4/24/11 - Easter Sunday - Luke 24:36-45

AMEN! SO BE IT!

The History of “Amen”

The Lord’s Prayer is familiar to every Christian. It is recited in almost every worship service, it is repeated in the home, it is taught by Jesus himself two different placed in the pages of Scripture. And the Lord’s Prayer is such a great prayer because it is so short and concise, but all-inclusive all at the same time. It covers a wide range of requests to our Lord in very few words. And whether you are partial to the old King James style of the Prayer with the “thys” and the “thines” or whether you prefer the modern English version, the Lord’s Prayer never changes. We begin with an address to the Father, we make our way through seven petitions (requests) to the Lord, and then we conclude with those familiar words of praise: “the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever.” But we add one more word that that ending, don’t we? We always close that prayer with an “Amen.”
Now the word “Amen” is not exclusive to the Lord’s Prayer of course. “Amen” is used to cap off almost every prayer that we say no matter what the content. But do you know where “Amen” comes from and why we use it so often? It’s not an American thing. And it’s not a phenomenon of the English language either. In fact, it didn’t even originate in the times of the New Testament apostles. The word “Amen” as a response of the people to a prayer or a song or the words of God was used all the way back in the worship life of the Old Testament believers. The prophets, the psalms, and even some of the Old Testament commands all used this word to confirm the truth of what had just been said. That’s what the word “Amen” means after all: “So be it because this is most certainly true.” And if that is what’s being said every time we respond with this simple word, then it is very fitting for us to sing “Amen” at the end of a song or speak “Amen” at the end of a prayer. “So be it! This is most certainly true!” There’s a confidence in that word, a sure conviction that God’s Word is true and it will not fail.

The Disciples’ Insecurity

Jesus’ disciples had certainly said “Amen” quite a few times themselves throughout their lives. And they had made some beautiful confessions of faith and bold statements of trust in their Lord as well. But on Easter Sunday evening Jesus’ disciples weren’t quite that confident. They should have been, but they weren’t all that convinced that God’s Word was true and it was never going to fail for them to utter anything like an “Amen.” Instead, they were hiding in an upstairs room of a house with the doors locked from the inside! Peter and John and James and all of the other living disciples were crowded in that room afraid for their lives! There were no “Amens!” or words of praise being spoken that night; whispers maybe and worries and conjectures, but certainly nothing bold and brave was coming out of their mouths. Their Leader had just been crucified, after all, and those who had murdered him might have been looking for his followers that night. And so the disciples were hiding in that room until it was a little safer to venture out into Jerusalem once again. But:
While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence. He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.
While the disciples hid in that locked room Jesus appeared to them in the flesh! And they didn’t believe it! Jesus actually spoke to them and said, “Peace be with you.” And they still couldn’t believe it! Jesus showed them the nail holes in his hands and his feet. And they still couldn’t believe it! Jesus ate a piece of fish in front of them - and before any more doubts or reservations could be conjured up in their minds, Jesus “opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.” And he began to explain to them that his death and his resurrection was exactly what Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms had spoken about so many years before.
And yet these disciples struggled to come to terms with the fact that Jesus was actually alive and that what he had said had actually come true. Because it had looked so bad all weekend! From Friday morning through that Sunday evening, nothing looked like it had turned out the way Jesus had predicted it would. But now Jesus was standing right in front of them, talking and eating and breathing, and they couldn’t explain away this miracle to end all miracles no matter how hard they tried. Their Lord was alive without a doubt!

Our Insecurities

It always seemed strange to me that these disciples, who were closer to Jesus than anyone else on this earth, first of all didn’t understand that this had to happen and, secondly, that they had such a hard time believing it when it actually did! Didn’t they know better? Hadn’t they taken Jesus had his Word? Weren’t they aware that Jesus could do whatever he wanted to do and he would never let them down? How could they be so blind? How could they be so insecure and untrusting? But then I start thinking about my own life. And I start calling to mind all of those instances when I should have known better and when I should have simply taken Jesus at his Word and when I should have been aware that he could do whatever he wanted to do and that he would never let me down. And I quickly realize that I’m just like those disciples hiding in a locked room on Easter Sunday evening. Because sometimes I don’t exactly trust that the Lord will follow through with what his Word says. Sometimes I struggle to believe that everything is going according to plan - especially at those times when there seems to be no plan! Sometimes I start to question whether everything is going to be OK. Don’t you?
You are a Christian too, are you not? And so you should know your Lord better than most people on this earth. You have heard his Word; you have read his promises; you have believed in his Name. And so why is that when things aren’t going so well you start to doubt what he has said? Why is it that the problems you run into seem to overrule Jesus’ promises? Do you just have a “fair-weather” faith? Do you hop on the band wagon of God’s Word when things are going nicely for you but are ready to hop right off again when life takes a turn for the worse? Does everything have to go perfectly for you or does the Lord have to show you every little thing he has planned for your life before you will confidently and unwaveringly say: “Amen! So be it!” to what the Lord has in mind?
In the end are we really any different than those early disciples of Christ? Are we really any less insecure? Are we really any more dependable? When it comes down to it our faith is just as inconsistent and unpredictable as theirs was. We should be a little more steady on our two spiritual feet, but our lives have proven otherwise. We should always be willing to say “Amen! So be it!” to anything that the Lord allows to happen to us on this earth, but that would take a confidence and a contentment that most of us have rarely showed in our Lord.

Jesus’ Hands

And so look at his hands. Whenever you find yourself doubting his promises or worrying about your future or questioning his love, look at his hands. That’s what he showed his disciples on that Easter evening; and that is what he shows to you on this Easter morning. Look at the nail holes. Look at the dried blood. Look at the undeniable marks of a horrible torture by crucifixion. Did Jesus not promise that he would suffer for you? Did Jesus not promise that he would die for you? Did Jesus not promise that he would rise for you? And look what he did. Look what he did! He did everything he promised he would! He went through with the suffering and the pain and the torture and the death and the burial and the resurrection because that’s what he said he would do. He carried through with all of his promises because our lives depended on it. And that’s what we’re celebrating today.
This morning we are celebrating a fulfillment of promises and a victory with heavenly implications. We are celebrating forgiveness won and eternal life guaranteed. We are celebrating the kingdom, the power, and the glory of our Lord displayed like they have never been displayed before. We are celebrating Jesus’ hands. The hands that were folded together as he prayed so passionately in the Garden of Gethsemane. The hands that were bound as he was led away by the soldiers. The hands that were nailed to a piece of wood. The hands that bled. The hands that fell limp. The hands that were wrapped in burial clothing. But also the hands that were shown to the disciples three days later with those nail holes still in them. The hands that blessed the disciples with those words of peace. The hands that will one day take us home. We celebrate the hands of Jesus on Easter Sunday - once dead, now alive; once nailed, now never failing - never to let us go and never to let us down.

"Amen: This is Most Certainly True"

And so is it any surprise that the early Christians began to celebrate the resurrection of Christ on a yearly basis soon after the original event occurred? Is it any surprise that the early Christians picked Sunday on which to worship the Lord on a weekly basis because that was the day their Lord rose from the dead? Is it any surprise that Easter has been the largest and most popular celebration of Christians for the last two millennia? Easter is one big “Amen” after all! Easter is that great festival of the Christian church year where every truth of God’s Word comes together in one incredible instance. And God’s people come together to confirm that what Jesus has done is true and it is real and it is forever. There is no greater day than Easter Sunday. Because there is no greater moment than that first glimpse into that empty tomb. There is no greater feeling than to know that everything is going to be OK, that not one of God’s promises has failed, that our Lord lives and so will we. Amen to that, right? So be it! This is most certainly true! And let’s say that together, can we? Because it is a confession of faith in our Lord. “Amen! So be it! This is most certainly true!”
Your Lord rose today. He lives. This is most certainly true! So be it!
Amen.

