No Time for God

Matthew 11:28

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Can you spare a minute? Is now a good time? We have to ask questions like these so often. We pack our schedules so full, we have no time left.

Do you have time for God? Do you have time to come to his house to worship him? Maybe it feels like you don’t. There are so many other pressing cares and concerns that by the time Sunday morning rolls around, you just can’t make the time.

Jesus was speaking to people like that. They were weary from living in a stressful world. They were burdened by all the things they had to do, including trying to follow God’s commands.

But Jesus says, “Come to me. I will give you rest.” You see, Jesus came to remove the burden from our shoulders. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13). He has fulfilled all the requirements God makes on us. Because Jesus has fulfilled the requirements of God’s law, we now have access to God for strength in our daily lives. Not only will we live by faith in Jesus forever in heaven, we live by faith in him right now.

What Jesus offers is worth making time for. You can look for rest in other relaxations and distractions. But these can’t give the soul-rest Jesus gives. He forgives your sins. He strengthens your relationship with God. He empowers you.

In fact, he even makes the time for you. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth … . And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day” (Genesis 1:1,4,5). The 24-hour day God created has not changed since he called it good. Not even sin has changed the amount of time God create.

He made the time for you. God lives outside of time. Yet Jesus came into our world of time and space. He had birthdays. He lived to 33 years old. He saw others grow old. He witnessed the passing of years.

Jesus made times for others, even when he was tired. “So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things” (Mark 6:32-34). All this he did to make rest for you.

The best thing about time with God is that it’s the best time for you. Nowhere else can you find external power that renews your inner strength. Nowhere else can you find an ear that has all the time in the world to listen to you. Nowhere else can you find a rest that never runs out.

Plan Your Funeral

1 Chronicles 28:9-12

“And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house as the sanctuary. Be strong and do the work.”

Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the portico of the temple, its buildings, its storerooms, its upper parts, its inner rooms and the place of atonement. He gave him the plans of all that the Spirit had put in his mind for the courts of the temple of the Lord and all the surrounding rooms, for the treasuries of the temple of God and for the treasuries for the dedicated things.

Shortly before he died, King David gave his son Solomon the plans for building the LORD’s temple. God didn’t allow David to build the temple because he was a warrior and had shed blood (1 Chronicles 28:3). God chose Solomon to build the temple, and David gave Solomon the plans he had come up with. After David died, this temple would be a lasting declaration of God’s glory, power, might, and love. David made plans for his passing.

It’s good practice to have plans in place in the case of your passing. You make a will so that your property goes to the right people. You have life insurance so that your family is taken care of. These plans are in place so things go smoothly on earth when Jesus takes you to heaven.

What about your funeral?

The point of a funeral isn’t to say how good you were. It isn’t just for remembering funny stories or good memories. The center of a Christian funeral is Christ. The sermon will talk about how Jesus saved you and brought you to heaven. The readings will tell of Jesus’ love for you. The hymns will sing the praise of the Savior.

As a pastor, I’m usually the one to plan the services at our church. But for your funeral, you have some say. Have you thought about it? Have you planned it?

Who will come to your funeral? I’m sure you will have church friends who come. But there will also be many for whom the only time they step inside a church is at weddings and funerals. Maybe your funeral is the one time they’ll be inside a church.

What do you want them to hear?

What do you want them to sing?

Funerals are one of the best places to hear the good news about Jesus because they remind us what our Christian faith is all about: Salvation from sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.

So, think about it. Even if you’re young, think about it. Sure, the readings and the hymns could change over time. You might have new favorites. You might know new people who need to hear a little bit of a different message. Think about what they need to know about Jesus for the rest of their lives on earth and for life after death.

If I am your pastor, let me know your plan. If I’m not your pastor, let your pastor know. I’m sure he’d appreciate it.

Baking with Jesus

1 Corinthians 5:6-8

Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

It’s Thanksgiving! You might be doing a lot of cooking and baking this week. Turkey. Mashed potatoes. Gravy. Cranberry sauce. Pumpkin, apple, or (and?) pecan pie. And don’t forget the dinner rolls!

And for the dinner rolls, don’t forget the yeast!

The best part of the dinners rolls is that they’re light and fluffy. Who wants a flat roll? Not me. Not at Thanksgiving.

So why does Paul warn his readers about yeast? He’s using a picture to describe how “malice and wickedness” can spread through a person. It can even spread to multiple people.

In this case, “A man is sleeping with his father’s wife” (1 Corinthians 5:1). Whether or not this was his own mother or, more likely, his stepmother, doesn’t change much. He was sinning. And what did his church family do? Did they call him to repentance? No, Paul says, “And you are proud!” The man’s sin had leavened the rest of the church in Corinth.

Paul uses this phrase in Galatians, too. There he was talking about people who were teaching that the Galatians had to make sure they were saved by their works, especially by being circumcised. Again, “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough” (Galatians 5:9). The false teaching took hold and spread.

Malice and wickedness can’t be compartmentalized. They can’t be held in one little corner of the heart. Paul tells us they spread.

For example, you’re upset with someone. Maybe they did or didn’t do something that offended you. And now, every time you see them, all you can think about is how they’ve wronged you. Perhaps you even spread your disgust with them to others. They, too, become leavened with the yeast of anger and hate.

Or one of your close friends falls into sin. And because they’re your friend, you don’t want to say anything. In fact, you listen to their reasoning, and it sounds pretty solid. They start to convince you what they’re doing isn’t really bad. You might even start to think, “We’ll if they’re doing it, why shouldn’t I?” A little yeast leavens the whole batch.

What’s the deal with yeast? When God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, he told them to prepare the Passover meal. For the meal, he had them prepare a lamb or goat without blemish or defect and bread without yeast. The reason for no yeast was because they didn’t have time to wait for the dough to rise. God then told them to celebrate the Passover every year by eating bread without yeast.

Now Paul makes the connection to Jesus. “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” Just as the blood of the lamb on the doorframes of the Israelites in Egypt caused the angel of death to pass over their houses, so the blood of the Lamb has “destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:10).

Before Paul even says, “Let us keep the Festival,” he has already stated what Christ’s sacrifice has made us. “Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are.” Jesus’ death and resurrection have removed the yeast from us. We are no longer leavened with malice and wickedness. We are “unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”

As this unleavened bread, let us keep the Festival, remembering the sacrifice Christ has made for us so that death will pass us over.

Coming to Grips with Mortality

Genesis 3:19

For dust you are
and to dust you will return.

It finally happened. I got COVID.

After a year and a half, maybe I thought I’d never get it.

And if I got it, I’d be asymptomatic.

And if I had symptoms, they wouldn’t be that bad.

And if they were bad, at least I wouldn’t be on a ventilator.

And if I got put on a ventilator, I wouldn’t die.

Right?

Well, I’ve ended up somewhere in the middle of that list. I’ve had symptoms. They haven’t been enough to put me in the hospital. And so the worst part has been sitting alone most of the time in my bedroom or in the backyard since my pregnant wife thankfully hasn’t tested positive, and we want to keep it that way. I’ve been wearing a mask in my own house.

In my solitude I’ve had to come to grips with my mortality. “Dust you are, David. To dust you will return.”

