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Weekly sermons and Bible studies led by a retired pastor of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
Episodes
Sunday Feb 28, 2021
Sunday Feb 28, 2021
Sermon for the Second Sunday in Lent, based on:
Sermon originally delivered March 4, 2012
Monday Feb 22, 2021
Monday Feb 22, 2021
After an opening prayer, we focused on Mark 1:14-15. The “voice of one crying in the wilderness," John the Baptist (Mark 1:3), was now silenced by his arrest and being handed over as a prisoner to King Herod. Jesus Himself now began His public ministry after His baptism and 40 days of temptation by Satan. He comes into Galilee, in the northern part of Israel, and becomes God’s voice, proclaiming (heralding, announcing aloud) “the Gospel of God." This is the Good News that “the time has been fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand.” All the promises of God in the Old Testament are finally coming together in Jesus and the new Kingdom of God He brings, by His coming into the world and now drawing near to people by His preaching and teaching and saving action.
This is a decisive, opportune time predicted, for example, in Daniel 7:13-14 and 22-23. “The time came when the saints of God possessed the kingdom” - the everlasting kingdom of the 'Son of Man.'" This special word for a unique, decisive time occurs in a number of other places in the New Testament, too. See Matthew 26:18, when the time for Jesus’ last Passover with His disciples and His instituting the Lord’s Supper and His own arrest and suffering and death had come. It was the “right time” for Jesus to die for the ungodly (Romans 5:6). It was “the fullness of time” for Christ’s redeeming and uniting work (Galatians 4:4-5 and Ephesians 1:9-10).
“Repent and believe in the Gospel,” Jesus now said. Three times in Mark 1:1-15 the Gospel is proclaimed - in verse 1, as a theme for this book of Scripture, and again in verses 14 and 15. Believing in the Gospel really means believing in Jesus, above all. You could almost say, “Jesus = the Gospel.” Notice how He says of Himself, “for My sake and the Gospel’s” in both Mark 8:35 and Mark 10:29. Jesus is at the heart of the Gospel.
The timing of Jesus and His Good News and His plans is decisive for us, too, if we will only believe it. Too often, in difficult times, we worry and fuss and try to solve things on our own with our own expectations and timetable. See Psalm 31:12-16, which is also prophetic of Jesus. Both David and Jesus can say, “I trust in You, O Lord. I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in Your hand.... Make Your face shine on Your servant; save me in Your steadfast love.” See also Psalm 25:1-7. David says twice that he “waits” for the Lord and His ways, and trusts in Him and His steadfast and forgiving love. See also 1 Peter 5:6-7, where we are encouraged to be humble “under the mighty hand of God, casting all of our anxieties on Him, because He does care for us.” “He will exalt us, lift us up, in His own good, proper time.” He knows best.
The Gospel of Jesus is good news intended for everyone, and so, in Mark1:16-20, we hear of Jesus beginning to call others to be His disciples. Many voices were needed to get the Good News out to others. We hear that Jesus chose and called four fishermen, two sets of brothers, to be His followers. There is some indication from other Scriptures that Jesus had met two of them before, but when Jesus spoke, the power of Jesus and His Word were at work. Twice we hear that “immediately” all four men responded when Jesus said, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” “Follow Me,” Jesus said. He was the key to their lives and future, as he still is for us today. These four fishermen were now to become fishermen not for fish, but for people, calling them to follow and believe in the Good News of Jesus, as well.
Note also in Mark 1:20 that the father of James and John already has a good fishing business with “hired servants” in addition to his sons. If they left and followed Jesus, they would not leave their father in a desperate situation. He had other help. They were leaving behind a successful business and a pretty secure life, for an uncertain future for themselves, though.
Note as well that when Jesus called these disciples, He added one word that the other Gospel writers did not mention. He said, “I will make you become fishers of men.” The word “become” implies a growing and learning process. In fact, the disciples did not know it, but they had three years ahead of learning from Jesus and even more time later, as indicated in the Book of Acts, before they really went out regularly as “fishers of men." And even then, it was a continuing process of “becoming” what the Lord Jesus wished them to be.
Even in what He has already said, God is telling us through Mark that what we read in Mark is only the “beginning” of the Good News of Jesus (Mark 1:1). When Jesus says, “Repent and believe in the Gospel” (Mark 1:15) the Greek verbs indicate that it could best be translated: “Keep on repenting and keep on believing in the Gospel” - as God works in us to have us “become” what he wants us to be. It is, in a sense, a lifelong process.
