"Rejoice With Your Mother!" Galatians 4:21-31

Laetare, The Fourth Sunday in Lent                                   14-March-2021

Sermon Text: Galatians 4:21-31

Sermon Theme: “Rejoice With Your Mother!” by Rev. Nathan J. Rusert

I.N.R.I. Psalm 122:1 “I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD!” King David sings joyfully. A year ago we rejoiced to assemble here as a congregation going into the house of the Lord. News reported the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in our state on March 6th and our governor declared a public health emergency. March 16th marked the first death in our state from the virus. By March 19th Governor Holcomb issued an executive order closing restaurants and schools through May 1st . Still we were glad to go into the house of the Lord. By March 23rd a “stay at home” order was issued by our governor limiting public gatherings to 10 people. Although our governor never ordered congregation’s not to meet, we were limited to 10 people. As a congregation we began broadcasting God’s Word over the internet on March 25th with our lenten vespers. Gladness to go into the House of the Lord was replaced by fear. Fear of an unknown virus. Fear of the future. Fear of death.

           Why were we so susceptible to fear? We forgot where true treasure and joy is found. This Sunday Psalmist, Prophet, and Apostle call us repent returning to “Rejoice With Your Mother!”

           How many religions are in the world? 4,300 says one group monitoring such things. Others claim that there are only seven major religions in the world. How many do you think there are? Would you believe two? There is the religion of “do” and the faith of “done.” That is there are the religions of law - telling you how to achieve heaven, or build a utopia by what you do or avoid doing. Then there is the faith that all is done - finished - accomplished for sinners in the flesh and blood of Jesus sacrificed upon the cross. There are the religions of the Law and the promise of the Gospel.

            Sadly we don’t rejoice with our Mother, because we forget what the Gospel is - we hear it at church, talk about it in confirmation instruction - but, do you know what the Gospel is? Can you explain it to your spouse, your children, your grandchildren, your friends at work? Has the devil tied up your tongue with doubt, despair, and misbelief? St. Paul had labored to birth the Galatian congregation through the Gospel. He preached to them the message of Jesus Christ crucified - God became one with humanity. Willingly He perfectly fulled all the requirements of the Law for us. Willingly, though innocent He took all of our sin into Himself - He was damned in our place - made a curse for all sinners upon the cross. The Author of Life laid down His life for us who deserved only death and hell. Three days later He physically rose from the grave to give us the victory over death, hell, and the grave. He forever buried our sins in His tomb and rises to declare us reconciled to our God and Father. Salvation is freely offered only in this good news of the cross of Jesus. Abraham believed this promise of Christ Jesus the sacrifice for his sins. Trusting alone in Jesus as the One who has done all for my salvation - forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are daily and richly clothed upon us in Holy Baptism. All is accomplished for us in the flesh and blood of Jesus. Our Mother the Church births us by the Holy Spirit through this Word of promise alone in Jesus alone saving us not by anything we do, but through His ongoing gift of Faith and work of forgiveness within His Church.

       Sadly we don’t believe it - we can’t believe it by our own thinking and doing. (Galatians 4:.21) From the day of Adam’s rebellion on we are creatures of the law. We trust in our knowledge of good and evil, thinking that we must earn God’s favor. Turning away from the joy that is our in Christ Jesus we trust in our attempts to please self, society, God, or to be happy and feel good.   We treat the Holy Bible as a self-help book to make us healthy and prosperous. It is all part and parcel of Satan’s lie that we can be our own gods, making up the rules for ourselves, building utopias with our wisdom, our desires, and our feelings. The way of the law makes sense to us - it seems right - we’ve offended God we have to set things right again. Twice Solomon warns us in Proverbs, “Pro 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.”  

The Galatian gentiles were birthed through the Gospel, but then came Judiazers from Jerusalem. Religious teachers saying that faith in Jesus is fine, but to truly be saved you have to follow the rules of the Old Covenant - circumcision, dietary restriction, and observe days, months, and years. The focus for salvation shifted away from Christ crucified to what they did, felt, experienced. They surrendered the Gospel for a counterfeit gospel -which was no gospel at all - it was the law.

