Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.<\/p>\n
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Dear Friends in Christ,<\/p>\n
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This morning Pastor Fritsche and Nancy and Terry Ann Diachok are attending the Lutheran Church Canada convention in Winnipeg. Pastor has asked me to deliver today\u2019s sermon in his absence. There are two parts to this sermon: 1) The Savior Sends and 2) the Mission Continues.<\/p>\n
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First of all, The Savior Sends
\nIt\u2019s no wonder the crowds gather: they\u2019ve heard about Jesus. He\u2019s going from town to town, city to village. He\u2019s preaching about the Kingdom of God. He\u2019s healing every sickness and disease that confronts Him: there\u2019s not a single manifestation of sin that even comes close to challenging Him. The stories of the miracles spread, as does the Gospel of the kingdom, and the people flock to Jesus, sheep in need of a shepherd. So, the Lord has compassion on them, as they are weary and scattered, sick and heavily-burdened. In fact, He desires that all be healed, relieved, forgiven and gathered. Thus, He says to His disciples, \u201cThe harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest\u201d (Mt. 9:38). <\/p>\n
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There\u2019s little doubt that the disciples add their \u201camen\u201d to this prayer; indeed, Lord, let it be so. It is then that the Lord uses them as an answer to that prayer. He calls the twelve to Himself. He gives them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. Then He sends them out, saying, “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give\u201d (Mt. 10:5-8). <\/p>\n
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Jesus could have done this so many other ways. He could have sent out legions of angels to declare this message of His kingdom. He could have used a voice from heaven for all to hear at the same time. He could just have written the message in everyone\u2019s heart. He could have sat in the temple and summoned all nations to Himself. He could do whatever He wants: He\u2019s the Son of God. But instead, He picks twelve men to go and tell. <\/p>\n
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They go, and they go knowing two things: they\u2019ve been given a message, and they\u2019ve been sent to deliver it. They\u2019re not making up the message as they go along, but they go to proclaim the message that has been freely given to them. Likewise, they\u2019re not going to perform wonders and healings out of their own closet of miraculous powers: they have none. Instead, they\u2019re going to work wonders because Jesus has given them authority to do so. They\u2019re not even going to go on their own, but they\u2019re going to go because they\u2019ve been sent. Freely all this has been given to them. Now they may go and freely give. <\/p>\n
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So, they go and imagine the crowds that gather. Maybe there is disappointment. After, all they want to see the Savior, but they get the understudies instead. Perhaps some leave disappointed or disgusted before the disciples even open their mouths. Perhaps they feel like Jesus has let them down by not coming personally, or because the student is never better than the master. Those are typical human reactions, but humans are typically wrong with the things of God. The Lord is not unfaithful. This is His way of doing things. When the disciples heal the sick, the sick are healed. When they cleanse the lepers, the lepers are cleansed. When they raise the dead, the dead are raised. When they cast out demons, demons flee. <\/p>\n
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Why? Because it\u2019s not them doing it. Thaddaeus isn\u2019t saying to the sick, \u201cIn the name of Thaddaeus, be healed.\u201d Bartholomew isn\u2019t saying, \u201cIn the name of Bart, come out of them.\u201d Demons aren\u2019t afraid of Bartholomew. But they are afraid of Jesus, and the disciples are doing these things in Jesus\u2019 name. He\u2019s sent them; and by His Word, He is there with them, too. When they preach, \u201cThe Kingdom of Heaven is at hand,\u201d it\u2019s true because the King is there by His authority and Word. And that means this, too: that when the disciples tell the people that their sins are forgiven, their sins are forgiven. Not because the disciples are forgiving them, but because Jesus is. That\u2019s what He sent them to do. That\u2019s what He gave them to do. Freely they have received. Now they freely give.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Secondly, we see that: The Mission Continues
\nWeary pastors take great comfort from the story of Balaam in Numbers 22. In that account King Balak sends the prophet Balaam to curse the people of Israel. However, as Balaam rides his donkey toward the people, God opens the mouth of his donkey and the donkey talks. The donkey speaks to rebuke the prophet Balaam. <\/p>\n
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Now, why would pastors like that story? The comfort goes like this: \u201cIf God can speak through Balaam\u2019s donkey, then He can speak through me, too.\u201d <\/p>\n
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Beyond the laugh, there\u2019s an important point. In His wisdom, with a world full of lost and wandering sheep, God has chosen to spread His kingdom by having sinful human beings speak His Word. He calls pastors in the Holy Ministry to preach that Word publicly, on behalf of His Church; and a group of men with greater idiosyncrasies would be difficult to find. Despite the quirks and personality failings, however, the Lord still uses them as His instruments. Not just them, though: every Christian, tempted by sin and exhibiting all sorts of weaknesses, has the privilege of telling that Word about Jesus to others. That is how the kingdom of God spreads. <\/p>\n
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Why? Because it\u2019s not the people. It\u2019s the Word. The Lord Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, is present by His Word: the kingdom of heaven is at hand because the King is at hand. The same Savior who went to the cross to die for the sins of the world, now comes in His Word to give that forgiveness to individual people\u2014to you and me and all who hear. Jesus is present where His Word is. Add that Word to water, of course, and He\u2019s there in Baptism. Add that Word to bread and wine, and He\u2019s present in His Supper. <\/p>\n
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It\u2019s the Word that\u2019s powerful\u2014not the person speaking it. It\u2019s the same Word with the same power that heals the sick, cleanses the leper and casts out demons in the Lord\u2019s time. By that Word, Jesus comes to give forgiveness and faith and life, to turn wandering sinners into the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. It\u2019s that simple. <\/p>\n
