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How the Wise Keep Watch

11/26/2024

Gospel: Matthew 25:1-13
“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

Last Sunday of the Church Year
Matthew 25:1-13
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
November 24, 2024

With the parable of the ten virgins, Jesus teaches us to keep watch and be prepared for His return, because we do not know when that will be. The ten virgins are the visible church on earth. On the outside they all look the same. And they have all gone out to meet the bridegroom. The bridegroom is Christ Jesus, who will return to welcome His Church into the wedding feast, which is eternal paradise. Those who do not enter with Him will be locked out of paradise forever. The Bridegroom arrives at midnight, illustrating what Jesus tells us, that no one knows the day or hour that He will return (vs 13; Mark 13:32). And so, the virgins go out with oil lamps to light there way in the darkness when the bridegroom will return.
But Jesus tells us that five of the virgins are foolish (the Greek word is μωραὶ [mōrai] where we get the word moron) and there are five virgins who are wise, that is, sensible, prudent, they think and plan ahead. And why does Christ call the five virgins, morons? Because they brought oil lamps, but didn’t bring any oil. That is indeed foolish! What good is an oil lamp without any oil? There is no fuel to burn to give light in the darkness! Jesus calls the other five virgins wise or prudent, because they thought to bring vessels of oil, so their lamps would not go out. Yet, Jesus draws this picture to describe the church on earth in the last days. So, how does this relate to us Christians? How might you be found a fool on the Last Day? And how will you be proved wise? What are these lamps and oil?
The lamps are the outward profession of the Christian faith. The flame is the true faith, without which a person cannot be saved. What then is the oil? Some say it is the Word of God, which is a pretty good answer, because St. Paul writes, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing through the Word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17) And Jesus says, “If you abide in My Word, you are My disciples indeed, and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31) Yet, not everyone who hears the Word of God takes it to heart. Most, as Jesus makes clear in His parables, ignore it, grow distracted, or fall away from it. Jesus uses these exact same words for foolish and wise at the close of His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 7, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. … And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man (μωρῷ) who built his house on the sand.”
So, to have oil doesn’t simply mean to hear the Word of God. Many hear the Word of God and reject it. But it means to hear the Word of God and to take it to heart, to believe it and do it. This means to repent of your sins when Scripture calls you to repent of laziness, pride, hatred, and lust. And it means to believe and take to heart Christ’s promises of forgiveness and salvation for the sake of His death on the cross, which He also attaches to Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. This is why God sends us His Holy Spirit through His Word, so that we may believe it and live according to it (Galatians 3:22-6). The Holy Spirit comes to us through the Word of God. He works through the Law to convict you of sin (John 16:8), so that you repent. And He works through the Gospel, so that you call upon the name of Christ and are saved (1 Corinthians 12:3). And so, the running out of oil is not simply forgetting the Word of God, but it is rejecting the Holy Spirit, who comes to you through that Word.
Going to church to hear the Word of God is necessary to be a Christian, but it is not sufficient. There are those who read their Bible and go to church, who will not be saved, because they rejected the Holy Spirit who came to them through God’s Word. This is not a lesson that you don’t need to go to church or read your Bible, because not everyone who goes to church and reads his Bible will be saved. St. Peter writes, “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” (1 Peter 4:18). This is a lesson to not become complacent and simply go through the motions of being a Christian, but to wake up! Pay attention to what you are being taught in Holy Scripture. Don’t just read your Bible, but pay attention to what you read and take it to heart. Do not simply go to church regularly, but actively worship while you are here. Repent of your sins from your heart. Join your mind and soul to the prayers. Listen diligently to the Scripture lessons and try to learn something from the sermon, which you can take home with you and put to practice in your heart and in your living.
You can only receive oil for your lamp through the Word of God and His Sacraments. Yet, not everyone who hears the Word and is baptized and eats Christ’s body and blood is saved. You must have faith. So, you must also do as Jesus says, keep watch! So, how do the wise and prudent keep watch?
First, by diligently listening to Christ’s Word. Jesus says, “Blessed rather are those who hear the Word of God and keep it.” (Luke 11:28) And again our Lord says, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Matthew 13:9) Psalm 1 states, “Blessed is the man … [whose] delight is in the Instruction of the LORD and on His Instruction he meditates day and night.” And Psalm 119, “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (vs. 105) If you are not paying attention to God’s Word, then you are not keeping watch for the return of Christ. The wise virgins keep watch by worshiping diligently, reading, and learning God’s Word. They focus especially on the Gospel, that a sinner is saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone, who has made atonement for our sins. This is the power of God to salvation to all who believe (Romans 1:16-17).
The wise virgins keep watch by taking God’s Word to heart and putting their faith into practice. You should repent of your sins each day. This means that you should daily examine yourself, your heart, your words, your deeds. How can you better conform your life to God’s Word. What sins are trying to rule over you? You must put these sins to death, trusting in Christ for forgiveness and renewal. You must not let your sins grow stronger and control you, but you must daily break free of them and put on the whole armor of God.
St. Paul writes in Colossians 3, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these things the wrath of God is coming. … Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” (vss. 5-6, 12-13) Saving faith cannot abide with persistent impenitent sin. If you continue in sin without repenting, you are not a Christian; you have the faith of demons (James 2:19). St. Paul warns, “Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Cor. 6:9-10) Here, he is speaking of those who continue in these sins without repenting. And so, as the wise virgins trim their wicks and pour in fresh oil, so you must daily repent of your sins and walk in faith toward Christ.
It's easy in these end times to focus on the sins of others. We want to complain about the evils being done around the country. And there is a place for that. We should loudly oppose abortion, which is the violent murder of little babies, and we should protest the wicked butchery being carried out by the so-called trans movement against children and the mentally and spiritually disturbed, and all forms of sexual immorality, which are being celebrated by the powerful in this world. And these are certainly signs of the end times. However, the greatest evil you must complain about is the evil in your very heart, which wants to snuff out the lamp of Christ from within you. Repentance must start with you. If you are not daily repenting of your own sins and seeking to do better, then you are foolish.
You cannot keep watch without prayer. In the Garden of Gethsemane, shortly before He was arrested and crucified, Jesus said to weary Peter, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41) And these are words we must all take to heart. Your spirit is willing now, but your flesh is weak. The pressures of this world will weigh on you. Satan will strike when you’re not ready. Your flesh will betray you. To keep watch, you must pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17). This is why St. Paul writes in Colossians 4, “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” Pray that God’s Word and Spirit would come upon you and make you holy. Pray for forgiveness and to be led out of temptation and delivered from evil.
Finally, confess and praise Christ with your mouth. Jesus says, “everyone who confesses me before men, I also will confess before My Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies Me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32) People often say that you should not wear your religion on your sleave. Jesus says the opposite. “Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:15-16) We should confess Christ often with rejoicing. “With the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” (Romans 10:10) If we snuff out our confession and rejoicing from our mouths, we risk snuffing it out of our hearts as well.
Dear brothers and sisters, the hour is late. We are now dwelling in the deep darkness of night. Any moment the cry will come out, “Behold, the Bridegroom, come out to meet Him!” Will you be ready when He comes? Will you be found wise or foolish? To be found foolish is to hear the most harrowing statement from our Lord, “Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.” And at that time, it will be too late to get oil. The time we are now living in is the time of grace. It is the time to fill your oil, to keep watch and to guard your faith. But the time of grace will soon end. And when it ends, that’s it. Despite being a member of a Christian congregation, going through the motions of being a Christian, if you do not have faith in Christ, you are not ready for His return.
But when you receive that precious oil, that is, when you hear the Gospel with faith, so that the Holy Spirit kindles your flame, then you hear the glorious words from Jesus, “Truly, I say to you, I do know you!” That is the Gospel, the message of your Baptism, of the Absolution, and of the Sacrament of the Altar. “I do know you!” Jesus tells you every day that you repent of your sins and turn to Him for forgiveness. “I do know you!” He says to you whenever you pray to Him in faith. And when you confess Christ before men here on earth, Christ confesses to His Father and to the angels in heaven, “I know him. I know her.”
Receiving this oil today takes away the terror of the Last Day. It is this oil Jesus tells us to guard when He says, “Keep watch!” This precious oil truly is an oil of gladness and comfort, of forgiveness and peace with God. This oil anoints our souls with Christ’s blood and assures us of God’s pleasure in us for Christ’s sake. Only fools neglect this oil. May God richly supply this oil to us and may we guard it, so that we may be known by Christ on the Last Day. Amen.

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Christ Knows His Own at the Final Judgment

11/20/2024

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Second to Last Sunday
Matthew 25:31-46
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
November 17, 2024

The day is surely coming when all peoples of every nation upon the earth will stand before Christ for final judgment. The dead will be raised. The living will be gathered. Every last soul will stand before Him as Scripture clearly says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” (2 Corinthians 5:10) This is a reality which should form our way of thinking and our way of living. You will stand before Christ to be judged by Him. You will give an account for your works, your words (Matthew 12:36), and thoughts (Luke 2:35).
And at this final judgment, Christ will know who are His. He will separate the righteous from the unrighteous, like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. It is just as Jesus says in John 10, “I am the Good Shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me.” While we live on this earth, the sheep and the goats mingle. The righteous live among the unrighteous. Not only in the secular world, in which we must conduct our business, but also within the church of God, as many hypocrites and false Christians sneak in as tares among the wheat. While we sojourn in this world, the wheat must grow among the tares and the sheep must graze among the goats. But the day will come when the Lord will send forth His angels, and He will separate His true Christians from the ungodly, as a shepherd separates sheep from goats, as harvesters separate wheat from tares, and as fisherman separate good fish into containers, but throw out the rotten fish (Matthew 13). The stakes cannot be higher. Those whom Jesus recognizes as His own will enter eternal life. The wicked, however, will be cast into eternal punishment.
Yet, how will Christ recognize His own? Well, in fact, Christ has recognized His own from before the foundation of the world, because God chose them in Christ from before He created the world. Christ says to His sheep on His right a very similar statement as St. Paul writes to the Christians in Ephesus. Here Christ says, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” (Matthew 25:34) St. Paul writes in Ephesians 1, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him.” (vss. 3-4)
Christ will recognize His own because God the Father chose them for Him before the foundation of the world. Jesus says in John 10, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” (vss. 27-29) Before you were created, before you were a twinkle in your father’s eye, God knew you. He chose you to believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior, to be His dear child through faith, to walk in good works, which He prepared for you beforehand (Ephesians 2:10). This means that you are saved by grace alone. Grace means God’s undeserved love for you. You do not deserve to be chosen by God. It is not as if God looked in the future, saw that you would be such a good Christian, and He chose you in light of that foreknowledge. No. Rather, if God had not chosen you, you would never choose Him. You would still be dead in your sin, dead in your unbelief, a hater of God and of Christ if God did not choose you in Christ from before the foundation of the World. But because God chose you in Christ, Christ knows you. And He will know you on the Last Day.
This does not mean that God does not desire to save all people or that Jesus did not die to save all people. St. Peter tells us in our Epistle lesson, “The Lord… is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) And God did not choose anyone from the foundation of the world to be damned. While Christ tells the righteous that their inheritance was prepared for them from the foundation of the world, He tells the unrighteous that their eternal fire was prepared for the devil and his angels. God didn’t prepare the fire for them. God desires to save all people (1 Timothy 2:4), which is why He sent Christ to make propitiation for the sins of all people (1 John 2:2). Yet, only those chosen by God are saved, as Jesus says, “Many are called; few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:14) This is a mystery, which has confounded theologians and philosophers from the beginning. We must leave the mystery to God. God desires to save all people. Yet, He has chosen His elect to be saved. Their salvation is certain and cannot fail. God is not to blame for those who reject Him. He has called to them, but they in their own stubbornness have refused Him. And we too would refuse Him, had He not chosen us by grace.
The elect are saved through faith in Christ alone. They are not chosen apart from Christ. So, only those who have faith in Christ can claim to be chosen by God. The elect are not without sin. According to your own works, you too deserve to go to hell. Yet, Christ will tell you and the rest of the elect to inherit the kingdom prepared for you, because He was hungry and you fed Him, He was thirsty, and you gave Him drink, He was a stranger, and you welcomed Him, naked and you clothed Him, sick and in prison, and you visited Him. How can this be? If we are sinners, how can we enter eternal life? And if we are saved by grace apart from our works, why does Jesus mention our works?
First, you are saved despite your sins, because you are forgiven. St. Paul writes in Romans 4, “Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: ‘Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count His sins.’” (Romans 4:4-8) For those who repent of their sins and believe in Christ Jesus, their sins are not counted against them, but they are forgiven. This is why St. Paul writes in Romans 8, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” (vs 1)
In Christ, your sins have been covered from God’s sight, drowned in the depths of the sea, removed as far as the east is from the west. Jesus took away the sins of the world, so those who believe in Him have no sins of their own. Christ has clothed His baptized believers in His own righteousness, so when God looks upon His elect, He sees no sin, but only the righteousness of Christ. This is why Jesus says in John 5, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” (vs. 24) So, you indeed have your own sins. And you deserve to go to hell because of them. But if you repent and put those sins on Jesus for Him to wash away in His blood, there remains nothing to condemn you on the Last Day.
Yet, Jesus doesn’t say all that to the sheep and the goats, does He? Instead, He tells the sheep to enter paradise, because they ministered to Him. And He tells the goats to depart into eternal fire, because they did not minister to Him. If we are saved by grace, why does Jesus mention good works? Well, this all makes sense if you understand what a good work is. And to understand what a good work is, you need to know who is judging the good work. You are not the judge. The American public are not the judge. No one on this earth is the judge. The Judge is God alone. And how does God determine what a good work is? A good work is done through and for Christ. A good work is a forgiven work done through faith.
St. Paul writes in Romans 8, “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” A work may look good on the outside. And there are many such good works on this earth, which impress the masses. But they are not done in faith. They do not serve Christ. And they do not serve His Church. These so-called good works are riddled with sin, and indeed come from a sinful heart. It is impossible to please God without faith.
The works done by the sheep are pleasing to God, because they are done through faith in the forgiveness of sins. In Luke chapter 7, Jesus teaches that the person who is forgiven the greater debt, loves more, but the one who is forgiven little, loves little. Jesus’ sheep love much, because they have been forgiven much and they know it. Their works are praised by Christ, because they are forgiven works. These are not works done by the sinful flesh, but produced by the Holy Spirit, who dwells in Christians through faith. These are the works prepared by God beforehand that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10). And whatever weakness our sinful nature adds to these good works are forgiven by Christ. So, for Christ’s saints, all their sins are forgiven and their good works are produced by the Holy Spirit as fruit and proof of their election.
“When did we see you in need and minister to you?” the sheep will ask Christ. “As you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” Jesus will respond. This shows us that Christ identifies Himself with His sheep. In Acts 9, when Christ appeared to Saul (better known as St. Paul), He said, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Saul was on his way to Damascus to arrest Christians. If you persecute Christians, you persecute Christ. Yet, if you minister to Christians, you minister to Christ. In Matthew 10, Jesus says to His disciples, “Whoever receives you receives me…” and “Whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.” (vss. 40,42)
This shows how serious Jesus was when He said to His disciples, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, by how you love one another.” (John 13:34-35) Christians show their faith in Christ by loving one another. When you love your fellow Christian, you show love for Christ, because Christ dwells in that Christian and identifies Himself with that Christian. And this isn’t a hypothetical, “Oh, I’ll be kind to a Christian if I see one.” No, the opportunity to love your fellow Christian is always before you. Christian parents love Christ by serving their Christian children, feeding, and clothing them, and of course, providing for their spiritual care. Christian children care for their elderly parents. Christians minister to each other, because they live together in a community on earth. Our community is this congregation. We worship together. We pray together. We sing and rejoice and mourn together. We share in the very body and blood of Christ, so that when we depart in peace, we are departing with those in whom Christ dwells.
The stranger you welcome is often the pastor you don’t know from Adam, but whom God has sent to preach Christ to you and to shepherd your soul. Christians minister to Christ by supporting the preaching of the Gospel in their congregation. The sick and imprisoned are their fellow Christians, who are kept away from the congregation, because of poor health, age, or persecution. We do not forget them, but visit them and care for them.
Christ will know His own, when all stand before Him to be judged. And His own will be those who trusted in Him for forgiveness of their sins and who walked in the good works prepared for them. His own will be those who lived and served in His congregation here on earth. We are saved apart from our works. Yet, God has prepared great works for us to do here on earth. So, while we are here, let us walk in them in service to Christ. Amen.

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Beautiful Faith

11/13/2024

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Trinity 24
Matthew 9:18-26
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
November 10, 2024

I want to tell you this morning of a beautiful faith of a beloved daughter of God. Faith is the belief and trust that a person has in the heart. And the Holy Spirit gave us a vivid picture of this woman’s faith, when He caused St. Matthew to write, “For she said in herself, ‘If only I shall touch His garment, I will be saved.’” Now, was this a right faith the woman had in her heart? Absolutely. We know that her faith was good and right, because of how Jesus praises it. “Take heart, daughter; your faith has saved you.” (The English translators often translate the word for saved in both cases as “made well,” but it is best to leave the word as saved, because it encompasses both her physical health and her eternal salvation.) The point is, her faith said, “If I only touch His garment, I will be saved.” And Jesus told her, “Your faith has saved you.” So, if you want a sure and certain example of saving faith, you have it right here.
Yet, what did the woman mean by, “If only I touch his garment…”? Did she trust in Jesus’ cloak? No. She trusted in Jesus, who wore the cloak. And she believed that He who could raise the dead was so powerful that if she even touched the clothes He was wearing that her ailment would be healed. And Jesus commended her for this thinking.
Yet, there are those who say, “Baptism does not save, because faith alone saves;” and “The Lord’s Supper cannot save, because only faith saves;” and “A minister cannot forgive sins, because only God can forgive sins.” Yet, does the teaching that faith alone saves (Ephesians 2:8) mean that Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and the preaching of the Gospel do not save? Certainly not. They say that water Baptism cannot save, because it is just water; and that the Lord’s Supper cannot save, because it is only bread and wine; and that the preacher’s words cannot save, because he’s just a man. Well, who doesn’t know that water is just water, and that bread and wine are just bread and wine, and that a man is just a man, and that a cloak is just a cloak?
But if the cloak is worn by Christ, why can’t she who touches it be saved? She is not placing her faith in the cloak, but in Christ, who wears the cloak. How much more should the water, which Christ clothed Himself with save the one who is touched by it? The woman didn’t even receive a promise that if she touched His cloak she would be made well. She simply inferred it. Yet, Jesus gives us a beautiful promise that whoever believes and is baptized will be saved (Mark 16:16). And He has joined Himself to these baptismal waters when He Himself was Baptized and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him and the Father declared, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” Of the Baptism water, St. Paul writes, “As many of you as were baptized into Christ, have put on Christ,” (Galatians 3:27) and again, he writes so clearly in Romans 6, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 We were buried therefore with Him by Baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His.” Jesus joined Himself to the baptismal waters, putting them on Himself as a garment. And St. Paul tells us that all who join themselves to that baptismal garment join themselves to Christ. So, as the woman’s beautiful faith told her that if she but touched Jesus’ garment, she would be saved, so we ought to believe that if we are baptized into Christ we are rescued from sin, death, and eternal condemnation.
Likewise, of the bread and wine in the Lord’s Supper, Jesus says, “This is my body given for you; this is my blood shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26:26-28) And St. Paul assures us that as many eat and drink of the bread and cup of the Lord participate in His body and blood (1 Cor. 10:16). So, as the woman trusted that by touching His cloak, she was touching her Savior Jesus, so we believe that when we eat His bread and wine, we are eating the body and blood of our Lord for our forgiveness and salvation.
Furthermore, Jesus said to His ministers, “The one who hears you hears me.” (Luke 10:16) So, we know that Jesus clothes Himself in the minister’s words, when he preaches Christ. Christ wants to come to you through His Word spoken by His servant. So, you know that when the minister declares your sins forgiven, whether in the absolution or in the preaching, it is true before God in heaven. Jesus did not put this woman to shame for her faith that if only she touched His garment she would be saved, how much less will Jesus put you to shame when you trust His promise in Baptism, in the Lord’s Supper, in the Absolution, and in the preaching of the Gospel, that whoever receives these things receives Christ Himself? No, as He told the woman who touched His garment, “Take heart, daughter, your faith has saved you,” so Jesus tells you every time you remember your Baptism, hear the Absolution, receive the Lord’s Supper, and believe the preaching of the Gospel, “take heart my son, my daughter, your faith has saved you.”
Faith does not save you because it is some great work you do. Faith only saves because it trusts in and receives Christ Jesus. Had the woman put her trust in any other man, she would not have been healed. But since she put her trust in Christ, she was saved. So, faith depends on Christ, not on your own worthiness. The woman’s faith did not tell her that she was worthy of Christ. The woman’s faith told her that Christ was willing and able to save her. This woman had been afflicted with this bleeding for twelve years, the entire lifetime of the little girl Jesus was going to raise. This left her not only miserable, but unclean. According to the Law of Moses a woman with a discharge was not permitted to touch holy things (Leviticus 15). Yet, this unclean woman touched Jesus, who is the Holy of Holies. And instead of her being condemned for breaking the ceremonial Law, she was cleansed.
The woman’s unclean bleeding represents our own uncleanness. Jesus says in Matthew 18, “But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person.” So, as this woman walked the entire lifetime of this girl in uncleanness, so we spend our lives unclean by our own sin. We are unworthy to come into Christ’s presence. We are unworthy to worship Him, let alone touch Him. Yet, faith sprouts from neediness, not worthiness. We are not worthy of Christ, but we need Him. We need Him to forgive us. We need Him to cleanse us. This woman with the beautiful faith did not consider whether she was worthy of Christ, but her faith told her that she needed Him. So, she reached out and touched Him, and she was healed. So, we come to church to be with Christ, to touch Him through His Word and Sacraments, not because we are worthy (we’re not), but because we desperately need him. This teaches us that only those who recognize their sin and their need for cleansing will have true faith in Christ. If you do not think you need to be cleansed, then you do not have true faith.
The woman interrupted Jesus when He was busy with an important and urgent task. The ruler of the synagogue, Jairus, had come to Him and told Him that his daughter had died. Mark and Luke tell us that he said that his daughter was about to die and that they learned that she died on their way to his house. Matthew jumps ahead and says that she had already died. Regardless, they are hurrying to Jairus’s home to save his daughter from death. The matter is urgent. This woman’s situation, on the other hand, does not seem so urgent. She had been bleeding for twelve years. She was bleeding yesterday. She was bleeding that day. She would be bleeding the next day. Most people would not consider this an emergency, not urgent, but something that could have been dealt with later. Yet, Jesus stops his rush to the dying girl’s home to help this woman. He treats here condition as if it is urgent.
This teaches us about faith in Christ and about Christ. Faith desires urgently to hear Christ’s preaching and to receive His Sacrament. Faith treats these things as its greatest need. However, our sinful flesh does not. We think it can wait. We think there are other things more urgent than receiving God’s healing. I’ve been unclean with my sin my whole life. I was unclean yesterday. I’m unclean today. I’ll be unclean tomorrow. I will go and be cleansed by Christ another time.
I feel this attitude a lot in hospitals when I am visiting the sick and dying. Although often the staff at hospitals are respectful and treat the pastor’s visit as important, they often do not. The pastor seems to be in the way. There are more urgent things to be taken care of than religious stuff. Yet, Jesus teaches us here that what He does for us in cleansing us and saving us is significantly more important than anything else going on. Even when a girl is on her deathbed, Jesus sees the urgency in cleansing a daughter of God. And so, what the pastor does by absolving, praying for, preaching to, and giving the Sacrament of Christ’s body and blood to a person in the hospital or in the nursing home is significantly more important than any other task that is done. Likewise, coming to church on Sunday morning to receive this cleansing is significantly more important than anything else you have going on. And we are wise to recognize that.
Saints Mark and Luke tells us that the woman spent all her money on physicians, but they could not help her, rather she grew worse. And it is still the same today. Sure, medicine has its place. There are wonderful treatments that can even save your life for a while. But that’s the most they can do. Eventually, you will still die. And many medications, especially after they get piled upon each other, cause bad reactions, and make a person worse. You can eat healthy, cut out seed oils, exercise an hour a day, take all the supplements and medicine the doctors tell you to take, every vaccine, follow every doctor’s order. And you know what will happen? You will die.
Every effort of man to save will fail, whether that comes from the religious works-righteous pharisees, who proclaim salvation by works of the Law, or from the secular do-it-yourselfers. These human efforts will fail, no matter how much money or sweat you spend on them. Only Christ Jesus can save you. He who can say of a dead child lying in a bed, “The girl is not dead, but sleeping,” before He takes her hand and raises her from the dead, is the only one who can save you from death. He is the only one your faith needs or wants. And healing you of your uncleanness, forgiving you of your sins, and saving you from hell is always His top priority. So, we should follow the example the woman’s beautiful faith, and recognize that our most urgent need is satisfied in Jesus alone, and reach out to touch that in which He cloaks Himself: His Word and Sacraments. Amen.

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Entering the Church Triumphant through the Church Militant

11/7/2024

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All Saints Day Sermon
Revelation 7:9-17; 1 John 3:1-3; Matthew 5:1-12
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
November 3, 2024

All Saints Day is a celebration of the Church Triumphant. John tells us of his vision in Revelation 7, where he sees an innumerable crowd clothed in white robes, praising and worshipping Christ the Lamb as He sits on His throne. They are joyful and righteous. They sing praises to Christ ever in His presence. Nothing can harm them. Not even the sun may strike them. They lack no good thing; they hunger and thirst for nothing. And they are there in paradise, because they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, who is Jesus Christ.
The Church Triumphant is the Church which has passed out of the tribulation and has entered into her glory. The prophets, apostles, and all the saints who have gone before us, including our dearly departed in the faith, now enjoy their Sabbath rest as the Church Triumphant. This is what we are celebrating. And we do not only celebrate it for those who have gone before us, we celebrate for ourselves. We believe that we too will join the Church Triumphant.
There is only one Church. Those who enter the Church Triumphant do not enter a different Church than what we belong to today. We are even now united with the Church Triumphant in what is called the mystical body of Christ. It is fitting that little Kliff is baptized on the day we celebrate all the Saints, because he has joined the one holy Christian Church, that is, the Community of Saints, which exists both on earth and in heaven. Those in the Church Triumphant have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Yet, they did that when they were still here on earth. In Baptism, God washes us clean from all our sin in Jesus’ blood and clothes us in a garment of Christ’s righteousness. St. Paul writes in Ephesians 5, “Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word, so that He might present the Church to Himself in spender, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” And so, by the power of His Word, Christ joins His redeeming blood to the water of Baptism, so that those who believe and are baptized may wash their robes white in the blood of the Lamb. When Ananias restored the sight of Saul (Paul), he said to him, “Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on His name.” (Acts 22:16) And St. Paul wrote in Galatians 3, “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith, for as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” So closely Paul joins faith to Baptism, so that those who believe in Christ Jesus as their Savior, should believe that in Baptism, Christ has washed their garment with His own blood, which He shed on the cross, and has clothed them in a robe of Righteousness (Isaiah 61:10).
And so, little Kliff today wears a white robe, bleached white from all sin and imperfections with the blood of Christ, and is a rightful member of that heavenly throng. Yet, he is not in heaven yet. None of us are. And Jesus’ message for us on this celebration of the Church Triumphant is quite different from what we would expect. While John tells us in Revelation that the Church Triumphant will lack nothing good, Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” While John tells us that the Church Triumphant will have every tear wiped away from their eyes forever, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who mourn.” While the Church Triumphant neither hungers no more nor thirsts anymore, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” While the Church Triumphant boldly and loudly sings a victory song to God, Jesus says, “Blessed are the meek.” And while the Church Triumphant enjoys complete peace, so that not even the sun may oppress them, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.”
So, why the great contrast between Scripture’s description of the Church Triumphant and how Jesus describes the blessed? They are members of the same Church, the same Community of Saints, the same mystical body of Christ. Yet, St. John records, the Church Triumphant has come out of the great tribulation. We, the blessed on earth, are still in the great tribulation. The blessed who are going through the great tribulation are the Church Militant. Jesus tells us these Beatitudes to encourage His saints who are still going through the great tribulation, the Church Militant.
Today, little Kliff joined the ranks of the Church Militant. Although in his Baptism, He has received from Christ everything He needs for salvation and to be a member of the Community of Saints, he will not enter the Church Triumphant until he dies or Christ returns. His Baptism doesn’t mark the end of His journey, but the beginning. His citizenship and ours is in heaven. So, as long as we live on this earth, we are going through the great tribulation. Jesus says, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24) It is in this great tribulation that Christ won for us salvation by His blood on the cross. And so, it is in this great tribulation that Jesus washes us with that blood and gives us everything we need to enter His Church Triumphant. So, we must follow Jesus through this tribulation, until we reach our journey’s end.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The poor in spirit are not necessarily materialistically poor, but rather, they do not consider anything on this earth their true treasures. Rather, they store up treasures in heaven, where moth and rust may not destroy and where thieves cannot break in and steal (Matt. 6:20). This is how King David, who was considerably wealthy humanly speaking, said, “As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought of me.” (Psalm 40:17) And so, Jesus tells you that you are blessed in heaven when you recognize that nothing on this earth is your true wealth, but your wealth is stored for you by Christ in heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” As with the poor in spirit, those who mourn do not weep all the time. In fact, Paul tells them to rejoice always (Phil. 4:4). Yet, Jesus says they mourn, because they do not rejoice in what the world rejoices, just as they do not consider wealth what the world considers wealth. With these words, Jesus exhorts us not to find our reason for rejoicing in the things of this world or to forget that we are in the great tribulation. In Ezekiel 9, the Lord commanded a man to put a mark (which looked like a cross) on the foreheads of the men who sigh and mourn over the abominations committed in Jerusalem. It was those who received the mark, who would be spared when the executioner went through the city. And so, mourning the sin and evil in this world and setting your hopes in heaven is a sign that you are marked by Christ as one redeemed. Yet, rejoicing with the world in her evil and joining in her sin, sexual immorality, and selfish indulgence, is a sign that you are not part of the Community of Saints.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” This does not mean that Christians should be silent or non-political. Rather, Christians should loudly speak the truth and push for godly government, which promotes what is good, protects the defenseless, and discourages moral degeneracy. However, as you treat one another, you should be meek and gentle, not seeking to win your own advantage, but willing to turn the other cheek when offended and to give your cloak also to him who demands your tunic. Those who do not serve their own pride will inherit the new heavens and the new earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” If you are a Christian, you recognize that there is a lack of righteousness on this earth, a lack of righteousness among people, a lack of righteousness in your own heart and among your own words and deeds. You not only want to be forgiven and declared righteous, but to be transformed by that forgiveness, so that you sin no more and that you may live where only righteousness dwells. Christ promises you that you will be satisfied when this world passes away.
The merciful are those who forgive the trespasses of others with the confidence that our heavenly Father forgives their trespasses. The pure in heart are those who daily clean out of their hearts all idolatry and love for evil, so that their hearts may be a sanctuary for God alone. They shall see God, for they shall be like Him. The peacemakers seek reconciliation, that is, to make friends with their enemies, instead of getting revenge. They shall be called sons of God, because they follow their Father’s example, who reconciled the world to Himself through His Son (2 Cor. 5).
Those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, that is, on account of Christ are especially blessed, because they are constantly reminded that the world hates them as it hated Christ. Jesus tells them to rejoice, because they are in good company with the prophets, and most especially Him.
And this is where we get to the main point of these Beatitudes. These Beatitudes describe the Christian going through the great tribulation, because they describe Christ going through the great tribulation. Christ clothes you in a white robe of righteousness, washed in His blood, not so that you may go on sinning and conforming yourself to this wicked world, but so that you can make it through this tribulation with your salvation intact. And so that you turn from sin and do not take off your robe of righteousness, these Beatitudes direct your focus at Christ, so that you may see who your Savior is and also follow His holy example. Jesus was poor in spirit, forsaking all the riches of this world for the sake of His heavenly kingdom. He wept over Jerusalem and all who turn from life. He was silent before His accusers and Pontious Pilate instead of defending Himself. And in great hunger and thirst for our righteousness, He went to the cross and drank down to the bitter dregs God’s wrath against all our sins. His mercy knows no bounds, as He died to forgive our sins. His heart was pure toward His Father and remains the only way that one can see the Father. He made peace between God and man through the blood of His cross. And He suffered the greatest persecution and blasphemy for the sake of our salvation, so that every unkind word and mistreatment you receive for the sake of Christ draws you closer to your Savior.
It is Christ who went before us in this great tribulation. And it is Christ who goes with us in this tribulation. Although, we are baptized once, we wash our robes every day in His blood, by returning to our Baptism through repenting of our sins and trusting in Christ’s promise of forgiveness. John’s words about the Church Triumphant give us hope for those who have gone before us and for ourselves in the future. Yet, Jesus’ words in the Beatitudes give us certainty that we are blessed now amid our tribulation. We are God’s children now, although we do not yet see what we will become. So, we will continue to purify ourselves with the blood of Christ, daily repenting of our sins and gladly hearing His Word, with confidence that we will come out of this great tribulation to join the Church Triumphant. Amen.

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"For faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." ~ Romans 10:17

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Christ Knows His Own at the Final Judgment

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Entering the Church Triumphant through the Church Militant

Rev. James Preus

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