"What Shall We Do?" Sermon: Luke 3:7-18

“What Shall We Do?”

[Luke 3:7-18]

December 16, 2012 Second Reformed Church

            Last week, we began looking at John's baptizing of Jews with the baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. We saw that this means that forgiveness – salvation from God's Wrath – the wages of sin – is based on a true belief and confession that results in change.

            “He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our father.” For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.’”

            John speaks a harsh word to the people who've come to him – indicating that they had not come with a response to the Scripture, but in response to seeing the crowds gathered around John.  Matthew specifies that the Pharisees and Sadducees (cf. Matthew 3:7) had come to John for the wrong reasons – thinking that the baptism itself would save them.

            John explained to them that coming and confessing itself and claiming Abraham as their father was not enough for salvation. He warned them that this alone would lead to the ax being laid at the root of the tree – that they would fall and die and suffer the hellfire if they did not actually believe and repent and change their ways.

            If you have come this morning believing the historical facts of the Gospel, but not changing your life – not receiving the Work of the Holy Spirit in your life –  you have not truly believed. And you will suffer the same hellfire that John warned the Pharisees and Sadducees of – merely reciting the facts of the Gospel is not enough – it must change your life. And if you're not changed by the facts of the Gospel, then you have not truly believed – and you are not saved.

            Paul explains: “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 5:6, ESV).

            “Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God” (Romans 5:9, ESV).

            “and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:10, ESV).

            “Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘In you shall all the nations be blessed.’ So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith” (Galatians 3:7-9, ESV).

            The point Paul is making is that the Wrath of God is indeed against those who do not repent and believe – and repentance includes turning around – changing – becoming a new creation. Belief in the words alone is not enough – yes, we are saved by faith alone, but it is not a faith that is alone – as the reformers would tell us. Belief in the Gospel must lead to a change of life – we must flee from temptation and we must repent of our sins. Otherwise, we have not been saved.

            There are plenty of people who hear the words of the Gospel and think it sounds all very well, who even believe the facts of the history of Jesus Christ, but do not truly repent and change their lives. That is not saying that we are saved by works – we are saved by faith alone – but that faith leads to growth – to the production of fruit – we prove our faith by living as God has called us to live – and if we do not, then we prove that we are not really saved.

            Do we understand the point that the John is making? The Pharisees and the Sadducees were coming – they were saying they were descendents of Abraham – they were saying that they had done the good works of the Law – but they had not truly believed. John says – the Scripture says – that belief leads to good works – belief leads to the proof of belief by good works. Good works alone –  biology alone – is not enough. Jesus did not merely come to save people who are of a certain race. Jesus did not merely come to save those who do what is good in the eyes of humanity. Jesus came to save those who believe in the historical facts of the Gospel and change their lives because of it – because God uses the facts of the Gospel to cause belief, people change their lives as proof of the belief that they have – that is salvation.

            John says that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from the stones. Now, whether John meant this literally – referring back to the Creation, when Adam and Eve were created from the dirt and a rib – or whether he was referring to the fact that God takes our heart of stone and replaces it with a heart of flesh when we are caused to believe in the Gospel – the result is the same.

            If we do not believe the Gsoepl and change our lives – repent and do the good works that God has set before us – we have ot truly believed and the eternal fires of hell are still awaiting us.

            “And the crowds asked him, ‘What then shall we do?’ And he answered them, ‘Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.’ Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, ‘Teacher, what shall we do?’ And he said to them, ‘Collect no more than you are authorized to do.’ Soldiers also asked him, ‘And we, what shall we do?’ And he said to them, ‘Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.’

            Three types of people approached John with true repentance and asked what they should do: people in general, tax collectors, and soldiers.

            John told the people in general that they should love their neighbors. They should show generosity and love – not that everyone should be equal and have an equal amount of money and things – but if someone was in need, and they had the ability to meet that need, they ought to meet that need.

            To the tax collectors, John told them that they ought not to overcharge – they ought to be honest in their work and in the authority that they had been given. They should collect only what they needed to collect and not abuse their authority so they could profit by it.

            To the soldiers, John told them that they ought not to shake people down – they ought not to torture slaves to get them to lie about their masters hiding money – they ought to treat people with respect and to get true answers about the money they received in the taxes that were due to be paid.

            For all of the people:  John told them to be content with what they had. God is Sovereign over all things and He has given each one of us different things, different jobs, different gifts, and we ought to be joyful with that and thank God for that and be pleased for the way that God has chosen to show Himself and provide for us.

            Overall, John was telling the people to love their neighbors – not to lie, not to cheat, not to embezzle, not to work the system to their benefit. Rather, John told them that they ought to love their neighbors, to seek the best for them, and for each person – no matter what God has given them – no matter what God has given us – to be satisfied – to truly give thanks to God for what we have received – and to learn how to steward that – how to manage that well, to the Glory of God.

            Are you satisfied with what you have? I suspect the general American answer would be, “no.” We are not satisfied. We think we deserve more. No matter how much we accumulate – no matter how much we have, and have received – we are not truly thankful. Am I wrong? Are you truly thankful for what you have? Are you using what you have to the Glory of God? Are you believing the Gospel, doing the good works that God has set before you, and being thankful for what you have – no, “but this” or “that”?

            Generally, the people sought to build up for themselves – to collect more for themselves – they were not satisfied. The tax collectors where not satisfied with their wages, but they sought to overcharge the people they were charged with collecting taxes from. And the soldiers sought to torture people into false confessions so they could receive more money. Have you been honest in the position that God has given you? Are you satisfied with what God has given you? Are you using everything you have to the Glory of God?

            Paul wrote:  “Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need” (Ephesians 4:28, ESV).

