Category: Sermon Page

Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost
October 24, 2021

“Christ, Our Great High Priest” (Hebrews 7:23-28)

For a number of weeks now, our Epistle readings have come from the Book of Hebrews. And throughout these readings, Hebrews has been making this major point: All the worship practices of Old Testament Israel, all its religious institutions, were pointing ahead to, and have been fulfilled by, Jesus Christ. The Sabbath rest, the tabernacle, the sacrifices, the priesthood–all these have been fulfilled in an even greater way by Christ.

Take the priesthood, for example, and the office of the high priest, in particular. Our recent readings from Hebrews have made the point that Jesus now is our great high priest. Hebrews 2 told us that Jesus came in order to be “a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” Hebrews 4 said that “we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God.” And so now today, when we come to Hebrews 7, we continue along those same lines, under the theme, “Christ, Our Great High Priest.”

Our text begins: “The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he [Christ] holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever.”

“The former priests,” it says. Now since none of us here were around back when Israel had priests, I suppose I should begin by explaining who they were. The “former priests” were those of the Levitical priesthood, that is, from the tribe of Levi and descended from Aaron. The Lord God had established the priesthood for Israel at Mount Sinai, appointing Aaron, the brother of Moses, to be the first high priest. All the subsequent priests were descended from Aaron, and out of all the priests, one of them at any given time would serve as the high priest.

“The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office.” Now this seems pretty obvious, since once they died, that would be the end of their priestly service. But what Hebrews is doing is setting up a contrast between those many former priests and the one great high priest we have now, namely, Jesus Christ. Our text says: “but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever.” Christ has a permanent priesthood, because he has overcome death. Jesus rose from the dead and lives forever. Therefore, he still holds his priestly office.

By the way, Jesus was not from the tribe of Levi. He was not descended from Aaron. Jesus was from the tribe of Judah. He was descended from King David. So Jesus has a unique, one-of-a-kind priesthood. He is a special priest, our great high priest, set apart to do a work only he could do.

Our text continues: “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” This is the work only Christ could do, that is, to save us. He is able to save to the uttermost–completely, to the nth degree–Jesus is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him. Jesus is able to save to the farthest reaches of lost sinners. Jesus is able to save you, and he has.

Through Christ, we are able to draw near to God. Without him, we could not do this. Our sins would separate us from God. We were alienated from God. But now in Christ we have been brought near, we have been reconciled back to God. And this happens only through Christ. “No one comes to the Father except through me,” Jesus says. But through him, we do have access to God’s throne of grace. Just as only the high priest of old could enter through the curtain into the Holy of Holies, now Christ our great high priest has entered in, and he has opened the way for us to draw near to God.

And Jesus is still serving as the high priest for sinners, since, as our text says, “he always lives to make intercession for them.” Jesus still today, right now, is acting as our high priest. Having risen from the dead and ascended into heaven, Jesus right now is standing at the heavenly altar, and he is praying for you. He is interceding for you. When you are in danger or in need, Jesus is praying for you. When you stumble and fall in your Christian walk, Jesus is praying for you. He’s saying: “Father, do not hold this sin against them. Look, here is the blood I shed to atone for their sins. Forgive them, Father. Restore them to the right path.” Yes, Jesus ever lives to make intercession for you, and this is of great comfort!

Hebrews continues: “For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.”

Christ, our great high priest, is far superior to those high priests of old. They were sinful men. Jesus is without sin, holy, innocent, and unstained. Those priests had to offer up sacrifices first for their own sins, before they got to the sins of the people. Jesus had no sins of his own that needed forgiving. Those priests had to offer up sacrifices daily, weekly, year after year, showing that the blood of bulls and goats could never really, fully, take away sins. The sacrifices those priests made pointed ahead to the once-and-for-all sacrifice Christ would make. Jesus only had to offer up one sacrifice, and it was enough to cover all the sins of all men everywhere, in all times and places.

