When Our Demons Meet Jesus

When Our Demons Meet Jesus

Luke 8.26-31

 

Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27 And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time. And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!” 29 For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.

30 Jesus asked him, saying, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered him. 31 And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss. 32 Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain. So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them. And He permitted them. 33 Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned. 34 When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. 35 Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. 36 They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed. 37 Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. And He got into the boat and returned. 38 Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him. But Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.” And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

Introduction

    Christian friends and all who are listening - Today's worship service encourages us to be with Jesus.
When we are with Jesus in His holiness, our demons will run away.

 

There Met Him a Certain Man

 

     St. Luke tells us that one day Jesus and His disciples came to a region called "The Gadarenes" opposite of Galilee. Jesus didn't do this very often, but on a few occasions He did venture out beyond Israel to the regions of the Gentiles. The city of Gadara at this time was under the control of the Romans, and it was a prosperous area. But the first thing to meet Jesus in this region was a man possessed with demons. This is a reminder that hidden within all the world's wealth and seeming civility is evil activity. 

 

     The man was naked, strong, lived among the tombs, and (as Mark tells us), was fond of crying out at night and cutting himself. Why did he of all people, come to meet Jesus? We soon find out that he is possessed by demons, a lot of them. What is a demon? The Bible tells us that God created animals, angels, and human beings. Originally all the angels were servants of God, messengers. But at some point before the fall of Adam and Eve a large number of them followed one particular angel in a rebellion against God. Cast out of the presence of God, losing all their holiness, they were banished to an abyss of darkness and eternal death. But God did allow them to cause temptation and trouble in this world while at the same time always giving His people protection and deliverance from them. Unfortunately, many people, like the fallen angels, were deceived by their lies and fell under their control. Some, like this man, were severely possessed by all their powers. Others, maybe not as severe, were, nevertheless, under their influence. God tells us that all people who do not fear, love, and trust in Him are under the influence of demons. When Jesus called Paul the Apostle, He told him that his work was to: "open their (Gentiles) eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me" (Acts 26.18). 

 

     Luke doesn't tell us right here, but he told us already at the temptation of Jesus, that Satan "departed from Him until an opportune time" (4.13). These demons approached Jesus in the hope of frightening Him or hurting Him. This is what they did to everyone else around Gadara. The devil's work is always to hinder and stop the work of God. Unfortunately for them they encountered something in Jesus that overpowered them. Notice that they were not afraid of Jesus because He was the strongest man in the world. He wasn't. They weren't afraid of Him because He was the richest man in the world. He wasn't. They were afraid of Him because He was the holiest man in the world. Isn't it amazing that the things the world thinks are so powerful: strength, riches, intelligence, etc., are no match for the forces of evil. But holiness by faith in God is. It is more than a match for evil. 

 

     Let me digress on this a little. The demoniac was the worst case of the powers of evil at work. He was naked. Why? Because God was the one who taught us to wear clothes. Clothes are not only protection from the weather, they are also a symbol of our need for forgiveness. They are part of our modesty and our self-control. Notice that the world, under the influence of Satan, constantly wants to "get naked." That is, the world wants to throw off all self-control and doesn't want to live within the boundaries that God has established especially the boundaries of marriage. What's that all about? Nakedness itself is not evil. But God wants it reserved for husbands and wives. Adam and Eve were naked and not ashamed. The Devil, on the other hand, wants us to throw off all constraints. He wants us to play around with all sorts of temptations that he knows will wreck our lives if we give into them. The demoniac was also strong, impossible to bind, lived among the tombs, and hurt himself. People scoff at the Bible's teaching of demons. But they stop scoffing when they hear about the murderous rampages and suicides that occasionally take place in this world. They have no explanation for these things. The Bible does. This is the end result of selling yourself to the devil. 

 

     Back to the encounter with Jesus. After realizing who Jesus was, the demons begged to be sent to a herd of pigs. I suppose they thought that somehow they could terrorize the world by being demonized pigs. Jesus let them, but only because He knew the pigs would be destroyed. These demons were done. Back to the abyss. 

 

Sitting at the Feet of Jesus

 

     Now we see one of the most beautiful images of the New Testament. This man, formerly under the control of a legion of demons, is sitting at the feet of Jesus, dressed and in his right mind. He is no longer trying to kill himself or anyone else. Above all, he is not seeking to hurt Jesus or to hinder His work. Instead, he has become a disciple of Jesus. He wants to be with Jesus and to serve Him. This is what we say in the Small Catechsim after we have confessed that Jesus, "true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord. Who has redeemed me a lost and condemned creature purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and the power of the devil (and here's the reason), that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousnes, innocence and blessedness. This is most certainly true." 

 

     I titled this sermon, "When Our Demons Meet Jesus." I'm not saying we are all demon possessed. There is, however, an important distinction between being possessed and being oppressed by demons. As I said before, before we become Christians we are under the power of the devil. Paul said, "He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins" (Colossians 1.13-14). When we are baptized we renounced the devil and all his works. But that doesn't mean the devil and all his demons aren't eager to tempt us as they tempted Jesus. We are constantly engaged in spiritual warfare whether we realize it or not. 

 

     As a pastor for many years, I am thankful that I don't think, or at least I don't know, that I have had a direct encounter with a demon. I did have a bad experience as a youth in junior high that I know was demonic in some way. There was a popular movie at that time called the Exorcist. I didn't see the movie, but I found the book in the library and began reading it. I couldn't put it down. I read the book into the early hours of the morning. As I read about this terrible experience (It is based on a true exorcism that occured in St. Louis), I started to wonder if I could be possessed? I was young, and my understanding of evil and the Bible was limited. I know now, as I said before, that no true Christian can be possessed. But they can be oppressed. I started to become very frightened. I didn't want to wake my parents, so I started walking down the hallway of our house. I felt cold and scared. In that hallway we had a large picture of Jesus, a famous one called "The Head of Christ." I had just passed the picture in the dark when suddenly it slid down the wall and hit the floor. Now I was literally frightened to death. But I didn't faint. I finally did what I should have been doing all along. I prayed the simplest prayer of all "Help me Jesus." Instantly the fear went away. I went to the picture and picked it up. I checked to see if the hook had come loose. It hadn't. Nor had I touched it or knocked it off the wall. But none of that mattered now. I was safe in Christ. I hung the picture back on the hook, went to bed, and fell right to sleep. 

 

     All of us, to one degree or another, are going to be affected by the forces of evil. Peter taught us, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith..." (1 Peter 5.8-9). It could be a direct encounter with a demon or even the devil himself. It could be the other enemies of faith - the flesh and the world. These latter elements of evil may seem weaker and less spectacular than the devil and demons, but God warns us not to underestimate their power either. Again Peter said, "Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul," (1 Peter 2.11). 

 

     All these forces of evil are the cause of our discontent if we let them. For you it may be the temptation to pride that causes you to only care about yourself and your accomplishments. It may be the temptation to vanity, the desire to receive attention and to be liked by all. We may struggle with laziness, anger, lust, or hatred. Worst of all, we may be lulled into spiritual sleepiness, lack of interest in God's word, lack of prayer, lack of love; and all of this is leading more and more to a lack of holiness. All of these demons lead us to one place - the tombs of insanity and the abyss of eternal death. 

 

     But this morning you have come to be with Jesus in worship. In doing so all your demons have come to meet Jesus as well. How do you think they like that? They like it not at all, and I guarantee that they would like to go somewhere else, anywhere else. They would rather live in a herd of pigs than live in you IF you are going to be with Jesus. When you are in worship hearing the word of God or at home reading the Bible, all the holiness of God is coming to you. This holiness drives evil away, and it would drive you away also except that the Holy Spirit has worked repentance and faith in your heart. Holiness is not something that any of us can create on our own. It is only a gift of God. We have that gift of holiness in the cross of Christ - the forgiveness of sins! The goal of His life, death, and resurrection was our forgiveness, and the goal of His forgiveness is our holiness and deliverance from all evil.

 

Conclusion

 

     Every Sunday whether I'm preaching from the pulpit or listening from the pew I try to boil everything down to one sentence that I take with me for the rest of the week. This week, as I remember the encounter of the Demon Legion and Jesus, I'm going to remember how those demons were terrified at the holiness of Jesus. For myself personally, I'm going to remember this: When we are with Jesus in His holiness (holiness of the cross), our demons will run away. That's something to think about. That's something to go and tell others about. Amen.

Trinity = Salvation

 Trinity = Salvation

John 8.48-59

 

The Jews answered him, Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon? 49 Jesus answered, I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. 50 Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death. 52 The Jews said to him, Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death. 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be? 54 Jesus answered, If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, He is our God. 55 But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad. 57 So the Jews said to him, You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham? 58 Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am. 59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

Introduction

 

    Christian friends and all who are listening - Today we are remembering and rejoicing that God is the Triune God - The God of our salvation. This morning I will show you how this truth comes from the Old and New Testaments. But most importantly I want to show you WHY the Trinity is important. Only this God, the Triune God is the God of salvation and the God who gives us forgiveness and eternal life. When you hear the word "trinity," you shouldn't just think "mystery." It is a mystery. It is something that cannot be understood, and it must be believed. But more than that, when you hear the word "trinity," you should think, "salvation." Because that is what the Triune God is all about. 

 

The Old Testament Points to the Trinity

 

     Let's begin with the Old Testament. We can say without a doubt that the Old Testament points to the Trinity and the New Testament reveals the Trinity. How does the Old Testment point to the Trinity?  It does so in several ways.

 

     First, the Old Testament emphasizes that God is not just another one of the many false God's that men have imagined. The Old Testament teaches that there is only one true God who created the world, who established the laws of nature and the laws of the soul, and who alone saves. Ancient people believed in multiple gods often associated with certain powers such as power over the weather, power for war, power for life, etc. Some modern religions still teach that their are mulitple gods for multiple purposes such as the Hindu religion. All of these gods were thought to coexist and often compete with each other. Leviticus 19.4 tells us that anything that claims to be God, other than the true God is an "idol." The Hebrew word it uses for "idol" is also the word for what is "worthless" or literally, a "nonentity." ln Deuteronomy 6.4 Moses gave one of the most important passages about God when he said, "The LORD our God, the LORD is ONE." 

 

     But the word for "one" that is used here can also include more than one person. So in Genesis 2.24 we read that when Adam and Eve were married, the "two" became "one ( אֶחָד echad) flesh." This is the same word. But when the Bible wants to emphasize only one person, it uses a different word as in the case of Isaac, the "one and only" (Genesis 22.2 יָחִידyachid) son of Abraham and Sarah. This broadens our understanding of God. So in the creation we read about God who created the world and the Spirit of God who hovered over the waters. Last Sunday we heard God say regarding the Tower of Babel, "Let Us go down there and confuse their language" (Genesis 9.7). Some say this has nothing to do with God being more than one person. It is, they say, a figure of speech, a "plural of majesty." But if that is so, then why do we continue to hear of mysterious persons, beings in the Old Testament who are neither men or angels. I'm referring to the "Angel of the LORD," and to the person called "Melchizedek." These are neither men nor angels. They are the persons of God. Finally, the prophecies of the Messiah point not to a heroic man or an angel, but to God as in Psalm 110.1 "The LORD said to my Lord, 'Sit at my right hand.'" Or Isaiah which tells us "My righterous Servant shall make many righteous, for He will bear their iniquities" (53.11). In all these ways the Old Testament prepares us for and points us to the Triune God which is revealed fully to us in the New Testament.

 

The Trinity Revealed in the New Testament

 

     Right now many people are planting and tending to vegetable and flower gardens. First the seeds are planted, and the vegetables begin to sprout and leaf out. Next they flower and create buds that will eventually turn into fruit - tomatos, peppers,  cucumbers, etc. The verses of the Old Testament that tell us about the Trinity are like those buds. The New Testament takes what the Old Testament taught us about God and fills it out. When the angel Gabriel came to Mary to announce the conception of Jesus, He told her: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God" (Luke 1.35). See how beautifully the bud of Old Testament verses comes to full fruit. We have the Holy Spirit, the Highest One, and the Son of God all in one verse. At Jesus' baptism He is affirmed by the Father as the Beloved Son with the Holy Spirit hovering over in the form of a dove (Mark 1.10). On almost every page of the New Testament we have either the Son and the Father or the Spirit or all three. Jesus said that He and the Father are one (John 10.30), and that He sends forth the the Holy Spirit (John 15.26). Finally, Jesus commissioned the apostles to make disciples baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28.19).

 

     The New Testament beautifully reveals to us the reality and the truth of the Trinity. But there is one thing it doesn't do. The New Testament does not explain it. How is it possible for three to be one or one to be three? People have tried conceptualize it or illustrate it with a three leaf clover that has three leaves but one stem or as an apple with three parts: The seeds, the fruit, and the peel. But none of these things really explain the how God is three persons yet one God. The Apostle Paul tells us that all of this is a great mystery that can only be believed: "Great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifested in the flesh (Father & Son), justified in the Spirit (Holy Spirit), seen by angels (not an angel), preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world (for salvation), received up in glory" (1 Timothy 3.16). The Trinity is like many other divine truths such as God being eternal, all-knowing, and all-powerful. We can't understand these things, but we are able to believe them. And, most of all, we are able to be blessed by these divine realities. 

