Sermon for 26 February 2012, Lent 1B

The Rev. Paul J Cain, Jr.

Mark 1:9-15

Repent and Believe

First Sunday in Lent, 26 February 2012

Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming

In the Name of Jesus Amen.

The Gospel according to St. Mark has often been called the “Gospel in a Hurry.” What’s the hurry? John Mark wants to get to Holy Week and the message of Jesus’ suffering, death, and Resurrection as soon as possible. One can read Palm Sunday in Chapter 11. Matthew has 28 chapters, Luke has 24, and John has 21. Mark only has 16. We return to Mark 1 today.

The traditional Gospel account for the First Sunday in Lent is that of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness by Satan. Today is no different. What is unique is the brief two-verse account of it we hear in the Gospel according to Mark: ¹² The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. ¹³ And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.

Mark helps us see how this one event fits—in context—into Jesus’ ministry. Jesus was baptized, He was tempted, and then He began His ministry.

Jesus was baptized: ⁹ In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰ And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. ¹¹ And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

John the Baptist returns to our Sunday readings. He is a major figure in both Advent and Lent. Jesus receives a “prepare the way baptism” from the person who was given to “prepare the way for the Lord.” Jesus here begins His service as your substitute. Father, Son and Holy Spirit are seen in this baptismal scene. The Father speaks, the Son is in the water, and the Spirit descends like a dove. This text compares well to our reading from the Transfiguration last Sunday, for the Lord said on that occasion, “This is my beloved Son; listen to Him.” And we listen again today.

Jesus was tempted: ¹² The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. ¹³ And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.

Mark uses a special word here to explain the role of the Holy Spirit in getting Jesus to the wilderness. The Spirit drove him out into the wilderness. This has nothing to do with an automobile! Think more like driving cattle. Yet, where cattle (or cats) may not always be willing to follow directions, Jesus willingly submitted to His Father’s will.

“Forty days” is a significant detail. The number “forty” shows up over 100 times in Holy Scripture. One remembers the wilderness wanderings of the people of Israel for 40 years. The exact phrase “forty days” is used nearly 70 times in Scripture, from the number of days that rain fell for the Flood in Noah’s day, the length of time Moses was on Mount Sinai with the Lord, how long the spies explored the Promised Land, the number of days Ezekiel lay on each side, and how long Jesus was with His disciples after His Resurrection.

Jesus was tempted by Satan himself. We are not given here as much detail as given in Matthew and Luke. That doesn’t mean the three texts are contradictory. No. They just vary in the amount of detail provided. Remember Mark wants to get to Holy Week as soon as possible. More on Jesus being faced with temptation later.

He was with the wild animals. I immediately assumed that Mark meant the fear and danger that so often accompany wild animals. Yet, the tiny little word “with” may indicate something different: harmony. Perhaps Jesus had nothing to fear of the animals, but merely the fallen angel, Satan, who acts like a wild animal. Perhaps this text portrays Jesus at peace with His own creation, like the pre-Fall harmony between man and animals in the Garden of Eden, or like Isaiah’s prediction (chapters 11 & 65) of the lion laying down with the lamb. After all, a lion is “the” wild animal and Jesus is the Lamb of God.

Jesus faced real temptations. He needed to remain faithful in the plan of salvation, to successfully resist Satan’s deceptions, but Jesus could have fallen. He did not. If the outcome was assured, then it wouldn’t have been a real test, a real time of temptation. Yet, it was. And He identifies with you during your times to testing, during which we pray, “Lead us not into temptation.” Some Christians pray this petition in a different translation, foreign to us, but equally true: “Save us from the time of trial.”

Luther begins his explanation of this petition with the words, “God tempts no one.” This is most certainly true, as James 1:12-18 (ESV) says: ¹² Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. ¹³ Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. ¹⁴ But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. ¹⁵ Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. ¹⁶ Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. ¹⁷ Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. ¹⁸ Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Jesus remained steadfast under trial. He won the crown of life for you.

In this life we are often tempted by Satan. God allows this, but for God’s good purposes. God can use temporary evil for eternal good. On the flip side, God tested Abraham to increase His faith. All should learnthe difference between the two.

The Temptation of Jesus in the wilderness was part of God’s retelling of the Abraham story. This time, Our Father who art in Heaven fills in for Abraham. The substitute for Isaac, one who was to be sacrificed is another “Only Son” loved by His Father, Jesus. For you, the Lord has provided a sacrifice for your sins, Jesus. This is important to us as Christians because we are the fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham: I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, ¹⁸ and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.

