St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church and School

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” —which means, “God with us.”

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

They’re here. Those words excite children. They were told their grandparents are coming for Christmas. The children ask,”When?” Thursday. What time? Supper time. At 4:30 the children hear a car pull up. Two car doors slam shut. One child runs to the window and shouts – they’re here. Oh the excitement. That’s the angel’s message to Joseph and to us. Joseph’s fiancée, Mary, would have a son. He’s here. The angel explains to Joseph and us, who that child is, how that child got here and what that child came to do.

Finally, He’s here. For 4,000 years or so the world had waited somewhat patiently for God to keep the first promise He ever made. After Adam and Eve disobeyed God, which meant they faced death and eternal separation from Him, God promised to send a Savior to rescue them from the curse of their sin, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your offspring and hers. He will crush your head and you will strike his heel.” A decade passed; a century; a millennia; four millennium. Finally, He’s here.

An angel made the announcement to Joseph that his fiancée, Mary, was gong to have a baby. That tells us that the child in Mary’s womb was special. Angels didn’t announce the birth of a child unless that child was special. It happened when Samson’s mother became pregnant. An angel told Zachariah that his barren wife would become pregnant and give birth to John the Baptist. The child in Mary’s womb was special too. We’re told who that child was, “They will call Him Immanuel – which means, “God with us”.

Yes, the baby in Mary’s womb was human. Just look at Jesus’ life. He referred to Himself as the Son of Man. He ate. He was tired. He was thirsty. He had human emotions. He had a human body and a soul. He was true man. But as the Bible tells us, He’s also God. The hymn writer referred to the baby Jesus this way, “Veiled in flesh the God-head see.” Jesus’ human body masked His divine nature. Just as ordinary wrapping paper masks a wonderful gift, the human body of Jesus covered His glorious divine nature.

But when you watch Jesus as an adult the fact that He is the very Son of God is so evident. God the Father said it, “This is my Son.” The angles proclaimed it at Jesus birth, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior which is Christ the Lord.” Peter confessed it, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Every miracle confirmed the truth that Jesus is God Himself. The fact that Jesus knew what people were thinking provides even more irrefutable proof that Jesus is God Himself.

That should get us to say with excitement – He’s here. The troops love it when their commander in chief comes to visit them. Fans go berserk when their favorite entertainer or athlete makes an appearance to sign autographs. Now realize who’s in Mary’s womb. It’s God. The Creator of this world has come to the earth. The heavenly King has come to the earth. That’s the real reason we get excited at Christmas. He’s here. Jesus is born. Jesus who is God’s Son who is God Himself has come to this earth.

He’s here, didn’t excite Joseph. His fiancée was pregnant. He wasn’t the father. Matthew tells us, “This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her privately.” Mary was pregnant. It wasn’t his child. He was upset. He was going to dump her.

But an angel appeared to Joseph to assure him that Mary had been faithful to him. He told Joseph, “Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” Mary had done nothing wrong. The fact that she was pregnant was a miracle. The child in her womb had been produced by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, shall we say, planted Jesus in her womb. It was hard for Joseph to believe. But Mary was pregnant with God’s Son, a pregnancy that was simply a miracle.

As hard as it was for Joseph to believe, it must have been just as tough for Mary. The angel Gabriel had appeared to her and said, “You will be with child and give birth to a son.” Mary was shocked. She asked the angel, “How can this be since I am a virgin.” I can’t be pregnant. I’m a virgin. The angels answer was the same that Joseph heard, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” Mary, you’ll become pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit. It’s a miracle Mary.

Isn’t that the way God promised to send His Son to this earth? Matthew wrote, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel, which means, “God with us.’” After 4,000 years God fulfilled His promise to Adam and Eve. The angels could make the announcement. He’s here. Immanuel, God with us, has come to the earth. He’s here, not by man’s plan, but by the will and power of God. It’s a miracle, but He’s here.

The fact that He’s here gives us a reason to be excited. Immanuel, God with us, God is here. The Creator of the heavens and the earth, the King who rules everything, as He said for the good of His people, is here. He came by means of a miracle. That means He has unlimited power which He’ll use as He sees fit to benefit His people. His coming was promised. That assures us that God will keep each and every promise that He’s made to bless us. To hear the angel say, “He’s here” should absolutely excite us.

But so often we aren’t excited. If He’s here why the accident, the illness, the poverty. If He has miraculous powers why didn’t the surgery, the chemo, the therapy work. If He promises to turn everything into a blessing, then why is my life, a family members’ life such a mess with no signs of improvement. We tend to forget that we’re sinners who live in a sinful world. As a result we face the consequences of sin. Instead we point that doubting, accusing, angry finger at God and blame Him for all our troubles in life.

And what’s that get us? A lifetime of guilt, worry, and fear. We know how God deals with sin and sinners. He made it clear in His Word. On the last day this is what Jesus will say to those who reject Him and live in sin, “Depart from me.” This isn’t a temporary separation until He can cool off. It’s an eternal separation. He goes on to say, “Depart from me, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” Our sins of doubt, of being angry with God, of blaming Him for our troubles in life, lead to eternal suffering in hell.

That’s why the words, “He’s here”, excite us. The angel explains why Jesus came, “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” That might not excite everyone. Sin isn’t seen as a problem. If it is, people figure we’ve been able to right other wrongs and solve other problems. We’ll handle it. No we won’t. We can’t. God said, “It does not depend on man’s desire or effort.” God said, “No one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the law.”

We can’t handle it. Sin is a burden that’s way too heavy for us to carry. So are the results of sin. We can’t break through the barrier of death. We can’t endure the torments of hell. We just don’t have what it takes to satisfy God’s just anger for all of our sins. But Jesus could. That’s why God sent Jesus to this earth. He could stand up under the cursed load of our sins. He could offer God what it took to satisfy His anger for our sins. He could endure the flames of hell. He could escape the prison of death. And He did.

It was His blood that purified us; His death that ransomed us; His resurrection that freed us; His suffering of hell that spared us. It’s like people who bury themselves in debt and have no where to turn. We were buried in the debt of our sin. We had no where to turn. But the angel said He’s here. Jesus has come to this earth to save the world from the curse of sin. And He did. From the cross He said, “It is finished.” He did. His Father allowed Him to rise from the dead assuring us that sins grip on us has been released.

But Jesus didn’t just come to save us from sin. He came to save us for eternal glory in heaven. What’s the message Jesus will share with those who are excited that He came to this earth, who confess Jesus as their Savior from sin, “Come you who are blessed take your inheritance the kingdom prepare for you since the creation of the world.” Jesus is here to erase our sins and to prepare a place for us in heaven.

He’s here - Jesus. God kept His promise. He sent His Son to this earth in a miraculous way. He sent Jesus to this earth on a miraculous mission to save us from the curse of our sins. Promises kept. Power displayed. A Savior from sin has come. That’s why we’re excited to hear the angels say – He’s here.

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²When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples ³to ask him, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?”

⁴Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: ⁵The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosyare cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. ⁶Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.”

⁷As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? ⁸If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces. ⁹Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ¹⁰This is the one about whom it is written: ”‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’

¹¹I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

What are your expectations for this Christmas? You might expect to spend time with family, take a few days off work, watch football. You might expect to sing Christmas hymns and attend the children’s services. You might expect a busy schedule and last minute preparations. We have a lot of expectations this time of year. But let’s remember our greatest expectation - Jesus. We expect to rejoice with the angels at Jesus’ birth. We can expect great things from this child! So with John the Baptist, we ask what can and can’t we expect of Jesus. We Want Accurate Expectations of Jesus from his work and from his Word.

There are a lot of false expectations out there. There are people who expect Jesus to be this cosmic servant who grants their every wish no matter what he has promised. They want him to calm every storm of life with the snap of his fingers. They expect give and take in this spiritual relationship – if I give to Jesus, then he should give some earthly wealth back to me. They expect Jesus to condone sinful lifestyles. There are a lot of false expectations of Jesus. So we want to know what we can expect.

John the Baptist was wondering much the same thing. He was in prison for preaching about the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world. Some of the reports about Jesus’ work didn’t seem to line up with the message John preached. So he sent his disciples to Jesus to ask him, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” It’s hard to believe those words came from John the Baptist. He doubted that this was the Messiah. He doubted his expectation.

But it isn’t that surprising when we remember what we heard last week. John said, “The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” John brought a message of repentance for forgiveness. But if people rejected that message, then they failed to receive forgiveness. Those people were cut off eternally. That was a message of judgment. Now John didn’t hear much about that judgment. Then on the flipside, it didn’t look like Jesus had done much up to this point to save people from their sins. Jesus wasn’t doing what John expected at that time.

Do you feel that way? Haven’t you wondered why Jesus doesn’t do some things you expect? Why doesn’t the Holy Spirit work faith in a certain person? Why does Jesus let evil people prosper? Why does Jesus allow people to die in poverty? If Jesus loves me, why doesn’t he give me a financial break? If Jesus says he’ll work everything for good, why did he take my loved one away in death? What I expect of Jesus and what he does can be two totally different things. What’s his problem!

Actually, he doesn’t have a problem. The problem is us. The problem is our selfish sinful nature. The problem is our false expectation of Jesus. He makes promises in his Word. But we twist those promises just the way we want. Then we can’t tell the difference between what we should and shouldn’t expect. For instance, God says he will bless us. We selfishly think that means God will give us what we want. Financial struggles pop up and other things go wrong. We forget God’s other blessings. We get upset. We see evil prosper and expect God to do something. We forget that judgment is in God’s hands, not ours. We can expect God to create faith, but when someone rejects him we blame him instead of that person. We can expect Jesus to keep our family together, but when a relative dies, we forget the bonds of our eternal heavenly family. It is selfishly sinful to hold Jesus to false expectations. Shame and judgment on us when we do!

Don’t let the absence of certain divine works blind you from the works in progress. That’s what Jesus told John, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.” Jesus quotes the prophecy from Isaiah to show that he was everything John could expect! Jesus knew perfectly when, where, and how to work in people’s lives. He knew when to preach good news, to heal, and to judge. If Jesus knew all that, he also knows what best to do for you.

He may not always do what you expect, but he has performed works far beyond your expectation. When you least expected or desired it, God created faith in your heart through the miraculous water and Word of baptism. Even though we don’t deserve it, he allows us to take his body and blood for the forgiveness of sins, strengthening of faith, and eternal salvation. When we get smothered in this season, we can still expect to celebrate Jesus’ birth, the moment when he became a man to save us. Then he performed the work of suffering and dying and rising again. Those are the greatest miracles he has performed for you. But you can expect even more. He keeps your heart pumping, your mouths chewing, and your heaters in your homes working. He guards and protects you from evil that would destroy your faith. When temptations come, he helps you resist and makes you stronger through your suffering. We don’t have time to list all God has done and will do! What more can you want or expect?

You can have accurate expectations of Jesus. You can trust in his promises and expect him to keep them. You can also have accurate expectations from his Word. Many people had expectations from John the Baptist’s message. Some of them doubted John’s message when he asked if Jesus was the Messiah. For those who doubted the message, Jesus asked three questions about his Word that apply to the pew sitters and pulpit preachers today.

The first question: What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? These people weren’t walking miles into the desert to see a reed blowing in the wind as much as you or I would walk into the hills to watch a pine branch. They wanted to hear a good message and no wishy-washy preacher who was blown around by every little opinion. They wanted to hear the truth. Even if it meant that they heard about judgment for the unrepentant. They knew they needed to hear it. Then when they confessed their sins, they heard about the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” A truthful law and gospel message. Is that the reason you sit here today? Do you want opinion or do you want truth?

The next question: What did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? John was certainly not in the preaching business for the fame or the money. He preached in the desert. He wore camel’s hair. He didn’t draw attention to himself. Therefore he didn’t bend to popular opinion or jump on the bandwagon of the rich and famous by saying what itching ears want to hear. Instead, he was in a palace prison for the things he said. John sought to preach the Word at all costs. He sought to preach the truth over personal triumph. What do you come to hear and why? What do your pastors preach and why? Is it to gain numbers? Is it to attract attention? If it is, then we have missed the purpose of God’s Word. We preach God’s Word out of love for him in obedience to his command. Then we let his Word work.

The final question: Then what did you go to see? A prophet? Yes – one who speaks God’s Word. With these questions Jesus wanted his hearers to check their motives for hearing the Word and expectations of that Word. He wants us to check our motives and expectations too. Why do you come to hear the gospel message? Why will you come to hear of a baby Savior in a manger? We may hear the message time and again without any expectations of what it does in our lives. Do you expect to only get a warm fuzzy feeling or emotional excitement when you hear the Word? Then you might sit through a whole service which was edifying and beneficial and powerful and truthful and faith-building, but you didn’t get anything out of it because you expected the wrong thing. That’s a disgrace to the Word of God. Maybe you don’t expect much at all because it has just becomes routine. Then you still miss this life-saving, life-changing message.

By God’s grace and power, open your heart and expect great things from the Word sung in hymns, heard in the readings, preached in the sermon, and read in your homes. Don’t expect a dazzling juggling act of words. Don’t expect the latest church craze or social trend. Don’t expect personal triumph or popular opinion. Expect solid spiritual food to digest and grow in faith. Expect the never-changing truth of God’s Word. Expect encouragement in those bad days, hope in a world that’s bringing us down, undeserved love when the guilt of our sins seems to rest on our shoulders instead of on the shoulders of our Savior Jesus. Expect to hear that you are God’s redeemed child and an heir of eternal life. That’s the message you receive every day. That’s what you’ll hear this Christmas too.

When it comes to the work and word of Jesus, we can have great and accurate expectations. But also remember that God expects great things from you. He expects you to live a life of thankful love for him and others. He expects you to trust in him to work everything for your good. He expects you to take any doubts to him in prayer. He expects that you will speak his truth and trust his message. Only by God’s grace can we fulfill Jesus’ expectations and have accurate expectations of Jesus.

We have a lot of expectations, especially at Christmastime. We may expect family time, presents, and football. But our expectations of Jesus and his fulfillment of those expectations are always number one. As we go forward and marvel at the works and the words of Jesus this Christmas, we pray for proper and accurate expectations! God will grant it and we can expect it! Amen.

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In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the desert, `Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'"

John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, `We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

It’s bad enough to miss out on things because you weren’t ready – an item sold out, the bank closed. But even worse is when you suffer loss because you were late. You don’t pay your bills on time and pay late fees. You don’t get your utilities paid on time and they get shut off. A car can be repossessed. It’s vital to be ready. That’s John the Baptists’ message. Be ready for Jesus’ coming. He tells us how to prepare for Jesus birth – repent. Let’s understand what that term means and understand the results of repenting.

John the Baptist was to prepare the world for Jesus. Isaiah wrote about John, “A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’” The angel told John’s father, that the son born to him and his wife was to “make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” That’s what John was doing in the desert of Judah. His message was simple, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Prepare for Jesus by repenting. If that’s how we prepare, let’s be sure that we know what that means.

We learn what it means to repent by looking at the word itself. To repent means to change. We change our attitude toward sin. It’s not a character flaw but an act of disobedience against God’s law. To repent means to be sorry for our sin and not remember them fondly. It means that we want to stop committing the sin and not plan to do it in the future. It means that we trust in Jesus to wipe away our sins and not in our own ability to cancel out sin by doing something good. The tense of the verb indicates a daily change.

