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Episodes
Weekly sermons and Bible studies led by a retired pastor of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
Episodes
Tuesday Feb 28, 2023
Tuesday Feb 28, 2023
We continue to look at God’s plan for salvation in this Lenten season, as it was revealed in the Scriptures and especially in Christ our Savior. The Old Testament lesson tells of how God initiated this plan already in Genesis 12:1-9, when he called Abram (later Abraham) to leave his home and country and go to a land that God would show him. God promised to bless him and make of him a great nation and from his descendant all families on earth would be blessed. Abram went, as God directed him, and was led to Canaan, where he built altars to the Lord, the One True God.
The Psalm is Psalm 121. The psalmist looked up to the hills of Jerusalem and the temple, and above all, to the Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth. Six times he speaks of the Lord as the Keeper of him and Israel and all who looked to Him in faith. The Lord needs no sleep and watches over and shades His people night and day, seeking to keep their feet from stumbling and to keep them looking to Him for their help. Only He could keep them from evil and bless them forever. (See also the podcast Bible study for this week, which is on Psalm 121, and gives much more detail.)
In the Gospel lesson, John 3:1-21, Jesus revealed that He was the Son of God, sent from the God the Father to be the Savior of the world. He came not to condemn but to save the world, as people were “born again” of water and the Spirit in baptism and brought to believe in Him. Whoever believes in Jesus is not condemned but has the gift of eternal life. Whoever does not believe is still is under condemnation. Of course, anyone can still come to faith in Jesus at any time, by God’s grace and blessing.
In the Epistle lesson, Romans 4:1-8, 13-17, Paul makes it clear that even Abraham was not saved by his goodness. Only by his belief in God and His promises was he counted righteous in God’s eyes, and his sins were forgiven and not counted against him. Jesus is the Promised Offspring of Abraham. As people trust in Jesus as Savior, they are also children of Abraham, no matter what nation they come from, Jews or non-Jews. They too are saved by God’s grace and forgiven of all their sins and given a new life and a whole new existence, in and by Christ Jesus, who justifies the ungodly.
Tuesday Feb 28, 2023
Tuesday Feb 28, 2023
Someone told me, recently, how important and comforting Psalm 121 was in a very difficult life situation this person was going through. This person read that psalm every day and read it to another important person, as well, and the Lord gave them the help and strength needed to get through that challenging time, with His grace and blessing. As I looked at that psalm, I also noticed Psalm 120, a psalm I had never paid much attention to. Psalm 121 has enough to say to us this week, but I may talk about Psalm 120 and another short psalm next week. The psalms are so relevant to our lives, still today.
Psalms 120-134 are all called, in their introduction, “A Song of Ascents.” These were psalms that were sung by temple singers as people came into the house of God, and more likely, songs that people were taught to sing as they approached Jerusalem and the tabernacle or later the temple and the area where it was built.
Psalm 121 begins with the words, “I lift up my eyes to the hills” (v.1). This is literally what Jews would do as they approached Jerusalem. It was located in a high, hilly area, and so the Scriptures often speak of Jesus and others “going up to Jerusalem.” (See Mark 10:32 as an example of that.) The temple was their place of worship, where God had appeared to His people and shown His glory. It was the focus of God’s presence and blessing for His people, on Mt. Moriah and in the high area of Zion, in Jerusalem.
God’s people knew, of course, that God was not confined to the temple in any way. The psalmist asks, “From where does my help come?” And he answers: “My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth” (v.1-2). The Lord is the Creator of all things and is above and beyond all things. The fact that He is the Creator is continually emphasized in the Scriptures. His eternal power and Deity are seen in the majesty of all that He has made. He is our heavenly Father, and “our lifting our eyes to Him” also emphasizes that reality.
