Epiphany 6 - G - 2014 - Ten Commands

The Sixth Sunday after Epiphany

February 16, 2014 - Pastor Adam Moline

Deuteronomy 30:15-20           1 Corinthians 3:1-9     Matthew 5:21-37

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, amen.  Our text today is from the Gospel lesson today, especially these words from Jesus, “You have heard it said.”  Thus far our text. 

Dear friends in Christ.   We all know the ten commandments.  We all had to learn them in confirmation.  You shall have no other Gods.  You shall not steal.  You shall not murder.  You shall not commit adultery etc.  And we all know that these are the basics of Christian behavior, the basics of what is right and wrong – so much so that they are even displayed in many courthouses across our country. 

And we like the ten commandments don’t we, because they make us feel good about ourselves?  What I mean is this, if someone asked us if we’ve murdered, we’ll answer cheerfully – “No!  I’ve never murdered, aren’t I good?”  or if asked if we’ve stolen, we’ll say, “No!  I’ve never robbed or stolen or anything like that.  I’m a good person.”  And we like it when people say, “Oh, yes, you’re such an honest person, you’re so truthful.” 

We like the Ten commandments because we feel like we can and have kept all of them.  And we feel like we can look down on those around us who we know have not kept them.  “Oh, yes, I remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy, but Jane down the street doesn’t!  Too bad for her.”

But Jesus cuts through all the false piety in our text today.  He says if you’ve been angry at your brother, you’ve murdered him – something all of us are guilty of – yes even you.  If you’ve looked at someone lustfully, whether they be walking down the street, or on your T.V. screen or anywhere else, you’re and adulterer.  We can apply this same principle to all of the ten commandments.  If you break them – even in the slightest bit, or the smallest point, you’re guilty of them all.  If you fail in one point, you’ve failed in them all. 

And so the truth is, if we take Jesus’ word as the truth, which it is, we aren’t holy.  We aren’t righteous.  We aren’t good.  We aren’t better than anyone else.  We are as the hymn says, chief of all sinners.  We are the worst of the worst.  We deserve punishment because we’ve broken God’s law time and again.  We deserve the judgment Jesus himself speaks of in our lesson, the judgment that he himself will one day dole out upon the sin of the world. 

And yet, we don’t receive that punishment.  Instead we receive grace.  Instead we receive blessings.  Why?  Because that punishment for sin has already been poured out upon a substitute.  There was one who was perfect in the places that you have failed.  There was one who succeeded where you fell short.  There was one who never looked at anyone with adulterous thoughts.  There was one who never stole, but always gave freely.  There was one who wanted to make all things new and right with those around him.  And this one is Jesus. 

To put it simply he traded you.  He was perfect, and you were not.  So he gave you his perfection and took your sin.  He gave you his life, and died your death.  He gave you his inheritance, and took all of the emptiness of hell that your sin deserved.  And so, since you and Jesus traded places, God the Father looks at you as his holy precious child, whom he loves.  He looks at you as one who cares for the weak and sick, and one who loves those who are lonely.  God sees in you all the good works that Jesus has done for others.  God gives you heaven, because that is what Jesus deserved. 

And what you deserved, Jesus suffered.  Stripped, beaten, bloodied, mocked and tortured on the cross.  He suffered hell for you.  He died for you.  He laid in your tomb.  All so that you would not have to.  The cross your guilt earned, Jesus suffered.

Dear friends.  It is truly the great exchange.  You are free, because of Christ.  Christ in you keeps the ten commandments, even as your sinful nature does not.  Christ in you is God’s child, even as your sinful nature fights against Him.  You are God’s child, and will be forever more.  In the name of Jesus.  Amen.  

Epiphany 5 - G - 2014 - The Salt of the Earth and the Light of the World

The Fifth Sunday after Epiphany

February 9, 2014 - Pastor Adam Moline

Isaiah 58:3-9a              1 Corinthians 2:1-16               Matthew 5:13-20

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God the Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  Our text today comes from the Gospel lesson just read, especially these words, “You are the salt of the earth.”  Thus far our text. 

