1st Sunday in Lent, 2/14/16
Romans 10:8b-13
Victory Through the Word!
I. A word that saves
II. A word for all
It’s not unique to the fans of the Denver Broncos, the winning team in last Sunday’s Super Bowl. You can hear it from just about any loyal fan of any victorious sports team. Fans are so closely connected to their team, that when their team wins, they’ll tell you, “We won!” And they say that even though they didn’t exert any effort on the field or court, they did nothing to prepare for that game other than make their favorite snacks to enjoy while watching it, and in reality they didn’t contribute a single thing to the winning effort. But they still exclaim, “We won!” and we understand what they mean.
Each Sunday in Lent is a little victory celebration. While on Wednesday evenings during Lent our focus is on our Savior’s march to his sufferings and death, our focus on Sundays in Lent is on the victories Jesus won along the way over sin and Satan. Today’s gospel highlighted that victory Jesus gained over Satan’s temptations for 40 days and nights. Jesus won!
And by faith in him we Christians exclaim, “We won!” Christianity is really about winning the battle over sin, death and hell. But just like the fanatic sports fan who can only watch his team with rapt attention, there’s nothing we can do or contribute to the victory. The good news of Christianity is that Christ does it all for us.
And in a very real sense, his victory is our victory. That victory comes to us through his word. It’s as simple as that. The greatest victory we could ever attain, victory in the most important battle of all—the battle for your eternal soul—was won for you by Christ and it comes to you through his word. That’s the truth St. Paul shares with us this morning from Romans 10. Victory through the word. Sit back, relax, and listen to that word for the next few minutes.
Part I.
On March 4, 1908, a fire broke out in an English mine, trapping 25 miners underground. Their colleagues tried to reach them, but the fire was too much for them, and rescue teams with professional breathing apparatus fared no better. All 25 men trapped in the mine died.
When rescuers found the bodies a week later, they saw the dead men huddled together in four groups. One group of six men had left a last plea for salvation on a wooden board nearby. “The Lord Preserve Us,” began the message. It ended with: “For We Are All Trusting in Christ.” Between the two lines were the six miners’ names.
I can’t imagine such a death. And yet, as terrible as it was, it appears that at least that group of six men died with faith in Christ and therefore victory is theirs. They won!
What’s disheartening is how many people are facing eternal defeat but they’re completely unaware of it. Some reject the truth that a life after this one exists. They hold to the hope that you die and that’s it. Billions of others believe in some form of life after this, but they wrongly believe that getting there depends on what they do in this life. Say the right prayers, go through the right ceremonies, make enough personal sacrifices, live as piously as you can, and you’ll make it there.
If any of those ideas are true—even in the slightest—then what Jesus did as our Great Deliverer was unnecessary at best and completely worthless at worst. The truth is that Jesus came to this earth to carry out a rescue of eternal proportions. The truth is that every sinful human is in the death-grip of Satan and is completely helpless to extract himself. The truth is that without Christ, there is no hope, no life, no light. Only despair, death and darkness. Thanks be to God our Great Deliverer did appear on this world’s sinful scene and we see him engage in battle with Satan immediately. He fends off every temptation that Satan launched against him. Three years later, he goes to Calvary’s cross and crushes the serpent’s head. On Easter dawn, the risen Savior descends into hell and shouts “Victory” in Satan’s defeated face.
The blessings of the victory Jesus won for us come to us through God’s word. Paul says it like this, “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” Paul starts by asserting the obvious: the word is near you. Being rescued from Satan doesn’t require any heroic efforts on your part. In fact, the message that saves you isn’t hidden or mysterious or locked away and inaccessible. It’s right here. Here’s the message that rescues you!
At the beginning of this letter Paul wrote, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of every one who believes” (1:16). The simple gospel message—Jesus died on the cross for you to forgive your sins—is the message that works and sustains saving faith in the Christian. That word is God’s method of rescuing you from eternal death. It’s so simple even young children believe it and confess it. We do nothing and yet we win!
Victory through the word! A word that saves.
