PENTECOST 17, B – September 27, 2009

SCRIPTURES – Numbers 11:4-30; James 5:13-20; Mark 9:38-50

I saw a great bumper sticker last week: “O Lord, help me to live up to what my dog thinks of me.” Now, don’t worry, I’m not going to talk about Jack again. But, this bumper sticker got me thinking. My dog thinks that there’s nothing greater than me, so to live up to this would indeed be great. But, how much better would it be to live up to, not what my dog thinks of me, but what my God has made of me! What a change there would be if we all lived up to what God has made us to be!

Obviously, great changes are taking place here right now, with the installation of the new windows. Our church is being improved significantly, and this is good. But, what is more important is that there be change inside these walls, with us. How is it with you? Are you allowing God to change you? Are you allowing God to use you?

Be encouraged by the anonymous man who is mentioned in the beginning of today’s Gospel reading. We know almost nothing about him, not even his name. Jesus’ disciple John is upset because he is not part of those who are following Jesus. He’s an outsider. But, we do know one very significant thing: he is casting out demons. This unknown man is overthrowing the kingdom of Satan and all the powers of hell! How can he do this? He has the name of Jesus, and he trusts in the power of that name. He is casting out demons in Jesus’ name.

What do you have? You not only have the name of Jesus;

q   You bear the name of the entire Trinity, for you were baptized into the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Even more than a child has his entire family standing with him to help him, you have the Triune God Himself and all His holy angels with you. He is a wall surrounding you, a shield before you.

q   Even more than Eldad and Medad received the Spirit so that they prophesied – once, and then they stopped; in your baptism you received God the Holy Spirit to dwell within you forever.

q   You have been forgiven all of your sins in Jesus, who died for you; and so you are a righteous person, one in whom God sees nothing wrong but only what is good and right and pleasing to Him.

q   You can therefore speak to the Lord of the universe and call Him your Father. Your prayers are heard and are powerful because you are His dearly loved child in Jesus, and your Father will act for you.

q   You can confess your sins to one another, pray for and forgive one another, and so overthrow the kingdom of Satan, because Christ has put His forgiveness into your mouths. “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us” He teaches us to pray, assuring us in this powerful prayer that we have His authority over sin.

q   You have the powerful Word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit and written down for you, that you might know your God, praise His name, and proclaim what He has done.

In Christ you are the light of the world; the salt of the earth; children of God; inhabitants of heaven. How greatly you are blessed! In His Name you have the Lord of the universe with you. How powerful you are!

Do you realize and rejoice in this? Do you take seriously what the Bible tells us and realize that we are battling against demonic powers? Do you rejoice in the power you have over the demons in the name of Jesus? Our Lord’s name is great and powerful! We should never be nervous about speaking that Name, and should certainly never use it as a swear word, as I often hear, even from Christians. how can we do this with the holy and mighty Name before which even the angels bow? Use His Name as He urges you to do: in prayer; in praise; and in proclamation! Do you realize how great and powerful a weapon against Satan is prayer, and so not only pray fervently yourself but teach your children to do so? Do you rejoice in the miraculous food the Lord provides you here, the heavenly manna of confession and forgiveness and Scripture and prayer and communion in the body and blood of the Son of God which was shed for your eternal salvation? They crush sin and Satan! Or, like the people of Israel whom Moses led out of Egypt, do you become bored with them and grumble and complain and so bring others down and cause the Lord’s anger to blaze hotly against you?

Hell is real, folks. Jesus calls it “an unquenchable fire” into which many will be thrown after their sinful life here ends. But, it’s fire does not only burn there. It’s demonic emissaries are at work on this earth, working evil and afflicting people with sickness and pain and suffering. Above all they seek to make people grumble and complain against God and His provision, and not recognize His presence among us and the powerful weapons He gives us. They seek to make you think you are weak and helpless before them because you are a sinner who does not live up to God’s expectations. They want you to think that you can have little impact upon others because you are too old or weak or frail; or too quiet and shy; or have an insignificant job; or are known by few people.

You are children of the Most High God! Satan and all the hosts of hell quail before your prayers, for the Almighty hears and responds to them! They flee when you praise your Savior and proclaim His holy Name! Wield your Lord’s name, then. Pray daily and fervently: for this church and it’s people; for the people on our prayer list; for your neighbors and friends; for your family; for yourself; for every need that comes to mind and is on your heart. Luther points out:

“It is not enough just to begin and to sigh once, to recite a prayer and then to go away. As your need is, so should your prayer be. Your need does not attack you once and then let you go. It hangs on, it falls around your neck again, and it refuses to let go. You act the same way! Pray continually, and seek and knock, too, and do not let go.” (LW, vol. 21)

Your Lord may delay, and so test you; but, He will not fail to hear and respond to you. You bear His Name! The blood of His Son is upon you. 

So, as Psalm 135 says: “Praise the name of the Lord, give praise, O servants of the Lord!” For, “Your name, O Lord, endures forever, your renown, O Lord, throughout all ages.”