4/22/11 - Good Friday - Matthew 27:50-54

JESUS DIED TODAY

There could be Nothing More Evil

Jesus died today. Actually, by this time of the evening, Jesus would have already been in the grave. Remember that Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had to rush to get Jesus’ body down from the cross, clean it off, wrap it in spices and linens, and then place it in a cave before nightfall because the Sabbath day was to start at dusk. And so by 7 p.m. on that infamous Friday evening, Calvary would have already been deserted, the cross would have been empty, and the tomb would have been occupied.
Regardless of the time frame of the events, the Friday before Easter Sunday is always the day on which we commemorate the anniversary of the death of Jesus. And could we be commemorating anything more evil? Could there have been anything more evil than God’s creatures crucifying their Creator? Could there have been anything more evil than mortal human beings ripping life away from the Life-Giver? Could there have been anything more evil than a betrayal-induced, hate-motivated, corrupt-government-authorized, public torture of the only Innocent Person ever to walk the face of this earth? I can’t think of anything more evil, can you? The cruelty and the brutality and the downright nastiness of what happened to Jesus that day is sickening. And not just his death of course. We have to include the scourging he received from the soldiers, the crown of thorns pressed into his skull, the beating he took over the head with a wooden staff, the punches he received to the face from the Jewish leaders the night before, the spit, the mockery, the humiliation of hanging naked and battered and bleeding in front of his people. It was an awful 24 hours for Jesus. It was evil at its worst.

Remembering His Death is a Reminder of Our Sin

And that’s not something we like to think about, is it? Normally when we bring to mind a family member who has passed away or even do something to remember the anniversary on which a loved one has died, we think about the good things and the fun times and the happy experiences we had with that person, don’t we? We don’t like to bring up the unpleasant memories or any of the terrible things that we might have done to that person when they were alive. But here we have to. Here, on the day we remember the death of our Lord, we have to remember the bad things. We have to deal with the ugliness. We have to talk about us. Because on the anniversary of Jesus’ death our mistakes and our faults and our evils are never clearer.
That’s why Jesus was hanging there in the first place, wasn’t it? We failed him. That’s why he was screaming so loud from excruciating pain: those were the consequences of our sins causing Jesus so much agony. That’s why his own Father left him: he was supposed to leave us. That’s why Jesus’ heart eventually stopped beating and his lungs stopped breathing and his mind stopped functioning: because we messed up and we couldn’t do anything about it. We are responsible for Jesus’ pain there on the cross. We are the reason that God was a corpse for three days. And that’s not something nice to think about either. Remembering Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross isn’t something that should warm your heart and bring a smile to your face. It’s something that should upset your stomach a little bit and bring tears to your eyes. Jesus died today. The life of your God was taken away from him today. What an evil thing! And it was all because of us!

“Deliver Us from Evil”

The very last request we make of our Father in the Lord’s Prayer is: “Deliver us from evil.” And when we pray this petition I would imagine that most of us usually think of the Lord delivering his people from the evils of car accidents and the evils of diseases and the evils of murderers and the evils of natural disasters... And those evils are certainly all included in the 7th petition of the Lord’s Prayer. And the Lord undoubtedly delivers us from many of those unfortunate side effects of sin. But whenever you pray this petition of the Lord’s Prayer in the future, don’t forget to also think about the cross. Because nowhere else did the Lord “deliver us from evil” to such a greater extent than he did while hanging on those two pieces of wood outside of the walls of Jerusalem. There on the cross it was more than a deliverance from accidents or diseases or murderers or disasters. There on the cross it was a deliverance from the searing pains of hell and from a death that never ends and from an eternity of God’s hate and from the evils within ourselves. There on the cross Jesus actually delivered us from ourselves. He saved us from ourselves. Because the evil that festers within our sinful nature would drag us down to hell if not for the cross. It would condemn us if not for the cross. We were part of the evil! We were part of the problem from which we had to be delivered! And so whenever you pray: “Deliver us from evil” - include yourself in that last word. And then include yourself in that first word. Because you have been delivered. You have been rescued. You have been forgiven from all of the evils around you and from all of the evils within. You are saved. You are secured. But only because Jesus died.
“And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people. When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, ‘Surely he was the Son of God!’”