 

The Trinity = Salvation

 

     In our Gospel lesson today, we heard of a heated argument between Jesus and the Jews who did not believe in Him. The argument began after Jesus had fed the five thousand people with loaves and fishes. He then claimed to be "the bread which came down from heaven" (6.41); "the light of the world" (8.12); and that those who did not believe in Him would die in their sins (8.24). It came to a climax when Jesus said, "Before Abraham, I AM." The Jews who didn't believe in Jesus knew that Jesus was referring to the Old Testament name of God, Yahweh, which means "I Am." But the argument wasn't just a question of who exactly is the Messiah. The main part of the argument had to do with what people believed the Messiah would do. Jesus said that the Messiah came to save us from our sins. This is why the Trinity is so important. God gave the world the forgiveness of sins because His Son gave His life as a sacrifice on the cross. It is the blood of Jesus, the Son of God, that "cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 2.7). When we hear the word "trinity," we shouldn't think so much about the mystery of it. Rather, we should think about, believe, and rejoice in the miracle of it. It is because of the Trinity that we have forgiveness and salvation. This is why I like to say "Trinity = Salvation." The Jews who were arguing with Jesus didn't believe they needed His forgiveness. They believed, as many people today believe, both Jews and non-Jews, that they can earn their salvation - that kind of salvation is a reward not a redemption. 

 

     This is the heart of my message today. Please do not fall into this temptation of thinking that you are good enough for God without His forgiveness, or that on the last day heaven will be a reward to you from God for being a decent person. This deception will keep more people out of heaven than anything else. Satan does not have to turn us into murderers. All he has to do is convince us that we don't really need to be sorry for our sins and seek God's forgiveness. This leads to a life of complancecy or pride - but not to a life of faith, hope, and love - a life of joy in Jesus and in God's salvation. We should leave worship today rejoicing in the truth that God is a triune God who saves us from our sins in Jesus, a God who send us His Holy Spirit to live new lives of faith and obedience not because we expect to be rewarded, but because we know we are redeemed. 

 

Conclusion

 

     Today we will confess the long Athanasian Creed. This creed was written to impress upon us - despite all the different attacks against the true God down through the ages - that God is Three Persons and One God - the God of our Salvation! The creed emphasizes that each person of the Trinity has divine names, divine attributes, divine works and is to be worshipped. As we come to the end of the creed you will notice that the creed sounds more like the Apostles' or Nicene creeds with an emphasis our salvation in Jesus. But it also emphasizes good works without which we cannot be saved. These works are not the efforts of men trying to earn a reward from God. The whole point of the long creed is to show that the Trinity is our salvation. Therefore our works are important because they are the evidence of our faith and our joy in God's salvation. They are the fruit of the Trinity loving faith in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as Isaiah so beautifully records for us in these words: "And there is no other God besides Me, A just God and a Savior; There is none besides Me. 'Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God (the Triune God), and there is no other."  Amen. 

God Came Down from Heaven Genesis 11.1-11

God Came Down from Heaven

Sermon for Pentecost June 8, 2025

Faith Lutheran Church, Beaufort, South Carolina

The Tower of Babel, Genesis 11.1-11

(NKJV) 1 Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. 2 And it came to pass, as
they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. 3 Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. 4 And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”

5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. 6 And the LORD said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. 7 Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.” 8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. 9 Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.

Introduction

     Today, as we celebrate the giving of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, I would like to bring your attention to the important Old Testament lesson of the Tower of Babel. I want to focus on several important questions that this lesson brings up. But the most important question is whether or not God comes to us, and if so, how and why? 

Is Genesis Real?

     Before we get to that we have to wrestle with the question about the reality of the Book of Genesis itself. A hundred years ago this wouldn't have bothered many Christians at all. But today many people think this book is a book of myths. We are told that Genesis is just stories which might have some useful meanings for us, but they are not real. I completely challenge that with a few very important questions of my own: If you deny the account of Creation, of the Great Flood, and the Tower of Babel, you have a lot of explaining to do. Will your explanations be any better than those of Genesis? If God didn't create the world, who did, and how? Of course we are told it all happened by accident through a process of random chance over millions of years. But the reality is that nothing gets built by accident. We all know that. If God didn't destroy the world through the Great Flood, then why do we find fossil graveyards where many creatures all died at once, and all their remains were fossilized at the same time? Why do we find layers of sediment that span continets? If God didn't confuse the languages at Babel, then why are there over seven thousand languages in the world? Wouldn't nature have taken a different approach? Wouldn't it be much better for the survival of human beings to have a better way to communicate with one language? Isn't this the way animals communicate all over the world? 

     These ideas are the real myths, not the records of Genesis. These are the myths that men imagine because they are determined to think of the world without the presence and the involvement of God. If they did that, their souls would be involved. They would have respond to God's call to repentance. They would have to receive His forgiveness. And they would have to live their lives according to His will. It is because they want none of this, and want life on their own terms that they imagine the myth of a world without God. In many ways they are like the men of Shinar that we hear about in Genesis chapter eleven. 

What Is Our Identity?

     Before we get to the main question, "Does God come to us and how?" there are a couple of important questions that God wants us to notice. First of all, the men of Shinar were confused about their identity. They said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves..." (11.4). The Bible always warns us "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16.18). Having cut themselves off from God, they were lost, drifting, and they hoped to find an anchor by accomplishing something that everyone would think is great. We are certainly tempted to this ourselves. We want to be recognized for something: our hobby, our career, our accomplishments, our enthusiasim for certain things. None of these are necessarily bad until they become the main identity and focus of our life. 

