“Judge and Defense Attorney,” Romans 3:19-28

Romans 3:19-28

We have been summoned to God’s judicial system. We are in God’s court because we have violated divine law—just as we have already confessed—by our thoughts, words, and deeds—by what we have done and by what we have left undone. The summons we have received is pretty clear. As Paul writes earlier in Romans 3 “None is righteous, no, not one (3:10) and “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (3:23). Under God’s jurisdiction—which is the whole world—all are perpetrators because none of us have behaved, or lived our lives, perfectly. When we enter the courtroom, we see that God is our Judge. He already has reviewed all the evidence—the data, documentation, and the survelaince footage. Nothing we have done has escaped his notice. This Judge not only knows all the things we have done in secret, he also knows the thoughts and intentions of the human heart. Unlike our judicial system, the Judge is also the author of the law. He gave Moses the Ten Commandments: “You shall have no other Gods. You shall not take his name in vain. Remember the Sabbath day. Honor your parents. Don’t murder, commit adultery, steal, lie, or even desire what is not yours.” The Judge begins his deliberation by a disturbing announcement. We are all guilty. “No human being will be justified in his sight.” And perfect obedience to the Law is impossible. There is no innocence until proven guilty. So the Law clearly states that we are all lawbreakers.

But, it gets even worse. There is a prosecutor. And his name is the Accuser. He is there to make sure the Judge and those in the courtroom all hear about how hopeless you and I all are. The voice of the accuser can be heard audibly echoing down the halls of justice. The accuser’s voice is troubling because a lot of what he says is true. He tells us we are sinners. He tells us we have failed. And we have. But he also tells us lies—that we are worthless—that we are unloved—that we are beyond all hope—that there is no escape—that no one cares—that the Law has the final word about our dignity—that God has already given up on us. The accuser’s voice can be heard in any religious system that tells us that we can purchase God’s love if we just do enough to satisfy his demands. His lies can be heard in any message that says we must earn or deserve forgiveness and a fresh start. The accuser’s voice can even be heard in our own conciences—that voice in our own heads that says, “Try harder and you might be loved. Give more and do more and it may be enough.”

Thank God for our Advocate, the defensive attorney! He is not only our Advocate but also the Judge’s Son. He is the eternal Son of God—and he not only shares the Judge’s divinity but our humanity. And yet, he has done what no other human has ever done—he has perfectly obeyed the Law. And he comes to court already with a treasure trove of good deeds. He has gone beyond the requirements of the Law and outperformed the Law’s demands. He has loved God, his Father with his whole being. He has loved his neighbor with the ultimate price—his very life. On the cross of Calvary, the Advocate Jesus has silenced the accuser—the prosecuter who would have us pay the full price for all of our wrongdoings. And by Christ’s death on the cross, he has paid the full debt all our sins. And so, when the Advocate speaks in the courtroom, he is speaking with truth, authority, and love. He has cried out, “It is finished—paid in full.” “Although this child has sinned and broken all of God’s commands, there is now no condemnation.” There is something greater than the Law and all its demands—that is the righteousness of God—the positive love, acceptance, and forgiveness that comes through his Son, Jesus Christ.

The Advocate has made his plea before the Judge on our behalf. He has officially made his case that we should leave the courtroom free of guilt with full assurance of forgiveness and eternal life. All of this is for free. The Advocate’s work for us is pro bono. The only thing that remains is for us to trust his plea for our mercy. The paperwork has been filled out. Everything is in order. The accuser is silenced. His objections and accusations are out of order and are being ignored. The Judge lifts his eyebrows and betrays his impartial love for you and me with a smile. It turns out that the Judge was on our side all along.

What else needs to be done? Do we need to try harder to earn the Judge’s approval? No, it has already has been earned by his Son, our Advocate. Do we need to do perform great acts of kindness to deserve or purchase his love? No, it has already been accomplished by his Son, Jesus Christ. This is the great message of the Reformation—that we are justified by grace through faith. It is free. And we only need trust in Jesus. We only need believe God’s declaration that we are righteous, forgiven, and free from condemnation. It is unlike any judicial system we see on earth. If we had to earn God’s love through obedience, our lives would be a never-ending pursuit of the unattainable. But it has been earned by Jesus and delivered to us for free. Our lives are now a never-ending song of praise. Our good works flow out of hearts of thanksgiving—not to sway the opinion of the Judge—but to show our gratitude for his love and his Son.