What was this most powerful sacrifice that Jesus offered up, a sacrifice strong enough to atone for all the sins of mankind? Our text tells us: “he did this once for all when he offered up himself.” Jesus is both the priest and the sacrifice! Christ is our great high priest, and at the same time he is also the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus offered up himself on the altar of the cross. He gave his body into death, so that we might have life. He shed his holy precious blood for the forgiveness of our sins. And now, here at this altar, Jesus invites us to draw near and partake of his very body and blood for our forgiveness, life, and salvation. What a high priest we have!

Our text concludes: “For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.” The law of Moses appointed Aaron and his sons to serve as high priests for Israel. But they were weak and sinful men. And their time has come and gone. Far greater, God has sworn with an oath and appointed his own Son to serve as the great and perfect high priest for all people, forever. As was prophesied of Christ in Psalm 110: “The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.’” Like mysterious Melchizedek, who predated the Levitical priesthood, Jesus has a unique priesthood. All those priests of old served their purpose. But now they’ve given way to the final, forever priesthood of the great high priest, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Take comfort in this today, dear friends: You have a great high priest serving on your behalf. He has a permanent priesthood, because he has overcome death and now lives forever. Your high priest is able to save you to the uttermost, completely, to the nth degree. Through him, through Christ, though formerly your sins kept you from God, now you are able to draw near to God and his throne of grace for mercy and help in time of need. On top of this, Christ your high priest in heaven ever lives to make intercession for you. Jesus is praying for you, and he knows exactly what you need.

Your great high priest has offered up the perfect sacrifice on your behalf: It is Christ himself. He, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, made atonement for your sins by his death on the cross. Jesus will never fail you. He is God’s own Son, your perfect high priest with a permanent priesthood. Therefore, today at this altar:

Draw near and take the body of the Lord,
And drink the holy blood for you outpoured;
Offered was He for greatest and for least,
Himself the victim and Himself the priest.

Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost
October 17, 2021

“The Wealth You Leave and the Wealth You Receive” (Mark 10:23-31)

Today Jesus speaks to us about wealth. He speaks of the wealth you need to leave in order to enter the kingdom of God. And he speaks of the wealth you receive when you do enter. And so our theme this morning: “The Wealth You Leave and the Wealth You Receive.”

Wealth is a subject that interests everyone. Wealth is something the rich have but want more of. Wealth is something the poor don’t have but want. And those of us in the middle? We may say we don’t need it but we wouldn’t mind having a little more of it. Like Tevye of “Fiddler on the Roof,” we daydream about having wealth: “If I were a rich man. . . .”

Wealth is very enticing. It always leads us on to get more. We’re never satisfied. More money, more “stuff.” More, more, more–and more is never enough. That’s the temptation inherent with wealth.

And Jesus recognizes this temptation. It makes money such an intoxicating idol. Last week we heard the story of the rich young ruler. He ran up to Jesus with such eagerness, but he went away with such sadness. He would not give up his attachment to wealth. Our text today picks up where that story left off. Jesus uses this incident with the rich man to teach his disciples about the difficulty that wealth poses for entering the kingdom of God. You know, we tend to think of wealth as being able to solve problems. But Jesus says that wealth causes problems. It’s a big problem in the most important question of life. He says, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!”

Why will it be difficult? It’s not because rich people are necessarily evil. No, they may be decent people who have worked hard for their money. Rather, the reason it can be hard for the rich to enter the kingdom is because riches can so easily lead a person away from trusting in God. Instead, they trust in their wealth. Their wealth becomes their god. That’s what they look to for their greatest good. Money can so easily take our eyes off God. You’ve got your McMansion in the suburbs, you’ve got your condo down in Florida, and a Range Rover in the garage. Life is good. Why do I need God? Wealth becomes our idol, and that’s why it can be so difficult for the rich to enter the kingdom of God.

Jesus re-emphasizes this point: “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” Picture in your mind a big old camel, the largest land animal Jesus’ hearers would have seen–imagine a camel trying to go through the eye of a needle! Jesus is using a ridiculous comparison to make a serious point: A rich man who trusts in his wealth will not be able to come into God’s kingdom.

With that, the disciples are “exceedingly astonished,” it says. They were trained to think that the rich must be especially blessed by God. So if they, the rich, cannot make it in, who can? “Then who can be saved?”

