2nd Last Sunday of the Church Year

“Inherit the Kingdom Prepared for You”

Matthew 25:31-46
2nd Last Sunday of the Church Year

15-16 November 2008

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church Girard, Illinois

Rev. Keith E. GeRue, Pastor

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. There are two aspects of today’s Gospel that we should not ignore or just gloss over. The first is that on the day our Lord Jesus returns, our works will be judged. St. Paul writes in Romans 14, “For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ . . . So then each of us shall give an account of himself to God.” Again the apostle writes in 2 Corinthians, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive good or evil, according to what he has done in the body.” Too often we are quick to use the slogan “faith alone” as an excuse for not doing the good works God has given us to do. We use His grace as a cover to justify a self-serving way of living. But that is not the life God has called us to. Rather, He has called us to a life of self-giving, of love toward our neighbor in need, the hungry or thirsty or sick or in prison or just in need of someone to talk to. Jesus praises the works of the sheep, and He condemns the lack of good works in goats. Do not be deceived; your works will be judged on the Last Day.

The second thing we should not skip over is the reality of eternal judgment. Hell is not a particularly popular topic–for obvious reasons. No one likes to think of someone suffering in tormenting flames without relief, separated from God and knowing only sleepless agony forever. And yet that is the reality that the Scriptures put before us time and time again. Hell is real, and it is eternal, whether or not people believe it to be so. That’s how serious sin is; that’s how devastating it is to our relationship with God. It’s not just a little imperfection, a little petty thing. It is rebellion against God and an expression of someone’s desire to live without Him. Hell is simply the terrible completion of that wish. Do not buy into the many spiritualities out there which suggest that basically everyone except perhaps the most vile of criminals ends up in heaven. Today’s Gospel makes it clear that some receive eternal life; but many others receive eternal death. May God have mercy on us all, that we be may spared from suffering that judgment.

However, do not misunderstand my words. For I am not suggesting to you that you are saved by your works; nor is today’s Gospel saying that. For before we hear any talk of works, we hear of what God has done and prepared. Notice first of all what Jesus says to the goats. “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” Believe it or not, there’s actually a bit of good news in those words. God did not prepare hell for us, for human beings. Hell is God’s judgment on rebellious Satan and his followers. No human being is predestined for eternal judgment. The people who end up there are those who through their own unbelief and pride have joined themselves to the devil’s fate.

Now pay close attention to what Jesus says to the sheep on His right, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” When was the kingdom prepared for you? Before you were even born! In fact, before the world was even created! That’s how much eternal life is a free gift of God’s grace to you. You couldn’t have had anything to do with winning eternal life because it was already done for you before you were in existence! Ephesians 1 says, “God the Father chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame.” That point is made clear by the fact that Jesus says this is something you inherit. In other words, you get it not because of what you have done but because of who you are and whose you are. If you are a sheep of the Good Shepherd, you’re on the right. If you are a child in the family of the heavenly Father, then you get the inheritance. The blessing is yours. Period. It is for you, Jesus says.

Revelation 13 tells us why all of this is so. It says, that the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, was “slain from the foundation of the world.” That’s how the kingdom was prepared for you from the very beginning of creation. Jesus’ crucifixion was already foreseen and in effect from the very moment the universe was being formed. It is the one event that not only defines all of history but even eternity itself. The blood of the Lamb has cleansed us of our sin and made us the people of God. The Lamb who was slain is the one who reigns as King of this kingdom. And He gives you the kingdom gladly as an unearned gift. You are forgiven. You are free. You are royalty in God’s house.

So then, why is there all of this emphasis on the works of the sheep in today’s Gospel? Well, to start with, we must remember that even good works are gifts of God, which He has prepared, as Ephesians 2 says, “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” So even good works are something, which God Himself prepares, and does in and through His people who are baptized into Christ. St. Paul once said, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” Christ is the ultimate doer of all of our good works. He is the new man who joins Himself to us to live by faith toward God the Father and by love toward our neighbor. As Isaiah said, “Lord, You have also done all our works in us.”

So not only is our salvation a complete gift from God, but the good works, which are a fruit of our faith, are also a gift from God. Just as Christ credits His righteousness to us as our own, so also the works, the Spirit of Jesus does through us, are credited to us as well. Even though from our view our good deeds are still stained with imperfect motives and pride because of our old Adam, yet God still receives such works as holy for the sake of Christ. The blood of Christ not only purifies us but also purifies our works, so that they are pleasing to God. Christ honors all works done in faith and receives them as works done for Him.

Interestingly, though, the sheep on the right hand do not remember their good works done for Christ. Jesus praises the things they did, and they respond by saying, “When did we do that?” If you think about it that makes sense doesn’t it. A truly Christian good work is done for the sake of the other person and not for the sake of having a list of accomplishments to puff yourself up with before God. They are often forgotten, because they’re not about you. Why would you need to be remembering your good works and calling them to mind all the time–unless you’re trying to justify yourself in God’s sight, which no Christian does. We know that we are justified through faith in Christ alone. And so the sheep have “good works memory loss.”

