Repent Before God

 

Philippians 1:2 (ESV) 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Here at Peace we celebrate the Lord’s Supper at every service. It is a joy to receive Christ in His body and blood, it is a joy to receive the forgiveness of sin, through Christ’s body and blood. St. Luke tells us in

Luke 22:19–20 (ESV) 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

Oh what a joy it would have been to be there with Christ. But how long does this joy last? How fast does the joy of being with Christ begin to fade. How quickly do we go from the Lord’s Table to the Devil’s Business. The answer to these questions may surprise you 4 verses, : from verse 20 to verse 24

Luke 22:24 (ESV) 24 A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest.

Wow, they hadn’t even left the table, any were arguing among themselves.

The questions we need to ask ourselves: do my conflicts with others affect my relationship with God? The answer is yes, even though they just had received the Lord’s Supper, that unique special joy given by Christ Himself, but yet our sinful nature is strong. It is not me and Jesus, during Holy Communion, but as the word Communion implies a community of those in Christ Jesus, which included those around us, and all believers in Christ through the world and even in the past who are with Christ in paradise. So how we interact with others is important for we are all part of the body of Christ.

1 Corinthians 12 (ESV) 12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ…14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many….19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

We see this connection again when we look at the Law of God and especially of the 10 Commandments, we see as Jesus responds in

Matthew 22:36–40 (ESV) 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

When we look at the 10 Commandments, we see two tablets. The first tablet is dealing with our relationship with God, the Second, dealing with our relationship with our neighbor. During confirmation class we learn that when I break any of the commandment I am also breaking the first commandment,:.

The First Commandment You shall have no other gods. What does this mean? We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things. By breaking any other commandment we are not trusting in God above all things as Luther puts it. The results of which is that my relationship with others does greatly affect my relationship with God.

The Psalmist says:

Psalm 51:4 (ESV) 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.

When we break or fail to do any part of the commandments, we are sinning against God. For God know our heart. It isn’t just stealing or being angry against someone, but a heart that is not trusting God to provide.

What is God looking for? The Psalmist puts it

Psalm 51:17 (ESV) 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

A realization that we haven’t kept the commandments of God. Christ wants us to love our neighbor.

1 Peter 4:8 (ESV) 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

As we love our neighbor, we forgive our neighbor. As we forgive, we overlook their faults which will lead to less conflict with our neighbor.

For this is why God forgive you. God doesn’t want sin to stand in the way of you being with God for eternity.

Romans 8:38–39 (ESV) 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Not even your sin, for Christ Jesus has forgiven you. So Jesus forgive, because His relationship with you is more important than your sin.

But do we express the same with others? How long do our relationship with other last if we don’t forgive.

Jesus notes: Matthew 6:14–15 (ESV) 14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

How do my conflicts with others affect my relationship with God?

Our conflicts of not forgiving others have a direct relationship on our relationship with God. Not that God withholds His forgiveness, but that we are not coming to God with a

Psalm 51:17 (ESV) 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

There is a connection between the horizontal relationship ( us and God) and vertical relationships (community of people around us)

When we are in conflict with our neighbor it affects our relationship with God and theirs and they also struggle with the conflict.

Remember God as St. Paul tell Timothy 1 Timothy 2:4 (ESV) 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

So Jesus notes:

Matthew 5:23–24 (ESV) 23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

So we remember that our relationship with others, does affect our relationship with God. We remember that we have a broken spirit, that needs Christ’s mending, along with our brother and sister, because Christ want you to be saved.

We celebrate the Lord’s Supper with joy, reminding ourselves that we are sinners in need of Christ forgiveness and strength. We need that strength and forgiveness from God for it can take only 4 verses before we are doing the devil’s business. In His Holy Name. Amen.

Philippians 4:7 (ESV) 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Remember Whose You Are

Remember Whose You Are

1 John 3:1

Ash Wednesday

 

Philippians 1:2 (ESV) 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Lent is the Church’s road to the Cross. It is marked by 40 days of Lent, not including Sundays. It begins today, Ash Wednesday and ends on Good Friday. During this time the church has it focus on remembering why Jesus the Christ had to die on the cross, for the forgiveness of sins and restoration of the human race.

 

Sackcloth and ashes, were a sign of of Grief & repentance.

 

Esther 4:1 (ESV) 1 When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and he cried out with a loud and bitter cry.

 

Jonah 3:4–5 (ESV) 4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” 5 And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.

 

God sees the change in a person and then has mercy on the Jewish people in Esthen and the people of Nineveh.

 

So we have the Burning of the Palms into ashes as a way to get the ashes for Ash Wednesday.  This isn’t what the people of Nineveh did for Palm Sunday hadn’t yet occurred.  The church uses this custom to show how Quickly do we move from Palm Sunday, Adoring Jesus as King, to shouting crucify Him a few days later on Good Friday.

 

Just like Peter who we heard on Sunday, Mark 9:5 (ESV) 5 And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

The great mountain top experience of the Transfiguration with no doubt later even celebrating the first Lord’s Supper on Maunday Thursday to a few hours later saying  to I don’t even know the man, that is to deny Jesus.

 

Why this change. As we burn the palms from Palm Sunday to make ashes for Ash Wednesday we realize our how powerful our Original Sin actually is. We realize what our sin has brought us and it is beyond our own help and understanding.

