The lutheransermons's Podcast

Sermon from June 29, 2025

Sermon: “Discipleship: Christ’s Way”

3rd Sunday after Pentecost

Luke 9:51-62

Let us pray: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen (Psalm 19:14)

The text for our meditation today is the Gospel Lesson, from Luke 9:51ff. You can follow along in your pew Bibles, as we think about being disciples of our Lord - His way!

As our text begins, Jesus knows just what was coming for Him - that the days drew near for Him to be taken up - to be taken up first to a cross to suffer and die - and in that process, to suffer the penalty for our sins and the sins of the whole world. And then He would be taken up to a tomb, from which He would rise in victory, defeating the power and curse of death. And then He would be taken up again to the glories of heaven, at His ascension, to open the door to eternal life for us, too, through faith in Him and what He has done for us.

The suffering and death would be terrible, but Jesus set His face to go to Jerusalem to suffer this for us, in our place. A prophecy of Him in Isaiah 50 has Him saying: ”I gave My back to those who struck Me and My cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not My face from disgrace and spitting. But the Lord God helps Me… therefore I have set my face like flint” (like a hard, hard stone) to do my Father’s will” (Isaiah 50:6-7).

All this would happen in Jerusalem, and Jesus went the most direct way there, through Samaria. He hoped to rest in a village there, but the people there would not receive or help Him at all. This was because the Jews and the Samaritans, at that time, hated each other, and as John 4:9 says, “Jews have no dealings at all with Samaritans.”

The disciples, James and John, were so angry at Jesus being rejected that they wondered if they should call for fire from heaven to come down and consume those Samaritans. There were Old Testament examples of such things, as judgment for sin. Even the great prophet Elijah had called for fire of judgment at one time. Jesus had given James and John the nickname ”Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3:17) for they had this angry, judgmental streak in them, which came out at times. But in our text, we hear that Jesus turned and rebuked these disciples - told them they were very wrong in their thinking - and they then moved on to another village, looking for a place to rest

Why did Jesus rebuke His close disciples in this way? Because He knew His true and ultimate mission - to be the Savior for all people, not just one group of people. Most of us know John 3:16 from the Bible. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” That’s truly Good News! But sometimes we don’t go on to read John 3:17, which says: "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.” Destroying a Samaritan town by fire would save no one.

In His ministry, Jesus reached out to others in loving concern, including Samaritans. In John 4, Jesus reached out to a Samaritan woman at a well and brought her to faith in Him. Through her witness and Jesus’ own Words, many more Samaritans believed in Him and said, “We have heard for ourselves, and we know Jesus is indeed the Savior of the world” (John 4:1-42).

Later on, Jesus told a parable of a man beaten and left to die. A Jewish priest and a Levite don’t help him, but a Samaritan man does. And when Jesus healed 10 people with leprosy, only one man came back to say “thank you,” and he was a Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37 and Luke 17:11-19). And at His ascension, Jesus said to the disciples, “You will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth (Acts 1:9). And later in the Book of Acts, we hear of the disciples following in Jesus’ steps and reaching people in Samaria with the Gospel in Acts 8:1-22, 9:31, and 15:3.

Jesus did His saving work and taught His disciples to reach out in faith and love to others, and they finally did, even to the formerly hated Samaritans. And we read in Acts 9, “So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and were being built up.” And that is still our calling to this very day, as followers of Christ. But it is a growing process, with much learning through Jesus and His Word.

As our text continues and Jesus moves on toward Jerusalem, we hear that He meets three different men who seem interested in being His disciples, but Jesus seems to treat them in unusual ways. 

The first says, enthusiastically, “I will follow You, Jesus, wherever You go.” That sounds great, but might be largely an emotional response; for Jesus asks him, as he had asked others on other occasions, whether he had counted the possible cost of following Jesus, where foxes and birds have places to live, but Jesus has nowhere to lay His head, at times. Maybe this man needed more time to learn and grow before taking on big commitments. He may have been just a novice, new in the faith, as Paul once cautioned about (1 Timothy 3:6).

Jesus asks a second man to follow Him, but that man says, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father!” Jesus seems very harsh with him, saying, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead.” Some think, though, that this man was too hesitant to follow Jesus and may have just been making excuses, as his father was really neither sick nor dying, and it might be a long time before he would need to bury his father. Jesus was certainly not against family responsibilities and “honoring father and mother,” as the 4th Commandment says, and Paul warns about people who fail to take their responsibility and provide for family members. Even Jesus, on the cross, made sure that His own mother was taken care of, assigning that responsibility to John. Jesus simply says to this man, “As for you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God” right where you are, and let people know of Me as Savior and Lord. That is something that anyone in faith can do, as we can, still today.

The third person in our text says, “I will follow You, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” That sounds like a reasonable request, and Elijah, in our first reading today, allowed Elisha to go back and kiss his parents and do some other things before joining Elijah as a prophet. But something else seems to be going on here, as Jesus tells this man a proverb or simple parable: “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God.” In earlier days, before there was modern equipment for plowing, one literally had to hold the plow and keep looking ahead, with a straight focus, to make a straight furrow and not mess things up. Jesus may have known that this man was making only a half-hearted commitment to being a disciple of Jesus. He may have too easily been looking back to old associations and old loyalties, with weak commitment to the present and future work of Christ.

How different Jesus was from these men. He knew His father’s will and set His face like flint to carry it out perfectly. Only He could be the Savior we needed. And he did do everything we need, as a gift of His grace. Our most recent Lutheran Study Bible makes this comment: “Jesus always initiated the call to discipleship. Remarkably, the Gospels
never tell us about anyone offering to follow Jesus and then successfully becoming a disciple. In each case, Jesus seems to challenge the “self-confidence” (LSB, p.1733). It is not as the old song says, “I have decided to follow Jesus” by my own free will. Instead, Jesus told His disciples, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, to go and bear fruit” (John 15:16).

We rely not on ourselves, but on Christ Jesus and His saving work and His gift of faith, and the Holy Spirit, who has worked that faith in us through our baptism and the Word of God. Jesus said to those who had been brought to belief in Him, ”If you continue in My Word, if you abide in My Word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32) - free to serve your family and Lord, in good and difficult times, and with confidence in Christ’s love and forgiveness and strength for you in this life and eternal joy to come. Amen.

