When they couldn’t use the false charges to condemn Jesus — because the lying false witnesses couldn’t tell their lies without contradicting each other — the High Priest took matters into his own hands. Mark records:
Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?”
“I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Mark 14:61–62

What a blessed position this man held as the High Priest. He was to serve as a mediator between God and his people in the Temple. Yet when Jesus was arrested, the High Priest played the role of prosecuting attorney against God’s Son, and he was desperate for a guilty verdict.

Jesus’ answer is powerful. “I am” he said. That is the divine name that God gave himself when asked by Moses at the burning bush, “Suppose I go to the Israelites . . . And they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?” “I Am Who I Am” was God’s answer from the burning bush. It was also Jesus’ answer in the court of the High Priest. Jesus added clarity and emphasis to his answer when he said that he would be sitting at the right had of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds. This was a reference to Daniel 7:13-14: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” Jewish rabbis correctly understood the words of Daniel 7 as referring to the coming Messiah. They would even refer to the Messiah as “the Cloud Man.” Jesus’ answer to the High Priest was that he was God and the Messiah in one person.

The unbelieving reaction was instant and violent. Immediately they condemned Jesus and began to abuse him.

And yet the One who knew he was the Cloud Man and God himself, let the abuse occur. He didn’t fight back with a devastating demonstration of power and judgement on those cruel unbelievers. As the final hours of Jesus’ life unfolded, he never tried to defend himself or stop the cruelty.

Jesus was there for the purpose of taking the abuse and the suffering. This would be God’s greatest act of mercy. He would be our substitute and suffer for our sins.

The cruel acts that we see in the next few days were acts of love — at least on Jesus’ part. Your salvation is secured and your sin forgiven because of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

As our special Holy Week worship services begin tomorrow, look by faith at the great comfort that God wants to give you. He has come and personally dealt with your guilt. He has personally triumphed over death. We have great reason to gather in worship to remember all he has done.

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Lent is a time for spiritual renewal. This happens as we grow in faith from hearing God’s Word. Growing in faith always has the result of leading us to turn from the world for comfort to Jesus and his love. Martin Luther’s comments on Psalm 62:10 (“Though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them”) remind us to use our gifts as God intends so that our faith remains firmly planted in Christ.

"Even if riches were to come to you in a rightful way, from God, do not rely on them and make mammon your God; for possessions are not given that we may rely on them and glory in them, which is futile and foolish, but that we may use and enjoy them and share them with others. . . . Our possessions should be in our hands, not in our hearts." Thus Saint Paul tells the Corinthians (1 Cor. 7:31) that we should use the world as though we used it not.

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There is a confidence to faith! God wants us to be confident in our faith because he will keep his promises! So we firmly believe that our sins are forgiven; that all works for our good; and that we will live in heaven. In James 1:6 we read, But when he [the believer] asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

Martin Luther made an interesting comment on our confidence. Here is what he said in a sermon in 1532:
He who would deal with God and ask something of Him must not doubt or waver and say: Who knows whether God wants to give me this or whether I am worthy of it? No, by no means; but you should say: I know that God will do what I ask of Him; and although He does not do it now and in this way, He will do it at another time and in another way. For a wavering heart that does not firmly believe and hold that it will receive something will certainly get nothing, because God cannot give it anything, much as He would like to. Such a heart is a like a vessel which a man holds in his hands but, instead of holding it, constantly moves it to and fro. It will be impossible to pour anything into it, and though you would want to do so, you would miss the vessel and waste whatever you are pouring. So it is with a wavering, unbelieving heart. God would like to give what we need. But there we stand, like a foolish beggar, holding out our hat for gifts and yet not holding it still.
What Luther Says, p. 429

Pray with confidence to the God who has set you free from sin and death and who has planned your eternal place in heaven.

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It does not add up. The Lord of all who made the universe would lower himself to become one of us. Even worse, in becoming one of us he would endure the indignity of being born to poor parents and sleeping in a manger.

It does not make sense that when he publicly proclaimed his will – God’s will – he would tolerate those who rejected him and persecuted him for teaching divine truth.

