil of tears and be faced with the sickening reality of sin on a daily basis, but imagine how much worse it made matters when considering what he left behind!  Jesus left the perfect harmony of heaven.  He left things the way they should be for a world gone horribly wrong.  And he left the presence of the Father for the presence of the fallen. 

Yet as loving as that alone would have been, it was merely the beginning.  The real separation from his Father wasn’t just his leaving heaven to come to earth; no, the real separation came when Christ was completely and utterly cut off and forsaken by the Father while enduring all the brutality of an eternity in hell.  And, were such a punishment deserved, it would have been one thing, but it wasn’t!  It was for us that he was punished!  Our sins dragged him out of heaven and split him apart from the Father.  It was not enough to simply show us the way; he himself became the way.  He was the atoning sacrifice, the sacrifice by which we’ve been made “at-one” with God.  “This is how God showed his love among us…” (v.9).

Then see how John brings it all full-circle in verse eleven.  “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (v.11).  There’s more here than just, “Hey, since God loves you, you should love others, too.” John is referring back to the manner by which God showed his love to us, and imploring us to show that same kind of love to others – not an artificial or superficial kind of love, but a sacrificial, unconditional love.  For that is what God the Father showed us in Christ Jesus.  That is the kind of love God would have spill over from our lives into the lives of others.  How about starting today by showing that kind of love to your mother… for she’s a pretty good reflection of the Father’s love. Amen.

“For the freer confidence is from one’s own works, and the more exclusively it is directed toward Christ alone, so much better is the Christian it makes.” (Luther)

A Life Worth Living Stays Connected

The fifth sunday of easter

Shepherd of the Hills Ev. Lutheran Church (WELS)

John 15:1-8

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. ⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” (NIV)

CIR HIRI! (Christ Is Risen; He Is Risen Indeed!) Larry isn’t much to write home about.  He’s always had trouble holding a job, frequently enduring long bouts of unemployment.  It’s hard to determine if it’s the unemployment that spurs on his drinking or if it’s the other way around.  Though he’s felt horrible about it, he’s also said and done some awful things to his wife.  Larry would not very likely be a top contender for any “father-of-the-year” awards, either, as he’s always struggled with parenting.  His church attendance has been streaky at best, and he’s spent his share of time in the Pastor’s study for any number of reasons.

Then there’s Tom.  Now Tom is just the kind of guy every dad wishes his daughter would bring home and marry.  Tom has always been a hard worker.  Nothing was given to him.  He put himself through school, passed the bar with flying colors and eventually became successful enough to open his own law firm.  Yet as busy as he has been with his career, he’s always made time for his wife, and bends over backwards to help raise the children.  He makes all the games and recitals he can, and his kids think the world of him.  He first started coming to church with his wife, and after a while Tom became a regular, attending virtually every Sunday.  He is always one to back church projects, both with his time and his pocketbook.  People cannot say enough good things about Tom. 

So which one, Larry or Tom, better serves as the ideal picture from John’s Gospel of the fruit-bearing branch: Larry, aka Mr. Lackluster, or Tom, aka Mr. Terrific?  Most would agree that Tom certainly appears to fit the mold, whereas Larry leaves a lot to be desired.  While that may be the case, more information is needed about each individual to come to a conclusion.  You might find that information surprising… as it turns out, the biggest difference between Larry and Tom is that Larry is a believer, and Tom isn’t.

Could the roles be reversed – could Tom be the believer and Larry the unbeliever?  Certainly, and we might even say that more often we’d expect that to be the case.  But as the examples of Larry the Lackluster and Tom the Terrific stand this morning, they serve to illustrate a very important point about the vine and branches section from John 15: don’t focus first and foremost on the fruit, because it’s the connection to the vine that matters most.  If there’s no connection, then there’s no fruit, plain and simple.  While certain fruit may appear to be ripe and mature and ready for picking, what appears to be the finest looking fruit on the outside, if not connected to the true vine, is merely spoiled and rotten on the inside.  On the other hand, that fruit which looks less than desirable on the outside may eventually ripen into nothing short of the most delicious fruit on the whole plant!  The difference is whether or not the branch on which the fruit grows is connected to the vine.

