Hi Guys!
With thanks and gratitude to Father Ahonen who submitted this sermon (with
exception of some minor changes - incl. a ref. to my cousin's suicide) back in
2006. If it can be an edification for you & yours, God be praised. In Christ, Ted
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TRINITY 11 “Life in the Temple Will Never Be the Same” August 16, 2009
“Grace, mercy, and peace be unto you from God the Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit, Amen.”
TEXT: Luke 19:41-48 = “Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it,
saying, 'If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things
that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days
will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you,
surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children
within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon
another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.' Then He went
into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, saying
to them, 'It is written, 'My house is a house of prayer,' but you have made it a
'den of thieves.'” And He was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief
priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, and
were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to hear Him.”
This is our text.
In the Name of Jesus, my dear Christian friends:
Life would never be the same within that temple. No, life would never
again be the same in that temple. Not after what happened there that day.
That August day changed things forever. From that day forward, life
within that temple would be different. What took place that day in the temple
was so extraordinary – so life-changing – that life simply could never be the same.
Life changed for God's people on that August day in the year 586 B.C. On
that day, the 9th day in the month of Av, God's holy temple in Jerusalem was
cleared out by the Babylonian army. The people were chased out of the temple,
and the temple was set ablaze. From that day forward, for the next 70 years,
God's people were forced to live in captivity in Babylon. And even after they
were released from their exile and returned to Jerusalem, and rebuilt the
temple, life in the temple was different. It was lived with the remembrance
of what took place in the temple on that day in August. Jews
-2-
today continue to mark that day – the 9th day in the Hebrew month of Av, which
falls during our month of August – with a solemn day of remembrance. What
happened that day in the temple was truly a life-changing event.
And it happened again – on the very same day – in the year A.D. 70! Yes,
temple life radically changed again 656 years later, on the very same 9th day of
Av. The rebuilt temple in Jerusalem was cleared out again, this time by the
Roman army. The people were chased out of the temple, and the temple –
together with the entire city – was leveled! It was “demolished to the very
foundation,” according to the eyewitness account of a historian named Josephus.
They did not leave one stone upon another, as Jesus had prophesied 40 years
earlier. And then it was once again set ablaze. From that day forward, and
continuing to this very day, temple life in Jerusalem is different; it simply
has to be, since the temple is no longer there. That solemn day of mourning
which modern Jews observe on the 9th day of Av is also a remembrance of the
final destruction of the Jerusalem temple. What happened that day to the
temple was truly a life-changing event.
And it is happening again, on an August day, in the year A.D. 2009! That
day is today. And things will be changed forever. From this day forward,
life will be different. What is happening today is so extraordinary, so
life-changing, that life simply can never be the same – for you! Yes, for
you, life in the temple – the temple of your body – can never be the same. Not
after what happens inside that temple today, during this very hour!
For at this very hour, Jesus has entered this temple in order to purify it,
by purifying YOU! Jesus has come today to this Church, for the very same
reason He went that day to the temple in Jerusalem. On that day, He chased
-3-
out the thieves from the den of iniquity that they had built within the House of
Prayer, purging the evil spirits through His sharp and powerful rebuke of their
desecration of God's holy temple. Today, He does the same; He speaks His Word
of Law against YOUR SIN in order to chase out the unclean spirit who has led you
into such sin. And then Jesus speaks His Word of Gospel, His Word of
forgiveness, to impart His Holy Spirit within you, making your body His temple
again!
And in doing so, life will never be the same for you! No, life can never
be the same. Not after what happens inside of that temple today.
The only way in which your life will be left unchanged is if you resist the
Spirit as He seeks to cleanse the temple of your body today, so that it will be
His dwelling place. And that's why we Christians become concerned when we do
not see positive changes in the life of a fellow member of the congregation.
It's why I was concerned about my cousin Rick, who wouldn't go to church at my
urging, and so this last Wednesday he took a gun and committed suicide. Yes,
we are concerned when we don't see positive changes. That's why each one of us
ought to be concerned when you do not see positive changes in your own life, too!
No, you will not achieve a sinless perfection in this life! That's
impossible in this fallen world, in which the devil continues to trick our weak
flesh into the breaking of God's commandments. But we cannot be content with
living a sin-filled lifestyle, either. Our hearts must be re-oriented to fear
and love and trust in God above all things, visible and invisible. Our mouths
must be quick to speak prayers and praises and thanksgivings to God. Our bodies
must be willing to convey us to God's House in order to
-4-
gladly hear and learn God's Word and to joyfully receive His Sacraments. Our
feet must be quick to obey the commands of parents and other authorities. Our
lives must be devoted to protecting the lives of others. Our dirty minds must
be cleansed of its lust. Our hands must be handcuffed whenever tempted to
take what does not belong to us. Our gossiping tongues must be stopped. Our
envious eyes must be closed shut. Where such changes do not take place,
whether in your life or the life of another, there is good reason for loving
concern.
REPENT! TODAY! Do not resist the Spirit of Jesus as He works within
you on this August day. Let Him complete the good work that He has begun in
you during this hour by purging you of your wickedness. Let the Spirit of God
complete His good work by taking up residence within you, making your body God's
own temple. And life in the temple will never be the same – and all for your
good!!!
For the Spirit Who is moving into your heart has GOOD NEWS for your heart!
The Holy Spirit declares to you the truth that God's Son, Jesus Christ, has
lived on your behalf the life of perfect obedience to all of God's commandments.
The Holy Spirit declares to you the truth that God's Son, Jesus Christ, has
died on your behalf – the death that you rightly deserved for your disobedience
to all of God's commandments. The Holy Spirit declares to you the truth that
God's Son, Jesus Christ, was raised from the dead on your behalf, in order to
raise you up to eternal life with your Savior from sin and death.
And that's why this August day has changed things forever – FOR YOU!
From this day forward, life within the temple will be different.
-5-
For what has taken place today in this temple is so extraordinary – so life-
changing – for all of the saints of Hope Lutheran as well as all here present –
for each and every one of you!
On this very day, the temple of your body was cleared out by the Spirit of
Jesus. Through the remembrance of your drowning in your Baptism and your
hearing of God's condemnation of your sin in His Word of Law, the evil spirits
have been exorcised anew and the temple has been set ablaze to purge the
remaining effects of your former sins and your captivity to the devil. And
through the remembrance of your rebirth in your Baptism, and through your
hearing of God's forgiveness of your sins in His Word of Gospel, and through
your eating and drinking of the very Body and Blood of Christ Jesus in the Holy
Supper, the Holy Spirit enters anew into your body, a body which God declares to
be pure in His sight, and reclaims your body as His holy temple!
Yes, what has happened here on this day in this temple, and in the temple
of your body, is truly a life-changing event FOR YOU! From this day forward,
live in the continuing remembrance of what took place in this temple on this day
in August, A.D. 2009. Life with a renewed love for God, having no other gods
but Him, proclaiming His Name for the godly purposes for which He has revealed
it to us, remembering His holy day and the gracious and loving work He has
accomplished FOR YOU, AND IN YOU! Remember that He has changed your life by
His life for you and His life within you, so that your living with your parents
and spouse and children and other neighbors is a living for your neighbors,
living a life of renewed love for your fellow man.
-6-
After everything that has happened to you in this temple today at God's
gracious Hand, your life can never be the same! Thanks be to God!
In the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and
minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
___________________________________________________________________________
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