Lent

Sermon Outline 

Jesus is the mighty hand of the Lord who has defeated the devil 
An account of the disciples’ inability to cast out a demon 
The devil’s power is too great for our hands alone 
The leaders’ reaction to Jesus’ power over demons 
This is the finger of God 
A house divided against itself cannot stand 
The devil is like a strong man 
Jesus binds the strong man and plunders his goods 
Jesus’ cross has put an end to Satan 
We can have confidence today because Satan’s time is short 

Sermon 

Let us pray: O Lord, may the words of my mouth, and the meditation of our hearts, be acceptable in Your sight our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen. 

In our Readings for this evening, we hear of the mighty hand of the Lord. This mighty hand has come to defeat Satan and free people from his grasp. By the might of their own hands, no one else has this kind of power.  
Earlier in Luke’s Gospel account in chapter 9, an exasperated father came up to Jesus, pleading on behalf of his demon-possessed son. This demon had taken ahold of the son, had convulsed him, and would not leave. Jesus’ own disciples did not have the power to do anything. The demon threw the boy to the ground just at the presence of Jesus. All Jesus needed was His word of rebuke to make the demon leave the boy. He healed him, lifted him up, and handed him back to his father. The disciples, by their own hands, were no match for this demon.  

Later, Jesus would send out seventy-two with the authority to cast out demons. And when they returned, they marveled at what had been done through them. Jesus still wanted to remind them not to lose sight of what is most important. Their names are written in the Book of Life. Taking their eyes off God’s work always opens the door for pride. “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). The devil’s power is not to be trifled with. Their casting out of demons only comes by the hand of God. 

So when Jesus comes, doing what no mere man could do, you would think that it would have been welcomed by all the people. But the opposite was the case. They accuse Him of casting out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons. But it is ludicrous to say that Satan would cast out his own demonic forces. A house divided against itself cannot stand.  The religious leaders were threatened by Jesus’ power and authority. They were so deceived by Satan’s power that they couldn’t see liberation from his captivity when it was happening right before their eyes.

Sadly, the reality of Satan’s power is in his great deception to hold people captive ever since the garden with Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve listened to the crafty voice of the serpent instead of God Himself. And as a result, we have suffered the consequences of wanting to be our own gods to this day. As Burger King famously says, you can have it your way. To take everything in our own hands—is not power, as much as we fool ourselves, but in reality, it is the greatest kind of captivity. It is to put ourselves under the tempter’s power and thereby receive the tempter’s fate, which is eternal condemnation. God did not create hell for human beings but for Satan and the fallen angels. If God truly and only let us have it our way and let us take everything into our own hands, we would find ourselves in the greatest captivity. We cannot break free from this captivity to sin, death, and the devil. As we confess, we cannot save ourselves by any might of ours or by the work of our own hands. We are trapped. 

Jesus says that Satan is like a strong man. No one around can match his strength, and by his might, he keeps hold of all his possessions. We cannot escape by our might. No mere human being is strong enough to defeat this strong man. The devil’s house and kingdom are terrifyingly too strong for us. 

That is, until they come up against the finger of God. The finger of God is used as a way of describing God’s work of creation. The Psalmist says, “What is man that You are mindful of him, the son of man that You care for him? By the work of your fingertips you created heaven and earth.” 

It is also used to describe how God inscribed His commandments in the tablets of stone. In other words, the finger of God is His Word! By His Word, He created everything. By His Word, He gave His Law to Moses. Jesus Himself is the Word of God in the flesh! At Jesus’ Word, the demons shudder and flee. Jesus is the finger of God! It takes only the finger of God for Satan’s kingdom of tyranny to come crashing down like a house of cards. 
Unlike Adam and Eve, Jesus did not succumb to the devil’s temptation in the wilderness. Jesus has overpowered the strong man in order to plunder his house. Jesus has gained the upper hand on the devil to rescue us out from under his tyranny. That is just what God did in Christ when He came casting out demons. The devil is no match for the Son of God. He has done it all by the finger of God. 

