Proper 9A Sermon: Because of the Blood

Preached on Zechariah 9:9–12
The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
5 July AD 2020

Video: Click to view the YouTube video of Because of the Blood.

Audio: Alternatively, choose Because of the Blood to hear the MP3.

Summary: When God cut His covenant with Abraham, He alone passed among the sacrificed animals. In so doing, the Lord pledged Himself not only to keeping His side of the promises but ultimately also to upholding the obligations of Abraham and his heirs. We hear this through Zechariah, when the Lord speaks not of “our covenant” but “My covenant.”

The blood of the covenant with Abraham points to the blood of the covenant He would make to all people through Christ. He also made a covenant in which He pledged Himself to faithfully uphold the obligations of both parties.

In His life, suffering, and death, Jesus poured out the blood of the New Covenant. Fully divine, He established and keeps God’s promise of salvation to mankind. Fully human, He faithfully kept mankind’s obligations unto His death and continues in His resurrection to uphold humanity’s responsibilities.

Because His Son kept God’s Law on our behalf, the Father accepted the sacrifice of the blood of the covenant that Christ shed on Golgotha. God then honors His covenant obligations and credits Jesus’ faithfulness to all of us who believe in Him.

Text: Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.

As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double. Zechariah 9:9–12

Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Video: Click to view the YouTube video of Because of the Blood.

Audio: Click Because of the Blood to listen to the MP3.

Other Readings: Psalm 145:1–14; Romans 7:14–25a; Matthew 11:25–30

Holy Thursday Sermon: Blood for Forgiveness

Preached on Hebrews 9:11–22
Maundy Thursday Series A
Spoken Vespers
9 April AD 2020

Video: Click to view the YouTube video of Blood for Forgiveness.

Video begins with Vespers from Lutheran Service Book 229. Sermon starts at the 11:20 mark, following Versicles (LSB 229), Psalms, and Scriptures. Service concludes with Magnificat (LSB 231), Kyrie (LSB 233), Lord’s Prayer, Collect of the Day, Collect to Be Sustained Until Reception of the Sacrament, Collect During an Epidemic, Collect for Those Who Mourn, Collect for Those Who Minister to the Sick, Collect for Peace (LSB 233), Benedicamus and Benediction (LSB 234), and a reading from Psalm 22:1-21.

Summary: The Book of Hebrews speaks to a people steeped in Israel’s sacrificial system. They grew up knowing the Scriptures that spoke of blood sacrifice to pay for their sins. The author reminds them that these slaughtered animals all pointed to the suffering and death of the One who won forgiveness for all people.

Israel’s high priest made special sacrifice on the Day of Atonement for the sins of all of Israel. God’s High Priest goes even farther: His suffering and death atoned for all sins, for all people, for all time. Jesus offered Himself that we might receive the benefit of that sacrifice, with sins washed away and peace with God restored.

Text: But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.

For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive.

Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.” And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship.

Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. Hebrews 9:11–22

Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Video: Click to view the YouTube video of Blood for Forgiveness. Sermon begins at the 11:20 mark.

Other Readings: Psalm 116:12–19; Psalm 42; Exodus 24:3–11; Matthew 26:17–30; Psalm 22

Thanksgiving Sermon: A Bountiful Harvest

Preached on 2 Corinthians 9:6–15
Thanksgiving Day
28 November AD 2019

Title: Click to hear the MP3 of A Bountiful Harvest

Summary: The Scriptures abound with agricultural images being used to describe God’s kingdom and our place in it. In today’s epistle, Paul challenges his readers to trust in the Lord’s promises to grant them full supply and to willingly give for the good of the Church and the expansion of the Kingdom.

Each of us who believes is here because someone else cast the Gospel seed. Now we are privileged to sow that seed ourselves in our daily lives and to further its spread in our support of those who carry the Gospel across our nation and around the world. We trust that the Holy Spirit will grant increase and bless the harvest on the day of our Lord’s glorious return.

Text: The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”

He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.

For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you.

Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift! 2 Corinthians 9:6–15

Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Audio: Click to hear the MP3 of A Bountiful Harvest

NB: For some reason, a few people have had problems trying to play the inline audio if Windows Media is their default MP3 player. If this occurs, you can either change to QuickTime or another default browser player, copy and paste the link directly into a selected player, or download it to your computer, where it seems to work regardless of which player. Several folks have suggested VLC Player from VideoLAN.

Other Readings: Psalm 65; Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Luke 12:13-21