Luke.4.31-44; The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, February 2, 2025

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath, and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority. And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, “Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. 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!” And reports about him went out into every place in the surrounding region. And he arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to him on her behalf. And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them. Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ. And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea. (Luke 4:31-44, ESV)

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Today will be a good day to review the 2nd article of the Apostles’ creed. P. 322 in the front of your hymnal. Let’s read it together. I believe in Jesus Christ, His-only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.

What does this mean? I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. This is most certainly true.

Now the part I want you to pay close attention to today is the part that says: [Jesus] purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil not with gold or silver but with his holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death…

This Gospel reading today from St. Luke reflects what Luther is talking about right here. When we talk about the work of Jesus, which is what he did for us through his life, death and resurrection, we are talking about those three things: rescue from sin death and the power of the devil. And that’s what we see in this reading today. It starts with the power of Satan.

Jesus casts out a demon from a man in the synagogue. First, we must remember that Satan has real power. These demons that possessed people were and are real. In those days they were well recognized. We don’t know what kind of trouble this one caused but we are reminded by St. Peter to be on the watch for Satan.

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8, ESV)

And it’s true and we’ve all seen Satan’s handiwork. We don’t have to go far either. All we have to do is look around us, we can see it right here. You’ve seen the destructive power of Satan at work even in our church. He divides. He distracts. He sets friends against friends. He urges us to concentrate on things that are unimportant, making us think they are most important. He whispers lies in our ears that we gladly believe because it’s the easy way. His goal is for you and me to go to hell. He works especially hard among Christians to get them to take their eyes of the Cross of Christ. And we listen to him all too often. In fact, if it weren’t for God’s Word and the Sacraments, if it weren’t for Jesus we’d be slaves to Satan and all his works and all his ways.

It’s no different in the Gospel. This possessed man was in the Synagogue. Life in Christ is no different than any other church where God’s Word is proclaimed. But Jesus shows he is more powerful than any demon, and even Satan. When he commands the demon out, the evil spirit throws a tantrum by throwing the man on the ground, but he can’t hurt the man anymore. Jesus has commanded him to come out and he must do so immediately. This evil angel, this unclean spirit asks Jesus, “Have you come to destroy us?” Jesus’ answer is an emphatic “Yes!”

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39, ESV)

Jesus performs this miracle for us. That’s what Luke wants us to see. Jesus rescues us from the power of the Devil.

Next, we see Jesus healing Peter’s mother-in-law. She has a very high fever. She is dangerously sick. This is Jesus rescuing us from death. After all illness is just death lying in wait for us. Every time you and I get sick we are pushed closer to the grave. When you have the flu you might say, “I just want to die and get it over with.” Illness and disease take away our abilities. We can’t take care of ourselves. We can’t take care of other people. When we are sick, we are slaves to it. And no matter how hygienic we are we just can’t always avoid it either. We don’t have to look very far to see that this is true either. Right here, just look at our prayer list. It is long. It seems to grow every day. While it’s good that we pray for all these folks, each name on the list is illness taking its toll; cancer, influenza, pneumonia, blood clots, heart attacks and death and more. Each illness is a sign that we will all die. And there isn’t anything we can do about it. Death has us in its grasp. We are slaves to illness and death. Well at least that is without Jesus.

Jesus shows us his rescue again. I think it is very interesting that St. Luke uses the very same word about what Jesus does. He rebuked the demon. He rebuked the fever and it comes right out of her. Now we should see right away that this isn’t healing in the way that we’ve seen it. When someone is released from the hospital we pray for their recovery. Peter’s Mother-in-Law had no recovery. She got up and went right to work without any effects. Jesus’ healing shows more than just the removal of the illness. It shows a return to life the way that God has designed it. She was free to do what she was called to do, serve the guests that had come to her house.

Jesus performs this miracle for us. That’s what Luke wants us to see. Jesus rescues us from the power of the death.

But Luke also wants us to know that Jesus does even more yet. The news spreads and people bring all kinds of sick, and demon possessed to Jesus. He laid his hands on every one of them and healed them, the text says. He heals them all, every one of them. St. Luke wants us to see Jesus rescuing us, too.

Now there’s one of the three yet to go, and admittedly it’s not mentioned directly in the text. But it is here. Jesus rescues us from sin. You see, Satan has power among us because there is sin among us. Death has power among us because sin is among us. What we see Jesus doing here, is restoring things to the way they should be, because without sin there would be no illness and death. Without sin Satan would have no power over us. It is important to see that Jesus healing miracles are always accompanied by Jesus’ preaching. That’s how the text starts out. Jesus was teaching on the Sabbath. And that’s how the text ends Jesus says, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God…” What is the good news of the kingdom of God? Back to Luther’s words: I believe that Jesus Christ… has purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil.