            Don't be confused by what Paul has said, just because you are not a thief – per se – does not mean that you have not stolen. If you have abused your position in any way to get something that does not belong to you, you have stolen – we talked about that last week. God has given each one of us enough – and called us to work that we might provide for our needs – and that we would have enough to share with someone else.

            Have you helpped anyone this week? Are you prepared to give sacrificially in  thanksgiving this morning to God? John asked the Pharisees and the Sadducees, who warned them – why they were there – and I ask us the same question, why are we here? Are we here to get something? Or are we here to worship God? To feel a true sense of satisfaction in God and in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, or are welooking for one more thing we don't deserve?

            John told the people to be careful – to truly believe and then to follow God by doing the good works that He is calling us to do. Stop cheating. Stop being selfish. Stop being covetous. Stop lusting. Stop being unsatisfied with what God knows you need. Stop using your position to abuse other people. To hear what John is saying? Or are you being prepared for the hellfire?

            As James wrote:  “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:14-17, ESV).

            And John wrote: “But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?” (1 John 3:17, ESV).

            Don't misunderstand what they are saying: they are not saying that salvation is by works – by the good works that we do – good works are a fruit – they are a sign of true belief in the Gospel. But if we don't care – if we don't do anything – if you don't seek to make the Gospel known through every means that you have to make it known, do you really believe? And don't say you don't have the means to make it known, because if you made it here this morning, you have the means to make it known. If nothing else – and we are the richest country in the world – if nothing else, have you opened your mouth this week?

            The time is grown short. We don't have time to play games in church any more. Jesus Christ has called us to faithfulness – and believing the Gospel – truly with all our hearts – the historical facts of what happened – and living it out by good works that other people would see that we truly believe that Jesus Christ is God the Savior.

In 1979, my pastor said – and I believe he was right –“we don't have much time” – how much time then might we have in 2012? 

Examine your hearts. Ask yourself if you truly believe the facts of the Gospel. Ask yourself if you have truly repented of your sin. Ask yourself if you are truly seeking to follow God, and all the good works that He has called you to do. If you are, may Christ be praised. If you are not, know you're not safe. The Wrath of God is against all unbelievers – and our only hope is to faith in Jesus Christ Alone. And once our hearts have been changed, God causes us to do good works to His Glory.

Are you a Pharisee or a Sadducees, or are you one of the people that asked John, “what shall we do?”– People who asked in true heart repentance how they might live in a way that is pleasing to God. I am truly afraid for most people who call themselves Christians – because they think that being a Christian is being a good person – and you and I are not good enough.

            The people were impressed with the way that John was speaking. They wondered if he might be the Messiah – the Savior – the Christ:

            “As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, John answered them all, saying, ‘I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’

            John explained to them that he is not the Christ – the Messiah – the Savior – he was merely one calling the people to repentance and washing them with water to symbolically wash away their sin. The Savior who would come – Jesus Christ – the birth of Whom we especially remember in these coming weeks – He is the Almighty God – and John had the good sense to understand that he was not worthy to untie the dirty sandals of His feet.  John understood that Jesus came to save through His life and death and to give them in indwelling of God the Holy Spirit, Who would work in them and lead them in holy living – in becoming more like Jesus Himself.

            John explained to them that when the Christ came, He would separate the people with the winnowing fork – that He would clear the threshing floor and gather the wheat into His barn. And I doubt many of us have done that. In the days of Jesus and John wheat was brought into a barn, and it was beaten on the ground – on the threshing floor until the heads of wheat broke loose from the stems onto the ground. And then the farmer would take his winnowing fork and throw the grains of wheat into the air and the chaff – the papery covering of the wheat would separate from the seed itself, which would could be made into bread. The chaff – that papery covering which seem to be part of the wheat, but was actually useless in the making of bread –  would be separated and taken and burned in the fire. Whereas the seed itself would be ground into flour and made into bread.

            The point that John was making is that Jesus knows the difference between people who look like Christians and people who are Christians. And in the end, Jesus will separate those people who thought they were good enough – to have the right heritage – who had good works behind them – but did not truly believe the historical facts which make up the Gospel – and He will throw them into the fire. The wheat – the true seeds – He will grind into flour and make into holy bread – those who truly believe in the facts of the Gospel and who have changed lives because of it – Jesus will make like Him and welcome them into His Eternal Kingdom.

            “So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people.”

            And so John preach the Good News – let us not mistakenly read this passage to say that the Good News is to do good works, and we will be saved – because that is a lie. The Good News is that God came to earth in the person of Jesus, lived a perfect life under God's law, died for the sins of everyone would ever believe, and physically rose from the dead and ascended back to His throne. All those who believe these facts of the Gospel are indwelled by God the Holy Spirit, and we are motivated by the Spirit to do good works – to follow the Law of God – not for our salvation – but to show that we have been saved by Christ Alone.

            Do you believe the Gospel, or are you here for some other reason?

            John is not saying that we are saved by our works, he is saying that good works are result of being saved by Jesus Alone – by the Gospel. Your good works cannot save you.

            What shall we do? Believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

            Then what shall we do? Live in a way that is pleasing and glorify to Jesus Christ – obey what He has told us to obey, repent of your sin – truly turn away and fight temptation to sin – be honestly satisfied with where God has placed you and steward what God has given you to His Glory.

            Let us pray:

            Almighty God, it often seems to us that we should be able to earn our way to heaven. Convinces us of our sin – of our desperate need of Jesus Christ Alone for salvation – cause us to believe His Gospel, to long for His salvation, to seek to follow him in every way that He has taught us, and cause us to be satisfied with what He sees is right for each of us – and then cause us to steward – to give – to live our lives in such a way that show that You are God – our Only Hope – the Savior Whose Grace we receive through the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper – for it is in Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.

