Epiphany Lutheran Church
807.683.6621
  • Home
    • Location
    • Staff
  • Belief
    • We believe, teach, & confess
    • What is the "Epiphany"?
  • News
    • Calendar
  • Cool Stuff
    • Messages
    • Catechism Memory Songs
    • Stuff We Like
    • Hacienda Haberstock

Jesus in Jerusalem—12th Sunday after Trinity

8/23/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Readings: 1 Chronicles 21:1-22:1; James 1:13-14; Matthew 23:37-39

In the name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

There was Jesus days before His crucifixion, which would gather in millions to His kingdom, mourning over the city where He Himself had been present so long in His temple saying, "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone all who are sent to you. How I long to gather you under My wings. But you were not willing." 

Picture
He mourned every time He sent a prophet to call them to repentance. He mourned for those who would not listen, who would not believe. He pleaded with them. He cried for them. He determined that He would save them from their self-made calamity. Every prophet crying out offered His rebel self-destructive people a death to themselves and new life in Him, under His wings where He calls, gathers, comforts and protects you. But they were not willing. It's an old story. But it's not only their story. It's our story. It's David's story.

For there was Jesus standing in the days of David calling out, "David, David, how I long to gather under my protection, but you would not." For David, like Jerusalem and all of us born of Adam's flesh, continually resist Him. We resist His Spirit working through that call to repent. So He took on our flesh, to carry our sin, and take our pestilence on Himself. The Lord who held His sword over Jerusalem so many times eventually sheathed that sword in His own flesh, judging Himself for sins He did not commit, in order to bring an end to the just wrath the Lord's sword brings on sinners. And now His flesh is a life giving gate, that calls, gathers, and enlightens unwilling sinners by getting inside us when we eat and drink it, giving us life instead of death.

In the Old Testament the "sword" is the power to destroy. The "sword of the Lord", therefore, is His judgement against sin. In the New Testament, the sword of Lord is His Word: both His judgement against sin (Law) and His judgement of sinners (Gospel). 

Picture
Well, David had sinned. He had turned away from the Lord God who had lifted him up from tending his father's flocks and made him the king of God's people. He sinned by trusting in the strength of men. By seeking to know just how great his manpower was. He forgot that he only sat on this throne because of the Lord's power and promise. And that He would only continue to sit on this throne by the Lord's grace and favour. Trusting in men--in trends, in facts on ground, in common sense--makes sense if there is no Lord God. But when there is a God, who makes promises to you, none of that matters. All that matters is His promises to you.

We don't understand the Lord's response to David's sin. We don't want to accept it. It seems inconsistent with the gracious God whom we have come to know through Jesus and His cross. Yet that same merciful God is spelled out plain as day to David. For the Lord sent Gad to say, "You have sinned. You have turned away from Me." And then He gives three options, couched in threes. Three is always the number of salvation in God's Word: three years of famine, three months of devastation by your enemies, or three days of the sword of the Lord--the Lord's judgement in the form of disease. David chose wisely. He stuck with the Lord. He cast himself on the mercy of the Lord. Three days of the Lord's Sword. For it is better to be in the Lord's hands for Lord is mercy.

Picture
Three days of Jesus outside Jerusalem. It sounds familiar. That happened one other time, didn't it? And how did it end?

These three days were days of death, yes. Just as our Lord was dead three days. Sure many died, but of those who died and those who lived, how many lived eternally? That's the real score. The tally none of us can number. We know one number. David. His eternal salvation was secured here by the Lord's gracious action.

Many died for the sin of the king was great. Just as your sins in whatever offices you have don't merely impact you, but those whom God calls you to serve and love in those offices. For instance, when a husband or wife cheats on or physically abuses their spouse it not only destroys their marriage, their spouse, and the institution of marriage as one more sad example of how aweful marriage can be, but the children are the true sufferers. For our sins in the callings God gives harm those whom you have been called to be a blessing to. When a pastor preaches a false way of salvation it doesn't only harm him and rob him of the Lord's salvation it sends his listeners to hell. His sin has an impact on others. 

