CALM IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STORM
MATTHEW 8:23-27
23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”
In the name of Jesus:
One of the Pastors who trained me on my vicarage was Pastor Bob Holstein. Pastor Holstein was reared in Kansas and he loved a good thunderstorm. Thunderstorms in Southern Illinois can be quite violent, with the storms spawning many a tornado. I remember talking to him about Southern Illinois weather and how violent the storms seemed to be in that part of the country. He confided in me that he loved a good thunderstorm, in fact, Pastor Holstein recollected that while growing up in Kansas, he would stay with his grandparents from time to time. His grandpa was a pastor and Pastor Holstein remembered that, when he was a young boy, whenever a thunderstorm would approach the farmland in Kansas he would scurry up to the belfry of the church. He would get in the highest point he could get in that bell tower so that he could be close to the storm and see the lightening flash through the sky and hear the cracking boom of the thunder.
You laugh, thinking that man is nuts! I thought so too, but seeing as I wanted to pass vicarage, I nodded my head in approval, but upon further reflection, who in their right mind wants to do that? Pastor Holstein got a kick out of it, he loved it, he looked forward to being right in the middle of the thunderstorm, right in the smack dab middle where it would be the most dangerous. Now we know not to do that, it IS dangerous. Who wants to be in the middle of a storm, where you can see your life pass right before your eyes?
In our text for today, the disciples found themselves right in the middle of the storm, in a boat, all alone on the lake, with nowhere to run, and only One to turn to. They had gotten into the boat with Jesus and were sailing to the other side of the Sea of Tiberius. The Scripture says that there arose a great storm on the sea. Now mind you, this was before the weather channel and the Internet. There was no weather radio and no technological equipment. It was dark out, seeing that it WAS nighttime, and it was difficult to look at the sky and predict the weather. If you have ever been out in a boat in the middle of the night, you understand. The whole surroundings were pitch black. Storms in this area would come upon travelers suddenly. Starting in the Mediterranean Sea area, the storms would pick up strength and gather steam until the full fury of the storm would be unleashed upon the Sea of Galilee, just where Jesus and the disciples were traveling.
The winds were strong, the rains heavy, and weather violent. Hurricane force winds whipped the boat, so much so that the disciples saw their lives pass before their eyes. Water began to pour into the boat faster than the 12 could bail the water out of the boat. The waves were swamping the boat. And Jesus? He was asleep below, seemingly unaware of what was transpiring.
Frantically the disciples cried out to the Lord. It wasn’t a case of them gently trying to rouse Jesus from His slumber, “oh Jesus, time to get up…Get up you sleepy head.” No, it was a cry of desperation: ““Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
So, what are the storms in your life? What is causing you pain and anxiety in your life now? What is causing you pain, worry, and concern? What causes you to cry out to the Lord in desperation: “Save me Lord, for I am perishing? “ What causes you to look to the Lord, to cry out to Him when you feel like you are drowning in your fears? We can all relate to the Psalmist who laments: “Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck.” (Psalm 69:1).
Know this, dear child of God, that your Heavenly Father has heard your cry and He continues to hear your cry for help in time of need. For our God is a very present Help in times of trouble. He neither slumbers nor sleeps. Your help, my Help. Our help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
That is who was asleep in the bow of the boat. It was the Lord God, His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who made heaven and earth. Why was He asleep? In part, because He was tired. But also because He was not afraid. And why wasn’t He afraid? Because He made heaven and earth. His creation was the work of His hands, He was in charge and He was in control.
That is why Jesus states: Don’t be afraid. These words aren’t just words without meaning, these are words which speak power and are power, for God’s Word is powerful, killing and giving life. And the same Jesus who spoke to His disciples in the midst of the storm speaks to you, today, in the middle of the storms of your life.
What does Jesus say? The very same thing that He said to His disciples, “Don’t be afraid.” Why shouldn’t we be afraid, after all, we are each and every one of us up to our neck in problems, in trials, and tribulations. Jesus tells us not to be afraid, because of who He is and because of what He has done.
He reminds you and me that He is the very Son of God in human flesh. He came from heaven to earth to cast out our fears, by taking on our flesh, by being our Substitute in His Life and death. Christ came to take on our flesh to keep the Law on our behalf, to fear, love, and trust in God above all things. And so, it should not surprise us when we hear the words: Don’t be afraid, for those words are Good News for sinners.
On the night when Jesus was born, the Scriptures state that shepherds were minding their own business, when heavenly guests surprised them. Angels announced the birth of Jesus and the Scriptures record that these shepherds trembled with fear. So what did the angels say to them to cast out their fear? “Do not be afraid, for there is Good News for to you is born in the city of David a Savior, He is Christ the Lord.” Christ was given the name Jesus because He would save His people from their sins.
And this is what Jesus has done, for in His death on the cross and His rising to life again, Jesus has defeated sin, Satan, and death for you and for al who believe. Even in death, Christ gives victory and hope. Mary Magdalene wept as she first saw the tomb where Jesus was laid. And yet God’s Good News to her through His angel was to not be afraid! “Don’t be afraid, for you look for Jesus, but He is not here, He has risen, just as He said!”
This same Jesus, who was born, who died and rose again, this same Jesus is the One in the boat, asleep, while the disciples let their fears get the best of them. Jesus said, do not be afraid, and then took action, calming the storm and quieting their fears.
Jesus does the same for you this day. For the Son of God in human flesh lives for you. As the hymnist writes: He lives to silence all my fears; He lives to wipe away my tears; He lives to calm my troubled heart; He lives all blessings to impart.
And God indeed blesses you today, even as you feel as if you are right smack dab in the middle of the biggest storm of your life. He blesses in that He reminds you that you are His very own baptized child. He has staked a claim on you, He has washed away your sins, you have been marked as one redeemed by Jesus Christ. He speaks His Word of comfort and grace and strength this day. He comes in the form of bread and wine to strengthen you on your pilgrimage. At the times in your life, in your crisis when it seems as if God is not there, just remember, Jesus is there with you in your boat. Your God is there with you. He has come to save you. His promise is certain and sure. In the middle of your crisis He says to you, don’t be afraid, for the Lord is your helper, He is at your right hand. He has won an overwhelming victory for you. So call upon Him in the day of your trouble. He will hear you, He will answer. Cast your cares on Him. He cares for you. For God says in His Word that the day that you call upon Him He will answer. God will be with you, He will deliver you. He will take care of you in the present. He holds your future in His hand. And nothing will ever be able to separate you from His love, which is yours in Christ Jesus. Amen
And now may the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen
Monday, April 4, 2011
A Sermon for a suicide
CHRIST IS OUR ONLY HOPE
PSALM 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
In the name of Jesus:
Governor Jan Brewer of the state of Arizona, in remarks to the citizens of her state in the wake of the tragic deaths last weekend said in her state of the state: “ Tragedy and terror sometimes come from the shadows – and steal our joy and take away our peace.
This past weekend's events have caused me – caused all of us -- to reflect on many things, including how we respond to those terrible events. Our response is led by prayer and comfort for the families. “ Patricia’s death has stolen our joy and has taken away our peace. Dave, Sandra, and Jennifer, to Patricia’s family and friends, your grief is unimaginable. How do we respond? To whom should we turn? God tenderly invites you to turn to Him. Your hope, our hope, is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. God invites you and all who mourn today to come to Him, for God is our refuge and strength, our very present help in times of trouble.
There is a hymn in the historic Church’s liturgy, which dates to the 14th. Century. It is called the Media vita in morte sumus. It’s very words direct us to God in the time of death. The hymnist writes: “In the midst of life we are in death, from whom can we seek help? From you alone, O lord, who by our sins are justly angered, Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and merciful Savior, deliver us not into the bitterness of eternal death.” We sinful human beings deserve no good thing from God. Today we are broken but not defeated, for our help is in the name of the Lord.
