"The Only Saving Name!" Luke 2:21

January 01, 2023
Rev. Nathan J. Rusert

January 1st - the 8th day of Christmas - the 8th day - the first day of the new creation in Christ Jesus! Sermon for The Circumcision and Name Jesus, 1 - January-2023 - "The Only Saving Name!" Luke 2:21 preached at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Tell City, Indiana by Rev. Nathan J. Rusert

Episode Notes

Circumcision and The Name of Jesus                       1-January-2023
Sermon Text: Luke 2:21
Sermon Theme: “The Only Saving Name!”

I.N.R.I. Psa 124:8 “Our help is in the name of the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.” King David teaches the children of Abraham to pray as they ascend to worship the Creator in Jerusalem. If the Lord had not been on Israel’s side their foes would’ve easy swallowed them up, the streams would’ve drown them. The Creator of heaven and earth delivered them as a bird escaping the snare of a fowler. The Creator broke the snare to rescue His people. The Lord preserves His Church in all ages.
      David didn’t learn this truth from his own wisdom or experience. He learned it from God’s Word - the Promise He spoke to Abram. The ancient church fathers were certain that Abram’s call to leave paganism came through the preaching of Shem, the son of Noah. Shem lived 500 years, nearly four centuries of that after the flood had destroyed the ancient world drastically altering the global climate. Before his death Moses’ successor preaches of God’s grace - history records - Jos 24:2-3 And Joshua said to all the people, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'Your fathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, dwelt on the other side of the River in old times; and they served other gods. (3) Then I took your father Abraham from the other side of the River, led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his descendants and gave him Isaac.
      How did the Creator of heaven and earth call Abram from paganism to the Faith? God the Holy Spirit teaches, Rom 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Dr. Martin Luther writes in his commentary on Genesis 12: “But here the question arises: How was Abraham called, and did he hear this voice from God Himself? I am convinced that he was not called directly by God without the ministry, as it is related below (Gen. 18:2) that God visited him, conversed with him, and was even the guest of Abraham; but I believe that this command was brought to him either by the patriarch Shem personally or by some others who had been sent by Shem.” Shem had led the Church away from the paganism spreading in Chaldea. After the tower of Babel failed, Satan took many captive with false worship by which they could earn their way into God’s favor by their sacrificial deeds. Storming heaven on towers of their own self chosen good works and sacrifices. It is interesting that throughout the world we find the ancients built towers - mounds for worship - like the “Angel Mounds” in Evansville - Monks Mound in Collinsville, Illinois. In fact researches have discovered over 160 different man made religious mounds in North America.
        Shem had taken the Church to the land of Canaan, away from the growing paganism of Babylon. He built the city of Salem and served as the priest of the Most High. Luther would identify Melchizedek as Shem. Shem is grieved that his descendants have been taken captive by idolatry. He preaches God’s promise calling Abram away from the world to faith in God’s Promise.
      From the day of Adam’s rebellion against God’s Word all mankind was enslaved by Satan, imprisoned in sin, and chained with death. Declaring war on the fallen angel Satan - the Lord promised He would rescue mankind by becoming One with us through the singular Male Seed born of a Virgin mother alone. He would crush Satan the Serpent’s head. It would cost the Rescuer His life - for the deadly Serpent would bite His heel - injecting all of his sinful, hellish, deadly venom into that One Man. It wasn’t man who would ascend to the divine by his self chosen worship and works. It was that God would descend to be with us - our Emmanuel - to deliver us by His one sacrifice for all sin.
      The Lord God preaches this promise to Abram. Abram, by the power of the Holy Spirit, believes and this faith is counted to him as righteousness. What did Abram believe? Listen to the Holy Spirit teach you, “Gal 3:16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, "And to seeds," as of many, but as of one, "AND TO YOUR SEED," who is Christ.
By God’s grace Abraham trusted in ‘The Only Saving Name!”
