2016-02-14 – Lent 1 – Sermon: “Temptation” – Luke 4:1-13

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Lent 1, (February 14, 2016)

Luke 4:1-13

TITLE: “Temptation”

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text for today is the Gospel just read from St. Luke chapter four.

Temptation is one of those words that we really don't know what to do with today. In a world and a time when there is no right or wrong, and where ideas such as the devil or angels are quaint superstitions, the idea of temptation is hard to find a place.

Yet here is Jesus, still wet from the waters of the Jordan in His baptism, being led by the Holy Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, while He is tempted by the devil. Now I want you to notice something important here. He isn't tempted by the Holy Spirit. He is led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness where He is tempted by the devil.

But why? Why would God put Jesus into such harms way? And, for that matter, why does our Heavenly Father put YOU into harms way, time after time, in temptation?

That is the question.

Every day the Holy Spirit leads you into the wilderness, where you are tempted by the devil, the world, and your old flesh. Will you love your neighbor as yourself? Will you love the Lord, your God, with your heart, soul and mind? Like our Lord, you, too, are hungry. The day's resources may make you weak. You may not have everything that you need, or at least it may feel like you don't have everything that you need. But our Heavenly Father knows you, and what's more, He knows your neighbor needs you. He knows that every day you have opportunity to love, to show mercy to the loveless and the unloved. You have opportunity time and time again to rejoice in the good the Lord your God has given you. And how do you do this? You do this by showing mercy to those around you, be they friend or foe, neighbor or enemy. You have opportunity to rejoice and give mercy, because Your God has shown mercy to you.

But the problem is that God sends you out to love Him by loving those around you, and you respond with a cold heart. Rather than give your bread to those in need, you feed your own face, not trusting that your Father will provide for you. Rather than working where God has placed you, you long to escape your own wilderness for a place where the grass is greener, and where the cries of those in need are, well, a little better manicured, a little better behaved. Rather than trusting that God will provide and care for you, you hoard and cling and test God by sinning and making Him pick up the pieces of your own mess.

When we hear about Jesus' temptation, what makes it so hard is that we fail to resist the temptation that is put before us over and over again. This is why we pray so often about temptation. Hear again. Luther''s explanation.

Lead us not into temptation.

What does this mean? God tempts no one. We pray in this petition that God would guard and keep us so that the devil, the world, and our sinful nature may not deceive us or mislead us into false belief, despair, and other great shame and vice. Although we are attacked by these things, we pray that we may finally overcome them and win the victory.

The devil, the world, and your own sinful nature all want to deceive you and mislead you. But notice what the goal of these three is. False belief, despair, and other great shame and vice. Finally, temptation is about faith, isn't it? Do you trust that God will do what He promises, or not? Do you believe the lies and act on them, or do you believe the truth and act on it?

You, of course, know the answer. Left to yourself, you would fall into these pits. Truth be told, you wouldn’t fall into them, you would dive into them headfirst! But you, beloved, are not left to yourself. Jesus Christ is the one who is the Victor over sin, death and the devil. He is the victor by remaining faithful to and trusting in the Word of God. And He is the victor by taking these failures of yours and mine into Himself. We spoke last week in the Transfiguration about how Jesus is the One who leads us on the path through the Valley of the Shadow of death. Here we see what that path will be like. And without His aid, without His continual presence and word for you and with you, without all of that, you would be lost, left in the clutches of the Evil One. But thanks be to God, that Jesus Christ is the victor over Satan and His foul temptations.

So what are you to do when you are faced with temptation? What are you to do when you are staring evil in the fact, and know that the next move on your part could be very good, or very, very bad?

  • First, remember and rejoice that the reason you are tempted is because you are in Christ. Satan would not tempt you if you are already His.
  • Second, pray that God would give you guidance, wisdom, and strength to resist the Temptation and to love those around you as He loves you.
  • Third, cling to His forgiveness. Jesus knows your every weakness, for He bears them in His own body. God forgives you for the sake of Jesus Christ, the righteous one. Cling to His forgiveness, for Jesus delivers Himself to you this Day, so that He is the way of escape from temptation to evil.

No matter what may come, no matter how many times you fail, no matter if the world crashes around you and hell itself seems to come knocking at your door, you have a mighty Savior who bears you in weakness. That is who you are, and that’s a pretty good place to be.

In Jesus' name. Amen.

And now the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in true faith to life everlasting. Amen.

Holy Cross Lutheran Church

Rocklin, California

Rev. Todd A. Peperkorn

2016-02-07 – Transfiguration of Our Lord – Sermon: “Changed” – Luke 9:28-36

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Transfiguration Day, (February 7, 2016)

Luke 9:28–36

TITLE: “Changed”

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text for today is the Gospel just read from St. Luke chapter nine.

