THERE'S NO TIME TO LOSE
John the Baptist had done his job well. You remember what he was assigned to do, right? He was to be the one who was to prepare the way for Christ. He was prophesied as the forerunner of the Savior, the man of God who would “make straight paths” for Jesus to preach the gospel according to the prophet Isaiah. And that’s exactly what John the Baptist did. He preached upon the pulpits of desert sand dunes; he instructed both Christians and hypocrites; he baptized in the dirty waters of the Jordan River; he washed Christ himself with the water and the Word; he witnessed the Holy Spirit coming down in the form of dove while the Father spoke from heaven; he pointed his supporters to “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” And when his work of preparation was done, after the Lord had determined that John’s ministry had come to a close, this older cousin of Christ was arrested by King Herod. And there in prison he would sit until his death by beheading. His work was done. His assignment fulfilled. And the stage had been set for Jesus to reveal himself to the world. And so:
When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he returned to Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali — to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, along the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles — the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
Jesus lost no time after John was arrested by Herod. He went right to work. But he didn’t go to Jerusalem in order to set John free. And he didn’t spend his time writing to John so to encourage him during those difficult times. Instead he immediately went to Nazareth where the gospel writer Luke says that he was forced out by the people who knew him best. He then went up to Capernaum and began preaching to the people there, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” And there, while in that area, “As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’ At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.” Jesus lost no time. He instantly began spreading the Word, gathering faithful followers, and searching out those people who needed to know why he was there in the first place. John the Baptist had set the stage for his ministry; and Jesus was not about to lose a second in spreading the gospel now that the time had come.
The stage has been set for out our ministry as well: Christianity has been established for a long time in this country by those who came before us; we have personally been brought to faith through the Word of God because of our parents or our friends or our relatives; we have been instructed in the Word of God and we know what his Word clearly says; we have been placed in a situation in life that is filled with souls all around us who are unaware of the danger that their own sins have put them in and, more importantly, what Jesus has done with those sins… And so what are we going to do? Are we going to lose precious seconds now that the time has come? Are we going to sit on our hands now that everything is in place? People need to hear what we have heard. People need to see what we have seen. People need to believe what we believe. We have what they can’t live without. And if they don’t get it, they will not survive the passage from this life to the next. There’s no time to lose. There is no time to lose.
When Jesus realized that the preparation for his work was finished by John, he went to Nazareth right away. Why? Because that was where he had grown up and he undoubtedly knew many people who still lived there that didn’t know the gospel! Relatives, family members, neighbors, former classmates and co-workers. And so he did not waste any time going to them first, whether they would listen to him or not. He was going to share the Word of God with those he knew were lost, even though they ended up trying to throw him off a cliff for it. There is no time to lose with those you know either: your neighbor who doesn’t seem interested in this whole “religion thing,” your relative who hasn’t gone to church in quite a while but who knows better, your friend who respects your convictions but doesn’t necessarily agree with them and certainly doesn’t want to talk to you about them… Go back to your Nazareth and talk to those people you already know, those you live among, those you work with, those you see on a regular basis. There’s no time to lose. They have to come into contact with the gospel. And they have to be connected to it through you because who else is going to do that for them! Who else knows what the gospel says and cares enough about them to share it? We’ve got to get on the ball here! We’ve got to start doing what we have failed to do in the past!
It’s scary to think how many opportunities we have let slip by in our lives. Think of all the people you have ever known. Think of all the unbelievers that you have crossed paths with and who might still be part of your life. Think of how many times you could have said something but you didn’t, how many times you should have said something but you shied away, how many times the Lord gave you an open door to invite and encourage them to hear the gospel but how many times you let the conversation come to close without sticking your foot in that door. Where are those people now? Do you even know where they live? Are some of them even still alive? Will those people that are still in this world end up in heaven like you hope they will or is that too much to ask because you have never shared with them the only thing that will get them there?
Throughout my childhood we had plenty of kids around my age moving in and out of the houses on my street. I got to know many of them over the years and spent a lot of time over at their houses. But as far as I know, none of them ever went to any church at any time. And when I was about twelve years old or so, I don’t remember if it was after a Sunday sermon on evangelism that I had just heard or a Bible history lesson about evangelism at the Lutheran elementary school I attended, but I came home that day determined to share my faith with a kid that lived across the street from me and a couple doors down. His name was Brian Metzger. He was my age and we had oftentimes gotten together to play basketball or football or baseball. And so I walked over to his house and asked him if he wanted to grab his glove and play catch. And as we were throwing the ball back and forth in his front yard, I tried to open up that kind of conversation. But it was difficult for me to do. I stalled and I balked and I beat around the bush and finally I think I asked him if he knew how this world came into existence. He simply responded, “I don’t know,” with a shrug of his shoulders. And strangely enough, I wasn’t prepared for that answer. I expected that he would either say that the Lord created or that it wasn’t created at all because it just came about by chance through the Big Bang and evolution over millions of years. And so I thought about it for a minute or two and eventually muttered, “I think… I think… I think that God created it.” And by the time that was out of my mouth one of my brothers was calling to me across the street that it was time to come home. The conversation was done. We both went back to our own houses. And we never talked about anything like that again.
Brian and his family moved away not too long after that. In fact, I’m surprised that I even remember his name. But that moment sticks in my mind because I was so set on sharing the gospel, I was so intent on encouraging someone who didn’t know their Savior to see him for the first time, but I never did. I had waited too long. And I missed my chance. I had even made an opportunity to bring someone into contact with the Word of God, but then when the Lord actually gave me a chance to do it, I let it slip away.
There’s only one comfort for something that. There’s only one comfort for all of those missed opportunities that each one of us has let slip away in our lives. And that’s the comfort of knowing that Jesus did not miss the opportunity to forgive us. He made use of every opportunity. And not only that, he didn’t just wait for opportunities, he didn’t just sit back and take action only if something fell into his lap; he made his own opportunities. He sought out ways in which he could fend off Satan’s temptations for us and shoulder the ridicule of our enemies for us and be tortured by his Father’s hate for us. He knew about the cross and he knew about the pain and he knew about the sacrifice that was right around the corner; and he headed for it! And he didn’t hesitate and he didn’t stall because there was no time to lose! He had to get it done. And he had to get it done right. Our lives depended on it.
And he certainly didn’t miss the opportunity to get that message of the gospel to you personally, did he? Many of you were contacted with the power of God’s Word through baptism already as an infant during the first couple weeks of your life. Others of you were brought to meet your Savior as a child in Sunday School. Others of you may have been brought to faith in your Lord later on in life - but that certainly isn’t because of the lack of the Lord’s effort with the words of God about forgiveness and salvation and eternal life before that time! He was coming to you, he was trying to get your attention through his Word in various ways, it just didn’t break through that crusted, calcified heart until later. But the Lord kept working at it. The Lord kept chipping away. The Lord kept utilizing every opportunity that he could imagine so that you would one day be brought to faith in him. He wasn’t going to stop until you were part of his family. And now that you are, he won’t stop until every member of his family comes home. That’s the comfort we have when we fail to share this gospel message with others: we’re forgiven. We are loved. And we will be taken home.
It’s interesting that right at the outset of Jesus’ public ministry in this world he immediately enlisted the help of others. And he did that because Jesus knew that he only had a short amount of time for mission work from when he started his ministry until he would be crucified. He knew he needed to talk to as many people as possible. And he knew he could never talk to enough. And so he grabbed Peter and Andrew. And then James and John. And then eight other followers that would help him relay this message. He not only wanted to train them for the time after his ascension; he wanted them to help him right away. There was too much to do. There were too many unbelievers to search out. And there still are.
Look around you. You are not alone. You have brothers and sisters right here that share that same faith in the forgiveness that Jesus has won and that have that same passion for the lost who don’t know about the victory. We are here to help you and support you, back you and stand by your side. But you can’t wait for someone else to do it for you. You can’t depend on someone else to speak to people that you know. You can’t rely on me to talk to everyone that comes into your life. And so I want you to think ahead: How many unbelievers or how many struggling Christians that don’t have a church “home” are you going to run into this week? Count them up: the neighbors you will talk to, the friends you will visit with, the co-workers you will see, the grocery store clerks and the bank tellers and the relatives you will interact with in the next 7 days. How many opportunities are you going to have? How many opportunities are you going to take? Invite them here and offer to give them a ride. Give them something scriptural to read and to ponder. Encourage them to attend a Bible study with you. Simply ask them about what they believe and then share with them the joy you have in your Savior. It’s not always going to be easy. And it’s not always going to be a “success” by human standards. But something very unpleasant and unfortunate might happen if you don’t at least give it a try. On the other hand, something wonderful will happen when the Lord works on their hearts. That’s an exciting and a very real possibility. The time is now. And there’s no time to lose.