And so it is with a life worth living.  A Life Worth Living is one that Stays Connected. Without a connection to Jesus, the best this life has to offer is spoiled, rotten fruit.  How different is the life that stays connected, for whatever fruit it bears will be the sort of fruit with which every harvester would be delighted to fill basketful after basketful!  The difference is Jesus.  Only Jesus can offer a life worth living, and so this morning we wish for the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of our hearts and see how blessed we are to stay connected to Jesus in every way possible.

The alternative – no connection with Jesus – is not a pleasant one.  Listen to how Jesus describes it: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit” (v.1,2a).  He’s pretty straight forward, isn’t he?  Branches that don’t bear fruit will be cut off.  They will be completely separated from the tree, for since they do not produce any visible fruit, they are simply draining the trunk or vine of its precious resources, and thereby robbing other fruit-bearing branches of their vitality.

Once cut off, there is no longer any hope for that branch to bear any fruit.  The gardener does not return from the garden with pulled weeds and dead branches in hand, thinking to himself, “I will hold on to these, water them regularly, and give them plenty of sun to see if they will produce fruit.”  He knows better.  He knows that when the branch is no longer connected to the rest of the plant, there is no more hope of it bearing fruit.  Jesus said, “No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.  Apart from me you can do nothing” (v.4, 5c).

Now this is a mystery to the world, because the world is not qualified to view fruit the way God does.  The world sees any act of generosity and kindness toward others and says, “Ah, see, there is fruit.”  It sees noble philanthropic gifts to this charity and that, which undoubtedly provide aid and assistance to countless others, and says “Surely there is choice fruit.”  Yet the world fails to recognize that such acts, each and every one of them, if not done in and through the true vine, Jesus, count for nothing before God.  The prophet Isaiah pointed out “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away” (64:6).  One would hardly expect a branch with shriveled up leaves to bring forth abundant fruit.  It simply cannot  do so if not connected to the true vine.  The world thinks it sees precious fruit, but what appears to be fruit, if not connected to the true vine, is merely an illusion. 

Finally, those branches that have been cut off serve no other purpose; they are simply gathered up and burned.  “If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned” (v.6).  The world stumbles and trips on this teaching of Jesus: that a person who does what is right, who treats others well, who gives and puts others first, who is a model spouse and an exemplary parent – a person who appears to bear all kinds of fruit – would end up in the flames of hell for eternity simply because he wasn’t connected to the vine through saving faith in Jesus.  It is a difficult teaching, to be sure, but one that is quite clearly spoken from the mouth of Jesus himself in these verses.

See what is important: don’t focus first and foremost on the fruit, because it’s the connection to the vine that matters most.

When that connection remains solid and intact, fruit will be evident.  Jesus promised as much, saying, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit” (v.5).  Not only will such a branch produce fruit, but it will bear “much” fruit.  It’s unavoidable; the branch connected to the vine – the believer connected to Jesus – will show fruits of that relationship.

How will this come about?  In order for a fruit-bearing tree to bear even more fruit in the future, the process of pruning is in order.   “[The Father] cuts off every branch in [Jesus] that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful” (v.2).  The branch that doesn’t bear fruit will be cut off; however, the branch that does bear fruit will be cut back.  Then it will be able to produce even more abundant fruit. 

That sort of pruning can be a painful process, but the child of God welcomes and endures it because he knows the end result will make a life already worth living even more so.  For where does the child of God turn when death strikes, when hard times surface, when frustration settles in, when pain and suffering arise?  He doesn’t look here (inside himself).  He doesn’t look at his past record of righteousness.  He doesn’t turn to worldly wisdom. 

No, he turns to Christ, just as a Christian doctor once did.  This Christian doctor had been responsible for helping and healing many others when suddenly he himself was stricken with sickness.  He remained bed-ridden for many days enduring the suffering that accompanied his sickness.  During that time, friends would come to visit him and lament how unfortunate it was that he was stricken down with illness.  “Not at all” he would reply, “the Lord brought me down so that I might not forget to look up.”

