“The kingdom of God has come near!”

 

Sermon for Epiphany 3, January 28, 2024

To all those loved by God…called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Mark 1:14-20  ¹⁴After John was put in prison, Jesus went to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God.  ¹⁵“The time is fulfilled,” he said.  “The kingdom of God has come near!  Repent, and believe in the gospel.”  ¹⁶As Jesus was going along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea, since they were fishermen.  ¹⁷Jesus said to them, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  ¹⁸Immediately they left their nets and followed him.  ¹⁹Going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and his brother John.  They were in a boat mending the nets.  ²⁰Immediately Jesus called them.  They left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him. (EHV)

“The kingdom of God has come near!”

Dear fellow redeemed,

            St. Mark begins his Gospel with a condensed account of what was likely a year or more of Jesus’ life, but this fits well with the purpose of his Gospel which was to teach his audience “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” (Mark 1:1)  You see, the Good News of Jesus Christ for sinners doesn’t end until all of God’s called children are safely and joyfully at home in heaven.  Thus, likewise for you and me, “The kingdom of God has come near!”

Mark jumps immediately from Jesus’ forty days of temptation in the wilderness to our text.  Jesus had already been active in His ministry and had numerous disciples, or those who followed Him to learn what He could teach them.  Yet, Mark wanted to show us something more; he wants his hearers to know how the Good News of what Christ has done for them comes to each believer.  Here, Mark wrote, “After John was put in prison, Jesus went to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God.  ‘The time is fulfilled,’ he said.  ‘The kingdom of God has come near!  Repent, and believe in the gospel.’”

The time had come for John’s ministry to fade into the background.  John, himself, had declared, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30)  This had to be, because only Jesus can save.  John the Baptist couldn’t save anyone; he could only point them to Jesus.  Now, John’s call was to prepare the way for Jesus and then to point the crowds to the Savior, and he did that in an exemplary way, but only Jesus can save.  Now, the time had come.  From this point on, Jesus was the focus of all present.  The crowds would follow Jesus.  The chief priests and Pharisees would be watching with fear and apprehension, but all of this is the continuation of Jesus living for you and me.

“Jesus went to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God.  ‘The time is fulfilled,’ he said.  ‘The kingdom of God has come near!  Repent, and believe in the gospel.’”  The Son of God and man was living righteousness for all people.  In order for them to be saved by His work, the Gospel of our Lord Jesus must be heard.  Jesus preached it until the last day of His life when He took the punishment needed to clear our record of wrongs.  For God’s plan to save sinners to continue, men would have to be called and trained to proclaim the Good News.  Mark was telling his gentile listeners how the Word had come to them—how “The kingdom of God has come near!”

As Jesus was going along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea, since they were fishermen.  Jesus said to them, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  It is likely that Simon and Andrew already knew Jesus and had heard Him speak previously.  They already believed in Him.  Now, Jesus was calling them to greater service.  And just like the call of Jesus’ voice had changed them to believe in Him, now His call changed their lives and vocations.  Previously, they made their living pulling fish from the Sea of Galilee.  Now, they would learn how to draw people into the Kingdom of God through the throwing out, not of a net into water, but throwing out to the people the Good News of forgiveness and salvation through faith in Jesus, who gave His life to bring people out of the sea of the world into the lifeboat of the Church.

This picture of the Christian Church as a boat rescuing drowning souls from the cruel seas of life on earth has a long history simply because of picturing Jesus’ call to these men.  On our own, we could not escape the tumultuous storms and waves of trouble, sorrow, and sin crashing over us continually since sin entered the world.  But through His Church on earth, Jesus throws out Gospel lifelines to pull people out of the depths of the darkness of death into the bright new day of His Kingdom.  In the past, many churches were even built to give the feeling of a boat turned upside down with the congregation kept safe underneath.  Still, the main message was that the Lord was pulling us to safety by the message of the Gospel thrown out to the masses so that some may be saved.

Those two men immediately left behind their previous life to walk with Jesus.  In the nearly two thousand years since that day, thousands more men have been called to do the same.  Even today, the Lord is calling young Christians, and some not so young, to leave behind the things of their past to throw out lifelines to sinners who need to hear the Good News of Jesus.  He may well be calling some here this morning to consider a lifetime of service in His public ministry, but even if that is not the case, Jesus calls all of His followers into service for the cause of saving friends and neighbors from their sins through the sharing of the Good News of all Jesus has done for us.  Not all are called to be preachers, teachers, pastors, or missionaries, but all who believe are called to help toward His goal of rescuing the weary, struggling, and lost.

