Our end is without end in the living Jesus.

 

Sermon for Last Sunday, November 26, 2023

Now may the God of hope fill you with complete joy and peace as you continue to believe, so that you overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18  ¹³We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who have fallen asleep, so that you do not grieve in the same way as the others, who have no hope.  ¹⁴Indeed, if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, then in the same way we also believe that God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus.  ¹⁵In fact, we tell you this by the word of the Lord: We who are alive and left until the coming of the Lord will certainly not go on ahead of those who have fallen asleep.  ¹⁶For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  ¹⁷Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them, to meet the Lord in the air.  And so we will always be with the Lord.  ¹⁸Therefore, encourage one another with these words. (EHV)

Our end is without end in the living Jesus.

Dear living saints, brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ,

            Did you ever watch a movie and wish that the director had given it a different ending?  We have reached the end of the Church year, so the topic of the day is our end.  Are you relying on the story you have written in your life, or are you hoping for a different ending?  Are you certain of what your end holds for you, or do you worry about what is to come?

The Thessalonian Christians were worried that believers who died before Jesus returned would miss out on His salvation.  Surprisingly, that fear is with us still today; it just comes out in more subtle ways.  For instance, when a child dies, people weep assuming that the child has missed out on a full life.  A mother dies young, and people lament because she didn’t get to see her children grow up, get married, and have children.  A father dies too soon, and his neighbors mourn because he didn’t get to see his children’s success in sports or business.  In all these things, people often act like those who have no hope, who view the exit from this world as the end.  However, for the Christian believer, physical death is merely the entrance into eternal joy, so St. Paul explains that, Our end is without end in the living Jesus.

Paul wrote, “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who have fallen asleep, so that you do not grieve in the same way as the others, who have no hope.”  Please notice that Paul never said we shouldn’t grieve.  We will feel sorrow at the loss of a dear friend or relative.  We love to be with those who have loved us, comforted us, nurtured us, and taught us about Jesus.  We love being with the children God has placed in our arms.  So, it isn’t wrong to grieve for our loss when a loved one is taken from us.  That is natural.  Jesus too was moved with compassion at the sight of a widow burying her only son.  He wept with friends who had lost a beloved brother.  Not grieving would be an indication that we didn’t love or care.  The opposite of love isn’t hate, but apathy.

However, we shouldn’t grieve like the world grieves—like those who view physical death as the end.  Death, to a non-Christian, is the end of any good thing, because they have nothing to look forward to.  We Christians, on the other hand, have an ending far more glorious than anything the human mind can imagine, and it’s guaranteed to believers in Christ Jesus.

Here is the main comfort we have in Jesus: when the Christian believer’s body gives up its life, that is not the end.  His body dies, yes, but physical death is merely the separation of the soul from the body, while the soul lives on with the Lord.  We hear Paul’s words again, “Indeed, if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, then in the same way we also believe that God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus.”  When Paul talks about those who sleep in Jesus, he isn’t using a euphemism for physical death.  Rather, he contrasts real eternal death, the death that Jesus suffered for you and me on the cross, with the reality that because of Jesus’ death, the soul of the believer lives on.  The body lies in rest while the soul lives and rejoices in heaven, and just as Jesus rose bodily from the grave, so God will raise the resting body of every believer to a glorified, living body reunited with its soul to enjoy the bliss of eternal paradise.

Therefore, the child who dies in infancy hasn’t missed out on anything if he or she had been brought to faith in Jesus by baptism.  The only thing the child has truly missed is a lifetime of trouble and pain here on earth.  My uncle stood at his daughter’s grave with the complaint that she jumped ahead in line to live with Jesus.  Certainly, he felt great grief at his loss of a beloved daughter, but he also understood that she hadn’t lost a thing but had gained the glory of heaven.

A mother, father, husband, or wife who is called out of this world doesn’t miss out on any of the joys of this life.  Even the best of these things can’t compare to the incomparable joys of heaven.  Deceased Christians don’t miss out on seeing children grow.  They celebrate in timeless joy, giving thanks to God for the salvation Jesus has won for them and for their children.  Then, when we get to join them, there won’t be any lost moments to make up for; we will all be praising God around His throne of glory.  The things of this broken world will be forgotten in the past.  In fact, Isaiah tells us, “The righteous one is being spared from evil.  He will enter into peace.” (Isaiah 57:1-2)  For the believers who are called out of this world, all the earthly troubles and sorrows we know so well are a thing of the past, never to concern them again. 

Therefore, Our end is without end in the living Jesus, because

God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus.  In fact, we tell you this by the word of the Lord: We who are alive and left until the coming of the Lord will certainly not go on ahead of those who have fallen asleep.  For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them, to meet the Lord in the air.  And so we will always be with the Lord.

This message wasn’t something new Paul invented.  Jesus told His disciples to be watching for the signs of His triumphant return, and He told them, "When these things begin to happen, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is near." (Luke 21:28)  When Jesus returns in all His glory, this world will end, but every believer still alive on earth will be re-united with his sainted loved ones to live with our Savior forever. 

The believers who preceded us in leaving this world haven’t missed out on salvation; rather, they’ve been enjoying it, and they will return with Jesus at the judgment to be re-united with their glorified bodies.  At that same time, you and I, if still alive here on earth, will also be transformed.  The mortal bodies that, today, cause so much trouble and pain will be made immortal, and we will meet the Lord and our believing brothers and sisters in the air.  We read in the first letter to the Corinthians,

Look, I tell you a mystery.  We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the blink of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.  For this perishable body must put on imperishability, and this mortal body must put on immortality.  But once this perishable body has put on imperishability, and this mortal body has put on immortality, then what is written will be fulfilled: Death is swallowed up in victory.’” (1 Corinthians 15:51-54) 

Paul wrote, “We will always be with the Lord.  Therefore, encourage one another with these words.”  Do we sometimes forget that Jesus is with us right now, and always?  It’s true, isn’t it?  Jesus is with us every day of our believing lives.  He promised us before He ascended to heaven that we would never be alone, for He said, “Surely I am with you always until the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20)

So how do we encourage each other in all this?  Do we encourage only when things are going great?  Do we encourage only when everyone we love is healthy, happy, and whole?  Do we thank God only when we are not facing cancer, surgery, prison, or pain?  That would be the way of the world, wouldn’t it? 

No, as believers, we will face each day trusting that “All things work together for the good of those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)  We have these two promises from our Savior (and many more, of course): Jesus will never leave us alone to face the sorrows and pains of this world, and He will work everything, even the truly awful for our eternal good.

Thus, when we stand at the grave of a believing loved one, we may shed tears just as any other person might, but at the very same time, we will be rejoicing, for we will know that that dear child, or spouse, or friend, is walking hand in hand with Jesus in glory.  And, when you and I face our own graves, we can do so rejoicing: “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” (1 Corinthians 15:57)

Likewise, if some believing friend should face cancer, or need surgery for some physical ailment, or if our bodies are breaking down from age or accident, or we be stuck in prison (whether we did something to deserve the sentence or not), we will not despair because God has allowed us to be in that condition.  Rather, we will encourage each other with the knowledge that Jesus is with us at all times to help, heal, comfort and protect us, and to carry us home to heaven when our time comes.

And should we stumble—when we stumble—we will rely on Jesus, again and again, for the assurance that all our sins are forgiven and God has made us His dear children through Baptism and by faith.  We will encourage each other with His Word and rely on the forgiveness given in His body and blood in the Sacrament to assure us that we have a home in heaven waiting for us, because Jesus lived and died to make us right with His Father in heaven, because not only did Jesus live and die for us, but He took up His life again and rose from that cold grave on Easter morning, so that you and I can have full confidence that we and all believers will likewise be raised. 

And when that moment of glory arrives, we will never again have to worry about cancer, or Alzheimer’s, or plague, or persecution, or any kind of pain, or worry, or death, because those things will all be over and done.  From that moment on, we will walk in glory, praising God for His salvation, forever with the Lamb who gave His life to make us whole, who lived, died, and rose again to live forever in heaven, so that Our end is without end in the living Jesus.  Amen.

Now to him who is able to strengthen you—according to the gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, . . . to God, who alone is wise, be glory forever through Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Give thanks with meekness and trust.

 

Sermon for Thanksgiving, November 22. 2023

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.  His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and excellence.  Amen.

2 Samuel 7:18-22  ¹⁸Then King David went and sat before the Lord and said: Who am I, Lord God?  And what is my house that you have brought me to this point?  ¹⁹Yet this was a small thing in your eyes, Lord God.  You have also spoken about the house of your servant for a long time into the future.  Is this the law for the man, Lord God?  ²⁰What more can David say to you?  You know your servant, Lord God.  ²¹Because of your word and according to the plan of your heart, you have carried out this great thing in order to make your servant aware of it.  ²²Therefore, you are great, Lord God, because there is none like you.  There is no God except you, in keeping with everything we have heard with our ears. (EHV)

Give thanks with meekness and trust.

Dear blessed ones in Christ Jesus,

            Sometimes, as you read the history of King David, it might seem like he could do anything he wanted, defeat any enemy, and have anything his heart desired.  Here, after years of battle with enemies all around, and with his kingdom finally at peace, David had his heart set on a new project—he decided to build a house—a temple—for the Lord.  David compared his own house to the ancient tabernacle that still served as God’s house, and David thought it wasn’t right for God’s dwelling place on earth to be so poor in comparison to his own magnificent home.

The prophet Nathan listened to David’s plan and encouraged him to do it.  However, one thing stopped David in his tracks; the Lord said “No!”  Now, imagine telling such a powerful ruler, “No!”  Most of our presidents, senators, congressmen, and governing officials do not appreciate hearing the word.  Perhaps, many of us don’t like hearing that rebuke either.  If we have seemingly done everything correctly and worked hard throughout the year, it can be hard to harvest a short crop with joy and thanksgiving.  If our plans haven’t worked out to our desire, we might find it hard to praise God for the blessings of the year. 

