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Jesus Appears As the Lamb of God

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(John 1:29-41)

We care quite a bit about our appearances in a number of different ways. Some care about how they look physically. They eat well and work out because body fitness and physique matter to them. Fashion and style matter more to others as far as appearance is concerned. They stay on top of who is wearing what and what’s in style and what’s not. But even those less concerned with how they look physically still care about how they appear to others. Social media also provides a platform that allows people to portray themselves as they want to appear to others. It doesn’t take very long to swipe through a person’s account to be able to determine how they want to appear – “car guy,” “dog lover,” or “sports nut” are just a few examples of appearances we see.

But we also know that how a person appears may not actually line up with who they are. Christians are not immune to this. In fact, it can be an extremely damaging thing to Christianity’s reputation. When Christians are more concerned with how they appear to others than who they actually are, there can even be eternal consequences. When the churchgoer mask or makeup comes off at home and who we are around other Christians ends up being a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde difference at home, that’s a significant spiritual matter. 

Yet if there is one individual for whom it is essential that reality matches appearance, it is the Savior. It is Jesus. It would not matter how Jesus would appear if he had not ended up being who he appeared to be. And that’s why this season of Epiphany is so important. At Christmas, the Savior appears, and during Epiphany, he is revealed to be the Savior that he appeared to be. The account recorded for us in John 1 reveals Jesus appearing as the Lamb of God.

John the Baptist pointed it out on back-to-back days: “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (v.29).  With this one sentence, John was making a monumental revelation about who Jesus was. To appreciate the significance of a lamb, consider every thought and feeling that immediately fills your mind whenever you see the image of a cross worn or displayed. There is so much meaning packed into just that one symbol that for us summarizes the basis of our relationship with God.

Now imagine the lamb carrying that same significance for Jewish people in John the Baptist’s day. Instead of a cross, people would have worn necklaces with lambs on them. A lamb would have been the picture on the T-shirt of believers. The lamb was the centerpiece of what we’d call their church services. The lamb represented sacrifice for sins that was absolutely essential for fallen man to have a relationship with a holy God. John, pointing to Jesus, revealed that he was that lamb, that sacrifice, that means to a relationship with God.

To make that matter even more certain, John emphasizes that he is “of God.” John hadn’t hatched some hair-brained idea to fleece his followers and deceive them into thinking Jesus was something that he wasn’t. This Lamb was “of God.” Jesus wasn’t some charismatic cult leader who paid John to promote him and start his own movement. This Lamb was “of God.” Sometimes believers describe an experience or event in their lives that was above and beyond chance or coincidence as being “a God thing.” They are demonstrating that things tend to carry more weight when God divinely intervenes. John was emphasizing the clout Jesus carried by describing him as the Lamb “of God.”

Finally, in John’s power-packed proclamation, he highlighted that this Lamb, Jesus, would do what no lamb before him ever could: take away the sin of the world. Of all the daily lambs sacrificed by the priests throughout Israel’s history, of all the lambs served up in the Passover meals of countless Jewish families for generations and generations, not a single one of them, nor the whole vast quantity of all of them taken together, could take away so much as the smallest sin. They could only symbolize. They could only foreshadow. They could only point ahead to the perfect Lamb who would be revealed. And on this day, with this simple statement, John declared the fulfillment of all of it. The Lamb appeared, the only Lamb who could take away the sin of the world – all sin of all people of all time. 

Notice what John did next. After making a profound theological statement, proclaiming the good news of the gospel for others to hear, he shared his own personal experience. He gave a testimony of why this all mattered so much to him. “Then John gave this testimony: ‘I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, “The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.” I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One’” (v.32-34). 

John had just shared the most powerful message that any ear can ever hear – the good news of the gospel that Jesus, the Lamb of God, Jesus, the Savior, takes away the sin of the world. That message and that message alone is what brings life from death, light from darkness, faith from unbelief. We cannot in any way improve or upgrade that message!

But, we can personally validate its significance and impact in our own personal lives for others to see. In our skeptical, truth-seeking, fact-checking world today, your personal experience is starting to carry more clout.

We have been in the progress of moving beyond the foolishness of postmodernism’s “everyone’s truth is valid” as a license to provide permission for anyone to live and do as they see fit. We’re recognizing the collateral damage that has come with believing the lie that associated permissiveness with personal happiness. That deceptive connection between the two continues to become unstuck like a house held together with scotch tape. People pursuing “their own truth” continue to arrive at a dead end. The result is an increasing openness on the part of people to pay more attention to the truth of others. So when your truth, your testimony, matches and verifies the powerful message of the gospel, there is potential for great kingdom impact. Look at what happened after John shared his testimony!

“When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ)” (v.38, 40-41). Note the two things that happened: they followed Jesus and they invited others to do the same. John proclaimed the good news and shared his testimony and it resulted in people following Jesus. Then, those people who followed Jesus invited others to do the same. 

Do you see the kingdom building going on and how it was taking place? It happened exponentially, like compound interest. As some of John the Baptist’s listeners heard the good news, that good news took root and faith sprouted. Then, as that faith sprouted, it spread to others. Followers of Jesus were implementing a key quality of disciples of Jesus: disciples disciple. When we were called to faith in Jesus, we weren’t called to perform a solo act; sorry to say it, but he didn’t want just you. But not sorry to say it, because he doesn’t just want you, he wants others to join in the party!

We were called to be disciples who make disciples who make disciples who make disciples who make disciples. Get it? The process doesn’t end. God’s design for your discipleship was not that it would stop with you, but would continue through you. That is to say, if there there is no element in your life of discipling others, then you are missing out on a notable chunk of what your own discipleship truly involves. And that doesn’t just affect you; it affects others who are missing out on Jesus because you have too narrow a view of your own discipleship. Yours is a tunnel vision discipleship if you mistakenly think that your discipleship is only about you.

Does all of this terrify you? Does it make you feel inadequate? Does it make you feel guilty for making so much of your discipleship about yourself and not making disciples? Good, then you’re where you need to be, right back at square one, which is realizing how important the primary calling of a disciple is: to follow Jesus.

The whole process of discipleship and making disciples hinges on John’s seismic proclamation that Jesus was the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. That includes your sin, your guilt, your inadequacies, your shortcomings – all of it. Jesus appeared as the Lamb of God to take all of that away and in its place provide you with everything you would need to point others to him in some way or another. But you will have neither the interest nor the ability to disciple others if you yourself aren’t closely following the Lamb of God as his dearly loved disciple.

Have you ever been on a group hike and found yourself somewhere in the middle of the pack? In that spot, two things are going on. One, you are making sure the hiker in front of you doesn’t get so far ahead of you that you can no longer see him. If he does, you might end up losing the trail. Not only that, though, you also risk leading astray those who are following behind you. See how it all starts with making sure you are closely following the person in front of you?

So it is with Jesus. The closer we are to him, the less risk that we will be lost, and the closer we are to him, the better position we are in to lead those following us. That is how discipleship works. 

That is how it has worked ever since that first day John pointed others to the Lamb of God. His disciples made other disciples who made other disciples all the way down the line like links in a continuous chain until you became a disciple. Now you get to continue that same process of discipling, and you get to do it the same way John did: let others know that the Lamb of God who has appeared is their Lamb of God who takes away their sin of the world. And he longs for them to follow him and make disciples, too.

A Savior Born to Act

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(Isaiah 63:7-9)

As our continued Christmas celebration finds us turning the page from one year to the next and you look back on 2022 and reflect a bit, I have a question for you: did you do everything you said you’d do? Were there resolutions that sounded nice on paper, but never gained enough traction to experience the coveted “crossed-off” or checkmark on a to-do list? 2022 was somewhat unique in that it started to provide us with opportunities to seize the day and prioritize the things that the pandemic exposed in our lives – things we wanted to change and give attention to or things we wanted to stop or discontinue. Some of us vowed not to return back to the days of filling every waking hour with some activity or responsibility, but leaving margin for downtime with family or simply to slow down more. Some of us realized there were some ambitious things we wanted to do with our lives and feeling COVID shortened the window of opportunity, we were going to really get cracking on some things. And inevitably there are the “someday” projects that we’ve talked about – some of them for an embarrassing number of years – that we were fully committed to finally making happen in 2022. So… did you do everything you said you’d do in 2022?

Didn’t think so. Neither did I. Some of us are better at it than others, but the majority of us have at least some level of unfinished business in our past. I suppose we fall into one of probably three categories of people when it comes to those incomplete commitments we made either to ourselves or to others: 1) Maybe someday we’ll actually get to it and get it done. 2) Maybe we have already forgotten about it or will forget about it at some point and never revisit it again. 3) Maybe all we’ll do with it the rest of our lives is spend more time convincing ourselves that someday we’ll get it done than spend any actual time getting it done. 

