"Daily Repent To Grow!" 2 Peter 1:2-11

Ash Wednesday                       14-February-2024
Sermon Text: 2 Peter 1:2-11
Sermon Theme: “Daily Repent To Grow!” I. Born From Above Cling To God’s Gift! (Vs. 2-4) II. Enlivened By The Holy Spirit Bear Fruit! (Vs.5-8) III. Rejoicing In Your Call and Election Fix Your Eyes On Jesus! (Vs.9-11) by Rev. Nathan J. Rusert

I.N.R.I. “Mat 6:5 "And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.” Mat 6:9 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.” Jesus teaches us to pray with Him. He instructs, Mat 6:16 "Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.” Lent is a period of prayer and fasting.
    Coming down from the Mount of Transfiguration a father desperate begged Jesus to cast a demon out of his son. He had brought his boy to Jesus’ disciples, but they couldn’t cure him. Jesus drove out the evil spirit with His Word healing the boy. History records, Mar 9:28-29 And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?" (29) So He said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."
    Prayer and fasting is found in the book of Acts. Paul places it in marriage in 1 Corinthians 7. Prayer is commanded in the Second Commandment - it is the blessed use of God’s Holy Name. Fasting is fine outward training and bodily discipline. Fasting doesn’t make us holier than someone who doesn’t fast. When you voluntarily abstain from a blessing God has gifted you with for the support of your body and life. You see the weakness of your sinful flesh. A social media fast so you can spend more time during Lent listening to and reading the Holy Bible and praying - exposes eyes distracted by flashy images. Skipping a daily meal exposes our insatiable appetite as stomachs grumble. Fasting isn’t a weight loss program although it has health benefits. Fasting exposes our old adam’s covetous desires and weaknesses exposed in the 9th and 10th Commandments.  
    Fasting from our busyness 1% daily gives you 14 minutes to pray and listen to God’s Word as you read the Holy Bible. Reading through the Gospel of Mark out loud will only take you two hours. You could easily learn to know Jesus better reading through this Gospel at least twice during Lent. On line audio Bibles allow you to listen through the entire New Testament during Lent. Where is your treasure? Fasting 1% from 112 waking hours the Lord blesses you with each week - gives you at least an hour and 12 minutes to be in the Divine Service to receive His gifts. Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven no moth, rust, or thief can destroy our steal from you what your Crucified and Risen Jesus gives. We may even fast from buying more things giving instead to our Church that others may hear the Gospel preached or to our neighbor in need of daily bread.
    Tonight we hear the truth of our fallen flesh - “Remember dust you are and to dust you shall return.” Being marked with an ashen cross is neither commanded or forbidden - it calls us to be honest that we are sinners and our life is but a handbreath - vapor that soon fades away. The within is our fallen flesh - the old adam filled with sinful desires, thoughts, and deeds.     Dr. Luther rightly penned, Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, when He said Poenitentiam agite, willed that the whole life of believers should be repentance.” Let us “Daily Repent To Grow!” I. Born From Above Cling To God’s Gift! (Vs. 2-4) II. Enlivened By The Holy Spirit Bear Fruit! (Vs.5-8) III. Rejoicing In Your Call and Election Fix Your Eyes On Jesus! (Vs.9-11)
I.   We awaken - making the sign of the cross and hear echoing in our ears Christ Jesus word through which the Holy Spirit made us alive in baptism and our Father claims us to be His beloved child. (2 Peter 1:2-4) Confessing The Faith - The Truth - Christ’s Teaching through His Apostles - we know God the Father - we know Jesus our Lord- we know God the Holy Spirit - divine power who gifts us forgiveness, life, and salvation in Christ Jesus.
    Grace and peace are pure gifts from our Creator. We know our God - He is our Father. In Him we have all for life and godliness. This pure gift is multiplied to you daily from our Father through His Son by His Spirit to a poor miserable sinners...me...you. In baptism He called and gave you all things in Christ. He calls and equips you in your marriage - in your family - in your community - clothing you with His glory and virtue! Cling to His great promises that you confess every morning in the watery Creed - the Faith God the Holy Spirit gifted and keeps you and the whole Church in with Jesus Christ!
