Category: All Saints Day

Now and Not Yet

11/16/2022

All Saints Day (Observed)
Matthew 5:1-12
Pastor James Preus
Nov. 6, 2022

The theme that seems to permeate through every text for All Saints Day is now, and not yet. We are God’s children now, St. John says. Yet, what we will be has not yet appeared (1 John 3:1-3). St. John sees a vision in Revelation 7. He sees the saints gathered around the throne of God, clothed in white robes, praising God and Christ with a loud voice. Yet, this is a vision. When the vision ends, John goes back to the island Patmos (Rev. 1:9) on which he is exiled. And after reading this beautiful description, we look up from the pages of Revelation and see that we are still here on this earth, with sin and ills contending.

And Jesus embraces this theme of now and not yet in His Sermon on the Mount. Blessed are they now, for they will receive something later. His sermon is filled with reversals. The lowly will be exalted. The empty will be filled. The sad will be joyful. The poor will be rich. Yet, to all these future tenses, he places the present tense: Blessed are they. Blessed are those who mourn now, for they will be comforted in the future. Their comfort is in the future, but their blessing is now, in the present tense, even amid their mourning. They are blessed now, yet they have not yet seen the full content of their blessing.

To better understand Jesus’ sermon, we need to define His words. Nine times in this sermon, Jesus uses the word blessed. But what does that mean? Some modern translations have tried to update this text by translating it “happy.” But that says too little. Besides, those who are blessed are not always happy. Happy is an emotion. Blessed is a state of being. This means that Christians can be blessed even when they feel very unhappy.

To be blessed is tantamount be being saved. It means that you have an eternal reward. To be blessed means to have everything that accompanies eternal salvation: forgiveness of sins, peace with God, a good conscience, eternal life, adoption as children of God, and much more. It is a little word, a good word, but it means more than we can express in words. Those who are blessed are Christians. In this sermon, Jesus describes His Christians here on earth. He calls them blessed, meaning that they are saints even now, set apart by God. Yet, He also describes the cross they must bear on this earth before they experience their full blessing.

Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Here, Jesus doesn’t use the future, but only the present tense. The poor in spirit are currently blessed, because they currently possess the kingdom of heaven. But what does that mean? Who are the poor in spirit? To be poor in spirit means to be needy in spirit. It means that you’re a beggar. You don’t have and you know you don’t have. You’re humble, repentant, sorry for your sins and begging God to be made rich. Jesus speaks of the poor in spirit when he says, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick… I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:12-13) Jesus could just as well have said, “It is not the rich who beg for bread, but the poor. I did not come to feed the rich, but the poor.” The rich do not beg. But it is beggars in the spirit to whom God gives richly. The rich He sends empty away.

But what does it mean that the needy in spirit currently possess the kingdom of heaven? It means that poor repentant sinners receive God’s grace here on earth. Here, in church, spiritually poor, beggarly sinners come before God, repenting of their sins, and begging for forgiveness and eternal life, and God fills their open hands until they’re over flowing. He forgives their sins. He promises them eternal life. He calls them his children now, so that their citizenship is in heaven even as they live on earth. This is what God promises in Isaiah 66, “But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit. And who trembles at My word.” (NKJV) The spiritually poor live in God’s kingdom of grace today by faithfully receiving the means of grace, so that they will live in God’s kingdom of glory in eternity, seeing it with their own eyes.

The next six blessings are to those who currently suffer, but will rejoice in the future. Those who mourn today are blessed, because God will comfort them in the future. Those who are meek and lowly today are blessed, because God will bequeath to them the earth. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness now are blessed, because God will satisfy them. Those who mourn now are aware of the evil of this world. That can only truly happen when one’s eyes are opened to faith in Christ. Christians mourn the suffering of God’s Church, the corruption of His creation, the sin that soils every soul. Yet, these mourners God will comfort. He will wipe away every tear from their eye. They will enjoy eternal bliss with God their Savior.

The meek are the lowly. They are those who do not exalt themselves, but wait on God to exalt them. The meek are the spiritually poor, to whom the Kingdom of God belongs. God exalts the lowly, but casts down the proud. Being lowly in spirit often results in possessing less here on earth. Those who accumulate much property and wealth are often those who are not meek, but aggressive and who even claim what isn’t theirs. Yet, God promises the earth to His Christians. Jesus will raise the dead, and we will possess the new heavens and the new earth.

Those who hunger and thirst do not have what they hunger and thirst for, otherwise they would not hunger and thirst for it. So, this righteousness which the blessed desire is not theirs. The blessed are sinners. Yet, they desire to be righteous. And they want everything to be made right. Righteousness is often paralleled with salvation in Scripture, because God saves us by setting everything right. He does not ignore sin; he pays for it. He does not condone wickedness; he restores the sinner. We are righteous today through faith in Christ’s blood by which he washes away all our sin. Yet, in the future even our actions will be made perfectly right. Our salvation will be complete. God will satisfy our godly desires.

The merciful are blessed now, because God will have mercy on them. In other words, those who forgive others their trespasses are blessed, because God will declare them innocent of all sin on the Last Day. We are indeed forgiven now. God’s absolution says so. Yet, we know we are forgiven only by promise. We have not yet stood before God’s glorious throne as Christ judges every person according to his deeds. So, Jesus has given us a sign for everyday uses. When we forgive others, we remember that God has forgiven us in Christ Jesus. As Jesus says, “He who loves much is forgiven much.” So, you confess that you are forgiven and that God has mercy on you today by showing mercy and forgiving others. In this way, you demonstrate God’s love to others and give courage to your conscience that God will do as he promises.

