*“The Lord Has Opened Your Mind”*
Third Sunday of Easter
St. Luke 24:36-49
April 26, 2009
Confirmation of Derick Allen Meyer
Final Sermon at Zion Lutheran Church, Harbine, Nebraska
*IN NOMINE JESU*
Christ is risen! HE IS RISEN INDEED! ALLELUIA! AMEN!
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ at Zion Lutheran Church, Harbine,
Nebraska, especially Derick, my young brother in Christ, our risen Lord:
Here you are on what by far is the biggest day in your life to this point. In
a few moments you will be standing before me, this congregation, and God
Himself, publicly confessing the faith into which you became baptized and
this same faith which you have been taught. The formal process of
catechesis, which you are completing, is not always an easy one. Some parts
of Luther’s *Small Catechism* are harder to memorize than others. Some
points of Christian doctrine and, consequently, Scripture are not as easy to
understand as others. Is there anyone, pastor, layman, or catechumen, who
can fully understand the Trinity? Any attempt we make to explain something
that abstract in concrete terms is doomed to failure, for our finite minds
cannot, and will never, comprehend an infinite God. We are His creatures,
and He is our Creator. We will never be on equal terms with the One who
made us. There are some things we will simply have to accept on the basis
of faith, accepting them on the basis of Scripture.
You have learned that we cannot understand what the Scripture says unless it
is explained—taught—to us. We are like the Ethiopian in Acts 8, who could
not understand what he was reading until Philip explained to him that Christ
is the Fulfillment of the prophecy spoken of by Isaiah. There the
Ethiopian’s mind was opened. He understood what the Holy Spirit caused
Isaiah to say and write. Moved by this same Spirit, the Ethiopian desired
to become baptized, which he did. Just as the Holy Spirit, through the
prophet Isaiah and the deacon Philip, opened the Ethiopian’s mind to
understand the Scriptures, He has, through the pastors who have served here,
opened your mind to understand the Scriptures as they have taught and
preached in your hearing, for “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the
Word of God” (Rom. 10:17). The disciples, even after being with the Lord
for three years, still did not understand the Scriptures until the Lord
Himself “opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the
Scriptures.
Then He said to them, ‘Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the
Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that
repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all
nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things’”
(vv. 45-48).
Even after being with the Lord for three years, the disciples still had to
have the Lord come directly to them and open their minds to what His Word
says, and that this written Word has been fulfilled in the Word who became
flesh, the risen Lord Himself. Today you and I have the benefit of their
witness to the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ. We have
that in His Word. This is how He makes Himself known to us. In our text,
He dealt with His disciples directly. Today He does so through
means—namely, His Means of Grace, for the strengthening of our faith. As we
hear from the Lutheran Confessions:
That we may obtain this faith, the Ministry of Teaching the Gospel and
administering the Sacraments was instituted. For through the Word and
Sacraments, as through instruments, the Holy Ghost is given, who works
faith; where and when it pleases God, in them that hear the Gospel, to wit,
that God, not for our own merits, but for Christ’s sake, justifies those who
believe that they are received into grace for Christ’s sake. [AC V]
For the reason given in (and just read from) the Augsburg Confession, I will
be asking you in a few moments, “Do you intend to hear the Word of God and
receive the Lord’s Supper faithfully?”, to which you will respond, “I do, by
the grace of God.” I will also ask you a very important question: “Do you
intend to continue steadfast in this confession and Church and to suffer
all, even death, rather than fall away from it?”, to which you will again
respond, “I do, by the grace of God” (*LSB*, p. 273). These questions
necessitate your vowing by God’s grace to do what they ask, for we are
unable to withstand what the devil, the world, and our own sinful nature
throw at us. Sex, drugs, underage drinking…temptations that surround and
attack young Christians like you. You will be tempted by the allure of
being anywhere but where the Lord has called you to be to receive His
gifts—His house; it may seem really attractive to skip Divine Service once
in a while by going out of town or even by staying home and sleeping in,
which I call “worshiping at the ‘Chapel of St. Mattress.’” You are likely
to face pressures not even imagined by those of previous generations. As
you get older, you might even be tempted to forsake the confession you will
soon make here in favor of one of another denomination, perhaps out of
convenience due to marriage or location. Such temptations can cause our
minds to become closed to the Scriptures. There is no sin in merely being
tempted; the sin is in our giving in to temptation. It is important—it is
imperative—that you take to heart the answers you will give to the questions
I will soon ask you, for words mean things, and these words are the vow you
will publicly make before this congregation and me and to the God who
created, redeemed, and sanctified you. When you make this vow, do not let
your words ring empty, making yourself a liar, for St. Paul writes: “Do not
be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also
reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but
he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life” (Gal.