As I prepared for this podcast, I remembered how impatient I was at times in preparing to be a pastor many years ago. It was eight years of classes and training after high school. Wouldn’t it be better to have us out doing ministry work sooner? As I look back, I know that I was not fully prepared, even as a called and ordained pastor, for what I would deal with. And even now, after 47 years in ministry, I still am learning and growing and “becoming” the person God wants me to be - and still need to “keep on repenting and keep on believing” in my Savior. I still need that strengthening of my own faith, through God’s Word; and there are so many people who still need to hear the Good News of Jesus and His love for them, too. That is what what makes preparing and teaching a study like this so exciting, as I learn and relearn and learn more, as I share God’s Word with you. We are already saved and have the gift of eternal life simply by the gift of faith God has worked in us. But God has more for us to “become” and do in this life, in gratitude for His love for us in Jesus.
We see the power of Jesus and His Word again in Mark 1:21-22. Jesus went to a small town along the Sea of Galilee, Capernaum, and very soon, immediately on the Sabbath Day, He entered a synagogue and was teaching. Jews began to have synagogues (places where people were led to gather with others for worship) while they were in captivity in Babylon. They could not go back to Israel, and the temple had been destroyed anyway. So, they did the best they could with these gatherings. Any group of 10 or more Jewish married men could organize a synagogue, and over time, a pattern for worship for the Sabbath was developed, much like our Christian liturgical services today. There was a reading from the 10 Commandments, prayer, a reading from the Law of Moses, a reading from the Prophets, singing the Word, some teaching by someone, and a benediction.
Jesus, as a Jew, followed the Sabbath (sundown Friday to Sundown Saturday) and came to the synagogue, where even visiting Jews like Jesus could be invited to teach. As Jesus taught, verse 22 tells us, the people “were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as One who had authority, and not as the scribes.” In those days, it is said that the scribes mainly compared the ideas of various famous rabbis with one another.
Rabbi so and so says this, but rabbi so and so says that. There were lots of opinions shared, but not always much clarity or certainty about what was taught or was really correct. How different the teaching of Jesus was. He taught the Word of God clearly and with certainty.
Jewish rabbis would also teach, and people would listen, and the people would gather around the rabbi they chose and picked and liked the best. Notice how different Jesus was. He did the choosing and calling of His own disciples, including Simon (later named Peter by Jesus) and Andrew and James and John, as we have already heard. He said, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit” (John 15:16).
Already Jesus was teaching a very important Biblical principle. We are made God’s people and saved, not by our will and efforts, but by the gift and grace (undeserved love and favor) of God. (See 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, for example.) If you are a Lutheran, I would encourage you to read in your catechism Martin’s Luther’s explanation of the Third Article of the Apostle’s Creed. He expresses this idea of Scripture so well. (If you are not a Lutheran or don’t have access to this, and want me to include these words in the next podcast, let me know.)
We will stop here, because the teaching of Jesus is interrupted in Mark 1:23-28 by a man with an unclean spirit. We will need to talk about what that means, as we continue our study and see even more clearly the authority of Jesus and His Word, as He casts out this evil spirit.
Monday Feb 22, 2021
Monday Feb 22, 2021
Sermon for the First Sunday in Lent, based on:
Sermon originally delivered February 26, 2012
Thursday Feb 18, 2021
Thursday Feb 18, 2021
Sermon for Ash Wednesday - "Lies of Satan vs. The Truth of Jesus"
Sermon originally delivered February 22, 2012
Tuesday Feb 16, 2021
Tuesday Feb 16, 2021
We began with prayers and briefly reviewed the first three verses of the Gospel of Mark. Watch for these key themes of this Gospel, as described in verse 1. Verses 2 and 3 use Old Testament prophecies from Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3 to introduce a messenger sent by God to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord Himself to His people.
Very quickly, we hear in Mark 1:4-5, that “John appeared” in the wilderness, as the messenger “proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” and baptizing many, many people who came out to him at the Jordan River, “confessing their sins.” (Even the non-Biblical Jewish historian Josephus reports of these events and the arrest of John by Herod later on because of what he was saying and doing.)