 

The Formula of Concord, one of our confessional books puts it this way, “Through Adam’s fall human   nature and our essence are completely corrupted. The damage is so indescribable that it cannot be recognized by our reason but only from God’s Word.”

The damage is so bad we can’t even see it, because our very reason is corrupted.  That is why Peter coming from the wow moment of the transfiguration would later deny Christ. This is why we need the promises of God through His word, we need the reconciliation of the Cross that is given to us through Baptism.

Our reconciliation first begins with Christ, as He reconciled us to Him through the cross, we receive this forgiveness directly through Holy Baptism which is a means to receive God’s forgiveness.  Once baptized we don’t just walk away, because we are still stained with that Original Sin, so we remember our Baptism, in our daily life. We remember why we needed God’s grace through Baptism.  

Also, as we have conflict with others we remind ourselves needed reconciliation with God. We are not perfect, but need God’s grace, so likewise why do we expect others to be perfect. Just as Christ had mercy on us shouldn’t we also have mercy on others, so that we can be reconciliation with others.

1 John 3:1 (ESV) 1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. (through Holy Baptism, the verse continues) The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

Please note the conflict. The World does not know Christ, but Christ wants all people saved.

Unfortunately there are some who don’t want reconciliation with God nor with us.

What does Christ do? He patiently waits until the last day, working through His Spirit in His own way, which may include us. So we who have God’s patient love, are now patient with those who don’t want reconciliation, just as Christ was patient with us.

So we remember our baptism as we come to the Lord’s Supper, remembering our need to be reconciled to God and how God comes to us through the waters of Holy Baptism. We come the Lord’s Supper for strength and mercy knowing like Peter, our Original Sin is great, and that we too praise our King with Palms, only later to deny our Savior with our many sins.

So during this road to the Cross, the season of Lent, we confess, we really need God grace each and daily, and so we have it. Remember your Baptism. Amen.

Philippians 4:7 (ESV) 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 

See the Christ

February 11, 2018
Mark 9:2-9
See the Christ

Philippians 1:2 (ESV) 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Do you see the Christ?

Epiphany is about Christ making Himself known

We began the Epiphany season with the Baptism of our Lord.

Mark 1:9–11 (ESV) 9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Now we end the season of Epiphany with the celebration of the Transfiguration,

Mark 9:7 (ESV) 7 And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.”

The Father speaks, this is God’s Son, do you See the Christ? We are at the Transfiguration of our Lord.

Where Christ’s appearance changes as Mark 9:3 (ESV) 3 and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them.

No this is not a tide ad, This is the Christ, who is being seen in His Glory.

You have to remember about 33 years before this time, the almighty God takes on human flesh and blood.

John 1:14 (ESV) 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

We saw the baby, The baby grew. We see the Man, we see the miracles, but is this the Christ?.

Christ Jesus didn’t not reveal his majesty as all time but only when it pleased him. You could call this part of the Hiddenness of God.

John 1:18 (ESV) 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

Now God makes Christ Jesus known as the transfiguration of our Lord.

From Peter, James, and John’s view they are seeing Christ in His glory, buecase the Father is revealing Christ to them. If there was ever a doubt, it was now removed, for there can be no doubt seeing Christ in His glory.

Peter gets it right, well sort of, when he says

Mark 9:5 (ESV) 5 And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents (or tabernacles), one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

Why tabernacles, remember John 1:14 the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,

Dwelt among us is the same word as tent, or tabernacle, the place where God dwells with use which was carried by the people of Israel through the wilderness into the promised land. So the the people knew they were not alone, but that God was with them. God chose to be there, even though King Solomon states 1 Kings 8:27 (ESV) 27 “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!

But where God promises to be, there God is.

Christ Jesus, God being seen by Peter, James and John, talk about the wow moment. Pardon the pun the mountain top experience. This is God, and God is with us, Immanuel. But, the sad news is they were not to stay on the mountain top. Another mount would be better or worse depending on your point of view.

Mark 9:9–10 (ESV) 9 And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean.

The Lutheran Church puts this account of Transfiguration right before the season of Lent. Lent is the road to the Cross, it is a time of remember our sins and our need for reconciliation. It is a somber time as we realize what our sin would cost Jesus. When we realize the anger the God has for our sins is poured out upon Jesus, not us. So during the time of Lent, the Church puts away the Alleluias, they will be omitted in the Liturgy,

The Good news is that we don’t put away Christ for Christ is still with us.

Because after the resurrection, Peter James and John did what Jesus had commanded them to do. They told others. We have their testimony. They saw the Christ, in His brilliance on the Mount that the transfiguration took place. And now we see the Christ, as Christ comes to us in His Word their testimony and in the Sacrament.

See the Christ, as the David Hollas wrote “Bread and wine are received by the mouth immediately and naturally; the body and blood of Christ are received mediately and supernaturally.”

See the Christ.

While we face the daily challenges and chances of this world we realize that we are not alone. We come to Peace Lutheran Church to See the Christ.

And we have seen the Christ, as the Father speaks about His Son, as witness share God’s glory through their words and as Christ Body and Blood are received mediately and supernaturally in the Lord’s Supper, we See the Christ. Amen.

Philippians 4:7 (ESV) 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.