Hosanna to the Son of David!

 

Sermon for Advent 1, November 30, 2025

Grace, mercy, and peace be yours, forever, from God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Matthew 21:14-17  ¹⁴The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them.  ¹⁵But when the chief priests and the experts in the law saw the wonders he performed and heard the children calling out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant.  ¹⁶They said to him, “Do you hear what they are saying?”  “Yes,” Jesus told them, “Have you never read, ‘From the lips of little children and nursing babies you have prepared praise?’”  ¹⁷He left them, went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there.

Hosanna to the Son of David!

Dear brothers and sisters united with Christ in Baptism,

            In 1527, Martin Luther made a visitation to all the churches in Saxony, and he found a terrible lack of knowledge about even the basics of Christian doctrine.  In the preface to the Small Catechism, Luther wrote:

The deplorable conditions which I recently encountered when I was a visitor constrained me to prepare this brief and simple catechism or statement of Christian teaching.  Good God, what wretchedness I beheld!  The common people, … have no knowledge whatever of Christian teaching, and unfortunately many pastors are quite incompetent and unfitted for teaching.

Therefore, so that we don’t fall into that same category of Christians who neither know nor practice the faith given to us by God’s grace, and so that I am not guilty of leaving you all uninformed of God’s mercy and kindness, I desire to review the Small Catechism over the coming year.  Likely every faithful pastor prays that those he instructs will continue to treasure their catechisms for the gift of God’s grace that enlightens their lives with hope, so that with all God’s children they continue singing, Hosanna to the Son of David!

Our sermon text seems a suitable Word of grace to kick off our review of the Small Catechism.  Here we meet those who came to Jesus out of desperation, but also out of trust that only He could help them.  Their faith in Jesus was rewarded with the healing He granted them. 

Now, we might use those hurting souls as pictures of our lives without Christ.  Without faith in Jesus, you and I and everyone else are stumbling through this troubled world unable to see God’s goodness in all He provides.  Without faith in Jesus, you and I would be unable to do anything that would please God.  Spiritually, we would be lame, paralyzed, and dead.  In fact, Paul wrote to people like us, “You were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked when you followed the ways of this present world.  You were following the ruler of the domain of the air, the spirit now at work in the people who disobey.” (Ephesians 2:1-2)  Just like those poor people Jesus healed at the temple, we could do nothing to change our spiritual affliction.  Yet, that certainly didn’t stop God from healing us.

Dear friends, by the power of Baptism and the Gospel, you and I were granted new life, new hope, and new power to walk with our Lord and to serve Him truly.  Are we perfect in this life?  By no means.  However, through the faith in Jesus granted to us by His holy Word, our future glory is now assured.  Here on earth, we may still stumble, and certainly the world might hate us, but in God’s kingdom of grace, we have every true and certain hope of the forgiveness of all sin and life eternal.

The little children who saw the miracles Jesus was doing recognized Jesus for who He is.  On the other hand, the leadership of the Jews were appalled that they should honor Jesus in this way, and they were especially incensed that He would accept that praise intended for the Messiah.  Matthew recorded the scene, But when the chief priests and the experts in the law saw the wonders he performed and heard the children calling out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant.  They said to him, “Do you hear what they are saying?”  Notice, it was the children who celebrated that God had fulfilled His promise to send a Savior and the King who would reign on David’s throne forever. 

The scribes and chief priests reacted as those who were afraid Jesus might steal their positions of minor power.  Even though those men were experts in the Old Testament writings, they couldn’t see Jesus as the Son of God.  What God had foretold through the prophets was wasted on them, because they were overly concerned with earthly things.  Some wanted a political helper.  Some didn’t want that for fear of losing their own political authority.  We might compare that to many people today.  Some fear that if there really is a God, then where will that leave them.  Some are so concerned about positive outcomes in this life that they gladly sacrifice eternal things for themselves and others.

This is why we need the catechism firmly in our grasp.  It summarizes what Jesus has done for us.  Yes, it shows us the law, first of all so that we recognize our need for Jesus as our Savior, then also it shows us how Christ would expect us to live as His body, the Church.  Yet, the law alone could and would not save anyone.  Now, for some contrary reason, our sinful nature likes to hear the law even though we fear it and even though it may lead us to sin even more.  For that reason, Luther understood that the Gospel must predominate, and in the catechism he wrote, that we still follow today, the Gospel does take prime stage.

As we study and learn the catechism, we first meet the law to pierce our selfish, sin-sick hearts in order to prepare us to hear the Good News of what Jesus has done for us.  Still, Luther didn’t leave us there with the sword of the law condemning us to eternal damnation.  Instead, Luther followed the Ten Commandments with the Apostle’s Creed which summarizes for us what the apostles’ believed after being with Jesus and witnessing all God’s Son did while living in human flesh. 

Each time we read or confess it, the Creed testifies to how salvation has come to the world and how the Father loved us from the beginning and sent His Son to be our Redeemer, Savior, and King.  It tells us how Jesus came to earth as an infant born of Mary, how He lived for us, suffered and died on our behalf, and rose again that first Easter Sunday to give us sure and certain proof that everything the Father and Son have promised is true.