Community Lunch

We are thankful to report that we had our third community lunch on Saturday.  About thirty people came and enjoyed wonderful homemade chili, cornbread, and garlic bread.  Plan to join us on January 19th at noon for our next free community lunch!

"The Voice" Sermon: Luke 3:1-6

“The Voice”

[Luke 3:1-6]

December 9, 2012 Second Reformed Church

            Have you ever been in the supermarket when a voice came over the loudspeaker and said, “Attention such and such customers, we want to draw your attention to such and such a product which is on sale today and will be the greatest thing for your life”?  Have you ever been waiting for a train or subway and heard a voice come over the loudspeaker that said, “Attention such and such riders, it is important that we let you know that you wa wa wa wa wa wa wa. Thank you for riding”?

            On this second Sunday of Advent, Luke introduces us to one he identifies as “the voice”– an announcer – someone who has a message that needs to be heard because it points to something important – in fact, it points to Someone important.

            If you have read the four Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, John – you'll notice that each one has a very particular style. You'll notice that each one places different emphases in their chronicling of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And you'll notice that the events are not all recorded in the same order.

            Matthew, Mark, and John were Jewish writers – and in the Jewish style of writing it was more important to make the point then to give a linear – chronological – report of history. Luke was a Greek believer, and for the sake of those – and one, Theophilus, in particular – who were more accustom to the Greek style of linear – chronological – reporting of history, Luke wrote a linear account – the type of historical, chronological account of history that we are used to today in the Western world.

            At the beginning of Luke's Gospel, he announces that this is one of the important and different features of his recording of the history of the Gospel of Jesus Christ: “Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught” (Luke 1:1-4, ESV).

            Luke wrote in a chronological fashion, noting many key events and persons, so that the readers of his Gospel could check the records and be assured of the truth of the Gospel and the events contained in. That is why the first two verses of our text are a list of people:

            “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas,”

A person reading this list of names, could put together the historical boundaries of when these events took place – leaving Caesar until last – we know the Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea from 26 A.D. to 37 A.D., Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, Philip was tetrarch of the regions named, and Lysanias was tetrarch from about 4 A.D. to 34 A.D., Annas was high priest from 6 A.D. to 15 A.D., and his grandson, Caiaphas, was high priest from 18 A.D. to 36 A.D.  All of these overlap as far as the ranges of when these people served in government. Luke specifically says “in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar” – and we know that Tiberius Caesar reigned from 14 A.D. to 37 A.D.  , so it seems simple enough to add fourteen and fifteen and get 29 A.D. for the introduction of  “the voice.”  There's only one problem: those are the years that Tiberius Caesar ruled as a solo monarch, prior to that, he ruled for a time as co-regent.  We don't know if Luke was referring to the fifteenth year of Tiberius's reign altogether or if he was referring to the fifteenth year of his solo reign.

            Who cares? In a sense it doesn't matter, because we know within a few years – one way or the other – when this occurred. The point that we should notice is that Luke was being very careful to box this event in historically using a number of different political and religious leaders so there would be no doubt that these events happen – they could be traced back and identified within this small window of time.

            After placing the event within this window of time that anyone can go and check – knowing that all of these figures did rule – and we know fairly well when they ruled, Luke turns to telling us about John, the son of Zechariah, also called the Baptist – the older cousin of Jesus:

            “the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.”

            Luke uses the Old Testament phrase “the word of God came” to make it clear to his readers that John is a prophet – the Divine call had come upon John. The role of the prophet was one of receiving the Word of God from God, and then to deliver it to the people. John had been chosen – as the final Old Testament prophet – to deliver the Word of God.

            And as the prophets often did, John came on the scene after a time of preparation – John had spent years in the wilderness preparing for this day. Luke tells us, “And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel” (Luke 1:80, ESV). John had likely been in the wilderness for more than 20 years being prepared by God for this moment.

            The day came when John came out of the wilderness, and Luke tells us, “And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”

            When the time was right – when his preparation was finished – John came out of the wilderness, looking and acting very much part of the prophet: “Now John wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey”

(Matthew 3:4, ESV).

            And John went all up and down and around the Jordan River – on both sides – baptizing. And we might wonder about that – why was John baptizing? The fact of the matter is that baptisms were actually common in Judaism: as part of the conversion ritual of a Gentile to Judaism – to faith in the God of Israel, of the Savior that He would send – Gentiles were baptized with water to symbolize their repentance and belief in the God of Israel and His Savior. What is somewhat shocking – what would've been shocking to people at that time – was that John was baptizing Jews. Why was John baptizing Jews?

            Because he was “proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” John was announcing to the Jews that their biological discent from Abraham was not enough to save them. John was preaching that even the Jews had to convert to faith alone in God and the Savior that He would send. And that conversion that he was preaching was one, first. of repentance – of confessing one's sins, asking for forgiveness, and vowing not to sin again. And second, of fruit bearing – those who truly believe in God and the Savior that He would send – those who repented of their sins and turn away from them intending not to commit them again would also bear fruit. That is, they would live lives that showed that they had truly repented – they would fight against temptation and sin less and less, and they would do the good works that God had called them to do. John made it quite clear that it was not just the Gentiles who had to repent and believe in bear fruit to be the children of God, but the Jews, as well.

            And then Luke tells us that John fulfilled prophecy spoken by Isaiah:  “As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,” – again, this is a sign of God's Divine call on John and his ministry.

            “The voice of one crying in the wilderness:”

            Luke tells us that John is “the voice”– he is the one that God sent to make an announcement – and not just any announcement, but the announcement that the Messiah – the Christ – the Savior had come. And this announcement was not just made in a normal tone, but the use of the word “crying” indicates that John was shouting his preaching – he was yelling his message – he was making sure that no one would miss the Word of the God that he has been sent to announce.