Amen.
“May the name of our Lord Jesus Christ be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” - 2 Thess. 1:12
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
1/16/11 - Epiphany 2 - Isaiah 49:1-4
WAS IT ALL FOR NOTHING?
People often ask me how long I spend on sermon work each week. If it is a regular week like this past one was, a week in which I only have one sermon to prepare and I have a little more time in between Bible class preparation and appointments and meetings and visits and classes to work on it, it’s usually around 10-12 hours from start to finish. And that includes taking a lot of time and a lot of effort translating the original text, figuring out the unique characteristics of the words and phrases in that particular section of Scripture, crafting a theme that will be mentally edible for everyone here, pulling out the specific law and the specific gospel, constructing an outline that can be easily grasped, writing in a way that is accurate and thought-provoking and interesting and spiritually inspirational, editing every paragraph so that it flows smoothly, memorizing exactly what I want to say so that nothing is left to chance... And I would hope that it’s no surprise to you that I would spend plenty of time and work and effort on a sermon because that’s something very important; that’s something I care a lot about. Which means I also spend a lot of time and work and effort on Bible classes and my own daily Bible readings and my family and my marriage and right down the list to the more trivial and less important things in this life. Because it can be said about me as it can be said about everyone else: the more you care about something, the more time and work and effort you’re likely to spend on it.
And so to understand what our God really cares about, to figure out what is close to his heart, think back through the pages of Scripture: what did he spend a lot of time and work and effort on? Our God spent a lot of time and work and effort on his people, didn’t he? Think about how much time and effort he spent developing them as a nation, from Abraham to Isaac to Jacob to his twelve sons and then into the twelve tribes of Israel. Think of how much time and effort he spent teaching them his laws on Mt. Sinai and safely leading them through the desert and directing them in the Promised Land and providing them numerous judges over the decades to get them out of the trouble they got themselves into and bringing various nations under their control and sending prophet after prophet after prophet to them so that they would be brought back to repentance and reassuring them throughout the centuries with promises about their Savior… The Lord spent a lot of time and work and effort for his people throughout the entire Old Testament. And when the coming Christ showed up on this earth in New Testament times, the time and work and effort put in for his people didn’t taper off in any way at all. In fact, it escalated to a level that it hadn’t ever been at before.
This morning we will spend some time on Isaiah chapter 49 because it is a direct prophecy about the time and work and effort that Christ would spend on his people. It talks about Christ’s calling from his Father, his duty as a Servant, his work as a Savior, and his ultimate goal of bringing everyone to faith in him. But in this prophecy about Christ, Christ himself is actually speaking. And that’s a little bit unusual because normally a prophecy simply predicts something or someone to come in the future; which means that the subject of the prophecy isn’t usually the one speaking. Here though, in Isaiah 49, that’s exactly what happens. Christ is depicted as speaking these very words in the future about a conversation he once had with his Father in the past. “Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations: Before I was born the LORD called me; from my birth he has made mention of my name. He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver. He said to me, ‘You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.’” But then Christ says something about his work that he would perform in the future that is a little bit unexpected. "But I said, ‘I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing.’” Why would Christ say that? Why would he be distressed over the results of all the time and work and effort he woul put in for his people? Well, if you think about what happened with his people when he did come to this earth, the answer should be fairly obvious.
When Jesus came to this earth as a human being and began his ministry in the area of Galilee, the people of Jesus’ hometown wanted to kill him; many of his own family members didn’t believe in him; his own followers left him on a regular basis; one of his own disciples betrayed him; his own countrymen demanded that he be crucified; his own high priest accused him of blasphemy… In general, the Jewish people hated Jesus - one of their own! And so after all of the time and all of the work and all of the effort he spent for the good of his people; it kind of seemed like it had been all for nothing. Because most of his words fell on deaf ears. Most of his works miracles were despised. Most of his people didn’t believe in him. And so in sorrow and disappointment Jesus says about his future work for his people through the prophet Isaiah, “I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing.”
Of course, there are times when the Lord could say the exact same thing about me. He put in a lot of work for me: he took the time and the effort to provide a family for me that was solidly Christian from the time before I was born. Christ made sure that I was baptized into the name of the Triune God 13 days after I was brought into this world. He instructed me in Sunday School and catechism class every week throughout my formative years. He provided a Lutheran grade school and a Lutheran high school and a Lutheran college and a Lutheran seminary for me to attend through all my 21 years of schooling. He has blessed me with a Christian wife, Christian children, and a Christian congregation. He has granted me enough ability to read and understand his Word as well as to apply it to my life. My Lord has spent the time and the effort not only to bring me to faith but to also preserve my faith and strengthen my faith over the years through those very same words of God.
But then there are days when I act as if that baptism never happened. And there are times when I say things about another person that my Christian parents certainly didn’t teach me. And there are moments when I start to puzzle over some things that I was taught when I was 9 years old. And I mistreat and misuse the blessings of my family and my spouse and my congregation. And I forget God’s Word and I ignore God’s Word and I flat out refuse to apply God’s Word to my life. And I can almost see Christ through his hands up into the air and say, “I have labored to no purpose! I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing!” How often could he say that same thing about you?
There is no question that sometimes we act as if we were never baptized, or taught the Word of God, or even know what Christ has done for us! We act so foolishly and talk so irreverently at times that it’s amazing we still have the audacity to call ourselves children of God! He spends so much time and so much work and so much effort to make us his children and to take care of his children - and sometimes it must seem like it is all for nothing! The Word he presents us with we disregard. The faith he gives us we allow to decompose. The eternal life he grants us we don’t treat as all that important. Has he really labored to no purpose for us? Has Christ spent his strength in vain and for nothing?
No! Christ has not labored to no purpose! Christ has not spent his strength in vain! It hasn’t been all for nothing! Because look at who you are. Look at where you’re at. And look at where you’re going to be. You are a child of God, an adopted first-born son, a precious member of God’s family. Despite the sinful nature that was attached to you from the very beginning, regardless of the countless sins you have committed throughout your life, over against all of those obstacles you throw in his way every day, your Lord still considers you one of his own. And he thinks of you in that way because the Lord spent a lot of time and a lot of effort making sure you could be given that status!
Christ spent a lot of time and effort when he was on this earth proving himself perfect through every temptation so that you would be in good standing with his Father; and now you are. Christ spent a lot of time and a lot of effort in making sure that his sacrifice on the cross counted for your sins; and now you are forgiven because of it. Christ spent a lot of time and a lot of effort providing a way out of death by means of his resurrection; and now you are guaranteed eternal life. Christ spent a lot of time and a lot of effort setting up ways in which you could be brought into contact with that Good News: through baptism, through the Lord’s Supper, through the written and spoken Word of God; and now look who you are! You’ve been brought over that uncrossable line from unbeliever to believer! From darkness to light! From death to life! You are God’s child because of Christ’s work! That’s who you are. Christ’s time and his work and his efforts for you have not been all for nothing.
And look at where you’re at. You’re at a place that teaches the true Word of God without apology or alteration - and you can come back whenever you want to your God speak to you again. You are at a time in your life when you understand the importance of that Word for your life here and your life up there. You are at a point in your life where the Lord has worked on your heart for so many years that your faith has been solidified by the continuous foundation work he has laid through his Word. That is where you are at. Christ’s time and his work and his efforts have certainly not been all for nothing.
