Category: Last Sunday

Be Watchful

11/29/2021

"The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins," William Blake, 1799-1800. Public Domain.

Last Sunday of the Church Year (Trinity 27)
Matthew 25:1-13
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
November 21, 2021

After Jesus ascended into heaven, and Jesus’ disciples were still gazing into the sky where he departed, two angels appeared and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11) And from that moment on, the holy Christian Church on earth has been waiting with great anticipation for the return of our Lord Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead. This will be a joyful event. We will love his appearing (2 Tim. 4:8). He comes with redemption (Luke 21:28). He does not come to deal with us according to our sins, but to save those who eagerly wait for him (Hebrews 9:28).

In our parable today, the Bridegroom is Jesus Christ. The ten virgins are the holy Christian Church on earth. They are going out to meet the Bridegroom. This means that they have separated themselves from the unbelieving world. Through their worship, Baptism, services, devotion, and conduct, they have distinguished themselves from the non-Christians as they wait the return of the Bridegroom. Christ, the Bridegroom, has won their salvation with his bitter suffering and death. He has gone to prepare a place for them. The virgins expect him to return at any moment.

But Jesus tells us that half of the virgins are wise and the other half foolish. This tells us that even within the holy Christian Church on earth there are true believers and false hypocrites. There are those who persist until the end, and there are those who grow weary of waiting, grow unprepared, and ultimately are unready for Christ’s return. The wise virgins who made sure they had enough oil for their lamps were let in. The foolish virgins, who brought lamps with no oil were locked out.

All ten virgins fall asleep. This teaches us that no one knows when Jesus will return, not even the true believers. So, all Christians must be ready at all times for Christ’s return. We should live every day as if it is our last day before Christ’s return.

The five wise virgins fell asleep along with the five foolish. Even true Christians get busy with earthly things. Although being a Christian separates us from the unbelieving world, we are not called out of this world yet. We still have our earthly vocations. We’re fathers and mothers, sons and daughters. We must provide for our families, nurture and raise our children, make sure stomachs are full and bodies clothed. Yet, wise Christians do not place earthly things above Christ and his Word. They do not let their oil run out, even as they sleep. Their sleep is a restless sleep, frequently waking to check their lamps. It is one thing to attend to your earthly duties in this life, while maintaining faith in Christ. It is quite another thing to devote yourself solely to worldly things and to forsake Christ’s Word and run out of faith.

It was wrong even for the wise virgins to fall asleep, but the Lord does not rebuke them for their slumber. He comes with mercy and compassion. He has come to bring them into his wedding hall to celebrate. This is why he has sent his preachers to announce his coming, so that the virgins awake. What was much more important, was that they still had oil. The Lord harshly rebukes the foolish virgins for letting their oil run out, even saying, “I do not know you.”

The lamps are their faith. Faith alone saves, as Scripture clearly teaches (John 3:16; Mark 16:16; Romans 3:23-28; Ephesians 2:8-10; etc.). Yet, not all faith saves. Only that faith which trusts in Jesus Christ, who alone has made satisfaction for our sins. Lamps are no good without oil. They need something to burn. Faith is no good without Jesus Christ and his promise of salvation.

The oil is Christ’s Word and Holy Spirit. It is through Christ’s Word and Sacraments alone that the Holy Spirit works. Faith comes by hearing and hearing through the Word of Christ. Christ alone has won for us salvation. He has done everything. He obeyed the Law perfectly in our stead. He suffered and died for our sins. He rose again from the dead and is seated at God the Father’s right hand, pleading for our innocence by the merits of his own suffering and death for us. And the Father cannot deny his Son. Everything rests on Jesus and on Jesus alone. This is why only faith can save. Faith simply receives the promise. This is why Christ’s Word is the oil. Christ promises us salvation by his own merits. We believe the promise and are saved. This is why the Sacraments are the oil. The Sacraments have their power in Christ’s Word and promise. Baptism saves, because Jesus says it does (Mark 16:16). The Lord’s Supper gives you forgiveness of sins, because Jesus says it does (Matthew 26:26-28). The Absolution spoken by the pastor forgives all your sins before God in heaven, because Jesus promised it does (John 20:23). This is why the Holy Spirit is the oil. The Holy Spirit works through Jesus’ Word and Sacraments. It is the Holy Spirit who creates faith in our hearts and keeps us in the true faith. He does this by means of Christ’s Holy Word.

There are those who claim that the Holy Spirit comes to us apart from Jesus’ Word. They think that they can have faith in Christ without hearing God’s Word preached or receiving Jesus’ Sacraments. They disagree with Jesus. The Holy Spirit only works faith through Christ’s Word. Without God’s Word, faith cannot exist. It dies. This is why our Lutheran Confessions assert in Augsburg Confession Article V, “Our churches condemn the Anabaptists and others who think that through their own preparations and works the Holy Spirit comes to them without the external Word.” Our churches condemn not the persons, but the teaching that the Holy Spirit works without Christ’s Word, because this devilish teaching robs poor sinners of the true Gospel, which saves.

