Thank God for His kingdom and righteousness.

 

Sermon for Thanksgiving, November 23, 2022

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.  Amen.

Matthew 6:25-34  For this reason I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear.  Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?  ²⁶Look at the birds of the air.  They do not sow or reap or gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not worth much more than they?  ²⁷Which of you can add a single moment to his lifespan by worrying?  ²⁸Why do you worry about clothing?  Consider how the lilies of the field grow.  They do not labor or spin, ²⁹but I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was dressed like one of these.  ³⁰If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will he not clothe you even more, you of little faith?  ³¹So do not worry, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear?”  ³²For the unbelievers chase after all these things.  Certainly your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  ³³But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  ³⁴So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will care for itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own. (EHV)

Thank God for His kingdom and righteousness.

Dear blest children of the heavenly Father,

            At thanksgiving, we take a day to give thanks to God for all the blessings He has poured out on us over the last year.  Now, some people might well wonder why we deem it necessary to set aside a day to thank God.  The sceptic and unbelievers hold that opinion, because they deny God’s glory and kindness.  However, even the honest believer might wonder because the faithful should be thanking God every moment of every day.  Truly, God blesses us at all times far more than we often realize.

However, I am becoming convinced that we need this special Thanksgiving Day in order to give thanks to God for taking away all my moments of unthankfulness, and that’s why this day is set aside so that we might especially Thank God for His kingdom and righteousness.

It is well and good that we take a day to remind ourselves of all the ways God has blessed us in the past year, a day to focus particularly on giving praise to God for His goodness to us.  At the same time, our text reminds us of how often we fail to trust and thank God for His goodness.  Jesus teaches us here that we truly should not be worrying about anything.  Worry about food?  Why should we?  God will provide, and if He doesn’t, what truly are we out?  Heaven is our home.

Worried about clothing or shelter or any of a thousand other worries of our time?  Why should we?  Every worry is simply a lack of trust in God and His providence.

However, who among us hasn’t worried about the political situation in our world?  Who among us hasn’t wondered why God allows certain troubles, hardships, disasters, and sorrows to come our way?  In fact, who among us hasn’t worried about a wide variety of things in advance?  Even though many of our worries never even come to pass. 

We live in a culture and time when much of what we hear in the media is little more than the rantings of professional worriers and the ravings of those who despise the God who created all things.  The voices shout out, “Take from the rich because they might be stealing from us all.”  “Look out for this danger!” and “Curses on that idea!”  “Beware the climate change; if we don’t fix it, the world will end in 3 or 5 or 12 or 50 years.”  Don’t you dare burn a piece of wood or coal, lest the ice of Antarctica will soon be gone.  Of course, I am exaggerating a bit, and truly we do want to be responsible stewards of the world God has blessed us to live in.  Yet, why so much fear?  Why so much acrimony against those other guys who do it differently than we?

Yes, it would be easy to accuse all kinds of people about sins against the environment, or more to the point sins of worry, but what about you and me?  In this past year, did we worry whether we would get enough rain?  Did we grumble about how the wind seemed to blow every day?  Was it too hot some days to suit us, or too cold?  Were the prices too high at the store or too low at the markets?  Did I have to go without some minor item for a little while?  Did I complain that I had to go to two or three stores to find what I was looking for?

Of course, it gets just as sticky when I think about my personal life.  How often did I complain about my spouse?  How often were my words unkind or thoughtless?  How often did I neglect to tell those I claim to love of how richly God has blessed me in them?  How often did I stew in grumpiness about being lonely instead of reaching out to another who might be just as lonely?  How often did I find the actions of others irritating, instead of putting the best construction on everything?  When I look at my seemingly unending list of faults, I can only plead, Lord have mercy on me, a sinner.

Jesus said, “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will care for itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.”  We live in a broken world corrupted by the curse of sin and the sinful nature that infects every person on earth.  With death and evil and temptations hanging over everyone and everything, how could we expect not to have troubles? 

Worse yet, however, every time I worry, I am actually judging God to be unfaithful or uncaring.  Every time I cast judgment about the state of the world, I am placing myself in the judgment seat over both God and our neighbors.  Whenever I am worried or fearful, I am not loving God with all my heart and soul and mind.  And, every time I don’t put others’ needs above my own, I am failing to love as God commands us to love our neighbor. 