Let us pray: “Now may the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds safe, in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. (Philippians 4:7)

Preparing for Worship - July 13, 2025

The Scriptures this week remind us of the command to “love our neighbor,” but keep bringing us back to what Christ Jesus has done for us in His love for us. The Old Testament lesson is from Leviticus (18:1-5) 19:9-8. Several times, the Lord God says, “I am the LORD” and then tells us to follow the Commandments and to love our neighbors - the people He has placed around us. We are to leave some of our harvest, so that the poor and the sojourner can have some for themselves through gleaning, gathering the leftovers. We are to pay our workers what we owe them. We should not take advantage of people with disabilities or treat people unjustly in court. We should not slander others or hate them or hold a grudge against them or act with vengeance toward them. We are to love our neighbor as ourselves, as we wish others would do toward us.

The Psalm is Psalm 41. David begins by calling us to “consider the poor and needy” and care for them, for the LORD has cared for and helped them, too (sometimes through us). David then remembers his own sins and asks the Lord to be gracious to him and help him as he faces many troubles and enemies, who wish him dead. Then, as in other psalms, the words of David become a prophecy of the coming Savior, our Lord Jesus. Close “friends” hate Him and betray Him (John 18:13). Others think the worst about Him and think He cannot rise again from the deadly things that happen to Him” (Mark 15:29-32). Yet Jesus knows, “My enemy will not shout in triumph over Me.” The Lord “will raise Me up” and “set Me in His presence forever.” But unlike David, Jesus does not die and rise again to take vengeance on those opposed to Him, but to forgive and save. This has been the blessed plan of the Lord, from everlasting to everlasting, in His love even for the sinners that we are. Amen and Amen to that!

The Gospel lesson, Luke 10:25-37, is the story Jesus tells of the Good Samaritan, who helps a man beaten and left for dead and provides for all his needs with his own resources. That is what God has done for us in the loving work of Jesus for us, purely by His grace and mercy, His resources. He was and still is the Neighbor we have needed, by His sacrifice for our sins and His resurrection to provide for us new and eternal life. Note especially the context of this story. Jesus tells this story to a religious man, a doctor of the Law of God, who seems to think he can inherit eternal life by what he does. The man knows that God expects complete love of Him and of one’s neighbor. Jesus says, “Keep on doing this, and you will live.” The man seems to realize, deep down, that he does not always do this and needs to try to “justify himself.” So, he asks, “Who is my neighbor, the kind of person I am to love?” In the parable, Jesus changes the question to “Who am I to be a neighbor to?” And He clearly means anyone and everyone, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His Son.” Jesus was teaching what only He could do, earning forgiveness for all by His love for all and His sacrifice for all. That’s what gives us all hope and joy - not our justifying ourselves, but Jesus justifying us, a gift given to us as we are simply brought to believe and trust in Him as the Neighbor and Savior who rescued us.

The Epistle lesson, Colossians 1:1-14, begins a series of readings from this letter to people in the ancient city of Colossae. Paul rejoices in the faith, hope, and love of people there who have “heard the Word of the Truth, of the Gospel,” and have come to believe and “understand the grace of God” in Christ the Savior. Paul prays that the believers, including us, will be filled with spiritual wisdom and understanding, giving thanks especially that God the Father has delivered us from the domain of sin and darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of all our sins,” by His sacrifice for us. We have done nothing to earn or deserve this. “God the Father has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints (all believers) in the light” of eternal life. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead assures us of this eternal future. What joy and confidence we have, not in ourselves, but in Christ.

Sermon from June 25, 2025

Sermon on Romans 11:33-36

A Trinity Sunday Reading (One-Year Series)

Let us pray: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen. (Psalm 19:14)

I had the privilege of preaching on June 15 for the service for a Purdue grad, who became a Lutheran pastor and was celebrating the 25th Anniversary of his ordination into the ministry. His church in Illinois uses the one-year series of Scripture readings, where we are using the three-year series, and I thought that the Epistle Lesson for Trinity Sunday, Romans 11:33-36, was worth our thinking about for a few minutes today. I printed it below:

“Oh, the depths of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways! ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor?’ ‘Or who has given a gift to Him that he might be repaid?’ For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen”

These words of Paul are a doxology, a word of praise to God, like the song of praise we often use: “Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow.” Paul begins by saying, “Oh, the depths of the riches of God.” When we hear the word “riches,” we often think about money and resources as we get older. Can we pay all our bills? Will our money last until we die? How will things work out? I know that sometimes I worry far too much about such things, even though Jesus tells us, in His Sermon on the Mount, “Don’t be so anxious… for your Heavenly Father knows all that you (really) need. But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:30-33).

That’s why Paul turns our thoughts, in this passage, to the riches of “the wisdom and knowledge of God!” Earlier in Romans, Paul had written of “the riches of the kindness and forbearance (putting up with us and our weaknesses) and patience of God… meant to lead us to repentance” and trust in Him (Romans 2:4). And he wrote of “the Lord, bestowing His riches on all who call on Him, for all who call on the Name of the Lord will be saved” - salvation for eternal life (Romans 10:12-13)! And Paul means, of course, calling upon the One True Triune God, Whom we just celebrated not too many weeks ago:

• The Father, who loved the world so much that He sent His only Son to us
• and the Son, of whom Paul wrote: “You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you by His poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9)
• Christ Jesus, who is called “the power of God and the Wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:24), in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:2-3)
• and God the Holy Spirit, of whom Paul writes: “We have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given to us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom, but taught by the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:12-13)

Paul calls this Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the “vessel of mercy” (Romans 9:23), bringing us forgiveness and grace and peace in this life and eternal life in heaven, through God’s Word and Sacraments. There is our hope.

Paul also reminds us that this is the Wisdom and Knowledge of God that is far beyond our own human wisdom and thinking and understanding. Paul writes, “How unsearchable are God’s judgments and how inscrutable His ways.” I looked up the word “inscrutable” again in both English and in Greek, and it is defined as “things not easily understood, mysterious and puzzling, sometimes even incomprehensible.” In the Greek, it means “things that can’t be tracked down” and figured out by our human minds, even if we try hard to do so. For example, the whole idea of the Trinity - only One God and yet three distinct Persons - can’t be fully understood or explained - just believed.

We run into this trouble, too, when difficult things are happening in our lives, and we just can’t seem to understand why God would allow or permit such things. Why should I or one of my family or friends have this illness or problem? - and we struggle. Paul then quotes from a portion of Isaiah 40:13-14: “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor?“

It is OK to talk over anything with the Lord and bring our concerns to Him. But sometimes in our prayers, we do try to counsel God and tell Him what He ought to do, as if we really knew better than He. Finally, we just have to say, though, “Here’s my wish and opinion, but Your will be done, O Lord,” as the Scriptures teach. And we then try to trust God’s promise to “turn all things to some good, for those who love Him” (Romans 8:28), though we can’t always see it for ourselves.