But when do we truly come to grips with mortality? Sickness is a reminder. But most of the times we get sick, we also get better. Chronic pain or illness are constant evidence. But even those seem more a part of life than of death. In fact, what does not kill you, may make you feel more and more invincible. Down, but not out. You can take your lumps, but nothing can defeat you.

God wants us to come to grips with mortality. It is the devil who wants us to act as if we’ll live on earth forever. “You will not certainly die” (Genesis 3:4). He wants us to love this life and this world more than we love God. But if it were true that we would live forever on earth, what hope would we have of escaping the illness and pain and troubles of this world?

The Bible makes it plain that we will die. “For dust you are, and to dust you will return” (Genesis 3:19). The word die appears 564 times in the Bible. Death appears 465 times. Sometimes they refer to the death of a person. Sometimes God’s talking about why people die. “The one who sins is the one who will die” (Ezekiel 18:20). “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12). “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

When we come to grips with mortality, then we come to grips with the gravity of our sin. Since 1976 in our justice system, the only people sentenced to death have been murderers. Under God’s justice system, the penalty for any sin, no matter how small, is death. Even the act of eating fruit from a tree—an act that seemingly harmed no one—but because God had forbidden it, it was enough to bring sin and death into the world.

God’s desire for us to come to grips with mortality is not so that he can hold death over our heads. It is not as if he says, “As long as you do good, you will not die.” He wants us to understand death so that we seek life. No amount of good we do could stop us from dying. No amount of good can erase the offense we have committed against God.

But God can erase it. God has given us life even though we deserve the death penalty. “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). “For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19).

God wants us to come to grips with mortality so that our grip on our Savior Jesus tightens more and more. “Whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Unforeseen Obstacles

Hebrews 12:1,2

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Do you remember this scene from last June? The Tour de France kicked off its first stage with a huge pile-up. A fan who wanted to say hi to her grandma and grandpa on TV stepped in front of the racers and took out nearly every single cyclist.

Imagine being one of those cyclists. Imagine being Jasha Sütterlin. He trained for months for this, the biggest race of the year. The first stage was going well. He was making decent time. He only had the last 28 miles of a 122 mile stage to go. And then CRASH! It’s not fair! He’d worked so hard! In the pile-up he got hurt and had to pull out of the race. There was nothing he could’ve done differently.

The Apostle Paul and the writer to the Hebrews compare the Christian life to a race. As we run toward the goal, we fix our eyes on the prize: heaven with our Savior Jesus.

How’s your race going? Have you encountered unforeseen obstacles?

Unforeseen obstacles are bound to come. Unblazed trails; a trip hazard; a detour. A sudden loss; oppressive circumstances; unimaginable disappointments.

The past two years were certainly unforeseen. This has been much more than just a bump in the road. Has your faith been able to keep up?

Or have you found yourself running off the path? Was it easier to be kind to your neighbor in 2019 than in 2021? Do you find yourself lashing out more than you did two years ago? Have ongoing uncertainty and instability borne more fruits of selfishness, impatience, and defensiveness?

What’s more, have these unforeseen obstacles weakened your gaze on Christ? Has your faith begun to wilt? Have the obstacles caused you to deviate from the narrow path for a broader highway?

It’s not fair! The race was going so well! There was nothing you could have done to prevent these unforeseen obstacles. How could you avoid crashing when there was no way around? Will you be able to finish the race?

We have one who has gone before. The writer to the Hebrews calls Jesus “the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” Jesus himself has blazed the trail. He has surmounted every obstacle for you. He has won the prize which brings salvation to all people. His seat at God’s right hand guarantees you will stand in heaven.

We run the race marked out for us. We don’t have to blaze our own trail. As Paul says, we are being trained for righteousness. This not to earn our salvation which has already been earned. Rather, it is to put aside everything that would draw us away from Jesus our Savior. Moved by the Spirit, we come to God in repentance and trust in Jesus for forgiveness. Empowered by the Spirit, we keep running the race bearing fruits not of selfishness, impatience, or defensiveness, but of “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22,23). “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).

The Saddest Psalm

Psalm 88

A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah. For the director of music. According to mahalath leannoth. A maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.

LORD, you are the God who saves me;
    day and night I cry out to you.
May my prayer come before you;
    turn your ear to my cry.

I am overwhelmed with troubles
    and my life draws near to death.
I am counted among those who go down to the pit;
    I am like one without strength.
I am set apart with the dead,
    like the slain who lie in the grave,
whom you remember no more,
    who are cut off from your care.

You have put me in the lowest pit,
    in the darkest depths.
Your wrath lies heavily on me;
    you have overwhelmed me with all your waves.
You have taken from me my closest friends
    and have made me repulsive to them.
I am confined and cannot escape;
    my eyes are dim with grief.

I call to you, LORD, every day;
    I spread out my hands to you.
Do you show your wonders to the dead?
    Do their spirits rise up and praise you?
Is your love declared in the grave,
    your faithfulness in Destruction?
Are your wonders known in the place of darkness,
    or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?

But I cry to you for help, LORD;
    in the morning my prayer comes before you.
Why, LORD, do you reject me
    and hide your face from me?

From my youth I have suffered and been close to death;
    I have borne your terrors and am in despair.
Your wrath has swept over me;
    your terrors have destroyed me.
All day long they surround me like a flood;
    they have completely engulfed me.
You have taken from me friend and neighbor—
    darkness is my closest friend.

Where is the joy? Where is the hope? Psalm 88 is so utterly depressing. The writer of this psalm expresses complete dejection. Years of suffering have brought him to his knees. He draws near to death. His friends and loved ones have abandoned him.

He cries out to the LORD, but he seems to receive no answer. He pleads with God, “How can I praise you if I’m dead?” He feels overwhelmed, forgotten, drowned.

“Darkness is my closest friend.”

The psalms speak the words of the soul. Though the psalms, like the rest of Scripture, are God’s inspired Word, they speak from a different perspective. The psalms respond to what God has said. They dwell on the human experience. They give a human voice to the life of faith.

Psalm 88 might just be the saddest psalm. There are other psalms where the writer cries out for help, but most often, there appears an answer to prayer in that same psalm. Not this one. What this reveals to us is that for the believer, there may be times when everything seems hopeless. Faith in the gospel does not mean no bad experiences, situations, or feelings. Almost any believer could tell of a time when they felt “confined and could not escape.”

Where is the hope? We typically sing Psalm 88 once a year at our church. Do you know when? We sing it on Maundy Thursday, the night Jesus was betrayed. Yes, Judas marked him with a kiss. But all his disciples fled. Peter denied Jesus three times. “You have taken from me my closest friends and made me repulsive to them.”

The Psalm looks ahead to Good Friday. “I am overwhelmed with troubles and my life draws near to death. I am counted among those who go down to the pit; I am like one without strength. I am set apart with the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom you remember no more, who are cut off from your care.” “Your wrath has swept over me;  your terrors have destroyed me.” On that day Jesus had no one left. Even God abandoned him. “Why, LORD, do you reject me and hide your face from me?” “Darkness is my closest friend.”