We learn what it means to repent from the people’s reaction to John’s call to repent, “People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins,” The people didn’t hide, deny or excuse their sins. They didn’t confess their sins because they got caught or because John knew what they had done wrong. They were told this is how you prepare for Jesus to establish His kingdom, His rule in your heart, to be Lord of your life. Confess your sins. Admit what you’ve done wrong.

John added one more aspect to what true repentance is, “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” To produce fruit in keeping with repentance is like saying prove that you’ve changed your mind about sin. Prove that your confession isn’t just words. Prove it by no longer committing the sin. If you’re truly sorry that you’re committing the sin of living together before marriage – stop it. God said, “He who has been stealing must steal no longer.” John told tax collectors, “Don’t collect any more than you’re required to.”

To repent is more than words. It’s doing what’s right. If you’re truly sorry that you haven’t worshiped the Lord regularly as He commands, you don’t come one week and then stay away for the next month. True repentance means that you do what’s right. We’ll act like the cheating tax collector, who proved his repentance by repaying those he cheated. John told people who asked what they should do to produce fruit in keeping with repentance, “The one who has two tunics should share with him who has none.”

One of our hymns asks the question, “Oh Lord, how shall I meet you, how welcome you aright.” It’s not the way the world sees it. Preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus isn’t about decorations and cleaning; cookies and gifts. As John, the one God sent to tell people how to prepare for Jesus tells us - repent. Change your attitude toward sin – despise it. Change your action – stop sinning. By doing that with God’s help we’re preparing for Jesus to enter our hearts, to set up His rule, to be the Lord and Savior of my life.

Repenting in preparation for Jesus’ birth makes sense when we understand the results of repenting. But if we’re tempted to say I don’t have time to fit repenting into my busy pre-Christmas schedule, I’m ashamed to confess, if sin is too much fun, if we figure we’ll change in the New Year, understand the negative implications if we don’t repent as we prepare for Jesus. Listen to what John said, “The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

John said that to the Pharisees and Sadducees who came to hear him. He knew what they thought, “Do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.” You understand don’t you? These men didn’t feel a need to repent. Abraham, the Father of believers, the one God called friend was their ancestor. If God accepted Abraham, He’d accept them. But John reminded them who you are won’t save you. He warned them of their nasty future if they didn’t repent. They’d be cut down and tossed into hell.

That’s the future we face if we don’t properly prepare for Jesus’ birth as John directs, by repenting. If we let sin pile up in our life, if we purposely pile it up in our life, what message are we sending to Jesus who hates sin and when sin separates us from God. Aren’t we telling Him to stay away. Aren’t we telling Him that there’s no vacancy in our heart right now because every crack and crevice of our heart is filled with sin. Then what? What did John tell those who didn’t repent. You’ll be cut down and tossed into hell.

But we’ll say I just have to do a little more to be prepared, some baking, decorating, and buying. I’ll be done in time to prepare properly – repenting of my sins. But when will Jesus come the second time to as we heard last week take some to heaven and leave others for hell. He’ll come when we least expect Him. We could die before we begin to prepare properly. If we’re not prepared we’ll be cut down and tossed into hell. Do you suppose the gift buying, house decorating and cook baking can wait if that’s what’s at stake?

Understand what does result when we prepare for Jesus’ birth as John instructs, repent. Matthew tells us what happened when people prepared properly for Jesus, “People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.” When people repented, when they confessed their sins, John baptized them in the Jordan River.

Stop to consider the blessings of baptism. God tells us, “Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away.” In baptism God gives the gift of forgiveness. He tosses our sins away, never to be seen again. The water of baptism pictures what Jesus’ blood actually accomplished, “The blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin.’ The gift God gives to those who are baptized - forgiveness. The gift of forgiveness that Jesus earned for the world on the cross becomes mine; becomes yours, will belong to anyone who is baptized.

That doesn’t mean we have to be baptized every time we confess our sins. The point is that when we repent, confess our sins, God will forgive. That’s His promise, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.” That’s what He did for David after He repented of his adultery and murder. The prophet told him, “The Lord has taken away your sin.” With sin, which keeps Jesus from us, gone, Jesus can come into our heart. When we repent we’re asking Jesus to tear down the barrier of sin in my life.

How important is that type of preparation? If we don’t decorate the house; if the all the fixings aren’t included in the meal, if the gifts aren’t the best, family will still come to celebrate Christmas with us. But if we don’t repent? Jesus won’t be there. Realize what sin does. Peter realized. He told Jesus, “Go away from me Lord; for I am a sinful man.” Sin – from the muffled curse, to the lustful thought, to the lie we tell to keep from getting caught - keeps Jesus from celebrating Christmas with us.

So God sent John to tell us how we are to prepare for Jesus. It’s relatively simple. It takes no time. It costs no money. It won’t stress us out or wear us out. It won’t all come to an end the day or week after we celebrate Jesus’ birth. Repent. When we do that Jesus will come to us. He’ll use His holy precious blood, shed on the old rugged cross, to wash away all our sins. With our heart and life cleaned up of the grim of sin, Jesus will take up residence in our hearts, rule our lives, and guide us to the eternal joys of heaven.

We’ve kicked ourselves for not paying attention to deadlines. As a result we’ve ended up throwing money away paying late fees. Learn from the temporary pain of that lesson and be ready to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Repent. Confess your sins – all of them with shame and sadness. Produce fruit in keeping with your genuine sorrow. Stop the sin. Do what’s right. When we prepare as God has John direct us, we’ll be ready for Jesus to come with the greatest gift – His forgiving and saving presence in our lives.

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“As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

It’s probably happened to all of us. We got a late start and the sale item we really wanted to buy was sold out. It was essential that we get to the bank, but dawdled at home and got to the bank just after it closed. A pro golfer one time overslept and missed his tee time in a tournament which meant he was disqualified. It’s important to be ready and to be prepared so that we don’t miss out on things that are important to us.

This morning we enter the season of the church year called Advent. In the Advent season we prepare to celebrate the coming of Jesus. Usually the portion of the Bible we study points us to Jesus’ first coming, His birth. But today the portion of God’s Word that we’re looking at reminds us to be ready for Jesus’ second coming, on judgment day. On that day, as Jesus said, some will be left while others will be taken. Jesus will come to make that eternal separation. So it’s important that we be ready when He does come.

Taken or left. Jesus is going to come on judgment day to make the determination. Jesus stated that He was going to come a second time, ‘Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.” and “So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.” Jesus also tells us why He’s coming, “Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.”

Some think Jesus’ words refer to what’s called the rapture; that Jesus will rapture or snatch believers from the earth and leave the unbelievers here to endure seven years of tribulation. But where’s the reference to a tribulation or seven years in these verses? To say this refers to a rapture is saying what God doesn’t say. But Jesus is simply saying that he’s coming to judge all people and place them into two classes or groups. Luke tells us, “God has set a day when He will judge the world by the man He has appointed.”

Jesus will come on the last day to judge all people and place them into one of two classes. One class of people He’ll judge worthy of being taken to heaven. Recall that description of heaven that we heard two weeks ago. Heaven is a perfect paradise. It has none of the imperfections of this earth that annoy us or threaten us. It’s a place where there’s no crying because there’s no pain. It’s a place where there’s no devil or sinful nature, so no sin. As a result we’ll be an eternal delight to God, only experiencing His love.

The other class of people Jesus will judge as worthy of being left. Not left as in, I don’t have room to take you right now, hang on, I’ll be right back. Left means abandoned. They’ll be separated from His love, His blessing and His protection. The Bible describes what it’s like to be left with phrases such as a place of “weeping and gnashing of teeth”; “tormented night and day”; “their fire will not be quenched and their worm will not die”; and as a lake of burning sulfur. Being left means you’re judged to suffer forever in hell.

The basis for Jesus’ judgment? Why will some be taken to heaven and others abandoned to hell? One hears it. The world pushes it. Churches even teach it. You’re judged based on how good you are. Heaven is gained if you’re judge good enough by Jesus. That’s just not true. That’s one of the greatest lies, myths, false ideas that the devil has ever perpetrated. Our good can never be good enough. Besides, God doesn’t demand that we be good. He said, “Be perfect therefore as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

The sad truth. None of us is perfect. We lament with Isaiah, “All our righteous acts are like filthy rags.” We sulk with Paul, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We agree with what God says through Paul, ‘No one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the law. Rather through the law we become conscience of sin.” We can’t be good enough. We’re sinners, not just once but repeatedly, not just accidently but many times purposely. We all deserve to be left behind, to suffer the torments of hell.

But Jesus was good enough. That’s why He came the first time. He came to be born under law, to have God’s law apply to Him, so He could keep it perfectly. The devil and His enemies tried to derail Jesus’ plans. They tempted Him, but never successfully. Jesus was “tempted in every way just as we are, yet was without sin.” But instead of hording that perfection Jesus gave it away. Isaiah tells us what God does for those who believe in Jesus, “He’s arrayed me in a robe of righteousness.” God gives Jesus’ perfection to anyone who believes in Him, coving up all their imperfections, making them perfect in God’s sight

God also said, “A man is justified by faith.” When the Spirit opens our eyes to what Jesus did for us on the cross; giving His life as a ransom for us, using His blood to purify us from sin, suffering hell in our place, He creates faith in our hearts. He leads us to trust that Jesus is our Savior. When faith is created in our hearts, God gives us the gift of forgiveness. He tosses our sins away. They’re gone. They can’t keep us out of heaven. We won’t be left behind. Because of our faith in what Jesus did, His perfect life and innocent death, when He comes that second time He’ll judge us worthy of being taken to live in heaven.

Knowing that when Jesus comes that second time some will be taken to heaven and others left to suffer hell, it’s so important that we always be ready for His second coming. Since we don’t know when Jesus will come it’s essential that we’re always ready. Twice Jesus said that we don’t know when He’ll come to make that final judgment, ‘Keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.” and “You also must be ready because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you least expect Him.’

You’ve experienced those “on no” moments, right? We over slept – oh no, we’re going to be late. We got involved and lost track of time – oh no, how can we get ready in time. We forgot a homework assignment – on no a pink slip. If we aren’t ready when Jesus comes (and remember we don’t have a clue as to when He’s coming) that “oh no’ won’t be I gotta hustle. It’ll be “Oh no, It’s too late. I’m not ready for Jesus. He can’t take me to heaven. He’s going to leave me behind to suffer hell”. How important it is to be ready.

Jesus made that same point when He compared the timing of His second coming with the flood, “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marring and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away.” God warned the people about the impending flood. He gave them a 120 year warning before the flood hit. They saw Noah building the ark as a constant reminder that the flood was coming and they needed to be ready.

But Jesus said they knew nothing. Obviously that doesn’t mean they had no clue. It just means that they blew it off. They didn’t pay attention to the time as it slipped by, didn’t take God seriously. They ignored His loving warning. As a result they lived like they would normally live – eating drinking, getting married, working, playing. And then without an immediate warning, the flood came and they were swept away.

So that doesn’t happen to us spiritually and eternally Jesus warns us, “But understand this: if the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.” Makes sense. If a thief calls and says this is the week – you’d be ready at all times to protect your home against an invasion. Since we don’t know when a thief will come we try to always be prepared. We look our doors, set the alarm. We do all we can to be ready at all times to protect against a robber.

So Jesus tells us, “You must be ready.” Be ready because Jesus is coming at any time to make that final, permanent separation: taken or left. But are we ready? The devil must love this political upheaval, the economic crisis, the problems at the border. Where’s our focus? Are our eyes on Washington or the heavenly Jerusalem? Are we fixated on our finances or the gift of our forgiveness? Is our attention on the US-Mexican boarder or looking to our Savior from heaven? How ready are we? As Jesus said He could come at any time, when you least expect it. Some 1,950 year ago God said, “The Lord’s coming is near.”

Realize what’s at stake when Jesus comes again – taken or left; heaven or hell. Jesus’ encouragement, be ready. Keep your eyes focused on the cross so you can rejoice in the gift of your forgiveness. Let your feet take you to God’s house weekly. Open your ears to His Word so that your faith in Jesus continues to grow. Make every effort, do everything necessary to guard your faith in Jesus, to grow your faith in Jesus, so that when He comes on that last day you aren’t left, but are taken to the joys of eternal life in heaven.

We’ve lost out on some wonderful blessings in life because we simply weren’t ready. Jesus doesn’t want us to loose out o the greatest blessing of all – living with Him in heaven. So He reminds us to be ready when He comes on that last day. Be ready so that He can take us to live with Him forever in heaven.

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⁸“Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down to you. ⁹You are a lion’s cub, O Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness—who dares to rouse him? ¹⁰The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his. ¹¹He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes. ¹²His eyes will be darker than wine, his teeth whiter than milk.

Many interesting words have been spoken from a death bed. Here are a few famous last words. “I’m bored with it all” – Winston Churchill. “I’ve never felt better” – Actor Douglas Fairbanks. “Friends applaud, the comedy is finished” – Beethoven. “I die hard, but am not afraid to go” – George Washington. Today we hear some last words. Maybe not that famous to us, but they are very important. Jacob is on his deathbed. He is blessing his sons. He gives Judah a blessing that would stretch far beyond himself. Jacob describes the rule of your King of Kings. The rule of your King will never end. The rule of your King will create obedience.

Jacob begins the blessing, “Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down to you.” Judah proved to be the leader among his brothers. The tribe of Judah took the lead through the desert and into the Promised Land. Judah would defeat many enemies. This power would pass through the generations to the kingdoms of David and Solomon.

But the blessing went farther. Eventually, evil kings would reign in Judah and the throne would topple. Yet, the blessing speaks of a rule that would never end. The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet until he comes to whom it belongs. The scepter was a jeweled staff the king held when he made decrees. When he sat on his throne, the staff rested between his feet. Judah’s scepter would last until “he comes to whom it belongs.” So who would never lose this rule? Who would earn this authority? The eternal scepter belongs to King Jesus.

What does that mean for us? It means he fought for us. He won the victory over the enemies for us. We were outnumbered, overpowered, and overcome by our enemies. Just like Judah had his hand on the neck of his enemies, so the devil had his hand on our neck. By nature we were just little pawns in the devil’s powerful grip. He could lead us into many great and shameful sins. Not only that, but our own sinful nature had a death grip on us dragging us into sins. We thought we controlled the world at the tip of our finger, but actually the world had its grip on us pulling us into sinful pleasures and vices. We could try to fight the enemies, but they wouldn’t let go. We could try to ignore them, but they surround us and keep attacking. Eternal defeat and destruction was certain.

But the battle was not ours to win. The scepter did not belong to us. It belonged to King Jesus. It may have looked like the enemies had him around the neck. He was born in a feeding trough. He was rejected by religious leaders. People spit on him, beat him, and bloodied him. They dressed him in a purple robe, gave him a stick, and mocked him. It sure didn’t seem like he was a victorious King. Then it got worse. He hung on that tool of torture and cried out to his own Father who left him. Just to add insult to injury it was the sin of his subjects that put him there and killed him. When you see his limp body flopping down from that cross, it sure doesn’t look like victory. Usually when a King dies, the scepter is taken away and given to someone else.

