FaithCapo.com Sermons

What things make you fear to be a Christian? What things make you fear to be more boldly Christian in all that you say and do? Perhaps it is fear of being ridiculed. Perhaps it is the fear of being labeled a religious fanatic, or a Bible-thumper, or - in Lutheran circles - a pietist. Fear and intimidation are the devil's tactics. Our Lord Jesus teaches us how to live and how to die without fear. The Psalmist says to God, "With You there is forgiveness that You may be feared." Fear of God destroys all other fears. For God is the One who destroys the power of sin by bearing it Himself on the cross. God is the One who destroys the power of death by rising from the dead, and by promising that all who believe in Him will also rise. If God is for us, who can be against us? We need not be afraid when the world taunts us or persecutes us. As our Lord Jesus says, "Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." You have been purchased with the blood of Christ! You are a Christian!

The ordination of the first High Priest, Aaron, was a bloody affair. God so ordered this Old Testament rite for us also, that we would be pointed to the One who is our great High Priest: Jesus Christ. By His bloody death on the cross, He shows Himself to be our great High Priest and the sole Mediator between God and Man. Having made atonement for us with His blood, our High Priest rose from the dead and stands before God making intercession for us. In Jesus, who is both true God and true Man, we have a God who prays.

God tempts no one. Our temptation comes from the Devil. The Devil's goal is to lead you and all others into more temptation. He does this by destroying our faith using self-righteousness and despair. He does this to us, even though He knows our sins are forgiven. We must look to the Cross to sustain our faith. The Cross is where our sins are laid on Jesus and He gives us his righteousness as a gift. Jesus stood against and conquered the Devil, once and for all by crushing him under His foot. God "leads us out of temptation" by sending His Son to do it for us.

Our sins cut us off from God. Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return. The ashes on our foreheads today are meant to jog you into reality. They are in the shape of a cross. The cross of Jesus gives life from death. The ashes on your forehead mark you both for death and life. Rend your hearts, not your garments. God is the mercy we need. God is a light to lighten our dark hearts. Why is God so gracious and merciful? It is all for the sake of Jesus. When you pray, when you give to the needy, when you fast, do it in secret. To know and be known by God is our goal and what we are to practice quietly before God. We rend our hearts in order to see more of the heart of Jesus.

The greatest thing about the Transfiguration is that it actually happened. Peter, James, and John were eyewitnesses. We should marvel, wonder and ponder this so that we might believe and have life in Jesus. The Transfiguration shows Jesus is God of God and Light of Light. We will see this on the Last Day when He comes in glory to judge the living and the dead. The blood of Jesus cleanses us all. The Cross is the exodus of Jesus, leading us out of our sin to the Promised Land. Our lives are part of his story because we take part in His exodus. We go through death with Him. We need not be afraid of the coming judgment. We follow the Son of God. God is well pleased with Jesus, His Son, and because we are part of Him, God is pleased with us.