Last Sunday of the Church Year [Matthew 25:1-13] (24-Nov-2013)

This sermon was preached at St Paul's Lutheran Church, Darnum (9am, lay reading), Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Traralgon (10am), Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Yarram (2pm) and St John's Lutheran Church, Sale (4pm).

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Text: (Matthew 25:1-13)

But at midnight there was a cry, “Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.”

 
Prayer: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.
 
 
In our Gospel reading today, Jesus says: Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.
 
There are some people who focus sometimes so much on the second coming of Jesus, that they forget to teach people how they should prepare for their death. The way we prepare for the end of the world is the same as preparing for death—Jesus teaches us both how to prepare for his return and how to prepare for our death at the same time. So he says: Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.
 
Jesus is talking here about a Jewish wedding custom where virgins, like bridesmaids, would wait for the groom and all his friends to arrive at the bride’s house for a wedding.
 
It’s no accident that Jesus mentions two things that are not highly valued in our overly-sexualised culture today: virginity and marriage. Jesus describes entering the whole kingdom of heaven like a joyful wedding ceremony.
 
There is an order and a purity and a glory to this parable which is found almost in no other parable. Why does Jesus compare the whole church to 10 virgins? Why 10 of them? Why virgins?
 
First of all, there have been some Christians throughout history—and some Christians even today—who have sometimes considered celibacy as some kind of higher spiritual life. This is not entirely true. At the same time, Jesus does not teach promiscuity and sexual relations outside of marriage.
 
If there is one thing that offends outsiders about Christianity it is things to do with sex and marriage. This is not a problem with the church, but shows the great problems that are constantly faced by people outside the church when it comes to these things. There can be a real temptation for us as Christians to “lighten up” on these things, because we want to be friendly and nice to people. But even the world knows that you can’t “lighten up” about what are often the darkest secrets of a person’s heart.

 

So many people have made mistakes in the past or have been hurt deeply, whether it has to do with sex or other matters. All these things effect the way in which we enter into the holy presence of the living and almighty God. Many young people stop coming to church almost immediately as soon as they have lost their virginity, not because anybody in the church judged them—nobody in the church would even know—but because they recognise within themselves something that prevents them from entering into God’s presence. And this is not even to mention the vicious assaults on the innocence of young people (and not just young people) through the media and internet pornography.
 
But how can people go back to the past and fix what has happened? How can they go and fix their stupid mistakes? What’s done is done! How can they find their innocence again? How can they enter the kingdom of heaven like a little child again, without all the world’s filth?
 
This is precisely why Jesus came to die for the sins of the world. St Paul says: You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. We also read: If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. St Peter says: He himself bore our sins on his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. St John says: the blood of Jesus [God’s] son cleanses us from all sin. In the book of Revelation we read that Christians have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
 
The devil wants to defile you, and particularly he wants to defile your conscience, and make you despair as if nothing can be done. But something has been done: Jesus shed his blood for you, died for you and has risen from the dead for you and now enters into God’s presence with you. Jesus makes people who are defiled by Satan virgins again, by grace, without any of your works, and he is the only person who does this, and he does do it, every time a person is baptised, every time we hear the forgiveness of each and every single one of our sins, and every time we receive the purifying and healing gift of Christ’s holy and undefiled body and blood in the Lord’s Supper. So many people don’t know this, and instead try to pay for their past themselves in all sorts of ways. What they need is the gospel! And the gospel is such wonderful good news for all people in our society today and all people everywhere just like us who so desperately want to be free of the past, are worn out from running from God, from life, from reality, but don’t know where to go. Lord [Jesus], to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
 
So Jesus speaks in our parable about 10 virgins—and in doing this, he is speaking about the whole church who have entered into Holy Baptism, and are therefore washed clean from all sin and defilement. And this purity they receive from Jesus with empty hands, not because of their works, but because of his grace. And we read that each of these virgins took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.
 
However, five of them were foolish, and five were wise. What was it particularly that made the foolish virgins foolish, and what was it particularly that made the wise virgins wise? When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.
 
Wisdom is always practical, and always has practical consequences. The wise store up some oil for later, knowing that they need to keep their lamps burning. So what happens?
 