Thanks be to God, He has determined to save even wretched sinners like me, and like you.  Therefore, Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Thus, today, I certainly do want to thank God for giving me life, and love, and children, and food, and shelter, and the means to make a living, for the clothes He provides in abundance (just check my closet), the entertainments, and the kindness of friends and neighbors that God has placed around me.  I also thank God for the freedoms we still enjoy in our country, and the relative peace through which He protects me from harm.  I thank God for amazing us with weather and six inches of dirt that produces food for most everyone and everything on earth, for a solar system, oceans, lakes, rivers, and clouds by which God provides the rain and seasons.  I thank God for sunshine, air to breath, water to sustain my body, medical care, and restful sleep at the end of the day. 

However, first and foremost every day, Thank God for His kingdom and righteousness.  You see, all those bad things I do, all the worries and fears, all the hundreds and thousands of ways I fall short of perfectly loving my God and my neighbor, God doesn’t hold against me, because in His kingdom, all my sins and the sins of the world are forgiven because God’s Son Jesus (Who never once worried or doubted His Father’s plan) was willing to carry the guilt for us all to the cross and pay the penalty for you and me with His holy, innocent blood.  And though I am often troubled by the difficulties and sorrows of this world, Jesus assured us, “I have told you these things, so that you may have peace in me.  In this world you are going to have trouble.  But be courageous!  I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Because I am often mystified about how crazy our world seems to be, I need regular reminding to wait patiently for God and to trust God’s plan, because He has declared, “Certainly my plans are not your plans, and your ways are not my ways, declares the Lord.  Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my plans are higher than your plans.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)  Though I am often tempted to judge others more harshly than myself, I am ever grateful that “God made him, who did not know sin, to become sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) 

God’s way of punishing sin doesn’t make sense to a world that wants justice for any fault, as long as the fault is someone else’s.  However, Jesus declared, “No one has greater love than this: that someone lays down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)  Then, “Having loved those who were his own in the world, [Jesus] loved them to the end.” (John 13:1)  Thank God that “God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

Therefore, dear friends, as we give thanks to God tonight and tomorrow for the multitude blessings He pours out on us day after day, I pray that you will join with me just as much in giving thanks for all the things God takes away.  Because He has loved us with an everlasting love, the Lord took away our sins and counted our guilt as His own so that He would bear in our place the due penalty.  Because death is the just punishment for sinning against God, God’s Son took the death we deserved so that we could live—and live with Him forever in the glory, joy, and peace of heaven. 

Because the sinner always fears death, Jesus took away that need for fear by rising from the dead and promising, “Because I live, you also will live.” (John 14:19)  Furthermore, because of His love for you and me, “God our Savior,…wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:3-4)  Therefore, He made that happen in us by Word and Sacrament, washing us clean and connecting us with Christ’s life, death, and resurrection in Baptism so that through faith in Jesus forgiveness and everlasting life is ours.

Jesus took away any need to be afraid for our future by opening the gates of heaven to all who believe and inviting us in.  Jesus took away loneliness by promising to be with us always and never abandoning us to face the trials and sorrows of this world alone.

Jesus took away any reason to be afraid of what the world can do to us, or even what death might take away, because Jesus rose from the grave on the third day just as He had foretold.  Therefore, you can be confident in Jesus’ promise, “You believe in God; believe also in me.  In my Father’s house are many mansions.  If it were not so, I would have told you.  I am going to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to be with me, so that you may also be where I am.” (John 14:1-3)

As you give thanks to God this Thanksgiving, remember that God always knows exactly what you need and provides it.  First and foremost, you and I need His kingdom and His righteousness, because that is our ticket to forgiveness of all sins, and our sure and certain hope of life everlasting in heaven.  Today and every day, Thank God for His kingdom and righteousness.  Amen.

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, forevermore.  Amen.

Keep the lamp of your faith well-supplied.

 

Sermon for Last Sunday, November 20, 2022

Grace, mercy and peace be yours in abundance from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Matthew 25:1–13  “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  ²Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.  ³When the foolish ones took their lamps, they did not take any oil with them; ⁴but the wise took oil in their containers with their lamps.  ⁵While the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.  ⁶But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom!  Come out to meet him!’  ⁷Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps.  ⁸The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.’  ⁹But the wise answered, ‘No, there may not be enough for us and for you.  Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’  ¹⁰But while they were away buying oil, the bridegroom came.  Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut.  ¹¹Later, the other virgins also came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, let us in.’  ¹²But he answered, ‘Amen I tell you: I do not know you.’  ¹³Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. (EHV)

Keep the lamp of your faith well-supplied.