The pure in heart are blessed now, because they will see God. To be pure in heart means to hold Christ in your heart. Out of the heart come evil thoughts, Jesus tells us. Yet, faith holds Christ Jesus in the heart, forgiving our sins and causing us to bear good fruit. No one can see God and live, because sinners cannot behold the holy God. Yet, to those who have cleansed their hearts through faith (Acts 15:9), Jesus promises that they will behold God face to face with their own eyes (Job 19:25-27; 1 John 1:2).

The peacemakers are blessed, because God will call them His sons. Christians are peacemakers. If you are not a peacemaker, then you are not a Christian. Yet, we must define peacemakers. Peacemakers are not those who sacrifice God’s Word and teaching in order to keep the peace with unbelievers. Peacemakers aren’t cowards who avoid standing up for what is right in order to avoid conflict. Rather, peacemakers confront sin and error with God’s holy Word, yet in a spirit of gentleness (Galatians 6:1). Peacemakers attempt to bind people together with nothing less than unity of the Spirit (Ephesians 4:3). This means that when peacemakers seek to make peace, they always appeal to the blood of Christ Jesus, which was shed to make peace between us and God. So, when Jesus tells you to go and talk to the one who has sinned against you, between you and him alone, he is telling you to seek to be reconciled and to forgive for the sake of His shed blood.

On the Last Day, God will declare the peacemakers His children. Children mimic their father. Our heavenly Father has made peace with us through the blood of Christ. So, we prove ourselves to be God’s children by making peace with one another for the sake of Christ’s blood. We repent when we sin against others. And we forgive those who have sinned against us.

Finally, Jesus says that those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, that is, on account of Him are blessed, because God will reward them greatly in heaven. Christians recognize that suffering too is a sign of God’s love for us. When we suffer for the sake of Christ, the old Adam must die and the new self must rise up. We don’t get to choose our cross or who will revile us or for what purpose. Yet, when we are reviled and mistreated for standing on Christ’s Word, we know that our reward is great in heaven. This reward does not refer to salvation alone, yet it never excludes it. All who have faith in Christ will inherit eternal salvation apart from their works. However, Scripture also teaches that there will be additional heavenly rewards given by grace to those who suffer for the sake of the kingdom. So, when Christians suffer for Christ’s sake, they indeed have cause to give thanks to God. Suffering produces both temporal and eternal benefits for the Christian.

This theme of now and not yet should comfort Christians; however, the not yet often outweighs the now in our experience. We currently live in the valley of the shadow of death. We are preoccupied with what we are not yet and what we do not yet have much more than what God declares us to be now: blessed. And because the not yet seems stronger, even the blessed now seems faint. Rather, we focus on the other “nows” that we can see, hear, and touch. Our senses of hearing, seeing, and touching are often stronger than our faith. So, how can we assert that we are blessed now and be certain of the not yet?

Only in Christ. Christ became poor for us. He mourned for us. He humbled himself for us. He hungered and thirsted for our righteousness, so much that He fulfilled all righteousness for us. Jesus was merciful to poor sinners and shed His blood to forgive them. Jesus had no deceit in His heart as He went to the cross. Jesus made peace between the Father and us by the blood of His cross. Jesus suffered more than anyone for righteousness’ sake. And Jesus has received His reward for all this. He is declared today to be the Son of God, who reigns over the heavens and the earth. Jesus is comforted with His victory as all His enemies lie under His feet.

Our certainty in our present blessedness and our future reward rests in Christ Jesus alone. Every heavenly reward we receive from Him. He currently is victorious. So, we take His word for it that we are blessed now, and we look forward to receiving the content of that blessing in God’s good time. Amen.

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Blessed are the Saints in the Midst of Battle

11/8/2021

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Gustave Dore, "The Israelites Slaughter the Syrians," 1866. Public Domain.

All Saints Day (Observed)
Revelation 7:9-17; 1 John 3:1-3; Matthew 5:1-12
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
November 7, 2021

“Let not him who straps on his armor boast himself as he who takes it off.”, so wisely spoke the otherwise foolish King Ahab of Israel to King Ben-hadad of Syria after the latter boasted in the power of his army to defeat Ahab (1 Kings 20:11). The one who straps on his armor has not fought the battle yet. The one who takes his armor off has already won the battle. To boast before you have won is foolish. Had Ben-hadad listened to Ahab’s advice, he would not have gotten drunk with his allies while Ahab was marching with his army to battle. Ahab’s words proved wise when the LORD granted him victory over Ben-hadad and his mighty armies.

Yet, we the Church Militant celebrate All Saints Day by boasting in our victory over sin, death, and Satan even as we are on the battlefield! We heard from Revelation 7, how we will be before the throne of God worshipping him, while being free from every trouble. 1 John 3 states that we are God’s children now. And in our Gospel lesson, Jesus calls us blessed, even as we are poor in spirit, as we mourn, in our humility, as we hunger and thirst for righteousness, as we forgive those who sin against us, as we hold fast to the pure doctrine maligned by so many, as we seek reconciliation with our enemies, and as we are lied about, mocked, scorned, and persecuted for our faith in Jesus. Even in the heat of battle, we saints on earth boast in our victory with the saints in heaven!