Not only does Psalm 88 express the deepest despair a believer feels. It points despairing believers to the One who suffered the depths of despair for them. Here is the hope: Christ was raised from his despair; in his time God will raise you from yours for his sake.

The Reformation Continues

1 Corinthians 3:10-15

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

What does reformation mean? Usually when we think of reforms, we think of changing something to make it better. The Oxford English dictionaries even define the word reform as “making changes in (something, typically a social, political, or economic institution or practice) in order to improve it.”

For example, when you think of tax reform, it doesn’t mean to return to the tax laws of the late 1800’s. Instead, it means changing the tax laws to fit with the advances in economic policy. New tax laws to match innovation and change.

But when we talk about the Lutheran Reformation of the sixteenth century, we actually mean the opposite. This reformation wasn’t an innovation of new teachings to fit the times. It was a return to the teachings of the Bible.

Over the centuries after the Bible was written, many new teachings were brought forward. Many of these were based on the Scriptures. These were gold, silver, and costly stones. Many were not. These were wood, hay, and straw.

One of those straw teachings was the belief that a person had to contribute in some way to their salvation. Though Jesus had won salvation from eternal punishment, he had not saved people from all punishment for their sins. Rather people had to earn their own salvation from the lengthy—but not eternal—punishment for sin in purgatory.

Naturally, this teaching of straw led people not only to worry about the limited punishment of purgatory but also to doubt they would avoid the limitless punishment of hell.

God used Martin Luther and the other Reformers to reform the church. In their reformation efforts, they did not sit around and try to reason out a humanly-created alternative to what the church was teaching at that time. No, they returned to the Word of God. In this Word alone, the Holy Spirit reveals his truth: that we are saved from all punishment for sin by God’s grace alone only through faith in Christ alone.

The Reformers also made the point to say this was not a new invention. They backed up their teachings with Scripture. They pointed to ancient church leaders who taught the same things based on Scripture. The Holy Spirit burned off the wood, hay, and straw teachings to let the foundation—which is Jesus Christ—and the gold—that which is built on Scripture alone—to stand.

We’re now 500 years removed from the Lutheran Reformation. And the need for reformation continues. Keeping in mind that reformation means returning to what God says in his Word, we will want to examine what we build on the foundation of Christ. Is what we’re building gold or wood? Silver or hay? Costly stones or straw?

In other words, have we let teachings not based on God’s Word into our minds and hearts? Do we use words or phrases that make unclear what Scripture says clearly? Perhaps even language that contradicts what Scripture says? Do we try to speak where God has been silent?

All of these are straw. On the one hand, when we add to or take away from God’s Word we reveal our sinful hearts’ doubt that his Word is truth. That God isn’t telling the whole story, or that the Bible is not actually God’s Word. If that were true, how could we be certain of our salvation in Christ alone, this great truth found only in Scripture?

On the other hand, even clinging closely to Christ, straw teachings begin to hide him. If we believe, for example, that though Christ alone saves, “God helps those who help themselves,” the second teaching easily obscures the first. If we believe that we receive perfect joy in Christ, and that means God will grant us all happiness on earth, how will the troubles of our lives not hide Christ from our eyes? If we believe that Christ has suffered, died, and risen for us and that Christ lives in us by faith (both true and biblical!), but put all our comfort in Christ in us, evidenced by our good works, how will we be comforted when the good fruits dry up? How easily we would question whether we still have faith! How easily we would forget that Christ died for us since we had not put our focus there!

The Reformation continues. We resolve “to know nothing … except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). We build on the foundation of Christ with other truths of Scripture. Through that same Scripture, the Holy Spirit burns away the wood, hay, and straw. The gold, silver, and costly stones remain. May the Holy Spirit bless us so that we fix “our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). We are saved by God’s grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

Time Well Spent

Psalm 84:1-4,10

How lovely is your dwelling place,
Lord Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.
Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
Lord Almighty, my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.

Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

Monday and Tuesday this week I was at a pastors’ conference in Oklahoma City. We have these conferences twice a year. It’s always great to see the brothers and talk about ministry. We get to worship together and study together. Together we are refreshed, renewed, and restored by the Holy Spirit and by each other.

But to be completely honest, there’s a part of me that wishes I didn’t go. After all, there’s so much to be done at home. I still have to prepare a sermon and Bible study for Sunday. I still need to get in touch with people from church. I still need time with my wife and son.

Though these conferences are meant for refreshment, renewal, and restoration, they can feel like work, stress, and, even, a poor use of time.

How silly of me. I lead worship upwards of 60 times a year. During these conferences, I finally get to sit in the pew and hear God’s Word spoken to me. Though I too receive communion on a biweekly basis, these are the few opportunities when the words “given and poured out for you” are not spoken by me but to me. Though at Atonement we share in the work of the kingdom and encourage one another, at conference we fellow pastors encourage one another in the work of the pastoral ministry.

I wonder if there isn’t something you can relate to with this. Weekly worship is meant for refreshment, renewal, and restoration. But it can sometimes feel like a whole day’s work just to get there. It can be stressful as you think of what you could be doing with your Sunday morning. It may even feel like a poor use of time, since you could easily read the Bible or listen to a sermon at home.

Though you can and would find it worthwhile to study God’s Word at home, at church you can see with your own eyes that this Word is spoken to you and for you. At church, the body and blood of Christ “given and poured out for you” are given to you and pour over your lips for the forgiveness of your sins. Though you likely have Christian friends, even outside of Atonement, at church we specifically come together to receive encouragement from God and to give and receive encouragement to and from each other.

Blessed are those who dwell in his house. As the psalmists wrote, “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere.” Though we do spend much more time outside the walls of the church, even one day there is what we can say is time well spent.

For Better or For Worse

Ephesians 5:25-32

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church—for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.

You heard these words a thousand times. At weddings. On TV. Maybe you even said them in your own marriage vow. It’s a promise bride and groom make to each other. They won’t stay together just when things are going good. They’re together for the bad times, too.

You also know people don’t always keep this vow. When the going gets tough, the marriage falls apart. When things get better than better, one or the other or both start looking at other options.

Whether or not you’re married to someone here on earth, you’re part of another marriage. When Paul talks about Christ and the church in Ephesians 5, he’s not drawing the picture from the earthly relationship. Instead, Christ and the church are the model for marriage.

As Paul says, “We are members of Christ’s body.” By faith, he has brought you into his church, his bride. He gave himself up for you, to wash you with water through the word. Every stain, wrinkle, and blemish are gone. You are his radiant church.

Just as husband and wife promise to remain faithful for better or for worse, Christ has promised to be faithful. Paul writes in 2 Timothy 2:11-13,

“Here is a trustworthy saying:

If we died with him,
    we will also live with him;
if we endure,
    we will also reign with him.
If we disown him,
    he will also disown us;
if we are faithless,
    he remains faithful,
    for he cannot disown himself.”

Jesus is faithful in the good times and the bad. When times are good, it is because of the faithful blessings of God which come to us through his Son. When times are bad, God faithfully remains with us to shelter us. When we have brought the bad on ourselves, he still faithfully calls us to repentance and promises forgiveness for Jesus’ sake.

