He grabs the present. Fingers rip off the bow, pry away the ribbons, shred the wrapping paper— revealing a brand new Samsung 75" Class 4K Smart QLED TV. Yes, that’s a 75-inch screen size— six feet, three inches (and longer than I am tall)! The Quantum Dot Light Emitting Diode (QLED for short) generates over a billion shades of color. 4K technology delivers magnificent contrasts, allowing light and dark scenes to appear with crystal clear quality! Its 240-hertz refresh rate brings NASCAR, baseball, football— any fast moving action— to life all without a blur. This is 75-glorious-inches of sheer bliss.
You watch as he sits there in a pile of wrappings, ribbons, and bows, gazing at this enormous box. Almost instantly he pushes it away, reaches down, grabs the shiny green paper, cocks his head, mystified: “Where did you get this amazing paper?” He grabs the red ribbon: “How beautiful!” He lifts the poufy red bow: “This is best gift anyone can give!” Expect that?... Probably not. After all, what is the real gift given? The television, right? This man pushes the real gift away and instead fixate on the objects that are not presents. Yet, that happens. Christmastime for many reaches its high point in cookies and candies, trees and lights, carols and programs, presents and family. Many overlook the real joy unwrapped in the Christmas-day manger— without a second thought— and instead fixate on gifts that provide only short-lived joy. God does not want you getting lost in the Christmas chaos and losing focus on what joy Christmas really brings. So, he sends John to Testify about the Light! For you to Hear it and for you to Share it. That is the purpose of John the Baptist’s ministry. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light. That “Light” is a person. That person reveals something important; he reveals the only way you can stand acceptable before God. That person, that “Light,” is the Christ. So, John stands in the desert, in a region just north of the Dead Sea, announcing: “The Christ is here!” “Christ” is a special name. In the New Testament, you hear [the name]: “Jesus Christ;” in the Old Testament, you hear [the name]: “Messiah.” [The name] “Messiah” is the Old Testament way of saying “Christ.” (“Messiah” is a Hebrew word, and when you bring it into the Greek language, you get “Christ.” Now, remember, names have meanings. For example, my name, “Andrew,” comes from a Greek word meaning: “strong, manly;” my name describes manliness. Maybe you know the meaning of your name (or at least have visited one of those novelty shops which sell cards with your name printed on top and its meaning underneath). The name “Christ” (and “Messiah”) means “Anointed One.” To “be anointed” means to “be set apart for a specific mission.” Our Old Testament reading (this morning) tells you what Christ is set apart to do: He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from [spiritual] darkness for the prisoners … to comfort all who mourn… to bestow on them a crown of beauty… They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord (Isaiah 61:1-3). So, when John cries out: “The Christ is here!” it is a message meant to grab people’s attention. God has kept his promise; he sent a Savior. Jesus clears away uncertainty as to how you stand before God; he lights up the fact that he alone lifts off your burden of sin. John Testifies about the Light for all people to hear. Many hear it— at least, the message enters their ears. Priests and Levites rush out to John not so interested in what Christ brings. Rather, they search for someone they want. “Are you Elijah?” they ask. Many of the Jews created a belief that Elijah would return heaven and free them from their Roman oppressors. “Are you the Prophet?” they wonder. After all, Moses promised a great prophet was coming (Deuteronomy 18:15). The [capital-P]rophet would be God’s Son, but the Jews just wanted another great teacher. John repeatedly points at Jesus and says: “Ask about him!” And yet, so many are fixated on the shiny green wrapping paper, the red ribbons, the poufy bows of John, instead of worshipping the Christ. Has anything changed? Many still push aside the need for a Savior and embrace pleasures and treasures of this world. Department stores T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, and Homegoods is currently airing a commercial with families and friends gathered around Christmas presents and feasts. It is heart-warming to watch loved ones come together to celebrate Christmas. Except, it’s not Christmas they are celebrating. The commercial ends with the tagline: Family is the greatest gift (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vXVbwfJlpA&index=1&list=PLtyMkMtSY__Ht5ielBr7DeKPXwXFaE6aQ). Is that really the greatest gift you have ever received? Family? …They never disappoint you? …Never frustrate you? …Never let you down or irritate you? …Fill you absolutely complete and lasting joy? This is just one example of how the heart searches for something of lasting value. The heart craves happiness. It seeks security. It wants certainty in an uncertain world. Yet, by ignoring John’s message about the Christ, that heart will only remain in spiritual darkness. During Christmastime, it is easy to shove aside the good news of a Savior born for you. You may grab the wrapping paper of presents, considering your stuff to be more important than worshipping the newborn King on Christmas Day. You may tug and hug the red ribbons of family, making time for them, but no time to sigh a prayer of thanks that God has kept an ancient promise. You may hold up that red poufy bow of self-worship, claiming that you only need Jesus when life gets tough. Pushing aside John’s message of “Christ is here!” pushes aside the Savior God gives you! And so, God sends John to Testify about the Light for you to hear it. Hear again the life-changing news of a Savior born for you! Yes, even if you have the Christmas account memorized, appreciate just how majestic your Jesus is. Even if you were a slave kneeling in the dust, removing Jesus’ grimy shoes, that would be far too high of a position! He does not come to enslave you, but to lift you up from servant-hood and to make you a citizen of his kingdom! Remember, that is what “Christ” comes to do. And this is what “Christ” has done. He binds up your guilt-broken heart with his healing words: “Forgiven. Removed. Done.” He proclaims freedom from sin and death by rising from the dead and saying: Because I live, you also will live (John 14:19). He comforts all those mourning by saying: Those who believe in me will never die, but live forever in heaven (Revelation 7:13-17). Christ has accomplished what he has been set aside to do. He has set you free from sin forever—and plainly tells you this. Hear John to Testify about the Light. This is the purpose of his ministry. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. This good news that Jesus has rescued you (and me) from our self-centered choices is the only message that will bring life. Since you hear it, it means you are equipped to share it. Yes, you. God equips you to share the good news of Jesus with others. I would imagine that you are quite aware that many still need to hear about the Savior. After all, every Christmas you hear the slogans: “Keep Christ in Christmas” and “Jesus is the reason for the season.” That is true, Christmas is about Jesus. Yet, I also wonder how often those slogans are lobbed out to shame people for not worshipping Christ, instead of being slogans meant to invite people to worship Christ. Or, many Christians watch the national news and mourn the decline of respect and the increase of materialism. Those issues are disheartening— but do remember, you do not currently live in New York City or Seattle or Houston or St. Louis; you live in central Michigan. My point is this: You can mourn that many are losing focus on Christ, but by worrying about events in a place thousands of miles away, you may overlook what is happening in your community, your neighborhood, or among your friends and family. If it is really an issue that so many lose sight on the real joy found in Christmas, then identify ways to correct that misguided focus. So, instead of shaking your head at a Marshall’s commercial which claims “Family is the best gift,” reflect on your own heart, and see what it considers to be the best gift. Is your heart misguided? Do the hearts of your children lose sight on Jesus? If so, correct it by pointing at Jesus! If you mourn that the world loves stuff, ask yourself: “Am I materialistic?” “Does my neighbor love stuff more than God?” And if you see yourself, your family, your friends, your neighborhood lose sight on the gift of Savior, then like John the Baptist, point to Jesus! Share God’s gift of a Son. Are you a parent?... grandparent? If so, God has handed you the special privilege of teaching a child. You are the one who will teach your child how to eat and get dressed. You will help them with homework, buying a car, and setting up savings for the future. Even as they become adults, they still call you “mom” or “dad.” God has seen fit to make you their caretaker. Remember the most important thing you will ever teach: the Savior. God uses your parent-child relationship for you may share Jesus. Regardless if your child is age 4 or 40, you can still bring up the fact that only Jesus comforts a heart burdened with sin. Only Jesus gives the crown of eternal life. Are you a friend or neighbor? You build special relationships with people. That relationship is a bridge (if you will) to carry the love of Jesus into someone else’s life. If you know of someone who will spend this Christmas wrapped up in their house and unsure of a Savior, then invite them to join you in Christmas Eve & Day worship. And if you’re thinking to yourself: “Boy, this all sounds so scary. I can’t possibly just talk about Jesus to random people,” then remember, God does not tell you to knock on the doors of strangers and suddenly blurt out what you believe. Simply reflect on the relationships you hold, the opportunities you get to speak, and the message you get to share with the world. God uses you to Testify about Jesus, the Light. And yes, you do not currently live in New York City or Seattle or Houston or St. Louis; you live in central Michigan. Yet, you can still share Jesus around the world. How? Through your offerings. Recognize that God uses your offerings here—to staff a pastor, to provide Christ-centered resources, to maintain a house of worship. Your ministry is to bring Jesus to others! Some of your offerings goes towards staffing Pastors at churches (just starting out). Your Wisconsin Synod has churches in all 50 states and all over the world. Through your prayers and support, those congregations carry the bright light of Jesus to many lost in spiritual darkness. You may not see the results of your offering this side of eternity, but one day you will. Recognize how God has blessed you and recognize the opportunity you have to Testify about Jesus, the Light. Because many are getting ready for Christmas. For many Christmastime reaches its high point in cookies and candies, trees and lights, carols and programs, presents and family. Many overlook the real joy unwrapped in the Christmas-day manger—without a second thought— and instead fixate on gifts that provide only short-lived joy. So, God sends out John with wonderful news: The Christ has come! This Christ binds up your sin-broken heart. He comforts you with his promises. He releases you from hell. He is a gift that will never grow old or outdated. He is the Gift who will last forever. Hear this message. Remain focused on the real joy Christmas brings. With that joy burning in your heart, share this tremendous message. John Testifies about the Light for you to Hear it and for you to Share it.
responsible for the safety and security of the members of congress, any visiting dignitaries, and tourists. He’s in charge of ceremonial duties involving funeral processions and presidential inaugurations. He restores order if a congressmen gets disruptive. Perhaps he is best known for announcing the arrival of the President to give his State of the Union speech.