    Cling to His gift - Life - Jesus - the Holy Spirit. He gives you His precious promises. Makes you His own beloved child a partaker of His divine nature in the flesh and blood of Jesus by His Spirit. You are no longer of this world, although you are in it. No longer does lust control your new baptismal life - your new Adam. No longer does corruption and death drive you to despair chaining you in fear.
II.   Turning from trusting in your self. Rejecting your own reason or strength - pray Jesus’ prayer - hear Him as His Word echos through you breathing out   His Holy Spirit back into your ears. (2 Peter 1:5-8) Diligently hallow His Name trusting God is your True Father and you are His true children in Christ Jesus. His kingdom comes in spite of us believing His Word and live it in holy lives of faith. Faith blooms in virtue. Virtue brings forth the fruit of knowing God in His Word. His good and gracious will breaks our stubborn old adam. The fruit of self-control blossoms as we pray the Father’s will be done alone as He keeps us by the Holy Spirit in His Word and faith in Jesus until we die. The fruit of perseverance removes fear of tomorrow -new baptism life beats in us - We trust Him for all we need for our body and life. Freed to give to our brother in need. Freed to forgive, as we are daily and richly forgiven in Christ. Freed to fight against self - to beat self into subjection to Christ’s Word of life and our Father’s commandments of love. We are freed from fear - delivered from the evil one - to pour our lives out as a drink offering in serving and praying even for our enemies.
II.     Baptismal faith isn’t a intellectual exchange - it is the living reality that now Christ and the Father have made their Home in us through His Word. It is the living reality that God the Holy Spirit has claimed out bodies to be His holy Temple - bringing forth His fruit in us. With Dr. Martin Luther we confess Baptism: “.. is nothing other than putting to death the old Adam and affecting the new man’s resurrection after that [Romans 6:4–6]. Both of these things must take place in us all our lives. So a truly Christian life is nothing other than a daily Baptism, once begun and ever to be continued. For this must be done without ceasing, that we always keep purging away whatever belongs to the old Adam. Then what belongs to the new man may come forth. 66 But what is the old man? It is what is born in human beings from Adam: anger, hate, envy, unchastity, stinginess, laziness, arrogance—yes, unbelief. The old man is infected with all vices and has by nature nothing good in him [Romans 7:18]. 67 Now, when we have come into Christ’s kingdom [John 3:5], these things must daily decrease. The longer we live the more we become gentle, patient, meek, and ever turn away from unbelief, greed, hatred, envy, and arrogance.”(L.C. Part 4, Para.65,66)
    Evil sinful corrupt trees like us - have been born from above through the tree of Christ’s Cross - now we are good trees - bringing forth good fruit by His Word and Holy Spirit alone! (2 Peter 1:9) Remember the gift of new life washed upon you in baptism. Pray. Don’t be myopic. Look away from your self to your Father through His Son by the Holy Spirit’s renewing power in baptism.
      Re-formed in Christ by the Holy Spirit - arm yourself with His Word.(2 Peter 1:10-11) We confess: “Here you see that Baptism, both in its power and meaning, includes also the third Sacrament, which has been called repentance. It is really nothing other than Baptism. 75 What else is repentance but a serious attack on the old man ‹, that his lusts be restrained,› and an entering into a new life? Therefore, if you live in repentance, you walk in Baptism. For Baptism not only illustrates such a new life, but also produces, begins, and exercises it. 76 For in Baptism are given grace, the Spirit, and power to suppress the old man, so that the new man may come forth and become strong [Romans 6:3–6].(L.C. Part 4, Para 74-76)   Fast from the world’s fanfare. In your room out loud pray a Psalm. Repeat the Holy Ten Commandments. Sing a hymn. Joyfully go to work to serve fellow saints surrounded by His Holy angel - the evil foe has no claim upon you! Then when you day ends repeat the same. Go to sleep in peace! Dust you are - to dust you shall return is inherited from the first Adam all have sinned and death comes through sin. The second Adam speaks from the cross, empty tomb, and His throne above - You are Mine - I save you! Sorrow, sin, death, the grave cannot hold you, for where I am - there you will be also. Rom 5:18 Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life....When you last hour comes He will assure you by His Holy Spirit through His Word, ‘Sleep in peace! Soon, soon, the day of resurrection will dawn for you the Father’s beloved child.” Amen.