Finally, what can we say about the cross? The Creator of all that lives would endure death. His death would be filled with pain and shame. His enemies would gloat, and it would appear that he lost. That does not add up and does not make any sense.

But that is the divine and unchangeable truth. You do not need to make excuses for God or his plan. God’s way results in your salvation. All other ways are doomed to fail.

We may shake our heads for a moment or two as we consider God’s ways. We may not understand why he did what he did. But we believe! We believe in God’s promised forgiveness. We know the truth of God’s will for our lives. He wants us to know him and to find strength in him. He wants us, seemingly weak as we may be, to be his servants in this world. Believe God’s promises and know the power of God that is at work in you.

1 Corinthians 1:18 (NIV) "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

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Jesus came to give light to the world. His light is the light of freedom from sin and the joy of being connected to God.

Sadly, our world is not interested. God is pushed away, and his ways are ignored and ridiculed.

Even worse, we have participated in rejecting God. Our sins are real. We know the guilt and shame of our failures. You’ve probably read the Bible or heard a Scripture Lesson in church and thought, “That is a sin too? I do or say that all the time.” Even long-time Christians can become accustomed to the darkness of sin.

“Light has come into the world.” Jesus brings you the light of forgiveness and renewal. He restores to you what your sins have destroyed. He shines the light of God’s love into your heart and declares to you that you are a member of his eternal kingdom.

You see too much darkness as you watch our world fight against God. You even see that darkness in yourself.

But focus on the light of Christ. He is your Lord and Savior. He claims you as his own. He loves you. Bask in the peace of his light and be light in what you do and say.

John 3:19–20 (NIV) “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.”

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Lent is a somber time when we gather for worship. Hymns are often in minor keys. We do not sing “Alleluia.” The readings call for repentance or focus on the death of Jesus. At the same time, we know how this season ends. The cross of Jesus is not actually a sign of defeat, but a sign of conquest and victory.

The bloody cross of Jesus is a place of glory because of who Jesus is and what he did. “God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him.” In other words, the One who dead on the cross is the same One who made the universe. He controls all things and with a single word can do anything!

That One, the Lord of All, allowed himself to be hung on a cross. He accepted the horrible punishment for every sin ever committed. He endured torments that he never deserved.

Because Jesus was on the cross, it is the most significant event in all of history. God intervened in our world to take away our sins and save us.

If you ever wonder what God is up to in the world, look at the cross. He is a God who saves. If you wonder if God is interested in you, look at the cross. He died for you so you could be with him forever. Through the cross we see and know God for who he really is. We know all we need to know about God.

The cross is not the possibility or potential of anything. It is the reality of God’s love directed at every moment of your life – “making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” You are at peace with God. Live in that confidence today and always.

Colossians 1:19–20 (NIV) "For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross."

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Lent has arrived. Many focus on spiritual things by “giving something up for Lent.” This practice can be useful if it helps us focus on what matters most.

But giving up movies, coffee, chocolate, alcohol, or anything is relatively easy. Jesus invites us to do something far more drastic. He does not ask us to give up something, but ourselves.

Human beings are not wired for this. We excel at being selfish and asserting ourselves.

Our way of living is not Jesus’ way. He does not want us to deny ourselves because he wants to hurt us or rob us of anything, but because he wants to heal us. Jesus does not want you to have a cheap imitation of real life – an earthly life that is trying to hide the reality of sin and death. Jesus wants you to be set free from the bondage and slavery of sin to enjoy the glorious freedom of life in his Kingdom.

So today, Ash Wednesday, we repent. We confess to our God our failures and our willingness to live like this world is our home. Today we admit that by ourselves we are trapped in selfishness that is directed at others and, worse, causes us to ignore God.

But as we repent, we do not stop with confession. We also turn to our gracious Savior and trust his promises. He takes away our sin. He gives us clean hearts and renews a right spirit within us. His forgiveness is real, and it is ours through faith.

