gospel

There are 37 posts tagged gospel (this is page 5 of 13).

The Abomination of Desolation – Matthew 24:15-28

06. November 2011
Trinity 25
Matthew 24:15-28

The tabernacle and temple of old was the dwelling place of God. In the holy of holies sat the Ark of the Covenant, where the Lord himself was enthroned between the cherubim dispensing mercy to the people. Each year the chief priest would sprinkle the blood of a bull upon the seat for the sins of the people. This sprinkling of blood annually atoned for the sins of the people. Forgiveness rendered by the shedding of blood.

The holy place for you is this sanctuary. Your Lord sits enthroned here upon the altar, still dispensing mercy as He did for the people of old. Not the blood of bulls but the blood of the only begotten Son of God atones for the sins of the whole world. The sacrifice is not made yearly for the people but is given freely from the cross until He comes again. Blood is not only sprinkled on you in the font but is given to you to drink. Forgiveness of sins still rendered by the blood. This blood is a life giving flood and the medicine of immortality.

Imagine a great horror would occur to this place just as it did to the temple of old, something so terrible that we shrink at the thought. Imagine this place of forgiveness was desecrated with foreign idols. Imagine the insignia of a false god placed over it. What if this place was turned into a marketplace? What if we charged for services rendered, dispensing mock forgiveness only when a coin is placed in the plate? What if we capitulated to society, ignoring the Word of God? Gay marriage performed. Abortions blessed. Divorces endorsed. Greed encouraged. The neighbors good interests ignored.

Jesus warns in today’s Gospel of the “Abomination of Desolation” to the Temple as foretold by the prophet Daniel. He was specifically speaking of the holy of holies within the temple, Daniel said:  They shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation. The temple will be made unclean and then laid waste by lies and deceit. This prophecy was fulfilled in the temple in AD 70. It also applies to the churches of this world and even to your heart.

In the of desolation day, a great idol will sit upon the throne reserved for Christ in the Holy Place. He will speak, claiming Christ’s Word. He will command, claiming Christ’s authority. He will promise, claiming Christ’s mercy. From this idolatrous throne, he will perform great signs and wonders, trying to lead even the elect of God astray.

Such idols exist in our day, claiming to speak from Christ’s authority or in His stead, but instead speaking lies contrary to Christ’s own Word. In many places, what was once holy is made desolate by the abomination of idolatry. There are those within the church that will abandon the faith and lead you astray by betrayal, falsehood, hatred, and lawlessness. They will lead you into a rebellion against God and His truth. The abomination foretold by Daniel and by Christ himself is the rejection of the Word of God. He is warning us of the exchange of lies for the truth. This is an abomination for it ultimately destroys faith and thus salvation, leaving you desolate.

St. Paul warned the church of Thessalonica about these: Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4)

Such abominations obviously happen in Islam or Mormonism when they blatantly add and mix the Word of God with falsehood. Jesus has in mind not only them but also those who would are more clever in their deceit. Some would tell you that our faith is about being good Christian people. Some suggest that Christianity is defined by what it is not—not gay, not aborting, not Democrat. Some suggest salvation by works, acts of charity, living according to God’s law. Others fly flags out front that identify them as gay-friendly. Others talk about how they are for the hip and cool. Some talk about being family-friendly. No matter what, we want a church that is accepting of us, that lets us be just who we want to be, even if God disagrees.

Do not think you are immune from this prophecy. The old Adam is strong, sin remains tempting, and the Devil’s lies still are whispered in your ear. He wants nothing more than for you to capitulate to culture, satisfy your sinful cravings, and ignore the Word. He would have the pastors of the church ignore sin, gloss over immorality, and endorse idolatry. He would have you seek a church that is accepting, inclusive, and open to every whim and fancy of the fallen flesh.

Our faith is not defined by our targeted demographic or who we are not. It is defined solely by who God is and what God has done for us in Jesus. Remember that you are part of the body of Christ. Your own heart is the dwelling place of God, like the mercy seat of old. Yet, while in this body of death your fallen will still desires to dethrone Christ from your heart. You would rather place other idols to rule and govern your thoughts and deeds.