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Of course, even though the Lord is faithful, sinners are not known for the same; so, we need to warn of the dangers that man usually falls prey to as he messes up this gift of God. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The first danger is the idea that the power of the Word depends on the charisma of the preacher. If the preacher\u2019s style is engaging and holds interest, then the Word is powerful stuff. If he has an off Sunday or he\u2019s just dry as dust, then the Word isn\u2019t so powerful. If this is true, that means that God is only as faithful and powerful as the sinful man who is preaching the sermon. It means that God\u2019s power varies upon how much sleep the pastor got the night before. This is an extremely seductive temptation in our culture and society, because image is emphasized so much. People judge books by covers, and companies spend millions of dollars to make sure that their products have the right packaging and an exciting ad campaign. (Is a product really better because a popular celebrity claims to use it? Does beer really taste better if there are more beautiful women in the commercial?) We are easily conditioned to judge the quality of all things by how well they hold our attention without our even trying to concentrate. Old Adam makes sure that it\u2019s extremely easy to judge the Word by the same criteria. Pastors can suffer this temptation, too, believing that their personality or style make the Word more effective. It\u2019s simply not true. However, repent and rejoice! The Word\u2019s power is not bound by the personality of the speaker. Where the Word is, Jesus is. Where Jesus is, there is forgiveness and life. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The next danger is the idea that the power of the Word depends on the ordination of the preacher. If the one who speaks the Word is ordained, then it\u2019s God\u2019s powerful Word. If a layman shares the Word with someone, it\u2019s just information but nothing more, like a recipe or a news broadcast. It tells about salvation, but it doesn\u2019t save. If this is true, then God\u2019s plan of salvation is limited by the office of the man. This one isn\u2019t quite as popular, but it\u2019s always lurking around somewhere. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The third danger is the lazy Old Adam\u2019s notion that the speaking of the Word is best left to professionals. Christians meet and spend time with all sorts of people on a daily basis whom the pastor will never meet, and each believer has the joy of telling of the hope they have in Christ. However, many balk at the thought of doing so. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The reasons given might be one thing or another. \u201cI don\u2019t know what to say,\u201d is one, although this raises some law-accusing questions: why not? With Bibles to read and sermons to hear and classes to attend, what prevents you from not knowing? Simply tell other people about Jesus\u2014about His ministry and miracles, His death on the cross and resurrection; about forgiveness and the hope of eternal life. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, but I\u2019m not a very good speaker.\u201d Neither were Moses or Paul, and I suspect that Balaam\u2019s donkey wasn\u2019t usually eloquent either; yet God used each of them. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople won\u2019t listen to me.\u201d Careful, now; because now you\u2019re saying that the power of the Word depends on you, not on Christ. Furthermore, I can assure you that people don\u2019t listen to pastors more than others. After all, it\u2019s the Word\u2014not the person who speaks it. \u201cI don\u2019t like talking to strangers.\u201d That\u2019s okay. I\u2019m not real big on cold-calls door-to-door anyway. Talk about Jesus to each other. To your kids. Your grandkids. A good friend who\u2019s curious about your faith. The Lord will provide opportunities. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
That\u2019s how the Lord spreads His kingdom on earth: He sends out His Word. He gives His people, you and me, the privilege of telling it to others. He gives us the honor, despite our sins and weaknesses, of being His instruments to tell others of Jesus; and He promises that His Word will not return to Him void, but will accomplish what He sends it forth to do. Where people listen to us and rejoice with us, we give thanks and glory to God. Where people reject the Gospel we proclaim, we remember that people rejected Jesus, too, and we give thanks that He counts us worthy to suffer for His name\u2019s sake. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
But as you speak His Word, rejoice most of all in this: Jesus first speaks it to you. Freely you have received; only then do you freely give. Your salvation this day is not based upon how well you evangelize, how many people you tell about Jesus, or how well you tell the story. Your salvation is already yours because Jesus has already died on the cross to save you. By the mouths of people in your life\u2014parents, pastors, friends, and others\u2014the Lord has told you of forgiveness; and in telling you, gives it to you. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
So, it is this day, as we gather here. We gather here to hear God\u2019s saving Word. As the Gospel is spoken, it speaks and delivers forgiveness. So, on this day you rejoice: you have not just heard about forgiveness today. But by that Word, you have received forgiveness for all of your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The peace of God which surpasses all our understanding will keep your hearts and minds through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Dear Friends […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[176],"wpfc_sermon_series":[],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[],"class_list":["wpfc_preacher-pastor-j-fritsche","wpfc-sermon-single","post-4988","wpfc_sermon","type-wpfc_sermon","status-publish","hentry"],"sermon_audio":"","sermon_audio_duration":"","_views":"1","bible_passage":"Matthew 10:5-8: \u201cThese twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, \u201cGo nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And proclaim as you go, saying, \u2018The kingdom of heaven is at hand.\u2019 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.\u201d","sermon_video_embed":"","sermon_video_url":"","sermon_bulletin":"","_featured_url":false,"sermon_date":1781438425,"_sermon_date_auto":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/wpfc_sermon\/4988","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/wpfc_sermon"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/wpfc_sermon"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4988"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/wpfc_sermon\/4988\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4990,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/wpfc_sermon\/4988\/revisions\/4990"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4988"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"wpfc_preacher","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwpfc_preacher&post=4988"},{"taxonomy":"wpfc_sermon_series","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwpfc_sermon_series&post=4988"},{"taxonomy":"wpfc_sermon_topics","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwpfc_sermon_topics&post=4988"},{"taxonomy":"wpfc_bible_book","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwpfc_bible_book&post=4988"},{"taxonomy":"wpfc_service_type","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwpfc_service_type&post=4988"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}