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Advent 2: The Holy Spirit Encourages Us through Scripture

12/10/2018

Luke 21:25-36
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
December 9, 2018

The Christmas season started over a month before the first day of Christmas this year, way back on November 23rd as Black Friday inaugurated the Christmas rush. Christmas songs have already been playing on the radio for nearly three weeks now, and before the turkey was cleared out of most people’s refrigerators, “Merry Christmas” became the customary greeting. The season of Advent has been completely forgotten. And I’m not just bothered that Christmas is being celebrated at the wrong time. We should rejoice at Jesus’ birth all year round! That God became a little baby for us in order to save us is a wonder at which we should never tire of marveling.
But that’s not even what’s happening. We don’t have a premature celebration of Christmas, but a month-long caricature of the Christmas season. The Christmas Spirit has been replaced with materialism. And I’m not just complaining like Charlie Brown that everyone’s gone commercial. There is something much more sinister going on. This fake Christmas season is exactly what Jesus warns us against in our Gospel lesson, “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.”
Advent is about the coming of Christ. Today we heed Jesus’ words to be prepared for his second coming in judgment. Yet, in the name of Christmas nearly everyone is doing the exact opposite. Instead of watching for the coming of Christ, we are overwhelmed by the cares and pleasures of this life. Jesus warns us against being weighed down with dissipation; that is dizziness, staggering like someone who is drunk or hungover. And that is how so many of us are as we rush to get everything done. And literal drunkenness has become customary in the new-Christmas season with drinking parties that only intensify feelings of anxiety and depression. We are so weighed down by the cares of this life, the coming of the Lord certainly could fall upon us like a trap. In fact, the Lord wouldn’t need such stealth. Indeed, this new-Christmas season is a time of cultivating thorn bushes to choke out the word of God from our hearts.
And it’s not even that enjoyable. Recent polls find that 88% of Americans find the holidays stressful. This makes sense with all the rushing around buying gifts they can’t afford, traveling distances they don’t have time to travel to visit family and friends and rushing back before they can relax. Something like a quarter of consumers still haven’t paid off their bills from last Christmas. And people even find visiting their loved ones stressful. And half of those polled say that religion is a topic to avoid over the holidays with family and friends! Imagine that! Don’t talk religion when celebrating holy days!
And this really is the center of the problem with this new season of anxiety dressed up with lace and flashing green and red lights: It is all a distraction from getting prepared for the coming of Christ Jesus. And how do you get prepared for Christ’s coming? How do you keep watch? By paying attention to the Holy Scriptures and the preaching of God’s Word.
Yet, for many already weighed down with dissipation and anxiety, the command to pay attention to the Scriptures is yet another stress heaped on the chest. Most pastors feel guilty for not spending as much time as they should reading the Bible, let alone many Bible-believing Christians. You should read your Bible every day. Do you? Does it make you feel guilty that you don’t? Is pointing this out helping to relieve your anxiety during the busiest time of the year? I didn’t think so!
But reading the Scriptures and hearing the preaching of God’s Word should not cause you stress. Listen to the words of St. Paul from our Epistle lesson, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” We find hope through the encouragement of Scripture. What is this hope? Jesus tells us in our Gospel lesson! “Now when all these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
That’s right! When all the world is falling apart, when those in power become powerless and the rich lose everything they have, when nature itself becomes unsettled and the end is near, Jesus tells you that summer has arrived. You are going to be released from the sorrows of this world like a calf leaping and dancing out of its stall. Though the earth go up in flames, you will be cool and collected. This is Christ’s promise. And why will you be so cool, collected, and victorious? Because your redemption is coming near.
What is your redemption? To redeem means to purchase or buyback. All of us were conceived and born slaves of sin, bound to death, and under the dominion of the devil. Yet, Scripture teaches us that we were redeemed from this bondage, not with gold or silver, but with the precious blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:18-19). It was God himself, who set this price. Our sin is an offense against Him. God must be reconciled to us because of our transgressions against him.
Our sin is a corruption of our nature, which God made to be perfect. It’s a behavioral problem. Not only does sin separate us from God and warrant our death, but it is harmful to others. The reason you have anxiety and are overburdened during this stressful time of year is because of your sin. Sin causes you to not trust in God. That means that you take on an unnecessary burden by trusting in yourself. Sin causes you to be selfish. That makes serving others more difficult. Sin makes it difficult to spend time with others and for them to spend time with you, navigating around unsafe and awkward conversations. Sin is not freedom. It is slavery. You are not capable of doing the good that you want to do. Even if your spirit is willing, your flesh is weak. And the wages of sin are death and hell.
You are a sinner. You need to be redeemed from your sins or you will go to hell for all eternity. And Jesus is coming to judge the living and the dead. Yet, Scripture encourages you to have hope, because Christ Jesus has redeemed you from your sin with his precious blood. Hebrews chapter nine states, “So Christ having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” (9:28)
Scripture is encouraging, because it reveals to you your Savior, Jesus Christ, who has redeemed you from sin, from death, and from the power of the devil, not with gold or silver, but with his holy precious blood and with his innocent suffering and death. To be redeemed means that God has forgiven you. Ephesians 1:7 states, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.” Forgiveness is the sweetest word in the ear of a sinner. Psalm 32 states, “Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the one against whom the LORD counts no iniquity.” And this is why the name of Jesus is the sweetest sound in the ears of a Christian, because it is Jesus, who has forgiven us our sins. 1 Timothy 1:15 states, “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.”
Yes, Scripture calls sin, sin. And Scripture calls you a sinner, even to say that if you deny that you are a sinner, you are a liar and the truth is not in you! (1 John 1:8) Yet, Scripture promises that if you confess your sins, God will graciously forgive your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness through Jesus’ blood (1 John 1:9, 7). And Scripture is trustworthy. St. Paul tells us that it is breathed out by God. (2 Timothy 3:16) St. Peter tells us that men of God wrote the Scriptures as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:19-21). St. Paul joins the Holy Spirit and the Holy Scriptures together so closely, that he does not distinguish between the work of the Holy Spirit and the work of the Scriptures. On the one hand he says “through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” and nine verses later he says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” (Romans 15:4, 13) God the Holy Spirit works through the Scriptures to create saving faith and encourage you through that faith your entire life.
The Scriptures are the words of Christ. And by the words of Christ the Holy Spirit creates saving faith in your hearts (Romans 10:17). So, not only should you read the Holy Scriptures and learn them yourself, for your own encouragement, but you should speak these words of Jesus as you gather with your family and friends this holiday season. Don’t be part of that 50%, who avoids talking about religion. Jesus says, “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.” (John 5:24) So, talk about Jesus with your loved ones! Pray with them. Have devotions with them as you gather to celebrate Jesus’ birth! Share with them the words that will prepare you to lift up your head and welcome your Redemption, as he comes to you on the clouds! And invite them to come and hear these sweet words of Jesus.
By truly observing Advent, that is by hearing and believing the holy Scriptures, you not only will enjoy the true meaning of Christmas when it comes, but you will be prepared to enjoy the return of that Christ, who came to us so lowly in the manger. May the words of our dear Savior be in our ears, mouth, and heart until he comes. Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.

