The Festival of Pentecost – Pr. Faugstad exordium & sermon
Festival exordium:
The Christian Church has a Holy Spirit problem. This is no fault of the Holy Spirit; it is the fault of sinners who want to shape and fashion the Spirit in ways that suit their own sinful ideas.
The liberal Christians say the Holy Spirit is feminine as a balance to the “masculine” Father and Son. They also claim the Spirit is leading them to new revelations and new teachings which often directly contradict what the Bible says. You can be certain to find these errors in churches flying rainbow-colored flags which state, “The Spirit is still speaking.”
Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians expect to receive the Holy Spirit apart from the Bible. They wait for the Spirit to move them, to “put something on their heart” to do, or to give them special messages and insights. If they are particularly attuned to the Spirit, they expect to be able to speak in heavenly languages or have special gifts like the ability to heal.
Many Christians today fall into these traps. They look for the Spirit outside the Word. They judge if the Spirit is present by how they feel, and they trust that feeling to guide them in decision-making and planning for the future.
But none of these things is promised in the Word of God. Looking for the Spirit apart from the Word and Sacraments can only result in confusion and chaos. The Holy Spirit is not working to bring new teachings to the Church. He is not leading people away from the written Word. He is not trying to guide us through our feelings.
Jesus said: “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak…. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you” (Joh. 16:13,14). The Holy Spirit leads sinners to salvation and faith in Christ through God’s holy Word.
That’s what He was sent to do on Pentecost. His coming did not create confusion and chaos. It brought clarity and order. He gave the disciples the ability to speak the Gospel message in real languages for the salvation of many souls. About three thousand people believed and were baptized that day, the beginning of the New Testament Church (Act. 2:41).
The message of the Church has not changed, and neither has the work of the Holy Spirit. He continues to glorify the Father and the Son by bringing the truth of God to sinners through the proclamation of the Word.
In celebration of the Holy Spirit’s work among us, we stand to sing our festival hymn, #399, “O Light of God’s Most Wondrous Love”:
O Light of God’s most wondrous love,
Who dost our darkness brighten,
Shed on Thy Church from heav’n above,
Our eye of faith enlighten!
As in Thy light we gather here,
Show us that Christ’s own promise clear
Is Yea and Amen ever.
O risen and ascended Lord,
We wait fulfillment of Thy Word;
O bless us with Thy favor!
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Sermon text: St. John 14:23-31
In Christ Jesus, who kept His promise to send the Holy Spirit after His ascension, so we would be guided into the soul-saving truth of God, dear fellow redeemed:
The summary of God’s Ten Commandments is love—love for God and love for neighbor. We want to keep those Commandments; we want to have love and show love like God wants us to. But other things besides love—negative things—compete for space in our hearts. Anger tries to push its way in, along with bitterness and hatred, pride and selfishness, and the desire to get revenge. Our sinful flesh thinks of reasons why we are not required to show love, or why certain people don’t deserve our love. And love gets crowded out.
The same thing can happen with peace. We all want peace in our hearts, the peace of knowing we are created by God, redeemed by God, and loved by God as His own children. But doubts creep in, along with sadness, worry, guilt, and pain. We do not feel content, that we are where we are supposed to be, or that we are doing what we are supposed to do. Which way should we turn? How can we find our place and finally be at peace?
These are common struggles for the Christian. The answer is not to try harder to fill our hearts with love or to reach a point of peace. Love and peace do not come from our own efforts; they are gifts of God the Holy Spirit. The way He gives these gifts is through the holy Word of our Lord. Jesus says in today’s reading, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word.” The word “keep” means to pay attention to and hold onto the Word, to recognize that it is the source of our faith and life.
Jesus says that the Holy Spirit whom the Father would send in His name, “He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” The Holy Spirit works through the Word. St. Paul wrote in his First Letter to the Thessalonians, “And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers” (2:13). The Holy Spirit is working through the Word to strengthen our faith in Jesus, which also increases our love and peace.
The more we learn about God’s love for us, the more we love Him. And the more we love Him, the more we will want to please Him and honor Him by loving the people around us. In our Catechism workbook, the students and I always have a good discussion about this True/False statement: “More important than being in church on Sunday is living a moral life.” Is that True or False? It is False for two main reasons. First of all, living a moral life does not save anyone, unless we have lived a perfect life (which we haven’t). Second, church is where we are connected to our Lord’s means of grace, which are the fuel source for the Christian life.