At the same time, the Lord is God, and He can be everywhere at any time and can take care of us, not always as we wish or desire, but as He knows is best. (See Matthew 28:20 - “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” See also Hebrews 13:5 - “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”) The psalmist uses this picture image: “He will not let your foot be moved” (Psalm 121:3). We will have stability in the Lord, no matter what our current circumstances are. (See Psalm 66:9: “God has kept our soul among the living and has not let our feet slip.” See also Proverbs 3:23,26: “Then you will walk on your way securely, and your foot will not stumble… for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your feet from being caught.”)
Then, six times in the next six verses, the Lord says that He will be our keeper: “He Who keeps you,” “He Who keeps Israel” (v.3-4), "The Lord is your Keeper” (v.5), “The Lord will keep you,” “He will keep… The Lord will keep…” (v.5,7,8). The Lord can do all this, because, as v.3-4 says, “He Who keeps you will not slumber… neither slumber nor sleep.” We all need sleep, and yet how hard it is to get at times, when our children are small and need to be nursed or fed or are crying or fearful. We also have worries and fears that keep us awake, when we toss and turn and wonder what will happen and what we should do. Sometimes we must work very long hours and lose sleep, to get our work done or to earn enough to keep up with inflation. And on and on.
Yet this psalm reminds us that we also have our Lord always awake and watching over us. The Scriptures teach us, “Cast all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7). We do not have to handle everything ourselves. The Proverbs 3 passage we looked at earlier also says, “If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet” (Proverbs 3:23). Psalm 127 tells us, “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil, for He gives to His beloved sleep” (Psalm 127:1-2).
The Scriptures teach us to work hard and do what we can (2 Thessalonians 3:10-12), but this psalm and many other Scriptures remind us to “lift up our eyes to the hills,” to our Lord, above all, to help us and keep us. As sinful, struggling human beings, we have trouble doing that, though. Our faith is not always so strong, and our everyday cares and concerns can overwhelm us. Psalm 121 is a good psalm to read often, as it reminds us of God’s promises for us.
This Psalm also tells us that the Lord is “our Shade.” He keeps us and protects, day and night (Psalm 121:5-6). In earlier days, some people thought that people could be harmed by the light of the moon and become lunatics, moonstruck, and lose their minds, just as people could have sunstrokes in the hot sun. Whatever it is that we fear, rational or sometimes not so rational, the Lord gives us the strength we need to carry on.
Again the Book of Proverbs reminds us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). Lean upon the Lord, your keeper in all things, and especially lean upon the grace and mercy of God shown most clearly in Jesus our Savior. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus for us, in our place, give us the faith and confidence that the Lord will keep us not only in this life but for eternal life as well.
The Psalmist says in closing, “The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.” (See also Deuteronomy 28:6.) Jesus also taught us to pray, “Deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13). The Lord will deliver us from much evil in this life, and forgives us for our own evil and sins, as we look to and trust in Him, and He will keep us from and deliver us from all evil, finally, in the perfection of eternal life in heaven. That is what this psalm promises and what our Lord gives us in Jesus. “From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”
Tuesday Feb 28, 2023
Tuesday Feb 28, 2023
Sermon for the First Sunday in Lent, based on:
Sermon originally delivered March 13, 2011
Tuesday Feb 21, 2023
Tuesday Feb 21, 2023
This Sunday is the First Sunday in Lent, and our focus changes to the specific work of Jesus to break the power of sin and Satan and bring the Lord’s forgiveness to us. The Old Testament lesson is Genesis 3:1-21, the story of the fall into sin. The devil, Satan, identified in Revelation 12:9 as “that ancient serpent,” came to Eve and asked what God actually said when he gave the command about the tree in the garden. He manages to confuse her about God’s Word and then directly contradicts that Word and offers her something that sounds very pleasing to her, if she would eat of the forbidden tree. She thinks in her mind and then eats of the tree, and Adam, who was with her, also eats. Sin had thus come into the world, with all of its many consequences, including Adam and Eve being divided from one another and from God. God spoke of the consequences, including a corrupted creation and death, but also gave the first Gospel promise, that Satan would eventually be defeated by an Offspring of Eve. God also showed His care even for sinners, by clothing Adam and Eve.