If you have ever watched a State of the Union speech, you understand how important of a job he has. All the members of congress and senators stand in their little cliques scattered around the chamber, chattering and laughing, (head-)nodding and waving. No one pays attention to the time on the clock or who is entering or who is leaving the chamber. Everyone is focused on their conversation. Then, suddenly, Paul D. Irving enters the chamber and shouts: “Mister Speaker, the President of the United States!” and everyone snaps to attention. That’s a pretty important job, isn’t it? Mr. Irving prepares people for this great speaker. He announces who is coming so that people are prepared to listen and take the President’s words to heart. During this Advent season, God prepares you to meet Jesus, your Savior. He wants you ready to listen and take Jesus’ words to heart. And so, God sends out messengers with his simple message: The Savior is Coming! Prepare your heart and Prepare to meet him. That is an important message— and a message meant for everyone’s attention. So, God promises: I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way… The “you” (in this prophecy) refers to Jesus; people will benefit from someone announcing his coming. Why? Well, remember, Jesus does not start his ministry immediately. He is born Christmas Day. Angels announce his birth. Shepherds rush to worship him. Wise men come a few months later with their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Elderly-believer Simeon praises God for allowing him to meet Jesus. A prophetess named Anna thanks God for the gift of a Savior from sin— but that’s it. For 29 years Jesus remains in his hometown of Nazareth, being a respectful son and working as a carpenter. Twenty-nine long years pass between Christmas Day and the time Jesus starts preaching and teaching. So, can you imagine the reaction if Jesus suddenly appeared in the in the synagogue one day, stood up, and started preaching? People there would ask: “Who is this man?” “What gives this man the right to preach?” “Which priest gave him authority to teach?” Most of all, “Should I listen to him?” No one knows if this man Jesus is God’s long-promised Son. And if no one knows Jesus is God’s Son, then they have no pressing reason to listen and take his words to heart. So, God sends a messenger to prepare hearts for Jesus. He sends John the Baptist, the voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ In ancient times, before a king traveled down a desert road and into a new region, he would send servants ahead to fix the road. Those servants would fill in potholes and places where the road washed out. They would remove boulders and level cliffs and steep hills. They made the road straight so that the king could arrive. Yet, John the Baptist is not sent to fix roads; God sends him to prepare hearts because the Savior is Coming. Have you ever received a gift for which you saw no need? (For example), when I was a kid, someone always gave me a keychain as a gift— which a kind thought, but I had no use for a keychain. Unless you have a house key or car key, it’s a pretty useless gift. If you consider a gift useless, eventually you toss it away and forget about it. If a heart sees no reason for a Savior, then the heart will have no reason to listen to the Savior. And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. That’s the message for all people of all time— you and me included— “Repent!” “Repent” means to turn around or change. It has this picture of making a U-Turn (a 180-degree change of direction). If you are heading north on US-127 and make a U-Turn, then you have completely changed direction; you are now heading south. If you behave one way in life and “repent,” you are behaving in an entirely different way. Repenting, that is, living a life shaped by God’s Word prepares hearts for the Coming Savior. Yet, how often our hearts fall into thinking that repentance is not necessary. Instead of comparing your heart to God’s Word, it feels so much easier to justify and defend the way you (and I) behave. God makes it clear: Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and soul (Matthew 22:37), but greed feels good. So, make excuses as to why you cannot give an honest offering to God. Defend and justify your expenses so that you can cover up your love for the things money can buy. Trust yourself when you are scared, worried, or anxious. Believe the reasons that you cannot pray to God: “I just don’t have time.” “I’ll try to fix it one last time, then I’ll pray.” Make excuses as to why you cannot trust God to keep his promises: “I’ve been waiting a while and haven’t seen my health change.” “I don’t think God is overly concerned about my feelings of depression.” How the heart defends and justifies its actions! Justify the reasons as to why your relationships do not need to match up to God’s directions for relationships. “I know God wants sex in marriage, but that just doesn’t work in this world anymore.” I know God wants me to forgive and let go of grudges, but that other person would just walk around all smug if I forgive him.” “My friends do not deserve my kindness; they hurt me too much.” God gives clear commands as to how you (and I) are to live. When we fail to measure up, it’s called “sin” or “transgression.” You (and I) have not done what God demands. The trouble is, so often our hearts want to make sin “small,” meaning, thinking our transgressions are no big deal, thinking our failure to be perfect holds no eternal consequence. Yet, if you make sin “small,” then you make Jesus “small.” If you (and I) think sin is not serious, then you have just said, “Jesus’ death on the cross was unnecessary. He did not need to suffer and die for you because you did nothing wrong. If you consider a gift useless, eventually you toss it away and forget about it. If a heart sees no reason for a Savior, then the heart will have no reason to listen to the Savior. And that heart will be completely unprepared to meet the Savior when he comes. That is why God sends out messengers with his message: to prepare hearts to (1) listen to Jesus’ teachings and (2) take them to heart. And so John comes—not with words that he thinks you need to hear, not with a message he wrote down, but with a message God himself put into John’s mouth: “The Savior is Coming!” John points you to the Savior who has come once already for your benefit! Jesus lives prepared to stand before his God and Father. His life always matches what God expects. So, he loves his God with all heart, mind, and soul. Never once does he try to hold a grudge. Never once does he try to excuse himself out of worship. Never does his heart need to repent and change its behavior. Instead, his heart is perfect! Jesus marches on ahead of you—to prepare you to stand before his God and Father. His innocent blood fills in our spiritual potholes. His perfect life levels our self-trust and arrogance. His perfect heart makes our hearts perfect. Jesus prepares your heart for his second coming. Yes, the Savior is Coming again. This time not as a little baby born on Christmas Day, but rather to come and bring every believer home to heaven. The Savior is Coming! and your heart is prepared for that great day! Live now prepared to meet him! Prepare to meet your Savior by taking the words of God’s messengers to heart. Yes, those Pastors God has given you. These messengers do not create message of their own. Rather, they bring the life-saving Word to you. Listen to the Word of God read Sunday mornings. Listen to the Word of God applied to your life. Take those Words to heart, letting it expose error and redirecting you on a God-pleasing path. As you make it your habit to connect yourself to God’s Word in worship and personal reading, you increase your knowledge of what God calls “right” and “wrong.” When you recognize when you have done wrong, like those of years past, confess your sins. Recognize the loveless words, the careless actions, the self-centered thoughts. Do not defend them. Rather, acknowledge them as the wrong they truly are. Hear God’s gracious forgiveness—that he does not rush against you in anger. Rather, he declares you “Forgiven” because Jesus has lifted off those wrongs. Now forgiven, live a life which continually turns from evil and delights in God’s commands. You can— and you already do that— because God has filled you with the Holy Spirit. At your baptism, plain water ran down your head. Yet, God attached a promise with that water-- You are baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. That “in” means God has put his name on you. And if God has put his name on you, then it means your identity is: “Child of God.” And if you are a child of God, then it means you are different from a “child of the world.” You will stand out in this world. How can you not? Your heart delights in living in a way pleasing to God! So, you set aside an honest offering for your God—not because you must, but because God set aside the life of Jesus for you. You seek to forgive others—not because you fear being punished, but because God, in Christ, forgives you! Your friends, neighbors, and family may think marriage is not necessary or feel it is acceptable to abuse their bodies. Yet, you shape your relationships around the Word— because God has made your body his temple. You live a life of repentance— that is, acknowledging the wrong and delighting in God’s good. Through God’s Word and God’s sacraments, the way into your heart has been prepared. The King of the universe sits in your heart reigning and ruling. You are prepared to meet the Savior. What an important message that is! During this Advent season, God prepares you to meet Jesus, your Savior. He wants you ready to listen and take Jesus’ words to heart. And so, God sends out messengers with his simple message: The Savior is Coming! Prepare your heart and Prepare to meet him.
according to those percentages, it would mean three out of every four you feel Jesus is not returning anytime soon, which sounds odd as you listen our reading from Mark 13:32-37:
[Jesus says:] “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. "Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’” No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, and yet, seventy-three percent of Christians apparently have pinpointed when Jesus will return. They have done what Jesus says no one can do. I know, that 73% of Christians did not determine the precise day and hour of his arrival. Yet, by feeling Jesus will not return until after [the year] 2050, three out of every four Christians have just claimed: “Jesus is not coming soon. There is still time.” Feeling there is still time between your life “now” and Jesus’ return may sound like you still have an opportunity to deal with spiritual matters at a more convenient time. Yet, feeling there still time between your life “now” and Jesus’ return can actually leave you unprepared to meet him. That’s why Jesus sounds the warning: Keep Watch for the Savior’s Coming! Remain alert and Remain active. You have every reason to remain alert. Before Jesus enters heaven, he tells you what to expect before he returns to earth. He gives signs that point to the end of this world (Matthew 24:3). “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars… Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places… [Y]ou will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold…” (24:6-12). You see those signs happening, don’t you? The media reports wars erupting in the Middle East. Civil wars break out in Libya, Syria, and Zimbabwe. You constantly hear rumors of war with North Korea. Famines rip through Africa. Earthquakes level cities in Mexico, Haiti, Indonesia, India— all over the world. Cold-hearted murderers show no love for life; they barge into churches, gun down concert-goers, and transform schools from a place of safety to a place of concern. False prophets still exist; pastors (that is, people who look and appear honest) stand up in church buildings (places that look like your church— with Bibles and songs and seats) and [they] openly announce that the Bible is full of errors. They share teachings on forgiveness, sexuality, or money that openly contradict what God so clearly says. Wickedness is increasing. What was once considered “wrong” is now praised as “right,” and what was once considered “right” is now condemned as “wrong.” Children disrespect parents, teachers, and authority-figures. Parents neglect children, argue with police officers and teachers, and refuse to care for those in need. Masses are not just leaving worship, but are leaving their faith in Jesus as Savior behind. Are you paying attention to these signs? These “signs of the end” are not just entertaining fun-facts meant to settle your curiosity; each individual sign powerfully preaches: Jesus is coming soon! (Luke 21:28) These signs are the reason why you Keep Watch for Your Savior’s Coming. You have the ability to remain alert because as you watch the signs unfold, you know Jesus will follow them! Or, does this all sound like something you have heard before? After all, these signs are nothing new, right? Wars and earthquakes and famines and persecution and hate and violence and unbelief have been going on ever since Jesus walked on the earth. (Maybe you can remember connecting these signs with other wars and rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes, acts of lovelessness, and people staying away from worship.) When you hear the same warning repeated so often, you begin doubting the seriousness of the warning. At first, you expect something significant to happen soon, but if nothing happens, then you start believing that the warning is not really all that serious. That’s why 73% of Christians do not feel Jesus will return anytime soon. Many watch these signs of the end, but do not see Jesus coming down from heaven. And if Jesus is not coming down from heaven, then his arrival must not be too serious. And if he is all too serious about returning, then you do not need to seriously consider how you stand before God. “There’s still time,” is the thought. And if there is still time between your life “now” and Jesus’ arrival, then it feels that you still have an opportunity to deal with spiritual matters at a more convenient time. The Master leaves and stays away for a while; the servants realize he’s not returning soon and so they ignore the command to work. (1) You feel there will always be a later time to turn from sin and so (2) the sins God hates no longer bother you. You fall into spiritual slumber. You start drifting from what you were taught: you cannot remember the Bible stories of creation, the Flood, or Jesus’ Passion; you have forgotten those accounts and are content to have a gap in knowledge. Yet, that gap does not stop there. Soon, you stop listening to the other parts of Scripture. You disrespect your God-appointed authorities; you argue with your parents (because you don’t get your way). You challenge your God-given Pastor/Shepherd because you do not want to hear God’s instructions expose your wrong behavior. The more you stay out of the Word, the more you focus on yourself; you live in ways that serve you, that make you feel happy, that will benefit you most. And so, your love grows cold. You gossip and cut down. You no longer offer to help others; instead you make excuses as to how other are taking advantage of you. You accuse and criticize. No longer do you check what your heart believes. Rather, you grow content behaving in whatever way makes you feel happy at the moment. You become perfectly content to let your heart fall into a deep spiritual sleep. My friends, If [Jesus] comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping-- because when Jesus arrives, it will be too late to wake up. That’s why Jesus sounds the warning. He wants you to prepare for his coming. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. Who does not know when that time will come? You. You do not have the privilege to put off spiritual matters for another day because you do not know if you will have another day to deal with them. So, Keep Watching for the Savior’s Coming! Remain alert because Jesus has given you the ability to remain alert. When the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, born for you (Galatians 4:4-5). For you— that is, Jesus lives constantly aware and alert that earth is not your forever-home. He lives constantly aware and alert of making heaven your eternal home. His alertness means that he keeps God’s Word central in his life. He worships. His words and actions fall in line with what God calls “right.” When the time had come, he allows himself to be betrayed, arrested, sentenced, and crucified. And on the cross, he makes heaven a reality. His life is used to open heaven. He leaves the tomb to show you that there is life after death. He enters heaven to prepare a place for you. Then he makes a final promise: I will come back for you (John 14:3). Keep Watch for Your Coming Savior! Remain alert because Jesus has done everything necessary to set up eternal life for you. Through his Word, he focuses your heart to see him reign as your forgiving King. Since you know what is coming, you can Remain active. If you live in Florida and hear reports of a hurricane barreling towards your house within the next three days, what would you do? Sleep?... Sit around?... Wait until day three to finally prepare your house for the hurricane? No! You breathe a sigh of relief that you still have three days to get everything done that you needs to get done. In the same way, God tells you want is coming so that you may remain active now and prepare for his arrival now! In verse 35 Jesus says: Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. You do not know when Jesus will return, but there is something you do know: Jesus will come back. Instead of using that knowledge as an excuse to grow spiritually lazy, use that knowledge to remain active. Put another way, instead of saying: “Great! Another day to not care about how I live my life!” Let your thinking be: “Great! Another day for me to let the love of God dwell in me and through me!” Remain active in your watching by making God’s Word a priority in your life. It will always feel like you do not have enough time to worship Sunday mornings or read your devotions at home or even pray. During the Christmas season, there’s parties, activities, friends, family, Christmas lights and presents—all good things that you get to enjoy during the season. Yet, remember that on Christmas Day, you get to say “Thank you” to God for giving the gift of eternal life through Jesus. What a reason to make God a priority during a busy season. When you set aside time and make sure nothing steals that time away, you will find that you do have opportunities to worship, have devotions, and pray. When you set aside ten minutes in the morning or before bed, you will discover that you suddenly have time to read a chapter of the Bible or a devotion from the Meditations booklet. When you keep Sunday worship times open in your schedule, you will discover that you have time to worship (and still have time for other family activities). Remain active in Watching for Your Coming Savior! Do not merely make hearing the Word a priority, but keep its teachings a priority in your life. As you hear the Word, consider what areas of your life to which it applies. Let the Word set your heart at rest as you trust God. Let the Word shape the words that come out of your mouth. Let the selfless love of Jesus transform your thoughts into selfless giving. Remain active in Watching for Your Coming Savior as you let the Word sink into your head and heart Because No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son. Since you do not know when Jesus will return, it means that today is the day to get your heart ready to meet him. Today is the day to remain spiritually alert and active! Today is the day to Keep Watch for the Savior’s Coming! Remain alert and Remain active.
liftetime. So, you can live however you want and prepare for eternity later. You could fight with your kids and complain about your grandkids. You could stop helping others and blow your money on the lavish gifts you always wanted. You could live so self-centered because Jesus will not surprise you with a sudden return. Since you know the exact date, you could make things right with God on your deathbed. Or, if you determine that you do have enough years to reach 2042, then you can live any way you want now: stay out of worship, stop reading the Bible, do not help others out of love, stop being polite and kind, stop lending a hand to your parents or the elderly. Live in whatever way makes you feel good. Then, when [the year] 2041 comes around, well, then return to God. Say you’re sorry for your arrogance; worship, read your Bible, be kind and loving; straighten things out with God right before the end. Wouldn’t it just be great if Jesus told you when this world would end? You wouldn’t have to guess anymore; you may better prepared for Jesus’ arrival.