By going to the cross, Christ defeated sin, death, and the devil for you. In Christ Jesus, you are forgiven and given eternal life. The devil’s power and hold on you has been routed. His accusations hold no weight. Christ has fulfilled that promise that we heard in Genesis 3:15: He has crushed the serpent’s head underfoot. Jesus has taken you from Satan’s grip of despair and placed you under the mighty hand of God. You have the One who is stronger than the strong man. You can cast all your anxieties upon Christ. He will protect you, and no one can snatch you out of His hand. “Indeed, the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:6–11). Getting too close is extremely dangerous. But he is bound. His time is short. He has been defeated. You are under the mighty hand of God. The devil cannot harm you because the Lord holds you. 

“Though devils all the world should fill, all eager to devour us, we tremble not, we fear no ill; they shall not overpow’r us. This world’s prince may still scowl fierce as he will, he can harm us none. He’s judged; the deed is done; one little word can fell him” (LSB 656:3). 

Just the finger of God knocks him down! This gives us confidence this day to cast all our anxieties upon Him. For by the finger of God, Jesus has defeated the strong man and plundered his goods in order to rescue us and place us under the mighty and protective hand of God.  

In Jesus’ Name. Amen. 
 

SERMON OUTLINE
Jesus’ hands are the hands of the Lord
Jesus treads upon the waves
Jesus is God in the flesh
His hand can seem mysterious and at times terrifying
Peter tries to take things into his own hands
We do the same
The Hand of the Lord is quick to save Peter
The same Hand of the Lord has reached down to save us

SERMON
O Lord, may the words of my mouth and the mediation of our hearts, be acceptable in Your Sight, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.

In our Lenten and Easter series, we will be focusing on the hand of the Lord. We are focusing on the hand of our Lord Jesus, God in the flesh, the Creator. In our Gospel for this evening, Jesus’ hand reaches down save Peter. Thus our theme tonight, The Hand of the Lord saves.

Up to this point in Matthew’s Gospel account, Jesus’ hand has been at work. Right before our text, Jesus took five loaves and two fish into His hands. With that He fed five thousand men, besides women and children. Jesus was in control of that situation, and He had control of what was happening with Peter even before Peter needed Jesus to grab him out the water. It was Jesus who made the disciples get into the boat. When they were struggling against the wind and the waves, it was Jesus who came to His disciples, walking on the waves. 

All of this points to who Jesus is. He is God, the Creator in the flesh. Job said that it is God “who alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea” (9:8). Jesus is the Great I AM. He is the Word through whom “all things were made” (John 1:3). He is God walking on the sea. When His hand stretches out, it is truly the hand of the Lord. That also means that what Jesus does with those hands also is the work of God. His hand is in control. 

Sometimes, our limited understanding has difficulty grasping this control. There are times when God seems distant, mysterious, and even terrifying. 

While the disciples were out in the boat, they had one of those moments. They were frightened early in the morning. They were not scared of the wind and waves. They had seen and controlled their fair share of wind and waves out on the Sea of Galilee. What terrified them? It was this figure walking on the water! They cried out, “It is a ghost!” Now that would strike fear into the heart of a fisherman. 

But the Lord addressed each of their concerns. To their being troubled, He said, “Take heart.” To their cry that it was a ghost, He said, “It is I.” To their being afraid, He said, “Do not be afraid.” The Lord immediately addressed all of their concerns right there! They had everything that they needed in His words. Everything was in His hands and under His control.

But Peter, instead of clinging to Jesus’ words alone, ended up taking matters into his own hands. He wanted Jesus to prove that it was him on Peter’s terms. “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water” (Matthew 14:28). Surprisingly, the Lord agreed. Peter was walking on the water on his way to Jesus! But it was not long until Peter took his eyes off Jesus and began to sink.

Before we are too hard on Peter, we should see that Peter’s actions also shine a reflection on our own attempts to take things into our own hands. So often it happens in a moment of uncertainty, and we may wonder why the Lord is allowing this or that to happen. How often have we been like Peter, not content to trust in the Lord’s words of promise? Rather, we have attempted to seize with our hands something out of our control when we ought to have started by folding our hands in prayer. How often have we discounted patience in the Lord in favor of brash action? How often have we attempted to be so bold as to live as though His words of promise were not enough for us? How often do we end up crying out, just like Peter, at the mess that we made when everything slips through our fingers? It illustrates our sinful condition all too well. Our hands alone cannot keep us from sinking to the depths of Sheol and eternal judgment. All that we can say with Peter is this: “Lord, save me.”