Now, most earthly rulers would have laughed at David’s situation.  More than a few would have suggested that David’s God either didn’t love him or David hadn’t satisfied his deity, or perhaps his God just didn’t care.  However, the God of David, the God of his forefathers, and our God also, didn’t just tell David no, but instead, He promised to build David’s house.  The prophet brought this message: “The Lord also declares to you that the Lord himself will make a house for you.  When your days are complete and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up after you your seed, who will come from your own body.” (2 Samuel 7:11-12)  Furthermore, “Your house will stand firm, and your kingdom will endure forever before you.  Your throne will be established forever.” (2 Samuel 7:16)

Thus, we see that when the Lord told David no, He gave him something so much better, something better for David, and Someone better for you and me.  Therefore, like King David, let us always Give thanks with meekness and trust.

After David received God’s promise, he went to the tabernacle courtyard and sat before the Lord.  With a sincere heart and humble confession David spoke his regard for God’s answer: “Who am I, Lord God?  And what is my house that you have brought me to this point?”  What an example for us!  Most earthly rulers would boast of their own glory.  Many people approach thanksgiving the same way.  We give thanks for whatever positives we can think of, but how many of us humbly realize that we deserve nothing from the Lord.  Rather, whatever we receive is purely out of God’s divine love and mercy.

This can be a hard lesson to learn.  When we work hard, we expect great returns.  When we suffer, we expect God to heal us, but sometimes that is not where He leads us.  St. Paul once asked God to remove some thorn in the flesh that gave Paul trouble, but God’s answer satisfied him, “My grace is sufficient for you, because my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)  Paul willingly accepted God’s answer, because he knew God’s grace for us not only provides everything we need for this life, but more importantly, it truly gives us all we need for eternal life.

David likewise realized what God was promising.  God promised David a descendant who would reign on his throne forever.  No human lives forever, so David rightly understood that the Lord of heaven and earth was promising a son of his lineage who would be the Savior Israel had long desired.  Most important of all, David understood that this Child would be his Savior too.  This is why Jesus could silence the Pharisees by quoting David, “The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool under your feet.”  “So David calls him ‘Lord.’  Then how is he his son?” (Luke 20:42-44)  David trusted that whether he got his way, or whether he was a success or failure, God would continue His plan to bless David and the world through his son.

At the same time, David confessed his faith in God’s omnipotence and love.  His prayer of thanks continues, “Yet this was a small thing in your eyes, Lord God.  You have also spoken about the house of your servant for a long time into the future.”  Of all the blessings God had poured out upon David in his life, David trusted that God can and does do infinitely more.  Through good times and bad, God provides.  Through hardship and blessing, God trains His people to trust Him in all things, and through it all, faithful people Give thanks with meekness and trust.

David also trusts God’s omniscience; he said, “What more can David say to you?  You know your servant, Lord God.  Because of your word and according to the plan of your heart, you have carried out this great thing in order to make your servant aware of it.”  David truly desired to honor God with a magnificent temple, but that wasn’t the Lord’s plan for David.  Rather, it was the Lord’s desire to save people from their sins through David’s house and give them a home of glory that will never end, where they will never again experience any trouble, sorrow, pain, death, or sin.  Consequently, God sent a Child who is the Son of God and also the Son of David through a young virgin in David’s line who married a man also of David’s line. 

This Child, known to us as Jesus, lived and died and rose again so that the Father in heaven could declare us innocent and credit us with the holiness His Son had lived on our behalf, and for His sacrifice, the Father in heaven made Jesus ruler over heaven and earth.  Quoting David’s psalms, the writer to the Hebrews explained, “What is man that you remember him, or the Son of Man that you look after him?  You made him lower than the angels for a little while.  You crowned him with glory and honor.  You put everything in subjection under his feet.” (Hebrews 2:6-8)

David recognized all that God had done for him through good times and bad, so he confessed what he knew by faith: “Therefore, you are great, Lord God, because there is none like you.  There is no God except you, in keeping with everything we have heard with our ears.”  There is only one God with actual power to be God.  There is only one God who actually cares enough about you to give you exactly what you need at all times, even when you and I don’t appreciate it, or don’t desire it.

I am old enough now to have witnessed harvests in which the crop was large, but the price was small, and harvests where the prices were high, but the crop was tiny, and sometimes when both were pretty low.  We have had years of good health and lots of years in which the medical bills made our eyes water.  Some years, we had profits, and a few brought large losses.  Not once did the Lord allow us go hungry.  Not once did we lack a place to sleep.  Not once did the Lord abandon my family.  Yet, even if the Lord had allowed that worst-case scenario, we are assured by His word “that all things work together for the good of those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

By God’s grace, through the work and power of the Holy Spirit, He has worked this faith in me, and I trust the same is true for all of you.  Paul wrote, “Godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into the world, and we certainly cannot take anything out.  But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be satisfied.” (1 Timothy 6:6-8)  Therefore, this Thanksgiving Day, let us not lament about anything we might lack, but let us rather give thanks with joy and confidence for all that God has given us, that He has given food for our bodies, and homes and clothing, but most important, food for our souls, food that lasts into eternity for it connects us with Jesus, the living Bread, who gives true life to all who believe and trust in Him.  Today, tomorrow, and every day, walk with the Lord who has loved you eternally and will never forget or leave you.  To the Lord of glory, the King of kings, Give thanks with meekness and trust.  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.