We read: As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, “Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.” Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.” But the wise answered, saying, “Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.” And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, “Lord, lord, open to us.” But he answered, “Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.”
 
Our Gospel reading tells us that all the virgins fall asleep. Just like Peter, James and John in the garden with Jesus—they all fall asleep. But the foolish virgins run out of oil and don’t have time to go and fill up. They can’t share with the wise virgins, because otherwise there wouldn’t be enough.
 
The light here is the Gospel—the Gospel is the wonderful good news of the forgiveness of sins. St Paul says: For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness”, has shone into our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. This light of knowledge is not a kind of knowledge as when we know that there just happens to be a rose outside. This knowledge is as when we go and enjoy the rose with our eyes, breathe in the fragrance with all our senses, and almost drink up all its goodness. But does this light depend on us? No – it says: We have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. This knowledge, the pure gospel, is a living power of God, and fills our clay jars, our plain dusty oil lamps.
 
The light of the Gospel comes to you from outside. Jesus died for you, he rose for you – all of this happened outside of you. You were baptised—this also happened outside of you. But even though these things come from outside, they must come into you. Say: It is my Jesus, my Lord and my God, who died for me. The Lord is my shepherd.
 

However, this light is not kept burning by us. It is kept burning with the oil of the Holy Spirit. And how does the Holy Spirit work? Through God’s word and through the sacraments. Word, Baptism, Lord’s Supper—these are the gifts of God where he promises to pour out his Holy Spirit continually upon you. The font, the pulpit, the altar—these are the places where Jesus calls to you to come and fill up your lamps constantly with the Holy Spirit to keep your lamps burning.

 
Now, Jesus tells us the purpose of the parable when he says: Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
 
Don’t forget the five foolish virgins. What Jesus tells us in the reading is that there will be a time when it is too late to fill up our lamps. Many Christians don’t come to church, and think that the church will always be there for them. There may come a time when they are about to die and there is simply no pastor, no Christians, who are able to visit them and comfort them. There may come a time when the only Christians around are the sort that don’t visit deathbeds, because they say: “What’s the use of spending time with customers who make no contribution to our business?” Many Christians well advanced in years have never read the bible at home. Watch, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
 
Many Christians, pastors, seminaries, so-called “bible-scholars”, have fallen for the lie that the bible isn’t the word of God, that it’s just like reading any old magazine, and treat words, whole sentences, whole pages, whole books as useless and insignificant. Whenever the bible accuses them, they say: “…of course, we have to understand the historical context!” They think: “The bible only makes the point I want it to make, it only teaches me a little lesson that I could otherwise find out for myself somewhere else”. They say: “The people who wrote the bible didn’t know what they were talking about, but we know so much better.” They think that there’s no difference between the Holy Spirit and their own minds. And so it’s no wonder that everything these people say, speak, and write sounds like an autopsy report, because they think the bible is a dead word.
 
You can’t begin to imagine how this attitude towards the bible has infested the church today, our society, our young people, like a plague of termites, which corrodes and corrupts every last drop of faith, and eats away like a cancer. Termites won’t keep your lamp alight, only oil will. Every time you hear the words of the bible, remind yourself that this is the living voice of the Holy Spirit, and pray for the Holy Spirit.
 
Hear the word of God now, while you can. Read the bible now, while you still have eye-sight. Psalm 95 says: Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. Today is the day of salvation. Now is the time for you to be saved. Jesus says: Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. What Jesus says is true! Jesus will never let you down! Isaiah says: Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near. Devote yourself to learning to every aspect of the Christian faith, devote yourself to God’s word and Sacraments. Don’t leave it until later, when you might not have the opportunity.
 
Don’t leave it to your deathbed. I have read many stories about people’s deathbed conversions, and most of these stories are before we had morphine. You don’t know when your time will come, you don’t know when your sight, your mind, your senses, your abilities may be taken away from you at a moment’s notice. And then you will not be able to ask your friends and family to read you the bible or call for a pastor. Psalm 90 says: Teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom.
 
Jesus comes as our loving bridegroom to meet his church all the time. We are gathered here in this church today as Christ’s bride to meet our loving bridegroom. And what a pleasure it is for him to gaze upon his bride and say, just like King Solomon to his bride: You have captivated my heart, my sister, my bride; you have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace. And what a wonderful joy it is for us, Christ’s church, to say to him, as the bride said to King Solomon: Your love is better than wine, your anointing oils are fragrant; your name is oil poured out; therefore virgins love you. Draw me after you; let us run.
 