So it is with the Christian who endures whatever painful pruning God allows in his life.  He looks up, he turns to the true vine, the vine who cleans and purifies, who forgives and upholds, who promises more than anything this life has to offer.  His words and promises alone keep us connected to the vine and enable us to bear abundant and God-pleasing fruit.  Jesus said “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you” (v.3).  The Christian isn’t made clean by the fruit he produces, but is rather made clean by grace in order that he might then produce fruit.  That grace comes through baptism.  It comes through the Lord’s Supper.  It comes through the Word.  Through these means Jesus longs to keep the branches connected to him and bearing abundant fruit.  But without these means and apart from them, the branch slowly withers and dies and will eventually be cut off.

Rejoice that instead of being cut off, you are continually cut back.  Rejoice that your gracious Gardener cares enough about you to bless you by bearing more and more fruit.  Such fruit is a blessing to you, to God’s kingdom, and to the rest of the world.  One such blessing: Jesus promises, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you” (v.7).  In Christ, the believer gets whatever he wants, because in Christ, the believer is in tune with the mind of God and longs for what he wants us to have.  Another blessing is that we know the fruit we bear brings glory to the Father.  Jesus said, “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples” (v.8).  Just as an earthly father takes pride in the good behavior and praise-worthy accomplishments of his child, so does our Heavenly Father delight in our precious fruit.  The key to that blessing is staying connected to the vine.  With and by God’s grace, make that the number one priority in your life: staying connected to the vine.  Then, go and bear all kinds of fruit, and you will find a life worth living. CIR HIRI! Amen.

A Life Worth Living Speaks the Truth

The third sunday of easter

Shepherd of the Hills Ev. Lutheran Church (WELS)

1 John 1:1 – 2:2

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our joy complete.

5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

2:1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. (NIV)

CIR HIRI! (Christ Is Risen; He Is Risen Indeed!) A life worth living lives on the promises of God.  It dismisses doubt.  This morning we see that it speaks the truth.  Speaking of truth, please be honest with me, does this alb make me look fat?  Husbands, perhaps such a question conjures up painful memories of having been asked a similar – albeit much more terrifying – question by your wife about an outfit she was trying on.  The most horrifying thing about being helplessly pinned down with that question in that situation is not determining the truth, which is generally pretty easy; rather, it is determining whether your wife wants to hear the truth, or if you are in one of those situations where you’re supposed to tell her what she wants to hear (hint: your wife always looks good).  Of course we’ve all been brought up being told always to tell the truth, and sometimes it leads us to see the reality of the expression, “the truth hurts.”  True as that might be, the alternative – not telling the truth – hurts much worse.  It almost always tends to bring a whole lot of extra baggage and problems with it as well.  That’s one of the reasons we speak the truth.

Another reason we speak the truth is because spiritually speaking, the difference between eternal life or eternal death hangs in the balance of truth.  Man must know and acknowledge the truth of who he is and what his natural state before God truly is.  More importantly, he must come to know the truth about what God has done in Christ Jesus to forever change that status before God.  Only one place shows both truths:  the Word of God, so in order to know and speak those two truths of who we are and what God has done for us, we look to the words of John in God’s Word this morning, and in so doing, we find a life worth living.

Why should the words of John have any merit when it comes to looking for guidance in speaking the truth?  Yes, his Gospel and three letters are included in the inspired Scriptures, cementing the reality that, through the Holy Spirit, John’s words are every bit God’s Words.  That is sufficient for us, but nonetheless, John goes further and explains why he should be qualified to speak to the issue at hand: he was an eye witness, experiencing Jesus first hand.  He explains, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.  The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.  We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us” (v.1-3).  John didn’t hear it from a guy who heard it from a guy, who heard it from a guy, etc.  He didn’t have to draw on some other individual’s description or experience.  He was with Jesus.  He saw him with his own eyes and touched him with his own hands.  So when John wants to share what he saw and heard while with Jesus, we do well to listen.

The truth that John speaks has much to say about Christian living.  John clearly connects right believing with right living in his letters.  That is to say, a person lives what he believes, and believes what he lives.  Belief and behavior are two sides of the same coin.  As one commentator put it, “orthodoxy of doctrine is no substitute for righteousness of life” (Bruce).  To draw the wrong conclusion that “I may live in whatever way I please because I have pure doctrine” is no better than the false assumption that “it doesn’t matter what I believe because I live a pure life.”  Right believing is right living.