Death brings home to us the reality of our own frail nature. Each and everyone of us must die. So how do we respond? Where comes our help? Our help is not found in the wisdom of other people, in our own strength, even in our own death. To all assembled here and to especially the young people today, I want to say most clearly, your death is not an answer. If you have ever contemplated taking your life, please do not. There are people, who love you, who will listen, who will help. Most importantly, God loves you. God is your help and will be your help. Your help is in the Lord. Our death is not the answer to any problems or trials that we face. God’s death, though, is the answer.
For the Bible says that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Jesus died for you. God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, so that whoever believes in Christ will have eternal life. In your distress, in your grief, go to the Lord, for He loves you with an everlasting love. Listen to God’s tender invitation: “Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” The Psalmist writes: “Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free. 6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? 7 The Lord is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. 8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. 9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.” Elsewhere we read the Psalmist who writes: “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord! 2 O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy! 3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? 4 But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared. 5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; 6 my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. 7 O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption. 8 And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.”
How do we know this? We know this because of God’s certain Word. The Scriptures tell us of the sign of God’s love: “This is a sign to you, you will find the Baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. To you has been born in the city of David the Savior, Christ the Lord.” Christ is our Lord and Savior. He loves sinners with an everlasting love. He loves you with an everlasting love and this is His promise: “37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” John 6:37-40
God saves sinners. Christ came to save sinners. In His death and resurrection, God has the only answer to our death and grief. It is Jesus. Christ became sin for us that we might be God’s children. Christ saves sinners. Christ delights in living with and in sinners. Christ is the only Hope for sinners.
Patricia was a child of God. Her favorite hymn was Amazing Grace. “Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me, I once was lost but now am found was blind but now I see.” Through the love and care of Dave and Sandra Patricia came to a saving faith in Jesus Christ. Know this for certain, dear friends, Jesus loved Patricia and Patricia loved the Lord Jesus! She is with the Lord today, because of God’s amazing grace in Jesus Christ. By grace we have all been saved, through faith in Christ. And just as Jesus rose from the grave, so too His promise to Patricia, and to each and every one of us who believe in Jesus is that He will raise us up on the Last Day. Dave, Sandra, and Jennifer, on that Day when Jesus comes He will make all things new. For our Redeemer lives! Keep trusting in Jesus, for whoever is faithful unto death He will give the crown of everlasting life. You will hold Patricia’s hand again and see her in the flesh, for our Redeemer lives!
Even now, Jesus is your refuge in death. Even though you walk through this dark valley God is with you. For the Lord is your Shepherd. He is with you to be your ever present help in this time of trouble. So trust Christ. He knows our frame, He remembers that we are dust. He abounds in steadfast love for you. He is your refuge and strength. And that “neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39.
Amen
Lord God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that Your hand is leading us and Your love supporting us, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
PSALM 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
In the name of Jesus:
Governor Jan Brewer of the state of Arizona, in remarks to the citizens of her state in the wake of the tragic deaths last weekend said in her state of the state: “ Tragedy and terror sometimes come from the shadows – and steal our joy and take away our peace.
This past weekend's events have caused me – caused all of us -- to reflect on many things, including how we respond to those terrible events. Our response is led by prayer and comfort for the families. “ Patricia’s death has stolen our joy and has taken away our peace. Dave, Sandra, and Jennifer, to Patricia’s family and friends, your grief is unimaginable. How do we respond? To whom should we turn? God tenderly invites you to turn to Him. Your hope, our hope, is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. God invites you and all who mourn today to come to Him, for God is our refuge and strength, our very present help in times of trouble.
There is a hymn in the historic Church’s liturgy, which dates to the 14th. Century. It is called the Media vita in morte sumus. It’s very words direct us to God in the time of death. The hymnist writes: “In the midst of life we are in death, from whom can we seek help? From you alone, O lord, who by our sins are justly angered, Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and merciful Savior, deliver us not into the bitterness of eternal death.” We sinful human beings deserve no good thing from God. Today we are broken but not defeated, for our help is in the name of the Lord.
Death brings home to us the reality of our own frail nature. Each and everyone of us must die. So how do we respond? Where comes our help? Our help is not found in the wisdom of other people, in our own strength, even in our own death. To all assembled here and to especially the young people today, I want to say most clearly, your death is not an answer. If you have ever contemplated taking your life, please do not. There are people, who love you, who will listen, who will help. Most importantly, God loves you. God is your help and will be your help. Your help is in the Lord. Our death is not the answer to any problems or trials that we face. God’s death, though, is the answer.
For the Bible says that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Jesus died for you. God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, so that whoever believes in Christ will have eternal life. In your distress, in your grief, go to the Lord, for He loves you with an everlasting love. Listen to God’s tender invitation: “Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” The Psalmist writes: “Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free. 6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? 7 The Lord is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. 8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. 9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.” Elsewhere we read the Psalmist who writes: “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord! 2 O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy! 3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? 4 But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared. 5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; 6 my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. 7 O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption. 8 And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.”
How do we know this? We know this because of God’s certain Word. The Scriptures tell us of the sign of God’s love: “This is a sign to you, you will find the Baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. To you has been born in the city of David the Savior, Christ the Lord.” Christ is our Lord and Savior. He loves sinners with an everlasting love. He loves you with an everlasting love and this is His promise: “37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” John 6:37-40
God saves sinners. Christ came to save sinners. In His death and resurrection, God has the only answer to our death and grief. It is Jesus. Christ became sin for us that we might be God’s children. Christ saves sinners. Christ delights in living with and in sinners. Christ is the only Hope for sinners.
Patricia was a child of God. Her favorite hymn was Amazing Grace. “Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me, I once was lost but now am found was blind but now I see.” Through the love and care of Dave and Sandra Patricia came to a saving faith in Jesus Christ. Know this for certain, dear friends, Jesus loved Patricia and Patricia loved the Lord Jesus! She is with the Lord today, because of God’s amazing grace in Jesus Christ. By grace we have all been saved, through faith in Christ. And just as Jesus rose from the grave, so too His promise to Patricia, and to each and every one of us who believe in Jesus is that He will raise us up on the Last Day. Dave, Sandra, and Jennifer, on that Day when Jesus comes He will make all things new. For our Redeemer lives! Keep trusting in Jesus, for whoever is faithful unto death He will give the crown of everlasting life. You will hold Patricia’s hand again and see her in the flesh, for our Redeemer lives!
Even now, Jesus is your refuge in death. Even though you walk through this dark valley God is with you. For the Lord is your Shepherd. He is with you to be your ever present help in this time of trouble. So trust Christ. He knows our frame, He remembers that we are dust. He abounds in steadfast love for you. He is your refuge and strength. And that “neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39.
Amen
Lord God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that Your hand is leading us and Your love supporting us, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
A Hundred Fold Harvest
A HUNDRED-FOLD HARVEST
LUKE 8:4-15
4 And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable: 5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6 And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. 8 And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”9 And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, 10 he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ 11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. 14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. 15 As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.
In the name of Jesus:
Let’s see a show of hands, how many of you are gardeners? Quite a few. Good, now I have a question that I want you to consider, what is the most important element to a fruitful garden? Is it location? Watering the garden, sunlight? You can have a great location for you garden, it can have the optimal sunlight and just enough fertilizer and water, but if you don’t have that which is most important, you can’t have a garden. What am I forgetting? The seed. Seeds are the most important part of agriculture, whether it is on a farm or in a garden. You can have all of the fancy equipment to grow plants and vegetation, you can have the optimal conditions, you can spend time pulling weeds and making certain that everything is just right, but if you don’t have the seed, you got nothing.
It isn’t by accident that Jesus, when speaking of the Kingdom of God, and the Church, talks about it in terms of agriculture or farming. People in Jesus’ day and age knew what it meant to work the land so that they could have food for their families. For us living in the 21st century, well, not so much, because unless we understand some basic principles to growing things, we won’t understand what the Kingdom of God is like. And this is the reason why Jesus speaks in parables, It is the reason why Jesus gives us the secrets to God’s Kingdom in parables, so that we, by the power of the Holy Spirit, might understand what God is doing in His Kingdom, the Church, and what He continues to do among us today.
Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to a sower, which goes out to sow His seed. Here Jesus is telling us that He is the Sower, the Seed is His Word, the Gospel, which is planted in the hearts and lives of people. Just as a sower sows seed in the field, so Jesus sows seed in the hearts of sinners. If you can imagine a famer picking seed out of a pouch and spreading it by hand, the seed would fall in different places. The seed would fall on pathways where it would be trampled or eaten by birds, on rocky soil or rock where it would wither under the heat of the sun, among thorny plants where it would grow for a time and be choked off by the thorny plants, and on the good soil where it would grow a hundred fold.
Jesus says that the different types of soil represent the different people who hear the Word spoken by Jesus. Some are like seed thrown on the path, where once they hear the Gospel they let it go in one hear and out the other. Others are like seed thrown on rocks, where they believe for a while, maybe they are caught up in the emotion or experience of it all, and when push comes to shove and when testing comes their way, they leave the faith. Still others are like the seed that falls among the thorns, they believe but soon the cares of the world, the opinions of others, or maybe just their love for the world and riches and pleasures of life they leave the faith and do not mature n the faith.
But there are those who hear the Word as if seed planted in good soil. They hold this Word fast, in a good and honest heart, and they bear fruit, fruit as in a hundred fold, with PATIENCE. It isn’t the heart that brings forth the fruit; it is the seed, the Gospel. So how does this happen? How does the Christian bear fruit a hundred fold?
It is only by the grace and work of God! Our hearts are hardened by sin. Like lumps of rock or clay, God cannot penetrate with His love into our hearts because we are cold hearted. Our first love is not God. It is our sinful self. That is what sin is, a turning away from God. Our sinful nature questions God, our need for God, our want of a relationship with God. We try to come to God on our own terms. We think that God might be pleased with our intentions. Our good intentions. Or perhaps God might love us if he sees that we are sincere in our relationship with Him. Or maybe we can get on God’s good side if we do something for God, surely then He will be pleased! We want God, we seek a relationship with God, on our terms, setting our rules and regulations, we make God into what we want, rather than hearing who God reveals Himself to be and listening to what He has to say. We want God on our terms, to be like a fairy godmother to wave a magic wand, so as to meet our every wish and need and whim in life. But what DOES HE have to say?
He says, “their end will correspond to their deeds” (2 Cor. 11:15). His Word reveals our sin in our hearts and in our lives, for “the Word of God is living and active, discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. No creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Heb 4:12-13).
We must give account. We must answer to God, for all have sinned and fallen short of His glory. Sin pays off with death! Temporal and eternal death. Satan, the world, even our sinful flesh, attacks our faith. We are all lost if not for the grace of God in Christ! And it is be God’s grace that we are saved.
God calls the sinner to repent. That is how God breaks our heart, our stony cold hearted heart, by showing us that we have sinned and we need God’s mercy. He calls us to repentance, to turn from sin, from self, from the world and its sinful pleasures, and to turn to God in Christ! For God has sent Christ to bear the attacks of the Evil One in His life and death. God so loved the world that He sent Christ to be nailed to a tree, so that by His cross-planted on the hill called Calvary your sins would be forgiven! Even though Jesus was hounded by the devil on the cross, even though He became sin for you on the cross, by His stripes, by his life, by His bloody death YOU ARE FORGIVEN! Through His dying and rising again Jesus destroyed death and Hell and all who believe. Jesus came down from heaven to die and rise so that all who believe in Him will rise to new life, bringing forth fruits to the glory of God.
This is what it means when Isaiah writes: “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”
Jesus has sown the seed of His Gospel deep into your heart in the waters of your Baptism. There God has drowned your sin so that by the power of the Holy Spirit a new person will come forth to live before God. You have been made a new person in Baptism in Christ. As you read the Scriptures, as you hear the Word proclaimed, God brings to you Christ. The Word brings Christ and God’s promise is that this Word will not return to the Lord empty but it will accomplish what the Lord wants. And what does the Lord want? He wants all to be saved and come to faith in Christ, a faith that is rooted in the heart and is lived in your life.
Yet this faith is a mystery, when according to God’s good pleasure is revealed in bearing fruit in your life. Jesus says that He is the Vine, we are the branches and that if we remain in Him, we will bear abundant fruit. The key is remaining in Jesus, being rooted in Him. And how is this done? By being faithful in worship, hearing the Word, receiving the Lord’s Supper, reading and meditating on the Word for the Word brings Christ. God makes this promise, blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it. To those who hear His Word, treasure it, believe it and trust in Christ and His promises, God works to bring not only faith but uses that person to bring forth fruits of a living faith in Christ.
But all this happens in God’s time, which is why our text talks about bearing fruit with patience. Fruit comes from patience. Look at the fruits in your garden. Does the garden bear fruit today? No because it is not time. Will it bear fruit in April, May, or June? No matter how much you want it to bear fruit, you cannot force it. Fruit comes with patience, in God’s time, trusting in HIm. So it is with our lives. God calls us to be rooted in Christ and His Word, to be faithful in our reception and He who plants the seed will bring forth its fruit in our lives. In His time, according to His will.
There is an old Native American story, which, as a modern day parable, can help us in our understanding of how God works. It is a story about an opossum, who one day visited his good friend, a raccoon, at his home near the river. The opossum marveled at his friend's lush garden and asked if he could grow one like it. The raccoon assured the opossum he could do so, although he cautioned him, "It is hard work."
The opossum eagerly vowed to do the hard work necessary, then asked for and received some seeds. He rushed home with his treasure, buried them amid much laughter and song, went inside to clean up, ate, and went to bed. The next morning he leapt from bed to see his new garden.
Nothing. The ground looked no different than it had the day before!
Furious with anger and frustration, the opossum shouted at his buried seeds, "Grow, seeds, grow!" He pounded the ground and stomped his feet. But nothing happened. Soon a large crowd of forest animals gathered to see who was making all the commotion and why. The raccoon came to investigate with all the others.
"What are you doing, Opossum?" he asked. "Your racket has awakened the whole forest."
The opossum railed about having no garden, then turned to each seed, and commanded it to grow. When the animals began to mock the opossum for his silly actions, he only screamed louder. At last the raccoon spoke up once more.
"Wait a minute, Possum," he said. "You can't make the seeds grow. You can only make sure they get sun and water, then watch them do their work. The life is in the seed, not in you."
As the truth sank in, the opossum ceased his yelling and began to care for the seeds as the raccoon instructed, watering them regularly and getting rid of any weeds that invaded his garden. (On some days, though, when no one was watching, he still shouted a bit.)
Then one glorious morning the opossum wandered outside to see that multitudes of beautiful green sprouts dotted his garden. Just a few days later, gorgeous flowers began to bloom. With uncontrollable excitement and pride, the opossum ran to his friend, the raccoon, and asked him to witness the miracle. The raccoon took one long look at the thriving garden and said, "You see, Opossum, all you had to do was let the seeds do the work while you watched."
"Yes," smiled the opossum, finally remembering the wise words of his friend many days before, "but it's a hard job watching a seed work."
You and I are called to bear fruit. But how is this done? By trusting in Christ, rooting our lives in Christ, being faithful to Christ, hearing Him, receiving His gifts in the Lord’s Supper, attending worship, for in all of this we received the seed of His Word. And we have His promise, that His seed will not return empty, but will accomplish what He wants. There is an old saying: “We know the number of seeds in an apple, but only God knows the number of apples in a seed." Rooted in Christ, God will use your life in unique ways to share and spread Christ’s love to all.
Jesus said:” unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." Christ has died and risen to give you life. In dying to sin and clinging to Jesus, God uses His Word in our lives to bring forth abundant fruit. May God grant it in Jesus’ name!
Amen
LUKE 8:4-15
4 And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable: 5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6 And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. 8 And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”9 And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, 10 he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ 11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. 14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. 15 As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.