But it sounds too good to be true. And that’s because by nature we make God out to be a liar that can’t be trusted. That’s what the first temptations were all about. Satan convinced Adam and Eve that God couldn’t be trusted. And his attacks haven’t changed in 1000s of years. “You mean sacrificing something we enjoy during Lent isn’t helpful to my salvation? My good intentions earn me nothing? My honest efforts don’t get me any merit points? My successful attempts to do what is good and God-pleasing aren’t getting me anywhere?” Not when it comes to your rescue from hell. That rescue comes to you solely through the word. It’s the message of the victory Christ won for you. And that’s the way you really want it. You might be proud of your record now, but it won’t be long before the walls of guilt and shame come crashing in on you and then all your good intentions and pious deeds will indeed be useless because you’ll be drowning in your own sin. That’s when the word of Christ’s victory appears in all its power and glory. You don’t have to fight the battle against your sin and guilt; Jesus did it for you and he won. His victory is splashed all over the pages of God’s word. Victory through the word—a word that saves.
Part II.
The Pew Research Center recently conducted a study of religion in America which compared America’s religious scene in 2007 with 2014. What I’m about to say probably won’t surprise you. Americans are heading out the doors of denominations and shedding their spiritual connections along the way, and that includes people young and old. The “nones”—Americans who are unaffiliated with brand-name religion—are the new major force in American faith. There are more than four former Christians for every convert to Christianity. So, what are these people believing now? Well, there are really only two choices. Either you believe that Christ is your Savior or you believe that you save yourself.
That’s an accurate description of our modern world religious scene, but it’s really nothing new. Paul faced it in his day as well. What’s so amazing is that he faced it among his own people, the Jews. Earlier in this same chapter of Romans Paul refers to the fact that the Jews were zealous for God. They didn’t know about the righteousness or holiness God gives them freely in Christ; they were trying to attain it on their own. Prior to his conversion, Paul was one of those Jews. Paul’s point in this section of his letter is that there are not two ways to salvation. In fact, there isn’t one way for Jews and another way for Gentiles. It’s the same way for both. Paul wrote, “As the Scripture says, ‘Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.’ For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” Paul quotes from the Old Testament to prove that there has always been only one way to salvation no matter who you are, where you came from, or what you’ve done in life. It’s only through Christ.
That Savior is the heart and center of the word of God. He is the One to whom all of God’s word points. God’s word is not intended to be a rule-book for how to live. It’s not a self-help book on how to be happy and successful in life. Its purpose is to bring people—all people—to faith in Christ. And with faith in Christ comes eternal victory. Victory through the word, a word for all.
It’s so easy to get disgusted with people in our modern world. Their heinous acts and blasphemous words rightly fill us with anger. How dare they stomp all over the only God of their salvation and his holy word! They deserve the hell that’s coming to them! And with that attitude, it’s easy to consider them outside the pale of God’s grace, to be people from whom God’s word should be withheld. Sure, God should share his saving word with us, but with them? Be careful of that attitude! It conveniently overlooks our own pitiful sinfulness, our own need for a Savior. Thank God he died for all and his saving word is for all! That’s your assurance and mine that he died for me and you and his word is for me and you. And with that saving word planted firmly in our hearts, we win! Yes, today is a little victory celebration, victory through the word! Enjoy it! Share it! Amen.
February 13, 2016
February 8, 2016
You Could See it in His Face!
Last Sunday after Epiphany, Transfiguration, 2/7/16
Exodus 34:29-35
You Could See it in His Face!
I. The fading glory of the law
II. The lasting glory of the gospel
Facial expressions reveal quite a bit, sometimes more than the individual would like others to know. For instance, you can tell when something fantastic has happened in a person’s life. Their face is beaming and they can’t wait to share their joy with you. Or there’s a look of pain—either physical or emotion—and it’s centered between furrowed brows. Many of us can tell when people are being less than truthful with us—it’s written on their faces. And then there’s shame. You know that person has done something terrible.
But have you ever seen glory on a person’s face? We might say that a bride looks glorious, but we aren’t limiting that to her facial features. We’re talking about her from head to toe. We might say that a child who is immersed in their favorite activity is “in his glory,” but what we’re really saying is that he’s thoroughly enjoying himself.
But we do have an instance of glory all over the face of someone in today’s sermon text. In fact, as far as we know, it’s the only time it happened to a sinful person. The verse prior to where our text begins informs us, “Moses was there [on Mount Sinai] forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant.” He was in the presence of God like no sinner ever had been before or has been since. And when he came down from the mountain, there was glory all over his face.