The Effects of Jesus’ Death

Jesus’ death itself wasn’t a good thing. But what happened because of his death was. Things started splitting in half! The temple curtain, the rocks, the tombs of believers… And these things started splitting in half because what Jesus did through his death truly was earth shattering! The sting of sin was sterilized, death and the devil was defeated, and evil - in every form - was ended. This was no normal death! This wasn’t the usual end to an everyday life! In fact, it wasn’t the “end” at all. Jesus’ death was the beginning of life for those who had longed for his coming; it was the beginning of forgiveness for those who would believe; and it was the beginning of a peace that the world at that time had not yet known. The temple curtain splitting in two, the rocks splitting apart, and the tombs splitting open proved it. Jesus’ death had opened the way to life. And nothing was ever going to close it again.
I’m sure you’ve noticed that the hymns are in a minor key. And our worship has a somber tone about it. And Christians for centuries have gotten rid of the Hallelujahs and the candles and sometimes even the singing during this anniversary of our Lord’s death. Because Jesus died today. But that is also why we have hope. Jesus’ death is why we are here tonight as Christians. Jesus death on Friday afternoon is why we can look ahead to Sunday morning. Because we know what’s coming. We know that the tomb that is holding our Savior’s dead body on this Friday night will soon be holding him no more. We know how Jesus will prove to us that his death earlier today actually worked. And so look forward to that celebration. Anticipate what is to come. Because Sunday morning’s dawn is going to shed a glorious new light on this Friday evening darkness. Jesus died today. But we wouldn’t have an Easter if he didn’t. And we wouldn’t have forgiveness either.
Amen.

4/21/11 - Maundy Thursday - Mark 14:37-42

DON'T TAKE TEMPTATION LIGHTLY

Christ’s Warnings to His Disciples

Jesus had warned them. Jesus had warned his disciples about what was to come. On the very night in an upstairs room of a house where he would give out the blessing of the Lord’s Supper for the very first time, Jesus warned Peter that he would fall into sin before the rooster crowed early the next morning. Jesus warned all of the disciples that every one of them would run away from him in the very near future. Jesus even warned them that one among their number would actually betray their Lord and hand him over to his enemies. Jesus had predicted these things to his chosen twelve as they all sat around the dinner table that night so that they might be prepared for what would happen later that evening and what would carry over into the next day. Jesus didn’t want his disciples to go into the next few hours completely blind because he honestly didn’t want them to fall into temptation.
And so after supper they got up from that table and Jesus led them out to a place beyond the walls of Jerusalem where he had often spent time with his disciples in the past: the Garden of Gethsemane. And after taking Peter, James, and John aside so that they could stay up with him and pray, Jesus went just a little farther through the olive grove in order to present his pleas to his Father in private. And the writer Mark records for us, “Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. ‘Simon,’ he said to Peter, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.’ Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him. Returning the third time, he said to them, ‘Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.’”
Jesus had warned these three disciples yet once again: “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” Because Jesus realized what was about to happen. Jesus understood what temptations the disciples would soon face. And he did not want them to take these temptations lightly. He wanted them to be alert. He wanted them to pray for strength. He wanted them understand how dangerous the next few days would be to their faith. Of course, the disciples must not have realized how serious or how close those temptations actually were because instead of taking Jesus’ advice to “watch and pray” they fell asleep three separate times.

“Lead Us Not into Temptation”