You are part of the “all nations” included in the promise. Believers in the one true God, Christians, number in the Billions (with a B).

¹² The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. ¹³ And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.

Jesus was tempted for a purpose. We have comfort that Satan can be resisted. Jesus is greater than the old evil foe. We therefore resist with God’s Word. In the Name of Jesus, Satan will flee.

Jesus began His ministry: ¹⁴ Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, ¹⁵ and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

John the Baptist is mentioned once again as a sidebar. He’s in prison. He will be beheaded. The main point is that the torch has been passed. John did his prophetic work of preparing the way for the Lord. The Lord, Jesus Christ, is at hand. And so is the reign of heaven, the kingdom of God.

That the kingdom is “at hand” means it is as close as the hand on the end of your arm. Jesus dwelt among the people to whom He preached.

He first preached the Law: Repent. The Holy Spirit brings about sorrow and contrition for sin. We want to do better. We want to amend our lives. Without outside hope we would only find hypocrisy or. despair

Jesus also preaches the Gospel, truly good news of hope and life: Believe in the Gospel. Jesus is the Gospel in human flesh. He is God incarnate for you.

It is quite likely that Mark wrote this Gospel account with non-Jewish readers in mind, Gentiles like most of us. He keeps things pithy. And who Jesus is and what He has done for us is abundantly clear to all. Our comfort this day comes from Jesus’ words and deeds. God is well-pleased that Jesus was baptized as your substitute, taking your sins upon Himself. Jesus faithfully resisted the temptations of Satan. And he preaches repentance and faith. The kingdom of God, the reign of God is at hand in Jesus. Repent and believe the Gospel. Amen.

In the Name of Jesus Amen.

On Wednesday Sermons...

Advent Wednesday sermons were preached without notes.

This is also the case for Ash Wednesday and for Lenten Evening Prayer on Wednesdays.

The Church Office has recordings of these services (and sermons).

Pastor Cain

Sermon for 19 February 2012, The Transfiguration of Our Lord, Last Sunday after the Epiphany

The Rev. Paul J Cain, Jr.

Mark 9:2–9

Transfiguration

Last Sunday after Epiphany, The Transfiguration of Our Lord, 19 February 2012

Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, WY

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

In Epiphany, Jesus is revealed as who He really is: “God in flesh made manifest,” to quote the hymn. Epiphany Day brings with it Three Wise Men seeking the King of the Jews. They find Him in Jesus, not yet two years old. The Following Sunday we celebrated His Baptism in the Jordan where the Holy Spirit Descended upon Him as a dove and the Father spoke: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” Nathanael confessed, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus Himself preached, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” He then called His first disciples. Jesus teaches as one with authority and casts out demons. He healed. He preached in their synagogues. And, “so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” —He said to the paralytic—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners!

What does this mean? Jesus is 100% man, yet He is more. Jesus is the Christ, God in the flesh, revealed for us and for our salvation. And He’s not done yet.

2And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them.

Six days after what? That would be six days after predicting His death. The disciples were confused by this. They see their rabbi and Lord preaching and teaching like no one else they had ever heard, healed the sick, and expelling demons. And now He’s going to die? Not likely! Not on my watch! Jesus knows differently. The cross is before Him. His miracles accompany faith. They encourage faith. They result from faith. They draw attention to His teaching that all may believe in Him and be with Him forever, healed in body and soul.

And now Jesus is on the mountain glowing as the Son of Man mentioned in Daniel. Because He is the Son of Man. The disciples don’t know what to say. They count Jesus, Peter, James, and John. Who are those other two guys?

4And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified.

And then Peter knew. It’s Moses! And Elijah! In holy terror, Peter planned for a camping trip up there on the holy mountain. He didn’t know what he was saying. All he knew was that he didn’t want it to end. It’s not every day that your teacher in the faith reveals his glory, shining brighter than a neon sign. And to meet the two greatest prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures, our Old Testament. Amazing!

7And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.”

Remember hearing this back in January? At His Baptism in the Jordan, when the Holy Spirit Descended upon Him as a dove, the Father spoke: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” The Lord now adds, “Listen to Him.” Moses remembers. He prophesied about this prophet Jesus who is more than a prophet back in Deuteronomy 18. One like Elijah would prepare the way for Jesus. Jesus would connect the dots for the disciples and us. It’s John the Baptizer, of course! As the cloud covers them, the cloud showed the Lord’s presence as to the people of Israel in their journey from Egypt and as when Solomon dedicated the Temple. The voice speaks. And…

8And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.