Paul adds one more quotation, based on words from Job, Chapters 41-42 (Job 41:11, especially): “Or who has given a gift to God, that he might be repaid?” This is the age-old temptation, and sadly, the teaching of most religions and even of some churches, that if we are good enough and do enough good things, we can earn and merit God’s favor, and He will have to accept us and repay us with His blessings. That idea simply will not work, according to the Scriptures.

In the verse right before this doxology, Paul says that we are all disobedient sinners, but that God wishes to have mercy on us all, by His own choice and work. And how does that happen? Paul put it so clearly, earlier in Romans: “There is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as an atoning sacrifice, by His blood, to be received by faith.” “It is the righteousness from God through faith in Christ Jesus for all who believe” (Romans 3:22-25).

As James wrote in his letter, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, from the Father… Of His own will, He brought us forth by the Word of Truth” to the new and eternal life we enjoy (James 1:17-18). We don’t understand it all, and we still have our struggles, but we say in faith and praise, with Paul: “For from God and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen” (Romans 11:36).

Preparing for Worship - July 6, 2025

The readings for this week take us into predictions of the Gospel being shared with all the world, and then how that began to happen in the ministry of Jesus and then in the ministry of the early Christian church, centered in Christ.

The Psalm is Psalm 66:1-7. The psalmist calls upon the whole earth to shout for joy to God for His awesome power and deeds. A time is coming when people all over the earth will worship and sing praises to God, remembering how He turned the Red Sea into dry land (at the time of Moses, in Exodus 14) and how God’s people could pass through the River Jordan, on dry land, at the time of Joshua (Joshua 3). Both Elijah and Elisha were able to do the same at the Jordan in their ministries, showing that they were anointed by the Spirit of the Lord for their work, too (2 Kings 2). God’s people rejoice in the Lord God, who rules by His might forever. A warning comes, then, to people who are rebellious against God and try to exalt themselves, instead of God. The praise should go to our Lord God, especially, in the future, in the Name of Jesus our Savior.

The Old Testament lesson is from Isaiah 66:10-14. The picture image that God gives to Isaiah, at the end of his prophecy, is of Jerusalem as a nursing mother, providing “delight and comfort and consolation” to her children, as the Savior would come and do His saving work there and bring the Good News of Salvation. There is “glorious abundance” in Jesus and His mercy and forgiveness, and “peace like a river” of blessing, in Him. This will be a blessing available for the glory of all nations, with examples of other peoples listed beyond this text, in Isaiah 66: 18ff., who will have the opportunity to hear the Gospel. There is also a strong warning of the Lord’s indignation against those who continue to be enemies of Him and His Savior. Right after our text, there are warnings of fire and judgment for those apart from the Lord, as well, though the Lord wants all to come to faith. If you skip to the last verses of Isaiah 66:22-24, you will also find prophecy that is repeated in the New Testament, of new heavens and a new earth and a kind of new eternal Jerusalem in which only worshiping believers will be present. That will be when Christ returns on the last Day and raises all dead bodies. Believers will be with Him forever in continued joy, while unbelievers will be in eternal sorrow in the fire of hell, where their worms will not die. Jesus uses the same imagery of hell in Mark 9:43-48, but promises eternal life for all believers.

The Gospel lesson is Luke 10:1-20. Jesus appoints and sends out 72 of His disciples to prepare the way for Him, as laborers in His harvest. This is a short mission, and they are to take no provisions with them, but rely on people who will help them. They are to proclaim the Kingdom of God coming near, in Jesus, and can even perform some miracles. If they are rejected, they are to move on to others. But “woe to those” who reject them, for they are also rejecting Jesus and the heavenly Father who sent Him. The seventy-two returned with joy, for they could even cast out demons, symbolized as serpents and scorpions. The victory is won finally by Jesus Himself over Satan through His coming death and resurrection. Jesus tells these disciples to rejoice even more that their names would be written in heaven through the gift of faith and eternal life in Him that He would bring to them. This also represented what was to come - the Gospel going out into the world to all nations. The contrast would continue, though, between believers and those who reject the Lord.

The Epistle is Galatians 6:1-10 and 14-18. Paul continues to teach about the “new creation” coming through the cross and resurrection victory of our Lord Jesus and the mercy and peace coming to all who are brought to trust in Him. Old Testament rules and regulations, like circumcision, are no longer needed. Jesus has completed everything we need. If people sin and are struggling, they can be restored in a “spirit of gentleness, through the forgiveness earned by Christ. Christians are called not to become weary in doing good to and for others, teaching and sharing the love of Christ, as much as possible, and especially encouraging fellow believers in “the household of faith.” This is what life is like in the new “Israel,” the Israel of all believers, centered in Christ. Paul then signs this letter, which he had likely dictated, and offers the blessing of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which we are saved and serve. This is the gift of God to all who read and believe this letter, too - the very Word of God, to be shared with us and everyone else possible, along with the other Scriptures. Our Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit are always at work through this Word from God to strengthen us and bring more people to faith.

Sermon from July 2, 2025

Sermon on 1 Kings 19:9b-21

July 2, 2025

“Elijah - Still a Prophet?”

Epistle: 3rd Sunday after Pentecost

Let us pray: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen. (Psalm 19:14)

The text for our meditation this evening is the Old Testament lesson from this past Sunday, 1 Kings 19:9-21. At the time of this text, the prophet Elijah was having a very difficult time. He was troubled and discouraged and wondered if he even could or should be a prophet, anymore. We have to look at some background that brought Elijah to this point. Some of these stories you may remember. (You can find them in 1 Kings 16:29 through 19:8.)

Elijah had been a faithful prophet of the One True God, but was called to serve in the Northern Kingdom of Israel when there was a wicked Jewish King, Ahab, who had married a non-Jewish princess, Jezebel, who was even worse than he. Jezebel worshipped the false god, Baal, and a false goddess, Astarte, and convinced Ahab to get rid of the worship of the One True God. Instead, Jezebel supported 450 prophets of Baal and 400 of the prophets of the false goddess, as well, with the approval of Ahab, who built altars for worship of them.

Elijah, the prophet, spoke against what was happening and for the True God, but Ahab and Jezebel would not listen. Finally, God predicted a drought, through Elijah, that would go on for a long time unless the king and queen and the Israelites repented, but again, Ahab and Jezebel kept doing their evil things and leading the people further astray against the One True God.

The True God provided for Elijah during this drought that lasted more than two years. He sent ravens that fed him and then fed him through a non-Jewish widow, whose tiny bit of food was replenished by God daily, just enough for her and her son and Elijah. We pray, “Give us this day our daily bread,” but that was literally what the Lord God did for Elijah and the other two. Elijah kept speaking the Word of the Lord where he could, and by the power of God, even raised the widow’s son from the dead after the son became ill and died. The widow finally came to faith and said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the Word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.”

Little seemed to be accomplished in Israel itself, though, because of the continuing evil influence of Ahab and Jezebel and all the false prophets - and even after more than two years of no rain. Finally, the Lord sent Elijah to King Ahab to set up a contest between the prophets of Baal, and Elijah and the true God. Each would build an altar and ask their “god” to send down fire upon their altar. Whichever “god” responded was the True God. The prophets of Baal prayed and cried out and cut themselves with swords and lances to get the attention of Baal until they were bleeding badly, but Baal did not respond all day.

Elijah, in contrast, had his altar soaked with water and then spoke of the true God and prayed to him, and fire from God right away burned up Elijah’s altar and offering. It was very clear that Elijah’s God was the One True God. Elijah then told King Ahab that after more than two years of no rain, rain would come again, and a great rain came, showing God’s power and control, even over nature.

Elijah then had the 450 false prophets of Baal killed. Old Testament Law allowed for the “death penalty” for anyone who “enticed the people of Israel to go and serve other gods.” This may seem very harsh and hard - but remember that the coming Savior of the world was to come out of Judaism and the Jewish nation, from believers who still trusted the true God - and our Lord Jesus did come in just that way.

Now you would think that all this would convince King Ahab and Queen Jezebel to repent and turn to the one true God. That is likely what Elijah thought would happen. But that did not happen at all. Instead, Queen Jezebel was so angry that she vowed a curse upon herself if she had not killed Elijah within the next 24 hours.

Elijah then became very afraid and ran for his life. He ran to the Southern Kingdom of Judah, where there were believers and he could have been safe. But he ran to the southernmost part of Judah and even farther into the desolate wilderness. He was so fearful and discouraged and felt like a failure and asked that he might die. He said, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” He lay down, very discouraged.

But God wasn’t done with him, in spite of his weakness, and sent an angel to provide him with food and water. But he lay down again, maybe like a person who is so depressed that he can’t seem to get out of bed. And the angel of the Lord came again and provided him with food and drink enough for a journey of about 250 miles to Mt. Horeb, another name for Mt. Sinai, to a cave there.

That is where our text begins. Some think that the Lord was recreating what He had done with Moses long before, when Moses was so discouraged when the people of Israel had rebelled against the Lord and built a golden calf to worship, instead of the Lord, right when Moses was on Mt. Sinai learning from the Lord and seeking to do His will. Moses was so angry that he smashed the tablets on which the 10 Commandments were written, and was so troubled that he offered to have his name blotted out of the Book of Life.

Instead, the Lord had mercy and forgave Moses and his people, and even gave Moses a glimpse of the Lord’s glory, setting him in the cleft of a rock to protect him and encourage him to continue his ministry. Commentators think that the cave Elijah was now in was the same “cleft in a rock” that Moses had been in. God asked Elijah twice, “What are you doing here?” And twice Elijah had complained that he had been jealously working for the Lord, but the people of Israel had forsaken the Lord and torn down His altars, and he was the only believer left, and they were trying to kill him, too.

As the Lord had done for Moses in his time of great discouragement, the Lord also gave Elijah a glimpse of His glory. There was a great and strong wind that broke rocks in pieces, and then an earthquake, and then a fire, but the Lord was not in any of these mighty, powerful things. Instead, we hear that “the Word of the Lord came to Elijah “with the “sound of a low whisper.” The Lord God gave Elijah the great gift of His Word, powerful, even with a “still, small voice,” as some translate these Words.

God was not done with Elijah. Even in his weakness, God would be at work in him, through His Word. Elijah was to go where he had been and appoint some new leaders who would serve God’s purposes. And Elijah was not going to be alone either. He was to throw his cloak, his coat, upon Elisha, who would also be a prophet and would assist him in the rest of his ministry. And the Lord revealed to Elijah that he hadn’t seen alone, all along. There were seven thousand others who had not bowed their knees to the false god, Baal, and were believers with Elijah in the One True God. And in spite of his struggles and discouraging days, at times, God still worked through Elijah, and he was one of only two people in Scripture who were taken directly to heaven, without dying (2 Kings 2).

What does all of this say to us today? If even great leaders in Scripture like Moses and Elijah had their struggles and discouragements and times of weakness, should it be a surprise that we have such struggles in our lives, too? And the Lord doesn’t write us off because of our troubles and times of seeming failures. He loves us and forgives us and lifts us up and still gives us things to do for Him and the people He places around us.

Remember how Paul talked about his “thorn in the flesh” that kept him humble. He trusted his Lord, who told him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” And so, like Moses and Elijah, Paul said, “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities, for when I am weak, then I am strong, in the power of Christ, who helps me through."

Ahab and Jezebel and many others were strong enemies, but God used Elijah and others through sharing what sometimes seemed to be the still, small voice of God’s Word, always to bring at least a remnant of believing Jewish people to faith, and from them came our Lord Jesus, the Jewish Savior for the whole world by His perfect life of righteousness, in our place, and His death on the cross to forgive all our sins, and His resurrection from the dead, fulfilling the promise of eternal life for us, after death.

And Jesus was also a true man, tempted as Moses and Elijah and we are, yet without sin. He needed encouragement and help, as a man, and John the Baptist prepared the way for Him. The Scriptures and Jesus said that John the Baptist was also the one who came in the spirit and power of Elijah, as prophesied. John the Baptist also had his struggles and questions, too, and died a tragic death, but was saved by faith in the perfect grace of Jesus, as we all are.

And on the Mount of Transfiguration, when a glimpse of Jesus’ own glory was shown to Peter, James, and John, how appropriate it was that Moses and Elijah were there, too, great and yet as imperfect as we are, yet saved through Jesus, as we are all (Matthew 17:1-13). And as Paul later wrote, we can still hear that quiet whisper, the still, small voice in God’s Word, the Holy Scriptures, which may not always seem so important, but are the “power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” May we stay in that Word, centered in Christ, always. Amen.