“Going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and his brother John.  They were in a boat mending the nets.  Immediately Jesus called them.  They left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.”  Again, we see the power of Jesus’ call.  You and I first felt that call when Jesus made us believers.  By His Holy Spirit in the Word and Baptism, Jesus turns souls who wanted nothing to do with God into disciples of faith.  Some people want to believe they made the decision to believe, but only God’s power in the Holy Spirit can give new life to formerly dead souls.  Therefore, when that call comes, power comes with the call.  Power to live for Jesus.  Power to turn away from sin to the One who had no sin.  Power to trust that Savior who we formerly viewed with terror.  Power to believe in the One Savior who willingly gave His life so that we could live.  Power to leave behind the things of this world in order to rejoice for the gifts of heaven to come.

Dear friends, whether we remember the days of our youth when we didn’t know Jesus, or we remember the moment He entered our life through His Word, the truth is, Jesus has called us to be His disciples.  He calls us to hear His Good News—that God the Father loved us so much He sent His Son to suffer the punishment and death that our sinful nature brought upon us.  That Jesus loves us so much He willingly took up the mantel of our flesh so that He could live a holy life in our place.  So much love for sinners, that the Father and Son together send the Holy Spirit out across the sea of nations through men of Christian faith called into the ministry of the Gospel so that many more might believe and be saved.  So much love for sinners, that the Spirit moves ordinary people into lives of service in the church through which God saves those drowning in sin.

In our Old Testament this morning, we saw what God can do even through the mouth of a reluctant preacher.  Jonah had no desire to tell the people of Ninevah that God wanted to save them from sin.  Jonah so despised that cruel nation that he desired only to see their destruction.  Yet, God showed them His love.  In love, the Lord God who created heaven and earth sent a preacher to call great sinners to repentance, and the message of God’s call changed their hearts.  Instead of continuing in their idol worship, those great sinners responded to God’s call with repentance and changed hearts.  Hearts not changed by personal decision, nor be fear alone, but made alive by the promise of the Gospel, that the God who had every right to destroy them for their sins, was ready to forgive them should they heed His call.

Today, Mark gave us a taste of what was to come.  Jesus has been sending messengers of peace for almost two thousand years, and millions of former sinners have heeded the call to repentance and turned to Him for life everlasting.  That call stands for you and me still today.  Believe in Jesus and follow Him.  Trust that His Gospel is true.  Jesus came into this world to save sinners.  He lived perfectly so that you and I can be covered in His righteousness.  Then Jesus died on the cross to satisfy the demand of the law for death to the sinner.  Jesus stepped into that role for you and me.  Today, in connection with His death and resurrection, we now also have life everlasting.  Through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, and by the proclamation of that truth, “The kingdom of God has come near!”  It is here for you and me, now and forever.  Amen.

Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds.  Blessed be his glorious name forever.  May the whole earth be filled with his glory.  Amen.

Give thanks and pray for fellow believers.

 

Sermon for Epiphany 2, January 21, 2024

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

2 Thessalonians 2:13-17  ¹³But we are always obligated to thank God for you, brothers, loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning for salvation by the sanctifying work of the Spirit and faith in the truth.  ¹⁴For this reason he also called you through our gospel so that you would obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.  ¹⁵So then, brothers, stand firm and hold on to the teachings that were passed along to you, either by word of mouth or by a letter from us.  ¹⁶May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and in his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, ¹⁷encourage your hearts and establish you in every good work and word. (EHV)

Give thanks and pray for fellow believers.

Dear loved ones in Christ,

            In this letter, St. Paul warned the Christian Church about the antichrist who would come before the end of time, and indeed, about many antichrists who would lead so many believers astray with ideas that we must contribute to our salvation by works we must do.  Now, much has been written about who these antichrists might be, but the truth is, anyone, or any religion, that teaches that you must do something to gain your salvation is clearly opposed to the grace of God in Christ Jesus, because the Holy Spirit has confirmed, through Paul, that “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)

Here in our sermon text, then, Paul moves on to the grace of God and the obligations that are ours for the salvation we have been given.  Yet, Paul doesn’t give us a command so much as an example that we Give thanks and pray for fellow believers.

Paul wrote, “But we are always obligated to thank God for you, brothers, loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning for salvation by the sanctifying work of the Spirit and faith in the truth.”  Why did Paul and his fellow apostles feel obligated to thank God for fellow believers?  Of course, because these people believed as they did, but mainly because God was confirming for them that the Holy Spirit was indeed active in their work. 

Jesus had promised His disciples, “I am telling you the truth: It is good for you that I go away.  For if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you.  But if I go, I will send him to you.” (John 16:7)  Isaiah had prophesied, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of a herald, who proclaims peace and preaches good news, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God is king!’” (Isaiah 52:7)  Thus, Paul could write, “So then, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message comes through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17)

Notice too that those who believe the Gospel, and the messengers who bring it, are loved by God and chosen by Him from the beginning of time.  In contrast to the false teachers who place some of the responsibility for your salvation upon you, thus giving you an impossible task, God put the responsibility for your eternal welfare in His own hands.  And while God chose those who would believe, He didn’t limit His salvation, but He sent Jesus to be the salvation for all people, even for those who would reject Him and suffer eternal damnation for their rejection.  The familiar promise Jesus gave us applies here: “God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17)

For this reason, we too Give thanks and pray for fellow believers.  Not because we are required to do this, but rather, because our fellow believers are living proof that God is working in our midst.  Martin Luther summed up our position in his explanation of the Third Article.  He wrote,

I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith; just as He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. 

