Tag Archive for: believe

Jesus Was Humiliated For You

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Pastor Jeremy Husby delivers a sermon entitled “Jesus Was Humiliated For You” based on Matthew 26:47-56 at Peace Lutheran Church in Hartford, Wisconsin.

Delivered on Sunday, July 23, 2018

Friend, do what you came for.

Judas had arranged a signal with those chief priests and elders of the people.  The one I kiss is the man.  Even if Jesus wasn’t omniscient, the all-knowing God, he would have known that this kiss from Judas was something different.  The very word that Matthew used to describe it is only used a handful of times in the New Testament.

When the prodigal son, practicing his apology speech, wandered back home with hopes to become his father’s slave, his father ran out to meet him on the road, threw his arms around him, and kissed him because of how much he loved him.

When the Apostle Paul, preparing for another missionary journey, told the Ephesian elders that he would likely never see them again, they cried and embraced him and kissed him because of how much they loved him.

And, just days before this night in Gethsemane, when Jesus was staying at the house of Simon the Leper in Bethany, a woman came to him, knelt down in front of him, washed his feet with expensive perfume and her own hair, and would not stop kissing his feet because of how much she loved him.

This was the type of kiss that Judas gave to Jesus. The same kiss and embrace he had given him in the past.  The same kiss he had received from Jesus when troubled times wreaked their havoc in his life.  And yet, with this kiss, Judas betrayed Jesus and handed him over to his enemies for sure and certain death.

And, because he is omniscient, the all-knowing God, Jesus knew why Judas came to the garden that night, with the crowd from the chief priests and elders of the people, with their swords and clubs.  He knew why Judas came in close and gave him this kiss.  But he didn’t stop it.  He didn’t call down twelve legions of angels to be at his defense and disposal.  He knew it had to be this way.  He knew the Scriptures had to be fulfilled, so there was only one thing for him to say.  Friend, do what you came for.

Jesus’ words did not excuse Judas’ thoughts, words, and actions.  Rather, Judas’ thoughts, words, and actions were the reason why it all had to happen this way.  Not just on that night in the Garden of Gethsemane, but throughout his whole life.

Can you imagine the emotions Jesus must have felt 3 years earlier as he called Judas to be one of his closest companions?  Among the rag-tag team of disciples, Judas must have blended in well enough; at times asking Jesus important, faith-filled questions, and putting his trust in Jesus’ response.  Other times, like when that woman washed Jesus’ feet, Judas, as did the other disciples, expressed his misunderstanding of Jesus’ ministry.

The whole time, Jesus knew that Judas would betray him with a kiss and not only did he allow it to happen, but he allowed all the event of that evening to happen so that he could win forgiveness for that betrayal and for all of Judas’ sin.

With how much Jesus loved Judas and with how much Judas loved Jesus, one begins to wonder why Judas would have gone through with it.  Yes, the Scriptures had to be fulfilled, but that wasn’t the priority on Judas’ mind.  He also wasn’t some robot, programmed by God to carry out this task without any consideration for his own will or volition.

Judas, while not the omniscient, all-knowing God, did know who Jesus was and did know what the chief priests and elders of the people wanted to do with him once they could get their hands on him.  And yet he not only allowed this betrayal to happen, but even did all he could, with secret midnight meetings, in full premeditated motive, to make it happen.

Do you ever try to come up with an excuse for Judas’ thoughts, words, and actions?

It was just a rash reaction, as the treasurer of the disciples’ bank account, to the woman breaking the alabaster jar of perfume and wasting it on Jesus’ feet.

He was just fulfilling the purpose for which he was put on this earth.

He was overcome by the temptations of the Devil.

He was confused.

He made a mistake and didn’t fully understand the repercussions.

Say what you want, but none of those excuses remove Judas’ fault and culpability for his sin.  And, unfortunately, the same is true when you try to use those same excuses to remove your own fault and culpability for your sins.

One thing led to another and, before I knew it, it got out of hand.