I can remember as a kid watching spaghetti Westerns. Now for you younguns, there was no spaghetti involved. They were filmed in Italy. They had names like Hang em High or The Good, the Bad, and those Ugly.

Just passing through. That's what you want to be able to say when you are in one of THOSE parts of town. We're not staying. We're just passing through. If you know something is going to be temporary, you can put up with a lot. Why? Because it won't last. Things will be bad, and then it will be over.

In the Bible, there are a couple places we could describe as just passing through. The first is this earth. Because of our sin, this world is not what it should be. We have polluted it, sometimes almost beyond recognition. It is a far cry from the picture of the Garden in Genesis. Instead of love, we have sown hatred. Instead of peace, we have sown war. Rather than caring for one another, we do violence, even to the littlest and least among us.

It is no wonder, then, that all too often, people get tired of the journey through this land. We long for brighter shores, a place where there is no sin, either mine or anyone else's. I often see this longing in the elderly, but you don't have to have many years in order to be weary.

It should come as no wonder, then, that when Jesus is transfigured before Peter, James, and John, that they see this as their chance to pass through this life and to live a life far beyond their own. The text says that as Jesus was praying, his appearance was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. Two men appeared to speak to Him, Moses and Elijah. Now for the Jew, this is something like a religious leader, a celebrity, and your great-grandfather all rolled up into one. They appeared in glory, that is, in the presence of God Himself.

And what did they talk about with Jesus? They spoke of His departure, literally His “ex-hodos,” or Exodus. Jesus, too, was on a journey, and they came to speak to Him of His passing through, and what it would mean.

But Jesus in this journey remains firmly here on earth. Eight days before Jesus’ Transfiguration, we hear Him saying to His disciples:

““The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”” (Luke 9:22 ESV)

One thing that Jesus knows, is that His life and work are centered around the salvation of the world, which meant His rejection and ultimately, His death on a lonely cross outside God’s city of Jerusalem. That is where He is going through. He is, as it were, leading the procession through death and the grave to a new life on the other side.

Now I, for one, rather like that picture, don’t you? Here in this life, in this journey, you have crosses to bear, suffering you undertake for the sake of love and for the sake of God’s kingdom. You don’t know how long the journey is. You can’t see the end. You may not be able to remember its beginning. But no matter what takes place along this path, it is an Exodus, a divine departure through sin and death and into communion with God through His Son, Jesus Christ. That is the path for you, laid out in your baptism and completed in the Lord’s Supper. Here, at that font and at this Table, we get a glimpse of the beginning and the end. Here we can see how God washed us and made us His own, and here we can also see our purpose of eternal life in Him.

But in the meantime, you are actually in the midst of the journey, right now. Sometimes this life is great and easy and full of joy,but at other times, it is sorrow and heartache, pain and suffering. They are all a part of the journey, this way of eternal life in Him.

But here’s the clincher. Whether you are at the beginning or at the end of the procession, Jesus is there. With Moses and Elijah. With angels and archangels. Through thick and thin, and even to death and the grave, Jesus is there. Well, maybe even better would be to say that He is here. I am reminded of the Psalm that many of us learned as children: ”Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23)

So this is the important part. Jesus goes to death and the grave on the cross, so that when you die, you will not be alone. He rises from the dead, so that when you rise, you will be with Him forever. Those aren’t just pious words. That is reality, as sure as the son rises in the morning.

Today we bury our Alleluias and get ready for the great forty days of Lent. Think of it as taking a deep breath before plunging in to a wonderful, beautiful stream. All through Lent you will hear of the mighty deeds of God, and that even though He was rejected and despised, His love for you knows no bounds. It’s worth the deep breath of Lent. It reminds you that you are dust and to dust you shall return, but that you will not remain dust. Your life is now bound up on the One whom heaven and earth adores, Jesus Christ the Righteous.

So come to the Feast with Moses and Elijah and all the company of heaven. Come, get a taste of the banquet feast, which has no end. His mercy and kindness are ever toward you, for He loves you, no matter where you are on this path.

In Jesus' name. Amen.

And now the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in true faith to life everlasting. Amen.

Holy Cross Lutheran Church

Rocklin, California

Rev. Todd A. Peperkorn

Epiphany 4 – Sermon: “Amazed At This Word” – Luke 4:31-44

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Epiphany IV, (January 31, 2016)

Luke 4:31-44

TITLE: “Amazed at this Word”

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text for today is the Gospel just read from St. Luke chapter four. We focus especially on the words of the people as follows: “And they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!”” (Luke 4:36 ESV)

Who is this guy? You can almost hear the wonder in the people’s words. Nobody talks like this. He speaks to things we cannot understand. What’s more, these things listen to Him and do what He says! He speaks to demons and they obey. He even talks to things like a fever and it obeys Him. Who has that kind of power?

We pride ourselves today at our understanding of the world around us. We can see farther out into our galaxy than ever before. We can map DNA, splice genes, and examine things that make an atom look huge by comparison. We can track global financial markets, and research microorganisms. Yet for all our knowledge, for all of our intelligence and so-called control over the world around us, more often than not we are left with the great question of why. Why did the fever have to come, so that my loved one died? Why is there so much evil and depravity in the world, to the point where I can’t even understanding what’s going on all around me?

This is where sin and rebellion has left us: with knowledge but not wisdom; with sight but without hearing. It was true in Jesus’ day, and it is true in our day as well. No matter how hard you try, there is so much in this wide, crazy world of ours that is beyond our control, it can leave you in despair of the future.

But do not despair, for you know the author of our salvation, the creator of the world, and the One who can heal you with a touch and make all things right with a Word. Do you remember the words that God spoke to Jeremiah the prophet? ““Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”” (Jeremiah 1:9–10 ESV)

This is the Word that Jesus brings to our world. His work breaks down the powers of sin and death and hell. His Word is over nations and kings, dictators and tyrants, be they big or small.

When Jesus speaks to you, He does so with the full authority of the Father. The Father has declared Jesus to be His Beloved One. In the waters of the Jordan God publicly announced to the world that Jesus is the One to whom we are to look for all our needs of this body and life.

But the Word that He speaks comes not only with authority but also with power. St. Paul would later say of the Gospel, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16 ESV) The Word of the Gospel of Jesus hushes demons and heals the sick. This power is dynamic, that is, it changes things so that you are alive, not dead. You are free from the clutches of sin and Satan and all the assaults that the world can throw at you.

The Word He speaks to you are words of forgiveness and life. The people in Jesus day were amazed that His words held such power and authority, and it is those same Words which now say, “This is my Body; This is my blood.” Come, then, and receive the Word made flesh who is made flesh for you. Come, for all things are now ready.

Let us pray:

Almighty God, You know we live in the midst of so many dangers that in our frailty we cannot stand upright. Grant strength and protection to support us in all dangers and carry us through all temptations; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. (Collect for Epiphany 4)

And now the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in true faith to life everlasting. Amen.

Holy Cross Lutheran Church

Rocklin, California

Rev. Todd A. Peperkorn

Epiphany 3 – Sermon: “In Your Ears” – Luke 4:16-30

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Epiphany IIIc, (January 24, 2016)

Luke 4:16-30

TITLE: “In Your Ears”

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text for today is the Gospel just read from St. Luke chapter four.

In a world where everything is scripted and managed, and we don’t have conversations so much as talking points, having someone who will say something new is refreshing, don’t you think? Isn’t it nice to have someone speaking where you don’t know what is going to come out of their mouth? I am, of course, speaking of Rabbi Jesus speaking at the synagogue in Nazareth. Who did you think I was talking about?

Jesus steps up to the lectern and reads from Isaiah as follows.

““The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”” (Luke 4:18–19 ESV)

All the eyes were upon Him. What would the hometown preacher say about this text from Isaiah? What would He do? Would it be the same thing they had been hearing for centuries, words that may be true but somehow seemed stale, not enough in this day and age? Or would He say something else, something they did not expect.

The words of our Lord change everything: “And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”” (Luke 4:21 ESV) Good new, liberty, recovery of sight, freedom for the oppressed, the year of the Lord’s favor. It all begins with the flesh and blood of Jesus. For where He is, all of these things are in place. That is something new. The people are actually in awe of His gracious words.

Well, really gracious words make it sound like He’s inviting them to a tea party. It’s really more like “words of grace”. When Jesus speaks and acts, it is with grace, not finally judgment. He looks with kindness upon the people, just as He looks with kindness upon you. His grace and mercy extend out. He embraces not the nice and the religious, the upright citizens or the pious. His grace extends to all, for all of us are in need of his grace words.

Do you believe it? Do you believe that you need Jesus Christ and His mercies? You see, beloved, when He talks about freeing the prisoners, healing the brokenhearted, giving sight to the blind, and freedom to the oppressed, when He talks about those works of His, He is talking about you. You are broken and full of sin, blind to His will, and bound by the shackles of Satan himself. If you see yourself in this picture, Jesus is for you. And make no mistake, you are in this picture of a world undone.

But here’s the thing. Where Jesus is, there is hope. Where Jesus is, there is life and freedom. Where Jesus is, there is a new beginning. Now this isn’t the fake promise of a politician who wants your vote. This is the promise of a God who became man so that you might be saved from sin and hell.