Dear friends in Christ,

            Jesus’ disciples came to Him with a question; “Tell us, when will these things happen?  And what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the world? (Matthew 24:3)  They asked this after they had marveled about the magnificence of the Temple, but Jesus informed them that the temple would be completely destroyed.  What follows next in Matthew’s gospel is a series of pictures that Jesus drew for them of the end times and of His return.  Our sermon text is one of these pictures.  Now we could make all kinds of points based on this picture, but Jesus’ main emphasis here is that His glorious return will come suddenly, so we must Keep the lamp of your faith well-supplied.

Therefore, I ask you, are you prepared for Jesus’ return?  It might seem unnecessary to ask this question in a room full of Christians but look closely at the picture Jesus drew.  He says, “the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.”  In His comparison, Jesus does not say the kingdom of the world, but the kingdom of heaven—in pictures like this, the number ten signifies completeness, so this is a picture of the whole visible Church on earth.  It is all the people who claim to be waiting for Jesus’ return; all the people who appear to be dressed for the wedding feast of the Lamb, which is the eternal wedding celebration of heaven.

Now, all ten virgins took their lamps.  All ten were gathered to meet the bridegroom.  Nothing is said to oppose the idea, so we can understand that all ten appeared to be dressed properly.  Thus, it would be normal for us to assume that all ten were ready to meet the bridegroom, but we would be wrong, so what is the difference?  Not all ten entered the wedding celebration, because, as Jesus said, “Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.  When the foolish ones took their lamps, they did not take any oil with them; but the wise took oil in their containers with their lamps.”  The five foolish virgins appeared to be ready for the bridegroom, but it was in appearance only.  The light of their lamps was fading away as they waited for the bridegroom.  When Jesus returns, they will shine no light.  Perhaps, they didn’t think it important.  Perhaps, they thought there would be no delay in the bridegroom’s coming and so, the little bit of oil in their lamps would be plenty. 

What does this illustrate for you and me?  Are we among the wise or the foolish?  Jesus draws a picture of two types of Christians.  The first are foolish enough to think that just by belonging to a church, they are ready to meet the Lord.  These people know that they have received the invitation to the wedding.  They started down the path to meet the bridegroom, but the details escape them.  They don’t want the hassle of really preparing to meet the Bridegroom, so their faith gradually fades away.  So, again I ask, are you ready?  Have you filled your lamp with oil, and are you keeping it full, and what is the oil anyway? 

Over the last couple thousand years, some have claimed that the oil is faith.  Others claim it is our good works.  Some would say it is Christ’s righteousness, and others that the oil is God’s Word.  Yet, isn’t it, really, all of these together?  We come to faith only through God’s Word.  Anyone who claims another way has no oil in his lamp. 

Without faith in Jesus, we have no righteousness and whatever works we would do, apart from faith in Christ, would not be considered good in God’s eyes, so any person trusting in his own works to gain salvation also has an empty lamp.  Yet, as James warned, “faith without works is dead.” (James 2:26) 

Those who claim to have faith yet want to live like heathens, also have lamps with no oil, for Jesus said, “Let your light shine in people’s presence, so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)  Our lamps are well-supplied when we are dressed in Christ’s righteousness through faith in Him and we live as faithful Christians.  Still, what keeps your vessel full? 

There are those in our world who would claim that churchgoers are hypocrites—just empty lamps.  Yet, those unbelievers misunderstand why Christians come to church.  Faithful Christians are not in church to pretend that we are lamps, but to have our lamps refilled with oil through the power of God’s Word.  The Gospel in God’s Word gives us faith in Christ and restores and strengthens that faith as we fill our lives with His Word.  In the picture Jesus drew, all ten virgins fell asleep.  Really, they were just doing what came naturally as they awaited the bridegroom, and as they waited, the oil in their lamps was burning. 