And that’s a good question. Because it’s not just the rich who are guilty of idolatry, we all are, in one form or another. Even those of us who are not rich can be chasing after wealth, pursuing it, making it our chief desire. What is it that you run after, displacing God? When wealth or any other thing you set your heart on becomes your god, then you need to leave that idol behind. This is the wealth you must leave to enter the kingdom of God.

But how do we get in? Just because you left your wealth doesn’t qualify you to enter. Who can be saved, who can enter? Jesus tells us, “With man it is impossible.” No matter what you do, no matter what you give up, you cannot merit your way into God’s kingdom. You can’t do it. Giving up your “stuff” doesn’t make up for, or atone for, your sins.

“With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” You can’t do it! God’s got to do it! God’s got to get you in. And he does it through this same Jesus who is speaking to us today. It’s impossible for you to do anything to atone for your sins. But it is possible–in fact, it is the case–that Jesus has done this for you. He, the Son of God, left behind the riches of heaven to come down into this world of idolatry and unbelief. Jesus took the way of suffering and death on the cross to rescue us from the domain of the devil and to bring us into the kingdom of God. Jesus brought the kingdom of God into our midst, the kingdom of blessing and salvation. Through his death and resurrection, through our baptism into Christ and the gift of the Spirit, we enter the kingdom of God. “All things are possible with God,” even the salvation of sinners like you and me.

So the wealth we leave behind is the wealth that we worship. It is the love of money, when it become a god for us–that is what we must leave behind, because it is a competing god. Mammon–money, possessions, and “stuff”–is a false god that cannot save. The only God who can save us is the one true God, the triune God, Father, Son, and Spirit.

So to enter God’s kingdom, there is a wealth we must leave. But when we do, there is a wealth we receive. Peter remembers how Jesus had told the rich young ruler to leave his wealth behind and to come follow him. Well, these disciples had left their fishing boats and so forth. So Peter says, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” To which Jesus replies, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.”

What is the wealth we receive when we enter the kingdom? Jesus lists three types of things we receive in abundance. First, in place of all the stuff and people we leave behind, we gain a hundredfold. “There is no one . . . who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands.” Notice, Jesus says we receive it “now in this time.” What on earth does Jesus mean by this?

What it means is, when you enter the kingdom you gain a whole new set of people and resources, in the form of the church. The church is God’s family, here in this place and all around the world. When you come into the kingdom, you come into a family of caring people who help each other out. In that sense, you do gain a hundred times as many “houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands.” Some of the family members who are here to help you, you can see around you in the pews. These are your brothers and sisters. At the same time, they are the ones who may need your help from time to time. This is why it is important for all of us to be here, in church, physically present, so we can know and share our needs and our loving help with one another.

So the first wealth you receive when you enter the kingdom is the multiplication of your resources and relationships in the form of the church. The second thing you will receive in abundance, though, is something you may not want. And that is, “persecutions.” Jesus says you receive a hundredfold now in this time houses and brothers and sisters, etc., and then he adds, “with persecutions.” Dear Christians, because you belong to Christ–note how Jesus says, “for my sake and for the gospel”–because you belong to Christ, you will receive persecutions. Being a Christian in this world is not easy. Jesus tells us that in advance. But know that it is Jesus who is telling you this. He it is who suffered and died to win you victory over your enemies–the devil and the world and death itself.

And that brings us to the last type of wealth you receive when you come into the kingdom. Jesus tells us what it is: “and in the age to come eternal life.” This wealth is the greatest wealth there is. It is a super-abundance of life. Life in the highest quality, life in the greatest quantity. Everlasting life, perfected and restored, life extended into an unending eternity. Friends, there is an age to come that we do not see yet. There is an age coming when our Lord Jesus Christ will return and raise us from our graves and give us glorious, immortal bodies. This will be eternal life, lived in perfect harmony with God and all his saints. No more sin, no more sorrow. Streets paved with gold. Gates made of pearl. No more hunger or thirst, no more tears or heartache. “In the age to come eternal life.”