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23). Christ has promised to be his church’s head for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. He has made this promise to you, as long as you shall live on earth and as long as you shall live in heaven—eternally.

The Happiest City No More

Psalm 46:4,5

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.

In 2018, WalletHub ranked Plano, TX as the happiest city in America. Their rankings were based on three factors: 1) emotional and physical well-being, which includes things like life-satisfaction index, adequate-sleep rate, and physical-health index; 2) income and employment; and 3) community and environment, which includes separation and divorce rate, ideal weather, and average leisure time spent per day.

For those categories in 2018, Plano ranked 6th, 7th, and 8th respectively.

In 2019, Plano dropped by one spot, to 2nd. 6th, 9th, and 16th in the categories listed above.

How the mighty have fallen! In 2020, Plano dropped 15 spots to 17th. Their emotional and physical well-being ranking dropped to 21st. Their income and employment ranking to 44th. And their community and environment ranking to 26th.

What happened? Many of the other cities that still rank in the top 10 have been in the top 10 for the past three years. Part of it is that COVID-19 cases and deaths per capita were added to the emotional and physical well-being ranking. But no specific COVID rankings were added to the other two categories, although it certainly has had an effect on those as well. Perhaps, there isn’t a simple answer to why Plano has dropped so far. It is the happiest city no more.

What we really learn is that measuring happiness based solely on earthly factors is a futile endeavor. How quickly things change. The cities aren’t just ranked in comparison with each other. They’re given an “objective” happiness score. Plano’s score was 72.30 in 2018. In 2019, 73.23, higher than the year before, even though it placed second. But in 2020, Plano’s score was 65.87.

The city in Psalm 46 is Jerusalem, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God’s presence in the city is a like a river whose streams make the city glad. With God within her, how could she fall?

But we know that Jerusalem fell. In 586 BC, the Babylonian army destroyed Jerusalem, including the temple of God. The people were taken away. God allowed this because they had turned their back on him.

The point is not to say Plano has become a godless city. It is to say, however, that happiness based on earthly factors is a very shaky happiness. When the people of Jerusalem sought their happiness in anything other than God, their happiness finally faded. You can be the happiest city one year and see that happiness crumble over the next few years.

If money makes you happy, what happens when you don’t have any or start to worry about it? If relationships make you happy, what happens when you’re stuck inside for a year and a half? If being out in nature makes you happy, what happens when you’re too scared to go outside?

The one constant happiness is our God. He is the source of all that is good in this world. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17). Despite the evil around us, our God is with us. This is no clearer than when we look at his Son Jesus Christ who came down out of heaven to be among us.

This Jesus came to our world to bring joy. We sing “Joy to the World” as we remember his coming. He came to save us from the evil around us and the evil within us. He comes to us now through his Word, through Baptism, in the Lord’s Supper. He promises to dwell within us, with his Father. “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them” (John 14:23). Jesus within us gives us confidence in what Jesus has done for us. God is within us. He will not let us fall.

Find your happiness in God. He does not change like shifting shadows, like everything around us does. Enjoy the blessings he gives you. Know that even greater blessings await you in heaven.

Come In From the Storm

Psalm 91:1,2

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

I’ve never understood storm chasers. You know, like the people in the movie Twister. Maybe I was too scarred by another movie, The Wizard of Oz, to have any desire to be anywhere near a tornado. But storm chasers look for tornados. They try to get as close as possible even knowing the destructive power of that whirling wind. They like to be out in the storm.

That takes a special kind of person. Most people take cover when a storm’s coming. If you’re outside and rain starts falling, do you just stand out there and let it drench you? I’m guessing you probably don’t, unless you’re having your Notebook scene. You run to your house. You come in from the storm. You make a nice hot drink and curl up in front of the TV or with a nice book.

The storm rages now. Sin rains calamity on you. Pain hails down on your peace. The world quakes and threatens to swallow you. Will you stay out in the storm?

God invites you, “Come in! Come in! ‘Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.’” He offers you forgiveness from your sin, peace in your pain, certainty in a quaking world. He shows you his Son Jesus whose perfect life covers you, whose death saves you, whose resurrection resurrects you. He is the Rock, unmoved by wind or water. Come in from the storm! Why will you stay out in the rain?

The Problem of Evil

1 John 3:8

The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.

God is all-powerful (Psalm 46:11), all-loving (1 John 4:16), and all-holy (Isaiah 6:3). The Bible makes those assertions about God. But if God is all-powerful, all-loving, and all-holy, then why is there evil? We talked about that at our Bible study on Sunday. We came to this conclusion: we can’t quite comprehend the problem of evil.

If God is all-powerful, all-loving, and all-holy, why doesn’t he stop evil? Is God responsible for the evil in this world, even indirectly? The Bible tells us that God is in control of everything, and nothing happens that God does not allow to happen (Acts 17:25-28). So where does evil come from?

We know that God does not approve of evil. He makes that clear in his Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-18). He intends to punish every evil intention and action (Revelation 20:11-15). If God would punish every evil intention and action, and yet be the source of those evil intentions and actions, he would neither be holy nor just, as the Bible claims him to be.

God indeed created the world in perfection. “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). To God, only that which is perfect can be called “very good.”

The Bible tells us, “Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin” (Romans 5:12). Adam and Eve, tempted by the devil “who has been sinning since the beginning” (1 John 3:8), brought sin into the world. Evil is not God’s will. In fact, evil is defined as the opposite of God’s will. Evil is not an entity unto itself but instead is the lack of good, just as darkness is not an entity unto itself but the lack of light. Evil flows from the will of the devil and from the will of sinful people.

God allowed the man and the woman, and continues to allow men and women, free will. If not for free will, our love for God would simply be out of obligation and not out of choice. God doesn’t want robots or puppets. From us human beings, the crown jewel of his creation, he wants freely given love. Evil comes when God’s creatures do not love him above all things.

The problem of evil is not easy to comprehend. It is not easy to solve. That’s why for thousands of years, Bible scholars have made attempts at theodicy, that is, attempts to vindicate a holy God in the face of evil. A completely satisfying solution may never be found for our understanding.

But God has provided the solution for the problem of evil. “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work” (1 John 3:8). Jesus came as a mighty conqueror to defeat evil. He did this by placing the violations of God’s will on his back, the sins of the entire world, all the evil ever committed, and nailing it to the cross. By his death he has broken “the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14). Evil is solved. God counts evil people as holy through faith in his Son.

This is our assurance in an evil world. Though evil surrounds us, it will not swallow us. Though evil lives in us, it will not defeat us (Romans 7:21-25). “And take they our life, goods, fame, child, and wife, though all may be gone, our victory is won; the kingdom’s ours forever” (“A Mighty Fortress is Our God” stanza 4).

Yom Kippur

Hebrews 9:6-15

When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning. This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the time of the new order.

But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

God commanded his people Israel to build the tabernacle. It was a whole complex with places outside to offer sacrifices and perform ceremonial washings. In the middle was the sacred tent, divided into two rooms. The first was the Holy Place. Here the priests entered regularly. The second was the Most Holy Place. Here, the Ark of the Covenant, the symbol of God’s presence among his people, resided. Here, no one could enter except the High Priest, and that only once a year. If anyone entered, they would die.