          Paul teaches through the example of two births recorded in the Torah - the Law (Galatians 4:22-23) Abraham ,of whom the Judiazers boasted, had two sons. One was born of a slave the other born of a free woman. The son born to Abraham through Sarah’s Egyptian servant Hagar was born according to the flesh. Sarah, whose womb was barren, thought she needed to help God fulfill His promise to Abraham. She gave Hagar to be a surrogate mother to Abraham. A son was born to this fleshly union. Then the Lord returned when it was physically impossible for Sarah to bear children and spoke His life giving Word. Trusting God’s promise the Lord brought life to her dead womb and blessed her and Abraham with a son. As God the Holy Spirit teaches, “Heb 11:11-12 By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. (12) Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.         This history divides those born of the Law from those born through the Gospel Promise. (Galatians 4:.24-26) Religions of the Law cannot save - for by the Law is the knowledge of sin. God’s Law given from Sinai keeps order in this world, serve as a mirror to show us our sin, and for those born of the Gospel are a channel of love to serve our neighbor in our callings. Yet the Law was never given to save - it came 430 years after the Promise of Jesus spoken to Abraham. It was given on Sinai after the Lord God delivered His people from Egyptian slavery through the blood of the Passover Lamb and the waters of the Red Sea. The Lie we tell ourselves it that if we pass more laws, make more rules, then we will build a perfect society on earth. This lie stands on the graves of over 100 million slaughtered by communism and socialism. This lie stands on the graves of 60 million unborn babies slaughtered in our American experiment to build a great society with more laws after declaring that God is dead. The law only gives birth to bondage - we become imprisoned to self - either bursting out with pride and condemning all others or chained with despair because the sins we try to drive away by our rules entrap us like quicksand. The Judaizers were from the Jerusalem that existed then, it was in bondage to a religion that can’t save.

       Jerusalem and the Temple would be destroyed in 70A.D. its sacrifices forever ended - 40 years earlier the blood of the Lamb of God - Jesus Christ had been poured out upon this earth to take away all our sins. The True Jerusalem is the Holy Christian Church has birthed us from above through baptismal water combined with God’s Promise. She is free - forgiven - restored.

      The Prophet Isaiah sings of Christ’s Church - our Mother - (Galatians 4: 27) To the world the Christian Church looks desolate - her womb seems to be dry - she has no beauty that the world desires her. Law religions garner numbers and money - they are popular with the world for they seem successful and full of life. Christ’s Bride - the Church - Our Mother is filled with true joy. Her children aren’t birthed by what she does, but by what Jesus has done by His life, death, resurrection, ascension, rule, and sending forth God the Holy Spirit. Her children are as the stars of the heaven in number - birthed by God’s grace in Christ Jesus alone.

     Dear Christian this is who you are! (Galatians 4: 28-30) Isaac means ‘laughter’ the Gospel fills us sinners with joy. Joy for all is done for in Jesus. Look at the “Collect of the Day” for Laetare - here we are praying to be born every morning of the Gospel. “The Father’s mercies are new to us sinners every morning!” We deserve only punishment - yet in Jesus He receives us as His children caring for us in body and soul. Made alive by His Holy Spirit through this word of promise we give thanks for all His benefits.

     The religion of the Law may seem to have the power and prosperity in this world - it is an illusion. Law minded hypocrites will stir up strife and persecute those born according to the Spirit through the Gospel. Children of the bondwoman think that if we just change our style of worship or up the tempo of our hymns we will please the world and pack the pews - it is a lie. What does the Scripture say - “Cast out the bondwoman!” Those who trust in their own good works to merit heaven will wake up to spend eternity in hell.

      Repent and rejoice today with your Mother. (Galatians 4:31) We are born of the promise - the Gospel - Lutherans do you know the Gospel? Let’s have a brief review: Open your hymnal to L.S.B. pg. 321. The Holy Ten Commandments are Law - They demand, expose our sin and kill us - pg. 322 Close of Commandments. W.D.T.M? Fear God’s Wrath - not man. A promise is made to through the perfect Law Keeper. Who is He? 1st Article - God created us - we sinned - He still daily and richly provides for our life - He is mercy. He saves by His Son Alone - read with me - 2nd Art. W.D.T.M? Jesus lives salvation is accomplished, but how do I get it - 3rd Article - Holy Spirit continually calls me back to life through the Gospel - where richly and daily forgiving me in my Mother’s House - the Holy Christian Church. He will complete my baptism on the day of resurrection and bring me into the life of the world to come. Every Sunday here in the House of the Lord heaven and earth touch - Jesus feasts us breathing out His Holy Spirit upon us. Life is ours - we breathed back His Spirit in prayer to our Father - He will deliver us from all evil. Rejoice to be at Home here - rejoice for when your last hour comes He will give you a blessed end taking you from this valley of sorrow to Himself in Heaven. Amen.