“Hope for the Hopeless” 1 Thess. 4.13-18, Nov. ’23 Pent 24A

 

1.                Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. The message from God’s Word on this 24^th Sunday after Pentecost is taken from 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, it’s entitled, “Hope for the Hopeless,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.                Hope. The very term seems problematic in the world we live in. As hard as it is just to keep on keeping on, we seem to have lost touch with what keeps us going as Christians. Our world has learned to look to the future with dread, not knowing when disaster will strike next. No wonder, then, that Christians, too, get caught up in the merry-go-round of activities we call living, but in the end are nothing but the fretful, fitful empty search for meaning in a world that seems to have gone out of control. All too often, that search leads no farther than the shopping mall and entertainment venues. We have hope, but our hope is in all the wrong things. It’s just like St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Cor 15:19).

3.                Well, though we may forget it, though we may get caught up in the hopelessness of this world, we Christians do in fact hope in the right thing. We hope in Christ, and yet we are not to be pitied, because we have hoped in Christ not for this life only. The last Sundays in the Church Year focus the Church’s attention on the last things: the end of life, the end of the world, the end of the created order. But the Church’s contemplation is not gloomy, for these final things are but the start of new beginnings that’s why our focus is also hopeful as Christians because we are looking forward to: the ushering in of the new creation in all its fullness and the enjoyment of the eternal kingdom of God, who is the author and source of life everlasting.

4.                So, these Sundays bring renewed hope and encouragement to the battle-weary Church, tired and worn as she often is from the struggle against sin and unbelief on every side. The Church’s chief comfort in this struggle is the actual presence of her glorious Lord Jesus, once crucified, dead, and buried, but now risen and glorified in transcendent glory. Jesus comes to bring his Bride the Church release and strength as his Gospel is preached in her midst and his Sacraments administered for her forgiveness, life, and salvation. In today’s Gospel from Matthew 25, Jesus uses a wedding illustration to exemplify the urgency and joy of his coming. The Bride’s attendants do not know when he is coming, but there is no doubt that he will claim his Bride. Therefore, we wait in eager expectation, prepared at all times that we may enter with him to the wedding hall (Mt 25:10). And for this we pray: “Lord God, heavenly Father, send forth Your Son to lead home His bride, the Church, that with all the company of the redeemed we may finally enter into His eternal wedding feast.”

5.                On the other hand, the prophet Amos in our Old Testament Reading warns those who are unprepared for Christ’s coming, like the foolish virgins of the Gospel, that the Day of the Lord will not bring relief to the unbelieving. Those who seek escape apart from the Christian faith in Jesus will not find release, but God’s judgment and wrath. Proper preparation for the end of this world is to live always in the everlasting justice and righteousness that Christ has already come to bring (Amos 5:24).

6.                As Christians our hope is fixed on Christ for this life and the next. In our text from 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 St. Paul says, "13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words." Here the apostle seeks to clear up confusion over the fate of those Christians who have died before the day of Christ’s return. They are not lost to the kingdom of God, he assures them, but all faithful Christians, living and departed, make one fellowship and communion. A grand reunion awaits: when Christ returns, he will gather the elect from among the living and the dead to live forever with him in glory (1 Thess. 4:17).

7.                As Christians we have hope because God supplies our every need. Remember how Jesus said in Mt 6:31–33, "31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." But even more than supplying our physical needs, Jesus also supplies our spiritual needs as well for He died and rose again as victor over sin and death. Jesus awakens the dead to eternal life, and He gives eternal life to all the living faithful (1 Thess. 4:14, 16-17). So, we have hope in the face of death. The Bible tells us in Genesis chapter 2 that death is the consequence of sin (Gen 2:17). It robs us of the company of those we love. Death, therefore, brings sorrow and grief to all. Christians, too, grieve the death of those they love. But we have hope even as we grieve; our loss is only temporary (1 Thess. 4:13).

8.                And so, we have hope on the Day of Judgment. All who live in faith have already passed from death to life. Our Lord Jesus says in Jn 5:24, "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment but has passed from death to life.". Christ shall descend from heaven in power. He will raise up all the dead. Reunited with believers who have died, we shall be together with the Lord forever. We do not grieve as those who have no hope (1 Thess. 4:13, 16-17). The coming of the Lord Jesus brings hope to the hopeless.

