Make sure you click on the Title above to see the full content of the page.
To listen to the service and sermon, click on the audio file below:
Hymn
“I Know That My Redeemer Lives” Samuel Medley (1775, ab.); Duke Street, John Hatton (1793)
1 I know that my Redeemer lives;
What comfort this sweet sentence gives!
He lives, He lives, who once was dead;
He lives, my everlasting Head.
2 He lives triumphant from the grave,
He lives eternally to save,
He lives all-glorious in the sky,
He lives exalted there on high.
3 He lives to bless me with His love,
He lives to plead for me above,
He lives my hungry soul to feed,
He lives to help in time of need.
4 He lives to grant me rich supply,
He lives to guide me with His eye,
He lives to comfort me when faint,
He lives to hear my soul’s complaint.
Invocation
P: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. +
C: Amen.
Confession
P: Beloved in the Lord! Let us draw near with a true heart, and confess our sins unto God our Father, beseeching Him, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to grant us forgiveness.
P: Our help is in the name of the Lord,
C: Who made heaven and earth.
P: I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord;
C: And You forgave the iniquity of my sin.
All: Almighty God, our Maker and Redeemer, we poor sinners confess unto You, that we are by nature sinful and unclean, and that we have sinned against You by thought, word and deed. Therefore, we flee for refuge to Your infinite mercy, seeking and imploring Your grace, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
P: Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, has had mercy upon us, and has given His only-begotten Son to die for us, and for His sake forgives us all our sins. To those who believe in His Name, He gives power to become the sons of God, and has promised them His Holy Spirit. He that believes, and is baptized, shall be saved.
P: Grant this, Lord, unto us all.
C: Amen.
Psalm: Psalm 111
1 Praise the Lord! I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright and in the congregation. 2 The works of the Lord are great, studied by all who have pleasure in them. 3 His work is honorable and glorious, and His righteousness endures forever. 4 He has made His wonderful works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and full of compassion. 5 He has given food to those who fear Him; He will ever be mindful of His covenant. 6 He has declared to His people the power of His works, in giving them the heritage of the nations. 7 The works of His hands are verity and justice; all His precepts are sure. 8 They stand fast forever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness. 9 He has sent redemption to His people; He has commanded His covenant forever: holy and awesome is His name. 10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.
Gloria Patri
C: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Kyrie
C: Lord, have mercy upon us. Christ, have mercy upon us. Lord, have mercy upon us.
Gloria in Excelsis
Glory be to God on high, and on earth peace, goodwill towards men. We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we worship Thee, we glorify Thee, we give thanks to Thee for Thy great glory, O Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father Almighty. O Lord, the only begotten Son, Jesus Christ; O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, that takest away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us. Thou that takest away the sin of the world, receive our prayer. Thou that sittest at the right hand of God the Father, have mercy upon us. For thou only art holy; Thou only art the Lord; Thou only, O Christ, with the Holy Ghost, art most high in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Collect
P: O gracious and merciful God, You sent Your only-begotten Son into the world to die on the cross and make atonement for the sins of all, and You accepted His sacrifice and raised Him up again on the third day that we might look to Him in faith and be assured of pardon and peace. By Your Holy Spirit, grant us faith to believe that He has risen from the dead and will stand upon the earth on the Last Day to raise us up and grant unto us the eternal joys of heaven; through Your dear Son Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end.
C: Amen.
Catechism Lesson
91. What purposes does the Law, then, serve?
Firstly, it checks, in a measure, the coarse outbursts of sin, and thereby helps to maintain outward discipline and decency in the world. (A curb.)
Secondly, and chiefly, it teaches man the due knowledge of his sin. (A mirror.)
151) Rom. 3:20. By the law is the knowledge of sin.
152) Rom. 7:7. I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.”
Thirdly, it leads the regenerate to know what are truly good works. (A rule or guide.)
153) Ps. 119:9. How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.
Scripture Readings
Job 19:23-27
“Oh, that my words were written! Oh, that they were inscribed in a book! That they were engraved on a rock with an iron pen and lead, forever! For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!”
1 John 5:4-10
4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 6 This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. 7 For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. 8 And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one. 9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son. 10 He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son.
John 20:19-31
19 Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” 24 Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” 26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” 27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” 28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” 30 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.
Apostles’ Creed
All: I Believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ His only Son, our Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary; Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, dead and buried; He descended into hell; The third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; The holy Christian Church, the Communion of Saints; The Forgiveness of sins; The Resurrection of the body; And the Life everlasting. Amen.
Hymn
“I Know That My Redeemer Lives” Samuel Medley (1775, ab.); Duke Street, John Hatton (1793)
5 He lives to silence all my fears,
He lives to wipe away my tears,
He lives to calm my troubled heart,
He lives all blessings to impart.
6 He lives, my kind, wise, heavenly Friend,
He lives and loves me to the end;
He lives, and while He lives, I’ll sing;
He lives, my Prophet, Priest, and King.
