The Righteous will live by his faith (Habakkuk 1:1-3; 2:1-4)

November 4, 2012

Dear friends in Christ.

If there is one question that all of humanity has in common, that question may well be, “How am I going to live?”  For, if we listen closely, we hear people constantly asking this very question: “How am I going to live if I lose my job?”  “How am I going to live if I don’t get the job I’m after?” “How am I going to live without that special ‘someone’ in my life?”  “How am I going to live until retirement with all these bills?”  “How am I going to be able to live in retirement if I can’t afford to save?”  “How am I going to live in retirement when I’m on a fixed income and nothing else stays fixed?”  For many people, this is an all consuming question.  It is one that keeps them up late in to the night.  For others it is a question that they seldom worry about.  But for the Prophet Habakkuk, it was a question that he may not even have realized that he was asking.  Yet, it was a question that the Lord answered when he told him, “The Righteous will live by his faith.” 

Now, when we meet Habakkuk in our lesson this morning, he has a serious problem.  He is frustrated and upset by all the wickedness and evil that he saw around him day after day. He couldn’t understand why he saw violence, destruction and corruption everywhere he looked.  He couldn’t understand why the Lord seemed to allow the wicked to prosper while the righteous were struggling to get by.  But on top of that, he was tired.  He was tired of living in a nation that had kings who continued to do evil in the eyes of the Lord by actively worshiping false gods and goddesses rather than worshiping the true God, and in his frustration he cries out to the Lord. “How long, O LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save? 3 Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds." (Habakkuk 1:2–3, NIV84)

Though it may have seemed to Habakkuk that the Lord was no longer listening, the Lord heard Habakkuk’s complaint.  But when the Lord answered and revealed his plans for Israel to Habakkuk, Habakkuk was quite surprised; for the Lord’s answer was to prophesy that he was going to do away with the wickedness in Israel by sending the Babylonians.  He was going to send the Babylonians, a people who were known for their ruthlessness, a people who were know for their wickedness, a people who were known for their destruction.  The Lord was going to send the Babylonians in to conquer Jerusalem, destroy it, and take the people off into captivity.  This didn’t make any sense to Habakkuk, because he didn’t understand how the Lord could do away with the wickedness and evil in Israel by sending a nation that was even more wicked and evil to conquer them, destroy them, and lead them off into captivity.

Yet in the midst of Habakkuk’s confusion, the Lord takes an opportunity to teach Habakkuk a very important lesson as he says, “‘Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. 3 For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. 4 “See, he is puffed up; his desires are not upright— but the righteous will live by his faith—" (Habakkuk 2:2–4, NIV84)

When Habakkuk heard this prophecy, he knew that it would come true, because the Lord had declared it. Most naturally, Habakkuk would have been afraid because the Babylonians were the most feared nation on the earth.  He knew that they would destroy the city of Jerusalem just as they had destroyed every other city.  But the lesson that Habakkuk learned through this prophecy gave him strength and comfort; for he had learned that no matter what happened, the righteous would live by his faith.  Though the times were evil and they would soon be getting much worse, Habakkuk had learned the lesson that the righteous will live by his faith, and now that Habakkuk had learned this beautiful lesson, his mission was to spread the news to the rest of the Israelites.  It was his job to let them know that they did not need to fear the coming destruction because God himself had promised that the righteous will live by his faith.

Well, that lesson, which the Lord taught Habakkuk so many years ago, is the same lesson that he is teaching us today, and what a beautiful lesson it is for us to learn in these last days.  Even though we might be separated from Habakkuk’s time by nearly 3,000 years, the times in which we live in are not much different than Habakkuk’s day.  No matter where we look, we see the results of sin on every side.  We see violence and destruction and corruption wherever we look.  Like Habakkuk, we are living in a nation that is falling farther and farther away from the true God each and every day.  We are living in a land where many of our leaders have openly lived immoral lives and yet received overwhelming support from their continuants.  We are living in a land that has been actively pushing God out of the picture every chance it gets. 

We are living in a world where Evolution is taught as a fact.  We are living in a world where absolute truth is no longer valued as more and more people seek to find their own truth in this world.  We are living in a world where more and more people are claiming to be Christian, yet fewer and fewer of those claiming to be Christian see any value in growing in their faith or even revealing their faith through their lives.  We are living in a world where we are continually seeing an increase in the number, scope, and ferocity of violent crimes.  We are living in a world whose lust for blood is on the rise, as movies add bloodier, gorier, and more horrific scenes than ever before.  We are living in a time when violence is a way of life, because it is all around us!  Even here in Le Sueur, there are certain times when we would do better to stay off the roads because of the violent ways in which people drive!  Add to that the fact that we are only days away from election day and candidates and their supporters are fighting tooth and nail to discredit their competitors and gain as many last minute votes as possible.

Just like Habakkuk, we are living in troubled times that often caused us to cry out with Habakkuk, “How long, O LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save? 3 Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds." (Habakkuk 1:2–3, NIV84)

Just like Habakkuk, there are many Christians, even faithful Christians who have been tempted to give up, throw in the towel, and simply live like the unbelievers.  Just like Habakkuk, each and every one of us has found ourselves at the end of our rope, angry with God and crying out to him, asking him why he allows the wicked to get away with so much while we who believe in him have to suffer and endure so much.  Each and every one of us has been to that point that we were ready to simply throw our hands up to God and say, “I give up!”  Yet it is in those very moments when the Holy Spirit whispers to us those beautiful words of comfort: “Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. 4 “See, he is puffed up; his desires are not upright— but the righteous will live by his faith—" (Habakkuk 2:3–4, NIV84)

Though at first glance these words might not seem all that comforting, when we take even just a slightly closer look at them, we realize that with these words, the Lord is reminding us of all that he has done.  Though we are not waiting for the judgment of the Babylonians against the sinful nation of Israel, we are waiting for the judgment of the Lord Christ against the sinful-unbelieving peoples of this world.  For on that day, our Lord Jesus will separate the believers from the unbelievers as easily as a shepherd separates sheep from goats.  On that day, we who have believed in Jesus Christ as our Savior, will be recognized as his people made sinless through faith in the one who gave his life to free us from our sins and evil.  On that day, we will hear our Savior welcome us to the kingdom he has prepared for us—not because we had earned it in any way, but because he loved us and freed us from our sins by his own blood.  On that day, the Lord our God will declare that we are his holy and righteous people through faith in Jesus Christ, and will lead us to his heavenly home were we will live with him forever because of the faith instilled in our hearts by his Son.

Though it may linger, wait for it, because through faith you have been declared righteous.  Through faith, you will live.  Though it may be a long time in coming, know that the Last Judgment will come.  Though it may not appear during our lifetime, we can take comfort that we, who are righteous by faith in Jesus Christ our Savior, we will live at our Savior’s side for all eternity.  Though we have all had days like Habakkuk, we can take comfort in the life of righteousness that is ours through faith.  Though it still may seem that the Lord is doing nothing to hinder the evil of this world, we know that he is prolonging this world so that even those who are evil might have ample time to turn from their evil ways and live.  Thus we can take comfort in the Lord’s promises and our knowledge that once made, they will be kept!

What a comfort!  What a comfort, indeed, to learn the lesson which the Lord is teaching to us as he taught to Habakkuk nearly 3,000 years ago.  What a comfort it is to know that the Righteous will live by his faith!  For it is faith in Jesus Christ our Savior through which we live as his children here on earth, and will live as his children forever in heaven. Though there may still be some in this world who think of this kind of living as difficult as living on a fixed income, we know that it is the richest living in all the world.  Though here on earth we may seem to be the poorest of the lot, as we look forward to the day of our retirement, we take comfort in the wealth of the riches of our Savior’s home of glory, in which we will live forever through faith in Jesus Christ our Savior.

Amen.

Pastor David M. Shilling

Grace EvangelicalLutheran 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

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

Prepare for Your Savior's Return! (Matthew 25:1-13)

November 13, 2011

Dear friends in Christ.

So, what were you doing at 11:11:11 AM or PM on 11/11/11?  This was a question that Kyle asked of us as we were getting ready to retire on Friday evening.  Though I don’t know exactly what I was doing at that exact moment of the day, I have some great memories of 11/11/11.  I have great memories of taking my kids to the Pops concert that evening, and watching them enjoy all the music and dancing, even though they were tired from a long day.  I remember talking with my kids and they being surprised that it would be another 100 years until we saw 11/11/11 again.  But the thing I remember the most was hearing the different tributes on the radio about Armistice Day—the end of World War I—and how that day eventually became Veteran’s day.  I remember hearing that and thinking about how I am simply not old enough to remember what happened during World War I.  Though I had an uncle who fought in the War and lived to be 111, though he would tell me stories about it when I was a young boy, I did not experience it for myself.  The same is true for World War II.  Though I studied it in history class and wrote papers about it in grade school and high school, I am not old enough to know about it firsthand.  Yet, of all the things I studied about WWII, probably the most prominent thing I remember is the promise that General Douglas MacArthur made just before he left the Philippine Islands in 1942.  Though he had boasted that his men could repel any invasion, he suddenly found himself forced to leave the Islands.  Yet has he left, he made his immortally famous promise that he would return.  Though this famous promise was a very powerful promise for the people to whom General MacArthur made it, it is definitely not the most powerful promise ever made.  For we know an even more powerful promise to return that was made by our Savior on numerous occasions before he was even crucified.  In fact, as we study our lesson today we will take a closer look Jesus’ promise to return for us in the parable of the wise and the foolish virgins.

Now if you haven’t done so already, I invite you to open your Bibles to our lesson today from Matthew 25.  As you are turning to Matthew 25, let me set the stage for you.  As Matthew 25 opens, it is Tuesday of Holy Week.  Jesus had spent his day in the temple, teaching the people one last time, answering all the challenges of the religious leaders, and setting into motion the events that would lead to his arrest and crucifixion.  At the beginning of Matthew 24 we learn that Jesus has just left the temple and is sitting on the Mount of Olives when his disciples come to him and ask him about their Savior’s return and the end of all things.  After telling them all he does in Chapter 24, he then goes on to emphasis the promise of his return and our need to be prepared with the parable of the Ten Virgins.  Take a look at verse 1-5 of our lesson:  “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. (Matthew 25:1–5, NIV84)

As I’m sure you remember, in Jesus’ day, weddings were a whole lot different than they are today.  In those days when a couple was engaged, or betrothed, they were considered to be husband and wife in every way except that way which produced families.  In other words, even though they were considered to be husband and wife, they still lived separately until the day of the wedding banquet.  After the betrothal the bridegroom would go back to his home and make preparations for the wedding.  Then, on the set day he would go from his house in a procession of his friends and travel to his bride’s home and escort her to the wedding feast.  Along the way, the bridesmaids would be waiting for this group so that they could light the way to the groom’s house with their lanterns.  As it was, there were times when the bridegroom’s return would be a long time in coming so those who were waiting had to be well prepared, and in Jesus’ parable only half of them were.  Only half of them had planned ahead and brought plenty of oil to make sure their lamps would be ready no matter when the bridegroom would arrive.  The other half were as foolish as I was a couple of weeks ago when I ran out of gas half way between St. Peter and Le Sueur, all because I didn’t pay close enough attention to the gas gage!

Well, in the same way that is very important for us to be prepared with a full tank of gas, especially when we are driving during this time of the year, we also need to keep our spiritual tanks filled with God’s Word!  We need to keep our spiritual tanks filled with God’s Word because it is God’s Word that fuels our faith and prepares us for the day when our Savior will return.  Though we know that he will be returning soon; though we can see all the signs in the world around us that he will be returning before we know it, we still do not know when that day will be.  He hasn’t phoned ahead to tell us or even given us a time to put in our weekly planners.  So until the time comes and our Savior returns we need to continue to prepare ourselves for his return.  We need to continue preparing ourselves for his return by reading and studying his Word for the Strengthening of our Faith.    We need to continue preparing ourselves for his return by gathering with each other in worship so that we might be built up on the assurance that our Salvation is found in Christ alone.  We need to keep ourselves prepared for his return by being in his Word because when he does return, there simply won’t be time for us to get prepared.

Take a look at what Jesus tells us beginning with verse 5:  5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ 7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ 9 “ ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ 10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. 11 “Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’ 12 “But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’ 13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” (Matthew 25:5–13, NIV84)

When the cry rang out that the bridegroom was coming all the virgins woke up and got ready, because he would soon be passing by.  But when they lit their lamps in preparation to lead the procession, the lamps of the foolish bridesmaids started flickering and sputtering.  They started flickering and sputtering because they did not have enough oil to fuel them.  They had not prepared themselves and because of that the foolish bridesmaids tried to rely on the preparedness of others. 

Sadly, there are many people in our world who are doing just that.  There are many people who are acting as foolishly as the foolish virgins in our lesson today.  For how many people don’t you know that are water, rice and dirt Christians?  How many people don’t you know who talk about how they were baptized in a church, married in it, and some day they will be buried from it, yet they simply don’t take the time to step inside it to build up their own faith?  How many people don’t you know who are the Creester (Christmas and Easter) Christians?  How many people don’t you know who simply grow lazy in their preparations for Christ’s return and simply slip away from gathering for worship?  How many people don’t you know who are relying on the fact that their parents were members of a particular church is preparedness enough for when Christ returns?  But what does our Savior tell us?  Take a look at verse 10:  “While they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. 11 “Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’ 12 “But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’ 13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” (Matthew 25:10–13, NIV84)

As Christians, this is what we need to be doing for our Savior.  We need to keep watch because we don’t know when he will be returning to earth.  Though keeping watch for our Savior may not be as exciting as keeping a watch on the different scores of NFL on a Sunday afternoon, if we do not keep watch we will not be ready for the day when our Savior does return.  When our Savior returns that will be the final whistle for the game of our life.  When our Savior returns we will not be able to run around looking for someone to give us faith, because the clock will have run out.  When our Savior returns we will not be able to rely on the faith of others, or our membership in a particular church, because the thing that our Savior will use to judge our preparedness is our faith in him.  We who rely on Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior who has forgiven our sins will be welcomed into the halls of heaven.  But those who do not believe in Jesus as their Savior will be locked outside of the kingdom of heaven, just like the foolish virgins in our lesson today.

As Christians who have gathered to worship the Lord Jesus our Savior, we are prepared for that day.  We are prepared for the day that when our Savior will return because we believe in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  We are the wise virgins whose lamps are well trimmed and burning.  We are the wise virgins who continue to feed our faith with the fuel of God’s Word.  We are the wise virgins who are relying on the works of Christ our Savior.  Christ our Savior, who lovingly cleansed every crevice of our hearts with his own blood.  Christ, our Savior, who healed even the deepest of our wounds with the salve of his grace.  Christ, our Savior, who has promised to be with us always, who has promised that through faith in him we will have eternal life; who has promised to return for us to take us to be with him forever in his heavenly kingdom. 

This was the promise that Jesus our Savior made centuries before General Douglas MacArthur was born, and this is the promise that Jesus our Savior will one day keep.  Though we do not know the day or the hour, we know that our Savior will one day return to take us to be with him forever.  Continue to grow in your faith as you read and study the Word of God, so that you will always be ready for the day when our Savior returns.

Amen.

Pastor David M. Shilling

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church--Le Sueur, MN

Praise Your Savior for His Appearing (Job 19:23-27; Isaiah 42:1-7; Matthew 3:13-17)

January 16, 2011

Dear friends in Christ.

So how have you enjoyed this first week of Exploring God’s Islands of Adventure? Have you jumped right in and read or listened to the Word of God as you planned? Did you face any time thieves this week and find that you hadn’t accomplished all the reading you planned on? Or are you still undecided as to which plan you are going to follow? Well, if you are still undecided as to which plan to follow, I hope I’ve made it easier by including in the bulletin the chronological schedule that I’m using for our weekly Bible Study and worship. If you’ve faced time thieves this week, you’re not alone, the same thing happened to me on Tuesday! Suddenly it was Wednesday and I realized I had not read my Bible the day before. If you’ve accomplished your reading exactly as you planed this week, then good for you! In fact, my congratulations to all of you who read or listened to even the slightest little bit this week, and my encouragement to those of you who haven’t yet begun! I say this because the truth is whenever you make a decision to change and grow in any way; you suddenly have a struggle on your hands—especially when you make the decision to read the word and grow in your faith.

Yet, as I said last week, I so badly want each and every one of you to be reading or listening to the Bible this year, because when you do, you will grow in your faith and your knowledge of Jesus Christ as your Savior. As you grow in your faith and your knowledge we will grow together as an even more closely knit family of believers. In fact, just think about how your faith would grow if you were in the word for an entire week. Just think about how your life would change for the better, how your faith would grow, and how you would walk with confidence in your salvation if you were in the word of God for an entire month. Just think about how your live would change for the better, how your faith would grow and be as strong as steel, how you would walk with absolute confidence in the knowledge of your salvation through faith in Jesus, and how you would be constantly, passionately ready to share the comfort of God’s Word with those who were hurting, and share your faith with those who do not yet know the Lord Jesus as their Savior if you just spent the next year reading or listening to God’s Word for yourselves.

This is the growth that I long for, for you. As I said last week, I’ve spent the last six months reading this schedule so that I could stay ahead of you and share with you the beautiful truths I’ve found. Yet, while I keep reading to stay ahead of you, I’m also starting over at the beginning so that I can read with you and share with you the beautiful truths and amazing connections that I’ve discovered, while at the same time learning from you through the insights you will be placing on the navigation board in this next year. In fact, today, I want to share with you an amazing connection that I discovered. It is a connection between some of the words that Job speaks in chapter 19, which is part of the scheduled reading for today, and two of the lessons that I’ve already read as part of our worship today. It is a connection that will lead us to Praise the Lord our Savior as we celebrate his appearing at his baptism today.

I invite you to open your Bibles to Job 19:23-27. As you are turning to Job 19, let me give you a little background. Though we’re not exactly certain when Job lived, our best guess is that he lived around the time of the Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob). This is why we read only the first 11 chapters of Genesis and then jumped right into Job. Now, the book of Job is an interesting book. In fact, it has been said that without the first two chapters none of the book would make sense, and yet, as we read through it, we see a believer dealing with some of the most horrendous hardships, frustration, sickness, and accusations that friends could bring against him. As we read through the book of Job, we see Job proclaiming the same frustration and anger that we all have directed at God or others when we’ve faced difficulties, hospital stays, life threatening illnesses, financial ruin or any other hardship. Though there are times that Job blames God for all his troubles and God confronts him at the end of the book, Job never lost his faith and the Lord always counted Job as his child. Even in the midst of his pain and anguish the Lord allowed Job to praise the Lord his Savior because Job knew that one day his Savior would appear. Take a look at Job 19:23: “Oh, that my words were recorded, that they were written on a scroll, 24 that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead, or engraved in rock forever! 25 I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. 26 And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; 27 I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! (Job 19:23–27, NIV84)

In the midst of struggle and hardship, pain and anguish, Job utters such beautiful words of praise for the Lord his Savior whom he knows will one day appear. He utters words of praise that Christians have sung since they were written in hymn form by Samuel Medley in 1775. He utters words of praise that I have used as the closing of my grave side service since the day I heard the pastor under whom I served as a bishop speak them as the close of his grave side service. Thus, we these words, Job reminds us and assures us that no matter what we face in this life, no matter what struggles or hardships we might have, even if we should lose our health or our ability to work, even if gas should make it to $4.00 a gallon as is being predicted; no matter what might come our way, we can still give praise and thanks to the Lord Jesus, our Savior, as we celebrate his appearing today. We can praise our Lord and Savior because we know that when he appeared here on earth, he came as the Lord’s servant, just as Isaiah told us in our first lesson today.

Turn with me now, if you would, to Isaiah 42 and we’ll see how verses 1-7 connect with what we just heard from Job. Now, as you are turning to Isaiah 42, let me give you the setting. At least 2000 years have passed since the days of Job. Israel has been living in the Promised Land for roughly 700 years and there were roughly 700 years remaining before the Savior would be born. Now, as Isaiah speaks the words in chapter 42, the complete destruction of the Northern Kingdom of Israel is close at hand. Yet, even in the midst of pending destruction on the Northern Kingdom and rampant unbelief that Isaiah faced in the Southern Kingdom, the Lord gave Isaiah a beautiful message for those who still believed. The Lord gave Isaiah a message that would lead believers to praise the Lord their Savior for the promise of his appearing. Take a look at what Isaiah writes in chapter 42 beginning with verse 1: “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations. 2 He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. 3 A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; 4 he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope.” 5 This is what God the LORD says— he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it: 6 “I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, 7 to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. (Isaiah 42:1–7, NIV84)

As Isaiah speaks these words, he gives us, and the faithful Israelites of his day every reason to praise the Lord Jesus at his appearing, because from these words we learn exactly what our Savior will do and has done for us. As Isaiah said in verse 3-4: “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; 4 he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope.” (Isaiah 42:3-4, NIV84) In other words, when the Savior appears, if someone is dealing with the bruises of doubt in their faith, or if someone is so weak that the flame of their faith is but a smoldering wick, Jesus will build them up and strengthen that faith through his comforting word. As he preaches he will proclaim the truth of salvation to his people and through that message he will establish his justice and his forgiveness. In fact, it will be in that message of salvation that the Islands—the gentiles like you and me—will put our hope.

Well, just as Isaiah prophesied, Jesus appeared and did all these things and even more. Jesus appeared to proclaim the message of salvation to us. Jesus appeared to be our Savior and free us from the curse of our sins. Jesus appeared to give his life in our place so that we might live eternally with him in his heavenly kingdom. Jesus appeared just as was promised throughout the ages and that is why we have gathered to give praise to the Lord our Savior as we celebrate his appearing today. We have gathered to give praise to our Savior because he appeared just as Job hoped and just as Isaiah prophesied. He appeared as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, just as Matthew records for us in our gospel lesson for today.

Turn with me, if you would, to our final lesson for today. Turn to Matthew 3:13-17, and we’ll take a look at how our lesson from Job and Isaiah connect to our Savior’s appearing at his baptism today. Now, as you are turning to Matthew 3 the stage has already been set for Jesus appearing at the beginning of his earthly ministry. In fact, if you take a look at the first three chapters of Matthew you can see just how he set the stage for us. He told us about the genealogy of Christ, showing that he was a descendant of David as the Lord promised. He told us about Jesus birth in Bethlehem and the visit of the Magi. He told us how Jesus escaped to Egypt and then returned to Nazareth in fulfillment of the Lord’s promise that he would call his Son out of Egypt, and now at the beginning of Chapter 3, Matthew tells us about John and how John was preparing the way for the Savior, proclaiming the Word of God and baptizing people in the Jordan River. Now, on one day while John was baptizing, Jesus appeared there at the river, coming to be baptized. Take a look at Matthew 3:13: 13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. 16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:13–17, NIV84)

As hoped for by Job, as prophesied by Isaiah, Jesus appeared to his people Israel when the time was right. He appeared at the Jordan river and was baptized by John to mark him, anoint him, if you will, as one of us. Thus, his baptism was the beginning of his earthly ministry and the time when Jesus actively began his work of living a perfect life in our place even as he preached God’s Word. It was on that day that the Father gave approval to his Son so that all present would know that this Jesus who had suddenly appeared among them was the Lord and Savior for whom they had waited. He was the one whom John had spoken about, whom Isaiah prophesied, and for whom Job had hoped.

This is our Lord and Savior whom we praise today! We praise him that he appeared for us just as he promised. We praise him because he freed us from our sins by his death and resurrection. We praise him because we know that through faith in him eternal life is ours. We praise him because we know that one day he will return again. Just as Job said, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. 26 And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; 27 I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! (Job 19:25–27, NIV84)

What an amazing reason for us to praise the Lord our Savior as we celebrate his appearing today! What an amazing connection between the words of Job, Isaiah, and Matthew! What an amazing thing that we have discovered them simply because we are exploring God’s Islands of Adventure together! May the Lord bless you in the coming week as you continue your reading of his Word for the strengthening of your faith and our growth together as a family of believers.


Amen.

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

Prepare for the Coming Savior (Matthew 24:37-44)

November 28, 2010

Dear friends in Christ.

How are your Christmas Preparations going? Have you completely finished them? Or are you just getting started? Personally, today is the day we are planning to get all our Christmas decorating done, not merely here at church, but also at home. In fact, I would be willing to bet that most people make the most of Thanksgiving break in order to get started on their Christmas decorations. That’s what our family used to do in those years when we stayed home for Thanksgiving. We never really participated in after Thanksgiving shopping. Instead, we would stay home and my sister and I would do our best to stay out of Dad’s way as he brought all the Christmas items down from the attic. We would watch as he unpacked everything, set up the Christmas tree, screwed in all the light bulbs, went outside to replace Christmas bulbs that had burned out the previous year, and then, follow him from room to room as he placed candles in all the windows. In short, when we stayed home over the Thanksgiving Holidays, Saturday afternoon was a flurry of Christmas preparation, preparing everything for the coming Savior. Though yesterday may not have been the flurry of Christmas preparation as it was in my house when I was growing up, I’m sure that each and every one of us will be making the most of our time in the next few weeks to prepare our homes, our families, even ourselves for the Coming of our Savior at Christmas time.

Yet, even as we prepare ourselves for the coming of our Savior at Christmas time, today, as we have gathered for worship, our Savior is calling on us to prepare ourselves not only for his coming at Christmas time, but to prepare ourselves for his return on the last day, as well. In fact, this is the very thing that Jesus is speaking about in our lesson today, in Matthew 24:37-44. I invite you to open your Bibles and turn with me to Matthew 24:37-44 and we’ll take a look together at what Jesus is telling us.

Now, when Jesus spoke these words, it was Tuesday of Holy Week. Jesus had spent the day in the Temple, teaching the people and answering all the challenges brought to him by the Pharisees, Sadducees and Teachers of the Law. Then, once the challenges came to a conclusion and no one dared to ask Jesus anymore questions, (Matthew 22:46) Jesus began speaking his condemnations of woe upon the Pharisees, Sadducees, and the Teachers of the Law (Matthew 23) because they simply refused to believe that Jesus was the Savior whom the Lord had promised to his people. After Jesus had completed speaking, he got up and left the temple for the last time (Matthew 23:37-24:3) and he and his disciples headed out from Jerusalem, to the Mount of Olives. It was there that the disciples spoke to Jesus privately, asking him about the signs of the end of the age and the time of his coming. Jesus spent the next couple of chapters answering their question (Matthew 24:4-25:45), but the section we want to focus on is found in Matthew 24:37, where Jesus says, “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. 42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” (Matthew 24:37–44, NIV)

In such a simple way Jesus tells us to keep watch and prepare ourselves for the coming of our Savior. As he says in vs. 42: “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.” (Matthew 24:42, NIV) And again in verse 44: “So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” (Matthew 24:44, NIV)

But how is it that we are supposed to prepare? What do we need to do to be certain that we are prepared for the coming of our Savior? The answer to that question is simple. “Continue,” as Paul said, “to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,” (Philippians 2:12, NIV) In other words, dive into the Word of God and make a habit of swimming in it daily. Plumb its depths for treasure on a daily basis, and make certain that it is part of your faith exercise habit every day. Not only that, but make the most of every opportunity to gather to worship the Lord our God so that you might hear his Word yet again, be built up in faith, and strengthened in your preparation for our Savior’s reappearing. Take time to spend a few extra moments with the Lord in worship on those days when the feast of his flesh and blood is offered, for it is there, in that miraculous meal that we receive such tangible assurance that our sins have been forgiven. Pray to the Lord at all times and in every situation. Pray to the Lord for his blessings to be showered upon the family of believers wherever they may be, and pray to the Lord for his forgiveness, that through faith in him you may live your life according to his will.

In doing these things you will continue in your preparation, continuously prepared for the coming of your Savior. For in the same way that the angels suddenly appeared to the shepherds in the fields and announced the birth of the Savior; suddenly, when we least expect it we will hear the trumpet call of our God. In the same way that the people of Noah’s day were shocked by the rain, we too will be surprised by the sight of our Savior returning on the clouds of heaven. But unlike those who were unprepared because they ignored 120 years of Noah’s warnings about the coming flood and were swept away when the flood came upon them, we, who, through faith, are prepared for our Savior’s coming, will be taken to be with the Lord. This is the difference that Jesus describes in verse 37-41, where he says, “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.” (Matthew 24:37–41, NIV) Just as the only difference between Noah’s family in the ark and the millions of people outside the ark was the difference of faith, so also the difference between the two men and the two women who are taken is faith. Faith is the difference between the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25:31-46, and faith is the only difference between those who are prepared for our Savior’s coming and those who are not.

So with that in mind, you and I have an important task ahead of us. We have the task of proclaiming the message of salvation to those who do not yet know it! And what better time of year to take up that task! What better time to take up the task of telling people about their Savior so that they can be prepared for his coming, even as they prepare themselves for the Christmas Season! So as you go into the world, let us do just that! Let us share our faith through our words and actions—a smile to grumpy cashiers, a word of encouragement to tired shoppers, a message of Merry Christmas to whomever we meet, and a wary eye always looking for an opportunity to tell another about Jesus who came as the baby in Bethlehem and who will soon return as the King of Kings.

This is the very thing that you and I are prepared for through faith, though our homes may not be exactly prepared for the coming Christmas season, through faith we are prepared for the coming of our Savior. We are prepared for his birth in Bethlehem, and we are prepared for his coming on the Last Day.

Amen.

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