Here in this letter, Paul continued, “For this reason he also called you through our gospel so that you would obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  What a difference the Holy Spirit working in our lives has made.  The Bible tells us, “At one time, you were alienated from God and hostile in your thinking as expressed through your evil deeds.  But now Christ reconciled you in his body of flesh through death, in order to present you holy, blameless, and faultless before him.” (Colossians 1:21-22) 

At one time, we were all doomed to destruction, and on our own, we could do nothing to save ourselves.  We couldn’t get even one inch closer to God in heaven.  But this is where God’s love takes hold.  God didn’t abandon us when we were lost and condemned.  Instead, He planned our salvation, then carried it out by sending His Son, Jesus, into the world to be our Redeemer and Savior. 

The demands of the law that are impossible for us to satisfy were laid on Jesus.  Then, even when Jesus had fulfilled every last dot and tittle of the law so that no one could justly accuse Jesus of any fault, the sins of the world were counted against Him, and God’s own dear Son, Jesus, was sentenced to die on the cross of shame in our place.  Not one iota of our reconciliation with God was left up to us.  Jesus did it all.  “God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them.  And he has entrusted to us the message of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5:19) 

Because of Jesus, all who believe in Him are counted as holy and perfectly righteous before God.  The Revelation pictured it this way: “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.” (Revelation 7:14)

Paul then encouraged his fellow believers with the admonition, “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold on to the teachings that were passed along to you, either by word of mouth or by a letter from us.”  You and I didn’t get to hear St. Paul preach in person, nor did we walk the dusty roads of Galilee with our Lord and Savior.  Yet, through the words of Scripture laid down for us by the Holy Spirit, we have learned of all Jesus did for us that saves us now and delivers us into eternal glory in heaven. 

Our God left nothing to chance.  When He chose you from before time began, He already had a plan in place to save you and to bring that Good News to you, and by the words of the Gospel, He worked faith in you by the power of His Holy Spirit.  For that, we give thanks always, and we give thanks to God for those people who loved us enough to share His grace with us.  That includes parents, teachers, pastors, and all fellow believers who offer encouragement to us along the way.

We Give thanks and pray for fellow believers.  Paul showed us how to do that with the last verse of our sermon text: “May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and in his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and establish you in every good work and word.”  Sometimes, we look for elaborate prayers, and some people will tell you just what and how they think you should pray, but Paul’s prayer shows us that we can simply place the needs of our fellow believers in God’s loving, ever-powerful hands.

God the Father showed His love for us through the multitude of promises and prophecies He put in place so that all people could know of the Savior and believe.  He most vividly showed His love by sending His Son Jesus into the world to live, die, and rise again to provide the forgiveness and salvation we need. 

Jesus showed His love for us when He walked those dusty roads in poverty and meekness yet without sin or doubt for even a moment.  Jesus showed His love for us with His humble attitude and loving concern for the needs of those hurting souls around Him, but again, His greatest love is shown on the cross, where He stretched out His innocent arms to accept the nails that hammered our sins onto His hands so that the price paid for our guilt would not fall upon us but be borne by God Himself in our place. 

Likewise, we see the love of God the Holy Spirit in the words of the Scriptures, lovingly laid down on papyrus, and velum, and finally on paper, and even in the electronic tools of our day.  The Spirit raised up men to deliver that message to us in spite of hardship and persecution, all because He loved us from eternity along with the Father and the Son.  It is by this Word of the Spirit that we get to know Jesus and believe in Him.  It is by this Word of the Spirit that we are guided in living in God’s kingdom.  By the same Word, we learn how we may treat others around us so that they can see God’s love for them in us.

Dear friends, in these latter days, we are surrounded by doubters, unbelievers, tempters, and even antichrists who would mislead those who are weak in their faith.  Remember the grace that God gives us through the fellowship of likeminded believers who have all their hope for forgiveness and eternal salvation only in Jesus Christ our Lord.  Remember them in your prayers, even as we pray that they remember you in theirs.  May all of us continually, Give thanks and pray for fellow believers.  Amen.

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.

God’s Servant is our Savior.