Depending on which category you fall into, it probably impacts how you feel about those unfinished commitments, too. Those who are ambitious and driven feel angry or ticked off. Others who are more carefree won’t lose any sleep over any unfinished commitments. Then there are those who feel stuck and frustrated because they’re tired of not doing the things they said they were going to do. They mean well, but they fail to follow through and the same repeated struggle is discouraging and exhausting. No matter which of those types of people you are, no matter which feelings you most relate to, I have good news for you this morning: Christmas is about completion.

So as we put one year behind us and enter into a new one, before we completely hit the stop button on our celebration of Christmas, let’s rejoice that in Jesus we have a Savior born to act. Ours is not a Savior who makes empty promises. Ours is not a politician who says whatever needs to be said just to gain support and then not deliver on his campaign promises. Ours is not a Savior of soundbites or catchphrases. His words aren’t empty. He came to take action. 

Isaiah foreshadowed not only his actions but also his attitude behind them. Look at all of the ways Isaiah described the Lord. He speaks of compassion, love, and mercy. If I asked you to pick three adjectives that best describe yourself and our society these days, would any one of these three show up? It might be borderline laughable to pretend any of these three would accurately describe our society. But sadly, if we could carry out an honest self-assessment, I don’t know that compassion, love, and mercy would be the top three descriptions of my own attitude either. I would like to think at least one or two of them might make my list, but as much as I know they should, my inconsistent past track record betrays that they would.

So when Isaiah describes our Savior this way, it isn’t only to help us appreciate that we’re on the receiving end of that compassion, love, and mercy, but also that those are the attitudes that drive his actions. Even that is so unlike us. Remember that God isn’t only concerned about our outward actions, but about our hearts. Doing the right thing with the wrong heart is still the wrong thing in God’s eyes, and so often that’s where our actions come from. Obligation-driven obedience does not measure up to the compassion-driven compliance that God calls for. So when our Savior acts, his actions are an outward expression of a holy heart.

I also want to call your attention to another reality of our Savior that relates to how he acts on our behalf: when you hurt, he hurts. Isaiah wrote, “In all their distress he too was distressed” (v.9). Those either cautious about or even skeptical of Christianity often struggle with how a loving God could allow so much hate and hurt in this world. But why should we conclude that the presence of hate and hurt somehow indicate that God condones it or is indifferent toward it? The Bible doesn’t speak of God that way and Isaiah certainly paints a different picture of the Lord right here. Yes, it weighs heavily on your Heavenly Father’s heart when you hurt. He is distressed when he sees you distressed.

But the Lord doesn’t stop there. If Isaiah only revealed the Lord’s attitude and how he feels about us, it might bring us some level of comfort, but it would be short-lived. Nice as it is when others express thoughtful sentiments, they are just that. “I’m sorry for your loss” lets us know that someone is aware of the hurt we’re feeling and cares enough to express it. Someone may “hope” for the best or “wish” us the best in the future. Knowing how someone feels toward us in our situation is not unappreciated… but it isn’t the same as when someone takes action. A kind gesture that supports kind words makes a different impact by providing added weight to words. We might say that actions amplify attitude.

They also build trust. Consider the difference between two people who each spoke words of encouragement or concern to you while you endured some hardship. In addition, they each expressed their intention to do something for you as well. But, only one of them actually did it. While you probably weren’t unappreciative of the encouraging words of each person, the one who also took the action to do the thing she said she would is perceived as more sincere and heartfelt. Actions amplify attitude. 

Isaiah described the Lord’s actions, too. He called them “many kindnesses,” “deeds for which he is to be praised,” “many good things he has done,” “saved,” “redeemed,” and “lifted up and carried.” That’s quite a combination of nouns and verbs that denote action – action that the Lord takes for his people, and action that amplifies his attitude.

Isaiah’s audience knew it firsthand. So much of the Jewish faith is about recounting what God did in the past for his people. He guided and guarded the patriarchs while blessing them along the way, as through them he built the foundation of what would become the nation of Israel. He raised up Moses and used his leadership to break the chains of oppressive slavery, delivering the Israelites out of Egypt by splitting the sea and then swallowing Pharaoh’s army with it. He fed them in the wilderness with bread from heaven while protecting them as they made their way to the land he had promised. He flexed his mighty arm to grant them victory over their enemies living in the Promised Land, allowing them to enter it and establish themselves. In all of this, the Lord’s actions amplified his attitude, showing very clearly what compassion, love, and mercy looked like – never turning his back on his people, even when they did so to him! 

As another celebration of Christmas has passed, we are not without our own recounting of what God did in the past for his people. All that he did for Israel he did for us, too, as it allowed everything to fall into place for the Savior to be born, just as he had promised. Through the birth of the Savior – and specifically through faith in him – our eyes are opened to see the constant kindnesses of the Lord on our behalf.

How good God is to us! The physical blessings abound, as another year of unwrapping gifts demonstrates the need to get bigger trees every year because the presents spill out from underneath and start to consume the whole room. We have so much that you probably have come to realize how challenging it is to shop for people in a day and age when everyone already has everything.

But God’s constant kindnesses aren’t only on display on December 25 – they abound all year long. Think back to how many times you worried about work, stressed about school, dreaded the doctor, and yet here you are – God’s care and compassion carried you through yet another year.

Yet as much as God has and continues to take action on our behalf to address our physical needs, your Savior was born for more than that. He came to take action that would impact your eternity, not just the handful of decades we’re granted here on earth. He came to take action that would guarantee you a future free from a fate that we would wish on no man, a future that guarantees that no soul should ever have to get what it deserves: the judgment of a guilty verdict and the ensuing sentence of eternity in hell.

No, hell is not what anyone really wants to talk about at Christmas, but understand that it’s precisely because of Christmas that we don’t have to! Christmas is God doing what he has always done, taking action that amplifies his attitude. It was never enough for God to express his hope that we’d be eternally OK or send us positive vibes to aid us on our journey. He took action. He took on flesh. He took on the law and perfected it. He took on our punishment and endured it. He took on our sin and paid for it. He took on hell and overcame it. He took on death and destroyed it. He took action. 

He did everything he said he was going to do… for people who don’t. People like you and me. How do we respond? Wallow in guilt and self-deprecation? No. There’s a better way. 

Tell about the one who does what he says he’s going to do on the biggest scale ever, having taken action to secure your salvation and continuing to take action so that you remain secure in your salvation. Join me in making the commitment in 2023 to imitate Isaiah. “I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord, the deeds for which he is to be praised” (v.7). Join me in fervently celebrating the one who did what he said he was going to do for us, by now following through with what we say we’re going to do and taking action to tell others about him.

A Savior Born to Change the World

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(Luke 2:1-20)

There will always be unavoidable tension at Christmas that we are all forced to face every year. A part of what we love and long for this time of year is the familiarity of tradition, all those little things that we have to do and experience this time of year that mark it as special. It is that sameness that sets it apart from the rest of the year. It’s the time of year when we have to watch this movie, listen to that album or artist, bake this specific cookie or that sugary treat, or any number of other customs, just like we do every year for Christmas. The sameness helps cement this season as special.

But the tension starts to stiffen when that sameness is threatened by change, which always springs up in one way or another. A canceled flight or travel arrangements can cause change. Our kids grow up and, depending on which stage of life they’re at – possibly beginning new traditions of their own with their family – it may no longer be a given that we get to celebrate with them anymore. And as we age, we certainly don’t welcome the change of having to be much more discerning about what and how much we snack on over the holidays!  

Adding to that tension is how well we’re focused on the reason for the season – the birth of the Savior of the world, Jesus. I invite you to wrestle with that tension and reflect on the weight of his birth – not pounds and ounces – but the weight of same vs. change. Did Jesus come into our world to ensure that everything in your life would stay the same? Or, did he come into our world to make sure that everything would change forever? 

As we listen to the Christmas Gospel from Luke 2, we notice several things that were the same. A census was being taken – something that had been done the same every five years in the Roman world for several centuries already. Mary and Joseph were heading to their hometown to register for the census, just the same as everyone else in the Roman world was doing. The same shepherds were watching the same sheep in the same hills that surrounded Bethlehem. 

Ah, but then God pierced the timeline of history with something that was drastically different, something not at all the same. “An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” (Lk. 2:10-14). 

Did you catch it? Did you notice what had changed? Yes, an angel addressed the shepherds. Yes, an angelic army pierced the pitch-black night to proclaim the glories of God. Yes, those things were not at all the same. But the biggest change ever was what had just happened ever-so-subtly beneath the world’s radar: a Savior had been born. 

That had never happened! It had been promised, yes; prophesied, yes. Those same promises and prophecies had been passed down for centuries. But this was different. This was not the same. This wasn’t just a declaration of what would be; rather, it was the reality of an event that had taken place. What was hoped for had happened! The Savior was born. Everything changed. 

