Live thankfully in the peace of Christ.

 

Sermon for Christmas 1, New Year’s Eve, 2023

Mercy and peace to you all, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people.”  Amen.

Colossians 3:12-17  ¹²Therefore, as God’s elect, holy and loved, clothe yourselves with heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  ¹³Bear with one another and forgive each other if anyone has a complaint against anyone else.  Forgive, just as Christ forgave you.  ¹⁴And, in addition to all these things, put on love, which ties things together in perfect unity.  ¹⁵Let the peace of Christ control your hearts, to which you were also called, in one body.  And be thankful.  ¹⁶Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God.  ¹⁷And everything you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (EHV)

Live thankfully in the peace of Christ.

Dear brothers and sisters in Jesus,

            In this first Sunday after Christmas, we have also reached the end of the old year, while looking forward into the new.  At times like this, it is commonplace for people of all walks of life, and all backgrounds, to examine themselves in light of the past year and resolve to improve themselves in the coming new year.  In a way, this is similar to what happens when an unbeliever is transformed by the work of the Holy Spirit granting faith in that new believer’s heart.  Once faith in Jesus takes over, the sinner is ashamed of many of the ways he or she formerly lived, and the desire to live for and like Jesus grows as the faith in Jesus grows.

Now, you and I may not remember what it was like to be completely alien to God, but Paul wrote this letter to former pagans who needed and desired instruction in Christian living.  If we are honest with ourselves, we all need this instruction for as long as we remain here on earth, we remain sinners even while believing in Jesus as our Savior.  Therefore, while the old man battles against the new, our new man of faith desires to Live thankfully in the peace of Christ.

It can be easy to read these instructions and despair at how often we fail to live up to them.  As we look at ourselves over the past year, how often don’t we find times when we didn’t have compassion in how we reacted to others?  How often haven’t we been boastful instead of humble, rude instead of kind, obnoxious instead of gentle, and easily annoyed instead of patient with our fellow man, or even our own families?  How often have we found it hard to forgive someone who was rude to us, or perhaps took advantage of us somehow?  How often didn’t we find it hard to love, that is to put someone else’s needs fully ahead of our own?

I expect that many of us, if not all of us, can find times when we fell short of what Paul instructs here.  More than that, if you don’t find yourself guilty of any of these things, you are likely deceiving yourself.  However, the point here isn’t to belittle or shame us, nor that we must do all these things to be a Christian.  Instead, Paul’s point is to show us Jesus and how He has already lived these things for us.  Then, having faith in Jesus, and being united with Christ through faith and baptism, we not only want to live this holy lifestyle, we are already counted as such by God for Jesus’ sake, and in that connection, we earnestly desire to turn from our old sinful ways to live in the holiness joined together with us through faith.

As I said, at times such as this, we want to examine ourselves, and finding shortcomings, we desire to improve.  Therefore, as Christian believers, we return in daily repentance to our baptisms and are again cleansed of our sin for Jesus’ sake.  Then having that perfect cleansing, we go about our days living for the Savior who lived and died to make us holy.

The center of Paul’s instruction says: “Let the peace of Christ control your hearts, to which you were also called, in one body.”  Christ Jesus came into this world in exactly the same birth that brought us into the world.  To do so, Jesus set aside His divine glory to live as one of us.  The Son of God put on human flesh so He could live in the same sinful world that causes us so much grief, yet He remained sinless.  As one of us, Jesus endured the taunts of sinners, the unkindness of strangers, and the impatience of even those who loved Him.  He suffered the shame of watching His heavenly Father’s words be mocked, and God’s commands be ignored or twisted to fit the desires of the wicked. 

Jesus owned the right to strike down every sinner for the offence they show to God, yet instead of entering our world to judge, Jesus lived to save.  Where we might get angry at some perceived slight, Jesus was patient.  When He was cheated of the glory He deserved, Jesus remained silent before His accusers.  And when cruel soldiers nailed Jesus to the cross, He prayed to His Father in heaven for their forgiveness, and for ours.  Everything Jesus did, everything He suffered, Jesus did so that you and I would have peace with God.

It is in knowing all that Jesus lived so that we might be declared holy, that we read the words the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write,

Therefore, as God’s elect, holy and loved, clothe yourselves with heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  Bear with one another and forgive each other if anyone has a complaint against anyone else.  Forgive, just as Christ forgave you.  And, in addition to all these things, put on love, which ties things together in perfect unity. 

You and I may find it hard to live up to this instruction, but Jesus already did for us, and being united with Him, how can we turn against the Son of God who made us whole?  Yes, the battle often rages within.  What our old sinful nature wants goes against our new man of faith.  At the same time, Jesus remains with us to lead and guide us in living according to His will.  As the Holy Spirit pours out the gospel of our Lord Jesus upon us, His love ties us to Him in perfect unity.

Notice that we who believe in Jesus are God’s elect, chosen from eternity to receive God’s love and forgiveness, not because of anything we have done or deserve, but because of God’s grace.  Paul confirmed this in his letter to the Ephesian congregation when he wrote, “God, because he is rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in trespasses.  It is by grace you have been saved!” (Ephesians 2:4-5)

Here, Paul wrote, “Let the peace of Christ control your hearts, to which you were also called, in one body.  And be thankful.”  Imagine how rude it would be to be ungrateful for the greatest gift ever given.  Anyone who rejects this peace with God, that Christ has won for us, spits in the face of the God who so loved the world that He sacrificed His own dear Son so that we might live.  To the believer, this seems unthinkable.  Still, our sinful nature is a strong enemy, so we need God’s help to overcome its selfishness.  Therefore, St. Paul advises, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God.”

Why do you think we are gathered here this morning?  We gather in worship, not just so that we might praise and honor God, but primarily so that the Lord of heaven and earth can serve us with His Word and the power of His Spirit.  Here we teach and admonish one another, confessing our sins, hearing both our shortcomings of sin and the healing power of the Gospel which brings us into fellowship with God.  Here, Jesus pours out His body and blood in the bread and wine to feed our souls and strengthen us for living in His likeness.  Yes, here we also sing praise with gratitude to God because anything and everything good about us comes only from the Lord.

After Jesus entered Jerusalem early in the week in which He was to endure the suffering and death that won life for us, He contemplated what He was sent to do, and He prayed, “Father, glorify your name!”  A voice came from heaven: “I have glorified my name, and I will glorify it again.”  (John 12:28)  The Father is glorified by what Jesus did to save you and me, and by how the Holy Spirit moves us to believe and live for Him.  Thus, it is by faith in Jesus that you and I glorify God when we live according to God’s instructions.  This is the grace God gives us.  It is even by grace that the Holy Spirit brings us these commands.  Without His guidance, we would still wander in the dark, but with the Word of our God we walk in the light of Jesus.  Therefore, we hear again Paul’s admonishment, “And everything you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Dear friends, we know that on our own we will always fall short of the glory of God.  However, Jesus lived perfectly for us, in perfect kindness, meekness, and loving service.  Through faith, He now connects us with His perfection, and by His Word, He empowers us to live in His likeness.  We know we will never be perfect in this life, but here we train for our everlasting dwelling place.  There, God will cover our corruption with incorruption and our mortal with immortality. (1 Corinthians 15:53)  Meanwhile here, we live in thankful obedience to the One who gave His life to glorify God by setting us free from sin and death.  Therefore, in gratitude for the love God showed us, Live thankfully in the peace of Christ.  Amen.

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

The Shepherd of Peace is here.

 

Sermon for Christmas Day, 2023

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

Micah 5:2-5  ²But 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.  ³Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time when the woman who is in labor bears a child.  Then the remaining survivors from his brothers will return to the people of Israel.  ⁴He will stand and shepherd with the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.  They will dwell securely, for at that time he will be great to the ends of the earth.  ⁵This one will be their peace. (EHV)

The Shepherd of Peace is here.

Dear fellow redeemed,

            After turning away from trusting the God of their forefathers, the rulers of Israel and Judah sought peace in all the wrong places, which led to their downfall and the destruction of their countries: Israel was scattered to the far corners of the middle east, and Judah was forced into exile in Babylon.  Seven hundred years later, the Roman Empire was famous for its Pax Romano, or peace of Rome.  Rome relied on its strict legal system, quick justice, strong army, and elaborate system of roads to provide reasonable peace for its citizens.  However, that peace was often under attack and, at best, provided only an uncertain peace for those who were not Roman citizens.

At Christmas time, it is common for many of us to desire a time of peace in which everyone in the family gets along, and no trouble or illness bothers anyone.  However, in this world, peace will always be a nebulous thing, because sin infects every person on earth leading to conflicting desires, emotions, aspirations for power and wealth, and the curse of sin still reigns.  Our God, on the other hand, desired to give us peace that will never end, true peace that lasts on into eternity in heaven.  Therefore, God laid out a plan to establish that peace through His Son.  Therefore, by the fulfillment of Micah’s prophecy, The Shepherd of Peace is here.

In the midst of warning the people of Judah, especially the movers and shakers of the land,  to turn away from their idolatry—and warning them of the coming destruction—Micah brought a prophecy intended to point the world to Jesus: “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.”  The little village of Bethlehem, of little significance to the world, would be the birthplace of God’s promised Savior.  Because of this prophecy, anyone born in any other location is unqualified to be the Messiah, or to be the One King of Israel who would rule forever.  Known as the city of David because King David had been born there, when Jesus was born, the religious leaders of Judah confirmed that they knew about this prophecy, for they pointed the wise men of the east to Bethlehem as the place to find the prophesied King of Israel.

God chose that little, insignificant village to further His salvation plan.  Jerusalem was the important city of the south—Samaria in the north, but neither would welcome God’s anointed, eternal King.  That honor was given to little Bethlehem.  On more than one occasion later in history that honor caused grief and destruction to that little town as the enemies of God destroyed first its children and then the whole city, but Jesus being born there fulfilled one of many prophecies that pointed the world to the Messiah who would win peace between God and mankind.

God told us much more about the Messiah, though, than just His birthplace.  This promised King would rule God’s chosen people not for Himself or for earthly glory, but for the Lord Almighty.  The glory would be to God alone.  Furthermore, God’s appointed Champion was someone completely different than any other King ever to rule a kingdom on earth.  This appointed Messiah would be “from the days of eternity.”  More than just from the old days of the world, His origin is from before the creation of time, which points us to the truth that this Savior to be born in Bethlehem is the Son of God for Only God Himself is outside of time.

Micah then announced another warning for the Judean nation, “Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time when the woman who is in labor bears a child.  Then the remaining survivors from his brothers will return to the people of Israel.”  The northern kingdom was the first to go to its destruction, but the southern tribes would soon follow.  God was turning His back to the people He had so vigorously defended throughout the centuries.  It wasn’t that God no longer cared about them; rather, He turned away from a people who refused His help or intervention, His forgiveness and salvation.  Therefore, God would let them be at the mercy of their heathen neighbors until the time when the virgin would give birth.  Micah didn’t give us any more reference to the mother of this amazing Child, but you and I know the rest of the story.  Jesus is that Child of peace, truly the King and Shepherd of Peace.  The rest of His brothers are all those who come to believe in Jesus, who by faith enter into God’s kingdom as members of His chosen people, Israel.

We celebrate this morning because The Shepherd of Peace is here.  The waiting is over for Jesus’ birth.  God’s Son has already come, and He has accomplished everything God promised He would do.  Jesus lived for us and died for us, and He restored peace between God and man.  He served the Lord God with perfect devotion and perfect trust and paid the price for all the sins of the world by the shedding of His blood on the cross.  Then, after accomplishing our forgiveness and salvation, Jesus returned to His Father’s side in heaven to rule over all things until the end of time. 

But, just as Jesus has come, so He promises that He will be here.  He assured His disciples saying, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:20)  Micah prophesied, “He will stand and shepherd with the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.  They will dwell securely, for at that time he will be great to the ends of the earth.  This one will be their peace.”  In the same vein, Jesus promises His followers everywhere, “Where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20)  Therefore, you and I can be absolutely confident that wherever His Word is faithfully proclaimed, The Shepherd of Peace is here.  In this, Jesus is carrying out Micah’s prophetic words to this very day.  St. Paul confidently assured us that “in all things” our Shepherd of Peace “works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

Of course, if you’ve been paying any attention to the news lately, you likely haven’t heard much about peace anywhere in this world.  With wars in a number of places, and various groups promoting division among the people of our land, the mockers and those who hate God are growing bolder and more defiant everywhere. 

In a similar way, the elite of Micah’s time wanted nothing to do with God’s prophets.  God’s messengers kept proclaiming doom for those who had wandered away from the true God, but the movers and shakers of the day didn’t like the rebuke.  They didn’t think any god would judge them guilty, and they certainly weren’t ready to believe that their little nation would be judged by someone more powerful than any earthly king. 

Likewise, today, the educated elite of our world often stand on their soap boxes and mock the idea that any power could have authority over the ideas of men.  You don’t have to look very hard to find someone announcing the foolishness of those who still believe in God.  Yet, our Redeemer lives.  The creator of the world will not be mocked; indeed, those who mock Him will be judged. 

Just as God promised to send His Shepherd of Peace through the little town of Bethlehem, He has promised that His Son will return to this world in judgment, coming back through the clouds in the same manner as He left this world at His ascension to His throne in heaven.  Furthermore, God promises that “Every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him.” (Revelation 1:7)

But, my message for you is this same Good News that Micah proclaimed way back around twenty-seven hundred years ago: “He will stand and shepherd with the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.  They will dwell securely, for at that time he will be great to the ends of the earth.  This one will be their peace.”  By His life, death, and resurrection from the grave, Jesus made Himself our peace.  He took away every sin and every guilty stain our human nature caused in us, and by the power of the Holy Spirit whom Jesus has sent from His Father in heaven, you and I were given faith in the Shepherd of Peace which brings us peace with God above.

So, dear friends, what troubles darken your joy this Christmas morning?  Do you worry about politics, economics, or warmongering enemies at home or abroad?  Do you worry about physical ailments or getting older?  Do you worry about persecution, or failure, or sudden death?  Let go of your fears and place all your troubles and cares at Jesus’ feet, for Jesus has authority over every aspect of this world, and He will work it all for your everlasting good. 

Jesus truly is your Good Shepherd.  Turn all your worries, fears, and needs over to His all-knowing, all-powerful love.  Then, use your faith in Jesus to deflect all of Satan’s attacks and the devil’s accusations against you, for Jesus has already paid for all your sins and guilt.  Consequently, the Father has already declared you innocent for Jesus’ sake.  Through your faith in Christ and the Baptism that washed you clean as the Lord adopted you into His care, the Lord of heaven and earth has marked you as His own dear child.  So, trust your loving God to deal with the trials and hardships of this world.  He has your best interests in His plans.  Believe that this One who lived and died and rose again for you is also taking care of your every need, for The Shepherd of Peace is here to carry you safely home to dwell in everlasting peace in His Father’s mansions in heaven above.  Amen.

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

The signs were there for you.

 

Sermon for Christmas Eve morning, December 24, 2023

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward mankind.”  Amen.

Luke 2:1-20  In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.  ²This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governing Syria.  ³And everyone went to register, each to his own town.  ⁴And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the town of Nazareth, into Judea, to the town of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was from the house and family line of David.  ⁵He went to be registered with Mary, his wife, who was pledged to him in marriage and was expecting a child.  ⁶And so it was that while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.  ⁷And she gave birth to her firstborn son, wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.  ⁸There were in the same country shepherds staying out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock at night.  ⁹An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified!  ¹⁰But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid.  For behold, I bring you good news of great joy, which will be for all people: ¹¹Today in the town of David, a Savior was born for you.  He is Christ the Lord.  ¹²And this will be a sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”  ¹³Suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude from the heavenly army, praising God and saying, ¹⁴“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward mankind.”  ¹⁵When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Now let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”  ¹⁶So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.  ¹⁷When they had seen him, they told others the message they had been told about this child.  ¹⁸And all who heard it were amazed by what the shepherds said to them.  ¹⁹But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.  ²⁰And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. (EHV)

The signs were there for you.

Beloved in the Lord,

            We don’t rely on it so much anymore, but when travelling someplace unfamiliar years ago, it was common to ask for detailed directions including landmarks and signs we might watch for.  Today, with smartphones, we usually just put in the address of where we are going to and the computer keeps us heading to that location, even recalculating if we should miss a turn.  However, years ago, you would be told something like: go five miles south of town, take a right on the second asphalt road you come to, then go a half mile past the second cross road until you see the red barn with three cement stave silos on your right, and the place you are looking for is the next farm on the left with a large oak tree right in front of the house.  Even if you didn’t have road signs, you had those landmarks to guide you.  Forty some years ago, I made numerous trips and delivery runs with just such directions. 

Our God didn’t want any of us to miss out on the way to heaven.  Therefore, in His infinite wisdom, God gave us signs and landmarks to watch for so that we would recognize the Savior and by faith receive our entrance into eternal glory.  In our text this morning, we see that The signs were there for you.

Now, Caesar didn’t realize he was working for God’s plan, but the Lord used that pagan ruler’s ambitions to issue an edict that would fulfil the prophecy God had given through Micah: “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.” (Micah 5:2)  There was no other earthly reason for Mary and Joseph to be in Bethlehem for Jesus’ birth, but God leaves nothing to chance so that you and I, and even the sceptic, can see the sign.

Likewise, The Lord made sure that the man chosen to marry the mother of the Savior came from David’s line, so that the newborn Christ Child would not only be from David’s bloodline through Mary, but in the eyes of the world would be a legal descendant of David because the presumed father, Joseph, was also in the Davidic line.  No adoption was necessary because with Joseph and Mary betrothed to each other, the legality of their marriage was already complete before Jesus’ birth.

However, so that there would be no doubt in our minds about the Father of this Child, we have the eyewitness testimony of the angel sent to Mary, as well as Joseph’s intent to divorce her when he learned of her pregnancy, but that might still be suspect if God had not prophesied through Isaiah in response to King Ahaz who refused to ask God for a sign.  The prophet said, “Look!  The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and name him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)  Again, God provided the sign so that we would know without any doubt that Jesus is the promised Messiah sent to save us all from our sins.

Isaiah also prophesied that there would be witnesses to the birth of our Lord: “The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voices.  Together they shout for joy, because with both eyes they will see it when the Lord returns to Zion.” (Isaiah 52:8)  The shepherds keeping watch over their flocks that night rejoiced to see the angel’s announcement was true.  Every detail given by that herald of the Lord Almighty was right there for those ordinary men of Israel to verify as a sign for you and me that Mary’s firstborn is the Savior of the world God had long promised.

As they returned to their flocks that night, and in the days following, those shepherds testified to everyone they met what they had seen and heard from the heavenly host: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward mankind.”  Likewise, “Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.”  The good doctor, Luke, who wrote this Gospel account took great pains to interview many of the people who had known Jesus during His earthly life.  Mary, obviously, was eyewitness number one, but who knows whether Luke was able to interview even those ordinary shepherds or some of the villagers who heard their testimony. 

There was nothing secret about Jesus’ birth.  Likewise, there was nothing kept secret about Jesus’ life of perfect obedience that is credited to each of us by faith, and there was nothing secret about the cruel treatment and abuse Jesus endured before suffering the death of the cross (every aspect of which was prophesied in Isaiah and the Psalms) so that you and I are counted holy in the only court that matters, the Judgment Seat where our Savior, now ruling all things from heaven, will render His verdict for everyone on the day He returns in glory with all His angels proclaiming His return and then gathering in the harvest of souls to be sifted and sorted, the elect who have been brought to faith in Christ Jesus being gathered into the mansions of heaven, and those who rejected the Son tossed into the eternal fires of hell.

The Lord has given us signs and landmarks that tell the story of His love for us, so that we could see what Jesus meant when He said, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.  No one comes to the Father, except through me.  If you know me, you would also know my Father.  From now on you do know him and have seen him.” (John 14:6-7)  Every detail of Scripture was recorded so that you could know the way of salvation.  As St. John reported on the work and life of Christ, he wrote, “Jesus, in the presence of his disciples, did many other miraculous signs that are not written in this book.  But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:30-31)

On that night almost two thousand years ago, under the light of the glory of God, an angel announced Good News to a group of shepherds out in the fields.  He gave them precise directions with landmarks and signs to see the Savior, and after seeing and believing, “the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”  Isaiah likewise prophesied of every herald who tells a friend or neighbor of all Jesus has done: “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)

There is one more sign that God put on you personally so that you can be sure that Jesus lived and died so that you are forgiven of all sin, and that it is God’s will to save you.  In our epistle lesson from Titus we read, “He saved us through the washing of rebirth and the renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior.” (Titus 3:5-6) 

In Baptism, God had his called messenger put the Lord’s indelible mark of adoption and fatherhood on you.  The pastor made the sign of the cross over your forehead and your chest as a sign that the Lord God of heaven and earth has redeemed you as His own precious child that He personally laid down His life on a cross to save.  Just as we read in the Revelation that the angel “called out with a loud voice to the four angels who were given power to harm the earth and the sea.  He said, ‘Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees until we have placed a seal on the foreheads of God’s servants.’” (Revelation 7:2-3)

Dear friends, as we remember and celebrate this momentous birth of the Christ Child, Jesus, remember that God sent His Son and set out all these signs and markers for you personally, so that by faith you would be delivered from everlasting torture wandering lost in the wilderness of hell’s prison.  See the signs God told us to look for.  Treasure this birth and the baptism by which God adopted you as His own beloved child for Jesus’ sake.  The signs are there for you.  Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Amen.

The God of peace sanctifies for blameless living.

 

Sermon for Advent 3, December 17, 2023

Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father's Son, in truth and love.  Amen.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24  ¹⁶Rejoice always.  ¹⁷Pray without ceasing.  ¹⁸In everything give thanks.  For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  ¹⁹Do not extinguish the Spirit.  ²⁰Do not treat prophecies with contempt.  ²¹But test everything.  Hold on to the good.  ²²Keep away from every kind of evil.  ²³May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  ²⁴The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it. (EHV)

The God of peace sanctifies for blameless living.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus,

            Since we live in challenging times, it can be difficult to read these verses without despairing at our lack of doing what is commanded.  Eight times, Paul gives us present imperatives which are basically ongoing commands for continuous action.  We should well understand this to say, “Be rejoicing continuously, be praying constantly, giving thanks in all circumstances, and so on and so on.”  And if that doesn’t leave you feeling a little bit guilty, then I wonder about how honestly you are examining yourself. 

Lately, it has seemed like every family in our congregation is dealing with one stress, illness, accident, or age-related weakness after the next.  Almost no one has been spared from these physical and emotional tolls, so who would question any of us if we do not rejoice continuously?  Who could honestly claim to be giving thanks, always?  To the world, these commands likely seem like nonsense.  To our sinful nature, it feels impossible to measure up.  Even our new man of faith likely wonders how it will ever be possible to live with such joy and peace, but then, our new man of faith also surrenders to the God who saved us, and that is the point of this text, not that we must live like this to be saved, but that God in His mercy and kindness will make it our reality in the life He has planned for us.  You see, there is so much more to life with our God than following commands—our God gave His life on the cross so that we might truly live.  Then, too, The God of peace sanctifies for blameless living.

When we truly realize and believe what God has done for us, we can smile through the gloom and rejoice in the face of danger, fear, pain, or even death.  So much of the Christian faith is looking forward to the future we are promised.  We know that we are but strangers here on earth.  Our true home in now in heaven where there is no more sorrow, pain, sin, or death.  This faith is what makes it possible for us to rejoice even through our tears at the grave of a loved one called from this life.  Made holy by the blood of the Lamb, we can rejoice in our salvation for Christ’s sake, even in the face of danger, persecution, or simply the everyday trials we experience in this sin-damaged world.

The Christian faith teaches and understands that we did not choose to believe in Jesus, but that God chose us to hear His holy Word and believe it.  He chose to claim us as His dear children through baptism, to give us faith in His Son, and through His gracious work, we become stronger in faith as He gives us to drink from the living water of His Word.  The gospel works faith in us and increases that faith day by day as we walk with the Lord.  And to those God has granted faith in His Son, He also offers an invitation to bring all our troubles, needs, and urgent cares to our Father in heaven.  Jesus assured His disciples, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: Whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you.” (John 16:23)  Therefore, with that gracious invitation, we have our Savior’s assurance that God has His ears attuned to our cries.  More than that, because the Son has loved us with the shedding of His holy blood, and intercedes for us at His Father’s side, all our needs are fully supplied.

Paul also warns of the dangers we face as the Lord blesses us so richly.  He wrote, “Do not extinguish the Spirit.  Do not treat prophecies with contempt.  But test everything.  Hold on to the good.  Keep away from every kind of evil.”  We could not be so powerful, of course, that we could stop the Holy Spirit from doing His will.  At the same time, the Spirit is extinguished by so many who find little value in the Spirit’s fire.  When the Christian believer becomes complacent in earthly life, it is all too easy to forget who gave that person the blessed life he or she lives.  In times of prosperity, it is all too common for many to abandon the faith of their parents while succumbing to the temptations of the world, enjoying the pleasures of wealth and leisure, and even indulging in sensual enticements and spiritual illusions that are ultimately damaging to both body and soul.  Sadly, even some parents are then enticed to follow the wanderings of their wayward youth.

On the other hand, the Church has often grown fastest when persecution is severe.  Look through the history of ancient Israel.  That nation was so richly blessed in God’s intense, personal care that seemingly every other generation would forget the God who had so lovingly cared for them.  It seems to be the nature of sinful man to assume that good times come through personal labors and initiative.  Yet, without God’s blessing, every effort is doomed to failure, and especially any effort to save oneself for future glory.  When a person, even a former Christian, becomes so foolish as to think he doesn’t need a Savior, he is already lost.

The vast majority of the people who surround us today have forgotten the value of God’s Word, which alone is true and faithful in all ways.  God’s prophecies are treated with contempt when people refuse to believe the prophets He has sent.  Just as bad are those who misinterpret the prophecies to teach their own faulty desires.  In our own times, there are many who claim to prophesy, but upon closer look, it is soon apparent that their new prophecies preach from a different spirit than what God has already spoken through His chosen messengers.  Therefore, we are to test all such teaching, but we are to test it in comparison to the one true standard of God’s holy Word.  Anything that misleads from that truth is from the devil.  Thus, Paul wisely warns us to keep away from such corrupt things.

At the same time, when we find teachers and fellow believers who walk in true faith in Jesus, we rejoice and give thanks for the fellowship with them with which God has blessed us.  Paul encourages us to use this standard for every part of our daily lives: for music, entertainment, recreation, and personal relationships.  Hold on to all the good parts of our surroundings with which God has truly blessed us, while also being aware of how sneakily the devil can misuse God’s gifts in ways to trap and mislead the weak. 

St. Paul then closes with what is essentially a prayer and a promise.  With the certainty that it is only by God’s grace and work that any of us can be saved, Paul prays, “May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  This is the proclamation that God’s Word gives us.  We, lost and condemned creatures that we were, are saved by God because He loves us.  God loves us so much that He willingly sent His own beloved Son to live and die in our place as He paid the full price for our guilt. 

God’s Son displayed His love for us with every action of His earthly life, and especially by His willing sacrifice on the cross for people who rejected Him, feared Him, betrayed Him, and for countless others who never knew Him nor even desired to know the One true God.  Yet, Jesus willingly and lovingly died for all.  All of this was prophesied in the writings of the Law and Prophets and Psalms.  All of it was known among the Israelite people, and still, they rejected Jesus when our Savior was put on trial for a crime He could never commit because He is true God.  But Jesus died for them just as He died for you and me, who though we have known Him from our youth, have often been tempted to walk away from the Savior who loves us dearly still today, for Jesus has risen from the grave triumphant over every force that tried to keep us away from His Father—and ours.

So that we may never be lost, God continues His work among us through the messengers He sends bearing the Good News of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  It is through that Good News preached from the pulpit in our churches, shared by parents in their homes, studied in personal Bible reading and Christian schools, and shared among friends one to one, that The God of peace sanctifies for blameless living.  On our own we can do nothing, Jesus explained, but grafted into the Vine of our Savior, we do produce much fruit of sanctified living.  Jesus promises us, “I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him is the one who bears much fruit.…If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.  My Father is glorified by this: that you continue to bear much fruit and prove to be my disciples.” (John 15:5, 7-8)

It is by the Spirit of our God that we are made holy in God’s truth.  From the beginning of time when Adam and Eve soon fell into sin, God has been faithful in every way.  He continues to provide for all the living creatures of the world: food and health, life and love, sunshine and rain, springtime and harvest.  Yet, most important of all, God has been faithful to His every promise that He would send a Savior to redeem us from the devil’s lies.  This we have in Jesus. 

Paul wrote from lived experience, “The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.”  Paul had once been the worst of sinners, persecuting Jesus and His Christian followers alike.  Still, the Lord Jesus called him out of his wicked ways and delivered Paul from the condemnation and death he deserved.  Like Paul, none of us deserved God’s mercy, yet the God of love and peace loves each of us so much that He moves heaven and earth to bring us to peace and safety with Him through faith in Jesus Christ.

Dear friends, the world, and even our own flesh may fight against us to keep us from walking with the Lord, but “God has said: ‘I will never leave you, and I will never forsake you.’  So then we say with confidence: ‘The Lord is my helper, and I will not be afraid.’” (Hebrews 13:5-6) 

As we walk in this world, today, trying to live up to Paul’s expectations expressed in these verses, we have the confidence of knowing that we do not walk alone.  Our God is faithful; He is moving us and molding us into the holy children who will dwell with Him in perfect harmony and peace in heaven.  There, all imperfections in our efforts will be gone, and we will live in holy service and peace forevermore, because The God of peace sanctifies you and me and all faithful Christians for blameless living.  Amen.

May God be gracious to us and bless us.  May his face shine on us unto life everlasting.  Amen.

God comforts His people in Christ.

 

Sermon for Advent 2, December 10, 2023

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  He gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father—to whom be the glory forever and ever.  Amen.

Isaiah 40:1-11  Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.  ²Speak 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.  ³A voice is calling out: In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord.  In the wasteland make a level highway for our God.  ⁴Every valley will be raised up, and every mountain and hill will be made low.  The rugged ground will become level, and the rough places will become a plain.  ⁵Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all flesh together will see it.  Yes, the mouth of the Lord has spoken.  ⁶A voice was saying, “Cry out!”  And I said, “What shall I cry out?”  All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like a wildflower in the countryside.  ⁷Grass withers, flowers fade, when the breath of the Lord blows on them.  Yes, the people are grass.  ⁸Grass withers, flowers fade, but the Word of our God endures forever.  ⁹Get up on a high mountain, O Zion, you herald of good news.  Lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, you herald of good news.  Lift it up!  Do not be afraid!  Say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!”  ¹⁰Look, God the Lord will come with strength, and his arm is ruling for him.  Look, his reward is with him.  The result of his work is in front of him.  ¹¹Like a shepherd he will care for his flock.  With his arm he will gather the lambs.  He will lift them up on his lap.  He will gently lead the nursing mothers. (EHV)

God comforts His people in Christ.

Dear sons and daughters of the One true God,

‎`~k,(yhel{a/ rm:ßayO yMi_[; Wmßx]n: Wmïx]n: 

I think that is one of the coolest passages in the Hebrew Scriptures, and in English it is equally beautiful, “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.”  Much of the previous message in Isaiah’s book is harsh judgment and discipline being applied to a rebellious Israel.  In His great love and kindness, God had always treated Israel with utmost care.  He provided for them, protected them, and poured out blessings upon them in immeasurable quantity, and in response, the nation turned their backs to God, chased after their neighbor’s idols, and sought help from nearby kings rather than the King of kings. 

God had shown great patience with their wandering, idolatrous ways, but their continual rebelliousness forced God to discipline His people in hopes of bringing them back into His loving embrace.  His righteousness and justice demanded that their adulterous idolatry be punished, that their seeking comfort, safety, and peace in relationship with foreign gods and neighboring kings had to be stopped.

Still, God’s love required that He not give up on His people.  God’s perfect holiness demanded that sin and the sinner be punished.  Yet, rather than leaving His people bereft of all hope, God calls for comfort for those He has afflicted in the hope of bringing them back into His family of peace and love.

God commanded His prophet, “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.  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.”  God wants His people to hear His tender heart for them.  He wants His elect to know how greatly He desires to care for them and to be united with them in peace and harmony.  Yet, God knows full well that His people can never accomplish that reconciliation on their own.  Therefore, He commits Himself to winning peace and unity of heart with them through His own sacrifice.

The nation of Israel suffered greatly for its rebellious ways.  The ten northern tribes had been driven off into permanent exile in foreign lands and never heard from again as a unique people.  Now, the southern remnant in Judah is being carted off into a seven decade captivity in Babylon.  God’s comfort is applied first to those captives in Babylon, but they foreshadow all God’s people held captive in this rebellious and idolatrous world.  The whole human race was captive to the sinfulness we inherit from our first parents, and all of us have our own guilt and shortcomings.  Yet, recognize God’s loving care for us.  The warfare between God and mankind has been ended.  Our guilt has been paid for, eliminated, wiped from God’s memory forever, when His own dear Son was counted as sin and sinner for you and me.

Now, many modern scholars like to imagine that the Israelite people, through their trials in Babylon, have somehow accomplished this reckoning that makes them right with God.  However, nothing could be further from the truth.  Today, in hindsight, we know that God was sending His own dear Son to win this peace on our behalf.  Isaiah was shown the forerunner who would pave the way for Jesus.  “A voice is calling out: In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord.  In the wasteland make a level highway for our God.  Every valley will be raised up, and every mountain and hill will be made low.  The rugged ground will become level, and the rough places will become a plain.”  Every obstacle that kept us separated from God would be removed when God’s Son entered the world to save.

John the Baptist was sent by God to call people of Judah to repentance, to prepare them to meet the Savior and recognize Him as God in human flesh.  Every obstacle to God’s plans would be smoothed over.  It may not always be obvious to us how this played out in real life, because Jesus wasn’t always widely recognized when He walked this earth.  Yes, many people called Him a prophet or teacher.  His disciples adored Him, while His enemies feared and hated Him.  Thus, in the end, they killed Jesus.  At the same time, that is exactly as God had planned it so that His own beloved Son would pay the debt for the sins of the world.

Isaiah wrote, “Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all flesh together will see it.  Yes, the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”  The glory of the Lord was revealed to the world at the cross where God’s  Son, Jesus, laid down His life to pay for all sin.  To the world, it seemed that God had lost, but on Easter morning, the true revelation of victory over sin, death, and the devil was revealed as Jesus rose from the grave gloriously alive again.  Still, there is another day coming in which the Lord will fully reveal His glory as He returns to judge the world.  Then the word of the Lord will be complete, as John prophesied, “Look, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, including those who pierced Him.” (Revelation 1:7)

Our need for a Savior is not neglected in Isaiah’s prophecy.  A voice was saying, “Cry out!”  And I said, “What shall I cry out?”  All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like a wildflower in the countryside.  Grass withers, flowers fade, when the breath of the Lord blows on them.  Yes, the people are grass.  Grass withers, flowers fade, but the Word of our God endures forever.  Just as John the Baptist called for the Judeans to repent and believe, so we are called to repent, because our time here on earth is short, and without our Savior’s intervention, our lives would end in the flames of destruction.  Yesterday, we experienced again the cold, northwest wind that so often cuts down the plants of the field.  Naturally, this is only a picture of the Lord cutting short the lives of sinners.  Even if we should live to be in our hundreds, compared to eternity, life without Jesus is nothing.

On the other hand, God’s Word will never fall.  Nothing on earth can interfere with what God has promised.  We could preach law until we are blue in the face, but the law will show our sins and condemn us.  Still, God does not neglect us.  He says to the prophet and His people, “Get up on a high mountain, O Zion, you herald of good news.  Lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, you herald of good news.  Lift it up!  Do not be afraid!  Say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!”  Look, God the Lord will come with strength, and his arm is ruling for him.  Look, his reward is with him.” 

Zion and Jerusalem are synonymous for the elect of God’s kingdom.  Of course, Christ Jesus is first on this list.  He is the Son of God who came proclaiming salvation to the people of Judah.  John the Baptist preceded Jesus and he pointed to Him exclaiming, “Look!  The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!  This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘The one coming after me outranks me because he existed before me.’” (John 1:29-30) 

Jesus came with the strength of the Almighty to live according to the will and law of God, then to take on death and the grave and even the devil and leave them all in ignominious defeat.  After Jesus rose from the grave triumphant and returned to His Father’s side in the throne room of heaven, the apostles were sent out to proclaim the power and victory of Jesus to the world.  Their work is continued to today through the Church, empowered and directed by the Holy Spirit sent by Jesus from the Father.  Christ’s reward is to honor His Father with the souls He has won to salvation.

Finally, Isaiah assures us that Jesus is still in control.  Just as the prophets had foretold, God has put all things under Jesus’ feet, and Jesus promised to be with us, to help us, and to work all things for our everlasting good.  Isaiah wrote, “The result of his work is in front of him.  Like a shepherd he will care for his flock.  With his arm he will gather the lambs.  He will lift them up on his lap.  He will gently lead the nursing mothers.”  This is the picture to which Jesus refers as He speaks to His disciples, “I am the Good Shepherd.  I know my sheep and my sheep know me ^… And I lay down my life for the sheep.” (John 10:14-15)

No one in Jesus’ care is ever forgotten.  No thief can ever snatch the child of God from his Savior.  Salvation is only lost when the weak reject the Lord as their Savior.  Therefore, through all the troubles and sorrows that beset us in this life, we should never be afraid or ever despair, because Jesus has done everything needed to restore us to life everlasting.  He gave His life on the cross to reconcile us with God Almighty  Jesus lived perfection for us so that our record now reads as perfectly holy in thought, word, and deed for Jesus’s sake.  Furthermore, the God who was willing to sacrifice Himself so that you may truly live, made sure that you heard and believed the words that brought you forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life in heaven.  What greater comfort could ever be ours than to know that God Himself has made us right with Him eternally?  The voice rings out again and again as we wait for Jesus to return in all His glory; through the water and Word of baptism, we are comforted as we are welcomed into the kingdom of heaven as children made holy by the blood of the Lamb.  In His holy supper, our Savior again offers us comfort and peace as He brings to us forgiveness of all sin in the medicine of His body and blood in the bread and wine.  Hear the Good News again and again: “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.”  Amen.

The Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way.  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.  Amen.