9.                Therefore, we find comfort in life’s trials. We know the last chapter of this world’s history (1 Thess. 4:16). We know that present suffering will be outweighed by future glory. St Paul writes in Rom 8:18, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.". We have the promise of the Lord’s own presence in his Church. By his Gospel preached. By his Sacraments administered. We encourage one another by the Lord’s own living words (1 Thess. 4:18).

10.             We who are believers in Christ do not have to be afraid of death. Jesus explained why we need not fear death when he said to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die” (Jn 11:25–26). For those who trust in Jesus for forgiveness and life, death is but the door through which they enter into an even better life. By his death and triumphant resurrection, Jesus has made complete payment for all sins. 

11.             It’s interesting that St. Paul refers to death three times in our text from 1 Thess. 4 as a “sleep.” Paul writes about the “dead in Christ,” “We do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep. . . . God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him . . . We who are still alive . . . will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep” (1 Thess 4:13–15). It’s a pleasant experience to fall asleep, especially if we are tired after a day of hard work. Actually, the bad experience is to be unable to sleep, to toss and turn as we wait for morning to come. To sleep is pleasant, and to awaken from sleep refreshed and strengthened is one of the most pleasant experiences of all.

12.             When St. Paul refers to death as a sleep, he is saying in a very powerful way that you and I who believe in Jesus do not have to be afraid of death any more than we are afraid of falling asleep at the end of the day. That’s why our parents taught us at an early age to pray at bedtime: “Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep; and if I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take; and this I ask for Jesus’ sake.”

13.             We who believe in Jesus Christ do not grieve without hope and do not fear death, because our faith in Christ assures us of the gift of eternal life. Jesus himself said this in the best-known Bible verse of all when he declared, “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (Jn 3:16).

14.             Every child knows the strangely comforting experience of going somewhere with mom or dad—maybe to grandma and grandpa’s house—falling into exhausted sleep there on grandma’s couch, and then waking up the next morning at home in his or her own bed, safe and warm. Between the time of falling asleep and waking up, many miles and much time have intervened. The child was carried bodily to a car, transported long distances, dressed in pajamas, and tucked into his or her own bed, oblivious to any pending danger. So also at life’s end, the child of God can safely fall asleep in Jesus, confident of the resurrection to eternal life (1 Thess 4:13–14).

15.             Here’s what keeps us going as Christians—and not just to the mall, not just to the movies. Hope for real living, real life, this one and the next. Amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, until life everlasting. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

“The Good News We Need to Hear” Matt. 5.1-12 All Saints Nov. ’23

 

1.                Please pray with me. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock, and our Redeemer. Amen. The message from God’s Word as we observe All Saints’ Day is taken from Matthew 5:1-12, it’s entitled, “The Good News We Need to Hear,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.                All Saints’ Day can be, in a way, a confusing experience in the church. Some people wonder who the “saints” are. As Lutherans, we know that, in the most important sense, all people who are baptized and confess that Jesus is Lord are holy in God’s sight. All of us Christians are “saints.” Sometimes, there’s confusion about what it means to be “blessed.” Aren’t capable, successful people the ones who are really blessed? When we think, as we often do today, about beloved fellow Christians who have died, are they somehow more “blessed” than we are? If they are, why do we mourn, and why does the Bible teach us that death is a final enemy that Christ will only fully overcome on the Last Day when he returns in glory and reverses death (“I believe in the resurrection of the body”)?

3.                Our King, Jesus, offers us an amazing teaching today. To be sure, the Beatitudes, Mt 5:1–12, do not answer all of the questions that we might have about the saints and our eternity. But Jesus does have some very good news for us on All Saints’ Day, and for every day that we live as God’s saints, God’s holy people. It’s good news that many people will reject. But it is the Good News we need to hear from King Jesus. Certainly, on this All Saints’ Day, We Need to Hear This Good News from King Jesus.

4.                Never forget that you and I need to hear the Good News! Jesus has not come to be our helper or our life coach or our cheerleader. Jesus has come to be our King, to reign over the world and us, because we can’t and must not try to reign over ourselves or our world. Jesus’ first sermon that he preached was, “Repent for the kingdom, or the rule, the reign of God, is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17) In fact, that’s what got us into our fallen predicament of sin, death, and the devil’s hold over us, because we rejected God’s reign and rule over us when we sinned against God in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:1-24). Sin is understood as a transgression against God's will according to His 10 Commandments. It involves wanting to be the lord of one's own life rather than allowing God to rule as our Heavenly Father.

5.                In fact, we pray in the 3^rd Petition of the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” This perspective emphasizes the importance of surrendering one's own will to God's will and acknowledging God as the ultimate authority in one's life. It suggests that when people prioritize their own desires and ambitions over God's guidance and purpose, they are living in a state of sin or disobedience. Instead, the ideal is to submit to God's will, seek His guidance, and live in accordance with His teachings and commandments. This is what Martin Luther teaches us in the 3^rd Petition to the Lord’s Prayer, so writes Luther, “The good and gracious will of God is done even without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may be done among us also… God’s will is done when He breaks and hinders every evil plan and purpose of the devil, the world, and our sinful nature, which do not want us to hallow God’s name or let His kingdom come; and when He strengthens and keeps us firm in His Word and faith until we die. This is His good and gracious will.” Many of us are willing to call Jesus our Savior from sin, death, and the devil, but how many of us are willing to call Him our Lord or our King?

6.                When we try to be little kings, we become tyrants. When we try to be little kings, we really are acting as “puppets” in the hand of Satan, the prince of this fallen world. We need a king because we are unable. We need a king because we are not capable of governing our lives in ways that do anything but defy the living God and earn for us his judgment. We call Jesus many things, as the Bible rightly teaches us. But today, we will especially call him “King.”

7.                How does King Jesus want us to think of ourselves, in the most important ways, to prepare ourselves for his blessing? Poor in spirit—having no resources sufficient of ourselves. Mourning—because even now, our lives and the world are still so broken because of sin. Meek—that is, “powerless,” lowly. Longing for things to be right and unable to fulfill that longing—only God can do it!

8.                This Good News is not something that we naturally want. We want to be capable, to be powerful, to be in control. Jesus will have none of that. He says, “Repent! You need a king who can bring Good News that you need to hear.” And here is that Good News.

9.                Jesus’ Good News answers the needs of all his saints! You have nothing? Jesus knows it—and he will give you everything. He healed the sick. He cast out demons. He forgave sin. He took on the world’s evil, taking it into his own body to save you and me, dying on the cross. He rose from the dead to defeat the devil and take the ultimate sting of death away already even now. He will come again—and put all things right. Now he gives you every blessing. Then he will make everything right. Forgiveness. A new identity. The Holy Spirit to sustain you and keep you in the faith. A new king, King Jesus.

10.             You have no purpose? Jesus will give one to you! His mercy comes and fills you, and, even though it’s hard and we have to practice, you can turn and show mercy to others. Your heart is cleansed—and will be clean on the Last Day. Here, in the place where we listen to the Good News that we all need to hear, we can find peace and share it with one another. This is the original meaning of the “Passing of the Peace.” Jesus by his reconciling death on the cross has made peace between you and God. Now, you and I become willing for there to be peace between us.

11.             Even when opposition comes and Jesus and his ways are hated and rejected, still we are blessed because God’s gifts still belong to us. “Yours is the reign of heaven.” Yes, “the Kingdom ours remaineth!”

12.             You mourn the loss of dear fellow Christians, especially those who have been called home to heavenly rest this past year? On All Saints’ Day, remember that it is certainly right and holy and Christian to mourn in the face of death. But, our mourning, is filled with hope—because of the promise of Christ’s return and the resurrection of the body. The hymn we just sang, “For All the Saints,” expresses this so well. St 4: “Oh, blest communion, fellowship divine! We feebly struggle, they in glory shine; yet all are one in Thee, for all are Thine.” All saints! One Church! “Alleluia!”

13.             Here I want to encourage us all not to settle for anything but the fullness of God’s promises. We do, on All Saints’ Day, take comfort that the souls of our dear fellow Christians are resting with Christ—yes, indeed. But God’s final plan of salvation does not stop there. Christ will return and raise the dead! To forget this would be like hiking in the mountains and looking up—and you think that you can see the summit, the top of the mountain. But, once you get there you find that although you are in a beautiful place, it is not the majesty and glory of being at the TOP! So it is with our Christian, certain hope on All Saints’ Day. It’s not just that we look forward to resting with Christ, should we die before the Lord returns. As Paul says in Philippians, we press on toward the goal, toward the resurrection of the dead. St 7 of “For All the Saints” says it so very well. St 7: “But, lo, there breaks a yet more glorious day: The saints, triumphant, rise in bright array; The King of glory”—the King, Jesus—“passes on his way. Alleluia!”

14.             On All Saints’ Day, every day, for you and for all the saints, this is the Good News we need to hear from King Jesus. Amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, until life everlasting. Amen.

“Jesus Gives Real Freedom” John 8.31-36 Reformation Oct. ’23

 

1.                Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. The message from God’s Word as we observe the festival of the Reformation is taken from John 8:31-36, it’s entitled, “Jesus Gives Real Freedom,” dear brothers and sister in Christ.

2.                It’s a powerful message: Freedom! At the end of the movie Braveheart, the Scottish hero William Wallace, as he’s being executed by the English, cries out, “Freedom!” Of course, we have the American patriot Patrick Henry saying, “Give me liberty or give me death!” Does anyone know about the Four Freedoms that were talked about during World War II? Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from fear, and freedom from want.

3.                But, far greater than political freedom, is the freedom Christ gives. “For freedom Christ has set us free,” St. Paul writes in Gal 5:1. The message of the Scriptures uncovered by the Reformation is that by faith in Christ, before God we are free, saved by God’s grace alone, for the sake of Christ alone, through faith alone. And this is the true freedom. In Jesus, we are free from the guilt of our sin, free from the power of death to destroy us, and free to live for Jesus and for others.

4.                But how do we live in this freedom without letting it go to our head? Or without falling back into slavery? How will our faith in Christ’s promise be sustained? These are questions Jesus will address in today’s Gospel from John 8. Here Jesus lets us listen to his extended conversation with the Jewish leaders and people. As a result of Jesus’ Word, some believed in him. That’s good. Thank God. For in the Word of God, Jesus Gives Real Freedom.

5.                But now Jesus adds in John 8:31, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples.” Abide: It means remain, sit down in, rely on, live in my teaching. You see, the Word of God is what works faith in a person. “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Rom 10:17), Scripture says. But faith not only originates in the Word. The Word of God is also what keeps faith alive. Faith always comes from the outside in. So, for faith to stay alive (not just strong or growing, but to stay alive), we must abide in the Word of God and the Word of God abide in us.

6.                The longer a person who has been brought to faith in Jesus stays away from the Word, the weaker faith becomes. Eventually, if faith is not nourished again by the Word, it will die. The Word of God is the food of faith, the air faith breathes, and the fuel faith burns. Without the Word constantly nourishing and sustaining faith, our faith dies.

7.                There is no other way. “Man shall not live by bread alone,” Jesus said, “but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Mt 4:4). Scripture says in Is 55:10–11, “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” The Church of Christ is sustained and given life and freedom through the Word and through the Word alone. We know this. That’s why the Lutheran Church is the Church of the Bible. “Scripture alone!” is one of our Reformation watchwords.

8.                So, how many of you regularly read your Bible? I have to admit, not as much as I should either. Do you think the devil knows “the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword” as the Scripture says in Heb 4:12? Of course, he knows that! That’s why the devil works so hard to keep people from the Word. That’s why he tries so hard to keep pastors from doing their best to bring the Word. That’s why he works so hard to divide people from their pastors. Whatever it takes, the devil is constantly trying to get us away from the Word of God, because he knows that’s where the freedom is. Without the Word of God, we are still slaves of sin. “If you abide in my word,” Jesus said in John 8:31.

9.                Writing about this passage, Martin Luther says: The true disciples remain . . . [in] the Word of God, saying: “I am helpless. May God help me. It all rests in His hands. He promised and said: ‘Just cling to the Word, and I will uphold you. When you find yourself in any extremity or distress, you will learn to continue in God’s Word. This will liberate you and make you a true disciple.’ ” . . . Truth does not consist merely in hearing Christ . . . but also in believing in your heart and in experiencing with your heart that Christ wants to set you free. (LW 23:401)

10.             “You will know the truth,” Jesus said, “and the truth will set you free” John 8:32 says. But the Jews respond in John 8:33, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” Never enslaved to anyone? Right then and there, they were slaves to the Roman Empire. And that wasn’t the half of it. Because they didn’t see their need for the Word of God, they were slaves of sin, a slavery far worse. Before we look down on them, have you ever heard it said, “I don’t have to come to Bible class; I learned it all years ago in confirmation”? This is one of the devil’s favorite tricks: to convince us we really don’t need to know all that much of the Word of God. “I was born a Lutheran, confirmed a Lutheran, married in the Lutheran Church, and I’ll be buried a Lutheran,” someone once told a friend of mine. When asked, “Well, don’t you have to come to church once in a while?” he said, “Why?”