Contrast that with an area of your life and mine that has not changed – at least not as much as we’d like it to, and certainly not as much as God has called it to: it’s called sin. Sin, simply put, is missing the mark. It is as if every thought we think, every word we speak, every action we take, is like being at the foul line shooting a free throw. God’s demand is that every thought, word, and action is a swish from the line that seals our perfection. But instead of shooting 100% from the line, our lives are filled with one brick after another that clangs off the rim. 

We read through the picture-perfect details of other people’s family life in their Christmas letters and cards and we can feel the envy creep in. CLANG! Another brick. Another half-truth at work to the boss to tide him over for the holidays. CLANG! A drink or two too many at the office party. CLANG! A snarky shot back at mom or dad when asked to help around the house. CLANG! A testy text fired off in anger or impatience. CLANG! Brick after brick after brick – some days may see more go in than others, but we’re nowhere near 100%, and never can be, because every CLANG from our past will always count against the perfect percentage God requires of us. Meanwhile, we keep adding missed shots every day of our life. That’s the same in our lives and it always will be. It will never change!

So the change that Luke recorded in chapter 2 was absolutely necessary. “A Savior has been born to you” (v.11), the angel announced. A trainer to get you in shape isn’t what you need to hit 100% of those free throws. You don’t need a motivator to yell at you or inspire you. You don’t need a shooting coach to help you with your form or technique. While they all might make some noticeable contributions, what you need is someone who is guaranteed to hit every single shot for you. 

The good news of Christmas is that the Savior was born to do just that. Envy never once entered his heart. Lies never left his lips. He was never hungover, never dissed his dad or mom, and practiced patience perfectly. With his perfect life, he never missed the mark. He carried a perfect percentage. 

That gift of his perfection would have been outstanding on its own! But the Savior is not like Santa, only bringing gifts one night a year. No, the Savior came to give so much more. He didn’t only come bearing the gifts of his perfection. He came to give a gift that would cancel out every future CLANG and forgive all future free throws ever missed. While the Savior got his start in Bethlehem, he would meet his end just outside of Jerusalem. The gift wrapped up in swaddling clothes would one day be stripped of those clothes and publicly whipped and crucified. He stepped in as the substitutionary gift to die in our place to save the human race. He paid the price for our sin and changed everything. 

The angels pointed out that he would be the source of joy and peace for all people. Until Jesus arrived, the world’s experience with joy and peace had always been the same – short-lived, dependent upon temporary circumstances, or based on the hope of what was to come. But the Savior’s birth changed that forever. It would never be the same. The joy of our very real salvation has been permanently solidified. The peace of a fully restored relationship between mankind and God that is no longer divided by sin has been permanently solidified. The Savior’s birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension assure us of it. They guarantee that nothing will ever be the same!

So how can you be? Knowing this, believing this, trusting this to be true – the Savior has changed us. The tension has been resolved. We have been released and freed from it. We have been changed! That means our joy is not connected to our circumstances, whether good or bad. That means our peace does not exist only in the absence of conflict or stress. Rather, joy and peace belong to us all day long, every day.

So when you don’t get what you hoped for under the tree this Christmas, you’re just looking in the wrong place – joy is found in the manger. When December 26 hits and the world begins its hurried rush into whatever is the next urgent thing to get ready for, we can still be at peace, found in the manger. When a new year begins and the same old problems spring up, they may not change, but how we handle them has, because they cannot rob us of the joy and peace the Savior came to bring. He came into a world that was otherwise stuck in the sameness of sin, and he changed it forever.  He changed you forever, too, from sinner to saint. Merry Christmas!

Come, Lord Jesus! – as Immanuel

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(Matthew 1:18-25)

While the concept of karma has no basis in Scripture and therefore is not covered in any lessons in our Bible Basics class, the idea of it has certainly crept into our American way of thinking. We may rather flippantly comment on karma playing a role when someone pretty universally considered to be a jerk has a stroke of bad luck. Our usage of karma tends to be more negative than positive – that when bad things happen to bad people, it’s karma coming back to get them.

On the flip side, maybe the slightly twisted Christianized version of karma is this: “Do the right thing, and everything will work out.” Sure, there may be a few detours or unexpected potholes along the way, but generally speaking, when we do the right thing, everything works out. That’s why we have the Ten Commandments after all, right? Follow those pretty closely, and things will go our way. Be nice to people, tell the truth, don’t take what isn’t yours – do those kinds of things and generally speaking, everything works out. 

I wonder if that’s why we’re so drawn to a guy like Joseph in the Christmas account. Here is a good guy that the Bible always describes as doing the right thing. The verse today tells us he was “faithful to the law,” (Mt. 1:19), which used to be translated simply as “righteous.” He did the right things. Even after the angelic explanation for what was going on, we see Joseph doing the right thing. “When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him.” (v.24). And later, after Jesus’ birth, Joseph again follows an angelic mandate to take his family to Egypt to avoid Herod’s wrath. We don’t see Joseph dismissing or disregarding what he is told to do. We don’t see him calling an audible and changing the game plan to what he thinks might be a better option or solution. We see him faithfully following orders – a good guy just doing the right thing. 

Yet, look what this good guy had to go through! The quiet, humble, do-gooder Joseph was going about everything the right way in his relationship with Mary. He had been faithfully honoring the period of engagement before marriage, which could have been a rather lengthy time as the families negotiated the details of the marriage, and then the bombshell dropped: she was pregnant, and Joseph was definitely not the father. So much for “do the right thing, and everything will work out,” huh?!?

It’s happened to you, too, hasn’t it? You did all the right things, but still, look what happened. You’ve been prudent and disciplined with your finances, budgeting wisely and refusing to get caught up in a buy everything and buy it right now culture, but still cannot seem to get things into the black. You’re the model employee, following company policy and always getting your stuff done in a timely manner, and no one ever takes notice. You take care of your things far better than your negligent neighbor, and yet you’re the one who always has car trouble or the leaky roof. You really felt you were doing all the right things as a parent, but your heavy heart questions it as you watch your child’s life continue to crumble in one part of life after another. You’re doing the right thing, but everything is definitely not working out! 

That carries over into our spiritual lives, too, doesn’t it? You’re doing the right things God calls you to in your marriage but the burdens are far outnumbering the blessings. You’ve been much more deliberate about being active and engaged at church, but your problems persist. You’ve been reading your Bible, but rather than experiencing clarity, confusion continues. You committed to the three-month challenge of increasing your giving over the final quarter of the year, but it’s been much more difficult than you thought it would be. You’re doing the right thing, but everything is definitely not working out!

It gets more troubling as we get more personal. I’m talking about trying to do the right thing after you’ve done the wrong thing – that internal scale that we try to balance inside our own minds. Our history of exploding in a fit of sinful rage has resulted in physical damage or scathing words more times than we can count. Therefore, we work really hard at being more patient… only to inevitably lose control again. The next morning we tell ourselves last night was the last time we’re ever going on that website… and then after visiting it again the very next weekend we have to establish a new “last time we’re ever going to visit it.” Your dismal financial situation, caused by credit card debt racked up through your unnecessary purchases leaves you feeling ashamed and guilty, so you end up making it worse by trying to escape the guilt with more buying. You know you should forgive the person who sinned against you as readily as Jesus forgives your sins, but… you just can’t. You’re trying to do the right thing – even when trying to balance the scales because you’re the one who’s done the wrong thing, but it is definitely not working out! 

If you are frustrated or discouraged by this struggle, the Bible provides some insight to help explain what’s going on. “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death” (Proverbs 16:25). “By the works of the law no one will be justified” (Galatians 2:16). That’s pretty sobering news for those hoping to make progress by taking the “do the right thing and everything will work out” approach. It won’t work out. It doesn’t work out.

That misses the whole point of God’s law, which is really summed up by “do the right thing.” Or, to put it another way, love perfectly at all times. That isn’t just a tall order; it’s an impossible one. And that’s what God needs us to realize. Even guys like Joseph, guys we’d prefer to look up to and emulate as “good guys” – they are never good enough. We’ll never prove ourselves worthy or free from guilt by getting to the point of good, because it’s an unattainable goal. 

So what did Joseph do when that bombshell of Mary’s pregnancy dropped? Well, since he was the kinda guy who did the right thing, that’s exactly what he stuck with – he did the right thing.

But there’s a monumental difference between doing the right thing in hopes of satisfying God and doing the right thing once you find out God’s more interested in satisfying you. That, after all, was what was revealed to Joseph in his dream. The angel explained the significance of Mary’s pregnancy and birth. “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Mt. 1:21). “Joseph, did you hear that? You don’t have to be good enough! You don’t have to try harder! You don’t have to live in limbo, wondering if you’ve done the right thing so that everything will work out eternally. The Son born to Mary would take care of all of that. He will save people – including you, Joseph – from their sins!”