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, [God/Jesus] himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. (Hebrews 2:14-15, ESV)

That’s it exactly. Through death Jesus rescues us from lifelong slavery to sin, death and the power of the devil. How does Luther say it: not with gold or silver, but with his holy and precious blood and his innocent suffering and death. You see those miracles we see here, commanding demons and fevers to leave, are just the little ones that point to the big one, the important one, the miracle of God-come-in-the-flesh, Jesus Christ. I like how Luke, who’s always interested in Jesus direct connection to people, says that Jesus laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. That very hand that he stretched out to heal and cast out demons is the very same hand that he stretched out on the cross. It’s there that he paid the price for sin, not with gold or silver, but with his holy and precious blood and his innocent suffering and death.

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Being alive to God in Christ Jesus, means that we don’t have to tolerate Satan’s temptations, we don’t have to live in sin. Satan wants us to think that money is more important than people. Satan wants us to think that the budget is of a higher priority than the telling people of this community that Jesus lived and died and rose again for them. But that’s not being alive to God in Christ Jesus. We don’t have to live that way anymore. Instead, we can get our priorities right. Our income is a gift from God, not to be used to purchase the latest and greatest toys for ourselves, but to use in service to our families, our church and our community.

Being alive to God in Christ Jesus, means that illness, death and Satan are nothing to fear. We may not be able to avoid them, but Jesus tells us that they are done in. Our death isn’t the end but only the beginning of life forever with him. So, illness is an opportunity to serve; first, in prayer, then in presence. I would urge you to pay particular attention to those among us who are ill, or suffering, and make an extra effort to touch them, as Jesus did. And what about all those on our prayer list? We care for them by praying, and that’s important, but is there more you can do. Especially, I would urge you to be the loving hand of Jesus to those on our prayer list. Nothing will break down those cliquish walls we’ve been so eager to build up at Satan’s prompting faster than the loving touch of Jesus Christ.

All of that is possible, not just possible but happens, through Jesus. Picture this one last thing. There’s a practice in our church that we don’t use much here, but you can see it in print if you turn to p. 293 in f your hymnal. There in red letters toward the top of the page you’ll see these words.

The pastor places his hands on the head of the penitent and says:

In the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the  Son and of the Holy Spirit.

That’s the touch of Jesus, forgiving you all your sins. As your called and ordained servant of the Word, Jesus speaks his words through my lips, and he touches you through my hands. Understand that it’s not my forgiveness that I give to you, it’s his. He purchased and won you from all sins, death and the power of the devil, not with gold or silver but with his holy and precious blood and innocent suffering and death. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Luke 4:16-30; The Third Sunday after The Epiphany; January 26, 2025;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN

And [Jesus] came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, “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.” And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘ “Physician, heal yourself.” What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’ ” And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, he went away.” (Luke 4:16–30, ESV)

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Wow! This is quite a way to criticize a sermon. I would ask you to please find a more productive way to critique my sermons.

Jesus visits home. He has a plan. As was his custom, means he had done it before, preaching in the hometown synagogue. He stood up to read, as was the privilege of any adult male, especially one who was recognized as a teacher. He takes the scroll and unrolls it to Isaiah. It was probably the assigned reading for that sabbath. He reads it and sits down for his commentary. All eyes are upon him. The anticipation is thick as they wait for what Jesus will say and do.

In the paragraph just before this account we see Jesus has been doing the all-around Gallilee.

And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.” (Luke 4:14–15, ESV)

They were anxious to hear what they had heard about.

Then Jesus says,

Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.

The words are pregnant with meaning. Today, right now, Scripture has been fulfilled. The same words he will use with the thief on the cross beside him.

And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”” (Luke 23:43, ESV)

The word fulfilled means has been fulfilled and will continue to be fulfilled. (perfect, passive, indicative, for the grammar pros among us). In your hearing, the one they hear, Jesus, is fulfilling it. So, what is Jesus saying?

Jesus is talking about his ongoing ministry forthtold by Isaiah. Listen again for the three times preaching is referenced.

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)

The word proclaim here is three different words in Greek. It highlights the primary purpose of Jesus ministry. Preaching. The Messiah will be a teacher, it was exactly what the hearers in the Synagogue expected. But the wonderous, confusing thing is that Jesus says the Messiah is here, now.

The crowd marveled at what Jesus said. Could their expectations of the coming of the Messiah be happening? They spoke well of Jesus. What he said was a positive thing. But how could this boy that we have known all our lives be saying such a thing. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” The expectation rise, “Will Jesus speak more? Will he heal people, right here, right now?”

Then everything goes south.

Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.