            And what was the Word of God that “the voice” was shouting?

            ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’

            First, he tells them to prepare. He tells them “by means of a genuine conversion make it possible for the Lord to make a straight path to your heart with his salvation” [Hendriksen, 203]. He told them that they had an obstacle that needed to be removed – there is no salvation through biology – there is no salvation merely by being a descendent of Abraham. The Lord will only come to those who have made a genuine conversion – those who have repented of their sin, believed in the Savior that God would send, and bear fruit showing that their conversion was real.

            This is nothing new to any of us who truly believe, as Paul wrote:  “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9, ESV). There is no salvation based on who we are or where we go to church or the good works we've done. Salvation only comes to those who truly believe the Gospel – the God came to earth in the person of Jesus, lived a perfect life under God's Law, died for the sins of everyone who would ever believe, and physically rose from the dead – and if that belief is true, then it leads to a changed life – we are not the people that we were born – instead we seek to follow God with all of our heart and soul and mind and strength.

‘Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low,’

Second, John called the people to a true humility that every attitude of pride and arrogance would be removed – and if it is not, when Jesus returns, he will remove it [Hendrikson, 203]. John was not preaching about an architectural change of the landscape, but about a true humbling of the self to the One and Only God. As Moses recorded God's Word in the first two commandments:  “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.  You shall have no other gods before me.  You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments” (Exodus 20:2-6, ESV).

John Calvin wrote, “Every one of us is, even from his mother's womb, a master craftsman of idols” [http://www.finestquotes.com/quote_with-keyword-Idols-page-0.htm#ixzz2EU3ELkUN].  And if you doubt that, ask yourself if you have ever sinned. If you have ever sinned, you have placed your will and your desires above God – you have committed idolatry. Even if we don't have little statues in our homes, we place people and things and ideas above God – that is idolatry. And John preached all around the Jordan what God had said from the beginning: He will not tolerate anyone taking His place.

When Jesus returns, anyone who has not thrown away their idols and submitted to Jesus as God and Savior will be forced to acknowledge Him as God and Savior.   As the author of Hebrews noted:  “But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet” (Hebrews 10:12-13, ESV).

What are you holding onto today? What are you telling God, “not now,” “not yet.” ”You just don't understand,” “that was then and this is now,” “I'll do what I want”? Whatever is not in line with God's Character and God's Will must end.

Similarly, John continues, ‘and the crooked shall become straight,’ “sly, perverse, deceitful habits must be and will be broken” [Hendriksen, 203]. Lord willing, we'll see John address some of those habits in next week's text.

But just as a preview – there are other sins besides idolatry:  We can be disrespectful of our parents in life and after their death – and that is sin. We are to respect our parents as our parents even if we haven't always agreed with them – even if they are non-Christians – we are to show them respect as being parents.

We are not to murder – and that includes not hating or abusing people or being angry with them unrighteously. Instead, we are called to love our neighbor – and that means to do everything we can for them – especially in making sure that they hear the Gospel truly proclaimed.

We are not to commit adultery – and not does not merely mean having sexual relations with someone who is not your husband or wife – adultery is found in lewd and sinful thoughts about other people – in treating people as objects rather than those created in the Image of God – it's hard to turn on the Internet without easy access to adultery. Instead, we are to show our belief in the value and the purpose of the marriage relationship, and we are to show respect for other people in treating them as being bearers of the Image of God – we ought to look for God reflected in people rather than obsessing about their parts.

We are not to steal – not does not merely mean that we are not to steal high-end things. The people who have walked out of this church without paying for things on the Women's Association table without permission have stolen. Whoever is pocketing the toilet paper has stolen. If you take pens or paperclips are thumbtacks home which you have not been given to you, you have stolen.  You have stolen if you “sample” food in the supermarket that is not on the sampling table. If you take anything that you have not been given permission to take – or that you have not bought – you have stolen – and that includes stealing people's ideas, art, anything that does not truly belong to you. And when we do that we are telling God that we are not satisfied – that He hasn't given us enough. Instead, we are to work at whatever job we can work – or, if we are retired and can live off of our retirement income and savings, we are to do that – and we are to be satisfied with what God has given us.

We are not to bear false witness against our neighbor – and that's not just a matter of the courts. We are not to say things or suggest things about other people that are not true. We are not to gossip and spread rumors and hint about things which are not true. We are not to purposefully say things in such a way that other people get the wrong idea about others. Instead, we are to do everything we can to promote what is true about our neighbor – about other people – that they might be better for it.

We are not to covet something that belongs to someone else. We don't use the word “covet” very much – it's stronger than lusting for something and it's a step below actually stealing. Coveting is seen what someone else has something and you say in your heart that you believe that you deserve it more than they do. If you look at someone and disparage them and say in your heart, “They don't deserve that car, that job, that family, that income” – whatever – “but I do” – that is coveting. To make the crooked roads straight, we ought instead to encourage each other to use the blessings that God has given us wisely and to be thankful for all of the blessings that God has given to each of us.

‘and the rough places shall become level ways,’

Fourth, “the voice” – John the Baptist – called people to “genuine interest and accessibility” [Hendriksen 203]. The people of God are called to put away ”indifference, unconcern, and waywardness” [Hendrikson, 203]. Paul describes the church – all believers – as a body – not a business. Through Christ we are interconnected – all the parts of the body are necessary.

It may well be that there are people in this congregation who wish that parts of their bodies’ were different – that they would change; I know there are parts of my body that I would like to change. And there may be people in this congregation that you wish were different – and there may be people in this congregation that wish you were different. I certainly hope I am changing and becoming more into the Image of Christ, and I hope you are changing and becoming more into the Image of Christ.