     A Christian's main identity is in their relationship to God. John the Apostle spoke about this in his first letter. Four times in that short letter he identifies Christians as "the children of God." In chapter three he said, "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!" (3.1). Paul said, "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God," (Romans 8.16). This is a good identity because it's not really about us. We didn't make ourselves the children of God. We became the children of God as He called us, forgave us, and put His name and His pride and joy upon us in our baptism. Our significance is that God loves us, and nothing can ever destroy that or take it away from us.

The Fear Factor

     Notice, also, that the men of Genesis eleven are afraid of something. They said, "let us make a name for ourselves lest we be scattered over the face of the earth" (11.4). Within five or six generations from Noah and the Great Flood, many people were forsaking God. God had commanded them to spread out and repopulate the world. In Genesis nine, God repeated the same command he gave to Adam and Eve, to "be fruitful, to multiply, and to fill the earth" (9.1). That command still stands today. It was never taken away. But the men of Shinar did not care about this. They only cared about themselves. When that happens, when men forsake God, initially they think everything is going to be great, all will be happy. But there is really no joy without God. Gradually fear begins to lay its grip upon them. In Psalm fourteen David describes the fools who say "there is no God" (14.1). They have "turned aside," (14.3). "There they are," David said, "in great terror" (14.5). 

     As Christians we are also tempted by fear. But there is a difference between the person who trusts in God and the person who does not. The Christian may be bumped off his firm foundation of faith by the troubles of life: sickness, accidents, or violence. But he has a foundation to climb back to. The unbeliever has nothing but to sink into the abyss of doubt. The men of Shinar were trying to create a sense of security by building this huge tower. They put their trust in themselves, and that never ends well. Psalm 146 tells us: "Do not put your trust in princes, Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; In that very day his plans perish" (3-4). We have to be careful not to fall into the same trap thinking that our money, our strength, our government, or our technology will save us. 

Does God Come to Us and How?

     We've seen how Genesis is a book of realities - very important realities. We've seen how important it is to have our identity with God and how that saves us from fear. Now let's look at the main question: "Does God Come to Us and How and Why?" 

     Here we begin with what is probably the funniest verse of the Bible. God sometimes uses humor to make a point. So far everything has been about the men of Shinar and their famous building project. They are proud of this. This is going to save them. This will make a name for themselves. It will reach to the heavens. Then comes verse five: "But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built." Psalm two describes something similar. The kings of the earth set themselves agains God but then verse five: "He who sits in the heavens shall laugh. The LORD shall hold them in derision." So Moses said that God has to "come down" to see the this tower that the men have built. Here God is showing us His infinite majesty and power by using a familiar human experience. It is as if God is looking down from heaven like we might look down upon a tiny ant colony. They are building something which in their eyes is great. But from God's perspective He can barely see it. He has to "come down" to see it. 

     God does come to us in many ways. For the men of Shinar God came in judgment by confusing human language and making it impossible for them to do all that they might try to accomplish. In the very next chapter we read that God came into this world in a much different way. He came to Abram and promised to make him a great nation - a nation that would in fact bring a blessing to all the families of the earth (12.3). This was part of God's ongoing plan of salvation - His plan to come back into this sinful world in order to save it. Down through the ages God came into this world through His prophets speaking the ringing words of truth. The heart of that message was always the same: Repent and Believe. Repent of the sins that destroy, and believe in the grace of God that saves. 

     The prophets all pointed to a special person who would accomplish this salvation for the world. They called Him the Messiah, the Christ. When Jesus came into the world at His birth, Matthew quoted Isaiah, "Behold the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name 'Immanuel,' which is translated, 'God with us'" (1.23). 

     As we remembered last Sunday, Jesus lived and died and rose again for our salvation. He then ascended to the right hand of God. Today we remember what happened just ten days later. Jesus' disciples were gathered together in prayer in Jerusalem. As Jesus had promised, the Holy Spirit came upon them and enabled them and all Christians to believe in and proclaim the presence of God. The miracle of Pentecost is similar to the miracle a Babel. There God came in judgment to confuse languages and to slow the spread of evil. At Pentecost that judgment was reversed as God enabled Peter to speak in his language and yet be understood by people of many different languages. 