 

Sermon for Epiphany 2/Baptism of Jesus, January 14, 2024

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Isaiah 49:1-6  Listen to me, you coastlands.  Pay attention, you faraway peoples!  The Lord called me from the womb.  When I was inside my mother, he mentioned my name.  ²He made my mouth like a sharpened sword.  He hid me in the shadow of his hand.  He made me a polished arrow.  He concealed me in his quiver.  ³He said to me, “You are my servant Israel, in whom I will display my glory.”  ⁴But I said to myself, “I have labored in vain.  I spent my strength and came up empty, with nothing.  Yet a just verdict for me rests with the Lord, and my reward is with my God.”  ⁵But now the Lord, who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to turn Jacob back to him, so that Israel might be gathered to him, so that I will be honored in the eyes of the Lord, because my God has been my strength—⁶the Lord said: It is too small a thing that you should just be my servant to raise up only the tribes of Jacob and to restore the ones I have preserved in Israel, so I will appoint you to be a light for the nations, so that my salvation will be known to the end of the earth. (EHV)

God’s Servant is our Savior.

Dear fellow redeemed,

For many in the early Christian Church, understanding the nature of God’s Son, Jesus, was often the most difficult part.  Some thought that since Jesus is God, and destined to be our Judge, He must also be very angry, and therefore, they portrayed Christ in ways that terrified sensitive believers.  Others couldn’t believe that someone who looked so human could actually be true God, so they denied Jesus’ divinity.  Sadly, disputes such as these can still rear their ugly heads and trouble the tender-hearted faithful in our day, even though our fathers in the Church already fought those battles to a faithful conclusion.  The best advice we might give to someone struggling with how to understand God and His Son is simply to let Jesus be who He is, for God’s Servant is our Savior.

The Lord, through the prophet Isaiah, calls out His message to you and me.  Today, some twenty-seven hundred years after Isaiah lived, we are among the people for whom the Savior calls when He says, " Listen to me, you coastlands.  Pay attention, you faraway peoples!”  The Lord God was mightily concerned about the salvation of the Israelites, but His concern covered many more people as well, in fact, He extended His love to many people of the world in every age.  So, this invitation is as contemporary to our day as to any other.  Our Savior has been calling out to sinners since before He was born of Mary, pleading for our attention, pleading for all to believe and be saved.

Hundreds of years before God’s Son took on human flesh, He announced how He would enter the world to save it: “The Lord called me from the womb.  When I was inside my mother, he mentioned my name.”  When ancient heretics denied that Jesus could be both God and Man, they should have been reading Isaiah’s prophecy and realized that the Savior would be born of a woman while yet remaining the true Son of God, just as the angel announced to Mary before she became pregnant.  When the time had fully come for the Christ to enter our world, Gabriel assured Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.  So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35)

The One called by God to serve declared, “He made my mouth like a sharpened sword.  He hid me in the shadow of his hand.  He made me a polished arrow.  He concealed me in his quiver.” (John 1:14)  Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the writer to the Hebrews confirmed the Christ’s divine power: “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword.  It penetrates even to the point of dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow, even being able to judge the ideas and thoughts of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)  The Lord’s law cuts through all our lies and fantasies, piercing right to the heart of our problem: we have sinned against God and deserve only death, which the law would certainly bring us if our Savior does not intervene.

However, God’s Word doesn’t end with the law and neither does God’s Servant.  Though the Father hid His Son in this world, covering Him in human flesh, He is at the same time not polluted by the sins that condemn us.  He is “a polished shaft,” a perfect arrow, straight and true, hitting God’s target perfectly in every thought, word, deed, and desire.  This, God’s Servant, is our Savior.

God expressed His intention to the pre-incarnate Savior, "You are my servant Israel, in whom I will display my glory.”  There are Jewish rabbis, today, who teach that these words apply to the Jewish people, that their service glorifies God, even when they continue to reject God’s Son.  In fact, however, the Servant who speaks, here, can only be God’s only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus.  Several times during Jesus’ life on earth, the Father announced from heaven that Jesus was pleasing and glorifying Him with His faithful, servant-life.  It is to God’s glory that His Son humbled Himself to servanthood, in order to save people who are corrupted by sin, who had rebelled against their Creator, and served only themselves.  With His holy life and sacrificial death, Jesus brought glory to His Father in heaven—by saving people like you and me, and He continues to do so.

For most of Isaiah’s ministry, the descendants of Israel rejected the God who had rescued them from Egypt, who had promised forgiveness and salvation to all who would walk in the faith of Abraham.  Because of the rebellion of that stubborn people, God’s Servant cried out, “I have labored in vain.  I spent my strength and came up empty, with nothing.  Yet a just verdict for me rests with the Lord, and my reward is with my God."  God’s Servant is faithful.  Pre-incarnate, He served His Father as the go-between with Israel.  Then, having taken on human flesh through His birth from Mary’s womb, Jesus remained perfectly faithful to the Father’s plan to save.  He cries out here outside of time, calling Israel to repentance for their rejection of God’s will and their ignorance of His promised Savior. 