Why would they die? They would die because sinners cannot enter the presence of God. He is holy, holy, holy (Isaiah 6:3). When sin and holiness comes in contact, sin cannot defile holiness. Holiness eradicates sin and the sinner with it.

One day a year, the priest could enter the Most Holy Place. He had to bathe himself and put on sacred clothing. He had to offer a bull as a sacrifice for his sin so that he could enter into the holiness of God.

He would also take two goats. One goat he would sacrifice. Then he would enter the Most Holy Place. As he entered he place incense on the fire burning before the LORD. The room would fill with smoke. He would hardly be able to even see the Ark of the Covenant, the symbol of God’s presence. He would then sprinkle the blood of the bull on top of the ark, the piece called the Atonement cover, for his sins. He would do the same with the blood of the goat for the people’s sins. Then, he would go outside and sprinkle the horns of the altar with blood to make atonement for it.

The last part of the Day of Atonement’s ceremonies was perhaps the most impactful. This part the people actually got to see. The High Priest would take the second goat and place his hands on it. He would confess all the sins of the people and put them on the goat’s head. Then, the goat would be led out of the camp into the wilderness carrying the people’s sins. They were gone.

But, “the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. (Hebrews 9:9). They were “only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the time of the new order” (Hebrews 9:10). These ceremonies of the Day of Atonement were meant to teach the people about the Day of Atonement still to come.

“But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:11,12).

The Day of Atonement has come! Christ has entered the Most Holy Place. He didn’t have to wear sacred clothing. He didn’t have to make animal sacrifices for his sin. He offered himself as a sacrifice, he offered his holy, sinless life on the cross to pay for the sins of the whole word. His blood sprinkles the Atonement cover. His blood makes satisfaction for all sin.

He has entered the Most Holy Place once for all. He has gone into heaven, into that Most Holy Place of God’s eternal presence. There’s no need for more sacrifices. His blood covers all sins of all people of all time. It covers all your sin of your entire life.

There was a curtain that separated the Holy Place in the tabernacle and, later, the temple from the Most Holy Place. The curtain separated sinful people from the holy God. When Jesus died, “the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom” (Matthew 27:51). The separation between God and people was removed in Jesus.

Now, we sinful people by faith in Jesus may also enter the presence of God without fear. Through Jesus’ sacrifice, we are made holy before him. We can come before him with our prayers, with our praise, with our offerings. We have the hope of entering God’s heavenly tabernacle to live with him face to face once and for all. Christ has made atonement for us.

Twenty Years After Terror

Psalm 46:1-3

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.

It was my friend’s birthday. September 11, 2001. We were in sixth grade. They say you remember exactly where you were and what you were doing on days like that. I’m sure my friend was just hoping for a good birthday. We were just hoping to enjoy the treats he’d bring to school. I never asked him what it’s like to have your birthday overshadowed by a national tragedy. To have your day of celebration change for others into a national day of mourning.

We were sent home early. Our eyes were glued to the news. Four planes. Two in New York. One in Washington. One in a field in Pennsylvania. Would there be another? Would other cities be attacked? So much was unknown. Everything was changing.

We invaded Afghanistan. We invaded Iraq. It seemed as though every American’s righteous anger was poured out. From halfway across the world it was hard to distinguish between the guilty and the innocent. But the wars extended. The Iraq War ended in 2011. For better or for worse, the war in Afghanistan ended last month. Some of my own family served. It changed them. It harmed them.

It became more difficult to travel. Security was beefed up at the airports. But has our national security ever been the same? Have people felt as secure as they before September 11, 2001? Does this ever-changing world in which we’re living make you want to give in and cry?

God is our refuge and strength.

Psalm 46 was written 3,000 years ago, but the “is” still applies. He has declared, “I AM who I AM.” As much as our world is ever-changing, our God is never-changing. He is always our refuge and strength. He is always our Mighty Fortress against the attacks of the devil and the world.

An ever-present help in trouble.

When trouble comes, it may seem like God isn’t present at all. And if he is present, at times, he’s not present to help. If only we could understand God! Why did he allow this to happen? Why does he continue to allow evil to persist?

God does not want robots. He could force everyone to do his will. Many times, he does indeed prevent evil. But he does not force anyone to do his will. The attacks of twenty years ago were carried out by evil men. Evil always begins in the will of human beings and of Satan.

But this is God’s promise. He is always present to help even when evil abounds. When evil comes to you, run to the ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

Because God is our ever-present help, our refuge and strength, our Mighty Fortress, we need not fear. The earth is falling apart. It is always changing. It groans “as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” But we stand on God, our rock. He will not be moved. “The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”

Twenty years after terror, we are still here. It is by God’s hand that we are still here. It is by God’s power that we will live forever, beginning now on this earth and for eternity in heaven. As St. Paul wrote long ago,

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:31,32,37-39

Purified People Pray Powerfully

James 5:16b

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

A man was walking along the road with God. As they walked, they talked about the wonderful promises God made. Their path led them to a great city. And God told the man, “The wickedness in that city is very great. I am going to destroy it.”

Now, the man had relatives in that city. He didn’t want them to be destroyed. So, he said to God, “Are you serious? Are you planning on getting rid of the good people right along with the bad? What if there are fifty decent people left in the city; will you lump the good with the bad and get rid of the lot? Wouldn’t you spare the city for the sake of those fifty innocents? I can’t believe you’d do that, kill off the good and the bad alike as if there were no difference between them. Doesn’t the Judge of all the Earth judge with justice?”

And God told him, “If I find fifty good people in the city, I’ll spare it for their sake.”

But the man thought about that city. Were there really fifty good people in it? He spoke again, “What if the fifty fall short by five—would you destroy the city because of those missing five?”

And God said, “I won’t destroy it if there are forty-five.”

“What if you only find forty?”

“Neither will I destroy it if for forty.”

“Lord, don’t be irritated with me, but what if only thirty are found?”

“No, I won’t do it if I find thirty.”

“I know I’m trying your patience, Lord, but how about for twenty?”

“I won’t destroy it for twenty.”

“Don’t get angry, Lord—this is the last time. What if you only come up with ten?”

“For the sake of only ten, I won’t destroy the city.”

Wow! What power in that prayer! The man talks God down from 50 to 10. And this isn’t just a story I made up to show how powerful prayer can be. Abraham really prayed to God in this way, and God listened!

How could Abraham dare to pray this way? He was a man. God is God. How could an imperfect man tell the perfect God what to do, or even make a request of God?

It was not because Abraham had somehow made himself just perfect enough. There’s no such thing as “perfect enough.” You’re either perfect or not.

Abraham was a sinner on record. He lied twice that Sarah was not his wife rather than trusting God to protect them (Genesis 12:10-20; 20:1-17). He took the fulfillment of God’s promises into his own hands by having a child with a woman who was not his wife (Genesis 16:1-16). Why should God listen to him?