That glory on Moses’ face had everything to do with the glory Jesus enjoyed on the Mount of Transfiguration. That glory is all about who God is and what he does. That glory was shining from Moses. You could see it in his face. This morning let’s take the opportunity to recall what that glory was all about.
Part I.
When a young child is the subject of a severe verbal scolding—one that’s well deserved—one of his or her reactions is cowering in fear. For a few minutes at least, that child is curling up for fear that something worse is going to happen. They pray that they don’t hear another accusing word. They’re hoping with all their hearts that the storm of parental anger has passed for good. They simply want things to be pleasant and familial as they used to be.
That’s close to what was happening with the people of Israel as described in this morning’s text. It comes from Exodus 34. Do you recall the tragic event recorded just 2 chapters earlier? It was without argue the lowest point in Israel’s brief history thus far. Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the 10 Commandments from God, the very first of which demanded, “You shall have no other gods.” Meanwhile, what were the people doing down below him? Bowing down to a golden calf!
And what was God’s reaction? He told Moses to step aside and watch his anger burn as he completely destroys these people. His divine patience was over. He had had enough. After all he had done for them, after sparing them from the plague of death in Egypt, after parting the waters of the Red Sea, after leading them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night, this is how they treat him?! He’s through with these people!
But in Christ-like fashion, Moses stands between God’s fierce anger and his people. He pleads for the Lord’s mercy and he reminds the Lord of his glory and honor among the other nations around his people. And the Lord relented, but he told the people, “Go to the Promised Land by yourself. I will not go with you, because you are stiff-necked people and I might destroy you.”
So Moses intervened again, and the Lord replied to Moses, “Come up to the mountain and I will write the words of the covenant for you again.” In fact, while Moses was there with the Lord, the Lord proclaimed some of the most amazing words in the entire Old Testament. “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin” (Ex. 34:6-7).
The Lord re-established his covenant with the people. He informed them that he would be their God if they would obey his covenant. He had a long list of stipulations including the 10 Commandments that were non-negotiable. Moses received them, and then went down the mountain.
That’s where our text picks up the story. “When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him.” These rebellious people had heard and seen enough from the holy God. They had just been the targets of his white-hot anger. And now they see the glory of the Lord shining from Moses’ face and their natural reaction is one of fear and dread.
So Moses veiled his face. That way he could still communicate with the people but not paralyze them with fear. That veiled glory reminded the people how serious the Lord was about his covenant with them.
The apostle Paul, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, lists another reason for Moses’ veil. “Moses put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at [the glory] while the radiance was fading away” (2 Cor. 3:13). This law covenant with the Children of Israel was only temporary. It was only for the Children of Israel. It was not the final word or covenant from God. He never intended this covenant to be the one that saved sinners from the punishment their sins deserved. This covenant was all law.
You could see it in his face—the fading glory of the law.
I’ve heard appeals from many Christians for the glory of the law to return to our society. I’ve heard it said that we’ve lost our moral compass. If only people would take God’s will stated clearly in his word seriously. Perhaps you’ve felt that way or said similar things. But be careful. Using God’s law to call people to repent is proper. In fact, God has given each Christian that responsibility. But make sure you do so only after shining that law on your own heart. Without your own repentance first, shining the law on the hearts and lives of others easily turns into an opportunity for self-righteousness. Bemoaning the sins of others before first bemoaning your own is pulling the veil off of Moses’ face in an attempt to make the law the most glorious words God ever shared with you. And that was never his intent. He shines his law on our hearts to drive us to Christ. He wants his law to expose every sinful thought, attitude, desire, word or deed so that we recognize its damning character and cling by faith to Jesus, who died for all our sins.
Part II.
What are your reactions when someone says or does something that hurts you? You can scream at them to let them know how you feel. The opposite extreme is also effective. You give them the silent treatment. That’s especially effective when the other person is oblivious as to how they offended you. They realize they’ve done something wrong but you won’t tell them what it is.
One of the worst things you can hear from God is silence. When he’s no longer reaching out to you, damnation is near.