I didn’t know how strong that last drink was going to be.

It started out so innocently and then I made a lapse in judgment.

I didn’t know what else to do.

It was a simple mistake.  Everybody makes mistakes.  Nobody’s perfect.

You know right from wrong.  You know who Jesus is and that, when you sin, you are disobeying him.  You know that you are not simply allowing sin to happen but, so often, you are, with full premeditated motive, making it happen.

Try as you might, you cannot excuse your sin away, diminish it, or sweep it under the rug.  The only way to get rid of it is for your friend to do what he came for.  You need Jesus to be humiliated for you.

Jesus’ humiliation was not simply some sort of embarrassment therapy he underwent as some spiritual journey throughout his years on this earth.  His humiliation was him accomplishing a task that was outright inconceivable for the almighty God to undertake.

Jesus left the honor and praise of his throne in the glory of heaven to become an embryo in the womb of a woman.  The sinless Son of God submitted himself to the authority and commands of sinful human parents.  The author and very personification of the Word of God spent day and night studying, meditating on, and teaching the Scriptures in the Temple and its courts.  The almighty God, the Sabaoth LORD, in control of the myriad armies of heaven, allowed humans with crude weapons to take him into custody.  The one whose face exudes glory allowed it to, instead, be marred by fists and spit, cuts and bruises.  The very Resurrection and Life in human form died the death of a common thief and was buried in someone else’s tomb.

He did it all, not to excuse your sin, diminish it, or sweep it under the rug; but to fulfill the most ancient prophecy in the Scriptures and conquer sin, death, and the Devil for you.

Knowing all that you would do, all the sinful thoughts, words, and actions that you have committed and all that you will commit in the future, Jesus was humiliated for you; to live his perfect life in your place and sacrifice that perfect life as payment for them all.

Friends, knowing who Jesus is and what he has done for you, do what you came here for today.  Do not do what Judas did, seeing how greatly he sinned against his Jesus and, in despair and desperation, think that your sins are unforgivable as he did.

Instead, confess your sins to the one you have sinned against and repent of them.  Kneel down in front of your Savior and, because you love him so much, lay everything you have at his feet.  And, because he loves you so much, know that he did what he came for.  Jesus was humiliated for you.  He fulfilled the Scriptures.  You are forgiven.  Amen.

https://vimeo.com/280192242

Jesus Has Something to Say

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Pastor Aaron Steinbrenner delivers a sermon entitled “Jesus Has Something to Say” based on Matthew 6:25-34 at Peace Lutheran Church in Hartford, Wisconsin.

Delivered on Sunday, July 15, 2018

Have you heard the one about the mouse and the magician?  A mouse has this great fear of cats.  A magician took pity on this poor, little mouse and turned it into a cat.  Before long, that cat developed a crippling fear of dogs…so the magician turned the cat into a dog.  The dog soon became afraid of panthers…the magician turned the dog into a panther.  And in short order, the panther was deathly afraid of hunters.  He begged the magician to turn him into a hunter.  He magician replied… “I will not.  You may look like a panther on the outside, but you still have the heart of a mouse.”

This may be a silly fable, but it does reveal something about you and me.  We may try to look tough on the outside…we may try to look like we’re ready to conquer the world…we may want to look like panthers to all who see us…but so often on the inside, we’re just a little mouse…frightened and worried about many of the things around us.

What is it that occupies your thoughts at this stage of your life?  What worries you?  I’m guessing all of you, if given enough time, could come up with a list of a handful of real-life issues that stress you out.  I’m also guessing, that somewhere on that list you’d have something that has to do with finances or money.

Will we have enough?  Have you ever asked that question when it comes to finances?

  • Will we have enough once we get out of college?
  • Will we have enough to start a family?
  • Will we have enough to take care of our kids and put groceries on the table and put gas in the car…without putting thousands and thousands on credit cards?
  • Or maybe we already have thousands and thousands on credit cards…will we ever be able to dig ourselves out of debt?
  • Will we have enough to pay for school or pay for medical bills?
  • Will we have enough to retire? How much will I need?