James says, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” Abraham was hardly righteous on his own. But in Genesis 15:6, the Bible tells us, “Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” St. Paul adds,

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

Romans 4:18-25

You, too, are a sinner on record. Your sins may not be recorded in Scripture like Abraham’s. But the record of your sins is lengthy. The Scriptures do record the commands of God you’ve broken. They reflect your stained and spotted appearance. “Through the law we become conscious of our sin” (Romans 3:20).

If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,
Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness,
so that we can, with reverence, serve you.

Psalm 130:3,4

But what does it say in Romans 4:23,24 above? “The words ‘it was credited to him’ were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.” God has also credited righteousness to us through faith in Jesus. You are not worthy to approach God’s throne on your own. But Jesus is. And for Jesus’ sake, God listens to your prayers.

“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). With confidence! Because we know God will listen for Jesus’ sake! We don’t have to approach timidly, making excuses and just hoping God will overlook our unworthiness. We approach with all respect due to the almighty God, yet also the God who because of his grace has removed our guilt from us as far as the east is from the west. The God who calls himself our Father. Who calls you his child.

We’ve discussed the first half of James 5:16b: “The prayer of a righteous person.” We are made righteous through faith in Christ Jesus who was righteous on our behalf.

But what about the second half? “Is powerful and effective.” Though God listens to our prayers, can we really change his mind about anything? Join us for our new Bible study series “Thy Will Be Done: What is God’s Will for My Life?” where we’ll discuss questions like this.

God's People Gather

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

My parents got a wedding gift with the last words of this verse. “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” It’s one of those top 10 wedding verses. Two are better than one—husband and wife. A cord of three strands—God, husband, and wife.

But it’s one of those popular verses where the author wasn’t originally talking about marriage specifically. The author in this case was King Solomon. Wise King Solomon. Remember? God came to him when he was young and promised to give him anything he asked for. In humility, Solomon asked for wisdom. And God granted his request. Solomon became the wisest man to ever live.

And wise King Solomon recognized the problem of the lone wolf. In nature, wolves form packs. Sometimes, however, wolves break off from their pack and become a lone wolf. They don’t leave because they want to be alone. They’re looking to start their own pack. If the wolf stays a lone wolf, its chances of catching enough prey decrease, and it’s more likely to die young.

Like wolves, God created humans to be social. He created families as frameworks for society. The Bible encourages friendships. And yet we see more and more lone wolves out there.

The lone wolf isn’t just a single person. They’re a person with very few, if any, relationships at all. They may even like to go it alone.

But who does that person share their burdens with? Who do they share their joys with? Being a lone wolf is tough, much tougher than it is for someone who’s part of a family or a community.

What about being a lone wolf Christian? This is also different. A lone wolf Christian may have all kinds of relationships, just not Christian ones. They may even be married, perhaps even to another Christian. More on that in a moment. But what they don’t have is many Christian relationships or a Christian community.

Galatians 6:1

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently.

What does a lone wolf Christian lack? They don’t have someone who calls them to repentance. How easy it is for anyone to read the Bible and think like the rich young ruler did, “All these I have kept since I was a boy.” There may be people in the lone wolf Christian’s life who’ll tell them they messed up. But they’ll only do so on the basis of their own standards, not God’s standards.

2 Corinthians 5:20

We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

A lone wolf Christian also lacks someone to point them to Christ. How easy it is for anyone to read the Bible and think, “None of these I have kept.” Despair creeps in. Yes, the Bible says you’re forgiven in Christ, but it’s so easy to skip those verses or think, “Those aren’t for me,” when you’re on your own. When you’re a lone wolf, it’s easy to interpret Scripture your way. You need fellow Christians to tell you, “Jesus’ forgiveness is for you.”

That person or those people who point you to Christ also point you to him in struggles. “Two are better than one. … A cord of three strands is not easily broken.” We can easily become blinded by our burdens. We can’t even see the cross. We need a Christian friend to come and through God’s Word open our eyes to see the glory of Jesus’ cross where he carried our burdens and crucified them.

1 Peter 5:8

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

What about the lone wolf Christian family? A lone wolf pack. Is that an oxymoron? Even if both husband and wife, and their children, are Christians, there’s still something lacking. Two difficulties can emerge. Without a Christian community, the family may become an echo chamber. The devil, prowling like a lion, inserts a lie that gets echoed by husband, wife, son, and daughter. Without realizing it, the entire family falls further and further from the truth.

The other difficulty is when the family becomes divided. When husband and wife are at each other’s throats. When the kids are out of control. Who do you turn to? Turning to the world’s wisdom can’t solve every problem. Having a Christian community that always points to Christ, his cross, and his forgiveness, helps the family heal divides.

Galatians 6:2

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Hebrews 10:25

Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have the habit of doing. Rather, let us encourage each other, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

This is why we gather. God brings us together around his Word and sacrament, not so we can see for ourselves how big his kingdom is. He brings us together so that he may feed our faith and so that we may encourage one another, building each other up in the gospel of Jesus for the glory of God.

We are celebrating a special God’s People Gather Sunday on Sunday, September 12. Services will be at 8 and 10:30 with a fellowship meal in between. Come, gather with us!

ConFIRMation or ConFORMation?

2 Timothy 3:14,15

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

A mock report card was left on the whiteboard at church. Students anticipating their new year in 7th grade at Calvary Lutheran School put it there. How do I know they were 7th graders from Calvary? Well, one of their moms told me. And they left their name. But also because among the typical subjects like English, math, and writing, they also included “Conformation.” A funny little misspelling.

Is it conFIRMation or conFORMation? In a sense, it’s conformation. Conforming beliefs to what Scripture teaches. Seeing the world and life in the world through the lens of Christ.

However, “Conformation Class” might be a little derogatory. If you search “Conformation Class” on Google, you’ll get all kinds of results for training dogs. Conformation classes teach trainers and dogs how to show the dog measures up to the standards of its breed.

Conform is kind of a dirty word. Most often, people take it to mean falling in line with beliefs pushed on them by the outside. It means not standing out. You might expect a skeptic to intentionally call it Conformation Class, believing that it’s brainwashing or indoctrination.

Even before conformity became filthy, the classes were already called confirmation classes. That’s not a name the Bible gives them. That’s the name English-speaking Christians have given them. So, why are they called “Confirmation Classes”?

Another name for Confirmation is Affirmation, that is, the Affirmation of Baptism. In newer Baptismal liturgies, we don’t see this as often. But in older ones, the parents were first asked, “Do you wish for this child to be baptized?” Then, they were asked on behalf of the child, “Do you reject the devil with all his lies and empty promises?” Though Baptism does indeed grant faith in Christ according to God’s promises, the child does not get to answer those questions himself or herself.

At Confirmation, the confirmand is asked, “Do you this day, in the presence of God and of this congregation, acknowledge that in Baptism, God gave you forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation?” They are asked again, “Do you reject the devil with all his lies and empty promises?” “Do you believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit?”

Confirmation Day marks the end of childhood study. God reaffirms his promises, just as he does every day. The confirmands reaffirm the promises made on their behalf. They vow to be faithful to God and to Christ even to the point of death, knowing that Jesus has saved them from death.

I suppose you could say, though, that ConFIRMation Day does not mark the end of conFORMation. Studying God’s Word is a lifelong task. It begins in infancy, learning the Scriptures from parents, pastors, and teachers, and continues the whole life through because they are able to make us wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Soon, we’ll begin another year of Confirmation classes. Keep our students in your prayers that they may grow in the faith which brings forgiveness, life, and salvation from Jesus.

What Makes Us Lutheran? (Part 2)

In the last article, we looked at the biblical definition of faith and how this definition compares to other definitions. You can find that article here. This week we look at where faith comes from.

Where does faith come from? In the last article, we began to look at this question. Ephesians 2:8,9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” Faith comes from God.

We might naturally think faith comes from ourselves. After all, we are the ones who believe. God doesn’t believe for us. It’s natural to think of faith as a debate about unseen things. God presents his teachings in his Word. Other religions and philosophies of life present their teachings. It’s up to us to choose which one to believe. Just as we’re presented facts about other issues and left to decide for ourselves, so is our choice to believe. So goes the thinking.

This thinking doesn’t line up with Scripture. First, it doesn’t recognize that we are by nature “dead in sin” (Ephesians 2:1) and “hostile to God” and unable to submit to God (Romans 8:7). It doesn’t recognize that without the Holy Spirit, “no one can say Jesus is Lord” (1 Corinthians 12:3). By ourselves we are unable to believe. It must be “the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).

Second, it doesn’t recognize that coming to faith is more than just a presentation of persuasive arguments and their acceptance. Paul says in Romans 1:16, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.” The gospel of Jesus is more than the presentation of facts. It is the power of God to save. The gospel of Jesus does not just change minds. It changes hearts.

How does the Bible define the gospel? It is the good news that Jesus has saved the world from death and hell through his perfect life, innocent death, and resurrection from the grave. He has won the forgiveness of sins and brought life and salvation. Paul says in 2 Timothy 2:8, “Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel.” If Christ was raised from the dead, he must first have died. If he descended from David, he must have been born a human being like David. Lived. Died. Lives again. Romans 1:17 says, “For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’”

Where does faith come into play? Faith receives the work of Jesus’ Christ as one’s own. “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith” (Romans 3:25). If we consider that death is the sentence for a guilty verdict, what does it mean that Christ was raised from the dead? It means that God declared Jesus, “Not guilty.” And not only him, but also who receive his not guilty verdict by faith. “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification” (Romans 4:25). Justify means to declare “not guilty.”

So where does faith come from? It is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). How does God give us this gift? He gives it to us through the Means of Grace.

There are plenty of water towers around here. They store water for people to use in their homes. But that water does you no good if you can’t use it. So, there are pipes that connect your house to the water tower.

When you get off the plane, you have to collect your luggage. Most times, they don’t make you wait outside the plane to pick up your bags. You go to the luggage carousel and a conveyer belt brings your bags to you.

This is how the Means of Grace works. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection do you no good if they are not yours. So, God brings them to you.

What is the Means of Grace? Paul says in Romans 10:17, “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” Just as Paul says that the gospel is the power of God, so the Word of God that you hear or read creates and strengthens faith. The Means of Grace is the gospel in the written Word of God. The Word gives faith.

Peter says in Acts 2:38, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Peter says, “Gift,” and not, “Gifts.” The gift of the Holy Spirit everyone who is baptized receives is the gift of faith in Christ. Notice the connection he makes between baptism, Jesus, and the forgiveness of sins. So, the Means of Grace is also the gospel in the sacrament of Baptism. Baptism gives faith.

Jesus says in Matthew 26:26-28, “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’

Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’” Again, see the connection Jesus makes here between his body and blood with the bread and wine and the forgiveness of sins. So, the Means of Grace is also the gospel in the sacrament of Holy Communion. The Lord’s Supper gives faith.

In these three ways, God has promised to create and strengthen faith. Of course, God has not limited himself from creating faith in other ways. But he has limited us. These are the three avenues of God’s gift of faith he mentions in his Word—though truly only one, because there is only one gospel. Though the almighty God can certainly create faith in other ways, we have no promise that he will. Our only confidence is in the Means of Grace—the gospel in Word and sacrament—that it is the power of God that brings salvation to all who believe.

Why then are we tempted to look for other sources of faith? Some look to their earthly blessings. Others look to a mystical or life-changing experience. Some feel God moving in their heart when they look at nature. Others look to the love of Christians as a reason to believe.

As the hymn says, “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.” What happens if the earthly blessings run dry or never come? What happens if you never have a mystical or life-changing experience? God is the Creator of nature, of course, but does nature tell you what you need to know about the Creator’s love for undeserving sinners? Unfortunately, Christ-motivated love from Christians has many counterexamples of hatred and self-righteousness from Christians. In the same vein, a non-Christian can love as outwardly and as measurably as a Christian. None of these give full confidence by any means.

The confidence comes from God himself who promises that his power is present in the Means of Grace. It is through the gospel that we come to believe in Christ. It is through the gospel that our relationship with God is restored. It is through the gospel that we come to know God as a our Father who loves us in spite of our offenses against him.

When we receive this faith, then we can see God’s mighty hand in creation. Then we can better understand his hand working in our experience of life. Then we can see how every earthly blessing we receive “is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17). Then we can see Christ’s love in others and in ourselves. These flow out of faith in the gospel of Jesus rather than into it.

We hold firmly to these wonderful promises of God. His Word and his sacraments will not fail us. We can rely completely on this Means of Grace because the one who’s given them never fails.

What Makes Us Lutheran?

Our church name has Lutheran in it. It says Lutheran at the top of your screen. We are a Lutheran church. But what makes us Lutheran?

The name Lutheran comes from Martin Luther, who began the Lutheran Reformation with the nailing of his “95 Theses” to the door of a church in Wittenberg, whose work culminated and continued with the writings in what’s called the Book of Concord. The name itself comes from this heritage. But is that what really makes us Lutheran?

Maybe it’s the fact that we believe that “Salvation is by grace alone through faith in Christ alone.” If this phrase is the only thing that sets us apart, then the church across the street from us is also Lutheran, even though they wouldn’t claim to be. Most Protestant (non-Roman Catholic) churches claim this truth. In fact, the Roman Catholic Church would also say the term “faith alone” is true, as long as “faith” is understood according to their definition, that definition being “faith formed by charity or love.”

Many of the differences between Lutherans and other churches come from two questions: 1) “What is saving faith?” and 2) “Where does saving faith come from?” Today, we’ll look at the first question.

what is saving faith?

The Bible states what saving faith is. “Whoever believes in [God’s one and only Son] shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). “Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). St. Paul’s response to the question, “What must I do to be saved?” is, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). Faith is simply knowledge of the teaching about Jesus Christ, assent that he is the Savior of the world, and trust that he is your Savior.

Compare the Bible’s definition with the Roman Catholic teaching stated above and found in the link: “Faith formed by charity or love.” This statement is based on Galatians 5:6, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” This position is taken to counteract the thought that because only faith is necessary for salvation, a Christian does not need to produce any good works at all—an unbiblical position (see James 2:26.) However, the Roman Catholic position goes too far by saying that it is both the knowledge and trust in Christ as well as the expression of faith in love that save. This, in effect, elevates works produced by faith in to the same level as belief in Christ as necessary for salvation. The biblical position is that works are fruits of faith rooted in Christ. They are subordinate. “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). However, it is also the biblical position that saving faith does produce fruits.