That brings us to the first of three truths spoken by John: “If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth” (v.6).  If God is light, having no darkness whatsoever, as John had just established, then how could a person claim any degree of fellowship with God while at the same time walking in darkness?  It’s an impossibility.  A light is either on or off.  While some may be dimmer than others, finally, even if only dim, it’s either on or off, light or dark.  Ask the unbelieving world about the criteria it has for determining whether or not a person is a Christian.  The unbeliever cares little what the Christian believes; rather, he will make his judgment based on how the Christian lives.  In his mind, walking in the light is how he identifies a Christian.  It would seem that his assessment of who is and who isn’t a Christian isn’t so far off from John’s.  It’s a sobering reminder for us that it is necessary for us not only to talk the talk, but to walk the walk of light as well.

Why?  “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (v.7).  It almost sounds contrary to every thing we’ve learned, doesn’t it?  It sounds like in order for us to be purified from all sin, we must first walk in the light.  But if we recognize that John is simply writing in the same spirit of James, who pointed to our lives and works as evidence of saving faith, then it isn’t such a difficulty.  Walking in the light is a fruit of faith, and if we have faith, then we have fellowship with one another and with Jesus, whose blood purifies us from all sin.  We don’t walk in the light to bring about purification from sin; rather, we walk in the light because we have been purified from sin.  Where’s the proof of such purification? CIR HIRI!

The second truth John establishes has to do with the reality of sin in our lives.  “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (v.8).  Though they may be rare, there are some this side of heaven who claim to be perfect; to be without sin.  We know that many strive to achieve such a state of sinlessness, indeed believing that they can, but few are those that would actually make such a claim.  To such people, and any of us who have bought into that notion, John says, “ we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” 

Equally as bad as those who believe sinlessness is a state than can be achieved are those who believe it’s not something that is needed to be achieved, because they were never sinful in the first place.  These are the people who subscribe to the “man is basically good” philosophy, people who apparently ignore the evening news and countless headlines over the course of a day.  Rather than the picture of being steeped in sin before birth, as the Bible paints us, they believe in man’s inherent capacity for good.  They deceive themselves, and the truth is not in them. 

In either case, the futility of pretending to be without sin, or pretending that such a state can be achieved, will be met with about the same success as efforts to rid a naval ship of yellow fever. Some time ago a naval ship that had had a case of yellow fever break out among its crew returned to the naval yard for repair and fumigation.  After the ship had been scraped and repainted, and all the proper procedures had been endured, the ship was put back to sea again.  However, not even a full month later, yellow fever appeared again on the ship.  More drastic action was to be taken this time.  Since it was said that yellow fever spores could not live through the cold weather, the ship was to be opened up and exposed to freezing weather during the winter.  When spring arrived, the ship was repainted and made ready for sea again, but again the fever broke out.  Finally it was determined that, although a most noble naval vessel, death was in it, so it was eventually towed to sea and sunk.

So it is with all of us by nature: try as we might, sin naturally clings to us, and no matter how hard we try, no matter the method, we cannot rid ourselves of it. It has been passed down from generation to generation, threatening a fate that would sink us spiritually and eternally into the depths of hell.  To avoid such a fate, only one remedy can rid a person of the effects of that original/inherited sin: the blood of Christ.  Only the blood of Christ can fully and completely purify us inside and out, so that not a trace of such sin remains.  That purification is applied by the Holy Spirit, either by means of the cleansing waters of baptism or through the Word of God alone, but always through the Word of God.

What a difference there is for those who confess their sins!  John says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (v.9).  We’re sinners – that’s the truth!  Don’t claim otherwise, or you reject the very forgiveness that is received following that confession of sins.

The third and final truth of which John speaks may not appear all that different from the previous one.  He writes, “If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives” (v.10).  It sounds nearly identical, but there is a subtle difference: the difference between having sin and the act of sinning itself.  The one is a lie that man can be without sin this side of heaven; the other is a lie that refuses to identify sin when it is being committed.  This lie refuses to call sin, sin.  Sin is either watered-down (“a little white lie”), euphemized (living in sin is called “cohabitation”), or outright denied (homosexuality is acceptable).  To deny our actual sins is to call God a liar and to show that the Word is really no part of our lives.