“Able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward,” Hebrews 5:1-10

Hebrews 5:1-10

Our epistle reading is a wonderful description of effective servants of the people of God. It’s a beautiful description of the high priest thousands of years ago in the Israelite temple—the high priest is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward. The author of Hebrews is talking about the ideal high priest—ideal because not all were so gentle. I’m thinking of Caiaphas, the high priest that condemned Jesus—the leader of a judgmental, legalistic, and fundamentalistic religious group called Pharisees. These were the kind of people that caught the woman in the very act of adultery and wanted to stone her, but apparently let the offending male escape with little to no consequences that we know of. Caiaphas wanted to put Jesus to death because he believed he was wayward and the ignorant would follow him. These priests were obsessed with rules, not provoking an angry god, and living up to the expectations of a pious community. And, of course, this is not just about high priests. Religious leaders would have no authority without a following; they would not be able to misuse their power unless they had sufficient support from the community. The high priests, council of priests, and those who followed them were all part of a relentless and unforgiving religious system that resulted in the unjust execution of Jesus, the stoning of Stephen, and the persecution of the early Christians.

What made them unable to empathize with those they deemed ignorant? Why weren’t they compasionate toward those they believed were going down a wayward path? What makes us heartless, legalistic, and uncaring toward people around us? The writer of Hebrews makes it clear: it is because we do not understand the heart of God. We do not really know the love of God so beautifully revealed in his Son, Jesus Christ. We do not understand something as basic and profound as forgiveness.  Our text says, “Every high priest…is put in charge of things pertaining to God on their behalf, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is subject to weakness; and because of this he must offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people.”

What qualifies the priest to be in his honored position? What makes him an effective servant of God and his people? A qualified priest is one who knows he also is a sinner; henows what it is to be broken and restored through forgiveness. The high priest who assures God’s people of forgiveness intimately knows that same forgiveness. He is a beggar telling other beggars where to find bread. He is a patient recommending a Physician to someone who has the same sickness. The Apostle Paul, who was so effective in preaching forgiveness in Jesus Christ said it this way: “I am the chief of sinners” (1 Tim 1:15). St. Patrick, who brought the assurance of God’s love and grace to thousands of the Irish begins his autobiography with two words in Latin: “Patricius peccator,” “Patrick, a sinner.” Martin Luther said of his own faith journey, “Though I lived as a monk without reproach, I felt that I was a sinner before God with an extremely disturbed conscience. I could not believe that he was placated by my satisfaction. I did not love, yes, I hated the righteous God who punishes sinners, and secretly, if not blasphemously, certainly murmuring greatly, I was angry with God.”

The Apostle Paul, St. Patrick, and Martin Luther all witnessed huge growth in the Kingdom. Many people came to believe in the Gospel through their ministries. Whole communities were transformed by the radical message of forgiveness and eternal life through faith in the Person and Work of Jesus. I believe God mightily used them for the same reason he used the high priest described in our reading from Hebrews: they deal “gently with the ignorant and wayward, since [they themselves were] subject to weakness.”

What a challenging lesson for all of us who want to see Kingdom growth—to see believers grow in faith and assurance of their salvation—to see people move from ignorance to an intimate knowledge of God’s love in his Son Jesus. This text challenges us to do something that may seem counterintuitive to church growth—to be mindful that we all live under the cross. We share the good news of Jesus to those around us remembering our own struggle with sin. We know the human struggle of being haunted, bound, and guiltridden by our own thoughts, words, and deeds. We are compassionate and deal gently with those around us; because we share the struggle. We all live under the cross that covers our sin. We are all part of the same spiritual family with a heavenly Father who unconditionally loves us and forgives us.

The amazing thing is not the quality of the individuals that carry this message of God’s grace. The amazing thing is the One to whom they pointed. What is amazing is Jesus Christ himself—the true and living High Priest over all creation. He deals gently with the ignorant and the wayward because he is God. He is human and was tempted in every way we are, yet without sin (Heb 4:15). He knows the burden of dealing with the lure and deceptive nature of sin. And yet, even though he never gave in to sin—though he is perfect—it did not lead to pride and a judgmental spirit. It led him to the cross, through the grave, and rising from the dead to deliver forgiveness, love, and a sure and certain path that leads to eternal life. He lives to restore this broken world.