Picture
David was a king. The king's sin was great. His people, God's people paid dearly. But this sinful king was mercied by the Lord. He was faithed by the Lord. In faith He chose wisely. For the Lord was at work saving him. This was the point of the Lord's punishment: to turn him and the nation back to the Lord in whom their is life.

It was David's sin, but notice the Lord's action. The Lord sends a prophet. The prophet does not let David off the hook, but confirms the king's sin. Confirms the seriousness of his sin. And assures him of the Lord's love by granting David a trinity of choices. In other words, the Lord sent a prophet to David to repent him. To faith him. And in faith David bets on the Lord, on His grace and mercy. He had learned his lesson: trust in the Lord, not in man. And in faith David intercedes for the people God gave him to shepherd. "Lord, let the pestilence fall on me and my house, not on the nation. It is my fault not theirs. Let me take the blame." By this David becomes a prophecy of David's Son Who would come, Who would take the blame for all sin so that His people would be saved.

Then something weird happes. The Lord commanded David to make an altar in the very spot the Lord was standing. It's weird because the Lord commands David to do priest's work--work the Lord had limited to David's kin from the tribe of Levi. Only Levites could work in the tabernacle. And of the Levites, only those men descended from Moses' brother Aaron could serve as priests. 

David was of the tribe of Judah, not Levi. Yet Jesus commands him to build an altar at the very spot He was standing and appearing in human form as the Angel of the Lord. Not only that, but since the tabernacle was out in Gibeon, He was also offer a sacrifice on this new altar. Unheard of! But this was commanded and authorized by the Lord, despite it being outside of the Lord's own appointed order. It had the Lord's blessing and so by it the Lord averted and ended the pestilence of death that David's sin had brought on David's people.

By this the Lord was foreshadowing how He Himself would take on our flesh in order to avert the curse and death Adam's sin brings on us. The Lord Himself defeated death in that place some thousand years later, at His own cost. Just as David would not take the land and oxen offered by Ornan the Jebusite. The Lord did it at His own cost, offering Himself as the price that stops death in its tracks.

Notice in all of this who has power over sin and death. It is the One who holds the sword. It is the Lord. For the sword of the Lord is His judgement. And the Lord's judgments are His mercies to sinners. You, like David, are a sinner. And while you were yet in sin, on account of the Lord's own sacrifice of Himself 1000 years later near this spot, He declared His judgement of you: forgiven. Just. Not guilty. Scott-free. For the Lord is salvation. True to His word. True to His name. (For Jesus means the "Lord is salvation").
Picture
This whole event occurs not only to teach David, to repent and faith him, and minimize for the Old Testament Church the deadly cost of his sin, but it is also a prophecy. For on that very spot that David made sacrifice the temple would be built in which the Lord dwelt in the midst of His people. Where daily sacrifices occurred by which the Lord granted grace, mercy, forgiveness of sins. But these sacrifices all pointed forward to the Lord's own sacrifice near that very spot by which all the sin of all mankind was atoned for.

That means David's sin is paid for by Jesus. That means your sin is paid for by Jesus. That means the Lord is not only day by day repenting you, turning you from your sin and the harm it does to others, but He is daily faithing, renewing, and gathering you again and again unto Himself in mercy. For His own body was broken, His own blood was shed that you might be His own and live under him in His kingdom in everlasting innocence and blessedness. This is most certainly true.

In +Jesus' name, Amen.



--Pastor David Haberstock
Epiphany Lutheran Church
Thunder Bay, ON


0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Listening

    If audio is available, you may listen to it by clicking the play button.  

    Downloading

    If audio is available, you may download it by "right clicking" on the "Download file" button and choosing "Save link as..."