The Holy Spirit is at work through Word and Sacrament to get rid of the things in our heart that contend against love and peace. When we are feeling angry or bitter about wrongs done against us, He shows us the love of God the Father for the world of sinners that rejected Him, love that caused Him to send His only-begotten Son (Joh. 3:16). He shows us Jesus willingly going to the cross though He had never sinned, carrying all our sins and shedding His blood to wash them all away. How can we hold grudges and dwell on the sins of others when our perfect Lord offered up His holy life in our place?
For our sadness, worry, and guilt, the Holy Spirit opens our ears to hear the absolution of Jesus, that our sins are all forgiven, and He opens our mouths to receive His body and blood for the remission of our sins. God’s forgiveness brings peace to our hearts, the peace of knowing that we are right with God because of the saving work of Jesus. Some Christians look at the Bible as information only that we have to do something with. So they contend that the power is not in the Word, the power is in us. But that is not right. The Holy Spirit brings us the gifts that God’s Word declares.
For every promise of God, the Holy Spirit tacks on the all-important words: “for you.” Jesus lived a perfect life for you. Jesus died on the cross for you. Jesus rose again for you. Jesus is present now, giving His holy body and blood for you for the remission of sins. God wants you and every sinner to know and believe these things, and the Holy Spirit makes the connection through the Word from God’s heart to yours.
By His powerful activity through Word and Sacrament, the Holy Spirit changes hearts and keeps changing hearts. We heard how many were converted on that Pentecost Sunday when some three thousand believed and were baptized. Immediately after this, we are told that “they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Act. 2:42). In other words, they showed their love for God by keeping, holding tightly to, His Word. They also showed love to their neighbors: “they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need” (v. 45).
These are the fruits the Holy Spirit produced in them and through them. And He is doing the same work among us today. Imagine how our abilities would be wasted and our time and our possessions if all we cared about was ourselves, if the Holy Spirit did not change our hearts and sanctify us through the Word. Now we see that life is so much more than what I want or what I can get or what I can do. It is about what God calls us to do, what He gives to us, and what He has planned for us.
His love for us brings love to our hearts and joy and peace. St. Paul lists these as the first three “fruits of the Spirit” (Gal. 5:22). If the Holy Spirit did not put these things in us, we would not have them. We might experience for a time a worldly love, a worldly joy, and a worldly peace, but because they are all from the world, they are corrupted and cannot last. Only the fruits of the Holy Spirit can and will endure because they are the perfect gifts of God.
This is why the Holy Spirit was sent upon the disciples after Jesus’ ascension—to give you the gifts of God. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid.” He said this because He knew He would complete the work for man’s salvation, making peace between God and sinners. He also knew He would return to the Father in triumph, and that the Holy Spirit would be poured out upon His followers to guide them into all truth.
This is what the Holy Spirit still does today. He Puts Love and Peace in Our Hearts. He put these gifts in our hearts on our Baptism day, and He continues to put them in our hearts through the proclamation of the Word and the distribution of the Sacraments. These powerful means move us to love God and our neighbor, and they bring us “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Phi. 4:7).
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.
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(picture from stained glass at Saude Lutheran Church)
Palm Sunday – Pr. Faugstad sermon
Text: Numbers 21:4-9
In Christ Jesus, whose saving work was foretold by the prophets and depicted among the peoples at many times and in many ways, dear fellow redeemed:
If you had to guess what verse in the Bible is the most popular one, you would probably say John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” It is an awesome verse. It clearly states that we are saved from our sin and death by faith in the Son of God. But did you know that the context leading up to this verse includes a reference to the bronze serpent that Moses made?
John 3:14-15 says, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” Then the famous passage follows. By this reference to today’s account from Numbers 21, our Lord is teaching us how to read the Old Testament. We read the Old Testament not just for historical purposes and not just for lessons about what we should and should not do. We read the Old Testament as a book about God keeping His promises, including His chief promise to send a Savior for sinners.
We certainly find sinners in today’s reading. Once again, the Israelites became impatient. Once again, they grumbled and complained. They took God’s gifts for granted and wished they could go back to Egypt where they recalled being so happy and healthy. It is obvious the devil had “pulled the wool over their eyes.” The people needed to be brought out of their spiritual sleep. They needed to be reminded who the LORD was and what He was doing for them.
But being made aware of our wickedness and weakness is not a pleasant experience. It certainly wasn’t for the Israelites. The LORD sent fiery serpents among the people. We don’t know exactly what made the serpents “fiery.” Perhaps it was their appearance. Perhaps it was the type of pain people felt when they were bitten. It was a terrifying experience that claimed the lives of many people.
It also woke the people up. They came to Moses in humility and repentance, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD, that He take away the serpents from us.” They realized their sin the hard way. Instead of trusting God and obeying His will, they broke His holy Law and faced the consequences.
We can also think of many times that we learned about sin “the hard way.” We decided to do what we knew was wrong. We thought we could get away with it, or we thought it was worth the risk, but that sin came back to bite us hard. Some sins have temporary consequences, but other sins have deeper consequences that can last our entire life and negatively impact others even after we are gone.
The sin we have inherited from Adam is like the bite of a poisonous serpent. The poison works its way further and further in, and if no treatment is applied, it leads to death. The Book of James outlines the progression of sin: “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death” (Jam. 1:14-15). This is not just about physical death which touches all people. This is about eternal death in hell which is received by all who remain in their sin and refuse to repent.
It was a gift from God that the people afflicted by the fiery serpents repented. Not everyone feels sorry for sin. Many boast how there is nothing about their life they would change. “I did it my way,” they say, as though that is something admirable. So we see that God was mercifully leading the Israelites out of their sin and unbelief and back to Him in faith. They went to God’s servant Moses, admitted their wrong, and begged him to intercede for them. Moses prayed to the LORD, and the LORD listened to his prayer. He said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.”
Now this seems a little odd. Why would God tell Moses to put on a pole an image of the very animal that was killing them? And how could the lifeless image of a serpent save the people from the bite of actual serpents? This was a test of faith. The power to save the people was not in a piece of metal on a pole. The power to save the people was in the promise God attached to the image. He said, “and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” Would the people trust God’s Word now?
We are faced with a similar test when we look at God’s Sacraments. Many people—even many Christians—reject the Sacraments as external things, as empty rituals, that have no real effect on our faith. They say it is little more than getting water splashed on you, than eating bread and drinking wine. We receive no benefit if we look at the Sacraments in this way and just go through the motions because we feel like we should. But if we listen to what our Lord says about them, if we recognize that the power of the Sacraments is in His Word, and we trust the promise He attaches to these visible means, then we receive great benefit.
The Israelites may have tried to apply medicinal remedies of their own making to their family members and friends who had been bitten. Maybe they tried to chase the snakes away. But their efforts all failed. People kept dying. They could not save themselves. Only God could rescue them. He directed Moses to lift up the bronze serpent on a pole, and the people who trusted His promise were spared. “[I]f a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.”
So when the devil with his temptations slithers toward you, when sin sinks its fangs into you, when its poison works its way through you, what can you do? You can’t save yourself. You don’t have the power to neutralize your sins or keep their poison from spreading. You can’t heal the wounds inflicted by your sin or outrun the consequences of what you have done. There is only one remedy, only one antidote for sin—“as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up” (Joh. 3:14).
The Son of Man, Jesus Christ, had to be lifted up. It was absolutely necessary. The antidote for sin’s poison had to come from God to us. He sent healing and salvation to us by giving His Son to suffer and die in our place. That is our focus in this holiest of weeks beginning with our Lord’s humble entry into Jerusalem.
He was welcomed as a king on Palm Sunday, but the true nature of His kingdom would not be clear until He was wearing a crown of thorns on Friday. His throne was not covered in gold. It was splattered in the holy blood that oozed from His wounds. His throne was that rough, wooden cross that lifted Him up for all eyes to see. Many looked at Him in unbelief; they ridiculed and blasphemed Him.
Even for them, Jesus willingly suffered. Even for you. He carried your sins to the cross. He felt their painful bite and their burning poison. He did not grumble or complain. He did not ask His Father why He sent Him from heaven to die in the wilderness of the world. He accepted the punishing wrath of God and endured the eternal torments of hell, so you would not die but live.
Sin filled you with death, but Jesus fills you with life. He counteracts the effects of all your sins, including the ones that caused deep wounds and piercing pain in you and others. By giving up His holy life in payment for sin, He won forgiveness and salvation for you. He brings the fruits of His victory to you right now through His Word and Sacraments. Through these means, He imparts the medicine of life. You hear His promises spoken to you, you eat His body and drink His blood with faith in what He says, and His power works through you to heal, comfort, and strengthen you.