Note what Mark does not tell us. He tells us nothing about the early life of John or of Jesus the Lord, and how He came to his people. Matthew, Luke and John tell about these earlier events. Mark is much more straightforward and concise in what he writes. He speaks in a simple, direct way, and tells us of some of the authoritative words of Jesus, but focuses even more on His actions. His Gospel is shorter than the others, and Mark quickly moves us, by Chapter 8, into the final crucial last weeks of the life of Jesus here on earth.
You can learn more about John and Jesus and these events in the other Gospels if you choose. Since we are now studying Mark’s Gospel, as God uniquely inspired him to write it, we will not compare it much with the others, but I will try to point out some special things that Mark tells us.
In a way, John the Baptist was the last of the Old Testament prophets, preparing the way for the New Testament era and the New Covenant centered in Jesus. Mark 1:6 tells us that John wore rough clothes similar to those of Elijah and ate very simple food, including locusts, which were considered a “clean” food by the Jews of the Old Testament. See 2 Kings 1:8 for what Elijah wore, and how some false prophets also wore “hairy clothes” to pretend that they were true prophets, in Zechariah 13:4.
John the Baptist was a true prophet, though, coming “in the spirit and power of Elijah” to “turn hearts” and “make ready for the Lord a people prepared” (Luke 1:16-17) - a repentant people, who recognized their sins and knew their need for a Savior. To “repent” literally means to turn in a different direction, away from sin and to the Lord.
John also knew that he was nothing compared with Jesus, that coming Savior and Lord. He said in Mark 1:7 that he was not even worthy to untie the sandals of Jesus. This was a strong statement because Jewish rabbis taught that only slaves should untie sandals and that no Jew should ever do that for others. See what Paul says about John and Jesus in Acts 13:23-25, too, in one of his sermons.
John’s baptism was only preparatory, though it did offer forgiveness, and he baptized only with water, where Jesus would baptize also with the Holy Spirit. See Mark 1:8. The Jews had various ritual washing. We read about conflicts with Jesus over washing hands. This was not the kind of careful washing of hands that we do for health reasons in these days of Covid. This was applying water to hands in a ritual way, just in case one had touched something “unclean” in everyday life activities. (We will see more about this in Mark 7.)
The Jews did require a kind of baptism for proselytes - for non-Jews by nationality, who wanted to follow the Jewish religion - but the Jews had no baptism for themselves. John’s call for baptism was controversial to the Jewish leaders, who thought they were good people and had no need for repentance and baptism. See what Jesus says of John and of these leaders in Luke 7:26-30.
John was a great prophet; but those who come into the Kingdom of God through Jesus are greater yet. Jesus brings the greatest of blessings, and the religious leaders who refused John’s baptism (and later, Jesus’ baptism) “were rejecting the purpose of God for themselves.” The people who really appreciated John’s baptism were people like “the tax collectors," who knew their sins and rejoiced in God’s forgiveness for them.
John’s baptism was only preparatory, though. See Acts 19:1-5. The only people clearly re-baptized in the New Testament were some people baptized only by John. When they heard of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, they were baptized “in the name of the Lord Jesus.” This was Christian baptism. Peter calls people to receive this baptism on Pentecost in Acts 2:38-39. Paul also was baptized in the name of Jesus, the One Who called him to faith, in Acts 22:16. The full formula for Christian baptism is given, of course, by Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20, baptizing “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," as we still do today.
As we go on to Mark 1:9-11, we begin to hear of Jesus. There is nothing about His past. As “John appeared” and did his work, so “in those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.” Nazareth was a small town to the southwest of the Sea of Galilee. It is never mentioned in the Old Testament. We only know about it because other Scriptures tell us it is where Jesus grew up and worked as a carpenter’s son and a carpenter, until His public ministry began at this point. Mark simply tells us that John baptized Jesus, as he had done with so many others. (Again, you can find more details in other Gospels.) Mark tells us nothing about where Nazareth or the Jordan were or just how Jesus was baptized (how much water was used, etc.) Those things are less important in what God leads Mark to communicate. He quickly moves on to what was revealed at the baptism of Jesus and uses the word “immediately” - a word he uses more than 40 times in his Gospel.