“Bone of My Bones, Flesh of My Flesh,” Genesis 2:18-24

Genesis 2:18-24

“And God said, ‘Let there be light.’ And God saw that the light was good. … And God said, ‘Let there be an expanse…’ …‘let the dry land appear… vegetation fruit’… ‘let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens’ … ‘let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens’ At the end of each day, the Genesis account says, “God saw that it was good.” When God made the first human being, He made him in His own image—“in the image of God He created him, male and female he created them.” And after all His creative acts, “God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.” (Gen. 1:3-31) Sin had not entered the world. Animals were not preying upon eachother. There was no drought. Mosquitoes had no appetite for blood. Our planet was a garden of paradise. God said it was “good” multiple times and then “very good.”

And then God says that something is not good—“It is not good that the man should be alone.” Even in a perfect world—the uncorrupted paradise of Eden—even in that blissful state of sinlessness—it was not good to be alone. Human beings are not meant to be loners. Adam may have not been completely aware of what he was missing. He did not know any different. But God’s observation was that it was not good for Adam to be an ineligible bachelor for the rest of his life. God has created to be social beings. We need relationships, companionship, friendship, and family. When we live our lives before God without meaningful human interaction, God looks upon us with compassion. As He looked on Adam alone in the Garden of Eden—He looks at us in our solitude and loneliness and He says, “It is not good.” It is not good for us to live out our lives in isolation. It is not good for us to journey through this life on our own.

A recent Gallup poll revealed that 36% of Americans are lonelyover 1 in 3 Americans. A recent study came out in March that suggests loneliness contributes to greater depression and poorer health. Even science is telling us that it is not good that we should be alone. It is at this realization that God says of Adam, “I will make him a partner fit for him.” Human companionship was God’s idea. Family was God’s design. Marriage was instituted by God. As a divine anesthetist God causes Adam to undergo a deep sleep. As divine surgeon, God removes bone and flesh from the side of Adam and as genetic engineer, He creates a woman. She is partner, companion, friend, family, and wife.

The first words recorded out of a human’s mouth is recorded here in our text. And they are astoundingly beautiful words—romantic, poetic—a prayer of thanksgiving to God: “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.” For Adam, Eve is not just another creature to help tend the garden—she is his flesh and blood. She is family, his companion, and his true love. And, according to Jesus, this work of Him finding us a cure for our loneliness still goes on. Of marriage, Jesus says, “What God has brought together, let no one separate” (Mark 10:9). God brings us together.  For Adam and Eve, God brought together our first parents—great grandparents of humanity. Eve was a gift to Adam and Adam was a gift to Eve. Adam and Eve were gifts, companions, family, and parents to their children. Their children were gifts, companions, and family to them.

I don’t believe that either Genesis or Jesus’ words promises marriage for each individual—or that we all make the best choices in our relationships. But what it does say clearly is that God is at work in our relationships—and He is at work to draw us together and keep us together. Marriage is not the only institution that God has created for our benefit. He has given us parents, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, grandparents—all part of our network of bone and flesh—not just a genetic bond—but life companions with a shared heritage bonded in love. God gives us friends that become our family—as the proverb says, “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24). And for the church—God has given us one another—sisters and brothers in the family of faith. Scripture calls us “the body of Christ”—we are the bone of Jesus’ bone and flesh of his flesh—we are connected to one another in a profound and real way. We are given the privilege, joy, and charge to uphold one another in prayer, companionship, and love. We are the family of God. No one should be left behind. No one should feel alone.

For this reason, God sent His Son. Just as Eve was created from Adam’s flesh and bone, so Jesus became human through Mary’s flesh and bone. In His coming to us as our Savior, His actions speak louder than words—“You are bone of my bones, flesh of my flesh” On the cross of Calvary, your bone and flesh—my bone and flesh were crucified—for us He purchased forgiveness, life and salvation. Our flesh and bone are lifted up in the resurrection, and He says, “Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Like Jesus, the best way to find companionship is to offer ourselves as companions, friends, and family to others. We offer it to one another in faith—believing that what connects us together is thicker than blood—we are bound to one another in the flesh and bone of Jesus, the Body of Christ. In our marriages, families, church life, and friendships—we relate to one another in faith—we believe that our relationships are a gift from God—what we need to have a sense of belonging, support, companionship, love, and family. We ought to be able to look at our husbands, wives, children, parents, friends, and church family and say, “You are bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh.” What happens to you matters profoundly to me—just as what happens to us matters profoundly to God. And he has assured us of forgiveness and an eternal home.