Finally, the Third Article of the Creed tells us salvation is ours and how it comes to us through the Word and Sacraments.  It confesses the Holy Spirit working faith in us through the Word to make us holy in God’s eyes.  It confesses what we have become as the Body of Christ and the future that is ours in the kingdom of God through the work the Holy Spirit has done in us.  Through the work of the Spirit we receive the forgiveness of all sin so that St. Paul could write, “So then, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  For in Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:1-2)

Continuing to show God’s amazing grace, Luther followed the Creed and its explanation by examining the Lord’s Prayer.  There we learn of God’s earnest invitation to come to Him in every need, to pray, praise, and give thanks.  Just the fact that God has invited us to come to Him in every trouble should make us dance for joy, for there is no being more powerful than our Creator, and the Bible tells us that God has put all authority under Jesus.  Therefore, Jesus, the very God Man who out of love for us willingly laid down His life so that we may be declared righteous before God, and who then rose again victorious is continually pleading to His Father in heaven on our behalf.  There is nothing in this world that can separate us from God’s love. (Romans 8:38-39)  Furthermore, there is no one on earth so wicked or so lost that God in His infinite kindness does not want to save. (1 Timothy 2:4)

With the Gospel predominating the catechism, Luther takes us through instruction in the Sacraments.  The Lord’s Supper and Baptism are not some law or ordinance that we must participate in to earn God’s love or to demonstrate ours.  Rather, these Sacraments were instituted by Christ as means of grace to bring us into His kingdom of grace and mercy and to continually refresh our faith and confidence in His love and kindness. 

Baptism is a cleansing bath through which the Holy Spirit works to put God’s indelible mark on His chosen children.  In the Lord’s Supper, Jesus meets with us personally as He places His body in the bread on our tongues and His blood in the wine on our lips.  As the sacrificial Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, Jesus actively feeds us with His flesh so that we are reminded of His sacrifice on our behalf and refreshes our faith in Him with this medicine of life in the gift of His Father’s mercy.

In response to His enemies who opposed the children’s proclamation of Jesus’ true identity, Jesus said, “Yes,” … “Have you never read, ‘From the lips of little children and nursing babies you have prepared praise?’”  This is why we teach the catechism to our youth.  We teach this summary of the Christian faith to our children so that the Holy Spirit has another opportunity to build up saving faith in them.  In addition, we teach the catechism as preparation to receive the Lord’s Supper, for to partake of that holy meal without recognizing the body and blood of Jesus Christ could bring judgment on the sinner. 

Through all of this, the catechism teaches us to rejoice with those children, and the people who welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem the week before His sacrifice, in shouting out to the world, both to believers and enemies alike, “Hosanna to the Son of David!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!  Hosanna in the highest!” (Matthew 21:9)  Hosanna to the Son of David!  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. 

God gives perfect gifts to give us eternal life.

 

Sermon for Thanksgiving Eve, November 26, 2025

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.

James 1:16-18  ¹⁶Do not be deceived, my dear brothers.  ¹⁷Every good act of giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the lights, who does not change or shift like a shadow.  ¹⁸Just as he planned, he gave us birth by the word of truth so that we would be a kind of firstfruits of his creations. (EHV)

God gives perfect gifts to give us eternal life.

Dear fellow redeemed,

            When Moses gave his final instructions to the Israelite people before his death, he summarized how richly the Lord God would be blessing them, and then he warned them against falling prey to arrogance in connection with prosperity.  He said, “You might say in your heart, ‘My ability and the power of my hand have earned this wealth for me.’  But then you are to remember that the Lord your God is the one who gives you the ability to produce wealth, to confirm his covenant that he promised to your fathers with an oath, as he does to this day.” (Deuteronomy 8:17-18)

In our text this evening, the apostle, James, does much the same thing.  He reminds us that every good thing that comes our way is only ours because of the mercy and love of our God who provides them for us.  He reminds us, again, that God gives perfect gifts to give us eternal life.

A few moments ago, in our confession of faith from Luther’s explanation of the First Article of the Apostles’ Creed, we repeated the truth that God “richly and daily provides me with … all that I need to support this body and life.”  Again, this year, we have been blessed with weather that provided a rather bountiful harvest.  Perhaps, it wasn’t a record crop, at least not a record for everyone.  Yet, all the signs indicate that it should provide plenty for us all for the coming year.

Now, if we should fall prey to our sinful nature, we might credit ourselves for the hard work we did, the investments we made to put a crop in the ground, the inputs purchased and our decisions in choosing those things.  For the student or businessman, we might be tempted to imagine that whatever success we have is solely because of our labors, diligence, and intelligence.  Our natural flesh finds it very easy to succumb to these temptations, and certainly the devil would have great glee if he gets us to forget that all these gifts come from God.  Paul Harvey used to say, “Man — despite his artistic pretensions, his sophistication, and his many accomplishments — owes his existence to a six-inch layer of topsoil and the fact that it rains.”  Soil, sunshine, and rain are all precious gifts of God’s providence.

Remember also, God gave us the breath of life that allows us to live and move and have our being.  St. Paul in his letter to the Roman congregation reminds us “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)  This doesn’t happen by chance for it is God working all those things for our benefit, because He loves us and wants us to come through this life to be joined with Him in His kingdom for eternity.  Just as God gave the whole Garden of Eden for the man and his wife to enjoy and prosper in, so God provides all we need to live.

We must mention, also, that God continues to do this for both the good and the wicked.  Jesus said, “He makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:45)  Therefore, the question before us this evening is do we always give credit where credit is due?  Do we always thank and praise God regardless of how richly He blesses us, or do we fail to thank and praise whenever we feel like we drew the short straw?

James encourages us, “Do not be deceived, my dear brothers.  Every good act of giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the lights, who does not change or shift like a shadow.”  The evil in this world does not come from God.  Our creator never tempts us to sin, that comes from within us and by the wicked encouragement of the devil.  However, as St. Paul reminded us, God can and does work through even the many wicked actions of sinful man to turn those deeds for our good in the end, and God works also through the curse of sin which is death to bring about His eternal good.  Please don’t misunderstand me here.  The curse of sin, and death as well, are not the good.  Rather, even in these things, God is working in us to help us recognize our need for a Savior.

And that brings us to the best gifts.  Because we all fall far short of the glory of God and we all have failed at some point in our lives to give all credit where credit truly is due, therefore, we all deserve to be banished from His presence forever, which God never desires.  Therefore, He sent His own dear Son, Jesus, to live perfect gratitude on our behalf.  This is the greatest gift God has given us.  On the night Jesus was born, the angel announced from the sky, “Today in the town of David, a Savior was born for you.  He is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11)

Before mankind even fell into sin, God had this plan prepared.  He knew that mankind would fall.  Still, that wasn’t what God desired, so in order for our relationship with God to be one of faith, our first parents had to be created with a free will.  But, as you all know, they blew that free will by choosing to listen to the devil’s temptations, and because of that our will has never been completely free since.  Always, we are born bound under the devil’s chains by sin.  But, I repeat, God had a plan.

James wrote, “Every good act of giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the lights, who does not change or shift like a shadow.”  God created a perfect paradise for His people, but His people failed to keep that perfect.  Still, God did not change.  He continues to desire a relationship with us.  He continues to provide for our daily bread.  He continues to bless us in every way still these thousands of years later.  Most importantly, God provided a way to salvage the relationship between us and Him.  Jesus came to reconcile the world with His Father.

Naturally, this greatest gift wouldn’t do us much good if we never learned about it, never received its blessing, nor were ever wrenched from the devil’s control.  Certainly, Satan wouldn’t give us up without a fight, yet that was a fight we couldn’t win on our own, so God provides.

James wrote, “Just as he planned, he gave us birth by the word of truth so that we would be a kind of firstfruits of his creations.”  Before He created the world, God had a plan in place.  In that plan, by which our reconciliation with God was accomplished by Jesus with His holy life and then His sacrificial death in our place.  Another of God’s great gifts—that He took all the sins of the world and charged them to Jesus so that by the death of His Son in our place, the Father could count us innocent.  Still, what good would that do if we never heard about that rich grace?

Thus, again, God has a plan and you and I have received further tremendous gifts through the faith the Holy Spirit works in us by His holy word and the Sacraments Jesus instituted.  God gives His holy Gospel to teach us all He has done through Jesus to rescue us from the devil’s grasp.  By the power of the Gospel, God fulfils the promise He made long ago:

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit inside you.  I will remove the heart of stone from your body and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit within you and will cause you to walk in my statutes, and you will carefully observe my ordinances.  Then you will live in the land I gave your fathers.  You will be my people, and I will be your God.  I will save you from all your impurity. (Ezekiel 36:26-29)

While we once were dead in sin, God has renewed us and given us life everlasting through faith in Jesus.  While we once had no hope, God has given us a sure and certain future so that even though death will take us out of this world, we will live with our Lord in heaven forever.

Therefore, what are we doing here this evening?  We are again giving thanks and praise to our Creator, Savior, and King, because God gives perfect gifts to give us eternal life.  We are here shouting praises to the hilltops because God provides for all we need for body and life.  Of course, this isn’t the only time we do that.  Praise God that by the gift and power of the Holy Spirit given to us in the Gospel, we live our earthly lives giving thanks to God for all His great mercy and providence.  But along with many others in this world all too often unthankful, we give thanks and praise that God has never forgotten His people. 

For as long as this world has existed, God had a plan to save those He calls to faith.  You and I couldn’t find that plan.  We had no idea how it might be accomplished until we heard the Gospel.  Likewise, God has His plans to provide everything we need in this life, as well.  The men and women of this world have been blessed with great creativity and genius that has brought us many great technological gifts and conveniences; for these and for all the other rich blessings He gives us, we give thanks to God as well.  Yet, as we do every Sunday, and I hope every day of our lives, we give thanks especially, that God has called us to faith in His Son, and given us the sure hope that because Jesus lives, we will live also.  In everything that is life, God gives perfect gifts to give us eternal life.  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.

Wait for the Lord, for the righteous live by faith.

 

Sermon for the Last Sunday of the Church Year, November 23, 2025

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.

Habakkuk 1:1-3 & 2:1-4  The threatening oracle which the prophet Habakkuk saw.  ²How long, Lord, must I cry for help, but you do not listen?  I call out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save!  ³Why do you cause me to see injustice?  Why do you overlook misery?  Devastation and violence confront me.  There is strife, and tensions rise. … I will stand at my watch post and station myself on the city wall.  I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer he will give to my complaint.  ²Then the Lord answered me.  He said: “Record the vision and write it plainly on tablets so that a herald may run with it.  ³Indeed, the vision is waiting for the appointed time.  It longs for fulfillment and will not prove false.  If it seems slow in coming, wait for it, because it will certainly come and will not be delayed.  ⁴Look, his soul is puffed up and is not righteous within him—but the righteous one will live by his faith.” (EHV)

Wait for the Lord, for the righteous live by faith.

Dear children of the heavenly Father,

            The prophet observed the pervasive, stifling wickedness in Judah, and he cried to the Lord with a complaint: “How long, Lord, must I cry for help, but you do not listen?  I call out to you, ‘Violence!’ but you do not save!  Why do you cause me to see injustice?  Why do you overlook misery?” 

It’s quite possible that you and I are equally impatient with the Lord at times.  It’s hard to observe the wickedness in our world and wonder why God just doesn’t end it.  Why does He put up with such wickedness?  Why doesn’t He come and destroy those who seem especially evil?  Why does He allow the devil, the world, and our own weak and sinful flesh to tempt us into wickedness and doubt?

Habakkuk most likely lived and prophesied shortly before Babylon crushed the kingdom of Judah.  The times were evil in almost every way.  The leading members of Jewish society, the movers and shakers of the prophet’s world, had no interest in following the Lord and no interest in looking out for the welfare of the citizens.  The whole nation was afflicted by violence.  No one was truly safe from the predations of roaming criminals or the rulers in charge.  The king actively opposed the Lord’s prophets.  Many of God’s prophets were tortured and even slaughtered.  The courts, likewise, were corrupt, so a common person could get little help there.

In similar ways, we are tormented with daily reports of murders, bombings, rapes, tortures, robbery, fraud, and many other malicious acts.  In certain overseas places, Christians are more likely to be persecuted and murdered than to be allowed to worship freely.  In our own country, attitudes seem to be moving from bad to worse.  A large part of the population imagines that it is a good thing that unborn babies are still slaughtered every day.  Politicians on both sides of the aisle seem more concerned with enjoying the perks of their offices, raking in campaign contributions, and getting re-elected than with any real concern for protecting the ordinary citizen.  Oftentimes, it seems that some lives matter more than others, and court cases are decided more by the skills of the lawyers than by actual guilt or innocence.

Consequently, many wonder has God abandoned us?  Doesn’t He care that His people are tormented by the wickedness of our world?  Why won’t He stop this madness, sorrow, and pain? 

But indeed, the Lord has an answer, both, for Habakkuk and for us, and God had His prophet record this message to be shared with all people of the earth: Wait for the Lord, for the righteous live by faith.

While it is true that this world has always had terrible things happening in various places, the first question we must ask is “What right do we have to judge God?”  The honest answer is that we have no right to judge, or even to question God’s actions, for they are always holy.  Through Isaiah, the Lord declares, “My ways are higher than your ways and my plans are higher than your plans.” (Isaiah 55:9)

Now, you and I would certainly have the right to do what we want with anything we make.  In fact, God once sent the prophet, Jeremiah, to observe a potter working on his wheel and to see how the craftsman formed up a pot only to tear it down and start over when the vessel wasn’t up to his standards, then re-forming the lump of clay into something new.  At that time, God asked Jeremiah, “Can I not do with you as this potter does?" (Jeremiah 18:6)  Clearly, we should happily accept whatever God sends our way.

Yet, that answer still doesn’t take away our fears and doubts, does it?  Furthermore, God invites us to bring all our sorrows and our prayers to Him for help and healing.  So, what is the point of this text?  Clearly, the message is Wait for the Lord, for the righteous live by faith, for it is by faith that you are saved. (Ephesians 2:8)

Now, Habakkuk believed what God was telling him, and he said, “I will stand at my watch post and station myself on the city wall.  I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer he will give to my complaint.”  Because he believed God, who created us and all things, Habakkuk stood in faith and soon received God’s answer.

Still, doesn’t it seem really hard to be brave, patient, and faithful when the world is so against us?  Of course,

the Lord never said life in this corrupt world would be easy.  Rather, Jesus told us that we will have trouble and persecution just as He endured.  The same enemies that were opposed to Jesus’ efforts to save us also oppose us and God’s plan to keep us faithful.  We know that evil drives many in our world just as sin infects each of us.  So, why doesn’t God just end the world and send all the wicked immediately to hell?  Finally, it is God’s mercy that keeps this world going, even in its troubled and wicked state. 

Can you imagine the horror for you if God would have brought Judgment Day upon the world in the days before you were brought to faith in Jesus?  How awful it would be for us if God wouldn’t have brought us the Gospel or washed us in the healing waters of Baptism before ending our days.  In the Bible, the Lord tells us that He “wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4)  Consequently, God first demonstrates His great love by being merciful to sinners like you and me, and even to the very worst sinners of the world.  God wants all people to be turned from their wicked ways, to believe in Jesus and live.  In fact, many of the people shown God’s mercy in the Bible had committed grave sins; Paul, Peter, David, and Abraham all did some terrible stuff.  Still, God keeps this world going because of His great love, and His big heart to save people like you and me.

Therefore, God tells us to wait.  Wait and see how God plans to save some of those wicked creatures.  Wait with the strengthening Word of God carrying you through these times of trial.  Wait for the Lord to bring His vengeance upon those who hate and reject Him, but at the same time, hold out the Good News of Jesus, to friend and foe alike, so that some might hear that Gospel and be saved.

The Lord also tells us that the wicked will indeed get their just reward.  Those who refuse God’s mercy will get the appropriate sentence come Judgment Day.  In Habakkuk’s day, God used the pagan nation of Babylon to bring justice down upon unfaithful Judah.  But, Babylon wouldn’t escape justice for long.  After only a few short years, Babylon too would be ground under the boot of a foreign conqueror, and that seemingly strong nation would never rise again.

This prophecy isn’t just about destroying Babylon, though.  It is about God keeping His promises that the Savior would come into the world and be the fulfillment of God’s salvation plan.  Regarding Habakkuk’s complaint, The LORD replied: “Record the vision and write it plainly on tablets so that a herald may run with it.  Indeed, the vision is waiting for the appointed time.  It longs for fulfillment and will not prove false.  If it seems slow in coming, wait for it, because it will certainly come and will not be delayed.  Look, his soul is puffed up and is not righteous within him—but the righteous one will live by his faith.”  This is the promise of the Gospel, that God grants forgiveness and salvation through the gift of faith in Jesus.

Judah and Babylon were wicked just like so many people of our day are immoral, wicked, and cruel.  Still, we dare not consider ourselves above them for sinful man is always puffed up and unwilling to obey God.  However, that didn’t stop God from wanting to save us.  At the appointed time, Jesus came into the world, fully God and fully man.  When God’s Son came into human flesh, He did so not to rule a kingdom on earth, nor to judge and condemn.  Rather, Christ came to take on Himself the judgment and death we each deserved, and His resurrection from the dead was the beginning of the end times.

Jesus also came to live the absolute, perfect faith that so often escapes us.  Where we are weak and worried, Jesus remained strong and bold in trusting His Father.  Where we want to question God’s plan and God’s care for us, Jesus prayed, "Father,…not my will, but yours be done." (Luke 22:42)  Jesus didn’t pray for just those disciples who loved Him in the moment.  Rather, He implored His Father in heaven,  "I am praying not only for them, but also for those who believe in me through their message.  May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me, and I am in you.  May they also be one in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me.” (John 17:20-21)  Furthermore, though He had all power to do so, Jesus never sought revenge on those who hurt, abused, betrayed, and finally had Him killed; rather, praying for them and for us all, Jesus pleaded, " Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34)

Dear friends, when the evil of this world begins to overwhelm you, remember that Jesus prayed for you.  When you feel your guilt, remember: Jesus lived a perfect life for you, and He died the death you and I deserved so that His Father in heaven has now rightly declared us innocent of all guilt.  Whenever the troubles and sorrows so common in this broken world start to break down your trust in the Father, realize that having won your forgiveness full and free, God’s Son sent His Holy Spirit through Word and Sacrament to give you this saving faith in Jesus that covers you with His perfect righteousness.  Remember also that Jesus will never leave you nor forsake you, just as He promised.  In fact, He surrounds you with guardian angels to protect your life, and with His love and protection keeps you in saving faith until the moment God has chosen for you to enter Paradise. 

What lies ahead for us tomorrow?  Will there be good times, or bad, before we are called to go home to His heaven?  The words of the prophet tell us simply to keep focused on the love of God; keep trusting His amazing mercy and grace; Wait for the Lord, for the righteous live by faith.  Amen.

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

Patient endurance in faith gains eternal life.

 

Sermon for Pentecost 23, November 16, 2025

Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Luke 21:5-19  ⁵As some were talking about the temple, how it was decorated with beautiful stones and offerings, Jesus said, ⁶“These things that you see here—the days will come when there will not be one stone left on another—every one will be thrown down.”  ⁷They asked him, “Teacher, when will these things happen?  And what is the sign that these things are about to happen?”  ⁸He said, “Watch out so that you are not deceived!  For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time is near.’  Do not follow them.  ⁹Whenever you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be terrified, for these things must happen first, but the end will not be right then.”  ¹⁰Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  ¹¹There will be great earthquakes, famines, and plagues in various places.  There will be horrifying sights and great signs from heaven.  ¹²But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, handing you over to synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for my name’s sake.  ¹³It will turn out to be your opportunity to testify.  ¹⁴So make up your minds not to prepare beforehand how to defend yourselves, ¹⁵for I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.  ¹⁶You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends.  They will put some of you to death.  ¹⁷You will be hated by all people for my name’s sake.  ¹⁸But not a hair of your head will perish.  ¹⁹By patient endurance you will gain your lives. (EHV)

Patient endurance in faith gains eternal life.

Dear fellow redeemed,

            It happens at least once a week; I will be having a conversation with someone about current events, and that person will ask whether I don’t think Judgment Day is right around the corner.  Now, what I think about that time is of little importance, but it shows that judgment is on peoples’ minds because anyone with any familiarity with the Bible, or Christianity in general, has heard about the signs of the end.  Our text this morning is filled with signs that must be fulfilled before the end of the world.  In reality, much of what Jesus mentions, here, concerns the destruction, or we could say, the judgment of Jerusalem and the persecution His apostles would endure.  However, more important than reading the signs of the times is knowing that Patient endurance in faith gains eternal life.

As we come upon the scene in our text, we see disciples following Jesus, but they were distracted by the beauty of the temple in Jerusalem.  Even though that temple being rebuilt by the Herods was but a shadow of Solomon’s temple, it was still a marvelous structure.  Immense stones were placed.  Precious stones adorned the walls, and some walls were wrapped in gold.  It truly was magnificent to see, but it would be a temporary structure.  It wouldn’t last nearly as long as the tabernacle, or tent, that had been God’s dwelling place on earth when Moses led the Children of Israel through the wilderness and on until judges ruled Israel.  That should serve as a reminder to us.  The things of this world, no matter how magnificent, are temporary.  We saw that twenty-four years ago when two massive, magnificent towers were felled in a matter of a couple hours. 

When Jesus warned of the temple’s demise, He was foretelling the judgment that would fall upon Judah approximately forty years later.  In 70 A.D., the Roman armies laid siege to the city and every person inside was eventually massacred or led off into slavery.  The city walls fell; the temple lay in ruins, and the conquering hoards ransacked everything of value.  Jesus warned, “These things that you see here—the days will come when there will not be one stone left on another—every one will be thrown down.”

Now, most regard this as ancient history, so what does it mean for you and me?  As Jesus spoke about Jerusalem’s destruction, He was also foretelling the end of the world.  Because no one knows what day God has set to have Jesus return with all His angels to judge the world and everything in it, we need to be ready at all times.  The Holy Spirit through St. Paul warns, “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.  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.” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3)  Likewise, Jesus tells us, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.  All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” (Matthew 25:31-32)

On the day Luke wrote about, “They asked him, “Teacher, when will these things happen?  And what is the sign that these things are about to happen?”  Mankind is always curious to know when judgment might come.  We see that all the time as criminals try to avoid detection, or when children hide from their parent’s accusing eyes.  Many imagine that if we can only know when Jesus will return we will have time to prepare—time to get right with God—time to do what we should have been doing all along, or to stop doing what we know is wrong.

Yet, the truth is, what we are doing or not doing at the moment Jesus returns will not affect His judgment, because “God’s foundation stands firm, having this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are his.’” (2 Timothy 2:19)  Here we learn that none of us is ever good enough to earn acceptance into heavenly glory.  There is no Hall of Fame committee that will vote us into God’s elect.

This is why Jesus instructs His followers, “Watch out so that you are not deceived!  For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time is near.’  Do not follow them.”  Do not follow those who pretend to replace God’s Son.  The Bible has clearly stated, “Look, he is coming with clouds, and every eye will see him, including those who pierced him.  And all the nations of the earth will mourn because of him.” (Revelation 1:7)  Thus, anyone who comes in any other way claiming to be Jesus is clearly an imposter, but just as clearly, no one goes to the Father except through Jesus, and it is through faith in Jesus that we are welcome in the Father’s presence.  Likewise, anyone claiming to know when Judgment Day will come marks himself as a fraud, for Jesus informed His disciples, “No one knows when that day and hour will be, not the angels of heaven, not even the Son, but only the Father.” (Matthew 24:36)

As we read through the rest of this text, we hear of many terrible and troublesome things that will take place before Jesus returns.  Indeed, Jesus says, “Whenever you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be terrified, for these things must happen first, but the end will not be right then.”  Those things must happen before the end comes.  It is mystifying to our minds that such tragic things are necessary.  Why should so much suffering and destruction be needed?  The best we can answer is with God’s Word through Isaiah, “Certainly my plans are not your plans, and your ways are not my ways, declares the Lord.  Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my plans are higher than your plans” (Isaiah 55:8-9)  At the same time, we take heart because God also declares, “My word that goes out from my mouth will not return to me empty.  Rather, it will accomplish whatever I please, and it will succeed in the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11)  Therefore, by the work of the Spirit, Patient endurance in faith gains eternal life.

It is God’s will to save as many sinners as possible, and He works through the means of His Word and Sacrament to bring lost souls to life and into His kingdom of grace.  Many in this world will be terrified when “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  There will be great earthquakes, famines, and plagues in various places.  There will be horrifying sights and great signs from heaven.”  Those tragic events and scary signs will shake people to their core, and some will seek God’s help.  Some will finally admit they need a Savior.  It is at that point that God has prepared His elect to receive forgiveness and salvation by the power of the Holy Spirit in the Gospel and Sacrament.  Of course, it doesn’t take terror to bring every sinner to the baptismal font, but in some cases, terror shatters the stony heart so that it can receive God’s mercy.

As these troubles, disasters, heavenly signs, wars, and persecution take place, God will make opportunities for His people to witness to the hope they have in Christ Jesus.  Jesus pointedly told His disciples that they would suffer great persecution, even death, and betrayal by their own families on account of Jesus’ name.  We can likewise expect to endure the same things.  Many years later, St. Peter wrote, “But even if you should happen to suffer because of righteousness, you are blessed.  Do not be afraid of what they fear, and do not be troubled.  But regard the Lord, the Christ, as holy in your hearts.  Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that is in you.” (1 Peter 3:14-15)

In our times, we see more and more opposition to Jesus and His Word.  Again, Jesus reminds us, “You will be hated by all people for my name’s sake.”  In these end times, we can and should expect trouble.  However, this troubled world has never been our true home.  Our true and eternal home is with our Lord in heaven.  It is because of His love for you and His mercy for our sins that Jesus promises, “But not a hair of your head will perish.  By patient endurance you will gain your lives.”  Regardless of what happens in this world, God will raise us from the dead with glorified bodies.  No force of nature, no natural disaster, no act of Satan, and certainly nothing man can do to us will ever change what God has in store for those who love Him.

Through all of this, God calls us to be His witnesses.  No, not all of us will be tortured or killed for believing in Jesus, but if that should ever come our way, as we see it happening in so many places around the world, today, Jesus wants us to patiently endure as testimony to the hope we have which is complete forgiveness of all our sins, and the sure and certain confidence that Jesus has won our salvation, and the Spirit has brought that forgiveness, life, and salvation to us through faith in Jesus worked in us by the power of His Gospel.

As much trouble as this text describes, it is a call to faith in Jesus as our Savior.  Everything He foretold has been happening since He returned to His Father’s side in heaven.  Nothing has happened that is not in God’s plan to save sinners.  Neither will anything ever steal away God’s love or His loving care for His elect—those who are called to faith in Jesus—who believe in Him for life and salvation everlasting.  Therefore, for you and me, Patient endurance in faith gains eternal life.  Amen.

May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit, both soul and body, be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.  Amen.

The faithful dwell with God forever in peace.

 

Sermon for Pentecost 22, November 9, 2025

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.

Revelation 22:1-5  The angel showed me the river of the water of life, which was as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb.  ²In the middle of the city’s street and on each side of the river was a tree of life that yielded twelve kinds of fruit.  The tree yields its fruit every month, and its leaves are for the healing of the nations.  ³There will no longer be any curse.  The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city.  His servants will worship him.  ⁴They will see his face.  His name will be on their foreheads.  ⁵There will no longer be any night or any need for lamplight or sunlight, because the Lord God will shine on them.  And they will reign forever and ever. (E HV)

The faithful dwell with God forever in peace.

Dear saints, washed in the blood of the Lamb,

            This is the first time I have preached on the Revelation of Jesus Christ two Sundays in a row.  I didn’t plan it that way, but by God’s grace, He shows us the life that is ours through faith in Christ Jesus.  Last week, our text showed us what mankind will see in the immediate aftermath of Jesus’ return in glory.  Today, we are given a vision that tells us about everlasting life.  Still, in both texts, there is a certain amount of both life eternal and life given in the here and now.  The vision is an apocalyptic message that The faithful dwell with God forever in peace.

In an apocalyptic vision, we must be careful to realize that it is not likely an exact replica of what heaven will look like.  Instead, the picture gives a message of the grace of God and how He delivers His mercy to sinners like you and me.  Thus, we gaze upon this picture as an explanation of how God has loved us and will continue to do so forever.

John wrote, “The angel showed me the river of the water of life, which was as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb.”  The message for you and me and for all people is that salvation comes from God alone.  Grace is granted to us from God and the fact that Jesus offered Himself as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  We are not remiss to say that this also represents the Gospel of our Lord which is the message of all God has done through His Son to reconcile Himself with sinners and purify us for His kingdom.  Paul wrote in his letter to the Roman congregation, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes—to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.  For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed by faith, for faith, just as it is written, ‘The righteous will live by faith.’” (Romans 1:16-17)

God’s Gospel is pure living water, bringing to the stricken soul, dying in this wilderness world, the pure saving news of what Jesus has done for us.  Again, it is a both and.  This living water brings us life now, and it sustains that life for all eternity after the Lord brings us home to His paradise to dwell in everlasting peace.  Remember Jesus’ words to a thirsty Samaritan woman at a well: Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” (John 4:10)  That woman, so afflicted with sin had heard the promises of the patriarchs about the coming Messiah.  Jesus stopped at that well to show her the way of life.  The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (the one called Christ). “When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”  Jesus said to her, “I, the one speaking to you, am he.” (John 4:25-26)

In line with that Samaritan woman, our natural flesh thirsted for this living water, even if we didn’t yet know it.  Therefore, what shame do we find in our lives that separates us from God?  As we dwell in this world so corrupted and so troubled by the curse of sin, how much trouble do we need to experience to know we need Jesus?  Sadly, like that Samaritan woman, no one can find that living water on our own.  The sin that dwells within is in constant rebellion against God.  Therefore, we by nature are in constant rebellion against God.  The picture John paints for us here shows that we do nothing to gain forgiveness and life, but that God grants salvation to us through His living water.

You see, we have been blessed by the water of life flowing from the living God and from the Lamb, Jesus.  In Baptism, God applied water along with the Gospel as a rebirth, or really a birth from above.  In that saving bath, God cleanses us from the guilt of our sin, wrests us from the devil’s control, and adopts us into His own family through faith.  In that saving bath, the Holy Spirit puts the name of our God on our foreheads just as pictured here.  Just like our earthly father’s name typically becomes our surname, God’s name goes with us telling the world that we are His own. 

Of course, just like with our physical lives, our spiritual lives need nourishment to keep us vibrant.  This is where so many people today fool themselves into falling prey to the devil’s deceptions.  Our flesh and Satan love to tell us we don’t need God or the life-giving refreshment of His Word and Sacrament.  Yet, without the water of life and food from the tree of life, the new life God implanted in us at Baptism will gradually fade into starvation and eternal dehydration.  It’s not a pretty picture.  We are horrified when we see images of people who were starved in prison camps or caught in the throes of severe famine.  The pictures of babies shriveled into skin and bones revolt us.  Yet, the same thing happens to souls that are not continually fed from the tree of life and refreshed by the Gospel’s living water.

Because of His loving mercy, God is already offering this life-giving refreshment to all who partake.  However, in heaven, no one will ever refuse this saving gift, nor will it ever run short.  St. John reports of the vision, “In the middle of the city’s street and on each side of the river was a tree of life that yielded twelve kinds of fruit.  The tree yields its fruit every month, and its leaves are for the healing of the nations.”  Forever after, God Himself will provide all we need for life.  The picture shows an overabundance of God’s mercy and grace sustaining His people forever.

Perhaps, the most important clue given, though, is that “There will no longer be any curse.”  This curse was laid on the world when Adam and Eve listened to the serpent in the Garden.  The curse of sin is that because of sin we all die.  That curse causes all the trouble, sorrow, deterioration, and persecution in this world.  Every part of creation crumbles to destruction directly as the result of the curse of sin.  St. Paul explained in his letter to the Roman congregation, “Creation is waiting with eager longing for the sons of God to be revealed.  For creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in the hope that even creation itself will be set free from slavery to corruption, in order to share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.” (Romans 8:19-21)

Because the curse of sin was lifted when Jesus rose from the grave, you and I are not subject to the second death which is eternal separation from God in hell.  Consequently, for those who believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, we are no longer banned from the presence of our Creator.  The angel showed John, “The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city.  His servants will worship him.  They will see his face.  His name will be on their foreheads.” 

Just as Adam and Eve enjoyed perfect harmony with God in the Garden of Eden before their fall into sin, so in heaven, you and I will be in God’s presence without fear and without any danger.  His glory will be a light to our way.  God will be to us as the Father we could only dream about, and Jesus our Brother and King will be our joy continually as The faithful dwell with God forever in peace.

There in heaven, we will serve God without hesitation, not as slaves but as fellow members of the royal family.  The vision shows us “There will no longer be any night or any need for lamplight or sunlight, because the Lord God will shine on them.  And they will reign forever and ever.”  Here on earth, people often fear the darkness of night, because we know that in the dark, criminals and ne’er-do-wells often seek to harm those they come across.  Because the glory of our God and Savior will cover us in heaven, there is nothing there to fear.  Never again will we be dissatisfied with anything.  Even our assigned service, whatever that might be, will only bring joy to our hearts.

By His life and death on our behalf, Jesus made us His equal in holiness.  How that can be is a mystery.  Yet, the Bible tells us that the Church, that is the whole assembly of those who believe in Jesus as their Savior, Redeemer, and King, are pictured as the Bride of Christ, having been cleansed of all guilt by the water and blood shed from His side on the cross, and dressed in the pure, magnificent gown of Jesus’ righteousness; they are thus prepared to reign with Him forever, just as it says here.

Our world is full of people who are afraid of the Bible’s message.  They fear God because they reject Him, and in their hearts, the curse of sin often reminds them that God’s justice demands punishment.  Sadly, for many people, their fear and contempt for God’s mercy keeps them from enjoying the life-giving water of the Gospel and the healing food of the Tree of Life. 

Just as many people fear God, many also are intimidated by the Book of the Revelation.  The pictures terrify many who don’t understand the Gospel, even though the revelations were given to John to show fellow believers that Jesus has already won the eternal victory on our behalf, and though the devil and the world may rage against us, we have peace with God and the eternal joy of dwelling with our God, Creator, and King in heavenly peace. 

All glory to His name, for The faithful dwell with God forever in peace.

To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever.  Amen.