That’s it. We don’t get to live here? But it was so glorious! Right. Jesus allows this preview of Himself on the Last Day when all is completed. He still has work to do. The disciples are not going to like it.

Expectations of glory can be distracting. When Leonardo da Vinci—the real one, not the fiction in The Da Vinci Code—when Leonardo was working on his famous painting The Lord’s Supper, he had but one object in view—that the person of the Savior should attract and hold the attention of all who beheld the painting. But in one part of the picture there was a tiny ship that he had painted with great care for three weeks. When the painting was exhibited and the people came to see it, Leonardo noticed that they all crowded together to look especially at the one corner of the picture with the small ship that had cost him so much pain and labor. “Just see how grand that is! Truly he is a master artist!” he heard them exclaim. Chagrined at this, he took his brush when they were all gone and with one sweeping stroke blotted out the little ship, declaring, “No one shall find reason for admiring anything except Christ alone.”

Expectations of glory are distracting. They often make us dissatisfied with the everyday. What goes on at Youth Gatherings, LWML and LLL Conventions, and Synod and District Conventions should reinforce and reflect Sunday morning in our congregations, not merely be a mountaintop experience no one wants to leave behind.

Jesus wants us to hold on to Him all the days of our lives. He is there in good times and bad. His promises do not depend upon great numbers of people, expensive clothing, professional musicians, or our own excitement. His power is made perfect in weakness. He chose the humble things of this world—words, water, bread, wine—to shame the wise.

9And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

There’s a good reason why Jesus tells them not to tell the Good News about Jesus. Most of the Good News simply hasn’t happened yet by this point in history. Jesus is given to go to Jerusalem. He will enter the city on a donkey. He will preach and teach and cleanse the temple. He will teach the disciples privately. He will institute the Lord’s Supper and wash their feet. He will pray in Gethsemane, sweating drops of blood in His agony. And then He will be arrested, and be tried, flogged, condemned, and crucified. The cross awaits. And so does the empty tomb.

The kingdom of God is near. Good Friday is coming. And Jesus is not done yet.

That is the “what” of the text. Those are the facts: who, what, when , where. We have yet to discuss “why?” One could even ask the question in a different way: “So what?”

There are consequences to the Transfiguration. Good ones.

Peter, James, and John were born centuries after Elijah, as Elijah was born long after Moses. The texts present them knowing each other. Because of this, Christians teach that we will know other believers in heaven, where Moses and Elijah are, even if we never met them in this life. That is a great comfort to us, because we have many friends and family who have passed on believing in Christ. We will see them again. We will know one another. And it will only get better when Resurrection Day reunites body and soul.

In Catechism class, we learn about two states in Jesus’ life—and they’re not Nebraska and Wyoming. His state of humiliation goes from His birth to His burial. The state of exaltation begins with His descent into hell not to suffer but to proclaim victory and His Resurrection from the dead. In humiliation, Jesus did not always make full use of His divine powers. He shows that He was actively obedient to the father, fulfilling His office of prophet, teaching the kingdom. He was also passively obedient, in that He allowed Himself as our high priest, to become our substitute, a sacrifice for sin.

Because of the Transfiguration, we know that Jesus is not merely a man. He is more. Death will come, but death will be defeated. Therefore we fear not. Suffering and cross will come for Jesus. He endured. He rose from the dead. Therefore we know we have a high priest who is able to sympathize with us, because He suffered in every way, just as we do, yet without sin. He knows what it’s like down here. He lived it. And He is with us always.

The Transfiguration and the glorious transformation of Jesus gets our attention. Jesus wants us to keep our eyes focused upon Him as He goes to the cross. Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent. During these forty days, not including Sundays, we walk with Jesus all the way. Each Lent, we learn again to repent, and that repentance is not just a once-a-year or once-a-life thing. Holy Baptism teaches us about daily contrition and repentance. We deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. With His gifts, we follow Him all the way until the Lord calls us home and to Himself in heaven. And now we tell the Good News about Jesus—news of hope for the life to come, forgiveness of sins now, new life, and life eternal in glory—glory the Transfiguration of Our Lord gives us a preview of.

