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Lent 1, March 9, 2025
Text: Romans 10:8b–13
Theme: God’s truth: easy and powerful
Other Lessons: Deuteronomy 26:1–11; Psalm 91:1–13; Luke 4:1–13

(A) In the Name of the Father…Amen.
(B) The Epistle reading serves as our sermon text for this morning.
(C) Grace, mercy, and peace be yours from God the heavenly Father through
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
(D) Memory verses!
Romans 10:9–10 (NASB95)
9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your
heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and
with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
So far the reading of our text.
(E) Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pray:
LSB 587:1-2 I Know My Faith Is Founded
1 I know my faith is founded
On Jesus Christ, my God and Lord;
And this my faith confessing,
Unmoved I stand on His sure Word.
Our reason cannot fathom
The truth of God profound;
Who trusts in human wisdom
Relies on shifting ground.
God’s Word is all-sufficient,
It makes divinely sure;
And trusting in its wisdom,
My faith shall rest secure.

2 Increase my faith, dear Savior,
For Satan seeks by night and day
To rob me of this treasure
And take my hope of bliss away.
But, Lord, with You beside me,
I shall be undismayed;
And led by Your good Spirit,
I shall be unafraid.
Abide with me, O Savior,
A firmer faith bestow;
Then I shall bid defiance
To ev’ry evil foe.

Introduction

(A) The Hebrew language has a good thing going—in a lot of ways, of course,
but here’s one:
(1) The Hebrew word dabar, which basically means “word,” can also mean
“thing.”
(2) This is helpful because in our thinking, words often don’t mean a lot.
(3) Sayings like:
a) “Ahh, that’s just words.”
b) “Don’t give me words; give me deeds.”
c) “Sticks and stones”, they’ll break my bones, but words, they’ll never
hurt me.”
(4) We really don’t value words very highly.
(5) But now, a dabar, a thing:
a) now that’s got some substance to it.
b) it is something one can hold on to, really use.
c) Hebrew is saying that words are substantial.
(B) In our sermon text for this morning, the apostle Paul is quoting the
Hebrew Old Testament book of Deuteron­omy, when he writes:
Romans 10:8 (NASB95)
8 But what does it say? “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR
HEART”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,
(1) That sounds kind of abstract, doesn’t it?
(2) If he were here right now, we might be inclined to ask:
a) “What word are you talking about, Paul?”
(3) What Paul has in mind is this:
a) that the word we believe in our hearts and speak with our mouths isn’t
abstract at all.
b) It’s got substance,
c) something we can hold on to.
d) Or, to be more precise, He’s got substance, someone we can hold on to.
e) We believe in our hearts, speak with our mouths, even receive in our
lips the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ.
f) Talk about dabar!

(1) God’s truth is easy to understand.
(A) There is a kind of truth that is hard to understand.
(1) Some truth is hard in that it requires us, so to speak, to climb high
up into heaven.
a) That is, we must use the ladder of scientific inquiry:
1) based on observation and theoretical ideas,
2) to create truth statements that will define our physical and tangible
world.
3) For example:
a) How do we know the stars and planets exist?
– using a telescope.
– checking reference materials.
b) How can we be sure 2+2=4?
– That was what we learned in school.
– Direct observation.
b) The problem is that this kind of truth will always be challenged by
some, never be certain. Why?
1) Observations change.
2) Theories are modified.
3) Assumptions are challenged.
(2) Some truth is hard in that it requires us, so to speak, to descend into
the depths of the earth.
a) That is, we must understand what goes on in the depths of the human
heart and mind.
1) Psychologists and sociologists try to analyze and categorize human
behavior.
2) They try to peer into the subconscious to explain why we do things we
shouldn’t do and don’t do things we should.
a) Why is it so hard to keep God as number one in our lives?
b) Why is it so cool to curse and swear, but when it comes to saying
something positive, you’re looked down upon?
c) Why tell a lie when we know that it is better to tell the truth?
b) Deep down in that dark cavern of our souls there are things happening
that are mysterious, downright scary, even to ourselves.
(B) But God’s truth is easy, not hard to understand—first, his truth of the
Law.
(1) The Ten Commandments are simple truth.
a) Turn to page 264 in the front part of the hymnal and we will read the
Ten Commandments together:
Ten Commandments
You shall have no other gods.
You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
Honor your father and your mother.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.
You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant,
his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
(2) As Israel was about to enter the Promised Land, Moses exhorted them
with these words:
Deuteronomy 30:11–14 (NASB95)
11 “For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for
you, nor is it out of reach.
12 “It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for
us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’
13 “Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross the sea
for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’
14 “But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that
you may observe it.
(3) We might ask, “Why did Israel fail to do what God commanded if God’s
commands are so easy?” Did they not understand his commands?
a) They did, as easily as we understand a command to love God above all
things.
b) But just as we cannot make our hearts love God beyond all things because
of the limitations of our sinful nature, so also Israel could not fully
keep God’s law.
(4) When a person realizes he or she cannot fulfill God’s Law, there are
only three options:
a) Give up and run from God (just like what Jonah did).
b) Find ways to pretend we are fulfilling God’s Law (be like the Pharisees:
not practicing what they preached).
c) Despair of fulfilling God’s Law and then seek another way to become
righteous (do more works so God will be happy with me).
(5) Many of the Jews of Paul’s day chose to pretend they were fulfilling
God’s Law, so they rejected God’s other easy-to-understand truth.
(C) God’s other truth is also easy to understand—His Gospel.
(1) It is the easy truth that Paul was proclaiming.
a) He was grieved that his fellow Israelites did not understand it.
Romans 10:1–3 (NASB95)
1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their
salvation.
2 For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in
accordance with knowledge.
3 For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their
own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.
(2) It is the easy truth that Christ is righteousness, the end of the Law,
for all who believe.
Romans 10:4 (NASB95)
4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who
believes.
a) It is not a matter whether:
1) Christ might be the end of the law for righteousness
2) or that He could be .
b) No, He fulfilled the Law completely for us.
c) Then, He died to take our punishment on himself.
(3) It is the easy truth of faith, what does God’s Word say?:
Romans 10:8–9 (NASB95)
8 But what does it say? “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR
HEART”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,
9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your
heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
a) That’s it!
b) Period.
c) Easy.
(D) The truth of the Gospel, though easy to understand, is also hard to
believe.
(1) Therefore, it’s just as vital to remember…

(2) God’s truth is powerful to create faith.