Dear friends in Christ.  The words of today’s Gospel lesson are spoken by Jesus as a part of his famous sermon on the mount.  And in them today he tells us that we are the “Salt of the earth” and the “Light of the world.”  In other words, we as Christians fundamentally change the world at is core.  As salt, we season the earth, adding a flavor of love that was never present in this sinful world apart from Christ, a flavor of compassion and care for all people everywhere.  As light, we lessen the darkness of the world by caring for those who have no one else to care for them.  We shine light into all the dark recesses of this world that the true light of Jesus can shine on the people walking in darkness.    

We see this in our mission work, as we build orphan rescue centers in Africa, as we care for those who are suffering from Malaria and other diseases, as we preach the gospel and baptize those in all walks of life who have never heard about his death for them.    We, through our mission offerings, support schools and universities, hospitals, nursing homes, missions in China, Madagascar, and around the world.  In all of these things we are the Salt of the Earth, and we are the Light of the World, as Christ himself says in our text today. 

But yet, so often we lose our saltiness, don’t we?  We hide our Christian faith in our conversations with friends and family here in town.  So often we hide our light under a bushel, afraid what others might think of our Christian Confession, afraid that they might disagree, that they might criticize us for the hope that is within us.  And so, it is here, in our local community that it is most difficult for us to be salty, light-filled Christians. 

Instead, our most visible and egregious sins are shown forth as we deal with the people we care the most for in our local families and with friends.  We curse, swear, steal, gossip, and fight with the people we know best here.  We share information that was shared with us in private.  We judge others as “Not worthy of my concern.”  We ignore people who are truly hurting, saying, “They can take care of themselves for goodness sake.”  And as we do these sinful things, we trust in our own works to save us.  “I go to church every week, so I’m better than that person.  I know I don’t sin as much as John Doe down the street, so I know I’ll get into heaven before them!  Good for me!”

Dear friends in Christ.  We cannot view ourselves through these un-salty, un-light of the world eyes!  We cannot save ourselves.  We cannot do enough good, even in all the positive missions and work we do, to save ourselves!  All of these good works, all of these things done overseas cannot overcome the sin that we commit right here, in Hankinson, ND.  Jesus says we must have a righteousness that surpasses even the most “holy of people” – something we are unable to do.  We need something more salty.  We need a light to enlighten our lives as well. 

And dear friends, that’s exactly what Jesus Christ does for us.  He entered our world and showed compassion on all, being the light for all, even you and me.  He flavored to whole world with a forgiveness bought by his blood and suffering.  He made all things well in our life, by taking our sin on his own shoulder, and giving us his holiness in its place.  We are the salt of the world, not because of ourselves, but because he gives us his saltiness.  We are the light of the world because he shares his light with us.  We love others because he loves us first.  And dear friends we ought to care for our local community, because he first cared for us. 

He delivered this gift and love to us here in this building in water and the word, in body and blood consumed under bread and wine.  He delivered this gift to you in his Holy Precious Word, which we strive not to despise, but to read, learn and inwardly digest. 

And so, you are the light of the world, from Kenya to Fargo to Hankinson, not to earn from God, or to please him in any way at all, but instead because Jesus is your light and your salvation.  You are the salt of the earth, because Christ has flavored you with himself, and his own gifts and blessings.  You share with the world what Christ has first shared with you. You give what Christ first gave to you.  You are not righteous in yourself, but only in the death and resurrection of Jesus. 

You are the Salt of the Earth in Jesus, so be that salt to your neighbor.  You are the light of the world, because Christ shines forth in you, so you too shine on those around you – showing compassion, showing love, showing Jesus forth in your life, both here, and throughout all the world.  Amen.  

Advent 4 - G - 2013 - The Promised Child

The Fourth Sunday of Advent

December 22, 2013 - Pastor Adam Moline

Isaiah 7:10-14             Romans 1:1-7              Matthew 1:18-25

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  Our text today is the Gospel lesson just read. 