Keeping up appearances. We all try to do it. We’re usually pretty good at it. New this. New that—even though the average American is living off of credit cards. Smiles and laughs and entertaining—but it is all a fairy tale. Everything is actually far from right. We keep up appearances.

Not Jesus. Almost every hour of His ministry on earth, He kept down His appearance. He didn’t let people see what was really behind the humble attire, the modest means. Only for those brief moments on the Mount of Transfiguration did a chosen few see His full, radiant appearance. But when they did, when Jesus did let His glory be seen, it revealed why we don’t ever need to put on a facade, pretending to be what we aren’t. The one who looks so plain, so unimpressive, is in fact, the One who could put us to shame even at our best. And that can be rightly explained in one way: He came to humble Himself, even to death on a cross, so that you could shine in His Transfiguration glory, real glory. Jesus is not done with you yet.

Amen.

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Sermon for 12 February 2012, Epiphany 6B

The Rev. Paul J Cain, Jr.

St. Mark 1:40-45

God’s Masks, God’s Will

Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany, 12 February 2012

Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, WY

(For a Lay Reader)

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

            The sermon, entitled, “God’s Masks, God’s Will,” is based upon a portion of the Gospel according to St. Mark, the first chapter: And a leper came to him [Jesus], imploring him, and kneeling said to him, "If you will, you can make me clean."  Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, "I will; be clean."  And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.  And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them."  But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.

            Much has happened already by this point in the Gospel according to St. Mark. Nothing is mentioned of the Nativity of Our Lord, Christmas, but John Mark’s account begins with the preaching of John the Baptizer and Jesus’ subsequent baptism. In only two verses, St. Mark tells Jesus in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. Then, Jesus begins proclaiming the Gospel of God, calls the first disciples, heals a man with an unclean spirit, heals many, including Peter’s mother-in-law, takes time to pray, and now, cleanses a leper.

            Our Lord has been busy doing what the Savior, the Christ, the Son of God has been given to do—and it’s only the first chapter! Chapter One concludes with the Scripture appointed for today:

And a leper came to him [Jesus], imploring him, and kneeling said to him, "If you will, you can make me clean."  Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, "I will; be clean."  And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.  And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them."  But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.

            And consider how this leper asks for help. He implored Jesus. He knelt. He said to Him, “If You will, You can make me clean.” This leper fully believes in the power of Jesus to heal his leprosy with a single word. He leaves his healing in the hands of Jesus, as this is evident with the words, “If You will.” We pray the same way to our Lord for physical blessings or requests, especially healing, with prayers such as, “Thy will be done,” or “according to Your good and gracious will.”

            Dr. Lenski writes, “This leper is willing, if Jesus so wills, to remain in his living death. Submissive faith can go no farther. This leper distinguishes divine temporal [gifts] from divine spiritual and eternal gifts. He knows that he is asking only the former [that is, a temporal gift], which God’s wisdom and love may withhold from us and often does; gifts like pardon, peace, spiritual consolation, and strength are always freely granted since it is without question God’s will that we have them. Who is able to say how this leper came to such a faith? But his case is one that shows clearly how the teaching of Jesus produced the most blessed spiritual effects.”

            Moved with compassion, Jesus takes action. He stretches out His hand and touches the man. This is unheard of! Doesn’t Jesus know how contagious leprosy is? Wasn’t He aware that there was no cure for leprosy at that time? Doesn’t He know that touching someone considered unclean made Him unclean as well? Couldn’t he see that this man was in an advanced stage of the disease? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Of course He did. But Jesus is no mere “nice man,” “great philosopher,” “good teacher,” or only a “wonderful example.” He is the Lord God in the flesh, maker of heaven and earth.

            God spoke the universe into being, out of literally nothing, with but a word. His touch, however, shows His care for the man—and that He knows leprosy can be healed by His divine authority. Often, but though by no means always, did Jesus touch those that He healed. He didn’t have to. He wanted to. And with the words, “Be clean,” the man is cleansed. God’s Word is powerful, living, and active. It does what it says. It delivers the very gifts it proclaims. Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.

            It would be nice to have one like Jesus walking around today, healing instantly with a touch! Our Lord, two thousand years ago, is still light-years ahead of even the most futuristic, unbelievable medical practice of today. And yes, God still heals the sick today. Today, God works through means.

            (From Gregory Wiens) One afternoon while playing on a wooden picnic table, a 4 ½-year-old boy ran a splinter into his finger. Sobbing, he called for his father at the office. “I want God to take the splinter out,” he said.