As Jesus came up out of the water of the Jordan, “immediately He saw the heavens being torn open.” (See how this is exactly what the prophet Isaiah wishes for and predicts in Isaiah 64:1, and how the heavens opened for people like Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1:1) and Peter (Acts 10:11), when God had something important to reveal.) Then the Spirit descended upon Jesus like a dove. (This is the image for the Spirit seen already in Genesis 1:2, as the Spirit “hovered over” the waters at the creation, like a bird.) And the voice of God spoke from heaven, to Jesus and about Him: “You are My beloved Son; with You I am well pleased.” (It is the voice of God the Father speaking to His Son. It is the One true Triune God being revealed - the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.)
Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ - and both of those words mean “the Anointed One." Jesus is being anointed with and by water and the Holy Spirit for His saving work and ministry. (See the prophecy in Isaiah 42:1, as the Lord speaks about His coming Servant, His chosen One, in Whom He delights and on Whom He puts His Spirit. We will see, as we read on in Mark, how Jesus then also does the very things described in Isaiah 42:2-9. See also how the writer to the Hebrews quotes from Psalm 45:6-7 and applies those words to Jesus, as the Son of God, anointed by God, in Hebrews 1:8-9.)
The Father also says, from heaven, of Jesus: “You are My beloved Son; with You I am well pleased.” These words reflect Psalm 2, a messianic psalm, and especially 2:7. Jesus is the Son of God. Unlike all the sinners whom John baptized (and unlike all of us), Jesus was without sin and perfectly pleasing to His Father. (Contrast what God says about His Son, with what God says about everyone else on their own in this world, including us, in Psalm 14:1-3 and Romans 3:19,20,23 and so many other places.)
In three verses, Mark 1:9-11, God has already emphasized most of the key themes of Mark1:1. Jesus is “Jesus” (God Who saves). Jesus is ”the Christ” (the One anointed by God to do this saving work). Jesus is the Son of God, identified and sent by God the Father.
And again, “immediately” Mark shows us a crucial part of what Jesus’ saving work would be, in Mark 1:12-13. The Spirit immediately after His baptism drove Jesus out into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan for 40 days. Literally, the Holy Spirit "threw out” Jesus into the wilderness, as if he were being forced to go there, to be tempted continually (the Greek verb shows an ongoing action) for 40 days. It had to happen this way.
We pray, “Lead us not into temptation” - that the Lord would help and protect us from times of temptation, because we are so weak and vulnerable. Jesus came to battle sin and evil and Satan himself and to confront it all directly and be victorious, in our place. See the words of 1 John 3:8. Other Gospels are more detailed and give us examples of the kind of temptations. Mark makes it clear that these were ongoing temptations throughout the 40 days, coming from Satan (the adversary, the accuser). Some commentators point out the contrast with the children of Israel, wandering in the wilderness for 40 years, because they sinned and failed so often, and Jesus doing His Father’s will all along during His 40 days in the wilderness. The battle against sin and Satan and evil spirits is another of the strong emphases of Mark’s Gospel. Of course, Jesus had already been tempted earlier in His life and the temptations continued through the cross and until His mighty resurrection victory.
There are two more things to note about what Mark tells us in Mark 1:13. Only Mark mentions that Jesus was “with the wild animals” in the wilderness. This can mean one of two things, or most likely, both. Satan is often pictured as a dangerous beast or wild animal in Scripture. He appears in the form of a serpent in Genesis 3, in tempting Adam and Eve. He is described by Peter as being like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour in 1 Peter 5:8-9. If you studied Daniel with us, you know that the empires that rose and fell and troubled God’s people and others were described as unusual beasts. The same imagery is used often in the Book of Revelations to describe those opposed to God and His will. Even Jesus makes a similar reference in Luke 7:18-19 and says, “I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy.” Satan and his forces, the wild animals, were all around Jesus in the wilderness; yet He was able to resist them all.
The fact that Jesus could also be out in the wilderness with literal wild animals and not be harmed is beginning to fulfill other prophecies of the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven. It will only be in the perfection of heaven, but Jesus is bringing peace and harmony and a return to the Garden of Eden, in the work He would do for us. In the Garden of Eden before the Fall, Adam could name the animals and have no fear and all was very good. In Isaiah 11, with promises of the One coming from the line of Jesse, is a picture of perfect harmony in v.6-10, even among the animals of all kinds. Also, Ezekiel 34:25-31 uses a very similar picture image of God’s covenant of peace to come. God says, “I will make with them a covenant of peace and banish wild beasts from the land so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness.” See also verses 28 and 31, and the image of sheep safe with their Shepherd, the Lord. How comforting to think of all the Good News in what Jesus came to bring, as our Savior, in the simple words, “He was with the wild animals” and yet was safe and well.