“Lead us not into temptation…” we pray in the 6th Petition of the Lord’s Prayer. But it would almost seem as if Jesus did lead these disciples right into the teeth of temptation that night! Because Jesus was the one who had brought them out to the Garden in the first place. Jesus was the one who had allowed them to be there when Judas arrived with the mob. And Jesus was the reason why Peter had wandered into the courtyard later that evening and ended up denying his Lord. Jesus didn’t seem to be doing anything to keep his disciples away from the temptations that attacked them. And that’s right: Jesus didn’t do anything to prevent those temptations from attacking his disciples. But Jesus did not lead them into temptation. It wasn’t Jesus’ desire that they would fall into sin. It was Jesus’ desire that they face those temptations and stand firm. He didn’t tempt them himself; he even warned them, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” He knew that these temptations were right around the corner for his disciples. He knew they would be challenged by them. And he knew they needed help.
And, in fact, that’s what the 6th Petition of the Lord’s Prayer is all about, isn’t it? We do not say: “Lord, take all temptations away from us.” No, there will always be temptations that haunt us in this life. And so instead we pray, “Lord, lead us not into temptation.” And he will not. The Lord will not steer us in the direction of a temptation so that we fall. He never wants us to fall. He never wants us to sin. And so he will continue to strengthen us and encourage us and warn us through his Word about the temptations to come - just like he did for his disciples on that late Thursday night.

Failing to See the Danger

I would hope that we take the Lord’s warning about temptations a little more seriously than the disciples did that evening. I would hope we understand how dangerous they are. I would hope we understand how close they may be. I’m just not so sure we do. I, for one, usually go about my day to day business not all that worried about the temptations that I may face, not too concerned about the sins I might fall into, not even all that aware of what dangers might be lurking just outside my peripheral vision. And that’s a dangerous thing to do: To continue into the unknown without making sure that my footing is secure and that my protection is solid; without constantly going to my Lord in prayer for help and to his Word for guidance and to his love for the forgiveness that I’m most certainly going to need. I really do hope that you have proven to be a little more conscientious about the dangerous temptations out there than I have been.
Because do we think this is a game? Do we think that temptations and the many sins that result from those temptations are no big deal? Of course they’re a big deal! They are damaging to our faith! They are potentially harmful to our salvation! And they are direct violations against the Word of our dear Lord. Falling into a temptation every now and then is not OK. Dabbling in a little sin here and there is not OK. Accidentally tripping over something that entices your sinful nature is not OK. It is life-threatening. It is serious.

Jesus’ Victory over Temptation

Do you think Jesus took temptation seriously? He foresaw the temptations that the disciples would face and he warned them that night no less than four separate times. He prayed in that Garden like no one has ever prayed before - Luke even says that his sweat was like drops of blood pouring off his brow because he was praying so hard. And then when Jesus came back and found his disciples sleeping, he left and prayed again. And then again. Whom do you think he was praying for? He was certainly praying for himself and what he was about to go through. But that also means he was praying for you. And he was praying for me. Because just moments after he returned to his disciples for the third time, it started. His “Passion,” his suffering, started. Judas came. Jesus was arrested. He was tried in the court of the high priest. He was made to stand before Pilate. He was questioned. He was accused. He was beaten. He was flogged. He was mocked. He was led. He was crucified. Do you think there were a few temptations that Jesus had to face during all of that? Of course there were! Hundreds of temptations every step of the way. And Jesus was ready for them. Jesus was ready for those temptations because he took them seriously. And so he prayed and he forged ahead and he suffered and he won. He battled and he conquered every temptation because his disciples certainly couldn’t do it! They had slept and had run away and had denied and had failed. And we certainly can’t do it either! Sometimes we sleep and run away and deny and fail. And so Jesus did it himself. Because he not only took those temptations seriously, he took our salvation seriously. And if winning our salvation, our eternal life, meant undergoing those temptations and suffering the effects of sin and experiencing death itself and being smacked in the face by the devil, then that was what he was going to do. He was willing to take it all so that when we fall into temptation now, the punishment has already been paid for and the consequence has already been carried out. By his victory Jesus has effectively declawed any temptation and has taken the venom out of the serpent’s fangs. Those bites still hurt of course, but they are not deadly. The fight can be rough for us at times, but it will not be fatal.
And so continue to ask the Lord to help you through these bites and these fights of the devil’s attacks. Ask him to guard you against the temptations that will plague you in this life. Ask him to strengthen you against sin’s potency. Ask him to protect you from the dangers that you do not yet know about. And thank him that he already has. Thank him that he took temptation so seriously that he was willing to take all of your temptations for you. And thank him that he took your salvation seriously enough on that Maundy Thursday evening that you never have to worry about again.
Amen.