Sermon in Minneapolis 19.06.2005

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, let us begin our services with opening prayer and thanksgiving.

Holy and righteous God, our dear Heavenly Father, again we thank you for this moment and opportunity to again be able to assemble around the hearing of your Holy Word. We thank you for the gift of salvation that you have prepared through your only Son, who is our redemption, our perfection, our sanctification. We can own all of this as a gift of faith through grace here as children in your kingdom.

So we ask that you would again reveal unto us the mystery of our salvation through your Word today. We ask that you would bless us, protect us, feed us and nourish us, but also guide us along this narrow way of life and bring us one day to our everlasting home, the glory of heaven. Amen.

A wedding prayer on behalf of Katrina Corpian and Kevin Hendrickson, who will be married here in this church on July 16th. We will pray on their behalf. Amen.

Lord, if thou do not build the house, they labor in vain who build it. Build, Lord, for them a home in which faith, hope, and love prevail. Amen.

Today is the fourth Sunday after Trinity, and the theme for this Sunday is righteousness in mercy. The gospel text assigned for this day is from Luke chapter 6, verses 36 through 42.

The disciple is not above his master, but everyone that is perfect shall be as his master. And why do you behold the mote that is in your brother's eyes, but do not perceive the beam that is in your own eye? Either, how can you say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in your eye, when you yourself do not behold the beam that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of your own eye, and then shall you see clearly to pull out the mote that is in your brother's eye. Amen.

When God created the world and placed Adam and Eve to live in the midst of paradise, it was a perfect world. A world without fault and error. A world that had no sin or effect. But, as we remember, Adam and Eve were not obedient to God's wish and command, and took of the fruit of that forbidden tree, and thus they fell into sin. And they lost that image that God had placed in them at creation.

We remember when God created Adam, he took of the dust of the earth and then blew into the nostrils of Adam his living spirit, and man was given a living soul. And God placed or pressed his own image into the bosom of Adam. But all of this was lost in the fall. But it happens through regeneration or through faith. As the Apostle Paul writes to the Corinthians, Behold, all old things have passed away, and all things are made anew.

Thus, this image that is lost or had been lost is renewed by and through faith. But this does not make a believer, a child of God, a perfect human being, like an angel. But we still carry this corrupt portion, this sin-fallen flesh and blood. So as the Bible says, the spirit battles against the flesh, and the flesh battles against the spirit. And as Apostle Paul laments, O wretched man that I am, who can deliver me out of this body of sin and death?

And so, here Jesus himself, our master, and the perfect and greatest of all teachers, is speaking. And we may think that he is speaking these words to those on the outside. Surely they belong to those on the outside as well. But first and foremostly, Jesus was addressing these words to the inner group, we could say. To his followers. To the children of God.

And we could say that the central verse, the central theme of this portion of God's word that we read for this morning, that is assigned for this Sunday, is perhaps one of the favorite verses of people throughout the world. And they will often quote it when they are rebuked of sin, rebuked of wrongdoing for one reason or another: Do not judge and you shall not be judged. Do not condemn and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you shall be forgiven.

When Jesus is speaking these words, he does not mean or intend parents when they are doing their duty of rearing and raising their children. Children need to know what is right and what is wrong. It is the duty of parents to establish the limits, the borders. But also, for example, if a child of a parent has gone astray and now is living, for example, in cohabitation, living together while not being married, and the parents would exhort this couple, one of them being their child, to get married, and that the life that they are living is not according to God's word. It is sin. It is wrong and it is inappropriate. This does not fall under this category or this realm of these words: Judge not, lest you also be judged. Do not condemn, lest you also be condemned.

Or if we think of the police force, the police officers that are assigned to do their duty here in society. They have to arrest people, pass out tickets, and mete out judgment. Neither does this belong to this category of which Jesus is speaking under these words that judge not lest you also be judged.