(A) The truth of the Gospel is easy to understand, but for the natural man,
it is hard to believe.
(1) It is unbelievable folly to unbe­liev­ers.
(2) Paul declares in 1 Corinthians 1:
1 Corinthians 1:18–21 (NASB95)
18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but
to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
19 For it is written, “I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE, AND THE
CLEVERNESS OF THE CLEVER I WILL SET ASIDE.”
20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this
age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come
to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message
preached to save those who believe.
(B) The grace of God, God’s undeserved kindness toward us, runs contrary to
our hard-truth way of thinking.
(1) It is so contrary to our natures:
a) to believe that God would save us not by our own works and deeds,
b) but rather by sending His Son into our human flesh to live a perfect
life under the Law to be our substitute and, as our substitute, to die in
our place.
c) it is also contrary to reason that as our substitute, Jesus could unite
our bodies to His body as He rose from the grave to defeat death!
(C) But God’s Word has power to do that thing human reason cannot do:
(1) that is, create faith in God’s easy truth.
a) His Word does not convince us by taking us into the heavens with logic
and scientific observation.
Romans 10:6 (NASB95)
6 But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: “DO NOT SAY IN
YOUR HEART, ‘WHO WILL ASCEND INTO HEAVEN?’ (that is, to bring Christ down),
b) His Word does not create faith by taking us into the depths of the earth
with psychological or sociological proofs.
Romans 10:7 (NASB95)
7 or ‘WHO WILL DESCEND INTO THE ABYSS?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from
the dead).”
c) His Word of truth simply creates faith in the heart when He speaks to
us.
1) His Word has an inherent power to create faith.
a) It creates faith in the hearts of babies.
b) It creates faith in the hearts of broken and sinful human beings who
have transgressed God’s commands and deserve nothing but God’s wrath and
punishment, like that thief on the cross.
2) Paul says later in chapter 10 of Romans:
Romans 10:17 (NASB95)
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

Conclusion

(A) God’s Truth Is Easy and Powerful.
(B) Down the road from this first Sunday in Lent, we will see Christ stand
before Pilate and declare that everyone on the side of truth would listen
to His voice.
(1) Everything Jesus taught would be truth.
(2) It would not be the word of the world or science or philosophy or
psychology.
(3) It would not be the word of governors or kings or presidents.
(4) It would not be the word of doctors or professors or lawyers or
successful business executives.
(C) Just the sweet, simple, and easy-yet-powerful words of Jesus, like
those spoken to Martha:
John 11:25–26 (NASB95)
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes
in Me will live even if he dies,
26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe
this?”
Amen.
(D) Let us pray:
LSB 587:3 I Know My Faith Is Founded
3 In faith, Lord, let me serve You;
Though persecution, grief, and pain
Should seek to overwhelm me,
Let me a steadfast trust retain;
And then at my departure,
Lord, take me home to You,
Your riches to inherit
As all You said holds true.
In life and death, Lord, keep me
Until Your heav’n I gain,
Where I by Your great mercy
The end of faith attain.
Text: Public domain
(E) Philippians 4:7 (NASB95)
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your
hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
(F) Come Lord Jesus, come quickly.
All of us are waiting and none of us will be disappointed.
The Lord continue to bless us,
shine His face on us,
be gracious to us,
that He lift His countenance upon us,
and give us His peace.
(G) In the Name of the Father…Amen.

THE TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR LORD, MARCH 2, 2025
Text: Luke 9:28–36
Theme: Take up your cross!
Other Lessons: Deuteronomy 34:1–12; Psalm 99; Hebrews 3:1–6

(A) In the Name of the Father…Amen.
(B) The Gospel reading serves as our sermon text for this morning.
(C) Grace, mercy, and peace be yours from God the heavenly Father through
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
(D) Memory verse!
Luke 9:35 (NASB95)
35 Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, My Chosen
One; listen to Him!”
(E) Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pray:

LSB 414:1-3 ’Tis Good, Lord, to Be Here

’Tis good, Lord, to be here!
Thy glory fills the night;
Thy face and garments, like the sun,
Shine with unborrowed light.

’Tis good, Lord, to be here,
Thy beauty to behold
Where Moses and Elijah stand,
Thy messengers of old.

Fulfiller of the past
And hope of things to be,
We hail Thy body glorified
And our redemption see. Amen.