Conclusion

     Yes, God does come to us. He came through the prophets, through Jesus, through His apostles. We are living in a very special time as Peter said in his Pentecost sermon. These are the last days. "And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh..." He goes on to say that our sons and daughters, young and old, menservants and maidservants shall prophesy. The word "prophesy" means much more that saying things about the future. It is simply speaking the words of God. This is happening all the time. Mothers and fathers are teaching their children about Jesus. This church is proclaiming the Gospel. You are bearing witness to Jesus in your words and deeds wherever you go in the world. The world around us may act like the men of Shinar trying to live without God. But we, the children of God are here, and we are here to bring them the saving presence of God. Amen. 

You Can Cancel Your Contract with the Devil

 

                                         You Can Cancel Your Contract with the Devil 

(Evening Prayer Service January 17, 2024)

 

A few days ago I began watching the television series "The Curious Case of Natalia Grace." Without giving away too much, this is about a little girl from Ukraine who has a form of dwarfism. The tragedy was that she was manipulated and mistreated. After being bounced from one adoptive family to the next, she finally landed in a Christian home. As I watched the story unfold, I couldn't help notice the problem that so many characters had, the problem of lying. Sexual abuse was also emerging from the background. Little by little I was sickened by the confusion, the manipulation, and the abuse. I thought, "This is why God made hell." But my heated condemnation eventually gave way to prayer and hope. I began to feel much better when I began to pray for all these people. 

 

Paul had a similar experience when he came to the decadent city of Corinth. You can check out its history on your own. Paul's own words tell us enough about it. First he speaks the needed words of condemnation: 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (NKJV) "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God."

 

But the Lord had told Paul Acts 18:9-10 (NKJV) "Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.”

 

Paul preached the Gospel: "1 Corinthians 6:11 (NKJV) 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God." 

 

These are some of the most beautiful words in the Bible. These are the words we need to remember first for ourselves and when we see the lying, manipulating, and lusting activities of this world. What the world, sold to sin, does, is sickening. But God knows that, and He sees past it. He sees the amazing transformations that are possible when His grace is applied to any situation. 

 

Because Jesus came to suffer, as God's righteous one for our unrighteousness, we can cancel our contracts with the devil. In our baptism that congenital contract was cancelled. This is the hope that we hold all for all the world around us. Like Peter, we can clearly see that the world is "poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity" (Acts 8.23). But because of Jesus we can also say with Paul, Romans 6:14 (NKJV) "For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace." In Christ, you can cancel your contract with the devil. What a beautiful truth this is. What a beautiful thing it is for us to believe this, and to be able to tell this to the world around us. 

 

The Word of God Endures Forever

 

The grass withers, the flower fades, Because the breath of the LORD blows upon it; Surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:7-8

 

Introduction

 

     I am so glad to see everyone this morning! You had other options. You could have slept it, used this time to catch up on chores, or gone out to some other activity. But you chose to come here this morning. You chose to give glory to God! You came here because you know that there are blessings here in God's word and here together with God's people. Jesus said, "Where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them" (Matthew 18.20). We are gathered together in the name of Jesus as we come to hear His words. These are the most important words, the most life-changing words that we can ever hear, today, tomorrow and forever. 

 

     Why do we believe this? Why is this more than a family tradition, or a "sweet hour of prayer" that vaguely makes us feel better, or a cultural, aethsetic experience of good literature and music, or a good deed that needs to be done if we ever hope to go to heaven? Why do we believe that God is real, that His word is true, and that these words are the most important words for our lives? This is what I want to focus on today. 

 

Progress or Regress? 

 

     There are three kinds of people in this world: Those who believe in the true God who has always existed and has revealed Himself in nature and in Spirit; Those who know about this God but have rejected him in favor of another view of God; and Those who don't believe God exists or believe there is not enough evidence for His existence. What are we supposed to think of these three groups of people? How did they come to be? Why do almost all cultures have some belief in God? This is quite a serious question for atheists and really for all people. If you watch a show about the history of civilization on this History Channel or some other channel like that, you will always be told that religious beliefs and practices gradually evolved over time just as human beings supposedly gradually evolved from lower animals. There are two big problems with these ideas. First, why did human beings advance so far beyond all other animals with their intellectual, creative, and emotional natures? They are so far advanced that they are practically in another universe of life. And, there are no other creatures that fall in between. Second, why would purely materialistic beings, mere molecular clusters that happen to be alive... why would they ever begin to believe and especially worship non-material beings they call gods? This doesn't make any sense and just doesn't fit with what we observe in life. 