Preparing for Worship - June 29, 2025

Our readings this week have to do with being disciples of our Lord Jesus and following Him and His way. The Old Testament lesson is from 1 Kings 19:9b-21. Elijah was on the run because the Lord had defeated the false prophets of Baal at Mt. Carmel, and Elijah had then killed them (1 Kings 18). Queen Jezebel was very angry with her false prophets being killed and planned to kill Elijah. Elijah “ran for his life,” feeling that he was a failure, but the Lord sent an angel to sustain him for a long trip, 40 days and 40 nights, to Mt. Horeb (Mt. Sinai) (1 Kings 19:1-8). The Word of the Lord came to Elijah twice, asking, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” Twice, Elijah answers that he seems to be the only person left among the Israelites who is faithful to the Lord. The Lord speaks to him, not in a dramatic, powerful way, but in a low whisper, and sends him back to his work as a prophet a while longer, by anointing new kings of Syria and Israel, and a new prophet in his place, Elisha, by casting his cloak upon him. The Lord also assures Elijah that there were still 7,000 faithful believers in Israel and that Elisha would assist him until his ministry was complete. Elijah allows Elisha to do a few final things, including a farewell to his family, and then he joins Elijah, until Elijah is taken directly to heaven (2 Kings 2).

The Psalm is Psalm 16. We looked at this psalm earlier, on Easter Sunday, April 20, because v. 9-10 are quoted in the New Testament for predicting that the Lord Jesus would not see corruption in a grave, but would be raised from the dead, as happened on Easter, after His death on Good Friday. (See Acts 2:23ff. and Acts 13:34. You can find more detail in the April 20 “Preparing for Worship.”) David speaks here as a faithful servant of God, who takes refuge in Him and knows that all good things come from Him alone. Following false gods only brings sorrow and trouble. There is “a beautiful inheritance” for David and all those who follow the One True God, the Lord. He leads David and us on the “path of life” in this world, and when we die, there is “fullness of joy” in eternal life. This psalm, as mentioned above, also predicts the coming of the Lord Jesus, who would be the perfect Servant of God and die to pay for our sins and then rise in victory on Easter and then return to “pleasures forevermore at the right hand of God” that He had earlier enjoyed already as the Son of God, before humbling Himself to be a man and do His saving work for us (Philippians 2:5-11, John 17:3-5).

The Gospel lesson is from Luke 9:51-62. As the time drew near for Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection, Jesus willingly set His face to go to Jerusalem for these things His Heavenly Father had planned for Him, for the salvation of the world. (See the prophecy of Jesus, God’s Servant in Isaiah 50:5-7, who “sets His face like a flint,” a hard rock, to do the will of God, no matter what. The same is said of Ezekiel in his ministry to Israel in his day, with his “forehead harder than flint” against rebellious people (Ezekiel 3:7-9).) Jesus chooses to go the shorter route to Jerusalem, through Samaria, though Jews and Samaritans disliked and avoided each other as much as possible. (See John 4:9.) The Samaritans rejected Jesus because he was a Jew, going to Jerusalem. James and John, called “Sons of Thunder” by Jesus (Mark 3:17), see this and want to call down fire from heaven to consume these Samaritans, as Elijah had done in 2 Kings 1:10-12. (But see how an angel tells Elijah not to ask for this fire again, at this point, in 2 Kings 1:15ff.) Jesus rebukes these disciples, James and John, because His primary work was not to “condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him” (John 3:16-17). Destroying these Samaritans would not save them. (See how Jesus often reached out to Samaritans, like the Samaritan woman in John 4:1-42, and calls them “neighbors” in the Good Samaritan parable (Luke 10:30-37) and heals a Samaritan leper, who comes back in faith to thank Him, in Luke 17:11-19. In Acts 1:8, Jesus specifically tells His disciples to be witnesses in Samaria, and they do so in Acts 8:1-22 and 9:31 and 15:3.) In this reading, Jesus and the disciples then move on to another village. As they go, there are three examples of people who seem to want to follow Jesus as His disciples. That seems a great thing, as Jesus did say, later on, “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). In this situation, though, Jesus gives a caution to each. The first person says, “I will follow you wherever you go” (Luke 9:57). Some think that this man was simply speaking with emotional enthusiasm, too eager, without thinking through what he would really be facing. Jesus speaks of the fact that, unlike foxes and birds, He often had “nowhere to lay His head,” just as Samaritans had just rejected giving Him a place to stay and rest (v.52-53). (See also Luke 14:28-30, for example.) The second man is called by Jesus to follow him, but then the  man says, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.” We don’t know the exact circumstances, but some think this man was hesitant, not eager enough to follow Jesus, because of other concerns that seemed more important. Jesus certainly, on other occasions, spoke of family loyalty. (See Luke 18:20 and Matthew 15:3-6 and Paul’s words in 1 Timothy 5:8.) Burying a father seems very important, too, though some think maybe the father wasn’t even sick or dying, and this was just the man’s excuse. Jesus’ work was most important. He was going to Jerusalem to destroy the power of death, once and for all, by His death and resurrection. That was Good News that needed to be proclaimed to all. The third man says he wants to follow Jesus, but needs first to say farewell to his family at his home. That sounds reasonable, but from the simple parable that Jesus gives, the man may have had weak resolve in what he says. In Jesus’ day, a person always had to look forward and keep his plowing straight. He certainly couldn’t be looking all over, and especially couldn’t be looking back. Focusing on the past and past loyalties could hurt present and future work and the truly important work of the kingdom of God. (Much more could be said, but watch for a sermon on this passage that I will post on my podcast in the next week or two, along with a sermon on Elijah and His struggles, spoken of in the first lesson, today.)

The Epistle lesson is from Galatians 5:1, 13-25. Paul writes this letter to help believers not to be pulled back into a mentality of salvation by works, especially the rules and regulations of Old Testament Jewish law, like the need to be circumcised and to follow the Old Testament dietary rules and festivals, and Saturday only as the Sabbath day, etc. We are saved by God’s grace through faith in what Christ has done for us, not by what we do for Him. On the other hand, the Holy Spirit has brought us to faith and the gift of baptism (Galatians 3:26-27) and thus a new life in Christ and in the Holy Spirit, through the Word of God. That means a desire to battle “the works of the flesh,” of our old sinful nature, and the long description of these sinful works in v. 19-21. In contrast, the Holy Spirit seeks to produce in us good fruit, as listed in v. 22-24. Such fruit is summarized in v. 12-14: “Through love serve one another,” and “Love your neighbor as yourself,” and not “biting and devouring one another.” This means being led by the Word of God, so that we use our freedom in Christ, not to do what we want, but to seek to do what God knows is best for us and others He has placed around us. This does not mean that we must be perfect, but seek to walk in step with Christ and the Holy Spirit, through the teaching of the Word and continual repentance and confession of our sins and receiving God’s forgiveness when we fail, the forgiveness and blessing we receive in worship and in our regular prayers. May the Lord lead our discipleship in following Christ and the Holy Spirit, through that Word.