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Advent 1: Behold, Your King is Coming to You

12/3/2018

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Matthew 21:1-9
December 2, 2018

According to recent studies between 6,000 and 10,000 churches will close this year in the United States; that’s between 100 and 200 per week. And this hits close to home for us this morning as Messiah Lutheran Church in Keokuk, IA, one of our sister congregations in Iowa District East, is having its final service before closing down permanently. Although the nation’s population continues to grow and we’re told the economy is growing even quicker and 70% of Americans still identify as Christian, more and more congregations simply can’t afford to support a building and a minister. This is likely due to the fact that, as recent studies also show, less than 20% of Americans attend a Christian church service in a given week.

Of course, such startling numbers didn’t happen overnight or without reason. One of the causes is a false theology, which Satan has spread in Christ’s Church. It goes like this: God is omnipresent, that is, he is present everywhere, therefore, I can be with God anytime and anywhere I want and therefore, I do not need to go to church to be with God. Like many heresies there is a little bit of truth in it. God certainly is omnipresent and you can certainly be with God anytime and anywhere, as Jesus himself instructs us that when we pray “go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father in secret.” (Matthew 6:6) And the Psalmist cries to God, “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?” (Psalm 139:7)

Yet, although God is present everywhere and at all times, he is not always present in the same way; specifically, he is not always and everywhere present with his grace. The presence of God is a serious thing, just listen to what Isaiah the prophet said when he beheld God in a vision, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” (Isaiah 6:5) And God spoke to Moses in Exodus 33, “Man shall not see my face and live.”

Those who are attending our Sunday morning Bible study on Leviticus know how difficult it is for God to be present with us humans. God is holy. We are sinners. God is a consuming fire. His holiness does not permit sin to be in his presence. So, God gave very specific instructions on how to build a tabernacle and what type of sacrifices to offer and when, so that God could be with his people without consuming them in fire. And while God’s presence can certainly be a terrifying thing, it is where we want to be! Especially when God comes to us with his grace, forgiving our sins and giving us eternal life.

The tabernacle of course points to Jesus Christ, who is God in the flesh. Because God has become man, we poor sinners can be in his presence to receive his forgiveness and salvation. In fact, that is all the church is, but Jesus’ little lambs gathered in the presence of God to hear the voice of their Good Shepherd. God is present with his people showering them with his grace where his Word is taught in its truth and purity and where his Sacraments are rightly administered.

And since we want everyone to come into God’s presence and to receive God’s grace and forgiveness, so that they can have eternal life, it is very troubling that so many opt not to come to church and that so many churches continue to close and some here may even be thinking, how long will it be for us? So, how can we bring people to God?

Well, in fact, this is the wrong question. We cannot bring ourselves to God let alone bring others to him. As the beautiful Christmas hymn puts it, “Come from on high to me I cannot rise to Thee.” We cannot ascend to heaven to be with God. Nor can we bring him down to us. It is God who comes to us. And this is what our Gospel lesson teaches us today.

What do we see? We see a man on a colt of a donkey riding into a city in great humility. And yet, this is just as the prophet foretold, “Behold, your King is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.” And this right here is the epitome of how our God comes to us. He comes to us lowly on a bed of straw wrapped in a diaper. He comes in human form calling himself the Son of Man even as he always remains the Son of God. He comes to us bloody and sweaty, struggling under a timber. He comes to us nailed to that same cross, crying out in dereliction. He comes to us dead in a tomb. He comes to us alive with holes in his hands, feet, and side. He comes to us speaking peace from God. He comes to us with cool water and profound words to make our conscience clean. He comes to us through the mouth of humble men and under the forms of bread and wine. This is how our God comes to us.

Advent means coming. To those who think that God is already here and there is nothing more to his presence than what we see out in the woods while hunting or in our living room while watching T.V. or wherever else we may be, this season of Advent must seem like a bunch of nonsense. But for those of us, who are trouble with our sins, who don’t hear God’s forgiveness spoken to us from the trees, we need God to come to us. We all need God to come to us. We need him to come and save us from our sins which lead to death and to give us eternal life. This season into which we enter today is all about God coming to us.

And so, since it is God who comes to us, we don’t ask the question how we come to him, but rather, how do we receive God as he comes to us. Or, better yet, how does God prepare us to receive him. When the chief priests and scribes became indignant at the children in the temple crying out to Jesus, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”, Jesus responded, “have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?” It is God, who prepares praise for his own coming and he does this by creating faith in our hearts.

The crowd, who shouted, “Hosanna, to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” believed that this man riding into Jerusalem on a donkey was their king. Did Jesus look like a king? Not really. But they didn’t determine that Jesus was their king through human logic. They received Jesus as their king through faith. St. Paul writes, “the righteousness based on faith says, ‘Do not say in your heart, “Who will ascend into heaven?”’ (that is, to bring Christ down) or ‘‘‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’ (That is, the word of faith that we proclaim).” (Romans 10:6-8) The crowd celebrating Christ’s arrival as their king believed the word of God, which Zechariah proclaimed in chapter 9, “Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

Faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17) God creates faith in our hearts and prepares praise in our mouths through his word. And it is only through faith that one can receive God as he comes. King Herod did not have faith, so he tried to kill the baby Christ. Yet, the shepherds and wisemen, who had faith in the word of God bowed down to a baby as their king. The chief priests and scribes didn’t believe the word of God, so they rejected Jesus as he arrived as the Prophet described. But those, who did believe God’s word welcomed their God as he came to them.

God comes to us in ways that can only be received by faith. Because in order for God to save us from our sins, he must come to us with his grace. We are incapable of earning our way to heaven. Every work we do according to our natural abilities is tainted with sin. So, in order for us to obtain salvation, we must receive this as a gift. Faith is nothing else than receiving God’s free gift.

This is why God became a man. None of us could possibly claim to have helped God become man in any way. Yet, God did this, so that he could share in our misery, fulfill the law in our place, and be punished in our stead. Jesus’ death on the cross betrays all our human logic and pride, yet it was necessary if we were to receive eternal life. Justice must be paid. Jesus paid it by suffering the punishment we deserved. This involved the almighty God coming in humble human flesh and suffering despicable shame. And the only way you can possible receive this is through faith in God’s word “But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)

In order to receive God’s grace, you yourself must be humble. God exalts the humble, fills the empty, raises the dead. This is what it means to be saved by grace. This means that you must repent of your sins. It is your sin, which separate you from God and sentences you to death and hell. Christ has come to take your sin away and give you eternal life. Faith involves not only having knowledge that Jesus has come to save you, but to place your sins on Jesus and trust in his forgiveness. This is why St. Paul tells us to cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. God prepares you for his coming by giving you a repentant heart that constantly flees from your sinful condition and clings to Jesus for salvation.

Advent is about God coming to us with his grace now through his Word and Sacraments and us receiving God’s grace through faith in his word. This was demonstrated to us in Christ’s triumphal entry, as the crowds believing the words of the prophet recited the words of Psalm 118, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” Through holy Scripture written a thousand years before this event God placed these words of faith into the mouth of the crowd. And God has placed those same words into our mouths. We join with the saints of the Bible by reciting these same words as our Lord and King comes to us in bread and wine. By using these words, we receive God as he himself taught us to.

Advent is also about God coming in judgment when Christ will return to judge the living and the dead. At this coming, everyone will recognize Christ as the King, even those who do not have faith. But we who have received God’s grace through faith have no fear of that day. There is now no condemnation for those, who are in Christ Jesus.

It is God, who will grow his Church. He will prepare praise from the mouths of those you would least expect. And he does this through his word, which creates faith in our hearts. Yes, God will use us to grow his church. As we teach the faith to our children and bring them to church to hear the Gospel and as we confess the faith to others out in the world. God works through these words to gather his sheep, just as he gathered the crowds to welcome Jesus into Jerusalem. But it is God who does this. And he does this through his word. And we will not improve on the work of God by abandoning the message of Jesus or trying to make it sound more appealing to another generation. Through the words of the Gospel God will call sinners to himself where and when it pleases him. And as those crowds in Jerusalem welcomed Jesus with shouts of Hosanna nearly two thousand years ago, so do we welcome our Lord today as he comes to us to save us from our sins, so will generations after us, and so will we when we welcome our Lord when he comes on the Last Day. Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.

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Last Sunday of the Church Year: Have Oil in Your Lamps

11/26/2018

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Matthew 25:1-13
November 25, 2018

The wise brought oil. The foolish did not bring oil. That makes sense. It is foolish to bring an oil lamp without oil and smart to bring oil. Yet, this is from God’s perspective, not man’s. The wise virgins Jesus speaks about here are not the wise of the world, but those thought to be foolish and naïve by men. And the oil they bring in their lamps is not the eloquent wisdom of philosophers and academics, but the foolishness of Christ’s cross. As St. Paul says, “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” (1 Corinthians 1:18-19)
So, the wise at the end of the age, who will enter into the wedding hall, are not those considered wise in this world, but those found foolish by this world. An oil lamb needs oil to give light. The flame fed by the oil is saving faith, which gives you the right to enter into heaven. The oil, for which faith is entirely dependent, is the wisdom of God given by the Holy Spirit. This wisdom, which shames the wise in this age, is the preaching of Christ Jesus, who was crucified for sinners, as St. Paul again writes, “For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and folly to the Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (1 Corinthians 1:21-25)
But why do the wise find the cross of Christ so foolish? For many reasons. People cannot understand how God could credit the sins of the whole world onto an innocent Jesus or how his punishment on the cross could make atonement for all sins. Others question the justice of God, claiming that it would be wrong for God to demand such punishment from his only Son. To many, the vicarious atonement of Christ is barbaric and unacceptable. Some have even coined it “divine child abuse.” Many more find a problem with Christ’s resurrection from the dead, claiming it to be impossible.
While many find the idea of a suffering Lord unacceptable, many more find the idea of a suffering Christian equally intolerable. That God’s power is made perfect in our weakness makes no sense in a world of survival of the fittest. “Suffering is bad. Meekness is a losing strategy. Sorrow over sin is dwelling on the past and being self-defeatist. You must strive to overcome your troubles by becoming stronger and better.”
The greatest offense Christ’s cross commits against the wisdom of mankind is its assault on the human pride. To say that, “When I am weak, then I am strong.” is offensive, because strength must be found within. If I do my very best, God will accept me! This is the creed of the world. To cherish the cross of Christ, you must crucify your own human wisdom and pride, acknowledge the seriousness of your own sins and look to God for free salvation. That is, you must have true, godly wisdom.
But this cannot come from your own reason or intellect. Such wisdom, such oil for your lamp is only given by the Holy Spirit. “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:14) This means that in order to have the wisdom of God, you must be taught by God. Proverbs 2:6 states, “For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” This means that godly wisdom comes from the word of God.
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” This statement is repeated several times in Scripture. It teaches us how we should approach Scripture. Yet, over the past few centuries a method of looking at Scripture, known as higher criticism, has become the dominant method in studying the Bible. Higher criticism aims to treat the Bible as “any other book” and in so doing, it questions the accuracy of what is written. Those, who reject higher criticism are called fools and are not taken seriously by the academic world. So, many, who don’t want to look like fools, try to have it both ways: treat the Bible like any other book and reject what seems too far-fetched to human reason, while still maintaining the Gospel. But we are not called to pick and choose what we want to believe from Scripture. Rather, in fear of the Lord we are called to hear the Word of God and keep it. This is how the Gospel is preserved among us. The holy Scriptures provide true wisdom that the world cannot give.
An oil lamp without oil is about as good as a flashlight without batteries. Yet, unless you tried to light the lamp, you might not know that the lamp has no oil. A lamp without oil may be useless, but it may also be very pretty, with fancy carvings and paintings on it. And that is how it is within the Christian Church on earth. The ten virgins all have lamps. You can’t tell who has oil, until the lamps are lit. So, Jesus teaches us that within the Christian Church on earth, there will be false Christians. They worship like Christians, they go to church, put money in the offering, and do good works. On the outside, they look like Christians. Yet, you don’t go to heaven for looking like a Christian. You go to heaven if you trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, that is, if you have oil for your lamp.
Jesus says at the close of his Sermon on the Mount, “Everyone 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 who built his house on the sand.” (Matthew 7:24, 26) Notice, how both the wise man and the foolish man heard the words of Jesus. Not everyone, who hears the words of Jesus will be saved, but those who put their trust in Christ. God judges the inner heart. You can’t pretend to him. Having oil, which keeps your lamp burning, is trusting in the foolishness of Christ’s cross for your salvation.
This is why it is so important not only to be baptized and go through the motions of being a Christian, getting confirmed, showing up for services, etc. Being a true Christian and having wisdom from God is trusting in Christ. And this of course will cause you to come to church and hear God’s word and take it to heart.
Oil runs out and lamps grow cold. That’s just a matter of fact. And, so can your heart grow cold if it does not get replenished with the wisdom of God. This means that you must continue to hear the word of God. Of course, for those who trust in the Lord, this is not a burden. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path!” says the Psalmist.
While hearing the word of God throughout your life, it is important that you hear not only the Gospel, which declares that your sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake, but that you also hear the Law. The Law is often despised, because it shows us our sins. Fornicators don’t want to hear that their fornicating is a sin. People with hot tempers don’t want to hear that their anger is a sin. Disobedient children don’t want to hear that their disobedience is a sin. And it goes on and on like this. Yet, it is important to hear the law for a couple of big reasons. First, your sins must be exposed to your conscience. When the law is preached to its fullest and you have nowhere to go, but to acknowledge that you are a sinner, then you are truly prepared to hear the Gospel. The Gospel is for sinners, for those who can claim no righteousness of their own, but must cling to Jesus for forgiveness and salvation. And Jesus forgives all sins.
Secondly, you should hear the law, because the law is good. It tells you how to love God and your neighbor. And as a Christian, who has the Holy Spirit dwelling in you, your desire it to do the will of God. And the will of God is revealed in the Law, which directs you to love as God has loved. So, it is important to listen to and learn the law of God, even when it points out your sin, as the Proverb says, “Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wiseman, and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.” (Proverbs 9:8-9)
Yet, however important it is to hear the law, the Gospel must predominate. Because, it is not by following the law that you will be saved, but through believing the Gospel. The Gospel is the oil, which keeps your saving flame alive. Jesus warns that you know not the day or the hour when Christ will return and St. Paul says that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. Yet, you will not be caught off guard when you have faith in the salvation Christ has won for you. St. Paul tells us to prepare ourselves by putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. “for God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” You can only have such certainty that God has destined you for salvation if you hold fast to the foolishness of the cross, which is the true oil for your lamp. Christ has secured your salvation through his death on the cross and resurrection from the tomb. With such faith, you will not be put to shame. With such faith, you are prepared whenever that Day will come. Amen.

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Second to Last Sunday: Saved to Love

11/26/2018

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Matthew 25:31-46
November 18, 2018

All three of our Bible lessons today make it clear that there will be a final judgment when, as we confess regularly in the creed, Christ will return to judge the living and the dead. This will be a terrible moment for those, who will be condemned to eternal punishment. Yet, it will be a wonderful day for those, who will inherit the kingdom. And so, it is of the utmost importance that we know how we will enter into eternal life.
We, of course, know that sinners are justified by faith apart from works of the law. That means that God finds you innocent of all sins when you have faith in Jesus Christ, who paid your debt of sin on the cross. You will not be found righteous before God by your own works but only through faith in Jesus Christ.
To what end though? Yes, Christ Jesus has freed us from eternal punishment. That’s certainly a relief. We can look forward to enjoying eternal life in God’s kingdom. But for what? What has God saved us to do? Now that we are saved, then what? Many tragically believe that since we are saved apart from our works, we are free to sin as much as we want. St. Paul laments that people accuse him of teaching that we should do evil that good may come. (Rom. 3:8) This is an evil teaching. God did not rescue us from sin and death, so that we could indulge in the same sinful behavior for which we were condemned. What a strange and cruel god that would be, who rescues some from hell, so that they can enjoy eternally the sins for which others will be punished eternally! No, Jesus died on the cross not only to rescue you from the results of your sin: death and condemnation, but from your sin itself. So, to what end did God rescue you from hell? Our Lord’s lesson on the final judgment today answers this question.
In our Gospel lesson, where Christ will separate the sheep from the goats and pass judgment on them, he doesn’t make any mention of faith. Nor does he speak about what his blood has done to wash away their sins. In fact, he doesn’t even speak of forgiveness. Rather, he says to those, who are to enter eternal life, “I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, sick and in prison and you visited me.” And he rebukes the condemned for doing none of these deeds. The Gospel lesson is so void of the discussion of faith that many say that it teaches that we are saved by our works. Some even have a theory that while some are saved by faith in Jesus, others, who do not believe in Jesus can still be saved if they do good works of mercy.
Yet, this again is false. There is only one way to heaven and that is through faith in Jesus Christ, as our Lord himself says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) And Jesus does not teach a different way of salvation in our Gospel lesson today. While he commends the righteous for good works, he tells them to inherit a kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world. You don’t work for an inheritance. And if the kingdom was prepared for them from the foundation of the world, then it certainly wasn’t prepared on account of their good works. Jesus teaches here salvation by grace alone. But this isn’t the main focus of this Gospel lesson. Rather, the main focus is the answer to our question. To what end does God save by grace? The answer: so that we might love now and forever.
Jesus commends the righteous for their acts of mercy toward him; providing food, water, clothing, shelter, and friendship in need. When asked when they did these works (for the righteous had no recollection of doing any of these things for Jesus), Jesus answered, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” And who are the least of these Jesus’ brothers? They are your fellow Christians. Jesus says, “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” This is why you were saved, so that having been freed from the clutches of sin, you would love and do good to everyone, especially those of the household of faith. (Galatians 6:10)
Scripture states, “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Galatians 5:13-14) Christ did not set you free so that you could become a slave to sin. Christ set you free, so that you would love your neighbor even as Christ loves you. This is why after receiving Christ’s true body and blood in the Sacrament, we pray that by it, God would strengthen our faith toward him and fervent love toward one another.
Christ identifies himself with his Christians. When you do an act of mercy to a fellow Christian, you are showing love to Christ, personally. This is how closely Christ has united himself to us. That is also why when Saul, whom we know better as St. Paul, was busy persecuting the Christians of the early Church, Jesus said to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me.” When you show hatred toward a fellow Christian, you show hatred toward Christ himself. Yet, when you show love and compassion toward a fellow Christian, you show love to Jesus personally.
This lesson does not mention faith explicitly, but it certainly implies faith. Who are those, who show such mercy to Christians, but fellow Christians? Jesus says in Matthew 10:42, “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.” Christians show love to other Christians, because they love them. They recognize Christ in their fellow Christian. Who are they, who support the preaching of the word with their tithes and offerings, support Lutheran Schools and missionaries around the world; who sacrifice their time for the sake of the Church of Christ? It is those, who believe the Gospel. Jesus does not mention faith explicitly, but he does explicitly mention the most obvious fruit of the Christian faith: love toward Christians.
A bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree bears good fruit. You must make a tree good before it can bear good fruit. Christ makes you good by washing away your sins in his blood. You receive this forgiveness of sins through faith and so through faith you become a good tree. The fruit produced by a good tree, that is through an heir of the kingdom, is love. Love is the fulfillment of the law. Jesus Christ fulfilled the law both by loving God perfectly with his whole heart, soul, and mind, and loving his neighbor as himself. And he fulfilled the justice demanded by the law by being punished in our place. Jesus is the fulfillment of the law. And now, through faith in him+, the law is fulfilled in us. St. Paul writes in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” To be saved by faith means to be saved apart from your works, by grace. Yet, faith in Jesus Christ does not leave you the same person. Faith changes you. Faith makes you a good tree that bears abundant fruit.
Yes, we know that we still sin. We don’t perfectly love as we ought. Although, God has changed us to be good trees, the old bad tree still produces rotten fruit. This is a struggle of which St. Paul writes again in Galatians 5, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.”
It is your faith in Jesus which drives you to fight against your sinful desires. It is faith that causes you to love. And while you will not love perfectly in this life, you don’t despair on account of that. Your sins are forgiven. There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Don’t look at your works to see whether are good enough to get to heaven. Rather, trust in Jesus alone. Notice how the righteous weren’t even aware of the acts of kindness Jesus attributed to them. But God was aware. These works were despised by the world, but sanctified by the Holy Spirit. And done by his good trees, these works are precious in the sight of God.
Although we won’t ever reach perfection in this life, we strive to love now, because that is what God has called us to do for eternity. By doing acts of mercy you behave like a little christ. Christ Jesus saw us sick and in prison, and he not only visited us, but he put on our prison clothes and was punished in our stead. He clothes us with his own righteousness as he baptizes us in his name, giving us his own name. He feeds us with heavenly food and even gives us his own blood to drink, satisfying our thirsty souls. This not only opens the kingdom of heaven to us, this makes us true citizens of that kingdom, in fact children of the heavenly Father. This work of Christ is what produces these works in us. And these are only a foreshadow of the works of love that we will do for one another and for our God and Savior Jesus in eternity. Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us love one another now and be confident that we will love one another in eternity. Amen.

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Third to Last Sunday in Church Year: The Lord Preserves his Church to the End

11/12/2018

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Matthew 24:15-28
November 11, 2018

What is the Abomination of Desolation? An abomination is a disgusting and hated thing. There is nothing found more disgusting and hated by God than idolatry, that is, the worship of false gods. Desolation is the act of desolating; to lay bare and make uninhabited. In our Gospel lesson Jesus meshes his warning of two different events: the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD and the end of the world. Both of these events coincide with the abomination of desolation.
In 70 AD the Jewish temple in Jerusalem was burned down and destroyed along with the city of Jerusalem by Roman forces. Jesus predicted this would happen. There were signs leading up to this event. In 40 AD the emperor, Caligula attempted to set up a golden statue in the temple for people to worship. Jesus told the Jews that when they saw these signs to flee. The destruction of the temple, which put an end to Jewish sacrifices to this day, and the destruction of Jerusalem were the Abomination of Desolation.
The destruction of the temple in 70 AD was the final of many assaults on Jewish worship. Throughout the Old Testament bad kings set up idols in the temple. In 167 BC the king of Syria sacrificed pigs in the temple. These abominations had the goal of destroying the religion of the Jews by desecrating their place of sacrifice. It was through sacrifices that God communicated to his people that he accepted them. If the place of sacrifice is destroyed, then so is the religion of the Jews.
Every sacrifice of the Old Testament pointed to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. When the faithful Jews of the Old Testament looked to the sacrifices in the temple, they remembered God’s promise to send a Savior to redeem them from their sins. So, the attacks on the temple, the place of sacrifice, was an attempt by the devil to remove Christ from God’s people.
Yet, there is another abomination, which makes for desolation that we must contend with in these last days. This abomination does not deal with a temple made with hands. Rather it is an attack on a spiritual temple. The abomination of desolation, which we must contend with today, is the removal of Christ Jesus from his Church. Jesus warns, “For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible even the elect.” This warning from Jesus is for us. And just as many believers heeded Jesus’ warning concerning the first Abomination of Desolation and fled before Jerusalem was laid bare, so we too should heed Jesus’ warning.
The abomination of desolation today is not Barrack Obama or Donald Trump or any other political leader. It is not the rulers of the nations Jesus warns us about, but those who infiltrate Christ’s church on earth. Scripture says that the man of lawlessness “takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.” (2 Thess. 2:4) Further, it says, “The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders.” (2 Thess. 2:9) Satan isn’t really concerned with destroying the United States of America. America will fall just as every other nation will fall. Satan wants to lay the very Church of Christ desolate. He does this by raising false christs and false prophets within the very visible church of God on earth!
Jesus warns, “if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. … “If they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it.” Yet, many popes and bishops dressed in religious vestments have sent Christians out into the wilderness on pilgrimages or into monasteries and convents seeking Jesus through a life of good works, while ignoring the salvation Christ earned for them through his blood. Many preachers, with their own churches, radio and television shows or internet podcasts tell millions of people where to find Christ. They lead people astray with great wonders and signs. Some seem to perform miracles by healing the crippled and sick or speaking in tongues or prophesying. Jesus said they would do these things. They lead people astray with impressive performances and clever arguments. They’re successful and attractive. And they call themselves Christians. Yet, all these false christs and false prophets have something in common: they distract from Christ’s suffering and death on the cross for the forgiveness and salvation of his people.
Satan attacks Christ’s Church from the inside. The abomination of desolation standing in the holy place is false faith standing in the place of Jesus’ blood and righteousness. The temple is no longer needed, because Jesus has fulfilled all sacrifices. Now you are the holy place where God dwells. Through faith in Jesus’ blood shed for you, God dwells in your heart. This is how he is with his people. Satan wants to replace Jesus’ blood and righteousness from your faith with a false faith. He doesn’t do this with threats of physical force. He does this by impersonating Christ and his church. This is why it is so important for you never to take your eyes off of Jesus and what he has done for you on the cross.
How do you identify the true Christ from an imposter? How do you know that you are in the true Church or a bad counterfeit? Like many young children, when I was a small child I once wrapped my arms around the legs of a lady at church, because I thought she was my mom. They were wearing similar skirts. And likewise, Christians get deceived. They identify the church by looking at things that remind them of church. But not all building with steeples, crosses, and pulpits actually have Christ inside! Just as not all women, who wear skirts are my mom.
You identify the true Church by listening for the true teaching of Jesus. Jesus died on the cross for your sins and rose for your justification. If you believe that God forgives you for Christ’s sake, you truly are forgiven and will be saved. Yet, even if a church has all the other familiar markings of a church, an altar and pews, a pastor and people, candles and hymn books, this does not mean that it is the true church; if Christ is not preached. If you do not hear that the blood shed on the altar of the cross washes away your sins, then that is not the church of Christ.
The abomination of desolation stands in the holy place not only when false teachers remove Christ’s work of salvation from the preaching of the church, but when Christ, his blood and righteousness are removed from your heart. You can belong to an orthodox Lutheran church, yet if you do not believe in the forgiveness of sins from Christ then an abomination dwells in your heart instead of Christ Jesus.
“Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.” Christians gather around the cross of Christ. While Satan calls us to go out and see more glorious christs, who offer you success, who don’t tell you to repent of your sins, who are rich and successful, Christians gather around a broken and despised Christ, who died upon the cross. While Satan calls you to go to a vibrant, growing church that is adored by the world, the elect are scorned for going to Jesus, where he can be found, even when the numbers dwindle.
The true church is despised in this world because Christ is despised. To trust in his sacrifice for sins is offensive, because it means that we must acknowledge that we are sinners, who need to repent. God’s wrath against Jesus on the cross is hated, because it reveals God’s wrath against our own personal sins. To believe that God can punish Jesus for sins that we’ve committed is scoffed at even by so-called Lutheran theologians and deemed ridiculous. Yet, we fools trust in this foolishness. We cherish the cross of Christ, his blood poured, and his broken body laid in a tomb.
We gather to eat the true body and blood of Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins; the same body nailed to the cross and blood which dripped from the nails and spear. The world finds this grotesque. Even many Christians don’t understand this. Yet, Jesus himself bids us to eat and drink. His flesh is true food and his blood is true drink. We do not devour Christ like vultures around a corpse as the mocking world imagines, rather, we partake of the risen body of Christ. We eat and drink and receive Christ’s living body and blood in a way that we do not understand, yet we believe that just as Christ is risen from the dead, so will we, who have been joined to him through this meal.
The tribulation in these latter days will be greater than the world has ever seen. The number of false christs and false prophets will only increase and attack Christ’s church from the inside out. Satan is dead set on laying the Church of Christ desolate. Yet, God will preserve his Church. Built on the rock the Church shall stand, even when steeples are falling. Church buildings may be burnt to the ground. Churches and synods might go belly up or reject the Gospel, even the Missouri Synod might fall away. But Christ’s Church will never fall away. The elect of Christ will remain gathered around the preaching of Christ crucified, wherever that might be. No one will be able to remove Christ from his proper place in their hearts. Nations and empires have risen and fallen, and yet many still will fall. Yet, the Church, that despised flock, who trusts in a foolish Gospel, she will remain forever. Amen.

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

Advent 2: The Holy Spirit Encourages Us through Scripture

Advent 1: Behold, Your King is Coming to You

Last Sunday of the Church Year: Have Oil in Your Lamps

Second to Last Sunday: Saved to Love

Third to Last Sunday in Church Year: The Lord Preserves his Church to the End

Rev. James Preus

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