This idea is also emphasized in the last words of Mark 1:13. Part of the protection Jesus had was that “the angels were ministering to Him.” Other Gospels mention the angels, but Mark emphasizes that they were with Jesus all along, continually of help to Him, not just at the end of this time of temptation. It was again like promises God gave His people in their wilderness wanderings. See mention of angels in Exodus 23:20,23, and 32:34.
We too have the promise of guardian angels to help us (Psalm 91:11-13 and Matthew 18:10, for example) and that God always provides a way of escape for us, too, when we are tempted (1 Corinthians 10:13). Our problem is that we cave in too easily and do not always trust or lean on the Lord. Thanks be to the Lord that Jesus fought off every temptation and lived perfectly for us, in our place; and as our Risen and Victorious Lord, He is always around to help us, with His angels, and forgive us still. What great hope we have in Him.
Monday Feb 15, 2021
Monday Feb 15, 2021
Sermon for the Transfiguration of our Lord, based on:
Sermon originally delivered February 19, 2012
Sunday Feb 07, 2021
Sunday Feb 07, 2021
After prayer, we began to look at Gospel and the Gospels. The word “Gospel” simply means “Good News." We can find Law and Gospel in all the Scriptures, in the Old and New Testaments. “The Gospels” usually refer, though, to the four New testament books that tell of the life and ministry of Jesus, His Word and deeds as our Lord and Savior.
I just touched on this, but God in His wisdom chose to inspire four Gospels, not one. He never tells us exactly why, but He gives us four perspectives on Jesus, by four different authors, each writing in his own way and style, yet giving us exactly what God intended for us, in each Gospel.
Part of the reason likely is that the authors seemed to write to different audiences, in order to reach each of them the best possible way. How do we know that? There is evidence within the Gospels themselves and there is testimony from early church fathers, supporting this idea.
For example, Matthew’s Gospel may have been the first to be written, around 50 AD; and Matthew seems to write to fellow Jews. He uses lots of quotations from the Old Testament, which Jews would know and which would be important for them - prophecies of the coming Savior. Christians of the late first and second centuries, who followed the apostles, are unanimous that Matthew was the author.
Mark, in contrast, seems to have been written a little later - 60-65 AD or so - and is directed to Gentiles (non-Jews), and Gentiles in a particular area. Mark uses very few direct quotes from the Old Testament in his whole Gospel, though he certainly knows the Old Testament and alludes to it. Non-Jews would be less interested in the Old Testament or may not even have known much about it; and Matthew had also already documented many of these Old Testament prophecies.
The testimonies of Christians of the late first and second centuries, again, are unanimous in saying that John Mark was the author of the Gospel of Mark. The author Papias wrote, about 130 AD, based on what he had heard from Elder John (most likely the Apostle John) that Mark became the Apostle Peter’s interpreter, and told especially what he knew from Peter himself. Others said that Mark wrote this Gospel in Rome, at the request of people of Rome and the surrounding area of Italy, mostly non-Jews, who had heard Peter preach and wanted to know more about this Jesus and Christianity.
Early tradition also says that the Apostle Peter was in Rome for only about a year, preaching and teaching, and then was put to death by the Roman Emperor Nero, about 65 AD. Mark then probably wrote his Gospel around 65 AD or a little after to help these new believers or inquiring people in Rome and Italy. He writes then, also, especially from the perspective of Peter. This also fits with what we know about Mark from the Scriptures themselves and from what we will see, as we study Mark’s Gospel together in weeks ahead.
Turn now to Acts 12:1-11. King Herod, a later relative of the Herod who killed all the babies in Bethlehem at the birth of Jesus, had the Apostle James executed. When he saw how much it pleased the Jewish leaders, he also had the Apostle Peter arrested and imprisoned. Peter is able to escape, by a miracle of God. Notice where he goes in Acts 12:12. It is “to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark.”
This is the first clear mention of Mark (also called John or John Mark) in the Scriptures, though Peter obviously knew him and his mother already.