Brothers and sisters in Christ, did you hear that? You don’t have to be good enough! You don’t have to try harder! You don’t have to live in limbo, wondering if you’ve done the right thing so that everything will work out eternally. The Son born to Mary would take care of all of that. He will save people – including you – from their sins!

And he wouldn’t leave us wondering where we stood by remaining in heaven and barking out directions or to-do’s that could we could follow to be saved from our sins. He had to do it, and not from heaven, but here on earth. Matthew connected the dots for his readers to no one would miss that Mary’s Son would be God’s Son, the Savior who, just as Isaiah had promised, would come to be with us: “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”)” (v.22-23).

Immanuel, “God with us,” is not just the stuff of nostalgia; it’s the stuff of necessity. In Christ, God came to be what Joseph couldn’t be, what we couldn’t be, what no one could be: both perfection and payment. Jesus was the good we all strive so unsuccessfully to be. Jesus was the perfect that we’ll never pacify. Jesus was the payment we could never make. 

Christmas is Christmas because it had to be. Out of necessity. I need that child born on Christmas Day. You need that child born on Christmas Day. You love that child and you love Christmas when you are emptied of the notion that you can just do the right thing and everything will work out. It won’t. So God had to fix what we couldn’t, what we can’t, what we will never on our own be able to fix: ourselves. 

For all of his righteousness, his faithfulness to the law, his doing the right thing, Joseph still needed Jesus. So do we. Good news: on Christmas, we celebrate that God gave us just what we needed: Immanuel.

Come, Lord Jesus! – as Messiah

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(James 5:7-11)

“We’re almost there.” Every child is eager to hear those words on a long trip. Workers striving to hit an end-of-the-year goal are energized by those words as their boss sends out the office-wide memo. Fresh off another thrilling win, the team’s belief in its ability to achieve its championship aspirations swells as the coach shouts those words. “We’re almost there!”

James wrote it a bit differently, but with a similar purpose in mind. Instead of “we’re almost there,” his refrain was “He’s almost here – the Lord is near!” The words instill a sense of urgency, a call to action, an encouragement to be ready for his arrival. There is a sense of imminency in James’ words! “Just a little while longer! It won’t be long now! The wait is almost over!” 

But something may strike you as you consider these words from James: they were written a looooooooooong time ago. And still we wait. Jesus was a no-show to the first ears that heard these words of James. Jesus has been a no-show ever since. 

That tends to take a little wind out of the sails, doesn’t it? The sense of urgency dissipates over such a long period of time. So what are we to make of what can often feel like a boy-who-cried-wolf warning about Jesus’ imminent return that has been sounding for 2,000 years? When James first wrote these words, his audience had experienced what it was like for the long wait to be over when Jesus came the first time at his birth. But when century after century after century has passed and Scripture’s words, “the Lord is near” are still supposed to tide us over, well, urgency ever so gradually morphs into complacency. 

We see it in the church. You still find yourself wondering about certain folks you haven’t seen for who-knows-how-long. You might wonder if they’ve moved elsewhere or if they even still belong to the church. And here’s how that complacency cuts both ways: it isn’t just those who seem to be MIA, but it’s also those of us who are here but have been complacent about reaching out to them. For as much as we lament how neglected the Bible is, perhaps a close second is our neglect of the church directory.

And by no means is complacency’s reach limited to just this area – it can infect our service to others, our offerings, and our Christian living in general, allowing our fruits of the Spirit to become mushy and soft. Love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal.5:22-23) need their own missing person’s report filed. 

How do we make the shift back? How do we ditch the complacency and recapture the sense of urgency? ICYMI, James happens to mention a solution just once or twice (or four times…): be patient. Easier said than done! What exactly does that look like? Glad you asked, as James provides some pointers for patience as we await the Messiah’s return. He says to stand firm, avoid grumbling, and persevere. 

What are you standing on right now? Be careful, because if you say Jesus, then your life will show Jesus. What I mean is that simply knowing what the answer should be does not always line up with reality. We fail to realize what experts we are in this area. We convince ourselves that this thing matters to me or that thing matters to me or we’re this type of person or that type of person. But often the cold, hard truth is that no one else observing our life would even begin to draw the same conclusion based on what they actually see.

We tell others that we absolutely love [blank], but then immediately follow it up with the excuse that we don’t have time for [blank]. Sorry, but no you don’t love it that much if you can’t even make time for it! We buy stuff that we’re convinced we need to support this hobby or interest… but the only time those things get touched is when they’re moved from being in the way in one place to being in the way somewhere else. And there they sit, serving as constant reminders of our imaginary hobby or interest. Parents go back and forth with their children and husbands go back and forth with their wives with what we refer to as nagging – but we fail to realize the reason it feels like nagging is that every comment is a convicting reminder that I am not who I say I am or am not interested in what I say I am interested in.

So if you say that you are standing firm right now on the truths and promises of Jesus and his Word, I’d encourage you to do a personal assessment to take note of exactly what evidence in your day-to-day living supports that confidence. If you don’t see as much evidence as you thought, there’s no time like the present to adjust it. If that is the only step you take in applying James’ pointers for patience, it would be a commendable one – and one that will reap noticeable blessings. 

James also says that patience involves avoiding grumbling against one another. Uh oh. Grumbling in general is such a way of life for some of us. Your “Grumble List” from just the morning alone is already into its second column. “It’s too early. I don’t have anything to wear. We don’t have anything to eat. They’re sitting in our seat. I don’t like this hymn, etc.”

And when that comes so easily to us, it isn’t much of a stretch to direct that grumbling against others. “Our spouse leaves this there, our kids neglected that, so-and-so at church didn’t do it the right way…” Now, these things may have some merit, but grumbling is really not about addressing the actual issue itself so much as it is my attitude and approach to it. I can see an issue through a lens of gratitude or grumbling, and whichever perspective I take is going to determine how I interact with the other person involved. See – grumbling isn’t actually about others as much as we think; it has much more to do with our own attitude. Addressing this is another way we wait patiently. 

And to round out the three keys to patience as we wait? Perseverance. Not our strong suit as a society. Adversity hits, and how do we respond? Outrage. We can’t believe this thing happened. We can’t believe this thing happened to us. We can’t believe someone else would do that.

Our default is the victim mentality that is convinced that removing the adversity – which is clearly someone else’s fault – is the only option. We don’t even consider how we might actually endure it or deal with it or process it or handle it or put up with it. We go right to eliminating it, which means turning the bullseye on someone or something else as the cause.

Those are just the cases that don’t even really involve significant adversity. What about when those arrive? What am I talking about? Fighting (in a good way!) instead of giving up. Forgiving instead of getting even. Growing instead of going when it gets tough. Trusting when tested. Some of you are going through seasons right now that are forcing you to face these difficult decisions. The adversity is real. The pull to call it quits is as strong as it’s ever been. Giving up seems so much easier. But patience means perseverance, friends!

Consider James’ examples. The prophets. Talk about a tough job description! “Go to God’s people and call them to repentance, but be careful – they won’t like you and will want you imprisoned or dead.” That’s perseverance! Or consider Job, who had everything, then had nothing, and was surrounded by nothing but miserable advice from his wife and friends to help him cope with trauma and tragedy. Still he didn’t turn away. That’s perseverance!

What fuels your perseverance? Where do we find the power to keep pushing? James tells us. “The Lord is full of compassion and mercy” (v.11c). You know what? That’s worth waiting for. Patiently, even!

But you know what else? We don’t have to wait for that – the Lord’s compassion and mercy are already ours! What proof of this do we have? Look back at Jesus’ first coming as Messiah. THAT was compassion and mercy. 2 Corinthians 1:3 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3). Literally, God is the Father of compassion, for his Son is its source! The Messiah – the anointed or chosen one – has already come, and he already brought compassion with him the first time.

The gift wrapped up in swaddling clothes in Bethlehem was compassion personified. He came to give himself as the gift on Calvary that would keep on giving. What greater gift of compassion could there be than canceled sins? What greater gift of compassion could there be than the comfort of constant forgiveness for sinners? God doesn’t just call himself the Lord full of compassion and mercy – he backs it up!

Think on this for one second. If that is what the Messiah came to bring with him the first time, can you even imagine what he’s bringing with him when he returns??? Can you even imagine how he can top that? Well, you won’t have to wait much longer – He’s almost here. The Lord is near! In the meantime, we wait patiently for the Messiah to return. We do so by standing firm, giving up the grumbling, and persevering. And we do all of that with the compassion and mercy the Messiah brought with him the first time to tide us over until he comes again. 