     A better explanation is this: God created this world and human beings. From the beginning these human beings have been intelligent and spiritual. Just because the human beings that lived six thousand years ago didn't have computers or micro-waves, doesn't mean they weren't intelligent. It just means that the accumulation of knowledge has grown. It doesn't mean that intelligence has grown. The fact that there are so many different religions and beliefs about God in different cultures does not necessarily show that religion has evolved. That can just as well be explained, and in fact is better explained, by showing that different cultures have regressed in their religious beliefs and splintered into many different systems of belief.  This also fits with a third very important difference between human beings and all other living things. Human beings struggle with sin, with evil, and with morality. Animals consistently do what they appear to be programed to do, and they have been doing it the same way for millenia. Humans appear to improve at times in their morality and decline at other times. Over all they definitely appear to be declining as the rate of death due to human initiated, not natural disasters, is sharpely rising over time. This was on full display this past week when three university presidents of Ivy League Schools, supposedly the pinnacles of intelligence and human progress, betrayed their utter moral regress... regress, not progress, when they could not say that the call for genocide of Jewish people was evil, despicable and wrong in every way. In some cases, depending on the "context," it could be okay?

 

The Advent of God

 

     Seven hundred years before the birth of Jesus, the prophet Isaiah addressed the problem of the moral regression of the world. In particular, Israel had regressed in its relationship with God. Israel had joined with all the other nations in the downward spiral of religious depravity. Selfishness, pleasure-seeking, truth-denying attitudes had taken over the land. In chapter thirty Isaiah records this: The people say, "Speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions, leave the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel" (v.11 ESV). He warned them that they had lost their way by trusting in "oppression and perverseness" (v.12 ESV). "Woe to those," he said in chapter five, "who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness" (v.20 ESV). For this reason judgment would come upon Israel and eventually upon the whole world. 

 

     Yet, in the midst of all this, Isaiah delivered a powerful message of hope. "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, thather warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she hath received of the LORD's hand double for all her sins" (40.1-2 KJV). This is what Advent is all about. This is why we are here today because we know, as morally messed up this world is, and as morally messed up as we are ourselves, God has not given up on this world or on us. Isaiah could see far into the future on this issue. He announced a voice in the wilderness who would prepare the way of the LORD. That is, it wouldn't be just another prophet coming into the world, it would be the LORD Himself. Seven hundred years passed, and the man called John appeared in the wilderness of Judea. He called for the straightening of our moral paths through repentance and forgiveness. He sealed that repentance and forgiveness in his baptism in the Jordan river. His simple, survivalist life-style showed his intense, zeroed in message, "There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit" (Mark 1.7-8). 

 

     The Advent of God in the voice of the prophets like Isaiah and John, and finally in the life of His own eternal Son, Jesus, is our ultimate hope against moral and spiritual regression. The world began good and beautiful. It began spiritual and intelligent. But because of sin, a uniquely human problem and certainly our problem, it has been and continues to be torn down. Jesus came to die that He might wash away our sins and restore that Spirit of Holiness to us. John came preaching in the desert, eating the desert food of grasshoppers and honey. But through Jesus he knew that all who received the Holy Spirit in the forgiveness of sins would live forever in a new heaven and earth, in a restored Garden of Eden. 

 

The Word of Our God Stands Forever

 

     Everyday we are told the lie that God is not real or irrelevant. Our society, just like Isaiah's wants to hear the "smooth words" that sanction our sinful desires rather than call us to repentance for them.  But God's word is hardly defeated. The flaming vitality of the Holy Spirit is far from extinguished. We need to remember that, rejoice in that, and be a part of that. This Advent light your Advent candles, read your Advent Bible verses, pray your Advent prayers, sing your Advent and Christmas songs. Tell and show the world that God is real. Grace is real. Forgiveness is real. Truth is real. Christ has come, is coming through His word, and will come again to bring justice and justification to this world. You do not need to be part of the spiritual regression of this world. True religion is not evolving. It is being restored. You are part of the spiritual restoration of this world. It was created good, spiritual, and intelligent through His word. It is being restored again in a good, spiritual and intelligent way through His word, Jesus, that endures forever. Amen. 

Art Simon and the Ruth Simon Family

Art Simon, founder of Bread for the World, has died. Art was the son of our former church member Ruth Simon. Art worshiped here at Good Shepherd when visiting his mother. The whole family is full of interesting stories.

1. When Ruth was a newborn, she was left on the side of the road in Iowa. A Lutheran pastor found her and took her to an orphanage. Eventually they sent her to a Lutheran family in St. Louis. Her adoptive mother died, and Ruth was sent to another family. Ruth claimed the mother in this family tried to poison her. She firmly believed that Holy Cross Lutheran School, in St. Louis, saved her life by sustaining her faith in Jesus. To the end of her life, she was a strong advocate for Lutheran schools.

2. Ruth married Martin Simon, who went to China as a missionary for The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. During a rebellion in China, they were forced to return to the US. Together they published a Lutheran family magazine and wrote one of the most well-known children's devotional books in the Lutheran church: Little Visits with God. I grew up on this devotional book and still remember some of the stories. One story was about a gorilla in the zoo who hoarded all the food, but it was too much for him to eat himself. Another story was about a poor family who prayed to God for food. A rainstorm came up suddenly and washed the labels off some food cans that were displayed outside a grocery story. They ended up giving the cans of food to the poor family.