Thank God that he’s still speaking to us! That’s another reason Moses veiled his face. He didn’t want the Children of Israel to focus solely on the law as God had given it to them through him. He wanted them to focus on the fact that the Lord still wanted to be their God. He was still speaking to them. As he had told Moses, he was the Lord who forgives wickedness, rebellion and sin.
That forgiveness assured them that the Lord still wanted to save them. He was not pushing them to hell forever; he was drawing them to heaven with him. Having forgiven their sins, God had made them fit to live with him. They were acceptable to God because of what he had done for them, not because of what they could do for him.
And since he had restored them as his people, his chosen nation, he would once again use them to carry out his plan of salvation. It would be through them that he would bring the promised Savior into the world. That Savior would one day reveal his full glory as the God-man who had come to carry out that plan of salvation to its saving fullest. And that’s what Jesus did. Having enjoyed the fullness of his glory on the Mount of Transfiguration, he then went down so that he could climb another mount, this time with a cross over his back and a crown of thorns pressed into his skull. A mount called Calvary.
Moses wanted the Children of Israel to look to that Savior. When they did, you could see it in his face—the lasting glory of the gospel.
The season of Lent is right around the corner—the most penitential season of the church year. It’s my prayer that you take full advantage of this Lenten season—from our penitential Ash Wednesday service to our penitential Good Friday service. When we recognize that it was our sins that made Jesus’ suffering and death necessary, then we have a prime opportunity to see the lasting glory of the gospel—the good news that Jesus’ life and death bring us the forgiveness we desperately need. And then, as forgiven children of God, we live in the freedom and confidence Jesus won for us. All is right between you and the holy God for the sake of Jesus. That’s the glorious gospel! See it this Lenten season in the face of Christ! Amen.
Exodus 34:29-35
You Could See it in His Face!
I. The fading glory of the law
II. The lasting glory of the gospel
Facial expressions reveal quite a bit, sometimes more than the individual would like others to know. For instance, you can tell when something fantastic has happened in a person’s life. Their face is beaming and they can’t wait to share their joy with you. Or there’s a look of pain—either physical or emotion—and it’s centered between furrowed brows. Many of us can tell when people are being less than truthful with us—it’s written on their faces. And then there’s shame. You know that person has done something terrible.
But have you ever seen glory on a person’s face? We might say that a bride looks glorious, but we aren’t limiting that to her facial features. We’re talking about her from head to toe. We might say that a child who is immersed in their favorite activity is “in his glory,” but what we’re really saying is that he’s thoroughly enjoying himself.
But we do have an instance of glory all over the face of someone in today’s sermon text. In fact, as far as we know, it’s the only time it happened to a sinful person. The verse prior to where our text begins informs us, “Moses was there [on Mount Sinai] forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant.” He was in the presence of God like no sinner ever had been before or has been since. And when he came down from the mountain, there was glory all over his face.
That glory on Moses’ face had everything to do with the glory Jesus enjoyed on the Mount of Transfiguration. That glory is all about who God is and what he does. That glory was shining from Moses. You could see it in his face. This morning let’s take the opportunity to recall what that glory was all about.
Part I.
When a young child is the subject of a severe verbal scolding—one that’s well deserved—one of his or her reactions is cowering in fear. For a few minutes at least, that child is curling up for fear that something worse is going to happen. They pray that they don’t hear another accusing word. They’re hoping with all their hearts that the storm of parental anger has passed for good. They simply want things to be pleasant and familial as they used to be.
That’s close to what was happening with the people of Israel as described in this morning’s text. It comes from Exodus 34. Do you recall the tragic event recorded just 2 chapters earlier? It was without argue the lowest point in Israel’s brief history thus far. Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the 10 Commandments from God, the very first of which demanded, “You shall have no other gods.” Meanwhile, what were the people doing down below him? Bowing down to a golden calf!
And what was God’s reaction? He told Moses to step aside and watch his anger burn as he completely destroys these people. His divine patience was over. He had had enough. After all he had done for them, after sparing them from the plague of death in Egypt, after parting the waters of the Red Sea, after leading them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night, this is how they treat him?! He’s through with these people!
But in Christ-like fashion, Moses stands between God’s fierce anger and his people. He pleads for the Lord’s mercy and he reminds the Lord of his glory and honor among the other nations around his people. And the Lord relented, but he told the people, “Go to the Promised Land by yourself. I will not go with you, because you are stiff-necked people and I might destroy you.”