In the name of Jesus:
Let’s see a show of hands, how many of you are gardeners? Quite a few. Good, now I have a question that I want you to consider, what is the most important element to a fruitful garden? Is it location? Watering the garden, sunlight? You can have a great location for you garden, it can have the optimal sunlight and just enough fertilizer and water, but if you don’t have that which is most important, you can’t have a garden. What am I forgetting? The seed. Seeds are the most important part of agriculture, whether it is on a farm or in a garden. You can have all of the fancy equipment to grow plants and vegetation, you can have the optimal conditions, you can spend time pulling weeds and making certain that everything is just right, but if you don’t have the seed, you got nothing.
It isn’t by accident that Jesus, when speaking of the Kingdom of God, and the Church, talks about it in terms of agriculture or farming. People in Jesus’ day and age knew what it meant to work the land so that they could have food for their families. For us living in the 21st century, well, not so much, because unless we understand some basic principles to growing things, we won’t understand what the Kingdom of God is like. And this is the reason why Jesus speaks in parables, It is the reason why Jesus gives us the secrets to God’s Kingdom in parables, so that we, by the power of the Holy Spirit, might understand what God is doing in His Kingdom, the Church, and what He continues to do among us today.
Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to a sower, which goes out to sow His seed. Here Jesus is telling us that He is the Sower, the Seed is His Word, the Gospel, which is planted in the hearts and lives of people. Just as a sower sows seed in the field, so Jesus sows seed in the hearts of sinners. If you can imagine a famer picking seed out of a pouch and spreading it by hand, the seed would fall in different places. The seed would fall on pathways where it would be trampled or eaten by birds, on rocky soil or rock where it would wither under the heat of the sun, among thorny plants where it would grow for a time and be choked off by the thorny plants, and on the good soil where it would grow a hundred fold.
Jesus says that the different types of soil represent the different people who hear the Word spoken by Jesus. Some are like seed thrown on the path, where once they hear the Gospel they let it go in one hear and out the other. Others are like seed thrown on rocks, where they believe for a while, maybe they are caught up in the emotion or experience of it all, and when push comes to shove and when testing comes their way, they leave the faith. Still others are like the seed that falls among the thorns, they believe but soon the cares of the world, the opinions of others, or maybe just their love for the world and riches and pleasures of life they leave the faith and do not mature n the faith.
But there are those who hear the Word as if seed planted in good soil. They hold this Word fast, in a good and honest heart, and they bear fruit, fruit as in a hundred fold, with PATIENCE. It isn’t the heart that brings forth the fruit; it is the seed, the Gospel. So how does this happen? How does the Christian bear fruit a hundred fold?
It is only by the grace and work of God! Our hearts are hardened by sin. Like lumps of rock or clay, God cannot penetrate with His love into our hearts because we are cold hearted. Our first love is not God. It is our sinful self. That is what sin is, a turning away from God. Our sinful nature questions God, our need for God, our want of a relationship with God. We try to come to God on our own terms. We think that God might be pleased with our intentions. Our good intentions. Or perhaps God might love us if he sees that we are sincere in our relationship with Him. Or maybe we can get on God’s good side if we do something for God, surely then He will be pleased! We want God, we seek a relationship with God, on our terms, setting our rules and regulations, we make God into what we want, rather than hearing who God reveals Himself to be and listening to what He has to say. We want God on our terms, to be like a fairy godmother to wave a magic wand, so as to meet our every wish and need and whim in life. But what DOES HE have to say?
He says, “their end will correspond to their deeds” (2 Cor. 11:15). His Word reveals our sin in our hearts and in our lives, for “the Word of God is living and active, discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. No creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Heb 4:12-13).
We must give account. We must answer to God, for all have sinned and fallen short of His glory. Sin pays off with death! Temporal and eternal death. Satan, the world, even our sinful flesh, attacks our faith. We are all lost if not for the grace of God in Christ! And it is be God’s grace that we are saved.
God calls the sinner to repent. That is how God breaks our heart, our stony cold hearted heart, by showing us that we have sinned and we need God’s mercy. He calls us to repentance, to turn from sin, from self, from the world and its sinful pleasures, and to turn to God in Christ! For God has sent Christ to bear the attacks of the Evil One in His life and death. God so loved the world that He sent Christ to be nailed to a tree, so that by His cross-planted on the hill called Calvary your sins would be forgiven! Even though Jesus was hounded by the devil on the cross, even though He became sin for you on the cross, by His stripes, by his life, by His bloody death YOU ARE FORGIVEN! Through His dying and rising again Jesus destroyed death and Hell and all who believe. Jesus came down from heaven to die and rise so that all who believe in Him will rise to new life, bringing forth fruits to the glory of God.
This is what it means when Isaiah writes: “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”
Jesus has sown the seed of His Gospel deep into your heart in the waters of your Baptism. There God has drowned your sin so that by the power of the Holy Spirit a new person will come forth to live before God. You have been made a new person in Baptism in Christ. As you read the Scriptures, as you hear the Word proclaimed, God brings to you Christ. The Word brings Christ and God’s promise is that this Word will not return to the Lord empty but it will accomplish what the Lord wants. And what does the Lord want? He wants all to be saved and come to faith in Christ, a faith that is rooted in the heart and is lived in your life.
Yet this faith is a mystery, when according to God’s good pleasure is revealed in bearing fruit in your life. Jesus says that He is the Vine, we are the branches and that if we remain in Him, we will bear abundant fruit. The key is remaining in Jesus, being rooted in Him. And how is this done? By being faithful in worship, hearing the Word, receiving the Lord’s Supper, reading and meditating on the Word for the Word brings Christ. God makes this promise, blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it. To those who hear His Word, treasure it, believe it and trust in Christ and His promises, God works to bring not only faith but uses that person to bring forth fruits of a living faith in Christ.
But all this happens in God’s time, which is why our text talks about bearing fruit with patience. Fruit comes from patience. Look at the fruits in your garden. Does the garden bear fruit today? No because it is not time. Will it bear fruit in April, May, or June? No matter how much you want it to bear fruit, you cannot force it. Fruit comes with patience, in God’s time, trusting in HIm. So it is with our lives. God calls us to be rooted in Christ and His Word, to be faithful in our reception and He who plants the seed will bring forth its fruit in our lives. In His time, according to His will.
There is an old Native American story, which, as a modern day parable, can help us in our understanding of how God works. It is a story about an opossum, who one day visited his good friend, a raccoon, at his home near the river. The opossum marveled at his friend's lush garden and asked if he could grow one like it. The raccoon assured the opossum he could do so, although he cautioned him, "It is hard work."
The opossum eagerly vowed to do the hard work necessary, then asked for and received some seeds. He rushed home with his treasure, buried them amid much laughter and song, went inside to clean up, ate, and went to bed. The next morning he leapt from bed to see his new garden.
Nothing. The ground looked no different than it had the day before!
Furious with anger and frustration, the opossum shouted at his buried seeds, "Grow, seeds, grow!" He pounded the ground and stomped his feet. But nothing happened. Soon a large crowd of forest animals gathered to see who was making all the commotion and why. The raccoon came to investigate with all the others.
"What are you doing, Opossum?" he asked. "Your racket has awakened the whole forest."
The opossum railed about having no garden, then turned to each seed, and commanded it to grow. When the animals began to mock the opossum for his silly actions, he only screamed louder. At last the raccoon spoke up once more.
"Wait a minute, Possum," he said. "You can't make the seeds grow. You can only make sure they get sun and water, then watch them do their work. The life is in the seed, not in you."
As the truth sank in, the opossum ceased his yelling and began to care for the seeds as the raccoon instructed, watering them regularly and getting rid of any weeds that invaded his garden. (On some days, though, when no one was watching, he still shouted a bit.)
Then one glorious morning the opossum wandered outside to see that multitudes of beautiful green sprouts dotted his garden. Just a few days later, gorgeous flowers began to bloom. With uncontrollable excitement and pride, the opossum ran to his friend, the raccoon, and asked him to witness the miracle. The raccoon took one long look at the thriving garden and said, "You see, Opossum, all you had to do was let the seeds do the work while you watched."
"Yes," smiled the opossum, finally remembering the wise words of his friend many days before, "but it's a hard job watching a seed work."