6:7-8).
It is also important for you to know that you are not alone in this fight. You
are surrounded by fellow fighters and fellow witnesses. Your parents,
sponsors, and fellow members here at Zion are fighting this same fight with
you and for you. When Pastor Schauer begins serving the vacancy here next
Sunday, he will do likewise, preaching and teaching God’s Word, which is our
greatest weapon. The Lord Himself quoted the Scriptures to withstand the
temptations of the devil. If the Word is good enough for Him who authored
it, it’s certainly good enough for us who hear it. Not only do we have the
written and spoken Word as our ally, we also have the Incarnate Word—God in
the flesh—Jesus Christ, our Lord! He is our sure Defense, our Rock, our
Fortress, and our Might. Doctor Martin Luther summed it up well in his
great Reformation hymn and anthem of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church:
With might of ours can naught be done, Soon were our loss effected;
But for us fights the Valiant One, Whom God Himself elected.
Ask ye, Who is this? Jesus Christ it is.
Of Sabaoth Lord, And there’s none other God;
He holds the field forever. [*LSB* 656:2]
Our Lord has fought the battle for us. He was tempted, just as you and I
are. He has defeated sin, death, and hell forever. He took the battle to
the top of Mt. Calvary, where He was killed, yes, crucified in battle for
you and for me. He was stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. He was
beaten, bruised, and bloodied, all as part of the will of God, of your
heavenly Father and mine. By His stripes we are healed. By His bloody
death He has washed us clean through Holy Baptism and Holy Absolution. By
His resurrection we have life with Him forever! Thanks be to God! At
Pentecost the Father and the Son sent the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, now
clothed with power from on high. At Baptism you became robed in the
righteousness of Christ, baptized in and into the Name of the Triune
God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Through His called and ordained servants
of the Word in their preaching and teaching of this same Word, your mind has
been opened to the Word, that you would hear and keep it, that you would
trust in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. In our text, the risen Lord
said to His frightened disciples, “Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I
Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as
you see I have” (v. 39). Next Sunday, you will get to behold His body and
blood. Taste and see that the Lord is good, as the Psalmist writes: “Oh,
taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Oh,
fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The
young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the Lord shall not
lack any good thing” (Ps. 34:8-10).
It is my prayer that you would, by the grace of God, continue steadfast and
strong in this confession and in the Name of Jesus, and that your mind will
always remain open to His Word, for the learning never stops—not even for
pastors! “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the
day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6); and “now may the God of peace Himself
sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be
preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls
you is faithful, who also will do it” (1 Th. 5:23-24). The peace of the
Lord be with you always!
Christ is risen! HE IS RISEN INDEED! ALLELUIA! AMEN!
*SOLI DEO GLORIA*
--
The Rev. Pr. Mark A. Schlamann, Lincoln, NE
Sermons available at http://lcmssermons.com/Schlamann
Catch the NEW "Issues, Etc." at http://www.issuesetc.org
"When you are baptized, partake of Holy Communion, receive the absolution,
or listen to a sermon, heaven is open, and we hear the voice of the Heavenly
Father; all these works descend upon us from the open heaven above us. God
converses with us, provides for us; and Christ hovers over us--but
invisibly. And even though there were clouds above us as impervious as iron
or steel, obstructing our view of heaven, this would not matter. Still we
hear God speaking to us from heaven; we call and cry to Him, and He answers
us. Heaven is open, as St. Stephen saw it open (Acts 7:55); and we hear God
when He addresses us in Baptism, in Holy Communion, in confession, and in
His Word as it proceeds from the mouth of the men who proclaim His message
to the people."--Martin Luther (1/19/1538 [LW 22:202])