Hear the Lord say, “Well done good and faithful servant!”

 

Sermon for Pentecost 25, November 19, 2023

Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Matthew 25:14-30  ¹⁴“You see, the kingdom of heaven is like a man going on a journey.  He called his servants and entrusted his possessions to them.  ¹⁵To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to still another one talent, each according to his own ability.  Then he went on his journey.  ¹⁶The servant who had received the five talents immediately put them to work and gained five more talents.  ¹⁷In the same way, the servant who had received the two talents gained two more.  ¹⁸But the servant who had received one talent went away, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.  ¹⁹“After a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them.  ²⁰The servant who received the five talents came and brought five more talents.  He said, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me.  See, I have gained five more talents.’  ²¹“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!  You were faithful with a few things.  I will put you in charge of many things.  Enter into the joy of your master.’  ²²“The servant who received the two talents came and said, ‘Master, you entrusted me with two talents.  See, I have gained two more talents.’  ²³“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!  You were faithful with a few things.  I will put you in charge of many things.  Enter into the joy of your master.’  ²⁴“Then the servant who received one talent came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter seed.  ²⁵Since I was afraid, I went away and hid your talent in the ground.  See, you have what is yours.’ ²⁶“His master answered him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant!  You knew that I reap where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter seed?  ²⁷Well then, you should have deposited my money with the bankers so that when I came I would get my money back with interest.  ²⁸Take the talent away from him and give it to the servant who has the ten talents.  ²⁹Because everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance.  But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.  ³⁰Throw that worthless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” (EHV)

Hear the Lord say, “Well done good and faithful servant!”

Dear servants of the living God,

            To bring this parable into modern terms and local mindsets, imagine a very wealthy landowner who calls three of his young employees into his office with the offer to bankroll their start in farming.  He then provides the first with all the money he needs to purchase and farm ten thousand acres including machinery, supplies, fuel, and labor.  To the second employee he hands enough money for two thousand acres, and to the third enough money for five hundred acres.  No interest will be charged, and no annual payment expected, but the landowner does expect to reap a return on his investment when he returns from whatever activity he plans to pursue in the meantime.

Five years later, this landowner returns, and you heard the delight in the first two employees’ success with the resources he has provided.  The third, on the other hand, didn’t bother to do anything.  He took that large sum of money and buried it in the ground in some hidden location, so that no one would benefit from the landowner’s generosity.  The land that he could have farmed grew only weeds for the five years.  No machinery or supplies were purchased so no neighbor received any benefit either.  You can imagine the laughingstock such a useless individual would be in any rural community.  To waste such an opportunity and foul the land with weeds would be a community embarrassment, no doubt.

Yet, how often doesn’t this exact example play out in every church in our world?  How often aren’t the treasures of heaven wasted upon those who are not willing to serve the true Lord?

Now, Jesus certainly wasn’t speaking about farming in this parable.  He was teaching the people of His day about the foolishness of refusing to make good use of the talents He gives us.  The word “talents” is interesting.  In Jesus’ time, it first referred to a measure of silver, gold, or other precious metal.  Later, it was used for a coin of great value, and in our times, it refers to all the variety of skills and abilities given to people to exercise according to their Creator’s will.

God has blessed the world, including you and me, with almost unlimited talents and gifts.  We don’t all get exactly the same talents, but no one dare say he was left out.  Among the various talents we might list are the ability to think, speak, work, care for others, invent, administer, lead, teach, preach, worship, and learn.  God has given many of us incomes, land, physical abilities, financial reserves, and opportunities to serve.  Still, the primary gifts God has given His servants are His Word, especially the Gospel of all Jesus has done to save us.  Along with all that, God poured out upon the world His grace, forgiveness, providence, angelic care and protection, and to those who believe in His Son, adoption into His family.  So, what have we done with those God-given blessings?

Perhaps most tragic, and most like the third man in the parable are those who are baptized into the Christian faith, and most likely even had confirmed that faith, but then they seldom, if ever, enter the church again.  The most precious gift God gives is the faith that opens the gates of heaven.  Trust in Jesus as Redeemer, Savior, and Lord brings with it freedom from guilt, release from the bondage of sin, and certain assurance of life everlasting in heaven.  Yet, how often is that gift of faith neglected, treated like old news, and even forgotten in the daily grind of life.  How often don’t our earthly concerns take precedence over the opportunity to hear the Good News that strengthens our faith?  How often doesn’t even the gift of Jesus’ precious body and blood in the Lord’s Supper seem to us like a waste of time, instead of the life-giving and preserving medicine Jesus intends it to be?  How often don’t we react to the opportunity to serve our congregation, or our neighbors in other ways, with a shrug of our shoulders and a resolve to let someone else do it?