This is why it is so dangerous to skip church and go long periods of time without hearing God’s Word preached or receiving the Sacrament. We cannot by our own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ our Lord or come to him, but the Holy Spirit calls us by the Gospel. Without the Gospel, the Holy Spirit does not call us or sanctify us. The claim that you don’t have to go to church to be a Christian is a lie Satan has been repeating in the ears of Christians for generations. It’s absurd on its face. I know that this is offensive to many, because this is such a popular phrase, but we have to get to the root of Satan’s lie. What is his goal? His goal is for you to not hear God’s Word! Obviously going to a church building doesn’t make one a Christian, but hearing Jesus’ Word does! You go to church to hear Jesus’ Word. Christians listen to Jesus’ Word. Of course, you need to go to church to be a Christian, that is, you need to hear Jesus’ Word. You need oil for your lamp, otherwise it will burn out. And those who cannot physically come to the church building because of sickness or old age still need to hear God’s Word. That is why pastors visit their sick and elderly members, so that they can replenish their lamps with needed oil. Those who say you don’t need to go to church to be a Christian are saying that you don’t need oil in your lamps. It’s foolishness.

The foolish virgins had lamps with no oil. They looked like Christians, but they did not hold in their faith the saving Gospel. They either got caught up with the cares of this world and neglected to hear God’s preaching and receive the Sacrament for long periods of time, thinking, “Oh, I know it. My faith is still good.”, until their lamps are dry and the flame has gone out. Or, they hear the preaching of God’s Word and receive the Sacrament, but they pay no attention to it. They refuse to learn from it. They don’t take it to heart. They grow lackadaisical toward Jesus’ teaching. They grow bitter toward their fellow Christians and their love for others grows cold.  In short, they have no faith in the content of what Christ preaches. They let the oil spill out and don’t put any in their lamps.

It is the oil that gives us confidence that Jesus comes to us with love and mercy. It is the content of our lamps, which gives us confidence that Jesus comes with salvation. St. Paul says in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 that God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain mercy through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep, we might live with him. This is what the oil is. God’s promise of mercy and love. The Holy Spirit works through the message of God’s love and forgiveness through Christ Jesus. Filling your lamps with oil is only burdensome, if you think that Jesus’ love and forgiveness is burdensome, that your sins are not a pressing issue, that God’s judgment is not something to fear. This oil is given to us freely and liberally. It is the message of Jesus’ work of salvation for you. If Jesus willingly went to the cross to die for your sins, why would he hate you? Why would he desire to return to damn you? The oil tells you that you have a loving God and Savior in Jesus Christ.

The Bridegroom told the foolish virgins, who didn’t bother to fill their flasks with oil, that he did not know them. He did not know them, because they would not know him. They didn’t value the oil. They weren’t comforted by the flame of faith that came from their lamps. They spurned the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They would not listen to Jesus’ teaching, or at least, would not take it to heart. They didn’t trust in Jesus’ promise of forgiveness won by his blood. They looked like Christians. They were members of Christian parishes. They even showed up to church, some of them, quite often. But they spilled out the oil, lest it be stored in their heart and burn brightly in anticipation for the Lord’s coming.

The wise virgins were welcomed into the wedding hall. The Bridegroom knows them. They know the Bridegroom. They delighted in his oil. They were comforted by his promise that he would welcome them; that he had paid all their debts. They were filled with the Holy Spirit.

What I speak to you now is the precious oil, which keeps your lamps burning, so that you are prepared for the return of Christ. Jesus Christ, our God and brother, died for all your sins. He is risen, and reigns with God the Father in heaven. He will return to bring those who trust in him to salvation. The Sacrament of Baptism is the oil. It assures us that our sins are washed away and that we are God’s children now. The Sacrament we prepare our hearts to receive is the oil. It declares that Jesus gave up his body and shed his blood for your forgiveness and salvation. The Holy Spirit himself works through the Word and Sacraments, to open your hearts to this promise. If you trust in this Gospel, you are prepared for the return of Christ, whether he comes by night or day, today or tomorrow. If you trust in this Gospel, you are prepared whether death takes you tonight or fifty years from now.

Jesus tells us to be watchful, for we know neither the day nor the hour. We are watchful when we hear and take to heart the Gospel of Christ. Then our flasks are full of oil. Then our lamps are burning brightly. Then we will arise with joy when our Savior finally appears. Amen.

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Watch Therefore, For You Know Neither The Day Nor The Hour.

11/23/2020

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James Tissot, The Wise Virgins, 1886-94, Brooklyn Museum, No Known Copyright Restrictions

Last Sunday of the Church Year
Matthew 25:1-13
November 22, 2020

“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” This is an earnest warning from our Lord Jesus. Jesus will come to judge the living and the dead. Some will be found unprepared and will be barred from the heavenly banquet for all eternity. Those who are prepared will be ushered into the heavenly wedding banquet to enjoy eternal life. We do not know when this hour will come, so we should keep watch lest we be found unprepared.
Yet, how is one found prepared? Jesus says that the wise are prepared, while the foolish are unprepared. Yet, be careful. The foolishness Jesus speaks of is not the foolishness of this world. And the wisdom Jesus speaks of is not the wisdom of this world. Rather, it is as Scripture says, “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God,”, and “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.” (1 Corinthians 1:18, 21) So, the wisdom Jesus speaks of here is entirely different from the wisdom of this world. And the foolishness Jesus speaks of is not what the world considers folly.
The ten virgins represent the church on earth. They all look the same. They look good. The only difference is that some have oil and some do not, but you won’t be able to tell that with your eyes until the lamps are lit. But outward appearance does not make one part of the true Church or make one wise. Only faith, which is in the heart can do that. The wise virgins had oil in their flasks. Their oil is faith given to them by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God. Just as you can’t see the oil in the flasks, you can’t see someone’s faith in the heart. The foolish virgins had no oil in their lamps. Their lamps were just pretty decorations. Beyond that, they were utterly useless.
To be wise means to listen to the Word of God, so that you repent of your sins and believe in God’s promise of salvation in Jesus Christ. The foolish pay no attention to God’s word, refuse to repent of their sins, and refuse to believe in the Gospel.
To be wise means to be humble and to fear the Lord. Scripture says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” To fear the Lord means to recognize him as Judge and to turn to him for salvation. Scripture also says, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” Despite what many think in this age where atheism is so rampant, the Psalmist is not speaking simply of those who deny the existence of a Creator. Rather, he speaks of those who behave in their heart as if there is no God to judge them. It is as Psalm 36 states, “Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.” And so many nominal Christians live as if there is no God, as if God cannot look into their hearts and judge them, as if we should not in fear humble ourselves before God and ask for forgiveness every day.
To be wise means to meditate on the words of God. Proverbs 9 states, “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.” There is no such thing as a stagnant faith. We are surrounded by attacks against our faith. The devil roars at us. The world lures us away. And our sinful flesh battles against our spirit! If you are not growing in faith, you are shrinking in faith. To despise the word of God, to think that you just don’t need it or that you can go without it is foolish. It is a sure way to destroy your faith in Christ and to become unprepared for the return of Christ.
Sometimes I wonder whether Christ will decide to return during the Divine Service. How wonderful that would be! To prepare your heart to receive Christ in faith, to believe what your eyes cannot yet see, and then be so blessed as to see your Savior coming with salvation! And how awful it would be if you chose something else than to hear God’s Word! If the Lord finds you seeking after the “important” things of this life instead of filling your lamps with oil!
Skipping church is the most foolish and reckless thing that Christians do on earth. Not only is it a sin breaking the Third Commandment, which forbids us to despise preaching and his Word, but commands us to hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it, but it is dangerous! Scripture promises, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing through the word of Christ.” And the Psalmist says, “How can a young man keep his way pure, by guarding it according to Your Word.” Yet, Christians habitually ignore this promise and warning as if they are thinking, “I think I’ve got enough oil in my lamp to get me to next week or next month or Christmas Eve.” This is like driving down the interstate on empty, but not taking the next exit to get gas, because you’re making good time, or the kids are asleep, or you like the song on the radio. You’d find yourself stranded on the side of the road.
Yet, hearing God’s word but not listening is just as damaging as not hearing it at all. Jesus says, “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. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” (Matthew 7:26-27) And this leads to our next point about the wise. The wise accept rebuke and correction. That is to say, the Word of God has an effect on them. When Christians hear that they have sinned, they repent of their sins. They know that it does them no good to defend themselves. It is God who justifies. Without the Word of God, it is impossible to have saving faith. And if you reject God’s Word, so that it cannot work on your heart to bring you to repentance and to trust in its promises, then you will remain without oil in your lamp.
The oil of the foolish runs out, because they behave as if they have plenty of time. They get preoccupied with the things of this world. They’re concerned with being found wise by those, whom God finds to be utter fools. And this foolishness spreads to all levels of the church. Entire church bodies devote themselves to ever new ways of being found wise by those who hate God. And so, shepherd-less flocks gather to hear words and leave without a drop of oil added to their flasks. And so, the wise must always take heed and listen to the voice of their Shepherd, Jesus Christ and to mark and avoid false teachers, who do not preach God’s Word.
When Jesus returns, there will no longer be any time to repent. There will be no time to get oil. You can pray for your loved ones, but you cannot believe for them. In order to be saved, one needs to have faith now. When Christ returns, there will no longer be time.
“Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.” These are the worst words you can possibly hear from Jesus’ mouth! Amen is the word we use at the end of prayers to express our firm faith that God hears us and will answer our prayers. We say, “amen,” at a Baptism to confess God’s sure promise to forgive and save the baptized. We say, “amen,” after we receive the Absolution, because we are confident that as far as the east is from the west, so far does God remove our transgressions from us. We say, “amen,” when we receive Christ’s body and blood for the forgiveness of our sins, because we confess that we are certain that we have Communion with Christ, forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. We say, “amen,” when the pastor says, “The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”, because we believe that the almighty God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit has indeed put his name upon us and will save us on the Last Day. Amen is the most comforting word we Christians ever say or hear. It means, “This is most certainly true.”, and “Yes, yes, it shall be so.” Yet, Jesus uses this beautiful word in the most horrifying way. It means that the time to believe the Gospel is over. The door is shut. Amen, Jesus does not know you. That’s the end of it.
Yet, Scripture says, “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.” (1 Thess. 5:9-10) How can we believe these words are meant for us? Because we believe the Gospel now. While it is still day and the hour has not yet come, we believe now that Christ Jesus has died for us, that he has forgiven our sins. We say, “Amen,” to the Gospel now, so that we will not hear Jesus say, “Amen, I do not know you.”, but rather, “Amen, I do know you as surely as I placed my name on you in Baptism, absolved you of all your sins, fed you my body and blood, and shepherded you throughout your life. I know you. Come into my wedding hall. Amen, I say to you, I know you and will know you forever.” We say, “amen.”, now so that we will never hear the dreaded amen of condemnation, but only the precious Amen of the Gospel for all eternity.
To be wise means to believe the Gospel that Jesus Christ has truly washed away your sins so that you are forgiven before God your Father in heaven. When we say, “amen” to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it is like we’ve just put the cap on our flasks after filling it with oil. We hear the Gospel and we believe it. And everyone who confessing Christ will be saved. Amen. Amen. Amen.