And that is why you can look forward to where you are going to be. You are going to be in heaven, in Paradise, in that perfect place with all of the angels of creation and all of the believers that went before you, gathered around your Lord for a worship service to end all worship services. You will live in the middle of the glory of the Lord; you will see his full majesty and power with your own eyes; and you will never be unhappy again. This is where you are going to be. All of Christ’s time and all of Christ’s work and all of Christ’s efforts have never been nor will they ever be all for nothing. When you die and are taken out of this life or if Judgment Day comes before that time, the Lord will not say of you, “I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing.” No, he will say “I have labored for a great purpose: your salvation. I have spent my strength well: for your life. There is no one else I’d rather see right now. And I’d do it all over again if I had to.”
Your Lord really does care. He cares if you end up in heaven or not. And he doesn’t just care about you. He cares about every person in this entire world. That’s why he was so distressed in this prophecy from Isaiah 49. Those he longed for were a long ways off. Those he reached for were slapping his hands away. Those he loved didn’t want it. That breaks his heart. That tears your Lord apart when the people of this earth do not know him and do not want to know him. Because he has done so much for them. He has spent so much time for them. He has expended so much effort for them. He has put in so many hours for them. And they don’t care. They don’t care because they don’t believe.
My brothers and sisters, you who have benefited from the Lord’s time and work and efforts just like I have, please tell people how much time and work and effort that the Lord has spent for them. They need to know. The Lord wants them to know. And he wants you to help them to hear it. Do not let all of the Lord’s labors be wasted on anyone else around you. Show them what the Lord has done. Invite them to see what he has sacrificed. Encourage them to hear what he has accomplished. He has not labored to no purpose. He has not spent his strength in vain.
Amen.
“May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.” - 2 Thess. 3:5
People often ask me how long I spend on sermon work each week. If it is a regular week like this past one was, a week in which I only have one sermon to prepare and I have a little more time in between Bible class preparation and appointments and meetings and visits and classes to work on it, it’s usually around 10-12 hours from start to finish. And that includes taking a lot of time and a lot of effort translating the original text, figuring out the unique characteristics of the words and phrases in that particular section of Scripture, crafting a theme that will be mentally edible for everyone here, pulling out the specific law and the specific gospel, constructing an outline that can be easily grasped, writing in a way that is accurate and thought-provoking and interesting and spiritually inspirational, editing every paragraph so that it flows smoothly, memorizing exactly what I want to say so that nothing is left to chance... And I would hope that it’s no surprise to you that I would spend plenty of time and work and effort on a sermon because that’s something very important; that’s something I care a lot about. Which means I also spend a lot of time and work and effort on Bible classes and my own daily Bible readings and my family and my marriage and right down the list to the more trivial and less important things in this life. Because it can be said about me as it can be said about everyone else: the more you care about something, the more time and work and effort you’re likely to spend on it.
And so to understand what our God really cares about, to figure out what is close to his heart, think back through the pages of Scripture: what did he spend a lot of time and work and effort on? Our God spent a lot of time and work and effort on his people, didn’t he? Think about how much time and effort he spent developing them as a nation, from Abraham to Isaac to Jacob to his twelve sons and then into the twelve tribes of Israel. Think of how much time and effort he spent teaching them his laws on Mt. Sinai and safely leading them through the desert and directing them in the Promised Land and providing them numerous judges over the decades to get them out of the trouble they got themselves into and bringing various nations under their control and sending prophet after prophet after prophet to them so that they would be brought back to repentance and reassuring them throughout the centuries with promises about their Savior… The Lord spent a lot of time and work and effort for his people throughout the entire Old Testament. And when the coming Christ showed up on this earth in New Testament times, the time and work and effort put in for his people didn’t taper off in any way at all. In fact, it escalated to a level that it hadn’t ever been at before.
This morning we will spend some time on Isaiah chapter 49 because it is a direct prophecy about the time and work and effort that Christ would spend on his people. It talks about Christ’s calling from his Father, his duty as a Servant, his work as a Savior, and his ultimate goal of bringing everyone to faith in him. But in this prophecy about Christ, Christ himself is actually speaking. And that’s a little bit unusual because normally a prophecy simply predicts something or someone to come in the future; which means that the subject of the prophecy isn’t usually the one speaking. Here though, in Isaiah 49, that’s exactly what happens. Christ is depicted as speaking these very words in the future about a conversation he once had with his Father in the past. “Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations: Before I was born the LORD called me; from my birth he has made mention of my name. He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver. He said to me, ‘You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.’” But then Christ says something about his work that he would perform in the future that is a little bit unexpected. "But I said, ‘I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing.’” Why would Christ say that? Why would he be distressed over the results of all the time and work and effort he woul put in for his people? Well, if you think about what happened with his people when he did come to this earth, the answer should be fairly obvious.
When Jesus came to this earth as a human being and began his ministry in the area of Galilee, the people of Jesus’ hometown wanted to kill him; many of his own family members didn’t believe in him; his own followers left him on a regular basis; one of his own disciples betrayed him; his own countrymen demanded that he be crucified; his own high priest accused him of blasphemy… In general, the Jewish people hated Jesus - one of their own! And so after all of the time and all of the work and all of the effort he spent for the good of his people; it kind of seemed like it had been all for nothing. Because most of his words fell on deaf ears. Most of his works miracles were despised. Most of his people didn’t believe in him. And so in sorrow and disappointment Jesus says about his future work for his people through the prophet Isaiah, “I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing.”
Of course, there are times when the Lord could say the exact same thing about me. He put in a lot of work for me: he took the time and the effort to provide a family for me that was solidly Christian from the time before I was born. Christ made sure that I was baptized into the name of the Triune God 13 days after I was brought into this world. He instructed me in Sunday School and catechism class every week throughout my formative years. He provided a Lutheran grade school and a Lutheran high school and a Lutheran college and a Lutheran seminary for me to attend through all my 21 years of schooling. He has blessed me with a Christian wife, Christian children, and a Christian congregation. He has granted me enough ability to read and understand his Word as well as to apply it to my life. My Lord has spent the time and the effort not only to bring me to faith but to also preserve my faith and strengthen my faith over the years through those very same words of God.
But then there are days when I act as if that baptism never happened. And there are times when I say things about another person that my Christian parents certainly didn’t teach me. And there are moments when I start to puzzle over some things that I was taught when I was 9 years old. And I mistreat and misuse the blessings of my family and my spouse and my congregation. And I forget God’s Word and I ignore God’s Word and I flat out refuse to apply God’s Word to my life. And I can almost see Christ through his hands up into the air and say, “I have labored to no purpose! I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing!” How often could he say that same thing about you?
There is no question that sometimes we act as if we were never baptized, or taught the Word of God, or even know what Christ has done for us! We act so foolishly and talk so irreverently at times that it’s amazing we still have the audacity to call ourselves children of God! He spends so much time and so much work and so much effort to make us his children and to take care of his children - and sometimes it must seem like it is all for nothing! The Word he presents us with we disregard. The faith he gives us we allow to decompose. The eternal life he grants us we don’t treat as all that important. Has he really labored to no purpose for us? Has Christ spent his strength in vain and for nothing?
No! Christ has not labored to no purpose! Christ has not spent his strength in vain! It hasn’t been all for nothing! Because look at who you are. Look at where you’re at. And look at where you’re going to be. You are a child of God, an adopted first-born son, a precious member of God’s family. Despite the sinful nature that was attached to you from the very beginning, regardless of the countless sins you have committed throughout your life, over against all of those obstacles you throw in his way every day, your Lord still considers you one of his own. And he thinks of you in that way because the Lord spent a lot of time and a lot of effort making sure you could be given that status!
Christ spent a lot of time and effort when he was on this earth proving himself perfect through every temptation so that you would be in good standing with his Father; and now you are. Christ spent a lot of time and a lot of effort in making sure that his sacrifice on the cross counted for your sins; and now you are forgiven because of it. Christ spent a lot of time and a lot of effort providing a way out of death by means of his resurrection; and now you are guaranteed eternal life. Christ spent a lot of time and a lot of effort setting up ways in which you could be brought into contact with that Good News: through baptism, through the Lord’s Supper, through the written and spoken Word of God; and now look who you are! You’ve been brought over that uncrossable line from unbeliever to believer! From darkness to light! From death to life! You are God’s child because of Christ’s work! That’s who you are. Christ’s time and his work and his efforts for you have not been all for nothing.
And look at where you’re at. You’re at a place that teaches the true Word of God without apology or alteration - and you can come back whenever you want to your God speak to you again. You are at a time in your life when you understand the importance of that Word for your life here and your life up there. You are at a point in your life where the Lord has worked on your heart for so many years that your faith has been solidified by the continuous foundation work he has laid through his Word. That is where you are at. Christ’s time and his work and his efforts have certainly not been all for nothing.
And that is why you can look forward to where you are going to be. You are going to be in heaven, in Paradise, in that perfect place with all of the angels of creation and all of the believers that went before you, gathered around your Lord for a worship service to end all worship services. You will live in the middle of the glory of the Lord; you will see his full majesty and power with your own eyes; and you will never be unhappy again. This is where you are going to be. All of Christ’s time and all of Christ’s work and all of Christ’s efforts have never been nor will they ever be all for nothing. When you die and are taken out of this life or if Judgment Day comes before that time, the Lord will not say of you, “I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing.” No, he will say “I have labored for a great purpose: your salvation. I have spent my strength well: for your life. There is no one else I’d rather see right now. And I’d do it all over again if I had to.”
Your Lord really does care. He cares if you end up in heaven or not. And he doesn’t just care about you. He cares about every person in this entire world. That’s why he was so distressed in this prophecy from Isaiah 49. Those he longed for were a long ways off. Those he reached for were slapping his hands away. Those he loved didn’t want it. That breaks his heart. That tears your Lord apart when the people of this earth do not know him and do not want to know him. Because he has done so much for them. He has spent so much time for them. He has expended so much effort for them. He has put in so many hours for them. And they don’t care. They don’t care because they don’t believe.
My brothers and sisters, you who have benefited from the Lord’s time and work and efforts just like I have, please tell people how much time and work and effort that the Lord has spent for them. They need to know. The Lord wants them to know. And he wants you to help them to hear it. Do not let all of the Lord’s labors be wasted on anyone else around you. Show them what the Lord has done. Invite them to see what he has sacrificed. Encourage them to hear what he has accomplished. He has not labored to no purpose. He has not spent his strength in vain.
Amen.
“May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.” - 2 Thess. 3:5
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
1/9/11 - Baptism of Christ - Acts 10:34-38
SALVATION SUMMARIZED
Do you remember a man from the Bible named Cornelius? If you can’t recall all that much about him, that’s OK. His story is squeezed in between some of the more well-known stories of the apostles after Pentecost in the early part of the book of Acts and the missionary journeys of the Apostle Paul in the later half, and so Cornelius doesn’t always get as much attention as he should. But his story is important to the spread of the gospel throughout the world and it also serves as the background to the Scripture verses we are looking at this morning.
Cornelius was a centurion. Which means he was a Roman soldier in charge of at least a hundred men whose job it was to occupy territories throughout the Roman Empire. Cornelius’ regiment was currently stationed in Caesarea, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea on the west side of the land of Israel. Normally, that would make Cornelius a very unpopular person among the occupied Jewish people, but it happened to be just the opposite. Because the Bible says he was a God-fearing man, one who prayed to the Lord on a regular basis and gave generously to those who were in need. And so Cornelius most likely got along with the Jewish people relatively well. He wasn’t considered “one of them” yet, but he wasn’t their enemy either. It was this Roman centurion that an angel of the Lord appeared to one day in a vision and told him to send for a man named Peter who happened to be 30 miles south of him in a city called Joppa. And so that is exactly what Cornelius did. He sent two servants and one of his trusted soldiers to find Simon Peter. In the meantime, the Lord himself sent Peter a vision and told him to go with the men that would soon be there at the house looking for him. The men from Caesarea came, Peter agreed to go back with them, and Cornelius invited all of his relatives and friends to his house in anticipation of Peter’s visit. And when this famous apostle arrived and after pleasantries were exchanged, Cornelius said, “Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us” (Acts 10:33).
The stage was set and Peter had a captive audience, but where would Peter start? There was so much to say! There were so many things he could tell them! Because this wasn’t just a normal group of people he would find in a local Jewish synagogue. This was a group of non-Jews, many of whom were probably unaware of most of the Old Testament stories about God’s chosen nation, Gentiles who apparently believed in the true God and had heard about what had happened to Jesus in Jerusalem, but also a gathering of people who might not have grasped all of the eternal implications of all those things that Jesus had recently done. And so Peter saw the need to summarize salvation. He realized that he had to give them a clear and succinct review of who Jesus was and what he had just accomplished.
But in order to summarize salvation Peter didn’t start in Bethlehem. He didn’t mention the virgin birth or the angels or the shepherds. He didn’t go over the story of the wise men or the escape down to Egypt. In fact, Peter skipped over the first 30 years of Jesus’ life on this earth! To summarize salvation Peter started at Jesus’ baptism. “You know what has happened throughout Judea,” Peter said, “beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached - how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.” Peter wanted to get right to the point of their eternal life. And so to do that he focused their attention on what happened at and after the baptism of Christ. Because that is where Jesus began his public ministry on our behalf. That is when he was revealed to this world as the Son of God by his anointing with the Holy Spirit and power. After that incident in the Jordan River, Jesus began performing miracles and preaching God’s Word and ultimately preparing for his death on the cross. Those last three years of Jesus’ life was the time in which he did all of those things that were necessary for the salvation of everyone in this world - including those Gentiles whom Peter was talking to that day. And so there was nothing more important that Peter could tell them.
And the importance of that time period of Jesus’ life is even seen in the way the first four books of the New Testament are laid out. The books of Matthew and Luke begin talking about Jesus after he was baptized as early as chapter 3 in their historical accounts. And Mark and John begin with Jesus’ adult life at that point in the very first chapters of their books. Because the Bible isn’t concerned about the cute little stories of Jesus as a child or funny anecdotes concerning his family life growing up; the Bible is only concerned about one thing: what Jesus did for our salvation. And so after Jesus was brought back from Egypt as a small child up to the point where he was baptized by John in the Jordan River as a 30 year old, there is only one story about him in between: when he was a 12 year old in the temple at Jerusalem. That’s it! We don’t know anything else about Jesus as an adolescent, as a teenager, or as a young man in his twenties. Because that isn’t important! The most important thing for us to know is what he did for our salvation. And that can be summarized in three short years: from his baptism by John to his ascension into heaven - and everything in between.
I wonder how a writer would summarize my Christian life. Not the amusing stories of my childhood or the various things I did growing up; and not really what has happened to me either, but what I have done as a Christian for the Lord. The Cliff Notes of my Christian life, so to speak. It would be a short book. Actually, it wouldn’t even be a book at all; it’d be a half-page sheet at best. If someone were to compile the commendable parts of my life, my actions and words that didn’t contain even a hint of selfishness or any false motives whatsoever, it’d be a little pitiful and a little embarrassing because of how little material that author would have to work with.
And I’m sure the Christian Cliff Notes of many of your lives would be much longer and much more flattering than mine. But even so, how many stories would there actually be of you helping someone without being selfish in any way? How many incidents could be mentioned in your life that would portray you as genuinely patient and kind and gentle? How many paragraphs could really be written about your unsolicited love for your family and your untiring efforts to spread the gospel and your unwavering devotion to the Lord in every and any situation? Can you even think of a handful of times like that which could be published in your favor? I don’t think I could count on one hand those moments in my life that would make the grade. And, as a life-long Christian, that is kind of pathetic.
Because here we have chapters and chapters and chapters worth of Scripture detailing the hundreds of different things that Jesus did just in the last three years of his life. In fact, in those first four books of the Bible that describe the life of Christ, almost 30 full chapters out of those books are devoted just to the last week of Jesus’ life and up until he ascended into heaven. And what we have in Scripture isn’t even close to all of the things Jesus did. At the end of his gospel account, John says that, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written” (John 21:25). Jesus’ entire life, and especially the time after his baptism, was filled with countless commendable acts that he did on our behalf.
And that’s the point. That’s why Peter spoke to Cornelius and his entire household about this time period in Jesus’ life. That’s why the writers of the four gospels spend so many pages on Christ after his baptism. This is a summary of our salvation. This is exactly how our sins are forgiven - in minute detail. This is exactly how he won for us our eternal life in heaven. This is exactly why he came to this earth in the first place. And this is why Peter continued his summary to Cornelius, his family, and his friends with these words, “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name” (Acts 10:39-43).
Peter understood - and so do you - that the Bible isn’t just for your historical knowledge. The Bible isn’t simply a biography about God’s people throughout the ages. The Bible is the story about what Jesus did and what Jesus does and what Jesus will do for you. And so notice as you read through the pages of Scripture next time that Jesus hardly ever did anything for himself. He slept when he absolutely had to for his own health. He ate when his body had to do so to survive. But that’s about it! He didn’t take any time off. He didn’t go on vacation. He didn’t spend a day on the beach of the Mediterranean Sea with his disciples. He didn’t have time! He had too much to do! He had too much to do for you. And so after his baptism, when he officially entered into the public ministry of what he had been sent here to do, he filled his life with a passion for yours. He spent every waking moment making sure that you could one day wake up from death. He dedicated every ounce of strength and every second of his time and every possible opportunity to get you to heaven. And “These [words about Christ] are written,” John says, “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31).
What John and Luke and Mark and Matthew all wrote about in Scripture is exactly what Peter summarized for Cornelius in his preaching: Jesus was baptized; Jesus lived perfectly; Jesus hung on a tree; Jesus rose; Jesus appeared; Jesus forgives. And that simply summary that Peter gave to those people gathered in a house in Caesarea that day must have been very powerful. Because as the story continues the Bible says that the Holy Spirit came upon those who heard these words and they began to speak in tongues. They were then baptized into the name of Jesus. And they urged Peter to stay with them for a few days longer so that they could know more about what their Savior had done for them. This summary of their salvation had immediately worked in their hearts, demonstrated in incredible fashion through a special gift of the Holy Spirit, and prompting them not only to want to be baptized, but also to hear even more.
Do you think that after Peter eventually left Cornelius’ house that Cornelius and the rest of the people that were gathered there that day just shrugged their shoulders and went back to their lives as usual? Probably not. They were probably so overcome with joy and excitement that their lives were never the same. And they undoubtedly shared this summary of salvation with as many people as would listen to them. After this worship service is over this morning and you go back to your homes, are you going to just shrug your shoulders and get back to your life as usual? I hope not. I hope I don’t either. I hope we are overcome with so much joy and excitement that we will want to share this summary of salvation with everyone who will listen. “Jesus suffered; Jesus died; Jesus rose; you’re forgiven!” Is there a simpler summary than that? Is there anything more powerful? Do not be afraid to share what Peter shared. And never be ashamed to share it in such a simple way. It worked in Cornelius’ heart. It worked in the hearts of those around him. It worked in yours. Isn’t it time to let the Holy Spirit work in others?
Amen.
“Jesus appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.” - 1 Tim. 3:16
Do you remember a man from the Bible named Cornelius? If you can’t recall all that much about him, that’s OK. His story is squeezed in between some of the more well-known stories of the apostles after Pentecost in the early part of the book of Acts and the missionary journeys of the Apostle Paul in the later half, and so Cornelius doesn’t always get as much attention as he should. But his story is important to the spread of the gospel throughout the world and it also serves as the background to the Scripture verses we are looking at this morning.
Cornelius was a centurion. Which means he was a Roman soldier in charge of at least a hundred men whose job it was to occupy territories throughout the Roman Empire. Cornelius’ regiment was currently stationed in Caesarea, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea on the west side of the land of Israel. Normally, that would make Cornelius a very unpopular person among the occupied Jewish people, but it happened to be just the opposite. Because the Bible says he was a God-fearing man, one who prayed to the Lord on a regular basis and gave generously to those who were in need. And so Cornelius most likely got along with the Jewish people relatively well. He wasn’t considered “one of them” yet, but he wasn’t their enemy either. It was this Roman centurion that an angel of the Lord appeared to one day in a vision and told him to send for a man named Peter who happened to be 30 miles south of him in a city called Joppa. And so that is exactly what Cornelius did. He sent two servants and one of his trusted soldiers to find Simon Peter. In the meantime, the Lord himself sent Peter a vision and told him to go with the men that would soon be there at the house looking for him. The men from Caesarea came, Peter agreed to go back with them, and Cornelius invited all of his relatives and friends to his house in anticipation of Peter’s visit. And when this famous apostle arrived and after pleasantries were exchanged, Cornelius said, “Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us” (Acts 10:33).
The stage was set and Peter had a captive audience, but where would Peter start? There was so much to say! There were so many things he could tell them! Because this wasn’t just a normal group of people he would find in a local Jewish synagogue. This was a group of non-Jews, many of whom were probably unaware of most of the Old Testament stories about God’s chosen nation, Gentiles who apparently believed in the true God and had heard about what had happened to Jesus in Jerusalem, but also a gathering of people who might not have grasped all of the eternal implications of all those things that Jesus had recently done. And so Peter saw the need to summarize salvation. He realized that he had to give them a clear and succinct review of who Jesus was and what he had just accomplished.
But in order to summarize salvation Peter didn’t start in Bethlehem. He didn’t mention the virgin birth or the angels or the shepherds. He didn’t go over the story of the wise men or the escape down to Egypt. In fact, Peter skipped over the first 30 years of Jesus’ life on this earth! To summarize salvation Peter started at Jesus’ baptism. “You know what has happened throughout Judea,” Peter said, “beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached - how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.” Peter wanted to get right to the point of their eternal life. And so to do that he focused their attention on what happened at and after the baptism of Christ. Because that is where Jesus began his public ministry on our behalf. That is when he was revealed to this world as the Son of God by his anointing with the Holy Spirit and power. After that incident in the Jordan River, Jesus began performing miracles and preaching God’s Word and ultimately preparing for his death on the cross. Those last three years of Jesus’ life was the time in which he did all of those things that were necessary for the salvation of everyone in this world - including those Gentiles whom Peter was talking to that day. And so there was nothing more important that Peter could tell them.
And the importance of that time period of Jesus’ life is even seen in the way the first four books of the New Testament are laid out. The books of Matthew and Luke begin talking about Jesus after he was baptized as early as chapter 3 in their historical accounts. And Mark and John begin with Jesus’ adult life at that point in the very first chapters of their books. Because the Bible isn’t concerned about the cute little stories of Jesus as a child or funny anecdotes concerning his family life growing up; the Bible is only concerned about one thing: what Jesus did for our salvation. And so after Jesus was brought back from Egypt as a small child up to the point where he was baptized by John in the Jordan River as a 30 year old, there is only one story about him in between: when he was a 12 year old in the temple at Jerusalem. That’s it! We don’t know anything else about Jesus as an adolescent, as a teenager, or as a young man in his twenties. Because that isn’t important! The most important thing for us to know is what he did for our salvation. And that can be summarized in three short years: from his baptism by John to his ascension into heaven - and everything in between.
I wonder how a writer would summarize my Christian life. Not the amusing stories of my childhood or the various things I did growing up; and not really what has happened to me either, but what I have done as a Christian for the Lord. The Cliff Notes of my Christian life, so to speak. It would be a short book. Actually, it wouldn’t even be a book at all; it’d be a half-page sheet at best. If someone were to compile the commendable parts of my life, my actions and words that didn’t contain even a hint of selfishness or any false motives whatsoever, it’d be a little pitiful and a little embarrassing because of how little material that author would have to work with.
And I’m sure the Christian Cliff Notes of many of your lives would be much longer and much more flattering than mine. But even so, how many stories would there actually be of you helping someone without being selfish in any way? How many incidents could be mentioned in your life that would portray you as genuinely patient and kind and gentle? How many paragraphs could really be written about your unsolicited love for your family and your untiring efforts to spread the gospel and your unwavering devotion to the Lord in every and any situation? Can you even think of a handful of times like that which could be published in your favor? I don’t think I could count on one hand those moments in my life that would make the grade. And, as a life-long Christian, that is kind of pathetic.
Because here we have chapters and chapters and chapters worth of Scripture detailing the hundreds of different things that Jesus did just in the last three years of his life. In fact, in those first four books of the Bible that describe the life of Christ, almost 30 full chapters out of those books are devoted just to the last week of Jesus’ life and up until he ascended into heaven. And what we have in Scripture isn’t even close to all of the things Jesus did. At the end of his gospel account, John says that, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written” (John 21:25). Jesus’ entire life, and especially the time after his baptism, was filled with countless commendable acts that he did on our behalf.
And that’s the point. That’s why Peter spoke to Cornelius and his entire household about this time period in Jesus’ life. That’s why the writers of the four gospels spend so many pages on Christ after his baptism. This is a summary of our salvation. This is exactly how our sins are forgiven - in minute detail. This is exactly how he won for us our eternal life in heaven. This is exactly why he came to this earth in the first place. And this is why Peter continued his summary to Cornelius, his family, and his friends with these words, “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name” (Acts 10:39-43).
Peter understood - and so do you - that the Bible isn’t just for your historical knowledge. The Bible isn’t simply a biography about God’s people throughout the ages. The Bible is the story about what Jesus did and what Jesus does and what Jesus will do for you. And so notice as you read through the pages of Scripture next time that Jesus hardly ever did anything for himself. He slept when he absolutely had to for his own health. He ate when his body had to do so to survive. But that’s about it! He didn’t take any time off. He didn’t go on vacation. He didn’t spend a day on the beach of the Mediterranean Sea with his disciples. He didn’t have time! He had too much to do! He had too much to do for you. And so after his baptism, when he officially entered into the public ministry of what he had been sent here to do, he filled his life with a passion for yours. He spent every waking moment making sure that you could one day wake up from death. He dedicated every ounce of strength and every second of his time and every possible opportunity to get you to heaven. And “These [words about Christ] are written,” John says, “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31).
What John and Luke and Mark and Matthew all wrote about in Scripture is exactly what Peter summarized for Cornelius in his preaching: Jesus was baptized; Jesus lived perfectly; Jesus hung on a tree; Jesus rose; Jesus appeared; Jesus forgives. And that simply summary that Peter gave to those people gathered in a house in Caesarea that day must have been very powerful. Because as the story continues the Bible says that the Holy Spirit came upon those who heard these words and they began to speak in tongues. They were then baptized into the name of Jesus. And they urged Peter to stay with them for a few days longer so that they could know more about what their Savior had done for them. This summary of their salvation had immediately worked in their hearts, demonstrated in incredible fashion through a special gift of the Holy Spirit, and prompting them not only to want to be baptized, but also to hear even more.
Do you think that after Peter eventually left Cornelius’ house that Cornelius and the rest of the people that were gathered there that day just shrugged their shoulders and went back to their lives as usual? Probably not. They were probably so overcome with joy and excitement that their lives were never the same. And they undoubtedly shared this summary of salvation with as many people as would listen to them. After this worship service is over this morning and you go back to your homes, are you going to just shrug your shoulders and get back to your life as usual? I hope not. I hope I don’t either. I hope we are overcome with so much joy and excitement that we will want to share this summary of salvation with everyone who will listen. “Jesus suffered; Jesus died; Jesus rose; you’re forgiven!” Is there a simpler summary than that? Is there anything more powerful? Do not be afraid to share what Peter shared. And never be ashamed to share it in such a simple way. It worked in Cornelius’ heart. It worked in the hearts of those around him. It worked in yours. Isn’t it time to let the Holy Spirit work in others?
Amen.
“Jesus appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.” - 1 Tim. 3:16
Sunday, January 02, 2011
1/2/11 - Christmas 2 - John 1:14-18
WHERE'S THE GLORY OF THE LORD NOW?
When the angels appeared to the shepherds on the hills around Bethlehem in that familiar Christmas night story we heard just over a week ago, the Bible says that “the glory of the Lord show around them, and they were terrified” (Luke 2:9). And so my question to you is this: what was that “glory of the Lord”? Was it simply a blinding light? Was it a misty, hazy, shimmering fog of sorts? Did it involve a dream-like feeling that enveloped the shepherds? Was it completely quiet without a single noise or did it come with new and remarkable sounds that had never been heard before? It’s hard to say what this “glory of the Lord” was really like because it’s not explained to us in Scripture. But you can bet that any Israelite reading this story during that time would have had something very specific in mind about the “glory of the Lord.” Because the “glory of the Lord” is mentioned throughout the entire Old Testament.
That “Cavode Adonai” - the glory of the Lord - had been something very special and very meaningful for God’s people for a very long period of time. The first place it appeared was in the desert through which the Israelites were wandering, just before God gave them quail and manna to eat. “They looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the LORD appearing in the cloud” (Exodus 16:10). It was God’s way of saying that he was right there among them; he would take care of them; he would provide for them; and that is exactly what he did. Later on in their travels they came across a mountain named Sinai. And “When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai… To the Israelites the glory of the LORD looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain” (Exodus 24:15-16,17). There were even heavenly trumpet blasts and thunder and lightning that crashed around this mountain peak. In a very visible and audible way the Lord was letting his people know that he was there in all of his power and might and glory. Still later in their journey to the Promised Land, after Moses had overseen the construction of the Tent of Meeting - the tabernacle - “The cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled upon it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle” (Exodus 40:34-35). In a very similar way the Lord wanted his people to see with their own eyes that he was present among them, that this was his house, that this is where he could be found. And that is where the glory of the Lord continued to appear for many years - at the tabernacle - wherever the people went and wherever that special tent was set up.
The glory of the Lord remained there until they entered the Promised Land. And although the Tent of Meeting was set up in the land of Israel for a few centuries, it didn’t appear again for 5000 years until the days of Solomon. Because Solomon was the one who finally built a permanent structure for the Lord. And instead of the tabernacle taken down and moved from place to place, Solomon constructed a temple. And after he prayed his prayer of dedication, Scripture says that “fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple” (2 Chron. 7:1). God was among his people once again! In his house. To rule and to watch over them and to reign. But that is the last time the Bible records for us that the glory of the Lord was seen by the people. After that incident it was never displayed again. Ezekiel saw the glory of the Lord in his visions about the future; and Isaiah and Habakkuk prophesy about the glory of the Lord that would come along with the Messiah, but the people never saw it again - until the time of Christ.
Now, with that extensive history lesson in mind, I would like to read again John 1:14. And I’m going to read to you a very literal translation of it so that the connection between what we just talked about and what John is getting at is absolutely clear: “The Word became flesh and pitched his tent among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the Only-Begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Do you see what this verse from John chapter one has to do with the glory of the Lord in the Old Testament? John says that Jesus actually “pitched his tent” with us in the flesh. Just as that Tent of Meeting was taken down, and wrapped up, and carried with the nation numerous times throughout the 40 years in the desert, only to be set up again when the Lord found a new place to camp, so Jesus himself set up camp with us. He lived among us for a time. And just as the people actually saw the glory of the Lord with their own eyes at many different times in the Old Testament, so too John and the rest of the disciples saw with their own eyes the glory of the Only-Begotten Son of the Father. They saw it in his face on the Mount of Transfiguration. They saw it in his miracles and his healings and his exorcisms. They saw it in his appearances to them after his resurrection from the dead and while he ascended before their very eyes up into heaven. The glory of the Lord, which hadn’t been seen since the time of Solomon, was back! And not in a frightening way this time; not in a mysterious or intimidating way; but the glory of the Lord was back in the life and the death, the resurrection and the ascension of Christ.
And so where is the glory of the Lord now? It was in the form of clouds and fire and smoke in the Old Testament. It was in the form of Christ himself and his supernatural accomplishments in the early part of the New Testament. And so where is it now? Is it hidden again? Has it been taken away only to come back sometime in the future? No! It’s right here: in his Word. It’s not in a cloud anymore; it’s not in thunder and lightning; it’s not hovering over an earthly temple in a remote location or visibly demonstrated through outwardly powerful acts of the Son of God himself. The glory of the Lord is in the forgiveness he grants to you through his gospel - packaged for you in the English words of our Bibles and the waters of baptism and the body and blood of the Lord’s Supper. The glory of the Lord is still “seen” in the miracle of someone being brought to faith in their Savior. The glory of the Lord is still “heard” through the proclamation of law and gospel from a pulpit. The glory of the Lord is here; invisible but filling this room; undetectable but effective. And it’s just as real now as it once was hovering over the tabernacle. It’s just as powerful now as it once was covering Mount Sinai. It’s just as breath-taking now as it once was in the face of Christ. The glory of the Lord has not gone away; it has just taken on a different form for a different people at a different time - just like it has done before.
And so let’s not lose sight of it. Let’s not lose sight of the glory of the Lord like so many of those in the past did. Moses, for example, was given a special glimpse of the Lord’s glory when God passed by him in the crevice of a rock so that Moses could see a part of his back. But then Moses disobeyed the Lord’s command right in front of the nation of Israel soon afterwards, taking glory for himself instead of giving all the credit to his God. And because of that action Moses was not allowed to enter the Promised Land. At another point the 70 elders of Israel saw the glory of the Lord when they were invited up on the mountain. But when they came back down they led the people into the sin of worshiping a golden calf! Solomon was a witness of the glory of the Lord at the brand-new temple in Jerusalem. But then he allowed his wives to lead him away from the true God and bow down to the idols of foreign nations. John himself, who write these words about the glory of Jesus Christ in John 1, experienced the glory of the Lord in the transfiguration of his Savior. But on the very next day he was one of the disciples who were arguing about which one of them was the greatest! The people that actually saw the glory of the Lord throughout Scripture soon fell into inexplicable sins. And I don’t know if they just took the glory of the Lord for granted or if they were so used to the glory of the Lord that it didn’t make much of an impact anymore or if it was just simply a matter of sinful people succumbing to their sinful natures despite the glory of the Lord all around them, but I’m afraid that we do the same thing.
I’m afraid that sometimes we take the glory of the Lord for granted although we have an opportunity to see it in Scripture every day. Sometimes we just get so used to the glory of the Lord because we hear about and sing about every week in church so that it doesn’t have the impact it once did. Sometimes our sinful nature convinces us to dabble in sinful thoughts and words for a while as our Bibles sit right next to us on the end table. We have to be careful. We have to be very careful that we don’t lose sight of the glory of the Lord like so many of those people did in the past. Because it’s so easy to do, isn’t it? When we have the availability of the glory of the Lord in the Word of God 24/7 it’s so easy to let our daily Scripture reading slide since it’s going to be there waiting for us tomorrow. When we have the blessing of being able to go to a church and worship whom we want to worship in the way we want to do it at any time we feel like in this country, it’s so easy for us not to take weekly worship or our Lord too seriously because we aren’t forced to stand up for our faith; no one is pressing the issue. When we don’t have someone constantly looking over our shoulder and checking what we do and correcting our sinful habits, it’s so easy to fall into completely unnecessary sins because no one is going to know about them anyway. We are surrounded by the glory of the Lord through his Word and sacraments - and we have been our entire lives - but how much time do we really spend looking at it and listening to it and singing it and reading it anymore? The glory of the Lord found in his Word has become so commonplace in our lives that it’s almost nothing special anymore; it’s just normal.
Don’t let happen! Don’t allow this glory of the Lord to be “normal”. Don’t treat this glory of the Lord as nothing out of the ordinary. Because it’s anything but. This glory of the Lord is “the Word who became flesh and pitched his tent among us.” Is that normal? Is that nothing out of the ordinary? This glory of the Lord is “the Only-Begotten from the Father”: and yet the eternal God has a human birthday! That’s not normal! That’s not ordinary! This glory of the Lord is Jesus Christ “full of grace and truth.” And that’s where the glory of the Lord can be seen the clearest today: in the grace and truth of Jesus Christ. The glory of his grace is that he forgives us whenever we are spiritually complacent; and he forgives us whenever we take his Word for granted; and he forgives us whenever we commit inexplicable sins for the thousandth time. And the glory of his truth is that the glory of his grace will never be taken away. We might ignore it; we might lose sight of it; we might miss it every once in a while; but it’s still going to be there. Your Bible will still be sitting on your nightstand waiting for the glory of the Lord to be read. Your congregation will still be around waiting for the glory of the Lord to be heard and to be sung and to be studied. Your spot at the altar of our Lord will still be reserved waiting for the glory of the Lord to be tasted and touched and received.
This glory of the Lord will always be here because Jesus has pitched his tent among us. He has settled here in this country and has drawn hundreds of thousands of people to him. He has made his camp in this town and has patiently instructed the people of this congregation for almost 71 years now. He has pounded his tent stakes into our hearts and has made his home in us through faith. And here he will continue to live, showing us his glory, giving us his grace, grounding us with his truth, until the day we reach the place where the glory of the Lord is unbridled and unmatched. Until that day we get to see the glory of the Lord in all of its glory.
But as long as we are here, make sure that this glory of the Lord is not lost. And now is as good a day as any to renew that love and zeal for the glory of the Lord! It’s only the 2nd day into the new year. Now is the time to read about the glory of the Lord a little longer, to worship the glory of the Lord a little more seriously, to study the glory of the Lord a little deeper. The glory of the Lord will always be here for you. The glory of the Lord will always surround you in his Word. Don’t leave it behind.
Amen.
“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” - 1 Tim. 1:17
12/31/10 - New Year's Eve - Joshua 23:14
COUNT ON IT
Joshua had led the people of Israel for about 25 years. And during that time he had accomplished quite a few things for God’s people. He had taken them across the Jordan River and into the Promised Land for the very first time. He had coordinated the assaults on the towns and cities that did not surrender to them. He had sent the tribes of Israel out to take possession of the portions of the land assigned to them. He had been their spiritual leader. He had been their mediator in the presence of the Lord. He had been a faithful servant and a living reminder about what the Lord had done for his people in the past. But now Joshua was getting along in years and he knew that his time was just about up. And so before he died he called together all of the elders and leaders and judges and officials of the people of Israel and gave them his farewell speech. This heartfelt address was filled with reminders and encouragements, warnings and instructions. And although every one of Joshua’s words that day were worth remembering, what he said near the end was something especially important for us on a night like tonight: “You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.”
Not one promise had ever failed. Everything that the Lord had ever said to his people had come true. The promise of 40 years of wandering in the desert: fulfilled. The promise of keeping them safe from their enemies: fulfilled. The promise of bringing them one day into the “Promised” Land: fulfilled. The promise of handing over to them the cities and the nations in the land of Israel: fulfilled. The promise that Abraham’s descendants would become uncountable: fulfilled. The promise of his patience, his guidance, his presence, his love: fulfilled. And as the Israelites took a moment to look back that day on all of the things that the Lord had done for his people, it would have been unmistakable to them: every one of God’s promises had been carried out. Not one had been left unfinished. Even during those times when it didn’t seem possible. Even against those enemies that were much stronger and well-prepared. Even at those critical moments when nothing seemed right. Somehow in some way, God made sure that his promises to his people happened just the way he said they would. And if he had done that for his children throughout all those years in the past, they could count on that exact same thing being done for them every year in the future.
Tonight we once again sit on the last few hours of a year that is almost gone. And before we look ahead to what may or may not happen in 2011, let’s take a look back at what has already happened in 2010. Because what Joshua said to his people almost 3500 years ago in the land of Israel could be said to us right now: “You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.” That is a truth valid year in and year out. It might not have looked feasible at the beginning of the year; it might not have seemed probable in the middle of the year; but now at the end of the year we can look back and see things clearly. Every promise did come true - again. Every guarantee was carried out - again. Every pledge that the Lord gave us in his Word was accomplished - again. Just think about all of those things that the Lord has done for you this past year:
When you were sick in the last 12 months or when you faced surgery or when you had to deal with a death, wasn’t the Lord right there with you every step of the way just like he promised he would? When you prayed to him for yourself and for others and for your congregation, didn’t he listen carefully to every one of those prayers just like he promised he would? When you came to church and heard the Word, when you sat at home and read the Word, when you gathered together with others and studied the Word, didn’t the Lord strengthen your faith through his gospel just like he said he would? When things weren’t going so well, when money got a little tight, when your sinful nature was pounding on your door more often than usual, didn’t the Lord provide you a way out just like he promised he would? And if the Lord was willing and able to keep all of those promises once again in 2010 just like he had the year before and the year before that and the year before that, what do you think you can count on tomorrow when a near year begins? What do you think you can count on during the next 12 months? What do you think you can count on for the rest of your earthly life?