Whether you feel healthy and strong in your spiritual life or under attack and weak, you keep your eyes always on the Son of Man who was lifted up to save you. If you tried to measure your faith by how well you are doing or how much you have accomplished, you would be applying the Law as a remedy to your sinfulness. But the Law cannot save you. One of our great Lutheran hymns puts it well:
The law reveals the guilt of sin,
And makes men conscience-stricken;
The gospel then doth enter in,
The sin-sick soul to quicken.
Come to the cross, loop up and live!
The law no peace to thee doth give,
Nor can its deeds bring comfort. (Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary #227, v. 9)
You look to Jesus for comfort. His Father sent Him to fulfill the promise of the ages by suffering and dying in your place. Like the whole creation that eagerly waits for the blossoming and new life of spring, the entire Old Testament anticipates the coming of the Savior. Jesus said to the Jews, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me” (Joh. 5:39).
The bronze serpent on a pole was a picture of what Jesus would do on the cross. Like the Israelites who looked up with faith in the LORD’s promise, you also by faith Come to the Cross, Look Up and Live! In Jesus, you have life for today, life for this Holy Week, and life forevermore. Thanks be to God. Amen.
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(picture from “Crucifixion, Seen from the Cross,” by James Tissot, c. 1890)
Ash Wednesday – Pr. Faugstad homily
Text: St. Matthew 6:16-21
In Christ Jesus, who served us in all humility, so His perfect righteousness would be credited to us by faith, dear fellow redeemed:
Today we observe Ash Wednesday, the day that marks the beginning of the penitential season of Lent. Lent is forty days long not counting Sundays to tie in with Jesus’ forty days and nights in the wilderness. Over those forty days, He fasted and was tempted by the devil as He prepared for His public work. We walk with Jesus through these forty days, hearing His Word, receiving His strength, and dedicating all we do to Him.
But the devil is actively tempting us just as he tempted Jesus, and we are not as resilient as our Savior. We are weak. We are prone to sin. We have often fallen for the devil’s temptations. We have followed the lead of our first father Adam, who knew God’s command but chose to reject it. This is why when ashes are applied to the foreheads of the baptized on Ash Wednesday, it is accompanied by the LORD’s word to Adam and all sinners, “For you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Gen. 3:19).
Dust and ashes are often paired together. When Abraham prayed for the people of Sodom and continued to lower the number of believers for which God would spare the city, he said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes” (Gen. 18:27). Job described himself as having become “like dust and ashes” in the depths of his suffering (Job 30:19). We hear the same phrase in our hymns: “Though I lie in dust and ashes” (246:4), “Though dust and ashes in Thy sight” (382:1), “See, I but ashes am and dust” (320:6).
This is a confession that apart from God, we have no life in us. Apart from God, we have nothing to look forward to but death and our bodies turning to dust. That is why it is strange that we spend any time boasting about our own greatness. But we do—all of us do. Jesus calls it out in today’s reading from His “Sermon on the Mount.” He points to our tendency to want others to see when we are making sacrifices, when we are doing something good.
He says, “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others.” Fasting is a sacrifice. It is going without food for a period of time. It makes the stomach growl. A person may start to feel weak. Why would anyone ever put himself through this?
In one of his Catechism sections on the Sacrament of the Altar, Martin Luther wrote, “Fasting and bodily preparation are indeed a fine outward training.” The reason that God’s people have fasted throughout history is so that they would be reminded of their weakness, and also so that they would prepare themselves to receive the gifts of God through His Word and Sacraments. The fasting that is most common among Lutherans today is fasting in preparation for the Lord’s Supper. As we feel physical hunger, it reminds us of our need for the greatest food there is—our Lord’s body and blood.
But imagine if someone were fasting, and he or she posted regular updates on social media to let everyone know that “I’m fasting today,” and “It’s really hard to do.” That is the hypocrisy Jesus points out, that something that is supposed to be done in secret out of love for God is done in public out of love for man’s approval. This could apply to any part of our life: going to school, doing our job, taking care of our families, helping others. Do we do these things for recognition? Or do we do them out of thankfulness to God for giving us the opportunities and giving us the skills and the strength to do them?