Introduction

(A) I’m sure several of you are familiar with the Lord of the Rings by
J.R.R. Tolkien.
(1) The movies are good.
(2) Of course, the books by J. R. R. Tolkien are better, but there again,
the book is always better than the movie.
(B) Tolkien introduces us to a wizard named Gandalf.
(1) Gandalf the wizard does not appear impressive.
(2) He looks old and weathered.
(3) They even call him Gandalf the Grey.
(4) That is until the day his appearance changes completely.
(5) Gandalf the Grey is revealed as Gandalf the White.
(6) His hair and garments and eyes shine like pure light.
(7) The scene sounds suspiciously like Jesus’ transfiguration (Lk 9:28–36).
(8) Maybe it is because Tolkien confessed the Christian faith.
(C) Gandalf’s followers must have wanted the moment to last forever, like
Peter did.
(1) Instead, what does Gandalf do?:
a) he dons an old cloak,
b) covers up his glory,
c) and goes back to work in the world looking downright ordinary.
(D) One moment, Jesus shines like the sun.
(1) The next moment, Peter, James, and John see their teacher in the same
dusty, dingy, threadbare clothes he wore up the mountain.
(E) Gandalf covered his glory because it was the best way to save elves and
dwarves and hobbits.
(1) Jesus covers His glory because it’s the best way to save you and me and
the rest of humanity.
(2) After all, if He had fully used his powers as the glorious God, no one
could have crucified Him.
(3) Gandalf conquers fictional powers of evil.
(4) Jesus conquers actual powers of evil.
(5) No matter how well conceived, Gandalf remains a figment of J. R. R.
Tolkien’s imagination.
(6) Jesus is quite real:
a) the real God who covered His real glory so He could walk down from the
Mount of Transfiguration and trudge up the mountain called Calvary.
b) For you.
c) For me.
(F) Look at the first words of today’s Gospel:
Luke 9:28 (NASB95)
28 Some eight days after these sayings, [Jesus] took along Peter and John
and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.
(1) What is Luke’s point here?
a) He is telling you that you need some backstory to understand the
transfiguration fully.
(2) Fortunately, you don’t have to subscribe to a streaming platform to get
that backstory.
(3) The Bible provides it all.
(4) What was said about eight days earlier?
(5) Jesus said:
Luke 9:22 (NASB95)
22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the
elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the
third day.”
Luke 9:23 (NASB95)
23 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he
must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.
(G) The transfiguration happens because crosses will be taken up.
(1) That’s not the only reason though for the transfiguration.
(2) But it’s one reason.
(3) Before we enter Lent:
a) before we remember how Jesus takes up his cross for us,
b) before we rededicate ourselves to taking up our crosses as we follow
him,
c) the transfiguration teaches us who Jesus is and what He has waiting for
those who believe and trust in Him for salvation.

(1) The transfiguration shows who Jesus is before He takes up his cross for
us.
(A) The transfiguration shows who Jesus is before He takes up his cross for
us.
(1) A soldier looks at Jesus hanging in agony on Golgotha.
(2) The soldier thinks:
a) “That’s yet another criminal paying the price for what he’s done wrong.”
(3) The transfigura­tion says:
a) “Actually, that’s God paying the price for what you’ve done wrong.”
(B) It’s obvious Jesus is just as human as we are.
(1) Why? Because He dies.
(2) Just like we will, unless Jesus returns first.
(3) But the transfiguration makes it clear Jesus isn’t just a human.
(4) That day, His body glowed with glory that could only belong to God
Himself.
(5) It was an epiphany:
a) a revelation that Jesus is God
b) begotten of God
c) and Light begotten of Light.
(6) Our Lord wants to make sure that Peter, James, John, you, and I all
know that the one who will soon hang on a cross has the ability and means
to pay for our sins.
(C) Peter wants to make the moment last as long as possible.
(1) He wants to build three tents.
(2) Jesus could have stayed on the mountain.
(3) He could have said:
a) “I kind of like glowing with glory.”
(4) If Jesus had stayed on the mountain as Peter wanted, He would have been
spared the cross.
(5) And guess what? You would have:
a) no forgiveness,
b) no resurrection,
c) no heaven,
d) no hope.
e) You would have a life filled with sorrow.
f) And then a death to follow filled with hell.
g) So would I.
(D) But Jesus didn’t come to this earth to put Himself on glorious display.
(1) He came to put himself on a gory cross.
(E) Did you notice what Jesus, Moses, and Elijah were talking about on the
mountain?
(1) It was all about Jesus’ departure.
(2) In Greek, the word is ἔξοδος;
a) it’s where we get the word “exodus”.
b) Even while He glowed with transfiguration glory (literally: “a change in
appearance that comes from within,”) and this is where we get the English
word metamorphosis.
(3) With all this, Jesus remained focused:
a) rock solid
b) in business mode
c) and laid aside His glory to set his people free from slavery to sin,
death, and Satan.
(F) That’s His departure (His exodus) from life when He’s crucified.
(1) Even when Jesus shines with glory as God, He is thinking about how He’s
going to accomplish your salvation.
(G) Jesus has an dying love for you.
(1) He goes to the cross, because He knows His death is:
a) the only way God’s justice can be satisfied,
b) the only way we unholy people can be made holy,
c) the only way we can join Him in glory.
(H) You’d think that a dead criminal couldn’t possibly be serving God.
(1) But the transfiguration shows that the dead criminal not only serves
God:
a) the dead criminal is God.
b) That means the price of your salvation is paid.

(2) The transfiguration shows what we will have before we take up our
crosses and follow Him.

(A) But Jesus is not the only one who will take up a cross.
(1) Jesus knows Peter, James, and John will take up their crosses as they
follow Jesus.
(2) And so will you and I.
(3) Jesus takes up a cross literally.
(4) We take them up figuratively.
(B) Our Lord does not say to us:
(1) “If anyone wants to come after me, let them have an easy life and
earthly riches.”
(2) That’s what the popular evangelical preachers say on tv and radio:
a) that you should expect prosperity on earth.
(3) Instead, Jesus suggests that you should expect resistance from the
world:
a) whether or not your heavenly Father grants you prosperity.
Luke 9:23 (NASB95)
23 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he
must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.
b) John suffered years in exile.
c) Peter was executed.
d) James, the first apostle to be martyred, lost his head courtesy of King
Herod Agrippa.
e) Which is to say, James was the first apostle whose soul got to share
Jesus’ transfiguration glory.
f) And when Jesus returns, James’ body as well as his soul will glow like
Christ.
(C) When you say you’re a Christian, people may laugh because you still
believe the Bible is true.
(1) When you resist temptation, your friends may think you’re a prude.
(2) When you talk about your Lord, some people will consider you hopelessly
out-of-date and close minded.
(3) When you take up your cross and follow Jesus, life isn’t likely to be
easy.
(4) Maybe you’ll have the privilege of dying for Jesus.
(5) Yes I said the privilege of dying for Jesus.
(6) What is the twenty-first-century equivalent of Christians being thrown
to the lions?
(7) Whatever that looks like, if you’re asked to endure it, remember the
transfiguration.
(8) The trans­figuration shows what we will have before we take up our
crosses and follow Jesus.
(9) The glory Jesus has on the mountain is glory you will share, but not in
this life.
(10) And when you realize that’s the glory He has waiting for you in
heaven, you’ll be ready to carry whatever cross may be laid on you.
(D) You might ask:
(1) “Why can’t we just cut to the chase, skip all this stuff about
suffering and go straight to glory with Jesus?”
(2) For the same reason Jesus couldn’t skip the cross.
(3) There are people on this earth who need Him.
(4) You and I are the way our Lord cares for those hurting people today.
(5) And you and I are the way He gets the message of sin and a Savior to
all those people out there who don’t realize that Jesus took up His cross
for them.
(E) Peter would live roughly thirty-five years after the trans­fig­uration:
(1) Thirty-five very difficult years.
(2) But nothing that he experienced in all those years, no matter how
horrible, could erase what he saw on that mountaintop.
(3) I don’t know what you’ll be asked to suffer in the future because you
belong to Jesus:
a) but nothing that you will experience as a Christian,
b) no matter how horrible,
c) can erase the promise God gave you when He baptized you into the death,
the resurrection, and transfiguration of His Son.
d) What the Father said about His Son He now says about you because of
Jesus:
1) “You are my child. My chosen one.”
2) Jesus’ glory will be your glory.
(F) And to make sure you know that promise is for you, so you can remain
faithful until death, your Lord at this altar puts into you:
(1) the same body that Peter, James, and John saw transfigured on that
mountain,
(2) the same body that they saw hanging on the cross,
(3) the same body they saw alive on Easter evening in the Upper Room.
(4) Along with the blood that atoned for you.
(G) Pay attention when the Father says:
Luke 9:35 (NASB95)
35 Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, My Chosen
One; listen to Him!”
(1) Listen to Him when He says you must take up your cross to follow Him.
(2) Listen to Him when He says:
a) “The Son of Man must suffer, be killed, and on the third day rise.”
(3) Listen to Him when He says:
a) “I forgive you all your sins.”
(4) Listen to Him when He says:
a) “This is my body given for you” and “This is my blood shed for you.”
(5) Listen to Him when He says:
a) “I will never leave you or forsake you.”
(H) When it gets difficult to carry your cross and live as God’s child—and
it will be difficult—remember the transfigura­tion.
(1) It guarantees that the sufferings of this present time are not worth
comparing to the glory that will be revealed.
(I) You don’t need a streaming service to tell you that.
(1) You know the backstory.
(2) Jesus is transfigured because crosses will be taken up.

Conclusion

(A) The transfiguration tells you that when Jesus takes up His Cross:
(1) That’s God dying to save you,
(2) So before you take up your cross and follow Him,
(3) You know Jesus will share His Glory with you,
(4) His transfiguration glory.
(5) Amen.

(B) Let us pray:
LSB 414:4-5 Tis Good, Lord, to be here

Before we taste of death,
We see Thy kingdom come;
We long to hold the vision bright
And make this hill our home.

’Tis good, Lord, to be here!
Yet we may not remain;
But since Thou bidst us leave the mount,
Come with us to the plain. Amen.
Text: Public domain

(C) Philippians 4:7 (NASB95)
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your
hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
(D) Come Lord Jesus, come quickly.
All of us are waiting and none of us will be disappointed.
The Lord continue to bless us,
shine His face on us,
be gracious to us,
that He lift His countenance upon us,
and give us His peace.
(E) In the Name of the Father…Amen.

EPIPHANY 7, FEBRUARY 23, 2025

Text: 1 Corinthians 15:21–26, 30–42
Theme: Fear not!
Other Lessons: Genesis 45:3–15; Psalm 103:1–13; Luke 6:27–38

Introduction

A. In the Name of the Father…Amen.

B. The Epistle reading serves as our sermon text for this morning.

C. Grace, mercy, and peace be yours from God the heavenly Father through
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

D. Memory verse!

1 Corinthians 15:22 (NASB95)
22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

E. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pray:

LSB 741:1-2 Jesus Christ, My Sure Defense
1 Jesus Christ, my sure defense
And my Savior, now is living!
Knowing this, my confidence
Rests upon the hope here given,
Though the night of death be fraught
Still with many an anxious thought.

2 Jesus, my Redeemer, lives;
Likewise I to life shall waken.
He will bring me where He is;
Shall my courage then be shaken?
Shall I fear, or could the Head
Rise and leave His members dead? Amen.

F. James was a Christian living in Sudan.
1. James watched Muslim soldiers kill his mother, his father, and each of
his siblings.
2. The soldiers told James his life would be spared if he became a Muslim.
3. What would you do if you were James?
4. James knew the life-or-death consequences of his response.
5. James was still a young boy.
6. But James also trusted Jesus.
7. James refused to renounce his Savior.
8. The soldiers threw James into a blazing fire alive.
9. In the end, James survived.
10. But the burn scars will never leave his body.
11. Those burn scars will be honored at the resurrection.