The next time we hear of Mark is in Acts 13:13, around 46 AD or so, when Paul and others, including Mark, begin their first missionary journey. Mark, however, soon leaves them and returns to Jerusalem.
In Acts 15:36-40, plans are being made for a second missionary journey, around 49-51 AD. Barnabas wants to take his cousin, John Mark, along, but Paul refuses because Mark had been, in his mind, a “deserter” and left them on the first mission trip. There was “a sharp disagreement” and Barnabas and Mark go their own way to Cyprus, while Paul and Silas begin their second mission trip. (This is a strong reminder that even the early church had problems. It was made up of sinful, imperfect people, just as the church still is today. The church is a hospital for sinners - forgiven sinners.)
We don’t of hear of John Mark again until Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome, almost 10 years later, somewhere around 59-61 AD. See what Paul writes from Rome in Colossians 4:10-11, where Mark is with Paul, and Paul is very complimentary of him. Paul also wrote a letter to Philemon, a member of the church at Colossi, at the same time, and he mentions Mark (and Luke and others) as fellow workers. Obviously, the past problems have been worked out, and all are working together again in a good way.
Peter who was also in Rome later, as we have heard, spoke of Mark in 1 Peter 5:13, another letter written from Rome. Peter speaks of “Mark, my son." Mark was not his literal son, but this may mean that Peter helped bring Mark to faith and certainly helped him grow in faith and service to his Lord . They were very close friends and co-workers with one another. This is similar to what Paul says of Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:2 and 2 Timothy 1:2. Paul likely helped bring Timothy to faith in Jesus and taught him much.
The last mention of Mark is in 2 Timothy 4:11, around 68 AD, when Paul is in prison in Rome again and likely soon to be executed for his faith. Only Luke is with Paul, and Paul wants Timothy to “Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry.”
There is one more early church tradition about Mark. The early church historian, Eusebius, wrote that John Mark was the founder of the Christian church in Alexandria, in Egypt, and its first bishop, and that he died there too, as a martyr for the faith.
This is the Mark who wrote the Gospel of Mark. Watch for more about all this and for evidences of his connections with Peter and what he learned from him (though he clearly also knew Paul and Luke and so many others, as well).
Turn now to Mark 1:1-3 for a quick start on the actual Gospel. The first words are a summary of the whole Gospel. The primary message is Gospel - Good News! - but not just any old good news - rather, the Good News centered in Jesus and described by the very important names and titles given to Him here. We will see more of this as we work through Mark, but for now:
- Jesus is the Christ (the Greek word for the Hebrew word “Messiah,” the “Anointed One” of the Old Testament). See Isaiah 61:1 and Jesus fulfilling these words in Luke 4:16-21. See also Mark 8:27-29 and Mark 14:60-62.
- Jesus is given the special name “Jesus” - the name Joseph and Mary are to give Him, which means “Savior” or “the Lord (Yahweh) is salvation." See Matthew 1:20-21, 25, and Luke 1:30. Jesus will be the Savior from sin.
- Jesus is “the Son of God." He is God become man for us. See John 1:1,14,18 and Colossians 2:9 and 1 Timothy 2:5-6. Jesus brings people to confess that He is the Son of God and can do all the saving things he claims, because he is much more than an ordinary human being. See Matthew 16:15-16 and Mark 15:39.
Then Mark gives the first of very few direct quotations from the Old Testament, in Mark 1:2-3. (This is how I should have worded this in my podcast.) He emphasizes the quotation from Isaiah 40:3 in verse 3, but includes words also from Malachi 3:1. Both point clearly to the coming of John the Baptist, who prepare the way for the coming Savior, Jesus (as those who were in our Malachi study know very well. You can go back in our podcasts to the last few lessons on Malachi, which emphasize this.) Then very quickly, Mark says in Mark 1:4, “John appeared”; and that is where we will begin next week.
I have relied on conservative Lutheran commentators in this introductory study, especially Martin Franzmann, for much of this background information. The commentators don’t always agree on exact dates when events happen, but I have tried to describe all this as best I could. We cannot be sure that everything that early church fathers said was totally accurate, either, though the ones referred to seem to be reliable. What is always reliable and true is what the Scriptures themselves say, as the inspired Word of God in the Old and New Testaments, including the Gospel of Mark and all the other direct Scriptures we looked at in this lesson.