Martin Luther once said: “When you go to the Lord’s Supper, go to it like you are preparing for your death, so that when you die it will be just like going to the Lord’s Supper”. This is why we sing those wonderful words each week: Now, Lord, let your servant depart in peace, for my eyes have seen your salvation. I came with anxiety and longing, and I leave in peace. I came with sins, and I leave with forgiveness. I came into the presence of Christ with an empty lamp, with a faintly burning wick, and I leave church today with Christ’s blessing, with a cup overflowing, a lamp and flask full of oil.
 
“Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.”
 
Amen.
 
Lord Jesus Christ, fill our lamps with your Holy Spirit and fill our hearts with the living light of your Gospel. Send us your Holy Spirit that we may hear your word with attentiveness and follow after you, that where you are we may be also. Amen.

Trinity 26: Audio Sermon (17-Nov-2013)

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Trinity 26 [Matthew 25:31-46] (17-Nov-2013)

This sermon was preached at St Paul's Lutheran Church, Darnum (9am), Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Traralgon (11am) and Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Bairnsdale (3pm).

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Text: (Matthew 25:31-46)

Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

 
Prayer: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.

In the Gospel of Matthew, right in the last week before Jesus dies, we read that Jesus went up to the Mount of Olives to give his disciples a final sermon out in the open air. Our Gospel reading today is the last thing that Jesus teaches in this sermon, the last words of Matthew 25. In Matthew 26, we read about the Last Supper, Jesus' prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane, his arrest and betrayal by Judas, and his trial.

So what sort of thing do you think Jesus might say when he knows he's going to die in only a couple of days or so?

He says: When the Son of Man comes in his glory, with all his angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.

There is not a flicker of fear in Jesus' eyes here. He preaches a powerful prophecy about the future, and he wants the disciples to remember this prophecy as he goes to his suffering and death on Good Friday. So he says: When the Son of Man comes in his glory, with all his angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Of course, all the disciples abandon him and run away from him as soon as he is arrested. But Jesus promises a number of things: first of all, he prophesies that he will rise from the dead. The Son of Man will come in his glory. This is a prophecy of the resurrection because he calls himself the Son of Man. God cannot rise from the dead, unless he has also become a true man, and taken human flesh. Someone who is truly God cannot die, and someone who is truly God cannot rise from the dead--unless God himself takes human flesh and becomes a human being. Jesus, who was true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, descended from heaven in all his glory, and took flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary. So Jesus says: The Son of Man will come. He emphasises his human nature--his true human body--by calling himself not the Son of God, but the Son of Man. On that occasion all his angels came to earth and celebrated with him. And they sang Glory to God in the highest when they went to the shepherds in their fields.

Jesus also prophesies that after the resurrection he will ascend into heaven. He says: The Son of Man will come in his glory. If he's coming in his glory, where's he coming from? There's no glory in hell. If he's coming in his glory, he must be coming from heaven. And if he's coming from heaven, he must have gone there--he must have ascended into heaven. It also says: He will sit on his glorious throne. Therefore, he must be sitting at the right hand of God the Father.

But also, Jesus prophesies that he will come to judge the living and the dead. This Jesus describes in the rest of the reading.

So this fact that the Son of Man will come in his glory, with all his angels with him, and sit on his glorious throne, gives the disciples wonderful comfort, because they know that after Jesus has suffered, been crucified, dead, and buried, he will triumph over his enemies. He will be victorious. He will win the victory. He will be clothed in all the glory of heaven.

Jesus says: Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

Many Christians today don't like to think about judgment. But judgment means that there will finally be a time when the followers of Jesus will be separated from their persecutors. Even now, there is a growing separation in our times between those who hope in Jesus and those who don't. We can see this in the way some people cannot bear to tolerate Christian chaplains in public schools, for example. In politics, the catchphrase "separation of church and state" is often used as an excuse to keep Christians quiet, even when Christians are not making much noise! Christian young people are feeling more and more isolated in their faith among their own generation that knows nothing of their faith. Jesus promises that there will come a time at the end of the world, when he will return as the judge of all the nations, and he will separate people one from the other as a shepherd separated the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world.