With these truths it is clear that John is serious about helping his readers connect the dots between belief and behavior.  Speaking the truth means not trying to hide or ignore our sin, but confessing it freely.  For when we have that truth down, then John wants to lavish us with the most important truth: “if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense – Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (2:1,2).  There simply is no greater truth than knowing that the One interceding on our behalf has made us at one with God, paying for the sins of the entire world.  But one cannot and will not appreciate that life-altering truth unless he first speaks the truth of his own sin.  Yes, we sin daily, we sin much.  But dear friends, that sad truth cannot begin to snuff out the bright Easter joy that reminds us that God the Father fully accepted his Son to be our atoning sacrifice.  Even if we forget all other truth while here on earth, may we never tire both of hearing and speaking that truth, a truth of which we can be certain  because… CIR HIRI! Amen.

“For the freer confidence is from one’s own works, and the more exclusively it is directed toward Christ alone, so much better is the Christian it makes.” (Luther)

A Life Worth Living Dismisses Doubt

The second sunday of easter

Shepherd of the Hills Ev. Lutheran Church (WELS)

John 20:19-31

19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” 26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” 30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (NIV)

CIR HIRI! (Christ Is Risen; He Is Risen Indeed!) Easter Sunday reminded us that a life worth living is one that lives on the promises of God.  How true!  Lewis and Clark received that huge promise that was backed by President Thomas Jefferson and the United States government: take anything at all you need for the journey from anyone at all you need to, and we’ll pay it back. Yet that promise pales in comparison to the promise given us by our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who said, “Because I live, you also will live” (Jn 14:19).  The one who assured us that we need not have any fears because he has overcome all the troubles in the world (Jn. 16:33) is also the one who proved it with his resurrection.   Truly, a life worth living is one that lives on the promises of God…

…which sounds so nice and simple and easy – and perhaps it would be – if it weren’t for doubt.  But doubt can be crippling.  Every ounce of us may wish to believe, to trust, but just the slightest amount of doubt can creep in and spoil everything.  And so this morning, while we continue with our eyes focused on the empty tomb, we pray that we might be led to recognize that a life worth living DISMISSES DOUBT.

Shakespeare wrote, “Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win.” The world sees doubt as an impediment to one achieving his or her dreams.  Junior didn’t make the free throw because he doubted himself; he didn’t have enough confidence that he could make it.  She didn’t get the job because she doubted herself doubted herself in the interview and wasn’t sure she was cut out for it.  He would have gotten the main role in the play if he had only auditioned instead of second-guessing his talent.  The world sees doubt as a hindrance to personal success, and indeed, it certainly can be.  However, a distinction must be made between how the world views the pitfalls of doubt and how the Christian views the pitfalls of doubt.  While we recognize that doubt can certainly play a role in impeding a person in certain areas of life, we are well aware of the much more serious danger that doubt presents in the spiritual realm.

That was the kind of doubt Thomas was experiencing.  His doubts carried eternal implications, for if he refused to believe that Jesus had indeed been raised, as his fellow disciples claimed, then Thomas was still in his sin and without any hope whatsoever, just as Paul reminded us in our Second Lesson this morning from 1 Corinthians.  For a time, Thomas was in that very state of unbelief.  “The other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord!’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it’” (v.25). 

It is quite easy for us to become frustrated with Thomas, isn’t it?  We find ourselves on the border of being furious with him for refusing to believe the testimony of eyewitnesses.  But I challenge you to think of Thomas differently: rather than being filled with frustration, isn’t pity in order?  After all, don’t you think Thomas wanted to believe Jesus had risen?  Surely we cannot imagine him choosing to continue on throughout Easter week with a heavy and depressed heart over the death of Jesus.  Surely he would not prefer that each day be covered by the bleak disappointment stemming from loneliness without Jesus.

Such behavior would hardly mirror the Thomas we see elsewhere in Scripture.  After having relayed to the disciples that their friend Lazarus had “fallen asleep,” Jesus explained that he needed to go and wake him up.  Thinking Jesus was referring to physical sleep, and not death, the disciples tried to dissuade Jesus, thinking it best for him to sleep if he is sick.  Then Jesus told them plainly that Lazarus had died, and Thomas replied, “Let us go, that we may die with him” (Jn. 11:16).  Does such zeal in support of Jesus sound like it’s coming from someone who would later on willfully choose to deny that Jesus had risen from the dead? Surely not!  Certainly Thomas must have hoped in his heart of hearts that what the disciples were speaking was the truth.  It’s just that he couldn’t bring himself to believe it; he couldn’t overcome his doubt.

Furthermore, Thomas by no means cornered the market on doubt, did he?  Did you notice what the first reaction of virtually everyone was on that first Easter morning?  Almost all doubted!  It wasn’t just Thomas, but all those who heard word of a resurrection doubted its reality until their own eyes laid hold of the risen Jesus.  Initially the women were terrified and didn’t know what to do after the angel had told them Jesus rose.  The disciples and Peter and John didn’t believe the women’s story at first.  The two on the way to Emmaus recounted all the details, but even they didn’t believe that he had risen.  Thomas wasn’t alone; doubt seemed to be the reaction of the day!

If that was the case on the very day of Jesus’ resurrection, then it should not surprise us that we who are so far removed from the momentous event experience doubts of our own.  Ask the Christian who just found out that a loved one is dying if he’s ever doubted the reality of eternal life or a resurrection from the dead.  See if the Christian parents who raised their children faithfully under the shadow of the cross, only to see their adult children make one spiritually immature decision after another if they’ve ever doubted the Proverb “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he’s old, he will not depart from it.”  Does the recent convert ever have doubts about the Trinity?  Does the still unemployed father ever doubt that God will provide?  Doubt abounds in our lives, and most would agree that a doubt-filled life is not the ideal life worth living while here on earth.

And the real danger is that such sinful doubt really serves as the building blocks of unbelief itself.  Doubt stacked upon doubt stacked upon doubt has the potential to erect a barricade of separation from God that no hardened heart ever has or ever will be able to scale.  Before long, what had started out as a little doubt here or there has turned into full-blown unbelief.

So what is the answer for those plagued by doubt?  It is the very same answer it was for Thomas: Jesus.  After what must have been the most agonizing of weeks for Thomas, Jesus returned to visit the disciples again, this time reaching out to Thomas and giving him exactly what he needed.  Remember that Thomas refused to believe unless he could see the nail marks and put his finger into his side?  Jesus didn’t need to be told what Thomas needed; in his omniscient divine wisdom, Jesus appeared to Thomas and said to him, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe” (v.27).  And with that, the teetering faith of Thomas was strengthened, leading him to confess, “My Lord and my God!” (v.28). 

A life worth living dismisses doubt, but not a one of us has any innate ability whatsoever to overcome our inclinations toward doubting.  It is no use to look inward, to look to self and presume that a change here or there will get rid of doubt.  Like Thomas, only seeing Jesus will fortify our faith.  If you struggle with doubt, then look to Jesus.  Visit with him more frequently in Scripture.  Daily recall how he washed you in baptism.  Come to his table to be fed forgiveness as often as possible.  Let him be more prominent in your life, so that your faith might be built up and you will stop doubting and believe.  How do you know if it will work?  Follow the advice of the British poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who when asked if Christianity was true, responded by saying, “try it.”  Or learn from a Hindu convert to Christianity, who once declared, “If I were a missionary, I would not argue the question of religions; I would give people the New Testament and say, ‘Read that.”  Try it.  Read it.  Stop doubting and believe.  You cannot on your own overcome doubt.  But Jesus did, so look to him.  CIR HIRI!

The effigies of a crusader knight and his lady lie side by side in a cathedral in England.  The right hand of the lady is missing.  History indicates that the knight, fighting in a crusade under Richard the Lion-Hearted, was captured.  The knight begged Saladin, the sultan of Egypt and Syria, to set him free.  He appealed to the love and devotion his lady in England had for him.  At this Saladin scoffed, assuring the knight that it wouldn’t take too long for the lady to forget about him and marry another.  The knight refused to believe it, stating with utmost confidence that she would always remain faithful to him as long as there remained any hope that he might still be alive.