The wealth we leave when we follow Jesus in faith–that wealth is deceptive and fleeting. Moth and rust destroy, thieves break in and steal. Money makes a lousy god. It doesn’t last, and it cannot save you. But oh, what wealth we receive when we enter the kingdom of God! We gain a hundredfold, now in this time–all our brothers and sisters in Christ’s church. We receive persecutions, also, because we belong to Christ. But that is more than offset by the eternal life we will receive when Christ returns. All this is the wealth we receive when we enter the kingdom of God. What a treasure we have, what riches we possess, through Christ our Savior!

“If I were a rich man. . . .” Well, come to think of it, I am! And so are you!

Guest Pastor: Rev. Matthew Wood

Old Testament: Amos 5:6-7, 10-15

Epistle: Hebrews 3:12-19

Holy Gospel: Mark 10:17-22

Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Pastor Thomas Reeder

Genesis 2:18-24

Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
September 26, 2021

“Oh That We Had Meat to Eat!” (Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29)

“Oh that we had meat to eat!” Oh that we had meat we could afford to buy! Have you looked at the price of meat lately? I have. I was at the grocery store the other day, and the prices for all kinds of meat are very high right now: steak, ground beef, pork, even chicken. It confirmed what I read in a news article recently. Prices for meat have skyrocketed this year. Across the nation, beef prices have surged a whopping 12% over the last year. Pork prices have jumped almost 10%. Chicken, 7%. Looking at those price increases might almost drive one to becoming a vegan. Well, almost. I wouldn’t go that far.

“Oh that we had meat to eat!” But we would not be the first ones to cry that. The ancient Israelites said the same thing back during their wilderness wanderings. And they said it as a complaint against God and against his servant Moses. We heard it in the Old Testament reading for today from Numbers 11. “Now the rabble that was among [the children of Israel] had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, ‘Oh that we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.’”

“Oh That We Had Meat to Eat!” Was it just the ancient Israelites who complain like this? Or maybe we do too. Our text today serves as both a warning and an encouragement for us. It’s a warning against ingratitude and unbelief. But it’s also an encouragement for us to find our forgiveness in Christ and to give thanks to God for how he does provide for us.

My friends, you and I are like those Israelites. We too complain against God. We too cry out, in one way or another, “Oh that we had meat to eat!” Or maybe it’s not meat. “Oh that we had more money in our bank account!” “Oh that I had a new car!” Or a boat. Or a new kitchen counter. Whatever. We’re never satisfied with what we have. In that respect, we’re a lot like the children of Israel.

Now their situation was like this: The Lord had led his people Israel out of bondage in Egypt, through his servant Moses. God was bringing them up to the land he had promised to their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Israel had seen the Lord’s faithfulness to his promises of old. The Lord had heard their cry for deliverance. He remembered his promises. And he brought them out of bondage with a mighty hand. He brought them to Sinai and made a covenant with them there. He stayed with them, even though they had shown themselves to be an adulterous people. The Lord provided for them along the way in the wilderness, on the way to the Promised Land. He provided manna from heaven, quail in the desert, and water from a rock. He had done these things for them for years now, and he would continue to do so. The Lord was more gracious to them than they deserved. And he had promised them that the land he would bring them into would be a land flowing with milk and honey and all sorts of goodness and abundance.

And yet they complained. They grumbled and groused and kvetched. They complained that the Lord’s provision was not as good as the food they remembered from back in Egypt. “We’re sick of this manna,” they murmured. “At least back in Egypt we had tastier food!” The irony, of course, was that back in Egypt they were slaves! And here the Lord had given them freedom and was bringing them up to a good land where they would have plenty of food. Yet they wanted to go back to Egypt. That was more familiar to them, even though it meant slavery. So they griped and groused and grumbled.

As I say, this is a picture of us. We too grumble and grouse and gripe. We complain and murmur. If we didn’t have something to complain about, we’d probably complain about that! “Why doesn’t God give us more to complain about? We’re feeling a little short-changed here, God!” What an unruly, ungrateful flock we can be!

But not content just to complain against God, Israel also took it out on their pastor, Pastor Moses. He made a convenient target. Now I don’t want to turn this into a pastor’s pity party here, because every pastor knows there are things he could have done better. But the point is, when we grumble against God, we often take out our frustrations on the people around us. It’s been like that from the beginning. Adam blamed Eve and thus was blaming God, who had given the woman to him. Eve, in turn, blamed the serpent. You and I always want to blame somebody else for our own failings and shortcomings.

We grumble and complain, we fight and quarrel. Like Israel, we wanna go back to Egypt. We’re tempted to return to the ways of the world. We think the grass is greener there. Oh, we have seen the Lord’s faithfulness. We have heard his promises. We have received his provision. Yet we want to go back to Egypt. We would rather return to slavery of sin. At least that seemed familiar. Our old nature wants to go back to the ways of the world. The worldlings we know are our friends and neighbors. We want to fit in and blend in. We want to be like them. The surrounding culture calls out to us, like a seductive siren beckoning us to the rocky shoals. So we say, “Who needs church? Who needs this wilderness waybread that we get here? We’re tired of this, this–what is it, ‘manna’? ‘Oh that we had meat to eat!’ Let us go back to the fleshpots of Egypt!”

Think about how we envy the people of this world: “Why, they have their weekends entirely free! They don’t feel like they have to go to church! Hey, I could sleep in on Sunday mornings!” “You know, the people of this world have a lot more disposable income to spend on things they want, like new cars and boats and kitchen counters. They don’t get guilted into putting their hard-earned money into the offering plate!” “Think of it! Nobody would ask me to serve in some church office! Wouldn’t life be great!” “No more dusty old hymns and the boring old liturgy. Who needs all that sin-and-grace stuff? No, if I’ve gonna have a little dab of religion, I’d rather have stuff that appeals to my self-interest. A church that offers entertainment, lots of programs, and maybe a fitness center. Word and Sacraments? No, bread and circuses!” “Oh that we had meat to eat!”

The warning for us here is that we not fall back into unbelief. If we tire of God’s ways and long for the ways of the world, the danger is, we may just get what we wish for. And that would be a disaster. It is better for us to enter into life subsisting on the manna that God gives than to feast on the fatness of the world and be cast into hell. The journey that God leads us on may not always be easy or luxurious, but it is the only path that leads to life.

And so here also is the encouragement for us. Our gracious God does not cast us aside, even though we have grumbled and complained against him. For there is one who makes intercession for us. Just as Moses interceded for Israel, so our Lord Jesus Christ intercedes for us. Jesus pleads on our behalf that we would be saved eternally, and we are! We are saved from God’s righteous anger against ungrateful grumblers. By grace we are saved for everlasting life in the Promised Land of heaven. Christ our ascended Savior even now is interceding for us. His holy blood pleads for us before God’s throne of grace.

Moses felt the burden of the sins of his rebellious people. In a much greater way, Jesus bore the burden of the sins of the whole world and carried that unbearable burden to the cross. There he bled and died for us. Now the weight of sin is lifted from our shoulders, and we are free. Hell holds no terror for us. Satan has no power over us. The Holy Spirit renews our minds and hearts. He renews our words and our attitudes. God’s promises enliven our steps and lift our drooping spirits, as we wend our way through the wilderness of this world. The sure hope of heaven lifts our vision beyond the horizon of the humdrum. The lifeblood of love flows through our veins, and we now are able to love others with the love we ourselves have received from God.

Brothers and sisters, Christ Jesus is your freedom and contentment. Jesus is your provision along the way. He is your promise of the sweet and blessed country to come. He cleanses you from complaining and gives you grace in place of grumbling. Jesus is the living bread that comes down from heaven. Eat of his flesh by faith, and you shall live forever.

Instead of grumbling, now our mouths will be filled with an attitude of gratitude. Meat prices may be up, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to starve. We still have more than enough to eat. “The eyes of all wait upon Thee, O Lord; and Thou givest them their meat in due season.” Yes, you and I believe that God “gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life.”

And on top of all those First-Article gifts, God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ. We have forgiveness, life, and the sure hope of everlasting salvation. So, what do we have to complain about? Not much. Not nearly enough to outweigh the eternal blessings that are ours, as we make our way through the wilderness to the Promised Land.