Notice, here Jesus calls himself the King: The King will say to those on his right. Jesus will receive a wonderful crown, but it will be a crown of thorns from the Roman soldiers, he will receive his royal robes from them, he will be given a reed in his hand, and then he will be led along a long road to ascend his throne on the cross. Yes, the Romans think that they are pretending when they mock him, but what they don't realise is that the crucifixion is the coronation service of Jesus as the king of the whole world. This King is the Lamb of God who was slain, and he will speak to his fellow sheep. This King is the suffering servant of God and he will lift up his hands of blessing upon his flock, and they will see the glory of God, brighter than the sun, shine through the nail wounds in his hands, and he will say to them: Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world.

The king, the Lamb, makes all his sheep kings as well. In the next life, there will not be one single person who does reign with Jesus in his kingdom. We will all be kings and queens. Jesus says: Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. I will crown you and make you a king, a queen. And this kingdom that is given at the end of the world, is prepared right from the beginning of the world.

This is what Holy Baptism is: it is when people are called out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. It is where we become disciples of Jesus, and are blessed by his Father, and named with the Father's name: I baptise you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Here at baptism is given the kingdom prepared from the beginning of the world to all who believe it.

Then Jesus says: For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.'

As Lutherans, we hold very strongly to the biblical teaching that we are saved by grace, through faith, for Christ's sake, apart from works. But sometimes people think from this reading that we really might be saved by works after all. Some people think that Paul taught salvation by faith, and that the Gospel of Matthew and the book of James teach salvation by works.

But this isn't true. There is only one way that a person can be saved: through Christ's work alone, which is given to us by grace alone, and is received by faith alone completely apart from works. However, if we are talking about how Christians can perceive and distinguish, either in ourselves or in others, a true living faith from a pretend and dead faith, if we want to know the difference between true faith and a delusion, then James teaches that faith is dead if good works and the fruit of the Spirit of every kind do not follow. Love and good works are the evidence of faith. This is what it means when James says: You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. Also he says: As the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead. He's talking about the evidence of faith. But earlier in the book of James, he says: Of his own will [God] brought us forth by the word of truth. Here we read that God made us his own children not by own works, but by his own will, by the word of truth. These things we simply receive by faith, and so James agrees with Paul.

So in our reading today, Jesus puts the sheep and the goats on trial. And just like any courtroom, he judges people by the evidence. He commends the sheep for their good works, and condemns the goats for their lack of good works.

He says: For I was hungry and you gave me food. It is a good thing for Christians to perform acts of charity and works of mercy to all people that we meet. And in many places in the bible, Jesus encourages us to be charitable, and merciful to all people. But in our reading, Jesus is talking about a specific kind of people. He says: As you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me. Normally, when Jesus speaks of his brothers, he is talking about his disciples, and often his apostles. He says: He who does the will of my Father is my mother and sister and brothers. He also says to Mary Magdalene and to the disciples to tell the news of the resurrection to his brothers. He doesn't mean his flesh-and-blood brothers, but his disciples and his apostles.

Jesus also says: I was in prison and you visited me. Here we see that close connection between Jesus as he suffers on the cross, and those who suffer for sake of the gospel. They will be persecuted for the name of Jesus. In 2 Corinthians 11, St Paul boasts of all the hardships he endured. He says: Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant? If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. James begins his letter by saying: Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

What do you think you would do if you were alive at the time of St Paul and knew he was suffering nearby? What would you do if an apostle was enduring hardship? If the people who speak God's word to you were suffering greatly? If a dear Christian friend who encourages you so deeply and profoundly in your faith suddenly falls into hard times? Just as Jesus was crowned with thorns, what would you do if you saw a fellow Christian neighbour crowned with many thorns of Satan? Wouldn't you want to protect that person from harm? Wouldn't you want to savour the last words of Jesus that you could from them? Wouldn't you feed them if they were hungry, wouldn't you give them a drink if they were thirsty, wouldn't you clothe them if they were naked and welcome them if they were a stranger, wouldn't you visit them in prison and strengthen them in their sickness?