Dear friends in Christ.  Somewhere around 700 B.C. it happened.  Isaiah the great prophet of Israel spoke the Word of God in regards to a promise of God.  “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”  It was a promise spoken to Ahaz, the King of Judah, sitting on the throne of his ancestor David.  Ahaz is described in scripture as a wicked king, who did not believe the Word of God spoken either in scripture or by his prophets.  He worshipped false God’s.  He sacrificed his own child to a false God.  He desecrated the temple of Solomon, removing and destroying some of the great decorations.  He built places to worship false God’s. 

And so it was that Isaiah spoke the word of God to him, as if to say, “Believe in me, for my Son Immanuel is coming.  Believe Ahaz, for it is in the salvation given by the Virgin’s Son that your life is saved.”  It’s a promise that Ahaz ignored, instead trusting in his own devices and decisions.  And so it is spoken in scripture, that King Ahaz died, and was buried in Jerusalem, but because of his great sin and doubt of God’s word’s, he was not buried in the tomb of his father David.  By ignoring God’s promises he separated himself from the great promises of heaven. 

For despite Ahaz’s unbelief, God did fulfill his promise spoken by Isaiah, 700 years later, as a young virgin was found by her fiancé Joseph to be with child.  The woman’s name was Mary, and her child was truly Immanuel – God with us.  Joseph, being righteous, was going to divorce the woman quietly, for he knew the child growing in her was not his.  But an angel appeared, and spoke the very same words to Joseph as to Ahaz so many years earlier.  “The virgin will conceive and will bear a son, Immanuel.”  The difference, was Joseph believed the promise, and he took Mary to be his wife, and the child was born as God promised, wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger, as we will speak of later this week.  He believed God’s promise, and raised the child as if Jesus was his own child.  He loved the child Jesus, until finally, his own days came to their end, and he was buried. 

Dear friends, that same promise is made to you as well.  The virgin will be with Child, and he will be Immanuel.  God with us, God with you and me.  The question is, will you believe, as did St. Joseph the adoptive father of Christ?  Or will you doubt the promise, and trust your own thoughts and desires as Ahaz the king did? 

Because of our sin, it is so easy to doubt God’s promise.  It is so easy to believe that all this Jesus talk is just a bunch of mumbo jumbo.  In fact in our society in this day and age, we are happy to take the Promise of Jesus out of Christmas.  Just in the news yesterday, a 5^th grade choir in New York sang Silent Night at their school choir concert, but they took out all words of Promise, all allusions to the Virgin, or the Christ child himself. 

We ourselves doubt too, don’t we?  We try to hide the promise of Christmas too.  In the midst of the busyness of gift opening, food preparation and family visiting, we will fail to find time to make it to this building for a Christmas worship service.  We’ll forget about Jesus.  We’ll disbelieve his Word in our day to day life.  We show that by our actions, which are filled with sin.  We show that by our thoughts, which are filled with the vilest of filth.  And we show it by our words, where we slander the name of Christ. 

Dear friends.  Repent!  Jesus is almost here!  Christmas is coming.  The promise is fulfilled, the virgin is with Child, a child who is so much more than you and I are.  For the Child is truly Immanuel, God with us.  In the flesh of that baby is the fullness of the Eternal God.  That baby, that God will go to the cross to die for you.  That’s what his name itself is, Jesus – which means The Lord Saves!  God comes to be with us, to take away your sins, to set you free to be his people, now and forever more.  He is Coming, his Advent is drawing nigh!  Dear friends, Believe the promise of God.  For he has done marvelous things! 

Your sin is forgiven.  Your eternal life is assured.  It’s the promise of God, the promise of an eternal savior.  The promise of a baby born in a manger and named Jesus by his step father at the command of the Angel.  He’s coming.  He’s nearly here.  In the name of Jesus.  Amen.  

Advent 2 - G - 2013 - Repent You Brood of Vipers!

