Relenting in a Besieged City

Matthew 6 and the Call to Fasting

Welcome to the teaching ministry of Kungsvinger Lutheran Church. Kungsvinger is a beacon for the gospel of Jesus Christ and is located on the plains of northwestern Minnesota. We proclaim Christ and Him crucified for our sins and salvation by grace through faith alone.

And now here's a message from Pastor Chris Roseberg. The Holy Gospel according to.

Saint Matthew, the sixth chapter. And when you fast, Jesus said, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward.

But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others, but your Father who is in secret and your Father who sees in secret, He will reward you. Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. O Lord, have mercy on us. In the name of Jesus. Rescue me from my enemies. Protect me from those who rise against me. What an interesting theme.

The Lenten Cry for Rescue from Enemies

That's one of the recurring refrains that we hear during the Lenten season. Rescue me from my enemies. And here's the thing, there's a big theme in Scripture about people who are besieged, people who are under attack from an enemy who has risen up against them.

In fact, in Psalm 31, it says this starting at verse 21, Blessed be the Lord, for he has wonderfully wondrously shown his steadfast love to me when I was in a besieged city. I had said in my alarm, I am cut off from your sight, but you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy when I cried to you for help.

Interesting, right? In this Lenten tide, I think it's kind of interesting. We are now a week into Mr. Putin's war in the Ukraine, and politically, that's not kind of the point of the sermon. Think of it this way.

We all now are, well, we have a reference, if you would, of what it's like to experience and witness people who are in a besieged city. Think of what's going on in Kiev and all the things going on along those lines.

The video, the photographs, the stories that are coming out of the Ukraine are horrific. They're horrendous. And, of course, we're all looking at this wondering, will peace be restored or will this spill over into other parts of Europe and result in maybe like World War III or something like that?

But in my lifetime, I've never seen war in Europe. Never seen anything like this, quite like this. And as a result of it, think of it this way. We have a good touch point because here we are prayed in our responsory, rescue me from my enemies, protect me from those who rise against me.

Brothers and sisters, do not be deceived. We all have a horrifying enemy, the devil. Scripture's very clear that the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking those whom he may devour. Think of it this way.

The devil is not satisfied. Satan is not going to just sit there and go, well, I guess they believe in Jesus. I better leave him alone. It's not how that works. In fact, let's be blunt. The devil is a far more fearsome and terrifying and tenacious enemy than Putin is to the Ukrainians.

Think about his kind of single-mindedness at the moment and then basically think about the devil and go, you know, the devil is a lot worse than Mr. Putin is. And that's kind of the point. In fact, during our penitential season that we are now entering into, this is a time for us to reflect on the fact that, get this, we were all born children of the devil.

We were all born at war with God. We were the enemies of God. You and I were. And each and every one of us has earned from God his wrath, his displeasure. In fact, the next breath that you're breathing, you haven't even earned that.

In fact, you don't deserve it at all. Neither do I. And when we look at calamity in this earth, calamity that comes on people as a result of, well, war. Calamity that comes on people as a result of failed economies.

Calamity that comes on people because of natural disaster. Or calamity that comes on a single person or people because of an illness or things like this. It's really easy for us to sit there and go, well, you know, I'm living the good life because me and God, we're tight.

You know? And in fact, those people who are suffering all these things, well, clearly, they weren't engaging in clean living like I am. That's why I'm doing so good and they're not. Boy, if you're tempted along those lines, we need to have a chat.

In fact, in that chat, I'll basically not give you the gospel. We're going to walk back through those ten commandments and question your presuppositions. Because I would point this out. How many sins did Jesus commit in his lifetime?

Zero. Absolutely not one. Right? And yet he died one of the most horrifyingly painful and ignominious types of death that you could die. Crucifixion on a cross. Did he deserve that? Was there any evil in Jesus that he would die like that?

Well, not in and of himself. You know why he died? Because here's the best bit. Jesus loves his enemies. You and I. He bled and died so that we can be forgiven and pardoned and rather than receive the wrath of God for what we have done in our rebellion against God and our ongoing ways in which we collude with the devil, side with him with our own sin and do things and think things and not do things well that the devil and our own sinful flesh have tempted us along those lines.

Jesus and the Call to Repent or Perish

But when we think of calamity, I think about Jesus. At one point in Jesus' ministry, Jesus was confronted with a horrific crime against humanity performed by none other than Pontius Pilate. If you know the history of Pontius Pilate, he was a fellow who was known for his bloody enforcement of imperial law.

So much so, it was a little too much even for the emperor. He got recalled later. So, listen to this. Some who were present at that very time, they came to Jesus and they told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

I want you to think about this. Pilate had heard about some little insurrection, some grumbling malcontents from Galilee who weren't keen on the Roman emperor. You know what he did? He slaughtered them.

And then what he did is he collected up some of their blood and just to make a point, you oppose the emperor, here's what we're going to do. He took their blood and mixed it with the sacrifices in the temple.