The room exploded in wrath. Not just anger but wrath, it says. They are overcome with extreme anger. They aren’t just a little bit angry. They are so mad, in fact, they push him out of the synagogue to the precipice of a hill to throw him down and most likely stone him. They want him dead.

The truth is that Jesus has told them, beyond doubt, that he is the Messiah. He wasn’t just Joseph’s son. Their familiarity breeds contempt. They expected the Messiah to appear in power and glory, not the son of someone they knew, a simple tradesman.

Jesus also confronts them with their false understanding of God’s grace. Grace is universal, gentiles also. Jesus points to the nature of the healings in the OT as example. Every example he gives is the healing of a Gentile. They were depending on God’s grace only to themselves. God blesses only the sons of Abraham.

The words Jesus spoke also violated what they expected from the Messiah. They wanted freedom from the Romans. They were not looking for a Savior from sin. They didn’t want repentance and faith to be the means of salvation. Jesus preaches law that cuts them to the heart.

And more so, their hatred is aimed at the truth. Jesus confronts them with the truth about their sinful condition. God intends for the Gospel to be proclaimed to all nations. Instead of repentance and faith, their hearts turn to extreme anger.

All in all, this is a complete rejection of Jesus, the Messiah. He told them it would happen.

Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown.

And in fact, John’s gospel starts with the same idea.

He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.” (John 1:11, ESV)

Jesus sets before them who he is as their savior. He tells them what the Messiah had come to do, preach the Good News to everyone, including Gentiles. They understood it very well. The knew full well who Jesus said he is, but he was not the savior they wanted.

On the edge of the cliff, they intend to kill him, and make God send a different messiah. But

But passing through their midst, he went away.

Jesus would indeed suffer death at the hands of the Jews, but this wasn’t the time. His time was not now but on the cross. There he would suffer at the hands of sinful men. There he would suffer for the sins of the world, and not only for the children of Abraham, but for all. Wonderfully, unexpectedly, that includes you and me. On the cross, God shows himself, his power and grace hidden in suffering and weakness. It is the very thing the people of Nazareth rejected. The hometown boy, born in their very town, not anything special. Jesus went on his way. He passed through their midst. It wasn’t his day to suffer and die. He had much to do. His ministry is based on preaching and teaching as emphasized in the Prophet Isaiah.

Preaching and teaching. The church continues Jesus’ ministry, it is, in fact, Jesus preaching and teaching through simple means right here and now,

Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.

Fulfilled. Scripture has been fulfilled today and will continue to be fulfilled in your hearing. The universal Gospel is preached and taught thorough Christ’s Church. Our little church here, the large churches in St. Louis, the thousands of rural churches, dotted across the Midwest, the churches in Europe, Africa, Asia, and all over the world. Everywhere the Gospel is taught in its truth and purity. Oh, and the sacraments are administered according to Jesus words. That is the ongoing ministry of Jesus.

I hope you have a sense of wonder at all of this. You and I can freely gather to receive the ongoing ministry of Jesus. It hasn’t always been the case for Christians of the world. Every Sunday, Jesus himself, reaches out to press the Good News of the forgiveness of sins right into your ears. Every Sunday, Jesus himself, puts his body and blood on your tongue, into your body, and you receive him, and the forgiveness he offers. This is exactly what Jesus foretold on that Sabbath so long ago in Nazareth.

So, the ongoing ministry of Jesus is preaching, particularly the preaching of repentance and forgiveness. I urge you to remember what I said about sermon critic at the beginning of this sermon!

You are a sinner. Sin permeates all you do. If you need a stronger reminder of that look at the Commandments. You sin against them, and God, every day in thought, word and deed. But let’s get very specific. We, collectively, and individually, don’t do enough in our community to ease suffering and share the Gospel. We do send our tithe to the district, and that is good, and rare, but we are place here in this community for God’s purpose. We have been blessed with so many resources, should we not be doing more? Have you given your gifts of income to help those who have lost everything on both coasts? Have you invited a friend or acquaintance to church? Are you afraid of losing your friendship? Are we so focused on our new building that we are ignoring the other needs of the community, and the world?

Jesus says, Repent! Turn to him for forgiveness he so freely gives on the cross. He has suffered for those specific sins, and all your sin, there. He took them to death and the grave. He rose from death to show you your resurrection from death. The penalty for your sin is paid in full. You are his through faith in what he has done for you. Holy Baptism is the sign of his ongoing forgiveness. And even though you continue to sin, every day, he forgives. It is only the power of God, in Jesus on the cross, that changes anything.

Every Sunday, Jesus comes to you in his body and blood on this altar. He comes to strengthen you in your faith. He, along with the deposit of the Holy Spirit, comes to guide you into doing the things you should be doing. When you have Jesus in you, you can and will do what is pleasing to God.