G. Paul tells the Corinthians he fought with wild beasts at Ephesus,
presumably because he would not compromise his faith in Christ.
1. Authorities threatened Paul repeatedly during his ministry.
2. But Paul kept preaching Jesus, even when, eventually, he was killed for
doing so.

H. Do you want to imitate little James and the apostle Paul?
1. What Paul says in our Epistle lesson for this morning will help.
2. Paul is very blunt when he says:

1 Corinthians 15:22 (NASB95)
22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

C. There are only two possibilities.
1. Are you dying with Adam or living with Christ?
2. If you are dying with Adam, you ought to fear!

I. Do Not Fear Living and Even Dying for Christ, Because While in Adam All
Die, in Christ All Will Be Made Alive.

I. We all die like Adam because we all sin like Adam.

A. In Adam, all die.
1. All.
2. No exceptions.
3. You have Adam as an ancestor.
4. So the next time you’re at a funeral, take a good long look at the body
in the casket.
5. Unless Jesus returns quickly, the day is coming when that will be you.

B. You can put me in a solid gold casket, and I’ll be just as dead as if
you bury me in a cardboard box.
1. I can cover your grave with a blanket of beautiful bouquets.
2. The flowers will hide the dirt.
3. But they will not change the fact that you’ll still be a lifeless corpse
six feet under the soil.
4. Because you are connected to Adam.
5. Like I am.
6. In Adam, all die.

C. How does the triage nurse in the emergency room determine if the
unresponsive body that just arrived is dead or alive?
1. Feel for a pulse, right?
2. And check for breath.
3. If possible, maybe find out if there are brain waves.
4. If you have a pulse and breath and brain waves, you have life, right?

D. No!!!
1. Instead, you have death waiting to happen.
2. You started dying the moment you were conceived.
3. So did I.

E. But not Adam.
1. Adam started with life that did not have to end in death.
2. Adam enjoyed a carefree existence.
3. And he could eat from apple trees, peach trees, mango trees, and
especially from the tree of life.

F. God wanted Adam to continue living.
1. So God told Adam not to eat from that one tree, that is, the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil.
2. From the only tree with deadly fruit.
3. God was protecting Adam.
4. God warned that eating that fruit would kill Adam.
5. Maybe Adam did not believe the consequences could be that dire.
6. God says ignoring His Commandments will kill us.
7. But we’re tempted to believe the consequences could not be that dire.
8. So we sin.
9. And we die.

G. You can try to blame Adam all you want.
1. After all, you inherited sin from him.
2. But Adam isn’t the one listening to the devil when you break one of the
Commandments.
3. You are.
4. Adam isn’t the one who’s harboring anger in his heart toward the person
who makes you mad.
5. Adam doesn’t force you to curse.
6. Or lie.
7. Or covet.
8. Adam is not the one afraid to live for Jesus, because he is dead.
9. You are.

H. You and I are in Adam.
1. And in Adam all die.
2. There is nothing you can do to stop or reverse that reality.
3. As Paul says, we might as well:

1 Corinthians 15:32 (NASB95)
32 If from human motives I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, what does it
profit me? If the dead are not raised, LET US EAT AND DRINK, FOR TOMORROW
WE DIE.

D. Indulge in those sinful desires while you can before you die.

II. But Christ died our death for us, so in Christ all will be made
alive.

A. Unless we have another Adam.
1. Unless there is a human like Adam but unlike us, an Adam who starts life
without any of our sinful inclinations.
2. This Second Adam needs to do what the first Adam failed to do.
3. That is:
a. Heed God’s warnings.
b. And resist every enticement of the devil.
c. On top of this, the Second Adam would have to do something even more
unlikely.
d. He’d have to be willing to die for people who ignore His warnings.

B. Jesus is the Second Adam who volunteers to pay your sin debt in full.
1. Even when your account says you need to die in order to pay your debt.
2. He takes the blame for the sin that kills you.
3. Your sin kills Him instead of you.
4. That in turn leaves you sinless.

C. That is why we clothe the newly baptized in white.
1. It’s also why we cover the bodies at each Christian funeral with a pall.
2. The pall used here at church is white, to tell you the body beneath it
belongs to a purified, baptized child of God.
3. That pall reflects the fact that body beneath it was washed clean and
made white in the blood of the Lamb, the Second Adam.
4. The pall also reminds us where that blood was shed.
5. Someday a pall may cover your dead body.

D. Maybe the pall should also include an altar, where your Lord puts into
your mouth His body that rose from the dead and His blood that pays the
debt it would have taken an eternity for you to pay in hell.

E. In Adam, all die.
1. But you have already died.
a. With Christ.
b. In Baptism.
c. Now in Christ will all be made alive.

F. That’s why when Paul speaks of Christians who have died, he sometime
calls them asleep.
1. Make no mistake; the bodies of Christians die.
2. The wages of sin is death.
3. We will collect our paycheck for the wages we deserve.
4. But when you are in Christ, that death is not permanent.
5. It is only temporary.
6. Like sleep.

G. One Greek word for resurrection (egeirō) means “to be awakened.”
1. If you die before our Lord’s final advent, before the day Jesus returns,
picture Him reaching down into your grave, tapping you on the shoulder, and
saying, “It’s time to wake up.”
2. Then you will wake up from death just like you wake up each morning.
3. You will get up out of your grave like you get up out of your bed.
4. Because whether you’ve been dead only a few minutes or for a few
centuries at His return, you still will be linked to the risen Christ
through your Baptism.
5. And in Christ, all will be made alive.

H. You no longer have death hanging over you, waiting to happen.
1. You have life waiting to be lived, now in this old creation and fully in
the new creation.

I. Yes, death hurts.
1. Death separates you from the people you love.
2. Death is a blot on God’s good creation.
3. So despise death.
4. But do not fear death.
5. Death has been conquered by Christ’s death.
6. Death will be undone.
7. In Christ will all be made alive.

J. That is why James (the boy in the opening illustration) did not have to
fear death when the soldiers threatened to kill him.
1. That is why Paul did not have to fear death when he faced the wild
beasts.
2. That is why you could say at your confirmation,
a. “I am ready to suffer anything, even death, rather than compromise my
confession of faith.”
3. That’s why you can love your enemies instead of hating them.
4. Like Joseph did.
5. His brothers sold him into slavery.
6. But Joseph did not hold it against them.
7. He believed in the God who uses evil to accomplish good, who uses the
evil of death as the gate to life with Him.
8. You are in Christ.
a. Even if they kill you for being a Christian, you won’t stay dead.
b. Not permanently.

K. Perhaps that is why in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul does not say the bodies of
believers are buried.
1. He says they’re planted, “sown” (v 42).
2. Maybe we’ve been using the wrong word.
3. We talk about burying Christian bodies.
4. Maybe we should join Paul in saying we plant them.
5. When you bury something, you put it in the ground and expect it to stay
there.
6. When you plant something, you put it in the ground and expect it to come
out again.
7. We plant the bodies of baptized believers in Christ.
8. That’s why we do not need to fear living for Christ or dying for Him.

L. It’s true that in Adam all die, but in Christ all shall be made alive.

M. Think about this for a moment.
1. In reference to last week’s Epistle lesson, which is right before
today’s text and is connected with what we hear today:
a. If Christ is not risen, then our preaching is in vain:
1. If there is no resurrection, then Jesus is not risen, and Paul and the
other apostles have preached in vain. There is no real, resurrected Jesus
whom they serve.
b. Worse, if Christ is not risen, then we are found false witnesses of God.
1. If there is no belief in the resurrection, and if Jesus did not rise
from the dead, then the apostles are liars.
c. Worse yet, if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still
in your sins!
d. Let’s follow Paul’s logic point-by-point:
1. If there is no principle of resurrection, then Jesus did not rise from
the dead.
2. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, then death has power over Him and
defeated Him.
3. If death has power over Jesus, He is not God.
4. If Jesus is not God, He cannot offer a complete sacrifice for sins.
5. If Jesus cannot offer a complete sacrifice for sins, our sins are not
completely paid for before God.
6. If my sins are not completely paid for before God, then I am still in my
sins.
7. Therefore, if Jesus is not risen, He is unable to save you or me.
e. Worse still, if Christ is not risen, then those who have fallen asleep
in Christ have perished.
1. If there is no belief in the resurrection, then the dead in Christ are
gone forever.
f. Worst of all, if Christ is not risen, then in this life only we have
hope in Christ, and we are of all men the most pitiable.
1. If there is no belief in the resurrection, then the whole Christian life
is a big pitiful joke!
2. If we don’t have something beyond this life to look forward to, why
hassle with the problems in being a Christian?
3. One might as well renounce their faith right here and now!

Conclusion

A. This year will see the eightieth anniversary of the end of World War II;
the last allied bombs fell on Germany in April 1945.
1. Yet each year, over two thousand tons of unexploded bombs are still
discovered in Germany, often imbedded underground where they landed and
uncovered in excavations for new building projects.
2. All these decades after the war’s end, these unexploded bombs still have
the potential to kill.
3. A German government unit known as the KMBD has the dangerous job of
defusing them.

B. Some two thousand years ago, Jesus’ death and resurrection won the war
against Satan and sin.
1. Yet we still die:
a. sometimes suddenly, unexpectedly.
b. But not forever.
c. When Christ returns, death itself will finally be defused.

1 Corinthians 15:26 (NKJV)
26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. Amen.

C. Let us pray:
LSB 741:6-7 Jesus Christ, My Sure Defense

6 Then take comfort and rejoice,
For His members Christ will cherish.
Fear not, they will hear His voice;
Dying, they will never perish;
For the very grave is stirred
When the trumpet’s blast is heard.

7 Laugh to scorn the gloomy grave
And at death no longer tremble;
He, the Lord, who came to save
Will at last His own assemble.
They will go their Lord to meet,
Treading death beneath their feet.
Text: Public domain

D. Philippians 4:7 (NASB95)
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your
hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

E. Come Lord Jesus, come quickly.
All of us are waiting and none of us will be disappointed.
The Lord continue to bless us,
shine His face on us,
be gracious to us,
that He lift His countenance upon us,
and give us His peace.

F. In the Name of the Father…Amen.

EPIPHANY 5, FEBRUARY 9, 2025
Text: Luke 5:1–11
Theme: Jesus nets a sinner
Other Lessons: Isaiah 6:1–8 (9–13); Psalm 138; 1 Corinthians 14:12b–20

A. In the Name of the Father…Amen.

B. The Epistle reading serves as our sermon text for this morning.

C. Grace, mercy, and peace be yours from God the heavenly Father through
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

D. Memory verses!

Luke 5:8–11 (NASB95)
8 But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go
away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!”
9 For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch
of fish which they had taken;
10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with
Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear, from now on you will be
catching men.”
11 When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and
followed Him.

This is the Word of the Lord.

E. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pray:

LSB 902:1-2 Lord Jesus Christ, Be Present Now

1 Lord Jesus Christ, be present now;
Our hearts in true devotion bow.
Your Spirit send with light divine,
And let Your truth within us shine.