So Moses intervened again, and the Lord replied to Moses, “Come up to the mountain and I will write the words of the covenant for you again.” In fact, while Moses was there with the Lord, the Lord proclaimed some of the most amazing words in the entire Old Testament. “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin” (Ex. 34:6-7).
The Lord re-established his covenant with the people. He informed them that he would be their God if they would obey his covenant. He had a long list of stipulations including the 10 Commandments that were non-negotiable. Moses received them, and then went down the mountain.
That’s where our text picks up the story. “When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him.” These rebellious people had heard and seen enough from the holy God. They had just been the targets of his white-hot anger. And now they see the glory of the Lord shining from Moses’ face and their natural reaction is one of fear and dread.
So Moses veiled his face. That way he could still communicate with the people but not paralyze them with fear. That veiled glory reminded the people how serious the Lord was about his covenant with them.
The apostle Paul, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, lists another reason for Moses’ veil. “Moses put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at [the glory] while the radiance was fading away” (2 Cor. 3:13). This law covenant with the Children of Israel was only temporary. It was only for the Children of Israel. It was not the final word or covenant from God. He never intended this covenant to be the one that saved sinners from the punishment their sins deserved. This covenant was all law.
You could see it in his face—the fading glory of the law.
I’ve heard appeals from many Christians for the glory of the law to return to our society. I’ve heard it said that we’ve lost our moral compass. If only people would take God’s will stated clearly in his word seriously. Perhaps you’ve felt that way or said similar things. But be careful. Using God’s law to call people to repent is proper. In fact, God has given each Christian that responsibility. But make sure you do so only after shining that law on your own heart. Without your own repentance first, shining the law on the hearts and lives of others easily turns into an opportunity for self-righteousness. Bemoaning the sins of others before first bemoaning your own is pulling the veil off of Moses’ face in an attempt to make the law the most glorious words God ever shared with you. And that was never his intent. He shines his law on our hearts to drive us to Christ. He wants his law to expose every sinful thought, attitude, desire, word or deed so that we recognize its damning character and cling by faith to Jesus, who died for all our sins.
Part II.
What are your reactions when someone says or does something that hurts you? You can scream at them to let them know how you feel. The opposite extreme is also effective. You give them the silent treatment. That’s especially effective when the other person is oblivious as to how they offended you. They realize they’ve done something wrong but you won’t tell them what it is.
One of the worst things you can hear from God is silence. When he’s no longer reaching out to you, damnation is near.
Thank God that he’s still speaking to us! That’s another reason Moses veiled his face. He didn’t want the Children of Israel to focus solely on the law as God had given it to them through him. He wanted them to focus on the fact that the Lord still wanted to be their God. He was still speaking to them. As he had told Moses, he was the Lord who forgives wickedness, rebellion and sin.
That forgiveness assured them that the Lord still wanted to save them. He was not pushing them to hell forever; he was drawing them to heaven with him. Having forgiven their sins, God had made them fit to live with him. They were acceptable to God because of what he had done for them, not because of what they could do for him.
And since he had restored them as his people, his chosen nation, he would once again use them to carry out his plan of salvation. It would be through them that he would bring the promised Savior into the world. That Savior would one day reveal his full glory as the God-man who had come to carry out that plan of salvation to its saving fullest. And that’s what Jesus did. Having enjoyed the fullness of his glory on the Mount of Transfiguration, he then went down so that he could climb another mount, this time with a cross over his back and a crown of thorns pressed into his skull. A mount called Calvary.
Moses wanted the Children of Israel to look to that Savior. When they did, you could see it in his face—the lasting glory of the gospel.
The season of Lent is right around the corner—the most penitential season of the church year. It’s my prayer that you take full advantage of this Lenten season—from our penitential Ash Wednesday service to our penitential Good Friday service. When we recognize that it was our sins that made Jesus’ suffering and death necessary, then we have a prime opportunity to see the lasting glory of the gospel—the good news that Jesus’ life and death bring us the forgiveness we desperately need. And then, as forgiven children of God, we live in the freedom and confidence Jesus won for us. All is right between you and the holy God for the sake of Jesus. That’s the glorious gospel! See it this Lenten season in the face of Christ! Amen.
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