We Thank Jesus for Redeeming Us!

Series: Growing Together in God's Grace 
Second Sunday of Easter  
April 7, 2013

Dear friends in Christ.

What would you do if you were suddenly jolted awake by the screaming of the smoke alarms ringing all through the house?  What would you do if you found yourself coughing from the acrid smoke pouring in through the door?  The billowing black clouds growing thicker and thicker forcing you to the floor to find clear air to breath!  Trying to find your way to the door, you find yourself lost in your own bedroom, your house suddenly becoming a traitor to your safety as you are unable to make the simple 10 foot trip to your children’s bedrooms!  You grow weaker and weaker as you worry about your family, you begin to lose consciousness and realize that death is only moments away for you and your children.  A tear carves a trail through the soot that has accumulated on your face as you come face to face with your own inability to do anything to save yourself or your children.  But then, just as all hope is lost you hear the sound of breaking glass.  You feel someone lift you off the floor and carry you outside into the cool, crisp, clean, breathable air.  Later, as you begin to recover, you move your head from side to side and see your entire family is there!  They are safe and sound, recovering just as you are.  How would you feel?  What thoughts would be on your mind?  How would you react when you met the person who risked his life to save your family from perishing in that terrible fire?

In so many ways, this is exactly what Jesus, our Savior, did for us!  At the beginning of Lent, way back on Ash Wednesday, we heard the screaming of the smoke alarms waking us up from our slumber.  We saw the billowing clouds of our own sins surrounding us, and very quickly it became very clear that there was nothing we could ever do to make ourselves right before our God.  We knew that eternal death was the only thing in our future, until Jesus ran to the cross and gave his life in our place; until Jesus suffered the punishment that we deserved and died the death that should have been ours.  Though we knew that eternal death was in our future, when Jesus died on that cross and rose again on the third day, he rescued us!  He ransomed us from the Devil!  He redeemed us!  He paid the price of our sins with his own blood so that we could be his own and live to serve him!  This is why we have gathered in worship today!  We have come to give thanks to the Lord Jesus who redeemed us!

On this Second Sunday of Easter, we have gathered, just as we did last week, to give thanks to the Lord Jesus who redeemed us by making us his own through the blood he shed for us!  This, in fact, is the very thing of which the Apostle Paul reminds us when he writes in Colossians, “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross." (Colossians 2:13–15, NIV84)  And again in 1 Corinthians, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." (1 Corinthians 6:19–20, NIV84)

If you’ve ever owned a pet, then you know the bond of loyalty that forms between that animal and its master.  Regardless of what type of animal it is, dog, cat, bird, fish, etc, that animal belongs to you because you bought it.  You are the master and you are the provider.  Your pet relies on you to care for it and provide for it.  In many ways this is a picture of what Paul is telling us in the passages we just read.  We are no longer our own, we have been bought at a price.  Because Jesus redeemed us by his death and resurrection, we now belong to him, and we rely on him to provide for us, which is exactly what he does.  He provides for us by forgiving our sins, by standing by our sides and even carrying us through our troubles.  He blesses us with everything that we need for our bodies and our lives, and gives us even more than we could ever use or need.  Because Jesus redeemed us, we do belong to him in the same way that children belong to their parents.  In the same way that parents teach their children to honor their family through their words and actions, so also Paul calls on us to honor our God in all that we say and do.  Just as he writes in 2 Corinthians, “Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again." (2 Corinthians 5:14–15, NIV84)

How would you react if as you began to recover from that fire, you move your head from side to side and see your entire family is there!  They are safe and sound, recovering just as you are, even as the night is illuminated by the blaze that is consuming your house.  How would you feel?  What thoughts would be on your mind?  How would you react when you met the person who risked his life to save your family from perishing in that terrible fire?  What would be the first words out of your mouth?  Would you try to spring up from where you laid with tears streaming down your face profusely thanking the person who rescued you?  Wouldn’t you want to do something for that person?  Can’t you just see yourself grasping the person’s hand, not ever wanting to let go, as you hear yourself saying, “How can I ever repay you?”  Though so often rescuers humbly decline any type of compensation, how would you react if your rescuer suddenly said, “I just love strawberries, and if you every have any extra ones…”  Wouldn’t you immediately try to run off and collect every single strawberry you could to give to the person who saved your life?  Wouldn’t you take his name and address so that you could deliver strawberries to him to say thank you?  Might you even make sure to bless him with strawberries every year, on the anniversary of the fire, for the rest of your life?

As Christians, this is how we seek to live, since Jesus redeemed us through his death and resurrection.  We seek to live our lives for our Savior because we understand that our lives no longer belong to us!  They belong to the one who redeemed us and delivered us to be his children.  We seek to live our lives according to our God’s commands and our Savior’s will not because we have to, but out of love and thankfulness to the one who redeemed us, and made us his own by washing us clean with his blood.  Because Jesus has redeemed us we cry out with Isaiah, “I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, " (Isaiah 61:10, NIV84)   Because our Savior has redeemed us and made us his own we praise him as the Psalmist did when he said, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! 104 I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path. 105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." (Psalm 119:103–105, NIV84)

In recent years the “Above the Influence” campaign has challenged and encouraged young children, teens, and even adults to live above the influence of drugs.  Through a simple series of commercials of kids speaking about how they live above those influences, thousands if not millions have been inspired to do the same.  As Christians who have been redeemed by Jesus, our Savior, we seek to do the same.  We seek to live above the influence of sin by delighting in the Lord and his word.  We seek to live lives of thankfulness to the Lord by living lives that lovingly reveal the robes of righteous that the Lord has bestowed upon us.  We seek to indulge in the honey of God’s word so that we might gain wisdom and understanding from his precepts so that we, too, might turn away from every evil path.  This, in fact, is the very thing that Paul encourages us to do as he writes in his letter to the Ephesians, when he says, “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." (Ephesians 4:22–24, NIV84)

Since we have been redeemed by Jesus, who covered us with his blood and made us his own through his death and resurrection, we seek to do this very thing for him.  In the same way that we daily change from our work clothes and put on our night clothes, so also we seek to put off our old self as we turn to the Lord in repentance, and then put on the new self, the robes of righteousness as we seek to live for him.  This is what we do out of love and thankfulness for the one who redeemed us!  For in the same way that we would be eternally grateful and thankful to the one who saved our lives by pulling us out of our burning homes, so also we are eternally grateful and thankful to the Lord Jesus, who as redeemed us by his death and resurrection.

Though we did hear the screaming alarm of Lent seeking to wake us from our slumber as the billowing clouds of our own sins surrounded us and made it very clear that there was nothing we could ever do to make ourselves right before our God.  On Easter we heard the good news of salvation that is ours through Jesus Christ our Savior.  Though we knew that eternal death was the only thing in our future, we have seen the salvation that Jesus won for us when he went to the cross and gave his life in our place, paying the punishment that we deserved and died the death that should have been ours.  Though we knew that eternal death was in our future, we also know that when Jesus died on that cross and rose again on the third day, he rescued us!  He ransomed us from the Devil!  He redeemed us!  He paid the price of our sins with his own blood so that we could be his own and live to serve him!  This is why we have gathered in worship today!  We have gathered to give our thanks and our praise to Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior; Jesus, our Savior, who has redeemed us!

Amen.

Pastor David M. Shilling

GraceEvangelical Lutheran Church--Le Sueur, MN

Death Has Been Swallowed Up in Victory! (1 Corinthians 15:54b-57)

The Resurrection of our Lord Easter Dawn 
April 8, 2012

Dear friends in Christ.

Today is truly an incredible day, because today we are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Savior!  We are celebrating the fact that even though Jesus  gave up his life in our place and died; even though Jesus lifeless body was sealed in the tomb from late Friday afternoon until early Sunday morning, his tomb is now empty.  His tomb is now empty because Jesus took back his life from the dead.  He rose from the dead and completely destroyed the power of death forever, by simply swallowing it up in victory!  Just as Paul wrote in our lesson today, “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 15:54–57, NIV84)

What greater message could there be for us today than the message that death has been swallowed up in victory!  Death has been swallowed up in our Savior’s victory over death by his resurrection from the dead on Easter Morning.  Death has been swallowed up in victory because through Jesus death and resurrection we have been declared not guilty of all our sins in the sight of the Lord God our Heavenly Father.  Now, through faith in Jesus, our Crucified and living Savior, we have peace with God.  All our sins, iniquities, trespasses, transgressions, misdeeds, wrong doings, lies, omissions, and simply our lack of perfection—all of it has been washed away.

This was the reason that Jesus came to the earth in the first place!  He came to do what we could not do.  He came to carry the full burden of our sins to the cross so that he could suffer the punishment in our place; the punishment that we deserved because of our sins.  This is why he was conceived in such a miraculous way by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin Mary.  This is why Jesus, our divine Savior, took on human flesh and blood and was born just as we are, so that he could be our brother and free us from our slavery to the devil.  Yes, Jesus, our Savior was both God and man in one person.  He was like us in every way, except that he was without sin. Though he was tempted in every way, just as we are, Jesus never allowed one temptation to permeate his heart, and he lived a completely perfect and holy life for us, in our place.  Then, when the time came he felt the full power of God’s righteous law and the terrible sting of death as he gave his life over to death in our place so that he might make us his own.

But, even though Jesus did indeed die for us, we know that death could not hold him, because on that first Easter, so many years ago, Jesus took back his life, he rose from the dead, and now we sing with Paul and all believers everywhere, “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 15:54–57, NIV84)

Yes, through faith in Jesus, our crucified and risen Savior, we now have victory over death as well.  Neither sin nor death hold any power over us because Jesus himself has made death nothing more than a doorway through which we will all pass when we travel from this life to our Savior’s side forever in heaven.  This is our comfort and this is our assurance. 

Yet, before we close today I feel that I have to ask you a question.  What will you do after today?  Today you have been reminded and assured of everything you need to know for eternal salvation!  Will you seek to grow in that knowledge by reading and studying God’s Word for yourselves?  Will you grow in that knowledge by making a regular habit of gathering with other Christians in worship so that your faith might be strengthened along with them?  Or will you simply disappear after today and not be seen again until Christmas time or maybe the following Easter?

“Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 15:54–57, NIV84)  This is our assurance!  This is our victory!  This is our comfort!  Live in it as you leave here today.  Live in the victory that Jesus won for you.  Live in it, grow in it, and always be confident in the absolute truth that death has been swallowed up in victory. 

Amen.

Pastor David M. Shilling

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church--Le Sueur, MN

Give praise to Christ your King! (1 Corinthians 15:20-28)

November 20, 2011

Dear friends in Christ.

Louis Albert Banks tells of an elderly Christian man, a fine singer, who learned that he had cancer of the tongue and that surgery was required. In the hospital after everything was ready for the operation, the man said to the doctor, "Are you sure I will never sing again?" The surgeon found it difficult to answer his question. He simply shook his head no. The patient then asked if he could sit up for a moment. "I've had many good times singing the praises of God," he said. "And now you tell me I can never sing again. I have one song that will be my last. It will be of gratitude and praise to God." There in the doctor's presence the man sang softly the words of Isaac Watts' hymn, "I'll praise my Maker while I've breath, And when my voice is lost in death, Praise shall employ my nobler power; My days of praise shall ne'er be past, While life, and thought, and being last, Or immortality endures." [1]

Though we may not be facing the prospect of losing our ability to sing or praise the Lord our God, today as we have gathered in worship on this Christ the King Sunday, we have gathered one more time to give praise to Christ our King.  We have gathered to give praise to the Lord our God and Jesus Christ who is our Savior and our King because he is the one who has freed us from sin and death by his death and resurrection from the dead.  We have gathered to give praise to Christ our King because he is the one who has promised that through faith in him we will be given the gift of eternal life by his side forever in his heavenly kingdom.  We have gathered to give praise to Christ our King because we know that on the Last Day, when he returns in glory and judgment, he will raise our bodies from the ground, glorify them, reunite our bodies and souls and take us, once again, to live with him forever in his heavenly kingdom.

In fact, these are the very things that the Apostle Paul is writing about in our lesson today.  So if you haven’t done so already, I invite you to open your Bibles with me to our lesson in 1 Corinthians 15 beginning with verse 20.  Now, as you are turning to 1 Corinthians 15, let me set the stage for you.  As Paul wrote the words of our lesson today, the Christians in Corinth were having a little bit of trouble with the concept of the resurrection.  You see, the Corinthians were still rather new in their faith and they were having a bit of a struggle getting past their Greek logic, which told them that there was nothing after death, because death was simply the end of a person.  Because of this, they were even having a tough time understanding and holding on to the idea that Jesus had risen from the dead.  It was because of this that Paul writes as he does in our lesson today.  “20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For he “has put everything under his feet.” Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28 When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.”(1 Corinthians 15:20–28, NIV84)

In such a beautiful, simple, and straight forward way, the Apostle Paul assures us that we have every reason to praise Christ as our King because he is the one who was raised from death to the glory of God the Father.  Not only is he the one who was raised from death to the glory of God the Father, he is the one who will also awaken each and every one of us from the sleep of death and raise our bodies from the ground on the last day.  He is writing to assure us of this very simple and very important truth, because you and I are really no different than the Corinthians of Paul’s day.  We too, are living in a sin-filled world which is constantly seeking to convince us that we only go around once and after that, we die.  We are living in a world that is doing everything it can to convince us that there is no afterlife, that there is no resurrection, and that death is the end of everything. 

But as Christians, we know that death isn’t the end of everything.  We know and believe that death is only the beginning of our eternal life with Christ, and that is why Paul’s words are so comforting to us this morning.  They are so comforting because they assure us that even though death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.  They assure us that even though we will all die because we are Adam’s descendants, in Christ, we will all be made alive.  They assure us that just as Christ was raised from the dead, so also will Christ our King raise us up on the last day!  Though one day we will all close our eyes in the sleep of death, our Savior has promised us that our souls will be carried to his side where we will live with our King forever.  Though one day our bodies will rest in the earth where they will decay and return to the dust they came from, we know that when our Savior returns, He will raise our bodies from their graves.  We know that in the same way a car enthusiast will resurrect a rusted frame from a junkyard, Christ will raise our bodies from the ground.  In the same way that the enthusiast will work on that vehicle, refurbishing and restoring it until it is in better than mint condition, so also Christ will restore our bodies to their perfect sinless condition.  Then, when our King has glorified our bodies, he will reunite our soul and body, and in that day he will destroy death forever.

Take a look, once more, at those beautiful words in our lesson today, beginning with verse 22:  “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” (1 Corinthians 15:22-27, NIV84)

What greater reason could there be for us to give praise to Christ our King than the assurance Paul gives us that he who has freed us from sin and death by his resurrection from the dead, will also, one day, completely destroy death on the day he returns!  As Christians, this is the day to which we are looking forward!  We are looking forward to the day when Christ our King returns and destroys death forever.  We are looking forward to it, because death is still the enemy, which gives us the most heartache and grief.  Death is the enemy that makes us look up to the skies and cry out in sorrow: “Why, Lord?  Why have you taken my loved one from me?”  Death is the enemy that makes us long for our Savior’s return.  Though we have grown accustom to death because death has become a part of life, death it is not something that our Savior ever intended us to face.  Rather death came into this world as a result of sin, and because of sin we all must face it one day.  But even though we will all close our eyes in death one day, we can take comfort in the knowledge that Christ, our King, has already conquered it.  For as Paul tells us a little later on in this chapter, “ ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’  ‘Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:54-57).

This is the victory which Christ, our King, won for us when he went to the cross.  For on that cross Christ endured the anguish and torment of hell itself in order to pay the price of our sins.  On that cross, satan bruised Christ’s heal as Christ fulfilled the Scriptures and feed us from the power of the devil.  On that cross, though it seemed that death had finally been victorious and conquered the Son of God as Jesus cried out, “It is finished”, Jesus actually defeated death by giving up his own life.  During those few days when Jesus body lay in the tomb and we thought that all hope was lost, Jesus was proclaiming his victory over the devil and all his evil angels.  Then, on the third day, Jesus shattered whatever victory death might seem to have had by doing what no other human being has ever been able to do.  On that day, Jesus took back his life and rose from the dead.  Though death will still give us grief and sorrow, because of Christ’s victory we know that it is nothing more than a sleep from which we will awaken in heaven.  Though it will still hurt to say farewell to our friends and loved ones when their times come, we know that death is nothing more than a doorway from this life to eternal life.  Though death is still an unnatural event that our Lord never intended us to face, because of Jesus’ victory we are looking forward to the last day when he will destroy death forever. 

Yes, on that day, Christ our King will place all power and all dominion under his feet, destroying them forever, as our lesson tells us beginning with verse 24, “Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.(1 Corinthians 15:24–26, NIV84)

What a great day that will be, the day when our Savior-King returns in his glory to take us to be with him forever!  For on that day he will raise our bodies from the grave, glorify them, and reunite them with our souls.  On that day he will bring the end of all powers, authority, and dominion as he finally and completely destroys death forever.  So, as you leave here today, remember this fact.  As you go through the week making all your Thanksgiving preparations give praise to the Lord.  When Sunday comes again and you are getting ready for church, remember how your Savior will raise you up on the last day when he destroys death forever, and give praise to Christ, your King.

Amen.

Pastor David M. Shilling

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church--Le Sueur, MN

---

[1] Copied from: http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/p/praise.htm Accessed November 19, 2011.

Text: Revelation 7:9-17 May 15, 2011
Theme: The Lord Is Our Shepherd


Dear friends in Christ.

If there is one picture that the Bible regularly uses to describe the relationship between us and our Savior, it would have to be the picture of a Shepherd and his sheep. This is the picture that King David used as he penned the well known, opening words of Psalm 23, “The Lord is my Shepherd!” This is the picture that Jesus himself used again and again as regularly called himself the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep. This is the picture that Peter used when spoke about how we have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls. And this is the description that the Apostle John records for us in our lesson for today. For this morning, our lesson comes to us from some of the most beautiful and most comforting words of the Scriptures. Our lesson comes to us from the Book of Revelation 7:9-17, which is John’s vision of Jesus Christ our Savior—the Lamb of God who will be our Shepherd!

Now, if you haven’t already done so, I invite you to open your Bibles to our Lesson from Revelation 7:9-17. I’ve always felt that Revelation is one of the easiest books to find in the Bible because it is the last book. In fact, I often tease my confirmation students by telling them that if they don’t know where Genesis and Revelation are in their Bibles, then they fail my class. But all silliness aside, the Book of Revelation, and indeed our lesson from chapter 7 bring us some of the most beautiful and comforting words of all Scripture. In fact, as we look at these words, just think about what an incredible picture the Holy Spirit paints for us through the pen of the Apostle John! What an incredible picture for us to see with John as it were; the picture of the Lord Jesus as the Lamb of God our Savior serving as our Good Shepherd who will one day call us out of this troubled world so that he might forever shepherd us in his heavenly kingdom where we will finally have rest from all our labors! This is the incredible picture of the Lord our Shepherd that John reveals as he writes in our lesson, beginning with verse 9: “After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever. Amen!” Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?” I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, “they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:9-17)

How incredible that the Lord recorded this vision for us today! How incredible that the Lord our God knew the comfort we would need and centuries before we were even born he recorded this vision of comfort and assurance for us in the pages of Scripture. How incredible that the Lord our Savior reveals himself as our Good Shepherd who will one day call us out of this sin-filled and troubled world to our life of rest by our Shepherd’s side forever! What greater words of comfort could there be for us today, especially as we look around at the world in which we are living. In fact, with your permission, I would like to take a little informal survey. How many of you have found yourselves cutting back and stretching every single dollar you have? How many of you are trying to drive less or trying to combine your schedules so that you are traveling with more than just 1 person in the car? How many of you have felt the rising costs of prescription drugs or even found yourselves having to decide which prescriptions you really needed to pick up because all of them were just too expensive? How many of you have worried about insurance costs or wondered how you would get along without it? How many of you have found yourselves hoping and praying that the thing that just doesn’t seem to be quite right with your vehicle will go away, because you just can’t afford the time or the expenses of a break down? How many of you have faced unexpected bills that have eaten up more of your paycheck than you expected and have found yourselves struggling to cover all the other expenses while you wait for your next check to come?

If you raised your hand for any one of these questions, you are not alone. You are not alone because my family and I have faced each and every one of these questions again and again over the past 10 years, though in the last three years we’ve faced them more frequently. You are not alone because each and every person in this congregation has faced one or more of these questions on any number of occasions since our economy went sour. You are not alone because Christians throughout the world and throughout the centuries have faced these same frustrations or frustrations like them. Yet, even in the midst of these troubles, hardships and unrest, the Lord our Savior, our Good Shepherd gives us the most beautiful comfort in our lesson today. As John writes: “After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb."…“Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes--who are they, and where did they come from?" I answered, "Sir, you know." And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb,” (Revelation 7:9-10,13-14).

This is the comfort our Good Shepherd pours out on us today! Though here on earth we deal with all sorts of frustrations and hardships, as Christians, we are even now wearing the white robes of righteousness won for us by Jesus on the Cross. Though we constantly feel the effects of sin in our lives and find that our garments are stained by our sins, each time we turn to our Savior in forgiveness, we are, in effect, washing our robes in his blood and making them clean once again. Though this is our daily practice here on earth, when our Good Shepherd calls us out of this troubled world to our home in haven, we will pass though the river of his blood one last time, and our robes will be made white forever. When the Lord calls us home to his throne in heaven, we will stand before him in eternal righteousness, innocence and blessedness, because Jesus has delivered us from death by his death and resurrection from the dead. There, we will praise our Good Shepherd because he has delivered us from this world of tribulation and sin. There, as we stand around the throne and the Lamb, we will give praise and thanks to our Good Shepherd who will give us rest in his kingdom forever. This is the picture that John paints for us as he records the Elder’s explanation of the great multitude: “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, "they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:15-17).

Here on earth, we have the exact opposite of rest. We feel the empty space between our ribs and hear the angry complaining our stomachs make when we don’t take time to feed them. We taste the clay of our cheeks and feel the crumbs of dirt that stick in our throats as our parched tongues cling to the roofs of our mouths. We are baked in the summer oven of this river valley as the flames of the sun descend upon us and the ever increasing humidity seeks to cook us from within. Though we seek the cooling shade of the trees where we might relax and find a cool glass of water, we know that that this rest will not last long. For before we know it, we will be forced back into the kiln of life where satan kindles the fires of temptations hoping that he might harden in our sins before he glazes us for eternal death and destruction in hell. But when our Good Shepherd delivers us to the rest he has promised us, we will know peace. When our Shepherd calls us home to his heavenly kingdom, never again will we hunger, never again will we thirst, the sun will not beat upon us nor any scorching heat, for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be our Shepherd, he will lead us to streams of living water, and God himself will wipe away every tear from our eyes.

Though we cannot fathom the beauty that heaven affords, or even begin to comprehend the rest that heaven offers us from the trials, temptations, and hardships that we face each and every day of our lives, we continue to follow our Good Shepherd as he leads us on the path to eternal life. Though we may not know exactly what we will do in heaven, or exactly what is waiting for us there, we do know one thing for sure. We know that heaven is where our Shepherd is, and heaven is where we will live with him forever. We know that in heaven, we will no longer have to deal with all the trials, and hardships that this earth affords. We know that satan and his evil angels will no longer be able to tempt us or lead us astray. In heaven, we will be free from sin forever, and we will live with the Lord our God, our Savior and our Shepherd who will spread his tent over us.

What better picture could there be for us than the picture our Savior uses of himself as our Good Shepherd. For in the same way that shepherds care for their sheep, Jesus, our Good Shepherd cares for us. Though here on earth we may walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we need not fear any evil because our Shepherd is with us. He is the one who leads us to quiet waters, makes us to lay down in green pastures, and restores our souls. He is the one who gives us his comfort and his assurance in this life, and he is the one who will give us rest forever in his heavenly kingdom. What a day it will be when we join that multitude from every nation, tribe and people; a multitude that cannot be counted. What a day it will be when we stand before the Lamb, our Shepherd and serve him day and night in his temple. How amazing it will be when he spreads his tent over us, leads us to springs of living water, and wipes away every tear from our eyes!

Amen.

Pastor David M. Shilling
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church --Le Sueur, MN