The Second Sunday of Advent

December  8, 2013 - Pastor Adam Moline

Isaiah 11:1-10             Romans 15:4-13          Matthew 3:1-12

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  Our text today is from the Gospel lesson just read, especially these words, “You brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”  Thus far out text today.  Amen. 

Dear friends, John the Baptist came baptizing and preaching repentance, for the Kingdom of heaven was near.  In other words, Jesus is coming!  And to prepare the people for the coming of Jesus, John preached Repentance, a turning aside from sin, a remorse for what has gone wrong in life, and a general acknowledgement that I myself am not as good and holy as I like to think.  Repent!  Turn from sin!  And to those who acknowledge their sin, John baptizes, saying, “Look to the coming savior.  He will take care of your sin!.  Look to Jesus, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” 

But not all admit their sin.  Not all think they are sinners.  Some think they keep God’s rules.  Some think they are “hot stuff.”  In fact, a few groups of such people come to see John.  Some Pharisees, those who thought they knew all the laws, and even thought that they kept them came.  Along with them, came Sadducees, whose name comes from the Hebrew word, צדיק which itself means righteous. 

These two groups didn’t see their own sin, even as they excelled at seeing the sin of the average person.  These two people come not to repent, but rather to bring judgment upon John and those who go out into the wilderness.  To tell them they are wrong.  To tell them that instead of repentance they need a holiness that matches their own. 

And John, upon seeing them come, calls out these words, “You brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath that is to come?”  In other words, LOOK AT YOUR OWN SIN AND REPENT!  Pay attention to the reality that encompasses your life!  For its only then, that you might receive the promises of God for forgiveness, life and salvation. 

Dear friends, the same message is ours this Advent season.  Listen to the call of St. John the Baptist.  Repent.  Admit that you too are a part of the brood of vipers and sinners.  Don’t lie to yourself, because the truth is you’ve sinned, and not only in little embarrassing things, but in terrible and often times disgusting ways.  You’ve been concerned with only yourself.  You’ve been self-righteous, self-glorifying guilty sinners, and you still are.  You’ve had every type of adulterous and sinful desire imaginable.  You’re a sinner. 

And so, dear sinner, heed the call of St. John.  Repent.  The kingdom of heaven is near!  Wretched people that we are!  Who will save us from our sin?  Who will take away our evil desires?  God’s kingdom is coming!  And if we stay in sin we will not be able to stand when it arrives.  Repent.  Turn aside from your sin, and beg God for his great mercy and care.  And trust this, dear friends, that mercy is exactly what God wishes to give in his kingdom. 

For the ruler of the Kingdom of God is none other than the coming Christ.  He comes to set his people free, he comes to take away their sin, he comes to destroy death forever.  He is coming, his advent is drawing nigh.  And he comes to die, so that you don’t have to.  He comes to bear your sin, so that the weight of it might be lifted off your shoulders.  He comes to give you hope in the world to come, and life everlasting. 

Jesus gives you that promise through his own work, though his own death and resurrection.  It is in that act and that act alone that your sin can be taken away, and dear friends, has been taken away.  Your sin-free now, because of Jesus – not in your own right, but only by his work.  You have died to sin, and now live forever in Christ.  You are no longer a brood of vipers, but instead God’s holy and chosen people.  Dear friends, Jesus is coming.  Soon he will be born and laid in a manger.  Rejoice.  For the kingdom of God is near, and you are a citizen of that kingdom.  Amen.  

Christmas Eve - G - 2011 - Oh By the Way, Jesus Was Born On Christmas Day

Grace, Mercy and Peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen, our text today is from the Gospel of Matthew just read, especially these words, “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”  Thus far our text.

Dear friends in Christ, on a dark night, nearly 2000 years ago, a little baby rested in a barn outside an inn.  We all know the Christmas story, or in so far as the nativities in our living rooms tell it.  Jesus was born, there were cows lowing and sheep quietly sitting there, while wise men arrived and shepherds gawked.  As we imagine this scene, we are hit with its sentimental theme.  We like to think about baby Jesus, we like to picture him wrapped in swaddling clothes and laying in a manger.  It makes us feel good to picture.  And it should, that little baby has come because of you.