Perhaps you are consumed with the material of this world that you worship your “stuff” more than Christ. Thus, you horde God’s gifts for yourself and do not use them to His glory. Perhaps you have made your family and idol, giving your spouse and children priority over daily prayer and divine worship. Thus, you have cast Christ off his throne and replaced Him with other fallen creatures. You worship your family more than the one who saved you. Perhaps you have put your trust in princes, blindly following messianic politicians, who claim they can solve this country’s problems. They claim to put more money in your pocket, food on the table, and an addition on the house. You have dethroned your savior who is the sole provider for your every need of body and soul.

When these powerful enemies pursue your heart, heed the prophet’s warning. Flee to the mountains. Leap from your place of rest and run from the field. Pray that you will not be held back by cares for family. Pray that it not be winter or the Sabbath. Run fast and never turn back. That is, repent. Confess your sin and your desire to be god. He is merciful and forgives you. He suffers your idolatry and works in you a clean heart.

Do not look for solace in the false Christ’s of this world. There are those who would lead you astray. There are those who would convince you to worship them and forget Jesus. There are those who will try to lead you to believe you can “have your best life now,” that you “are not a poor, miserable sinner,” or worse yet, mix error with truth. Anyone or anything that claims to save you apart from or in addition to Jesus is against him.

They are the anti-Christ, the false prophet. They will tell you a great many things which sound good and true and may even be verified by great success. Their churches may grow by leaps and bounds. Yet, they are synagogues of Satan, abominations of desolation. This devil is a great deceiver and ruler of this world. He can convince sinful heart and mind to believe and see that which it wants.

It is only God’s Word that gives what we truly need. It is only the testimony of the Spirit in the church that brings you Jesus Christ crucified. It is only the Son of God’s atoning blood, his body sacrificed, his death, and his glorious resurrection that must be enthroned in your heart. No thoughts of self-righteousness, no looking to your wealth or prosperity, no beautiful family, nor any growing congregation will clean the temple of your heart. Only the strong man can loose the bonds, break the fetters, and release the chains that have bound you. Only your victor king Jesus can conquer and rule you in His grace and mercy.

The Lord has rescued you. The Lord has established his holy habitation in you. He has named you His child, anointed you, and set you apart for sacred worship. You and he are forever joined, bonded inseparably as the bride of Christ and the bridegroom. Within the one flesh union of the Son of God, you are purified of your evil. Christ himself has conquered your enemies, the ones who set up abominations in your heart where love alone should dwell. He has run out the idolatry of sin and reclaimed you as iconic temples to Him. Thus, as Christians, sweet prayers arise like incense from your lips, you serve as living sacrifices, and Christ sits with mercy for you in your flesh upon the ark of His Word.

Despite your sin and your future death, you need not fear. Jesus has died for you. He has redeemed you. He has rescued you from the unholy trinity of sin, death, and the devil. We are temples to God, forever purified in the blood of Christ. This is the wonderful promise of the Gospel. He has promised to show mercy to his humble servants. You trust not in our own merit, our sinful desires, or our self righteousness. Nor do you receive the severity of our just desserts. Instead you are blessed in Christ with grace and mercy. The abomination of desolation has been dethroned and Christ is restored in you.

In Name of the Father, + Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Rev. Christopher R. Gillespie
Grace Lutheran Church
Dyer, Indiana

The Festival of the Reformation 2012 – Matthew 11:12-19

28. October 2012
The Festival of the Reformation
Matthew 11:12-19

“We played the flute for you, And you did not dance; We mourned to you, And you did not lament.”

The problem with expectations is that they are easily shattered. Politicians rely upon expectations of the people to be elected. When re-elections roll around they rarely meet your previous expectations. Hope and change? Not really. The entertainment industry thrives on giving you exactly what you expect with perhaps a little twist of creativity. Your first consumption is enjoyable but their products don’t live up to repeat listens, views, or experiences. The sales person plays your expectations to sell you just what you want. They know that once you get home, chances are good you’ll keep the product even if it fails to meet your expectations.