Sunday Feb 07, 2021
Sunday Feb 07, 2021
Sermon for the Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany, based on:
Sermon originally delivered February 12, 2012
Tuesday Feb 02, 2021
Tuesday Feb 02, 2021
This lesson focuses on two key ideas from the closing verses of Malachi - the ”Book of Remembrance” and the coming “Sun of Righteousness."
First, people sent me some questions about the “book” spoken of in Malachi 3:16, which seems to be a list of believers, those who fear God and esteem Him and His name. Is it a literal book? What more do we know about it? Most important of all, how do we know that our names are written in this book, sometimes also called the “Book of Life”?
The second key idea we will look at, the coming of the Sun of Righteousness, helps us with that last question, as it points us, not to ourselves and our feeble efforts, but to Jesus and His righteousness, given to us as a gift, by which we are counted as righteous in God’s eyes.
In an earlier lesson, I gave a list of Scriptures that point to this book or record kept by God. I have found still more of these Scriptures, so I will list all of them again. I will refer only to a few, but you can look at all of them for more detail, if you choose. They are: Exodus 32:32, Psalm 9:5, Psalm 56:8, Psalm 69:28, Psalm 87:6, Psalm 139:16, Isaiah 4:3, Ezekiel 13:19, Daniel 7:10, Daniel 10:21, Daniel 12:1, Malachi 3:16, Luke 10:20, Philippians 4:3, Hebrews 12:23, Revelation 3:5, 13:8, 17:8, 20:13,15, and 21:27.
God is God. He knows all things. He does not need a literal book to remember who His believing people are. God could create such a book in an instant if He would choose to; and maybe there is such a book. If you could link all computers on earth into one great super computer, God would still know infinitely more, though. Many think that the references to a book is a picture-image way of assuring us, as humans, that God never forgets us. He knows each of us by name and will take care of us, in this life and in the eternal life to come, as He has brought us to faith and keeps us in that faith in Him.
We can be sure that God keeps His promises to us. God had a plan to rescue us from the consequences of sin even before the world was created, and He has kept that promise, in the coming of John the Baptist and then His only Son, Jesus, as Malachi predicted. It is hard to understand and imagine, but Revelation 13:8 speaks of our names being written in the book of life of the Lamb, Jesus, before the foundation of the world. This image of being “in the book” is intended to give us comfort and strength, as we follow our Lord. In Luke 10:20, the disciples were excited about what they were able to do on a missionary trip; but Jesus tells them, “Rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” That most important gift of God gives us joy and will help us through the greatest times of trouble that we face in this life (as Daniel 12:1 says), and opens heaven to us when we die. (See Revelation 21:27, for example.)
Psalm 87 gives us a description of God’s personal care for us and his calling us to be in Zion, the city of God - one of the names for heaven. God speaks of five different nations, all of which were enemies of God’s people, representing all the people of earth. Even out of such nations (or any nation) God will bring people to a new birth and trust in Him. God “records” and “registers” them as His people. That is what has happened for us, too, as we have been brought to faith.
But, how do we know our names are really in the book of life? Here is where we must simply trust the Scriptures and our Lord Jesus and what He says and has done for us. In Acts 16:31, Paul and others tells a jailer, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” We hear the same message in John 3:16-18 and other places. God also gives us assurance in our baptism. The jailer not only believed; but he and his whole household were baptized. Jesus said that we all need to be “born again” to a new life. That happens through the “living and abiding Word of God” which tells us of Jesus and brings us to faith in Him (1 Peter 1:18-21), but also through that Word, connected with water in Baptism, as the Holy Spirit works faith in us (John 3:3-6). “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved,” says Mark 16:15-16.
See what John says in 1 John 5:11-13. “God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life... I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.” What wonderful words! That means that if you are reading this today, trusting in Jesus and His gifts to you, your name is written in the book of life. There is no question about it.
Some of the passages about the book of life do indicate that it is possible to fall away and be “blotted out” of the book. However, the Scriptures also promise us that God will not easily let us go; and he will not throw us away. Listen to Jesus in John 10:27-30: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand.” In theory, we could climb out of God’s hand and drift away from and reject Jesus and keep on rejecting Him, in unbelief, and be lost eternally; but again, God loves us. In the parable of the lost sheep, He is pictured as going out after us and seeking to bring us back. Every single one of us is important to Him (Luke 15:1-7).