The approval and praise of the world and whatever riches or possessions we might gain in this life are only temporary. It will all slip through our fingers one day. Jesus says, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.” We may certainly enjoy what we have on earth. God has given many blessings to us for our own needs and for the good of others. We are stewards of these things, and we want to manage them well.
But we must not put our trust in them or let them become the primary focus of our life. “Instead,” says Jesus, “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” And what are those treasures in heaven that you are to lay up? They are all the gifts you have by faith in Jesus: everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness; perfect love, joy, and peace; fullness of life and light.
You have all these things now, but you cannot see them or experience them fully until you are delivered from this sinful life. While you are here, God has prepared wonderful works for you to do to the glory of His name. He has given you important tasks in your callings as a member of your family, as a member of the church, as an employee, and as a neighbor in your community. He sees all the good things you do in these callings. He sees the sacrifices you make. He sees the hardships you endure. He sees the many ways you show love to others, whether or not you are recognized for that love or thanked for it.
You do these things for your Father who is in heaven. “And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” This is not a reward for earning His grace. It is the reward of faith, which is always active in bearing fruit. Your faith was a gift from God to you, and so are the good works you carry out in His name.
And when you have not been so good, when you have looked for praise from others, when you pursued the world’s treasure as the best treasure, then you can join Abraham and Job in their words of repentance and faith, “I am nothing but dust and ashes. Apart from You, I am lost. But in You, I have all I need.” This connection between repentance and faith comes through beautifully in the hymns I mentioned before:
Though I lie in dust and ashes
Faith’s assurance brightly flashes:
Baptism has the strength divine
To make life immortal mine. (246:4)
Though dust and ashes in Thy sight,
We may, we must draw near. (382:1)
Lord, I believe, dear Lord, I trust;
Help for faith’s weakness give me!
See, I but ashes am and dust;
Ne’er of Your Word deprive me!
Your Baptism, Supper, and Your Word
My comfort here below afford;
Here lies my heart’s true treasure. (320:6)
Our treasure lies in our Lord’s Word and Sacraments. This is a gift that keeps giving day after day, year after year, until we are delivered from dust and ashes here to feast and to rejoice in His eternal kingdom.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.
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(woodcut of the poor, the blind, and the lame being invited to the banquet from the 1880 edition of The Story of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation)
The Third Sunday in Lent – Vicar Lehne sermon
Text: St. Luke 11:14-28
In Christ Jesus, who guards your heart from every one of Satan’s attacks, dear fellow redeemed:
The people were amazed! Jesus had just cast out a demon that was making a man mute, and now that man could speak! Jesus was not just another prophet; he was a prophet who had power, enough power to cast out demons! “Can this be the Son of David?” the people asked (Matthew 12:23). But not everyone was amazed. The scribes and the Pharisees rejected the idea that Jesus was the Son of David. So, when they heard the people asking this about him, they tried to come up with a way to discredit him. They couldn’t say that Jesus was faking it, because the miracles that he was doing were undeniable. So, they had to come up with another reason for why he could do what he did. And if they didn’t want to say that his power was coming from God, then that only left them with one other option. “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the price of demons,” they said. In their attempt to discredit Jesus, the scribes and the Pharisees had blasphemed him.
The scribes and the Pharisees may not have seen anything wrong with their accusation when they made it, but Jesus was easily able to poke holes in it. He said, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?” (verses 17–18). The demons were doing the work of Satan, work that Satan hoped would allow his kingdom to grow by adding more souls to it. If Jesus was in league with Satan, then having Jesus cast out his own demons would be self-destructive, and his kingdom would meet its end as a result.
If the coach of a sports team wanted his team to win the championship, then he would obviously want his team to win games. So, if the coach went to one of the rival teams and made a deal with them that every time their teams played each other, the rival team would win, you would think that the coach was crazy. After all, the coach could never hope to lead his team to a championship victory by losing. So, why would Satan do essentially the same thing?
The reality is that Satan is not welcoming attacks from Jesus; he is actively guarding against them. Jesus described Satan as a strong man who is trying to keep the goods in his palace safe, those goods being the hearts of every unbeliever. Satan wants every person to be a part of his kingdom. So, he guards their hearts with his full set of armor, which is every devilish trick that he has in his playbook.