In the psalm, Psalm 32, David spoke of the agony of trying to cover up his own sin by himself. He was consumed by guilt, until he finally confessed his transgressions to the Lord and received His forgiveness. Several words to describe sin are used in this short passage: transgression, iniquity, deceit, and sin itself. Even David’s silence was a sin. God’s forgiveness is described as sin being “covered” and “not being counted against” David and as a cleansing of his spirit. God becomes his Deliverer and Preserver from trouble and a Hiding Place for him. David then offers prayer to God and knows that he is blessed, as he trust in the Lord (v.10, after today’s reading).
Paul, in Romans 5:12-19, explains how sin and death came into the world through Adam and then death spread to all people, because everyone sinned. Even though there was not yet the Law given to Moses, people still did wrong, violating the natural knowledge of God and His will written in their hearts and on their consciences (Romans 1:19-20, 2:12-15). Adam was a “type” of Christ, because his one sin brought sin and condemnation for all. “Through his disobedience, the many (all) were made sinners.” In contrast, “by Christ’s righteousness and obedience” (and His saving work on the cross and in His resurrection) “the many will be made righteous.” He has done enough to save and forgive all sin and all people. And “those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life” (not death) “through the one man Jesus Christ.”
In the Gospel lesson, Matthew 4:1-11, we see Jesus being led into a time of temptation by the Holy Spirit. In contrast, we pray, “Lead us not into temptation.” Jesus had to battle Satan directly and be tempted as we are, yet without sinning, and fulfill all righteousness in our place (Matthew 3:15 and Hebrews 4:15). Jesus had fasted for 40 days and 40 nights and clearly “was hungry.” Satan tried a temptation about food and other temptations, even quoting Scripture (out of context) and identifying Jesus for Who he really was, “the Son of God,” but Jesus resisted him every time, using the truth of Scripture passages against him. Jesus was a true man, as well as God’s Son, and these temptations were not at all easy for him. When Satan left for a time, angels came and were ministering to Jesus.
Tuesday Feb 21, 2023
Tuesday Feb 21, 2023
Psalm 107 is the third in a series of psalms that describe the history of God’s Old Testament people. Psalm 105 begins with the covenant with Abraham and tells of Jacob and Joseph and times in Egypt, and then God’s rescue of His people from slavery in Egypt through Moses, and the wilderness years, before they reached the Promised Land by God’s mercy and blessing, and God gave them “lands of the nations” (Psalm 105:44).
Psalm 106 tells of God’s mighty deeds and His steadfast love for His people. It also tells of how sinful and rebellious His people were, while they traveled to the Promised Land, and again and again, as they lived in the land God gave them. Instead of following the Lord, they followed the ways of the nations around them and their false gods and idols. Finally, God “gave them into the hands of the nations, so that those who hated them ruled over them” (Psalm 106:41). (Many of the people were carried away into captivity by the Assyrians and later on by the Babylonians, as a consequence of their sins.) A faithful remnant of the Israelites cried out to God, “Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the nations” (Psalm 106:47).
Psalm 107, then, describes how the Lord answered these prayers and brought some of His people back again to Israel, after the Babylonian captivity. The psalm begins with a prayer that is still used today by many people, before or after meals. “Oh give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy, His steadfast love, endures forever!” (Psalm 107:1) Verses 2-3 reminded His redeemed and rescued people to tell others what He had done for them, “redeeming them from trouble and gathering them in” from every direction, from wherever they had been scattered. (See also Isaiah 62:12.)