But that’s not the way our minds work, do they? You’d like to think that after all of God’s promises that have been fulfilled in the past that we wouldn’t get worked up about anything ever again! You’d think that we would be calm and content and never anxious or worried about what might happen in the future! You’d think that it would have sunk in by now! But it hasn’t! One little thing can set us off. One little setback can get us upset. One little change in plans can tie us up in knots. One difference of opinion or one unfixable problem or sometimes just one possible negative outcome that might not even come true can affect us to such an extent that we lose sleep over it.
And when that happens, where are God’s promises? What about his Word? What about all of the things that he has proved to you in the past? Don’t they matter anymore? Don’t they mean anything? Are the situations you are dealing with now any tougher than what the Lord has dealt with in the past? Are the problems you are facing now any more difficult than what the Lord has faced in the past? Is the future any more uncertain now than what the Lord has planned for and worked out for the good of his people in the past? “You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.” But if we know that, why do we seem to forget that? Why do we seem to ignore that? That is a truth that will never change! That is a truth that we can always count on.
That’s not a truth that only we forget, though. The Israelites themselves forgot about this truth soon after Joshua died. In the very next book of the Bible, the book of Judges, it says that “Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of a hundred and ten… After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel” (Judges 2:8,10). They had forgotten about what the Lord had done! They had left his Word behind! They had lost his promises! And so what did the Lord do with his promises? After his own people had forgotten them and left them and lost them, what do you think the Lord did with all those promises he had given them so long ago? Nothing different. Nothing different! He did not take them away. He did not cancel their fulfillment. He did not withdraw his Word. The Lord continued to keep his promises to his people despite the fact that they didn’t even know about them, despite the fact that they didn’t even care.
And that is the power of the promises of our God: we can’t annul them; we can’t invalidate them; no matter how bad we are, we cannot do anything to stop God from carrying out his promises to us! He’s always going to see them through - whether we believe them or not. Because when he was born into this world he promised us that he would always remain faithful; and so we can count on it. When he died on that cross he promised us that our sins would always be forgiven; and so we can count on it. When he rose from the dead he promised that we would live forever; and so we can count on it. When he ascended into heaven he promised us that he would never leave; and so we can count on it. And that’s never going to change. What he did for us today is what he will do for us tomorrow. What he did for us in 2010 is what he is going to do for us in 2011. What he did for us five years ago is what he’ll do for us five years from now. What he did for us at our birth he will do for us at our death. He will love us. He will forgive us. He will take care of us. And, just like he promised to every Christian in this world, one day he will take us home. That is the Word of our God. And you can count on it - today, tomorrow, and every other year you spend on this earth.
Amen.
Joshua had led the people of Israel for about 25 years. And during that time he had accomplished quite a few things for God’s people. He had taken them across the Jordan River and into the Promised Land for the very first time. He had coordinated the assaults on the towns and cities that did not surrender to them. He had sent the tribes of Israel out to take possession of the portions of the land assigned to them. He had been their spiritual leader. He had been their mediator in the presence of the Lord. He had been a faithful servant and a living reminder about what the Lord had done for his people in the past. But now Joshua was getting along in years and he knew that his time was just about up. And so before he died he called together all of the elders and leaders and judges and officials of the people of Israel and gave them his farewell speech. This heartfelt address was filled with reminders and encouragements, warnings and instructions. And although every one of Joshua’s words that day were worth remembering, what he said near the end was something especially important for us on a night like tonight: “You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.”
Not one promise had ever failed. Everything that the Lord had ever said to his people had come true. The promise of 40 years of wandering in the desert: fulfilled. The promise of keeping them safe from their enemies: fulfilled. The promise of bringing them one day into the “Promised” Land: fulfilled. The promise of handing over to them the cities and the nations in the land of Israel: fulfilled. The promise that Abraham’s descendants would become uncountable: fulfilled. The promise of his patience, his guidance, his presence, his love: fulfilled. And as the Israelites took a moment to look back that day on all of the things that the Lord had done for his people, it would have been unmistakable to them: every one of God’s promises had been carried out. Not one had been left unfinished. Even during those times when it didn’t seem possible. Even against those enemies that were much stronger and well-prepared. Even at those critical moments when nothing seemed right. Somehow in some way, God made sure that his promises to his people happened just the way he said they would. And if he had done that for his children throughout all those years in the past, they could count on that exact same thing being done for them every year in the future.
Tonight we once again sit on the last few hours of a year that is almost gone. And before we look ahead to what may or may not happen in 2011, let’s take a look back at what has already happened in 2010. Because what Joshua said to his people almost 3500 years ago in the land of Israel could be said to us right now: “You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.” That is a truth valid year in and year out. It might not have looked feasible at the beginning of the year; it might not have seemed probable in the middle of the year; but now at the end of the year we can look back and see things clearly. Every promise did come true - again. Every guarantee was carried out - again. Every pledge that the Lord gave us in his Word was accomplished - again. Just think about all of those things that the Lord has done for you this past year:
When you were sick in the last 12 months or when you faced surgery or when you had to deal with a death, wasn’t the Lord right there with you every step of the way just like he promised he would? When you prayed to him for yourself and for others and for your congregation, didn’t he listen carefully to every one of those prayers just like he promised he would? When you came to church and heard the Word, when you sat at home and read the Word, when you gathered together with others and studied the Word, didn’t the Lord strengthen your faith through his gospel just like he said he would? When things weren’t going so well, when money got a little tight, when your sinful nature was pounding on your door more often than usual, didn’t the Lord provide you a way out just like he promised he would? And if the Lord was willing and able to keep all of those promises once again in 2010 just like he had the year before and the year before that and the year before that, what do you think you can count on tomorrow when a near year begins? What do you think you can count on during the next 12 months? What do you think you can count on for the rest of your earthly life?
But that’s not the way our minds work, do they? You’d like to think that after all of God’s promises that have been fulfilled in the past that we wouldn’t get worked up about anything ever again! You’d think that we would be calm and content and never anxious or worried about what might happen in the future! You’d think that it would have sunk in by now! But it hasn’t! One little thing can set us off. One little setback can get us upset. One little change in plans can tie us up in knots. One difference of opinion or one unfixable problem or sometimes just one possible negative outcome that might not even come true can affect us to such an extent that we lose sleep over it.
And when that happens, where are God’s promises? What about his Word? What about all of the things that he has proved to you in the past? Don’t they matter anymore? Don’t they mean anything? Are the situations you are dealing with now any tougher than what the Lord has dealt with in the past? Are the problems you are facing now any more difficult than what the Lord has faced in the past? Is the future any more uncertain now than what the Lord has planned for and worked out for the good of his people in the past? “You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.” But if we know that, why do we seem to forget that? Why do we seem to ignore that? That is a truth that will never change! That is a truth that we can always count on.
That’s not a truth that only we forget, though. The Israelites themselves forgot about this truth soon after Joshua died. In the very next book of the Bible, the book of Judges, it says that “Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of a hundred and ten… After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel” (Judges 2:8,10). They had forgotten about what the Lord had done! They had left his Word behind! They had lost his promises! And so what did the Lord do with his promises? After his own people had forgotten them and left them and lost them, what do you think the Lord did with all those promises he had given them so long ago? Nothing different. Nothing different! He did not take them away. He did not cancel their fulfillment. He did not withdraw his Word. The Lord continued to keep his promises to his people despite the fact that they didn’t even know about them, despite the fact that they didn’t even care.
And that is the power of the promises of our God: we can’t annul them; we can’t invalidate them; no matter how bad we are, we cannot do anything to stop God from carrying out his promises to us! He’s always going to see them through - whether we believe them or not. Because when he was born into this world he promised us that he would always remain faithful; and so we can count on it. When he died on that cross he promised us that our sins would always be forgiven; and so we can count on it. When he rose from the dead he promised that we would live forever; and so we can count on it. When he ascended into heaven he promised us that he would never leave; and so we can count on it. And that’s never going to change. What he did for us today is what he will do for us tomorrow. What he did for us in 2010 is what he is going to do for us in 2011. What he did for us five years ago is what he’ll do for us five years from now. What he did for us at our birth he will do for us at our death. He will love us. He will forgive us. He will take care of us. And, just like he promised to every Christian in this world, one day he will take us home. That is the Word of our God. And you can count on it - today, tomorrow, and every other year you spend on this earth.
Amen.
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