Immediately the hand of the Lord reached down and saved Peter. Jesus acted at just the right time. Jesus made them get in the boat at the beginning of this scene. He immediately calmed their fears. Now our Lord reaches out His hand in compassion and mercy at the right time. While Peter was attempting to take things into his own hands, soon it was the Lord’s hand reaching out and grabbing ahold of him. Everything is in the Lord’s hands. Peter is too.

The Lord has answered our cries of “Lord, save me.” The Lord has reached down into the depths. Our Lord has taken upon Himself our own human flesh. He humbled Himself to the point of death, even death on a cross, for us. This is the Hand of the Lord at work to save us today. Only God in the flesh can do that. Only the Word, through whom all things were created, can pull us from the depths of judgment and despair.
This is true even in our moments of uncertainty and doubt. It is not a promise that every challenge, hardship, or trial will go away immediately. It is not a promise that working through it will be easy or that there will be easy fixes to everything that ails us. Because of our sinful condition, we not always understand the workings of God in our lives. 

However, when it comes to salvation, the Lord’s merciful hand is right there. His presence and forgiveness in His Word are immediately there when we need Him. His Word and Sacraments are true, no matter how great or little our faith is. They derive their power not from our faith but from Jesus Himself. 

He has reached down with His Word and His Sacraments to save you. You can trust in His true promises.Your old self has been drowned in Holy Baptism so that the new will arise. He has reached down to proclaim to you in Confession and Absolution that your sins are indeed forgiven. He has reached down to feed you with His very body and blood, given and shed for you! You have everything that you need today! You have everything that you need in the gracious hand of the Lord that created you, saves you, and sanctifies you.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.
 

SERMON OUTLINE
Hands are amazing instruments
What hands can do
What moves the hands
Empty hands that have been filled give
The poor in spirit have nothing to bring in their hands before God
“Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing”
Many know that trumpeting the work of our hands is not good
Jesus helps us to see that no one is exempt from this sin
Great Physician with skilled hands
Jesus has come for the sick
Jesus holds us in His hands
Jesus is the only one to live and give wholly out of love
His right and left hands were stretched out upon the cross 
He exchanges our sin in order to give us His righteousness

SERMON

O Lord may the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts, be acceptable in your sight our Rock and our Redeemer.

Have you ever looked at your hands? Our hands are amazing instruments. When our hands are working properly, they showcase the amazing feat of the Lord’s engineering, capable of an intricate series of movements made possible by articulating joints between twenty-seven bones and the more than thirty muscles that move them. Even seemingly simple movements can be quite complex. Recent research has determined that the fastest accelerating part of the human body is not the blink of an eye. The snapping of your finger is actually twenty times faster, taking just seven milliseconds to travel from the thumb to the palm.  Our hands are truly amazing. 
Our hands can do so much. We use them for work, for sports, for crafts, and on and on. In fact, hands are almost universally recognized as the symbols of our work, action, power, and control. The hands’ controlling capabilities, powerful potential, and authoritative actions are not governed by our hands themselves. 

In our Gospel this evening, Jesus mentions hands. He says, “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” (Matthew 6:3). This text comes to us from the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is addressing His disciples while a great crowd is overhearing. Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). Jesus’ disciples are the “poor in spirit” who have nothing to offer God. They have only empty hands. However, the Lord has filled those hands with His good gifts. 

The same is true for you, brothers and sisters in Christ! You had nothing to bring before God to merit blessing because of your sin. And yet, Jesus has exchanged that sin, taking it to the cross, and filled your hands with His gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation. You have this promise. It is completely dependent on your gracious and merciful Lord. In Christ, your hands are full!

Jesus says, “When you give to the needy . . .” It is not a question of if Jesus’ disciples will be using their hands to help the needy or to do good for the sake of others. It was already an expectation among the Jews that almsgiving would be done. Look at everything Jesus gives you! He fills your empty hands with the Gospel, those hands will share both the gifts of creation and salvation with other empty, outstretched hands.  Like a beggar telling another beggar where to find food. While it is true that one does not need to be a Christian to give earthly gifts to the needy, Jesus is saying that the heart of the Christian life of giving is completely different.