This is an important reminder for us on this festival of the Reformation. Why had the Christian church of Luther’s day departed from the Apostolic truth? Why had they stopped listening to the Word alone? Why did they believe that there was salvation not alone but by some other means? Why had faith and trust in God alone been replaced with trust in rulers and works? Why had Christ taken the backseat while the cult of the saints drove the car?

Their expectations of God were driven not by the Holy Scriptures, not by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not by His grace, and not even by faith. Their expectations were driven by their own fallen desires. The holy message given by Moses, the Prophets, and Christ himself, delivered to us by angel-apostles was sidelined in favor of the thoughts and intentions of our sinful heart. Rather than be subject to Christ, the church subjected herself to the desire for self-worked salvation, big bank accounts, and earthly kingdoms. She gauged her hopes and dreams on the ways of the world and not the intents of God.

Luther needed a true set of expectations. When he asked, “How can I stand before an angry God?” the church of  his day answered, “through works of penance, prayer, and fear.” The polluted God demanded righteousness by the Law contrary to the Holy Scriptures. The blood of Jesus Christ for the sins of the world was mixed with the bile of man’s own merit. Luther’s conscience could not bear the the torment and despair. In an act of divine providence, his confessor Staupitz directed Luther back to the Scriptures.

There Luther rediscovered what had long been hidden under a dark cloud of false piety: For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:16-17)

Our yearly festival commemorating the Reformation is not a day to go “rah-rah–Lutheranism!” or “Boo! Catholicism!” Most of us don’t even know what the church of Rome believes today, wrongly thinking that Lutherans abandoned all the ancient practices. No, today we celebrate the recovery of the Gospel by the Holy Sprit through Martin Luther His angel. The good news is that Jesus Christ alone has saved you. He has done this through His Holy Scriptures alone which grant you faith alone to receive salvation through grace alone. Not three alone-s but one alone in Jesus Christ.

Luther’s false expectations needed reforming as do ours and as did our fathers’ of old. For example, Jesus sent His messenger John to prepare the way. But what did they go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken in the wind, that is, a false prophet who will capitulate to their itching ears and will gladly blow over if it suits them? What did they expect of John? A man dressed in the latest GQ fashion, hip, and utterly approachable? Ah, yes, they went for a prophet and Jesus gave them one. Not what they wanted nor expected but exactly what they needed.

John came preaching a hard, unlikeable message: “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The sinner scum came to John from all Judea and the region of the Jordan came to be baptized by him, confessing their sins. Meanwhile the Abrahamic bourgeois come to him trusting in birthright and personal piety and he runs them off: “You brood of vipers! Even now the axe is laid to the fruit of your legalistic tree. Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.” No one expected a prophet quite like John the Baptizer. Yet he is precisely what God foretold: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness.”

Expectations are everything. John came neither eating nor drinking and they said, “He has a demon.” Jesus came eating and drinking and they said, “Look, a glutton and drunkard.” It’s not that John failed the expectation of their fathers. It’s not as if Jesus was something other than the Messiah promised of old. They had long since stopped listening and no longer had ears to hear.

As their hopes for the new wilderness Elijah were off-base, the expectations for the Messiah-Christ were worse. John the Baptist’s disciples came to Jesus asking, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” The people of Israel’s hope for change was nothing like what God had in store for them. Jesus is not the earthly Enemy Slayer but the Lamb of God who is slain by the enemy. He is not the Great Yes Man but the Great Judge with winnowing fork and fire. He is not the Bread King but the Bread from heaven. He is not the king of this world but the King of heaven. He is not the friend of elites and a rock star pop icon but the humble friend of sinners and tax collectors. He does affirm the Pharisaical law in the temple but preaches the Gospel to the poor.

Sinner’s expectations are never God’s. God is not forced to conform to our hopes but rather we conform to His. Blessed is he who is not offended by God’s expectation fulfilled in Jesus. Most expect a different kind of prophet. Most do not expect such a hard call to repent or such a sweet message of release. Most want a slick pastor with a wishy-washy message that tugs at the heart strings and addresses the felt needs. They care nothing for God’s way nor His thoughts. This is why from the days of John the Baptist, through the life and death of Christ Jesus, and even now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force. Jesus will not dance to our song nor lament when we whine.