Of course you would-- How beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news! Anyone would do this for the sake of that Christian encouragement that we so desperately need. Anyone would do this to hear the word of life from the lips of their Christian neighbour. Those who don't value the word of Jesus, wouldn't do anything to protect the people who bring it to them--these people are called the goats. How often the apostles address the readers of their letters so affectionately and with such friendliness and with such gratitude for the love which is showed them on account of their words!

This passage is not about salvation by works--it's about our reception of the living words of Jesus through the messengers of Jesus.

And just so that you know this passage is not about salvation by works, listen to the way in which the sheep respond: Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?'

They don't even know that they were serving Christ.

And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.' The least of these my brothers: not just the apostles and the St Pauls of the world, not just the bishops and the pastors, but every simple Christian who receives hardship because of the words of Jesus.

And just as the sheep had no idea that they were serving Jesus, the goats had no idea that they were rejecting Jesus. Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?'

They do not value these living words of Jesus, and treat those who bring this word to them with contempt and so at the end they will depart from [Jesus], [as] cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Hell was never made for the sake of any human beings, it was prepared for the devil and his angels. And just as there is an eternal life for the sheep, there will be an eternal punishment for the goats.

This reading is almost too harsh for our times, and our society today. People have so much, and the more they have, the more they are afraid of losing. Many Christians don't value the simple message of Jesus and his cross, and also don't value the simple--sometimes even simplistic--Christians who speak it to them. Many Christian reject their baptism, reject the church, reject the authority and care of their pastors, and reject the fellowship of Christians. When did we see you hungry and not feed you? they will say. This word is such a thunderbolt for our country and our times which are full of small churches with few people. Would that the Holy Spirit would open the floodgates that people may hear and receive the precious words of Jesus, and hasten to meet him as their brother, their king, the Son of Man who shares their flesh and blood!

Listen to those words of Jesus, little flock! Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world. Come, you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Friend, come up higher! Come to the banquet, for everything is ready. Come, bride of Christ, come, beloved sheep of the Good Shepherd! Come, and hear the dear voice of your shepherd!

 Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

Lord Jesus Christ, we thank you for your gracious promise to come and judge the living and the dead. We pray that by your gracious Holy Spirit that you would strengthen and keep us firm in your word and faith until we die, and let your good and gracious will work in us. Amen.

Dedication of Plaque in memory of Rupert Schubert: Audio Sermon (16-Nov-2013)

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Dedication of Plaque in memory of Rupert Sschubert [John 15:5] (16-Nov-2013)

This sermon was preached at St John's Lutheran Church, Sale, 2pm.

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Text: (John 15:5)

If am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Prayer: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.

It's a wonderful occasion that we're gathered here to celebrate today, to set up this plaque in honour of our dear friend in the faith, Rupert Schubert.

I'm sure there's a certain sense that if he were still alive today he would probably be quite embarrassed by all us here! And of course, we trust that through Jesus he is not dead, but sleeping. He is kept safe with Jesus.

But this event today isn't for him--Rupert gets absolutely no say in the matter! This is something that is for our benefit and is to help us.

Our faith is not in Rupert, but in the Saviour of the world, Jesus Christ. But every now and then, we meet people in our journey towards heaven on the earth who give us so much encouragement in the faith. And this is what we have come to do today--we have come to give thanks to God for the blessings that he gave us through Rupert.

So, let's consider for a few minutes the bible verse which is written on the plaque: John 15:5. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Through holy baptism, Jesus joins us to himself and grafts us onto himself in such a way that we become members of Christ's body.

I am told that when people grow apples, a certain variety of apples (like granny smiths, pink lady, red delicious) needs to be grafted on to the apple tree, otherwise the apple tree will produce any old apple. The different variety of apple needs to be grafted on to the tree.

But this is completely different to the picture Jesus paints for us here. We are not the good variety that makes Christ's vine better. Christ is already the perfect good vine, and we are grafted onto him. We, a little branch, want to collect all the sap, all the juice, all the goodness from Christ the vine.

This is what it means to be a baptised child of God. We are grafted onto Christ.

So Jesus says to us: I am the vine, you are the branches.