Preparing for Worship - June 22, 2025

We have now completed the Festival half of the Church Year, where we have focused upon the saving work of our Lord Jesus, in His life, death, resurrection, and ascension, and the coming of the Holy Spirit to bring us to faith in Jesus through the Word of God and baptism. We don’t forget about our Triune God, at work for us, but we think in a more general way of what all that means for us and our life as believers.

The psalm is Psalm 3, written by David, at a time when he was overthrown by his own son and many of the Israelites. They were out to kill him, and said that there was "no hope or salvation for him in God.” He had fled from Jerusalem, but still trusted that the Lord would be his “shield” and “lift his head.” He cried out to the Lord to “arise” and “save” him. The Lord sustained him in these very difficult days and helped him to “sleep” and “not be afraid” until he saw "salvation” from the Lord and continued “blessings” for him and his “faithful people,” as he returned to be king again.

The Old Testament lesson is from Isaiah 65:1-9. The Lord warns through Isaiah that His people should not continue to be rebellious against Him and His will, as David’s son, Absalom, and so many others had been. They were still “following their own devices” and desires, worshiping false gods in “secret places” and “provoking God to His face continually” with their “iniquities.” Judgment was coming for them, and the Lord would then be “found” by new “nations not called by His Name,” and by some of His “chosen servants” who would return to Him and be “blessed” with “new wine.”

Jesus is the ultimate Servant of God, the Son of God sent from God to be a true Jewish man, battling the forces of evil and reaching out to other nations, as well as His own people. In the Gospel lesson, Luke 8:26-39, Jesus and His disciples travel across the Sea of Galilee to a largely non-Jewish, Gentile area. Jesus is immediately met by a man possessed by many evil spirits. As a result, this man had lost control of himself and went about naked and living in graveyards, and had such strength that no one could control him. Jesus immediately realized the situation and commanded “the unclean spirit” to come out of him. The man was actually controlled by a “legion” of “demons,” who spoke and recognized Jesus right away as “Son of the Most High God” and knew they were in trouble and asked Jesus not to torment them. They especially did not want to be sent to “the abyss,” to “hell.” (See Revelation 9:11 and the angel of “destruction“ there.) Jesus allows them to go into a herd of pigs, and the herd was destroyed by them. In contrast, the formerly possessed man was now “sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.” The herdsmen and other people of this area just wanted Jesus to leave, out of fear of Jesus and what else he might do, and probably because of their economic loss of the pigs. The healed man wants to go with Jesus, but Jesus sends him home, as a witness to “how much God had done for him.” The man went away “proclaiming everywhere how much Jesus had done for him.” He realized that Jesus was God and had done this great healing for him. He became a powerful witness for Jesus in this Gentile area, as people would have known what the man was like before and after the healing. The power of Jesus was clear, as well, and that He had come to defeat the power of Satan and his forces, as He did again and again and finally at the cross and in His resurrection from the dead. (There are questions about this story that we cannot answer. Why did Jesus allow the destruction of the pigs? Did the evil spirits have to go to hell anyway, once the herd was dead? Good came out of this, for sure, though.)

The Epistle lesson is from Galatians 3:23-4:7. Paul says that we were all imprisoned by the Law and its judgments, being unable to keep the Law, but we are set free and justified by God’s grace through faith in Jesus and become children of God through Him. We were baptized and now live in Christ, with His robe of righteousness. It does not matter who we are or have been. We are all one through faith in Christ. Through the promises of God, beginning with Abraham (and before) we are all Abraham’s heirs, as we are adopted into God’s family as children of Abraham, through the redemption earned for us us by Christ. “In the fullness of time,” at the right time, “God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, to redeem us.” We are now also children of God the Father by faith, through the Son and the Holy Spirit, who now live in our hearts. Our future is secure, as we stay in Christ, and to God be the glory for it all!

Preparing for Worship - June 15, 2025

This Sunday is Holy Trinity Sunday, and the Scripture readings focus on the mystery and yet the reality of the One True Triune God, one God and yet three Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Psalm is Psalm 8, a psalm of praise to the LORD, our Lord, with His majestic Name and work as the Creator of our amazing universe and world. Note that David uses the unique Biblical Name for God, Yahweh, which is always shown in translations like the ESV as capital LORD, the great I AM, I AM WHO I AM. (See Exodus 3:13-15.) David also uses another word for “our Lord,” the word which can be used to refer to our king, our ruler, one in great authority. The LORD is both our God and our King, and what is a man that the LORD is mindful of and cares for him? Yet the LORD does. And He cares especially in providing a unique Son of Man for us human beings, our Lord Jesus. God the Son was true God, Son of the Father, and yet became a true man, “a little lower than the heavenly beings,” in order to do His saving work for us and as one of us. Jesus used the name “Son of Man” for Himself at least seventy times, and this is affirmed in Hebrews 2:5-9, where this passage from Psalm 8 is quoted. It was “namely Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels” so that He might suffer and die “by the grace of God for everyone.” Then he was “crowned” again “with glory and honor” in heaven, with “all things put under His feet,” as both 1 Corinthians 15:27 and Ephesians 1:22 say, quoting from Psalm 8. We therefore praise our Lord Jesus as children did in the temple long ago, as quoted again from Psalm 8:2.

The Old Testament lesson is from Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31. This passage begins with a woman pictured as sharing what is right, Wisdom from God, with people, in contrast with an adulterous woman pictured in Proverbs 7, who seeks to lead people, lacking sense, astray. Then, in verses 22-31, a person is described who was with the LORD from eternity, before all things were created, and who was then involved in the creation of the heavens and the earth, together with the Spirit of God, and is the personification of Wisdom. The New Testament applies passages like this to Jesus, in John 1:1-4, 14-18. Jesus was the “Word of God” and "God made flesh, the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth, who makes the Father known.” Christ Jesus is also called “the Power of God and the Wisdom of God… who became to us Wisdom of God” and much more, as our Redeemer (1 Corinthians 1:24-24, 30-31). We therefore boast in the Lord Jesus, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:2,9-10,12-13). (Look also at Colossians 2:2-3, which speaks of “the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” If you have an ESV
Lutheran Study Bible, you could look at the discussion of “Christ as Wisdom” on p 1012.)