11.             People of God, when we think we learned all we need to know years ago and have no more need to study the Word, as though God has nothing more to teach us—we are actually despising the Word of God. When we hear a preacher and, like an audience at a movie, judge the sermon on how well it entertains us, instead of hungering and thirsting for a deeper understanding of the Word of God, we are despising that Word. Here Jesus exposes our real problem. “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever,” he says in John 8:34–35.

12.             “Everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.” That gets us all. No one is left out here. You’ve sinned? You’re a slave. Sin is your master. Can you free yourself? No. Have you ever known anyone who stopped sinning? Anyone who claims he’s stopped sinning is already full of the sin of pride and self-worship and, ironically, is still a slave to sin.

13.             That’s why Jesus invites us to confess our slavery to sin, so that his Word can bring his freedom. And with confession, Jesus also rouses in us a hunger for the Word. For in the Word, we come to know the truth, and knowing the truth in the Word is what sets us free. Jesus says in John 8:35–36, “The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” Free from sin, free from fear, free from death. Free from slavery! People of God, the Word was written down in the Scriptures, not to give us a list of dos and don’ts. The Scriptures are given to unfold for us the precious gifts God gives in Jesus, the Son of God in human flesh, crucified and raised from the dead for us. The Bible is all about Jesus and what the Father gives in him. It is his book, his words. His Spirit inspired it from the first words of Genesis to the last amen of Revelation. This book preaches into our hearts the truth that is Jesus, and it is this truth that kindles faith and keeps it alive.

14.             And the truth that is Jesus is the truth heard from a cross, the true Word of forgiveness and of freedom. Jesus speaks it on every page. He alone can speak it, for he alone has carried the sin of the world—even the sin of not listening to him and not wanting to hear what he has to say. He has carried it all. It’s all forgiven. To know that truth, then, is to be set free from slavery: freed from our callous disregard of the Word, freed to listen, to love, to treasure, and to keep the Word.

15.             “You have been born again,” Peter says, “not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for ‘All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.’ And this word is the good news that was preached to you” (1 Pet 1:23–25). That Word is the truth that sets you free! That Word lasts forever. That Word makes you last forever.

16.             Again, Luther has a vivid way of putting it: This doctrine proves its worth when death approaches, when the devil speaks to you and says: “You are forsaken by God, you are steeped in sin.” It is also invaluable when your conscience denounces you. At such a time it is not a doctrine composed of mere letters and words, but a living doctrine, one that does not tell you what to do and what to say, but how to live, how to defend and preserve your life against death, and how to escape the jaws of the devil. In such an hour, words and boasting are futile and vain. . . . This freedom is attained when I have faith in Christ and believe that He suffered and died for me. This is what liberates me from sin— . . . [nothing I do]; but it is solely Christ’s redemptive work. For no one else was born of Mary, died, was buried, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven than this one Man, Christ. Outside of Him there is no one in heaven or on earth, not even any angel, who could help us. Therefore we must cling solely to this Man and acknowledge Him alone as our Savior. (LW 23:411)

17.             This is why we have a special Reformation service. Not just to remember something that happened almost 500 years ago, but so that God’s Word can do what it does in our lives and hearts now. So that we are reformed by the Word. So that our churches are pulled back into the Word of God. So that we hear again the Son say to us today—Go in peace, you are free! Free to live in Christ and for others. Free from sin and the power of death to destroy us. Free from the condemnation of the Law. Free to live joyfully as a son or daughter of God. Free to live in the house forever.

18.             Freedom! In Christ it is the Word of life: “I have been crucified with Christ,” Paul says in Galatians. “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20). Abide in the Word of Jesus, my friends. Only his Word brings freedom and life. Christ has broken all the powers that enslave us. “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed,” John 8:36. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, until life everlasting. Amen.