7 He lives and grants me daily breath;
He lives and I shall conquer death;
He lives my mansion to prepare;
He lives to bring me safely there.
8 He lives, all glory to His name!
He lives, my Jesus, still the same.
Oh, the sweet joy this sentence gives,
“I know that my Redeemer lives!”
Amen.
The Sermon
Dear fellow-redeemed sinners, ransomed by the shed blood of Christ Jesus, our Savior. Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Do you have the confidence of Job?
“Oh, that my words were written! Oh, that they were inscribed in a book! That they were engraved on a rock with an iron pen and lead, forever! For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!” Job 19:23-27
Do you have the confidence of Job? Do you have the confidence that — even in sickness and death — Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, is risen from the dead, ascended to the right hand of God the Father in heaven, and that He is coming again in glory to raise the living and the dead?
We confess it in our creeds every Sunday. In the Apostles’ Creed we confess: “…the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.” In the Nicene Creed, we say: “…and the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again with glory to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.”
Thomas had doubts. When he heard that Jesus had appeared to his fellow apostles, he was not yet ready to accept the truthfulness of their testimony. The resurrection of Jesus seemed a bit unbelievable to him.
In John 20:24-25, we read: “Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ So he said to them, ‘Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.’”
But Jesus proved Himself risen from the dead and alive by appearing again His disciples and to Thomas. We read in John 20:26-29: “And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, ‘Peace to you!’ Then He said to Thomas, ‘Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.’ And Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’”
And Job, enduring great suffering and expecting — even looking forward to — death, still had the confidence that, though his body would die and decay, he would, on the Last Day and with his own eyes, see his living Redeemer.
We read in Job 19:23-27: “Oh, that my words were written! Oh, that they were inscribed in a book! That they were engraved on a rock with an iron pen and lead, forever! For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!”
Do you have such confidence? Do you believe and take comfort — even in the face of death — in the fact that your Redeemer lives and will, on the Last Day, stand on the earth, and that you will be raised up and see Him with your own eyes.
It is as the Bible says in Revelation 1:7: “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.”
Jesus told Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29).
We have not yet seen Jesus alive from the dead, but consider the evidence. St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, who questioned the whole concept of a resurrection of the dead, the words of 1 Corinthians 15:3-8: “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.”
Last week, in the Gospel of Mark (16:9-14), we heard: “Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe. After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country. And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either. Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.”
Our Gospel for today, from John 20, tells us of yet another appearance of Jesus to His apostles and Thomas in Jerusalem, and then there are the appearances in Galilee along the Sea and later at His ascension on the Mt. of Olives. And these eye-witness accounts were not clever lies or fables; the apostles and other believers suffered greatly and died holding fast to the truthfulness of their testimony regarding the crucified and risen Christ Jesus!
Of course, just believing Jesus rose from the dead and will raise up and judge all people on the Last Day is not comforting to those who remain impenitent, to those who go on in their sinful and rebellious ways and do not turn from their sins to faith in Christ Jesus, because that Day will be a day of judgment and condemnation for them. It is why “all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him” when they see Jesus coming in the clouds of glory (Rev. 1:7).
It is as Jesus said when He commissioned His disciples to go into all the world and preach the Gospel (Mark 16:15-16): “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”
Those who, through the hearing of God’s law, see their utter sinfulness and the just wrath of God upon themselves but look in faith to Christ Jesus and His perfect sacrifice for sins, made when He suffered and died upon the cross, are pardoned and forgiven. They will not be condemned on the day of Christ’s coming but will receive the eternal joys of heaven.
Jesus said, in John 5:24: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”
But Jesus also warned in John 8:24: “If you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
What comfort can we take because Jesus did, in fact, rise from the dead?
For us who believe, it is a message of hope because death is not the end! Because Jesus was raised from the dead on that first Easter Sunday, we can be assured that we too will be raised up on the Last Day.
It is as St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming” (1 Cor. 15:23).
Or consider Peter’s words in (1 Pet. 1:3-5): “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
Or, consider the confidence of David in Psalm 17:15: “As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.”
Because Jesus did not stay in the tomb, because He rose from the dead on the third day after suffering and dying on the cross to bear the just punishment and make full atonement for the sins of the world, because the tomb was empty when the women arrived to anoint the body of Jesus, because He appeared to the women, to Peter, to the two on the road to Emmaus, to the eleven in the upper room, to Thomas, and even to more than 500 people at one time — most of whom were still alive at the time of Paul’s writing (cf. 1 Cor. 15; Mark 16) — we have hope and the certainty of our resurrection on the Last Day!
Jesus said in John 14:19: “Because I live, you will live also.” Those words would mean little if Jesus did not rise from the dead. If Jesus did not rise bodily from the grave on the third day, we would still be dead in our sins and without hope, as St. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:17ff.). But Paul continued and wrote: “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Cor. 15:20).