Demanding evidence for such a claim, Saladin agreed that if the knight’s lady were to send her right hand to prove her devotion, he would release the knight.  When the request reached the lady back in England, she promptly had her right hand removed and sent to the Muslim conqueror.  When Saladin saw the hand, he allowed the knight to go free and return to England.  The amputated hand served as proof of the lady’s devotion to her husband.

Nail marks and a pierced side served as evidence of the dying devotion Jesus had for Thomas.  Along with that appearance, we also have other numerous proofs and undeniable evidence of Jesus’ devotion for us recorded in the Scriptures.  The Lord God knows how inclined we are to doubt and to question, so he provides ample evidence of his love and devotion for us in the Scriptures, ultimately with one purpose in mind, as John reminds us: “these [miraculous signs] are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (v.31).  Or, we might just as well say, “these are written that you may find a life worth living, a life that dismisses doubt.”  We can be sure of it.  CIR HIRI!  Amen. 

Make Way for the King of Glory

The sixth sunday in lent – palm sunday

Shepherd of the Hills Ev. Lutheran Church (WELS)

Psalm 24

Of David. A psalm.

1 The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;
2 for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.

3 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false.
5 He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob.  Selah

7 Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty— he is the King of glory.  Selah

Years ago a yacht landed at a wharf in Scotland.  Two of the men in the yacht left the boat to take a walk and tour the area.  It didn’t take long before they were lost.  It became late at night, and they came to a farmer’s cottage.  They knocked on the door and pleaded to the farmer that they were hungry and cold.  But it didn’t matter; the farmer would not let them in.  A mile or more away, they approached another cottage.  Though past midnight by now, the farmer willingly took them in.  Much to his surprise, he soon found out that one of the young men was the prince who would later become George V, the beloved king of England.  Now imagine the regret and shame the other farmer must have felt upon hearing that he had unknowingly shut the door in the face of the king!

The Bible tells us that many people will do the same to the Savior King.  To reject Jesus is to shut the door in the face of the King!  There is no middle ground here; in each man’s heart, Jesus Christ will either register as King, or he won’t.

On this Palm Sunday, as we remember his triumphal entry into Jerusalem amidst swaying palm branches and hollered-out Hosannas, we want to consider how we still Make Way for the King of Glory today.  To assist us we take a closer look at the psalm we sang this morning, Psalm 24.  This Psalm was written by King David.  We cannot determine the precise use for this psalm, but it seems very likely that it was used in some sort of procession to the Lord’s Temple.  Some speculate that it may have been used when the Ark of the Covenant was brought to the Temple, but there is no definitive evidence to support this thought with certainty.

Regardless, how might the Holy Spirit use this Psalm to guide people both to see and receive Jesus as their King today?  The tone is set in the very first verse: “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”  How can we know the Lord is the only one who can rightly be called “King?”  How can we know that there is no one greater or that no one else is more deserving of our hearts?  Because God made everything that exists – all of it.  He drew up the design, carried out the production, and brought everything into existence.  As David wrote, “he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters” (v.2). We confess it in the First Article: “I believe in God the Father Almighty, the Maker of heaven and earth.”  The Lord deserves our acclaim as king because we, along with everything else in this world, would not exist apart from his having created us.

Realize it or not, we make way for the King of Glory on a regular basis whenever we properly manage the blessings he’s entrusted to us (stewardship).  If I remind myself regularly that every last possession I own is really God’s and that he has simply entrusted it to my care for as many years of life as he has measured out for me, then I start to see how I can honor my King with my (his!) belongings.

Imagine living as a peasant in the Medieval Ages and being so dirt poor that you barely have enough to scrape by and provide for your family.  Then, out of nowhere, and for no good reason that you could possibly fathom, you are called in to an audience with the king.  Not knowing whether good or bad will result, you enter into the king’s presence.  Then he explains why he has called you.  He has a significant portion of land that has gone unused, and he would like you to be responsible for farming the land for him.  While it is the king’s land, you and your family are allowed to take as much as you need to live comfortably off it, and the rest of whatever the land yields belongs to the king.  Will you not faithfully and diligently work the land to get as much from it as you possibly can?  Yes, and not just because you know that you get to live off a portion of it, but also because you want to show honor and respect to the king for his generosity toward you.