We learn here also that Jesus is both true man and true God. If he weren't a true man, a true human being, he wouldn't share our human nature. He is made out of the same plant as us. He has a real body, and real blood, real flesh and bones. But also, the fact that he is able to join us in a supernatural way to himself shows us that he is true God. Jesus is true God, in such a way that he is washes us clean from all sin through his blood. He is able to share all of his gifts with us in such a way that no two human beings on this earth are ever able to do. Two people can spend a lot of time in each other's company, but one person can't make the other person holy, or take upon themselves the other person's sin, and make the other person completely pure.

This is the unity that Jesus has with us: he takes upon himself all our sin, and shame, and guilt, and whatever bad thing we see in ourselves that we know shouldn't be there and we wish weren't there. And everything good that we see in Jesus, every good quality, every perfect gift, every gift of holiness, righteousness, purity: all of that is given to us. He gives it to us not because we are some wonderful vine, but because we are a sick little branch that needs nourishment from him. Jesus doesn't graft us in because of any quality, of any good thing that is in us, in such a way that we deserve to be grafted in. He takes us completely as we are, and grafts us in, purely by grace.

We are not the vine that supports Jesus. We are not the good ones who fashion Jesus in our own image. Rather, Jesus says: I am the vine, you are the branches.

Then he says: Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit.

Jesus often uses the word: whoever. Whoever abides in me, he says. Whoever means that he welcomes anyone and everyone. And it also means that once we are welcomed and received by Jesus, we also are simply still anyone. All of us Christians are simply just one of the people whom Jesus calls whoever. All Christians are simply "any old Christian", because Christianity is not about Christians, but about Christ.

People who are into wine sometime are able the recognise the region where a wine comes from. I once met a man in the Barossa Valley near Adelaide who could tell the exact vineyard where a wine came from. However, he would never be able to pick the exact branch, because all the branches belong to the same vine. All the branches produce the same juice and make the same wine.

So Jesus says: Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit. The wine produced from this vine is all the same wine. And Jesus asks us to abide in him. He wants us simply to stay connected to him, to stay grafted to him. He wants us to continue to grow through his word. Jesus promises to give us continually his Holy Spirit so that we believe his word, and learn it anew, afresh, and produce fruit.

Jesus says: For apart from me, you can do nothing. He doesn't say, you can do little. He says, you can do nothing. Even for many Christians, their good works are not seen by themselves. I suspect Rupert probably felt in himself that he had achieved very little. It is other people who recognise the fruit, and who recognise that the fruit is good.

For apart from me, you can do nothing. This teaches us to recognise that so much of what we try to do apart from Jesus is completely nothing. There are so many people who feel as though they have got nowhere in life and have achieved very little. Maybe there is some truth in this. But at the same time, when we think that there is nothing that we are achieving, nothing that is worth doing, and no point in continuing, then Jesus says: come and abide in me. Listen to my word and hear it again. Be strengthened by it again. Abide in me and let me produce the fruit in you. Apart from me, you can do nothing, but together with me, you can do everything. At least, you can do everything that is worth doing.

Jesus says: I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Let's give thanks to God for these living words of Jesus, and also for the wonderful fruit that he has worked through so many Christians throughout the centuries. And we also give thanks for that fruit we saw at work in Rupert's faith, fruit that was not produced by him, but was produced by his Saviour and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Trinity 25: Audio Sermon (10-Nov-2013)

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Trinity 25 [Matthew 24:15-28] (10-Nov-2013)

This sermon was preached at St Paul's Lutheran Church, Darnum (9am), Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Traralgon (10am, lay reading), Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Yarram (2pm) and St John's Lutheran Church, Sale (4pm).

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Text: (Matthew 24:15-28)

False christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders.

Prayer: Let the words of my mouth, and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.

 
Today we celebrate the first of last three Sundays of the Church Year. Today’s gospel reading together with the gospel readings for the next two Sundays all focus on preparing the church for the end of the world.

Today’s gospel reading is from Matthew 24, and here Jesus teaches us about two questions that his disciples ask him: When will the city of Jerusalem and the temple be thrown down? And secondly: What will be the sign of Jesus’ coming and of the close of the age?

Jesus says: When you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

In the Lord’s Prayer, we pray: Your kingdom come. In the Small Catechism, we read: God’s kingdom comes when our heavenly Father sends us the Holy Spirit so that by his grace we believe his holy word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity.