Now, there are many of you, here, who have served diligently with the talents you have been given, and it might be easy for us to assume that we are much more like the first two servants than the third, and there is truth to that.  But then, it might be easy for us to point fingers at those who have seemingly abandoned their faith to pursue the pleasures of the flesh, while instead, we should be doing everything in our power to share the forgiveness of our Savior with those who are weak.  You see, none of us has been perfect in our efforts.  Most likely, we have had our complaints about how unfair life is, how hard our work is, how lazy some around us are, and how tired we are becoming.  In this, we are more like the third servant who claimed to be afraid of his master, but in reality, hated to make any effort that might please or enrich the master he despised.

On the other hand, the Church exists to share the Good News of One who, for you and me, never complained, never quit, but worked unceasingly every moment of His earthly life to produce the greatest return on investment anyone could ever hope to achieve. 

This parable teaches that we should be using every talent God gives us to serve God and our neighbor, and to make use of all our abilities to spread the Gospel both at home and around the world.  We don’t all have the same gifts, but God blesses each of us with whatever He knows is best to serve in our little corner of His Kingdom.  At the same time, most of us likely feel some guilt for missed opportunities to serve, for friends who have wandered, children who have strayed, and times we should have spoken up, but we couldn’t summon the courage.  Certainly, each of us has been guilty of placing less value on God’s plans than our own. 

Yet, dear friends, that’s why Jesus came.  Jesus entered the world blessed with the nature of being true God as well as true Man.  For you and me, Jesus lived the perfect, productive life of service to those around Him, healing their illnesses and torments, feeding masses of people when they were in need, and teaching all He met about the love of God and the salvation He came to bring.  Jesus obeyed God’s laws out of love and respect for His Father, and for His Father’s will, Jesus laid down His life as the sacrificial Lamb who took the punishment for the sins of the world.  The Son of God, who not only owns all things but also gives us the talents to produce much fruit in His kingdom, also gave His life in exchange for ours, and then sent the Holy Spirit to work faith in our hearts by the Gospel, so that when Jesus returns to settle accounts, He will assuredly say to those who truly believe in Him, “Well done good and faithful servant!”

The Good News is that we are saved by grace apart from works of the law.  This parable teaches us to use the gifts God gives us with all due diligence out of love for the Lord who saves us, but it also reminds us of how much we need our Savior.  Therefore, because our God also recognizes our weakness as sinners in a broken world, “God sent his Son to be born of a woman, so that he would be born under the law, in order to redeem those under the law, so that we would be adopted as sons.” (Galatians 4:4-5)

Having been purchased by the blood of the Lamb, and having been adopted into God’s family through Baptism, we are given the greatest treasures this world has ever encountered.  Far greater than all the gold and silver ever mined, or all the stocks of all the stock markets in the world, is the forgiveness and peace with God won for us by Jesus.  Forgiveness of all sin makes us ready to stand holy before our Lord in confidence and peace when He returns to settle accounts with every person who has ever lived on this earth.

When Judgment Day comes, the Lord will say to every person who has walked with Him by faith, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” (Matthew 25:34)  Jesus can rightly say this because He lived for us, died for us, and rose again so that we might live and never die.  He can say these blessed words, because “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance so that we would walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:8-10)

Therefore, let us be guided by Jesus’ parable to be more diligent in our use of the gifts He gives us, but then let us also walk with Him by faith, trusting that His life and sacrifice has made us worthy to stand before Him and Hear the Lord say, “Well done good and faithful servant!”  Amen.

Now to the King eternal, to the immortal, invisible, only God, be honor and glory forever and ever.  Amen.

Live in the light of Jesus.

 

Sermon for Pentecost 24, November 12, 2023

Grace, mercy, and peace from the eternal God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11  Concerning the times and dates, brothers, there is no need to write to you, ²for you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.  ³When people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will suddenly come on them, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will certainly not escape.  ⁴But you, brothers, are not in the dark so that this day could take you by surprise like a thief, ⁵for you are all sons of the light and sons of the day.  We do not belong to the night or the darkness.  ⁶So then let us not sleep like everyone else, but rather let us remain alert and sober.  ⁷To be sure, those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.  ⁸But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.  ⁹You see, God did not appoint us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.  ¹⁰He died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.  ¹¹Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just as you are also doing. (EHV)

Live in the light of Jesus.

Dear watchful brothers and sisters in Christ,

Immediately before our sermon text, St. Paul comforted his fellow believers with the assurance that those who are called out of this world before Jesus returns to judge will certainly not be forgotten by Him when He returns but will be raised up on the last day to meet the Lord Jesus right along with all those yet living on earth.  Still, it is normal for believers to wonder; how are we to dwell in this troubled world as we wait to see Jesus’ return? 

Here, through St. Paul, the Holy Spirit teaches that we dare not forget the Lord and Savior who won our release from the tyranny and oppression of the devil and our own sinful flesh.  He furthermore instructs us how to live more and more sanctified lives in this troubled and sinful world, giving encouragement and edification to our fellow believers as we Live in the light of Jesus.

