Remember - November 27, 2024 - Thanksgiving Eve - Text: Deuteronomy 8:1-10

In our text for this evening, from the Old Testament reading, we are encouraged by Moses to remember. How fitting this text is as we, on the eve of our National Day of Thanksgiving, take the time, not only to remember but, also to give thanks for all the good gifts and blessings our good Lord has seen fit to bestow upon us, His children. In the spirit and style, if you will, of Moses speaking to the children of Israel, this evening I would encourage you to remember.
 

Remember . . . remember that God gives us life at conception. This giving of life comes through no choice of our own (we do not choose to be conceived and born). This gift of life comes through the love of our parents for each other as they reflect God’s love to each other. We thank God for this gift of life at conception and we continue to celebrate His gift of life each and every morning that we awake knowing that each day is a gift from Him. Each day we give Him thanks that He gives us the opportunity to live another day.
 

God gives life at conception and He gives us new life through His Word and through Holy Baptism. Through His Word and through the waters of Holy Baptism and the putting of His name on us we become His children. He claims us as His own in the same way that we do not choose to be born, nor do we choose to be given faith through the waters of Holy Baptism or God’s Word. He makes us His children and a part of His kingdom. He gives us forgiveness of sins and puts faith in our hearts. He gives us His Holy Spirit who continues, throughout our lives, to strengthen and keep us in faith until Christ returns. This gift of life and new life in Holy Baptism is all God’s doing and giving and all our being done to and given to. And we might add as Luther says in his explanation to the First Article, all this He does out of Fatherly Divine goodness and mercy without any merit or worthiness within us.
 

And so, we might summarize what God has given to us and done for us in Dr. Martin Luther’s words of explanation to the third article of the Apostles’ Creed (open your hymnal with me, if you will. Turn to page 323 and read Luther’s explanation to the third article with me), “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith. In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian church He daily and richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers. On the Last Day He will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ. This is most certainly true.”
 

God has graciously poured out on us more gifts and blessings than we can ever think or imagine or count. Not only does He give us life and faith, He promises to take care of us and give us all that we need. Notice, all that we need, not necessarily all that we may want, because I am sure we can always want more. However, I most certainly believe that He has blessed us and continues to bless us even with more than we need. He has given us a place to live, a roof over our heads, clothes on our back, shoes on our feet and food on our tables.
 

God has given us parents and grandparents, pastors and teachers, and an education. He has given people to care for us as well as people for whom we are privileged to care. He has given us all wisdom and knowledge. He has given us the ability to discover and invent so many things which makes life easier.
 

God has given us gifts, talents and abilities. He gives us these gifts, talents and abilities to use, especially to use in service to Him, for the strengthening of ourselves as well as the extending of His Kingdom. As we use our gifts, talents and abilities to serve and help others, so we are serving and helping the Lord.
 

God has given us a vocation, a job, a career, a place to work. We are to use the gifts, talents, and abilities He has given us in order to be efficient and productive in our vocation, our job, our career, or wherever we work. And wherever it is that we do work, we are to remember that we are not working for the company or the boss, but we are working for the Lord, using the gifts, talents and abilities He has given us to His glory.
 

God has given us freedom of religion. We live in a country where we are relatively free to do as we please, to worship as we choose, even to choose to not worship. Certainly we might imagine that we are persecuted, to a degree, perhaps more subtly than anything, yet at this time still, we do not have to die for our faith.
 

God has given us a land flowing with milk and honey. We live in one of the most, if not the most blessed country and nation in the world. We suffer from the fact that we have to decide which of several articles of clothing and shoes we will wear, which of several brands of food we wish to eat, which brand of automobile to drive and so forth. Compared to many countries, we are rich indeed.
 

We might summarize what God has given to us and done for us in Dr. Martin Luther’s words of explanation to the first article of the Apostles’ Creed (again, open your hymnal with me, if you will. Turn to page 322 and read Luther’s explanation to the first article with me), “I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them. He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life. He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil. All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him. This is most certainly true.”
 

But there is more to remember. We are to remember that God has given His Son to be born as one of us. He who was true God, gave up the glory that was His in heaven. He took on human flesh and blood. He was born of a woman. The fullness of the Gospel is in this fact that He lived His life for us in our place so He could be our substitute, trading His life for ours. He suffered temptation as we suffer, even more and yet He did not sin.
 

We are to remember that God has given His Son to take our sins upon Himself. The purpose for which Jesus came into this world was to live, suffer and die. And He did. He lived a perfect life, the perfect life demanded of us, and then He took all our sins upon Himself, all our sins, our sins of commission, doing the things we should not be doing, our sins of omission, not doing or failing to do the things we should be doing, our sins of thought, word and deed, and He suffered the eternal death penalty of hell for us, in our place. That which we should have suffered, He suffered. God has given His Son the punishment which we deserve. Jesus suffered the eternal death penalty of hell, for us, in our place. Jesus suffered and died.
 

Yet, we are also to remember that we do not worship a dead God, but a living God. For Jesus did not stay dead, but God raised Him from the dead. After His ascension, He returned to the right hand of His Father where He is ruling over us, watching over us, interceding for us.
 

We might summarize what God has given to us and done for us in Dr. Martin Luther’s words of explanation to the second article of the Apostles’ Creed (and once again open your hymnal with me, if you will. Turn to page 322 and read Luther’s explanation to the second article with me), “I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. This is most certainly true.”
 

Today we remember . . .we remember that it is our duty or better, I like the word privilege, it is our privilege to give thanks to the Lord for He is good and His mercy does endure forever. And as we have been saying, He is good, He is merciful, He has given us blessings, more than we can count, more than we can think or imagine.
 

We remember that it is our duty, our privilege to praise the Lord for His good gifts and blessings. We praise Him because He has and continues to give to us from His bounty, not because we are deserving in any way, but because of His great love for us.
 

We remember that it is our duty, our privilege to rejoice in the Lord for all His benefits to me. What a great God we have. A God who gives to us, expects nothing in return from us, and rejoices in our pouring out our response of praise and thanksgiving and rejoicing through our giving ourselves to Him, through our giving our worship to Him, through our giving of our time, talents and treasure to Him as a way of glorifying Him as He stirs in us to do so.
 

This evening and tomorrow we remember, we recall all that our Lord gives and we are moved to say, “Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, and His mercy endures forever.” To God be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Once For All Sacrifice - November 17, 2024 - Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 28) - Text: Hebrews 10:11-25

This morning we continue our journey to the end. You may have noticed from last week’s reading and from this week’s readings and as you will hear in next week’s readings, as we approach the end of the Church Year our readings deal with the end times, with Judgement Day and Jesus’ return. And let me assure you, we will meet the Lord. I have to admit that there are many times I struggle to believe that we actually believe we will meet the Lord. I say that because too often we live as if we will live on in this world forever, and I must include myself. I cannot tell you how often it is that I must remind myself of the temporariness of this world. And yet, so often we invest so much of our time and energies in this world instead of getting ourselves ready for the world to come. The great thing is this, when we reach heaven, all this will seem like nothing, but until then, we do live in this world and we struggle not living as a part of this world.
 

In our text, the writer to the Hebrews begins by reminding us of the Old Covenant of Sacrifices. We begin at verse eleven, “11And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” (v. 11-14).
 

In the Old Covenant the priest had to repeat the sacrifices daily. In other words, there was no end of the sacrifices that were being offered. As you read through the whole Bible and especially the first five books of the Old Testament the sacrificial offerings were set out and there were a lot of sacrifices that needed to be made. The “problem”, if you will, of these sacrifices was that they did not do anything. They did not earn forgiveness. Instead they were simply offered as a foreshadowing of what was to come. They were a reminder that the price for sin was death, that blood had to be shed for forgiveness.
 

It was not until Christ came and offered Himself as the once for all sacrifice for our sins that the sacrificial offerings were ended. Notice how the writer tells us that the priest stood to offer the sacrifices on a daily basis. After Jesus offered Himself, that is, after His life, suffering, death, resurrection and ascension, He sat down at the right hand of the Father. That He sat down is an indication that everything is accomplished. Jesus’ sacrifice of Himself did pay the price for sin. His blood was shed. He died, paying the price for our sins and earning forgiveness for us. Everything has been taken care of.
 

Today we continue to have the witness of the Holy Spirit, in particular through the means of grace. Picking up in our text at verse fifteen, “15And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, 16“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,” 17then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” 18Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin” (v. 15-18).
 

After Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, God immediately stepped in. He initiated the covenant by promising to send a Savior. And notice that this initiation of the covenant, this promise was given even before there was an Abraham and a Children of Israel, reminding us that God’s promise was for all people. God later  reiterated His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, even King David, and so forth. He reiterated His covenant with Mary and Joseph and began fulfilling His covenant in the giving of His Son, Jesus, born in Bethlehem.
 

Jesus brings us the fullness of the Good News. Jesus did what we cannot do, He lived perfectly. He obeyed all of God’s laws, perfectly. He fulfilled all of God’s promises, perfectly. He lived in this world, always looking to the world to come. While He invested Himself and the giving of His life in this world, He did not invest His life in this world. He had no home, no place to lay His head. He did not have a “regular” job. He had the clothes on His back and yet never worried about anything He needed. He lived in perfection and then He took our sins upon Himself, being made sin for us. And He paid the price for our sins, He died. His death brought our forgiveness.
 

And finally, the writer gives us words of encouragement in our confidence as well  as instruction in our living as Christians. We pick up at verse nineteen, “19Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (v. 19-25).
 

What was new for his first readers may not be so new to us today, but the writer tells us that we can approach God directly, this direct approach to God was indicated when Jesus died and the veil in the temple was ripped in two from top to bottom. Each one of us can pray directly to God. We may simply speak with Him. We do not have to be formal in our speaking to Him. We may simply, and we are encouraged to simply, speak with Him as we speak with a close or dear friend.
 

We can have confidence in sins being forgiven. That is why Jesus came to earth. That is why Jesus suffered and died, to pay the price for our sins. We have confidence that our sins are forgiven. This confidence does not give us license to sin, but it gives us the freedom to live life knowing that we have forgiveness so each day is a new day and a new day to start over. And with forgiveness, we know that we also have life and salvation. Our eternal lot is set.
 

We can do good works. No, good works to do not save us. In and of ourselves we cannot do good works, but by the power of the Holy Spirit working in and through us we can and we do the good works which God has prepared in advance for us to do. This includes, as the writer says, “stirring up one another to love and good works,” in other words, encouraging each other to love and good works.
 

And finally, and notice these are not my words as I continually encourage you, but they are the words of God through the Epistle writer, we are to eagerly desire to be in the habit of meeting together for divine service and to encourage and build each other up. In other words we are to encourage each other to make regular, every Sunday and every day, and diligent use of the means of grace. And especially as we come closer and closer to the end of the world or to our own end on this earth, how much more important do we understand the necessity of making sure we are ready for our Lord’s return.
 

What does this mean? As we approach the end of the church year we are reminded of our sin. It is our sin which keeps us in trouble. It is our sin which brought Jesus’ death. It is our sins of thought, word and deed. It is our sins of commission, doing the things we should not be doing. And it is ours sins of omission, not doing the things we should be doing, encouraging and building each other up, being in divine service and Bible class, giving of our time, talents and treasure, as we should and as the Lord has blessed us. And now that I have said this, please do not think, either, well, pastor just has to say those things, or there pastor goes again, gripping and complaining about what we’re not doing. Instead, as the Lord so well tells us through other writers, take a sober look at your own life. When we all compare ourselves to Jesus, we do all come up short and that is the point. And that is sin. If we cannot admit our sin and our part in Jesus’ death then we have an even bigger problem.
 

As we approach the end of the church year we are reminded of God’s covenant. It is only as we realize our sinfulness that we can begin to fully comprehend God’s plan of salvation. First we are reminded of God’s covenant and His fulfillment of that covenant in the giving of Jesus and His life for ours. And second, we are reminded of God’s continued covenant that, as Jesus promised, He will return to take us from this valley of tears to be with Himself in heaven.
 

So, as we approach the end of the church year we are reminded of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. We are reminded that even though we are unworthy, is not because of our worthiness that Jesus gave His life. He gave His life because of His great love for us. We are unworthy. We are undeserving. That is why it is a gift. Again, the more sinful we realize we are, the more wonderful His forgiveness is.
 

As we approach the end of the church year we are reminded of our forgiveness and eternal life. And so we are reminded that we are forgiven and we are also reminded that with forgiveness of sins there is life and salvation. Remember, there are two ways to get to heaven. One way is by being perfect. So much for that. The other way is by faith in Jesus, because faith in Jesus brings us forgiveness and when we have forgiveness, we are perfect. So, forgiveness always means life and salvation.
 

As we approach the end of the church year we are reminded of our eagerness to make regular and diligent use of the means of grace. I know this is true for our shut-ins and for those who cannot be in church, they so much desire to be here. They so much eagerly anticipate our visits when they may partake of the Lord’s Supper. And this eagerness and desire should be our eagerness and desire. This desire should well be our desire, to eagerly desire to be given the gifts the Lord has to give.
 

As we approach the end of the church year we are reminded of our encouraging each other. Yes, we are brothers and sisters in Christ and sometimes we act like brothers and sisters, sometimes in not so good ways and sometimes in good ways. Yet, we are encouraged to encourage each other and build each other up, because the Day is drawing near. And the Day is nearer now than even when we began our service this morning.
 

One of the things I enjoy most about preaching at the funeral of a Christian is that I am able to present a message of forgiveness and hope, which we know is a certainty. As we approach the end of this church year we might well be reminded that our days are numbered and even though our days are numbered, at least our days on this earth, we have the certainty of heaven. May the Lord continue to give you that certainty and may we continue to share that certainty with each other. To God be the glory for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

November 2024 Church Newsletter

November 2024

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This month I would like to address the importance of the Means of Grace. Why is the Means of Grace and understanding the Means of Grace so important? Understanding the Means of Grace is understanding the way (means) in which God gives us the gifts (grace) He has to give. You may have some friends from other Christian denominations that would suggest that you are the one who has to get, gain, claim, or accept, the gifts God gives. In other words, they will suggest you are the one actively in doing something, working for the gifts God gives. Right from the start, that thinking should make you say, “What? Isn’t a gift something which is given? Otherwise it would not be a gift.” And you are correct. As Lutheran Christians we understand, as God tells us, that He gives His gifts and His grace to us through means and in particular the following four means.

The first Means of Grace and the power in all the Means of Grace is the very Word of God. The Word is the main thing. The Word is the power throughout all the means, and in particular as the Gospel writer John expresses, even the Word made flesh, Jesus Himself. Indeed, God’s Word does, gives, and effects what it says. When God says we have faith, we know we have faith. When God’s Word says we have forgiveness, we know we are forgiven. When God’s Word says we have eternal life we can know for certain we have eternal life because God’s Word is sure and certain.

Holy Baptism is not only a Means of Grace, but it is also a Sacrament, a sacred act given to us by God wherein His Word, in particular, His name Father, Son and Holy Spirit is put on us (God using the mouth of the pastor) with water (God using the hand of the pastor) as God gives to us faith and His promise that “baptism now saves you” (1 Peter 3:21).

Holy Absolution is the means whereby God speaking through the “called and ordained servant of the Word” announces “the grace of God unto all” of us and forgives us all our sins.

The Holy Supper is also, not only a Means of Grace, but a Sacrament, a sacred act given to us by God wherein His Word, in particular the Word of Institution (the Words Jesus gave on the night in which He was betrayed while celebrating the Jewish Passover and giving us His Holy Supper) (spoken by the pastor) over the bread and wine wherein we are given Christ’s true body and blood, given and shed for us for the forgiveness of sins. Indeed, Jesus becomes a physical part of us so that His life becomes our life, His suffering and death become our suffering and death, and His resurrection becomes our resurrection.

Although we would never put restrictions on God and His power, His usual way of coming to us today in our world is not immediately, that is, not in dreams or visions but mediately, that is, through means, namely and in particular these Means of Grace which He has given us. Thus, as you constantly hear me say, our need and desire is to make regular and diligent use of these means so that the Lord has plenty of opportunities to lavish us with His good gifts and blessings, faith, strengthening of faith, forgiveness, life and salvation.

God’s richest blessings.
In His Service,

Pastor Bogs
1 Cor. 15:3-5

Once For All, Nothing More Need Be Done - November 10, 2024 - 25th Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 27) - Text: Hebrews 9:24-28

Our text for this morning answers so many questions and corrects so much misunderstanding and confusion of Law and Gospel. Most certainly our text points us to Jesus and as you have heard me say time and again, we know we get it right when we point to Jesus. This morning we clear the air with the facts of Christ’s first coming which ushered in the end times by living, suffering, dying and rising. We clear the air with the fact that Jesus’ suffering and dying was enough to pay the price for all sins, for all people, for all ages, once and for all. And we clear the air with the fact that when Jesus returns it will not be to rule on earth, but to save those who believe in Him by taking us to heaven to be with Him. So, let us get to our text.
 

Our text begins by distinguishing between the Holy Place and its copy, verse twenty-four, “24For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf” (v. 24). The holy place made with hands is a reference to the temple built in Jerusalem. This temple was built as God’s presence among His people in Israel. This temple was not built as if God could be contained in any one particular place, but was built as a reminder to God’s people of His presence among them. As we read of all the warts of God’s people in Israel, so too we read of their rejection of God and His covenant and how that very temple, which was only a copy of the true Temple in heaven, was destroyed. We also read of God removing His presence from His people. And we read how this man made temple was built not as a permanent temple, but as one pointing to the greater temple, the one true Temple for all God’s people, all believers, the Temple in heaven.
 

And so, Christ’s appearance in heaven itself was to offer Himself, the sacrifice of Himself, the shedding of His blood for us on the cross and to present His sacrifice, once for all before the throne of God the Father in Heaven on our behalf. His appearance and offering of Himself, His life for our life is what brings us forgiveness and life, even eternal life.
 

Which brings us to get a better understanding of the repeated sacrifices. Picking up at verse twenty-five, “25Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, 26for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” (v. 25-26). Very often we get confused when we hear such statements that say that Jesus fulfilled the law so we are no longer under the law. That statement is only partially true for you see there are three laws going on. There is the civil law, which is the law of the land and while Jesus did fully obey all the civil law He did not do away with the civil law and we know this is true because we are still today under the civil laws of our country. In other words we still have to obey stop signs, not rob or kill people and so forth. Next there is the moral law and that is the Ten Commandments and here again, while Jesus did fully obey all the commandments He has not taken them away so that today for us Christians, while the Ten Commandments continue to show our sins, they have become a guide, that is they fall under the third use of the law for us.
 

Finally, there is the ceremonial law and the sacrifices. All the ceremonial laws were given to point to the promised Savior, the Messiah, indeed Jesus. The price for sin that was set in the Garden of Eden was death, physical death, and apart from Jesus and faith in Jesus, eternal death in hell. The price for sin was that blood had to be shed. Thus, for the children of Israel, the ceremonial law of the sacrificial system was set up so that animals were sacrificed, their blood was shed, not that the shedding of the blood of an animal accomplished or paid any price for the sin of the one offering the sacrifice, but reminding them of their sin, the price for their sin and pointing them to the one who would ultimately pay the price with His life. And as the one offered the sacrifice, depending on the sacrifice, they would often participate in that sacrifice by eating a portion of the sacrifice. The problem with these sacrifices, since they did nothing to earn or pay for sins is that they had to be repeated over and over again as a constant reminder of sin and its cost, death and the shedding of blood.
 

Because these sacrifices had to be repeated and were intended to point to Jesus, when Jesus came, He came to offer His own blood. All the sacrifices that were offered were to be ones without spot or blemish. Jesus was born as true God in human flesh, thus He was born without sin, without spot or blemish. Jesus was truly human so He could be our substitute, so He could do for us what we are unable to do, namely live a perfect life. Jesus fulfilled what was pointed to, that is He fulfilled all the law; civil, moral, and ceremonial, and all the prophets, perfectly.
 

Jesus then took our sins, all our sins and the sins of all people from Genesis to Revelation upon Himself. He suffered the punishment of our sins, eternal death and hell. He shed His own blood on the cross. The difference between Jesus sacrifice of Himself and all the sacrifices that pointed to Him is that His blood need only be shed once, for all. Thus no longer are any sacrifices needed.
 

Which brings us to the appointment of death, verse twenty-seven, “27And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” (v. 27-28). In the beginning God created a perfect world. He created a perfect man and a perfect woman and placed them into His perfect world. Then we get to Genesis Three, wherein we move from God’s creation and work, God’s acting and doing to the actions and doings of the man and his wife and at that point we see how they brought sin and death, physical death, and eternal death into the world through their disobedience and sin.
 

God brought down His judgement of death and cursed the world. And yet, at the same time He promised to take care of the sin of Adam and Eve. He promised to send a Savior for all people of all places of all times. He promised Jesus and His promise was that all who believe in Jesus will be saved, but those who do not will be condemned. Indeed, this was the very beginning of the Christian Church. So that, as we are now reminded, those who fail to believe in Jesus, that is the unbelievers are judged to eternal death and hell. And those who do believe in Jesus, we Christians, the believers are judged to eternal life in heaven. There is no in between. There is no working off sin in order to get to heaven. There is simply to die once and then the judgement.
 

So, we are reminded that Jesus appeared once, at His birth. This first appearance was to usher in the end times. Indeed, we are living in the last days and have been living in the last days since Jesus’ birth. We are not waiting for any arrival of Jesus to rule in any way here on this earth. We are waiting for Jesus return and His return, His second appearance will be on the last day and it will be to judge the world.
 

What does this mean? This morning we are reminded once again, as we should be reminded and need to be reminded each and every Sunday that we are sinners and that it is our sin that brings death, indeed it is our sin that brought the death of Jesus. Yes, we are responsible for Jesus’ suffering and death. One of my frustrations as a pastor is the refusal and rejection of God’s gifts by so many each and every Sunday. I believe there is this mass refusal and rejection because we do not take God and His Word seriously. We have either been convinced, as the Pharisees, that we are pretty good people and that our goodness would never allow God to condemn us, or we have been convince by our society that good is good enough. Or perhaps we simply do not believe we are in any danger of the Lord’s eminent return or our quick passing. The Law is still and remains the Law. We are lost and condemned persons. We are guilty and we stand condemned. Indeed, we need Jesus, not just now and again, but we need Him and His gifts each and every week, yes, each and every day.
 

Thanks be to God for His promised Savior. Thanks be to God that back in Genesis, when there was only Adam and Eve, neither Jew nor Greek, that God promised a Savior so that His promise was a promise of a Savior to all people, to all the children of Adam and Eve, and yet, even more specific, to all who believe.
 

The whole Old Testament pointed to the Savior. All the genealogies, all the prophecies, all the ceremonial laws, all the sacrifices, all the wars, chastening and discipline, all the narratives and history of the Old Testament pointed to Jesus. Indeed, all of history points to Jesus.
 

Jesus is truly God. He was God in heaven enjoying all the glory that was His, using His divine attributes to their fullest, and yet He gave up His glory in order to take on human flesh and blood. Jesus had to be truly God in order to be born in perfection and He was. In His perfection He took on in human flesh and blood, being born of a human woman, the virgin Mary. Jesus had to be truly human in order to be our substitute, in order to trade His life, His suffering, His death and His resurrection for us.
 

Jesus lived for us, perfectly as is God’s demand. Jesus was the perfect, spotless lamb of God who took our sins, all our sins, our sins of omission, not doing what we should, our sins of commission, doing what we should not, our sins of thought, word and deed, not only our sins, but the sins of all people of all places of all times. He took all sin upon Himself and suffered and died once for all. Nothing more needs to be done. And as we know the rest of history, death and the grave had no power over Him for He rose victorious over sin, death and the devil. And now He gives to us what He earned and paid for, He gives us His life, even eternal life.
 

Indeed, as the one who offered the sacrifice and participated in that sacrifice by eating of the sacrifice so our Lord offers to us to participate in His life, death and resurrection by offering us His body to eat and His blood to drink in His Holy Supper so that His life, suffering, death and resurrection are our life, suffering death and resurrection. Indeed, then we are to die once and then we are judged with no waiting in any holding area while payment is made for us to get to heaven.
 

This morning as we hear God’s Word we have confidence in our eternal salvation. Just as the Old Testament pointed to Jesus and it was faith in the coming Christ that made them Christians and saved them, so too in the New Testament. The New Testament points us back to Jesus so that it is faith in Jesus as the Christ which makes us Christians and saves us.
 

And now we wait. We wait not in fear and trembling, not in fearful anxiety, but we wait in eager anticipation. Indeed, the victory is ours, won for us by Christ on the cross. And so we wait in eager anticipation for our Lord’s return, which is why we eagerly desire to be given the gifts that God has to give and to be given those gifts each and every week, indeed each and every day. What a great God we have. What a gift giving God we have. We rejoice and give thanks and praise as we eagerly await His return. To Him be the glory for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Blessed - November 3, 2024 - All Saints’ Day - Text: Matthew 5:1-12

Today we celebrate All Saints’ Day. This does not mean that we give undue credit or glory to those faithful family members and friends who have fallen asleep in faith, but it does mean that we place their lives before us as an example of how we are to live the Christian faith. As we remember the saints who have gone on before us we remember that they too were at the same time sinner and saint, just like us. We also take the time to be reminded that by faith in Jesus Christ we are all saints. As we go around the room we might call each other by our sainted name, Saint Shirley, Saint Pat, Saint Jon, Saint (place your name here) and that would continue for each one of us. As saints, then, heaven is not just something we look forward to, it is a present reality. By faith in Jesus, His life, suffering, death on the cross and resurrection, we have forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Heaven is ours now, it is just that we will have to wait until we fall asleep in faith from this life until we will awaken in our heavenly home.
 

This morning our text is what we call the Beatitudes, or the statements of blessing from Jesus. Before we get to these statements of Jesus let us take a few minutes to remind ourselves what is the world’s idea of being blessed. And I will use what may be the world’s term for blessed as success. We have talked about these various items from time to time. Being blessed according to the standards of this world means having riches. Wealth and money is a sign of worldly success. The more money one has, the more successful they appear to be, at least in the eyes of the world.
 

Another indicator of success in our world is power. Power is a sign of worldly success. The more powerful one is, or the more powerful they seem to the world, the more successful they appear to be, again, at least in they eyes of the world.
 

A third indicator of success in our world is fame. Being famous is a sign of worldly success. The more famous one is, the more successful they appear to be, again, at least in the eyes of the world.
 

Yet, as we have been reminded time and again, these worldly signs of success are not necessarily indicative that a person is successful, because, as we know, as we have heard stated and read about, some of the most wealthy, most powerful and most famous people are also some of the most depressed. Jesus has a different idea and understanding of being successful and that is where we now turn our attention.
 

Beginning at verse three, Jesus’ idea of being blessed begins with admitting our weak faith. In His own words Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (v. 3). Jesus is not talking about simply being poor in spirit, or weak in faith, but admitting that we are in a constant need of having our faith strengthened. Here we might remind ourselves that confirmation was not graduation and that there is always more that we do not know about God than we do know about Him and so we have a constant need to be in His Word, to read our Bible, to be not only in divine service, but also in Bible Class so that we might be strengthened in our faith.
 

Continuing on at verse four, Jesus’ idea of being blessed includes being ashamed of and mourning our weak faith. In His own words Jesus says, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (v. 4). Jesus is not talking simply about some outward speaking of our weak faith, you know the line, “I know I should be in Bible Class, I know I should read my Bible every day, I know I should be in church every Sunday,” and so forth. No, Jesus is talking about a yearning which comes from the heart, a yearning so deep that it moves us to do something about our weak faith. In other words, we simply cannot help but be where the gifts are given and distributed.
 

In verse five, Jesus’ idea of being blessed includes meekly acknowledging one’s part in Jesus’ crucifixion. In His own words Jesus says, “Blessed are the meek, for they shalll inherit the earth” (v. 5). Blessed are those who are not arrogant, but who bow their heads in grief because of their sin and their part in Jesus’ death, that Jesus had to die for their sins. This confession means that each one of us confesses, for ourselves, that it was because of my sins that Jesus had to shed His blood and die on the cross. For if we cannot and do not acknowledge our part in Jesus’ death on the cross, then we have no part in Jesus’ resurrection and eternal life. It is this acknowledgment, when it is a faithful and true acknowledgment which gains for us an inheritance in heaven and which leads us into action as we read in verse six.
 

In verse six, Jesus’ idea of being blessed includes craving, hungering and thirsting after doing the right thing. In His own words Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (v. 6). Those who are blessed are those who hunger and thirst after the Word of God, those who truly hunger and thirst after the Lord’s righteousness, and those who strive, with the Lord’s help, for an eternal righteousness and a piety of life. Again, this is something that is so powerful we simply cannot help but want to be where God’s gifts are distributed and given out.
 

So far Jesus has been pointing to us as individuals. We are blessed when we confess and grieve our sins, confess our need to be in His Word, and then hunger and thirst for His word and righteousness. Our confession brings forgiveness, but even more. Here we are reminded that our faith does, or at least should, make a difference in our lives, the way we live, how we speak, what we do and so forth. There is more to our Christian lives than just showing up for church and Bible Class on Sunday morning.
 

In verse seven our attention focuses on our outlook toward others. Jesus’ idea of being blessed includes showing mercy to others even if that mercy is not show back. In His own words Jesus says, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” (v. 7). Blessed are those who have a deep and sincere concern for the temporal and spiritual needs of their neighbor. Here we might be reminded of the opportunities which the Lord gives to us to be merciful to others, specifically to our guest who come to divine service with us and especially those who have no home church.
 

In verse eight, Jesus’ idea of being blessed includes being pure in heart, thinking pure thoughts. In His own words Jesus says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (v. 8). This is the opposite of hypocrisy which is acting like a Christian, but not believing. Are our thoughts on ourselves or on those who have not yet heard the message of Jesus and salvation? Are our thoughts continually on this world and our lives in this world, or on the world to come and our being ready for the world to come and getting others ready?
 

In verse nine, Jesus’ idea of being blessed includes seeking to bring peace among ourselves and others. In His own words Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (v. 9). This is not a peace which comes from compromising one’s faith and beliefs, but a peace which has at its center Jesus Christ. Maybe you have seen the sign or the bumper sticker, “No (N-O) Jesus, No (N-O)Peace, Know (K-N-O-W) Jesus, Know (K-N-O-W) Peace.” Apart from Jesus and apart from faith in Him we cannot know or have true peace. Remember, true peace comes only from sins forgiven so without Jesus there is no forgiveness and no true peace.
 

In verse ten, Jesus’ idea of being blessed includes suffering persecution because of our faith. In His own words Jesus says, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (v. 10). It is our spiritual righteousness, our moral character, our exclusive claim that there is one way and only one way to eternal life, which makes us Christians stand out and “look” aloof to the world and thus that is why we are hated by the world. When we make the Lord’s righteousness ours and when we adopt our Lord’s intolerant attitude toward sin then we can no longer be accepted by our unrighteous and, ironically enough by our, so called, tolerant society. Do you want to know if you are really a Christian or not? Check to see if you are loved or hated by the world.
 

Finally in verse eleven, Jesus’ idea of being blessed includes suffering, being insulted, falsely accused and spoken against. In His own words Jesus says, “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account” (v. 11). Here Jesus names a few forms of hatred which will be bestowed on “practicing” Christians. It is our honor and distinction to suffer in His interest and because of His name. As Jesus says, “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (v. 12). As Christians we still have an irrepressible joy, because no matter how much the world might hate us, no matter how much the world might persecute us, this hatred and persecution is nothing compared to the glory which is ours in heaven.
 

This morning we see a stark difference in our focus and in the focus of the world. The world’s focus is on the here and now. For those who are in the world and of the world, this is all there is and so life must be lived for the here and now. “You have to grab for all the gusto you can.”
 

Whereas God’s focus is on the now and the not yet, the future, eternity. Our life on this earth is short, from conception and birth to a hundred years or so and then it is over, compared to our life in heaven which is forever and ever and ever, without end. As Christians our focus is not so much on the here and now as on the now and the hereafter. That is why we see the importance of confessing our sins and being given forgiveness, that we confess our weak faith, that we hunger and thirst after the Word of the Lord and His righteousness, that we show mercy and seek ways to share the love of Jesus and His Gospel message with others, so they too might be a part of His kingdom.
 

As we celebrate All Saints Day we celebrate that by God’s grace, through faith in Jesus Christ alone, faith and grace given to us, we are a part of God’s Kingdom and that we have a hope and a certainty for now and for the future. We celebrate the example of all the saints who have gone on before us because they showed their faith in Jesus alone for their salvation, because they hungered and thirsted after righteousness and because their lives are an example to us to be about the business of Jesus in spreading His love and Gospel message to all the world.
 

I like the words of one of the songs we used to sing when I was serving with a group that did weekends for church youth groups while in college, it went, “Heaven is a wonderful place, filled with glory and grace, I want to see my Savior’s face, heaven is a wonderful place, I want to go there.” I pray that this is your song as well so that when our last hour on this earth has come we might all together with all the saints stand before the Lord’s throne and proclaim, “to Him be the glory,” for Jesus’ sake. Amen.