As I've said many times before: there is no call in the Scripture for us to like each other all the same – not all of us have to be best friends. However, as brothers and sisters in Christ, we must love one another and work to smooth out those rough patches in love.

 ‘and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”

            John – “the voice” – concludes this part of his message by announcing that all flesh – Jews and Gentiles and all people throughout time and space will see the Salvation of God Who is Jesus. He concludes by saying that all types of people – not merely the Jews – will hear the Word of God preached – announced – shouted, and all types of people will truly repent and believe in their heart confessing Jesus is God and Savior, repenting their sin – turning away from it, and bearing fruit – good works – which prove true belief along with their verbal confession.

            As we remember John the Baptist coming out of the wilderness – taking his place as “the voice” – announcing that now is the time of repentance – now is the time to ask for forgiveness and to turn around and to do what is right in God's sight – and to live lives of obedience and faith, where are you this morning?

            Have you heard “the voice,” and said, “who cares”? Have you heard “the voice” and said, “it's not for me”? Have you heard “the voice” and said, “I'm too far gone”?

            Not long after John journeyed out of the wilderness, he was arrested, and “Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:14b-15, ESV).

            How have you answered “the voice” crying in the wilderness?

Let us pray:

Almighty and Merciful God, You could have blotted humans off the face of the earth after our first sin, but You chose to send Your Only Begotten Son to save all those who would ever believe. The prophets spoke and told of His Coming, and John announced that He is here. There are many here who have not believed in their hearts in You and we ask that You would change their hearts and cause them to believe to confess with their mouths that Jesus is God the Savior. For those of us who have repented and believed, we ask that You would continue to change us, and make us into the Image of Your Son – may the paths be straight, the valleys filled, the mountains made low, and the rough places level, and fill us with joy as we look with great expectation to the day when all flesh shall see the Salvation of our God. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

"The Apostle's Creed" Study

We will, D.V., conitnue our study this evening at 7 PM.  Please join us.

"Look at the Fig Tree" Sermon: Luke 21:25-36

“Look at the Fig Tree”

[Luke 21:25-36]

December 2, 2012 Second Reformed Church

            After Jesus watched the poor widow put her offering in the offering box and explained to His disciples that she had given more than all the others combined, Jesus and the disciples walked outside of the Temple, and Jesus said that there would be a day when not one stone of the Temple would rest upon another. And the disciples asked when that day would be – and what the signs of Jesus' Second Coming would be.

            This morning's text comes in the midst of the answer that Jesus gave to them – an answer which many have speculated on given the specific item of the Temple being destroyed and then the general items of war, hatred, and cosmic upheaval described.

            The mistake many well-meaning Christians, heretics, and cult leaders have made in this is in forgetting that Jesus said that He would not – could not – give the date of His Return. Jesus said, “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only” (Matthew 24:36, ESV).

            Jesus largely gave them generalities – there is no way that anyone can calculate Jesus' Return from the Bible – only that He will return. And so we wonder what the point of all of this is – why did Jesus say all these things if they would not be helpful in pointing to an exact date?

            “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

            The first thing that we see in this morning’s Scripture is that Jesus said that in the time before He returns, the Creation will react violently – the heavens will be shaken. And that is been happening since the Garden. When God meted out punishment on our first parents, God said to Adam,        “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field” (Genesis 3:17-18, ESV).

And Paul wrote, “For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now” (Romans 8:19-22, ESV).

Jesus’ point in reminding them of the instability of the Creation was to remind them of the reason for the Creation being unstable – that is: our sin. When Jesus talked about these generalities about the change and the destruction and the falling apart of the created order He was not talking about a single event, but something that will progress until the end. He was telling the disciples – and us – to open our eyes and look at the destruction our sin has and continues to cause throughout the Creation.

In the beginning, God gave humanity the charge of dominion over the Creation – He gave us the responsibility to steward – to care – for it. With the exception of, perhaps, major weather events, do we ever look at the Creation? Do we watch it? Do we ever notice that something is wrong? Have we ever looked at the trouble of Creation, and considered it, as one commentator put it, “a tribunal of judgment until the end “? Does it ever inspire us to point to the Creation and tell others it is wrong – broken – and to tell them the Only Way to be right?

During Hurricane Sandy, there were undoubtedly people who claimed that the hurricane hit us because of this person or that person's sin. There were undoubtedly people who said that this is an obvious sign of the near arrival of Christ. Did the hurricane make us think of the Gospel and the need to tell others?

Jesus does say something specific in our reading: when the suffering of the Creation is completed, Jesus – the Son of Man will come in the clouds with great power and glory – and the whole world will see Him at once. As Jesus said, “For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man” (Matthew 24:27, ESV).

Last week we saw that Daniel wrote: “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.  And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13-14, ESV).  When Jesus returns, everyone will know His Return, and everyone will know that everything is His.

He did not say that to scare those of us who do believe in Him – all we would do believe in the Gospel – in Jesus Alone for salvation – will be received by Him in the Kingdom and that is why Jesus tells them that when they see Him – when we believers see Him – coming through the clouds – our redemption will be drawing near.

Purification and the restoration of the Creation – which will terrify the rest of the world, as they see Jesus return – will be an assurance to us. It will be the true perfect complete redemption of the people of God – the elect that He has chosen.

And He tells them to look ready – to straighten up – to raise their heads –to stand proud for the sake of the Gospel when they begin to see these things happening in the world – as they recognize that these things are happening due to sin and the Only Hope is Jesus Christ – we must stand up and not only take notice but be noticed the sake of the Gospel.

            “And he told them a parable: ‘Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.’”