Come, Lord Jesus! – as Judge

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(Isaiah 11:1-10)

There is an innocence about a child’s exuberance to show off a new outfit or costume to mom or dad. A child holds no fear of feedback and eagerly parades out to showcase the look. Some of that is due to the sheer excitement that kiddos tend to experience in even the smallest things throughout childhood. It is also likely related to the fact that the child has an audience that shares the excitement and plays it up with praise and encouragement. Children thrive on that… 

…for what feels like a woefully short period of time until they hit the teenage years. That is when everything changes, and not for the better. Suddenly the cheerleading and positive remarks are replaced by brutal honesty and sharp jabs. A few snide remarks from friends here or there. A parent verbally questions, “you’re wearing that?”, and the childlike confidence fades away. Some never regain it. There is an ongoing fear of being ridiculed or made fun of, a nagging concern over comparison and not measuring up. 

That can carry into adulthood, too, and it can go well beyond just the clothes we wear. Our jobs and how we perform. Our kids and how we parent. Our classmates and our grades. Our friends and who has the newest and the latest. Our cars. Our house. Our yard. Our decorations. We live in a culture that just presumes that virtually every detail of our lives is under surveillance and scrutiny so that everything is fair game when it comes to comparison. And it leaves us as if we’re on guard 24/7 to make sure everything is on the up and up and satisfies the standards of others. More than anything, we just don’t want to be judged inadequate or not good enough.

And it isn’t always others who are responsible for the judgment, either. Often it is self-inflicted. We do it to ourselves. Maybe no one said a thing. Maybe no one noticed this or that. Maybe it’s not even on anyone else’s radar. But our mind draws ridiculous conclusions, nonetheless. “Maybe no one said anything, but I know what she’s thinking.” “Maybe no one noticed this or that because I wasn’t even worth noticing.” “Maybe it’s not even on anyone else’s radar because they’re more impressed by someone else.” We don’t want others to judge us, but so often fail to catch that we ourselves are most often the ones doing the judging!

Let’s seek to recapture that childhood confidence. Let’s get to a place where we do not fear judgment, but welcome it and eagerly look forward to it. We can, you know! We don’t have to live in fear of others’ opinions – or our own! Unlike so many others, we don’t need to wither when the world judges. We don’t need to be afraid of judgment.

We can have the same confidence that the apostle Paul expressed to the Corinthians. “I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me” (1 Cor. 4:3-4). Did you hear his rationale? “It is the Lord who judges me.” We’ll come back to those words, as they are extremely helpful in guiding us to a deeper appreciation of the words of Isaiah. But first, we need to touch on an important realization that Paul had; one that is really the missing piece in our culture’s pursuit of mental and emotional health.

Paul pointed out that not even a clean conscience made him innocent! Here’s why that matters. Our culture’s pursuit of a healthy self-image has always focused on how we feel about ourselves… which is precisely why we’ll never get it right. Years ago, and many adults and seniors can attest to this, if you made a mistake or failed it was understood that if you wanted to avoid that embarrassment or shame in the future, you had to try harder and do better next time. Some of you had parents or dads who were not shy about scolding or bluntly telling you to buck up and put in more effort next time. 

Well, that didn’t seem to do the trick, so the next phase followed the advice of psychologists that said the key to a healthy self-image was thinking positively about oneself. Parents were discouraged from tearing down and pushing kids too hard and instead encouraged to build up with words of affirmation. We’ve been encouraged to engage in daily self-talk, telling ourselves we’re good enough just as we are. The more positively we thought about ourselves, the more secure we’d feel and a healthy self-image would flourish.

But it hasn’t, because people are still mean and say mean things that smother the self-talk and positive vibes. So now we’ve been moving into the next stage which is that we’re making everyone else responsible for how we feel. You cannot disagree with anyone. You cannot say anything that might in any way whatsoever be construed as offensive, regardless of the intent. If someone’s feelings are hurt because of your words, it’s on you, not how they took your words. You cannot have an opinion that goes against what we’re told is the mainstream view that “everyone else” “clearly” shares. 

Do I have to ask if this is working? We’re seeing more suicides than ever and prescribing more pills than ever and we think this approach is working?!? You’ve got to be kidding! Of course this isn’t going to work, and here’s why: you’re the problem. Not the person next to you. Not what they think of you. Not what they say about you. You. Are. The. Problem. 

Your insecurity stems from what you inherently know about yourself. Something is off. Something is not right. You know the thoughts you’ve had. You know the things you’ve gotten away with. You know how much you don’t measure up, your conscience is your biggest critic – and rightly so!

So we need to draw the same conclusion that Paul did: others’ opinions of me cannot fix me; my own opinion of me cannot fix me. There is only one place to turn: the Lord. As Paul stated, “It is the Lord who judges me” (1 Cor. 4:4). While anyone else judging us would leave us standing on shaky ground, when we look at Isaiah’s words about the Lord’s judgment, we find what we cannot find anywhere else: peace of mind. 

You see – we know the Judge! Not only that, but we know what his judgment is going to be when he returns on the Last Day! Think about that. The one who determines your eternal destiny – whether it will be with him in heaven forever or apart from him in hell forever – has already made it known to you what his judgment is! You already know where you’re going. You already know what his opinion of you is. And if his opinion of you is already a done deal, then who else’s judgment do you really have to fear? Who else can say or do anything to you that carries more weight than your Savior’s? No one’s! And so we say, “Come, Lord Jesus! – as Judge.”

Did you know Jesus was the One Isaiah was talking about in the verses this morning? He described him like this: “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—and he will delight in the fear of the Lord” (Is. 11:1-3). That’s a pretty nice description for the One Isaiah goes on to describe as being the One who will judge. Who wouldn’t want a judge with wisdom and understanding, counsel and might, knowledge and fear of the Lord? Those are ideal characteristics for a judge.

But having the ideal judge doesn’t help us if we know we’re already guilty, which we do and which we are. So no matter how fair and just the judge is, how does it help our case if we already know we’re guilty?

Look at how he judges. That’s just it! See the metric by which he judges: “He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears” (v.3b). What he sees from my actions and hears from my lips will not be the basis of his judgment??? Do you know what that means? It means I have a chance! If my own incriminating sinful actions and thoughts won’t be permitted as evidence, then I have a chance! If all of the times I have been so quick to judge others won’t count against me, then I have a chance! If all the times I’ve played favorites, have not treated others equally, and thought so little of others at times won’t count against me, then I have a chance!

Instead of judging my actions and words, see how this judge reaches his verdict: “but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist” (vs. 4a,5). Righteousness, justice, and faithfulness are not descriptions that apply to me, so if those will be the characteristics by which he judges, then they must come from him. It must be the Judge’s righteousness, his justice, his faithfulness by which he judges.

And it is! John tells us “But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One” (1 John 2:1). The Righteous One who is our advocate is the very same one Isaiah says will be our Judge. What does this mean for you and for me?

Peace. And that is exactly what Isaiah describes in the pictures in verses six and following. Peace in the animal kingdom and in a world in which there is no fear of little ones being hurt. That peace is ours because Judge Jesus has determined that faith in him means our sins don’t count against us or separate us from him. So we have peace with God. 

When peace with God exists, I can reflect that same peace with my fellow man. You are at peace with your fellow man – the Judge has spoken! Nothing he has done or can do to you will change the Judge’s verdict. You don’t have to get revenge or get even. You are at peace. 

Let that peace govern your heart this Advent and Christmas. Rally to him. Rest in him. The verdict is in. Peace. No guilt. That means you live in a judgment-free zone no matter where you are. Come, Lord Jesus! – as Judge!

A King Who Comes to You

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(Matthew 21:1-11)

I came into the gym searching, as Gena had already texted me the exciting news. There had been a celebrity sighting at my daughter’s high school volleyball playoff game being played in Malibu. You probably wouldn’t know his name, but it’s very likely that you’ve watched him and would recognize him from one or another of his roles in a movie or series. He was there to watch his daughter play. I ended up sitting not too far away from him, which meant I was getting a lot of looks from CLHS fans turning toward me throughout the game… so they could not so subtly catch glimpses of him right beyond me. He cheered loudly, may not have been all that thrilled that the coach didn’t play his daughter more, and we ended up winning the game and moving on to the next round of the playoffs. 

After the game, when pictures of our girls were being taken, someone made a comment about how we should ask Mr. Celebrity to take one with the team. As exciting as the win was, how amazing would it be to get a team picture with Mr. Celebrity??? You’ll never guess what happened next. We asked him if he’d take a picture with the girls and get this: he did! Can you believe it? He actually appeared to be a normal human being and willingly came over for a few pictures with the girls. 

Why do we get so excited about such things? Typically we don’t expect celebrities, athletes, or dignitaries to interact with the rest of us. After all, they’re in a league of their own. They’re a big deal. They live in big houses, drive really nice cars, make lots of money, and rub elbows with others in the same social circles. We generally try to respect their privacy by not hovering or smothering and giving them their space. That’s why we tend to get such a big kick out of the times they do interact with us, even coming over to a very small crowd of parents and high school volleyball players for a picture. 

Even more amazing? The almighty Creator of the universe willfully, knowingly, intentionally, coming to us, to mankind.  