In the end, the foolish virgins had no oil; their lamps were going out before the bridegroom came to them.  On the other hand, the wise virgins made sure to have plenty of oil to last.  They didn’t put off filling their lamps but stored up oil long before the fateful day.  You and I must do the same.  Faithful Christians keep their lamps full by returning to the source of the oil that feeds the flame of our lights.  As we fill our lives with the Gospel, our lamps are refilled.  So, when we come to church to hear God’s Gospel proclaimed, when we return to the saving waters of our baptisms by confessing our sins and we hear the absolution pronounced to us that God has removed our sins for Jesus’ sake, our flickering faith is restored to full brightness.  Our lamps are filled again as we partake of the Lord’s Supper to strengthen our faith in the forgiveness Jesus won for all. 

In addition to coming to church to refill our lamps, they are topped off as we daily read and study God’s Word, as we go to the Lord in prayer and ask for His forgiveness, and as we trust in His guidance for our lives.  Then, filled with the oil of faith and Christ’s righteousness, our lamps shine in the world showing that God continually refills the lamps of those who remain in His Word.  Our lamps shine on those around us as we share God’s Word with others and live lives of charity, forgiveness, and love.  Jesus said, "I am the Light of the World.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)  As we fill our lives with the Word made flesh, we shine His light in a sin-darkened world, while Keeping the lamp of your faith well-supplied.

Jesus emphasized that being ready today is good, but we also need to be ready tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that, and forever.  Like the virgins in His story, no one knows when our heavenly Bridegroom will return.  God wants us to remain ready until His Son returns. 

Jesus said, “While the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.”  Jesus wasn’t complaining that the virgins slept.  The virgins were doing what came naturally in their waiting.  Jesus’ point is that Christians have a certain amount of time in this life to fill their lamps, but that time will end, suddenly, when we least expect it.

Our end of time is unpredictable.  Jesus said that “at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom!  Come out to meet him!’”  He means that we can’t take a moment off from our readiness for His return.  Through the ups and downs of daily life and through the trials and storms that we each must face, our lamps should burn with the brightness of His light.  It is necessary for those around us so that they too can see Jesus’ light, and it is necessary so that we will be recognized as His faithful friends. 

In our epistle lesson this morning, St Paul told us, “Concerning the times and dates, brothers, there is no need to write to you, for you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-2)  It is not given to us to choose the day of Christ’s return.  Nor is it necessary for us to know that moment.  What is necessary is that we be shining His light as we live lives filled with Christ and His Word.

When the midnight cry rang out, “Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps.  The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.’  But the wise answered, ‘No, there may not be enough for us and for you.  Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'”  The foolish ones begged the wise to share their oil, but each will be judged on our own faith.  No one can be saved by another’s faith or by the works we do.  Therefore, any person who neglects the regular use and hearing of the Gospel of salvation is in grave danger of being left empty of that saving light when our Savior returns.

“But while they were away buying oil, the bridegroom came.  Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut.”  There is a time in every life when we must be ready to meet the Lord, whether when death claims our bodies or the Savior returns in judgment.  At that moment, our time of grace ends, and there is no more opportunity to fill the lamp of one’s life.  Those who are empty of the light of Christ will be left outside the mansions Jesus has prepared for us, and the door will be shut.  For those unprepared to meet the Lord, never again will the door be reopened.  From that moment on, those who enter with the bridegroom will focus on the celebration, while those left outside are outside forever. 

“Later, [in Jesus’ parable] the other virgins also came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, let us in.’  But he answered, ‘Amen I tell you: I do not know you.’”  Earlier in Matthew’s gospel. Jesus said, “Many are called, but few are chosen." (Matthew 22:14) and “Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21)  You and I have been chosen by God to believe in His Son and to walk in faithfulness to Him until we meet Him as our bridegroom. 

My friends, this text is a warning to all Christians to be continually ready because Jesus could return at any moment.  Just as important though, it is a beautiful promise that Jesus will return in all the glory He deserves.  What wonderful reassurance that is for faithful Christians!  You and I can go confidently about our lives knowing that those who keep their lamps filled and ready to shine will be rewarded as the Savior leads us into His eternal wedding feast.  Your faith will not be in vain.  The works that we do out of faith in Christ, and the struggles we endure as we wait for our Savior’s return, will not go unnoticed but will be brightly burning in our lamps on the day Jesus returns. 