As we give up our sinful selves, we find our new selves in Jesus. His love fills us and shapes us. We live in the peace of forgiveness and with the desire to turn from sin to live a full life – a God-pleasing life of service.

This Lenten season, be renewed as you look to Christ and see all that he has done for you.

John 12:23–25 (NIV)
Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”

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“By the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect.” 1 Corinthians 15:10

Paul’s call to serve as a missionary and apostle was an act of pure grace on God’s part. Acts 8:1 and 9:1-2 tell us how much Paul hated Christianity. Later in Acts 26:9-11 Paul confessed that same thing about himself — he had previously hated Christians.

Jesus changed that by appearing to Paul and calling him to faith. Paul was graciously appointed to be an apostle to the Gentiles. He was zealous in carrying out his work to preach the gospel.

What was true of Paul is true of you! By the grace of God you are who you are. He has changed you too. By calling you to faith your sins are forgiven and all your gifts and abilities can now be used to serve your Savior. Whatever your calling may be, you are serving Jesus was you use your gifts to serve others.

His grace to you was not without effect. The Christian parent who patiently loves and guides a child is serving Jesus. The Christian spouse who fills his or her role in a marriage is showing the effect that God’s grace has on the Christian life. The Christian who uses his or her gifts to help another (even when paid for doing it), or who encourages someone facing trials, or who shares the gospel in a private conversation is doing so because God’s grace has an effect.

The reward for these acts often isn’t what we’d like. You may not get recognized or thanked (although sometimes we do). Jesus has prepared an eternal reward of even greater grace for us in heaven. This is our greatest reward!

Like it did for Paul, the grace of God has changed you. Your life is a life of service to the Triune God in heaven. Your moments matter.

By the grace of God, be the child of God that he has made you to be and carry out the work that he has given you to do. That is the Christian faith in action.

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Baptism is easy to overlook. Your own baptism may not register in your memory banks because it happened when you were an infant. Or the simplicity of the rite of Baptism and the act of Baptism can make it seem like a minor or simple event. In our minds it can become a routine event — like a graduation — that everyone goes through.

Nothing could be further from the truth! At your baptism, you were changed.

According to God’s promise you were connected to Jesus’ death and resurrection in your baptism. You are free from sin’s curse and prepared for eternal glory. You are empowered to live a new life as a Christian by your baptism.

In Remember Who You Are: Baptism, A Model for Christian Life, William Willimon writes:
Who tells you who you are: Your parents, your children, your nation, your job, your friends, your school, your back account? If you allow others to tell you who you are, they will be only too happy to tell you. But that is a dangerous way.

Through Baptism, a Christian first and finally learns who he or she is. It is the rite of identity. Baptism asserts rather than argues, it proclaims rather than explains, it commands rather than requests, it acts rather than signifies, and it involves rather than describes. When you ask in desperation, “Who, in God’s name, am I?” baptism will have you feel the water dripping from your head and oil oozing down your neck and say, “You are, in God’s name, royalty. God’s own, claimed and ordained for God’s serious and joyful business.” (pp. 27-28)

God proclaimed, at your baptism, that you matter to him! Let that water wash your soul and fill you with the joy that God intends for you to know.

"You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ." (Galatians 3:26–27)

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"As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received." Ephesians 4:1 (NIV)

“Worthy” in the verse above pictures a balanced scale. On the one side of the scale is “the calling you have received.” You have been called to faith in Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. Through faith in him, you are forgiven for your sins and a member of God’s kingdom. This calling was given to you in the water of your baptism and through God’s Word that creates and sustains faith. All of this was God’s work done in you because he is gracious and loves you.

On the other side of the scale is “live a life worthy.” Our conduct should match our calling. Because we are purified of sin, we turn away from sin and do not want to live in it. This is repentance. We look to Jesus for forgiveness – which he already won for us at the cross! In him, we seek to do things that are pleasing to God. We do not look for or make excuses for sin. We look for ways to reflect the reality that we belong to the holy and perfect Savior.

Seek balance in your life as you trust in Jesus and receive from him the grace he promises to all who believe. Then live in a way that reflects the purity that is in you.

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