But in our text today, Matthew doesn’t spend time on angels and shepherds, or even sheep or great tidings of joy.  St. Matthew almost mentions the birth of Jesus as if saying, “Oh, by the way, he was born.”  You see, in the Gospel of Matthew, the focus is on all the other things going on at the time.  Joseph thought Mary was cheating on him before they were married.  He was trying to call the whole thing off in a holy and upright way.  You can only imagine the scandal that was going on!  Mary claimed God gave her a baby, and Joseph had his doubts. 

And so in the midst of this scandal, a young woman pregnant and a fiancé in doubt, Jesus is born.  In the midst of chaos, in the midst of doubts, in the midst of struggles in regular people’s lives, the only begotten Son of God was born, and born for a reason.  In fact, dear friends in Christ, it is good that Matthew writes his Gospel in this particular way, because it reflects our own lives, doesn’t it?

Christmas time is here, and family is in town, we want to try and spend some time with them before they head home again.  We have had a busy month of preparation, and now it is crunch time: get the food cooked, get the dishes cleaned, rush, rush, rush, until we get to January – then we can work, work, work so that we can pay off all our Christmas bills.  We are always busy.  Our lives are always chaotic.  We have our own problems and issues that come up, just like Joseph and Mary. 

In the midst of it all, it is easy to lose track of what is actually going on in our text.  It is easy to lose track of the reason we are gathered here tonight.  Jesus is born.  And He is born for a purpose.  Jesus enters our busy lives, and he comes to save us from them.  He comes to rescue us.

The little babe is born to die for you, as we sing, He is “Born that man no more may die.  Born to raise the sons of earth.”  That babe is born, so that “now the foe, sin and woe, death and hell are broken.”  He’s born for you.  He lays in a manger for you.  He lives for you.  And most importantly he will die for you.  For thirty years, Jesus lived here on this earth.  He interacted with countless people in the midst of their busy sinful lives.  He helped those who struggled as his own parents had.  He cared for the broken hearted, he cared for the sick and he healed those who needed him.  And most importantly, he set his eyes on Golgotha, and suffered on an old rugged cross, on a Friday we call Good. 

That is who this baby is, and friends, today he enters into your own busy lives as well.  You don’t need do anything, you don’t need to invite him in.  He comes!  He comes on his own for you.  He is with you in your struggles and promises something better for you.  He is as our text says, Immanuel, God with us, with us at all times and in all places.  With us for calm and peace. 

Dear friends, it’s Christmas, and tonight we have sung countless Christmas hymns all describing the joy and wonder of angels and shepherds – good hymns that we love and cherish.  But tonight, in just a few minutes, we will turn down the lights, and have a minute of silence.  Silence in the midst of our busy lives, silence in the midst of suffering and struggles.  Silence to reflect on the meaning of this day.  And as we sit in the dark, a warm glow will build from our candles, as we celebrate the coming of Jesus, the light of the world. 

For with Jesus, it truly is a silent night, a holy night.  All is calm, and all is bright.  He has come.  He has come for you.  He will die for you.  All so that you may have his chickens.  Merry Christmas dear friends in Christ.  Merry Christmas.  Amen.  

Proper 20 - G - 2011 - Your Just Reward

Isaiah 55:6-9   Phillipians 1:12-14, 19-30       Matthew 20:1-16

Grace, Mercy and Peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  Our text today is the Gospel lesson just read, especially these words:  “So the last will be first, and the first last.”  Thus far our text. 