            Until that day, Jesus told them to watch – and He told them a parable – He told them to look at the fig tree – and to look at all the trees. When the trees have leaves on, you know that summer is near. Likewise, Jesus told them, when they see all the different things that He talked about – wars, rumors of wars, disturbances in the Creation – then they – and we will know that the Kingdom of God is near.

            How does that help?

            In this parable, Jesus is encouraging the Church. During the winter, trees are stiff – their sap has been sucked in, the leaves have fallen off, and their energy is being stored for the coming of summer. When spring arrives, the sap and the nutrients flow again into the tree branches and they become more flexible, and they produce leaves and grow. Jesus knew that great tribulation was coming upon the Church and that the Church was weak and frail, like a tree just beginning to bloom with leaves. But He wanted to encourage them – and all we who follow after them – that the weakness and frailty of the Church is not a sign of failure – because our strength is in Jesus Alone. We will endure through the tribulation, as Paul wrote:  “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16, ESV). Even though we are weak and subject to the ravages of tribulation, in the end our strength is in Christ Alone, and He is renewing us, day by day, and will raise us up indestructible.

            Since the great tribulation began under the Jews and the Romans – and as it continues today throughout the world – though not as visibly in the United States – the Church is brutalized and bloodied and even driven underground. But that is not a sign of the end of the Church– that is a sign that redemption is drawing near!

            And then Jesus told them that this generation will not pass away until all these things take place and He guarantees this promise by saying that heaven and earth will pass away but His Words will never pass away – because He is God – so He cannot lie – and He cannot change.

How are we to understand the phrase, “this generation”?  Was Jesus promising this to the people that He was standing with – that they would not die until they saw all these things? Was Jesus talking about the Jews – that the Jews would not disappear from the earth until all these things came to pass? Or did He mean that humanity would not pass from the face of the earth until all these things came to pass? Or did He mean something else?

One option that we can put aside is that the first century disciples of Jesus lived to see His Second Coming: Jesus has not returned yet, and there is no reason to believe that these several hundred disciples – now over 2000 years old – are living somewhere in the world.

We do know, also, that some of the things that Jesus prophesied did come to pass in the first century: in 70 A.D. Jerusalem was destroyed – the Temple was destroyed – and Israel became a virtual desert. That much of the signs were seen by that first generation – perhaps by all of those to whom Jesus was speaking.

But consider the parable He told – look at the fig tree – when the leaves appear summer is near. In the context of the parable, it seems that Jesus is saying that this generation will not pass away until the signs of the nearness of the coming of the Kingdom came to pass. If we look at the phrase in the context of the parable, then we can interpret it as being about those very people to whom Jesus spoke, because they did see Jesus put to death, physically rise from the dead, and initiate His Kingdom on earth – not to mention the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple and even all of Israel.

Of course, the fullness of the promise – of Jesus’ coming again – and the Kingdom coming in all its fullness has not come to pass. And so we are called today – to watch – to look for the signs – not to guess the date, but to recognize the signs of the progression of the Kingdom and to be ready whenever Jesus returns.

How do we do that?

            “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

            Jesus told them – and He tells us – not to be satisfied by being numbed with the narcotics of the world – by overloading our senses. Whatever it is that you or I choose to use to escape will never work – Augur wrote, “The leech has two daughters:  Give and Give.  Three things are never satisfied; four never say, ‘Enough’:  Sheol, the barren womb, the land never satisfied with water, and the fire that never says, ‘Enough’” (Proverbs 30:15-16, ESV). We cannot be fully satisfied with the things of this world because all of them are affected by sin – they are all corrupted – they will all weigh us down.

            Instead Jesus tells us to look – to watch – to meditate – that is to think intensely and try to understand what the heavenly life is. We are to spend our time fixated on the Kingdom that is coming – if we would only take time to look and see the leaves blooming. We ought to be spending time in prayer asking that God's Kingdom would come – that He would return – that we would find comfort in seeing the corruption of the world knowing that it will not always be this way – not merely that we would escape from the trials and tribulations around us but that we would see our God and Savior and that He would be glorified in fulfilling His Will for humanity.

We don't have time to sit back and ignore the signs before us – neither do we have time to point to signs that aren't there…

            As we begin this Advent, let us remember what Jesus told the disciples:

            This world has been corrupted by sin – the whole Creation has been corrupted by sin – and it's only when we understand the bad news – truly understand the bad news – that we can understand and perceive – by the Grace of God – the Good News that the little Baby that came that first Christmas was God Himself in the flesh.

            Sin has been conquered by God in the person of Jesus by His living a righteous life and by dying for all of the sins of everyone who would ever believe, physically rising from the dead, and – one day – returning in great power and glory – bringing the fullness of the Kingdom with Him in the fullness of our redemption – the restoration of Creation and the resurrection of our bodies.

            While we are living on this Earth, we need to recognize the signs, and we must be able to show them to others that they would be able to understand the Gospel – the Only Hope for any human. Corruption is among us – but so is the breaking in of the Kingdom – and we can point to it by telling others the Gospel.

            And we need to take courage – especially in the difficult days – knowing that our salvation is assured, the Kingdom is coming, Jesus is returning – we have every reason to hope and not give up.

            And lastly, we need to be on guard – we need to be alert – we need to watch out. It is so easy to give up – to give in – to think that what we do and what we believe doesn't matter. But our God and Savior has called us – as His sons and daughters – to know what He has said, to believe what He has said, to obey what He has said, and to be ready to stand – because the Son of Man is coming – just look at the fig tree.