You and I are called to bear fruit. But how is this done? By trusting in Christ, rooting our lives in Christ, being faithful to Christ, hearing Him, receiving His gifts in the Lord’s Supper, attending worship, for in all of this we received the seed of His Word. And we have His promise, that His seed will not return empty, but will accomplish what He wants. There is an old saying: “We know the number of seeds in an apple, but only God knows the number of apples in a seed." Rooted in Christ, God will use your life in unique ways to share and spread Christ’s love to all.
Jesus said:” unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." Christ has died and risen to give you life. In dying to sin and clinging to Jesus, God uses His Word in our lives to bring forth abundant fruit. May God grant it in Jesus’ name!
Amen
Catching Up
The following sermons are ones that I have preached in the past few months, since I have last blogged. They are in no particular order. A savvy Lutheran will note that the texts are from the One Year Lectionary series. I went to the One Year series this year because after 28 years of preaching in the Three Year Series, I thought the change might do me good. I think it has, in this respect: I am reading more Luther than ever before. I find myself, after doing my exegetical study, reading Luther's sermons. They are refreshing and keep me grounded in good old Lutheran theology. After all, if you can't trust Luther to be a Lutheran who can you trust?
Sorry
Lent is a time of confession. I confess that I have not been a willing nor able blogger. My daughter Rachel is one for me to emulate. She blogs virtually every day. But between Lenten sermons, Sunday Sermons, Bible studies, sick and shut in calls.... well, you get the idea. But it is no excuse. I confess and ask for your forgiveness. I will try to do better. At least today
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
So, What's the Good News?
SO, WHAT’S THE GOOD NEWS?
LUKE 21:25-35
And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”29 And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. 30 As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. 31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.34 “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
In the name of Jesus:
The Danish philosopher, Kierkegaard, tells a parable of a theater where a variety show is proceeding. Each show is more fantastic than the last, and is applauded by the audience. Suddenly the manager comes forward. He apologizes for the interruption, but the theater is on fire, and he begs his patrons to leave in an orderly fashion. The audience thinks this is the most amusing turn of the evening, and cheer thunderously. The manager again implores them to leave the burning building, and he is again applauded vigorously. At last he can do no more. The fire raced through the whole building and the fun-loving audience with it. "And so," concluded Kierkegaard, "will our age, I sometimes think, go down in fiery destruction to the applause of a crowded house of cheering spectators."
When I hear or read about the Last Times, the End of the World, in the media today, I get the distinct impression that the fun loving world in which we live in will give our Lord’s Coming a rousing round of applause for the special effects that will accompany the Lord’s return. But is it for show? Is the Lord’s Coming for entertainment purposes only?
Just look at how the End of the World has been portrayed in film. In the movie “2012” millions die in violent earthquakes and volcanoes which signal the end of the world. In the movie “2008” a worldwide pandemic threatens the existence of the known world. Other movies and books have played up the theme of doomsday, to sometimes rave box office reviews, most certainly to make money, but all in an effort to entertain the masses.
Doomsday is big business, however the End of the World will not be entertaining for anyone! Listen to what the Lord says about His return in the Gospel of Luke: “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” How then is the child of God to take these words? Jesus here Luke speaks to His beloved children, those who believe in Him. The Lord’s Second Coming certainly will bring foreboding and dread on the part of many WHO HAVE REJECTED HIM! That day of the Lord will be the DAY OF JUDGMENT. People who have rejected God’s grace in this life will see a cataclysmic change in nature as God removes His gracious hand from His creation. On that Day those who have rejected God’s grace in Christ, those who have thumbed their noses at God, who have been indifferent or apathetic toward God will truly feel God’s wrath. The nations will wonder, what in the Lord’s name is going on here? The seas will roar and the heavens open and then all will see Jesus coming in Judgment. As we confess in our Creeds, the living AND the dead will be judged, and at the sound of the trumpet: the mysteries of God will be fulfilled and the all of the dead will rise. It will be the great and terrible Day of the Lord that Scripture speaks of and no one will escape.
This is what the Lord says. It is His Law; you can take it to the bank. So, for those who believe in Christ, what is the Good News? In all of this, is this something we should be looking forward to? In a word: ABSOLUTELY! Jesus speaks these words to comfort His followers. These words in our text for today are words, which the believer is to cherish. Why? Because when all of this happens, Jesus instructs His followers: “Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
Your redemption is drawing near! Did you catch that? This is why Jesus came down from heaven to be born of a Virgin, to give Himself up in life and in death, dying a bloody death on the cross, and then rising from the grave on Easter morning! Christ came to redeem us, we are blood bought sinners, and God who lived, died and rose owns us again for our salvation! The blood of Jesus cleanses you from all sin! God HAS saved you. What does it mean to be saved, but to be delivered from sin, Satan, and death.
Most certainly through faith in Christ we are forgiven. Most certainly your sins have been washed in Baptism. Today, now is the day of your salvation, today you belong to God and live for Him. And yes, Christ has defeated death for all who believe in Him. God most certainly loved the world that He gave His one and only Son so that whoever believes will not perish but have eternal life. But eternal life is not some pie in sky in the dream. Jesus didn’t come to just take us to heaven when we die. Yes, that will happen, but there is more, so much more! Jesus came so that we would have eternal life in the flesh. That is what Easter and the resurrection is all about!
That is why Jesus tells His followers to look to the heavens when He comes again, for He comes to take you home. The bodily risen Christ comes again, to rise up all of the dead and to take with Him all of His children. You will live with Jesus in the new heaven and earth. You will be alive in the flesh, as you are today, yet without sin. You will be with all of the saints who have gone before you. You will see and be able to say with Job: I know that my Redeemer lives and I will see Him in the flesh.
The Day of the Lord is going to be a terrible Day for those who do not believe. They will be judged and perish forever in Hell. But to those who believe, for you and me who are Jesus’ disciples, we will live forever in the flesh with Him! Think of it, no more sin, no more stress, no more disease, no more strife, no more war, no more sin, no more death. The old will have passed away and the new will come! We will see our redemption in Christ on that Day and live with Him forever, just as He has promised!
Until then, Jesus instructs us to look at the signs. When trees lose their leaves, we know winter is coming. When they bud and bloom, spring and summer are near. So too, note the signs of the times and prepare yourself for the inevitable Day when the Lord Jesus returns. The world is literally falling apart at the seams. People daily are denying Christ. Sin continues to rear its ugly head and God’s children are being persecuted and martyred for the faith. All things anti Christ seemingly now are in vogue and are the rage. It is becoming more fashionable to make fun of Christ and have a lack of respect and apathy toward Christ and His Church. The signs are there. We need to prepare. You need to prepare, for Christ comes again!
How shall we prepare? Jesus tells us: “34 “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” Jesus here says for us to be at the ready, to watch ourselves so that our lives are not anxious about the cares and needs of this life. Jesus warns us not to store up for ourselves treasures on earth, but to store up treasures in heaven. Be on your guard, then, be watchful for His coming. Daily repent of your sins, daily ask Christ for forgiveness. Seek the Lord where He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Christ has come as our Savior. Jesus will come again as Judge. Until that time, pray to God to give you strength that you may be found faithful unto death so that you will receive the crown of everlasting life. Jesus today stands at the door and knocks, He comes to you in His Word. He speaks to you in His Word. His Word is God breathed, God speaking to you. It is sharper than any two edged sword. It cuts to your soul to reveal your sinfulness that you might turn to Christ and live. Hear His Good News spoken in His Word that Christ has come, that He was born in the city of David for you. He died on the cross for you. His blood cleanses you of all sin. Know for certain that His Word will not return to Him empty but will accomplish His will. In these last days, cling to Christ. Trust in His Word, for He says: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”
Even though heaven and earth will pass away, God’s Word will never pass away. God’s Word became flesh and dwelt among us for a time. In Christ we have seen God’s glory, His salvation for sinners, our redemption. Christ has come. He comes today in Word and Sacrament. He will come again and put an end to this madness. And so we rejoice! And we pray: Come Lord Jesus!
Amen
LUKE 21:25-35
And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”29 And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. 30 As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. 31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.34 “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
In the name of Jesus:
The Danish philosopher, Kierkegaard, tells a parable of a theater where a variety show is proceeding. Each show is more fantastic than the last, and is applauded by the audience. Suddenly the manager comes forward. He apologizes for the interruption, but the theater is on fire, and he begs his patrons to leave in an orderly fashion. The audience thinks this is the most amusing turn of the evening, and cheer thunderously. The manager again implores them to leave the burning building, and he is again applauded vigorously. At last he can do no more. The fire raced through the whole building and the fun-loving audience with it. "And so," concluded Kierkegaard, "will our age, I sometimes think, go down in fiery destruction to the applause of a crowded house of cheering spectators."
When I hear or read about the Last Times, the End of the World, in the media today, I get the distinct impression that the fun loving world in which we live in will give our Lord’s Coming a rousing round of applause for the special effects that will accompany the Lord’s return. But is it for show? Is the Lord’s Coming for entertainment purposes only?
Just look at how the End of the World has been portrayed in film. In the movie “2012” millions die in violent earthquakes and volcanoes which signal the end of the world. In the movie “2008” a worldwide pandemic threatens the existence of the known world. Other movies and books have played up the theme of doomsday, to sometimes rave box office reviews, most certainly to make money, but all in an effort to entertain the masses.
Doomsday is big business, however the End of the World will not be entertaining for anyone! Listen to what the Lord says about His return in the Gospel of Luke: “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” How then is the child of God to take these words? Jesus here Luke speaks to His beloved children, those who believe in Him. The Lord’s Second Coming certainly will bring foreboding and dread on the part of many WHO HAVE REJECTED HIM! That day of the Lord will be the DAY OF JUDGMENT. People who have rejected God’s grace in this life will see a cataclysmic change in nature as God removes His gracious hand from His creation. On that Day those who have rejected God’s grace in Christ, those who have thumbed their noses at God, who have been indifferent or apathetic toward God will truly feel God’s wrath. The nations will wonder, what in the Lord’s name is going on here? The seas will roar and the heavens open and then all will see Jesus coming in Judgment. As we confess in our Creeds, the living AND the dead will be judged, and at the sound of the trumpet: the mysteries of God will be fulfilled and the all of the dead will rise. It will be the great and terrible Day of the Lord that Scripture speaks of and no one will escape.
This is what the Lord says. It is His Law; you can take it to the bank. So, for those who believe in Christ, what is the Good News? In all of this, is this something we should be looking forward to? In a word: ABSOLUTELY! Jesus speaks these words to comfort His followers. These words in our text for today are words, which the believer is to cherish. Why? Because when all of this happens, Jesus instructs His followers: “Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
Your redemption is drawing near! Did you catch that? This is why Jesus came down from heaven to be born of a Virgin, to give Himself up in life and in death, dying a bloody death on the cross, and then rising from the grave on Easter morning! Christ came to redeem us, we are blood bought sinners, and God who lived, died and rose owns us again for our salvation! The blood of Jesus cleanses you from all sin! God HAS saved you. What does it mean to be saved, but to be delivered from sin, Satan, and death.
Most certainly through faith in Christ we are forgiven. Most certainly your sins have been washed in Baptism. Today, now is the day of your salvation, today you belong to God and live for Him. And yes, Christ has defeated death for all who believe in Him. God most certainly loved the world that He gave His one and only Son so that whoever believes will not perish but have eternal life. But eternal life is not some pie in sky in the dream. Jesus didn’t come to just take us to heaven when we die. Yes, that will happen, but there is more, so much more! Jesus came so that we would have eternal life in the flesh. That is what Easter and the resurrection is all about!
That is why Jesus tells His followers to look to the heavens when He comes again, for He comes to take you home. The bodily risen Christ comes again, to rise up all of the dead and to take with Him all of His children. You will live with Jesus in the new heaven and earth. You will be alive in the flesh, as you are today, yet without sin. You will be with all of the saints who have gone before you. You will see and be able to say with Job: I know that my Redeemer lives and I will see Him in the flesh.
The Day of the Lord is going to be a terrible Day for those who do not believe. They will be judged and perish forever in Hell. But to those who believe, for you and me who are Jesus’ disciples, we will live forever in the flesh with Him! Think of it, no more sin, no more stress, no more disease, no more strife, no more war, no more sin, no more death. The old will have passed away and the new will come! We will see our redemption in Christ on that Day and live with Him forever, just as He has promised!
Until then, Jesus instructs us to look at the signs. When trees lose their leaves, we know winter is coming. When they bud and bloom, spring and summer are near. So too, note the signs of the times and prepare yourself for the inevitable Day when the Lord Jesus returns. The world is literally falling apart at the seams. People daily are denying Christ. Sin continues to rear its ugly head and God’s children are being persecuted and martyred for the faith. All things anti Christ seemingly now are in vogue and are the rage. It is becoming more fashionable to make fun of Christ and have a lack of respect and apathy toward Christ and His Church. The signs are there. We need to prepare. You need to prepare, for Christ comes again!
How shall we prepare? Jesus tells us: “34 “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” Jesus here says for us to be at the ready, to watch ourselves so that our lives are not anxious about the cares and needs of this life. Jesus warns us not to store up for ourselves treasures on earth, but to store up treasures in heaven. Be on your guard, then, be watchful for His coming. Daily repent of your sins, daily ask Christ for forgiveness. Seek the Lord where He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Christ has come as our Savior. Jesus will come again as Judge. Until that time, pray to God to give you strength that you may be found faithful unto death so that you will receive the crown of everlasting life. Jesus today stands at the door and knocks, He comes to you in His Word. He speaks to you in His Word. His Word is God breathed, God speaking to you. It is sharper than any two edged sword. It cuts to your soul to reveal your sinfulness that you might turn to Christ and live. Hear His Good News spoken in His Word that Christ has come, that He was born in the city of David for you. He died on the cross for you. His blood cleanses you of all sin. Know for certain that His Word will not return to Him empty but will accomplish His will. In these last days, cling to Christ. Trust in His Word, for He says: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”
Even though heaven and earth will pass away, God’s Word will never pass away. God’s Word became flesh and dwelt among us for a time. In Christ we have seen God’s glory, His salvation for sinners, our redemption. Christ has come. He comes today in Word and Sacrament. He will come again and put an end to this madness. And so we rejoice! And we pray: Come Lord Jesus!
Amen
Thursday, December 2, 2010
It's Time to Wake Up!
It Is Time To Wake Up!
Romans 13:11-14
11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
In the name of Jesus:
Revielie is the traditional call to wake up for the military. It is usually a bugle call to wake up our armed forces. Reveille comes from the French word reveil, which means to wake up. There are different lyrics that are associated with reveille in the United States; the first says:
I can't get 'em up I can't get 'em up, I can't get 'em up this morning; I can't get 'em up, I can't get 'em up, I can't get 'em up at all! The corporal's worse than the privates, The sergeant's worse than the corporals, Lieutenant's worse than the sergeants, And the captain's worst of all!< repeat top six lines >
An alternate rendition to the U.S. tune above:
I can't get 'em up I can't get 'em up I can't get 'em up this morning; I can't get 'em up I can't get 'em up I can't get 'em up at all! And tho' the sun starts peeping, And dawn has started creeping, Those lazy bums keep sleeping, They never hear my call! < repeat top six lines >
But it is probably this version that is most well known, and is appropriate to our text for today:
You've got to get up You've got to get up You've got to get up this morning You've got to get up You've got to get up Get up with the bugler's call The major told the captain The captain told the sergeant The sergeant told the bugler The bugler told them all.
God today calls His children to Wake Up! It is time for us to get up from our spiritual slumber, it is time for you to wake up, shake off the doldrums, and rise and live for Christ!
Paul uses a picture to describe the situation that Christians and the Church finds itself in while living in a sinful world. Think of the last time you found yourself asleep (not during the sermon, try another time). When you were asleep, the world went on about its own business. You were oblivious to what others were doing. Perhaps you were dreaming and all caught up in your dreams. If you were having a nightmare, you were startled from your sleep and found it difficult if not impossible to return to your slumber. But the point of sleep is this: while sleeping you were shut off from the world around you. You had no clue as to what was going one.
Paul uses sleep as a way of describing spiritual inattentiveness. Most certainly we can point to the world today and say that many are spiritually asleep. There are many today who go about their own business without thought or mind of God. They live as if they are oblivious to God and His will. They dream as if they can live without God, and many certainly many try. Their sins are listed by Paul in our text: living in the darkness as their lives are marked by drunkenness, sexual immorality and sensuality, quarreling and jealousy. They exhibit in their lives neither the love of God nor the mind of God.
Yet, as sinful people we too are fallen. Before we can say, thank you Lord that I am not like those people, we have our own sins which bear their weight in our lives. These weigh us down. For we at times live as if God is not really important. There are times in our lives when we care more about what others think than what God thinks. We conform and bend to peer pressure. We are quick to judge, we snap in anger and rage at those whom we love. Rather than to treat and act in love, we love to turn and twist the truth, gossiping that which we know not is true, failing to speak up for the good name of a neighbor, failing to act because of selfishness and thus we will not show mercy and love to someone in need. You see, it is easy to point fingers at others who live without God. The sad fact is that we as God’s people choose to live without God. We live and act as if we are spiritually asleep, as if God does not matter. How many times have you thought: Oh, I don’t have to do this, God will understand. How many times have you cheapened God’s love and forgiveness? How many times have you gone about your business without seeking God’s guidance, direction, or blessings? As a child of God, you have lived your life as if God did not matter, as if His Word was not important, as if there were more important things in your life instead of God. And God’s work and His Kingdom have suffered for it.
This is why Paul tells you and me to wake up! Come to your senses! It is time to awaken from the slumber that we are in and repent! In these days before Christmas, the season of Advent, the Christian Church pauses to reflect upon its sinfulness and repent of its sins, turning to God who is merciful and who will forgive sins. God invites you to come and reason together with Him, for though your sins are like scarlet, they will become white as snow.
How will they become white as snow? Because of the mighty work of God! God the Father in love sent His only Son, Jesus, to keep God’s Law for sinners without a flaw, Jesus lived the perfect life. Then in love Jesus died, paying the price for the forgiveness of all sin. Jesus cried out on the cross: “It is finished!” Nothing more needs be done. All has been accomplished by God on the cross of Christ. In victory Jesus rose from the grave, defeating sin, Satan, and death for all who believe. You have been saved by a free gift of God in Christ, not because of works, but because of Christ. You have confessed this in the Creed, professing that you believe in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. In Baptism you have been clothed with Christ. You ARE FORGIVEN! Now, as a child of God, how then should you live? Like the rest of the world that acts as if God doesn’t exist? As if we are asleep at the switch? Or do we live for God, in thanks to Him for what He has done for us in Christ? You know the answer, we live in thanks to God! Paul, though, gives us another reason as to why we live for God in these dark days, we live for God because the day of our salvation is nearer than when we first believed!
It is a fact that Christ has come, born of a woman, born to redeem sinners. It is also a fact, that we believe what WILL HAPPEN, and we confess this in our Creed, that Christ will come again, as Judge, to judge the living and the dead. Paul exhorts Christians, he exhorts YOU to live for Christ today because that day of Christ’s second coming is closer by the day!
How do you prepare for that His Coming? By putting off the works or darkness. By living your life in continual and constant repentance and faith. We are called by God to examine ourselves in the light of God’s Law each day and repent, turn from sin, confessing it to God who forgives us in Jesus. And then, trusting in Christ for full forgiveness, we live lives on alert. Like a soldier standing guard or a sentinel who stands at the ready, you are called to live your life as a solider for Christ, at the ready for Christ. Being alert in your life for the temptations of Satan, who Scripture says is like a roaring lion seeking ones he can devour. Being alert, you remember what God has done for you in your Baptism, and remembering who you belong to, namely Jesus, you live a life pleasing to God.
How is this done? Let’s look at how some various versions of the Bible translate this passage, to get an idea as to what God is talking about. Make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. Don't plan to have your fleshly desires aroused. Make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. Make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof. Don't make plans to enjoy evil. Make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. Stop giving attention to your sinful nature, to satisfy its desires. Forget about satisfying your bodies with all their cravings. Give no more thought to satisfying the bodily appetites.
It is one thing to say that God has given us our body and therefore we are to satisfy our God given appetites. These are not wrong per se. But what God is warning us against is that we must be on our constant guard not to let these appetites rule us, nor to use them wrongly. When it's a matter of sinful lust we must say NO. In Baptism we have put on the Lord Jesus Christ, which means that you live out your Baptism each day, giving Satan no quarter or place in your life. As a baptized child of God, you don’t leave room for the devil to operate.
Even thought the world in its sinfulness stands condemned by God and under His wrath, you are called to live in the light of God. Paul tells us in verse 13: “Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.” Now the good Lutheran asks, what does this mean? Simply, it means that the believer is faithful to Christ in all things. It means that the child of God will not participate in revelry and drunkenness . Paul here is talking about all night drinking parties and celebrations which cause harm to others. What am I talking about? Think in terms of riots after victorious sporting events, or riots on college campuses during Halloween. Paul goes on to warn against fornication and unrestrained pleasure. The Christian is called to hold marriage as a high and honorable estate between a man and a woman, and to keep the marriage bed undefiled, which prohibits sexual activity which is forbidden by God’s Law. The child of God is to lead a life of restraint. Too many times in the sinful world we see and hear the message, if it feels good do it. That is not becoming of a child of God. The Christian is not to live as a slave to sin, not giving in to any and all desires, of shameless greed and lust. We are not animals, but creatures of God redeemed by Christ! We are called to live as such! to not live as a slave to self indulgence or living a life without any inhibitions. Paul warns us elsewhere in Scripture: “Let anyone who thinks he stands take heed lest he falls!” (1 Corinthians 10:12) Anyone who thinks they could not become the victim of such sins deceives himself.
Rather, we are called to run from sin, to repent and turn from sin, and live in the light of Christ. You are a new creature in Christ. By faith in Christ you have the power and the strength to live godly lives. Baptism is to be your daily dress, so that each day you live as a Baptized child of God! Putting off the works of the flesh, denying the darkness of the world, forgiven by Christ you rise to newness of life, living in the light of Christ’s light and sharing His love and light with a darkened world. You live by faith in the Son of God who now lives in you (Galatians 2:20) Jesus is the vine, you are His branches, grafted into Him so that you will bear fruit for Him (John 15:1-8;) You have been born again in Christ so that the world will know of Jesus in and through you! (John 17:23). Christ has redeemed us so that we may serve Him with fear for the rest of our lives IN HOLINESS AND RIGHTEOUSNES all of the days of our lives until He comes again to take us home to be with Him forever!
In these next few weeks we will be preparing for Christmas. Soon the Christmas trees will be erected and lit. We will, with joy, celebrate the birth of the Savior. But all the while we must not fall asleep. We must not give in to the devil, the world, or our sinful flesh. Saved by the grace of God, forgiven as His children, we are called to stand at the ready to serve our God and others in the name of Jesus. It’s time to wake up, and continually walk in the grace of God, for the day of Christ’s coming is drawing near!
Amen
Romans 13:11-14
11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
In the name of Jesus:
Revielie is the traditional call to wake up for the military. It is usually a bugle call to wake up our armed forces. Reveille comes from the French word reveil, which means to wake up. There are different lyrics that are associated with reveille in the United States; the first says:
I can't get 'em up I can't get 'em up, I can't get 'em up this morning; I can't get 'em up, I can't get 'em up, I can't get 'em up at all! The corporal's worse than the privates, The sergeant's worse than the corporals, Lieutenant's worse than the sergeants, And the captain's worst of all!< repeat top six lines >
An alternate rendition to the U.S. tune above:
I can't get 'em up I can't get 'em up I can't get 'em up this morning; I can't get 'em up I can't get 'em up I can't get 'em up at all! And tho' the sun starts peeping, And dawn has started creeping, Those lazy bums keep sleeping, They never hear my call! < repeat top six lines >
But it is probably this version that is most well known, and is appropriate to our text for today:
You've got to get up You've got to get up You've got to get up this morning You've got to get up You've got to get up Get up with the bugler's call The major told the captain The captain told the sergeant The sergeant told the bugler The bugler told them all.