This rescue plan of God is described in a highly poetic way in Psalm 107, giving four situations in life in which people were faced with great trouble and even death. As Dr. Roehrs describes it in the Concordia Self-Study Commentary, the exiles in various places “needed help just as desperately as people saved from (1) death from hunger and thirst in a desert wilderness (verses 4-9); (2) from imprisonment and hard labor (verses 10-16); (3) from illness that could lead to death (verses 17-22); and (4) from being lost in a terrible storm at sea (verses 23-32).” In each case, the people “cried out to the Lord for help and He delivered them” (verses 6,13,19,28) and they are reminded to “thank the Lord” (verses 8,15,21,31).
Some of the translations are a little misleading in that they use the word “some” in verses 4,10,17, and 23, as if these particular problems happened only to “some” of the people. The Hebrew actually says, “They wandered… (v.4), “They sat… (v.10), and so forth. That indicates that many of the people may have faced more than one of the difficulties described. They all faced very challenging times where they were in captivity and in getting back to the land of Israel, and the poetic descriptions fit them in various ways.
Skip ahead in Psalm 107 to verses 10-16. Many of the Israelites were taken into captivity by force. They knew why this had happened. It was because of their “rebellion against the Words of God” and against the “counsel” he and His prophets had given them (v. 11). (See Isaiah 63:10 and Zechariah 1:4 as other examples of this sin and evil.) The Israelites had some freedoms, but were under the control of others and were largely servants and slaves to others.
Think of Daniel and his friends in Babylon. They could serve in high positions one moment but could quickly be thrown into a lion’s den or a fiery furnace, as we hear in the Book of Daniel. Yet they knew the promise of the Lord made so simply in Psalm 50:15, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” “They cried to the Lord” (Psalm 107:13) and “He delivered them.”
Verse 16 quotes words from Isaiah 45:1-4, predicting that much later, God would use a Persian leader, Cyrus, to begin to bring freedom to “Israel, His chosen people.” See also the prediction in Isaiah 49:8-9, where the Lord would “say to the prisoners, ‘Come out.’” Some of this was also predicting the work of the ultimate Rescuer, our Lord Jesus. See the prophecy of Him as the Servant of God and what He would do in Isaiah 42:6-9, to free people from the prison of their sins.
Psalm 107:17-22 speaks of Israelites who had been “fools through their sinful ways” and now suffered “affliction (v.17). Some were “near to the gates of death” and could not or would not even eat any food any more (v.18). This seems to refer to very serious illnesses. Again, “they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress” (v.19). There was “healing” and “deliverance from destruction,” at least for some (v.20).
Psalm 107:23-32 talks about those who were able to work and travel on ships. They saw the majesty and power of God in “great waters” (v.23-24), but also the danger of storms and waves, which left them “at their wits’ ends,” with “their courage melted away in their evil plight,” their impossible situation, where they could not help themselves (v.25-27). Again, “they cried to the Lord” and “He made the storm and waves be stilled and hushed,” and “brought them to their safe, desired haven” (v.28-30). This passage again also reminds us of our ultimate Savior, our Lord Jesus. More than once, He stilled storms and rescued His disciples on the Sea of Galilee. (See Mark 4:35-41 and 6:46-52. If the disciples knew Scriptures like this one, it seems as if they would not have had to ask, ”Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”)
Go back then to Psalm 107:4-9. No matter where God’s people were scattered by captivity, as both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms were overthrown and Jerusalem and much of their homeland was destroyed, it was not easy for them to get back to Israel, even when they finally had the freedom to do so. Other Scriptures tell us that some did not even want to go back to Israel, with all the “starting-from-scratch” and rebuilding that would be necessary. For those who did go home, it was a long, hard journey for many, “wandering in desert wastes… hungry and thirsty and with fainting souls” and discouragement and finding no good “city” or place to dwell in, as they traveled and when they finally reached their destination (v.4-5). Again, it was only as “they cried to the Lord in their trouble,” that “He delivered them from their distress” (v.6-7).
Then, over time, they could see that the Lord “satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul He fills with good things” (v.9). In all these different circumstances, God’s people are called to “thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for His wondrous works to the children of man” (v.8,15,21,31). As Psalm 107 ends, the people are reminded that the Lord can bring judgment, “turning rivers into a desert,” because of evil, as had happened during the time of captivity (v.33-34).
But the Lord can also “turn a desert… into springs of water with many blessings,” as he was now doing for His people (v.35-38). And whether they are “diminished and brought low” if necessary, in God’s judgment and plans (v.39-40) or “raised up out of affliction” by the “steadfast love of the Lord” (v.41-43), let “the upright” in the Lord “see it and be glad.”
Psalm 107 takes us, though, only to the return of God’s people to Israel. Still to come would be the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the temple and eventually the coming to our Lord Jesus, as true man from the Jews, and as the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God, and the Savior for His own people and the whole world, (“all the children of man,” as said in this psalm four times and as we heard predicted in Psalm 2, last week). The last verse of Psalm 107 is for us, too: “Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.”
Aren’t we much like the children of Israel? We have many joys, but also a whole variety of troubles and difficult circumstances in our lives. We have the old saying, “When it rains, it pours” - meaning that one bad situation can come after another and another, and we wonder if we can carry on. We are headed to our own Promised Land, the eternal life we have through our Savior, but we probably have a lot of living ahead for us before we are called home, according to His wisdom.
“You are my God. My times are in Your hands,” says Psalm 31:15. We are called to be wise, as Psalm 107:43 says. Four times the psalmist says the same thing, ”They cried to the Lord in their trouble” and then trusted that He would “deliver” them, as he knew best. That is repeated and repeated, because we, too, may forget the blessing of prayers and the need to continue to cry to the Lord with our needs. He wants us to ask. It is a sign of faith and trust in Him. Four times it is also said, “Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, His mercy, and for His wondrous works to the children of man.” How often do we forget to thank the Lord for so, so many blessings we clearly do have, along with the challenges we face?
Finally, the psalmist himself speaks of the “goodness” of the Lord (Psalm 107:1) and calls upon “the redeemed of the Lord” (which includes us, through Jesus and His sacrifice for our sins and His bringing us to faith) to “say so,” also (v.2). The psalmist calls us “to offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and tell of the Lord’s deeds in songs of joy”(v.22). And we are called to gather with other believers and “extol the Lord in the congregation of the people,” and extol Him in the assembly of the elders” (v.32). That is especially where psalms were to be used - in worship with fellow believers, as well as in our own personal worship and devotions.
“Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things” (v.43). “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (Proverbs 1:7 and many other places). And most of all, let us “consider the steadfast love of the Lord” (v.43), which we see most clearly in the gift of His Son, Jesus, in His Word and works for us and His forgiveness earned for us. “Listen to Jesus,” we heard the Father saying to us, too, at the Transfiguration of our Lord last week. The Lord’s continued wisdom and love and mercy be with you all.
Tuesday Feb 21, 2023
Tuesday Feb 21, 2023
Sermon for Transfiguration Sunday, based on:
Sermon originally delivered March 6, 2011
Wednesday Feb 15, 2023
Wednesday Feb 15, 2023
This is the last Sunday of the Epiphany season, and the glory of God and of His Son, Jesus Christ, is seen in four “mountain” settings. The Old Testament lesson is from Exodus 24:8-18. God’s covenant with His people is sealed by the blood of sacrificed animals. Then Moses and Aaron and elders of Israel were allowed to go up Mt. Sinai and get at least a glimpse of God and eat and drink before the Lord, and they did not die. Then Moses himself went further up the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, with the law and commandment from God. He was there 40 days and 40 nights, covered by a cloud, with the Lord’s glory looking like a devouring fire. (We eat and drink, too, in the presence of the Lord, in Holy Communion. We do not die, but are forgiven and are counted acceptable to God through Jesus and His blood shed for us and His robe of righteousness He gives to us in our baptism and the gift of faith in His Word.)
The Psalm is Psalm 2:6-12. God set David as King on Zion, His holy hill in Jerusalem, to lead His people. One greater than David, then spoke in prophecy from heaven above. God the Father identified Him as His begotten Son (from all eternity in the mystery of the Triune God) and promised Him the Kingship of all nations and the ends of the earth. He would come and bless all those who took refuge in Him (as Savior), but would bring a rod of iron and judgment to all those who resisted and rejected Him. He calls all leaders to be wise and serve the Lord with fear and trembling, with rejoicing, and to ”Kiss the Son,” giving the Son of God proper homage and respect. (See the Bible study on Psalm 2, also on the podcast site this week, for many more details.)
The Gospel lesson is from Matthew 17:1-9. Jesus took Peter, James. and John on a high mountain and was transfigured before them, where they too received a glimpse of His true glory as the Son of God. Moses and Elijah also appeared with Him and talked with Him. A cloud overshadowed them all, and God the Father identified Jesus as His beloved Son (as Psalm 2 predicted). Everyone was to listen to Him. The disciples were terrified by all this, and then they could only see Jesus again and were taken down from the mountain.
The disciples were not to tell anyone what they had seen on the mountain until Jesus had risen from the dead. We know from the Lenten season, starting on Wednesday, that they did not really understand about His death or resurrection, until it had all happened. The death and resurrection of Jesus changed everything. Peter now was eager to tell everyone, as he does in the Epistle lesson, 2 Peter 1:16-21, what he had seen as an eyewitness of Christ and His transfiguration and His glory and saving work as the Son of God. Peter did this and spoke from God Himself, by the power of the Holy Spirit. These were not his own ideas and interpretation but were produced by the will of God, as were all other Scriptures. The words of Scripture are like a lamp shining in a dark place to bring Christ, the Morning Star into the hearts of people, that they may be saved by faith in Him.
Wednesday Feb 15, 2023
Wednesday Feb 15, 2023
This week, we will look at Psalm 2, one of the most often quoted or referred to portions of the Old Testament. I picked this Psalm also because a portion of it, Psalm 2:6-12, is the Psalm reading for this coming Sunday in many churches. (You can read how this portion fits together with the other Scriptures assigned for this week, the Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus, in the Preparing for Worship section of the podcast for this Sunday, February 19, 2023.)
This psalm also speaks to an issue that many Christians are troubled about in our world today - the attacks on Christianity by many people and groups and even government leaders and governments, these days. This is not a new problem. Psalm 2 starts with the reality of “nations raging,” “peoples plotting,” “kings of the earth setting themselves and rulers taking counsel together against the Lord and His anointed” (Psalm 2:1-2). This was referring to opposition to the people of Israel from peoples and leaders all around them, wanting to overthrow them and get rid of them. This was also opposition to leaders like David, who had been “anointed” with oil and made King of Israel and was an effective warrior king for his people against their enemies. In addition, this was opposition to the God of Israel, the Lord Himself, and the unique teachings and beliefs He brought to His people, that set them apart from others, through the writings of Moses and the other Old Testament Scriptures.
The people opposed to Israel and its God were saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us” (Psalm 2:3). Read what a psalmist wrote in Psalm 71:10-12. “My enemies speak concerning me; those who watch for my life consult together and say, 'God has forsaken; pursue and seize him for there is none to deliver him.'” Much of the Old Testament is about the struggles of God’s people against their enemies, whether smaller area people like the Philistines and Midianites, or great peoples like the Egyptians and Assyrians and Babylonians, and on and on. Sadly, God’s own people too often also wanted freedom from the “bonds” and “cords” of the Lord and His will and His love and plans for them, and they brought great trouble upon themselves.
Yet God still kept His promises and protected His people who had faith in Him, even though they were not perfect and knew they needed His forgiveness and His continual help. Think of David’s struggles that we read about in Psalm 38, last week. Hear his words in Psalm 31:13-16: “I hear the whispering of many - terror on every side! - as they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life. But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God. My times are in Your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors! Make Your face shine on Your servant; save me in your steadfast love.’”
Think of how the Philistine giant, Goliath, “came forward and took his stand, morning and evening, for forty days” mocking God’s people, and in fear, no one would stand up against him (1 Samuel 16:16). And what do we hear God doing in Psalm 2:4? “He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds His enemies in derision.” See also Psalm 37:12-16, where the Lord is again described as “laughing” at the wicked, and Psalm 59:5-10. God was still in charge. God knew that he would raise up the young boy David to defeat Goliath (1 Samuel 17:41-53). And God would “set” David as His “king on Zion, His holy hill, in Jerusalem” (Psalm 2:6).
Much more important, Psalm 2 is prophecy of the ultimate “Anointed One,” His own Son, whom God would send into the world to defeat the greatest enemies - sin and Satan and death - and be the Savior of the world. That Anointed One, the Son of God, spoke from heaven in Psalm 2:7-8: “I will tell of the decree: the Lord said to Me, ‘You are My Son; today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will make the nations Your heritage and the ends of the earth Your possession.’” This passage is quoted by the early Christians in Acts 4:24-31 as fulfilled in Jesus, in spite of the opposition of ”Herod and Pontius Pilate and Gentiles and the people of Israel.”
Jesus was and is “the Son of God,” as predicted in Psalm 2. He was identified as such by God the Father at His baptism (Matthew 3:17) and transfiguration (Matthew 17:5) and so many other times by others, from John the Baptist (John 1:34) to Nathaniel (John 1:49) and on and on. See Hebrews 1:1-5 and 5:5, where Psalm 2:7 is quoted with regard to Jesus, twice more. Jesus was “begotten of the Father” from all eternity, as part of the mystery of the Triune God. Yet a special evidence of this reality is also the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. See Psalm 2:7 quoted again in Acts 13:30-35 and Paul’s words in Romans 1:1-4
Jesus was and is “the Anointed One of God” as well. The word for the “Anointed One” (Psalm 2:2) is “the Messiah” in Hebrew and “the Christ” in Greek. Over and over these words are used to describe Jesus in the New Testament. See John 1:40-41, where both terms are used of Jesus. See Matthew 16:13-17, where Peter identified Jesus as “the Christ” and “the Son of the living God,” and Jesus affirms that. (In contrast, see how the high priest, Caiaphas, asks Jesus in Matthew 26:63-65, if He is “the Christ, the Son of God,” which was true, as we have seen, and then quickly rejects that and condemns Him to die.)
See another Old Testament prophecy in Psalm 89:24-29, where Jesus would be “the Firstborn” from the dead, with an everlasting kingdom (Revelation 1:5). See also, at the end of the New Testament that “the kingdom of the world has become the Kingdom of our Lord and His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever” (Revelation 11:15). See also Revelation 1:5, 17:14, and 19:16 and passages like 1 Corinthians 15:24-28, and Mark 16:15-16 and Acts 1:8, where the Gospel of Jesus as Savior would go to all the world, to the end of the earth, in fulfillment of Psalm 2:8. In spite of all the enemies and opposition, the victory will finally be God’s and that of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Psalm 2 ends with encouragement to the kings of the earth to be “wise” and serve the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, with “fear and trembling and rejoicing” and to “kiss the Son,” giving Jesus the homage and honor and respect due to Him as our Lord and God and Savior. (Samuel, for example, kissed Saul as he anointed him to be “prince over Israel” in 1 Samuel 10:1, in honor and respect for him.)
Don’t overlook, either, the “warning” also at the end of Psalm 2 - v. 4, 9, 10, 12. The return of Christ on the last day will be one of great joy for all believers in Christ (Luke 21:27-28). But for those who are enemies of Christ and reject Him and His Word and will and saving gifts, there will be judgment and sorrow.