There is one more point that we should never forget.  This banquet feast with Jesus is forever.  The joy and glory of those Christians who keep their lamps filled will never end.  It makes all the preparation and waiting in this world an easy task to bear.  My friends, Keep the lamp of your faith well-supplied through the continual use of God’s Word, and with the glorious service of God’s Son, and you will rejoice with your Lord forever in the banquet feast of heaven.  Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life, everlasting.  Amen.

God saves His people for everlasting glory.

 

Sermon for All Saints’ Sunday, November 6, 2022

To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever.  Amen.

Revelation 7:2–12  ²And I saw another angel coming up from the east, who had the seal of the living God.  He called out with a loud voice to the four angels who were given power to harm the earth and the sea. He said, ³“Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees until we have placed a seal on the foreheads of God’s servants.”  ⁴And I heard the number of those sealed: 144,000 sealed from all the tribes of the people of Israel: ⁵from the tribe of Judah,12,000, who were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben,12,000, from the tribe of Gad,12,000, ⁶from the tribe of Asher,12,000, from the tribe of Naphtali,12,000, from the tribe of Manasseh,12,000, ⁷from the tribe of Simeon,12,000, from the tribe of Levi,12,000, from the tribe of Issachar,12,000, ⁸from the tribe of Zebulun,12,000, from the tribe of Joseph,12,000, from the tribe of Benjamin,12,000, who were sealed.  ⁹After these things I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing in front of the throne and of the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and with palm branches in their hands.  ¹⁰They called out with a loud voice and said: Salvation comes from our God, who sits on the throne, and from the Lamb.  ¹¹All the angels stood around the throne, the elders, and the four living creatures.  They fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, ¹²saying: Amen.  Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and might belong to our God forever and ever.  Amen. (EHV)

God saves His people for everlasting glory.

 Dear friends sealed in the blood of the Lamb,

            The Revelation of our Lord likely causes more fear and consternation among people of all walks of life than anyone should ever expect.  Because Jesus gave this prophecy in symbols and pictures, it is often misunderstood, and many maliciously misuse the book to terrorize those who don’t know it well.  However, we have no reason to be afraid of what Jesus showed His apostle, John, because Jesus assured us upfront: “Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy and blessed are those who hear it and hold on to the things written in it.” (Revelation 1:3)  Therefore, as we consider the pictures before us this morning, believe that God saves His people for everlasting glory.

There have been a wide variety of interpretations of the visions John records in this text.  Some of tried to figure out which groups of people Jesus was intending to picture.  Others look for secret meanings, but when one considers everything involved, it soon becomes quite clear that Jesus is describing His assembly of believers in time and eternity.  More than that, alone, it shows us how the Lord preserves, protects, and delivers us from this sin-damaged, corrupt, and broken world.

John reports, “I saw another angel coming up from the east, who had the seal of the living God.  He called out with a loud voice to the four angels who were given power to harm the earth and the sea.  He said, ‘Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees until we have placed a seal on the foreheads of God’s servants.’”  Some wonder who this angel from the east might be, but when we consider other Scriptures, we remember that Jesus said, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)  In addition, in Old Testament times, the second person of the Trinity was often revealed as the Angel of the Lord, and the psalmist testifies to God about the Son of Man, “You have crowned him with glory and honor.  You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet.” (Psalm 8:5-6 NKJ)  Jesus, who often referred to Himself as the Son of Man, confirms this for us when He declared, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Matthew 28:18)

Now, recognizing that this world is destined for destruction because of sin, Jesus commands that process to stand still until His Father’s house may be filled.  In the verse before this text, that day of destruction is pictured as four winds of earth that will destroy the land, the sea, and all the trees.  The four angels pictured here are commanded by the Angel of the Lord to hold back those destructive forces until His work, and that of His Spirit, is completed. 

As we think about our times, how many people are filled with worry, doom, and gloom about the future of our planet, our nation, our culture, and even our own bodies?  To be honest, much of the world’s population is again terrified about the future.  Of course, an election season often fans the flames of those fears as candidates for office try to scare those who might vote against them. 