And that is what made the people in our episode so angry. Jesus’ mercy wasn’t just for them. It was for all. They became angry when it was clear that Jesus wasn’t going to give them special favors or status in the Kingdom of God. They became so angry that they literally tried to throw Him off a cliff and kill Him, just as they had done to the prophets before Him.

Today God’s promises are fulfilled in your ears. Today God delivers Himself to you by Word and Meal. Today God says to you, repent and believe in my grace and kindness. When Jesus opens up His Word, something new is going to happen. It won’t be the Law of condemnation and judgment. Jesus words are finally words of grace and hope. Trust in them now, for they are here for you.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.

And now the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in true faith to life everlasting. Amen.

Holy Cross Lutheran Church

Rocklin, California

Rev. Todd A. Peperkorn

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Advent 2 – Sermon: “The Brood” – Luke 3:1-14

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Advent 2C, (December 6, 2015)

Holy Cross Lutheran Church

Rocklin, California

Rev. Todd A. Peperkorn

Luke 3:1-14

TITLE: “The Brood”

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text for today is the Gospel just read from St. Luke chapter three.

Stir up our hearts, so we pray in the collect. And if there’s one thing that John the Baptist is good at, it is stirring things up. He is the great leveler, bar none. It didn’t matter if you were rich or poor, high-born or low-born, Jew or Gentile. If you came to hear John preach, out there in the wilderness, you were going to be stirred up.

And this stirring up, at least at the beginning, well, it wouldn’t be pleasant. Listen again to those words about John from Isaiah:

““The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”” (Luke 3:4–6 ESV)

We have come to hear those words as part of the sweet saccharine of the Christmas season, but they aren’t. Imagine, if you will, a spiritual construction team coming in with graders, explosives, asphalt, backhoes, all of it coming to do work on your soul. What these words describe is God’s Law working upon your hearts, and the work, well, it’s messy, and hard, and you aren’t really meant to like it.

Because you see, you are broken. Your pride lifts you up like the Tower of Babel, and your despair brings you down to hell. Your path is not straight and clear, receiving from the Lord His mercy and grace. Rather, your path is crooked and windy. You go this way and that, one moment generous, and the next moment you are selfish, or full of gossip, or jealous of your neighbor. You never know from one minutes to the next which Christian is going to show up. Will it be the true one, or the fake one? The follower of Jesus, or the prideful, self-righteous one?

This is why John called the crowds a brood of vipers. Any way you look at it, calling a group of people a big pile of snakes isn’t good. You get the picture of everyone crawling upon each other, scrambling to get on top, when no one knows why or what purpose it serves.

John, it seems, may have been on to something there. Perhaps we are more like his brood of vipers than we would like to admit. Our lives are more scattered, more busy, and yet less generous than ever. When the people asked John what they should do, his answer was pretty simple: take care of your neighbor. Don’t cheat, don’t lie, don’t steal. You know, the Ten Commandments. But when you are constantly trying to run over the other guy, in the serpent scramble to get on top of the pile, well, things like love and mercy tend to go out the window, and become snake bait along the way.

So I say to you the same thing that John said to his brood: Repent.

You see, beloved, you are not finally a brood of vipers, destined to bite and devour one another. You are children of God, baptized, beloved. The one who follows after John is the same one who crushes the head of the great serpent, Satan himself (Gen. 3:15). St. Paul said in Philippians that “he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6 ESV) God is at work in you and for you. He will not let you remain in your sins. He comes even now with His love and mercy to forgive your sins, to remake your heart into something altogether new. Jesus Christ goes into the pit of vipers, and in the greatest gift of all, turns them, that is, YOU, into something new.

And what is this new new thing that He is making? He is making you anew. In Holy Baptism you were filled with the righteousness of Christ, without spot or blemish. It was given to you, and is yours even now. You may forget and become more viperous, but He does not forget. So again and again, slowly but surely and with great patience and love, God continues to remove the scales of your sin, and give you that new life which can only come in Christ, Jesus our Lord.

The prophet Malachi wrote many years before, where the Lord said through him: “For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed” (Malachi 3:6 ESV) God’s love and mercy for you is steadfast and enduring. His purpose for you does not end because you fall. He lifts you out of the pit, sets you up at His Table, and reminds you once again that you are not a brood of vipers, you are a brood of children, His children, holy and righteous.

Be who you are, beloved. Be his child, for He loves you with an everlasting love, which will never go out or be quenched, no matter how much the devil and the world may try. Be who you are in Him.

Let us pray:

Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to make ready the way of Your only-begotten Son, that by His coming we may be enabled to serve You with pure minds; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

And now the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in true faith to life everlasting. Amen.