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Be Ready; Be Wise

11/25/2019

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The Parable of Wise and Foolish Virgins (unfinished), Peter von Cornelius, 1813-1816, Museum KunstPalast. Public Domain

Matthew 25:1-13
November 24, 2019

These ten virgins are what we today might think of as bridesmaids. Their job is to attend to the bridal couple at the wedding and of course to celebrate with them at the wedding feast. At the time when Jesus first told this parable, it was customary among the Jews for the bridegroom to go and prepare the marital home while the bride remained in the home of her parents. When the bridegroom had finished preparing the house, he would go and get his bride and bring her back to their new home and everyone would celebrate with them there. This is what these ten virgins are waiting for. But there is no set time for when the bridegroom will return. Perhaps he’ll finish up midmorning. Perhaps he’ll be done in the middle of the night. Yet, whenever he comes, the virgins must be ready to accompany the bridal couple and celebrate with them. This is why they brought lamps.
Jesus tells this parable to teach us about the kingdom of heaven, specifically, that the return of Christ and his visible kingdom will come at a time you will not expect, so you must be ready day or night. We are the virgins, the bridesmaids, who are to accompany Christ Jesus the bridegroom as he enters into the house to celebrate his union with his bride, the Church; a union, which will have no end.
The wise virgins are ready when the bridegroom comes. They are ready, because they have oil, both in their lamps and in their flasks, so that they can light their way even in the darkest hour of the night. Their oil is their wisdom. The foolish virgins are not ready. They had no oil, that is, they had no wisdom. The wise virgins entered into the wedding feast to celebrate, that is, they entered heaven. The foolish virgins were denied entrance. The door was already closed. The bridegroom said that he did not know them. The foolish virgins went to hell.
Wise and foolish, wisdom and folly: this is a great theme in Scripture. The wise enter eternal life. The foolish enter eternal punishment. But what is wisdom? What is this oil that leads to eternal life? And what does it mean to be a fool? What does it mean to have no oil?
Scripture says in a number of places, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” So, in order to have wisdom, you must fear the Lord. Now, this fear does not mean to be scared of the Lord, per se. Yet, it does mean more than simply to respect him. To fear the Lord means to recognize that he is the creator of the heavens and the earth; he kills and he makes alive; he has authority not only to kill the body, but also to send your soul into hell; he judges the living and the dead on the Last Day! This fear entails more than just a fear of God’s limitless power, but also an earnest trust that God will provide you with what you need. Psalm 130 states, “If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.” The LORD forgives all our sins therefore, we fear him. To fear the Lord is to see him as our Father from whom we receive all good things. Psalm 103 states, “As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.” And so, to fear the LORD means to recognize that the Lord is all powerful; that he provides all good things; that he tells the truth; that he judges; that he is the source of forgiveness and eternal life!
Yet, Scripture say, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.” (Psalm 14:1) This does not necessarily mean that the fool is an atheist, although, it is clear that to be an atheist is a very foolish thing. Rather, a fool lives as if there is no God; as if God is not watching; as if he does not judge. There is no fear of God before a fool’s eyes. It is important here to note that these foolish virgins with no oil look just like the virgins with oil. They are dressed appropriately and they have their lamps with them. No one knows who has oil and who doesn’t until the watchman cries in the middle of the night and only the wise are able to trim their lamps. The fool may go to church, he may call himself a Christian, he may say that he believes in God, but he does not fear God in his heart. He thinks and speaks and follows his heart without fear or trust in God.
The wise seek knowledge from God. Proverbs 9 states, “Give instruction to a wiseman, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.” Wisdom comes from hearing the word of the Lord. This is what fear of the Lord does; you want to hear and learn God’s word. This is why Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice.” And Scripture also says, “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”
But is important to notice, that wisdom is not just having a little knowledge stored somewhere in the back of your brain like, “George Washington was the first president of the United States.” or “The Green Bay Packers won the first two Super Bowls.” Wisdom seeks to gain more wisdom. Proverbs 4 states, “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight.” To be wise means to continue to get more wisdom. We know that the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh are constantly pulling us away from Christ, away from our God. Living in this sinful world, it is impossible not to conform and become like it, unless we constantly hear God’s word and are filled with his wisdom.