One of the favorite themes of this time that we are living for those who are living in the sin of homosexuality, for example, if they are told that that lifestyle is incorrect, wrong, and not according to God's word, their favorite response is do not condemn lest you also be condemned. Do not judge lest you also would become judged.

It's kind of interesting, one concerned Lutheran pastor wrote to our local newspaper in this city, the Star and Tribune, after one Lutheran synod meeting, and many of the parishioners of this Lutheran synod were wishing to defend their lifestyle, and many of the officiants, pastors, and clergy of that Lutheran synod were also wishing to, in a way, defend that lifestyle of homosexuality.

And one of their defenses was this, that modern science is a better authority on the subject of homosexuality than the Bible. And they were wishing that the church would approve in a loving way their committed homosexual behavior. And so that the church would perform a blessing as well upon these people who were homosexual couples.

And often was heard this, that just come in. And this concerned pastor was saying that no longer is the church, that Lutheran church speaking and preaching sin as sin. And he went on to say that it is the mission of Christ's church to offer yes, salvation and forgiveness to all sinners regardless of their sin. But then there was a big but.

And so it is. If anyone is repentant and penitent over their sins and begs for pardon, it is our duty as Christ's disciples to preach forgiveness. No matter what the sin, no matter what the fault, no matter what the error has sin.

But then he goes on to say that the church becomes heretical and hurtful when it tells people that sin is not really sin and repentance is not necessary.

So it is quite interesting that there are those out there in society, in the world, who also are concerned about the movement in general of society to just open acceptance. And even in the realm of religious circles, that just close your eyes to sinful behavior.

Another brother, when speaking on this topic, spoke about woman priesthood and said, neither does this belong to the realm of these words of Jesus: do not judge, lest you also be judged. For the Bible clearly speaks to the issue of woman priesthood, and it is contrary to it.

And there would be many other examples. For example, abortion. The Bible clearly speaks to these types of issues as well. There is a clear statement in God's holy word regarding the sanctity of life.

We could find examples in the Bible where the Bible speaks to these types of issues of judging. People are people who are you that would judge another person's servant? To his own master he stands or he falls. Yea, he shall be held up, for God is able to make him stand.

Or earlier in Romans, which is another text for today, an epistle text, Paul writes in this way: Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whosoever, who are you that judges? For wherein you judge another, you condemn yourself, for you that judge does the same thing.

So we can see some of the clear warnings in God's word about judging. There is a place for it and then there is a place not for it.

Paul also writes to the Corinthians, For I know nothing in myself, yet am I not hereby justified, but he that judges me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before time until the Lord comes, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts. And then shall every man have praise of God.

So, what then does this mean? We remember when John the Baptist was living, preaching, and teaching and he rebuked King Herod for taking his brother's wife and living with her in adultery. John the Baptist rebuked King Herod and as a consequence of this King Herod then required the head of John the Baptist.

John the Baptist had to give his life because of this rebuke. But Jesus later on extols or gives a good testimony of John the Baptist for the words that John the Baptist had addressed to King Herod.

When Jesus is talking about his departure he says in this way that when the Holy Spirit comes the Holy Spirit will rebuke the world of sin. This is the duty of the Holy Spirit. But we as human beings have to be careful about judgment and condemnation.

We remember when Samuel came to the house of Jesse there in Bethlehem to anoint the new king of Israel. Jesse the father brought his eldest son and Samuel shook his head no. Brought the next oldest son Samuel shook his head no.

Samuel, Jesse brought in seven sons and always Samuel the prophet shook his head and said no. Finally Samuel says we as human beings look just upon the outward form, the outward nature of a human being, but it is God that looks into the heart. It is God who knows another person's heart. Only God can see into the heart of another person. We cannot see beyond or below the surface of a person.

So as the writer of the Proverbs says in this way that we think that we are traveling a way that is always correct but that way is often incorrect. So often our evaluation of ourselves, which we think is good in God's eyes, may be wrong and incorrect and the evaluation that we give of another person that we may think is correct is at times incorrect. It is God, only God, who sees into the heart.

One pastor who happened to be a bishop of a certain church, an unbelieving man but still a person with good character and good standing in society, was traveling on a ship on a cruise and happened to be lodged in a room with another man that he did not know.

And upon meeting that other person, looking him up and down, decided, well, I better take all of my valuables, bring them to the front desk, and put them in the safe that is assigned for me for this room. So he brought them to the clerk at the desk and said, I wish to save and preserve all my valuables in the safe because when I saw who my roommate was when I checked him out I just didn't have a good feeling about that person, so I'd rather keep my valuables in safekeeping.

The clerk says sure, but your roommate was just here and said the same thing about you.

So we can see how we as human beings are imperfect. We cannot see into the heart of another person, but it is true that we can see the fruits of a person's behavior.

And so here Jesus says, For what judgment you judge, you shall also be judged.

We remember when Moses was leading the people through the wilderness journey for those 40 years and Korah and his followers then rose up in rebellion against Moses and Aaron. God through his word gave many warnings to Korah and his followers but they did not pay heed.

But we remember in the end judgment was with God, the punishment was with God. It was God himself who then finally and in the end opened up the earth and the earth swallowed Korah and his followers into the bosom of the earth.

So the word of God, the words of Jesus, says in this way that I did not come into the world to judge the world. This was not his main mission. His main mission, his main mission to seek and to find those that were lost and condemned.

But then Jesus continues, I did not come to judge the world but those that live in darkness. The word of God judges them already. Who does not have faith is judged already.

So it is the word of God, the word of God which contains the word of judgment within itself. As Jesus says in the gospel according to Saint John in the twelfth chapter that the words that I have spoken will judge a person on the last day.

So when the word of God in and of itself contains words of judgment, behind this is God's love. For God is love.

And people willingly want to quote this sentence from the Bible, which is true, saying that God is love and thinking and intending that God will be like an old grandfather there in the skies and in the heavens and just as if looked between his fingers at all of the behavior, evil behavior and all types of behavior that takes place here in this world and has no concern of it, for God is love.

God and the Bible also says that it is God's wish and it would be his desire that no person would be condemned. God would wish that no person would have to go on to condemnation in hell.

But as the message of the Bible is this: God hates sin but God loves the sinner. So sin and uncared for sin will bring a person onto destruction of the soul.

But God is love. God hates sin but God loves the sinner. And for this reason God so loved the world that he sent his only beloved Son into this world so that whoever would believe upon him, whoever would believe upon him.

So it's not all-encompassing that because Jesus came into the world no one would be condemned. But no, God so loved the world that he sent his Son into the world so those that would believe on him would not be condemned.

So it is by and through faith then that we have security and protection and salvation from this condemnation of God.

So when we think of the last judgment from which no human being will be excused, every human being that has ever trotted with their own feet upon the face of this earth will be there. You will be a huge sea of people and life will be simplified on that day.

People will be divided into two simple groups: those that are saved and those that are cursed. Those on the left side, to those on the left side Jesus will say, Go away, I know you not.

But to those on the right side, those are those who were able to own by faith the forgiveness of sins during this time of grace and have been judged already with God's grace and God's mercy through the gospel of the forgiveness of sins.

And to those on the right side there at the final judgment, the words of the resurrected Jesus you will say at the judgment throne, Come you who are blessed of my Father, you who were blessed already in the time of grace and now you can go to inherit that gift of salvation that has been prepared since the foundations of this world. Go in peace.

So now these words basically of Jesus were directed to those on the inside, but we as believers also show love to those on the outside, those who are not in living faith.

Years ago in the old country there was a preacher brother who was converted himself and later asked to be a preacher there in southern Finland. And he especially from one person received much mockery and ridicule.

And the person who often mocked him moved away from southern Finland to another locality and this preacher then was on a mission trip going throughout Finland and happened to be in a certain locality where there were many believers working in a logging camp.

And the believers said, We are going to services this evening, that come along you others who want to. And this mocker, this person who ridiculed this certain preacher, came along and lo and behold he saw this man, this preacher that he knew from southern Finland.

What did this preacher do? He went up to this man who often ridiculed him and he says, You are working in the logging camps in the middle of the winter and your boots are torn and shattered and in shreds. Here, I have good new boots, take mine and I'll take yours.

The man took off his tattered boots and his socks were shattered and shredded and full of holes. He says, Here take my new woolen socks and I'll take yours.

And that was the extent of their discussion.

Several weeks later this preacher brother returned home and in the middle of the night there was a knock at the front door. The wife says, I don't dare go to the front door in the middle of the night. Why don't you go?

So the preacher brother goes and opens the front door and there is that same man who had ridiculed him and made fun of him in times past, the person to whom the preacher brother had given his brand new boots and new woolen socks.

And the man says, That act of yours, that act of kindness, spoke to me so strongly it pricked my heart and awakened my conscience. And he says, I have come here only with one purpose: to make repentance.

So that act of kindness and that act of love drew that man onto repentance.

But then when we are talking about our fellow believers, our fellow children of God, we know that Jesus gives instruction, for example in Matthew 18, how to care for our fellow brother and sister in living faith.

And the instructions are contained in the words which are known as the church law of Christ: If your brother or sister would offend you, go to him and rebuke him. It says in the King James version, what a better translation would be, Go and speak with that person, speak with that person in love.

Rebuke has kind of a harsh connotation, a connotation oftentimes of grabbing the other person who has offended you by the throat and harshly rebuking him. No, this is not the spirit of the church law of Christ.

But approach that other person in love, approach him from below, lift him, talk to him tenderly and lovingly but yet in the truth.

So we could ask, Is this judging? No. But when Jesus meant to go speak to such a person who has offended you, the offenses are often caused by that other person's speech, for example slandering or speaking behind your back or someone else's back.

When such behavior takes place, Jesus instructs to go and approach that person, approach him in love, take the matter up and speak about it.

So we all are poor and wretched and we are sinners and sin-fallen human beings and we feel our wretchedness as Paul says, Oh, what a wretched man that I am, who can deliver me from this body of sin and death.

So here Jesus says, Give and it shall be given unto you; that good measure that is pressed down, shaken together and running over, shall men give into your bosom.

For with the same measure that you mete or give to another, the same shall be measured again to you.

So what is this full measure? Aren't we pardoned sinners who have received that great debt of sin forgiven, which is often compared to a debt of ten thousand pounds?

And if this would be converted to money of that time, it was such a debt that was so great no person could ever in their lifetime even begin to repay that debt.

But we remember that the king was merciful and gracious and forgave of grace that debtor's entire debt.

And so we are and we would be and every human being is as a debtor of ten thousand talents, impossible on our own part to be able to repay.

But God through his love and grace by faith through grace in the gospel of the forgiveness of sins has forgiven our debt, pardoned our sins and therefore it kindles love within us.

And this is that full measure that we have received and therefore we have and we receive by faith through the power of the Holy Spirit the mind of Christ.

What was that mind of Christ? As that preacher brother would give an indication or an example of that mind of Christ when he gave his boots, new boots and new socks to that slanderer, that mocker that he saw there at the logging camp.

When Jesus was on the middle cross of Golgotha, the guards spit on his face, they beat him with their fists, they put nails through his hands, they put nails through his feet and they put a spear through his side.

What did Jesus say? Did he respond an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth? The mind of Christ was this: Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.

So here we could say another central part of this text, a theme of this text is this: Why do you behold the mote, which is the same as a sliver or we could say a speck of dust?

Yesterday, I was, the day before, I was working out in the yard using the chainsaw trying to cut down old shrubs and trees and every once in a while I get a little speck of dust or some little sliver in my eye.

And for hours thereafter I was rubbing and rubbing and rubbing because of the irritation of this little speck of dust or this little sliver that got in my eye. It is irritating and it can bother us for hours, perhaps even days.

So here Jesus is using this example. We know how this feels.

Why do you behold the little sliver or the little speck of dust that is in another person's eyes, in your brother's eyes, but you do not perceive the beam?

This beam that is in question was a six-foot-long beam like a railroad tie.

And you do not perceive the beam or the railroad tie that is in your own eye fault.

So this is often the human nature of us as human beings. It's easy for us to see the little faults, the errors, the misgivings of our fellow brothers and sisters.

It's easy for us to begin to live in watching in our neighbors' lives and our neighbors' sins and we don't even perceive or realize our own faults.

And as Jesus is saying here that your neighbor's faults are like the size of a speck of dust and don't you realize that your own faults are like a railroad tie that are sticking in your own eye?

So how does Jesus continue? This doesn't take away from this as Cain would say when he was asked about his Abel that he had killed and buried in the sand of the earth.

When they came to ask Cain that where is your brother, he said, Am I my brother's keeper?

No, we don't have that attitude but as the New Testament says too and about shepherding of the flock, first take care of yourself and then thereafter take care of the sheep, the fellow brothers and sisters in living faith.

So our first and foremost place of watching is in our own heart. Are my own matters in order? Are my own matters taken care of? Love then thereafter in love we also have the mind of the spirit of love to help our fellow brother and sister.

So why do you behold the sliver or speck of dust in your brother's eyes but you do not perceive the beam or the railroad tie that is in your own eye?

This is the spirit of hypocrisy.

We remember when the two people were praying in the temple and the hypocrite, I mean the Pharisee, was beating his chest looking up toward the sky and he says, I have not sinned, I have not stolen, I have not done this, I have not done that.

And he says, but I have fasted two times a week and there was one fast day a month.

He says, I have paid my temple tax for everything that I bought and they are required to pay a temple tax only on certain goods.

So he went above and beyond all expectations. He sure had a long list of his good deeds.

But then he begins to turn around and point his finger at the publican who was considered the greatest of all sinners in society.

But I am not like that person who was that publican who was casting his gaze to the ground and lamenting, Oh, what a wretched person that I am, Father forgive me, have mercy upon me, a great sinner.

Jesus had to say to the Pharisee that the publicans and sinners will go before you into the kingdom of God.

So this is what Jesus was talking about: hypocrisy.

And so Jesus continues his instruction and says, And neither can you say to your brother, Brother, let me pull out that mote or that sliver or that speck of dust that is in your own eye when you yourself do not behold the beam or the railroad tie that is in your own eye.

And his conclusion is this, and Jesus says in the same parallel portion in Matthew, that first take the beam out of your own eye and then thereafter go take the sliver or the speck of dust that is in your neighbor's eye.

So Jesus concludes by saying, You hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of your own eye and then shall you see clearly to pull out the mote or the sliver or the speck of dust that is in your brother's eye.

We remember King David when King David had fallen first in the sin of adultery and trying to cover up his tracks fell thereafter into the sin of murder when he had the husband of the wife he committed adultery with sent to the front line and who was subsequently killed.

So then God sent Nathan the prophet, Nathan a very humble and modest man to speak unto King David and it was a very dangerous task for prophet Nathan because he knew that King David would have authority to do away with his life like he did Uriah's life.

But Nathan was obedient and went to speak to King David and he didn't immediately open up the books and cast all David's great heirs before him on the table but he told a little story, a little parable.

He says, David, I have a little story I want to tell you and he says there was once a rich man who had great flocks of sheep but then there was also a poor man who had one little ewe lamb which was dear and precious to this poor man.

The poor man often took his one and only sheep into his arms and he fed it with his bottle and it was so precious and dear.

Now this rich man had some guests coming over and didn't want to take even one sheep from his huge flock of sheep to prepare a feast for his guests.

But what did he do? He went and took that poor man's one and only precious and dear ewe lamb, killed it and used that in preparation for the feast for his friends, his guests.

Love and David became so enraged in his heart he was now under the spirit of the law and condemnation and he says that person, that rich man should be put to death for his foolish, inappropriate behavior and actions.

Nathan says to David, David, don't you realize that you are that rich man in that story?

And this opened David's eyes to realize how far he had fallen, how dark he had become.

And he begged for mercy and the forgiveness of sins.

And Nathan was able to preach the gospel onto him.

So Luther says in this way, when a person would stray in doctrine and in their life, then they began to judge with a human mind.

So it is God that has the authority of judgment.

When a person begins to grow in himself, grow great in himself, then they began to despise and look over other people.

Many, many years ago, there was a rich landowner that had a maid, a Christian maid, that lived with him.

And the rich landowner and his wife were believers, but also the maid was a believer.

And there in that mansion, that big, beautiful home, they would often organize services, services of God's children.

And preachers would come at various times and conduct sermons.

And this young Christian maid that worked in this home, who was believing in a childlike way, would often become moved during the sermons and begin to rejoice out loud.

The Lord Jesus be praised. The Lord Jesus be praised.

That mother of the home, oftentimes, several times, interrupted the sermon when this maid began to rejoice and said, Do you realize that this maid of mine is actually a robber and a thief?

And tell such things about this Christian maid.

And the preacher brothers, at least some, in the middle of the sermon would then exhort this maid that why don't you make repentance then of your faults and errors.

So this went on for quite some time.

But it then happened that the mother of this affluent home became ill and came to her deathbed.

And some of the friends and neighbors and relatives came to see her as she was lying sick on her bed.

And she said to those who came to see her that before I die I want you to bring my former maid who had left, eventually left and went somewhere else to work.

Could you find her and bring her back so I could talk to her one last time?

So that young maid was brought to the bedside of this former employer of hers.

And that woman, that rich woman asked her when the maid came to her bedside, Could you forgive me for all of my evil speaking of you?

The mother said that it was I who was wrong. I was envious of you because of your childlike faith and your freedom in Christ.

And I was accusing you because of my own faults, my sins, and my errors that I was carrying on my own heart in conscience.

And then that maid promptly forgave her sins unconditionally with a gospel of the forgiveness of sins.

And then the maid began to rejoice out loud again. The Lord Jesus be praised.

And the others asked that, Well, why did you now begin rejoicing when you heard the confession of this woman, this former employer of yours who had spoken so badly and so much evil against you?

And she said, the maid said, It moved my heart to know that when I am such a pardoned sinner myself, have received my own debt, sin debt of 10,000 talents forgiven, that how could I but forgive that little debt of hers which is equal to one penny in relationship to the debt that I have received forgiven from God my heavenly Father.

This was the heart of Christ only possible through the power of the Holy Spirit.

So those that have experienced mercy are able to also divide and pass mercy onto others.

And so Jesus says, Give and it shall be given unto you, that good measure that is pressed down, shaken together and running over, shall men give into your bosom.

For with the same measure that you mete or give to another, the same shall be measured to you again.

So may the love of Christ warm all of our hearts this morning.

The love of Christ that was so great that he offered his life and shed his blood on the middle cross of Golgotha.

It now wishes to approach each of our addresses this morning, finding you where you are, no matter how you feel, amidst trials, temptations, sins, faults, and errors.

He wishes to come and knock at the door of your heart and say, You can believe all sins forgiven in Jesus' name and precious atoning blood in Jesus' name. Amen.

The Lord bless us and keep us. The Lord make his face to shine upon us and be gracious unto us. The Lord lift up his countenance upon us and give us peace. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, Amen.