Jesus was, as St. Paul wrote to the believers in Rome (Rom. 4:25): “delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.” He paid in full for our sins and was raised up, showing that we are indeed justified and forgiven when we place our faith in Him and that we too will be raised up on the Last Day to life everlasting when Christ Jesus returns!
Therefore, we can say with Job: “I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another.”
Though we die and decay in the grave, our risen Savior will raise up our bodies and we will see Him who died for our sins and rose again to give us life everlasting (cf. 1 Thess. 4:13ff.; Psalm 16:11)! And, with Job, we can say, “How my heart yearns within me!” Indeed, we look forward to that day!
“I know that my Redeemer lives; what comfort this sweet sentence gives…!”
O my crucified and risen Savior, grant that I live and die in the confidence which Your resurrection gives, and raise me up on the Last Day to the eternal joys of Your kingdom. Amen.
P: The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Offertory
ALL: Create in me a clean heart, O God: and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy presence: and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation: and uphold me with Thy free Spirit. Amen.
General Prayer
Almighty and most merciful God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ: We give Thee thanks for all Thy goodness and tender mercies, especially for the gift of Thy dear Son, and for the revelation of Thy will and grace: and we beseech Thee so to implant Thy Word in us, that in good and honest hearts we may keep it, and bring forth fruit by patient continuance in well-doing.
Most heartily we beseech thee so to rule and govern Thy Church universal, with all its pastors and ministers, that it may be preserved in the pure doctrine of Thy saving Word, whereby faith toward Thee may be strengthened, and charity increased in us toward all mankind.
Grant also health and prosperity to all that are in authority, especially to the President [and Congress] of the United States, the Governor [and Legislature] of this Commonwealth, and to all our Judges and Magistrates; and endue them with grace to rule after Thy good pleasure, to the maintenance of righteousness, and to the hindrance and punishment of wickedness, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, in all godliness and honesty.
May it please Thee also to turn the hearts of our enemies and adversaries, that they may cease their enmity, and be inclined to walk with us in meekness and in peace.
All who are in trouble, want, sickness, anguish of labor, peril of death, or any other adversity, especially those who are in suffering for Thy Name and for Thy truth’s sake, comfort, O God, with Thy Holy Spirit, that they may receive and acknowledge their afflictions as the manifestation of Thy fatherly will.
And although we have deserved Thy righteous wrath and manifold punishments, yet, we entreat Thee, O most merciful Father, remember not the sins of our youth, nor our many transgressions; but out of Thine unspeakable goodness, grace and mercy, defend us from all harm and danger of body and soul. Preserve us from false and pernicious doctrine, from war and bloodshed, from plague and pestilence, from all calamity by fire and water, from hail and tempest, from failure of harvest and from famine, from anguish of heart and despair of Thy mercy, and from an evil death. And in every time of trouble, show Thyself a very present Help, the Savior of all men, and especially of them that believe.
Cause also the needful fruits of the earth to prosper, that we may enjoy them in due season. Give success to the Christian training of the young, to all lawful occupations on land and sea, and to all pure arts and useful knowledge; and crown them with Thy blessing.
(Here special Supplications, Intercessions, and Prayers may be made.)
These, and whatsoever other things Thou wouldest have us ask of Thee, O God, vouchsafe unto us for the sake of the bitter sufferings and death of Jesus Christ, Thine only Son, our Lord and Savior, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
Lord’s Prayer
All: Our Father, who art in heaven; Hallowed be Thy Name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven; Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil; For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
Benediction
P: The Lord bless thee, and keep thee. The Lord make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee. The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
C: Amen.
Hymn
“Jesus Lives! The Vict’ry’s Won!” “Jesus lebt, mit ihm auch ich” Christian F. Gellert (1757, ab.); Tr. Frances E. Cox (1841, alt.); “Jesus, Meine Zuversicht” Johann Crüger (1656)
1 Jesus lives! The vict’ry’s won!
Death no longer can appal me;
Jesus lives! Death’s reign is done!
From the grave Christ will recall me.
Brighter scenes will then commence;
This shall be my confidence.
2 Jesus lives! To Him the throne
High o’er heav’n and earth is given.
I shall go where He is gone,
Live and reign with Him in heaven.
God is faithful. Doubtings, hence!
This shall be my confidence.
3 Jesus lives! For me He died,
Hence will I, to Jesus living,
Pure in heart and act abide,
Praise to Him and glory giving.
Freely God doth aid dispense;
This shall be my confidence.
4 Jesus lives! I know full well
Naught from me His love shall sever;
Life nor death nor powers of hell
Part me now from Christ forever.
God will be a sure Defense;
This shall be my confidence.
5 Jesus lives! and now is death
But the gate of life immortal;
This shall calm my trembling breath
When I pass its gloomy portal.
Faith shall cry, as fails each sense,
Jesus is my confidence!
Amen.
[Scripture is taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]