The Gospel Lesson is from John 8:48-59. Jesus is being accused of being a “Samaritan,” one of the people whom many Jews hated, and having a demon, an evil spirit, in him. Jesus says that He actually honors His Heavenly Father, and that if people “kept His Word, they would never see death.” That statement made people think He was truly demon-possessed. “Abraham and all the prophets died”, they said. Who did Jesus think He was? (They often accused Jesus of being crazy and demon-possessed. See also John 10:20 and Luke 11:14-23.) Jesus says that He truly does know God, His Father, and keeps His Word, and that even Abraham knew of His coming. (See what Peter says about the prophets of old and what they did know, in 1 Peter 1:10-12, even as we believe in Jesus without having seen Him, through His Word and promises (1 Peter 1:8-9). Jesus then made a very strong statement of being God, with eternal existence, saying, “Truly, truly I say to you, ‘Before Abraham was, I AM.'” Jesus applies that special Old Testament name for God, Yahweh, the LORD, “I AM Who I AM” to Himself. (See the comments above on Psalm 8 and Exodus 3:13-15). He truly was One with God the Father, and made the same comments again and again when he used His many “I AM” statements - I AM the Light of the World, I AM the Bread of Life, etc. People then realized that he was claiming to be God and LORD, but they rejected Him and what he was claiming and tried to stone Him to death. He was able to escape until he finally went to the cross willingly to die in payment for our sins, and then rose in victory. (A passage like this is what caused people like C.S. Lewis to say that Jesus was either a liar or a lunatic or the Son of God. Lewis says that he was dragged kicking and screaming into the kingdom of God by being brought to know that Jesus actually was the Son of God, his Savior.)

The Epistle lesson is from Acts 2:14a, 22-36, continuing the Pentecost reading from last Sunday. Peter clearly speaks of Jesus, who followed “the definite plan and foreknowledge of God,” in being crucified and killed, but then being raised from the dead, and now “full of gladness in the presence of God” and reigning with Him. Peter quotes prophecy from God in Psalm 16:8-11, Psalm 132:11, and Psalm 116:11-12, showing that Jesus was both LORD and Christ (the anointed, promised Savior). Peter does not give a neat definition and explanation of the Trinity, for that is beyond our comprehension. (See Romans 11:33-36.) Peter simply says what the Triune God has been doing for our salvation. “This Jesus God raised up, and of that we are all witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing this day (of Pentecost).” This is the One True Triune God, one God and yet three Persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, actively at work for us and our salvation. The result is what our LORD God wants, calling people to Himself as our Heavenly Father and bringing them to faith in Jesus and baptism, through The Word of God and the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38-41). Praise Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, our One True God!

Sermon from June 8, 2025

Sermon: “Peace in Christ through the Spirit”

Pentecost Sunday

Based on John 14:23-31 and Acts 2:1-21

Let us pray: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen. (Psalm 19:14)

The text for our meditation this morning is the Gospel Lesson, along with thoughts from the Epistle. It was Maundy Thursday, and the Passover meal was over, and Jesus had washed His disciples’ feet. Now he predicted again what was soon coming, with His death and resurrection and ascension, and the coming of the Holy Spirit, which we celebrate on this Pentecost Day.

Jesus said, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep my Word” - “keep it,” in the sense of listening to it, studying it, and seeking to trust and follow it and share it with others (John 14:23). For as Jesus adds, “The Word that you hear is not (just) Mine, but the Father’s (Word), Who sent me.” And Jesus gives the warning, “Whoever does not love Me does not keep My Words” (v.24).

Jesus knew that He faced much opposition from Jewish religious authorities and Roman authorities and many others under the evil influence of Satan, whom Jesus calls later, in our text, “the ruler of this (evil) world” (v.30).

Jesus also says, “He (Satan) has no claim on Me, but I do as the Father has commanded Me, so that the world may know that I love the Father” (v.30,31). And so Jesus went, later that Maundy Thursday, willingly to be arrested and condemned and suffer and die, to pay, in our place, the penalty for our sins and the sins of the whole world, that we might be forgiven and counted righteous before God. It is what Paul wrote about Jesus, saying that “though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped (to be held onto), but emptied Himself by taking the form of a Servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient unto death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:5-11).

This also helps explain why Jesus also says, in this passage, “The Father is greater than I” (v.28). God the Son was true God and even when he became true man, here on earth, He was still true God and could say in John 10:30, “The Father and I are One.” But He did not always use His Godly power. We hear in Mark 13:31-32 that Jesus says, while still on earth, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Words will not pass away.” And then he says, “But concerning that day or that hour (when heaven and earth pass away), no one knows, not even angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

Jesus lived with some such limitations while on earth. It is in that context that He says in this passage. “You hear Me say to you, I am going away… If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you, before it takes place, so that when it takes place, you may believe” (v.28-29).

That was always the goal of Jesus - to complete His saving work for the world, and in the process, to help His disciples grow in faith and understanding, in Him. Even on Maundy Thursday, there was much that they did not comprehend - that He, Jesus, had to suffer and die and rise again and return to His Father, to receive again, as John 17:5 says, “His full glory as the Son of God in His Father’s presence, the glory he had with the Father before the world existed.”

And Jesus, as true man, also needed to die and rise again and ascend to heaven to give the assurance and certainty of eternal life to all believers in Him, and since He continued to be true man, as well as the Son of God, in heaven, that meant that we, as real human beings, as He was, could also have eternal life in heaven, by His grace and mercy.

But Jesus knew that even His chosen disciples were not getting and understanding all this. And so he goes on to tell them about the next important part of the Triune God’s saving plan for them and for their calling to share the Good News of Christ with the world.

Imagine that after my sermon today, I asked you to write down everything I said. You probably wouldn’t do too well with that. Even I have my sermon written out word-for-word, to try to say it accurately. If I lost some pages, I would have some trouble saying what I intended, even after practicing it. If you look at John 13-17, you will find almost 5 chapters of what Jesus said, just on Maundy Thursday. How could these disciples understand and communicate all that?

Jesus says in our text, ”These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My Name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (v.25-26).

The Holy Spirit has always existed, as the third Person of the One True Triune God, together with the Father and the Son. He is mentioned already in Genesis 1, verse 2, the first book of the Bible, and in the Old Testament, He is mentioned working especially with leaders of God’s people and with the prophets who spoke and wrote God’s Word, preparing the way for the coming of the Savior Jesus. As just one example, hear 2 Samuel 23:1-2: “The oracle of David, the son of Jesse, the oracle of the man who was raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the sweet psalmist of Israel. The Spirit of the Lord speaks by me; His Word is on my tongue.”