Dear friends in Christ.  I want my just reward.  I want what I think I deserve.  This is the attitude of the man in our parable today.  He has agreed to work for the entire day for a set wage, one denarius.  He labors, working hard at his tasks for the day.  And as he works, others come in later in the day.  Some come in a few hours later, and some others even come in at the last minute, only an hour before the end of the day.  As this man works in the vineyard, he talks with those who are around him, and learns that they too have been promised a denarius.  The man begins to think about it.  If the man working only one hour receives a denarius, then don’t I deserve 12 times more?  After all, I have worked longer then they have.  I have been here a whole day, and they have only been here a few short minutes. 

As the man watches the late comers receiving their pay, he begins to imagine what he will do with his extra income.  He begins to imagine what things he will buy, what sort of food he will eat.  He tells himself he really deserves these things, after all the early bird gets the worm, and I was here first, so I should get a bonus for what I have done.   You can imagine the man’s surprise then when he receives his wage for the day’s work, the single denarius that he was promised at the beginning. 

That’s not fair, is it?  That shouldn’t be the way it works, should it?  If someone works longer, they should get more, shouldn’t they?  They should be more richly rewarded for their faithfulness.  And yet, the man in our text received exactly what he was promised, exactly what he agreed to.  He received his just reward.

And what of you, dear friends in Christ?  What does this say to you?  What message can you pluck from this tale that Jesus tells us?  Friends, the truth is that it is for us that Jesus speaks this parable.  It is for the situations that we are in.  We know what our hope is.  We know what our promise is.  We have received the Kingdom from Jesus, we have had our sins forgiven in the precious blood that flowed from the cross.  We have life, and life to the full.  And we have been promised heaven for living a life of faith here in this world. 

What a gift!  What a blessing.  For you see that life of faith isn’t even dependent on us.  It is a free gift that Jesus gives us.  Something we don’t deserve, something we don’t earn, something that is a blessing.   And yet, like the man in the parable, we believe we have earned it, and that it is ours to determine for ourselves.  And so just like the man in the parable, we often look down on those who are around us.  We like to compare ourselves with them, saying, “I am better than he is, aren’t I?  Come on Lord, don’t I deserve something better than that sinner over there.  I mean, I have done more good things for you, haven’t I?”

We are prideful people, aren’t we?  We do like comparing ourselves with others, because we are so good at seeing the speck in someone else’s eye.  We are so good at judging someone else to be guilty while ignoring the glaring sin in our own life.  I have been a Christian longer than you, so I have a greater say in this church.  I have done more good for our community, so listen to what I want.  I have sinned less than that poor miserable person there, so I am holier, aren’t I?  In all of these things, we put ourselves into the first and most important position, the position of power.  And so we grumble to the master of the house, Jesus, and say, “These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.”

But “The last will be first, and the first will be last.” Friends, it isn’t about being better, it isn’t about deserving more.  Christianity isn’t about any of these things.  Being a Christian is about Jesus, the one who had all glory, power, and honor, and yet gave it up on your behalf.  As St. Paul writes in Philippians, “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.   And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!”  Jesus puts himself in last place so that you can receive life.  He takes your deserved punishment upon himself so that you can receive his reward.  He dies, so that you may live.

And Jesus has made all Christians equal in his eyes in that he has given to all who confess his name eternal life.  It isn’t that Jesus is cutting you out, it isn’t that Jesus is taking away what you think you deserve.  No, Friends, Jesus is giving you the whole thing, and he gives it to those others who believe in him as well.  And because all that Jesus gives is a free gift, we are to receive it with thanksgiving, and with joy.  We are to look at those others who also receive the gifts of God with joy as well.  Look how much love your God has.  Look how he has lavished forgiveness upon all people who trust in him.  Look how much he has done for you, and your sin, and the sin of the whole world.  Look how he made himself last so that you could be first. 

It’s not fair.  It’s not the way it should work, is it?  God gives to all, including you, even when we don’t deserve it.  Amen.  

Matthew Bible Study Notes

Below is a link to the Matthew Bible Study Materials for this week. 

Click Here For The Matthew Chapter 10 Materials

The Bible study meets on Sunday Mornings following Divinse Service at Immanuel Lutheran Church.