2 Unseal our lips to sing Your praise
In endless hymns through all our days.
Increase our faith and light our minds;
And set us free from doubt that blinds.

Introduction

A. A pastor gets a phone call from a woman who had been recently mauled by
her neighbor’s dogs.
1. She wasn’t a member of his congregation or a Christian, but he agreed to
meet her and talk about her ordeal.
2. She limped into his office with jagged stitches on her face and bandages
on both arms and legs.
3. “It’s karma,” she said.
4. “I’ve done some terrible things in my life, and now I have to pay the
price.”
5. Sadly, she was convinced karma wasn’t finished with her yet.
6. Her sins were far worse than the punishment of a few dozen dog bites.

B. It was an average busy morning for the young father—getting his daughter
dressed and fed so he could drop her off at school and head to work.
1. But he heard something strange when he turned on the radio for the
traffic report.
2. An airplane had just crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade
Center in New York.
3. After he dropped off his daughter at school, he heard that a second
plane had crashed into the other tower and that our country was under
attack.
4. He turned around and got back home just in time to see, on live TV,
first one and then the other tower collapse in a great heap.
5. For the very first time in his life, the young man got down on his
knees, clasped his hands together, and cried out: “Oh, God, please help
us.”
6. But then, remembering all the bad things he’d done in his life, he
stopped praying and began to weep.
7. No one had ever told him about Jesus.

C. This was a moment for a fisher of men to tell these people that Jesus
came to save sinners, like himself and St. Peter (Lk 5:8–10).

A. Where can a sinner turn for help from a guilty conscience?

A. It turns out this poor woman in the first illustration was not looking
for a Christian pastor but a religious guru to give her a list of things to
do that might soothe God’s anger.
1. What else could she do but wait in fear for the hammer to fall again?

B. She is an extreme example of a malady that is all too common:
1. living in the world with a guilty conscience.
2. You don’t have to be a religious person to have this debilitating
disease.
3. No one needs the Ten Commandments to know things like lying, cheating,
stealing, and hurting other people are wrong:
a. and that you deserve to be punished for doing them.
4. A guilty conscience is all about living in fear:
a. fear of losing the respect of others,
b. of losing your spouse,
c. or job.
d. It’s the terrifying prospect of seeing your face on a YouTube video with
thousands of comments underneath:
1. all condemning you for the secret you’re so desperate to hide.
2. The worst thing is the isolation.
3. You can’t have a genuine relationship with the people around you or with
God.
4. Even when the dogs are biting, you can’t cry out to God for help,
because His job is to make sure you pay for your sins.

C. It’s like being on a raft all by yourself in the middle of the ocean.
1. The sun is beating down on you, and there’s no land in sight and no one
to call for help.
2. You spend your days waiting for the next big wave or storm to dump you
out of the boat into the deep water where the hungry sharks are waiting.

D. Where can a sinner go for help when all they think about is how God only
exists to even the score?
1. There are far more people living this way than we realize.
2. They’ve grown used to it as a way of life.
3. But it’s a sad life of fear and isolation:
a. waiting for the day when karma will catch up.

B. The problem is worse than most people think.

A. People with a guilty conscience understand God is good and that they are
not good, because they’ve done bad things.
1. Most people think that we’re called sinners because we sin.
2. But God says we sin because we are sinners.
3. And that is far worse.

B. Nelson Mandela (social rights activist, politician, and philanthropist)
is quoted as saying:
1. “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin,
or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they
can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more
naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”
2. This sounds all nice and hopeful, doesn’t it?
3. But is it really as easy as saying “stop hating” and “start loving”?
4. The Bible says the opposite is true.
5. The Ten Commandments teach people to stop hating and start loving, but
God says the Law can only reveal the disease and cannot cure it.
6. Our fallen human nature is incapable of loving God or loving one another
as we should.
7. By nature, we love ourselves:
a. and our charity for others extends only until it gets in the way of
loving ourselves, even if loving ourselves just means giving ourselves a
good feeling for being so generous.

C. People who try to become right with God by following the Law are
fighting a losing battle against the symptoms without seeking the cure for
the disease.
1. Where does it leave people who try and try to stop doing the things that
make them feel guilty:
a. only to discover that the harder they try, the more they’re drawn to do
those very things?
b. If you had a fruit tree that kept producing sour, rotten fruit,
eventually you’d decide there’s something wrong with the tree.

D. The problem is not just that we’ve done bad things;
1. it’s far worse than that.
2. God is light, and we are darkness.
3. God is fire, and we are ice.
4. In our fallen human nature, we are incompatible with God, and there’s
nothing we can do about it.
5. That’s why, as soon as Peter realized who was on his fishing boat, he
fell on his knees and begged Jesus to go away:

Luke 5:8 (NASB95)
8 But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go
away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!”

E. Most people believe the problem of sin is as easy to solve as teaching
people to “stop hating” and “start loving.”
1. They are sadly mistaken.
2. Unlike most people, Peter understood the problem was far worse.
3. We sin because we are sinners.

C. But when Jesus caught a sinner in His net, it lifted the burden of guilt.

A. Peter was afraid because he realized behind the human flesh of the rabbi
Jesus burned the terrifying glory of God.
1. What he didn’t realize was that God took on human flesh to cure the
debilitating disease of sin.
2. In Jesus, God Calls Terrified Sinners into His Wonderful Net.

B. Peter was a fisherman who’d had a terrible night of fishing.
1. Over and over, he’d cast his nets into the deep, dark water, only to
pull them up empty.
2. The next morning, he was on the shore cleaning his nets when Jesus asked
to use his boat for a pulpit.
3. Peter had a front-row seat at church that morning, listening to the word
of God from the mouth of the famous rabbi.
4. When the sermon was over, the preacher told the fisherman:

Luke 5:4 (NASB95)
4 When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep
water and let down your nets for a catch.”