The hopes and dreams of fallen men do not coincide with God’s hopes and dreams for them. His ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts. The Jesus campaign promises would never get Him elected. The sweet voice of Christ chanting the Psalms doesn’t fit our fancy. The show Jesus puts on is a gruesome and horrible display that lacks the entertainment value of a DVD in the discount bin. And the product he procures for us we neither desire nor will receive.

God sends his messengers to reform our false expectations. His holy prophets come with confession and absolution. These prophets’ sons expose your sin and preach the good news to you. They’re not impressive and don’t submit to your strong gusts for change. The pastor-angels have received their marching orders from the Good Commander. They are clothed with the rough garments of salvation and are ready to give you the very thing you need whether you expected it or not. They are preparing and preserving the way for the Lord to dwell in you His redeemed.

Jesus reforms our sinful expectations. We think we’re worthy of salvation and he humbles us by the law redeems us by His shed blood in His body and His blood. We think we can contribute to grace and He gives us his abundant mercy and complete grace as a free gift in Holy Baptism. We think there is wisdom unto salvation in earthly gurus and He gives us everything our faith needs in the Holy Scriptures. Our sinful expectations are reformed to His, all though the giving of the gifts.

Wisdom proceeding from the mouth of the Most High reorders and governs the Christian expectation. This work of God was given by the Scriptures and through violent suffering. This work will continue until our dying day or Christ comes again. Martin Luther was without hope and true desire for God. In God’s mercy he revealed the truth of to our church’s namesake. Today, you may not have wanted Him as He has promised but now you know we need Him and you know right where to find Him. Our hopes and dreams are restored by forgiveness, life, and salvation. Jesus who dances to his own flute and sings a new song of salvation for you.

In Name of the Father, + Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Rev. Christopher R. Gillespie
Grace Lutheran Church
Dyer, Indiana

“Forgiveness x490” – Matthew 18:21-35

22. October 2012
Sunday of the Unmerciful Servant
Matthew 18:21-35

We have a forgiveness problem. We don’t know what it is nor why we practice it. We say “it’s okay” and look the other way. We turn the other cheek while secretly holding the grudge. We hold our neighbor’s debts against us over his head. We overlook our sins and the sins of others when they should be confessed and forgiven. This whole messy situation is supposed to be cleaned up with Christ’s own blood but we’d rather wallow in it.

We’re just like St. Peter. Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. No doubt. Forgiveness is tough. They are hard works to say. When someone hurts you repeatedly with what they say and do, do you keep forgiving them? Maybe you forget about it once or twice… perhaps even three times. But seven times? We’d rather tell our neighbor to buzz off than keep suffering their repeat offenses. Forgiveness? That only goes so far.

Not with Jesus. Seven times? No, seventy times seven. That’s 490 for all you math wizards. What’s Jesus saying. Christians suffer. They suffer others sins. They keep suffering when their neighbor and even brother keeps sinning against them. 490 times? That’s a lifetime of sin to suffer. Jesus is saying we suffer with our spouses’s sins against us until the death parts us. We suffer our children’s offenses until Christ comes again. We suffer our neighbor’s curses and threats forever. 490 times is an eternity of sin to suffer.

Ah, but notice one thing is still missing. Jesus isn’t just telling us to suffer. He’s telling us to do the harder thing: forgive them. Not just in your heart but verbally—out loud. Forgiveness is humiliating. It requires you to move from the position of power to weakness. It requires us to repent and become like a child. Our righteous outrage at our neighbor’s sin has to be set aside and instead forgive them. Say it: “I forgive you.” Let’s practice. Say it after me: “I forgive you.” Sounds different than “it’s okay,” right? It doesn’t just sound different but it feels different. It requires the hatred, resentment, and despising of your neighbor to be crucified and die.