God is always building his kingdom. He doesn’t build his kingdom in response to our faithfulness or our piety and or our good works. No good thing that we do can bring about God’s kingdom on earth. God builds his kingdom purely by grace, and out of love and mercy toward us and the world.

The Holy Spirit always works through God’s holy word. Whenever the word of God is read and preached, the Holy Spirit is at work. Whenever the word of God is spoken over a person in baptism, the Holy Spirit is being poured out over that person. However, the Holy Spirit doesn’t work in the way we always want him to work. He works where and when he pleases. As Jesus said to Nicodemus: The wind blows where you it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.

Every time a person believes the word of God, this is a work of the Holy Spirit. It is not a human response, or decision, or choice that makes us believe in God’s word. It is the Holy Spirit’s work that does it. And whenever God sends us his Holy Spirit by his grace so that we believe his holy word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity, God is building his kingdom, and letting his kingdom come. In fact, every time this happens, God is answering the prayers of his own son, and of every Christian throughout all time: Your kingdom come.

Jesus is our king. The book of Revelation calls him the King of kings and the Lord of lords. St Paul calls him the King of glory. And Jesus is truly, physically present in his own church, speaking his word, forgiving us our sins with his own words himself, baptising people with his own mouth and hands, and giving people his body and blood to eat and to drink. Jesus comes to his church all the time, and he speaks and applies his word to us, and he gives us his sacraments to us. And when Jesus does this, he carries out his work as king of the world and of the whole universe.

Jesus says: All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. He is our king. Now, how is going to rule the heaven and earth? Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age.

In other words: I am the king of heaven and earth. And I will be a king with you, and I will always be a king among you, through my word and my sacraments. Baptise and teach, he says. That’s how people will be made disciples and gathered into your kingdom.

However, in Psalm 110, it prophesies that Jesus will rule in the midst of [his] enemies. In Psalm 23, it prophesies that Jesus will prepare a table before us in the presence of our enemies. Jesus is our king and rules as our king, through the cross. He was truly crowned by the Roman soldiers when they put a crown of thorns on him. He was truly robed in royal robes when the Roman soldiers put a robe on him. Jesus was truly elevated to his throne when he was nailed to the cross.

Jesus says: My kingdom is not of the world. This is a kingdom that is under the cross and which is under suffering. Only in the next life, we will see his kingdom in its glory. This is the kingdom of faith—in the next life will be the kingdom of sight. So when you see all sorts of bad things happening, don’t despair. Remember the prayer that Jesus has taught you, Your kingdom come. Remember that God’s kingdom comes right into the midst of his enemies. Remember that even on the cross, Jesus said to the thief next to him: Today, you will be with me in paradise. Yes, today I am coming into my kingdom, today I am already in my kingdom, and I will remember you right now. Today you will be with me in paradise.

At the time of Jesus, many people didn’t want this sort of suffering kingdom. They wanted a powerful kingdom, and they wanted a powerful king. They wanted a king to destroy and defeat the Romans, and bring about a golden age for the city of Jerusalem.

Instead, Jesus promises the exact opposite. He says: When you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

Jesus is the holy one of Israel. And instead of Jesus himself being enthroned in the holy place, he is enthroned in an unholy place: on the cross. He in enthroned in a place of filth, and shame, and sadness. But in the holy place, in Jerusalem, in the temple, Jesus says there will be an abomination of desolation. The holy one will be outside the holy city on Mount Golgotha, at the Place of the Skull. And the devil’s nastiest work will be in the holy place.

So what is this abomination? Many people have often thought that this refers to a statue of a Roman emperor, because in the bible, statues of idols are often called abominations. But it most likely refers to the Roman army, since in Luke 21 it says: When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near.

We know from history that the Roman army destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 AD. And the things that Jesus speaks about here came true: many Christians fled to the mountains and took refuge in a city called Pella. And there were such terrible things that happened at that time—this was a dark time of history.

Jesus says: Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved.

Even though those times were terrible, Jesus also promised that those times would be graciously cut short to allow his church to be rescued and saved.  