Finances are important.  Because we live in a world where so many of our decisions have to do with money, it’s important that we think about and talk about and plan and spend wisely.  But it’s also very easy for us to become consumed.  And it’s easy for us to worry and be afraid.  That can lead to poor decisions like failing to hear and listen to the voice of Jesus.  Jesus has something to say.

First of all, worrying doesn’t work.  Just like it doesn’t work or help when I yell at the TV when my favorite wide receiver drops the ball or the running back fumbles at a crucial time during the game.  My telling doesn’t change the outcome.  So also, my worrying and stressing won’t pay any bills or shrink my credit card debt or put the kids through college.  Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?  So why do it?  Because there are so many unknowns.  Weren’t you listening before when we wondered if we’d have enough?  Haven’t we all been conditioned, in this economy-minded world, to think that the more we have in the bank…the more equity we have in our home…the more stocks and bonds in our portfolio the safer and more secure we will be?  That’s why I worry!  Even if it doesn’t do any good, it’s natural for us to worry, right?

Wrong!  Worrying – listening to what the world has to say and NOT listening to what Jesus says…that’s not natural; that’s sinful.  So yes, Jesus has something to say.  And he uses two unlikely preachers:  a bird and a flower.

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  See how the lilies of the field grow.  They do not labor or spin…yet, your heavenly Father clothes them.  It’s a little embarrassing that birds, possessing no soul and no reason, know how to instinctively trust the Creator more than we do.  While we’re fretting over whether or not we’ll have enough, the birds take God’s blessings, day by day.  While we’re losing sleep over whether or not we can afford a new home or wondering about how we’ll retire, the beautiful flowers of the field stand as a testament of God’s ability to wrap wonderful clothing around his creation.  What are you worried about?  To worry is to miss the valuable lesson Jesus wants to teach you:  you are valuable!

  • For Jesus did not humble himself and take on the flesh and form of a bird or a lily…he took on the flesh and blood of a human being – that’s because you are more valuable.
  • Jesus wasn’t punished for the transgressions of the animal or plant kingdom – he paid for the sins of the world…a world of sinful human beings.
  • In your baptism, Jesus put the sign of the cross on your head and your heart…not the sparrow’s…and your baptism stands as a testament of God’s ability to wrap wonderful clothing around the crown of his creation…a garment of righteousness more beautiful and pure than anything worn by Solomon or anything seen in the fields.
  • And it’s true, the Bible says the Lord is so caring and so invested in the whole of his creation that even a sparrow will not fall to the ground without his knowing and caring, yet when Jesus looks at the palm of his hand he doesn’t see the names of sparrows engraved there…but he does see your name. Are you not much more valuable than they are?

You can give your ears to what the world has to say about finances and money.  You can follow their advice: Greedily grab as much as you can and stock up as much as you can for the future.  You can put your trust in the economy and the size of your savings, which can disappear as fast as you can say Great Depression or Great Recession or Stock Market Crash.

Or you can give your ears to Jesus and put your trust in him. He has something to say.  So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 

  • He won’t promise to drown you in worldly wealth, which can rot and rust – he’s already given you an inheritance which can never perish, spoil, or fade…he’ll make sure you also have bread and water and house and home.
  • He won’t promise to be a magician who waves his wand and removes any and every circumstance that seems big and scary – instead he’ll stand by you and invite you to cast your cares on him.

So don’t worry.  Why not?  Because worrying doesn’t help.  Worrying replaces the promises of Jesus with stress about the future.  Worrying is unnecessary – for you already have eternity in your hands…you have Jesus!

Amen.

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

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Pastor Paul Waldschmidt delivers a sermon entitled “Fearfully and Wonderfully Made” based on Psalm 139:14 at Peace Lutheran Church in Hartford, Wisconsin.