Yet, truly, we need not fear because Jesus is taking care of us.  He commands those who will one day destroy this earth, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees until we have placed a seal on the foreheads of God’s servants.”  The sealing is God putting His mark of ownership and protection on the foreheads of those He claims out of this dark, rebellious ocean.  No one comes to God by works, desires, or decision.  Yet by His Word, God calls, gathers, and enlightens all those whom He chooses.

We next see a list of 144,000 people who are sealed by the Lord.  Again, there is much speculation about what this means, but when faithfully observing the symbolic way that the Revelation uses numbers, it is easy to see that these are the believers who are counted as descendants of Abraham.  It is most definitely not a literal representation of Abraham’s bloodline, for not all who are born of that line are Jews. (Romans 2:28)  Rather, this represents the sum total of believers on earth. 

St. Paul wrote, “The promise is by faith, so that it may be according to grace and may be guaranteed to all of Abraham’s descendants—not only to the one who is a descendant by law, but also to the one who has the faith of Abraham.  He is the father of us all.” (Romans 4:16)  In addition, we remember that Jesus said, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.  No one comes to the Father, except through me.” (John 14:6)  It is through the work of Jesus, and the Spirit He sends, that we are marked here in time as God’s people to whom He will share Jesus’ glory. 

When you were baptized, you were marked with the sign of the cross on the forehead and on the chest as the sign and seal that Jesus had set you apart for His Father’s kingdom.  Believing that promise, and the sacrifice Jesus made to pay the penalty for your sins, brings forgiveness and eternal life.  By working that faith in you and me, by the Gospel in Word and Sacrament, God saves His people for everlasting glory.

The second vision of our text is really much the same, except that the location has changed.  No longer is the assembly of believers on earth.  Now, we see them gathered around the throne of our God.  John wrote, “After these things I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing in front of the throne and of the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and with palm branches in their hands.”  Here, we are again comforted.  The first vision showed us that Jesus is preserving us through the trials and hardships of life on earth and holding back the day of destruction until all the elect are gathered in.  Now, Jesus shows us that those who believe in Him are elevated to the glory of heaven.

Here, we see fulfilled what the Holy Spirit gave through St. Paul, “Indeed, as many of you as were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ.  There is not Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, for you are all one and the same in Christ Jesus.  And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:27-29)  That great multitude, gathered from all parts of earth, was prepared for this great day by the work of Jesus; He lived the holiness we need to stand before God, and He bore the penalty for all our sins, rebellion, and inherited guilt just as God’s holy justice demanded.

When we remember those fellow believers who have left this world ahead of us, we often feel pangs of sorrow for our loss.  However, we simply must also rejoice for their gain.  No longer does any guilt trouble them.  No longer does the curse of sin on this world cause them any grief.  Now and forever, they wave their palm branches in victory and praise for the Lamb of God who freed them from the curse of death.  Today, they are dressed in the glorious righteousness of the Son who could not sin and had no stain of sin in His being.  Therefore, we see fulfilled what Jesus promised His Father in heaven, “I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one: I in them, and you in me.  May they become completely one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” (John 17:22-23)  Again, we see that God saves His people for everlasting glory.

Those who reside forever in heaven know what brought them there.  They testify in joy that it wasn’t their own efforts or good will that opened the doors of God’s home to them.  Rather, they cry out in praise, “Salvation comes from our God, who sits on the throne, and from the Lamb.”  And the promise of the Holy Spirit is confirmed, “God made him, who did not know sin, to become sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Jesus told His disciples, “I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:10)  Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, St. Paul tell us, “No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:3)  Thus, the celebration continues with joy and peace that will never end, for John shows us, “All the angels stood around the throne, the elders, and the four living creatures.  They fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, saying: ‘Amen.  Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and might belong to our God forever and ever.  Amen.’”

Dear friends, though many are confused over what the pictures of the Revelation might mean, take comfort and confidence in this, that Jesus gave these pictures to assure us of His victory over Satan, sin, and death.  Jesus both warned and promised His disciples, “In this world you are going to have trouble.  But be courageous!  I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)  Because of the life and death of God’s Son, Jesus, all your sins are forgiven, and God has removed them from His memory forever.  Furthermore, by the work of the Holy Spirit through Word and Sacrament to give you faith in Jesus, “You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:11)  God does this all so that you are now counted among His people and will enjoy forever the glory and peace of His house in heaven, all because God saves His people for everlasting glory.  Amen.

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, Who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever.  Amen.