For reasons known only to God and for the reason to continue working all things for your eternal good, God the Father does not reveal the final date of this world’s existence. Even if you knew the exact day and precise hour of Jesus’ return, you are still not guaranteed to reach it. Old and young alike get sick and die. Old and young perish in accidents. Old and young both fall asleep in death. Knowing when this world will end does not prepare you to meet your God. And believing that your life will continue in the same way as it always has can leave you foolishly unprepared to for that Last Day. Gain real wisdom for your life by taking Jesus’ warning to heart. Be Ready with a Heart Full of Faith to meet the Bridegroom and to enter the wedding feast. Jesus makes the future abundantly clear: the Son of Man will come on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory (Matthew 24:30). All the nations will be gathered before him. He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. (25:32). I’m not sure how much clearer Jesus needs to make it: He will return and bring this earthly life to an end. He provides crucial information so that you may know what to expect. He says in our parable: At that time… that is, on the final day of this world’s existence. If you want to know what will happen, then continue listening. The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. The Jewish wedding tradition was for the groom to run off to his in-law’s house and get his bride. Then he would lead his wife back to their new house, and the feast would begin. These virgins? Well, their responsibility is to wait outside the groom’s house, with lamps burning bright, so that when the new couple arrives, they could light the way into the house. So, they wait, and they wait, and they wait. Hours tick by. Light becomes dark. Eyelids get heavy; they fall asleep. Suddenly, right at midnight, someone shouts: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ [A]ll the virgins woke up, grabbed their lamps, and hopped to their feet. After hours of waiting, those lamps are now running on empty. The bright flames had licked up much of the oil. They’re now nothing but faint little flickers of light. This is it! The groom is arriving! The feast is about to begin! And five of those young ladies whisk out extra oil and strengthen the flame. Yet, the other five had no choice but to race out to the markets, hoping to buy more oil. [W]hile they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they pleaded, ‘Open the door for us!’ “But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’ Jesus makes a pretty clear point: Keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. The kingdom of heaven… that is, the day when you find yourself standing before God Almighty, the events of that majestic day will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five are prepared for that feast because they have the one thing necessary: the oil. Five are forever locked outside. What makes five virgins foolish is their actions. They had information that the groom was coming, but they chose not to react to it. They chose to disregard its significance. And it was not until the door was shut that they realized time had run out. It’s a very stern warning—that this kind of foolishness still exists in this world today. It happens when you think Jesus cannot possibly show up in your life. When you think there’s still more time to straighten yourself out with God later. That you have time to skip worship. That you can stop reading and better knowing your Bible. That you can embrace the God-less desires and pleasures of this life and give it all up when you’re old and near death. It’s foolish to think that you can run off to buy more oil later, that there will always be more time to prepare for eternity later. It’s foolish to point at some human achievement and to rely that for entering the feast. To point at your church membership and say, “Well, my name’s in the book. That’s good enough, right?” It’s foolish to point out at your baptism, marriage, and [intentions to] burial— and consider them as some sort of trophy of what you have done for God. It’s foolish to think that the “oil” God is looking for is not faith in him, but rather believing all God wants you to do is fulfill some sort of “religious-action-checklist.” It’s foolish to change Jesus’ warning into something less than a warning (as though Jesus is not really serious about locking the five virgins out of the feast). It’s foolish to say: “I already believe in God. I don’t need to be in church.” It’s foolish to be a Christian who declares an undying love for Jesus, but does not feel a compulsion to pour out that love in word and song. Jesus makes it so clear: he will return. If you feel there is more time to change your heart, to worship more frequently, to start reading devotions later, to chase out all selfish love, then be ready to hear the most awful sentence ever spoken: I do not know you. My friends, Jesus gives this warning, not to scare you, not to leave you terrified about standing before him; he gives this warning so that you may Be Ready with Hearts Full of Faith to meet the Bridegroom. Your Jesus, your Bridegroom, has already prepared this wedding feast. He has already marched off to the cross because he knows this world has an end. In fact, for that reason he marches to the cross for you. His heart remains perfectly wise each day for your Last Day. Never once does Jesus shrug off the command to worship God. Never does Jesus rest on his knowledge, claiming he knows the Bible “good enough.” Never once does he take his eyes off of his heavenly home. Instead, each step taken is another step taken to make you his bride. By his death on the cross he opens heaven’s doors. He leaves the grave and into heaven in order to prepare heaven’s great feast. I’m not sure how much clearer Jesus needs to make it: He will come again. He makes this abundantly clears so that you may Be Ready with a Heart Full of Faith to meet the Bridegroom. Be Ready with a Heart Full of Faith you will enter the wedding feast. With a heart trusting in the saving work of Jesus, this is what you get to live for: you get to live expecting to enter that heavenly feast. Through baptism he wrote your name on the party-list. Every single time you sin, he points you back to your baptism: “Remember how I washed away your sins? It means you’re forgiven.” In Holy Communion, Jesus lays a hand on your shoulder, saying: “My body and blood was shed for your eternal benefit. I have removed and lifted off what you have done. Do not worry that you will be locked out. You will enter through heaven’s door.” Remember God’s forgiveness attached to your baptism. Remember Jesus’ assurance of forgiveness in the Lord’s Supper. He sets your sights on entering the feast. Continue growing in the Word of God. Those wise virgins were not content to have enough oil; they brought more than enough so that no shortage would rip away their faith. Never be content to know “just enough” of the Bible; strengthen your understanding of the Bible’s teachings so that doubts, worries, fears, and unanswered questions do not rip away your faith. Learn God’s answers to challenges, to sickness, to modern-day lifestyles, to marriage. Make worship a priority and share what you hear in this place among your family and friends throughout the week. Be Ready with a Heart Full of Faith to enter the wedding feast. Be Ready with a Heart Full of Faith to enter the wedding feast as believers who lived before you have done. Your spouse. Your child. Your dear friend. Your parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles— those who believed that Jesus came for them—are gathered in that wedding feast. Their faith continued burning bright as they heard again and again: Jesus removes guilt and has removed it all! They nestled in the arms of God, who through baptismal waters said, “I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine” (Isaiah 43:1). Their faith continued burning bright as they looked forward to entering that great wedding feast. Finally, when their life drew to a close, they saw the door opened and followed their Bridegroom in. Be Ready with a Heart Full of Faith to meet the Bridegroom. For reasons known only to God and for reasons to continue working all things for your eternal good, God the Father does not reveal the final date of this world’s existence. Even if you knew the exact day and precise hour of Jesus’ return, you are still not guaranteed to reach it. You do not know how many years are given to you. You do not know how many more days this world has. What you do know is: (1) Jesus will come again. (2) All people will stand before him. (3) He will judge the living and the dead. Clinging to the saving work of Jesus makes you ready to enter the wedding feast. Gain real wisdom for your life by taking Jesus’ warning to heart. Be Ready with a Heart Full of Faith to meet the Bridegroom and to enter the wedding feast.
bulletin and hymnal in lap, and not just mulling around with smartphone in hand? Why? Because you trust the promises made. A majority agreed to worship on Sunday mornings at 9:00am [at Harrison; 11:00am, Clare]. You asked your Pastor to prepare a Bible-based message and lead worship. So, you arrived at the right time at the right place for the purpose of praising God.
That takes faith, does it not? You trust that these events are going to happen. You expect to arrive on site and find a church building at this address. You expect to walk up to the front door, reach out, tug the handle, and the door will open (and not remain locked). You expect to sit down— not in an empty building, but gathered with your fellow Christians. You trust Pastor will be here to lead worship and share a carefully prepared (and thoughtful) message. You trust the promise made. That takes faith. But… you could doubt those promises. Then what would happen? What if you did not believe we worship on Sunday mornings? What if you doubted that we gather at 9:00am [or 11:00am]? What if you did not think your Pastor would lead worship? What would happen? You would rely only on your thoughts and feelings! You could only find assurance in you— and what you felt would happen! Faith trusts promises. Faith even trusts the promises of God— trusting that he will accomplish what he says he will do. Placing your faith on anything other than the Word of God will leave you floundering in the heaving waves of emotional despair. Faith Anchors You to the completed work of Jesus and to the certain promises of God. Because that’s what anchors do; anchors keep objects in place. Anchors keep boats from drifting across the ocean. Anchors keep your balloon from floating into the sky. Anchors keep your tent from tumbling away in the wind. Anchors keep your emotions, your fears, your worries fastened to the unchanging, guaranteed promises of God. Just look at our reading, and recognize what God uses to anchor faith. After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision. “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.” What could ever make Abraham afraid? Just consider everything he has! Sheep, goats, steer swarm as far as the eye can see (and, not to mention, Abraham owns every single acre of this land). Maids rush in with dinner and out with dishes; in with clothing and out with laundry; servants feed cattle, pay bills, stand guard, tend to any need you might possibly have. Gunnysacks jingle with gold and jewels. Abraham even has an army— 318 fierce fighters. Kings respect him (Genesis 14:21-24). God’s priest blesses him (14:18-20). What could Abraham possibly worry about? Something out of his control. “O Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.” But God promised! Everything moving around Abraham would belong to his child! (12:7; 13:14-17). No, not his head servant— but his own flesh and blood! Abraham must have a son! But God made that promise 10 years ago. And nine months had turned into twelve months, one year becomes two years, two grows to five, five to ten… and he’s still waiting; he’s still waiting for God to place that baby into the crook of his arm. And it’s not the waiting that’s the difficult part. Each passing year means Abraham is another year older. Abraham is 85-years-old. And his wife? She’s 75-years-old. “God, I’m waiting. God, I’m not getting any younger. God, human biology rules out having children. God, where’s this promised child?” Because you do not see God keeping his promise, do you? That’s the difficult thing about faith, is it not? Faith trusts something not seen. Faith considers the unseen promise as already having been kept. Faith is certain your Pastor will lead worship that takes place on Sunday mornings at 9:00am [11:00am]. Faith considers promises as good as done. And yet, when you see real problems with your own eyes, it often feels that those problems are the real thing— and the promise is just an empty wish. God promises to send angels to protect you (Psalm 91:11), but you get hurt, you’re sick, you have cancer. You see pain; you do not see protection. God promises to forgive you (Matthew 18:18), but you still feel guilt, shame, fear that you’re going to hell. You feel guilty; you do not feel forgiven. God promises to work things for your good, but you don’t see “good” (Romans 8:28). Loved ones die too soon. Living as a Christian in 2017 is not exactly popular. You’re still sad, depressed; you feel empty— and you really don’t know why. God makes promises, but you do not see answers. And if you do not see answers, then who can you trust? Yourself, right? Abraham wants a child. He waits. No child. So, he has a child with his maidservant— and rejoices; he has an heir! (Genesis 16:1-4) You want safety, so trust your medical choices without praying at all. You feel guilty, so you try to feel saved by relying on how good of a person you are. If you consider God untrustworthy, you will place faith in yourself. That means, you rely on your own decisions. You trust you abilities to get healthier. You trust that you made some decision to accept Jesus as Savior. You trust that God does not make things work for your good. You doubt God. You trust yourself. If you trust yourself, then you will push God away. Do you see how God strengthens faith? It shows up twice in our reading: [T]he word of the Lord came to him. That’s it! God does not snap his fingers, and *poof* a child drops from the sky. No thunderous guarantee: “Abraham, this will happen on November 18th!” God simply speaks; God reveals what will happen. Eliezer will not be your heir. You will have a son coming from your own body. God places Abraham’s attention on his unchanging Word. Abraham believed the Lord. It’s more than Abraham believing that God exists. Faith is not that God is “somewhere out there.” No, faith grasped God’s promise. Abraham would have a Son. That Son would be great. That Son would be the Savior of the world. Yes, Abram never saw Jesus with his very own eyes. Yet, his faith had eyes. With the eyes of faith, Abraham watched Mary’s Son stretched out on a cross because he [Abraham] doubted God. Abraham raised his eyes to the heavens, certain that God’s Son would come down and bring him home. He trusted God’s promise was as good as done. Faith Anchors You to the completed work of Jesus. There may be times you are tossed about by your emotions. There may be times you do not feel saved. There may be times you want certainty that God is for you. In those troubling times, God speaks to you. Look to God’s Word and see your Savior. See the One who died to remove your doubts. See the One whose blood covers over fears. See the One crucified for you and etches your name into heaven’s book. Faith Anchors You to the completed work of Jesus. That’s why God could bolster Abraham’s faith with his Word: “Do not be afraid, Abram, I haven’t forgotten about you. Don’t be afraid Abraham, you will have a son. Don’t be afraid Abraham, your son will lead to Jesus. Don’t be afraid Abraham, I am your shield, your very great reward.” You can plug your name in here too. “Don’t be afraid, Andy… Bob… Sue… Tom… Don’t be afraid because that Christmas-day baby is still your Savior.” You may not have seen Jesus with your own eyes, but your faith clings to him. When you’re terrified over sins, look to the cross; hear Jesus say “I paid for them.” When you feel that you can never be forgiven, that God cannot possibly love someone like you, look to Jesus who says: “If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven” (John 20:23). If you feel that God has abandoned you, listen to the God who says: “I have called you by name. You are mine” (Isaiah 43:1). God is your shield—and notice the verb. Present tense means he remains your defense today. That bronze shield wards off the devil’s temptations to doubt that you are anything less than a possession of God. Your God still comes to you with his Word and Sacraments to strengthen and grow faith. After all, your faith is a living thing— just like a houseplant. What happens if you stop watering a plant? It dies, right? What happens if you do water it? It lives—and more than that, plants grow and spread and flower. Plants are living things; they are not static, they do not remain one size forever. Your faith is not static; it does not remain one size forever. It either grows or it shrivels. God doesn’t water you, he feeds you with his Word. That’s why it is important to be in worship and hear his Word. That’s why it is important to remember your baptism. That’s why it is important to receive the Lord’s Supper. God is strengthening your faith with these tools. God is teaching you more about what he has done for you. God is combating the fears in your life. He is answering questions you may have. The more you stay away from the Word, the more you forget. The more you stay away from the Word, the more you will rely on your own decisions. The more you remain in the Word the more you know who your God is— and what he has done. The more you remember your baptism, the more you realize that you have done nothing to save yourself. If you want to feel saved, then stop probing your emotions. See how God used water and a promise to adopt you as his child (Titus 3:4-7). The more you receive the Lord’s Supper, you again hear him say: “Forgiven! Forgiven! Forgiven! I have given you the strength to say “No” to sin. You no longer live to gratify whatever feels pleasurable to you. You live to serve me. Imitate my patience, kindness, and love.” God remains your shield who uses Word and sacrament to defend you against the devil’s accusations. God is your very great reward.” Notice the verb: “Is.” Present tense. God constantly remains your priceless possession. Abraham has all this stuff— 318 fighting men, a large family, many servants, thousands of cattle, and a pile of wealth —and yet none of it compares to an ounce of what God gives him. All the stuff you have cannot even bring you one step closer to God, but the blood of Jesus can. And by faith you have that blood purifying and cleansing you (1 John 1:9). God is your very great reward. He is the only thing you get to take out of this life and into the life to come. He’s the one who fills you with real comfort in a world with lots of trouble in it. He’s the only thing that assures you: “Everything is ok,” even when there’s hurricanes, earthquakes, and shootings. Jesus has already won. Faith Anchors You to the certain promises of God. Over these past two weeks we have looked at “What it means to be a Lutheran.” Martin Luther lived in a time where pastors taught him: “The more you do, the more you will be saved.” Yet, he stood on Scripture— where God tells you himself: You are saved by grace. Jesus makes the payment God demands for sin. This payment is made for your benefit— without you asking, seeking, or deserving it. God hands you eternal life as a gift— a free present! As you stand on Scripture, you see that you are saved by grace, and that grace enters your heart through. Place your trust in what God has done for you and not on how you feel. Take God at his Word. Faith Anchors You to the completed work of Jesus and to the certain promises of God.
those pages or that book entirely. In some cases, nothing is left in a book but footnotes— footnotes that no one really reads. Eventually books are tossed out altogether, thrown into piles and left for firemen to arrive and burn.
You can’t read a book like that and not find a hidden message. For many the book serves as a warning against government censorship. Many fear the government may begin limiting freedom of speech until society can no longer freely address so-called controversial topics. Eventually, the government controls not only your words, but also your thoughts on certain issues. Except that’s not what Fahrenheit 451 is about. The author, Ray Bradbury, went on record to say that his book is “a story about how television destroys interest in reading literature.” (http://www.laweekly.com/news/ray-bradbury-fahrenheit-451-misinterpreted-2149125) Already in 1953, Bradbury feared people would grow so addicted to television that they would stop reading books. When Bradbury shared this interpretation at a lecture at the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA), students protested. They insisted that he was wrong. They told him, the author, that his book only references government censorship. Can you imagine what it must feel like when someone tells you, the author of your own book, that you have it all wrong? More than that, if you reject the author’s interpretation, it means that you have injected a new message into that book—a message never there to begin with. You are believing a message that does not come from the author. You are believing a message that you created. And if you believe a message you created, then you will receive an entirely different outcome than what the author ever intended. When it comes to what you believe about your status before God, look to what God, the divine Author, so clearly reveals. Stand on Scripture. Find God’s heart revealed. Gain certain confidence. You have heard me say it before: You and I live in a postmodern society. That means society teaches there is no absolute truth; there is no set standard of what is universally “right” and what is universally “wrong.” So, if I choose to wear a dress today, you cannot tell me that my clothing style is wrong. By you insisting that I change, you have now created a fixed truth that there is certain clothing reserved only for men and certain clothing reserved only for women. Yet, to me and my thinking, I may feel that dresses are not exclusive only to women or men. If I believe one thing about dresses, then that becomes a truth by which I will live. If you believe dresses do not belong on men, then that is a truth by which you live. We have two differing truths, but two differing truths that are both valid and equal because we feel strongly about our beliefs. Your society feels truth is constantly changing and truth changes based on a person’s individual beliefs. If you feel something is true, then it must be true— and no one can tell you that you are wrong. So, if you feel God will let you into heaven because you are a good, moral person, then this must be true. God must let you into heaven because you think this is correct. Or you may feel that God will give you eternal life because you are sincere in your beliefs— you sit in a church building, you listen to the Pastor, you are dedicated to behaving like a churchy-person. If you feel this is what God looks for in a person, then you must be right; sincerity in religious practice will give you eternal life. Or, you may cling to a tightly-held belief— even if it contradicts what God says. If you do not want to be judged for your lifestyle, then simply say, “I do not think God would judge me.” Therefore, you would believe that God accepts the way you live. If you want God to bring all people to heaven, then say: “I feel God will save everyone.” Your feeling, then, is considered true. If you want to skip worship, then simply state: “I think God knows why I’m sleeping in and he doesn’t care.” You can feel better about your life because you just said God doesn’t care. This is how postmodern thinking not only shapes your civilian life, but also how it can affect our views towards Scripture. We begin telling God, the divine Author, that he has it all wrong! Yet, here’s the question: How do you know if your personal beliefs are right? A roomful of students told Ray Bradbury that his interpretation of his own book was wrong! Yet, Bradbury revealed an undeniable truth: He is the author. As the author, he put down his intentions in writing. Students may believe what they want, but their beliefs cannot change the purpose of his book. When it comes to Scripture, and to its teachings, God reveals an undeniable: He is the Author. You may want God to condone your lifestyle, but God has still said: “Be perfect like me” (Matthew 5:48). You may feel that God loves you because you are a good person and because you are here today, but God still says: “All have sinned and all fall short of reaching heaven with me” (Romans 3:23). If you try to make up reasons as to why God forgives you, you may feel they are right, but God will still call them “wrong.” Clinging to your own personal belief— no matter how much you want to believe it is true— can still leave you standing apart from God forever. A monk named Martin Luther dreaded that. He was terrified that God hated him— because he knew the Bible clearly teaches: God punishes sin— and he was a sinner. Luther never knew how to remove that guilt. His priest told him to confess his sins, to pray, to beat himself, to stare at bones of dead church leaders, to pay money, to do good things, to give up money— do all these things and his guilt would diminish. It did not. Luther never knew how to remove that guilt. Making up solutions never fills you with peace. Trying to do more good than bad does not erase the bad you did do. How do you remove guilt? How can you be sure you can go to heaven? Stand on Scripture and find God’s heart revealed. Our reading says: For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last. How do you remove feelings of guilt? How can you fill your heart with peace? How can you know for sure that you will enter heaven? God says, “Look in the gospel.” The word “gospel” means “good news.” The “good news” is that Jesus rescues you from the consequences of your actions. You will never discover this truth by digging into your emotions. You will never recognize this truth by trying to live as a perfect person. You will only find this truth in Scripture because only in the Bible is a righteousness from God revealed. God reveals to you this one chief truth: Jesus lives a “right” life. Jesus never calls the Bible a book of lies. Every time someone asks him to “prove” his teachings, he points to Scripture. When he needs comfort or guidance, he embraces what God clearly says. Jesus lives a “right” life. Even though Jesus lives the “right” life God demands, Jesus still dies on the cross. He steps into your place, is treated harshly by God, and suffers so that you never will. When it comes to understanding why God forgives you, Stand on Scripture and you find God say: “I forgive you because Jesus paid your punishment. Stand on Scripture and you will find God’s heart revealed. As you see what God so clearly says, you will gain certain confidence. Look again to our verse: I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes… This gospel, this good news that Jesus rescued you from the hellish effects of sin, is not just a happy message that you read in a newspaper and then throw away. This news is powerfully life-changing— literally. In the Greek, the word for “power” (δύναμις) is where we get our word “dynamite. That little phrase: “it is the power of God” says Scripture works like dynamite. You read and hear Scripture, and Scripture blasts open your heart to trust that only Jesus makes you “right” before God. When it comes to understanding what you believe, Stand on Scripture. Point to what God, the divine Author, has so clearly said. Point to his clear words which tell that Jesus lived, died, and rose for you! When you Stand on Scripture you will always be certain of how God sees you. You will always know that Jesus has done enough to bring you into heaven. For a man like Martin Luther, he Stood on Scripture for his confidence of eternal life. He did not try to do things to earn God’s forgiveness. He did not try to feel forgiven. He pointed at God’s unbreakable truth. This is what it means to be a Lutheran. Like Luther, when wonder how you stand before God, you Stand on Scripture. Stand on Scripture when you are crushed by guilt and gain certain confidence. In Scripture God says: “I forgive you” (1 John 4:19). He does not say that you must “feel” forgiven— as though your emotions must convince you that all is well between you and God. He does not say that you must earn his forgiveness— that you must do more good than bad. Rather, God points you to the cross and asks: What happened there? Jesus died. That’s a fact, a historical event. Why did Jesus die? Scripture says that he dies as you Substitute, stepping into the punishment you deserved (Isaiah 53). Since Jesus died in your place, it means you do not die forever. You are forgiven— not because you feel this to be true, but because God says it is true (2 Corinthians 5:21) Scripture has that dynamite power to blast away doubts and fears about eternity. Stand on Scripture and gain certain confidence when you confront various ideas about God. Human beings always have and always will create new thoughts about how God should act. Someone may think all religions lead to the same God. Yet, those beliefs, as sincere as they are, are not capable of making people right with God. Someone may feel good works are enough to enter heaven, but that person cannot force God to agree with him. Only Scripture has the ability to free your soul from the pits of despair and to fill you with peace. Scripture has that dynamite power to blast away lies about God. Stand on Scripture and gain certain confidence forever. As you get older, you may ask yourself: “Will God really forgive me?” You may feel that God is lying to you. You may think God wants something more from you. Point to Scripture, stand on what God has so clearly said. God made a specific promise to you— and God will never break that promise. Scripture has that dynamite power to blast away fears that God has hidden something from you. When you Stand on Scripture you will never be wrong. Yes, a postmodern world may disagree with God’s truth. Yet, the fact remains: God is the divine Author. He has revealed his intentions about sin and forgiveness, heaven and hell in Scripture. Scripture reveals God’s heart— the heart which moved him to send a Savior from sin. Scripture reveals the completed action: Jesus died for your benefit. Scripture reveals God’s feelings towards you so that you may have certain confidence in an ever-changing world. When it comes to matters of what you believe about your status before God, look to what God, the divine Author, so clearly reveals. Stand on Scripture. Find God’s heart revealed. Gain certain confidence.
catches the villain; it never fails! Bond may be chained up and dangling upside down over a pool of man-eating sharks, but you know he will escape. He may be strapped to a wall with a laser beam aiming to slice him in half, but he will get out. Someone poisons Bond at a poker game, but you know he will somehow live. James Bond is the good guy! He must win! The villain must lose!
That old adage goes for just about any movie. The hobbits (from the Lord of the Rings series) will always make it to Mordor, toss one powerful ring into its fires, and rescue Middle-Earth from the clutches of goblins, evil wizards, and orcs. Spiderman will always defeat Green Goblin, Doc Oct[opus], and Venom. The American Allies will always crush the evil Axis Powers. John Wayne will always bring rustlers to justice. The nice guy will always beat out the jerk to win the girl’s love. Even in those tense moments when our hero faces some insurmountable challenge, you know that he will succeed some way, somehow. You know that you will leave the movie feeling happy because the good guy always wins. But is that always true? Does he always win? Consider the presence of Christianity in America; do you see victory? A recent [Pew Research] study concluded that 67% of those born between 1925 and 1945 say religion is important in their life. Fifty-one percent of those born between 1925 and 1945 worship every week. So, half of those age 72 to 92 years old sit in a pew every Sunday! Compare that with the Millennial generation. Of those born between 1980 and 1995 only 38% feel religion is important, and only 28% actually worship every Sunday. So, three out of every four people under age 35 find little reason to worship God. Does it look like Jesus is winning? Or, consider that since 1969, the Reformed Church in America has lost 62% of its membership. The Episcopal Church has lost 49%. The Methodist Church is down 33%. The same study reveals that the members of congregations are getting older and the number of young individuals in worship is decreasing. Does this look like victory? Maybe you don’t need those studies to tell you what you already know: your society is growing increasingly God-less. You try to share Jesus. You invite friends to worship— and they come— maybe for one or two services (and then they stop coming). You share events on Facebook, you advertise Christmas Eve service in the newspaper, you send out postcards, but no one responds. Your fellow believers get older and move out of the area and you fight to regain lost volunteers and supporters. Look around at this Christian landscape; does it look like things are getting better? Does it look like Jesus is winning? Or, Are you on the losing side? Jesus holds the answer to that question. The answer is found by him asking you a question: Who Do You Say Jesus Is? That question searches for the (1) identity, (2) characteristics, and (3) actions of Jesus. The disciples share what many concluded about the Son of Man. “Some say [you are] John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” All four of these characters have one thing in common: they point people to God. Their preaching exposes the smug arrogance of the human heart. They announce how no one can live such a good life that God is compelled to love them. They only declare: “You are separated from God!” And still, John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, and the prophets point the world to the Lamb God sends to remove sin (John 1:29). They point people to Jesus. So, when Jesus comes on the scene, many think he is just another great prophet. The Jewish nation waits for a political Savior. They expect a “Christ,” but a “Christ” who would free them from Roman captivity! They expect “Christ” to become their earthly king and restore independence and wealth to the Jewish nation. They expect “Christ” to make life perfect— with food and security and guidance! (John 6:14-15) Since the masses do not see Jesus filling this role, they conclude: he [Jesus] is not the Savior. Is it really any different today? What do so-called scholars claim about the identity of Jesus? History Channel labels Jesus as just another great rabbi who rallied the Jewish nation together, but died before he made any sweeping changes. The Smithsonian Channel questions if Jesus actually existed; maybe he was nothing more than a mythological fairytale. You go on Facebook, and what kind of God do your friends share? A God who promises perfect health and immense wealth to Christians only (even though this thought is found nowhere in the Bible). A God who loves everything everyone does— regardless of their sexuality or the way they treat authority or the way they worship their money (even though God has a few words on those issues). Part of the reason your society stays out of worship is because they see Jesus as just another great teacher. If Jesus is just another great teacher, then it means he is just a human being. If Jesus is only a human being, then you can (1) accept his teaching or (2) reject his teaching—and face no divine punishment. If there is no divine punishment behind Jesus’ teachings, then you have the freedom to change his teachings. You can make Jesus into whoever you want him to be. If you fail to see Jesus as God, then you find very little reason to trust Jesus as God. So, Who Do You Say Jesus Is? We can easily fail to see Jesus as the God he is. When that happens, you try to make him fit your worldly expectations. So, you start by wanting more people in worship so that you can feel successful and popular. Yet, when worship attendance decreases, then you wonder what’s wrong with Jesus… or, what you have to do to win in the eyes of the world. You may expect your society to praise your beliefs and pass laws in your favor. What you have then done is made Jesus an earthly king who is to give you pleasure in this life alone! When you expect something God has not promised, then you change what Jesus actually does. You have changed the person of God. Then you will feel like you are on the losing side. In reality, you have this wrong perception of Who Jesus Is. Peter pushes to the front of the disciples, looks at Jesus, and announces: “You are the Christ! “You”—that is, finger pointed right at Jesus. “Are”— present tense verb— right here, right now, something is uniquely special about Jesus. “The Christ.” “Christ” is a special name. “Christ” is the Greek word for the Old Testament Hebrew name: “Messiah.” So, both “Christ” and “Messiah” mean “Anointed One.” To “anoint” someone means to “set them aside” for a special mission. Jesus is set aside for the special mission of rescuing the world from the consequences of sin. Look at Jesus and what do you see? Someone greater than an earthly king. You see the Savior God promised Adam and Eve. You see Jesus, the child promised to Abraham and Sarah, focused on serving God with his entire life. You see Jesus born on Christmas Day for the sole purpose of opening the kingdom of heaven to you! Who Do You Say Jesus Is? He is the Christ! He is set aside to suffer for your needless despair and self-pity. His mission is to cleanse the selfish arrogance of our human hearts. He comes to make complete payment on your behalf. Jesus, the Christ, has completed his mission of rescuing you from the hell you deserved. Who Do You Say Jesus Is? In the midst of an increasing God-less society, you confess: Jesus is the Christ. As God’s appointed Son, he continues doing what God expects of him. Jesus lives as the Protector of his Church. “Church”— not a protector of your church building. This is the [big-C] “C”hurch you heard about last week. The [big-C] “C”hurch (or the Holy Christian Church) is the total number of believers. Jesus lives to Protect his Church, to protect you— a believer! Peter himself confesses: “You are the Son of the living God!” Jesus still lives today! Since he lives, it means he functions! He pays attention to the troubles in this world. He hears your cries of distress and gives you relief. He still protects you, guides you, and leads you through this life and into heaven. This is what Jesus is sent to do. You can be sure Jesus still remains with you because he himself says so. “[…] on this rock I will build my church.” What’s this rock? It’s not Peter— as though Peter is the leader of all believers on earth. (Both the Greek grammar and much of Scripture does not support this point.) The “rock” is Peter’s rock-solid confession of faith. Peter confesses that Jesus comes to save him. You have made this same rock-solid confession of faith. You admit that Jesus is greater than John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or another prophet. You confess he is the Son of the Living God! This God makes sure [T]he gates of Hades will not overcome you. The “gates of Hades” refers to the attacks the devil makes on your faith. He tries every day to discourage you. He will point your eyes to statistics and say, “Look, more are staying out of church. Jesus is losing; he is worthless!” He will point at your emotions. “If you feel sad that more people do not love God, then quit!” He will point at your society. “Look, so many people live happier lives than you. They have more money, better health, and tighter families. Why bother with Jesus?” But remember this: Christ has already won. When he died on the cross, he broke you out of the gates of hell. When Jesus rose from the dead, he announced that you will live with him (John 14:19). Nothing will ever take that away! The devil can never undo Easter. He cannot declare more power than God. You who cling to Jesus by faith live on the winning side. You have won for all eternity. And so Jesus replies, “Blessed are you!” Not: “Blessed are you, now go get more numbers.” Not: “Blessed are you, now earthly life will be perfect.” Not: “Blessed are you, you will never be discouraged again.” Rather, “Blessed are you, because your faith relies on me. I will never fail to bring you into heaven.” Blessed are you, even when people say horrible things about your faith. Blessed are you, even though society separates itself from the Word. Blessed are you because your faith rests on the work Jesus did to save you. No matter what happens in your world or in your congregation, nothing will remove the royal reign of your Jesus. Our grim statistics may only increase. In fact, 50% of the American population could be God-less in the next 20 years. Worship attendance could drop even more. Perhaps the United States will even outlaw public worship. Does it look like Jesus wins? Yes. The government cannot lock Jesus in heaven. An unbelieving generation cannot change the fact that Jesus will come again. No one will topple Jesus off from his throne of authority. The living God is on your side. That means, the good guy always wins. You already know how this movie will end. Your Christ will continue gathering believers into the mansions of heaven. Nothing will stop that. Your Christ will always remain in the Word and sacraments to strengthen your faith and protect you from every evil assault. Who Do You Say Jesus Is? He is the Christ. He is the Protector of his Church.
But what does that mean? … the Holy Christian Church? …the communion of saints? You do notice that “Holy Christian Church” is capitalized, right? (And just in case you’re wondering, that’s not a typo in the hymnal.) Why is this “C”hurch capitalized? What is meant by the expression “Holy Christian Church?” And what is this “communion of saints?” More importantly, what do these words have to do with you?
After all, you are in Isaiah’s prophecy. Isaiah is not describing some random group of people in some random land in some random era. Even though Isaiah lives 700 years before the birth of Christ, he sees you, gathered here, in Clare & Harrison, Michigan, worshipping your God, serving him, and praising his name. Dig into our reading again. See where you fit in. Rediscover what you, as God’s child, are equipped to do. God Reveals His Salvation to make foreigners his citizens and to motivate service for him. It starts with that order. Before you can ever begin reflecting on what you can do to serve God, you must start by recognizing why you can serve God at all. Your service all starts with the Lord. Literally— verse 1 begins: This is what the Lord says[.] Notice who speaks. Yes, the Lord is God, but he uses a special name here. Isaiah does not say: “This is what God says.” It’s: This is what the Lord says[.] That title: the “Lord” (in all capitals) is not a typo; it’s intentional. The “Lord” (in all capitals) tells you two things about your God (Exodus 34:6-7). (1) God expects all of humanity to live a holy life— to be as perfect as he is; to love what is morally good and to hate evil (Leviticus 19:2; Matthew 5:48). So, The Lord says: Maintain justice and do what is right[.] This is how people of God are to act every day. If you wish to know if the way you live is “right,” then compare your behavior to God’s every single commandment (Exodus 20:1-17). Love everyone as much as you care for yourself. If you do not enjoy someone hating you, then do not hate anyone. If you do not want your friends gossiping about you, then do not gossip about your friends. If you want the car salesman to treat you honestly, then be honest, kind, patient, compassionate to everyone. Love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39). Do not stop there, but love your God with every fiber of your being. Do not consider worship boring, but rejoice that you get to worship God. Do not feel home devotions and prayer rob you of time. Rather, fight for time to spend with God in prayer and devotion. Treat God’s name better than a curse Word. Recognize what the name “God” means and trust that “God” is powerful enough, wise enough, and available to be in your life. In case you’re wondering, the Lord is not giving a suggestion; he commands. You are to maintain this morality, this justice, today, tomorrow— always. Do this and you will live; fail and be forever cut off from God (Luke 10:25-28). How do you measure up? Would you be proud if God saw everything you did last week? The God who is everywhere, dwelling in your home, standing beside you, would he be pleased with your internet search or what you post to Facebook or what you watch on television? Would he be pleased with your thoughts on your way to worship this morning or where your mind was from the start of worship to this moment? Could God say that you loved your family with perfect compassion, that you humbly built up others, that you never complained about the way your congregation functions, but that you always supported decisions and offered your time to help? Have you maintained the justice God expects? Did you always do what is right? You trust in Jesus as Savior; you love God. Yet, you recognize there’s still a part of you that finds discontentment in being a member of God’s family. Instead of being a citizen of Christ, that sinful nature wants to live as a foreigner— someone God does not recognize as belonging to him! That is why, when you consider how you serve your God, it can never start by looking at you. Either you will find God’s commands to be a new form of slavery or you will be crushed by the fact you can never be perfect enough. That is why, when you consider your service to God, it must start with the “Lord” (in all capitals). Your “Lord” (in all capitals) threatens to punish every sinner, but he does something else: (2) the Lord is patient, loving, and forgiving. How do you know? Well, Isaiah says, “[The] salvation [of God] is close at hand and [his] righteousness will soon be revealed.” The word “salvation” simply means “to deliver” or “rescue.” When Isaiah is alive, God has made a promise to Jesus to blot out the transgressions of the world. Even though Jesus had not yet been born, his arrival comes closer with each passing day. Everyone who lives before the first Christmas could prepare their hearts for the coming Savior. For all of us who live after the first Christmas, you realize that deliverance and rescue from the wages of sin is found in the forgiveness of Jesus has already won. God’s salvation is always close at hand. You have the privilege to run to the cross again and again and be assured: You are forgiven. God Reveals His Salvation to make foreigners his citizens, to bring forgiven sinners into the family of God. Not just that, God Reveals His Salvation to make foreigners his citizens— literally. Jesus comes through the bloodlines of the Jews. Yet, the Jews do not keep this message only to themselves. The good news of Jesus has reached all people—Jews and non-Jews included. If you look around today, you can see that Isaiah’s prophecy has come true. You are the ones who have been gathered into the family of God. God has come to you in the form of his Word. In this Bible he tells you: God so loved the world that he gave his Son for you— for your eternal benefit— to step into your death sentence and die instead of you. He takes this truth, packages it up, and delivers it to you in baptism. You see, baptism is not just plain water. The water is not supernatural holy water. God takes plain, ordinary water, and attaches a promise to it. When the words are said, “You are baptized in the name of the Father, Son, + and Holy Spirit,” God says that you enter his family. God has put his name on you. Jesus has signed citizenship papers: “Heir of heaven.” “Child belonging to God.” “God is your Father.” And he thrusts those papers into your hand. God has joined you to his family— just like Isaiah said he would. To connect it to what I said earlier, you are therefore brought into the [big-C] “C”hurch. A church is a gathering of worshippers. You see these churches. You see how many there are. Some who enter believe; others do not. So, we call those [little-c] “c”hurches. Yet, the [big-C] “C”hurch refers to the gathering of all believers. All who have faith in Jesus as Savior stand in this gathering. That means, you do not enter heaven just because you sit in a church building. You are not loved by God because your name is in the church membership rolls. You do not earn heaven because you sat for two or three years in catechism class or in adult instruction class. That is how you become part of a visible congregation. You study Bible teachings so that you can confess what you believe. As for entering God’s family, God reveals Jesus, His Salvation, as your Savior from sin. God Reveals His Salvation to make you, once foreigners cut off from God in unbelief, his citizens. God joins you into this [big-C] “C”hurch. The Holy Christian Church? What is that? That’s you! You are those believers who gather around God and God is your Good Shepherd. Since you belong to this [big-C] “C”hurch, you are called the communion of saints? A “saint” because Jesus washes away your sins and makes you a holy person. A “communion” meaning, a fellowship, or a gathering. As God Reveals His Salvation he motivates you to serve him. Isaiah describes three things that people brought into the family of God do: (1) serve him, (2) love his name, and (3) worship him. You serve him by living as the priests you are. No, God is not telling you to enter the seminary and become a Pastor. Neither does he expect you to return to Old Testament worship practices of animal sacrifice. Rather, by faith, God gives you the privilege of coming directly to him just like the Old Testament priests were the only ones able to stand in the presence of God. Old Testament priests would pray for the people, offer sacrifices for their sins, and share the Word. Now, you are the priest who walks right up to God. You can unload your burdens and frustrations. You can ask God to help your loved ones; you can plead for him to deliver you from trouble. You do not need to ask a Pastor to bring your prayers to God; you get to pray directly to God. You can preach the Word to yourself. You have Bibles in your home; you get to read devotions. So, when anxiety fills your mind, you remember: Cast your anxiety on God (1 Peter 5:7). When you have a terrible day, you recall: Come to me—all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). When you have no idea where to turn for answers, you hear: Call on me in the day of trouble. I will deliver you (Psalm 50:15). You love the name of the LORD. God’s “Name” is his reputation. Just think about everything the Name “God” makes you feel. He forgives you—freely, fully, repeatedly. He is patient. He does not afflict you with trouble because you make him angry. He does not make life hell because you missed worship last week. Your God is loving— filling your life with tremendous blessings. Feeding you. Allowing income to flow in. Blessing you through your children, your parents, your grandparents, your friends, and Pastor. You love finding peace and rest in this Name: “God.” So, you worship him. How? By keep[ing] the Sabbath. Now, remember, in the New Testament, God gives you freedom in selecting your day of worship (Colossians 2:16). In fact, that’s what the Word Sabbath means: “day of rest” (and not “Saturday”). You have selected the first hours of the first day of the week to be devoted to God. As citizens belonging to God, you get to worship him. You get to sing praises thanking him for all he does. You get to hear his Word so that you have confidence in life. You get to hear a message shared with you so that you can learn applications; you get to see how God fits into every aspect of your life. Those who love God love worshipping God. Do you see where you fit in? Isaiah paints this gorgeous picture of where you stand. God has brought you to his holy mountain. He has brought you into this the Holy Christian Church. Holy—because Jesus makes you holy from sin. Christian because you follow Christ. Church—because you gather with believers around God. When you confess your faith, you admit that God has made you a citizen. Now, you spend your days serving him. Loving him. Worshipping him. No, not because you must. Rather, as someone touched by God, you are motivated to serve him with your offerings, talents, and time. God Reveals His Salvation to make foreigners his citizens and to motivate service for him.
are made entirely of glass. If you step into this box, you can look out for 50 miles and across four states.You can experience all of this for only $23.00 and a trip to downtown Chicago.
Maybe there’s one more thing you would like to know about “The Ledge.” It’s attached to the outside wall on the 103rd floor of the Willis Tower. That’s right. If you wish to look out for 50 miles and across four states you must step into this glass box that stands 1,353 feet over Wacker Drive in downtown Chicago. And yes, in case you were wondering, the floor beneath your feet is made entirely of glass; you can see everything below you. Can you do it? Would you zip up 103 stories and walk into a little box made entirely out of glass and stand 1,353 feet over the ground? Would you place your entire weight into this box, lean against its walls, and (maybe even) take a hop in it? It might be difficult. You know gravity still pulls on you even if you step into something outside the Tower. Your senses tell you to stand on firm ground. Everything you see tells you not to enter the box. In order to step onto “The Ledge,” you must trust the assurance of the engineers. So often we trust what is seen— even if it means trusting our senses and thinking instead of the promises of Jesus. That is why Jesus gives you word of confidence this morning: Take Courage! Jesus is with you! Do not be afraid. He does more than just say these words; powerful miracles trumpet his message. Just last week, you watched Jesus take five loaves of bread and two fish— really a meal best suited for a mother and child— and [he takes them and] he feeds over 5,000 people with these little scraps! The disciples run around, panic over dinner preparations, but Jesus not only feeds this crowd, but gives them more than enough to eat! That miracle demonstrates a crystal-clear truth: Your Jesus uses his power as God to provide for you. Your Jesus— not you! Jesus provides for you, either (1) by using miracles to give you what you need for life or (2) by using your abilities and your talents and your friends to fill your life with blessings. He does this so that you and I, like the disciples, no longer scramble around, fretting about the things you need! He does this so that you may place your complete trust in him and in his Word and in his power. So, how is your trust? Did you leave worship last week and all your fears floated away? Did you live worry-free? …anxiety-free? …stress-free? At each meal, did you, like Jesus, give thanks to God for the food you have? Did you look at your [grand]child and recognize your financial limitations, but then found comfort in God’s unlimited power to provide a secure future? Did you sit in the waiting room and place your health squarely in Jesus’ hands? At very instant stress appeared, did you immediately run to Jesus? If you are like me, it’s a lesson slowly learned. And it’s no different for the disciples either. As soon as the disciples finish picking up the leftover bread and fish, Jesus made the[m] get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side[…] So, these lifelong fishermen hop into a 30-foot boat, drop the sails, and take off— but, they don’t make it far. About 3 ½ miles out, the winds start picking up. These are not little gusts, but winds blasting up to 70 miles per hour. Waves heave, repeatedly lifting this little boat three, six, eight feet into the air, and drop it right into the pit of the sea. They fight this storm for hours— from dinner time to the fourth watch (which is around 3:00am). Just when it seems that this struggle cannot get much worse, it does. Off in the darkness stands a shadowy silhouette— watching, walking, coming right to them! It has a torso, arms, head— a face! “It’s a ghost!” they said, and [they] cr[y] out in fear. What are they going to do? Is this an omen of death? Are they going to die? Can they fight this ghost and chase him away? A few of them thrust their arms into the water, feverishly paddling— but they get nowhere. Hearts pound; stomachs drop; fear paralyzes them. For twelve people who just witnessed the Son of God feed thousands, all they can manage to do in this trouble is hopelessly, desperately weep. Have they forgotten what they just saw? Did it even enter their mind that they could immediately find rescue in a God who does miracles? It is a lesson slowly learned. It is a lesson that needs to hear the voice of Jesus say again and again: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Those words penetrate Peter’s heart. In the midst of whipping winds and heaving waves, Peter sees Jesus for who he truly is: the Son of the Almighty God. The moment Jesus says: “Come!” Peter [gets] down out of the boat, walk[s] on the water and c[o]me[s] toward Jesus. This is not a sleight-of-hand trick. Matthew, the author of these words, is not making these events up. Peter walks on waves and through winds— and he does not sink! Why? Because Jesus has the power to keep him afloat. Peter sees trouble. He hears howling wind. He sees terrifying waves. Our brains would sense danger; water can claim life. Yet, Jesus made a promise: “Come! Come, you will be safe. Come, I will keep you from drowning. Come, it is I—Jesus.” Faith grasps the promises of Jesus and considers them true even when our minds do not see how. But when [Peter] saw the wind… and waves taller than himself… and the billions of gallons of water… he was afraid. For just a moment, he took his faith off the promise of Jesus and placed it onto his human thinking. His brain says: “Human beings sink in water”. His mind screams: “This cannot be! People drown! Not even Jesus can keep you safe!” And he begin[s] to sink. Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” What answer could Peter give? What could he say? What could you or I possibly say? Yes, you probably did not attempt walking on a lake last week, but you still carry the promises of God. Did you trust them even when it felt difficult to take God at his Word? Jesus himself says: All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me (Matthew 28:18). Yet, your eyes see new threats from North Korea. Your mind compares American military against Korean missiles. Maybe you doubt that Jesus has authority in this missile crisis—because your eyes see the missiles, but do not see the deliverance. Your God promises: The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer (1 Peter 3:12). Yet, your son still battles cancer. You see the tumors spreading. Your mind recalls the years of praying. You feel that God is not listening to you; you doubt that his ears are open to someone like you— and if he’s not listening, then it’s up to you to care for the future of your child. Your God says: Call on me in the day of trouble, I will deliver you (Psalm 50:15). Yet, you’re still behind on bills. You’re still in rehab. Your spouse still died relatively young. Your family still argues. You’re still not happy. You feel as though God is not present. You do not see him helping you. You do not hear improvements. Your mind wonders what is truly real: (1) does God really love you or (2) is he lying to you? So often, the troubles we see overwhelm any trust in God’s promises. So, the answer behind: “Why did you doubt [my Word]?” “Because I trusted myself more than I could trust you, Jesus. I reasoned what you are and are not capable of handling. I concluded that you have limitations, Jesus. Therefore, I could not trust you. I consider you untrustworthy, an exaggerator, a liar.” If that is what our doubt says about him, then Jesus would have every reason to let us wallow in our problems. Yet, he does not. Instead, your God keeps his Word. The moment Adam and Eve ran away from him, God saved them immediately. In fact, he made a promise: You will have a Savior (Genesis 3:15). Century after century God repeated this promise—and believers who lived before Jesus trusted those words. Faith is sure of what we hope for--even when we do not yet see its fulfillment (Hebrews 11:1). You see God keep his Word. You watched a Savior whose life is filled with perfect trust in his Father. You grasp his dying breath: It is finished (John 19:30). With those few words Jesus declares you forgiven. Every single time you doubted God’s ability to keep his Word, Jesus wipes clear. Like he did Peter, Jesus saves you from drowning in hell forever because you (and I) dared to doubt his unbreakable Word. My friends, let Jesus’ words sink in. Let them enter your ears, flow through your mind, and penetrate your heart. “Take courage!” Jesus says to you. Just look at the verb. This present tense verb tells you the action keeps happening. To the disciples: “Take courage now!” …in the storm …as you row to the other side …after you reach the other side … next week as you travel throughout cities. The month after, the year after, the decade later— Take courage! Have no fear. This is not a suggestion; it is a command: Take courage! This is why: “It is I.” This “I” is none other than the Son of God. This is the One through whom heaven and earth is knit together. This is the One who takes bread and fish in his hands, and with no effort, provides a feast! This is the One who has the authority to stand on choppy water and walk through waves! This is the One who has inscribed his promises on the pages of Scripture so that you may read them, grasp them, and live trusting in them. This is the One who has bound himself to his promises— telling you that it is impossible for him to lie (Numbers 23:19). This is the One who fills your heart with confidence and courage as you step out into the world. You may not always see the answer to every trouble. You may wonder how God will rescue you when it seems every option is gone. Yet, you lay aside your feelings and your thinking—and instead trust the unbreakable, always-kept-for-you-Word of God. I’m not sure if I would zip up 103 stories and walk into a little box made entirely out of glass and stand 1,353 feet over the ground. I probably would not place my entire weight into this box, lean against its walls, and (maybe even) take a hop in it. Everything you see tells you not to enter the box. Yet, you are able to run to the Word in every trouble. Why? Because in the Word Jesus reveals his power, his control, his authority, his victory. On the cross he demonstrates his infinite love for you. In a final glimpse, you watch him enter into a heaven that he prepares for you. Focus on Jesus’ unseen, but perfectly-reliable promises. Take Courage! Jesus is with you! Do not be afraid.
on May 9, 1865, President Andrew Johnson reaffirmed that the North and South still remained one United States of America. So then, what is the importance of Juneteenth Day? Well, on June 19, 1865, those bound in slavery finally heard that they were set free.
Now, if you remember your American history, you realize that something about statement sounds odd. Yes, it is true that slave-labor continued an extra two months and two weeks after the war had officially ended. However, on January 1, 1863, Abraham Lincoln announced slavery’s end with his Emancipation Proclamation. Even though the nation was divided, Lincoln’s presidential words still applied to both the United States and the Confederacy. Yet, no one shared the joyful news with the slaves. In fact, no one told them until June 19, 1865 (Juneteenth Day) that they were set free— and that in reality, they had already been set free for 2 ½ years. Can you imagine waking up each day stuck in slavery simply because no one told you that you were actually free? You slave away each day, wishing for relief from aches and pains, longing for the long hours to end, craving a life without fear— even though, in reality, you already have those things! The news of freedom would transform life! That is why Jesus Sends You Out. The good news of freedom from hell has reached your ears, but that good news has not reached everyone. Many still remain slaves to guilt, pride, and uncertainty, living life as though Jesus accomplished nothing. So, Jesus Sends You Out with the message you freely received and with an opportunity to freely give. When you look at our reading, just imagine what Jesus witnessed. [He sees] the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. God had appointed priests to share his love with the nation. Instead, those priest strut down city streets with Bible pages tied to their heads and their noses held high with pride. They added over 400 rules to God’s original Ten Commandments— rules that almost no one but a priest could fulfill. It left every worshipper uncertain of their standing with God! Repentant prostitutes and cheating tax collectors are shunned simply because a priest felt they were too bad to be forgiven. The needs of the crippled and deformed, sick and diseased, orphaned and widowed are ignored because they look so lowly. Still others carry such low respect for worship, they quit caring about their standing with God altogether! No one heard about forgiveness from a Savior! Massive crowds lived unaware of the freedom Jesus brings! Freely [they] have received! Priests do not carry the Scriptures because they are not prostitutes. They do not preach because their children love them. They do not study Old Testament prophecies simply because they do not have deformities. Jesus chooses to put the free promise of forgiveness into their hands. Freely [they] have received, freely give! This is the reason why you share your faith. Jesus points out a fact: Freely you have received and then concludes with a command: freely give. Parents, you have received the good news of a Savior from sin. You trust this message; you believe it. God has blessed you with children. He has even instructed you: “Fathers [and mothers] bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). Do you? Or are you tempted to let them find God’s freedom on their own— at a later age, at another church, whenever they want— if they want it? Friends, you are a friend— a person God has placed into the life of someone else so that you can be a blessing to them. You build memories. You share interests. You complement their abilities. Yet, when your friend wonders why their mom has terminal cancer, do you give an answer… for the hope that you have? (1 Peter 3:15). Or does it feel like life after death is not as serious as it sounds? Christian, when you sit at a group event and a member wonders why someone shoots congressmen, do you point out the brokenness of the world, but a brokenness healed by relying on Jesus? Two thousand years ago Jesus signed the proclamation of freedom from sin— and the devil still fights with all his strength to silence his cross and keep the world locked in spiritual slavery. His most loved ploy in covering up the message is to get you to ask: “Why me? Why not someone else?” He knows if you consider the good news of forgiveness as something only you get to enjoy, then no one else will hear it. He knows if you think someone else will share Jesus with a friend, then that friend might never believe. He knows if you try to treat the joys of earth equal to the joys of heaven, then you will never offer spiritual comfort in a decaying world. If only he can convince you that you somehow deserve God’s forgiveness, then you can start placing restrictions on who you share it with. You can keep it to yourself. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Thousands of years ago, Jesus saw you, here, living in a world fighting to fix itself. He saw you—and the times you would doubt his presence when sick. He watched you reeling from your harsh words, dealing with the aftermath of your actions. He saw the long, weary, anxious face as friends break another promise, as your hope for government to make things better wisp away, as you search for meaning. He has compassion on you. He is born for no other reason than to set you free from fear of death, from the eternal consequences of sin, and from the devil’s crushing accusations. In plain sight hangs a Savior who suffers unfairly, but does not accuse his Father of wronging him. You have a Savior who does not curse his accusers, but begs for their forgiveness. You have a Savior who does not restore a government, but rather establishes a kingdom in heaven. He opens the doors to paradise with his blood. He rises to life to enter and reign in this kingdom. He sends out the good news that you are free to join him! This message transforms life! This message is free; you have freely received it. The reason why Jesus Sends You Out is two-fold: (1) You received forgiveness by God’s grace alone and (2) You know this message of forgiveness. So, Jesus Sends You Out with an opportunity to freely give. Jesus gives two ways how you can put these words into action. (1) First, As you go, preach this message: “The kingdom of heaven is near.” Maybe you have asked yourself: “What do I say to my friend about God? There’s so much: baptism, Christmas, forgiveness, prayer, law, gospel… what do I say?” Chances are, you don’t have 24 hours to instruct someone in the Christian faith. So what do you say? Show them Jesus. Show them Jesus because only he brings spiritual freedom. Tell of a Savior who snaps the chains dragging you to hell and places you in his kingdom forever! Give your confidence and your joy that the kingdom is near. Jesus has already suffered, died, and risen again. The very moment he enters heaven, the countdown clock starts; he can return at any moment. Eternity gets closer each day—and you eagerly wait to stand in the presence of Jesus forever. So, preach this message. Do all of those in your circle of friends or family rely on Jesus? Look at this FRAN-card (friends-relatives-acquaintances-neighbors). Think about those who are searching for answers in this world. Befriend those who were wrongly hurt by their old church. Show them the free, forgiving love of Jesus—a love without any conditions or rules attached to it. You can do that because, well, you have already shared Jesus. You bring your children and your grandchildren to worship. You are freely filling them up with the love of Jesus. You follow God’s command as you raise your children in the Lord. Continue doing so! Be the one to share the message of freedom with them! Or you share Jesus with your spouse. That’s why you invite them to worship. That’s why you share home devotions. That’s why you encourage them to explore the Bible’s teachings. God has chosen to use you to lead a soul from death to life. Sharing your faith grows into something more automatic. It does not need to be this conscious effort— where you set aside two hours a week for faith-sharing time. Make it a part of your life. Tell people plainly that you spend Sunday mornings here and they are welcome to join you. Share your faith on particular subjects. If someone asks: “Where do you go when you die?” tell them. (2) Second, Jesus urges you: Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. How much easier can it get? Ask him in prayer to raise up young men who are willing to serve in the pastoral ministry. Ask him for opportunities in your community where you can openly express your faith. Ask him for the personal courage and boldness to take the step and invite the one person on your mind to worship. Ask him to bless our offerings as we work together as a synod, where we join with other like-minded congregations to carry out mission work all around the world. Ask him to bless our efforts to reach the lost. Pray that you might be the one to share Jesus. Ask God to give you the “right” opportunity to speak. Ask God to give you the words to strike the heart. God has placed you and me in a mission field—with so many souls waiting to be gathered to the Savior’s side. And, by God’s grace, he chooses to use you and me to gather. Invite friends to learn about Jesus. You know these people. You know their interests, their backgrounds, their jobs, their family-life, their worship-life. You know what they believe and don’t believe. You are the answers to the prayer: “Send out workers.” Continue praying. After all, if Jesus is serious about making such a request, would we not want to make use of this encouragement daily? Jesus Sends You Out with an opportunity to freely give. No one really knows why it took so long for the news to reach those in captivity. Some think the messenger might have been murdered. Others wonder if the slave-owners knowingly withheld the information in order to continue receiving free labor. Still others suggest that federal troops withheld the news just long enough for plantation owners to finish harvesting (http://www.juneteenth.com/history.htm). Regardless of the reason for the delay, multitudes lived life under slavery even though they were truly free. The good news of freedom from hell has reached your ears, but that good news has not reached everyone. You freely received a message. This message is for your benefit—and for the benefit of others. And God graciously works through you and me to lead others to comforting freedom of his love. That’s why Jesus Sends You Out with the message you freely received and with an opportunity to freely give.
Sound familiar? We begin each worship service “In the name of the Father, Son, and (+) Holy Spirit.” After you confess your sins, the Pastor assures you: “You are forgiven in the name of the Father, Son, and (+) Holy Spirit.” You sing (in more than one hymn): “Holy [is Jesus]! Holy [is the Father]! Holy [is the Holy Spirit]!” Every single prayer may address God the Father, God the Son, or God the Holy Spirit, or all three at once! Even at the end of service God triply assures you that (1) he fills your life with blessings, (2) that he deals kindly with you, and (3) that you have peace with him.
Our entire worship service constantly reminds you of one central truth: you have a Triune God. That’s right: “Tri-une.” Two Latin words put together with “tri” meaning three and “une” meaning one. This one word [Triune] expresses the truth that your God is three individual, distinct persons, each with a different set of responsibilities, but at the same time, God remains one united God with one same set of responsibilities! Understand that? How can one individual being be, at the same time, three separate persons? That doesn’t make sense to our minds! That is alright. God does not reveal himself as Triune so that you can somehow figure it out. That’s not the purpose behind this truth. The purpose is to reveal and remind you how your Triune God blesses you. This makes the teaching of the “Trinity” something more than just a classroom exercise. I’m not preparing you to answer a jeopardy question. God reveals himself as Triune for the simple assurance: God Is with You! You are Joined through grace, Bound to him by love and United in fellowship. Did you notice how this Bible verse is laid out? Paul the missionary (who wrote 2 Corinthians) could very well have ended this letter with: “God be with you, good bye.” But he doesn’t, does he? Instead, Paul breaks apart how each person of the Triune God fills your life. He brings you to the very foundation of your faith. “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ[…] be with you.” So, how can you be sure God Is with You? How do you know God still cares for you even when your recovery from surgery is taking longer than you thought? How do you know God listens to your prayers for guidance when you have to make a major life decision? How do you know God is not livid-mad with you for failing him again? Well, God Is with You because you are Joined to him through grace. The word “grace” means: “undeserved love.” This kind of love is entirely dependent on your decision to do selflessly love and does not come as a reaction to how someone treats you. Imagine that your neighbor grabs his chainsaw, trots into your backyard, fires up the saw, and cuts down your favorite flower tree. Then he splits the wood in plain sight, hauls it over to his yard, and tosses it into his wood burner. You would be pretty upset, right? He walked onto property not his, cut something down he did not own, and then used your possessions for his personal benefit! He (1) trespassed, he (2) vandalized, and he (3) stole! He wronged you! His behavior does not deserve you observing his health. His character has not earned your friendship. You would probably never talk to him again, never help him again, never look at him again. His actions rightly earn your wrath! Yet, you demonstrate grace when you still love your neighbor, still treat him with full respect, and offer him all your help in spite of the fact that he did hurt you. “Grace” is “undeserved love.” “Grace” joins you to God. Our Old Testament reading says it pretty clearly: God creates an absolutely perfect world and sets Adam and Eve to fill it with children! (Genesis 1:1-2:4) God did not create the universe because you are a pretty good person or because you are so cute and cuddly. God chose to create all things. God chose to make the universe perfect. God chose to put people in the world. With one rebellious act life in paradise became a shattered dream. God gives a crystal clear command: “You shall not have no other gods” (Exodus 20:3). Yet, how often the heart scrounges for a reason of entering heaven: “I’m going to heaven because I’m in church and my neighbor is not!” Giving an offering can feel like you are losing your entire wealth: “Well, that money is for me to go to Michigan’s Adventure!… or buy the five-burner, infrared grill!… or upgrade my car!” That heart within the chest pounds: “Me! Me! Me!” No wonder guilt flares up when selfishness is unmasked! No wonder fear creeps in when recovery takes a little time! No wonder anxiety washes over when you wait for God’s answer! When comparing our thoughts, words, and actions to God’s high demand of love, we realize it falls far short of his standards! And if we would grow furious at a neighbor cutting down our tree, we know God could seize his Bible from life, ignore our prayers, and never ever look at us again. He could whip into heaven, slam the door shut, stop looking down, and just leave such rebels alone! Yet, he does not, does he? God deals with you in grace. “Grace” is “undeserved love.” And you experience the undeserved love of Jesus. Jesus chooses to endure the punishment selfishness deserves. His body is nailed to the cross. He suffers God’s wrath so that you will never endure God’s wrath in hell. God ignores Jesus so that you will not be forgotten from God’s mind forever. When Jesus cries out: “It is finished!” (John 19:30), he means just that. Guilt erased, forgiven, removed. Not: “It is finished on my end, now you need to behave.” Not: “It is finished, but you need to pay me back for my efforts. Grace means Jesus is not waiting for you to earn his love. Grace means Jesus loves you so much that he takes the steps necessary to erase your guilt. Jesus makes grace a part of your life. Because he chooses to save you, you are joined to God. Being joined to God means God Is with You! He is bound to you by love. That is why this verse continues: “And the love of God[…] be with you.” This “love” runs deeper than just emotional love (like joy or happiness). This “love” is more than just a friendship. When you hear God the Father “loves” you, it means he loves you in spite of your actions. He loves you because Jesus has made you pleasing in his sight. God Is with You! The Father is bound to you by love. Bound. Tied. Joined together. Do you always remember that? Our world seems to view God as some Supreme Being who lives out in the universe and sits idly by as the globe spins in front of him. We can easily think God only steps in for life’s so-called “big” problems. We can think God the Father is merely relegated to some helper role— that he pays attention only when things get really bad. “Oh, he has cancer; now I’m paying attention.” “Oh, she’s struggling with her friends, I’ll help.” “Oh, they are a couple hundred short this month. Ah, they’ll figure it out. It’s no big deal.” This is not true! If Jesus joins you to God, then God the Father is bound to you! The entire reason Jesus spends his life on earth is to bring peace to your life! That means God the Father treats you in the same way you treat your own children. He listens to you, just as you direct your attention to the child tugging your leg. He provides food and clothing and house and home just as you automatically provide these things for your children. He protects you, keeping your body and soul safe just as you protect your daughter in the car or at home or watch over her right now! The love of God the Father constantly remains in your life! He has not disappeared into heaven. He does live far away from anyone and everyone else. He is not unwilling and unable to help. Rather, he remains bound by love to help you. That means God Is with You! He unites you in fellowship. Literally. Our verse ends: “And the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you.” You have been baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). At first, that may sound a little odd. “In?” When we say “in” we mean that God put his name on you. He puts papers into your hand, stating that you are a member of his kingdom. The Holy Spirit brings this fellowship, this close relationship between God and you. God Is with You! And he will remain with you always (Matthew 28:20). God knows your frustrations when your recovery from surgery is taking longer than you thought. He knows your anxiety when you have to make a major life decision. God recognizes the fear that appears when guilt creeps up in your heart. So, God the Holy Spirit unites you in fellowship with God. This fellowship means you have access to God! No, not just a one-way access where God will someday choose to intervene in your life. It is a two-way access! You approach God in prayer and God answers. God speaks to you through the Bible and you trust in his ability to do the things has says he can do. God uses Jesus’ body and blood to strengthen your confidence that he (and not you) has fully removed your sin and that he (and not you) are the reason you’re entering heaven. You live confident that God Is with You! Our entire worship service constantly reminds you of one central truth: you have a Triune God. Your God is three individual, distinct persons, each with a different set of responsibilities, and yet, at the same time, God remains one united God with one same set of responsibilities! Understand that? How can one individual being be, at the same time, three separate persons? That doesn’t make sense to our minds! That is alright. God does not reveal himself as Triune so that you can somehow figure him out. That’s not the purpose. The purpose is to reveal and remind you that your Triune God blesses you now and always. God the Son deals with you in grace. You are a child of God—not because you feel it or because you earned it. You are his child because Jesus makes you his child. God the Father daily fills you with his undeserved love. God the Holy Spirit unites you through faith to God. So, rejoice! Be glad! Live comforted now and always because God Is with You! You are Joined through grace, Bound to him by love and United in fellowship.
down from heaven again. People will stop what they are doing, see him, and stand gathered before his judgment throne (Matthew 24:30-31; 25:31-46). So, this string represents the beginning of time and the end of time.
