Event Calendar
Lent Midweek 0409– “God’s Truth vs. Satan’s Lies.” Matthew 26:31-35
Grace to you and peace from God, our Father, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen. The text for our sermon meditation is taken from the Gospel account of St. Matthew, the 26th Chapter:
Then Jesus told them, "This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: "'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into
Peter replied, "Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will."
"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times."
But Peter declared, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you." And all the other disciples said the same.
So far the reading.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
The story goes that the court of King Louis the XIV of France was Christian. They verbally confessed this faith each Sunday as they gathered with their king for worship. One Sunday, however, the king arrived at church with his royal party for worship and no one was there except the court preacher, Archbishop Fenelon.
The king was surprised to see the empty pews and asked, “Why isn’t anyone else at worship this morning?”
Archbishop Fenelon answered, “The fault for the poor attendance is mine, your majesty. I let it be quietly known that you would not be with us today. I wanted you to see who was coming to the service just to flatter you, and who had come to worship God.”
This evening we continue our Lenten journey considering the point that our confession faith must necessarily be shown in the manner of life we live. The reading from St Matthew and this story we have just heard teach us this point very clearly. God’s Truth is that confession of faith in Jesus Christ is by both word and action. Satan’s Lie is that saying the right thing is enough.
After celebrating the Passover Meal, Jesus has led his disciples to the
“It is written: ‘I will strike the shepherd of the sheep, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’”
At first hearing, you may think that the disciples are destined by God to act in this manner. You may think that these words of the Lord lock them in to a certain type of action from which they are unable to deviate. You might think that God has planned everything out ahead of time and every action is like a choreographed play. We are just actors playing parts. The end is predetermined, and cannot be changed.
Such is not the case. Indeed, we are constrained to action, but not by God. We constrained to act according to our sinful nature. The Words of Scripture are merely a foretelling what our sinful nature will constrain us to do. Such Word of God is a warning to sinful people to consider their lives carefully and not to think more highly of themselves than they ought.
Peter struggled with thinking more highly of himself than he ought. He confessed his devotion to Jesus, saying that he was better than all the rest of the disciples, if not better than anyone else was. Listen to Peter’s words. They are both a confession and a conviction. They are a confession of his self-confidence and conviction of sinful self-promotion.
"Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will." And again,
"Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you."
Just like the court of King Louis XIV, Peter’s confession is not played out in his later actions. Indeed, as Jesus foretold, Peter and the rest of the disciples quickly and fearfully abandoned their Teacher to those who sought His life. The Father of Lies had laid a foundation in Peter’s life that would not stand up to the forces of this sinful world. Satan led Peter to think more highly of himself. Peter gave in to this temptation and became a legend in his own mind. Peter thought that words were enough to withstand the onslaught of evil that opposes the Savior of the world. Yet, when the rubber hits the road and stand needed to be taken, Peter’s words were revealed to be empty. There was no action to prove Peter’s confession as true and faithful.
What of your confession and my confession of faithfulness to Jesus Christ? There is nothing different between Peter and us. As Peter was tempted in the days of Jesus, so we are tempted in these days which follow after. It will be so also in the days ahead. There are times when we look around us, see the people who are caught in sin, and boldly confess we would never do such a thing. There are some who sit in this House of God listening to the readings from Scripture and the sermon, all the while thinking in their hearts and minds:
“Yes! Pastor, give it to them good. There are a lot of people here that really need to hear you say that. I’m glad I don’t do those things.”
Or, when the service is finished, say to the pastor:
“Good sermon today. So and so really needed to hear that, today, pastor.”
Do you see the empty confession? Do you hear the denial if sin and the rejection of the cross of Christ? The conscience is not bothered. Mark Twain once said this about his troubled conscience.
“I have noticed my conscience for many years, and I know it is more trouble and bother to me than anything else I started with.”
What is the 5th Petition of the Lord’ Prayer? (Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.) Dr. Luther writes of the sinner’s need to recognize their sin with these words.
“When one boasts of his piety and despises others, God will bring him to his own, if he will examine himself and set this petition before his eyes. He will come to the conclusion that he is no better than others, that there is no strutting before God; and thus he will rejoice in the opening of the way for forgiveness. Let no one think that he ever will be above the need of forgiveness in this life.”
When the pastor preaches repentance of sins, it applies to all the hearers. There is no one excluded from this not event the pastor. For, as he preaches, he must also hear his own words that call sinners to repentance. Also, before your pastor preaches, be assured that your pastor has applied this word to himself, and sees himself bound in the chains of sin no less than others.
This is truly what confession means. We need to look at ourselves, though not for security and self-confidence. Rather, we look at ourselves and see how severely we have tried the patience of God and how completely we have broken faith with our God by straying from His fold of faith. We turn and make our words and actions reflect our faith in the Lord of life, who alone will restore us.
Our Lord came to bear the weight of our false confessions of faith and failed piety in His heart and mind upon
We often forget who we are. We forget that by nature we are sinful and unclean. We forget that we have sinned against our God in thought word and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. Moreover, we forget that we daily sin much and indeed deserve nothing but temporal and eternal punishment. We forget that we neither love God with our whole heart, nor love our neighbor as ourselves.
However, Jesus did not forget who He is. Neither did Jesus forget why He took on human flesh. Jesus is the only one who is able to say, “Even if all fall away, I will not fall away.” Jesus did not fall away, but was lifted up to die that we should live no longer for ourselves but for Him who gave His life to ransom sinners from their false confessions. Jesus did not fall away, but called us through the Gospel that we might have salvation and eternal life. Jesus did not fall away but lives in us that we do not fall away. May we never deny but always confess these words sung earlier. (LSB 432: vv1,2)
In silent pain the eternal Son Hangs derelict and still;
In darkened day His work is done, Fulfilled, His Father’s will.
Uplifted for the world to see He hangs in strangest victory,
For in His body on the tree He carries all our ill.
He died that we might die to sin And live for righteousness;
The earth is stained to make us clean And bring us into peace.
For peace He came and met its cost; He gave Himself to save the lost;
He loved us to the uttermost And paid for our release.
In the name of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen