Month: November 2020

Hope in a Messed-up World

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(Matthew 24:1-14)

Won’t it be nice when this is all over? What exactly is “this,” you ask? Let me turn it around and ask you – what is “this?” Isn’t it a sign of our times of how messy our world is when we need to clarify what “this” is? There are so many things going on in our world today that we don’t know where to begin. 

The mess is so, well, messy, that it’s getting harder and harder to imagine it ever being cleaned up. And this is all taking its toll on us, as a number of people have expressed to me in recent weeks. The mess has gotten to us. Here’s why it has been so taxing on us all: we are so sick and tired about hearing how awful this year has been in so many different ways, yet we cannot escape it, because it impacts us daily in one way or another! We find ourselves on a daily basis weighing this concern against that one, feeling at peace with one decision only to have something pop up that leads us to question ourselves. As a preacher, I would love to be able to get through just one sermon without making any reference to how challenging this year has been, but if we are to see how God’s Word applies to our lives, then it’s going to apply to the messiness, too. 

But that doesn’t mean our focus has to be on the mess. Rather, over the course of this “Christmess” series, we’ll give our attention to the hope we have in the midst of this mess: hope in a messed up world, hope for messed up people, hope for messed up plans, and hope when others want to make your life a mess. So as we anticipate a Christmas that has the potential to be more messy than merry, as much as ever, let’s hold onto our hope in Christ.

You might not think of the verses from Matthew 24 as being all that fitting as we are looking ahead to Christmas. But, the season of Advent which begins today, isn’t just a dry-run for Christmas; instead, it gives us opportunity to reflect on Jesus’ coming in every sense of the word – including his second coming, when he returns not in a meager manger, but amidst trumpets and triumph. When will that day be? Jesus provides us with the clues in our verses from Matthew 24. 

Do you think your world is turned upside down right now? Try to imagine how devastating Jesus’ first words to his disciples in our verses would have been as he dropped his bombshell on Tuesday of Holy Week. “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down” (Mt. 24:2). Their lives centered around the Temple. It was everything in Jesus’ day. It was a breath-taking visual representation of the spiritual importance of God’s relationship with his people. Its stones were massive and magnificent. It had taken 46 years to rebuild. And to the disciples calling Jesus’ attention to it, he rocked their world by telling them the whole thing would crumble to pieces. Because Jesus’ disciples expected his rise to power to be an earthly one, and because they anticipate that event would happen simultaneously with the destruction of the temple, they asked for some indicators of when this all might happen.

What Jesus provided them with, however, are what the rest of the Bible makes clear to us are signs indicative of his Second Coming on the Last Day. And, assuming you have any familiarity with the Bible and these signs, it’s no spoiler alert to point out that they all have already taken place and continue to take place. The danger for us today is not questioning the signs, but perhaps becoming too used to them. We have seen and still see false prophets. We have seen and still see wars and the threats of war. We have seen and still see natural disasters. We have seen and still see Christians martyred. We have seen and still see – and perhaps are in the midst of – many falling away from the Christian faith. We have seen and still see wickedness on the rise while love is reduced. It’s all there and it’s all been there, so one danger for us is treating it like the boy who cried wolf and dismissing the signs, possibly to our peril. 

There is another danger, a trap we must guard against as well. Contrary to what we might think, Jesus doesn’t point out these warnings to provide us with a “honey-do” list. It isn’t so that we can try to figure out how to fix all the broken things he’s pointed out. Consider an example from marriage. There is a common communication break down in a marriage that reveals a struggle typically more common for husbands. We struggle with listening. That doesn’t mean we aren’t listening, but the problem arises when we want to do more than just listen. When our wives are sharing a particular frustration or a struggle, we’re listening… so that we can figure out a solution. We are listening to gather just enough information to allow us to determine how to fix the frustration. While that can at times be helpful, as often as not, wives aren’t looking for a fix as much as they are just looking to be heard. So she sees the conversation itself as an opportunity to connect, while he is presuming she’s sharing to find a solution so that he can fix the problem.

Let me state this very clearly: Jesus is not providing these signs so that we can identify what needs to be fixed before he returns. He wasn’t pointing out problems to his disciples so they could put their collective heads together to figure out a ten-step process to remedy all that was wrong. He didn’t record these signs in the Gospels so that we’d know which problems still need attention before he could return. 

No, these signs are not failures for us to fix; they are warnings for us to watch. If we confuse that simple point, we put ourselves at risk. We can have a very unhealthy attachment to this world, as if God’s purpose for placing us here was to solve the puzzle or crack the code. It is too easy for us to think that if we can just do that, then we can make things right and make this world livable and maybe even lovable. We just need to fix what’s wrong or make it more like the old days when things were better, as each and every generation has always arrogantly assumed. While this clearly shows that we know something is wrong with this world in general, we are in the wrong when we presume it is our place to fix it. 

Ask yourself this: are you too busy trying to work Jesus out of a job? Because at the end of the day, if we could hypothetically put an end to abortion, world hunger, social injustice, climate change, etc. we’d eventually fix up everything so that there’s nothing left for Jesus to redeem. We won’t need him. We’ll have fixed everything and he won’t need to bother to return to usher in a new heaven and earth – we’ll have already established it on our own! 

Is that what we’re hoping for? Is it possible that our lamenting over how broken this world is may indicate that our hearts are a little too attached to it? Jesus clearly told us all that we should expect in these end times, so why are we disappointed that his words are proving to be true? When we point out what’s wrong and how things aren’t as they should be, aren’t we actually taking issue with Jesus’ words in these verses? He said things would be messy – why are we so let down and surprised that they are!?!? Do we suppose we know better than he does where the world is and what it needs most?

Friends, this world is not some fixer-upper that we can turn around and flip for a profit. No, it is broken beyond our ability to repair it. And in fact, Jesus never asks us to; rather, he calls us to stand firmly in the mess until he returns. “The one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (v.13-14). We need to stop trying to fix what’s broken in the world, and start standing firmly in the One who fixed what was broken in us. Instead of longing for a better world here and now, take comfort in knowing that Jesus is coming back into this broken world to claim those he has fixed. He already came once to rescue and repair us, not in the way his disciples had first imagined, but with something far superior: the ransom price needed to buy us back. In fact, by the end of the same week of the gloomy end times predictions, on Good Friday, Jesus’ blood would pour the very foundation on which we stand. On that we stand firm until the end. On that hope alone we will be saved.

The good news gets better. Jesus promised that hope would be proclaimed to the ends of the earth before he returned. We don’t have to worry about anyone on the planet missing out on the hope Jesus came to bring. All have had and still will have the opportunity to hear of and believe in the events that took place later that week on Good Friday and that Sunday when the Messiah cleaned up this world’s mess by his glorious resurrection. 

What is left? “Then the end will come” (v.14). And this will not be a bitter end, but a better one – like the end of birth pains when the child arrives. Like the end of a migraine when it all clears up and relief follows. It will be the best ending imaginable. Hope will be fully realized and the mess completely cleaned up. Brothers and sisters in Christ, Jesus doesn’t need us to fix what’s wrong in this world – just make sure we don’t cling to it. Cling to Christ alone. When we do that, we no longer need to ask the question, but can rather boldly declare to each other, “Won’t it be nice when this is all over!!!”

The “Why” Behind Giving Thanks

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(Job 1:20-22)

Why are you thankful? I don’t ask to give the impression that you shouldn’t be thankful, of course, but rather to get right down to what is the driving force behind why we give thanks? I’d suggest there are probably two pretty prominent drivers behind why we give thanks and, while I don’t want you to walk away from this thinking that either one of those is wrong, I do believe they are lacking. They don’t really get at the heart of thanksgiving. 

You may have already experienced the first of these two without realizing it. What thoughts did you have when I asked the first question, “Why are you thankful?” Did your mind immediately begin listing all of the blessings for which you’re thankful? Then you’ve identified the first pretty typical approach to why we give thanks. We give thanks, we are thankful, because of all of the blessings we have received from God.

And this is true! We are abundantly blessed, and this approach to thanksgiving allows us to deeply reflect on how blessed we are, because even in the midst of a year like this, we can see that God has not turned off the spigot of his blessings – he has simply shown us different ways of blessing that perhaps haven’t been on our radars for some time.

This approach to giving thanks is reinforced through a number of traditions and practices. We take turns having everyone in the family include one thing for which they’re thankful in our prayers. We make lists of blessings for which we’re thankful at home. We make gratitude posts on social media. We write thank-you cards to others. My family has been covering a pumpkin with permanent marker, recording things for which we’re thankful. All of these are good and beneficial practices, but there’s a catch when our gratitude is dependent upon the blessings we receive: God’s blessings come and go in so many different ways, and we often really struggle to see them. Not that they aren’t there, but if “what-I-get” determines gratitude, we’re not always so great at appreciating what we have. And, don’t be surprised when some folks who have had a legitimately difficult hardship-filled life really struggle with giving thanks.

If identifying our blessings is one main approach to being thankful, the other is choosing to have a thankful attitude. In fact, you’ve probably even heard the phrase, “you gotta have an attitude of gratitude.” We have word art up on our walls somewhere that reminds us to “be grateful/thankful.”

I’m a big believer of this one, that the mindset one chooses to have has a lot to do with how we see things. And it does make a difference, to be sure! Applying this practice alone would be a huge step for many! If one chooses to focus on all that is wrong, on all that he or she doesn’t have, or all of life’s hardships, chances are, that person not only won’t come across as very thankful, but they’re probably also not that enjoyable to be around, if we’re being honest! So yes, choosing to have an attitude of gratitude or determining simply to be more thankful are good things. But even then, since my mindset will rise and fall like the tide, so then will my thanksgiving if it depends on my attitude.  

So these approaches that typically drive our gratitude are unreliable because they both depend on our ability to continually identify our blessings or maintain a grateful attitude and mindset. And no one is able to do either 100% of the time. Our regular bouts of ingratitude or grumbling or complaining or discontentment or… (you get the point!) make it impossible! But there is good news, news for which we can be thankful. There is a better way to think about gratitude and giving thanks, and we actually see it very clearly in a man who lost everything: Job. 

We’re given a pretty glowing description of Job when first introduced to him. “This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil” (v.1b). “He was the greatest man among all the people of the East” (v.3). Job was two things: blameless and blessed. While we’re not accustomed to measuring wealth in terms of livestock, Job’s animals and the assets required to maintain them would have easily placed him in multi-millionaire status. We’re then told that Satan contended before God that Job’s piety was only a result of his transactional relationship with God; in other words, Satan presumed that Job was only good because God was good to him. If Job didn’t have it so good, Satan reasoned, then surely he would shun God. So God allowed Satan to put his theory to the test by declaring it open season on Job. Satan took advantage of it and wiped Job out, stripping him of his sheep and servants, and even his sons and daughters. Not only that, but Job received this devastating news all at the same time in successive waves, one gut-wrenching message after the other. 

How does Job respond to this financial and family ruin? “At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head” (v.20). Guess what? It’s OK to be hurt and angry when bad things happen. Doing so isn’t inherently sinful. Those are normal feelings and emotions. Read through the psalms and you find plenty of pain and anger. But how one manages those feelings determines whether or not they are allowed to breed sin. My advice? Take a page out of Job’s book and do what he did next: “Then he fell to the ground in worship…” (v.20).

Take note. Job shifted his focus away from his loss. He didn’t react to his loss by reasoning that the solution would be to make a list of all the things he still had so that he could somehow find a bright side in blessings. Neither did Job rely on having the right attitude, as if a commitment to a positive vibe or good thoughts would be the fix he needed. No, what did Job do? He focused on the Lord. “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised” (Job 1:21). If we reflect especially on those last words of Job in this verse, it reveals how and why Job could respond the way he did.  

“May the name of the Lord be praised.” Everything flows from this. Clearly, under the circumstances, it’s quite obvious that Job’s adoration and admiration were not conditional. Job had just lost it all, and his response was to praise the Lord. That conviction provided him with the proper perspective, that he brought nothing into the world and would take nothing out of it, and that the Lord is free to give and take as he pleases. But his praise of the Lord wasn’t dependent upon his situation or condition, but rather on the simple understanding that the Lord is ALWAYS worthy of praise.  

What then was the key to Job’s ability to stay positive, to not spiral into depression or suicidal considerations? He didn’t dwell on blessings, which as he had just experienced, could be snatched away in the blink of an eye; he didn’t resort to positive affirmations, telling himself, “Stay positive, Job, stay positive. Keep thinking good thoughts.” No, he focused on something far more reliable and unchanging: God’s goodness. And that was the source of his praise, his thankfulness, even in the midst of such devastating loss. 

Why are we thankful? Because God is good. Say it with me. God is good. Say it like you mean it. God is good. Do you believe it? Then we always have reason to be thankful, because God is always good. 

But how do we know that? Isn’t this really just something we need to tell ourselves to get through loss – a coping mechanism, of sorts? Absolutely not! We know God is good because that is how he reveals himself in the Bible. It is true. It is unchanging. God is good. Where would you like me to start when it comes to the number of times and the different ways the Bible details God’s goodness?! “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever” (1 Chronicles 16:34). “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him” (Psalm 34:8). Jesus himself said, “No one is good – except God alone” (Luke 18:19). But you know there is more to the goodness of God than the Bible just calling him good; God shows how good he is. 

In one month we celebrate the Savior born to the world. God is good. That Savior’s perfect life achieved for us the holiness necessary for heaven. God is good. That Savior’s sacrificial death paid off in full the entire debt of our sin. God is good. That Savior’s resurrection promises us that our own death is not the end. God is good. The Holy Spirit brought you to faith to believe all this, and keeps on pouring out the richest spiritual blessings on his people, today and always. God is good. And THAT is why we are thankful.

Free! to Be Ruled

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(Matthew 27:27-31)

It’s not hard to see why Christianity isn’t terribly attractive. People are drawn to dominance. We’re sucked into stories of success. We gravitate toward greatness, which is reflected by how much money a person makes, how many wins and championships a team has, or how many followers someone has. Oh, and if you think Christians are immune to this, ask them to consider what a successful church looks like and internally even Christians first think about size and how large a church is as the metric by which it’s determined to be successful. So if even Christians themselves have the idea that “bigger” and “more” are the most attractive qualities, it probably shouldn’t shock anyone that Christianity isn’t winning too many popularity contests these days.

Unsurprisingly then, witnessing Jesus as he is depicted in our verses from Matthew this morning doesn’t align with our idea of greatness. To the excruciating physical pain he had already suffered at being flogged, he could now add the mental and emotional exhaustion of being ridiculed and publicly humiliated by not just a few, but “a whole company of soldiers” (v.27). They then “stripped him.” Ever have anyone walk in on you while you’re changing your clothes? Then you might have a small taste of how humiliating this was. They “mocked him.” Ever been insulted by someone who made fun of you for believing something to be true, especially when you were right? They “spit on him” and “struck him on the head again and again.” Have you ever actually had anyone spit on you? Is there a more blatant to degrade or defy someone? How demeaning all of this must have been for our Savior!

Now when we consider all of this, we may experience a slight amount of pity for Jesus, but I wonder if we would acknowledge another feeling that possibly bubbles to the surface as we consider all of this: disappointment. Pity lasts for a moment, but it gives way to disappointment. Why? Two reasons, really.

One: if anyone in history had both the right and the ability not only avoid this ridicule, but to avenge it, it was Jesus! No matter how familiar we are with this account, no matter how often we’ve heard it, there is something inside each of us that finds a slight satisfaction in considering how Jesus could have – and perhaps we feel should have – handled the situation differently. He could have turned the tables and completely and utterly bullied and humiliated every last soldier and any onlooker involved to an unparalleled degree that the world has never seen. He could have rained down on them unrivaled wrath and the most wretched revenge. He could have put them to death on the spot in some manner by which even the most demented human mind had not yet fathomed. 

Two: throwing more fuel on the fire of disappointment is the reality that they deserved it. There would have been no sympathy from us whatsoever. The way they mistreated and abused Jesus left the door of justice wide open for Jesus to storm through and give them what they rightfully had coming. We don’t bat an eye at the good guy giving the bad guys what they deserve. In fact we have come to expect it and are disappointed when they don’t get it. 

So all of that brings us back to the cold truth. We each have to honestly ask ourselves: “Am I disappointed with Jesus?” Don’t answer too quickly; rather, hold off on your answer until you’ve had some time to evaluate your own behavior. If you are not disappointed or let down by Jesus, then what other reason(s) might you offer for giving him so little time in your life? 

After all, my book doesn’t disappoint me – I can’t put it down until I read the last word! My shows don’t disappoint me – I just let one episode roll into the next until there’s no more to watch. My game doesn’t disappoint me – I’d play it all day long if I had no other responsibility in life. My work doesn’t disappoint me – I might complain about it every waking hour, but even then I wouldn’t dare consider giving that up before anything else in life. 

So we talk about God ruling over everything for our good. We pay lip service to seeking God’s will in our lives. We boldly profess before others that we are proud to be Christians. We do all of these things, except willingly submit to God. We do all the things we think demonstrate his sovereignty in our lives, but neglect to realize that we’re not really submitting to him; we’re not really letting him rule in our lives. He’s there, to be sure, but more or less in the background. Jesus is too often like that app that you heard someone rave about, so you downloaded it to your phone. Maybe you opened it initially and tinkered with it. But then, there is sits on your phone, unused and in the background. There, but never accessed. There, but not on our radar. There, but… might as well not be. 

And what do we deserve for neglect Jesus like this? At best, to be exposed as the frauds we are; at worst, to be charged with treason against him and treated like traitors, like those who give the impression of willing servants, but instead turn the master – servant relationship around so that we call the shots and God does our bidding when and where it serves us, if and when it suits us.

If we are seeking in Jesus the kind of glory the world seeks, we will be disappointed and turned off by him. Yet ironically, if Jesus exerted the kind of power, posture, and dominance that lines up with worldly ideas of glory and rule, it would mean our undoing. It would be our demise. He would have to destroy us. If Jesus sought to appeal to the world’s idea of glory, it would involve flexing his muscle and crushing all who crossed him – which would be the destruction of every last person. No one – not you, not me, not the most “righteous” or goodest of the good among us could stand before him! So the very dominant alpha-male authority that many wish to see in Jesus would be their undoing if Jesus actually exerted that kind of power! It would mean our downfall! Our sin and unrighteousness would not stand a chance in his presence!

So instead, he displayed greatness differently. In humility. In mercy. In sacrifice. Jesus showed his glory by giving – giving up himself. It is no secret that Jesus became less – not more – to win us over. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). Listen to the apostle Paul’s descriptions in Philippians 2: “being in very nature God…made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant,… he humbled himself and became obedient to death…” (v.6-8). Jesus demonstrated his power, his might, and his authority… by willingly setting it aside to suffer for us. Ah, and that is something when we fully grasp the degree of power, might, and authority that are rightfully and solely his! It is unmatched. Unfathomable. And set aside, so that he might save us. 

The picture we’re left with from Matthew today is precisely what sets Christ apart from every other authority. He made himself nothing so that he wouldn’t have to send sinners to suffer eternally and to show the full extent of his power and might. He endured the painful irony of being made fun of and mocked like a clown instead of magnified as a king, though he alone of all the greatest rulers and powerful leaders throughout history has the sole right to the claim of King. 

Why go to such lengths? Why not go the route of establishing his divine dominance with a show of strength that would put all the Roman and Greek gods to shame? Ah, it was to show that his kingdom truly is like no other. Grace and mercy are his scepter. Kindness and compassion are his crown. And all under his rule are free.

Let me say that again. All who are under his rule are free. Sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? How can someone be ruled and be free at the same time? Yet this is how Jesus is described in the very last book of the Bible, “Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth… who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood” (Rev. 1:5). Jesus Christ is our King, who rules all things for our good. 

How can being ruled be for our good? Consider the popular trend in individuals and companies using coaches and consultants. It’s big business these days. People are looking to be mentored. Why? Because, although it might be tough at times, and even involve some blunt, uncomfortable stuff, the person who enlists the help of a coach or mentor knows that they have their best interest in mind. Coaches and consultants want to help their clients grow or get unstuck or achieve some goal, so people willingly pay them to push them and do what is best for them. 

In Christ, we have better than a coach or client; we have a King. Not a king who selfishly rules in his own interest, for his own benefit, but a King who rules for the good of his people, the Church – believers. So not only in Christ are we fully and completely free, but we also have a King who rules over all things for our eternal good, for our benefit and blessing. What could be more attractive than that?

Free! – to Face Death

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(based on 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

I must confess I am somewhat puzzled by our current relationship with death. It would seem we’re all over the place on our views of death. There is a strong demand in our country for the freedom to put children to death through abortion. Euthanasia and suicide appear to be increasingly acceptable options. Yet, a virus that kills only a minuscule percentage of the population has multitudes paralyzed with fear. I can’t make sense of it. I don’t know if we care too much about death, or not enough as a society. But, society’s relationship with death is not what informs or influences our relationship with death – at least one would hope. For the freedom we have in Christ is a real thing, and it has a direct impact on how we as Christians approach and deal with death. 

The freedom we have in Christ not only frees us from the fear of facing judgment on the Last Day; it also frees us to face something most of us are more than likely to experience before Jesus returns: death. The apostle Paul addresses the very subject of death in our verses this morning. He acknowledges that a lack of knowledge around death and what happens when we die is a legitimate cause for concern and even fear. Often fear flows from what is unknown, so Paul seeks to address that ignorance by educating us under the Holy Spirit’s guidance. 

He introduced the subject matter with these words: “Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope” (v.14). Notice the connection between being uninformed, or ignorant, about death, or as Paul puts it in reference to Christians who have died, “those who sleep,” and hopeless grieving. That is to say, those who are uninformed or ignorant about this matter of death are understandably left mourning inconsolably because they have no hope. So then, how do we ensure hope in the face of death? We make sure we’re informed. 

People speak in all kinds of ways about what happens when a person dies, as if this is some unknown area where one person’s guess is as good as another’s. But the Bible, while it doesn’t come close to answering every single question we have surrounding death, is nonetheless clear on what happens when a person dies. Ecclesiastes 12:7 states, “The dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.” Every human being has both a body and a soul, and at death, the two are separated. The body or its remains are placed into the ground, while the soul goes immediately to either heaven or hell. There is no purgatory or place of limbo where souls are placed “on hold” until the Last Day. There will be no rapture or second chance for people to believe at another point in time, for the writer to the Hebrews established that “people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Then, as Paul describes in the last four verses of our text, Jesus will return on the Last Day. Every dead body, both believers and unbelievers, will be raised and rejoined together with its soul, and will then be permanently and publicly permitted to the final destination of either hell or heaven.   

While many of us have questions about heaven and hell, many of which the Bible doesn’t answer, again the Bible is clear enough in its descriptions about hell that we know it isn’t something we’d wish anyone to experience. The pictures of eternal agony and torment and suffering without any relief whatsoever rule out any foolish idea that maybe there are a few spots in hell that aren’t so bad, as if court-side seats or VIP suites would somehow make it more bearable. While people make passing comments about experiencing hell on earth, such flippant descriptions only serve to seriously downplay the reality of real condemnation in hell. 

Heaven, on the other hand, only gets five-star ratings throughout the whole Bible. It is only ever described in desirable, favorable, blissfully blessed terms. All suffering and sorrow, all letdown and loss, all hardship, hurt, and heartache – all of it is filtered out of heaven so that all that remains is every day is the best day you could ever imagine. And while it will surely be a joyful reunion of the saints, including our loved ones, even those hoped-for reunions will be overshadowed by the beautiful reminder Paul provides: “And so we will be with the Lord forever” (1 Thes. 4:17b). We will no longer know Jesus just from hymns and songs, Bible verses, or artistic renditions, but in reality, face-to-face, in the flesh, in person, in his presence, forever. Any fear in the face of death fades even just by contemplating that magnificent reality of heaven: being with the Lord forever.

What makes the difference? What determines our final destination? We touched on it last Sunday, but have it again here today from Paul in verse 14. “For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.” It’s that simple. There need be no uncertainty in the face of death if we can affirm our confidence in this simple statement of Paul. We believe that Jesus died and rose again. Period. And, that means we believe we’re going where Jesus goes, because his death and resurrection have already punched our ticket.  

That means we’re going where six of our church family members have already arrived this year. Each of them believed that Jesus died and rose again, and so God brought each of them to be with Jesus to their final destination of heaven. While gathering restrictions this year did not permit us to hold services for each of these sainted brothers and sisters, nevertheless, no restrictions can ever rob us of the comfort we have in knowing they are with the Lord forever.

And someday, we will be, too. For we, too, “believe that Jesus died and rose again” (v.17b). If Jesus did, and if we believe it, then we’re free. We’re free from the fear of death. So much fear, after all, is based on the unknown. But when we take whatever is unknown and make it known, fear dissipates. When we don’t have to wonder what happens when a person dies, when we don’t have to worry about where we’re going or how we can be sure of it, we’re free to face death. It holds no terror over us. 

But it does more than that, actually. It isn’t about simply making something we all face less scary; it’s about putting what we’re all facing right now in the proper perspective. When we have the peace of knowing that death means being with the Lord forever, then we can take in stride everything this year has thrown at us. While we’re all mentally and emotionally worn out from hearing the same nauseating news over and over and over again, we can temper it with the triumph that is in store for us in heaven. Ah, but friends, if Sunday morning is the only time each week when we think thoughts of Jesus, our salvation, and our place with him forever, but the rest of the week let the news and headlines tickle our ears, are we making the most of every opportunity for the gospel to keep us uplifted and inspired? Are we giving it a fair chance to counter the chaos of our culture right now? 

When Paul wrapped up these verses the same way he did the verses we heard last Sunday, do you think he had in mind just occasionally? Did he just mean once in a great while? Or does his last verse, “therefore encourage one another with these words” (v.18) sound like something we ought to implement as often as necessary? I don’t know about you, but I have not yet had anyone turn down any extra encouragement these days. And I myself appreciate it when you all encourage me. Could we do more of that, especially with an eye toward eternity? Friends, listen to me: this. will. pass. But even better than that, we don’t have to just “get through this”; we actually have something better in store!

With that in mind, and perhaps as a way to keep the encouragement of this Saints Triumphant Sunday before us, here is a planning guide for you. It’s a guide to help you plan your funeral. It doesn’t cover every detail, but does allow for giving consideration to appropriate or favorite Scripture sections or hymns that you would like to have played at your funeral. I invite you to grab one, take some time to think through it, and when you finish it, return a copy to your church and keep one for yourself. Now this might sound like a weird thing to do, but if we’re truly free to face death – and we are – then aren’t we also free to plan for it?

One of the many added blessings of this kind of planning? It is a blessing to a congregation. When we think through and plan for such things because of the confidence we have “that Jesus died and rose again” (v.17b), we can bless Christ’s church long after we leave earth and are with the Lord forever. That is exactly what one of this year’s sainted members did when planning to leave 25% of their estate to support the continued proclamation of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Is that not encouraging?!? That member, blessed by the message of Jesus for so many years here, planned to ensure that same blessing would continue for others after departing for home in heaven. Friends, when we are free to face death, that is the kind of impact we can make! So no, we “do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope” (v.14), for we know “we will be with the Lord forever” (v.17b).

Free! – to Face Judgment

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(based on 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11)

I don’t imagine the first three verses of our text this morning would serve as the ideal bedtime story as you’re saying goodnight and tucking in your little one. “Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, ‘Peace and safety,’ destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape” (v.1-3). “Sweet dreams.” These aren’t the kind of soothing, calm words that would put a child at ease when lying down for the night!

For that matter, these aren’t the kind of words that go over all that well with adults, either. In fact, some might point to verses just like these in Scripture as the reason they never have and never will give Christianity the time of day. The gloom and doom version of God doesn’t go over so well in a society that has given itself permission to redefine or design the divine according to personal preference. When we’ve allowed our ideas of religion to closely resemble ordering a pizza with our favorite toppings and leaving off the stuff we don’t like, is anyone surprised that most people would prefer to leave off the toppings of hell, destruction, wrath, or judgment? Hardly.

However, though we may not readily admit it, we are all in favor of judgment. Imagine you’re a small business owner and someone breaks into your store and makes off with tens of thousands of dollars worth of product or goods. If the police caught the guys that did it, you’d likely be in favor of justice being carried out and a judgment being rendered. The same would also be true if a drunk driver hit and killed a member of your family, or if someone published an unfounded, slanderous report about you online or in a magazine or paper. When we’re wronged, we’re not opposed to judgment at all when it means justice is being carried out. But when God talks about judgment, it doesn’t sit as well with people. 

You know why that is, don’t you? Consider the child who suddenly hears his father call out to him, “Son, come here right now. We need to talk.” Those words are able to evoke totally different responses in the son. On the one hand, he might immediately react with curiosity, wondering what it could be that his dad wants to talk about. On the other hand, those words can be totally terrifying if he happens to know exactly what dad wants to talk about and it isn’t going to be good. In that situation, what is that determines the son’s perception of his dad’s words? It’s not anything on dad’s end but on the son’s. If he did something wrong, that’s what makes those words terrifying. But if he didn’t do anything wrong, those words are relatively harmless.

So when people balk at the notion of God and judgment, it’s clear why. We don’t want to consider God’s judgment, because our conscience makes it pretty clear what he means when he says, “Come here right now. We need to talk.” When we consider that God is omniscient – all knowing, omnipresent – everywhere, and omnipotent – all powerful, that pretty convincingly rules out any of our wrongs going unnoticed, doesn’t it? There’s no chance that God just happened to be looking the other way. There’s no chance that maybe he didn’t hear us. There’s no chance of anyone pulling one over him.

That means you didn’t actually have to speak your bitter response to that political comment someone made recently, the Judge knew your thought well enough. It means he doesn’t need to check your browser history to see what sites you visited online – the Judge has a browser history that can’t be erased. That means you can lie to your parents, deceive your spouse, and fool your boss – the Judge knows the truth in each and every case, right down to the last disgraceful detail. So it’s no surprise that the idea of God and judgment going together isn’t a popular one with many people.

Especially when we consider the sentence that such judgment deserves. There were two words Paul used in the text this morning to describe what awaits those who don’t meet God’s standards of judgment: “destruction” (v.3) and “wrath” (v.9). Here we must explain another sticking point many have with Christianity. It’s one thing for people to believe in a heaven – that’s all well and good. The struggle for many, however, is the only alternative that exists outside of heaven: hell. They see no reason whatsoever that a loving God could send anyone to a place of such suffering. No heaven? That’s one thing. But why the extreme pain and torment and suffering of hell? Does God delight in that? Then why else would it exist? 

But that misunderstands what heaven is and what it means to be in the presence of God. What makes hell so wretched and unyielding is the absence of God. It’s not that God deliberately or intentionally wished to set up such a place of suffering as some curb or threat so that people would be drawn to heaven instead. Rather, when God is not present, all that remains is unyielding and relentless agony. Not because God wants it, but simply because that’s all that exists when God is removed from the picture.

However, remember that judgment is only something to be feared if you are guilty of something. If you haven’t done anything wrong, then you have nothing to fear. And if Jesus is in the picture, then you have nothing to fear. “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him” (v.9-10). Paul is addressing believers – then AND now. Believers know that they have been chosen – “anointed” as Paul writes – to receive salvation. That salvation is received not by going to church, not by voting for the right presidential candidate, not by anything you could do on even your best day, but only “through… Jesus Christ.” And then, lest we try to make it too terribly complicated, Paul also lays out how Jesus made that possible: by his death. 

This is where the focus ought to be. When so many defiantly denounce God because of their disdain over realities like judgment and hell, they’re pouting over something that doesn’t have to be anyone’s reality – including theirs! Since we’ve already agreed that most everyone is in favor of judgment when it means that justice is being served, we ought to dumbfounded that God chose to carry out the sentence of his just judgment on his own Son instead of you and me. So rather than being disgruntled about judgment and hell, we ought to be delighted that we don’t have to fear it! God’s judgment to all who believe is that since Jesus died, you will live. What’s to fear?

With no fear of judgment then, we live as we have been made to live – not as those who belong to the night, but as those who live in the light as those who belong to the day. That’s how we’re free to live. “You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, …let us be awake and sober. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet”  (v.5, 6, 8). Faith, love, and hope. Do those sound like the qualities that embody your day-to-day living? 

The verdict has already been made. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Let every man and even your own conscience itself be liars, but let God’s declaration and promise stand true. If you are in Christ Jesus, you have nothing to fear. There is no condemnation for you. You are free to face judgment because you already know the verdict. 

Could I ask something of you? Could you please – please – follow Paul’s advice? “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing” (v.11). So many in our world right now need so much encouragement, and you have the best encouragement imaginable to share with them. You have no fear of judgment. Encourage others by reminding them that in Christ Jesus, neither do they.

Free!

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(based on Galatians 5:1-6)

This week we elect the next President of the United States. Today we observe Reformation Sunday. What do the Reformation and a National Election have in common? How are they similar? One might say they both have to do with the important matter of freedom. Regardless of political party, each side has expressed its concern over loss of freedom, whether that concern is tied to the fear of an agenda on the part of one political party or the fear of unilateral actions on the part of the President. During the Reformation, the freedom Jesus came to bring was being stripped by the Roman Catholic Church.

Yet, it is that similarity that could potentially cloud how drastically different each event is. One deals with what is temporal; the other what is eternal. One deals with our role as citizens of an earthly nation; the other deals with our place in the spiritual kingdom. One may some day be taken from us or limited; the other never can.

During the month of November until Thanksgiving, we’ll be directing our thoughts not on the temporary, worldly freedoms we enjoy, which have undoubtedly been a blessing to us in this great nation for so long, but rather on the freedom that lasts forever and is a far greater blessing to us now and into eternity. We will see how the freedom we have in Christ plays a role in our lives on a daily basis. The freedom we have in Christ allows us to Face Judgment, to Face Death, and to Be Ruled. 

For starters, though, we must understand the source of the freedom we have as Christians, and why that freedom we have in Christ is so very important. It is not just because of the liberties it allows us in our Christian living, the freedom to live for and serve God and others not out of coercion, fear, or obligation, but rather with love and gratitude and thanks. These are tremendous blessings, indeed! But they pale in comparison to the greatest blessings of being free – the blessings of being free from the guilt of sin, free from Satan’s control, and free from the fear of death. These, friends, are the blessings of being free!

The Galatian Christians were at risk of losing those blessings of being free. They had heard and believed the gospel message that salvation was God’s gift to them through faith in Christ Jesus. They had experienced the joyful realization that a perfect Savior had fully satisfied every requirement necessary to be at peace with God, and had paid with his own life to cover the cost of their own inability to do so. But Paul wrote this letter to them because they were in danger of trading all of that in – and the freedom that comes along with it. He put it this way in the beginning of his letter: “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel – which is really no gospel at all” (Galatians 1:6-7).

What was the big deal? What was Paul so concerned about? Some among the Galatians were insisting that being a Christian still had its requirements, that faith in Jesus didn’t mean that God had let his people off the hook of ceremonial requirements and restrictions, but that those were still binding. What a person ate and wore and the rules you kept – they were insisting that those were still essential. In fact, they accused Paul of deliberately removing such requirements from his preaching and teaching to make his message more attractive to his hearers. The scary part was that the Galatian Christians were starting to buy it. 

Have you noticed that the same threat to the gospel appears today? While it may perhaps be a bit more subtle, it’s present. In fact, you may even have been guilty not only of believing it, but declaring it yourself. Today’s version of it sounds like this: “No Christian would ever eat/drink/wear/watch/listen to [blank].” “You can’t be a Christian and support this company or that organization.” “No God-fearing Christian could ever vote for [blank].” “You can’t be a good Christian and [blank].” It doesn’t matter how one fills in any of those blanks, either, because even implying that there are such conditions to Christianity puts an asterisk by our salvation. It implies that Jesus and his work alone aren’t all that really matters for salvation, but that certain requirements and restrictions still apply. If we start believing that rhetoric or find ourselves speaking that way, are we any different than the enemies of the gospel that Paul was addressing in Galatians?

And if anyone thinks this is a little matter, listen to Paul: “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!” (1:8-9). Those are strong words directed at anyone that wants to convey that Christianity is based on the good news of the gospel AND anything else! If anyone teaches that it’s necessary to “read the fine print” or that “certain restrictions apply” when it comes to the gospel, Paul says, “let him be eternally condemned!”

Do those words sound familiar? Ironically, it was the same threat directed at Martin Luther and others who questioned the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church that works were necessary for salvation. So in essence, the church in Luther’s day was guilty of committing the exact same crime as those Paul was addressing in Galatians, implying that only the gospel AND works could save, but here the tables are turned and it is the church of Luther’s day condemning the very teaching Paul was defending in Galatians – that we aren’t saved by what we do, but through faith in Jesus and what HE did for us! Paul condemned anyone insisting that what we do saves, and the church of Luther’s day condemned anyone who denied it!   

In an effort to defend the good news of the gospel, Paul encouraged the Galatians and us, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (5:1). Paul plays off the words of Jesus, who invited us to come to him when we’re spiritually worn out and need the rest of forgiveness that only he can provide. Jesus invites us to rely on the “yoke” that he bore for us to provide that rest. But to resort to the law is essentially to remove Jesus’ yoke of rest from our shoulders and replace it with the unbearable yoke of slavery to the law. Paul is trying to establish how ludicrous it would be to exchange the freedom we have in Christ for suffocating standards of the law. And he doesn’t just stop there, but goes on to highlight three devastating consequences of trading in the yoke of Jesus’ rest and forgiveness for the yoke of slavery to the law.

The first Paul lays out in verse two: “Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all.” What Paul is saying that if you want to insist on bringing observance of the law back into the equation, then Christ holds no value to you. Imagine an edited Bible that cut out out every reference to Jesus Christ, Savior, Messiah, etc. What would you be left with? You’d have nothing but law. Sure, there would still be talk of God’s love, but any assurance of that love would be entirely dependent upon one’s ability to keep the law – an impossibility! Without Christ in the picture, all that is left is the law. That leads into Paul’s second devastating consequence of putting on the yoke of the law.

To be bound to any part of the law is to be bound to all of it. Paul wrote, “Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law” (v.3). There is no middle ground with the law – it is all or nothing. The law makes clear that God isn’t interested in you giving it your best effort or the old college try. Only perfection from A to Z is acceptable. Martin Luther’s experience in a monastery enlightened him to how deceiving the appeal to observance of the law can be. He wrote, “Thus it is certainly true that those who keep the Law do not keep it. The more men try to satisfy the Law, the more they transgress it. The more someone tries to bring peace to his conscience through his own righteousness, the more disquieted he makes it” (LW, 27:13). He spoke about having seen many murderers facing execution die more confidently than “these men who had lived such saintly lives” [monks]. The law appears to offer the promise of a legitimate utopian oasis, but it is nothing more than a mirage that leaves souls parched with unquenchable thirst. 

Finally, if Christ is of no value and we have obligated ourselves to the whole law by thinking we could keep any part of it, the ultimate consequence is that we fall out of grace. “You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace” (v.4). Picture God’s grace as him scooping you up in the palm of his hand. You did nothing to deserve it. He chose you, even working in you the faith to believe that Jesus is your Savior. As you rest, suspended up in the palm of his hand, you see the exemplary achievements of the law falling all around you, enticing you with their promise of acclaim and worth if only they can be accomplished. Wondering, imagining, that you can perhaps reach out and grab just one or two of them, you stretch yourself too far, falling out of the his palm, out of his grace, into the abyss that awaits all who make the mistake of thinking God’s favor can be earned instead of freely given by his grace. Shudder the thought!

No, friends, the law will never earn us the righteousness God demands. That is ours only through faith. Martin Luther rejoiced to discover what Paul wrote, “For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope” (v.5). Luther knew that his freedom wasn’t granted to him by the pope or an emperor, but by faith. Faith alone made him righteous before God – and free! Friends, faith alone makes us righteous before God – and free! No earthy election can ever rob us of that freedom.