Likewise, if you know anything about oil lamps you know that oil burns up! You must continue to buy more oil. If you do not, then your oil will burn up and run out! Likewise, when you stop hearing the words of Christ, when you stop listening to his voice, your wisdom runs out. Your faith in Christ dies. Yet, the wise desires to constantly hear and learn the word of God, to become stronger in faith, so that the enemies of God cannot drag you away.
Fools, on the other hand, have no desire to hear and learn the word of God. Rather, they ignore it and seek after knowledge that does not build up. Proverbs 18:2 states, “A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.” And what a danger this folly is! How often do Christians ignore what the Bible says, saying things like, “Well, the Bible may say this, but I think...” Or, “I don’t know what the Bible says about that, but I think...” Who cares what you think? Your opinion is not helpful. God’s word is helpful! God’s word saves! St. Paul tells Pastor Timothy, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness...”(2 Timothy 3:16) Yet, more and more Christians live like fools by not hearing and learning the word of God. They take no pleasure in understanding, but follow their own opinions or the opinions of others. This is not wise. To be wise it to gladly hear the word of God, to learn it, and to conform your mind to it. This is why we should go to church as often as we can to hear God’s word and learn from it; to read our Bibles and seek to understand what Scripture says, attend Bible studies and grow in knowledge.
The wise don’t just listen to the word of God. They do it. Jesus concluded his Sermon on the Mount saying, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock... And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.” (Matthew 7:24, 26). Going to church every Sunday, even attending Bible studies regularly does not make one a Christian, if all you’re doing is hearing. The words must actually have an effect on your heart. You must believe them. And your faith must move you to live according to them.
The wise accept correction. The proverb says, “A wise son hears his father’s instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.” (13:1) and another proverb says, “A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool.” This tells us two things about the wise. 1. They are not perfect. The wise still sin. They fall short. They need salvation. And 2. The wise are humble. The wise, filled with wisdom from God’s word, accept rebuke and instruction. They know that they are sinners and desire God to correct and forgive them when they have done wrong. “Let a righteous man strike me- it is a kindness; let him rebuke me- it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it.” (Psalm 141:5). This is true wisdom, to repent when you have done wrong; to accept rebuke and correction from God’s word.
Fools, however, scoff at rebuke and correction. They are not afraid of their own sins. Rather, by continuing in sin, they despise the sacrifice of Christ, which he made to take away sin. Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse, but he who reproves a wise man is loved by him. Through faith in Jesus Christ, we are able to accept correction and rebuke, to repent of our sins and try to do better even as we trust in God’s forgiveness. Yet, when our pride is so great that we cannot accept correction even from the word of God, then we prove ourselves to be fools and false Christians.
To be wise is to have the mind of Christ. Scripture says, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men, and being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name...” Philippians 2:5-10.
Wisdom is knowing Christ Jesus through his word. Put simply, to be wise is to trust in Jesus for forgiveness and salvation, to repent of your sins and look to Christ to make you whole. Wisdom does not center on your own good works, but on Christ Jesus and the work he has done for you. Christ humbled himself to the point of death to take away your sins and God highly exalted him to eternal glory. And Christ teaches us to humble ourselves, to repent of our sins and to ask him for his kingdom by grace. And God exalts us freely for Christ’s sake. To be wise is to trust in Christ.
The wedding banquet that awaits us will be pure joy. We want to be there. At that banquet we will enjoy our resurrected bodies without any flaw, or pain, or sickness. There will be no sin anymore and no enmity with another human. The creation will be so perfect that lions and wolves will get along with sheep and oxen. It will be truly as God intended. And greatest of all, Jesus, our Bridegroom will be there. We will see him with our eyes, whom we have held in our hearts for so long.
Jesus is with us here today through the preaching of his word. He is with us in the Sacrament of his true body and blood. The foolish do not see it. But the wise see it with eyes of faith. We receive Jesus now in faith. Through faith we know him and he knows us. This is how we know that when Jesus returns visibly, we will be received by him. He will certainly know us, as he will know all those who have faith in him. This Jesus promised when he said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. Amen.

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Last Sunday of the Church Year: Fuel Up!