        Fast forward nearly 2000 years in the history of creation from Abraham and we read. (V. 21a) In six 24 hour days about 6,000 years ago the Creator called forth all matter into existence by speaking His Word. He ordered and shaped His creation speaking His Word. He separated light from darkness. He called forth dry land from the waters. He spoke and plant life was created bearing after its own kind. He spoke and the waters and skies teamed with living creatures both great and small. He spoke calling forth all living land dwelling creatures. Then He carefully molded man of the clay, stooped down kissing him alive with the breath of life. He placed Adam in a beautiful garden and at the center planted the Tree of Life. Here God and man would meet for communion - that the Creator might sustain man’s life. He also planted the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil - for the man to exercise his faith in loving obedience to the Creator’s command not to eat of it. He would not leave man to dwell alone, from Adam’s side He carefully built a helpmate, a companion, a woman for the man. Then He instituted the blessing of marriage blessing the union of husband and wife to be fruitful and have many children to fill the earth as they cared for His creation. On the seventh day the Lord God rested - not because He was tired, but to show mankind that they needed to rest trusting in their Creator and His Word to sustain them. To give them time to meet their Creator at the Tree of Life and listen to His Word - trusting in Him as dear children trust their dear Father - and be fed from Him with life.
      Adam’s rebellion shattered it all, still we organize everything around a seven day week. When Adam sinned plunging all of creation into sin, corruption, and death the Lord God promised an “eighth day.” The first day of the new creation - creation reclaimed by its rightful Owner - its Creator.   The 8th day dawned on Abram as the Lord God called him from paganism to the Promised Christ. Abram was 75 years old when the Holy Spirit called him by the Gospel, sanctified, brought and kept him in the One True Faith - in Christ Jesus.
      For 24 years Abram and Sarai waited for the Lord to fulfill His promise. The Lord God cut a one sided covenant to Abram - He alone would suffer and die to fulfill it for sinful mankind. At 99 years old the Lord renames Abram - Abraham - “the father of many nations” and commands the sacrament of circumcision for all male descendants of the Promise. History records, Gen 17:10-14 This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; (11) and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. (12) He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant. (13) He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. (14) And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant." - The new creation is promised in the Seed of Abraham - Christ Jesus. Abraham received this sign of the promise in the flesh of his body at 99 years of age. Trusting the Lord’s Word and sign he is circumcised by the hand of another. The Holy Spirit through St. Paul teaches, Rom 4:11-12 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also, (12) and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised. New life is his...as Paul records, “Rom 4:16-25 (17) (as it is written, "I HAVE MADE YOU A FATHER OF MANY NATIONS") in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; (18) who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, "SO SHALL YOUR DESCENDANTS BE." (19) And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb. (20) He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, (21) and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. (22) And therefore "IT WAS ACCOUNTED TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS." (23) Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, (24) but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, (25) who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.”
    On the 8th day of Christmas - the Creator - conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary - sheds His flesh and blood voluntarily placing Himself under God’s Law FOR YOU! He will fulfill it all FOR YOU - for me - for all sinners. How can this be? Listen (vs. 21). As a son of the promise was circumcised on the 8th day after his birth he received his name. This Son of Mary is named - “Jesus” the name the Lord God preached through His angel messenger Gabriel to Mary in person and to Joseph in a dream. Mat 1:21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins." All circumcision is completed in the flesh and blood of Jesus.
        Jesus lives up to His Name. He comes to make all things new again by His sacrifice upon Calvary. True God and True Man in one inseparable personal union - He alone brings us back to God our Father - He is the Way, the Truth, the Life. The apostles preached to the Sanhedrin , Act 4:12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." Apart from Jesus there is no hope, nor forgiveness, no deliverance from death and eternity in hell. It is at the Name of Jesus that every knee shall bow on the last day.
      The Creator of Heaven and earth placed His saving name upon our infant head in holy baptism. It was on the 8th day of creation, after our Creator rested in the tomb on the 7th, that Jesus rose to gift us eternal life through forgiving our sins and breathing us alive and comforted by His Holy Spirit. The 8th day is now Sunday - the Day of Resurrection - the day you were baptized into - look at our font - how many sides? 8 - for here Jesus placed His Name upon you - that you might be His own and live in Him by His Holy Spirit as a beloved child of the Heavenly Father. Col 2:11-12 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, (12) buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.”
      Psa 124:8 “Our help is in the name of the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.” We begin the 8th day - Sunday- Divine Service with the Name of the Lord washed and sealed upon us in Holy Baptism. We end with the Lord God placing His Name upon us to bless us in Jesus - the Only Saving Name! Amen.

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