E. Peter’s response?:

Luke 5:5 (NASB95)
5 Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught
nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.”

F. It is as if Peter said to Jesus:
1. “I’ll do it.
2. But I think you should leave the fishing to me.
3. I guarantee you there are no fish out there.”

C. That’s when it happened.
1. No sooner had those nets hit the water that they were filled to the
breaking point with fish:
a. so many fish they had to call their partners in the other boat for help;
b. so many fish that both of those boats were sinking from the weight of
them.
c. You would think Peter would beg Jesus to go fishing with him every day.
d. But Peter didn’t see dollar signs when he looked at all those fish.
e. He saw danger.
f. It was far worse for him than seeing your darkest secret exposed on
YouTube.
g. Holy God was with him in the boat!
h. Peter fell down on the deck with those flopping fish and begged:

Luke 5:8 (NASB95)
8 But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go
away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!”

D. Like those fish out of water, Peter was waiting to die, and in a way,
the old sinful Peter did die.
1. But then God breathed new life into him with a word:

Luke 5:10 (NASB95)
10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with
Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear, from now on you will be
catching men.”

B. By that powerful word, God lifted the burdens of guilt and sin from
Peter’s shoulders.
C. Peter was no longer afraid of God’s presence.
D. He longed to be as near to God as he could.
E. He left everything behind to follow Jesus.

E. Jesus went fishing for men that day.
1. He cast the net of His powerful word into the deep water of this world
and pulled a terrified sinner up onto the boat.
2. What a wonderful thing to be caught up in Jesus’ net!

F. Peter was afraid when he realized who was on the boat with him.
1. What he didn’t realize was why Jesus stepped onto his boat.
2. God had come to cure him of the disease of guilt and sin.
3. His fear melted away when he heard the word of Jesus.

D. Then Jesus called Peter to catch you too!

A. Jesus said to him, “From now on you will be catching men.”
1. Like the prophet Isaiah in our Old Testament Reading, God sanctified the
lips of Peter and the other apostles to preach His powerful, holy Word.
2. From the boat that is the church, Peter cast the net of the Gospel into
the deep water, and God pulled billions of human beings onto the deck.

B. The Good News Peter preached is that God sent his glorious Son to take
on human flesh so that he could take human sins onto Himself:
1. your sins,
2. and Peter’s sins,
3. and the sins of the whole world
4. take them with Him and die on a cross,
5. and on the third day rise again.
6. Jesus absorbed every bit of God’s anger the moment He died.
7. Not only that, but when God baptized you into Jesus’ death, the old
sinful you also died, and a new person arose.
8. The only cure for the disease of sin is death and resurrection:
a. and that is exactly what Jesus gave to you in Baptism.
b. Cured of the disease, you can confidently call on God in every situation.
c. It doesn’t mean you won’t struggle with your old sinful nature;
d. it means the new you will seek God’s help when you do struggle.
e. The deck of the boat that is the church is where you find that help.

C. Oh, what a wonderful thing to have been caught in Jesus’ net!
1. God has taken the heavy burden of guilt and fear from your shoulders and
given you new life.
2. Instead of running away from God, you now long to be as close to Him as
you can.

D. Jesus said to Peter, “From now on you will be catching men.”
1. This text has “pictures”, snapshots of what the Church is all about:
a. Boat: the “cargo” are the members of the church.
b. Lake: the world, where the “fish” (those needing to be saved are
located).
c. The deep: where those who are so far away from the fisherman they think
they can’t be caught.
d. The net: The Word of God (the Gospel) by which we are all saved:
1. The good fish: those who receive the Word, believe it and are saved.
2. The bad fish; those who receive that same Word, reject it, and are
thrown away (condemned to die).
e. The fish: All people, regardless of race, language, tribe, or
nation–all to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.

E. And now we also have a net to cast for desperate sinners.

A. And now Jesus has put the net into our hands.
1. Peter said it this way:

1 Peter 2:9 (NASB95)
9 But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE
FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him
who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
A. Like Isaiah,
B. like the apostles,
C. God has sanctified your lips to speak His powerful, holy Word to
suffering sinners.

Conclusion

A. One has to wonder how many people are out there living with the terrible
disease of a guilty conscience.
1. How many are living in fear of being discovered, waiting for karma to
catch up?
2. How many don’t know that God loves them and wants to help them?
3. We will never know unless we cast the net.

B. We have the cure in our hands.
1. God sanctified our lips to speak His powerful, holy Word to suffering
sinners.
2. There is still room on the boat.
3. In order to speak that Word, we have to know it and study it.
4. If we say we are “of” the Word, then we better be “in” it, whether that
be pastor or laity.

C. Perhaps, as you look around church and community, you may think:
1. Pastor, the water around here has been all fished out.
2. We’ve thrown out our nets and drawn up nothing for a long time now.
3. You know what Jesus would say, don’t you?
a. Keep fishing! Amen.

D. Let us pray:

LSB 902:3-4 Lord Jesus Christ, Be Present Now
3 Then shall we join the hosts that cry,
“O holy, holy Lord Most High!”
And in the light of that blest place
We then shall see You face to face.

D 4 All glory to the Father, Son,
And Holy Spirit, Three in One!
To You, O blessèd Trinity,
Be praise throughout eternity!
Text: Public domain

E. Philippians 4:7 (NASB95)
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your
hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

F. Come Lord Jesus, come quickly.
All of us are waiting and none of us will be disappointed.
The Lord continue to bless us,
shine His face on us,
be gracious to us,
that He lift His countenance upon us,
and give us His peace.

G. In the Name of the Father…Amen.