God today calls His children to Wake Up! It is time for us to get up from our spiritual slumber, it is time for you to wake up, shake off the doldrums, and rise and live for Christ!
Paul uses a picture to describe the situation that Christians and the Church finds itself in while living in a sinful world. Think of the last time you found yourself asleep (not during the sermon, try another time). When you were asleep, the world went on about its own business. You were oblivious to what others were doing. Perhaps you were dreaming and all caught up in your dreams. If you were having a nightmare, you were startled from your sleep and found it difficult if not impossible to return to your slumber. But the point of sleep is this: while sleeping you were shut off from the world around you. You had no clue as to what was going one.
Paul uses sleep as a way of describing spiritual inattentiveness. Most certainly we can point to the world today and say that many are spiritually asleep. There are many today who go about their own business without thought or mind of God. They live as if they are oblivious to God and His will. They dream as if they can live without God, and many certainly many try. Their sins are listed by Paul in our text: living in the darkness as their lives are marked by drunkenness, sexual immorality and sensuality, quarreling and jealousy. They exhibit in their lives neither the love of God nor the mind of God.
Yet, as sinful people we too are fallen. Before we can say, thank you Lord that I am not like those people, we have our own sins which bear their weight in our lives. These weigh us down. For we at times live as if God is not really important. There are times in our lives when we care more about what others think than what God thinks. We conform and bend to peer pressure. We are quick to judge, we snap in anger and rage at those whom we love. Rather than to treat and act in love, we love to turn and twist the truth, gossiping that which we know not is true, failing to speak up for the good name of a neighbor, failing to act because of selfishness and thus we will not show mercy and love to someone in need. You see, it is easy to point fingers at others who live without God. The sad fact is that we as God’s people choose to live without God. We live and act as if we are spiritually asleep, as if God does not matter. How many times have you thought: Oh, I don’t have to do this, God will understand. How many times have you cheapened God’s love and forgiveness? How many times have you gone about your business without seeking God’s guidance, direction, or blessings? As a child of God, you have lived your life as if God did not matter, as if His Word was not important, as if there were more important things in your life instead of God. And God’s work and His Kingdom have suffered for it.
This is why Paul tells you and me to wake up! Come to your senses! It is time to awaken from the slumber that we are in and repent! In these days before Christmas, the season of Advent, the Christian Church pauses to reflect upon its sinfulness and repent of its sins, turning to God who is merciful and who will forgive sins. God invites you to come and reason together with Him, for though your sins are like scarlet, they will become white as snow.
How will they become white as snow? Because of the mighty work of God! God the Father in love sent His only Son, Jesus, to keep God’s Law for sinners without a flaw, Jesus lived the perfect life. Then in love Jesus died, paying the price for the forgiveness of all sin. Jesus cried out on the cross: “It is finished!” Nothing more needs be done. All has been accomplished by God on the cross of Christ. In victory Jesus rose from the grave, defeating sin, Satan, and death for all who believe. You have been saved by a free gift of God in Christ, not because of works, but because of Christ. You have confessed this in the Creed, professing that you believe in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. In Baptism you have been clothed with Christ. You ARE FORGIVEN! Now, as a child of God, how then should you live? Like the rest of the world that acts as if God doesn’t exist? As if we are asleep at the switch? Or do we live for God, in thanks to Him for what He has done for us in Christ? You know the answer, we live in thanks to God! Paul, though, gives us another reason as to why we live for God in these dark days, we live for God because the day of our salvation is nearer than when we first believed!
It is a fact that Christ has come, born of a woman, born to redeem sinners. It is also a fact, that we believe what WILL HAPPEN, and we confess this in our Creed, that Christ will come again, as Judge, to judge the living and the dead. Paul exhorts Christians, he exhorts YOU to live for Christ today because that day of Christ’s second coming is closer by the day!
How do you prepare for that His Coming? By putting off the works or darkness. By living your life in continual and constant repentance and faith. We are called by God to examine ourselves in the light of God’s Law each day and repent, turn from sin, confessing it to God who forgives us in Jesus. And then, trusting in Christ for full forgiveness, we live lives on alert. Like a soldier standing guard or a sentinel who stands at the ready, you are called to live your life as a solider for Christ, at the ready for Christ. Being alert in your life for the temptations of Satan, who Scripture says is like a roaring lion seeking ones he can devour. Being alert, you remember what God has done for you in your Baptism, and remembering who you belong to, namely Jesus, you live a life pleasing to God.
How is this done? Let’s look at how some various versions of the Bible translate this passage, to get an idea as to what God is talking about. Make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. Don't plan to have your fleshly desires aroused. Make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. Make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof. Don't make plans to enjoy evil. Make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. Stop giving attention to your sinful nature, to satisfy its desires. Forget about satisfying your bodies with all their cravings. Give no more thought to satisfying the bodily appetites.
It is one thing to say that God has given us our body and therefore we are to satisfy our God given appetites. These are not wrong per se. But what God is warning us against is that we must be on our constant guard not to let these appetites rule us, nor to use them wrongly. When it's a matter of sinful lust we must say NO. In Baptism we have put on the Lord Jesus Christ, which means that you live out your Baptism each day, giving Satan no quarter or place in your life. As a baptized child of God, you don’t leave room for the devil to operate.
Even thought the world in its sinfulness stands condemned by God and under His wrath, you are called to live in the light of God. Paul tells us in verse 13: “Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.” Now the good Lutheran asks, what does this mean? Simply, it means that the believer is faithful to Christ in all things. It means that the child of God will not participate in revelry and drunkenness . Paul here is talking about all night drinking parties and celebrations which cause harm to others. What am I talking about? Think in terms of riots after victorious sporting events, or riots on college campuses during Halloween. Paul goes on to warn against fornication and unrestrained pleasure. The Christian is called to hold marriage as a high and honorable estate between a man and a woman, and to keep the marriage bed undefiled, which prohibits sexual activity which is forbidden by God’s Law. The child of God is to lead a life of restraint. Too many times in the sinful world we see and hear the message, if it feels good do it. That is not becoming of a child of God. The Christian is not to live as a slave to sin, not giving in to any and all desires, of shameless greed and lust. We are not animals, but creatures of God redeemed by Christ! We are called to live as such! to not live as a slave to self indulgence or living a life without any inhibitions. Paul warns us elsewhere in Scripture: “Let anyone who thinks he stands take heed lest he falls!” (1 Corinthians 10:12) Anyone who thinks they could not become the victim of such sins deceives himself.
Rather, we are called to run from sin, to repent and turn from sin, and live in the light of Christ. You are a new creature in Christ. By faith in Christ you have the power and the strength to live godly lives. Baptism is to be your daily dress, so that each day you live as a Baptized child of God! Putting off the works of the flesh, denying the darkness of the world, forgiven by Christ you rise to newness of life, living in the light of Christ’s light and sharing His love and light with a darkened world. You live by faith in the Son of God who now lives in you (Galatians 2:20) Jesus is the vine, you are His branches, grafted into Him so that you will bear fruit for Him (John 15:1-8;) You have been born again in Christ so that the world will know of Jesus in and through you! (John 17:23). Christ has redeemed us so that we may serve Him with fear for the rest of our lives IN HOLINESS AND RIGHTEOUSNES all of the days of our lives until He comes again to take us home to be with Him forever!
In these next few weeks we will be preparing for Christmas. Soon the Christmas trees will be erected and lit. We will, with joy, celebrate the birth of the Savior. But all the while we must not fall asleep. We must not give in to the devil, the world, or our sinful flesh. Saved by the grace of God, forgiven as His children, we are called to stand at the ready to serve our God and others in the name of Jesus. It’s time to wake up, and continually walk in the grace of God, for the day of Christ’s coming is drawing near!
Amen
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