Our Sermons

Bible Passage: Luke 23:35-43
Pastor: Pastor Berg
Sermon Date:  November 24, 2019

The day was September 22, 1862. The United States of America were hardly united. The North and the South were entrenched in a brutal civil war. Father against son, brother against brother fought over issues that would forever define this country. The president of these not so United States was a former lawyer from a hick-town in rural Illinois, Abraham Lincoln. Perhaps the unlikeliest of presidents, Lincoln is known for his gangly appearance, his chin beard and top-hat. But he’s also well-known because of his speeches. And it was on September 22, 1862, that he issued a proclamation that would forever change the course of history. “I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, by virtue of the power vested in me as Commander-In-Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States…I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated United States and parts of States are, and henceforward shall be, free.” This declaration, known as the Emancipation Proclamation, brought and end to slavery in the United States. One could argue that it was a major turning point in the war. But more importantly, for those slaves, it was a proclamation that forever changed their lives.

The day was Friday. It would later become known as “good.” It was the day before the Passover. The city was abuzz with what had happened in the last week. A young carpenter from a hick-town in Galilee had ridden into town like a king. He was proclaimed by the people to be the Son of David, the Christ, the King of the Jews! But the local authorities wouldn’t stand for him as king. They plotted and schemed, they broke every rule of law to get him convicted of death. And it was as he was dying, on that Friday before the Passover, the Friday that we call “good,” that this King issued a proclamation that would forever change the course of history. “It is finished!” The King had finished what he came to accomplish–the salvation of the world. And because of that proclamation, our Savior King, Jesus Christ, has another proclamation for you and me today: “You will be with me in paradise.”

But how do we know we can believe these words of Jesus? It’s one thing to promise something, it’s another to deliver on that promise. At this point, Jesus looks like a pitiful king, a defeated monarch who has seemingly lost his kingdom. Those who loved him are simply hoping he will die soon so that his misery and humiliation will be over. His loyal subjects have deserted him! His enemies mock him. He is surrounded by Roman soldiers who are throwing dice to decide who gets his clothes. Gentiles and Jews alike are attempting to outdo each other with their merciless jeers. One Pharisee elbows another and whispers, “He saved others. Why doesn’t he save himself if he is God’s anointed one?” In other words, what good is a king who can heal leprosy and blindness, cast out demons, and raise people from the dead if he can’t even rescue himself from a cross and bring down his enemies once and for all?” Jesus is not really a king in these people’s eyes. Is he a king in yours?

Weren’t they horrible back then? If only we were there, we would have acted differently! It’s easy to think that way and talk that way when there’s not a chance of us being there. But, we were there. Yes, we were there, because we are what held him to that cross; you and me and all our filthy sins. Who could be as arrogant or thoughtless to think that if they’d been there things would have been different? We wouldn’t have stopped anything. We would have been one of them. We would have spat, ridiculed, nailed, and laughed. We would have yelled, “Go. Suffer. Die.” It had to be that way for those that were there! Otherwise we would burn in hell forever, because only his going, suffering, and dying could take away our sin. Here we see sin displayed in all its ugliness, and not just sin in general, but our sin. Our king had to look this way and act this way to take away our sin.

Ane yet, we still spit, ridicule, nail, and laugh! We know his Word. We know our King, and without even a pang of conscience we throw his Word back in his face and refuse to submit to his rule by putting faith into action. We know the commandments, yet we break them. We know what Christ has done for us, yet we are ashamed to confess him in public and maybe even to our families. Our King says through Paul, “No testing has overtaken you except ordinary testing. But God is faithful. He will not allow you to be tested beyond your ability, but when he tests you, he will also bring about the outcome that you are able to bear it.” But how often do we even try to bear it? No, instead don’t we often simply waive the white flag before there’s even a battle and plunge into the same sin we swore to abandon forever just the day before?

Christ was not confused about what was going to happen when he came as King. He sweated drops like blood in Gethsemane, and yet he knew and accepted it all. In fact, in the verses before our lesson he prays, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” He prayed for the very people who tortured him. He loved the very people who hated him so much. He forgave. Prussian King, Frederick the Great, was once touring a Berlin prison. All the prisoners fell on their knees before him to proclaim their innocence–except for one man. There was one prisoner who wasn’t begging for pardon. He just stood before the king, silent as a stone. Intrigued, Frederick asked him, “Why are you here?” Armed robbery, Your Majesty,” was the reply. “An are you guilty?” “Yes, indeed, Your Majesty, I deserve my punishment.” Frederick was stunned by this man’s honesty. He had not only been convicted by the law, but he had been convicted in his heart. After a moment of just staring at the man, Frederick called for the jailer and ordered him, “Release this guilty wretch at once. I will not have him kept in this prison where he will corrupt all the fine innocent people who occupy it.” This is the kind of forgiveness our King offers! When we finally quit making excuses for what we’ve done, when we finally quit pretending to be innocent, when we finally repent, God has forgiveness for us just like Frederick the Great forgave and released the prisoner who admitted his guilt. 

Christ is our King. He was the King of every man, woman, and child that humiliated him that day. He could have stopped the injustice at any time, yet he let them abuse him, because they abused him for their own good, even though they didn’t know it. He let himself be abused so that we might hear God’s greatest proclamation! “It is finished!” And while most only used his kingly titles to ridicule, the Holy Spirit is at work in the Gospel even when spoken in ridicule. 

There was another sinner there with us that day. He happened to be nailed on a cross next to Jesus. Earlier during the day, we know he joined in the mocking and the ridicule. But as the day wore on, that thief heard the gospel phrases, “Aren’t you the Christ?” “The King of the Jews,” “He saved others…” Indeed, Jesus was the Christ, the King of Israel, who came to save. The Holy Spirit brought that man to see that Jesus came for him. He came to die for him. He came to be his king. He came to save him. In just two sentences, this man confessed both his sins and his faith in the presence of his king, “We are punished justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for what we have done, but this man has done nothing wrong.” He begged for this King’s favor, knowing he had absolutely nothing to offer him. “Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom.” And the King, who is also the Christ, answered with his greatest proclamation, “Amen I tell you: Today you will be with me in paradise.”

This is also Jesus’ promise to you. He says, “Amen I tell you: Today you will be with me in paradise.” We can believe the words of Jesus because we are in the criminal’s shoes. Our sins deserve the same death sentence that he was receiving on that cross. Our only hope is the same hope he had, that is to cry out to Jesus for help. Cry out to Jesus and say, “Remember me!” We’re asking for more than for Jesus just to think about us some time in the future. No, we’re asking Jesus to think again with grace and mercy. We’re asking Jesus to have mercy on us. God has a history of “remembering” his people. God “remembered” Noah and saved him from the disaster of the Flood. God “remembered” Abraham and saved his nephew Lot from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Jesus “remembers” us by promising to return and take us to be with him in paradise. 

We can believe these words because Jesus is Christ our King! Jesus not only promised to save us, he delivered on that promise! He has saved you. Your sins are forgiven. Your home is heaven. You will be at Jesus’ side in his kingdom. Just like that thief, there’s nothing you can do; nothing you can offer. This paradise is a gift from the king. Because of his saving work, we have a guaranteed, one-way ticket to paradise. That paradise is a reality today, and we can use that ticket when Jesus comes again as King. God’s greatest proclamation makes it certain!

“Tie A Yellow Ribbon” is a song that tells of a man who’s been sent to prison. He’s served his time and is now coming home on the bus. He admits that the woman who once loved him has every right to reject him. He’s to blame. Before he got out of prison, he had written her a note telling her he was coming home. He told her that if she forgives him, she should “tie a yellow ribbon ‘round the old oak tree.” If there’s no yellow ribbon, he’ll just go riding by on the bus. As the miles roll by, all the man thinks about is that oak tree. Will it have a yellow ribbon on it? As the bus approaches the oak tree, the man sees not one, but a hundred yellow ribbons! Like the man on the bus, we’re often fearful of death and what’s ahead. We know our hearts. We know our failures. We know that we were there when Jesus was nailed to a different tree. We might wonder if God will really forgive us and welcome us home into paradise. There was no yellow ribbon on the tree of the cross–but there was a red one. Jesus blood is the sign of his forgiveness. He gives us that very boy and blood as the seal of that forgiveness. As we come to his table today, we hear God’s greatest proclamation: Your sins are forgiven. You will be with me in paradise. Amen