The description of Jesus entering Jerusalem on Palm Sunday might appear to be out of place for this time of the church year, but it actually fits beautifully as Matthew connects the dots of the prophet Zechariah for us, describing what kind of a King we have: “This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” (v.4-5). A week ago we highlighted that Jesus was unlike earthly kings and authorities in that he did not establish his kingdom for himself, but rather that he came for others. As we begin our new Advent series, we rejoice in another way that Christ is unlike earthly kings: he comes to us.

That just doesn’t happen. Remember the remarkable story of Esther? She had a unique opportunity to intervene on behalf of the Jewish people and do whatever she could to save them from being wiped out by an edict authorized by the king. The only problem? She hadn’t been summoned by the king for several weeks, which could have implied that she wasn’t in all that great of standing with him. To approach the king, then, without having been summoned, was to risk death. Here is the exchange between Esther and her cousin, Mordecai, the one who had informed her of the plot to destroy the Jews:

“‘All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.’ When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer: ‘Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?’ Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: ‘Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish’” (Esther 4:11-16). 

I won’t spoil the ending if you aren’t familiar with it – you definitely need to read the rest of the account of Esther to see how everything played out if you don’t know. The only detail I’ll share is this: Esther wasn’t put to death by the king. He allowed her to come into his presence for an audience with the king. 

But even that is a different thing than what we see in Matthew 21. We don’t see Jesus situated authoritatively on his throne, determining who will and who will not be granted the request to have an audience with him. No – we see the King coming to his people. We see the dignitary, not full of himself, but full of grace, grace that compelled him not only to ride humbly into Jerusalem, not only to humbly be betrayed and taken captive, not only to be beaten and berated in humility but in the ultimate act of humility, to be killed by crucifixion. 

Why would a king – this King – subject himself to all of that? What did he have to gain? What benefit was it to him? He did not need to do it to expand his kingdom – it was already all his! He did not need to do it to prove himself – God does not need man’s approval to be validated. No, this King who comes for others comes to you.

During this season of Advent, that is what we celebrate – the Lord Jesus comes to us. And your King still comes to you. He continues to. Isn’t that also what makes interactions with celebrities or dignitaries stand out – they are so rare? I don’t anticipate ever interacting with Mr. Celebrity again. That was most likely a one-and-done occurrence, as are the majority of such memorable occasions. Many of us have similar stories of that one time we met so-and-so, and that is just it, it’s a part of the allure – it was that one time.

But not so with our King. Yes, he came into our world in a human body one time to dwell among mankind for three decades, but even in that way, he will come again on the last day when he returns visibly for all to see. In the meantime he still comes to us in body and blood, giving himself to us in such a way as to both remind us of the price our King paid to win the battle over Satan while also continuing to extend the ongoing blessing of forgiveness won through that battle for us. In continuing to offer himself to us in this way, it is as if the King was opening up his treasure room to us whenever we need it to provide us with the riches of his grace and forgiveness. 

Are you spiritually depleted? Sit at the King’s table, where he comes to you to fill you up again with the food of forgiveness. Are you frustrated by a lack of progress or growth in your Christian living? Sit at the King’s table, where he comes to you to give you the grace needed to grow. Are you discouraged by all successes Satan seems to be having in your life lately? Sit at the King’s table, where he comes to you to remind you of who already won the war. Are guilt and shame doing their best to push you away from the King by convincing you you’re not good enough to be in his presence? Sit at the King’s table, where he comes to you and sets the table with his body and blood for just such guests as you! 

Do you happen to have any other needs that have not been addressed? If so, your King also comes to you through his Word to remind you of the blessings that come from his convincing victory over Satan and his current ruling over all things for your benefit. He rules to oversee not only your present problems but also your future uncertainties. With him on the throne, what business do worry or anxiety have in his kingdom? With him on the throne, what can legitimately rob us of peace? With him on the throne, where else are we going to turn for the level of joy that he is able to provide? With him on the throne, having called us into his kingdom, what greater meaning and purpose can we serve than to extend all of these same blessings to other souls as we do the work he’s given us to bring other souls into his kingdom? He has the answer for every need you can imagine, and your King comes to you as frequently as you will summon him through his Word! 

My experience with Mr. Celebrity was fun, but honestly, a few years from now I will not be surprised to find myself trying to recall which celebrity it was that we got to meet that one time. And other than being a novel experience, we didn’t really gain any benefit from meeting him other than a few pictures. 

How different it is with Christ our King, our Savior-King who still comes to us! Not only during Advent, but always, until he comes to us that one last time to gather the people of his kingdom to be with him forever.

A King for Others

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(Luke 23:25-43)

How did the midterm elections turn out for you? Did the best people get elected? Does the right party control the Senate? the House? How will the outcome affect inflation? Will student loans have to be paid back? Where do things stand with abortion? marriage? What progress have we made in addressing homelessness? What are the implications that this election cycle has on preparing for the next presidential election? There is no small amount of pressure on the government to get it all right these days! 

If we could just figure that out, wouldn’t our country be so much better off? If we could manage to get the right people in office maybe, just maybe, we could get our country back on track, pull together, and reflect once again that we are not the Divided States of America, but the United States of America. Is it that hard to figure out? Is the answer a third viable political party? Is the solution dissolving our current political party system and coming up with something new? Maybe we should consider a monarchy and establish a king or queen. 

Before you laugh it off, ask yourself what you’re really wanting our government to be. Are we perhaps guilty of looking to earthly rulers for solutions that they can never provide? Have we gotten so accustomed to “having it our way” as a nation for so long that we have lost sight of the reality that it was never a particular political party or a perfect President who had all the answers? Whatever “better days” you remember from your past were never the result of this policy or that legislation. No disrespect whatsoever to any who serve us in our government (after all, they deserve our honor, respect, and certainly need our prayers!), but they have far less influence and impact on this country than another group: the citizens of our country. 

If, as Abraham Lincoln put forth in his Gettysburg Address, we are a “government of the people, by the people, for the people,” then is the government really to blame for whatever problems we’re facing right now? Conversely, is it fair to pin all our hopes on the government, when by design, the government is to be a reflection of the people of the country? So if the government isn’t the problem, but simply a reflection of a much more influential group – the people – then how do we address that?

We start by staying in our lane as the church. We start by disentangling ourselves from politics and stop thinking foolish thoughts that confuse the role of the government with the role of the gospel. While we have a responsibility to each as Christian citizens of this nation, we are the only ones entrusted with the gospel. So which should receive greater attention? Is it not the gospel? If the government is merely a reflection of the people and we don’t like what we see, then let’s use the tool that God has given us to change things for the better: let’s let the gospel change hearts and lives and see what happens!

What is that gospel? With some of the last words he spoke before he died, Jesus uttered the gospel beautifully to the criminal crucified beside him: “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (v.43). How could Jesus promise such a thing, especially to such a criminal? Remember that crucifixion was much more than just a slap on the wrist, so we can presume this wasn’t your garden variety shoplifter or jaywalker next to Jesus. He had committed something serious, a crime that merited both public shame and severe pain!

Still, Jesus promised him paradise. How? Not because of who the criminal was, but because of who the Christ is – King. The King makes the final decision on who is a part of his kingdom. He is the final authority. And he’s also the King who was at that very moment making the sacrifice necessary to open his kingdom to all, including the thief right next to him. 

That is what is unique about King Jesus. Unlike earthly kings, unlike worldly leaders, he didn’t come for himself. Look at how the jeers of those around him even expected him to act that way! “The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.” There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” (v.35-39). 

Everyone ridiculing him presumed that if he was truly the king he claimed to be, then he would have no problem proving it. And the foregone conclusion was that he’d prove it by saving himself. That’s what anyone in his position would do. But they had not connected the dots to realize that essential truth about Jesus: he didn’t come for himself. He came for others. 

Saving others – not self – is why he was there. An earthly king looks out for himself (CEOs and severance packages, royalty who live in luxury), but who takes that wealth and privilege and uses it to bless others first? Rarely, if ever, does that happen. Jesus didn’t oblige the requests or silence the sneering to save himself because he didn’t come for himself. He came for others.

Somehow, at some point, the Holy Spirit enlightened the thief to see and believe that. And so he made his final request of the King: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (v. 42). He pleaded for mercy from his King. What a contrast we see in the thief! Others railed on Jesus and made fun of him, but instead of mockery, the thief asked for mercy. 

Mercy does two things: it acknowledges that it deserves nothing, but it also knows where to look for mercy to be extended. The thief knew both.

He didn’t appeal to Jesus to look at the impressive track record of his life. He had already chastised the other thief for ridiculing innocent Jesus, knowing full well that he himself and the other criminal were getting the punishment their crimes deserved “We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve” (v. 41).