            Let us pray:

            Almighty God, we are so easily caught up in controversies about signs and symbols and how to interpret prophecy, but we neglect the clear Word of Your Scripture. We try to complicate Your Word into some secret code, when You have told us to just open our eyes – to see what is real – to see sin, to repent of it, to hate it, to run from temptation, to stay focused on Your Kingdom, on Your Word, and on Your Second Coming. Lord, open our eyes that we would see as You see – that we would see the inbreaking of Your Kingdom amidst this fallen world and long for it. Keep us from being bogged down with things that lead us into sin and with things that do not matter. Make our mouths open – filled with the Gospel – to Your Glory. For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray.  Amen.

December Sermons

D.V., this month I will preach as follows:

12/2/12 Advent 1
  Luke 21:25-36    “Look at the Fig Tree”

12/9/12 Advent 2

  Luke 3:1-6  “The Voice”

12/16/12 Advent 3

 Luke 3:7-18  “What Shall We Do?”

 

12/23/12 Advent 4

 Luke 1:39-55  “Mary’s Song”
 

12/24/12 Christmas Eve 7 PM

  Luke 2:1-20  “The Birth”

12/30/12

  John 1:1-18  “The Word”

Join us for worship at 10:30 AM on Sunday -- except as noted.

"The Son of Man" Sermon: Daniel 7:9-14

“The Son of Man”

[Daniel 7:9-14]

November 25, 2012 Second Reformed Church

            Today is Christ the King Sunday, and, I believe, for the first time, I was asked this week why this is Christ the King Sunday – after all, isn’t Christ the King and Sovereign over all of Creation all the time?  Why is this day – the Sunday before Advent considered – specially – as Christ the King Sunday?

            I thought that was a worthy question and looked it up:  in 1925, Pope Pius XI instituted Christ the King Sunday as the Sunday before Advent because he was concerned that – especially after WWI –  people were not remembering that Jesus is the King and Sovereign over everything that happens in history.  Pope Pius XI instituted the day to remind people of three things:  first, the Church is to be free of interference from the state, second, the nations are to respect the teachings of the Church, and third, the faithful are to remember and seek to see Christ reign in their heart, soul, mind, and body.

            And we might question this celebration, because we are not a Roman Catholic Church – which is true – we are a Protestant Church, but the fact of the matter is that Pope Pius XI was right on this point:  Jesus is the Sovereign Ruler and King of the Creation, and we need to remember that and seek to live under His Reign in all aspects of our lives.

            And so we look at this fact, as we turn to the book of Daniel, and specially, part of one of his visions in the seventh chapter of Daniel.  Daniel was one of the young, intelligent, possibly upper class people brought into Babylon during the Babylonian exile.  And we are told at the beginning of the seventh chapter of Daniel, that this vision took place during the first year of the reign of Belshazzar – which would have been about 553 BC – not long before the Persian conquest of the Babylonian Empire and the return of the remnant to Israel.

            As the vision begins, God tells Daniel to encourage the people, because four kingdoms would arise after the Babylonians, and then ten after the four, and then one which would strike down three of the ten.  We are not going to spend time on which kingdoms these were, except to say that the Reformed understanding is that the final kingdom – and its splinter kingdoms – were the Roman Empire.

            This has been the story and the promise from the beginning:  God told the serpent in the Garden, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15, ESV).  From the beginning – believers – the Church – would be at war with the forces of evil in all their varieties – human, animal, and supernatural.

            David noted:  “The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose way is upright;” (Psalm 37:14, ESV).  All evil and violence that comes against true believers in God and His Savior come because those who do not believe and worship God hate Him and all those who follow Him.

            Paul explained:  “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12, ESV).  Evil is real and we – as believers – as the Church – are called to fight against it – by following God – by becoming more like Jesus – until He returns to restore the Creation.

            We are not called to create a militia – we are not called to take up the weapons of this world to kill what we perceive to be evil in the flesh, but we are called to follow our King and Savior in all He has called us to do and be, and the Holy Spirit will work through us to the Glory of God.  As Paul wrote – quoting Jesus, “To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head’ (Romans 12:20, ESV).

            So, let us note, first, this morning, that the Church is to be militant – we are to fight against all those things which oppose God in the world – and in ourselves, as we seek to kill off the last vestiges of sin in ourselves, but we are called to fight God’s way – acknowledging and clinging to the hope that we have that the work is finished through Jesus and the war is won.

            After seeing the kingdoms that would come forth in history – the kingdoms that would oppress believers in the Gospel of God – God revealed something else to Daniel – a message of hope:

            “As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool;          his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire.  A stream of fire issued and came out from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.”

            Daniel saw a vision of God seated on a throne – symbolizing His Authority and Power over all Creation.  He was pure white in clothing and visage – symbolizing His Holiness.  And fire came out from before Him – symbolizing purity in Himself and in the work that He is doing.  God is purifying the world and will bring it to pure holiness and purity on the last day.

            And all the holy angels and the creatures of heaven – all those who have served God in holy obedience from the beginning, stood before Him – as they do now – and worshipped Him.  And then the court sat in judgment on the world, and God opened the books to judge.

            Understand, the book is symbolic of God keeping a record – that God does not miss anything – that God’s Knowledge is complete and perfect about everything and everyone that ever is and will be.  God does not have a bad memory, such that He would need notes, but He has proof of all that He says and does, so that His Judgment is Righteous and True.  God does not make mistakes, and God will not let one stray sin escape His Judgment.

            The prophet, Micaiah echoed Daniel when he said, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing beside him on his right hand and on his left;” (1 Kings 22:19, ESV).

            And John, in the book of Revelation – which is a collection of visions, symbolizing both the persecution of the Church – which we will not escape – and the Great Hope we have in our Holy God:  “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done” (Revelation 20:11-12, ESV).

            Daniel’s vision continued as those who hate God, symbolized by the final horn, continued to object and blaspheme God:  “I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.”

            And so, Daniel emphasized the hope to the captives – the enemies of God will not win out – God is victorious over His enemies.  But the victory will come in stages.  God will bring about His Glory and His Victory over all sin and evil in His Time.  So, yes, believers – the Church – will continue to suffer in many ways until the end, but we are to stand strong in the Hope that we have – that when the end comes – there will be no question of Who the Victor is.  We are called to endure patiently through this life and look to God Alone through Christ Alone for our Hope that God in the Person of Truth has done everything necessary to save everyone who will ever believe in Him and to deliver them into His Glorious Kingdom for all of eternity.

            Paul wrote about this time: “Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power” (1 Corinthians 15:24, ESV).

            And John likewise wrote, “The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth” (Revelation 11:18, ESV).

            And so, the second thing we should note this morning is that the Church – all believers through time and space – will be triumphant to the endless ages of eternity.  How?

            Daniel’s vision continued:  “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.  And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages           should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”

            Jesus’ favorite way of speaking of Himself was the title, “Son of Man.”  And we might wonder about that:  why didn’t Jesus just come out and say that He is God the Messiah, the King?  Why did Jesus use the title, “Son of Man”?

            One reason He called Himself “Son of Man” was to acknowledge – to make sure everyone understood that He is a real human being.  Jesus had to be a real human being in order to live under God’s Law as a human being – and secure righteousness for us – and He had to be a real human being to take our place under God’s Judgment and Wrath for the sins of everyone who would ever believe.

            Jesus knew that Levitical Sacrificial System and its animals could not rightly and fully take the place of a human – as we have seen in our look at the book of Hebrews.  He also knew that some of the main heresies that would come into the Church would be those which denied that He is a real human being.

            Yet, as we see in Daniel’s vision:  the Son of Man is not merely a human being – He is the One to Whom God gave Glory and the Kingdom – the Everlasting Kingdom which can never end or be defeated, as all the merely earthly kingdoms would be crushed by God.  He is the One to Whom God said all peoples, nations, languages would worship.  He is the One Who would sit on His father, David’s, throne for all of eternity and rule over all of Creation.

            As Paul wrote:  “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11, ESV).

            And, “for it is written, ‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.’  So then each of us will give an account of himself to God”         

(Romans 14:11-12, ESV).

            So, Jesus, the Son of Man, is also the Almighty God.

            Jesus did not come – the first time – blazing His Divinity to the world, but came quietly.  Yet, there were times when He revealed Himself and acknowledged that He is, indeed, the Almighty God.

            When Jesus was on trial and asked if He was the Christ – the Messiah – the Savior – God Incarnate, “Jesus said to him, ‘You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven’” (Matthew 26:64, ESV).  And let us understand, the phrase “you have said so” is an expression which means, “You’re right – you hit the nail on the head – that is exactly Who I am.”

            And John confirms that He is not merely the Son of Man, but the judge of humanity:  “And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man” (John 5:27, ESV).  Because Jesus is the God-Man, God Incarnate, He has the authority – the right – as the Promised Savior – to judge every human being.

            Jesus, Himself, confessed:  “since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed” (John 17:2-5, ESV).

            And so we see, third, that the Church is triumphant because Jesus is the Triumphant Son of Man, the Almighty God, Who lived and died for all those Who would ever believe.  That is our hope, and He is our comfort as we look forward to His Return.

            John wrote of Jesus’ Return – which will not be a joy for everyone:

            “Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand” (Revelation 14:14, ESV).  Jesus will not return as a helpless baby, but as the Warrior King – Christ the King – the Son of Man.

            “Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years” (Revelation 20:4, ESV).

            For all we who believe in Jesus Alone for salvation, the return of our King will be a day of joy – all evil and sin will be banished from His and our presence.  Our fighting against sin and evil in the world and in our selves will end, and we will enter into His Kingdom, and hear these words:  “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’” (Matthew 25:34, ESV).

            “Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel’” (Matthew 19:28, ESV).

            “’Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever’” (Revelation 11:15, ESV).

            As long as we live on this earth and before Jesus, our King, the Son of Man returns, we have to keep fighting by spreading the Gospel and following Him in faith and obedience.  We must run from temptation and confess our sin and rely on God the Holy Spirit Who lives in us to continue forward until Jesus returns for us.

            And we do so filled with hope, knowing that the Church is triumphant to the endless ages of eternity – in through the gates of His Kingdom fully come.  Because God came to earth in the Person of Jesus, the Son of Man, lived a perfect life under God’s Law, died for the sins of everyone who would ever believe, and physically rose from the dead, after which He ascended back to His Throne and reigns King of Kings and Lord of Lords over all of Creation, forever and ever.  

            As we soon enter the Advent season, we remember these words summarizing the Scripture from the “Hallelujah Chorus”:

“For the lord God omnipotent reigneth (Hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah) Hallelujah

            “The kingdom of this world; is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ and of His Christ

            “And He shall reign for ever and ever And he shall reign forever and ever

“And he shall reign forever and ever And he shall reign forever and ever

“King of kings forever and ever hallelujah hallelujah and lord of lords forever and ever hallelujah hallelujah.”

Let us pray:

Almighty King and Son of Man, we rejoice and give thanks knowing that You are God and Sovereign over everything that is.  Strengthen us as we continue to fight in Your Name to become more like You and to spread Your Holy Gospel.  Give us the grace we need through the Sacrament we shall receive.  Assure us that You are victorious, so we shall be victorious, and our future with You in the Kingdom is Hallelujah and Amen.  For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

"The Apostle's Creed" Study

Due to people's varying plans for this holiday week, we will not have our Tuesday evening study this evening.  We hope to continue our study next Tuesday, Novemeber 27th.  Join us then at 7 PM.