3. Paul Simon, their other son, dropped out of college and bought the Troy, Illinois newspaper. He started investigating the well-known Collinsville gangster Buster Wortman. Ruth claimed his work helped bring down the gangster and led Paul into politics. Paul became a senator from Illinois. When he ran for president, Ruth called every LCMS pastor in the state of Iowa before the Iowa Caucuses. Ruth was very pro-life, especially considering her "foundling" experience. However, she firmly believed to the end of her life that her son Paul was also "pro-life." Paul told me that he took the "I'm personally against abortion" approach. He believed that laws against abortion were like laws that forced people to attend church. In the end, they just wouldn't work. After Ruth died I lost contact with Paul. But I think his mother would have been disappointed with some of his writings about abortion.

4. I read Bread for the World in college and would agree with Art that evil politics plays a major role in the problem of hunger throughout the world. But underlying the politics are evil worldviews and cultural traditions. Advocating for better politics is good, and it is an important part of our vocation as citizens. But believing, living, and preaching the Gospel to all the world is the most important thing we can do to push back on evil. Ruth would have absolutely agreed with this.

5. Ruth was an incredibly servant minded person, a virtue that she passed on to her sons. She was worship and Bible study every Sunday. She personally called every acolyte the week before they were scheduled to serve in order to remind them. She often ran errands and gave rides to all the "older ladies" of the church. In most cases these ladies were younger than Ruth. I remember when Paul and Art came to take her car away from her. That was devastating for Ruth. But I encouraged her to keep serving by devoting the rest of her life to prayer. She did that, and finished the race well. She left a good legacy for all to follow.

Luther and the Jews, Evangelism and Antisemitism

I=IESVS (Jesus)
N=NAZARENVS (Nazarene)
R=REX (King)
I=IVDAEORVM (of the Jews)

Eleven years ago I taught a Bible study on Luther and the Jews.
I summarized that study in two Youtube videos:

Part One: https://youtu.be/zSswjYepQDY

Part Two: https://youtu.be/kNIDKpCOLDY

If you look at the comments on these videos, you will see that antisemitism is alive and well in this country! I haven't responded to these comments because they are obviously ignorant and show that most of them haven't really watched the videos. They attack me because I say that Luther was in no way a Nazi! 

Here are some key points:

1. Luther paved the way for free speech by bringing to light the Bible teaching of the two kingdoms. Yet, true freedom of speech was still a long way off for Europeans. All citizens were required to respect the religion of the king of that country, if not they could be banished. Many Lutherans suffered under these laws and had to move out of a land ruled by a Catholic king or prince. 

2. Luther apparently came across a Jewish tract that blasphemed Christ and Mary. He responded with his pamphlet, "On the Jews and Their Lies." Most of this pamphlet is a defense of the Messiahship of Christ. Unlike the Nazis, Luther was not a racist. He vigorously opposed the Jewish misinterpretation of the Bible just as much as the prophets, John the Baptist and Jesus! But he didn't hate them because of their race. Luther welcomed them into the church if they became believers in Jesus! Yet one of the first antisemitic laws of the Nazis was the removal of all believing Jews from the Lutheran Church.  Luther would have exploded over a law like this! The Nazis tried to take Luther's theological issues and make them racial issues. 

3. Toward the end of "On the Jews and Their Lies" Luther called for harsh measures against Jews that blasphemed against Christianity. Here Luther made an interpretational mistake. He applied passages from Deuteronomy against unbelieving Jews in ancient Israel to modern Jews living in Germany. These passages called for harsh measures against unbelieving Jews. They were valid at the time of Moses and the kings of Israel, but they couldn't be used as laws for Germany. There are three kinds of Laws in the Books of Moses: Moral, Ceremonial, and Civl. Only the moral law applies to all people in the world and is applied to all in the New Testament. The ceremonial and civil laws of Israel are fulfilled in Jesus. These laws are, as Paul said, "a shadow," but "the substance is Christ" (Colossians 2.17). 

4. What was Luther's true view of the Jews? It was a mixed bag. In some writings, such as "That Jesus Was Born a Jew," he spoke kindly of Jews and repudiated their mistreatment. But this earlier view began to sour mainly because he expected a large number of Jews to convert to Christianity once they were able to hear the true Gospel of forgiveness. When this didn't happen, Luther's dislike of the Jews grew. 

5. The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod has condemned the false teachings of Luther's harsh measures. Nevertheless, we do not withdraw our firm belief that Jesus is the Messiah and Savior for all, Jews and Gentiles, as the Bible teaches.