But Jesus earned that scepter. While he was alive, the devil never dragged him into sin. While he suffered and died, he carried our sins. When he died, he had battled the wrath of hell. And when he rose victorious, he held the devil by the neck in one hand and the ruler’s staff of victory in the other. Against all enemies, he carried out his plan to save. Against all odds, he paid the price for sin and took away the sting of death. Jesus reconciled the world to himself, not counting men’s sins against them.

You know what that means? He is your victorious King. His rule never ends. He has authority over your enemies. You are not a pawn in the palm of the devil or this world or your sinful flesh. With the authority of Jesus, you can grab them by the neck and cast them aside. You follow Jesus. You have nothing to fear. You are safe and secure. You follow Jesus. Your strength is renewed. You follow Jesus. You have heaven waiting for you. You follow Jesus. You will receive the crown of righteousness like the scenes in a movie. The battle is won. All the loyal subjects are gathered around the throne. The King gives honor to those who won the victory. The honor is ours because Jesus won our victory.

His kingdom will never end. Jacob’s blessing gives a little glimpse of its glory. He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes. Normally they wouldn’t tie their donkeys to a vine because it could break. But they would have so much, they wouldn’t worry about that. They would be so satisfied that they could even wash their clothes in wine. Under the eternal rule of Jesus, we will lack nothing. We won’t make Christmas wish lists. We won’t long for restful vacations. We won’t have to go shopping every week. We won’t long to feel better every day. We will be satisfied at the spiritual feast of peace and joy and rest. That’s the never-ending rule we look forward to.

But as we look forward to that great Kingdom, we must not forget that he rules right now as well. Jesus rules in our hearts. He rules over all the earth. This rule of your king will create obedience. Jacob spoke to Judah about this obedience. The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his. This can’t only be speaking about Judah. Nations would bow down in obedience to Judah and then David and Solomon after him. But that didn’t last forever.

The rule of Jesus would create lasting obedience. Can you think of a time when everyone will bow down before him in obedience? Philippians clues us in: God exalted him to the highest place that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. When Jesus comes to judge, everyone will bow in obedience to him. Some will bow with regret because they did not believe in him. Others will rejoice because they believed. But everyone will obey his eternal decree.

So how will you stand before him? That depends on how you stand with him now. Do we obey him now? He says worship me with all your heart, soul, and mind. Do we? He says love your neighbor as yourself without hurting or harming them. Do we? He hands out his written laws and puts his commands in our hearts saying, “Keep them.” Do we? Do we give him obedience as king? We don’t. Then the king can say on that fateful day depart from me you who are cursed into the eternal fire.

But is that the primary purpose of his rule – to hand out tickets to hell? No. His rule creates obedience now to prepare us for that day. Not obedience to laws, but the obedience of faith. The obedience of faith means knowing who Jesus is, accepting what he has done, and trusting his promises. That happens when the Spirit creates faith in the heart. Then what you know and trust lines up with what he says and stands for. That’s obedience.

This obedience of faith works its way into our daily lives. Just try to count all the miracles of your King in your life. Just try to remember the times your King has worked trouble for your good. Just try to comprehend the peace of forgiveness and joy of your salvation. It’s amazing. When you think about it, heartfelt obedience follows. Luther said, “All this he did that I should be his own and live under him in his kingdom and serve him in everlasting righteousness, innocence and blessedness.” That’s why Jesus won the victory for you. So you can live under him. Why would we want to jump ship and live under anyone or anything else? That would be like moving from wonderful Rapid City into the middle of a terrorist camp in Afghanistan. No way! We are in his kingdom. That means we can calm down and let him handle everything we can’t. It also means we have the opportunity to serve and obey him on a minute-to-minute basis.

That kind of obedience affects more people than just you. Your obedience of faith is a billboard for God’s blessings and your mouth is a constant commercial for his loving care. Others see and hear. Even through servants of the king, the obedience of the nations will belong to King Jesus. The gospel goes out all over the world. Jesus wins little victories in stone cold hearts every day through the gospel. What an honor to extend his kingdom until he comes again!

These are some pretty impressive death bed blessings from the mouth of Jacob. He tells us that the rule of our King never ends and the rule of our King creates obedience. So we can rejoice with John in his Revelation, “The Lion of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed.” He won our victory. He rules forever. We obey him now. We will serve him forever. So we pray come King Jesus. Come into our hearts now. Come soon and take us to your heavenly kingdom. Amen.

“Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.

“Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; he who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere youth; he who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed. They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the works of their hands. They will not toil in vain or bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the LORD, they and their descendants with them. Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent's food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,” says the LORD.

Our three readings this morning have the same message – comfort. That’s what God offered John in his revelation (Rev. 22:1-5.) John had been banished to the island of Patmos. What a comfort for him to receive the vision of heaven and realize that’ll be my eternal home. Think about the comfort Jesus offered His hearers in the Gospel reading (Luke 20:27-38.) They were living under the harsh rule of the Romans. But Jesus reminded them of a far better kingdom that awaited them – heaven. There God would be their eternal king and they’d never die.

And then our reading from Isaiah. What a comforting message for a nation that was in decline, a nation that would soon be conquered by the Babylonians, yanked out of their homes and hauled off to live in a foreign nation. The future for the nation of Judah was horrific. But God offered them comfort. That comfort came in the picture God gave them of heaven and the promises He made to them until they got there.

God comforted a nation that was facing destruction with a picture of heaven, “Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.” There are a couple of things in this description of heaven that provide comfort.

The first is the fact that God will create a new earth, which in reality is heaven, where the former things won’t be remembered, that will be a delight to those who live there. That reminds me of the show Home Makeover. A dilapidated home with a sagging roof, cracked walls, leaky sinks, drafty windows, and exposed wires is torn down. A new home is built in its place. The joy of the family when they see that new home is genuine. They jump for joy. Tears run down their face. They’re delighted with their new home,

That’s what God offers to comfort us – the promise of heaven. Heaven will be a home that will delight us. It’ll erase from our memories the imperfections of the world in which we live right now. Don’t get me wrong. The Lord’s provided a beautiful home for us on this earth. But the new earth - heaven? It won’t have weeds or pesky insects. There won’t be any pine beetles to destroy forests or voles to destroy yards. Sirens won’t go off warning us of the possibility of a tornado or flood. We won’t suffer through draughts or bitter blizzards. None of that will exist in heaven. All of it will be erased from our memory.

Heaven gives more comfort, “The sound of weeping will be in heard in it no more.” Why do we cry. Do you recall holding back the tears when a dear one was diagnosed with a serious illness or being unable to control the tears when a loved one died. Did your eyes moisten on 9-11 or fill with tears when a family member was sent to a combat zone. Did you cry when your child with tears streaming down their face told about how they’re teased or did you experience that yourself. Many times we cry because we hurt so bad.

But notice a comforting fact about heaven, “The sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.” That’s what God had John write in the Revelation, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more morning or death or crying or pain.” Isn’t that what we understand about heaven when the psalmist wrote, “You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” There will be no pain in heaven – physical or mental. As a result, we won’t hurt. We won’t cry.

God reminds us of one final aspect of the comfort heaven offers, “I will take delight in my people.” Parents delight in their children. It may not always seem like it to the child. Delight in me – then why the chores, the anger, the discipline. The child knows – I messed up, disobeyed my parents. Parents still love, but the child might not realize it. That’s the way it is with our heavenly Father. We mess up left and right. We blatantly refuse to obey Him. We selfishly refuse to serve Him. God still loves us. But we fail to see it due to our pounding conscience, God’s just anger, and the harsh consequences we endure for our sins.

But He does delight in us. He tells us that, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” He proved it to us, “God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners Christ died for us.” It may be hard to see and realize at times. But never doubt God’s love. Look at that cross. Realize what God did for you there. He erased your sins that should’ve permanently imprisoned you in hell. With His resurrection from the dead Jesus provided a release from the grip of death. And His promise to you is simply believe. Believe in Jesus and follow Him through death, as He leads you away from hell and takes you to heaven.

In heaven, we’ll know perfectly and eternally that God delights in me. The devil can’t enter heaven. So we won’t be tempted to sin. Our sinful nature won’t accompany us into that eternal paradise. So we’ll have no desire to sin. As a result we won’t arouse God’s anger. There’ll be no guilt that blinds us to God’s love. There’ll be no consequences that get us to wonder if God delights in me. In heaven we stand before God holy and righteous. We’ll know without a doubt and experience for all eternity that God does delight in me.

With that picture of heaven God offers us comfort as we face trials of every kind throughout our life.

But it’s hard to see the comfort of heaven. It’s in the future, not tangible right now. The problems of life are in our face every day. So God provides us with additional comfort, His promises, “Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; he who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere youth.” The fact that God speaks of death tells us this is no longer a picture heaven. It’s a promise God gives to us as we live on earth, a promise that is meant to comfort us.

The comfort isn’t that infants will never die or that everyone will live a long life. Due to sin, death takes people at any age, eight, eighteen, or eighty. The comfort is that God has our years and days planned out for us before we’re even born. He knows how long we’ll live and He’ll see to it that no one and nothing altars His plan. We’ll reach the age He’s predetermined for us. No one will die before their time. The comfort is that our times are in His hands. Death will only come when God allows it to come. And when it does come it serves a good purpose. God said, “The righteous are taken away to be spared evil.”

Another promise that offers comfort until we reach heaven, “No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. They will not toil in vain or bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the Lord, they and their descendants after them.” Can you imagine what that meant for the Israelites that were facing war, destruction and deportation. In time they’d be liberated from their captivity. God’s promise – you and not an invading army will live in the homes you build. You and not an invading army will eat your food you plant. God is saying I will bless you and I will protect you.

God sums up His comfort to His people with this promise, “The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain.” The wolf and the lamb co-existing is a sign of peace. The lion not hunting animals is a sign of peace. The serpent relegated to eating dust is a sign of the devil, God’s enemies, our enemies being conquered by God. God’s promise in these verses – He will care for His people. He will bless His people. As a result no matter how chaotic and evil this world is, we can live in peace. God is in control.

As morals crumble, the economy collapses, natural disasters seem more commonplace and Christians are terror targets, we may wonder if God’s really in control. It probably didn’t seem like God was in control as two million recently freed slaves trudged through Sinai’s desert. The 5,000 men whose tummies were growling with hunger may have questioned God’s ability to bless them. The disciples who were terrified by the storm on the Sea of Galilee may have wondered about the presence and protection of God.

But as manna rained down from heaven and water poured from a rock, as the loaves multiplied, as the storm came to a sudden halt, they realized, God is in control. He who promised to bless us and protect us, to never leave us or forsake us, kept His promise. They could live in peace. So can we. The promises God made to them, He makes to us. The blessings and protection He gave to them, He’s given to us – just not as miraculously. But regularly and generously and lovingly God continues to meet all our needs.

That in spite of the fact that we disappoint and anger Him, with our doubts, fears, and worries. Each is an attitude that displays a lack of trust in God. Each is a sin that angers God. God will punish us for our lack of trust with more than just death, but with eternal hell. But what did God do? When my need due to my sin was greater than the physical needs of those desert wonderers, the hungry masses, and the scared disciples, God stepped in. He saved me in a way that expresses the extent of His love and ability to help.

He sent His own dear Son, Jesus, to this earth to rescue us from the curse of our sins. Jesus endured God’s anger. He experienced hell’s agony. The blood that flowed from His veins calmed the storm of God’s anger as it erased my sins. The threat of punishment for our sins has turned into a promise of glory because of Jesus’ death on the cross. Now we don’t face hell, we anticipate living in heaven, where the beauty will delight us, our tears of sorrow will be non-existent, and we’ll be an eternal delight to our God.

The nation of Israel was facing an uncertain and frightening future. Don’t we feel that way at times. It’s tough to find anything that gives us real and lasting comfort. So God offers us this picture of heaven. He reminds us of His promises to bless us and to protect us. As He does, we realize God sits on the throne. He rules all things for the good of His church. He’ll get us through life. He’ll get us into heaven. And those truths offer us true and lasting comfort.

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Then I heard him call out in a loud voice, “Bring the guards of the city here, each with a weapon in his hand.” ²And I saw six men coming from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with a deadly weapon in his hand. With them was a man clothed in linen who had a writing kit at his side. They came in and stood beside the bronze altar.

³Now the glory of the God of Israel went up from above the cherubim, where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the temple. Then the LORD called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side ⁴and said to him, “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.”

⁵As I listened, he said to the others, “Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion. ⁶Slaughter old men, young men and maidens, women and children, but do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were in front of the temple.

⁷Then he said to them, “Defile the temple and fill the courts with the slain. Go!” So they went out and began killing throughout the city. ⁸While they were killing and I was left alone, I fell facedown, crying out, “Ah, Sovereign LORD! Are you going to destroy the entire remnant of Israel in this outpouring of your wrath on Jerusalem?”

⁹He answered me, “The sin of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great; the land is full of bloodshed and the city is full of injustice. They say, ‘The LORD has forsaken the land; the LORD does not see.’ ¹⁰So I will not look on them with pity or spare them, but I will bring down on their own heads what they have done.”

¹¹Then the man in linen with the writing kit at his side brought back word, saying, “I have done as you commanded.”

The End of the World. What kind of picture do you conjure up in your mind when you hear those words? Do you see natural disasters across the globe, buildings crumbling, or people running scared? Maybe that’s more of the picture Hollywood paints. The Bible describes accurately some of the events of the Last Day. Jesus will appear in glory with the angels to judge all people. Those who have died will rise again at the command of God. Believers and unbelievers will be separated. Then the earth will be destroyed. You can see it in your mind’s eye. In his vision Ezekiel turns things around a bit. He causes us to see the things that God wants to see. Leading up to that final day you want to Know What Your Judge Wants to See. The grief of repentance. The mark of salvation.

Ezekiel received visions in the late 500’s BC. These visions mostly looked back to the sinfulness of God’s people and looked forward to the consequences of those sins. This was a very low point in Judah’s history. Nations like Babylon had besieged them for years. While he is a hostage in Babylon, Ezekiel predicts the destruction of Jerusalem. Then I heard God call out in a loud voice, “Bring the guards of the city here, each with a weapon in his hand. And I saw six men coming with a deadly weapon in his hand.” These men are angels. They gather to hear the command of God. This is their sad responsibility. “Follow him (the seventh angel) through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion. Slaughter old men, young men and maidens, women and children.” This is the picture of the slaughter in sinful Jerusalem at the hands of the Babylonians.

This vision led Ezekiel to fall face down and cry, “Ah Sovereign Lord! Are you going to destroy the entire remnant of Israel in this outpouring of your wrath on Jerusalem?” God’s answer is clear. “The sin of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great; the land is full of bloodshed and the city is full of injustice. They disobeyed in violence. They dishonored his presence. They desecrated the temple with idols. “So I will not look on them with pity or spare them, but I will bring down on their own heads what they have done.” They get what they deserve.

It might sound cruel, but remember that God is faithful to his justice. He had told these people when he brought them out of Egypt, “I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me. But showing love to thousands who love me and keep my commandments.” God wants to show love. He wants all to be saved. But here he did not see what he wanted to see. He desired “grieving and lamenting over all the detestable things that were done.” He desired obedience and repentance. But instead, he saw a people who piled up sin and didn’t really care. So there was no mercy for the unrepentant.

That was in Jerusalem…but what does the future judge of this world see today? Does he see people who pile up sin and don’t really care? Yes. Does he see people bowing down to false gods of wood or stone or flesh and blood or paper and possessions? Yes. Does he see disobedience to his commands and dishonor for his name? Yes. And even worse – does he see people who aren’t even sorry? Yes. Paul describes what happens to the world and even to us, “They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.”

God knows that people sin. That’s why he sent his Son to take the punishment and pay for all sins. Now he wants to see grieving and lamenting over their sin. But instead he sees people who look back at their sins as little mistakes or silly mishaps. We say it’s no big deal and laugh it off. Meanwhile…God isn’t laughing. It hurts him. It grieves him because he knows he has to deal out a punishment for those who don’t ask for forgiveness or trust Jesus for forgiveness – that punishment is hell on the Last Day.

The end of the world. Now what kind of picture do you have in your mind? Doom and gloom, fear and failure, destruction and death on that day! But that’s not the way it will be for us. Your gracious God has worked repentance in your heart. You showed it today, “I confess that I am by nature sinful, and that I have disobeyed you in my thoughts, words, and actions. But I am sorry for my sins.” That grief of repentance gives great relief.

There was an old lady on her death bed. When her son came to visit, she asked him to read from her Bible. He opened the Bible and saw what seemed to be water stains. He asked her where they came from. She said, “Some from grief, some from relief. When I read about my sins and what I did to my Savior, I cried tears of grief. But when I read about my Savior and what he did for me, I cried tears of relief. Now I’m ready to cry tears of joy.” That’s what God wants to see. Right up until that final day, show him grief and you will find relief. Relief comes in this announcement, “God has been merciful to us and has given his only Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

Be prepared for your final day. Some people might think they have plenty of time, but we don’t know when he will come. They think they will be able to square things away when Jesus comes, but then it will be too late. Now is the time for repentance. Now is the day of salvation. Now is your chance to find relief. Now is also the time to realize and rejoice in another thing God will see on the Last Day – the mark of salvation.

Ezekiel’s vision speaks about a mark. With them (the six angels) was a man (a seventh angel) clothed in linen who had a writing kit. The Lord said to him, “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.” And to the other angels he said, “Do not touch anyone who has the mark.” We know that God spared a small remnant of people in the destruction of Jerusalem. We see a glimpse of God’s grace for those who bore the mark. So what is this mark? Literally it means a “Tau”, the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet. That letter looked like a cross. Those who were marked with this cross were spared from judgment. In fact, those destroying angels were not even to go near them. Death would not touch them.

What a beautiful picture of the saving mark on every believer. Every baptism reminds us of that mark. “Receive the sign of the cross upon the head and upon the heart to mark you as a redeemed child of Christ.” At that moment of baptism a little baby faith sprouts in that little baby heart. It’s the mark of a family member. The mark of faith. The mark of salvation. Whoever confesses Jesus as Lord and trusts in him for salvation has the mark. We may not be able to see it, but God surely does. Your mark of faith will save you on the Day of Judgment just like the mark of blood on the doorframes in Egypt. God’s people put blood on the door frames of their houses. Then in the tenth plague, the death of the firstborn, the angel of death passed over. Blood saved them. Blood saves you too. The blood that Jesus shed when he suffered and died purifies you from every sin. On the Last Day, you won’t take one little step towards the gates of hell. Death cannot come near your.

But sometimes that mark isn’t all that evident. Sometimes it fades into the background of our lives. Sometimes it becomes like a badge we can put on when we’re “on duty” and take off when we want. When we are at church we are full-fledged, badge-wearing, mark-bearing believers, but when we’re out in a world of temptation and sin, the mark fades. We risk losing the mark of faith. We jeopardize our place in God’s eternal family.

But be assured, God has placed his name on you. He has claimed you. Listen to what God does, “Now it is God who makes us stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” We have that no-works-down, paid-in-full guarantee of eternal life to come. When Jesus comes again, he will see our Spirit-worked faith. He will judge us based on his work of salvation. That means we can look forward the Last Day. We will stand confident on the Last Day. We will join our Jesus in Jerusalem – not the Jerusalem of Ezekiel’s vision, but the New Jerusalem in heaven - a place where no evil, no pain, no sorrow, no devil, and no death can ever come. It’s a place that gets better by the second.

The end of the world. What kind of picture do you conjure up in your mind? For now, we can only imagine. It will be a great and glorious sight. Until that day, remember what God sees. He sees our hearts of repentance. He sees his Son’s sacrifice for us. He gives forgiveness. And on that final day, he will see the mark of salvation. He’ll see your faith and he will say, “Come you who are blessed by my Father. Take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.” Then you will take your place in the "great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and the lamb.” You will join the heavenly shout, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb!" Through the blood of the Lamb, your judgment is sure. Heaven belongs to you. That’s something you can really see. Amen.

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"The time is coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them," declares the LORD.

"This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, `Know the LORD,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the LORD. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."

It’s amazing how new vehicles have improved over the years. Take air conditioning. It used to consist of rolling down your windows. Then it was a built in air conditioner. Now we can control the air temperature in the back seat or the front, for the passenger or the drive’s seat – even the seats are heated and cooled. New and improved. It just continues. But that could be said about any product. Give it a year and it’ll be new and improved. That’s what God offers to His people – a new and improved covenant.

God promised a new, improved covenant to His Old Testament people, a new covenant that we enjoy to this day, “The time is coming when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt.” A new covenant wasn’t necessary because the old was ineffective. The old covenant consisted of laws and regulations. It did its job. It showed the people that they needed a Savior.

Part of that Old Covenant was the Ten Commandments which God told the people to obey perfectly. One slip against any commandment in any way – whether by something they simply thought, actually said or really did – would be a sin. Just one sin would separate them from God, exclude them from His family, and keep them out of heaven’s glory. One sin would earn them an eternal prison sentence in hell. The old covenant did its job. It led people to a sobering truth – we can’t earn a spot in God’s family.

But that old covenant did its job in another way. It told the people that God would deliver them from sin’s curse. Part of the old covenant was a series of animal sacrifices. Those sacrifices told the people that sin was serious. It’d take death and blood to erase them, to tear down the barrier of sin that excluded them from God’s family and heaven. So the animal sacrifices were repeated every day to remind the people that God would and did forgive all their sins. So the old covenant did its job. It told the people that God would take care of everything. He’d erase their sins and make it possible for them to be in His family.

But a new and improved covenant was needed. The animal sacrifices weren’t the final word. They didn’t really erase even one sin. They were just a shadow, an advertisement of what was coming and would be done by Jesus. God tells us, “The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming – not the realty themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices, repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. If it could, would they not have stopped being offered.” Since the animal sacrifices just pictured the forgiveness of sins a new, improved covenant was needed.

There was another reason a new and improved covenant was needed. Besides rules concerning animal sacrifices and the Commandments, the old covenant contained tons of rules. The old covenant contained rules governing the people’s diet, rules about how to handle a dead body, how to deal with infectious skin diseases and mold, what to do with the meat, innards and hides of animal sacrifices. It was like a class-room that has tons of rules where the kids are afraid to do anything because it’s probably against a rule.

The people could not and did not keep all those rules. Nor did they live by the basic guidelines God gave in the Ten Commandments. God explained why he wanted to make a new and improved covenant, “They broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them.” God remained faithful to the people in spite of their inability to keep the covenant. He continued to bless, protect, and guide them as they traveled through the wilderness to the promised land of Canaan. He remained faithful to His less than faithful followers.

Isn’t that just the way God treats us. As we’re told in the book of Lamentations, God’s “Mercies are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness.” God is so faithful to us. Every day He provides us with what we need. He stands at our side, keeping His promise to never leave us for forsake us. He protects us. And should a hardship impact our life He faithfully reminds us that He’ll take that hardship and turn it into an ultimate blessing. God is tremendously faithful to us,

All that, even though we are less than faithful to God. Love God with all of our heart – not always. Worship Him whenever we have the chance – too busy. Honor and obey our parents – they make me so mad. Leave the vengeance up to God – I’m just too hurt. Be content – it’s impossible when everyone else has more and better than I. In so many ways we’re unfaithful to God. We continually sin against Him. The result of sin – “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the wickedness of men.” God whose love is faithful is also faithful in carrying out justice. He’ll punish us for our sins with eternal hell.

But that’s the last thing God wants to do. In love He made a new and improved covenant. He tells us what it is, “For I will forgive their wickedness and remember their sin no more.” This new covenant doesn’t consist of animal sacrifices that symbolize a reality. It’s the real deal. In this new covenant God sent Jesus to be the ultimate, the real sacrifice. On an altar of the cross Jesus felt the real pain of God’s anger for our sins. With His blood He really did purify us from all sin. With His death He actually ransomed us who had been taken captive by the devil and who faced eternity in the prison of hell.

God tells us of the blessed reality of that new covenant in the letter to the Hebrews. He said, “He sets aside the first [old covenant] to establish the second [new covenant]. And by that will we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” In that same letter He said, “But when this priest [Jesus] had offered for all time the sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God.”

After Jesus died and subsequently rose from the dead He ascended to heaven. There He now sits at God’s right hand. Why? His work of securing our forgiveness was done. There’s nothing more to be done, that can be done; not by Him; not by us. With His death Jesus didn’t picture our forgiveness. He secured it. That’s the blessing of this new covenant. Through it God actually provides forgiveness for every sin.

And when we’re led to believe the truth of that new covenant? Well before we talk about those blessings let’s realize how faith in Jesus is created in our hearts. The Bible tells us, “Faith comes from hearing the message; and the message is heard through the Word of Christ.” Faith in Jesus comes when we hear the truth about ourselves - how wretched I am due to my sins and what I deserve for my sins; and as we hear the truth about God - how He gave up His Son Jesus to death to permanently eliminate all my sins. As we hear that truth the Holy Spirit leads us to believe in Jesus, to trust that Jesus is my Savior from sin.

God said it this way through Jeremiah, “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time. I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” The blessing of believing the truth of the new covenant? In our Epistle reading, God said, “A man is justified by faith.” When the Spirit leads us to believe in Jesus we receive the gift of forgiveness as our very own personal possession. It’s not just this is what’s happened – a general truth; forgiveness is available to the world. It’s this is what’s happened to you, a personal truth, forgiveness is yours by faith in Jesus.

The blessings of believing that new covenant just keep coming. With that barrier of sin literally torn down, God receives us by faith into His family. The lock of death has been opened. That means we’ll escape the grave. We’ll rise to life on the last day. And best of all, God will receive all who believe in the reality of the new covenant, who believe in Jesus as their Savior, into the eternal glory of heaven. What an amazing truth. What an awesome covenant. Jesus died. I’m forgiven. By faith in Jesus, I’ll live in heaven.

When we believe the truth of that new covenant we enjoy a very special freedom. In our Gospel reading Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” This new covenant truth – complete and real forgiveness through Jesus sets us free. We’re free from the pressure of being good enough because Jesus was perfect for us; from guilt, because Jesus forgave all our sins, from God’s anger because in Jesus I see God’s love, from death because In Jesus we have life, from the flames of hell because in Jesus we receive the gift of heaven.

New and improved. That’s what this new covenant is. But you know what, while cars and other items are improved all the time, this new covenant doesn’t need to be improved. It can’t be improved. It offers the best gifts of all – forgiveness through Jesus for all my sins, a place in God’s family through faith in Jesus, and an eternal home in heaven through Jesus. That’s as good as it gets. Thank God that’s what we have.

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Wanted – best friend. Must be kind, caring, dependable, able to listen at any time, willing to help and make sacrifices. Patience, forgiveness, and love are a must. If you were to write a wanted ad for a friend, that might be what it sounds like. We could go on and on about the high standards and specific requirements we have for a best friend. I pray we strive to be that kind of friend, but I don’t think we’re going to create a perfect friendship with sinful people on this earth.

But you do have a best friend with all those qualities. Allow me to introduce you to a perfect friend. He makes more than just the little every day sacrifice. He sacrificed his life for you. He is able to cure your ills, calm your soul, and cast away your fears. He is kind and loving and patient and caring and forgiving. Meet Jesus. He is your best friend. As your best friend, he gives the best invitation and he gives the best comfort.

We mentioned some of the characteristics of a good friend. Able to listen. Communicates well. Loving. But there’s one important ingredient we haven’t mentioned. Approachability. A true friend is someone that you feel comfortable going to at any time. When you approach them, they won’t brush you off because they’re busy or get angry because you’re bugging them. A true friend is approachable. Jesus is that friend. He gives us the open invitation, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened.”

This isn’t the type of invitation that a parent extends when a child has just taken a marker and colored all over the furniture – “Come over here!” This is the picture of the little child who fell down and scraped his knee and the parent says, “Come to me. I’ll make it better.” That’s Jesus. His intent is not to scold, but to comfort. He wants us to find him and follow him because he can give what we really need. He can give all people what they need.

Take a look at who the best invitation is intended for. “Come to me ALL who are weary and burdened.” This is for everyone who is weary and burdened. Who is Jesus talking about? He’s talking about you. You are weary and burdened. You might be thinking, “I’ve had a pretty good day so far. I’m not weary or burdened. Or you might be thinking, “Sure I’m weary and burdened. I’ve been working 70 hour weeks. I have a family to take care of. The house work and yard work are a back-breaker. I don’t sleep to well. I’m wearied and burdened.” But Jesus isn’t talking about physical exhaustion.

Jesus is talking about spiritual exhaustion. Our souls are weary and burdened. You see, we’ve been fighting and battling 24/7/365. Your spiritual enemies have been hounding you and attacking you and pressuring you. Sometimes you’re so weak you don’t think you can fend them off anymore. You know those enemies well. One of them is you. You have a sinful nature inside of you that wants to do everything God hates. You battle and struggle to keep our moral raft afloat doing what’s right, but you so often sink into sin and disobey God. You have another enemy. The devil never stops tempting us. He is very powerful. He makes sin look so appealing and alluring that we can’t help it. Then when we do sin, he accuses us and brings us down to despair so we feel worthless and unsaveable. You have even another enemy. This world burdens you with every kind of disaster and disease, with temptations of materialism and greed, with the pressure to pick apart God’s Word and change what we want, and with the enticement from others to have just a little sinful fun.

We battle against our enemies. We become weary. We fall into sin. We carry the burden of our guilt and shame. We throw up our arms in hopelessness. And there’s nothing we can do. The more weary we become in fighting sin, the more burdened we become with those sins. Maybe you are feeling the weight of a certain sin on your heart right now. Maybe something has knocked you down so many times you’re beginning to wonder if you’ll be able to get up again the next time. Maybe the devil has hounded you so much that you feel unsaveable.

My dear friends, take heart. If you feel you are fighting a losing battle and if you are burdened by a load of guilt, then heed the invitation of Jesus. It is the best invitation from your best friend. It’s not an invitation to try harder, to ignore your shame and silence your conscience, or to just give in and quit fighting. Jesus is calling out to you. Come to him. Come in humble repentance. Come with your shame and guilt. Come with a weary soul and burdened heart. He will give you what you need - relief and comfort in forgiveness. He will fight with you and for you against the enemies to save you. So come, “all who are weary and burdened.” That’s the best invitation from your best friend because it means true rest - from our sins – for our souls.

Jesus invites us to come to him for rest. We need rest from sin. God is holy and he demands holiness from us. Jesus says “Be perfect therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” God also makes it clear that we cannot live up to his perfect standard. No matter how much we do to make the A+, 0 wrong, 100% grade on his spiritual test, we fail. God’s Word says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” No one measures up. Look at the consequence of sin – our lust, our anger, our pride, our selfishness, our greed, our filthy words, and our wicked actions. “The wages of sin is death.” Sin separates us from God. And there is absolutely nothing we can do about it. We’re born with it. We commit it. We are lost and condemned creatures.

So at the most basic level, the problem that every human being must confront is sin. The underlying cause of every problem in your life - confrontation, guilt, bad feeling, misfortune - whatever it is – is sin. And unless we address sin, those problems won’t be solved or changed. We need comfort. We need rest. And how do we find that? Take your sin to Jesus. Confess your sins to him. Repent and turn from those sins.

And how does Jesus respond? Does he say, “You had your chance. You betrayed my friendship. Now get away from me – forever?” No! He says: “Come to me. Everyone who is worn out by sin, burdened with guilt, doesn’t know where to turn, and on their last spiritual leg breathing what feels like their last spiritual breath of faith, come to me and I will give you rest.

The night before he died, Jesus told his disciples, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” Even though the disciples doubted, deserted, and denied him - even though sin weighed upon them like a burden to heavy to bear, Jesus did not desert them. He was the best friend who remained faithful to them. And the very next day, he made good on his promise. He laid down his life for them and for all people. He made the sacrifice of his life to lift the burden of sin from every souls. We couldn’t live perfectly, but he did. We couldn’t obey completely, but he did. We couldn’t die purely and innocently, but he did. We couldn’t pay for sin, but Jesus did. He did it all for us. He freed us from our enemies to live for him. Now he says believe in him and you will be saved.

Even when we act like those disciples and do not deserve to be called Jesus’ friends, he is the friend who never leaves us. He is always there to assure us of our forgiveness of sins. That is the best comfort. Seven hundred years before Jesus came, Isaiah told what the Savior would do: “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows.” A good friend is willing to carry your burdens and share in your sorrows. Jesus is that kind of friend. He was tempted in every way, yet was without sin. He knows exactly how we feel. He knows exactly how to comfort you, because he knows what the burden of sin feels like. He took our sins and put them on his back and carried them to the cross. There he died for the sins of his dear, dear friends. He died for you. But he also sealed the deal. He didn’t just suffer for us, but he rose for us. He demonstrated his power over death to guarantee that our dead bodies will be raised on the Last Day. He fought and defeated our enemy of death and he will take us to be with him forever in heaven. Because he lives, we also will live. That is eternal comfort.

You need this comfort don’t you? You need your fears calmed with it. You need the peace that comes from it. You need to know that if Jesus took care of your sin, he’ll work everything else in your life for good. You need this comfort when you are too weary and willing to give up the fight of faith. You need this comfort when the pressures of this world burden you. You need this comfort every morning and every night to move forward in your life with confidence. You need this comfort to give you power for godly living for “you are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good deeds.” You need the best invitation and the best comfort as motivation to be the best friend you can be to Jesus and to others.

What a friend we have in Jesus! Think back to the qualities of a perfect friend. Jesus has them all. He gives you all that you need. He made the ultimate sacrifice of his life for you. He gives you the best invitation. He gives the best comfort. Even when the storms of life threaten to wreck your faith, Jesus is your friend. Run to your Savior’s arms. He’ll carry you and care for you. Give him your burdens. Live in peace. Live life with Jesus and for Jesus who says, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” Amen.

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“Do not be afraid,” Samuel replied. “You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. For the sake of his great name the LORD will not reject his people, because the LORD was pleased to make you his own. As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.“

The theocracy had come to an end. A theocracy means that God is the king of a nation. Ever since the Israelites had been delivered from slavery in Egypt, God had been their king. Yes, Moses, Joshua, others had led them, but ultimately God was their king. But now Israel wanted to be like other nations. Earlier in this book Samuel wrote, “So all the leaders of Israel came to Samuel. They said, ‘You are old and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.”

Samuel, who had been serving as the judge of Israel, bristled at that idea. He told them that a king would put their children in the military make them work his fields, and tax them. But the people insisted on having a king. God granted their request, but he chose the king. He picked Saul. Now with a king selected and anointed, Samuels work as judge ended. As Samuel gave up that role he gave a farewell speech. In that speech Samuel reminded the people of God’s faithfulness and told them to remain faithful to God.

In his farewell speech Samuel reminded the faithless nation of Israel of how faithful God had been to them, “For the sake of His great name, the Lord will not reject His people, The Lord was pleased to make you His own.” Samuel wanted the people to remember how awesome God had been to them. He had picked them to be His special people. He picked them in spite of their miserable and sinful track record.

When Moses told Egypt’s king to free the Israelites from slavery, he responded by making their slavery more difficult. The people grumbled against God. They were petrified at the Red Sea when the Egyptian army chased them. They complained in the wilderness, not trusting God to meet their needs. How easy for God to say this nation doesn’t deserve to be my people. But God promised Abraham that He’d make his family into a great nation and claim it as his. That nation was Israel. In spite of their unfaithfulness God kept that promise. In grace, love that’s totally undeserved God picked Israel to be His people.

God remained faithful to them even though they gave Him every reason to reject them. Earlier in his farewell speech, Samuel reminded the people of how unfaithful they had been. He reminded them how they had, “Forgotten the Lord their God.” and how they themselves admitted, “We have forsaken the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths.” For that lack of faithfulness, that worship of idols, God allowed enemy nations to conquer them, live in their land and rule over them. But God never rejected them.

When the people came to their senses and realized that their rejection of God and worship of idols had resulted in their hardships, they turned to God for help, “Deliver us from the hands of our enemies.” God was faithful to His people. He delivered them. He sent judges like Samson, Gideon, and Samuel, to muster and lead the armies of Israel. They drove out their enemies and regained their independence. God never rejected His people. He remained faithful to them even though they were so unfaithful to Him.

Samuel mentioned another aspect of God’s faithfulness, “Consider what great things He has done for you.” Where did they want to start with considering: deliverance from slavery in Egypt, the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea, water from a rock, manna on the ground for 40 years, quail that flew into the camp, the movement of the sun suspended so a battle could be completed, the collapse of Jericho’s walls as a result of the people marching around the city. God was so faithful. He was so good to the people.

As the nation of Israel moved from a theocracy (God as king) to a monarchy (man as king) it’d be easy to look to the king as the reason they won battles, were prosperous, and remained free. So Samuel in his farewell speech, reminded the people of God’s faithfulness. He who picked them, who had never rejected them, would continue to be good to them and work to protect them and bless them through their king.

God’s been just as faithful to us. From eternity He picked us to be His children. And even tough He could scan every day of our life in advance of our birth and see what spiritual scoundrels we’d be He still chose us. He made us His through the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. He treats us so well. When temptations come – He’s there to help us over come them as Paul wrote, ‘But when you are tempted He will provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” And when we fail to accept God’s help and fall into sin? As soon as we repent God’s there with the bucket of Jesus blood poured out from the cross to scrub that sin away.

God remains faithful to us even when we put things before Him – like sleep, work, money, family. friends, or fun; when we maybe even deny God for a time. God doesn’t flat out reject us. When He leads us to see how foolish it is to follow idols, how damning it is and leads us to repent, He’ll be there for us. He won’t reject us. He’ll take us back into His family. He’ll claim us as His once again. That’s God. He’s faithful to us. He promises to never leave us or forsake us and to love us with an everlasting love. The fact that God’s so faithful to us fills us with the feeling of euphoric peace and joy that can’t be tarnished.

In response to God’s faithfulness, Samuel encouraged the people to remain faithful to God, What frightened Samuel was that the people had taken one step away from God. By wanting an earthly king they were in a sense rejecting God as their king. Samuel didn’t want them to reject Him completely, so after reminding them of God’s faithfulness, He encouraged them to remain faithful to God, “You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good nor can they rescue you because they are worthless.”

Samuel was afraid. If the people had rejected God as their king would they next reject Him as their God. They had a history of turning to idols as we’ve already heard. How’d that go for the people? When they turned from God they experienced draught and famines. Enemy nations invade their land and conquered them. Idols, Samuel reminded them are worthless. They’re figments of one’s imaginations, statues made out of wood or stone. They can’t see, can’t hear. They’re unable to feel, think, pity, act. They’re worthless.

But God. God is real and exists of and by Himself as He told Moses, “I AM”. He see’s what’s going on and listens to the prayers of His people. The Psalmist wrote, “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, His ears are attentive to their prayers.” His feels for people. Moses wrote, “The Lord, the compassionate and gracious God.” He reacts to the needs of people. The psalmist wrote about God, “When I was in great need, He saved me.” The nation of Israel had repeatedly enjoyed the blessings of God’s love and help.

So Samuel encouraged the people to remain faithful to God, “Be sure to fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully.” To fear God is defined in the book of Proverbs, “To fear the Lord is to hate evil.’ Fearing God means to obey God, to put His commands before the commands of anyone else; to do what He says and not what the devil tempts or my friends encourage or my sinful flesh craves. When that fear is expressed, obedience offered to God people are expressing their love for God. They’re being faithful to God.

Faithfulness to God is expressed in service to the Lord. That’s what we heard last week as King David and the leaders brought generous offerings so that a temple could be built for the Lord, as people lined up to help with the construction of that house of the Lord. People served God by supporting their priests. And with that service the people were saying we’re committed to God, we’re being faithful to the Lord our God.

That’s what it means to be faithful to God. It means that we’re willing to obey Him. It means that we’re willing to serve Him, to do things for the family of believers. Its like Joseph whose boss’s wife commanded Him to commit adultery with her, but he said no, obeying God rather than man. It’s like Zaccheus who freely offered half of his possessions to the poor or the early Christians who sold what they had so that they could share with those in need. Such obedience and service is how faithfulness is expressed to God.

But it’s such a struggle to express that faithfulness by fearing, obeying God. It’s hard when work’s worn me out and the bed is tough to escape on Sunday morning; when my boyfriend or girlfriend begs to have sex and uses that phrase, if you really loved me. It’s tough to serve the Lord when our favorite team is playing on TV when a work day or voters’ meeting has been scheduled. How often doesn’t obedience to God take a back seat and service to God put off. Faithful? To friends and self. But not always to God.

What a blessing that God isn’t fickle or impressionable like we are. He’s faithful. Our sins disappoint and anger Him. He’s prescribed hell as the punishment for sin. But He’s promised that if we confess our sins – He’ll forgive us. He’s told us that if we believe in Jesus as our Savior, we’ll escape death, avoid hell and join God in the eternal pleasures and glory of heaven. That’s what God in love has promised to us. And we can be sure that He’ll keep that promise, because He’s not a man that He should lie. His track record is impeccable. Samuel reminded the Israelites of that and in His Word God reminds us of the same.

The concern Samuel had for the Israelites is a concern he’d no doubt have for us. Because we live in a world that tugs us in all directions, knowing that we’re attacked every day by the devil, and understanding that we struggle with our sinful nature Samuel encourages us to be faithful to God. Obey Him. Serve Him. And when that becomes a struggle remember how faithful, how committed God is to you. And may that eternal love of God, empower and motivate to remain faithful to Him who will always be faithful to you.

Then King David said to the whole assembly: "My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced. The task is great, because this palatial structure is not for man but for the LORD God. With all my resources I have provided for the temple of my God—gold for the gold work, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron and wood for the wood, as well as onyx for the settings, turquoise, stones of various colors, and all kinds of fine stone and marble—all of these in large quantities."

David praised the LORD in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, "Praise be to you, O LORD, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.

"But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. We are aliens and strangers in your sight, as were all our forefathers. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope. O LORD our God, as for all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name, it comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you. I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things have I given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you. O LORD, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep this desire in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you."

It just didn’t make sense to David. David was the king of Israel, the most powerful nation on earth. He was powerful. rich, lived in a luxurious palace. That made sense. But what didn’t make sense to him was that the Ark of the Covenant, which represented God’s presence among His people, was stored in a tent. David said, “Here I am living in a palace of cedar, while the Ark of God remains in a tent.” That just didn’t make sense to David anymore than it makes sense that a college football coach makes more money than the teachers at the university or that pro football players make tons more money than police and firemen.

David wanted to build a house where the Ark would be kept, where people could worship God. But God said no. David said, “I had it in my heart to build a house for the Lord. But God said to me, ‘You are not to build a house for my Name.” God choose David’s son, Solomon to build the temple. It’d be tough, “My son Solomon is young and inexperienced. The task is great, because this palatial structure is not for man, but for the Lord.” So David prayed, “Keep this desire in our hearts”. Keep the desire to make necessary sacrifices to build the temple in our hearts and provide the motivation to keep this desire in our hearts.

To build a house worthy of the Lord would be physically and financially exhausting. So David asked God to keep the desire to make necessary sacrifices in their hearts so that they could build a house for the Lord. Since God didn’t allow David to build the temple, he set the example of sacrificing, “With all my resources I have provided for the temple of my God – gold for the gold work, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron and wood for the wood.” Later on we’re told that David provided 110 tons of gold and 260 tons of silver for building the temple.

David had such wealth because the nations he had conquered were forced to give tribute to him. But kings usually saved that money just in case a disaster hit their nation or if they needed to hire mercenary troops or pay off nations that were threatening them. By giving so much David displayed His love for God and his trust that God would protect Him and meet all his needs. David also made it clear that this was a gift he was willing to give, “I know my God that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things I have given willingly and with honest intent.” In other words – God I love you, my gift is the proof.

The leaders of Israel followed David’s example. They chipped in 375 tons of gold and 675 tons of silver. They didn’t offer the change in their pocket or the cash left over after buying their toys or pampering themselves. They offered gifts that mirrored their love for and trust in God. David said of them, “And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you.” David’s prayer – keep this desire in our hearts so that we continue to make necessary sacrifices to maintain this house of the Lord.

That’s what we pray – Lord, keep the desire to sacrifice in our heart so that we can maintain our house of worship. Think of what’s happened here. Our children were received into God’s family through Baptism; they’ve told us about God’s love in Christmas services and confessed their faith at their confirmed. Here our marriage was blessed, the guilt of our sins erased by God’s Word of love and forgiveness, our fears have eased as God promises to protect us, our worry dissipates when God promises daily blessings, our sorrow at the death of a loved one has been lessoned as we look into Jesus’ empty tomb.

So that those blessings can continue we pray, Lord keep this desire in our hearts, the desire to make any sacrifice so that this church can be maintained. Expand our vision so that our prayers include all our members; Keep us generous so that we give the best offering we can so that we can continue to offer God’s Word in so many different venues. Lead us to be eager to dedicate our time and use our talents to serve one another in love and maintain our facilities. Oh, the blessings we’ve enjoyed because this desire has been in our hearts. Imagine the blessings we will enjoy as the Lord keeps this desire in our hearts.

But I think we know that there is one mighty enemy who tries to keep this desire out of our hearts. The devil wants to destroy that desire. He will try to convince us that we have donor fatigue – you’ve got to be tired of doing so much and so often. You have to be tired of giving so much and maybe going without. He pits us against each other – why are you always there when help’s needed and others aren’t. He’ll try to get us to make excuses – I’m tired, I’m busy. He’ll try to get us to point at others and say – it’s your turn.

The devil is trying to extinguish that desire to sacrifice. He’s tempting us to be selfish, greedy and lazy. So often we fall for the devil’s temptation. We say “yes” to him and “no” to God. That means eternal trouble. God says that the wages of sin is death; that our iniquities separate us from God. When the devil tempts that desire to sacrifice out of our hearts we open ourselves up to God’s ultimate anger and the ultimate punishment – eternal sufferings in a very real prison called hell. That’s what we all face for all our sins.

But we don’t despair. We look to Jesus’ cross. We see Jesus look down on those who were responsible for His death and hear Him say, “Father, forgive them.” We hear Jesus as He looks to the repenting thief saying, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” We listen as Jesus says, “It is finished.” Jesus perfectly obeyed His Father’s will. He offered His life as a ransom for all of us. The result is wonderful. All our sins are erased. The glory of heaven will be the eternal home for all who believe in Jesus. Jesus’ sacrifice to secure our forgiveness and our salvation keeps the desire to sacrifice for Jesus imbedded in our heart.

David realized that in the face of the devil’s temptations and due to his own weak sinful flesh he needed to be motivated to keep the desire to sacrifice in his heart. So when David asked God to motivate the people to make the necessary sacrifices. God did that by reminding them that everything they had comes from Him. David made that point repeatedly in this section. He summed it up with these words, “O Lord, as for all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for you Holy Name, it comes from your hand and all of it belongs to you.”

That’s a truth I pray we all realize. Everything we have, everything without exception, is a gift that God freely and abundantly gives to us. The possessions we enjoy, the talents we have, our time on this earth, it’s all a gift from God. David admitted, “Everything comes from you.” James wrote, “Every good and perfect gift is from above.” Oh, we may argue but I worked hard for what I have. Then God gently reminds us, “But remember the Lord your God for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth.”

God gives to us so generously even though our sins make us so undeserving, who due to a false sense of entitlement complain so viciously about a perceived lack of blessing and who can be so ungrateful at times for what God in love has given to us. Lord, forgive us for such sinful attitudes. And yet in spite of our sinful attitudes God continues to generously meet all of our needs. And what does he ask of us – that we simply do what comes naturally, something even unbelievers know enough to do, return the favor.

Think of the favor God’s granted to us. He sent Jesus to earn our forgiveness, to free us from death, to spare us hell’s eternal pain. Through His Word, God introduced us to Jesus and led us to believe in Him as our Savior. Because of that gift of faith in Jesus, God’s excited to have us be His eternal house guests in heaven. Plus, plus God’s given us our abilities that earn us a living and allow us to enjoy hobbies; our time to work, to relax, to rest, every second comes from God; and our possessions – the money, the clothes, the food, the home, the vehicle, the toys – everything is a gift God picks out specifically for us.

God’s love that supplies all our needs keeps the desire to sacrifice for God in our heart and carried out in our lives. It’s God’s undeserved love for us which He displays to us in so many ways that motivates us, Paul wrote, “Christ’s love compels us that those who live should no longer live for themselves (selfishly) but for Him who died for them (sacrificially)”. God’s love which led Him to meet all our needs motivates us to be like David who gave His best so that a house could be built for the Lord; to be like Paul who went without sleep to serve the Lord; to be like Tabitha who used her talents to make clothes for the poor.

Lord, show us your love so that the desire to sacrifice for you remains alive and active in our heart.

It didn’t make sense to David that he lived in a luxurious palace while the Ark of the Covenant was kept in a tent. Does it make sense that we live with physical abundance while so many live in spiritual poverty. Lord give us, keep this desire in our hearts - to make the sacrifices necessary to meet the spiritual needs of people around the world and motivate us as we realize how you’ve meet all our needs so abundantly.

¹⁹“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. ²⁰At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores ²¹and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

²²“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. ²⁴So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’

²⁵“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. ²⁶And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

²⁷“He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house, ²⁸for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

²⁹“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’

³⁰”‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

³¹“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

What is hell like? That’s quite a question to begin a sermon isn’t it? We can’t say exactly what it will be like. We do know that it’s a place of torment, pain, and deep regret. The inmates will wish a thousand times over that they had “smartened up” while there was time. They will wish that they had gotten their priorities straight on earth. The rich man in this story was experiencing that regret. What looked to be prosperous living for him on earth turned out to be foolish living that leads to hell. So what did he do wrong? And what did poor Lazarus do right? The rich man didn’t have proper priorities and Lazarus did. Jesus teaches us that God grants godly priorities - to use possessions wisely - to trust the Word completely.

Luxurious living was a way of life for the rich man. His closets were filled with clothing made of purple and fine linen. He probably had huge feasts on a daily basis. We would say he was very blessed. Having wealth wasn’t the problem. It was his attitude towards his wealth that was the problem. Just outside his home, laid a beggar named Lazarus. Some people put Lazarus there so that perhaps he could have the scraps that were headed for the dumpster. But it seems that he didn’t even get that. And how many times did that rich man pass through his gate and step over Lazarus and look the other way? And there Lazarus sat without even the strength or the will to push away the dogs that licked his sores.

So you have these two polar opposites. But death does not play favorites. Both the rich man and poor Lazarus died. The angels carried the soul of the beggar to the feast of eternal life in heaven. But when the rich man died, his soul went to hell. Why did each one end up where he did? Because Lazarus was poor and the rich man was rich? No. Lazarus had godly priorities. Even though he had no physical possessions, he possessed the key to eternal life – faith in Jesus – not in riches. The rich man went to hell because he had no such faith. He trusted only in his riches.

But it doesn’t say a word about faith in this story. How can we be sure? God says in first John, “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? For anyone who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.” Faith in God’s mercy cannot exist with a refusal to show mercy. Besides that, we know that God says, “Whoever believes will have eternal life.” Lazarus had eternal life, therefore he believed in Jesus. The rich man on the other hand didn’t have faith. He didn’t love others. He loved his possessions the most.

We heard last week that all our possessions come from and belong to God. Proper use of God’s gifts means first using them to his glory. But just like the rich man, we can become experts in extreme selfishness which leads us into a full-tilt pursuit of luxuries. This attitude can creep into the hearts of faithful Christians. There was a German pastor who told of an experience after World War II. He had been invited to the home of a well-to-do church member. His home was damaged and then restored. Do you know what the faithful church goer said? In this loss I experienced the grace of God. He left me with just enough room so I didn’t have to take in any refugees after the war.” This was a good man who served in the church! But he did not have godly priorities when it came to his possessions.

The Fifth Commandment calls upon us to help and be a friend to our neighbor in every bodily need. When we don’t do something that God wants us to do, that’s a sin as much as any other. There are times when we have become preoccupied with our own welfare instead of the needs of others. We dive into materialism trusting in riches rather than God. Then we are doing exactly what the rich man did. And we show that we deserve the very same punishment he received. He was in hell.

The first part of this story is a call to repentance from self-centered materialism. When materialism, idolatry, and trust in riches take control, repent and turn to God’s mercy. See what your Savior has done for you. His first priority was to save our souls, not to give us riches. Jesus didn’t step over us when he saw us lying in the misery of our sins at the doorstep of his mercy. He stooped down on this earth to save us. Despite the evidence of our selfishness, God still loved us. He still offered his Son as the perfect sacrifice to pay for our sins of selfishness and idolatry.

The death of Jesus transformed us. God made us alive in Christ through forgiveness of our sins. And because of what Jesus has done, we know that “he died for all that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and was raised again.” Look at your priorities. Ask God to help you use and view your possessions wisely and properly wherever you are. When you do, you reflect the love of Christ.

The second half of this story helps us do this. It tells us of our most important godly priority – the Word of God. When the rich man asked for some relief with a drop of water, Abraham explained to him that there was no means of transit between heaven and hell – once you’re there, you’re there. But he still wasn’t finished asking for favors. He insisted that Lazarus come back from the dead like the ghost of Christmas past to scare his brothers out of their ungodly ways so they wouldn’t end up with him.

But Abraham refused. “They have Moses and the Prophets, let them listen to them.” “Moses and the Prophets” is a reference to the Bible. Abraham was telling him that his brothers had warnings against materialism and idolatry in the Bible. They had the assurance that those who repent of their sin and seek God’s mercy will be forgiven. The Bible was sufficient to show them the way of salvation. The rich man was convinced that his brothers needed a powerful miracle and not the Bible. He was wrong.

God’s Word is sufficient, but often we don’t treat it that way. People look for signs and wonders when they trust in a crying statue or a famous preacher instead of God’s Word. We dive into watching shows about the supernatural and paranormal thinking we can learn something from ghosts and spirits more than God’s Word. We lie awake in bed at night waiting for signs and revelations from God based on how we feel when we have his Word right there. We look within ourselves to change our thoughts and attitudes, not God’s Word. We pick apart God’s Word and apply to ourselves only parts that sound good to us. In every instance, we proclaim God’s Word as insufficient for our daily lives and our eternal souls.

God’s Word is sufficient. In this story, Jesus witnesses to the power of God’s Word, “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” The inspired Word of God can do what even miracles are powerless to do. Only the living and enduring Word of God can work mighty miracles in us. The Word can work like a hammer in the law to shatter human pride. It can pierce like the sharpest sword, judging the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. The Word shows us and convicts us of sin. But it also saves us. The Word speaks of the cure from sin and its punishment- Jesus. It raises the dead to life. It turns sinners into saints, enemies into friends. It creates peace and hope and joy in human hearts. It is the only source of spiritual life and spiritual health and spiritual wealth. God’s Word is sufficient and powerful.

It’s easy to say all these things, isn’t it? But what do we believe? What do our actions show? Why does meeting our Lord in his Word so often trail far down on the list of our priorities? And why do portions of it remain closed to us because we’ve been apathetic and indifferent in studying it? The second half of the parable rebukes our coldness toward the Word of God.

Today Jesus wants you to realize what a powerful and sufficient tool you have in the Word. It is powerful and sufficient to wipe away the stain and guilt of sin. It is powerful and sufficient to change your priorities to godly priorities. It is powerful and sufficient to mark you as a child of God and to bless your life with peace and happiness. It is powerful and sufficient to defend you against the attacks of the devil and soul-destroying sins. It is powerful and sufficient to transfer your soul from a sinful world to a perfect heaven.

What’s the most joyful and exciting activity you like to do? I wonder how many of us think of God’s Word first as our most joyful and exciting activity? God grant us the proper attitude towards his Word. Consider the end of those who have a good attitude towards God’s Word. The angels of God came to carry Lazarus home to heaven. God has invested the life of his Son for our salvation. He’s given us the words to tell us about that investment and the faith to believe it. Put his Word first.

Remember the first question? What is hell like? It’s a place of regret. As we listen and learn from this story of the rich man and Lazarus, the Spirit is working to spare us of regret. Instead, he turns us through faith to the proper priorities in our lives. Use your possessions wisely to the glory of God. Trust in God’s Word completely. It is powerful and sufficient in your life on earth and has the power to give you life eternal in heaven. God grant us these godly priorities. Amen.

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The LORD said to me, "Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes."

So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley. Then I told her, "You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will live with you."

For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or idol. Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the LORD and to his blessings in the last days.

The Psalmist tells us to “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever.” Does it? We question God’s enduring love when we lack stuff or when bad stuff happens in our life. We wonder if His love really endures when we treat Him as badly as we do. But God’s enduring love is taught in all our readings today. The point of the parables in our Gospel reading; God carefully and continuously searches for the lost. The point of our Epistle reading; God is willing to take back the most horrific sinner. And from Hosea, we see it again – God’s love endures. His love that led Him to pick us leads Him to pursue us.

God’s love is an enduring love. It was His love that led Him to pick us to be His children. We see that in the book of Hosea, specifically in Hosea’s marriage. Hosea’s marriage pictures God’s love for us. God told Hosea, “Go, show your love to your wife again.” Love your wife again. The word “again” means to continue, to repeat. The word “again” helps us picture a love that endures, that doesn’t come to an end.

I think that would’ve been tough for Hosea when we realize what kind of a woman God had Hosea marry. In the first chapter of this book God told Hosea, “Go take to yourself an adulterous wife.” Hosea didn’t bat an eye, “So he married Gomer.” Gomer wasn’t just guilty of adultery. She was a prostitute. Can you imagine marrying a prostitute, one who continues in adultery. Why did God put Hosea into such a difficult marriage? Because Hosea’s marriage was to picture God’s love for His children, the children of Israel.

What kind of a people where they when God picked them to be His. Abraham, the father of that great nation, was a fearful lying man. Out of fear for his life, he passed off his beautiful wife as his sister so men wouldn’t try to kill him to take her from him. Some of Abraham’s grandchildren were vengeful murderers, who wiped out a whole town because a man from that town rapped their sister. They were hateful, selling their brother as a slave. But it was to the nation that grew from these men that God extended His love.

He picked the nation that came from these sinful men to be His people. He met all their needs as they navigated the wilderness. He gave them the law to guide them to live in ways that were pleasing to Him. He commanded animal sacrifices that reminded the people that it would take death and blood, ultimately the death of God’s Son Jesus, to erase all their sins. He protected them in their travels. He safely guided them until they entered, possessed and lived in Canaan. What love for such an undeserving people.

But that’s God’s love. It is as the psalmist wrote an enduring love. He’s displayed that love to us. In love He picked us to be a part of His family, His children. That has to be an enduring love doesn’t it? Why would He pick us to be His children. It certainly isn’t because we’re attractive to Him. With Paul we admit, “Nothing good lives in me.” We don’t do a thing that makes God go – wow, I want them to be a part of my family. We admit with Isaiah, “All our righteous acts are like filthy rags.” God should simply toss us away.

But His love endures in spite of our sinfulness. In love He chose us to be His children. As Jesus told the disciples, “You did not choose me, but I chose you.” He chose us to be His. He chose us to stand at Jesus’ cross and believe that Jesus’ blood has scrubbed our heart and life clean of all sin; to stand at the empty tomb and realize we’ll follow Jesus out of the grave; to stand on the Ascension hill and trust that I’ll ascend into heaven; to see Jesus sitting at God’s right hand and know He controls all things for my good. God picked me to be His child. He continually gives me unbelievable blessings. That’s enduring love.

But Israel was unfaithful to God. But He didn’t stop loving them. His love endured. He who picked them to be His pursed them. That’s pictured in Hosea’s marriage, “The Lord said to me, ‘Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress.” Gomer wasn’t faithful to Hosea. She returned to prostitution. But God told Hosea to show his love to her again. He did. “So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and lethek of barley. Then I told her, ‘You are to live with me many days; you are not to be a prostitute or be intimate with any man and I will live with you.’”

That enduring love of Hosea’s is a picture of God’s enduring love for His people. God had picked them out of all the nations of the earth to be His people, to enjoy His blessings. But Israel committed spiritual adultery. God told Hosea to love Gomer even though she had returned to prostitution, “As the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods.” Israel didn’t remain faithful to God. They committed spiritual adultery. They cozied up to idols like Ashera, Baal, the starry host, Nehustan, and the sun.

Hosea tells us the result of the spiritual infidelity, “For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or idol.” God’s people suffered for their infidelity. God allowed the Babylonians to conquer them and haul them off to captivity for 70 years. For that period of time they didn’t have their own king. They were separated from the temple and the worship customs of the true God. They were also separated from the idols they worshiped, which had done them no good.

But God’s love for His faithless people was faithful. His love endures. Even though they turned their back on Him, He pursued them. He rescued them and delivered them from that 70 years of captivity. He led them back to Jerusalem. There they rebuilt the temple of the true and only God. They began to worship Him once again. They were faithful to Him and enjoyed, as their forefathers had, the presence of and blessing of their heavenly Father. They came to understand as the psalmist wrote, God’s love endures.

That blessed, comforting truth is seen in our other readings this morning. The epistle reading is about a man who had committed the sin of incest. We shudder. We think have nothing to do with such a moral degenerate. But after that man was led to see his sin and repent God welcomed him back into His family. God’s love endures. That’s the message of the parables in the Gospel reading – the lost sheep and coin. People may wonder from God, but God’s love endures. In love, He who picked them; pursues them.

Kind of makes you breath a sigh of relief doesn’t it. How many times aren’t we like Hosea’s wife, spiritually unfaithful to God. We trust our judgment rather than God’s. We love our family more than God. We’ll follow our friends suggestions rather than God’s commands. We think money is the true source of contentment and not the loving presence of God. Almost anything becomes more important than our worship of God. We seek the help of professional counselors before we turn to God and His Word

At times we do run away from God. Who could blame God if He’d get tired of us and let us go. But God doesn’t do that. His love endures. He picked us. He wants us. He pursues us. But before we talk about that loving pursuit; a word of warning. Let’s not think that we can run from God; in love He’ll purse us and all will be fine. If we’re on the run from God and then we die before He catches us, don’t blame Him when the fires of hell torment us for all eternity. He never stops pursuing us. But if we keep chasing what we feel is more important He may not catch us before we die. Then it’s bye-bye heaven and hello hell.

But in love that endures, God will pursue us. As He does, He’ll hold out His law (like a mirror) to make us aware of the sins we’re committing. Paul wrote, “Through the law we become conscience of sin”, Some don’t see that as love – how dare you tell me I’m doing something wrong. But why does God pursue us with the law? So that we can see the sin. God pursues us with the law so that we don’t go farther into that sin. In love that endures God pursues us with the law to make us aware of the damning power of that sin.

When God’s law stops us in our tracks, by serving as a curb, when it turns us to holy living, by serving as a guide, then the Lord pursues us with the cross of Jesus Christ. He holds out that cross and assures that Jesus with His suffering and death on that cross eliminated all our sins. He tells us that He’s forgiven us; that He has tossed our sins aside; that He remembers them no more. And as soon the Spirit leads us to believe the miracle of God’s love and the reality of our forgiveness, God wraps us in a big bear hug and with tears in His eyes welcomes us back into His family.

And then we come to understand even more clearly that what the psalmist wrote is true. God’s love endures forever. When sin drives us to the brink of despair, God’s love endures. When our health deteriorates, God love endures, When earthly relationships crumble God’s love endures. When death robs us of loved ones, God love endures. When chaos rules the world and there seems to be no end of problems, God’s love endures.

God’s love for you endures. And His live isn’t just how He feels about you or what He says to you. His love for you is an active, doing love. It’s a love that will ultimately work blessings in your life. You’ve experienced one of the greatest. God picked you to be His child. You’re experience one of the greatest every day of your life. God continually pursues you to keep you a part of His family. It’s true. We see it in Hosea’s marriage. We see it the words of the psalmist. God’s love endures forever.

There is no sermon this week, because the guest preacher on Sunday was Dr. Wendland, the president of our Seminary

My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism. ²Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. ³If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” ⁴have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

⁵Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?

⁸If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,”you are doing right. ⁹But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. ¹⁰For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. ¹¹For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,”also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.

If you had to choose the most humble person in the Bible aside from Jesus, who would it be? I’m sure the person on the top of many lists would be the Apostle Paul. The longer Paul served the Lord, it seems the more humble he became. Not very long after his conversion, he wrote to the Corinthians, “I do not even deserve to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church.” A few years later he wrote to the Ephesians, “Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given to me.” Then he wrote to Timothy, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst.” Paul was humble in two ways. He was humble before God and humble before other people. We ask the Lord to make us more and more humble in these ways as well. James encourages us in true humility. True Believers Show True Humility - in their relationship with God - in how they treat everyone.

The book of James is littered with instructions on Christian living, something that’s easy to talk about but harder to practice. He starts the second chapter: My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism. As members of God’s family through Jesus, favoritism should be out of the equation. Do you understand what favoritism is? It is making unfair judgments about others, entertaining pre-conceived notions about people in your mind based on how they look or act, treating one person well and another person poorly, and being buddies with those who benefit you while ignoring those who need something.

Do you know where favoritism comes from? It comes from the pride deep down in our sinful hearts. Your pride makes you think you are the smartest, the most popular, and the most important person. So in pride we treat the rich better than the poor, the stronger better than the weak, and the smarter better than the less intelligent. This is what James says about that. If you show favoritism (which is a result of pride), you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. Pride leads you to break God’s law of love. He commands, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you sin against your neighbor, you sin against God. James says, “Don’t do it.”

But it’s easy to follow the pride of the world. To the world, pride gets you ahead. It’s just a sign of confidence. You survive if you’re the strongest, smartest, richest, and most famous. If you are weak, you are weeded out and thrown out with the trash of society. Disregard the dumbest. Put down the poorest. Ride the coat tails of the best and you’ll be the best. That’s what the world says. Our sinful pride buys into it.

God says, “If you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.” But our pride tells us this isn’t that bad. If we show a little favoritism, God will give us a little wink and let us go. At least we’re better than the riff-raff of society. Look at the commands we’ve kept. One sin is a drop in the bucket compared to all the awesome stuff we’ve done. That’s what the rich young ruler thought. He came to Jesus asking what he could do to get to heaven. Jesus gave him the list of commandments. In his pride, he thought he kept them all. That’s a common thought today. As long as you do your best and avoid doing really bad stuff, you’re fine.

Pride makes us forget about our sin and therefore, our need for a Savior. So God makes us keenly aware of the problem. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. God’s law is not like a set of bowling pins. If you knock one down, the rest are still standing. God’s law is like a sheet of glass. If you hit that glass at one point, the entire pane shatters. If you break even one little command, you are guilty of breaking all of it. No excuses. James illustrates: “For he who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not murder,’ If you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.” And if it isn’t murder, it’s another sin.

God doesn’t treat us any differently than a judge in court. A judge doesn’t excuse one offense because the defendant kept all the other laws. No, he hands down the sentence based on one offense. We have shown favoritism. We haven’t loved others as we should. This is the sentence God hands down to us. Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law. God’s law is like an electric fence. You don’t have to touch it at a thousand different places to feel the pain and suffering. Just once, and we receive the shock. Just once and we feel the eternal pain – the eternal curse of hell.

Now where is your pride? Hopefully it’s shattered by God’s law and replaced with humility. So we come before him in repentance begging for his undeserved love and mercy. We find that mercy packaged up in the pools of blood at the foot of the cross. It is there that Jesus paid for every sin of pride and every other sin. At the cross God exalts the humble before him because Jesus humbled himself and became obedient to death on that cross. That is the mercy of God. So we sing in the hymn, “Nothing in my hand I bring. Simply to thy cross I cling.”

Thank God that he doesn’t show favoritism. He lifts up the poor, the repentant sinners. Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? He shows no partiality or bias or preference. He just looked down upon a sinful world in mercy and sent Jesus to save spiritual beggars. He sent the Spirit into our hearts to make us rich in faith. Our faith embraces the hope of the kingdom of heaven. That gospel message embraces all nations, races, ages, social classes, genders, and personalities. Whoever believes will be saved.

Now if his gospel embraces all, then he expects nothing less of his church. He wants to see true believers who show true humility in the way they treat everyone. As believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism. He gives an example of what this favoritism might look like. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? This is a simple example of how the church might give attention, flattery, and perks to some, while treating others with contempt.

Not much has changed. Whether our pride likes to admit or not, we discriminate. We judge with evil thoughts. We think badly, speak crudely, and treat others poorly. We discriminate based on how someone looks. “How could she come into church wearing that? I’m not going to talk to that guy with those tattoos and piercings. That family just looks shabby and poor. Why are they here?” We discriminate based on how someone acts. “Did you hear what she did? He committed a crime once. I would never live like that. Why are they here?” We discriminate based on how someone benefits us. “They can do this for me, we’ll keep them around. They have a lot of money. I hope they become members. That couple always needs something. Why are they here?”

We become judges with evil thoughts. Jesus told the self-righteous Pharisees and he cries out to us, “Stop judging by mere appearances!” Leviticus 19:15 says, “Do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the rich, but judge your neighbor fairly.” In other words, get off of your high horse and look at everyone through the eyes of faith. Yes, everyone is different. But when you look through the eyes of faith, you realize that every person is a sinner with the same Savior. We are not justified in treating one soul differently than another. Jesus died for them. His blood covers over all people. He has placed his name on us at baptism. If visitors, or outsiders, or people who are different have faith, they bear the name of Jesus. When we accept them, we accept Jesus. Jesus said, “Whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

So in humility, we seek the best interest of others. We take the opportunity to speak and act according to God’s Word. We take the opportunity to show mercy, for James says, “Mercy triumphs over judgment.” We take the opportunity to invite everyone to hear the great gospel message no matter who they are or how they look. We take the opportunity to help the person in need when no one is watching, when we won’t get earthly credit. We take the opportunity to greet people and meet people without forming an opinion about them, but rejoicing that their names are written with ours in the book of life. We take the opportunity to encourage one another in faith without worrying about divisions, but rejoicing in our unity and our humility. As we put true humility into action, we have the opportunity to spread a little bit of the love of Jesus to others just like others have done for us. When we do, they will feel welcome and find their place in the family of believers.

It all comes from God through faith. True believers show true humility. It starts with our relationship to God. We humble ourselves before him. He offers his grace and mercy in forgiveness. He exalts us to be members of his kingdom now and forever. Then we show true humility in how we treat others. We love them, reach out to them, welcome them, and rejoice with them in this family of believers. So we ask the Lord to give us more and more humility. He does. And when he does, we are blessed. Amen

I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit—I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.

It is not as though God's word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham's children. On the contrary, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." In other words, it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring. For this was how the promise was stated: "At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son."

The apostle Paul had a heart that was full of Christian love. Read the letters he wrote. Almost all of them contain words of thanks for the Spirit-worked faith that lived in the hearts of the people, prayers for the people, and encouragement to remain faithful to the Lord. He displayed that love in the mission trips he took, the danger to which he exposed himself. We see that Christian love in this portion of his letter to the Romans. In Christian love he was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice and to speak the hard truth.

Paul’s Christian love is displayed in the ultimate sacrifice that he was willing to make. He wrote to the Romans, “I speak the truth in Christ – I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit – I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.” Paul was hurting. He had been hurt physically many times – stoned, beaten, flogged. But this hurt he felt was far worse than all of that. He tells us for whom he was hurting, “For the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel.”

Talk about love. Paul was hurting for his fellow Jews. It’s hard to believe he’d hurt for them. They had bitterly and violently opposed his ministry. They were the source of his physical persecution. And yet Paul’s heart went out to them in Christian love. He tells us why, “Theirs is the adoption of sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised.”

It hurt Paul to think of what these people had. Out of all the nations on earth God had picked them, adopted them to be His people. He appeared to them in a pillar of cloud and fire to assure them He was with them. God gave them the Ten Commandments to guide them in holy living. God had designed the temple and explained the worship that was to take place there. He had promised them the gift of a Savior and from their own people He had finally sent that Savior, His Son, Jesus. God gave them everything.

But what did they do with it? The people of Jesus’ home town rejected Him and tried to kill Him. The religious leaders, the ones who knew the prophecies about Jesus rejected His teachings and plotted to kill him. It was the very people God had adopted that had Jesus arrested, tried and unjustly condemned Him. They hauled Him off to Pilate where they called for the release of a murder and the crucifixion of Jesus. The Jews, Paul’s brothers, those of his own race had flat out rejected Jesus to their damnation.

Even though the Jews, those of his own race, were a persistent thorn in his flesh, Paul hurt for them. They had rejected their Savior Jesus. They were in danger of eternal hell. Even though they opposed him, Paul’s heart went out to them. In love Paul was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, “For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel.” In love Paul was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice – to be cut off from Christ.

Paul was willing to do the unthinkable, to loose his place in God’s family, to forfeit his place in heaven’s glory for the sake of the Jews. That’s how much Paul loved even those who hated and persecuted him. He was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, suffer hell, so that they could enjoy the glory of heaven.

You see, Christian love isn’t just how I feel or mere talk. Christian love is an action. It’s willing to make any sacrifice necessary to strengthen an individual believer or expand the family of believers. It’s spends time in prayer for other people, visits the sick, sits with the shut-ins, encourages those who’ve drifted in their worship attendance, gives our very best to support our ministry, our Synod’s ministry that extends into all the world. By God’s grace our members continue to make strides in living love. Thank you for all you do.

And that’s what God wants. He said, “Serve one another in love”, and “I urge that prayers be made for everyone”, and “Bring the whole tithe”. God demands an active love in our life. But that’s not what we always do. When we were conceived we inherited a heart that was as Paul wrote to the Galatians full of selfish ambition. By nature we don’t want to take the time for anyone else. We don’t care to get involved, it’s their problem not mine. We want to horde our wealth. That’s the exact opposite of what God demands.

God sees that lack of love. He reacts to it as He reacts to all sin. We should be cut off from God’s family. We deserve the ultimate punishment; eternal hell. What a blessing that God’s heart is full of an active love. He didn’t just say, “I wish that I were cut off from Christ.” He did it. Jesus didn’t just die a horrible death on the cross to eliminate our sins; He was cut off from God. He suffered the curse of eternal hell on the cross for my sins. Because of that ultimate act of love, God declares us not guilty of all our sins. He spares us the pain of eternal hell. He’ll receive us who believe in Jesus into His family and allow us to enjoy the glory of heaven.

God’s love, which the Spirit reveals through God’s Word, changes us. It motivates us, empowers us to see people’s needs, and to make sacrifices to help them. It also motivates us to speak the truth to them as Paul did, “For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, ‘It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.’ In other words, it is not the natural children who are God’s children but it is the children of the promise.”

The Jews thought Abraham is our father. God called Abraham. He promised to make him a great nation. And He did. He promised to make his name great. And He did. He promised that the Savior of the world would come from His family. Jesus did, born of Abraham’s descendants. Abraham was known as the father of believers. The Jews of Paul’s day figured since we’re descendants of Abraham God we’re God’s children. They based their eternal salvation on the fact that they were physical descendants of Abraham.

Paul told them how foolish that was, “Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children.” Being physical descendants of Abraham did not make them spiritual descendants of Abraham. Paul went on, “It is not the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise.” God’s children don’t claim a place in God’s family due to heritage. They’re able to claim a place in God’s family because they believe God’s promise, “Whoever believes and is baptized shall be saved.” and “We are all sons of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”

How easy it would have been for Paul to let the Jews, who hated him and persecuted him, to have such faulty thinking. But God had poured His love into Paul’s heart. That love was active. It was that love that led Paul to speak the truth to these people so that they might see that truth, believe God’s promise and through believing that promise become spiritual children of Abraham, a part of God’s eternal family.