And there’s one more reason why the sheep didn’t know of their works done for Jesus. Our Lord says, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these my brethren, you did for Me.” Now in the Gospel of Matthew, that term “brethren” is used almost exclusively for the 12 disciples. They were Jesus’ brothers in the ministry, the apostles, the first preachers. And so to feed or clothe or visit them in their need was to do a good work for Christ whom they preached. For a minister acts in the stead of Christ and by His authority when he baptizes and preaches and administers Holy Communion. During His ministry Jesus sent the disciples out with no belongings to support themselves. They were to receive their food and clothing and so forth from those who believed their preaching. The apostle Paul was often imprisoned for the sake of the Gospel and received great comfort from those who visited him. So these good works that Jesus describes are simply expressions of faith in the Gospel. The sheep naturally support and care for the preachers of Christ. For Christians desire Christ’s Word and His saving gifts which are given through the ministry. That, by the way, is why there’s nothing to praise about the goats at Jesus’ left hand. Even though the goats may have done many good things in their life from a human perspective, the one thing they did not do was believe the Gospel or support the ministry of Christ. Only the sheep did that.

Finally, we would do well to remember that this final separation of the sheep and the goats begins at the cross and is pictured for us there. It was a goat who was crucified at Jesus’ left, one who mocked Him and didn’t believe. But crucified on Jesus’ right was a sheep who prayed in faith, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” Jesus said to him, “Today, you will be with Me in paradise.” Fellow Christians who believe and are baptized, you are at Jesus’ right hand. Just as our Lord will come on the Last Day with all His holy angels, He is here even now with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven to bring you His kingdom in the Sacrament of His body and blood. And so I say it to you once again, come, you blessed of the Father, receive the kingdom prepared for you, right here at this altar; come, receive the King. In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The 2nd Sunday of End Times – Last Judgement

“Armistice Day: Past, Present, Future'“
Matthew 14:15–28
8-9 November 2008
The 2nd Sunday of End Times – Last Judgement
Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church Girard, Illinois
Rev. Keith E. GeRue, Pastor

In the Name of the Father and of the (+) Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Dear Baptized, The clock is ticking. The eleventh minute before the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month is approaching. What does this mean? Answer: We are waiting for a time to come that has been spoken of in days gone by. Notice the present, the future and the past in that reply. We are presently waiting for a future time to come that has been spoken of in the past.

Does that sort of sentence bother you or comfort you? Does it make you anxious with the anxiety that anticipates a joyous event, or of another sort of anxiety that makes you dread what is about to happen? You might reply that it depends on what we are considering. Ah, yes, for this is most certainly true. Indeed, waiting for the next Christmas Day is much different than waiting for the next root canal.

Join me under the theme of ... “Armistice Day: Past, Present, Future”

1. Armistice Day -The Past
90 years ago, from this Tuesday, in the year 1918 at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day in the eleventh month, the nations of the earth rejoiced as peoples around the world celebrated the good news. After four dark, long years of bitter war that included chemical warfare with chlorine gas and mustard gas ... with endless fighting and no man's land ... following shell-shock and trench-foot ... after legions of men were thrown into the breech and then into the gaping graves of the earth ... an armistice was signed. The “war to end all wars” was over and the word of peace was cast and broadcast. “Look! Over there! It is finished! Lo, over here, it is done!”

This was the thought and the hope and the wishful thinking of mankind, and as a result, the United States, in 1919, set aside November 11th as Armistice Day -a day to remember the sacrifices that men and women made during the Great War in order to ensure a lasting peace. Soldiers who survived that war marched in parades; veterans who fought for freedom gave speeches; and a grateful nation held ceremonies of thanks
for the peace they had won. But remember, this was an armistice ... that is, a temporary halt of fighting by the mutual consent of the combatants.

As you know, peace did not last and the “war to end all wars” was renamed, “World War I” acknowledging that it was the first among others. So, after World War II, Armistice Day was changed to Veterans' Day. Though there was no lasting peace, mankind seeks peace. Thus, even now, in these latter days of terrorist attacks and the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, people look forward to and long for a time of world peace with a legislated armistice day enforced by the nations of the world.

However, dear Christian, to be assured of a future Armistice Day that will never end, one must not seek it in the days and years ahead, but rather, find it in the past. Nearly twenty centuries ago, Jesus said that the Day would arrive in the future like lightning, “but first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.”

Dearly beloved, it is now the eleventh hour and it is time to hear the Gospel of peace. Thus Jesus, the Son of God and the Son of Man, winds His way with the cross beam on which He lifted up to the leafless tree where the Savior hangs at half-staff. After six long hours, including three hours of darkness, when Jesus suffered many things, including the wormwood and the gall ... after atoning for the sins of the world when His Blood was shed through His thorn-pierced head and the puncture wounds of the Gentile nails ... after enduring the mocking of Jewish leaders and Roman soldiers ... following severe shock and raging thirst ... after being the atoning Sacrifice for all sins, the Armistice was signed by Christ's Blood, sealed on the Day of Atonement and proclaimed from the Altar of God when our Redeemer said: “It is finished!”

2. Armistice Day -The Present
We now arrive at Armistice Day -The Present. Here and now, ... in the gracious Presence of the LORD ... is Peace on earth and Good Will toward men. No good work except that of Jesus' perfect Life and substitutionary Death could achieve the peace that comes from God ... no One but the LORD could provide it through Word and Sacrament to the end of the age. Certainly, the world did not deserve this gracious declaration and that includes each one of us in this room. In addition, neither you nor I nor anyone else could ever earn or achieve it. Indeed, “all this is from God, Who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the Ministry of Reconciliation; that is, God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the Message of Reconciliation. So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake He made Him to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:18-21).

The LORD God Almighty is no longer angry with the world. God so loved the world that He sent His Only-Begotten Son to atone for all sins. The only sin that will condemn someone is unbelief and there are so many people who do not know this blessed Good News of the Armistice that God accomplished on that first Good Friday. These people might be like the Japanese soldiers living for decades on Pacific islands with no word that World War II was over; that is, they are people who have never heard the Good News of forgiveness, eternal life and salvation because of the lack of mission work in the harvest fields of the world or because of the lack of pastoral proclamation from the pulpits of the Church.

Men, women, youth and children without the Church and the Gospel are both dead and dying even as they seek hope and meaning in life. They will latch on to anything spiritual -seeking the devices of a medium to contact the dead and listening to the talk-show gurus. The same is happening for many in pulpits and the pews. In their present search they will trade the sanctuary for an entertainment center ... the Resurrection for the Rapture ... the Absolution for the Golden Rule ... the Gospel-laced Liturgy for a service of the Law ... the Holy Supper for donuts and coffee ... the liberating dogma of justification by the grace of God through faith in Christ for the binding doctrine of choice that picks one's god or gods from a legion of idols.

Certainly people are searching. And to all people, but especially to those who confess that the LORD is God, the Incarnate LORD tells them and us not to go there -not to listen to or hearken to the sounds of syncretism, or to those who claim to put Jesus first but don't, to those who willingly compromise the confession of Christ. “And they will say to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ! Or there he is!' or ‘Lo, here!' Do not believe it, do not follow them.” That is what Jesus said in the past and it certainly applies to the present days. These loving, warning, caring words of Jesus will have application in the future until the last day of time, and that brings us to ...
3. Armistice Day -The Future
As in the days of Noah and Lot, the clock continues to tick off the centuries, the years, the days and the seconds. It is now after the eleventh hour. The world is approaching the end. We do not when that last instant will be -when all three hands of history's clock point up and it will be the twelfth hour. The end will come suddenly and without warning, or, as Jesus tells us, “just as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” For the one who does not believe in Jesus the Christ, it will be midnight and the darkness of this world's night will give way to the deeper, utter, eternal darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

How much different it will be for the sons of God. That moment of the Second Coming of Christ will not be midnight but rather high noon, the instant when this world's daylight gives way to the eternal Light in the Presence of the LORD God where there is “no need of sun or moon to shine upon it, for the Glory of God is its Light and its Lamp is the Lamb” (Rev. 21:23), “for the LORD God will be their light, and they shall reign forever and ever” (Rev. 22:5). What joy and celebration there will be before the Throne of the LORD as the entire heavenly host sings of the Lamb of God Who has provided such an Armistice Day as this.

In the meantime, you and I, as the people of God are called to doctrine and missions ... to get the Word straight, to get the Word out, to treasure all the things of God, and to remain faithful unto the end being so and doing so during these days when the world eats and drinks. The faithful do indeed eat and drink at tables in the world, but the children of God also eat and drink in the Lord's Presence in this Holy House and at His Holy Supper.

Until that Day when we congregate in the Holy City come down from above, you and I are called to remain steadfast in the Word and the blessed teaching of the Faith. What blessed doctrine might that be? All of them -each and every one of them -but especially the one you hear and in which you believe and trust ... namely, that you are forgiven all of your sins in the Name of the Father and of the (+) Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

“The Liberator Who Sets You Free”

October 25 – 26, 2008

John 8:31-35

“The Liberator Who Sets You Free”

Rev. Keith GeRue

Reformation and Farewell Sermon

Saint Paul Ev. Lutheran Church, Hamel, IL

The Liberator strides through the halls of the prison, keys jingling in his hand. His wounds are fresh, but the battle is won. At each cell door he stops, turns the lock and throws open the door. “Come out!” he shouts. “I’ve come to set you free! I haven’t come to plunder or to take what little you have. I’ve come to release you from this prison and give you all sorts of gifts. There’s food and clothing and riches in abundance, and I give them to you freely! Your ruler was a tyrant who would keep you in your cells until the day you died. I’ve defeated him. I’ve destroyed him. He’s not coming back. Come out of your cells! Come out of the prison! I’ve set you all free!”

The doors stand open, as do the prison gates outside. The tyrant and his armies are destroyed. The Liberator has done all the work to release these people from their prison. “Come forth!” He calls again. “You are free!”

A few heads poke warily out of cells, but there is little other movement. From the cell of Doubtful Suspicion, a voice cries out, “What do you want in return?” “Nothing!” cries the Liberator. “As I have already said, I will say again. I have not come to take from you, but to give you freedom and so much more. Come out! You’re free!”

From the cell of descent comes another voice: “What do you mean, we’re free? We’ve never considered ourselves to be anything but free in the first place. What makes us any freer now?” The Liberator responds, “You’ve been imprisoned so long that bondage is all you have ever known. You’ve been told that it is freedom, but it is not. You are in a cell, but I’ve flung the door wide open. Come out! You’re free!”

Across the hallway, an intelligent voice speaks from the cell of Reasonable Rejection: “Thank you for your offer, but we have elected to remain. You see, we’ve thought about this long and hard, and we’ve decided that you don’t exist. Therefore, your freedom isn’t real. After consultation, we’ve decided to remain in the cell. We know that we’re going to die here and have no hope beyond that, but we’ll make the most of the time that we have here in prison.” The Liberator cries out, “Whether you believe it or not, the battle is fought, I am here and the door is open. Don’t rely on your logical conclusions! Come out! Be free!”

Next comes a surprisingly joyous voice from the cell of Syncretism: “O thank you for your offer, but there is no need! You see, we’ve made our own liberator. We’ve fashioned him out of straw and clay and our own ideas and desires, and he’s been our liberator for quite some time now. Of course, we don’t want to exclude you, either; so from now on we’ll consider our liberator to be just like you.” To this the Liberator declares, “But your liberator is not like me. He is only as free as those who have made him, and he is only inside the cell and cannot get out. Don’t put your trust in straw and clay and your own wisdom, for all of that has kept you in your cage. I am no dead brick; I have conquered your tyrant. Come out! Be free!”

There’s some murmuring further down the hallway, and a voice emerges. From the cell of Veiled Blindness, it says, “Our ruler warned us about you! He said that if you showed up here, you’d make us give up all that we have to make us follow you. He warned you that you’d be worse. We’re not coming out!” “And what would I have you give up?” demands the Liberator. “I desire that you give up the rags that you wear in exchange for new clothes. I desire that you give up hunger and starvation in exchange for nourishing food. I desire that you give up darkness, disease, death and decay; in exchange, I give you light and life forever! Consider the source of the warning: The one who warned you was the ruler who kept you in chains, and he’s a liar from start to finish. I’ve come to save you! Come out! You are free!”

From the darkness behind another open door, another voice: “We are so happy that you have come, and we see the door wide open! We look forward to joining you in the freedom that lies outside. In fact, as we have been for the past centuries, we are busy chipping away at this wall with our spoons. We haven’t made a dent yet; but it’s only a matter of time until we make our escape by our own hand.” The voice from the cell of Futile Effort fades away, replaced by the scraping of silverware on granite. The Liberator shouts, “Put down the spoons and cease your efforts! The door is open because I’ve done all the work! Come out! Come forth now! You are free!”

The Liberator remains, calling for all to hear. He continues to warn them of the death they face in that prison. He warns them that their efforts will not save them. He warns them of the lies of the ruler who has kept them bound. And all the while, he calls them forth to have life, to be free. Time and time again, though, voices emerge from the darkness, giving one reason or another why prison is preferred. Why do so many look for excuses not to be free?

But here and there, it happens. From one cell or another, a poor wretch emerges. Blinking in the unaccustomed light, he would fall and fail if the Liberator did not hold him up and keep him on the journey. One by one they come, and after a while a crowd of former prisoners stands outside. They are clothed and fed. They are strengthened and enlivened. They have new life within them, because the Liberator has set them free. They need never return to the prison again.

As silly as it sounds, some of them do. Some of them return to their cells. It may be because they just like the darkness and the life of the cell better. It may be that they just won’t trust the Liberator’s ongoing kindness. It may be that they hear the voices of former comrades calling them back, and they elect to join the old club once again. It’s a strange experience, because many of those who return believe they are still liberated. “I spent some time with the Liberator. I heard him speak. I ate and wore his clothes. Because I met him that day, I am free. Sure, I’m back in the prison with the same old stuff. My clothes have returned to rags and I’m starving again. But I once listened to the voice of the Liberator and I was with him then, so I must still be free.” It’s a terrible delusion, for he’s returned to his prison and slipped chains back on his wrists. And all the while, the cell door still stands open, and the Liberator still calls.

Those outside continue in his care. They remain fed and clothed, healthy and free. They’re free because the Liberator has come, and the Liberator remains. He’s fought, he’s set them free, and he will continue to protect and preserve them. Forever.

The Liberator of our parable is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. He has defeated sin, death and the devil, all of which sought to keep you enslaved and lost forever. The risen Christ still bears the wounds on His body-the nail prints in His hands and the spear-pierce in His side, for these testify that He has won the victory and crushed the head of the enemy. The Son of God victorious, now cries out to the world, “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” There is no better news: Once the world was lost forever to the bondage of sin and death. Now, the Son of God offers freedom for all.

Yet, out of the dark prison of sin, the objections still emerge against the Lord and His cross. For one reason or another, people don’t want to be free.

Those in the Gospel lesson objected that they needed no liberation, because they had never been imprisoned in the first place: “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say, ‘You will be made free’?” (Jn. 8:32) To which Jesus responded, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin” (Jn. 8:34). No matter who they are, they still sinned and were slaves to sin; and Jesus sought to set them free. So He called out “Come out! Be free!” with the words, “If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”

At the time of Luther, the leading objection was this: “The Lord Jesus has died for our sins-to help us escape the prison of hell, and that is good. Now, we will break ourselves out of our cell to meet Him by our prayers and works and payments.” It’s the equivalent to digging through the granite wall with a spoon while the cell door is open behind you. Thus the Lord declares, “By the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Ro. 3:20). In other words, no works and deeds can save you. But the next verse says this: “But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed.” There is a way to freedom from sin, and Romans 3 goes on to declare that it is in Jesus alone. So the Lord still cries out today, “If you try to save yourselves by your own works and prayers and decisions, you will never be free. But if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”

Other objections arise in our present day, and you’ve heard them all before. Many have decided that the Lord does not exist, and therefore His offer of salvation and freedom is imaginary; but no matter how much man insists that the Lord does not exist, He remains. Many others have created another god; and the growing fad is to say that any god is just another face for Jesus. But the difference is clear: Jesus the Son of God become flesh to rescue them from their prison of sin; all those other gods are dead things that they have created while doing time. Others shun the freedom and eternal life because they are too much in love with their sin, or too afraid of giving it up-whatever “it” might be: immorality, greed, materialism, self-esteem, whatever. Yet all of these things they cling to only isolate. wickedness only leaves one lonelier. Greed insists on having more than others, which loses friends fast. Pride insists on being better than the rest, and so it shuns others, too. First, they isolate; then, they kill. They may feel like freedom, but they are chains that delight to destroy. And the Savior calls out, “If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”

Why the blindness? Why do so many seek to remain in prison? Why do so many shun the light and the freedom of forgiveness? This tells us something about how lost man is. Sin infects us to the core of our soul. By nature, we are not good people who happen to be attacked by sin. By nature, we are sinful. In that sinfulness, we are so blinded that we cannot see the danger we are in. We are so dead that there is no way we can make ourselves free. In that sinfulness, we naturally choose to go against God’s will. Left to ourselves, by nature we will choose the prison of sin every single time.

But the Lord calls out, “If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” His cry of freedom is His powerful Word, and His Word grants the grace and faith needed to be free. He has conquered sin, death and the devil at the cross. He has flung wide open the gates of prison; and now, by His powerful Word, He calls all to freedom.

The Lord offers this salvation to all who hear His Word. Not all who hear, however, will be saved: His Word gives them the faith that they need to be saved, but He does not force anyone to leave the prison of sin. If they stay, so be it, for He will compel no one to be free.

It is His Word that delivers the forgiveness, faith and freedom. Added to water, His Word sets free in Holy Baptism; added to bread and wine, His Word strengthens the faith of the believer. Therefore, it is both a great privilege and essential for the Church to continue to proclaim His Word.

This brings us to one more warning, for Reformation is not only about the salvation of the individual; it is about the Reformation of the Church. “The Church is always under reformation,” said Luther; it must always make sure it remains steadfast to that Word which frees sinners from prison by the grace of Christ. Reformation is never more necessary than today.

Woe to the church and the preacher who declare that sin and freedom go together. This is a terrible sin, for it assures sinners that they are free when they are not. It tells them they are forgiven and need not repent when they remain condemned for their sin. So they mislead the sinner not to heaven but to hell, for the freedom they preach is no freedom at all.

This is why the church’s Reformation is never an innovation away from the Gospel, but always a return to its pure preaching. This is why, by the grace of God, we continue to preach His Law which warns of the consequences of sin. And this is why, by the grace of God, we preach Christ crucified- Christ who lived for you, died for you and rose again. Christ who, by His Word, declares to you today, “I have set you free from sin. And if the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed.” You see, this world is a dark prison of sin; you and I, dear Christians, are given a joyful task as the Church. We walk through the despairing halls of this prison with the keys of the kingdom. We proclaim the Law of God, and in doing so we warn all the prisoners that they must escape or face the wrath of God. We proclaim the Gospel of God, and that Word flings wide open the cell doors-for that Word proclaims the Son who sets them free. Many will mock and scorn this message and seek to have us join them in the cells, but some will hear and believe and be set free. But there is no greater joy in the world than opening the doors of those imprisoned by sin, so that they might be set free in the forgiveness of Christ.

“If the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed.” In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

20th Sunday after Trinity

"The Feast"
Matthew 22:1-14
20th Sunday After Trinity
October 4, 2008

In the name of the Father and of the  Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen
I. The King
It’s a simple story, and you’d think it would stay that way. The king has arranged a marriage for his son, and he is sparing no expense for the festivities. He sends out the invitations to those whose company he desires—and who is going to say no? This is the king! At worse, you accept it because you want to make sure the king knows you showed up. At best—and this is a really good “at best,” this is going to be the celebration of the year. The entrée is not going to be chicken, and it’s not going to be a cash bar. The band is not going to be the queen’s aunt’s son-in-law who has a garage band and needs a gig. There will be food and drink in abundance. Everything is going to be perfect. You don’t want to miss this party.

But the guests don’t want to come. Ever the gracious host, the king sends out servants to invite them personally: “All the work has been done, and all things are ready! It’s all free for you! Come to the wedding feast of my son!” Once again, who would say no? You’d have to be blind, hostile to the king to skip this invitation. Yet some decline his invitation, saying things like they must keep working on the farm or at the business: crazy, but some people prefer to muck out the cattle stalls than to spend a day with the king. This is where the story takes a really ugly twist: rather than say no to the servants, some seize them, treat them terribly, and kill them.

The king invited them to a party in goodwill, and they RSVP with the blood of his servants. Such evil must be dealt with, so it should come as no surprise that the king sends out his army and destroys those who killed the messengers of good news, subjects who want nothing to do with him. So what now? The plans are already set. The marriage has been arranged and declared, and the king will not go back on his word. Even though the guest list proved hostile, he will still have guests at his son’s wedding. He says to his servants, “The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. 'Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.” The servants go out and find whoever they can. It is, no doubt, a motley crew—not the sort of people who you’d normally find around the king. They often have lower incomes and checkered pasts, held back by one problem or another. Nevertheless, the servants extend the king’s invitation, and the wedding hall is packed with guests. They would be a scruffy looking bunch, maybe even laughable to the king’s enemies, but the king takes care of everything. As goes the custom of such weddings in Jesus’ time, the king even gives each guest a wedding garment to wear. This is his son’s wedding, and he spares no expense. Whoever receives his invitation and comes to the wedding receives clothing, food and drink by the king’s doing. Once they’re in the feast, they’ll all look like the king’s own children, because the king provides all.

Yet, when the king surveys the wedding hall, there is one man who doesn’t wear a wedding garment. Please note: this is not a matter of poverty on his part, because the king has clothed all. Rather, the guest has said, “I will go to the king’s hall, but only on my terms as I am.” His appearance is a sign of disrespect to spite the king, and the king does not take the offense lightly. “Friend,” he says, “how did you come in here without a wedding garment?” When the man has no response, the king commands his servants, “Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” It is an honor to be in the presence of the king, and certain behavior is required; it is a great pity that the man is unprepared, since the king sought to give him everything he needed. If he does not desire to be the king’s guest, then he has no place at the wedding.

It seems odd, but the king will come under attack. He will be criticized for destroying the first set of guests, even though they killed his servants who came with good news. The headlines will be all about how he throws out the one guest into darkness, even though it was the man’s own fault. In fact, while many notice such aspects of the parable, they’ll miss the amazing, wonderful point: the wedding hall is packed full of people who had no idea they would be guests of the king. If you’re one of the guests who scoffed at the king’s generosity, then you’re not going to like this story. Now, if you started out as a commoner on the byways, this parable has a very happy ending. When the day began, you were nobody out there somewhere. Now, the king has given you all good things. And as long as this feast lasts, you are the king’s people, members of his household.
And here’s some more good news: the feast is going to last forever.

II. You’re Invited
Remember, this parable is about the kingdom of heaven. In Revelation 19, heaven is called the “marriage of the Lamb” (v. 7): it’s a wedding feast! The Lord goes on to say, “Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!” (Rev. 19:9). Here is your reason to rejoice, today and always: the Lord calls you to that marriage supper.

He has done all that is necessary to prepare it. Rather than kill the fatted cattle, He has sacrificed His own Son: the Son must die for the bride to be delivered. He has also raised His Son, Jesus Christ, from the dead: the wedding will take place. The marriage feast will happen. Throughout the centuries, He has called out His invitation. To Israel in the Old Testament, He sent prophet after prophet after prophet. The words might have been different, but the invitation was always the same: “Israel, I have promised to send a Savior, and I will keep My promise. Because He will die for you, heaven is yours. Therefore, turn from false gods and idols that cannot raise you from the dead. Forsake those sins that keep you from Me. The wedding feast is coming, and it is all for you!”

You know what happened. Time and time again, the people refused the invitation. When the Lord continued to send prophets to call them to the wedding feast, they began to beat them, persecute them, scorn them…kill them. Eventually, the Lord had enough. He allowed first the Assyrians, then the Babylonians, to conquer and captivate Israel. If people did not want His help and protection, He would not force them to be safe. Because they rejected Him and killed His messengers, they and their cities were destroyed.

The Lord still faithfully sends out His messengers today: not just to Israel, but to all nations. Around the world, pastors publicly preach, in the stead and by the command of Jesus, the Good News that all are invited to the feast of heaven for Jesus’ sake. All around the world, Christians share the Gospel as they have opportunity. All around the world, the Holy Spirit works by that Word. People hear and believe by the Spirit’s work, and so they are numbered among the wedding guests for eternity. However…many also do not believe. In fact, many seek to persecute the Church for the message of Jesus.

As protected as we are, it is difficult to believe that Christians suffer, and suffer terribly, for proclaiming the Gospel. Houses are lost, children are kidnapped, and Christians are killed for the faith. The king’s messengers still die for inviting people to the feast. In America, we are still quite safe, perhaps suffering a snub in the neighborhood or the loss of a job for our faith. But should you witness such trouble or be its victim, the devil will use it to turn the screws. He will seek to convince you to abandon Christ, lest you suffer hardship for the faith. When you are tempted to moderate your faith to avoid trouble in this world, confess the sin and be forgiven. For the sake of Christ, the eternal feast is yours.

As you go about your life, beware of one more temptation—it is the temptation of the guest without wedding clothes. When the Lord invites you to the wedding, He gives you all good things. By His Word, He gives you the faith to believe and thus He transforms you into His own. By Holy Baptism, He clothes you with Christ and His righteousness (Gal. 3:27); by water and the Word, you are prepared and robed for the wedding. By His Holy Supper, He keeps you fed and nourished until the marriage feast of the Lamb in heaven; and indeed, each Holy Communion is but a foretaste of the feast to come. In heaven, we will stand in the glorious presence of the risen Savior, and the feast will go on forever.

Therefore, do not sin by seeking to wear your own clothes to the wedding. Old Adam will always tempt you to believe that heaven is yours because you have done enough good, or haven’t done enough bad to be kept out, or you’ve been doing better than others have and so God should cut you a break. No matter how you slice it, such temptations say that you go to the wedding by your own efforts. They say that your righteous works are proper attire to wear in the presence of God.

Therefore, heed the Word of the Lord from Isaiah: our works are not glorious before God! “We are all like an unclean thing and all our righteousness is like filthy rags” (Is. 64:6). The one who seeks entry into the eternal feast by his own efforts seeks to wear filthy rags to the wedding. In doing so, he snubs the Savior who died to clothe him in righteousness; and he will be cast out into outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. That is why you rejoice daily to confess your sins and rid yourself of filthy rags; and that is why you daily rejoice in the forgiveness of Christ, who clothes you with white for the wedding day. For this is the Good News: you have a place at the marriage feast of the Lamb, and the feast will last forever. You’re not just invited to an everlasting marriage feast. You’re invited to your wedding, where you’re united with Your Savior forever. In Christ, your Bridegroom, yours is not an eternity of outer darkness, weeping, and the gnashing of teeth. In Christ, the banquet feast of heaven is yours, for He has made it so: for you are forgiven all of your sins. Amen.

15th Sunday After Trinity

Trinity 15 August 30 - 31, 2008
Saint Paul Lutheran Church Hamel, Illinois
Matthew 6:24-34 “Your worth before God”



In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

We worry and fret and agonize and stew about so many things. And many of these things are not insignificant or trivial. Some are very important—like how our children will turn out; how we’ll get by when we retire; how a relative or friend will get through a sickness or trauma; or what path the Lord is leading us down as we head into the future.

These are not small matters. But then again, neither are the questions, “‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’” There aren’t too many things more basic than food and clothing. And yet Jesus tells us in the Gospel not to worry about them. If that’s so, should we really be anxious, then, about the other things?

And yet sometimes, we just can’t help ourselves. We keep talking with others about these things. We obsess. We act as if it’s all dependent on us and what we do and what our strategy and plans are. And then, when we’re in that frame of mind, it’s easy for us to treat Jesus’ words as just pie-in-the-sky religious niceties. In fact, it can seem as if He’s trivializing our problems by making comparisons to birds and flowers. That’s all fine and good, we say, but my life’s a little more complicated than a bird. Get real. “Don’t worry” just doesn’t cut it when the realities of life in this fallen world set in. We can be tempted to think that He doesn’t truly care or that He’s just brushing off our concerns as no big deal.

But of course, Jesus isn’t throwing clichés at us to get us off His back. He doesn’t treat His adopted brothers and sisters that way, which is what you are. And neither does His Father, who is our Father in heaven. For Our Lord God is not a harsh, uncaring, selfish Father who spends time with us only when He feels like it. Our heavenly Father is the picture of perfect warmth and kindness. He’s the essence of mercy and love. And so He never brushes us off, never leaves us to ourselves, never abandons us. We may say and think He does, but that doesn’t make it so. And we may turn a deaf ear to Him, but that’s not how He treats us. And we may be unfaithful, disloyal, disrespectful, and demanding of Him, but He never dishes it back to us. And we may hold a grudge against Him because we think He did us wrong, but He is quick to forgive, quick to renew His Holy Spirit within us, and quick to restore to us the joy of His salvation.