You were once a part of Satan’s kingdom. From the moment that you were conceived, you were by nature sinful, which made you an enemy of God. Because of your sinful nature, you hated God and wanted to remain a part of Satan’s kingdom. And you saw being a part of the kingdom of God as foolishness. But God’s love was more powerful than your hate. He didn’t want you to remain his enemy. God wanted you to be a part of his kingdom. So, he sent his only begotten Son, Jesus, to attack Satan’s kingdom and rescue you from it. Jesus did so by leaving his kingdom, the kingdom of heaven, and coming down to Earth as a man. On Earth, Jesus challenged Satan on his own battlefield and won. Satan used every devilish trick that he had in his playbook, but none of them worked against Jesus. Satan thought that your heart was safe from Jesus because of his strength, but no matter how strong Satan was, Jesus was stronger. Jesus used his strength to “[attack] him and [overcome] him, [and to take] away his armor in which he trusted” (verse 22). And with Satan disarmed, Jesus cast Satan out of your heart.
Because Jesus has cast Satan out of your heart, you are like the people whom Jesus cast demons out of. You used to be possessed by Satan, and when you were, your heart was like a house that wasn’t taken care of: it was a big mess and was falling apart. The devil is the master of chaos. But after Jesus forced Satan out, the Holy Spirit moved in. Through the preaching of the Word and the administering of the Sacraments, the Holy Spirit changed your heart so that you no longer hated God but loved God. The Holy Spirit fixed up your heart so that it was no longer falling apart, and he cleaned it up so that it was presentable to God the Father. Now, when God the Father looks at your heart, all he sees is the new heart that Jesus won for you by his perfect life and his innocent death on the cross, a heart that now belongs to him.
But just because your heart now belongs to God does not mean that you can let your guard down. Even though Satan has lost the battle, the war is far from over, and he isn’t willing to give up on you yet. As the apostle Peter says, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). The apostle Paul also writes, “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12). When you are overly confident in yourself and think that you could never fall, like the scribes and the Pharisees thought of themselves, you leave yourself vulnerable to attacks from your enemy. Satan is constantly looking for an opportunity to strike at your heart and claim it for his own once again. He doesn’t want you to love God. He wants you to hate God and become his enemy again, and one of the ways that he tries to accomplish this is by convincing you to blaspheme God, like the scribes and the Pharisees did.
But we would never actually blaspheme God, right? We love God. We pray to him; worship him. We would never blaspheme him. So, we don’t need to worry about blasphemy. Unfortunately, it’s easier to blaspheme God than we may think. According to our Catechism, blasphemy is “[d]eliberate mockery, scorn, and disrespect” (Luther’s Small Catechism and Explanation, 275). There may be times when we are surrounded by people who are mocking God. In that moment, we might be tempted to laugh along with them so as not to cause any trouble for ourselves. That is deliberately mocking God. There may be times when we are going through a difficult time and God doesn’t seem to be listening to our prayers to deliver us from our suffering. In that moment, we might be tempted to become angry with God, which could lead us to deliberately scorning him. There may be times when we use God’s name to curse someone or something. That is deliberately disrespecting God’s name. It truly is all too easy for us to blaspheme God, and if we do, we are in danger of letting Satan back into our hearts.
Even though Satan is always waiting for the perfect moment to strike at your heart, you don’t need to fear him, because he already lost. You no longer belong to him. You belong to God. And because you belong to God, God is now the one who guards your heart by giving you his full armor. As the apostle Paul writes, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm” (Ephesians 6:11–13). With God’s help, you remain vigilant, so that you are always ready for an attack from Satan. And when Satan does attack you, you rely on the full armor that God has given you. That full armor is put to good use when you put your confidence and trust in Jesus who fights for you by continuously coming to you through his Word and Sacraments.
In the book of Hebrews, it says that the Word of God is “sharper than any two-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12). And you know that the Word of God works against Satan, because Jesus used it to fend off Satan’s attacks when he was tempted by him in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1–11). But the Word is not just a weapon that God uses against Satan. God also uses his Word to comfort you. Through his Word, you hear that Jesus has delivered you from your enemies: sin, death, and the devil. Jesus put your sin to death with him on the cross. He defeated death by his resurrection from the dead. And because he has brought his blessings to you through his Word and Sacraments, the devil no longer has a hold on your heart. This means that you will not face eternal punishment in hell, for you are no longer a part of Satan’s kingdom. Rather, you will get to spend all eternity in heaven, for God has made you a part of his kingdom through the Sacrament of Holy Baptism.
In the waters of baptism, the filth of sin that stained your heart and marked you as a citizen of Satan’s kingdom was washed away. Your heart has been made clean. Through baptism, you have the comfort that your sins have been forgiven and that you are a child of God, an heir of his kingdom. But baptism is not the only Sacrament that God uses to bring you comfort. He also brings you comfort through the Sacrament of Holy Communion.
In Holy Communion, Jesus gives you his true body and blood in the bread and the wine. When you come to his table and eat his body and drink his blood, you receive the forgiveness of sins that he won for you by the shedding of his blood. And when you leave his table, you depart in peace, having the comfort of his forgiveness. Through the preaching of his Word and the administering of his Sacraments, God truly does guard your heart and fight your battles, giving you the comfort that you are safe with him.
Satan may be strong, but God is stronger. No matter how devastating the attacks that Satan throws at you are, they are no match for God’s defenses. You don’t need to fear the attacks of Satan, because God guards your heart, and no one, not even Satan, “is able to snatch [you] out of the Father’s hand” (John 10:29).
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.
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(picture from “Exorcism” woodcut by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, 1794-1872)
The Second Sunday after Trinity – Pr. Faugstad sermon
Text: St. Luke 14:16-24
In Christ Jesus, who fills the hungry with good things, but who sends the self-secure away empty, dear fellow redeemed:
“I’d like to throw a party at our house soon, and you are invited! I just need a little bit of help from you to make it happen. I’m going to need about ten people to come early to clean the house and five more to get the yard set up. I’ll need a few of you to decorate, make things look nice. Then I’m going to need a bunch of you to work on the main dish and the rest of you to bring side dishes and desserts. And of course we will need you to help clean up afterward. ‘What will I be doing?’ you ask. Don’t worry, I’ll be at the party on time. It’s going to be great!”
How many people do you suppose will come to my party? I expect there would be a lot of excuses, a lot of conflicts in the schedule. Who wants to go to a party where they have to do all the work? We attend parties such as graduation open houses and wedding receptions to celebrate and have fun. We look forward to the good food and the good company. It is a privilege to be invited to attend.
In the same way, it was a tremendous honor to be invited to attend the party that Jesus speaks about in today’s parable. This was no backyard barbeque, no small gathering of relatives or friends. This was “a great banquet” that the guests had been informed about far in advance. “Many” were invited. They knew this banquet was coming; it didn’t catch them by surprise.
But when the master of the house sent his servant to tell those who were invited, “Come, for everything is now ready,” they started making excuses—not just some of them—all of them! Not one of them intended to come. What an insult to the host! You would be crushed if this happened to you. Then you would probably be angry. “All that work, and no one could trouble themselves to come?! Do I really mean so little to them?!”
That’s how the master of the house reacted. He became “very angry” and told his servant to invite anyone he found in the city, “the poor and crippled and blind and lame,” and the strangers way out in the country. The honored guests who were first invited lost their place to the dishonored and the downtrodden. And the master’s house was filled, and the great banquet was enjoyed by many.
Jesus spoke this parable to teach how the invitation to salvation came first to the Israelites, the chosen people of God. They should have known this salvation was coming because they had the Old Testament Scriptures which clearly pointed to the promised Messiah. But the devil tempted them to give attention to other things. He got them to focus not on the commands and promises of God, but on making and keeping their own self-righteous laws. These were too busy with their possessions, their work, and their families to listen to the Messiah when He came. They did not follow Jesus their Savior, but rejected Him.
So God turned His merciful help to the Gentiles. These were the dishonorable and downtrodden ones who did not have the Scriptures or live according to God’s holy law. They were not worthy to receive an invitation to salvation, but God graciously extended it to them. Jesus made this clear when He said just before His ascension into heaven, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Mat. 28:19). And the apostle Paul wrote by inspiration that God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1Ti. 2:4).
But “all nations” have not been converted to the Lord, and “all people” have not come to the knowledge of the truth. Why is that? Why does anyone reject the summons to God’s great banquet of salvation? It is because so many think they have better things to do with their time. Some people focus on their fields, their possessions in this life, building up more and more, better and nicer things. Some focus on their work, getting more done, making progress, building a legacy. And some focus on their family and friends, enjoying new experiences together, making memories, having fun.
All of those things can seem more important than the saving Word of God. We typically don’t go to the Word of God when we want to make money, when we want to move up in our job, when we want to have fun. Part of this is because of our misunderstanding about where all good things come from—they come from God who gives us our daily bread. And part of it comes from our own sinfulness, our stubborn tendency to overlook the best things in favor of the lesser things.
You wouldn’t miss your own child’s graduation party, but missing the great banquet of salvation is infinitely more serious. God doesn’t have our whole heart, soul, and mind until nothing matters more to us than His holy Word. The “field” can wait, the “five yoke of oxen” can be examined later, spouse and family must be led to the banquet and not away from it. “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,” said Jesus, “and all these things—all these earthly blessings—will be added to you” (Mat. 6:33).
“[S]eek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness”—tell me why this priority is not possible, and I will sympathize with you. All of us think we have better things to do than to occupy our heart, soul, and mind with “the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” All of us have excuses, and they can sound pretty good and reasonable: “I am exhausted. I don’t have time to read the Bible or pray.” “We are on the go constantly! It just isn’t possible to have devotions at the dinner table or the bedside.” “I don’t feel qualified to have devotions with my family. What if I can’t answer their questions? What if I tell them something wrong?”
As reasonable as these excuses sound, they are all bad excuses. I’m especially talking to Christian fathers. It is our job to make sure our families are trained in the Word. It is our job to spend ourselves and sacrifice ourselves, even when we don’t feel like we have anything left to give. God tells us do this. Ephesians 6:4 says, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” It is not first of all the mother’s job or the church’s job. It is our job as fathers, whom God the Father has placed on this earth to be examples of His love and care for His dear children.
But here’s the important point, here’s the thing to remember: not one of us has to come up with the plan for the banquet; not one of us has to prepare the food. All of that is done. God the Father is the Master of the House, and His only Son is the Food, and this Food is enjoyed by all who are brought to faith by the Holy Spirit’s invitation.
This is not a party (like the one I am planning) where the people who are invited do all the work. This is a party where all the work is done—the table is set, the food is prepared, your spot is reserved, everything is ready. All of this was done by Jesus for you. He won your place at God’s table by setting aside His glory to suffer and die for you.
Your excuses for doing what you knew you shouldn’t and for not doing what you knew you should—Jesus took them on Himself. He accepted these excuses, not as valid reasons for acting the way you did, but as what they are, violations of God’s holy law and stains on His perfect creation of you. He took the blame for all of them.
Jesus offered no excuses to set aside His work of suffering and dying for you. He willingly went in your place, suffering the eternal anger of God, so that you would have “redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of [your] trespasses, according to the riches of his grace” (Eph. 1:7). God does not say, “You missed your chance! The door to the banquet hall is shut! Go away!” He says and keeps saying to you, “Come, for Everything Is Now Ready.”
That is often what I say after the Lord’s Supper has been prepared. Christ’s Words of Institution have been spoken, we sing the Agnus Dei, “O Christ, the Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us,” and you are summoned to the great banquet of salvation. Jesus is here for you. He is here to feed you with His holy body and blood. He is here to cleanse your heart and mind and give you a clear conscience. He is here to strengthen you for the work He has called you to do. So I say to all who have examined themselves—confessing their sin and their trust in Jesus and His Word—“Come, for Everything Is Now Ready.”
You haven’t had to do anything. God has prepared this banquet for you, His guest. Many are invited to this banquet, but they make excuses for why they cannot come. Those who do come when they are summoned are the ones who are done making excuses. These are the ones who recognize that they don’t deserve to be at the banquet, and that they have nothing to offer God that could ever compare with what He gives them.
God made no mistake when He invited you to this banquet. No matter how spiritually “poor and crippled and blind and lame” you have been, no matter how far down the highway of this sinful world you have gone, there is a place for you in the Lord’s kingdom. Listening to His Word, faithfully partaking of His Sacraments, you are tasting the rich food of His banquet.
And the foretaste that you enjoy right now with the Christian friends who sit beside you in the pews and kneel or stand beside you at the Communion rail—this delicious feast you will enjoy in all its fullness in the great banquet hall of your heavenly Father’s house.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.
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(woodcut of the poor, the blind, and the lame being invited to the banquet, from the 1880 edition of The Story of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation)