Sermon Text - Luke 7.36-50

Sermon Text - Luke 7.11-17

How Foolish!(Luke 20:9-19)Luke 20:9-19--He went on to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard,rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time. 10 At harvest time he sent aservant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But thetenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 He sent another servant, but thatone also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. 12 He sent still athird, and they wounded him and threw him out. 13 “Then the owner of the vineyard said,‘What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.’ 14 “Butwhen the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. ‘This is the heir,’ they said. ‘Let’skill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 15 So they threw him out of the vineyard andkilled him. “What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and killthose tenants and give the vineyard to others.” When the people heard this, they said,“May this never be!” 17 Jesus looked directly at them and asked, “Then what is themeaning of that which is written: “‘The stone the builders rejected has become thecapstone’? 18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom itfalls will be crushed.” 19 The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way toarrest him immediately, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. Butthey were afraid of the people.How foolish! Those words come to our minds, when we hear this parable from Jesus.Everything about this parable, from the way the farmers acted, to the way the owneracted, from the way that the teachers of the law reacted to this parable to the way wereact to this parable today, everything about this parable is just so foolish. So when weread this parable, when we concentrate on this parable, as we are doing here this morning,we can’t help but think of the phrase, “How foolish!”Can you believe how foolish these farmers acted? The owner of the vineyard rented hisland to some farmers. These farmers got to work the vineyard and keep some of the fruitof the vineyard, as payment, all in exchange for giving a portion of the fruit back to theowner of vineyard. That seems pretty fair. But when the time came for the farmers togive to the owner his share of the fruit, the farmers acted foolishly.These farmers didn’t want to give the owner his share of the fruit. Even though theydidn’t own the vineyard, these famers wanted to keep all the fruit for themselves. Theywanted to break the deal they made with the owner of the vineyard, even though theowner had done nothing wrong. As foolish as that was, what happened next was evenmore foolish. When the owner sent some servants to collect his share of the fruit, thefarmers beat them, whipped them and tortured them. And finally when the owner senthis son to collect his share of the fruit, the farmers killed the owner’s son, thinking thatsomehow this would mean that they would receive the inheritance.That’s foolish. It’s so foolish that any court in the history of the world would have foundthe farmers guilty. They broke the deal. They harmed the servants. They killed the son.And they did all that, even though the owner had done nothing wrong. Yes, how foolishthese farmers were! And how foolish we are, when we act like these farmers today.While it is very easy to see how the chief priests and teachers of the law, the originallisteners of this parable, are these foolish farmers, since they refused to listen to God’sservants and would even kill God’s Son, by nailing him to the cross, that’s not what Iwant to concentrate on this morning. I just don’t want to talk about how the chief priestsand teachers of the law are the foolish farmers in this parable, but I want to concentrateon so(continued)

God Is Not Angry At You(Luke 15:1-3, 11-32)Luke 15:1-3, 11-32--Now the tax collectors and “sinners” were all gathering around tohear him. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomessinners and eats with them.” 3 Then Jesus told them this parable…11 “There was a manwho had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of theestate.’ So he divided his property between them. 13 “Not long after that, the younger songot together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth inwild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that wholecountry, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen ofthat country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach withthe pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. 17 “When he came tohis senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here Iam starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, Ihave sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called yourson; make me like one of your hired men.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father. “Butwhile he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion forhim; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. 21 “The son said tohim, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to becalled your son.’ 22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe andput it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calfand kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is aliveagain; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heardmusic and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was goingon. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calfbecause he has him back safe and sound.’ 28 “The older brother became angry andrefused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered hisfather, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders.Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 Butwhen this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home,you kill the fattened calf for him!’ 31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me,and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because thisbrother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”I know this happened to me, when I was a kid. And I’m sure it happened to you as well.You were at home, misbehaving. You weren’t listening to your mom, but were doing theopposite of what she told you to do. And so finally she stopped trying to discipline youand just said, “We’ll talk about this when your dad gets home.” Did something like thatever happen to you? If it did, how did you feel when the time got closer to dad cominghome? Were you excited to see him, running out to meet him in the driveway to givehim a big hug? Or were you dreading his arrival, even hiding in your room, when he didcome home, because you knew you were about to be punished? That’s the way manypeople feel about their God. They see their God only as an angry father, who is going topunish them, because they have misbehaved. So many people hide from God and wantnothing to do with him. That’s why this 4th Sunday in Lent, this Sunday that focuses onthe grace of (continued)

It’s Not Fair(Luke 13:1-9)Luke 13:1-9--Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about theGalileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, “Do youthink that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because theysuffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Orthose eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they weremore guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent,you too will all perish.” 6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree, planted in hisvineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. 7 So he said to the manwho took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit onthis fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ 8 “‘Sir,’the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilizeit. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”Anyone, who has ever had kids, has heard the expression, “It’s not fair.” When kidsdon’t get their way, when they don’t get to do what they want to do, often the first wordsthat come out of their kid’s mouth is, “It’s not fair.” If they have to eat their vegetablesbefore they go out for ice cream, some kids will say, “It’s not fair.” If their bedtime isearlier than their friend’s bedtime, some kids will say, “It’s not fair.” And if they don’tget to watch what they want to watch on tv, because you, as the parent, don’t deem itacceptable, some kids will say, “It’s not fair.” I’m sure that most of you can relate tothose situations, right? While this expression, “It’s not fair” gets thrown around so much,today, especially by kids, that it becomes practically meaningless, in our text, Jesusshows us something that really isn’t fair at all. As we look at our text, we can’t help butsay, “It’s not fair.”There is no doubt what the hot news in Galilee was at the time of our text. There is nodoubt about what topic was on the minds of everyone, what the people were discussingon the street corners, as they went to work. It was Pilate killing these Galileans, whilethey were offering sacrifices. Now, we don’t know the whole story. We don’t know ifPilate just killed these Galileans in cold blood, to show the Galileans that he was incharge or if these Galileans were wanted criminals, who were hiding behind the façade ofa sacrifice. No matter what the case was, I think many Galileans were wondering is thisfair. Even if these Galileans deserved to be put to death, was it fair that they were put todeath, while offering a sacrifice.When the crowd brings this topic to Jesus, wondering what he, as a rabbi, would say,Jesus caught them off guard with his answer. He didn’t comment on how coldbloodedPilate was. He didn’t comment on what the Galileans did to deserve this. Instead Jesussaid these words. He said, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than allthe other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? I tell you no! But unless yourepent, you too will all perish.” And before the stunned crowd could get in anotherword, Jesus brought up another tragedy, a tragedy that truly was a tragedy, a tragedy ofthe tower of Siloam falling on 18 people and killing them. And Jesus had the sameresponse to this tragedy. He said, “Do you think they were more guilty than all the othersliving in Jerusalem? I tell you no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”Those are some harsh statements from Jesus, some statements that probably shocked thecrowd, some statemen(continued)

It’s Not a Fair Fight(1 Samuel 17:4-11, 32-40, 45-50)1 Samuel 17:4-11, 32-40, 45-50--A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. He was over nine feet tall. 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels; 6 on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. 7 His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him. 8 Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.” 10 Then the Philistine said, “This day I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.” 11 On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified…32 David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.” 33 Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth.” 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 37 The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you.” 38 Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. 39 David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. “I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine…David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” 48 As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. 49 Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground. 50 So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.I don’t know much about your basketball skills, but I would assume that if you were to play LeBron James in a one on one basketball game, that it wouldn’t be a fair fight. LeBron James is 6’8 250 pounds. On top of that he is fast. And on top of that, he has dedicated his life to being as skilled at basketball(continued)

Are You Qualified for the Job?(Isaiah 6:1-8)Isaiah 6:1-8--In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” 4 At the sound of their oices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. 5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.” 6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”I’m sure that most of you have had to fill out a resume before. Maybe it was for a summer job, when you were a teenager. Maybe it was for the full time job that you are currently working at. Or maybe it was something as simple as scholarship application for school. But whatever it was, I’m sure that most of you have filled out a resume before. If you are anything like me, you can feel awkward filling out a resume. You can feel awkward, talking about your strengths and weaknesses, awkward trying to convince someone that you are the right man or the right woman for the job. Most of us are our own worst critics, right? So, when we have an evangelism focus in our service, when we are talking about being fishers of men and proclaiming the Word of God, we can feel a little awkward. We look at our strengths and weaknesses and wonder if we are the right man or woman for the job. That’s why our text from Isaiah is so important. By looking into our text from Isaiah, we can answer this question. We can answer the question, are you qualified for the job?When Isaiah first saw this vision of the glory of God, this vision that gave him a glimpse of the glories of heaven, Isaiah certainly didn’t think he was qualified for the job. He certainly didn’t think that he was the right man to speak God’s Holy Word, the right man to be a prophet of God. This vision of the glory of God, this glimpse into the glories of heaven was so glorious and magnificent, that it scared Isaiah to death. Literally.Look at what Isaiah saw in this glorious vision. He saw, “the Lord seated on his throne, high and exalted.” He saw the train of the robe of the Lord, filling up the entire temple. He saw these six winged seraphs, flying around the glory of the Lord. If that wasn’t enough, these six winged seraphs were calling back and forth to one another saying “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty, the whole earth is full of his glory” a song that is so simple that we sing it during every communion service, a song that was so glorious that it shook the foundations of the temple and filled it all up with smoke.While we may think, ‘Wow! That would be so awesome to see. I wish I could see a vision like that.’ Isaiah didn’t really think that way at all, when he saw this magnificentvision. Do you remember what Isaiah said in response to this vision? He said, “Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”Yes, Isaiah knew that he was unqualified for the job. He knew that he was not worthy to proclaim the holy Word of God. He wasn’t saying, “Here am I. Send me” yet. He wasn’t standing up in front of the vi(continued)

I Am Baptized Into Christ(Titus 3:3-7)Titus 3:3-7-- At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.The date was June 13th, 1982 and it was the most important day of my life. This date was more important than the day I graduated high school. It was more important than the day I got married. It was even more important than the day I was ordained as a pastor. What happened on June 13th, 1982? It wasn’t the day I was born. That happened exactly a week earlier. But on June 13th, 1982, I was baptized. A little bit of water was placed on my head, the words “I baptize you in the name of God, the Father, God, the Son and God, the Holy Spirit” were spoken over me and I became a baptized child of God. If anyone ever asks me why my Baptism Day is the most important day in my life, if anyone wonders how this event, which only took a few seconds, can be the most important event that will ever happen to me, the answer is quite simple. It’s because at Baptism, I was baptized into Christ.That’s important to remember. It’s important to remember that at every Baptism, no matter how young or old the person is, the person being baptized is baptized into Christ, because being baptized into Christ, is not something that we can see with our eyes. It’s not something that people perceive with their senses.What do people see at Baptism? At Baptism, all people see is water, regular, ordinary water that we usually get from the kitchen sink. They know that this water is powerless in and of itself. They know that this water can’t perform any miracles. So since all people see and perceive is water, regular, ordinary water, it is very easy for people to think that Baptism is just a ritual, just a passing of age rite that is more symbolic than anything else. How can this simple washing with regular, ordinary water, this washing which takes about five seconds to complete, how can this washing be so powerful?To answer that question, it is helpful to go all the way back to Jesus’ Baptism in the Jordan River. On this first Sunday after the Epiphany, the season where Jesus is revealing himself as the Christ, the Son of God, the Savior of the world, we always look at Jesus being baptized in the Jordan River, an event that was so important to Jesus that it kicked off Jesus’ public ministry. Out of everything he could have done to reveal himself as the Christ, the Son of God, the Savior of the world, Jesus chose being baptized by John in the Jordan River. Why did he choose this event to begin his public ministry?It wasn’t because he needed his sins taken away. Remember that Jesus had no sins. He was perfect. So he couldn’t be baptized to have his sins taken away. Instead he wasbaptized to become sin for you. He was baptized so that the Spirit could come down in the form of the dove and anoint him to be your Savior. He was baptized so that the Father’s voice could boom down from heaven, proclaiming to everyone who was there, who Jesus was and what he was sent into the world. That’s what the water of Jesus’ Baptism did for him. It anointed him and set him apart in a public way, from everyone else in the world for the special purpose of being the one, who would save all mankind from their sins.Didn’t something similar happen to you at your Baptism? Weren’t you anointed or set apart by the Spirit in a public way at your Baptism for a special purpose?L(continued)