He asked simply to be remembered, knowing that Jesus choosing to remember him was his only hope to enter into a better kingdom, an eternal one. We don’t need to know how the thief came to this conclusion; just that he did is what matters. He knew who Jesus was – the King of a kingdom far superior to any on earth that had ever existed. Through faith in King Jesus, he knew to be true what Jesus had explained to Pontius Pilate, that his kingdom was not of this world. 

We also know what the thief did – that the only way to belong to that kingdom is through mercy. By nature, everyone is on the outside looking in when it comes to this kingdom, and as glorious as it appears, there is no way we can enter it on our own. That’s because we excluded ourselves from it. The reason Christ’s kingdom is so gloriously appealing is that it is so unlike everything we see in this world, and the reason it is so unlike everything we see in this world is because it is holy. There is no sin to ruin it.

That is precisely why we know something else the thief did – that Christ’s kingdom is not of this world. How could it be??? If his is a kingdom without sin, then surely no such kingdom could exist in a fallen world overcome by sin.

What Jesus informed Pontius Pilate of is too easily forgotten by us – his kingdom is not of this world (Jn. 18:36). If we’re looking for a heaven on earth, we won’t find it. If we’re expecting Christianity to fix politics and poverty or injustice and inequality, don’t hold your breath. Christ didn’t have his sights set on so small a thing! He was more interested in addressing the root cause than he was in trying to treat the symptoms of it. 

That is exactly what he was doing in the verses from Luke this morning: addressing the root cause of all that is wrong with every earthly kingdom. He was fixing what was broken – sinners. He did what no group of protestors, activists, cause, or movement could ever accomplish by paying the ultimate price necessary to forgive sinners. His bloodshed was the only solution for sinners that could bring about real change. It was the victory he had to win to establish his kingdom and to welcome into it the sinners he had transformed into saints. 

Do you really want to make a difference? I mean, really? If you’re serious about it, then focus on a cause that is guaranteed to yield results. Less politics, more prayer. Fewer debates, more devotions. Less worry, more worship. Less scrolling, more sacrament. Less isolation, more invitations. Fewer excuses, more evangelism. Less social justice, more Jesus. 

No, we don’t have to stop doing all of those things entirely – some of them can be ways we love and serve our fellow man. But let’s keep them in their proper place and realize their impact will be limited. They will never be able to bring about the real change that only Christ the King has.

His kingdom alone changes hearts, and changed hearts will change the community. Changed communities will change the world. So let us not only pray for Christ’s kingdom to come, as we do in the Lord’s Prayer, but let us also enable it to as we do what the people of his kingdom do and saturate a wayward world with the good gospel. 

When we faithfully focus on that, we’ll be celebrating a different election. Not an election that secured the necessary number of votes for the right party to fix everything, but an election to eternal life that will be served out in a kingdom unlike any other. It will be a kingdom ruled by Christ the King, truly a King for you and a King for others. 

Make Up Your Mind

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(Luke 21:5-19)

“Begin with the end in mind.” It’s one of Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The idea behind the approach is to consider the outcome you desire before jumping headfirst into something. A person wanting to remodel or put on an addition to a home doesn’t just start the demolition and then decide what to do after that. Plans and blueprints of the finished project are drawn up and plotted first. And, although it might be slightly altered at some point, writers and producers have a general idea of the conclusion and storyline before they start the book or movie. Taking the time to think through the desired outcome ensures that the time spent getting there will be much more efficient and effective. It also greatly increases the likelihood of achieving that desired outcome.

“Begin with the end in mind.” It would also seem a prudent approach when it comes to the most important matter of our spiritual lives and eternity, would it not? Have we done that or do we regularly do that? “It’s not necessary,” one might reason, “because we already know what the end is: heaven. And, we already know how we get there: Jesus. What else is there to consider?”

Well apparently, the Bible seems to indicate there is plenty to consider in the meantime, not the least of which is how we plan to stay the course and not allow the devil’s daily ambush efforts to succeed against us. Perhaps there is a reason we see Jesus continually teaching the importance of staying connected to him. Maybe there is something to Paul’s (the writer of much of the New Testament in the Bible) repeated warnings not to forsake or abandon the good news of the gospel. After all, many of the people to whom Jesus spoke and Paul wrote were believers who knew that Jesus was the way to heaven. Nevertheless, the same warnings and encouragement are given to them. We might do well to take them to heart, too.

Jesus’ words from Luke 21 help us begin with the end in mind. He tells us what to look for.

Remember how people used to provide directions before we all just started plugging the address into our phones and obediently following wherever the voice tells us to turn? Those giving directions would tell the what to look for. “Turn this way and after about a half-mile you’ll see a grocery store. Turn right there and then go until you come to a steep hill. Turn left and keep going until you see that big barn and that’s where you want to go.” Describing what to look for lets a person prepare for what to do next.

Jesus described what to look for in Luke 21: deceivers, wars, natural disasters, terrifying events, persecution, betrayal, and even death. When you see those things, prepare what to do next, because the end is near. Spoiler alert: the end is near. What do we do next?  

Just as important as beginning with the end in mind is this: the need to make up your mind. 

The mind is so very powerful. I may sound like I am overstating it, but it’s only because we too often undervalue it. Our minds are in fact one of God’s most tremendous gifts to our physical lives. Our minds set us apart from all other living creatures. We can reason and rationalize and consider and create and imagine with our minds like no other living being created by God can.

But one of the most powerful things we can do with our minds is decide. Make a decision. I am not talking about making a decision for Christ, which is utterly impossible for anyone to make, given we all come into this world spiritually stillborn, blind in unbelief, and hatefully hostile to God. No, I am speaking about the general ability that we have to make decisions… or not make them. 

Far too many of us linger in that paralyzingly debilitating space of indecision. Out of fear of making the wrong decision, we put off making any decision at all, prolonging the crippling, costly price of indecision that leaves us hyperventilating with anxiety, worry, and stress. 

We don’t realize how much better off we are when we finally decide – even if it is the wrong decision! Yes, even making the wrong decision leaves us better off than living in the valley of indecision with our anxiety elevated to ridiculously unhealthy high levels. Even when we make the “wrong” decision, 9 times out of 10 we can correct or overcome it afterward.

Make a note right now to set aside 15 minutes today just to think back about times you made what you’d call in hindsight the “wrong” decision. While those times understandably may have resulted in a few headaches, by and large, was the wrong decision the end of the world, or did you just adjust accordingly and fix it? I think we know the answer. So knowing that we can right the ship even when we make a wrong decision, let’s work at not allowing ourselves to get stuck in the unhealthy rut of indecision.

Especially in one area. Jesus himself realized the value of making a decision – especially when it comes to the most important matter of all: being ready for the Last Day. Having described some of the details of what God’s people can expect as that day draws near, Jesus directed his disciples to make a decision. “But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves” (v.14). Make up your mind. Decide.

Decide not to worry. Yes, there is a place for applying that advice in general – and many in society would be far better off for it.

But Jesus is speaking more specifically in this context. He is encouraging us not to worry about what to say when we come under fire for our faith. It’s relatively easy for us to share a spiritual social media post or make our faith known as we broadcast it via bumper sticker. We display a cross hanging around our neck or on a shirt.

But when it comes to talking about Jesus, we clam up like a kid who just got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Why is it so unnatural for us to casually, comfortably, talk about Jesus with others (without being abrasive or overly aggressive)? We’re worried… but about what? Make a note to yourself to set aside another 15 minutes later today just to think about what worry keeps you from talking about Jesus with others more naturally.

Then, take that worry captive to the words of Jesus this morning. Here’s why we can make up our minds not to worry: Jesus promises, “For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict” (v.15). How refreshing is that?! In these last days, as if we don’t already have so much that weighs heavily on our hearts and minds, Jesus assures us that one area we don’t need to stress out about is what to say when it comes to talking about our faith or defending ourselves. He’ll give us the words, and not just any words, but the Word. And when we speak his words – the Word – no one will be able to resist or contradict his words. 

No one will be able to resist or contradict his words because they are true. Jesus prayed elsewhere to his Father and ours, “Sanctify them by the truth, your word is truth” (John 17:17). Others may disagree with it. They may deny it. They may ridicule it.

But let me ask you, do any of those responses in any way at all negate the truth of God’s Word? Is it any less true because others reject it? Absolutely not, and don’t forget, if it’s true – and it absolutely is! – then it is also the truth by which others are going to come to faith as they see us defend our own. So we have nothing to lose and everything to gain as we make up our minds not to worry because we can have 100% confidence that the Lord will give us his words of wisdom that are absolutely true.

You know the power of his Word. You’re likely reading this right now because you know it. You know its truth. It is spot-on when it calls out our sin and reveals that sin to be the source of the rift between God and us. When the Word points out the painstaking reality that we cannot repair that rift in any way no matter how hard we try, we know it is speaking the truth. When the Word says judgment and condemnation are what we deserve, our sin convicts us to know that is the truth.

But grace has also opened our eyes to the greatest truth of all. Jesus promised, “Not a hair of your head will perish” (v.18). No, he wasn’t speaking physically, since right before these words he had just prepared his disciples for the reality that some believers would die, they would be put to death for their faith. Rather, here he is comforting his disciples and us with the rock-solid truth that we have nothing to fear about our eternal future. The spiritual judgment our sin deserves has already been declared and carried out – not against us, but against Jesus. 

Let that sink in. Jesus is speaking these words. Jesus is making the promise that we have nothing to fear spiritually, despite the awful worldly things happening physically all around us. Jesus makes that guarantee because Jesus was the one to deliver and make good on it. He would be the one to bear the brunt of the Father’s judgment and condemnation. He would be the one to be cut off and damned. He would be the one from whom the Father would turn his face.

So then it is true that he will never turn his face from us. No matter how bad things get in these end times. No matter how much the details Jesus shared become increasingly intense during these last days, we can stay the course. Jesus said, “Stand firm, and you will win life” (v.19). How can we be sure we’ll win life? Because Jesus lost his. For us.

So don’t be afraid. The judgment we deserved has already been declared and carried out against Jesus. Therefore, make up your mind not to worry. 

Truth That Truly Frees

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(John 8:31-36)

The trial is winding down. Closing arguments are being made. Shortly, the jury will reveal its judgment on the man accused of murder. The family of the victim has of course expressed its hope that justice is carried out and that the truth prevails. 

A husband has his suspicions. His wife has been working at the office much later into the evening in recent weeks. On more than one occasion he has entered the room to find her texting, followed by a rather frazzled explanation of who it was on the other end. They haven’t spent any meaningful time together for several months. He’s worried that she’s cheating on him and he’s ready to confront her because he has to know the truth. 

Suppose the truth is discovered in each of the above scenarios. The man accused of murder is found guilty. The wife suspected of being unfaithful was in fact having an affair. The truth prevailed. But where does knowing that truth leave the family of the victim? What has changed for the husband whose suspicions have been confirmed with the truth of an affair? Yes, there is certainly something to be said for the truth being brought to light. There is peace of mind that results when a suspicion or a gut feeling is finally confirmed and uncertainty is erased. 

Sadly though, the truth won’t bring the victim alive and back to the family. The truth of the affair won’t restore the trust that was broken in the marriage commitment. I point this out to underscore how out-of-place it is when we see the words of Jesus from John 8 snatched out of context and lazily applied to the general pursuit of truth in any imaginable situation. When Jesus’ words, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (v. 32), are invoked in the noble name of truth alone, with all due respect, no, that truth may not set a person free. In both of the previous scenarios, the truth came out, but ask the ones left picking up the pieces if they’d use the word “free” to describe how they’re feeling. I doubt it. When this Bible verse is often quoted in similar settings, it misses the mark. No, not just any old truth will set a person free. 

But there is a truth that does. And 500 years ago, a German monk discovered that truth. These words of Jesus had a profound impact on him. That impact not only changed the trajectory of his own life, but also the direction of the church of his day that had lost its way. Martin Luther’s discovery of the truth of Scripture that freed him from the prison of his own unrighteousness drove him to hammer his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany on October 31, 1517. The truth that he discovered freed him to boldly stand up to church and state authorities to debate and defend it. To appreciate the courage that took, let history display the embers and ashes of those who went before him, burned at the stake for having had the audacity to question church authority. What truth would be worth that sort of a risk?

That truth is beautifully summarized by Jesus himself so simply in verse 36: “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” Jesus’ words are so straightforward and succinct so as not to be confused or mistaken. If a police officer lets you go with just a warning, then you are free and under no obligation to pay a ticket. If your server knowingly throws in a menu item free of charge, then you are under no obligation to pay for it. If Jesus frees you, then you are free. There are no strings attached, no future favors expected in return, and no disclaimers or fine print hiding some loophole. If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Who is in need of that kind of freedom? Those listening to Jesus didn’t think they were. Notice how his listeners bristled at the notion that they would need any kind of freedom. “They answered him, ‘We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?’” (v. 33). The Jewish people listening to Jesus were hearing him offer something that they didn’t think they needed and hadn’t ever needed. They were very well aware of their status as God’s special, chosen people.

Jesus explained it for them. “Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin’” (v.34). Their minds were set on physical slavery. But Jesus did not come to promise freedom from any physical chains or earthly master. Rather, Jesus was speaking of spiritual slavery to sin. 

Kind of a harsh way to describe our relationship with sin, isn’t it? Is Jesus possibly overstating things just a bit – using hyperbole, as he often does – an extreme statement to make his point? 

No, and it’s just as true today as it was in Jesus’ day. If you sin, you are a slave to sin. That, after all, is how sin plays the game. It refuses to be the servant and insists on being the slave master. Sin does not invite us to try it out for a time and then respectfully understand when we decide we’d like to be done with it and move on. No, sin is like an invasive plant. When it is permitted to grow without removal or restraint, it refuses to give up any ground gained until it takes over everything. 

And your own experience has taught you this! Sin stakes its claim in our hearts and once it does, does not willingly or easily give up ground. In fact, it demands more of us. It wants to expand its rule in our hearts. A chip on our shoulder expands into full-fledged bitterness. A quick glance here and a brief look of lust there explode into raging addiction. A polite discussion in person or online becomes a heated argument bent on being right and pride puffs up to pummel the other person and put them down. A few dollars now and again that we’ll surely pay back becomes significantly more until the concern of paying it back is replaced by the concern of covering our tracks.

Sin does not play the role of servant! It demands to be in charge. Jesus’ words are true; everyone who sins is a slave to sin. If that were not the case, we would stop today. Right now. But we cannot. Because we are helpless. We are enslaved.

In Luther’s day, those who turned to the church looking for freedom from that slavery to sin were offered a variety of solutions… which would cost them a pretty penny. One could pay handsomely for a slip of paper called an indulgence, which declared forgiveness for its bearer. There were holy relics and sacred sites, which could be viewed and visited… for a price or donation. Of course, these options appeared all the more appealing against the message of hell and torment and eternal punishment that echoed from preachers and pulpits! 

Today we are thankful for those who stood their ground before us, contending for the truth of the gospel and capturing the essential truths of Scripture articulated in our Lutheran Confessions. Thankfully, we who by nature are slaves to sin know exactly where to turn for freedom. It is not to a corrupt church. It is not to an unholy pope. It is not to our own bank account as if we can buy or purchase it. Freedom from slavery to sin was, is, and only always will be granted only through Jesus Christ.

Now please do not make the mistake so many in our day are making and presume that means you don’t need the body of Jesus Christ, that is, his church, made up of all believers. To think that, to detach oneself from the body of believers is to slowly sever oneself from Jesus Christ himself. Do not buy Satan’s lie that freedom is somehow found outside the church and away from the gathering of the saints around the Word of God and Sacraments. That would be a grave mistake.

A passenger of a ship in the middle of the ocean recalled a bird aboard the ship escaping from its cage. The bird left the ship behind and flew off to embrace its newfound freedom by exploring the unlimited reaches of life not confined to a small cage on a ship at sea. Hours later, however, the passenger made a peculiar discovery: the bird had returned. Having become exhausted in flight and unable to find food or land in the middle of the ocean, he returned to the ship and place of his former cage. What had been previously perceived as a prison suddenly offered more than he realized, and what he had previously presumed would offer freedom was not at all the true freedom he expected.

So it is with those who celebrate that they have “escaped” from some perceived prison of the local church or organized religion. The thought goes that freedom is not being constricted by or confined to some set of dogma or doctrine. To throw off those shackles, whether they were imposed at an early age by parents or some previously misguided pursuit of spiritual enlightenment – that is real freedom, or so many think.

One of the popular phrases that captures this version of woke Christianity is “deconstructed faith.” It’s really nothing new, but the same old buffet-style false religion with a false god by which an individual determines what to pick and choose in search of “true freedom.”

But Jesus’ words this morning don’t permit that. How exactly did Jesus stress that a person can know the truth and the freedom that comes through it? “Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’” (v. 32-32). Whose teaching? Not mine. Not yours. Not whatever else anyone else may construct or deconstruct, but Jesus said “my” teaching. His. Sure, you and anyone else are free to pursue your own teaching, but you won’t find freedom there. Nor will you find it anywhere else. Only the Son sets free, and only in the Son is truth that truly frees.

Where do we find that Jesus? Where his believers gather around Word and Sacrament. Where Jesus’ words of the freedom of forgiveness are pronounced each and every Sunday in the Absolution. Where grace trumps guilt. Where justification (the term that describes God’s declaration that in Jesus, we are “not guilty”) wins over judgment. That is where Jesus longs to be found, known, and believed.

Where Jesus is, dear friends, we find the truth, and where we find the truth, we find freedom. “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (v.36).