Jesus spoke often of a day of judgment at the end of this age. The image of judgment and “a rod of iron" (Psalm 2:9) is shown in numbers of other places in the New Testament, too. See Rev. 2:26-27, 12:5, 19:14-15, and even the Old Testament predictions in Psalm 110:1,2,5. This not what God really wants. “He desires all people to be saved” (1 Timothy 2:4). That is still possible for anyone. That’s why the last line of Psalm 2 is “Blessed are all who take refuge in Him” - in faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and what He already has done for us to rescue us.
Psalm 2 also gives us hope in Christ even when we see opposition to Jesus from many around us. People may ridicule Christians for advertising about Jesus at the Super Bowl. Whole countries may be strongly anti-Christian and even persecuting Christians. People in this country may even make it hard for us to speak openly and honestly about what we believe. Jesus said, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before it hated you… If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:18-21).
But right before these words, Jesus also said, “These things I command you, so that you will love one other.” We still try to reflect God’s love and care for others, while speaking the truth in that love. Ultimately, the Lord is Lord and Jesus is King of Kings in this world, even though it may not look or feel like it. He will win the final victory for us and take all believers to eternal life. “Blessed are all who take refuge in Him” (Psalm 2:12).
Wednesday Feb 15, 2023
Wednesday Feb 15, 2023
Sermon for the 6th Sunday after Epiphany, based on:
Sermon originally delivered February 13, 2011
Tuesday Feb 07, 2023
Tuesday Feb 07, 2023
The Scripture readings this week are very heavy on the Law and will of God. We are only about a week and one-half away from the Lenten season, and these Scriptures tell us very clearly how much we need the saving work and forgiveness and mercy of Jesus, in what He did for us, as our Savior.
The Psalm is Psalm 119:1-8, the beginning of 176 verses of praise of God and the importance of listening to and following His Word and His commands. Those are blessed who are “blameless,” who “seek the Lord with their whole heart,” who “keep His precepts diligently,” who “have their eyes fixed on all His commandments,” and who praise God with “an upright heart.” The psalm writer says, “I will keep your statutes,” but the last part of v.8 indicates that he is not so sure he can really do that. He prays to the Lord, “Do not utterly forsake me,” and he admits in the last verse of the whole psalm, v. 176, “I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant.”
The Old Testament lesson is Deuteronomy 30:15-20. In previous chapters, the Lord has presented the way of “blessing” for His people, of “life and good,” if they will “love Him and keep His commandments.” The Lord also warns of the way of the “curse, of death and evil,” if His peoples’ “hearts turn away from Him and they will not hear” and they “are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them.” Moses calls upon His people to continue to “choose life… loving the Lord your God, obeying His voice and holding fast to Him, for He is your Life.”
The Gospel lesson continues readings from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:21-37. Jesus quotes from a number of Old Testament laws and rules. The first is the 5th Commandment, “You shall not murder.” Then Jesus adds, “But I say to you” and explains that if we are “angry” with others or “insult” others or call someone a”fool,” we are also sinners, breaking that commandment and hurting people and are in danger of the “fire of hell” for our wrongdoing. Jesus uses example after example of how we can sin in thought and word, as well as in deed. He can say and explain all this, because He is the very Son of God. He is showing us our sins and helping us see how much we need Him, as He also reveals Himself as our Savior, who has come to save us from our sins.
The Epistle lesson continues reading from 1 Corinthians, from Chapter 3:1-9. Paul tells the Christians at Corinth, in Greece, that they are still “infants in Christ” and have much to learn and must battle their “sinful human flesh.” There is too much jealousy and strife and comparison of themselves with others and even comparing their leaders with one another. Paul says that neither he nor another leader, Apollos, are “anything.” They are only “servants” who “plant” and “water.” Twice Paul says that “only God gives the growth.” He is the truly important One in “his field,” “His building,” the church. Let us not compare ourselves with each other, as we are all sinners. Let us compare ourselves with our Lord and His Word. Then we will know that we are forgiven and saved and strengthened only by God and His work in Word and Sacraments, through Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit.