Salvation is Yours through faith! (Romans 3:18-28)

October 30, 2011

Dear friends in Christ.

As long as I can remember, it has been our practice to celebrate the Festival of the Reformation as the month of October is drawing to a close.  It has been our practice to remind ourselves how an insignificant monk named Martin Luther, screwed his courage to its sticking place on the evening of October 31, 1517 and went out to nail his 95 theses or 95 statements for debate to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany.  It was that hammer blow, which echoed forcefully through the streets of Wittenberg and some might say echoed around the world that began the Lutheran Reformation as a movement that simply would not be stopped. It was that hammer blow that signaled the beginning of a path that would the very faith which had begun to grow in Luther’s heart since the day he first in the Scriptures and understood that salvation did not come from anything he could do for God; rather salvation came from God through faith in Jesus Christ the Savior. 

Since that day some 590 years ago, many churches have celebrated the Lutheran Reformation.  Many Pastors have preached beautiful sermons about what Luther said and did in his life, and from that, many church members have wondered why we place so much emphasis on Luther, when he was nothing more than a sinner saved by grace, just like you and I.  In fact, I expect that some of you are already wondering why I’ve spent so much time talking about him this morning.  Well the answer is simple.  Today is the day that we have gathered to give thanks to the Lord that he used Martin Luther as his servant to restore the clear truth of the Scriptures that Salvation is ours through faith in Jesus Christ our Savior! 

It is this clear message of the Scriptures that salvation is ours through faith in Jesus Christ our Savior, which the Apostle Paul is proclaiming to us in our text today! For as he writes, he reminds us very clearly and very vividly that our own salvation has never come to us by anything that we have done, rather, our salvation comes only through faith in Christ Jesus.  Paul writes: “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.” (Romans 3:19-20)

There it is!  Right there, in those two short verses, we have the sum total and the very purpose of God’s Law!  Though our sinful human nature proudly believes that we aren’t all that bad, God’s Law reveals something quite different.  Though our sinful human nature believes that given enough time we could gain our own holiness by struggling and striving to keep God’s Law, God’s law shows us that we will never be declared righteous by observing it.  We will never be declared righteous by observing it, because God’s law has one single purpose—to show us our sins.  God’s law has one single purpose—to silence our mouths. God’s law has one single purpose—to hold us accountable to God.

Though we may think that God’s law cannot possibly apply to us because we are really good people who have struggled and tried to earn our salvation by keeping our thoughts pure, by keeping our words blameless, and by keeping our actions impeccable, it is God’s Law that reveals just how corrupted we have become.  For God’s law tells us that there is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God, because all of us have turned away and have together become worthless.  All of us are incapable of doing good.  Our throats are open graves.  Our tongues practice deceit.  The poison of vipers is on our lips and our mouths are filled with cursing and bitterness.  Our feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark our ways, and the way of peace we do not know, because there is not fear of God before our eyes.” (Romans 3:10-18)

Though we might think we’re pretty great, God’s law paints a different picture for us, for no matter how hard we try to keep God’s law, we fail.  No matter how hard we try to be perfect, we can’t even come close.  No matter how hard we try to shed our sins and our guilt and do work harder at keeping God’s law, we can’t because as James tells us, “Whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” (James 2:10)  Or as Paul tells us, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23).

Now, I don’t know about you, but after hearing all that, I don’t feel all that great.  In fact, I actually feel angry.  I’m upset, frustrated, and outraged by this God who gave me this ridiculous set of rules and regulations that he demands I keep, even though he knows I can’t keep them!  What’s the point!  Why should I even bother! Why should I try to please him if he’s just going to sit on his high and mighty throne judging me because I have sinned and fallen short of his glory!  What hope is there if I can’t possibly keep his Law on my own!  Why have I come!  What more can I do if I am condemned to eternal death in hell by the very law God demand that I keep! 

I’m sure that is how Luther felt while he lived as a monk, for the story has been told of how his fellow monks would find him passed out and bleeding on the floor of his room.  Passed out from hunger, because he had denied himself food in order to punish his body for its sinful desires; passed out from pain and bleeding, because he had beaten himself and scourged himself to free himself from his sins, which he knew kept coming back again and again no matter how many times he confessed them to his father confessor.  No matter how hard he tried to keep God’s Law, he couldn’t, and because of that he was entering a world of despair even worse than I what I just expressed, until he discovered and understood the very Gospel that Paul reveals to us when he writes, “But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:21-26)

This is what the Lord our God has done for us!  Though it is the Lord who demands that we keep every detail of the Law he has given us, because he knew we could never do it on our own, he sent his Son to do it for us.  Though we had done nothing to earn it or deserve it, we have been justified—declared not guilty of all our sins—through Jesus Christ our Savior, who redeemed us by his blood.  It was our God, the very God who gave me all the rules and regulations of the Law, which he demanded I keep, who sent his Son to keep them for me.  It was my God, the very God who held me accountable for my every sin, who took those sins from me and placed them on his Son.  With a plan of which I never would have conceived, he sent his Son, to take the place of me, his enemy.  He sent his Son to keep every single rule and regulation of his law perfectly.  Then, he, my gracious and loving God, sent his own Son to be tortured.  He sent his one and only Son to be crucified.  He weighed down his own Son with the burden of my sins, and then he, the Lord my God, turned his back on his one and only Son, forsook him, and let him die!  The very things I would never allow to happen to my children, the Lord my God willingly caused to happen to his one and only Son.  The very things that I would rush to prevent from happening to my children, he allowed to happen to his Son, so that he might be just and justify—declare not guilty of sin—those who believe in Jesus as their Savior.

Now, through faith in Jesus Christ, our Savior, each and every one of us has salvation.  Through faith in Jesus Christ our Savior, each and every one of us has been washed clean of every spot and stain of our sins.  Through faith in Jesus Christ our Savior, we all have the sure and certain hope of eternal life, because we know that when Jesus died and rose again, he did it to free us from our sins, so that we could live with him forever in the halls of his heavenly kingdom.  This is the great comfort and assurance we all have from knowing that Salvation is ours through faith in Jesus Christ our Savior!  Though we continually see our sins as we gaze into the mirror of the Law, as we look in to the Gospel, we see our salvation revealed to us.  As we look into the law we are reminded again and again that there is nothing we can do to free us from our sins, but as we look into the Gospel, we are assured that Salvation is ours through faith in Jesus Christ our Savior.  Though it is the Law that condemns us, it is the Gospel that saves us so that all our thanks and praise belong to the Lord.  As Paul says, “Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. (Romans 3:27-28)

Salvation is ours through faith in Jesus Christ our Savior!  This is the heart and the core of the Bible’s teaching, and this is the very reason why we have gathered to celebrate Reformation Sunday.  We have gathered to give praise to the Lord that some 590 years ago the Lord used an insignificant German monk to reveal this truth to the world.  We have gathered to praise the Lord because Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church is a direct result of the Lord’s use of Martin Luther back in Germany.  We have gathered to praise the Lord because through the Reformation we celebrate today, we have heard the truth of the Gospel which Paul proclaimed in his letter to the Romans.  Salvation is ours through faith in Jesus Christ our Savior who gave his life to free us from the power of the devil, so that through faith in him we would be blessed with the gift of eternal life.

Amen.

Pastor David M. Shilling

Grace EvangelicalLutheran Church--Le Sueur, MN

Find Comfort in Jesus Christ, Your Savior! (Revelation 1:1-20)

Series: The Stained Glass Series 

October 16, 2011

Dear friends in Christ.

Robert Louis Stevenson tells of a storm that caught a vessel off a rocky coast and threatened to drive it and its passengers to destruction. In the midst of the terror, one daring man, contrary to orders, went to the deck, made a dangerous passage to the pilot house and saw the steerman, at his post holding the wheel unwaveringly, and inch by inch, turning the ship out, once more, to sea. The pilot saw the watcher and smiled. Then, the daring passenger went below and gave out a note of cheer: "I have seen the face of the pilot, and he smiled. All is well."   In such a simple way, with such the simple gesture of a smile, the pilot of that storm caught ship provided comfort not only for that daring passenger, but for all the passengers on that ship.  Well just like those passengers found comfort in that smiling steerman, so also we find our comfort in Jesus Christ our Savior.  In fact, this is the very comfort that the Lord Jesus proclaims to us through the Apostle John in our lesson today!

Now, if you haven’t already done so, I invite you to open your bibles and take a look at the words that Jesus brings to us through John his Apostle in Revelation 1.  Now, I don’t know about you but I love looking up the book of Revelation because it is one of the easiest to find since it is the last book of the Bible, so I often tease my Confirmation class that if they cannot find Revelation they fail my class.  Now, the thing I love about this book is the comfort that the Lord bestows on his people at the end of the 1st Century AD.  It was the early 90’s and the Roman government was turning on the Christians.  In some cases the persecution was nothing more than mild announces because people didn’t like the Christians.  In some cases the persecution was more difficult as Christians were being brought to economic ruin because they were viewed as untrustworthy, security risks and un-hirable for the good of the empire, while in other cases, especially in Rome, the Christians were being fed to lions in the coliseum simply because they believed in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and would not acknowledge the Roman Emperor as a god. 

Thus, Jesus speaks to all his people through these words of John in our lesson today:  “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. 4 John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. 7 Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen. 8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”(Revelation 1:1–8, NIV84)

With such simple and beautiful words, the Apostle John lays out the Savior’s greatest comfort both to the people of his day as well as to you and me.  For with these words John is assuring each and every believer that no matter what situation we might be facing, no matter what hardships, no matter what frustrations or persecutions, we are at peace with God through the comfort that is ours through the forgiveness of sins.  Just take a look at those beautiful words that John write in verses 4-6:  “Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever!” (Revelation 1:4-6, NIV84)

In three simple verses John reminds us of the very things that we have been studying in detail for the last 10 or 11 weeks.  He reminds us how Jesus came to the earth to be our Savior.  He reminds us that it was Jesus who gathered up all our sins in the same way that we are right now working in our yards to gather up all the leaves that are falling from the trees.  But unlike the way that we have to continually go back and rake or mow to get the majority of the leaves without ever getting all of them, it was Jesus who collected every single one of our sins at one time.  He loaded those sins in the bags of his forgiveness and carried them with him to the bonfire of the cross where he threw them in and burned them up even as he suffered the very flames of hell in our place.  It was this Jesus who not only cried out “It is Finished!” to assure us that he had completely forgiven all of our sins through his innocent suffering and his death, but it was also this Jesus who was raised to life again on the third day to assure us that we had been completely acquitted of all our sins.  We had been completely forgiven of all our sins.  Those sins that had been piled so deeply in our hearts that they were beginning to rot and spoil our hearts; all of them have been removed.  Our hearts have been washed clean by the blood of Jesus our Savior who has had mercy on us and who freely pardons us, as Isaiah told us in our first lesson today! (Isaiah 55:6-9)

Yet this is not the only comfort we find in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior!  For as his children, who have been washed clean by his blood, we have the great comfort and assurance that he is the one who dwells among us and holds us in the palm of his hand!  Take a look at how the Apostle John reveals this very truth to us in the next verses of our lesson today:  “I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 11 which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.” 12 I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and among the lampstands was someone “like a son of man,” dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15 His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. 17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. 19 “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. 20 The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.” (Revelation 1:9–20, NIV84)

With such beautiful words the Lord Jesus reveals himself as the King of all kings who comforts his people with his presence.  Even though the Christians of John’s day were undergoing persecution and suffering death for their beliefs, John saw and reported that Jesus himself was dwelling in the midst of his people.  Jesus himself was the one whom John saw, the one like a son of man who dwelt among the seven golden lamp stands, which as verse 20 tells us were the seven churches to whom John was to write.  But not only was Jesus dwelling among his people and his churches, he was also holding the seven stars, the seven angels or messengers, or pastors of those congregations in the palm of his hand.  Even though the Christians were dealing with hardships, persecutions and in some cases begin hunted down and driven from their homes because of their beliefs, they could take comfort in the knowledge that their Lord and Savior dwelt with them and was holding them in his hands. 

The same is true for you and me today!  We can still find comfort in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior!  Even though we are now dealing with the beginnings of economic crisis that the experts warned us about two or three years ago, we can still look to our Savior who has always provided for us and will always provide for our needs.  Even as we’ve begun to feel the economic sting as it has affected our jobs, our careers our industries, and our ability to find profitable employment or even provide for our families, we can take comfort that the Lord our God, Jesus Christ our Savior dwells among his people.  Just as he promised his disciples before he returned to heaven that he is with us always and will be with us even to the very end of the age. (Matthew 28:20)  We can take comfort in the knowledge that Jesus our Savior is the living one!  Though he was dead, he has risen from death and now lives and reigns eternally.  Though he sacrificed his own life by throwing himself on us as the mortar fire of sin and death rained down on us, he is the one who took back his life.  Even as we crawled out from under his protecting arms knowing that there was no way he could have survived such an attack, when we least expected it, he stirred.  He stirred.  He stood up, and he revealed himself as the Son of God our Savior “Who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” (2 Corinthians 1:4, NIV84)  He comforts us with the forgiveness of our sins.  He comforts us with the peace we have with our God through faith in Jesus as our Savior.  He comforts us with the assurance that no matter what we might face in this life, not only does he dwell among us, he also holds us in his hands because we are his dear children.

Now, knowing the comfort that is ours through Jesus Christ our Savior, it is our mission to carry the message of salvation with us wherever we go!  This is what the believers did with the Word when the left Jerusalem. This is what Jesus told his disciples to do when he told them that they would be his witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth, as we heard last week. (Acts 1:8) This is also what Jesus commanded us to do at his ascension when he told us,  “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”(Matthew 28:18–20, NIV84)

What greater comfort could we carry with us than the comfort that the Lord Jesus, our Savior, is with us always!  He is the one who dwells among us.  He is the one who holds us in the palm of his hand.  He is the one who goes with us wherever we go.  He is the one who helps us in our weaknesses.  He is the one who protects us from harm and danger.  He is the one who gives us the words to speak when we are sharing our faith with others and he is the one who protects us and is preparing a place for us.  Could there be any greater comfort than the comfort we receive from Jesus Christ our Savior who is and who was and who is to come!  This is the comfort that we carry with us.  No matter how stormy the seas of our lives might be, Jesus is the pilot of the ship of our lives.  Just as that daring passenger sought comfort as he came to the wheel house, so also we find our comfort in Jesus Christ our Savior.  He is the one who has freed us from our sins.  He is the one who has promised to be with us always.  He is the one who dwells among us and even holds us in the palm of his hand.

Amen.

Pastor David M. Shilling

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church--Le Sueur, MN

Marvel as the Word of the Lord Grows! (Acts 1:8)

Series: The Stained Glass Series 

October 9, 2011

Dear friends in Christ.

I don’t know about you, but I have to confess that I was a little surprised when I realized that we are on the 2nd to last window in our Stained Glass Window Series.  Though it was back on June 19th when we began this series, it seems like it was just yesterday that we were talking about creation, Adam and Eve, Noah, David and Goliath, and even Daniel.  But now, suddenly, we are taking a look at the window designed to remind us of how the Word of the Lord grew as the disciples carried it with them as they traveled to the ends of the earth!  It was the very message of the three previous windows that they carried with them wherever they went; the message of Jesus Christ who had died on the cross to pay for the sins of the world; the message of Jesus Christ, who though he had died was raised to life for our justification—declaring us not guilty before our Father in heaven; the message of Jesus Christ who had ascended to his Father’s side in heaven and who would one day return again.  This was the message that they carried with them wherever they went, and now, as we turn our attention to our second last window, we cannot help but marvel at how the word of the Lord grew and how it continues to grow according to the plan our Savior laid down in our lesson today in Acts 1:8.  “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”(Acts 1:8, NIV84)

Now, you might remember hearing these same words last week as Acts 1:8 was part of the account of Jesus’ Ascension.  You might remember how Jesus was standing with his disciples on the Mount of Olives giving them his last instructions before he would ascend to his Father’s throne in heaven.  As he speaks with them one last time, in one short sentence Jesus reiterates the very truth he had spent the last three years teaching them.  In one short sentence he lays out the plan of action for which he had prepared them.  Just moments before they would see Jesus return to his Father, he reminds them of the game plan that they would be following, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”(Acts 1:8, NIV84)

Well, that very mission which Jesus bestowed upon them, was the very mission they took up only 10 days later, on the day of Pentecost.  For on that day, when the Lord sent the Holy Spirit to his disciples, not only did he establish the first Christian Church among his people, Israel, he also laid the foundation for the spreading of the gospel to the ends of the earth.  On that day, when the Lord sent the Holy Spirit, he gathered a huge crowd of Israelites with the sound of a rushing wind.  He marked his disciples with a tongue of flame on their heads, and he allowed them to speak in all sorts of different languages as Luke records for us later on in chapter 2:  “How is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”(Acts 2:8–11, NIV84)

Though the Apostles were mocked for having too much wine, it was Peter who stood up in front of the whole crowd and preached to them God’s harshest law and God’s sweetest gospel.  He condemned the people of Israel for their rejection of Jesus as their Savior and how they acted as accomplices in his death.  He cut them to the heart with the sharp scalpel of God’s Law in preparation for the healing salve of the gospel—the message of the salvation that was theirs through faith in that same Jesus whom God had raised from the dead.  Peter preached that message while the other disciples undoubtedly translated, and the Word of the Lord grew as about 3,000 were added to their number that day!  Then, from that time on Luke tells us, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:42–47, NIV84)

Thus, what the Lord Jesus had told them on the Mount of Olives had come to pass.  They were, indeed, his witnesses in Jerusalem.  So many were added to their numbers in fact, that the apostles appointed 7 men to help with the daily distribution of food; two of these men were Stephen and Philip.  Stephen, we remember, was the one who was stoned to death because the Sanhedrin didn’t like what he had to say.  He was the one for whose stoning Saul was present—a young man watching over the cloaks of those who were murdering Stephen.  Saul was there giving approval to Stephen’s death, and Saul was the one who began the persecution, going from town to town, arresting Christians, and throwing them in prison.  Thus, the Christians did the only sane thing they could.  They ran for it.  They ran for it and they took the Gospel with them, preaching it wherever they went!

Though a great persecution had broken out against the Christians in Jerusalem, the Word of the Lord continued to grow!  Just as the Lord had planted his church in the midst of the Jewish stronghold of Jerusalem, he continued to spread the message of salvation through the people who took the gospel with them as they scattered into Judea and Samaria.  Next thing we know, Philip, (not the Apostle but the helper the Apostles had chosen along with Stephen) he was traveling in Samaria and preaching the gospel wherever he went.  He was the one whom the Lord sent down toward Gaza to meet an Ethiopian Eunuch on his way home after spending time in Jerusalem.  He is the one whom the Spirit of the Lord took from that road to Azotus where he preached the Word until he reached Caesarea.  Because of this, the Apostles began to leave Jerusalem and go out as the Lord’s witnesses in Judea and Samaria.  Because of the work that the Lord sent Philip to do in Samaria, Peter and John traveled into the same region to proclaim the Word and the Word of the Lord continued to grow.  It continued to grow not only among the Jews who had been scattered, but it began to grow among the Gentiles as well as the Lord sent Peter to Caesarea to the house of a man named Cornelius (Acts 10).  Now, suddenly the disciples begin to understand the Lord’s plan to spread his message to the ends of the earth among the Jews and the Gentiles.  Thus the Word of the Lord continued to grow and spread just as Jesus had told his disciples, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”(Acts 1:8, NIV84)

For the disciples, Jesus plan of action really did happen in a linear way.  They pretty much followed his pattern: Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and then the rest of the World.  However, the Gospel did not follow this same pattern!  When Peter stood up on the day of Pentecost there were Israelites from every nation under the face of the earth.  “Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs”(Acts 2:9–11, NIV84)  They were there, Jews from all these different nations.  They were there and they heard Peter proclaim to them the message of salvation that was theirs through faith in Jesus Christ their Savior.  In that moment the message of salvation went global.  Though they weren’t able to record Pete’s message with their smart phones and immediately post it and their reactions to it on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites, in that moment the message of salvation had already reached the ends of the earth.  The people who had gathered there that day, who had heard what Peter had said, now took that message of salvation with them as they went back to their home countries.  In this way the Word of the Lord grew as they simply told others about what they had seen and heard.  As they traveled home, they took the gospel message with them and the prepared the way for the Apostles to come to them with the gospel!

All by the Lord’s design!  All according to the Lord’s plan!  The Apostles were indeed Jesus witnesses in Jerusalem and in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.  Though we only know for sure where Paul and some of the other Apostles traveled, when we take a look at what some of the traditions tell us, it gives us a real sense of how they were the Lord’s witnesses to the ends of the earth.  Now, what I am about to share with you comes out of traditions and in some cases is not much better than conjecture or best guesses.  Take Paul for example.  We know where he went on his missionary journeys.  We know he wanted to go to Spain, and we assume he made it to Spain but we don’t know for sure.  In fact there is a tradition that Paul not only made it to Spain but even traveled into the British Isles.  Whether that is true or not, I cannot say, but we do know how Paul was a very well traveled missionary.   Take a look at Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.  Some traditions say he worked in Scythia—a region north of the Black Sea in modern day Russia.  However there is also a tradition that Andrew worked in Achaia in Greece.  Nathanial, also known as Bartholomew, and Thomas are both thought to have worked in Phrygia in modern day Turkey, as well as in India.  James, Son of Alphaeus, is most often associated with Egypt.  Though it is very difficult to discern exactly what is truth in these traditions, they do show how the disciples were the fulfillment of Jesus words in our lesson today, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”(Acts 1:8, NIV84)

They were our Savior’s witnesses who spread the message of salvation wherever they went.  They were the Savior’s witnesses through whom he caused his Word to grow.  Though we cannot prove exactly where most of the Apostles went, we can see the results of their work as the Word of the Lord continued to grow throughout the Roman Empire even during times of persecutions.  Because of their efforts and the blessings of the Lord that message of salvation spread in to countries like England and France, Germany and Russia, Ireland and Scandinavia.  Because the Word of the Lord grew and expanded as it did, those who came to this country brought the word with them and it continued to grow and spread.  Now, today, we are the Savior’s witnesses who are bringing the gospel message back to the countries where it once was.  We are now the Lord’s servants who are continuing to spread that message of salvation to the ends of the earth and beyond.

What a marvelous thing it is to see just how the Word of the Lord has continued to grow since the day of Pentecost nearly 2000 years ago.  Though there is so much more history that we could look at, and though there are so many examples of how the Word of the Lord had grown and traveled around the world again and again.  We have seen more than enough to make us marvel at how the Lord has caused his Word to grow.  He has preserved it from generation to generation.  He has caused the message of Christ crucified, Christ risen and Christ ascended to be continually preached for the blessing of his people  everywhere.  What an amazing blessing the Lord has given us to be able to look back at how his word has spread, to be able to see how he has continued to spread his word today, and to look forward into the future and wonder how he will continue to cause his Word to grow among the nations.

Amen.

Pastor David M. Shilling

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church--Le Sueur, MN

Build Your Hope on Christ's Ascension (Acts 1:1-11)

Series: The Stained Glass Series 

October 2, 2011

Dear friends in Christ.

On Christ's ascension I now build The hope of my ascension. This hope alone has always stilled All doubt and apprehension; For where the head is, there as well I know his members are to dwell When Christ shall come and call them. (CW:173 St. 1)

These beautiful words, which we have sung as part of numerous Ascension services were first published in 1636 by a man named Josua Wegelin.  They were part of a devotional booklet that Pastor Wegelin had written for his congregation in Augsburg Germany after he had been forced to leave his pastorate and move to Pressburg because of the Thirty Year’s War.  Though the people were facing destruction and untold hardships caused by the war all around them, these beautiful words would have been a great comfort to them.  These beautiful words would have reminded them that no matter what they were facing their hope of salvation had been built on Christ, their Lord and Savior, who had not only risen from death, but had also ascended to his Father’s throne in heaven.  Because Jesus had done this, they would have been reminded and assured that their sins had been forgiven, that they were right with God, that no matter what they faced, the Lord was with them, and that one day the Lord Jesus would return just as he said, and just as the angels had reminded the disciples in our lesson today.

“In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” 6 So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”(Acts 1:1–11, NIV84)

As Luke writes these words, he is reminding us of the amazingly miraculous events that took place on the Mt. of Olives that day.  He reminds of what Jesus told his disciples before he was taken from them.  Then, Luke tells us that while Jesus was blessing is disciples he suddenly began to rise up into the sky. Though they had been assured that Jesus had truly risen from the dead by his many appearances during the past 40 days, now as Jesus was ascending back into heaven, He was assuring them that His work here on earth was finished.  He was visually demonstrating to them that he was returning to his Father’s throne in heaven, and as he went, they simply watched.  They watched as he rose higher and higher off the ground.  They watched until a cloud came and hid him from view, and then they still continued craning their necks and looking up into the sky even long after Jesus had been hidden from their sight.  They may well have stood there for the rest of the day simply staring up into the heavens had those two angels not appeared to them, assuring them that this same Jesus whom they had seen go into heaven, would one day return from heaven in the same manner in which he had departed.  With great assurance and with great joy they returned to Jerusalem and stayed in the temple worshiping the Lord.  They stayed in the temple worshiping the Lord and praising his name because they had built their faith and their trust in Jesus their risen and ascended Savior.

Well, that same joy that filled the disciples is the joy that continues to fill us as we built our faith, our trust, and the hope of our own ascension on the Ascension of Jesus our Savior.  For as we have gathered in the Lord’s temple today, we, like the disciples have been filled with the knowledge that when Jesus ascended into heaven, he returned as the conquering hero who had completed his work of Salvation.  We have been filled with the knowledge that He returned to be given the place of highest honor that God the Father had prepared for him because he had conquered death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.  We have been filled with the knowledge that we have built the hope of our own ascension on the Ascension of Jesus our Savior who has not only returned to his Father’s throne in heaven, but will one day return just as his disciples saw him go.

It is this knowledge, this joy, and this assurance that Josua Wegelin captured in the second stanza of his beautiful hymn when he wrote: “Since Christ returned to claim his throne, Great gifts for me obtaining, My heart shall rest in him alone, No other rest remaining, For where my treasure went before, There all my thoughts shall ever soar To still their deepest yearning.” (CW:173 St. 2)

Yes, because we have built the hope of our own ascension on the facts of Jesus’ ascension, our hearts rest in Christ alone.  Our thoughts soar to our Savior in heaven and the place his is preparing for us, even as we look forward to the day when he will return to take us to be with him forever.  For now that we have come to faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior, we look forward to the day when that trumpet will sound and we will see him returning in the clouds.  We look forward to that day, because we know that when Jesus returns, he will take us to live with him forever in his heavenly kingdom.  Though here on earth we will always be filled with sins just as the earth is filled with air, Jesus ascension assures us that all our sins have been covered over.  His ascension assures us that now through faith in Jesus Christ, whenever our God looks at us, he sees us as his children completely free of sins.  Completely free of sins in the same way that water is free of any calories whatsoever.  But even more than that, Jesus ascension also assures us that this same Jesus whom we have seen taken from us will return one day, just as we have seen him go!

This is the hope that we have built on the Ascension of our Savior.  This is why we have taken time on this Sunday in October to remind ourselves of exactly what Jesus ascension means to us.  This is why we can take such comfort in the salvation that is ours through faith in Christ Jesus.  For as we celebrate Jesus’ Ascension we have been assured that his work of salvation was truly completed for us.  We have been assured that he did indeed return to his Father’s right hand where he now lives and reigns over us.  But most of all, we have been assured that Jesus our Savior will return one day, just as he promised.  So, then, as we close our sermon with this assurance, let us also close with Pastor Wegelin’s prayer for himself, for his congregation and for each and every one of us from the final stanza of his beautiful hymn: “Oh, grant, dear Lord, this grace to me, Recalling your ascension, That I may serve you faithfully, Adorning your redemption; And then, when all my days will cease, Let me depart in joy and peace In answer to my pleading.  (CW:173: St. 3)

Amen.

Pastor David M. Shilling

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church--Le Sueur, MN