It is sin that keeps us from saying those hard words. Sin is our fleshly condition and inescapable. We are sinner, watch us sin. There’s no human way to overcome our disease. We can only treat the symptoms and then pretty ineffectively. We need is a cure that’s permanent and lasting not little bandaids for all our little problems. Jesus told Nicodemus we must be born again of water and the Spirit. This is God’s solution to our problem. He’s not content simply putting patches on trespasses or debts. He wants to cure us, once and for all. He has in Holy Baptism. He drowned your old Adam to death and gave to you new life in Jesus’s blood.

That’s what forgiveness is all about. Being washed clean in Christ. Your sins no longer cling to you. They are forgiven! Even death is destroyed and there is new life for you in Jesus! A washing of rebirth and regeneration began this work in you. Christ’s own body and blood nourishes you as He keeps you in this truth. The words “I forgive you your sins” keep you clean by the same Word that made you.

The life of the Baptized is in Christ and Christ in him. Therefore, if you brother sins against you do not hold this sin against them. Go and tell them their fault. If they will not listen, take another brother. If he still will not listen, bring the church. If he will not hear of his fault then this sin is bound to him until he repents.

Ever tried to do this? Its hard stuff for the old Adam. No one wants to reveal another’s sin. It usually exposes our own faults, abuses, and wickedness. Plus, we think nothing good will come of it. It’d be much better to look the other way, to all just get along, to pat them on the back and say “it’s okay.” It’s far easier to let them remain in their sin than to tell them about it. That’s the same thing we’d want. Sinners love their sin and why should it be any different for them?

No, not for those in Christ Jesus! The Christian has come to hate their sin and their sinful disease. They hate it because they have come to love their savior. Jesus gave them new life in His life and are made holy and righteous by His blood. They now hate sin and love forgiveness in Jesus.

Therefore you do not only tell their brother their sin (the Law) but they all the more tell them of Christ’s forgiveness (Gospel). Without speaking the Word of forgiveness, the sinner cannot leave his sinful ways. There is now power in exposing your brother’s faults unless you also bring them into the glorious light of Christ’s forgiveness.

Remember, we’re just like St. Peter. Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

Why should we forgive our neighbor to the 490th degree? By the Word of forgiveness in Jesus they are given the only remedy to their sin. When you forgive your brother, they are getting Jesus. And where there is Jesus forgiving, there is life and there is eternal salvation.

Saying those words: “I forgive you” to your children, your spouse, your parents, your pastor, your co-worker, your boss, your legislator, indeed all your neighbors is the most evangelical thing you can do. It’s the kind of thing only a Christian can do. It’s the best way to confess who you are in Jesus and what He has done for you. It’s one sinner administering the cure to another sinner just as Christ forgave them.

We are the servants of our Lord and God in the kingdom of heaven. By our sin, we owe our heavenly Father a great debt beyond what we could ever pay, Jesus describes laughably as something like 10,000 x 20 years wages. Yet, in his loving mercy for the sake of His Son Jesus, all this debt is paid. He placed our debts upon Jesus. Christ suffered and died in place of us, as our substitute. This is God the Father’s great compassion! And by this mercy we are released, freed, and forgiven of it all. We are forgiven to live with Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.

The servant in Jesus’ comparison is wicked. He received mercy beyond comparison yet cannot forgive his fellow servant a small debt. This forgiven servant comes to his fellow servant who owes him a mere three months labor not 10,000 times 20 years. Having received great mercy, what does he show to his fellow servant? He throttles him and demands repayment. The fellow servant pleads for mercy with the exact same words as before. But the forgiven servant refuses to forgive. He takes the blessings he received from his king and hordes them for himself.

What he received as a blessing becomes a curse. His debt was forgiven but having refused to forgiven, it is once again imputed to him. So also for us. The forgiveness so freely given to us in Jesus is turned to a curse if we refuse to forgive others.

Thus, we pray each day “…forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” We forgive our brothers because we have been forgiven our every sin. We forgive them to give them Jesus. In the forgiveness given by each of you, your fellow servant and neighbor learns of Christ’s forgiveness. O Lord, how great is your compassion! Give to us hearts that so forgive others. Let us have compassion on each other, showing mercy, and saying “I forgive you” until the end.

In Name of the Father, + Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Rev. Christopher R. Gillespie
Grace Lutheran Church
Dyer, Indiana