I mean, this is a religious hate crime. This is murder. I mean, it's all the stuff that we would hear on the news, right? And when Jesus is confronted with how wicked and evil Pilate is, listen to his answer.

Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered in this way? You know, Jesus, I think you're kind of missing the point here. This is an opportunity for you to tell us how evil this particular political ruler is.

Why are you talking about us? Jesus then says, no, I tell you, unless you repent, you'll all likewise perish. How do they say it around here? Uphda, right? That wasn't the answer they were looking for.

They were looking for Jesus to kind of punch Pilate in the nose, right? To take a side here. Is it the emperor or is it the oppressed? Jesus said, you better repent or you're going to perish just like them.

And then Jesus kind of doubles down and says, oh, remember that construction accident that happened a few weeks back where they were building that tower of Siloam and that thing fell over because it wasn't to code and 18 men died when it fell on them and killed them?

Do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? And you can just see them going, well, we didn't ask about that. He said, no, unless you repent, you'll all likewise perish.

And so in this world that we live in, death comes to us all. There's just no way around it. It comes to us either rapidly and bloody or it comes to us slow and sad. But it comes to us all. There's a day coming of calamity.

But death isn't the worst thing that can happen to you, like not even close. The worst thing that can happen to you is the disaster that God has prepared for all those who persist in sin and unbelief.

Joel's Call to Return with Fasting and Mourning

And it's in that regard then we consider the words of the prophet Joel for today. Here's what it says. Yet even now declares the Lord, return to me with all of your heart, with fasting, with weeping, with mourning, rend your hearts and not your garments.

Kind of a nice way of putting it. It's like people like to publicly go out and let everybody know that they were mourning, that they were repenting. So what I'm going to do for this season, I'm going to tear my clothes and show everybody how holy I am.

And Jesus says none of that. The Lord says, rend your heart and return to the Lord your God. And then listen to these amazing words. For he is gracious, he is merciful, he is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

And even God relents over disaster. You'll note this, that God is nothing like the devil. The devil doesn't relent. The devil doesn't repent. The devil, when he plans disaster for you, he will carry it out unless God stays his hand.

But God isn't the same way. He has prepared for those who continue in sin and unbelief. He has prepared a lake of fire. This is the disaster that each and every one of us have earned. But note, because God is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, that he relents over disaster when we trust in Christ for the forgiveness of our sins.

So as we're watching right now the showdown in the Ukraine, will the sanctions work? Will Putin turn around? Will he change his mind? Will he stay his hand and say, uncle? I don't know. I have no idea.

You know, see what tomorrow brings, right? But I can tell you this, God, although he has planned disaster for us, a well-earned one, he has chosen instead to let that disaster fall on his beloved son.

You see, God so loved the world, you and I, he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him will not perish, will not experience disaster, but instead will receive from God eternal life as a gift.

And so it's then in this regard, consider these words as Joel continues, who knows whether God will not turn and relent and leave us a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God.

Man, that just sounds like the Lord's Supper, you know? So Christ has visited us. He's borne our sins on the cross, made it so that we can be forgiven and pardoned completely free as a gift from God. And then after he's ascended, he's left us a grain and a drink offering, his body and blood given and shed for the forgiveness of our sins, tokens of his mercy, signs that he intends to continue to forgive us and pardon us and give us that strength that we need to bring us into his new earth, all by his grace, by his kindness, his strength.

Repentance, the Cross, and God's Relenting from Disaster

So blow the trumpet in Zion, consecrate a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the people, consecrate the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, even the nursing infants, let the bridegroom leave his chamber, the bride her chamber, between the vestibule and the altar, let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, let them weep.

And is that not what we do at this time of the year? We consider our sin in light of the Ten Commandments. You've heard me say it before, I'll keep saying it, the only thing that we contributed to our salvation was the sin that was necessary, that made it necessary for us to be saved in the first place.

And so as we wrestle in the here and the not yet, the now and the not yet of this world, we are new creations in Christ and we still have our sinful natures warring with each other. This is a good time as we lead into Holy Week and remember the crucifixion of our Lord for our sins and his victorious resurrection bodily from the grave on the third day.

This is a good time for us to weep, to consider our lives, to again repent and cry out to God that he would spare his people and not make us a reproach or a byword among the nations. Why should people say that their God is not among them?

So then the Lord became jealous, the text says, for his land, the land, the new earth that is coming. He had pity on his people and the Lord answered and says to his people, behold, I am sending to you grain, wine, oil rather than calamity.

I'm going to give you food. I'm going to sustain you, give you what you need and you will be satisfied and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations. So as we embark on this 40 day journey to the cross and the empty tomb, let us again repent of our sins, cry out to God for mercy and have that confidence that God who is faithful and just, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, that he would hear our prayer and for the sake of Jesus Christ, give us pardon and peace and comfort us and assure us as we travel now from this world to the next.

And although we cannot avert in this life the disaster of death, we thank Jesus that because of what he has done that God has relented of the disaster of the second death. In the name of Jesus, amen.

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