It’s not uncommon for people to have the same idea today. Maybe it’s even crossed our mind. We’re third generation children of this congregation. We were baptized and confirmed here. Even better we were married here and our children were baptized here. Our name is still on the membership list. That has to count for something. But what did Paul write. It’s not the natural children – people born into a family of believers – who are a part of God’s family. It’s people who believe God’s promise that are in His family.

God’s promises are irrevocable. You know God’s promises, “The blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin.”, “Whoever believes - that Jesus is our Savior - shall not perish but have eternal life.”, “In my Fathers house are many rooms. I am going there to prepare a place for you and if I go there to prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me.” It’s those promises which we hear on a regular basis that lead us to love Jesus more and more, to trust in Him and Him alone for our salvation. And it’s that faith in those promises that makes us children, eternal children of our heavenly Father.

God’s promises are irrevocable. He promises, “Whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Those who think they’re a part of God’s family because of their parents, because they’re names on a membership list are in for a shock on judgment day. They’ll not only miss out on heaven, they’ll spend eternity in hell. God’s love that lived in Paul’s heart couldn’t be silent when he saw that even for his enemies. He warned them. That’s what God’s love does. It’s active in a Christian’s life. It’s willing to speak the truth and warn those who have the wrong idea that their place in heaven is secured because of who they are.

Don’t stifle God’s love that lives in your heart. Let it work in you. Let it work through you. Those who think they’re in God’s family and a shoo-in for heaven because of who they are don’t usually join us for worship. They don’t feel a need for the Word that causes us to grow up in our salvation. So let God’s love be active in your life. Pray for those people. Encourage them. Invite them to come to God’s house, so that they can hear God’s promises, believe those promises and be and remain a child of our heavenly Father.

Live God’s love that lives in your heart. Make the sacrifices that are necessary. Be willing to speak the truth - in love. Live God’s love that lives in your heart so that others can remain in that love for all eternity.

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Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Have you ever been an easy target? Your infomercial excitement got the best of you and you bought the fool proof product that didn’t work. You made the poor investment that was bound to plummet. You messed up the routine play and the other team won. You did something silly and took the brunt of jokes. At times we’ve made it easy for people to take advantage of us or make fun of us. We’ve been an easy target.

As a Christian, are you an easy spiritual target? Now make no mistake, we are targets. God has marked us with the cross of Christ. That makes us a target for our spiritual enemies. But we don’t want to be easy targets. We don’t want the devil to take advantage of us. We want to stand our ground. We want to fight the enemies. We want to win eternal victory. So like a general rallying the troops, Paul encourages: Put on God’s Armor. Know Your Opposition. Stand Firm against the Opposition

Each of us is in a battle. We fight for our faith. Any good general will tell you that you need to know your enemy so you aren’t an easy target. This is who we’re up against. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. That should give us healthy respect for the opposition. This is a struggle of good and evil. As the gospel pointed out, it reveals itself in division between believer and unbeliever – even in immediate families.

But evil people are only instruments of a more powerful force. We do not fight flesh and blood. We fight against the devil and his demons. And you know what? They have power. Paul calls them rulers, authorities, the powers of this dark world, the spiritual forces of evil. This isn’t star wars, but it is a battle of cosmic proportions. Just think what the devil has done to this world. There are almost 7 billion people in the world. There are about one billion Christians. That means for every one of you, there are six unbelievers. The devil has turned that many people away from God and now he’s gunning for you.

So we have to take our stand against his sneaky schemes. He is going to throw every possible temptation at us. If he can’t get us to throw out the entire Bible, he’ll get us to relax our moral standards thinking sin won’t matter. If he can’t overthrow faith with a big lie, he’ll wear it away as we compromise our faith or question God’s authority. If he can’t seduce us into a deep faith-destroying sin, he will lead us into thinking we aren’t sinners at all. If he can’t get us to forget about God in the good times, he’ll get us to blame God in the bad times. Do you know schemes of the devil? Do you watch for them?

And maybe he won’t get you with every temptation but he’s waiting to pounce at your weakest point. Put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground. Your day of evil, your worst day, will come. Joseph had his day when his brothers sold him into slavery. Peter had his when he denied any knowledge of his Savior. Job had his when he lost his family, his health, and his integrity. Your evil day will come – and probably more than once. Maybe your day is the death of a child like little Elizabeth Knoblock or a faithful called worker like Mrs. Hammerquist. Maybe it’s the moment the boss said, “We have to let you go.” Maybe it’s cancer or depression or aneurisms or alzheimers. Maybe it’s the divorce of your parents or a fight with a friend or the sin you can’t take back. Those are the moments when we are weak and vulnerable – easy targets.

We need to put on God’s armor now, so we don’t fall then. But we think, “It’ll never happen to me. I won’t fall away. I’m strong enough.” We become overconfident and underestimate the opposition. We think if we just do the right things, we’ll be OK. If we just believe in ourselves, temptations won’t affect us. If we just think positive, bad stuff will go away. But it won’t. The devil has been leading people astray from the beginning. He’s really good at it and he’s not going to stop. Yet we set down God’s armor. The day of evil comes. We’re not prepared. We lose the battle. We lose salvation.

This is the only solution. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. The only one smarter and more powerful than the devil is God. God cast the devil out of heaven when he rebelled. God gave the promise of a Savior when the devil tempted Adam and Eve to sin. God sent his only Son to be true God and true man, able to resist every temptation in our place. God sent his own Son through the gauntlet of whips and spits and mocking and beating. He even allowed his Son to carry all our sins up a hill to death so we wouldn’t have to carry them to hell. His death was our victory. By his death he destroyed him who holds the power of death the devil. Then God raised Jesus from the dead to conquer death. Every step of salvation proved God’s power over the devil.

We are on God’s side – the winning side. Yeah, the devil is strong, but God is stronger. The devil is scheming, but God gives us spiritual wisdom to see it and overcome. We are not weaklings. We are not easy targets. We won’t get fooled into losing our faith or duped into eternal destruction. We are strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Through baptism, we are clothed with our Savior. We have put on the new self in righteousness and holiness. We are marked by his cross. We are his children. Victory is ours.

But even though he won the war, the battle still rages on this earth. We know who we’re up against. So we can put on the armor and stand our ground. Therefore, put on the full armor of God. Stand firm with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. Take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. At the time Paul wrote this, he was in prison for preaching the gospel. Maybe he was actually looking at a Roman soldier with his armor when he drew this analogy.

The belt of truth. Stick to the truth of God’s Word. Jesus said, “If you hold to my teachings. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” The devil is the father of lies. God’s truth can counter any lie of the devil. Speak it. Trust it. Use it. The breastplate of righteousness. This is the righteousness that comes from Jesus. We are perfect in God’s sight, so no sin can condemn us. The devil cannot accuse us because we are forgiven. Feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. It’s ironic that the gospel of peace prepares us for battle, but it’s true. We have peace with God. We’re prepared to fight with him against the devil. Shield of faith which can extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one. The Roman shield was often covered in leather. Before battle it was soaked in water and used to put out flame-tipped arrows. The devil sends his arrows of temptation, but our God-given faith can resist every single one. Truth, righteousness, faith, salvation. Put them all together and the armor of God is…Jesus. He is truth. He gives righteousness. He is the foundation of faith. He brings salvation. Rally to Jesus. He is your defense.

The alternative is becoming an easy target. Without Jesus, we tell ourselves we won’t let it go too far. If I go to a dark secluded place with my girlfriend, nothing will happen. If one more drink gets me buzzed, that’s a good thing isn’t it? If I go out with my immoral friends, I don’t think I’ll do anything really bad. If I look at this scantily clad picture, that doesn’t mean I’ll necessarily look at something worse. Just this once I’ll bad mouth and gossip. We shed the armor. The wall of defense comes down at the most crucial moments. Then the devil’s arrows can’t miss. We look back at what we’ve done and forward to the hell we deserve – sick to our stomach. That’s the alternative without Jesus. So put on the armor of truth, faith, and salvation. Then you won’t be overcome.

But you know what? We don’t just hunker down and ride out the spiritual storm. We can go on the offensive. You have the knock-out punch that can send the devil reeling. As Martin Luther wrote, “One little Word can fell him.” Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. The Word of God is living and active, powerful and effective. When Jesus said, “It is finished.” He defeated the devil. Now we can use the Word to attack him. When we are busy in the Word, everything changes. We don’t go where the devil leads, but we follow God’s command. We don’t break under the pressures of life, but the Word strengthens us for the evil day. Instead of sharing in sin, we will be sharing and spreading the Word. We will move onward as God’s Christian soldiers.

Put on God’s armor. It’s our defense and our weapon. It’s all we need to fight the good fight of faith. And you don’t have to find it or buy it or earn it or figure it out. You already have it in Jesus. And after this battle has ended, you’ll be able to say with Bob Stensgaard two weeks ago, little Elizabeth Knoblock a week and a half ago, and Mrs. Hammerquist just a few days ago, “I have fought the good fight, I have kept the faith. I have finished the race. Now is in store for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord will award to me on that day.” How comforting it is to say those words - to know that Jesus fights for us and with us, so the victory is ours. So it turns out that we aren’t easy targets. We know our opposition. We stand firm against the opposition. We have strength and power with the armor of God. Amen.

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"To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

One of the more interesting portions of the book of Revelation is the 2^nd and 3^rd chapter. These chapters contain letters that were written to seven churches. The letters contain words of praise, warn of dangers, point out sin, offer words of encouragement and promises. The letter that we’re looking at this morning, written to the church in Sardis, is one of the less positive letters. But we can learn a positive lesson from it. The lesson – don’t take it for granted. Appreciate who you are and work hard to maintain who you are.

The church in Sardis, as the city of Sardis, was dying. God had John write to that congregation, “Yet, you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me dressed in white.” The clothes John writes about were the garments of salvation and the robes of righteousness that Jesus earned with His perfect life and unjust crucifixion on the cross. Those robes are given to anyone who believes in Jesus. Many in Sardis who had worn those clothes had soiled them with sin and smeared them with unbelief. That means that they had gone from embracing Jesus as their Savior to rejecting Him.

A few however had not soiled their clothes. That doesn’t mean they never sinned. We know that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. But the few, after they sinned would run to Jesus and have Him purify them, wash them clean with His blood. They were the ones who remained faithful to Jesus. They realized that Jesus was the way, the truth and the life; that no one comes to the Father except through Him. They believed and continued to believe, that eternal salvation is received only through faith in Jesus.

To those who continued to appreciate who they were by God’s grace, forgiven children of God, Jesus made this promise, “I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father.” Those who would repent of their sins – are sorry that they’d sinned and strive to stop sinning; who’d run to Jesus to be washed clean by His cleaning blood; who continued to confess Jesus as their Savior would always be claimed by God as His child and would live forever with Jesus in heaven.

Sadly, only a few of the members of that congregation fit that description. The others had fallen, were in the process of falling away from Jesus as their Savior. Unfortunately falling away from Jesus isn’t unique to that congregation in Sardis. In the Old Testament, the nation of Israel abandoned God to engage in sin and worship idols. John wrote about how people walked away from Jesus, “From that time on, many of His disciples no longer followed Him.” So that doesn’t happen to us, don’t take for granted who we are.

First, we’re forgiven. We need that forgiveness. How often and in how many different ways don’t we disobey God in just one day. Our thoughts are impure. Our words are spiteful. Our actions hurt others. For those sins we deserve to be locked in hell and tortured forever. But God is awesome. He sent Jesus to die on the cross to erase all our sins. Now God declares us to be forgiven. Our sins are tossed away.

We’re God’s children. Through the sacrament of Holy Baptism the Spirit worked faith in our hearts. He led us to believe that Jesus’ death erased every one of our sins – completely. As we come to understand that full and free forgiveness, the Spirit leads us to trust in Jesus, to love Jesus. It’s that Spirit-worked faith that allows us to be a part of God’s family as Paul wrote, “We are all sons of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”

We’re heirs of eternal salvation. God’s written us into His will. You know what God’s will is, “He that believes and is baptized shall be saved.” We’re going to inherit salvation. We’ll be saved from death. We’ll escape it just as Jesus did. We’ll be saved from hell, being spared it because Jesus suffered it for us. We’ll be saved from death and hell so that we can live in the unfading, unending, unimaginable joys and glory of heaven. That’s who we are – God’s forgiven children who will inherit the eternal glory of heaven.

Please, appreciate who and what you are, all by God’s grace, so that you don’t take it for granted. People in Sardis did take for granted who they were. As a result they turned away from Jesus and lost all that He had suffered and died to earn for them and give to them. So that doesn’t happen to us, John reminds us to work hard and how to work hard so that we can maintain who we are and we God has waiting for us,

John reminds us of what had happened in that Christian congregation, “I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God.” The church in Sardis appeared to be alive. They were so active. They had a reputation in the community of being an active congregation. But God wasn’t impressed. Their deeds weren’t complete. In fact, they were dead. How could God say that when they were so active and had such a good reputation?

Because God can see into the heart. Remember what God said through the prophet Nathan, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.” Outwardly they were impressive. But as God looked into their motive for doing what they did, He wasn’t impressed. He saw a dead congregation. Here’s the reason why, “Faith without action is dead.’ With that being the case we can also say, action without faith is dead. These people simply went through the motions. They weren’t motivated by God’s love. There was no faith in their heart that compelled them to do good. They were spiritually dead.

So God encouraged them to “Wake up!”Realize your spiritually precarious situation, how your faith is smoldering, your salvation is teetering on the brink of destruction. He told them what to do, “Strengthen what remains and is about to die.” Their faith wasn’t dead, but it was near death. So God encouraged them to strengthen the thimble full of faith that still lived in their heart. He told them how, “Remember therefore what you have receive and heard; obey it and repent.”

Remember the message of God’s love. Remember the feeling of joy that swept over you when you came to hear and believe that God loved you. Remember the peace that first filled you when you came to realize that in Jesus all of your sins had been erased. Remember the confidence you experienced when you came to believe that by faith in Jesus’ perfect life and innocent death that you could and would live forever in heaven. Remember the comfort that stilled your sorrow when your loved one died embracing Jesus as their Savior.

Remember the message that you received. Obey it. In other words hold on to it. The only way you can hold on to that message - hear it. The Lord tells us that faith in Jesus as our Savior only comes from hearing the message. He reminds us that faith is only sustained and only grows stronger when we crave pure spiritual milk. God tells them to repent. Yes, change their attitude toward their sin. Hate it. Stop it. But to repent here means to change your attitude toward God’s Word. Turn back to it. Listen to it so that the faith that remains in your heart can keep you in Gods family and lead you to heaven’s eternal glory.

God warns them what’ll happen if they don’t wake up, strengthen what remains, remember what they’ve heard, obey and repent, “But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.” If they don’t take God’s instruction to heart so that they can remain His children and heirs of eternal salvation they’ll be losers for all eternity. Jesus will come like a thief which reminds us of Jesus coming on judgment day. He’ll judge them on the basis of wh