So then, how does He answer the things that worry us? Well, what did you hear in His Word today? First, you heard this from His prophet Elijah: “Do not fear.” The Lord will take care of you. You may think your back is against the wall, and that there’s no hope. But, really, there is nothing to fear. Your bin of flour shall not be used up. Which for you means, you will always have a place at the Lord’s Table, and always be able to eat bread in His kingdom? And the jar of oil shall not run dry. This for you means that the Lord will never take back the anointing of your Baptism, the healing of your soul, the undying forgiveness, and the eternal life you received when He said you were His own. And what’s more the prophet says, the Lord will send rain on the earth. Which for you means that He will pour out on you His Holy Spirit—to restore your hope, to uplift your spirit, to help you look beyond the many things that trouble you, and to cause you to believe that, no matter what you’ve done or what’s been done to you, no matter what the future may hold for you or your children or your grandchildren, the Lord will continue to take care of you, and lavish you with His love, and sustain and strengthen you. So do not fear. For “if God is for us, who can be against? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also along with Him freely give us all things?” If God has taken care of all of our eternal needs in Christ, can’t we also trust Him with the temporal things?

That is the word Our Lord Jesus speaks to you today by His Spirit. For He’s not talking about birds and flowers to brush you off. He’s pointing to them and saying, “The Lord takes care of them—and they are so trivial, so small. Surely, you’re of more value than they are! Surely, you matter much more! For they’ll never be called children of God, and they’re not made to commune with God. But you are. For the Son of God did not become a sparrow or a lily. He became a Man. He died as a Man to redeem you, and rose as a Man to conquer your death, and ascended to the Father’s right hand as a Man to give you a place in heaven. He is coming back as a Man, God in the flesh, to bring you to Himself. Your human nature has been taken up into the very nature of God Himself in Christ! What great honor the Father has bestowed on you! How could He ever forget you? He is never negligent. He keeps His promises. He takes care of the birds and the flowers. He will take care of you. So seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these other things will be added to you.”

But, you still might ask, what about Christians who are poor and hungry in this and other countries, or who suffer persecution, or who seem to be as forsaken as Lazarus outside the rich man’s gate? Is God not keeping His promise? Perhaps this story can add some perspective: During World War II, God allowed Father Maximilian Kolbe to be handed over to Nazi brutality in the concentration camp at Auschwitz, where they tried to use hunger to turn men into animals. Once, when it was thought that a prisoner had escaped (who was later found drowned in the latrine), the guards chose 10 men to execute as a punishment. Father Kolbe was not one of them. However, one of the ten who was chosen cried out in despair about the fate of his wife. Father Kolbe had compassion. He asked the commandant to allow him to take the man’s place. The commandant allowed it. Kolbe endured two straight weeks without any food and virtually no water. The Lord sustained him. Finally, he was killed by a lethal injection. The man whose place he took lived to be 95 years old. Now, did God’s promises to Father Kolbe fail? Certainly not. They were simply fulfilled in a different and greater way than he could have ever foreseen.

We must always remember that it is according to God’s wisdom that “all these things will be added to you.” He has said that He will work all things together for your everlasting good. And sometimes what is best for your everlasting good, and the good of others, is to bear the cross in this world. Remember the temporal serves the eternal, not the other way around. The Father never wants the passing things of this life to become a hindrance to your eternal life, so that you serve mammon and perish forever. And so sometimes He does multiply the flour, and men walk out of fiery furnaces and lions’ dens with their body intact. But at other times your heavenly Father brings His children to Himself through suffering, by bullets, starvation, tyrants, or disease. But in every case, faith trusts and knows that He is good and His steadfast love endures forever. So when our Lord says “do not be anxious about what you will eat or drink or wear,” He is giving you the true and proper perspective. He holds all things in His hands, most especially your eternal welfare.

Your heavenly Father knows what you need; better than you know it yourself. Dream your dreams and plan your plans all you want, but you cannot add a single cubit to your life. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the Name of the Lord. The Lord provides. He feeds His children, not just with bread and meat and ice cream, but especially with His righteousness. He gives what we truly need: the forgiveness of sins, deliverance from death and the devil, immortality.

How can we be anxious about food when we have the Lord’s life-giving body and blood? How can we worry about new clothes and the latest fashions when we’ve been robed in Christ and wrapped up in His righteousness? Having these things, we have it all, even if we are in poverty. For we have the sure promise that these perishable bodies will be clothed with the imperishable, that we will put on immortality in the resurrection of our bodies on the Last Day. And we will take part in the feast of salvation, the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom that has no end.

So if you still struggle with sorrows and anxieties, know that through them the Lord is guiding you, keeping you close to Himself. He is not done with you. Your faith is not yet full. You still have loving works to perform, prayers to pray, testimonies to give, things to learn. But He always provides. He always forgives. He always loves. The Lord who gave His Son into death to have you as His own, the Lord who marched through Hell with the remnants of the devil's crushed head stuck to His heel, the Lord who emptied the grave of its sting, the living Lord of Life, He will not forget you. He will not miss a single detail. He hears and answers all you prayers.

Do not worry. You are worth more far more than sparrows or lilies. Your Lord is ever faithful, ever true, ever merciful and kind. Come to His table. Be joined to heaven. And that will be sufficient for the day.

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.