Paul wrote, “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.”  Paul felt no need to write about the times and dates, because he had personally instructed the believers in Thessalonica, just as all the apostles faithfully shared this truth as they proclaimed the Gospel of Christ Jesus.  All Christians should certainly understand that Christ’s return will come unexpectedly, for Jesus told His followers on several occasions that no one knows that day except His Father in heaven.  There should never be a misunderstanding about Judgment Day, and yet, how often don’t Christians find themselves guessing about Jesus’ return? 

Yes, how often don’t we look around the world and guess that Jesus must be coming soon?  On the other hand, how often have we gone ahead with some thought or action that we know is wrong, foolishly confident that Jesus isn’t going to judge us today?  I’ll bet it’s more times than any of us care to admit publicly.  However, since we do understand that Jesus will return without warning, shouldn’t we live our lives assuming that He could catch us in any wrong thing we do or say or think?  Of course, even that idea neglects the fact that our LORD already knew every bit of evil we would commit long before we were born.

Whoever believes they are safe to do whatever they want (even temporarily) without likely retribution is living a delusion.  “When people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will suddenly come on them, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will certainly not escape.”  No one will escape Jesus’ judgment, and no one will be able to pretend ignorance of God’s law.  We were born with the law written in our hearts, and even if we didn’t fully understand that law, it is enough to condemn us, for none of us have obeyed even that imperfect knowledge of God’s will. 

No one will be able to plead ignorance of the coming judgment, for that too we know in our hearts as our consciences bear witness, and God’s Word has been proclaimed in this world for thousands of years.  No one will avoid the Judge in the judgment.  Every sinner will be caught; “They will certainly not escape.” 

It all sounds rather ominous, doesn’t it?  Not one of us is able to live without sin, and none of us can avoid God’s Judgment Day, so who can stand up to God’s wrath?  Those who pretend to have peace and safety apart from Christ Jesus will be thrown into the fiery pit of hell to suffer, forever. 

However, do notice one thing, the condemned are all those, and only those, who remain separated from Christ Jesus in unbelief.  Paul wrote, “But you, brothers, are not in the dark so that this day could take you by surprise like a thief, for you are all sons of the light and sons of the day.  We do not belong to the night or the darkness.”  Those who reject God’s Word live in darkness.  They have no light in their lives, so it’s no wonder they stumble around in all kinds of foolish wickedness. 

At the same time, you know how differently we walk in the dark when compared to daylight.  On a dark path in the woods, no one knows what danger lies behind which bush or tree, so the wise person proceeds carefully, cautiously.  In the dark, we can’t see the things about to trip us, consume us, or stub our toes.  It’s the same for those who walk in spiritual darkness.  They can’t see the dangers that surround them in this world.  They don’t recognize the things that trip them until it’s too late.  While Satan compels the unbeliever to keep bounding eagerly forward unaware of the dangers in his darkness, they have no ability to avoid the snares and traps that lead into the lion’s mouth.

But dear friends, this is not you and me.  Why can I say that?  Because, God has already shined Jesus’ wonderful light upon us.  God made us believers in His Son so that our sins would be taken away.  All of those times we stumble and fall in our lives were paid for on the cross.  To the Corinthians, Paul wrote, “So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away.  The new has come!  And all these things are from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.  That is, God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them.” (2 Corinthians 5:17-19) 

Jesus told His disciples, " 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)  When the Lord made you and me believers, He gave us light that will not be taken away.  Jesus’ purity is credited to each of us through faith.  His perfect instruction shows us the bright path Jesus gives to eternal life.  Satan cannot enter that path to harm us.  All he can do is howl from the sidelines in his chains, trying to lead us astray.

“We do not belong to the night or the darkness.  So then let us not sleep like everyone else, but rather let us remain alert and sober.  To be sure, those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.  But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.”  Please understand that the Holy Spirit isn’t telling us, here, that we can never take a nap or have a sip of wine.  What He is telling believers is not to return to the dark night of unbelief, nor to return to the foolish arrogance of our sinful nature.  We can’t wander this world on our own and expect to enjoy the glory of heaven.  We need to remain in Jesus’ light. 

Those who are asleep, or drunk, are all those people who are lost in the confusion of their own ideas, who have no qualms about following the myths Satan throws out into the world.  These are people who don’t know Jesus as their Savior, people who look for signs of the end times hoping they will have enough time, later, to believe or to get ready for judgment.  They walk in the darkness of unbelief, either imagining they will not be judged, or arrogantly assuming they can stand before God on their own merits.  If you’ve ever stubbed your toe trying to walk around your own house in the dark of night, you were given just the tiniest taste of the never-ending pain these sleepwalkers will endure for all eternity.

Paul wrote, “Since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.”  Faith and love and the hope of salvation are the protective armaments that the Holy Spirit gives us to keep us safely walking in Christ’s well-lit path.  It is God’s love that saved us.  His love brought Jesus into our world to live and die for all of us sinners.  Jesus’ love led Him to gladly sacrifice Himself for you and me.  His love kept Him nailed to the tree until He gave up His life in payment for the sins of the world.  The breastplate of faith and the helmet of salvation were put on you and me in Baptism, when God claimed us as His own.  The Holy Spirit uses these gifts to preserve us from the dark night of the world and to shield us from the blinding intoxicants the devil spews out through his false-teaching friends.

Simple faith in Jesus Christ as Redeemer, Lord, and Savior is the hope of salvation that comforts and assures us through any trial or torment; these gifts of the Spirit keep us in Jesus’ bright light.  “You see, God did not appoint us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.  He died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.”  God takes no pleasure in catching anyone in wrong-doing.  He does not celebrate the death and eternal punishment of anyone, for “God our Savior,… wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:3-4)

Paul emphatically declares that God did not choose you for wrath.  God chose you to believe.  He picked you, personally, and worked saving faith in you by His Word and Sacrament.  What great love the LORD showed you and me that not only did He live and die to save us, but He also made sure we heard His saving Gospel and believe it. 

God ensured that a world of sinners would have a Savior from sin and death.  We did nothing to deserve His grace.  Didn’t matter—God loved us even though He hated our sin.  He despised our rebellion but loved us so much He sent His Son to live and die for us all.  Jesus said, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.  You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.” (John 15:13-14)  We do what Jesus commanded when we put all our faith and trust in Him.  Trusting in Jesus, we don’t go looking for loopholes to avoid His judgment, and we don’t need to know what day Jesus will return, for Jesus has removed our sins far from us, and for the sake of His innocent suffering and death, the Father has forgiven us everything.

Paul finished this thought by writing, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as you are also doing.”  Comfort each other by reminding your brothers and sisters of Christ’s forgiveness.  That’s what we do for fellow Christians in every worship service; we remind each other of the forgiveness and salvation Jesus won for us all on the cross.  That’s what we do every time we forgive a brother or sister who causes us harm, every time we assure the repentant sinner that he, or she, is truly forgiven.  Sharing the Good News of God’s forgiveness, we Live in the light of Jesus.

We build each other up as we teach everything Jesus taught us.  Because the Lord lives in us, we can’t help but have His light shine through.  In faith-given love, we teach, or instruct, to enlighten with truth, to build up each other as members of God’s holy Church.  We build faith whenever, and wherever, we share the Gospel of Christ Jesus: as we teach our children to pray and trust in Jesus, as we reach out to those walking in darkness with the light only Jesus can give.  As believers celebrate the goodness and glory of our Savior in our worship and daily living, His light reflects off us so that others might see and live.  Thus, dear friends, you do comfort and edify those around you as you Live in the light of Jesus.  Amen.

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

Salvation comes by the blood of the Lamb.

 

All Saints’ Day, November 5, 2023

To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His own blood and made us a kingdom and priests to God His Father—to Him be the glory and the power forever.  Amen.

Revelation 7:9-17  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.”  ¹³One of the elders spoke to me and said, “These people dressed in white robes, who are they and where did they come from?”  ¹⁴And I answered him, “Sir, you know.”  And he said to me: “These are the ones who are coming out of the great tribulation.  They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.  ¹⁵Because of this they are in front of the throne of God, and they serve him day and night in his temple.  He who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them.  ¹⁶They will never be hungry or thirsty ever again.  The sun will never beat upon them, nor will any scorching heat, ¹⁷for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd.  He will lead them to springs of living water.  And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (EHV)

Salvation comes by the blood of the Lamb.

Dear friends washed in the blood of the Lamb,

            Last Sunday’s sermon text focused on God’s help with the dangers that continually surround Christian believers in this sin-damaged world.  Jesus described His disciples as sheep surrounded by wolves so that we would be ever vigilant against those enemies of His love.  The scene changes greatly in today’s text, for now we see His followers gathered at home in heaven.  Therefore, chief among the things we see in this text is that Salvation comes by the blood of the Lamb.

Surrounded by the wolves and worries of the world, it might seem incredible that anyone could be saved.  Continuously assaulted by temptations, fears, misinformation, the sinful lusts of our own natural flesh, and a thousand other ways we find ourselves sinning against God, how can anyone hope to reside in heaven someday?  In fact, more than a few rock-solid Christian believers have faced the end of their lives wondering whether they are good enough to be saved.  And, of course, the answer is always, “No!  We are not good enough to gain heaven on our own.”

Perhaps the devil’s worst lie is that we must please a wrathful God in order to dwell with the Lord in heaven, but it is a lie.  Thus, we must face the reality that we can’t enter heaven on our own, for all have sinned against God and deserve only His wrath and condemnation.  Yet, St. Paul wrote, “Indeed, it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) 

In our text this morning, we see what God’s grace does for those who walk by faith.  John reported, “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.”  God gathers His elect from every part of the world, and throughout the course of history, so that His kingdom and His heavenly mansions are being populated in uncountable numbers from literally every age and place in the history of the world wherever the Gospel is proclaimed.  And all who hear and believe will be gathered as one people with one hope and one faith.  Never again will there be any disagreements in doctrine.  There will be no worries over family history, or the color of skin, or what part of the world we might have come from.  No longer will anyone speak of aliens, foreigners, or enemies, because all things will be resolved.

