Sermon in Minneapolis 12.04.2009

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, let us begin our services on this Easter morning in opening prayer and thanksgiving. Easter is our day of great festivity, when the Lamb was offered there on Calvary. Now the tomb is open, and the temple veil, and the way to heaven open unto all. Flying high the banner hails the victory. Hearken, all you children, peace be unto thee.

Dear Heavenly Father, today we are gathered before your holy and unperishing word to remember and celebrate that sole reason for our salvation. To remember that victory, which alone, by and through, we are able to be members of your kingdom and heaven acceptable today. When Jesus, our Lord and Savior, your only begotten Son, won that victory. He won the victory over death, over sin, and crushed the head of the enemy of souls. He rose for our righteousness' sake. If that tomb, dear Heavenly Father, would have not been open, and that victory would not have been attained, today none of us, no one in the world, would ever be able to see your face in glory in heaven one day. But he gained that victory. He opened that gate back into paradise, all the way into the glory of heaven. And this victory today, humbly and childlike, we are able to own freely, of grace, through faith, all through the merits of your Son, Jesus Christ.

So we ask that you would, again, warm our hearts with that bright Son of Grace, which has risen on the Mount of Calvary, and is in that gospel message able to warm our cold, doubting, and often fearful hearts. It is that glad tidings of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. So we ask again this morning that you would be with us, through your word, through your Spirit, feed us, nourish us, lead us and guide us, and bring us one day to our heavenly home. All of this we ask in the name of your dear Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

On this festive holiday, Easter morning, I'll read the psalm text assigned for this day from Psalms 118, verses 15 through 25. The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous. The right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly. The right hand of the Lord is exalted. The right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly. I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord. The Lord has chastened me sore, but he hath not given me over unto death. Open to me the gates of righteousness. I will go into them, and I will praise the Lord. This gate of the Lord, into which the righteous shall enter, I will praise thee, for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation. The stone which the builders refuse is become the headstone of the corner. This is the Lord's doing. It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which the Lord hath made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord. O Lord, I beseech thee, send now prosperity. Amen.

This is a typical psalm of praise and thanksgiving. And it's a psalm which the reformer of faith, Martin Luther, loved dearly. And he says in this way that it is my psalm, one, that I love. And during his many trials and tribulations that he experienced during his life, it gave him much comfort. He said, it has helped me from many tribulations when and during which the Caesars, the kings, all of the wise men, and even the saints had not been able to help him. This psalm at those times comforted him, consoled him, and gave him encouragement.

Even though this is a psalm which rings forth from the first verses to the last verses of praise and thanksgiving, as it begins, O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good, because his mercy endureth forever. Sometimes we don't realize, even though the tone of this psalm is very positive, we don't realize the situation in which it was born or originated. Even though at times some people say it is a psalm of David, it is ascribed to the period of time during the wilderness journey, during those forty years in the wilderness, which were not very easy, but on the other hand were very difficult years, a very arduous journey, one with many trials and tribulations. And apparently this psalm was born during those extremely difficult times in years.

It's interesting to note that there is one song in the Finnish hymn book, I didn't get a chance to check whether it has been translated and put into our new English hymnal, but over a hundred years ago there was a preacher brother whose name was, his nickname was Postman Heike, and he would go from village to village during the winter months by skis, on cross-country skis, up and down the hills or the fells or in Lapland. One time he was on a journey to services in one locality and he reached the top of a high hill and is ready to descend down the other side and his skis came loose and went skidding down the long hill. And so there he is struggling in the deep snow banks in the hills and fells of Lapland and is unable to retrieve his skis at the bottom of the hill. He is realizing that his strength is running out, his days are numbered and he will not survive.

When friends later found him cold in the snow drifts sometime later as a deceased person, they noticed his struggle but they also noticed words written with his finger into the snow drift and it is a song that at least in the Finnish language we often sing. Imagine the struggle trying to hang on to the thread of life and the tone of the song that originated in that very difficult situation.

Now I am beginning to sing thanks unto my Father heart when soon I will be released from here to go into glory. Then he continues, now I am beginning to sing thanks unto my Father now it is coming into my eyes that beautiful homeland and I can hear in my ears the playing of the harp. The doors of heaven were beginning to open and he is also able to hear something in the playing of the bells of heaven. I can hear in my ears and they are bringing this message unto me that your bridegroom is coming. And the final verse that he inscribes in the snow drifts before passing from this life is, and now the bridegroom is coming to get me and take his own to home. The Father is coming, behold, to get his bride.

We can sense, we can feel, and we can read that hymn of praise and the song of victory, the final victory of one tired and weary undying soul. Our text began, the voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous.

One week ago we commemorated and remembered when Jesus was riding a trip of victory as he was entering into Jerusalem the very last time. Even though he was coming in a lowly manner, the people came out in great numbers and large throngs and began to sing a song which is always historically sung to the next person to be crowned as a king of Israel, sung to King David, to King Solomon, and also the other successive kings of Israel: Hosanna to the Son of David, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest.

And when that parade reaches the city of Jerusalem, the scribes, the elders, and the chief priests became very irritated and they wanted that even the little children would cease from singing. And Jesus replied that out of the mouth of babes comes the word of truth, and if the voice of these children would be stilled, would be quietened, even the rocks and the stones here in the city of Jerusalem would begin to break out to sing songs of praise and rejoicing.

Some of the elder ones here remember those years when rejoicing was very common, very typical at the services of believers some years ago, many years ago in fact. One newspaper reporter came to the services of the believers in Finland to their annual summer services called the Suviseurat. And we know that they have perhaps up to ten services a day over a period of three, four days, so maybe thirty, forty sermons during the annual summer convention.

So the newspaper reporter goes and asks one individual, "I don't want to spend all day here at services and I want to make a summary of maybe one sermon or two, but could you tell me who is your keynote speaker, who is your number one speaker? Then I will come on that day and at that time and summarize his sermon and I'll stay in my office for the rest of the time."

The person who was asked that question replied, "Do you hear the voice and sound of rejoicing in the background?" Reporter replied, "I can hear very clearly, it is quite frequent." "Have you listened closely to the words that they are saying when they are rejoicing? 'The Lord Jesus be praised, the Lord Jesus be praised.'" So that believer told the newspaper reporter, "That is our main speaker, our keynote speaker, and his voice is evident in every speech here during our summer services."

We remember when the people of Israel finally were able to be released from the bondage of Egypt where they had been in captivity for 430 years. After the tenth plague, the Pharaoh finally released them. And as the Israelites departed toward the land of Canaan, the Pharaoh regretted his decision and now was pursuing very hotly on their tail.

We recall that Moses sighed. God told him to raise his staff over the Red Sea and it parted. The Israelites were able to pass safely on dry land to the other side. And when Moses again raised his staff over the Red Sea, the waters came together and drowned all of the soldiers of the armies of Pharaoh.

There safely on dry land on the other side, Miriam, the sister of Moses, takes a harp off of the will and begins to strum a song, a song of praise and thanksgiving under God the Heavenly Father who had saved them, spared them, and brought them safely to the other side.

People in the world and often the self-righteous of the world are offended at times at this praise and thanksgiving of believers unto their Heavenly Father. We remember in that parable, that story of Jesus of the prodigal son. And when that prodigal son was able to return after many years in that far away land and country, he returned, was able to be undressed of his filthy robes and dressed into the robes of festivity and righteousness.

The father told his friends and servants that prepare a feast. Now is a time of happiness and thanksgiving for my son who was lost is found again, my son who is dead is now spiritually alive again. But we remember there was one who was not happy. It was the prodigal son's elder brother who would not even come into the house. He sent a message to his father, "What is all of this noise, this commotion, this praise and thanksgiving that I hear? My younger brother has been a wretch, wasted your goods, and now you prepare a feast for him and rejoice when he has returned. Don't you know, don't you remember and realize that I have faithfully served you all of these years and never once have you killed the fatted lamb and prepared a feast for me?"

Jesus was wanting to illustrate that this elder brother was both scribes and the Pharisees to whom Jesus was directing this parable. They were this elder brother was not able to join in with this praising and thanksgiving.

But then it continues, the right hand of the Lord is exalted. When we read in scriptures at various times and actually many times this metaphor of the right hand of the Lord is used and it indicates and illustrates the power and the might of God. And especially it is fitting for today when it seemed that the enemy of souls had gained that victory.

I'm sure Satan was rejoicing when the Lord Jesus was now dead. When he is the prince of the kingdom of God and he is now gone, his entire kingdom as well will be lost. But three days later that song of victory and rejoicing of Satan and the enemy of souls came to not because the tomb was empty. Jesus Christ had risen and he had won that victory over the enemy of souls, the power of sin and the shackles of death.

But we can recall also when the disciples or the Israelites were on that wilderness journey, it wasn't long when they began to murmur and complain and lament. There is a lack of food and there is a lack of water. Why did you, Moses, lead us out of Egypt? There we could have remained around the abundance of food, around the flesh pots there in Egypt, but now we're going to suffer and die here in the wilderness.

God provided water. God provided food in the manner of manna, but they began to grumble over this simple plain and apparently tasteless food. God got tired of the complaining and he sent serpents, poisonous serpents, into the camp and everyone that was bitten by these poisonous snakes began to die one by one.

And then the voice of lament rose up into heaven, into the ears of God the Heavenly Father. God commanded Moses that erect a pillar, a pole, and make an imitation snake out of brass and raise it up there on that pole and everyone who looks upon that brazen serpent hanging on the pole in faith will be healed from their poisonous snake bites and they survived those who looked and beheld in faith.

When Jesus is visiting with Nicodemus during that nocturnal discussion, they discussed very important matters, matters of faith and salvation. And the conclusion of that discussion ends in this way: as Moses raised that brazen serpent in the wilderness, so shall I, the Son of Man, be raised upon the cross.

The middle cross of the Golgotha. Last Friday we remembered and commemorated how Jesus gave all on our behalf. He suffered and died, was buried, laid into the bosom of the earth, mummified in typical fashion in the Middle East countries of that time. The tomb was closed and sealed with a two-ton rock. The enemy of souls had seemingly gained the victory.

But the arm of victory, the right hand of the Lord, secured that victory when it removed that stone. It broke the shackles of death and raised him back to life again. The Son of Grace is shining today in victory and this is through the right hand of the Lord, through God our Heavenly Father.

Lord, so I shall not die. We can sing together with the psalmist but live. We can live spiritually by faith through Jesus Christ our Lord, through his merits and therefore we wish to declare the works of the Lord. Even though at times we feel and experience as the psalmist says, the Lord has chastened me sorely but he has not given me over to the point of death.

But then it continues, open to me the gates of righteousness and I will go in to them and I will praise the Lord. Open up the gates of righteousness. Here is an allusion to the third article of the creed: I believe that I cannot of my own reason or strength come unto Jesus Christ my Lord or believe upon him, but the Holy Ghost has called me through the gospel, enlightened me by his gifts, sanctified and preserved me in this one true Christian faith in this Christian church here upon this earth.

It is the gate of righteousness as the Bible says. No one can come unto him, unto Jesus Christ, unto God the Heavenly Father unless God draws him through his might and through his spirit. Jesus said that I am the shepherd of the sheepfold but he is also the door that leads into the sheepfold and anyone who wants to enter into that sheepfold, the picture of the kingdom of God, has to come through that door, through Jesus Christ, through that believing and hearing of the oral proclamation of the forgiveness of sins.

And when a person is able to believe that gospel, one goes through that door through Christ Jesus and Christ Jesus himself forgives that person his sins and declares that person righteous and heaven acceptable. So the psalmist says, open to me the gates of righteousness and I will go into them and I will praise the Lord.

We are by grace through faith able to be members of this kingdom of God, this Christian church here upon this earth. And in the creed we call it a holy Christian church. Why is it holy? How is it holy when it is made up of sinners? You and I and every other member of this kingdom is a sinner from the crown of our heads to the heel of our feet. We have no healthy square centimeter, square millimeter of anything that is good that we can offer as a merit, a worth to gain acceptance and salvation before God our Heavenly Father.

So when the kingdom of God is made up of all these corrupt sinners, how then is it called a holy Christian church? Because we carry two portions by faith. We carry that new man which is from heaven and it is of Christ himself and it has been, our souls have been washed and cleansed with the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ. And this is that holiness, this is that sanctification which purifies our undying souls and it makes the kingdom of God a holy Christian church solely and alone for this reason.

So we are and we have been able to enter into that gate of righteousness and for this reason we wish to praise the Lord. I will praise thee for thou hast heard me and you have become my salvation.

But then the psalmist continues with a very interesting verse: the stone which the builders refuse has become the headstone of the corner.

On Thursday of this week, Monday, Thursday, Jesus was in, or could have been Wednesday or Tuesday, but during this passion week, this holy week, Jesus was in Jerusalem the last time. He entered into the temple area and he visited with the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders there in the temple area, the temple built by Solomon and later expanded by King Herod.

And during that discussion Jesus told several parables, very enlightening parables unto these chief priests, the scribes, and elders. And in the light of these parables they apparently very clearly saw their position before God the Heavenly Father and they must have realized that they were not heaven acceptable and so they became displeased with the message that Jesus was preaching to them.

Jesus had already earlier chased out the people selling doves in the temple area and tipped over the tables of those exchanging money. And then the chief priest, the scribes, and the elders asked, with what authority are you doing these acts? And at that time Jesus responds with this verse that we read quoting from Psalms 118: the stone which the builders refused or rejected has become the headstone of the corner.

They were standing in the temple, the temple of Solomon. And when that temple was constructed, it began with a cornerstone. That is the first stone that is laid which determines the location of that temple, that building, and also the direction of the walls to make sure they're plumb and straight and it needed to be on a firm foundation. And when the temple was completed then a final capstone was put on top of the wall. It was now finished.

So Jesus is now visiting with these chief priests, the scribes, and the elders who are asking him, with what authority are you doing these things? And Jesus said, do you see this temple? This temple has a cornerstone. This temple has a capstone and that is signifying, illustrating, and picturing me who is standing before you right now. And this is the stone that you builders, scribes, and Pharisees and elders have rejected. I have come unto my own but my own have not received me. You have rejected me. Soon your time of visitation will be over.

Paul writes to the Corinthians that there is no other foundation than the one that has been laid and this foundation of faith, the foundation of the kingdom of God is Jesus Christ. And so Peter writes in his epistle, even though this stone has become rejected by many as these chief priests, scribes, and the elders are rejecting Christ at this moment, for us who believe it has become precious and dear for our faith. Our hope of salvation alone rests upon this chief cornerstone, Christ Jesus, his works and his merits.

And so Paul writes to the Corinthians or the Ephesians when he is speaking about the kingdom of God which is made in a metaphorical way of living stones, it is built upon a sure foundation and the storms cannot cause it to be overthrown. The foundation is the prophets and the apostles, the holy scriptures in other words, and Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone.

And so the stone which the builders, those builders of false righteousness, have rejected or refused has become the headstone, the cornerstone, and the capstone of this temple made of living stones. And this is the Lord's doing and it is all marvelous in our eyes.

But then we come to a very familiar verse, a verse that is often used at wedding occasions and maybe birthday celebrations and it's a verse that we read last Sunday at Sunday Annette Johnson's 50th wedding occasion, very appropriate: this is the day which the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Last Thursday was Maundy Thursday and Jesus was gathered together with his twelve disciples for the last time to commemorate the Old Testament Passover festival. And as the meal was proceeding they would pass the cup of wine around several times, four cups in all would be passed during that feast.

And after the second cup was passed they would sing which is called the great Hallel, the great song of praise which begins from Psalms 113 and goes to Psalms 118. But after the passing of the second cup they would sing Psalm 113 and 114. And now at the conclusion when Jesus had instituted Holy Communion and that feast and celebration was over, they were ready to depart.

Matthew says they ended by singing a song of praise and thanksgiving and that's when they sang the remainder of the great Hallel. They sang Psalm, what we know today as 115, 16, 17, and 18. And included in that great Hallel was this verse that we read: this is the day which the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Moments later after singing this concluding hymn of praise, Jesus led his disciples out into the garden of Gethsemane. The chief priests came with their soldiers and laid hands upon Jesus and all of the disciples, the remaining eleven disciples fled into the darkness of the night. Not one hand was left any longer to defend Jesus.

Jesus was led away as a captive, brought before the tribunals to be interrogated and to be condemned to death. And the next day, Friday, was nailed to the middle cross of Golgotha. As we mentioned already, the enemy of souls, I'm sure, was happy and rejoicing his victory had now been attained. He is the sole leader here in this world.

And so several days later the disciples are behind locked doors. They lock the doors fearing that their fate would be the same as their Lord and Master. And suddenly, without the doors opening, without the windows becoming unlocked, there appears Jesus in their midst. When he rose from that grave as a victor he was in a hurry.

Why was he in a hurry? Even though he had been wounded and slain, mortally wounded, now he had risen but he was in a hurry to bring greetings. He knew his disciples were there in fear behind locked doors and when he appeared he did not have righteous anger in his eyes. He no longer carried that whip which he had when he tipped over the table of the money changers and chased those selling doves out of the temple area several days earlier.

But his face and his countenance was filled with love, compassion, and mercy. He did not harshly rebuke his disciples, his followers, for not staying there in the garden several days or the previous day, several days earlier to defend him. But he approached them and he said warmly, "My peace I give unto you." Flowing upon them, "Receive the Holy Ghost. Whosoever sins you forgive, they are also forgiven unto them." And that is that message he is leaving with you and I again this morning when we recall that day of victory, that day of resurrection.

Jesus lives and we live through him. So the last verse in our song, on our hymn, concludes: Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord. O Lord, I beseech thee, send now prosperity.

In the original language it contains the words that we sang in our opening song 107. If I could quickly find it at the end of each of these verses we sang, "Praise to thee dear Jesus, sing my tongue and soul to thee, sing Hosanna, Amen," just as they sang to Jesus on Palm Sunday when he was riding on a donkey on Palm Sunday. They broke branches of palm trees and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest."

This word Hosanna has a root which is the root from which comes Jesus, which is translated here as save now. Hosanna, save me, I beseech thee, O Lord. O Lord, I beseech thee, send now prosperity. So this is our hope of everlasting life, our sole reason for salvation.

And on this day of victory on Easter morning we can conclude this morning service by being encouraged that Jesus has done all on our behalf and there from the right hand of God the Father Almighty he wishes to approach each and every one of us individually at our place of watching, at our own personal address. He wishes to come close to you in his oral proclamation, in his Spirit, and uplift you, encourage you and support you but also feed you and nourish you with his victory message, the glad tidings of Jesus Christ.

So even now believe sins forgiven in his name and precious atonement blood. You can believe unto peace, freedom, and joy in Jesus' name. Amen.

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