Well, if it is foolish to boast yourself as you strap on your armor, is it not foolish for us to boast in our victory even as the fiery darts of Satan assail us from every direction? No! We should boast in our victory, because the battle has been won. Christ Jesus won it. On the cross, after he had paid the debt for all our sins, our dear Lord Jesus proclaimed, “It is finished!” What is finished? The atonement for our sins! The work needed to be done to win our way into heaven. The ancient serpent’s head was crushed when the bruised-heeled Jesus died on the cross. And the Apostle Paul teaches us to boast, “Thanks be to God, who has given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.!” (1 Corinthians 15:57)

So, we will boast in our Baptism, which clothes us in Christ Jesus and washes away our sins. “Satan hear this proclamation: I am baptized into Christ! Drop your ugly accusation, I am not so soon enticed. Now that to the font I’ve traveled, All your might has come unraveled, And, against your tyranny, God, my Lord, unites with me!” (LSB 594:3, God’s Own Child, I Gladly Say It) We boast in the absolution, where we conquer Satan, the ancient dragon with the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 12:11). We boast in the Gospel of Christ, which tell us that we are God’s children now, despite the accusations of Satan, and the persecution of the world.

Faith compels us to boast in this way, because faith does not trust in you, but in Christ. Christ has won the battle. He is risen. He is ascended. He is seated at the right hand of God the Father. He has made propitiation for our sins. We are saved now by grace through faith in Christ Jesus. We must not doubt this or else we doubt Christ Jesus and make shipwreck our faith! We the Church Militant on earth must boast in Christ’s victory for us with the Church Triumphant in heaven, because we are one Church. And Christ has given his victory to his Church.

Yet, you must not take your armor off! The Church Militant is the Holy Christian Church on earth. It is called the Church Militant, because it is at war. Christians on earth must battle the attacks of the devil, who wants to destroy our faith and send us to hell. Christians on earth must battle persecution by the world, which hates Christ for having greater glory than it. Christians must even battle their own sinful flesh, which constantly wants to give up in the battle and join the world for temporary peace. The Church Triumphant is the Holy Christian Church in heaven. Those are they who have come out of the great tribulation. They have been granted a Christian death. They are before the throne of God and neither hunger, thirst, nor weep. They are sheltered by Christ and know sin no more.

Yet, there is only one Church. The Church Militant and the Church Triumphant are both members of the one Holy Christian Church. To this Church, Christ has given victory over sin, death, and hell. This is why we must rejoice with the Church Triumphant. Their victory is our victory. But we must not forget that we are still in the battle. The battle is the LORD’s! His victory is certain. And our victory is certain only if we remain with him.

Our enemy does not fight with swords, or guns, or missiles. He is spirit. He uses words, thoughts, the inclination of our hearts, and the pressures of the world. Satan is our wily foe. He knows our weaknesses. He knows what temptations you struggle with, the chinks in your armor. And he doesn’t rest. So, you must always have your armor on. The Holy Spirit caused St. Paul to write in Ephesians chapter 6, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and for shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.” (vss. 11-18a)

You take the armor of God off when you abandon God’s holy Word, which is the source of truth, righteousness, readiness, peace, faith, and salvation. The Spirit of God speaks through the Word of God. The most common way people take off their armor is by ceasing to come to church to hear the Word of God, pray, praise, and give thanks. When you get the thought in your mind that you’re not going to go to church, because you have more important things to do, because you’re too busy or you’ve heard it before, or you’re mad at the pastor, or you’re mad at someone else at church, or you’re embarrassed about something, or whatever other reason you’ve come up with to not go and hear the preaching of God’s Word and receive Christ’s pardon, take a big whiff, and you might catch the sulfuric scent of Satan’s breath, because he has just whispered a lie in your ear.

Every time you get the idea that you should not listen to God’s Word and learn from Jesus, Satan has lied to you. It is hubris to believe that you do not need to learn from Jesus, that you can handle this whole faith thing on your own. Does Jesus tell you not to go to church? Does Jesus tell you not to go and talk to the person you’re upset with? Does Jesus urge you to nurse that grudge, to stoke that pride, to place him last in your life? You don’t need to guess the answer to these questions! Jesus says, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31). Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27) Jesus says, “Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) Scripture says that Christ has given all things to his Church, so if you want to have victory in Christ, you need join yourself to his Church! Did Jesus tell you to nurse the grudge and not become reconciled with your neighbor? You know he didn’t. Jesus says that if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone, and that if he listens to you, you have gained your brother (Matthew 18). Satan is lying to you. Jesus tells you the truth. Strap on the armor of God by hearing God’s Word. Listen to Jesus. When you have trouble distinguishing between Satan’s lies and Jesus’ truth, you know that your armor has slipped, and you need to be refreshed by Jesus’ pure word.

Those who are members of the Church Triumphant have come out of the great tribulation. This means that those who are members of the Church Militant are currently going through the great tribulation. The great tribulation is suffering for the name of Christ. Jesus tells us that we are currently blessed with a great reward in heaven if we are going through such a tribulation for his name’s sake. Yet, while we are on this earth, we receive this blessing through faith, while we experience with our senses the tribulation. Tribulation for Christ’s sake can take many forms. Some saints endured it through torture and death, stonings, burnings, and being fed to wild beasts. Others suffered the loss of lands, jobs, suffered discrimination, and mean words. Perhaps the worst form of tribulation that has affected Christians throughout the ages is the loss of family. Jesus warns concerning this, saying, “I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:34-39) Jesus clearly teaches that whoever loves his family more than him is not worthy to be a saint. And this causes many to leave the battlefield. When son or daughter, husband or wife lose their faith and grow cold toward God’s word, it becomes too painful to stay on the battlefield.

But you cannot save your loved ones by leaving the battlefield. Rather, by patiently suffering for Christ’s sake, you can bring your loved ones back to the church through your example and confession of Christ. Yes, we must go on boasting in the Lord’s victory, so that all may know that our faith is certain. Yet, we must never take off our armor or leave the battlefield. Because, although Christ cannot lose, we can if we sever ourselves from him.

Today, we remember those saints who have gone before us and preceded us in death. They are rejoicing in their victory and waiting for the glorious resurrection of the righteous from the dead. We must continue to rejoice with them, in their victory through Christ, and ours as well. We must not avoid the battle, but know that the Church Triumphant is praying for our success. Our sorrows are almost over. The battle belongs to the Lord. Hold on soldiers of the cross. Keep your chins up and your eyes on Jesus. Victory is yours for Christ’s sake. He will never fail you. Amen.

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Blessed Are the Saints

11/2/2020

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All Saints, Fra Angelico, 1420, Public Domain

All Saints Day
Matthew 5:1-9
November 1, 2020

“Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” 1 John 3:2

Through Baptism and through faith in Jesus Christ, we are God’s children now. We have been born again, not of the flesh, but of the Spirit. We have been clothed in Christ and all our sins have been washed away. Our new man has been born after the image of Christ. And Scripture says that even now we are being transformed into Christ’s image. Yet, Scripture also clearly says that what we will be transformed into has not yet appeared. We do not yet look like the image of Christ in his glory. Yet, Jesus teaches us in our Gospel lesson that his Christians do indeed look like children of God.
The Gospel Lesson for All Saints Day is from Matthew chapter five, which is known as the Beatitudes. Jesus lists eight blessings in order to describe his Saints. A Saint is a holy person. To be holy means to be set apart. We usually think of saints as those who have gone to heaven. Yet, Jesus points out that God has set his saints apart now on this earth. It is they who are blessed forever. Each of the eight beatitudes describes Christ and in turn God’s Saints, who are being transformed into Christ’s image.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
In Luke’s Gospel Jesus strengthens this statement by saying, “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.” No, Jesus is not saying that rich people cannot go to heaven, although he does say that it is easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle. Nor is Jesus saying that all poor people will be eternally blessed. Rather, Jesus is speaking of those who are poor in spirit, that is, those who do not treasure their earthly riches in their heart. A person can be physically very poor, but if he craves in his heart after material wealth and prizes nothing so highly than to be rich here on earth, then his heart will have no room for God. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. So, even if someone owns great wealth here on earth, he can be poor in spirit, if he does not let these riches steal his heart, but considers them nothing. This is the example we receive from such saints as Abraham and King David, who were immensely wealthy, yet considered themselves poor and needy before the Lord.
Of course, no greater example of being poor in spirit exists than that of Christ Jesus, the Divine Monarch of heaven, who possesses every hill and field, heaven and all the stars therein. Yet, he was poorer than the birds and the foxes, because he had no place to lay his head. Jesus did not seek to make himself rich on this earth, but instead treasured God’s Word and stored his treasure in heaven.
And this is how the saints live while they are on this earth. Whether God makes them rich or poor, they remain poor in spirit and sing, “And take they our life, Goods fame, child, and wife, Let these all be gone, They yet have nothing won; The Kingdom ours remaineth.”
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
Again, there is no better example of one who mourns than Christ, who wept over Jerusalem, because he knew the judgment that befell her. He wept for his friend Lazarus, because more than anyone he understood the tragedy of death. St. Luke intensifies these words by recording Jesus say, “Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.” Now, this does not mean that Christians must always be sad and mourn. Indeed, we have much to rejoice over and many times are we filled with laughter. But by contrasting Christians with those who laugh now, Jesus teaches us that the saints do not rejoice in the things of this world. Like those who are poor in spirit, those who mourn do not seek joy in this sinful world. They mourn with Jesus over those who have rejected the Gospel. They mourn sin. They mourn that marriage is despised, that children are unwanted and even killed in the womb, that sexual immorality runs rampant. They mourn that children leave the church after once confessing the faith before all. And they will not be comforted by the superficial and transient pleasures of this world. They will be comforted only by their Savior Jesus, who will rescue them from this veil of tears.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
To be meek means to be lowly and humble. No one was lowlier than Jesus Christ, who being in the form of God took on the form of a servant. He did this with utter confidence that God’s plan of salvation would be accomplished and that he would inherit the new heavens and the new earth. To be meek presupposes faith. Do not fight and scrap for your foot-breadth of earth. Rather, listen to the comforting words of King David, “For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land. In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.” (Psalm 37:9-11) To be meek is to live with confidence that God will reward your labors according to his good time.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
No one desired righteousness more than Christ Jesus, who fulfilled the demands of God’s Law in perfect love, and in order to satisfy God’s wrath against all unrighteousness, made atonement for all sins on the cross. To hunger and thirst for righteousness is to desire that God’s will be done and that all that is good and right is accomplished. As sinners we know that we ourselves are not righteous. Through faith we desire a righteousness that is not our own and God satisfies us by forgiving our sins and clothing us with Christ’s righteousness. Yet, a Christian, reborn and washed clean of all sin, is not satisfied to then go back to his sin! A Christian desires to continue in righteousness. Yet, we find another law dwelling inside us that serves the law of sin! We hunger and thirst to live a righteous life. And we desire to dwell in a righteous land, because we desire what God desires. Yet, in this life this desire seems to go unfulfilled. We still sin. And like righteous Lot, we torment our souls as we witness evil around us. This is the hunger and thirst that Jesus speaks about. It seems to be unfulfilled, but Jesus promises us that we will be satisfied. In heaven there will be no sin. Our hunger will be satisfied. We will live in righteousness and purity forever.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”
Anyone who has read the Gospels knows how merciful our Lord Jesus is. He had pity on the sick, lame, and hungry. He felt compassion for those lost without a shepherd. And his mercy was shown to the extreme when he saved us from our sins and made us God’s children. Jesus illustrates well what it means to be merciful in his story of Judgment Day from Matthew 25, where he says, “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was a in prison and you came to me.” And when the righteous show ignorance of ever doing these things, the King answers, “Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”
And so, God’s saints, who have received abundant mercy let it run over by showing mercy to Christ, whom they find in their neighbor. By thinking of others and their needs, God’s saints on earth feed the poor, clothe the naked, and pray for those persecuted for Christ. You don’t have to leave your family or town to go and show mercy either. In your everyday life, God gives you opportunities to show mercy and kindness. This is also why saints defend the life of the unborn, who are naked and defenseless. Christians must be wise as serpents and gentle as lambs, however. There are those who try to convince Christians that it is merciful to kill these defenseless children. This is greatly displeasing to God our Father, who creates all life in the womb. Killing unborn children is never merciful.
The greatest mercy that has been shown to you is that God has forgiven you all your sins. This is why we pray, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” As we have been forgiven, so we forgive. Saints forgive those who do them wrong, confident in God’s mercy for them.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
To be pure in heart means to have a non-polluted heart. This is something that only God can do, as King David and all Christians pray, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” A pure heart is a heart that desires only what is good and to be close to God. This is done not only through Baptism, but by continued hearing and learning of God’s Word, and continued reception of the Sacrament. A heart is polluted by idol talk and noise that is common in this world, that seeks to draw your affection to life’s vain pleasures. Saints strive for a pure heart by repenting of their idolatries and vainglory and seeking to learn from God from the pure fountain of his holy Word. And God promises that those who seek him through his Word will see him face to face.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
One of the most endearing sights is watching a young boy intently study his father and set his feet the way he does, place his hand on his hip the way he does, mimic his facial expression and even repeat common phrases of his dad. Sons take after their fathers. Our heavenly Father is a peacemaker. And His Son Jesus Christ came to earth with the angelic announcement, “Peace on earth; Goodwill toward men.” Scripture tells us that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself. To reconcile means to turn an enemy into a friend. That is the very essence of being a peacemaker. God made peace with us through the blood of Jesus’ cross. And we, having been cleansed in that blood from all sin and having been made God’s children through faith are now peacemakers. We mimic our Father in heaven.
This means that we look at every friend with the desire of preserving that friendship and at every foe with the desire to be reconciled. If anyone has sinned against you, seek to forgive him and make peace. Do not spread a bad report or bear fast witness, but speak well of your neighbor and explain everything in the kindest way. If you are maligned, then return hatred with kindness. As far as it is in your control, live at peace with one another. This is how you imitate your Father in heaven.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when others revile and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Jesus repeats this beatitude because of its importance and its great comfort. Jesus was persecuted for righteousness’ sake. He laid down his life for what is right and in so doing, he saved our souls. And we Christians who bear Jesus’ name through Baptism and faith must also suffer persecution. Persecution is unpleasant. Perhaps the most difficult thing about persecution is that it is easily avoidable. John the Baptist could have kept his head had he not preached against King Herod’s unlawful divorce and incestuous remarriage. Jesus’ disciples could have lived out their days in peace and comfort had they not devoted themselves to the proclamation of the Gospel. Many Christians’ lives would be spared in Islamic and Communist countries if they would simply conform and deny Christ. And you and your children can escape much unpleasantness if you compromise your faith and ignore God’s Word when it is unpopular. Yet, Jesus teaches his disciples to not get discouraged when they suffer for following his teachings. Rather, rejoice. For such suffering is a sign of being a saint who is blessed forever.
Jesus teaches us these eight beatitudes to instruct us on how we should behave here on earth as Christians set apart by God, as well as to comfort us when we suffer and we cannot see the evidence that we are children of God. We are children of God through faith. And the works and even the suffering and mourning that follow are fruits of faith, which Jesus uses to comfort us with a sure promise of eternal blessedness. May God increase in you such fruit and grant you eternal blessedness. Amen.

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Christ Jesus Makes Us Saints

11/4/2019

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Sermon on the Mount, Carl Bloch, 1877, Museum of Natural History, Bedestolen, Public Domain

Matthew 5:1-12
November 3, 2019

Happy All Saints Day! What is a saint? A saint is a holy person? Well, what does it mean to be holy? Does it mean to be the epitome of good virtue, a hero of the faith? That is usually what we think of. St. Peter, St. Paul, St Mary; these are saints. “I’m no saint.” is a common statement of a humble person, who is all too acquainted with his own sin. And, “She’s such a saint!” is a common way to compliment someone of noble character. Those who do no wrong, who distinguish themselves above all others, who do not sin, perhaps even do a miracle or two, those are the true saints, the true holy ones. Right? But that isn’t actually what it means to be holy. To be holy means to be set apart by God for his own purpose. You do not make yourself holy by your own good works, rather God makes you holy by grace according to his love for you.
The Beatitudes, that is, the nine blessings Jesus proclaims in the opening of his Sermon on the Mount is the traditional Gospel lesson for All Saints Day. The saints are blessed. Yet, just as many misunderstand and think that you become a saint by performing better than others, so many think that this sermon of Jesus is a lesson on how to become a saint. If you do the things listed in the Beatitudes, then you will become a saint and God will bless you! Yet, that is not what Jesus is teaching in this lesson. Jesus is not teaching us how to become saints. Rather, he is describing what saints are like. And Jesus tells us that the saints are blessed forever.
You become a saint when God sets you apart for his own purpose. In our epistle lesson from 1 John chapter 3, the Apostle writes, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” How do we become children of God? It’s by the love of God! God sent his Son into this world to save sinners, to give his life as a ransom for many. The saints dressed in white robes standing before the throne of God in heaven made their robes white with the blood of the Lamb. That is, they were forgiven of all their sins for the sake of Jesus’ bloody death upon the cross. That is how they were washed clean. That is how we are able to be called children of God.
God made you into a saint when you were baptized. Because it was in your baptism that God washed away all your sins in the blood of the Lamb, Christ Jesus. In Baptism you were joined to Christ and he to you. You became a member of the Communion of Saints, a people set apart by God to be his holy people forever. It is through faith in God’s promise of forgiveness and salvation that you become a saint. It is through faith in the blood of Christ that you believe that you are a saint now.
Yes, it is through faith that you believe that you are a saint. Faith, not sight tells you that you are a saint. Because your sainthood does not depend on your actions, but on the loving compassion of our God in Jesus Christ. This again is why St. John says in our epistle lesson, “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared.” He must tell us that we are God’s children, because if we looked at ourselves, we would not come to that conclusion. It must be believed by faith.
What we will be has not yet appeared. This means that we are not yet perfect and without sin as we will be when we see Jesus Christ as he is in his heavenly splendor. Yet, we are God’s children now. We are saints now. Even here, in this valley of sorrows surrounded by sickness and death and bogged down by our own weaknesses, we are still blessed. This is what Jesus is telling us today.
In the first four blessings, Jesus describes how the saints on earth are blessed, because they receive God’s grace and mercy.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be satisfied.”
Here Jesus describes us! We are poor in spirit. We don’t have anything to offer God. We come before him empty handed, like beggars. Worse than empty handed! We come to lay before our Lord the words we wish we had not said, our anger and hatred, our deepest regrets. We don’t come as a glorious throng of sinless heroes, but as sinners, who have hurt others by our own actions and careless words, who have sullied our souls with impure thoughts and actions. We mourn our sinful condition and the corruption of the world, and God comforts us here and gives us a heavenly kingdom as our inheritance. We are eternally blessed, because God has had mercy on us for the sake of his Son Jesus Christ.
While we can and should confidently confess to be saints and children of God, we do not boast in ourselves. Saints are meek, humble, lowly creatures. Our boasting is excluded by the law of faith, which teaches that we receive all good things, including our position as children of God through the grace of Jesus Christ. We do not boast in ourselves, but in the Lord, who has saved us from our miserable condition and has laid up treasures for us in heaven by the merits of Christ.
We come to God hungry and thirsty. You hunger when your stomach is empty and you have no food. You thirst when your body needs water. Our souls hunger and thirst. We desire desperately to be fed a righteousness we do not have. Our works are rubbish. We have fallen short of the glory of God. And God bestows on us the righteousness of Christ, so that we are fully satisfied, lacking nothing. We have all we need to enter heaven.
This is not the picture of saints we often paint. But this is how Jesus describes those who are eternally blessed. Saints are sinners who have been rescued from their sins by God’s grace through the suffering and death of Christ. Sinners become saints through faith, not by their works.
Beloved, we are God’s children now. Children imitate their father. Not perfectly. We still sin in this world, but God has set us apart even now to behave as his children in this life. With the next three blessings, Jesus describes the fruits of faith produced by saints in this life.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
Saints on earth are merciful, because they have received mercy from God. Holy Scripture exhorts us, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32) How can we come before God with penitent hearts, lay our guilt and shame before Jesus with the certain and urgent hope that he will wash it away in his blood and give us refuge from God’s wrath in his wounds, yet then turn to the one who has offended us and refuse to forgive? We have offended God, much greater than we can actually grasp with our minds (He sacrificed his own Son to pay the price of our sins!). And God graciously and willingly forgives us and invites us to come closer to him, to come to him not only for forgiveness but for help in every need. And can any of us say that another has offended us so greatly that we can refuse to forgive? To refuse the mercy to others, which we so freely received from Christ? No, but with the measure you use it will be measured back to you! If you do not forgive the trespasses of others, neither will your heavenly Father forgive your trespasses. Saints forgive. Saints are merciful, because saints have received mercy. And whenever a saint on earth forgives and puts away his anger, he confesses that God in heaven has forgiven him.
To be pure in heart means to worship God in truth; to confess pure doctrine and reject what is false. True worship is to receive forgiveness, life, and salvation from God through faith. It is those who have faith in God’s promises, who will later see with their eyes that which they trust in through faith. They shall see the God, who dwells in their heart through faith.
Peacemakers will be called sons of God. This is because God is the ultimate peacemaker. He made peace between us and him through the blood of Jesus’ cross. Even while we were still sinners, before we apologized or turned from our sin, Christ died for us. So, we desire peace with those who sin against us even before they repent. When we seek to become reconciled with our enemies, to willingly apologize when we do wrong and to forgive those who sin against us, we confess that we are God’s children. God is the God of peace. We are his children, who seek peace through Jesus Christ, both between us and God and between one another.
These are the fruits of faith produced by the saints on earth. Saints do good works, because Christ dwells in them through faith. Yet, the flesh is weak. Has your selfish flesh kept you from showing mercy toward your neighbor? Have you refused to forgive others even as you ask God to forgive you? Has your heart been impure, seeking after things that are not gods, such as money, possessions, or leisure, while neglecting true worship? Have you failed to stand up for the truth of God’s word and accepted lies? Have you neglected to work toward peace and rather remained at enmity with others? How strongly the sinful human nature fights against the saints on earth. Repent. Turn back to God empty-handed, meek, and mourning over your sins and let God comfort you and bestow on you eternal blessings for Christ sake. God will satisfy your soul’s desire and strengthen you in faith. This is how it is with the saints on earth.
In the final two blessings Jesus says that saints will suffer here on earth.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
The saints often don’t live glamorous lives here on earth. They’re often mocked, ridiculed, and accused of all sorts of evil on account of their faith in Christ. They’re beaten, imprisoned, and killed for Christ’s sake. We see this happen even today around the world. Now, you might not personally face the persecution as strongly as other Christians, although it is likely you’ll be called names and disliked for your faith in the teachings of the Bible. Yet, even if you face little persecution in your day to day life, you still suffer for Christ. Because, the Church is one body, united with Christ. Jesus told Saul that he was persecuting him when Saul was attacking Christians. When our brothers and sisters in Christ are being imprisoned and killed across the world, we must bear that cross with them. When your fellow Christians are attacked when they confess the faith, you are attacked. This is why we regularly pray for the whole church of God. By doing so, we join in their suffering by crying out to our merciful God.
The persecution of the saints in this life reminds us that the saint’s hope is not in this life. Our hope is in the life to come. We look forward to joining those saint who have gone before us, where we will hunger and thirst no more and where God will wipe away the last tear from our eyes. In celebrating All Saints Day, we thank God not only that he has made us saints even now, as we are indeed his children today, but we thank God for the saints who have gone before us, who have set an example for us in faith and good works, and whom we will indeed join in that incalculable throng, clothed in white robes singing praises to our God and redeemer, Jesus Christ.
Beloved, we are saints now. And the glorious day will come when we will see this with our eyes. Amen.

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All Saints Day (Observed): Out of the Great Tribulation

11/5/2018

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Revelation 7:9-17
November 4, 2018

“Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” The elder answers his own question to John. “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation.” What tribulation is he talking about? He must be talking about one of the great persecutions of the Christian Church, which you might read in history books. Yet, when we look at the description of this multitude, we can’t limit them to a few persecuted groups. St. John says this was a great multitude that no one can count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language.
Rather, St. John describes the entire Christian Church. Everyone, who has washed his robe in the blood of the Lamb is present in this vision. John is having a vision of the future when Christ will gather his entire Church to himself. This means that you too are in this vision, clothed in Christ’s righteousness and standing before your Savior Jesus singing praises to him.
Yet, it might seem strange that the elder says that we will come out the great tribulation. Christians aren’t persecuted in America, are they? That either happened long ago or far way. But tribulation certainly doesn’t describe our situation, does it? Well, if we are to believe Scripture, we would have to believe it does. St. Paul writes, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2 Timothy 3:12) This means that everyone, who washes his robe in the blood of the Lamb will go through tribulation.
Many of you probably don’t know the persecution Lutherans have faced. After Lutherans were able to establish their own territories and protect themselves from the oppression of the Roman Catholic Church, they soon had to contend with persecutions by Reformed princes and kings. Lutheran pastors, who refused to deny the real presence of Jesus’ body and blood in the Sacrament were forced out of their parishes by soldiers and their parishioners were forced to attend Reformed services. This is what brought many Lutherans to America, searching freedom to practice their faith.
Today we don’t fear soldiers entering our sanctuary to stop us from practicing an outlawed liturgy, but that does not mean that we do not go through tribulation. Scripture says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12) Yes, the tribulation Christians must go through certainly can and have included physical assaults and death. Yet, the powers of darkness don’t need to use physical force to fight against God’s elect.
In nearly every case of physical persecution against Christians in history, Christians could have avoided it if they compromised Christ’s teaching. Emperor Diacletian forbid Christians from assembling to worship and demanded them to destroy their holy books and offer a sacrifice to false gods. If Christians simply gave in on what they believed to be true, then they wouldn’t be persecuted. And many escaped persecution by simply denying Christ and his teachings. It worked the same way under the persecution from Muslims or Communists, deny Christ and you escape persecution.
The Lutherans of previous centuries might not have been pressured to deny Christ outright, but they were pressured to deny certain teachings of Christ. For the purpose of forming a united protestant front in America our Lutheran forefathers were pushed to deny that Christ’s body and blood were present in the Lord’s Supper and that Baptism really washes away sins and regenerates a sinner and that pastors have authority to forgive sins. These teachings were considered embarrassing and too Catholic. So, Lutherans were spurned for holding to them.
Christians go through tribulation when they are taught or pressured to believe false doctrine. The pressure might not threaten violence, but nevertheless, it takes great strength to resist and stand on the truth. Today Christians are pressured to believe many false teachings. Evolution, which says that we are animals, who evolved through mutations over millions of years, is pushed on our children from a very young age. They are told that they are stupid if they question this teaching, which denies that God created the world perfectly through his word. Sure, no one is holding a sword to anyone’s throat, yet it still takes great courage to stand up against such false teaching.
Christians are pressured to believe that you don’t need to repent of your sins. Preaching the law is offensive. People are offended when they hear that their sins offend God or harm their neighbor. They would rather walk away than repent and receive the forgiveness of their sins from a loving God. And Christians, who hold to the teaching of God’s law are maligned, called closed minded or bigoted. Yet, we should remember that St. John the Baptist himself was imprisoned and beheaded for preaching against adultery. And he too died for Christ.
Enduring false teaching is the worst form of tribulation. If persecutors cut off your head, God will give you a new head. But false teaching attacks your very soul, tries to get you to doubt God’s grace, to sin against your Lord, or reject the forgiveness of sins so bitterly won for you on the cross. This is why we are taught to pray in our Small Catechism, “But anyone who teaches or lives contrary to God’s Word profanes the name of God among us. Protect us from this, heavenly Father!”
Yet, false teaching is not the only form of tribulation. Sin of all kinds brings tribulation to the Christian, because the Christian has a heightened awareness of sin. The sins of others harm us, not only the mean words people say against us or other loveless actions. Because we are united to God by the Holy Spirit, sins that offend our Father in heaven offend us. St. Peter writes that Lot was “tormenting his righteous soul over the lawless deeds that he saw and heard” as he lived in Sodom and Gomorrah. How much more should our righteous souls be burning within us as we live in a country which has accepted every abominable act, the chief of which is the murder of unborn children. We with better knowledge should be rightly horrified as we see the contents of that which God knit together in the womb torn asunder and counted piece by piece. And this happens thousands of times in America every day. Our righteous souls, washed clean by him who himself spent 9 months in the womb of the Virgin Mary, should be tormented. We cannot be in heaven yet when such things are done in our midst.
Of course, the sins of others don’t torment our souls nearly as much as our own sins. “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. … For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.” (Romans 7:15, 18-19) This is the cry of the Christian going through the great tribulation. We have been washed in the blood of Christ. We are forgiven. The Holy Spirit dwells in us through faith, and yet we keep on sinning against our God. It makes us want to escape our own bodies, so that we can escape our own sin.
And we go through the great tribulation as we see our loved ones die. And as we too march toward death. We believe that Christ has conquered death. We believe that we too will join him in the resurrection. But as yet, we only see the wages of our own sins.
So yes, each and every one of us is currently going through the great tribulation as we battle false teaching and sin, and bear the burden of living in mortal bodies. We believe that we are forgiven. We believe that we are children of God now. Yet, we don’t see it. And the more we learn about Christ, the more it becomes apparent that we are not in heaven yet.
This is why St. John’s vision in Revelation 7 is so wonderful. He sees a great multitude that no one can number from every tribe, nation, people, and language shining in spotless robes. This is the fulfillment of what God said to Abraham, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them. So shall your offspring be.” (Genesis 15:5) They have come out of the great tribulation. They no longer suffer from attacks against their faith. They don’t sin anymore and no one sins against them. They are enjoying the resurrection of their perfect bodies. They hunger no more, neither thirst anymore, neither does the sun strike them. God has wiped away every tear from their eye.
And best of all, they are in the presence of God. God is with them, sheltering them and guiding them. This is not a complete vision. We still have many questions about what it will be like. But what is important is covered. We will be out of this great tribulation. We will escape all suffering, sin, and sadness. And we must believe that our loved ones who trusted in Christ and have died before us will be there too. And we will be together with God our Savior.
That which causes us to go through the great tribulation also causes us to come out of the great tribulation. We suffer, because we are Christians. To wash your robe and make it white in the blood of the Lamb means that you receive the forgiveness of sins through faith in Christ Jesus. It means that you are baptized into Christ. All those, who are God’s children now will suffer. Yet, all God’s children who suffer will be glorified, as Scripture says, “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children then heirs—heirs with God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” (Romans 8:16-17)
Suffering is a scary thing, but the Apostle continues, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” (Romans 8:18) Many of you have seen your loved ones suffer much before death finally took them. You can be comforted with these words. Their pain has not only ended, but they are now enjoying the glory of God, which we can’t even imagine. It is as the hymn says, “Oh, how blest are they whose toils are ended, who through death have unto God ascended! They have arisen From the cares that keep us still in prison.”
We can’t see this vision of heaven, which John writes about. We can only read what he wrote. But we have faith that this truly is what awaits us. We have certainty that we will join this great host arrayed in white, because we too have been washed clean in the blood of the Lamb. We believe that the blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed us from all unrighteousness. Our sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake.
Although the Elder says that they have washed their robes and made them white, we should not interpret this to mean that our salvation depends on our own works. It is the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, which washes away our sins. Christ Jesus has cleansed us, his Church, by the washing of water and the word and has presented us to himself in spender, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that we might be holy and without blemish. It is Christ who died for us. He forgives us. He baptized us and washed us. He continues to feed us today. We will enjoy this future vision of heaven by the merits of Christ alone.
Every single person in that mighty throng of saints is there because of what Jesus Christ has done. This brings great comfort to us, who are burdened by sins. This means that no matter how great our sins might be, Christ has washed them away in his blood. Even those great abominations of which I spoke before that occur in our nation, they too are forgiven by Jesus’ blood. There is no sin for which our Lord did not die and no sin that can withstand his cleansing blood.
We remember our loved ones in heaven on All Saints Day and we thank God that their suffering is over. Yet, we celebrate All Saints Day for us too, who are currently in this tribulation. We know what our end is. We can escape this present tribulation at any moment if we were to deny Christ. And we could enjoy the glories of this earth. Yet, then we would give up the glories of heaven. So, to give us strength to pass through this tribulation and come out into the glories of Christ, we continue to wash our robes in the blood of Christ, confessing our sins and hearing his holy word. We are God’s children now. All though we don’t see him, we are in God’s presence now. And he alone will guide us out of the great tribulation into eternal glory. Amen.

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

Now and Not Yet

Blessed are the Saints in the Midst of Battle

Blessed Are the Saints

Christ Jesus Makes Us Saints

All Saints Day (Observed): Out of the Great Tribulation

Rev. James Preus

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