11/27/2017

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Matthew 25:1-13

Jesus calls the five virgins, who brought lamps without oil foolish. Why? Well, lamps aren't much good without oil, are they? They're just nice to look at. Everything that runs needs fuel. When I was a teenager I used to drive a 14' Alumacraft boat with a 1969 Johnson two-stroke 9.5 hp outboard motor, across Gunflint Lake. I made hundreds of trips across that lake with that motor. Yet, one day when I was crossing the lake with my younger brothers the motor quit working. There was nothing wrong with the motor. It just ran out of gas. As I rowed the boat toward the gas-dock my Dad drove by in his boat with my Mom. He laughed at me and kept driving. And he should have laughed. I was foolish. You can't run a motor without gas.

Jesus calls the five virgins with oil in their lamps wise. They are the ones, who will be ready when the Bridegroom comes. They will enter the wedding hall and enjoy the banquet. They are wise, because they have oil that fuels their lamps. Daniel chapter 12 similarly prophesies, "And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever." (vss. 2-3)

So, what is the fuel that we need, so that we will shine like the wise in this prophecy? Certainly, Jesus isn't telling us to keep flasks of oil wherever we go. The oil we need to fuel up on is wisdom. Now, not the world's wisdom. No, this wisdom is faith. It is foolishness to the wise in this world. The Holy Spirit caused St. Paul to express it quite well:

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)

Christ crucified, this is our fuel. We await the return of Christ with hope, because he died for our sins to reconcile us to God. Our certainty of salvation, our certainty of God's forgiveness and love, our certainty of an open gate into the heavenly banquet rests in these words, "Jesus crucified for me." This is why the children in Wednesday School have learned by heart this hymn:

On my heart imprint Your image, Blessed Jesus, King of grace,
That life's riches, cares, and pleasures Never may Your work erase;
Let the clear inscription be:
Jesus, crucified for me,
Is my life, my hope's foundation,
And my glory and salvation! (Thomas H. Kingo, LSB 422)

There is no other hope of salvation. Many people have lamps, that is, they have the appearance of religion. They are nice and do good works for people. They look no different than any other Christian. If you saw the women standing in a line with their clay lamps, you wouldn't be able to tell which one has oil in her lamps and which one doesn't, until the Bridegroom arrives and the lamps need to be lit. Though the virgins bang on the closed door with their oil-less lamps, the Lord will not open to them. The appearance of faith does not save. Good works do not save. Only faith in Jesus Christ alone saves.

This is an urgent message from our Lord. No one knows when Jesus will return. He will arrive like a thief in the night. And when he comes you will not have time to go and fill your lamps. And many have a false security that their lamps are full. They say, well, I have faith. But if they are asked simple questions like, "who is Jesus," or "what did he do for you" or even, "how do you know that you will go to heaven" they stare blankly like deer in the headlights. But this isn't something to play games with. Jesus said to those faithless virgins, "I do not know you." No worse words can be spoken to you by Christ on the day of his heavenly banquet. You must have oil now and you must constantly make sure that your oil has not run out.

Where do you get oil now so that you are ready? The Psalmist confesses to God, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." (Psalm 119:105) Romans 10 states, "Faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ." (vs. 17) 2 Timothy 3 states, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." (vs. 16) You fuel up by hearing the Word of God.

You hear things all the time. And you believe things all the time. We're growing in all types of wisdom every day. But are you hearing what God says? Are you gaining his wisdom? Or is the wisdom you're gaining from the world making God's wisdom seem foolish to you? Oil runs out. And faith dries up too. Unless you continue to fill it up by hearing God's Word, you will not retain your faith.

One of the most glaring signs that someone's faith is weakening is when they stop regularly going to church. Hebrews 10 states, "Do not neglect to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." (vs. 25) It is in church that we hear God's Word the most. It is there where it is explained and taught, where the Law is distinguished from the Gospel. It is in church where Christ feeds you his very body and blood, which we confess strengthens our faith toward God and our love for one another. It is in church where we encourage one another. Yes, having fellow Christians stand with you, confess the Creed with you, sing the hymns with you, listen to God's Word with you, that is encouraging! Even the Bible says so! So, when you go to church, you don't just do it for yourself, you do it for your brothers and sisters in Christ, who need encouragement in the Lord.

Our Epistle lesson states, "For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing." (1 Thess. 5:9-11) How do you know that God has destined you to obtain salvation? By hearing the Gospel that Jesus died for you, so that you might live with him. This is what Scripture teaches us to believe and confess. This is how Scripture teaches us to encourage one another: by confessing Christ and him crucified. The Gospel, that you can confess to your husband or wife, your children and your friends, this is that fuel that lights your lamp.