The sort of kingdom that the Jewish people were expecting was not to be. But Jesus did not fail to establish his kingdom. No – in fact, he has established his kingdom and he rules us as our king, through his word and sacraments. Jesus breathes out on us the Holy Spirit so that we believe in this wonderful, comforting, forgiving word of Jesus.  

Now, what sort of a life will the church have? We often look back and we might think that there were more Christians in the past. Maybe—maybe not. One philosopher said recently: In the past, when Christians were in charge, many people pretended to believe in God when actually they didn’t. But now that the church is not in charge, people pretend to be atheist, when actually they do believe in God. Who knows what time in church history was the best one? Never mind! We are still called to pray: Your kingdom come.

But are we looking forward to a glorious golden age of the church? Will there be a glorious time before the end of the world when Christians will be in charge and all the atheists and unbelievers will be crushed? Some Christians like to tell people, instead of preparing for their death and to meet Christ in the next life, to prepare for a rapture instead, and for a 1000 year reign of Christ, where all unbelievers will be supressed. These people get this view from the book of Revelation, which speaks about Christ reigning for 1000 years. However, Revelation uses all kinds of mystical numbers: such as that there will be 144,000 people in heaven. Then these people try and squeeze the rest of the bible in to fit these passages, instead of seeking to understand Revelation in light of the rest of the New Testament.

What they don’t realise is that Christ is ruling the world now. His cross was not a failure. He rules the world today through his word and sacrament. We are living now in the 1000 year reign of Christ, and every time we join in with Christ, bringing to his feet the needs of this world, we are ruling and reigning with him in his kingdom. As St Peter writes: You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.

Today is the golden age of the church. Holy Baptism is not a failure. The preaching of the word of God is not a failure. The absolution is not a failure. The Lord’s Supper is not a failure. The cross and resurrection and ascension is not a failure. This is the kingdom of Jesus, and the thing that we are waiting for is what we say in the creeds: He will come again in glory to judge the living and dead.

Do Christians need to manipulate government politics to bring about Christ’s reign? No. Does the American government need to pour money into supporting the modern state of Israel to bring about God’s plan for salvation? No. Jews and Arabs are called to join in Christ’s kingdom together through Holy Baptism.

Even in the church, many Christians would like there to be a wonderful golden age, in such a way that there are no sinners in the church, no bad pastors, no problems, no suffering, and no cross.

In our Gospel reading, Jesus promises the exact opposite. He says: Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand.  So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as the lightening comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

Wherever there is a preacher pointing you to Christ’s works, there will be another preacher pointing you to your own works. Wherever there is the real Christ building his kingdom, the antichrist will not be far away, setting himself up in the holy place. Wherever there is a real prophet, a false one will follow after. Wherever there is a pastor pointing you to Christ as he meets you in his holy word and holy sacraments, there will someone else pointing you to Christ in the wilderness and in the inner rooms. Wherever the great miracles of baptism and the Lord’s Supper are being performed, there are plenty of people performing all sorts of false miracles.

Christ comes and speaks faith into people’s heart, giving them his Holy Spirit. And not too far away is a fake christ, the antichrist, the devil in disguise. He can’t forgive sins, because he didn’t pay for them, so he excuses them instead. He can’t create faith, so he creates a delusion.

When you take God’s word and God’s works away, the only thing you can replace them with is human works.

Every day in the life of the church from the day Christ was conceived in the womb of the Virgin to day of Pentecost until the end of the world is what the bible calls the last days, the last hour. We might think that this is a very long “last hour”, but with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

Jesus will come like lightening, in such a way that he will be seen everywhere, just as he has been everywhere secretly with every Christian throughout history every day until the end of the world. There is not one day before the end of the age where the church is not called to make disciples by baptising and teaching.

St John says: Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confes Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

Let’s rejoice together with our Lord Jesus as we meet him today, tomorrow, at our time of death, and at the end of the world. Jesus has won the victory over sin, death and the devil, and he rules the world through his church today in our midst. Let’s never forget that! He prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies. However, we also know that goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Amen. Come Lord Jesus!

 

Lord Jesus Christ, protect us from false plans and ideas for the future. Keep us faithful to you and your holy word, and create in us new and loving hearts. Build your kingdom among us, and send us your generous Holy Spirit. Amen.