Furthermore, even though there is little evidence to show that very many in Israel remained faithful, the Servant Himself stayed the course, living the holiness God’s righteous justice demands.  For His faithfulness, the Servant receives His reward.  The Servant spoke again with a message of comfort and peace for all the ages of time: "But now the Lord, who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to turn Jacob back to him, so that Israel might be gathered to him, so that I will be honored in the eyes of the Lord, because my God has been my strength—the Lord said: ‘It is too small a thing that you should just be my servant to raise up only the tribes of Jacob and to restore the ones I have preserved in Israel, so I will appoint you to be a light for the nations, so that my salvation will be known to the end of the earth.'"  Humbly trust that God’s Servant is our Savior.

God’s Servant is salvation to the ends of the earth.  Dear friends, you and I reside about as far from the land of Israel as you can get on this planet, yet God’s salvation is here for us in the person of Christ Jesus.  He comes to you and me in His holy Word, washes away our sins in Baptism, and strengthens and feeds us in His holy Supper.  God is always too magnanimous to withhold His forgiveness from any repentant sinner who trusts in Christ.  God sent His own beloved Son to live and die and rise again for you and me.  His Holy Spirit caused us to hear the Word and believe it.  God wants you to live.  He wants you to believe in Jesus and dwell with Him forever in heaven.

All three persons of the Triune God worked together to bring about the means of our salvation.  The Father sent His Son, Jesus, to serve.  The Holy Spirit caused His physical incarnation.  Jesus walked among us enduring and resisting the temptations that snare us.  God the Son suffered on the cross for our guilt.  As God’s Servant, He died on the cross in full payment for your sins.  Nothing more is needed to make you righteous before God but the faith in Jesus that the Holy Spirit gives through Word and Sacrament.

It was too small a thing for God to save only Israel.  This was not some new revelation.  God had long earlier promised Abraham, “In your Seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed.” (Genesis 26:4)  God does not happily hand anyone over to Satan.  It is only by the perversity of man that anyone will be condemned, because Jesus died for all.  He paid the price for every sinner, enduring the full penalty for all our guilt, and in exchange, He offers free release to all who believe. 

Today, some will call Jesus a good teacher but nothing more.  For that type of Christian there can be nothing sadder; they have the Word of promise but don’t believe it.  Through Isaiah’s writings, God promised the world a Savior.  This Servant Savior spoke from eternity, calling all people to turn away from their sin and believe in Him for life and salvation.  He calls to us again, today, imploring us to trust His free salvation.  Jesus became our Light when He was born of Mary.  Jesus was baptized by John to put Himself under the same law that was condemning us to eternal punishment so that He became our Savior with His perfect life and innocent sacrifice on the cross.  Jesus proved His worth as He rose from the grave Easter morning in triumph over sin, death, and the devil. 

Today, once more, Jesus calls out for your soul: " Listen to me, you coastlands.  Pay attention, you faraway peoples!”  Christ Jesus did everything necessary to give you everlasting peace with His Father.  By becoming God’s Servant, Jesus became your humble Servant, too.  He took your death, the punishment for all your sins; in exchange He offers you life everlasting for the Father has forgiven us all for Jesus’ sake.  Indeed, Jesus took to heart His Father’s promise, “It is too small a thing that you should just be my servant to raise up only the tribes of Jacob and to restore the ones I have preserved in Israel, so I will appoint you to be a light for the nations, so that my salvation will be known to the end of the earth.”  Rejoice, one and all, for God’s Servant is our Savior.  Amen.

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

Home at peace where glory dwells.

 

O Lord, we are gathered in sorrow, yet not as those who have no hope.  We thank You for all the blessings bestowed on our brother, now fallen asleep and for all the blessings given through him.  But most of all, we thank You for making him Your dear child by faith in Jesus Christ.  Give us to have that same trust in Jesus always.  We ask this all in His holy name.  Amen.

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

For our words of comfort, we read in Jesus’ name from,

Psalm 26:8-12  LORD, I have loved the habitation of Your house, and the place where Your glory dwells.  Do not gather my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men, in whose hands is a sinister scheme, and whose right hand is full of bribes.  But as for me, I will walk in my integrity; redeem me and be merciful to me.  My foot stands in an even place; in the congregations I will bless the LORD. (NKJ)

Home at peace where glory dwells.

Dear friends of Byron Kosen, and especially you, his family: June, Sherry, Eric and Taunya, Lance and Laura, grandchildren and spouses, and great-grandchildren,

            In each of our lives, there are things we value above all else: our family, our home, perhaps some piece of memorabilia handed done from a loved one who departed from this life in our youth.  Some people value recognition and will do anything to become famous.  Others desire power, so they may sacrifice home life to climb the corporate ladder or enter the ugly world of politics in the hope of making the decisions that change lives and fortunes. 