Now, let’s chart a few significant events [and we’ll track them by using these clothespins]. In the Apostle’s Creed you confess: (1) Jesus is conceived by the Holy Spirit and (2) is later born. We know after 33 years of life he (3) suffers, (4) dies, and (5) is buried. Three days later he (6) rises from the dead. Forty days after Easter he (7) rises into heaven to sit in power over all things. Now, how does time end? (8) Jesus will come to judge the living and the dead, right? [We’ll place this clothespin at the end of the string.] So, we have clothespins marking the order of Jesus’ life. However, we do not know where these events fall in relation to the end of the world. Are we days from Jesus’ final return? Are we years away?... centuries? … millennia? We don’t know, do we? (Matthew 24:36) There is something you do know, right? Look at this timeline again. What does Jesus have left to do? (Come again to judge). What is the last event he has [already] completed? (Entered heaven to rule all things for our good). So, you see this gap on this timeline between his ascension and his return. Here’s the question: Where and how do you fit in? With all the events of Jesus’ earthly life complete, it can feel like all you have left to do is sit around waiting to meet Jesus. That is not true. Life after Pentecost teaches you to: Prophesy in These Last Days! Why? God has poured out the Holy Spirit. How (do you prophesy)? The Holy Spirit equips you for service. In our reading, a prophet named Joel points to a specific time in world history. In verse 28 he says, “[A]fterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.” “One day,” God says, “the Holy Spirit will fill the hearts of people and they will prophesy.” Now, before Jesus is born, God selected certain people to be prophets. He gave them a message through a vision (Isaiah 6) or a dream (Daniel 7) or conversation (Exodus 3). The prophet would then share this message with an audience. Joel looks ahead to a time when God will send out more prophets, but these would not be your Old Testament prophets. He uses the word: “prophesy” in a broader definition, meaning: “to proclaim.” “There will come a time,” Joel says, “when believers will proclaim God’s message of love to the world.” It is the disciple Peter who tells us when that time is. Fifty days after Easter (which is where we get the word ‘Pentecost’) the disciples sit together in a room, when the Holy Spirit suddenly rushes in and settles on them, giving each disciple the ability to speak fluently in a real foreign language (Acts 2:1-11). Peter stands up before thousands and explains, “We are not drunk! This [miraculous ability to preach in different languages] was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people’” (Acts 2:16-17). So, we can label another clothespin “Pentecost” and put it after Jesus’ ascension; God pours out his Holy Spirit on people and they prophesy. Yet, this “proclaiming” does not stop on this one Pentecost day; it continues. God says: “I will pour out my Spirit on all people.” The verb [will pour] shows continual action. Joel sees the Holy Spirit poured out like a bucket of water on Pentecost and the water spreading throughout every generation. Hasn’t that happened? “Flesh” reminds us of who we are— mortals with skin that ages, bones that break, minds that weaken, and bodies that break down and die. That is because our “flesh” houses a sinful nature. The Bible clearly teaches: The sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so (Romans 8:7). That means, you do not have the power to invite God into your heart so that you have faith. It’s impossible because the sinful mind does not want God. It means you cannot win God’s forgiveness with a large offering. You can be the kindest, most helpful person on the face of the earth and still live separated from God because the sinful mind does not want to obey God. You are dead— a lifeless corpse lying at the feet of God (Ephesians 2:1). That is why God pours out his Holy Spirit. Why? To make you spiritually alive! (Ephesians 2:4-5) How? Well, how can [people] believe in the one of whom they have not heard? (Romans 10:14). You cannot hike through the woods, stare at a tree, and say: “I now believe in God!” A guilty conscience will never teach you: “Hey, you have a Savior. He cancels out guilt.” You cannot come to faith, let alone know who God is, unless you hear the Word of God (Romans 10:17). When God’s message hits your heart, the Holy Spirit teaches you the guilt of your sins. He unveils the cross where Jesus’ life left. That innocent, blameless, sin-free life was given for you. That innocent, blameless, sin-free life is wrapped around you. The Holy Spirit teaches you that you are saved by God’s undeserved love alone—and by no other works (Ephesians 2:8-9). You receive faith, that is, spiritual life, as you hear the message (Romans 10:17). That message is literally poured out on you in baptism. You hear the word: I baptize you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). Yet, those are not just plain, empty words. God attaches a powerful promise to them. God clearly says: Repent and be baptized… And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). You see, your life lived between Jesus’ ascension and his final return is not spent doing nothing. Joel’s prophecy trickles throughout generations. The Holy Spirit has made his home in your heart, creating faith and daily strengthening your grasp on the wonderful truth of a Savior from the consequences of sin (John 16:5-11). This is why you can Prophesy in These Last Days! God has poured out the Holy Spirit. You know the message; you believe the message. You can share this message. How? The Holy Spirit equips you for service. Have you ever stopped to think what brought you to sit here— not just sitting in a church building— but sitting here, listening to the words of a God you love and trust? For many of us, faith can be traced back to Pentecost. The disciples speak the saving message in known languages. People gathered there listen, take the word back to their country, who in turn share it with those in their lives, and they share it further and further. Somewhere along the way those words hit the hearts of your ancestors and they shared it with their family! For others, your parents did not tell you about Jesus, but someone else did. A spouse or a grandparent or a neighbor or a friend. This message that can be traced back to Jerusalem has, by God’s grace, crossed an ocean and hit your door. Joel knew this would happen. He says: Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. Your mom and dad, your Pastor and friends are these “sons” and “daughters” and “men” and “servants” who carried the message of God. They all lived in these days between Jesus’ ascension and his final return, just like you do today. So, how do you live life while waiting for Jesus? Well, you the words to speak. God says in the book of Hebrews (1:1-2), In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways… including visions, dreams, and direct conversation, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son— and those words are recorded in the Bible. And those words bring the spiritually dead to spiritual life. Many still search for peace with God, but they do not know where to look. Some wander through nature or sit in their fishing boats, hoping their time in nature is actually time spent with God— but they never know for sure. Others focus on their emotions, hoping their feelings will convince them of faith. If you feel good and happy, then you must believe. If you feel sad and guilty, then you might be going to hell. So, they scramble for this inner willpower to cling to God. Still others hope their charitable giving and respectable life will get them into heaven. Yet, they never know for sure if they are doing enough. How can they do enough? Scripture makes it clear that their decisions and actions will never be enough! (Romans 3:23) You can prophesy the words of life. You know Jesus enters this world to do what you and I cannot. He alone destroys the consequences we deserved for sin. He rises from the grave to tell us that we are forgiven freely. He tells us this forgiveness is a gift, a completed fact— not a feeling, not something we must earn—but a free gift put into your hands. You know this truth so well, but stop for a moment and consider why God shares this Word. Think of it this way: God has given you this message. He has not hidden it in a far away place. He has not wrapped it up in a mysterious, unknown language no one is capable of understanding. God has spoken in a known language—a language that can be translated into English—so that you (who know English) can read, hear, and believe it and have eternal life! If God sees it as that important to communicate his Word to you, then how important it is for us to remain in the Word ourselves (so we don’t forget it), teach our children of a Savior, and share Jesus with others. Because, as you can see on our timeline, you and I live somewhere between Jesus’ ascension and his final return. Are we days from Jesus’ final return? Are we years away?... centuries? … millennia? We don’t know, do we? (Matthew 24:36) There is something you do know, right? Look at this timeline again. What does Jesus have left to do? (Come again to judge). Every day you wake up it is another day for you to know Jesus better and it is another chance for a nonbeliever to come to faith. The Holy Spirit has been poured out—and yes, on all flesh! He is present wherever the Word of God is spoken. He is always present to strengthen faith and to create new faith. Peter the disciple tells you that Joel’s prophecy has started its fulfillment on the day of Pentecost. From the one city of Jerusalem, the Word of God has spread throughout the entire world. And Joel reminds you the Word will continue spreading. So, you have more to do than sit around waiting to meet Jesus. While time continues Prophesy in These Last Days! Why? God has poured out the Holy Spirit. How? The Holy Spirit equips you for service.
telling the truth? Well, you first need to look at the facts, right? Do you have a cat? Does the cat typically strut across the mantel? Is the cat in the room or outside or at a kennel? Did your [grand]child have some object he was tossing around? You find evidence, gather proof, and then form a conclusion.
Or, let’s think back to November. You had two presidential candidates trotting around a stage with microphones in hand. A moderator asked questions of each one. One candidate claims to have voted a certain way on healthcare legislation. Another candidate points back to a promise made on immigration. Both candidates dust off a statement on college tuition and claim to have always stood behind their statement. How do you know if what you are hearing is the truth? Well, you have fact-checkers. During every presidential debate, certain individuals scour every past voting record, every promise, and every statement and compare those proofs to the words given now. You gather evidence, examine the proof, and then form a conclusion. I find it safe to assume that people want the truth. No one wants a false report. You know that building your life on a lie can have long-term results. You may punish an innocent cat. You can vote for an elected official who will change the campaign promises you support. Having proof allows you to determine if what you hear is the truth. So, when it comes to your faith, how do you know if what you are hearing is the truth? How do you know if what I am telling you is truth (and not a lie)? How do you know if Jesus truly removed sin’s consequences free of charge (or if you must do something to earn forgiveness)? Since so many different teachers share so many different teachings on the same Bible, you are encouraged to Fact-Check Your Faith. Use Scripture for proof. Examine Scriptures for truth. Paul the missionary does just that. He travels along the northern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, pass[ing] through Amphipolis and Apollonia, [and] came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. There, Jews read the Old Testament Scriptures, hear a sermon, and offer up prayers. Yet, their attentions still fixated on a Christ to come. Yes, even though Jesus had already died on the cross, rose on Easter, and ascended into heaven, some did not (1) know these events happened and (2) others believed the man Jesus was not God’s promised “Christ.” So, for three Sabbath days [Paul] reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. How will those Jews know if Paul is telling them the truth? Well, do you see how he taught? [H]e reasoned with them from the Scriptures. Paul’s beliefs do not come from preconceived notions; he is not teaching his personal opinions. They ask questions and Paul points to the Old Testament prophecies to (1) explain what it means that the Messiah must die. In the Old Testament, the prophet Zechariah predicted: “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered” (13:7). Jeremiah the prophet set the price of Jesus’ betrayal at thirty pieces of silver (32:7; Matthew 27:9-10). Isaiah says: He [God’s appointed Son] was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed (53:5). King David knows the Christ would be forsaken by God, men would gamble for his clothing, the wicked would scowl at him (Psalm 22:1-18). These are clear prophecies. So, Paul takes them and (2) gives evidence that these events are fulfilled by Jesus. His disciples scatter when he is arrested (Matthew 26:31). Judas betrays Jesus for thirty pieces of silver (which the chief priests used to buy a field). Jesus suffers on a cross for our sins, being forsaken by God while men gamble for his clothing (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:24). Yet, not only does the Christ suffer, but he rises again. Paul opens to Psalm 16, where it promises: you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay (Psalm 16:10). This man Jesus not only dies, but so many witness that he lives! So, Paul could say with certainty: “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ. He Fact-Checks Faith by using Scripture for proof. But the Jews were jealous. They are not merely upset Paul’s preaching gains followers; they feel Paul tells lies. Doesn’t that sound odd? Paul points to the Bible, uses clear prophecies and connects them to clear, factual events of Jesus, and still many reject his words. Why? Because some Jews had already made up their minds of what they wanted in the Christ. They wanted a Christ who would chase the Romans out of their land, give the Jews free reign to rule their country, and feed them forever (John 6:14-15; Acts 1:6). And since Jesus appears to completely fail at this task, then (they conclude) he could not be the Christ. Yes, you might be shaking your head, wondering: “How could they ever believe that?” Well, when you divorce the Bible from your beliefs, then you will create anything to believe. The constant temptation in life is to form your beliefs first and then to use the Bible to defend those beliefs. The Bible teaches: “Husbands, love your wives as Christ selflessly loved the church” and “Wives, listen to your husbands as believers listen to Jesus” (Ephesians 5:25-27). Yet, how easy for husbands to change those clear words and say: “Well, I will only put the needs of my wife ahead of my own if she earns my love first.” Or for wives to say, “Well, my husband does not deserve me following his leadership.” The Bible is clear and yet the mind feels free to change its clear meaning. God calls you to live a holy life (1 Thessalonians 4:7)— to stand out from a world which cares so little for the Word. Yet, the mind quickly wonders: “Would God really be angry over my words, my lifestyle, my drinking?” The Bible is clear and yet the mind finds reasons to excuse behaviors. Jesus teaches, “If you hold to my teachings, you are really my disciples” (John 8:31). Still, the moment you realize a friend does not agree with Jesus’ teaching of baptism, how quickly you may want to remove Jesus’ teaching so that you do not anger your friend! The Bible gives a clear teaching and yet the mind feels it has enough authority to cancel out God’s Word! How tempting it is to change the clear meaning the Word of God to fit your beliefs! Yet, if you do that, then how do you know if what you believe is the truth? Basing your faith on your personal feelings of “right” and “wrong” really provides no truth. You have no certainty that what you believe is true. At best, you can only guess. You will never have certainty that you are on the right path to eternal life. Fact-Check Your Faith. Recognize the Bible exposes our heart’s rebellious condition. A part of us will always find fault with God. So, that is why it is necessary for the Christ to suffer and die. When Jesus lives in this world, he sees the words of Psalm 14 come to life: All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good not even one (Psalm 14:3). Yet, Jesus has done good; he alone is perfect. Never does he change the Word to gain popularity; never does he form his behavior first and then use the Word to defend it. Instead, God promised the Christ would die, Jesus goes ahead to be pierced and crushed for our rebellion. Yet, Christ had to rise… because your debt to God had been paid in full. No more debt means no more death. So Jesus can promise you a room in his Father’s mansion (John 14:2-3). The only Way into heaven is by trusting Jesus (and only Jesus) has removed your sins. You can be sure this is true because Scripture gives clear proof. Paul continued using Scripture for proof sharing with everyone (1) that the Christ had to suffer and die and (2) that Jesus is the Christ. This is his custom— even when arriving to a new city called Berea. He shares this marvelous truth in another synagogue. As these Christians listen, they examine Scriptures for truth. Instead of simply listening to Paul and assuming his words were automatically correct, they fact-checked his teachings with the Word of God. If Paul called Jesus “the Son of God,” then they read Psalm 2:7 where God calls Jesus my Son. If they wanted to know if Jesus had to suffer, they could turn to Isaiah 53 or Psalm 22. Psalm 16 reveals God’s promise to raise Jesus from the dead. They paid close attention to Paul’s teachings and compared them to the Bible clear teachings. They Fact-Checked Their Faith by examining Scriptures for truth. It never offends the preacher if the congregation wishes to fact-check his words. In fact, a Godly preacher delights in seeing a congregation place their allegiance to the Word over their allegiance to a denomination or a personality. When we start saying: “I believe because Pastor so-and-so said” or “This is the way we’ve always done it” or “It just feels right,” that is when you do well to return to the Word and learn again the reasons you believe the teachings you believe. The devil knows the more he keeps you out of the Word, the more you will create your own God to follow. Either you rely too much on what you think you know or you grow so lazy that you do not care what you do know. Fact-Check Your Faith by examining Scriptures for truth. This is what makes you “Lutheran.” Being “Lutheran” is more that applying a name to your denomination. It means you follow the approach to the Word of God that Martin Luther had. Luther pointed everyone back to the Word of God and demanded that life and teachings are founded on the Word. So when the Catholic church declared you could be forgiven by paying money or praying or traveling to holy places, Luther asked: “Where does the Bible teach this?” When friends taught the Lord’s Supper simply pretended Jesus’ body and blood were present, Luther declared: “But Jesus, in the Bible, says: ‘This is.’” When you are confronted by an unfamiliar teaching, scour through the Bible. When social issues flare up: same-sex marriage, divorce, how to raise children, how to help those in need— how tempting to stop and blurt out what you think. (What you think might be entirely wrong!) Instead, start with the Word. What has Jesus said? Do your beliefs line up with his teachings? Only then will you know the truth. This truth will place you on the path to Life. Fact-Check Your Faith by examining Scriptures for truth. No one wants a false report. Building your life on a lie can have long-term results. You could base your hope on something that will never come true. You may believe an event (or fact) that simply did not happen. Having proof allows you to determine if what you hear is the truth. So, when it comes to your faith, how do you know if what you are hearing is the truth? How do you know if what I am telling you is truth (and not a lie)? How do you know if Jesus truly removed sin’s consequences free of charge (or if you must do something to earn forgiveness)? Return to the Word and Fact-Check Your Faith. Use Scripture for proof. Examine Scriptures for truth.
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