Is saving faith a work? The man in Acts 16 asks, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul responds, “Believe.” Is faith, then, a work on my part, the one thing God asks me to do in order to be saved? If faith must be my decision, can I make that decision? And can I make it on my own?

No Christian church today would say it is a decision you make on your own without God’s help. Instead, the prevailing teaching is called “prevenient grace.” What is prevenient grace? Depending on which church you ask, it is either, God’s enabling of a person to seek God on their own from birth, or it is an enabling that comes later that allows a person to make the decision to believe in God.

Here’s an example. Imagine you’re an unbeliever. Your friend tells you about Jesus. They tell you you are a sinner in need of salvation. But Jesus paid for your sins on the cross. (Their telling you this is the prevenient grace; it is what enables to do what comes next). Now, to receive God’s full grace and salvation, you need to make the decision to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.

What does the Bible say? In Ephesians 2:1,4,5, “You were dead in your transgressions and sins …. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” The Bible tells us that by nature we are spiritually dead. Unable to please God or trust in him. But God has made us alive in Christ. By grace we are saved.

The idea of prevenient grace, where faith ultimately lies in my decision, paints Ephesians 2:1,4,5 as a sort of zombie movie. You are spiritually dead, but God sends some prevenient grace your way, and you become half-alive, able to make the spiritual decision you couldn’t before. But you’re not quite fully alive because you haven’t made the decision yet.

Is that what Ephesians 2:1,4,5 says? It’s not. In those verses, we are completely passive. Dead. And made alive. This coming to life is all the work of God, and it is complete. You’re either alive or dead. There’s no in-between.

Ok, but is faith a work? Yes, it is something you do. You believe. God does not believe for you, as if you’re a puppet on a string. But be careful how that’s understood. Paul says in Ephesians 2:8, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” Though you believe, faith doesn’t begin with you or your decision. Faith comes from God. “No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3).

One could try to make the argument that because the Bible says faith is not a saving work, therefore the decision to believe is not a saving work. Such an argument is backwards. The problem is not only with the verb decide but also with the subject I. If I am in any way involved in my salvation, even just by saying, “Yes,” my confidence goes from 100% to much less than that because I am a weak, sinful human being. And here I am, knowing that saving faith in Christ is a 100% free gift from God, already with plenty of doubts. “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)

Thanks be to God that our salvation is completely outside of us. It is outside of us because it is Jesus who lived a perfect life, not I. It is Jesus who died on the cross, not I. It is Jesus who rose from the dead, again, not I. It is outside of us because it is the Holy Spirit who calls us through the gospel. It is God who makes us alive in Christ (Ephesians 2:4,5). It is God who gives us the gift of faith (Ephesians 2:8). And God is perfect. He’s made the plan. He will not fail.

In this article, we discussed how faith comes from God and not from ourselves. Next week, we will look at how God gives that faith to us.

What If They Turn From It?

Proverbs 22:6

Start children off on the way they should go,
and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

A middle-aged lady walked into her pastor’s office one afternoon. He could tell she was distressed. She sat down in a chair across from him and just blurted out, “Pastor, I think my son is going to hell. I’ve been trying for months to get him to come to church with me, but he told me he doesn’t believe any of that God stuff. I don’t know where I went wrong. I trained him up in the way he should go, but now that he’s older, he’s turned from it.”

Was Proverbs 22:6 wrong? In that verse, does God make a promise he can’t keep? Or maybe the blame doesn’t lie with God. Instead, does it lie with the parents? Did they not truly train up their child in the way he or she should have gone?

If we take this and every other proverb as a universal promise, that is, that it is true in every case, these are the two conclusions we can draw. Either God doesn’t follow through on his end, or we don’t follow through on ours.

First, the nature of proverbs is not to make universal promises. Instead, they are phrases of wisdom that, though they are stated absolutely, are only true generally speaking. Consider the statistics on the influence parents have on their children’s attendance at church from the previous devotion.

Now, let’s look at the proverb itself. Its focus is child-rearing. Not only young children, but even older children. We’re talking anywhere between the ages of 0 and 30. Yes, children, but also young adults. That was the context of that time. In our time, we might think from 0 to 22 or so. But I remember even in my 20s I had a lot to learn.

“Start off” is just as good a translation as “train up.” The idea is the same. The writer of this proverb is talking about the beginning stages of life in this world. The parents’ responsibility is to raise them. To teach them. To train them.

Could “the way they should go” refer to something other than “faith in Jesus”? The words themselves certainly could. They could take on a worldly point of view, that is, on how to live a successful life on earth. They could even mean training a child according to his or her own gifts or future career goals. But consider the context. The book of Proverbs is concerned with the “fear of the LORD” (Proverbs 1:7). Consider what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:15,16, “[Christ] died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view.” In other words, although training a child to understand how to live in this world is important, the number one job of parents is to show their children Jesus.

Then comes the general truth. A child who is raised going to church, participating in church, knowing Jesus, generally speaking, will continue going to church. Not only do the stats back this up, but God himself says here that it is true. If the child does turn away from the godly instruction they receive from their parents, it is because of their own sin, as Solomon, the writer of Proverbs says earlier, “A wise son heeds his father’s instruction, but a mocker does not respond to rebukes” (Proverbs 13:1).

Think of the alternative, a child who is not raised going to church and Sunday School. Who does not hear about Jesus at home. When they are older, they will not even have this foundation to turn back to. But the parent who teaches their child about Jesus, even if they turn away, has the hope that they will return to what they once knew and believed.

We take comfort in the promises of God. One of his promises is that he works through the Word and sacraments, what we call the Means of Grace. The power of the Word doesn’t depend on the one who teaches it. Its power comes from God the Holy Spirit himself. When you bring your children to church, they aren’t just hearing words. The Holy Spirit is working in their hearts to strengthen their faith.

Baptism is not just a symbol of God’s washing. It is an actual washing, as God promises, “not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:21). When your child is baptized, he or she receives the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation directly from Jesus.

A child turning away from the faith is one of the most heart-wrenching experiences for a Christian parent. It can make you lose your own confidence in God’s promises, lose your trust in his Means of Grace. It can make you look for other ways to bring them back into church, back to faith.

Katelyn and I like to watch “Last Man Standing,” the Tim Allen show that just ended earlier this year. In one episode, Mike Baxter (Tim Allen) and his wife Vanessa, are wondering how they can get their kids to go to church. A noble thought. But their only solution is to give them something to do at church. Mandy makes new robes for the choir. Eve and Mandy sing for church. Kristin passes around the offering plate. It’s good to give children and adults a way to participate.

But it was a little backwards. If the only point is to get your kids in the physical building, then participation might be all that’s needed. But faith doesn’t come from what I do. God promises that it comes through the Means of Grace.

Be confident in God’s promises. Know that his Word works. His sacraments work. They create and sustain faith. These are how he brought you to believe. They are how he brings your children to faith. And if your child turns away, they are how God brings people back to faith.