Never again will we fight over language, race, heritage, or background because the division that caused the dividing of peoples at the tower of Babel has been healed.  That division was caused by pride and a refusal to follow God’s plan for the people on earth.  However, in this picture, we see the result of Christ’s victory over all those things that kept us apart from our Creator and Lord—all the chosen children of God standing together in front of the Father and the Lamb who loved us enough to die so that we all might live. 

The One who was slain so that we might live, lived without sin, without any dispute with God’s plan, and with no desire to do anything but His Father’s will.  Jesus lived this holy life for you and me.  Thus, before the throne of God, all who have believed in Jesus as Lord and Savior testify joyfully of Jesus’ victory: “They called out with a loud voice and said: ‘Salvation comes from our God, who sits on the throne, and from the Lamb.’”  They now know from personal experience that Salvation comes by the blood of the Lamb.

Jesus told His disciples, “In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:10)  Here, we experience the excitement of the angel hosts as they gather to celebrate what God has done for us in Jesus.  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.”  The angel hosts encircle the throne room of heaven encompassing all who join the ranks of the living.  Just as they gathered in the sky to sing with joy and praise at Jesus’ birth, so they sing with glee for the goodness and mercy of our God as He brings His people home forever.

Now, whenever the book of Revelation is studied, people always wonder, when?  When does this happen?  When do these things come about?  The picture of this text is ongoing.  It is not a one-time event, but the progression of salvation history as men, women, and children come to believe in Jesus and God gathers them into His heavenly home at the appointed hour for each individual. 

One of the elders spoke to me and said, “These people dressed in white robes, who are they and where did they come from?”  And I answered him, “Sir, you know.”  And he said to me: “These are the ones who are coming out of the great tribulation.  They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”  This world is always full of trouble, hardship, pain, and death.  Since Adam and Eve fell into sin, the devil has been deceiving, abusing, and misleading as many as he can trying to thwart God’s righteous love.  Still, throughout that same history, God has rescued believers out of the multitudes who hear His holy Word and who, by the Spirit’s work in the Word, believe God’s promise of forgiveness and salvation by faith, and like Abraham, “then, those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.” (Galatians 3:9)  They are credited with true righteousness through faith in the Savior who lived righteousness for them.

In a time of great apostasy in Israel, the prophet, Jeremiah was given God’s promise of peace, for the Lord declared, “In those days and at that time, declares the Lord, the guilt of Israel will be sought, but there will be none.  The sins of Judah will be sought, but they will not be found, for I will forgive the survivors whom I spare.” (Jeremiah 50:20)  God the Father sent His own dear Son, Jesus, to be the righteousness we need, but also to take the guilt and shame of the world upon Himself, so that His righteous blood cleanses us of all sin, and though we may struggle to forget our faults and failures, God has forgiven and forgotten all sins, because Jesus paid the full price for you and me on the cross, just as He did for the whole world, so that Salvation comes by the blood of the Lamb.

Washed in the waters of the Baptism which Jesus instituted to make us clean, and brought to faith in Christ through the hearing of the Word of grace, our Lord and Savior has dressed each of us in spiritual wedding clothes of brighter radiance than anyone could ever imagine.  The radiance of Jesus’ perfect glory shines over all who walk with Him by faith, which allowed St. John to exclaim later in this report, “And I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” (Revelation 21:2)

This morning, we celebrate All Saints’ Day—a remembrance of all those believers who have gone home to the Lord Jesus before us.  Many of us have again this year had to watch loved ones depart from our presence.  Their departure often brought us sadness for they no longer brighten our days with their love.  We miss them dearly.  At the same time, what joy is ours to see this picture and know, with full confidence, that they are rejoicing with the Lamb who saved them, with the God and Father who created them, with the Holy Spirit who brought them to believe in Jesus, and also with the angels assigned to protect them in this life, and with fellow saints who participated in teaching and nourishing them with God’s love.  John reported:

Because of this they are in front of the throne of God, and they serve him day and night in his temple.  He who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them.  They will never be hungry or thirsty ever again.  The sun will never beat upon them, nor will any scorching heat, for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd.  He will lead them to springs of living water.  And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

Here on earth, we often think of serving as something forced, difficult, or even unpleasant.  Because of sin, work is often hard, tedious, and tiring, but not in heaven.  In heaven, our service is only joy and love.  As when Adam first walked the earth in the Garden of Eden, serving the Lord has become again a joyful life.

Furthermore, there is no more pain, sorrow, suffering, or death.  Just as mankind’s first home was complete Paradise, so in heaven there are only good things, peace, comfort, and life.  The believer is in heaven with God who created them to be loved and cared for, and His love and care has never diminished for His people and never will.  Forever after, we will be in the presence and care of the Savior who willingly laid down His life to live and die so that He could be our Helper and Leader in everlasting glory.  All the things that trouble and pain us now are wiped away for all the eternities of eternities because Salvation comes by the blood of the Lamb.  Amen.

Now may the God of peace—who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, in connection with His blood, which established the eternal testament—may He equip you with every good thing to do His will, as He works in us what is pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ.  To Him be glory forever and ever.  Amen.