God also gives us His channels of grace, His means of grace, by which to bring us to faith, but also to keep us in faith and close to Jesus our Savior. As we need to keep eating to live, so we need to keep receiving God’s nourishment for our life in Him, too. There is the Word of God, which we are using right now, and all that He keeps saying to us. (See John 8:31-32.) We are baptized only once, but there is the ongoing strength of our baptism, as we remember who we are as God’s people. (See Romans 6:3-11.) There is the ongoing blessing of the Lord’s Supper, which we can receive again and again, as Jesus Himself comes personally to us, and we receive Him and His forgiveness and strength. (See 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.) There is confession and absolution, as we recognize our sins and repent of them and hear and receive God's forgiveness. (See 1 John 1:7-10.)
Along with all of this, we remember the other great message of the closing words of the Book of Malachi. Our hope is not in our own efforts, in our attempts to be better and better until we are good enough for God. Our hope is in God’s coming to us and rescuing and purifying us and turning our hearts, so that we are counted as acceptable to God by faith.
In the very first mention of the “book” of life in Exodus 32, many of God’s people had rebelled against God and built a golden calf to worship, instead of God. Moses pleads for forgiveness for the people, and even suggests that maybe his name could be blotted out of the book in order to help rescue some of the people (Exodus 32:32-33). That will not work. Here and in other places, it is clear that none of us can do enough to rescue even one other person, spiritually, by what we do. (See Psalm 49:7-9.) Paul has the same idea as Moses in Romans 9:1-3, but knows that will not work. Only the Lord Himself can do the “washing” and “cleansing” of His people, so that they are “recorded for life” (Isaiah 4:2-4).
That is exactly what Malachi predicts will happen, as we have heard. A messenger, John the Baptist, would come in the spirit and power of Elijah, and would come to prepare the way. Then the Lord Himself, our Lord Jesus, would come and do His saving work for us. John the Baptist sees Jesus and announces, “Behold, the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). It is “the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27), because only Jesus, God who became man for us, could be perfectly righteous in our place and pay the price for all of our sins on the cross to ransom and rescue us. Only God could do that, as Malachi calls Him, “the Sun of Righteousness," comes with “healing” for us (Malachi 4:2). See also promises like Jeremiah 9:23-24 and Jeremiah 23:5-6. We are not righteous, but “The Lord is our righteousness.”
Our names are in the book of life, not by our own work and goodness, but through the work of Jesus, the Sun of Righteous, for us. See the “righteousness of God," by which we are saved by faith, by God’s grace as a gift, in Romans 3:21-28. Remember that even faith itself is a gift of God, not our own doing, as Ephesians 2:8-9 says. The only boasting we can do is in God and the wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption of Jesus for our benefit (1 Corinthians 1:27-31).
See Romans 10:1-4, where Paul says that many of his fellow Jews are ignorant of the righteousness of God, from God, that comes only through Jesus, and are “seeking to establish their own” by their own efforts and deeds. That will not work. The righteousness from God simply comes “to everyone who believes.” For, as Romans 10:8-9 says, “The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart (that is, the Word of faith that we proclaim); because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Or as Romans 4:3-8 says, such “faith," as a gift of God, “is counted as righteousness” for us.
Look at one last passage, from Philippians 4:2-3. Paul is encouraging two women in the church to agree with each other in the Lord; and he asks others to help them settle their dispute, whatever it was. They were obviously not perfect people, as none of us are; and yet Paul says that their “names are in the book of life.” How comforting it is for us, too, not to have to trust ourselves and our efforts, which always fall far short of perfection. We simply live by faith in Jesus, trusting His perfect work already done for us.
If you ever have doubts or questions, as many do at times, listen to these and similar Scriptures of hope for us. If others are struggling, these Scriptures can help them, too. Our names are written in the book in heaven and our future is secure, not because of our greatness or our great faith, but because of Jesus and what He has done perfectly for us. Our faith is not in ourselves but in Jesus. He is our solid Rock and Foundation for our future, now and forever.
Monday Feb 01, 2021
Monday Feb 01, 2021
Sermon for the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, based on:
Sermon originally delivered January 29, 2012