The Holy Spirit had been with Jesus and His disciples, all through their ministry, and Jesus told them, on Easter evening, “Receive the Holy Spirit,” but the Spirit appeared most dramatically on Pentecost, the account of Acts 2, when many Jews were in Jerusalem for a late Spring Harvest festival. The Holy Spirit was a “Spirit.” He did not have a flesh-and-blood body and could not be seen, and so he appeared in ways that God had shown His presence in the Old Testament - with the sound of a rushing wind and with fire - and with tongues as of fire, since the tongues of the disciples were being affected. The disciples were then filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them what to speak. These were not the normal languages spoken at that time in Israel - Aramaic or Greek or Latin or even Hebrew. These were the native languages of the hearers, from many different countries, languages that the disciples had never learned or spoken before. Clearly, this was a miracle from the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4).

And what were all these visitors from many countries hearing? They said, “We hear them telling in our own tongues (in our own languages) the mighty works of God.” Then Peter spoke, on behalf of all the disciples, and said that this was fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy of the Spirit of God coming upon many people, with the result that “everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord shall be saved” (Joel 2:28-32).

And led by the Holy Spirit, Peter went on to speak of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, through His death and resurrection. And through that Word of God proclaimed about Jesus and the gift of Baptism, the Holy Spirit brought 3,000 people to faith in Jesus and salvation that day. This is sometimes called the birthday of the Holy Christian Church, as the number of believers went from about 120 to over 3,000, by the power and working of the Holy Spirit.

It was as Jesus had predicted, “When the Helper, the Spirit of truth comes, He will testify about Me; He will glorify Me - Jesus” (John 15:26, 16:14-15). “The Spirit will take what is Mine and declare it to you.” “For Jesus Christ has become the Cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given among men, by Which we must be saved” (Acts 4:11-12).

The Holy Spirit then grew these early Christian apostles into faithful believers and teachers of God’s Word in Christ. As Peter later said, “Know this, first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20-21). And it was not only what they said but what they wrote that is the true Word of God. Peter also said about Paul, “Our beloved brother Paul also wrote you according to the wisdom given him (not his own wisdom or ideas), as he does in all his letters” (2 Peter 3:15-16).

And Paul himself wrote of “the sacred writings which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God (inspired by God through His Holy Spirit) and is profitable for us” (2 Timothy 3:15-16). And John, as he recorded the very words of Jesus, said, “These things are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have Life in His Name” (John 20:31). And Paul wrote, “Therefore, I want you to understand that… no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ (and truly mean it and believe it) except by the Holy Spirit”
(1 Corinthians 12:3).

We therefore praise the Father and the Son, but also the Holy Spirit, for His Work from Pentecost (and even before) to this very day, for bringing us to faith and keeping us in that faith, including the promise of Jesus, also in our text, “Peace I leave with you; My Peace I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” Amen. (John 14:27)

Preparing for Worship - June 8, 2025

This Sunday is Pentecost Sunday, as we think of the work and importance of God the Holy Spirit. The Old Testament lesson, Genesis 11:1-9, is the opposite of the Pentecost story and reminds us of how vitally important the coming of our Lord Jesus and of the Holy Spirit were. After the fall into sin, and even after the Great Flood, people were all wrapped up in themselves and their own sinful desires, instead of the Lord and His will. They still had a common language and were united and could be inventive, but for their own sinful purposes. They discovered how to make bricks and decided to build a great city and a tower that reached the heavens, in order to make a great name for themselves, instead of honoring God. Their city was named “Babel,” the “House of Bel,” a false God they worshiped instead of the true God. God finally “confused” (the Hebrew word is “balal”) their language and scattered them over the earth. They were to “fill” the earth (Genesis 9:1), but now it was in division and disarray because of sin.

Sin continued to be a great problem for people, as it still is today. The Psalm is Psalm 143, a psalm of David and one of the seven “penitential” psalms of the Old Testament. David pleads for God’s mercy because he knows that “no one living is righteous before Him.” Only the Lord is “faithful” and “righteous.” David has enemies, physical and spiritual, and he sits in darkness, and his own spirit faints and fails. He thirsts for the Lord and His steadfast love. In repentance, he “flees to the Lord for refuge” and trusts Him, that “His Good Spirit” can lead him and teach him and preserve him. He knows that he does not deserve this help, but that for His own Name’s sake, the Lord can bring His “servant” David out of trouble. (Isn’t this a good prayer for all of us, in times of trouble and weakness?)

The Gospel lesson is John 14:23-31, part of almost five chapters of teaching that Jesus provides for His disciples on Maundy Thursday, the night before His suffering and death and subsequent resurrection and ascension. He calls upon his disciples to love Him and “keep His Word” - the Word from Him and His Heavenly Father, that would sustain Him and the disciples from the attacks of Satan, “the ruler of this world,” and the many enemies of Him and His saving work. He knew how weak His disciples were and how much they still did not understand, but He continued to teach them, so that they would “believe” in Him in the days ahead and have “peace” and strength different from what the sinful world promises. Jesus also promised them the great gift of God the Holy Spirit, sent from Him and His Father, who would teach them and enable them to remember and share His Word of Life and Hope with the world. (Watch for a sermon I will send and post next week, which gives more detail on all this and the Epistle lesson.)

The Epistle lesson is from Acts 2:1-21. Many people had come to Jerusalem for “the Feast of Weeks,” one of the important Jewish festivals and a kind of Spring Harvest celebration. (See Leviticus 23:15-16.) The disciples of Jesus were also together, 10 days after Jesus’ ascension, awaiting the promised “Power from on high” (Luke 24:49). God the Holy Spirit did come, showing His appearance with Old Testament images of God’s presence, “rushing wind” and “fire.” The disciples were then able to speak in languages they had never known or learned, by the power of the Holy Spirit, so that people could hear of “the mighty acts of God.” Peter then spoke on behalf of his fellow disciples, and pointed to an Old Testament prophecy from Joel, predicting this day, when God’s Spirit would be poured out on many, who would speak God’s Word, with the result that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” In the rest of Acts 2, Peter spoke of Jesus Christ and His death and resurrection and exaltation to the right hand of God, as Lord and Christ and Savior. And through this Word of God and “many other Words” and the outpouring work of the Holy Spirit, 3,000 people were brought to faith in Jesus and received the gift of baptism, through which the Holy Spirit also worked to bring forgiveness and new life in Christ Jesus. These believers then “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” - receiving the Word of God and the Sacraments. What blessings came, which are still available today, in and through the Lord of our churches, through the power of the Holy Spirit, who brings us to faith and keeps us in that faith.