That is the ongoing ministry of Jesus. He said so in his sermon to the people of his hometown, Nazareth. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Ephesians 1:3-14; The Second Sunday after Christmas; January 5, 2025;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:3–14, ESV)

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Star Wars, Return of the Jedi, Episode VI in the Saga. Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader have it out in a last epic struggle. After a long series of blows, Luke finally wins the fight by cutting off Vader’s hand. The evil emperor, watching over the event, tells Luke to “fulfill his destiny,” kill the man he now knows to be his father and take his place at the emperor’s side and rule the galaxy with him. Luke refuses his “destiny”, at least the one the emperor said he had.

The idea of having a destiny is very popular in the movies and it isn’t outside of Christian belief either. It is in fact at the heart of what we believe. We are born with a particular future. But that leaves a question.

Is your destiny the destiny one that you would wish to fulfill?

The text says we are “predestined”, that “God has predestined us.” It gives some possibilities, doesn’t it? It’s a bit unnerving. We sometimes get the idea that our destiny with God is carved in concrete from all eternity. Like, being “destined” to meet the perfect spouse, or serving God in a particular vocation. If it’s not “meant to be” then you just lose out. If you make the wrong move you are out of God’s plan for your life.

John Calvin, a Swiss Theologian (and father of many of the non-Lutheran protestant denominations) that was a generation younger than Martin Luther talked a lot about Predestination. He said that everyone was predestined by God for one of two eternities. Heaven or Hell. Calvin said, before God made the world, he determined the final destination of every single human that would ever live. It was set in eternal concrete, God’s unchangeable plan. Some people were set for heaven and others set for hell.

John Calvin was wrong in one particular, very important way. Look at you: We have all been born destined to sin. Even though God created everything perfect, Adam and Eve brought sin into the world and saddled us with it. We say we are “by nature, sinful”. We sin often, and often we like it. And oh, how easy it is to sin with the world, and our sinful flesh, and the world, backs us up. Lots of people think that Christianity is a way to stop sinning. But we don’t. Our old sinful nature keeps up its bad habits, we are often tempted and often fall. Christians are often seen dishonoring the name of Christ. Are we just living up to our destiny?

Doesn’t God predestine us to be saved? Yes. It was always God’s plan to save his people. You might even say our destiny was born on Christmas morning. The baby in the manger, Jesus Christ, is God’s promised plan of salvation in a picture we can understand. The re-creation of everything begins with God-in-Human-Flesh Jesus. Our destiny is made perfect in his death on the cross. Forgiveness of sin is an essential part of our destiny.

And yet, God demands perfection. He can’t do anything else because he is perfect and holy. The great news is that he provides the perfection he requires. Jesus is God, perfect and holy. He takes on human flesh to be perfect for us, to live up to God’s expectation for us. Through faith in Jesus and his life, death and resurrection Jesus perfect life is accounted to us. Our destiny is in Christ Jesus. God declares us to be perfect because of Jesus. That is how we will be judged according to Jesus, not according to what we have done. We are predestined to heaven.

How can we know? Listen again:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” (Ephesians 1:3–6, ESV)

“In love he predestined us”; “He chose us!” it’s done, not might be done, but a done deal. “He has freely given.” There is no fear, threat or uncertainty. John Calvin was just wrong. The bible only speaks of one predestination, that of those adopted as Sons through Jesus Christ. It doesn’t say that he predestines people to hell. It sounds like a contradiction. But we can only go by what scripture says. God views all people the same. God wants all people to be save. And yet, some go to hell. God has done everything necessary to save us, in Jesus Christ. If we are save God is the reason. If we are not, it is solely our own doing.

The great thing is that God has also chosen to save us from our destiny to sin. It is in the promises made to us in Holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. In these wonderful gifts God gives the gift of Jesus himself. We are predestined always, in Christ Jesus. Baptism is a re-creation of who we are. We receive Jesus perfect life, and our old sinful nature is drowned in the water. We are called, that is baptized, into the perfect name of God. We receive forgiveness, life and salvation though Jesus. We have all the blessings promised by the Father to the ones he loves. And Baptism isn’t just true when your head is still wet. It’s true every day of your life after. It’s God’s way of giving you something to look at, see and feel. “I’ve been baptized!”

We are not destined to be enslaved by sin and death. We are predestined to be saved. Jesus became a complete human being, just like you and me. He chose to come and live a perfect life in the place of imperfect people. You have been baptized into Jesus. You have forgiveness of all your sins. Jesus perfect life has been accounted to you. Your destiny is to be raised from your death to eternal life with all those who are “in Christ”. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.