“The power of the enemy and the power of the Blood of the Lamb”

Revelation 12:7-12
Luke 10:17-20

Tom Johnson, September 30, 2012

The angelic world is an invisible reality. The spiritual realm is, in large part, hidden from our eyes. As a result, some of us conclude it’s fictional or fantasy. “Humans invented angels to explain things that we can now explain scientifically,” they say. For example, the reason we call some alcoholic beverages “spirits” is because there was no other way to explain the fermentation process. It appears that someone is stirring to pot and boiling because of all the foam and bubbles; but there is no heat. Now, we now know that yeast is consuming sugar and producing carbon dioxide. Some of us live under the weight of constant fear—as if we are constantly exposed and vulnerable to forces that would harm and destroy us. And so we hang garlic from our windows, hang trolls and religious icons on our rearview mirrors, and knock on wood all in attempt to hold satanic powers at bay.

There are two ditches on either side of the road when we consider these things. On one side, we make the error of dismissing the existence of pervasive, palpable evil. On the other side, we make the error of sensationalizing or overestimating evil. It seems that we either are in denial that evil exists or see a devil behind every bush. Our readings from Michael and All Angels today provide the antidote for each extreme and shed light on a safe path to navigate such a difficult terrain.

Jesus legitimizes our nightmares in a way. He speaks to our primordial fears speaking of snakes, scorpions, and the power of the enemy. There is a battle, Jesus tells us, a battle being fought everyday between good and evil. Jesus was there when it all began. Just as if it happened the day before, Jesus says, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning.” Satan—the Accuser—was evicted from God’s presence and favor at the speed of light leaving only a blur of his path before those who witnessed it. In a blink of an eye, the Devil left his service to his Creator and became an entrepreneur of sin and death. This raises so many questions. And yet, it seems as if Jesus does not want to concern us with the demonic realm. Jesus and Scripture are silent about Satan’s past, the origin of evil, and the precise reasons for his excommunication.

The seventy-two disciples are amazed that the Name of Jesus is able to restrain and defeat our evil foes. At the Name of Jesus, the demonic forces of evil bow the knee to the good and gracious will of God to forgive, heal, and restore human lives. The sober truth of our Scripture is that there really is a subversive power in the world. Evil entered the world like a flash of lightning and, while it may be invisible to the human eye, its effects and destructive influence is as obvious as the headlines in the news and our own vulnerability in the face of temptation.

In these Bible passages, God invites us into this strange and unseen world. He gives us a glimpse of the powers and principalities of the darkness. But he does not do so to increase our fear but overcome our fears. Look at Michael and his angelic army! God invites us to survey the battle between good and evil—between holy angels led by General Michael and fallen angels led by Satan, the serpent of old. But there is no stalemate in this conflict—no way! Good and evil are not two sides to the same coin; the opposing armies are not equal. They may be equal in number. They may be equals in nature as angelic beings. But Michael and his army have a weapon that no power can match—the Blood of the Lamb. This is the ultimate weapon. This is the smart artillery that can surgically remove this world’s cancer—the Blood of Jesus. Our Scripture says that the Archangel Michael and his angelic host “have conquered [the devil] by the blood of the Lamb and by the Word.” Likewise, the disciples experience that same power by the Word and Name of Jesus—the one who will give his life and blood on the Cross of Calvary—the one who rose victoriously from the grave. The disciples are amazed by the power of Jesus to defeat the most frightening of foes.

When the disciples safely navigate their lives and ministry through a pit of scorpions, snakes, and the power of the enemy, they are overjoyed. But Jesus tells them, that their joy should not be found in victory in battle. For it is not their victory. It is the Lord’s. “Do not rejoice at this,” Jesus says. “Don’t get all excited about the defeat of the devil and his kingdom. Don’t gloat over your enemies. It really is no big deal. They were doomed from the beginning. It’s only a matter of time until their end.” “Don’t rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” In other words, the blood and Name of Jesus have not defeated our enemies so we would celebrate their destruction but our salvation. Jesus wants us to live our lives in the joy, comfort, and security of eternal life.

Our names are written in heaven. Jesus has called in to hotel heaven and reserved each of us a room—not for just a few days or a week but for all eternity. By his Blood and Word, Jesus has permanently chiseled our names into the marble walls of our eternal home—not as memorials but in the assurance of secure future with him and a great reunion that is to come. “Jesus came, this word fulfilling, Trampled Satan, death defied; Bore the brunt of our temptation, On the wretched tree he died. Yet to life was raised victorious; By his life our life supplied.” (“Christ, the Lord of Hosts, Unshaken” LSB #521, v.4).