Bryon had things that he valued; his family is, of course, a great treasure to him, and he cared about your futures above almost anything I can think of.  Yet, perhaps secretly, his greatest treasure, as it should be, is expressed in the words of our sermon text, which Byron mentioned was one of his favorite verses of the Bible, “LORD, I have loved the habitation of Your house.”  It should be noted that Psalm 26 is the prayer of a believer who looked forward to the promise given in the temple of the Lord, that of a Savior who would make us right with God.

Love of that particular verse may strike many people as rather odd.  In our time, probably more people than not think attending church is a waste of time, something to be avoided.  Yet, for Byron, being here in this building was a favorite activity.  He loved to sing the praises of God and our Savior.  He also greatly wanted that forgiveness and salvation to be possessed by each of you.  Some of you might be asking, “Why?”

Today is the reason why.  No one likes to hear it, but the ugly, ragged truth is that we are here this morning because of sin—no, not any particular sin that Byron committed, but sin that afflicts the whole world brought the curse that brings us here today.  “The wages of sin is death,” (Romans 6:23) the Bible says.  The curse that sin brought upon the world causes all the illness, pain, trouble, and death that so afflicts our everyday lives.  However, to understand why Byron loved that verse from Psalm 26, we need to hear the second part of the verse St. Paul wrote to the Romans: but the undeserved gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

Early in Byron’s life, the Holy Spirit worked faith in him, first at baptism, and then as he was taught about Jesus.  Yes, he learned that he was a sinner, something we really don’t like to know.  Yet, learning about sin also showed that he needed a Savior, and that is why Byron loved being in this house of the Lord, because, here, he kept hearing about what Jesus did for him and for all of you, so that we all might receive eternal life instead of everlasting punishment.

Many people think that in church you only hear about what you do wrong and what you need to do to be good, and perhaps that is what some hear.  But in a true Christian church, what you hear, and should hear, is what Jesus did so that you are reconciled with God, so that when the appointed hour comes for you, you will be Home at peace where glory dwells.  That is what the Bible is all about; it tells of God’s great love for sinners which caused Him to send His own dear Son to live and die for us so that you and I can be reunited with God in the glory of heaven.  Beginning last Friday afternoon, Byron has been enjoying the real house he has been looking forward to for eighty-two years.  He is Home at peace where glory dwells.

David, the psalmist, pleaded with God in this psalm, “Do not gather my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men, in whose hands is a sinister scheme, and whose right hand is full of bribes.”  Now, David was certainly not without his sins, and many of them were in the public eye.  Furthermore, his armies brought an end to numerous foes.  At the same time, David was counted as righteous because he believed and trusted in the God of his forefathers who promised to send a Savior.  In fact, God promised David that the Savior would be born of his own descendants. 

David indeed sinned, but he lived repentance continually while trusting that the Lord would redeem him from those sins.  He prayed, “But as for me, I will walk in my integrity; redeem me and be merciful to me.”  When David said “I will walk in my integrity,” he was not at all presuming any good in himself.  Rather, he trusted the promises God had made to his forefathers, and to the world.  Instead of condemning the world for sin—which would have condemned every one of us to an everlasting torment—God promised a Savior who would live the righteousness we need to dwell with God and then suffer the death we deserved so that we would be set free from the curse of sin.

The Old Testament is filled with prophecies about the Savior who was to come into the world.  All of them are fulfilled in Jesus.  Therefore, St. Paul wrote, “God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them.” (2 Corinthians 5:19)  The reason Byron expressed a love to be in church is because here we have a foretaste of the glory of heaven.  No, we don’t sing like angels, and none of us are holy.  However, here we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit who prepares us to enter heaven through the faith he works in us through the Word of God.  Now, that is something to sing about, that God loves us enough to live and die to cleanse us of all our sin to make us ready to meet God face to face, so that we may dwell with Him in peace and harmony and glory forever.

My promise to you today, and my invitation, is that believing in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Redeemer, you too will enjoy peace with God and a home in heaven.  That is what this service is all about, a reminder that because of Jesus, Byron is now Home at peace where glory dwells.  Furthermore, because he is there, he will never again have trouble, or pain, or the shakes of Parkingson’s.  He will never again have to worry about the markets, or hail storms, or drought, or any of a thousand other things that trouble us in this life, and it’s not because he is dead and there is nothing after, but because while his ashes rest here waiting for the return of our Savior, his soul now lives where God promises, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain, because the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)

Physical death is not the end of our existence.  God did not create us to die but to live, and to enjoy a relationship with our Creator that would never end.  Sin had separated us from God, but Jesus came into the world to restore to us the peace with God that Adam and Eve enjoyed at their creation.  They walked in harmony with God and so will all those who believe in Jesus.  Byron now enjoys that eternal peace where, with all the saints and angels, he can raise his voice in songs of praise to the Savior who won his freedom from death and the devil’s curse, and you too can look forward to being with Byron again when we are Home at peace where glory dwells. 

