Sermon for Advent 3, December 15, 2024
Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.
Philippians 4:4-7 4Rejoice in the Lord
always! I will say it again:
Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness
be known to everyone. The Lord is
near. 6Do not worry about
anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let
your requests be made known to God. 7And
the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus. (EHV)
Dear friends in Christ,
I
would be shocked if anyone here hasn’t noticed that this world doesn’t have an abundance
of peace. Every newspaper, news cast,
and many social media posts are public displays of the disputes, wars, crimes,
and tragedies that beset this sinful world.
Every day we hear of bombings, murders, rapes, revolutions, divorces,
and child and spousal abuse. We hear of wicked
schemes to advance political goals, and violent protests against perceived
injustices. We hear of awful terrorist
actions that devastate communities, and vicious gangs tormenting the poor, all
designed to scare people into submission.
We hear of white-collar criminals stealing billions and hatred being
poured out on the innocent all around.
When we think about the lack of peace
in our world, we also remember the troubles in our own lives. As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, we see many
are not at peace for they suffer from depression and loneliness with family
members far away, or gone from this world.
Parents worry about their sons and daughters off at college or on
military assignments. Workers worry
about keeping their jobs or paying their bills with the income from a short
crop and lower prices. Inflation and
uncertainty about the future cause many to struggle. Yet, especially, when we think about peace,
we think of how hard it is for some people to forgive—how hard it is for us to
forgive.
On the other hand, do you ever find
yourself irritated by perky optimists?
You know, those people who find the silver lining in every situation,
and troubles just seem to roll off their backs?
Paul kind of sounds like one of those extraordinarily cheerful
individuals. The Philippians knew that
Paul was writing this letter from prison.
Without having committed any crime, Paul had already spent two years
confined in a Roman jail, and yet he says, “Rejoice in the Lord always! I will say it again: Rejoice!”
Being stuck in prison wasn’t the only
trouble Paul had faced. Many of his
childhood friends considered him a traitor to their religion. He had no wife or family to comfort him in
his troubles. In his second letter to
the Corinthian congregation, Paul outlined some of the trials he had faced
saying, “I’ve done more hard work, been
in prisons more often, been whipped far more, and I’ve been close to death many
times. Five times I received from the
Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three
times I was beaten with rods. One time
they tried to stone me to death. Three
times I was shipwrecked. I have spent a
night and a day on the open sea. I have
often been on journeys, in danger from rivers, in danger from robbers, in
danger from my own people, in danger from Gentiles, in danger in the city, in
danger in the wilderness, in danger on the sea, in danger among false brothers. I have worked hard and struggled. I’ve spent many sleepless nights. I’ve been hungry and thirsty. I’ve gone without food many times. I’ve been cold and lacked clothing. (2 Corinthians 11:23-27) Yet, even
after enduring all of that, St. Paul encourages, Rejoice in the peace of God!
Now, don’t think that Paul had some
kind of extreme lunatic optimism. He
certainly felt pain just as you and I do.
He understood that there will always be trouble, conflict, and sorrow in
this world. Still, you and I will be
helped if we recognize the source of Paul’s strength. It didn’t come from inside him. It wasn’t his natural constitution that
helped him. He wasn’t oblivious to the
pain. No Paul could rejoice through all
of this trouble only because he had peace
with God!
I looked up the word rejoice in the
dictionary, and one of its meanings is to “own joy.” God’s peace was Paul’s possession; he owned
that peace which the world cannot take away.
That is Paul’s encouragement for you and me. Grab onto the joy and peace Jesus won for you
and make them your own. Really to own
the joy of peace with God is to take a hold of His peace with all your strength
and never let go. Then, we will Rejoice in the peace of God!
Ok, that all sounds really good, but
what is God’s peace? How do we get
it? And, how can I own it? In the book of Isaiah we read, “For to us a child is born. To us a son is given. The authority to rule will rest on his
shoulders. He will be named: Wonderful
Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no limit to his authority and no
end to the peace he brings.” (Isaiah 9:6-7) When God speaks of giving peace, that
indicates that we had been at war. In
fact, God also gave Isaiah the comforting command, “Speak to the heart of Jerusalem and call out to her. Her warfare really is over. Her guilt is fully paid for. Yes, she has received from the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins.” (Isaiah 40:2)
Like our
forefathers, you and I had been trapped in a war against God. That war was started by the devil, but we
were once willing participants in the conflict.
Even if we didn’t realize it, we participated because all our forefathers
were already fighting God in the devil’s war.
It’s called original sin.
As you look
around the world, you see evidence of the devastation our war against God causes. If looking at pictures of Europe after World
War II, you will see that much of the landscape of the cities and towns was
pretty well demolished. The war of sin
has had exactly that effect in our world.
Sin ruined everything. It’s what
causes all the turmoil and crime between individuals. Sin is why we have heartache most days of our
lives here on earth. Sin is why we find
it so hard to forgive, so hard to love unselfishly. Still, Paul speaks of real peace, “the peace of God.”
God’s peace goes beyond the
comprehension of reasonable people. Paul
tells us about this amazing “peace
of God, which surpasses all understanding.”
He declares that God’s peace “will
guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” We can hold on to this truth: our peace comes
through Jesus. Many people are
constantly looking for peace in our world, whether it be through government action
or social activism, but the only true peace comes through Christ.
This is the contrast. In this world, there will always be battles
raging, but between God and mankind the war is over. Jesus finished our conflict with God by His sacrifice
on the cross. That bloody battle was the
last fight between God and the devil.
There on the cross, Jesus paid with His life for our sins, guilt, and
rebellions. There, as Jesus gave up His
life, the devil lost the last chance he had to get Jesus to sin. Of course, the devil could never have won, no
matter what he tried, because, unlike us, Jesus, the true Son of God, would
never go against His Father’s will.
Consequently, the devil can’t keep
those who had been on his side, because Jesus paid the ransom price to win all
people back to God. The blood of Jesus
pouring out of the spear hole in His side confirmed that He died for our
sins. He died for you and me. But better news was yet to come. Jesus lives!!
He rose from the grave triumphant.
By rising from that tomb to life again, Jesus declared victory with
power and glory, over sin, death, Satan, and the grave. With Jesus’ victory over all our enemies, our
peace with God is an indisputable fact, and it cannot be taken away.
My friends, Jesus’ peace is given to
us by the Holy Spirit as He brings us to faith in Jesus. Through the power of God’s Word, we were granted
faith in Jesus and His atoning sacrifice.
Through the washing of the Baptism waters, we were given faith and
forgiveness of sins. There, we were clothed
in Jesus’ perfect righteousness, ensuring that we have God’s peace. We are reassured of that peace again each
time we hear that our sins are forgiven for Jesus’ sake. That assurance of peace strengthens us every
time we partake of Jesus’ body and blood in the Sacrament. How do we own God’s peace? Simply, by believing it and allowing the Lord
to pour out His grace upon us through His Word and Sacraments. Trusting in Jesus, you and I Rejoice in the peace of God!
Now, to help us, the Holy Spirit has further
encouragement for us. Through Paul’s
hand, He says, “Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in
everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be
made known to God.” Our Lord
knows that this world is afflicted with all kinds of trouble and will be until
He returns in judgment. Having lived in
human flesh, our God knows that you need His help to face the problems that
come your way. So, He tells us two
things, first, that we should keep our minds on Him in all things. When He says, “Let your gentleness be known,” He is telling us not to focus on
ourselves and our problems. Wallowing in
self-pity won’t get us anything.
Concentrating on the hurts, or the hurters, only takes our focus away
from our God. Holding a grudge or
seeking revenge is the devil’s ploy.
Secondly, before Jesus ascended to
heaven, He promised, “Surely I am with
you always until the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) Paul can remind us to rejoice because he trusts
that “The Lord is near.” Thus,
God is not harsh in telling us, “Do not worry about anything.”
He isn’t saying “Just suck it up and get on with it!” Instead, the second thing God is telling us
that He has been here, too. He has felt
the pain and sorrow we feel. He has
suffered the devil’s attacks and the scheming of wicked men. Jesus knows how we hurt. He experienced the pain death causes among
us. Likewise, He knows what we need, and
He promises to answer our prayers.
The Bible says “We know 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) Even when we feel such despair that we don’t
know what to pray for, God tells us that “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we should pray for, but
the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that are not expressed in
words.” (Romans 8:26)
Fully confident that we do have God’s ear, Paul instructs us, “In everything, by prayer and
petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”
Dear friends, what should you do when
you feel hurt, angry, sorrowful, or afraid?
What should we do when we find it hard to forgive and hard to see the
good side of things? That is precisely when
you and I need to return to the One who saved us from sin. Turn to the God who loved you enough to send
His Son into this world to live and die for you. Hear spread throughout His Word His promises
of forgiveness and salvation. Taste His
body and blood on your lips by partaking in the Lord’s Supper. Go, continually, to your heavenly Father
through your Savior in prayer, knowing that He hears every word before you even
know what to pray.
Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you
rest.” (Matthew 11:28) The rest Jesus gives is the everlasting peace
He won for you and me and all people. It
is reconciliation between God and the people of earth. Now, He tells us to turn away from sin and
trust in Him. Turn away from the
troubles of this world by focusing on what He is giving to you: forgiveness,
peace, eternal rest and joy, everything we need for body and life, and an
everlasting home in heaven with Him and the Father. By trusting Jesus, you will forever and ever,
Rejoice in the peace of God! Amen.
May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and
in every way. The Lord be with you all. Amen.
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