            The father told him that his mother could remove it very easily. But he wanted God Himself to do it because when Mom takes a splinter out, it hurts. He wanted God to remove it “by Himself.”

            When the father got home an hour later, the splinter was still there, so the father proceeded to remove it, trying to teach the boy that God sometimes uses others to do His work. And that sometimes it is painful.

            A person once told Pastor of another son, this one fully grown, likely in his forties or fifties. This man had strayed from the faith in his youth, and joined a supposedly Christian congregation later in life. It wasn’t a Lutheran congregation. In fact, this particular congregation and its pastors either denied or contradicted some clear words from the Bible—some basic Bible teachings. When this man came down with a serious disease, he refused to see a doctor or take any medication, saying much like the young boy in the previous story, “I want God to heal me.” Just imagine. God provided for men and women to be trained as medical doctors and researchers, rediscovering the amazing healing properties of parts of God’s creation, and this man rejected them outright, ignoring God’s means of healing and caring for him!

            Gene Edward Veith gives further explanation in The Spirituality of the Cross: “God heals the sick. While He can and sometimes does do so directly, in a spectacular unmediated miracle, in the normal course of things God heals through the work of doctors, nurses, and other medical vocations. God [also] protects us from evil. This He does by means of the vocation of police officers, attorneys, judges—also through military vocations. God teaches through teachers, orders society through governments, proclaims the Gospel through pastors.

            “Luther pointed out that God could have decided to populate the earth by creating each individual and each generation separately, from the dust. Instead, He invented families. God ordained that new life come into the world—and be cared for and raised into adulthood—through the world of a man and a woman who come together into a family. Husband, wife, father, mother are vocations through which God extends His creation and exercises His love.

            “All of this simply demonstrates that, in His earthly kingdom, just as in His spiritual kingdom, God bestows His gifts through means. God ordained that human beings be bound together in love, in relationships and communities existing in a state of interdependence. In this context, God is providentially at work caring for His people, each of whom contributes according to his or her God-given talents, gifts, opportunities, and stations. Each thereby becomes what Luther terms a ‘mask of God’:

            All our work in the field, in the garden, in the city, in the home, in struggle, in government—to what does it all amount before God except child’s play, by means of which God is pleased to give His gifts in the field, at home, and everywhere? These are the masks of our Lord God, behind which He wants to be hidden and to do all things.

            And a leper came to him [Jesus], imploring him, and kneeling said to him, "If you will, you can make me clean."  Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, "I will; be clean."  And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.  And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them."  But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.

            According to Leviticus 14:1 and following, the former leper from our lesson is to show himself to a priest in Jerusalem. (Lenski again) “The first act on the part of the priest on the day the man presents himself consists of the physical examination plus the offering of two live birds….and the ceremonies connected with them….The second act follows on the seventh and eighth days and concerns two lambs….The first act restored the healed leper to the people, the second to his religious prerogatives in the Temple worship…” Thus, our Lord keeps the law and brings about healing.

            His stern warning for the man to keep silent catches us by surprise. Why is the man to keep silent? Aren’t we to tell the good news about Jesus? Yes, today, after Jesus’ Resurrection, we certainly are. But the time for Jesus’ persecution has not yet come. In His great wisdom, Jesus knew what the result would be if this leper told others. might be. And since the man did tell others, it came to pass in verse 45. Jesus could no longer openly enter a town. People expected miracles as if going to a magic show to be entertained. Instead, Jesus wanted them to hear the Word.

            Listen for the importance of God’s Word in this answer to the question from the Small Catechism following the Third petition, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. How is God’s will done? God’s will is done when He breaks and hinders every evil plan and purpose of the devil, the world, and our sinful nature, which do not want us to hallow God’s name or let His kingdom come; and when He strengthens and keeps us firm in His Word and faith until we die. This is His good and gracious will.

            And a leper came to him [Jesus], imploring him, and kneeling said to him, "If you will, you can make me clean."  Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, "I will; be clean."  And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.  And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them."  But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.

            God continues to gather to Himself people like us. Hear the Word with gladness. Now, spread the news of Jesus openly. Boldly pray in Jesus’ Name for those that need physical healing, praying “Thy will be done.” Remember the submissive faith of the healed leper. And be comforted, that when you confess your sins saying, “If You will, You can make me clean,” Jesus always—ALWAYS—always answers that request for His divine spiritual and eternal gifts saying, “I will; be clean.” Amen.

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.