My friends, today, we have sorrow, and that sorrow will trouble us in the coming days, because one we love is no longer with us, but we do not mourn our loss without hope, because we have God’s promise that because Jesus lives, Byron now lives as well.  Jesus promised His disciples, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.” (Mark 16:16)  The faith that was implanted in Bryon at his baptism grew and grew until he could sing with the psalmist, “I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” (Psalm 122:1)  

Before going to the cross to suffer and die in our place, Jesus promised His disciples, “I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you.  In a little while the world will see me no longer, but you will see me.  Because I live, you also will live.  In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.  The one who has my commands and holds on to them is the one who loves me.  And the one who loves me will be loved by my Father.” (John 14:18-21)  One of the most verifiable events in ancient history is that Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the third day just as He prophesied long before.  Christ’s resurrection shows that His sacrifice was sufficient to reconcile us all with His Father in heaven.  Thus, united with Jesus by faith, we walk through life joyful and unafraid, for with Jesus’ resurrection, we are given sure proof that we too will be raised on the last day. 

The Bible says, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact imprint of the divine nature.” (Hebrews 1:3)  Because of faith in Jesus, Byron now dwells forever in the presence of God’s glory.  We too have the Lord’s invitation to believe in Him and live.  Therefore, believing in the name of the Lord Jesus, we too will again walk with the Lord, and with Byron, because he is now Home at peace where glory dwells.  Amen.

The peace of God, established and won for you and for all by the sacrifice of God’s own precious Son, be with you always to the very end of the age.  Amen. 

God reveals His Savior Son to the Gentiles.

 

Sermon for Epiphany, January 7, 2024

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.  Amen.

Matthew 2:1-12  After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, when Herod was king, Wise Men from the east came to Jerusalem.  ²They asked, “Where is he who has been born King of the Jews?  We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”  ³When King Herod heard this, he was alarmed, and all Jerusalem with him.  ⁴He gathered together all the people’s chief priests and experts in the law.  He asked them where the Christ was to be born.  ⁵They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, because this was written through the prophet: ⁶You, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are certainly not least among the rulers of Judah: because out of you will come a ruler, who will shepherd my people, Israel.”  ⁷Then Herod secretly summoned the Wise Men and found out from them exactly when the star had appeared.  ⁸He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child.  When you find him, report to me, so that I may also go and worship him.”  ⁹After listening to the king, they went on their way.  Then the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them, until it stood still over the place where the child was.  ¹⁰When they saw the star, they rejoiced with overwhelming joy.  ¹¹After they went into the house and saw the child with Mary, his mother, they bowed down and worshipped him.  Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  ¹²Since they had been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country by another route. (EHV)

God reveals His Savior Son to the Gentiles.

Dear fellow redeemed,

            What a contrast we find as we read through the gospel accounts of Matthew and Luke.  Some people were boldly excited to see Jesus, some paid no attention, and one was violently opposed.  In the epiphany of our Lord, we see how a few men were so interested in the prophecies of old and the appearance of this unusual new star that they travelled a great distance to meet the newborn King.  It’s funny how much that seems like our modern world in which some are excited to see Christ, some are indifferent, and many are actively hostile.  Yet, by this miracle, and for the great benefit of people like you and me, God reveals His Savior Son to the Gentiles.

Those learned men from an unnamed gentile nation discovered a new star, and somehow connected that discovery with prophecies they had heard about from the past.  We can only surmise that Israelites like Daniel and other faithful people had shared God’s promises with their gentile neighbors, and through the ages some apparently believed.  Now, we don’t know their names.  We don’t know from where they journeyed.  We don’t know even how many men were in this group, and we certainly don’t know how God provided such an unusual celestial body, but we do know that they believed enough to associate this miraculous star with the birth of the promised Savior and King of the Jews.  We also know that none of this happened by chance.

We heard in our lesson this morning how even before Israel entered the Promised Land, Balaam had prophesied, “I see him, but not now.  I behold him, but not near.  A star will come out of Jacob.  A scepter will rise up out of Israel.” (Numbers 24:17)  The prophecy is, of course, directly pointed to Jesus as King over Israel, which is why you can understand why those wise men were excited to see that special star rising in the sky.

Likewise, Micah foretold the location of this amazing birth: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, from you, will go out the one who will be the ruler for me in Israel.  His goings forth are from the beginning, from the days of eternity.” (Micah 5:2)  Thus, we are assured that the Christ Child they met in that little town was none other than the Son of God from all eternity.  Did those wise men know this?  We pray that they came to know it, and by the testimony of their gifts to the Child, it seems perfectly possible.

There is one more prophecy of special significance for them and for us.  Through the prophet, Isaiah, the Lord declared: “It is too small a thing that you should just be my servant to raise up only the tribes of Jacob and to restore the ones I have preserved in Israel, so I will appoint you to be a light for the nations, so that my salvation will be known to the end of the earth.” (Isaiah 49:6)  God the Father confirmed this prophecy as He sent His Son forth from heaven to rescue sinners from the devil’s control.  Jesus didn’t come into the world to save only those blood relatives of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  Rather, the promised Messiah entered our world to be the atoning sacrifice and perfect righteousness for all people everywhere, of every time and place in the history of the world.

That is why Epiphany is still so important for us today.  As those wise men journeyed from the east to see their Savior and King, the whole world gets to see that Jesus is King for them also.  The forgiveness and salvation, which God promised as far back as Adam and Eve, Jesus attained for you and me as well, just as Peter attested on Pentecost saying, “For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far away, as many as the Lord our God will call.” (Acts 2:39)

The question for us as God reveals His Savior Son to the Gentiles, is how will we react to the news?  Will we be like those wise men who put their former lives on hold to have a chance to be with their Savior?  Or will we be more like the chief priests and scribes who knew the prophecies yet didn’t seem to be interested enough to go out to Bethlehem to see if this news were true?  Worse yet, would we dare to be like Herod who pretended interest in this new King’s birth, but then showed his murderous side as he immediately plotted to eliminate the possible rival?

Naturally, no one here would admit to being like Herod, but do we demonstrate real excitement for the opportunity to hear the Good News about Jesus our Savior?  How many of us go out of our way to show our neighbors, or even our children, through words and actions, how glad we are to know that all our sins are forgiven, and that we have a home in heaven because Jesus lived and died for all?  How many of us would mount up a camel caravan to go hundreds, or perhaps a thousand miles, to see about Jesus?  I suspect the novelty of that ride would wear off for us very soon.

The Good News for us and for all is that Jesus came into this world to be the answer for all our sins, for our indifference, hostility, laziness, greed, selfishness, and godlessness that at times troubles even those of us who believe in Jesus.  Though the wise men were trained in astronomy and astrology and perhaps even the dark arts, in that little town of Bethlehem, they found the One Child who could make them clean, and they bowed down and worshipped Him.  Like for you and me, as they recognized Jesus as Savior and King, their sins were wiped away and the righteousness of God’s Son was counted to them as righteousness.  Therefore, trusting in that Babe in Bethlehem as the fulfillment of all God’s prophecies, they are counted as holy children of God, as we are too.

After they stopped in Jerusalem to learn of where they might look for the King of the Jews, those wise men gave heed to the words of the prophets and headed for the little town.  Yet, here too we see how God worked to lead people to Jesus.  The star that seems to have been hidden from them when they arrived at Jerusalem surprisingly again appeared in their sky and led them right to the house where the baby Jesus lay.  Now, we don’t need to get into the physics of how that was possible.  We can just trust that the Lord works to bring His salvation to those who are willing to see.

For you and me, the Holy Spirit didn’t use a star.  Instead, He worked through parents willing to lead their children to Jesus through a baptismal font, in regular church attendance, and through demonstrated faith in the One true King of heaven and earth.  Perhaps other family members were also instrumental in guiding the youth to meet our Savior, and of course, sometimes it is pastors who help, Sunday school teachers, too.  Always though, it is the Holy Spirit working through committed believers who implants faith in the new hearts.  All Scripture is God-breathed for that very purpose—to bring sinners into peace with our Creator and Redeemer. (2 Timothy 3:16)

Like so much of our world today, Herod secretly schemed to put an end to worship of the Christ Child, and likely, he would have gladly put an end to those wise men, too, before they could tell others about Jesus.  Pay attention to this, therefore, “Since they had been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country by another route.”  You see, in all these things, God was working to protect His salvation plan and the Savior who would carry it out.  In the same way, Jesus promises to be with us, to shepherd us, and to give His angels charge over us to keep us in all our ways. (Psalm 91:11) 

We never need fear what evil schemes the world has in mind for followers of Jesus, because God always has the upper hand.  In all our worries or fears, God’s Word gives us great comfort and assurance that in all things our God will protect us and keep us on course for His eternal dwelling place.  The psalmist wrote:

His truth will be your shield and armor.  You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the plague that prowls in the darkness, nor the pestilence that destroys at noon.  A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.  You will only observe it with your eyes.  You will see the punishment of the wicked.  Yes, you Lord are my refuge!  If you make the Most High your shelter, evil will not overtake you.  Disaster will not come near your tent.  Because he will give a command to his angels concerning you, to guard you in all your ways.  They will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. (Psalm 91:4-12)

Dear friends, since God revealed His Savior Son to the Gentiles, you can have absolute confidence that Jesus lived and died and rose again also for you and me.  Furthermore, because He lives just as His Father in heaven planned, so God’s plan for you will always be carried out in accordance with His perfect will.  Therefore, no matter what may happen to our bodies in this life, we have the assurance that Jesus’ words remain ever true for you, “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)  Rejoice and be glad with the wise men, for you have everlasting peace with God, because God revealed His Savior Son for you.  Amen.

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