    Archives

    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011

    Categories

    All
    1 Chronicles 21
    1 Corinthians 1
    1 COrinthians 10
    1 Corinthians 13
    1 Kings 3
    1 Kings 6
    1 Samuel 1
    1 Samuel 12
    1 Samuel 13
    1 Samuel 16
    1 Samuel 17
    1 Samuel 2
    1 Samuel 3
    1 Samuel 8
    2 Corinthians 10
    2 Corinthians 5
    2 Samuel 11
    2 Samuel 12
    Acts 2
    Acts 8
    Advent 1
    Advent 2
    Advent 3
    Advent 4
    All Saints Day
    Ash Wednesday
    Baptism Of Our Lord
    Baptism Of Our Lord
    Bathsheba
    Cantate
    Christmas 1
    Christmas 2
    Christmas Day
    Christmas Eve
    Confirmation
    David
    Easter
    Easter 2
    Easter 3
    Easter 4
    Easter 5
    Easter 6
    Easter 7
    Ephesians 2
    Ephesians 5
    Epiphany 2
    Epiphany 3
    Exaudi
    Exodus 1
    Exodus 11
    Exodus 12
    Exodus 14
    Exodus 16
    Exodus 17
    Exodus 2
    Exodus 20
    Exodus 3
    Exodus 32
    Exodus 33
    Exodus 4
    Exodus 5
    Exodus 6
    Exodus 7
    Ezekiel 2-3
    Funeral
    Genesis 1
    Genesis 11
    Genesis 12
    Genesis 14
    Genesis 15
    Genesis 17
    Genesis 18
    Genesis 2
    Genesis 21
    Genesis 22
    Genesis 25
    Genesis 27
    Genesis 3
    Genesis 32
    Genesis 37
    Genesis 39
    Genesis 4
    Genesis 41
    Genesis 6-7
    Good Fridy
    Hebrews 10
    Hebrews 11
    Hebrews 2
    Hebrews 4
    Hebrews 7
    Hebrews 9
    Holy Cross
    Holy Thursday
    Holy Trinity
    Installation
    Invocabit
    Isaiah 52
    Isaiah 55
    Isaiah 66
    James 1
    Job 1-2
    Job 19
    John 1
    John 10
    John 12
    John 13
    John 14
    John 15 16
    John 15-16
    John 16
    John 18-19
    John 2
    John 20
    John 3
    John 4
    John 6
    John 8
    Joshua 1
    Joshua 2
    Joshua 3
    Joshua 4
    Joshua 5
    Joshua 6
    Jubilate
    Jude
    Judges 13
    Judges 16
    Judges 2
    Judges 6
    Judges 7
    Judica
    Laetere
    Last
    Lent 1
    Lent 2
    Lent 3
    Lent 4
    Lent5
    Luke 10
    Luke 11
    Luke 12
    Luke 14
    Luke 15
    Luke 16
    Luke 17
    Luke 18
    Luke 19
    Luke 2
    Luke 21
    Luke 5
    Luke 6
    Luke 7
    Luke 8
    Mark 16
    Mark 7
    Mark 8
    Matthew 1
    Matthew 11
    Matthew 15
    Matthew 17
    Matthew 18
    Matthew 2
    Matthew 20
    Matthew 21
    Matthew 22
    Matthew 24
    Matthew 25
    Matthew 26
    Matthew 27
    Matthew 28
    Matthew 3
    Matthew 3
    Matthew 4
    Matthew 5
    Matthew 6
    Matthew 7
    Matthew 8
    Matthew 9
    Misericordias Domini
    New Year
    Numbers 13
    Numbers 14
    Numbers 17
    Numbers 21
    Numbers 22
    Numbers 24
    Oculi
    Old Testament
    Palm Sunday
    Pastor And Confessor
    Pentecost
    Psalm 2
    Psalm 25
    Psalm 43
    Psalm 91
    Purification Of Mary
    Quasimodo Geniti
    Quinquagesima
    Reformation
    Reminiscere
    Rogate
    Romans 10
    Ruth
    Septuagesima
    Sexagesima
    Solomon
    St. Bartholomew
    St. Matthew
    The Epiphany
    Titus
    Transfiguration
    Trinity 1
    Trinity 10
    Trinity 11
    Trinity 12
    Trinity 13
    Trinity 14
    Trinity 15
    Trinity 16
    Trinity 17
    Trinity 18
    Trinity 19
    Trinity 2
    Trinity 20
    Trinity 21
    Trinity 22
    Trinity 23
    Trinity 24
    Trinity 25
    Trinity 3
    Trinity 4
    Trinity 5
    Trinity 6
    Trinity 7
    Trinity 8
    Trinity 9

    RSS Feed