So it is with all that we have.  Our King brought it into existence, and he has been gracious enough to trust a portion of it to our care for a certain time.  Are we using what he has given us to show honor and respect to our King?  Are we making way for the King of Glory by seeing possessions first and foremost as means by which we serve him?

The Lord rightly deserve to be called King on the basis of his creating work, but he is deserving for another reason as well: he went a step further for us after his perfect creation became stained by sin: he redeemed us.  “The earth is the LORD’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it” because Jesus bought us back from Satan.  He paid the full price – there was no discount or bartering on our behalf – nothing but the full price of Jesus’ innocent blood would do.  And that buyback certainly included each of us, but it also included all mankind.  Nobody was excluded; however, not everyone is aware of it.

So… we can make way for the King of Glory when we acknowledge his having bought us back by making every effort to win others to Christ.  They’ve already been bought and paid for, they just need to know it.  They just need to hear about what the King of Glory has done for them to make them his own.  They need to hear that the transaction has already been made and that Satan no longer owns them.  So we make way for the King of Glory by faithfully carrying out the work of evangelism, for in so doing, we’re merely trying to gather souls that already belong to the Redeemer.

As you stand in line behind others waiting at a store to benefit from a one-time free giveaway and you notice others starting to slow down as they walk by, wondering what the line is for, what is your reaction?  Aren’t you inclined to let them in on the news and tell them to jump in line so they can benefit from this great deal?  Don’t we enjoy being “in-the-know” and sharing useful information with others so that they can come out ahead as well?

There is nothing greater to pass along to others than to be able to tell them of a free giveaway that has an impact on their eternity; to be able to let others in on the news that they’ve been redeemed and are under God’s love and protection, because through Christ they now belong to him.  They have been brought into the family and are heirs to the priceless and limitless fortunes of God’s grace, the riches of his forgiveness, a new and guilt-free life, and one that is full of meaning and purpose. We get to tell others that, and in so doing it is as if we were there in Jerusalem with the crowds, waving our palm branches and shouting our hosannas as we make way for the King of Glory.  We rightly receive him by relaying him to others.

We make way for the King of Glory because he created and redeemed us.  Without his redemption, we never would have stood a chance.  That is the only conclusion that can be drawn as David asks and then answers the question in verses 3 & 4, “Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false” (v.3,4).  Who has clean hands and a pure heart? No one. The expectation is not only that such a person would refrain from the outward actions (“clean hands”), but also that he wouldn’t even entertain wicked thoughts in his heart (“pure heart”).  We might fool ourselves into thinking we’ve accomplished the former, but we don’t begin to qualify for the latter.  Our hearts are corrupt inside and out.  They needed to be cleansed.

That brings us back full circle to why Jesus willingly strode into Jerusalem on a donkey.  His mission was to launder unclean hands and impure hearts.  How hard it must have been to ride in to the wonderful procession, the type of welcome truly fit for a king, only to know that some of the very same voices shouting “Hosanna” would be the same screaming “Crucify!” in a matter of days.  Yet those were the ones he came to save.  Those who were just like you and me, with no inherent redeeming qualities of our own; like lost and wandering sheep, helpless, and needing salvation.  He came so that we could benefit, as David described: “He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior” (v.5).

That vindication wouldn’t come on our own merits, but by his victory.  Up to this point Jesus had always been victorious.  He had been victorious over sin by his perfect life.  He won the battle against Satan when tempted in the desert.  He had been victorious over death when raising the dead back to life.  He overcame nature itself.  Finally, the ultimate battle against Satan was what brought him to Jerusalem.  And Good Friday and Easter morning were the convincing proofs of his victory in that most important battle for our salvation.  The King came to die and rise again.  “Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle” (v.8).  He is the One who created us and the one who redeemed us.  He is the King of glory.  So then, “Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in” (v.9).  Amen. 

“For the freer confidence is from one’s own works, and the more exclusively it is directed toward Christ alone, so much better is the Christian it makes.” (Luther)