Jesus starts by contrasting the hypocrites who trumpet their deeds for the synagogue and streets. They give to others only so that everyone else can see them and praise them. They seek the rewards of the world because they close their hands to God’s gifts and promises. We know all too well what it means to seek the praises of this world. We know it when we see it in people who love to trumpet their successes, to hold the rewards or praises before the world like a trophy in their hands, saying, “Look at the good that I am doing!” If we are honest, we see that same desire in ourselves. But those rewards still fade.

Jesus’ words show us the true heart of the matter. It’s one thing to let others know what you are doing, but don’t think for a moment that your good deeds will do anything to save yourself. Jesus says, “Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing”! The moment that we start to dwell on what our hands are doing, we take our focus off our neighbor and his or her needs in order to make our giving all about ourselves. Our neighbor is no longer best served. 

There is also greater spiritual concern. Our sinful condition has so distorted our lives that we can outwardly appear humble, keeping our giving to ourselves, but inwardly be brimming full of arrogant pride in the work of our own hands. It may not look like the praise of others. But it is the praise of self, a reward that also soon fades. Closing our hands to God’s gifts in order to quietly praise ourselves leads us to the same place as the hypocrites. Jesus shows us that our sin is much worse than what we do or don’t do with our hands. Even anonymously giving to the needy can be distorted into our own selfish praise.

The real problem is not a condition of our hands. It’s a heart condition. Jesus says, “Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person” (Matthew 15:19–20). This condition of the heart puts us in the throes of judgment and death. That is what we are reminded of this evening on Ash Wednesday. As you received the ashes on your forehead, you heard the words “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” We die because we are sinners, plain and simple. If our lives were left in our own hands—as amazing instruments as they may be—the only reward that we will have earned is God’s judgment and wrath. 

However, this evening, we also heard the words from Joel: “‘Yet even now,’ declares the LORD, ‘return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments’” (Joel 2:12–13). The recognition of sin is not merely something that we can take into our hands by an outward display of contrition. The Lord is calling sinners to true repentance of the heart.
In Psalm 51 David writes: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (v. 10). David knew that he could not heal himself by the work of his hands. He needed the hand of the Lord. He needed the expert physician who is able to create a clean heart to blot out David’s iniquities, to restore the joy of the Lord’s salvation.

In Matthew 9:12, Jesus said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.” If you are like David. You know that your heart is not well, then hear the words of Jesus. He has come for you as the only one who can cure the sinful disease of the heart. He has come as the good physician who is able to give you a new heart and make it beat in His expert hands according to the steady rhythm of God’s mercy. And He continues to give and hold your heart captive in His hands.

How has He done it? How is it that our loving God continues to give and give? Christ is your Lord and the Great Physician who has come to bring you life in Him. He did so by the work of His hands, purely out of love for you. He has selflessly given His very life for us. His right and left hands were stretched far apart upon the cross for you; His death for your life. He has taken your sins upon Himself all the way to death on the cross. God has taken your sin and put it out of His memory. Your sin is now as far from you as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). In return, He has filled your empty hands with His forgiveness. He has taken care of not only the sinful deeds of your hands but also the sinful condition that lies in your heart. He creates a new heart within you. He has given you a heart that does not need to remark on what your hands are doing. Christ has done it all.

With your new heart, you know that your empty hands have been filled with God’s good gifts and are not concerned with rewards of praises from others or ourselves. You have the reward from your Father who sees in secret. Now, as you live your life, as you give to the needy, as you share the Gospel of Jesus with others, keep your right hand and left hand ignorant of each other in daily repentance. Your giving is the Lord’s work through you. Remember that there is no need to gain the rewards in this life through the works of your hands because you already have the reward of your Father who sees in secret. 

Indeed, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” With those words, you received the sign of the cross pressed upon your brow this evening as a reminder that your life has been marked and sealed by the redeeming hand of your crucified and risen Lord. And soon as you come to this altar with empty hands, the Lord will fill them with His very body and blood, given and shed for you. 

In Jesus’ name. Amen.