Yet, people don't like hearing the Gospel. They think it's boring. "I already know it." Or they think it's embarrassing, someone might think you're religious or a "Jesus-freak." And many are simply offended by it. If Jesus died for your sins, that means you have something about yourself that is wrong, that needs to be fixed. It means that you need to repent of your sins and try to amend your life. That ticks people off. "Don't tell me I have to change my attitude or behavior. The Jesus I know wouldn't be so judgmental. The Jesus I know would accept me for who I am." And so many, to save their own pride, invent a false-Jesus, who doesn't care about your sins and they reject the Jesus covered in the blood which washes away their sins.

I suppose their made-up Jesus also would have let in the five foolish virgins for having pretty lamps without oil. But the Jesus, who actually exists says to the faithless virgins, "I do not know you." And this is what Jesus says to those who refuse to repent of their sins and believe the Gospel.

For many, the real Jesus seems mean. They'd prefer the imaginary Jesus. So, many are led astray by a teaching called Universalism, which states that everyone will go to heaven. But the true Jesus is much more merciful than anyone could imagine. Our Lord Jesus, although he was in the form of God did not seek equality with God a thing to be grasped, but humbled himself to the point of death on the cross. He took our sins from us. If you could actually see the full weight of your sins and the damage they do to your soul, you would be horrified. And Jesus took all sins and suffered more than anyone could ever know for them. And Jesus welcomes us into heaven purely through faith in him, Jesus rescued you from real danger. Universalism mocks Christ's crucifixion and denies the existence of danger.

And so, we cling to the real Jesus in faith. We trust in his forgiveness and mercy. We let him feed our souls and fill our lamps. The world calls us foolish. This faith is nonsense to them. But this faith is the wisdom that gives salvation. And with this faith, our lamps will be lit, so that we will enter the heavenly banquet when our Bridegroom Jesus comes. Amen.

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Last Sunday of the Church Year (Trinity 27) The Bridegroom Comes When You Least Expect. Be Prepared!

11/22/2016

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Matthew 25:1-13
The Bridegroom Comes When You Least Expect. Be Prepared!
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
11/20/2016

"Watch, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour." Jesus himself tells us the theme of this parable. Watch! Be prepared! This is a message of urgency. Why so urgent? Because you don't know when Christ will return in judgment. St. Paul says, "the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night." (1 Thess. 5:2) And Jesus says, "But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into." (Matthew 24:43) So also, Christ will come when you do not expect, so you must always be prepared for his coming.

Jesus tells us a story to emphasize this urgency. The Bridegroom is Christ Jesus. He comes to take his bride. The ten virgins are Christians, well, at least in appearance. The foolish virgins are Christians in appearance only. Like virgins, they look pure. They go to church and receive the Sacrament. They are on the membership rolls. But they don't actually have faith in Christ. The wise virgins are the true Christians. Their wisdom is not that acquired at universities or even the prestigious time-earned University of Life. Their wisdom is the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. Their wisdom is faith, which trusts in Christ alone for eternal salvation.

The foolish virgins are foolish, because they didn't bring oil with their lamps. The wise virgins are wise, because they did bring oil. Oil symbolizes faith. Without oil the lamps are useless. You might as well not bring them. Oil is needed to brighten the path. If it is midnight and you have no oil, you have no light and no way to greet the Bridegroom when he comes. So also without faith you cannot even recognize Christ at his return.

What is faith? Faith is not only knowledge of God and who Jesus is, but it is a firm trust that God will do as he promises in Christ Jesus. By faith you believe that your sins are truly forgiven for the sake of Christ. By faith you believe that Christ returns not to condemn you, but to receive you as his own and give you eternal life.

The Bridegroom delays. The virgins fall asleep. There is much speculation as to what it means to fall asleep. To fall asleep can symbolize falling into a life of sin. To fall asleep can also mean to die. Jesus probably mentions that they fall asleep here to emphasize that they don't know when the Bridegroom is coming. The Bridegroom comes at midnight; an unexpected time to receive anyone. No one, neither the foolish nor the wise knew that the Bridegroom would arrive at that time. And yet, the wise are not caught off guard as St. Paul writes, "But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are children of the light." Although the sun's rays are banished, the wise virgins' lamps shine bright. They are prepared for the Bridegroom to come at any time. Their faith lights the way.

To have faith is to trust like a child. A child trusts that her parents will take care of her. She doesn't worry about where her food will come from, where she will sleep, if the heat will stay on, or if her father will come home, unless something terribly wrong happens. Normally I help put our children to bed, read them stories, say prayers and sing hymns with them. But when I have an evening meeting, Bible study, or Saturday night church I don't get back until after Theresa has put the kids to bed. But when I open the front door, I will hear from Clara's bedroom, "Daddies home!" Clara was waiting up in bed for me to come home. I go up, sing her a hymn and kiss her goodnight. But sometimes, I'm delayed and when I go to give Clara a good night kiss she is already asleep. She grew tired of waiting.

But Clara didn't stop trusting that I would come home. She fell asleep. She's two. But she fell asleep confident that her father would come home. She's not surprised to wake up in the morning to find me getting ready for the day. And so it is with those of faith. They trust that Christ will return. They don't know when. But they are confident he will return and love them as he promised he would. And as they wait they trust that Christ will continue to forgive their sins and protect them from every attack of the devil, just as a little child trusts that her parents will provide her with all she needs each day.

You must have oil or you won't be ready. You must have faith or you will be unprepared. But oil runs out. You must know where to get it. Where do you get faith?

"Faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ," so says St. Paul in Romans 10:17. Faith is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:10) The Holy Spirit creates faith through the proclamation of the Gospel. The Gospel is a special word. It tells you that God sent his Son Christ Jesus into the world to save sinners. (1 Tim. 1:15) It is by Jesus' death that all sins are taken away. Through this proclamation a terrified sinner is brought to reconciliation with God. God himself creates sincere trust in the hearts of people through the promise of God's love, forgiveness, and grace.

God's Word creates faith, but as I said, oil runs out. It burns. So you must know where to find more. When a Christian is baptized and brought to faith Satan, the world, and his sinful flesh work hard to burn out the oil of faith. They lead into temptation, cast doubts, and present attractive false gods before the Christian, anything that will run out the oil and snuff out the lamp.

So the Christian must continue to hear God's word, to fill up with that oil that lights the way. The Christian does this by hearing God's Word and receiving Christ's body and blood in faith for the forgiveness of sins. This is how the Christian prepares for that Day that will come as a thief, as the author to the Hebrews writes, "Do not neglect to meet together as is the habit of some, but encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." (Hebrews 10:25)

But the Christian doesn't hear God's Word and receive the Sacrament simply to be prepared, like a man dutifully filling up his tank with gas before driving a long distance. If you are a Christian, you want to hear God's Word. You yearn for Christ's body and blood in the Sacrament. The Psalmist writes, "Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it." (Psalm 119:35) The Christian loves God, wants to be with God. Like a little girl waiting for her daddy to come home and give her a kiss; or a wife waiting up for her husband to return and embrace her and tell her he loves her, so a Christian desires to be with God, to hear his word, to receive his grace. The proclamation of the Gospel not only creates faith, but faith desires to hear the proclamation of the Gospel.

The word for wise used in this text comes from the word  to think. To be wise in the Holy Spirit means you want to learn the mysteries of God. You want to read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest God's teachings. Faith drives you to hear God's Word as often as you can. It makes you hungry for more knowledge of Christ, of God's love for you and his desire for you. Faith causes you to treat God's Word and Sacraments as a priceless treasure. It is what causes parents to bring their babies to be baptized, to talk to them about Jesus before they can even speak. A living faith causes you to confess your faith often, to discuss it with your family and friends, and to always desire to learn more.

If such a desire is weak in you, if you are bored with the Gospel or hate hearing it or talking about it, your oil may be low or even out. You need to hear God's Word or you will not be prepared.

When the Bridegroom arrived suddenly the foolish virgins were caught off guard. They had no oil. They asked the wise virgins to share. But no one can have faith for another. Each person must have his own faith. So the fools ran off to buy oil. But there was no time. This is how many people think. I don't need to go to church. It will always be there for me when I need it. They treat faith like Wikipedia. I don't need to know the answer. I can always look it up when I need it. But you can't. Christ will return like a thief in the night and there will be no time. You either have oil or you don't. You either have faith or you don't.

"Amen, I say to you, I do not know you," the Bridegroom will say to the foolish virgins from behind a locked door. "Amen." That is what we say at the end of a prayer to confess, "Yes, yes, it shall be so!" But here the Bridegroom says, "Yes, yes, I say to you, I do not know you." There is no worse sentence to hear. It is a proclamation of judgment. And it leaves no room for uncertainty. Those without faith will be shut out of the marriage feast. Rather they will be cast to the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

But those who were ready went in with the Bridegroom to the marriage feast. What will it be like for them? St. John writes in Revelation 21, "And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.'" (2-4)

Christ Jesus is the Bridegroom. His holy bride is the Church, the community of saints washed clean by his blood. You are not simply attendants to this wedding following in the procession. You are the bride. Christ is your husband. And as a husband gives all that he has to his bride, so Christ gives all things to you. St. Paul writes, "If God gave us His Son, how then has He not also given us all things." (Romans 8:32) Christ gives all he has to his Church. He defeated sin, death, and the devil. So you have victory over these three tyrants. Christ has an eternal kingdom, so you too receive heaven as your home. Health, peace, gladness, they are all yours. Your tears will be wiped away, your mourning will be no more, and death will be a forgotten memory.

All this you can expect, although you don't know when to expect it. But with your flask filled with oil from God's Word you are as certain that Christ will come and give you all this and more as a little girl is certain her daddy will kiss her goodnight. With such faith you are prepared.

Amen.

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

Be Watchful

Watch Therefore, For You Know Neither The Day Nor The Hour.

Be Ready; Be Wise

Last Sunday of the Church Year: Fuel Up!

Last Sunday of the Church Year (Trinity 27) The Bridegroom Comes When You Least Expect. Be Prepared!

Rev. James Preus

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