God’s Word at Work

THE END
Last Sunday of the Church Year
I Cor. 15: 20-28

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  Our text for this mornings meditation is from Paul’s First letter to the Corinthians, chapter 15, verses 20 through 28, particularly these words:  “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.  But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.  Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.  For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.  The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”  This is our text.

In the name of our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, dear Christian friends.  Today marks “the end” of another Church year.  Next Sunday will be the first Sunday in Advent and the beginning of a new church year.  If you haven’t looked at your calendar recently that means that there are only four more Sunday’s between now and Christmas.

But today is the last Sunday of the Old Church year.  And all of today’s Scripture readings talk about the last days of earth and about judgment day.

As Christians face the end of another church year, they think over the coming end of the world, the end of time and the beginning of eternity.

There are three words which might describe what our text has to say about judgment day for us.  Those three words describe the end of time as being, a GUARANTEED, VICTORIOUS, BEGINNING.

First of all the end of time is guaranteed.  Our text says, “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.”

Jesus Christ has guaranteed that there will be a resurrection of all those who now sleep.  Jesus Christ was the first fruits.  Just as he arose from the dead so shall all men and women, of all ages, also arise — believers to life eternal, and unbelievers to eternal torment in hell.  That’s what our gospel lesson is about in the separation of sheep and goats.  On Judgment Day, for believers in Christ, eternal life in heaven begins.

But how can one man, namely Jesus Christ, promise life eternal??  How can one man do so much??  The answer to that question is quite simple and our text points out the answer very clearly, “For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.  For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.”

This whole sinful cycle of birth, misery, pain, suffering, and eventual death came into being by one man — Adam.  This is another proof text for original sin.  All people are sinners because we are all children of one man — Adam.

One man brought sin, suffering, and death into the world, AND ANOTHER man overcame them.  And as Jesus was leaving this earth to return to his father, he told his disciples — “I go to prepare a place for you, that where I am there you may be also.”  Jesus gave the promise of eternal life to all those who were his.  He said, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.”

Our end is guaranteed.  The price of our guarantee was the life, death, and resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ, and the guarantee is ours by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ.  He died that we might have life.  He died in order to guarantee to you and to me that our sins were forgiven and that we might live eternally in heaven.

But this death of Christ was not only a guarantee for our eternal life, it was a tremendous VICTORY.  Up to the time of Christ’s death, the devil and all his followers still had hope.  They still thought they might win the world to the evil which they had planned.  But Jesus Christ put an end to their hope of Victory for he won the ultimate victory.  It is now just a matter of time until he returns to earth for the final celebration and judgment.  Jesus’ perfect life, his innocent death, and his glorious resurrection broke the power of Satan, sin and death.  But the completion of that final victory waits till the end — waits till Christ comes and puts all thing in the proper place, and then turns all things over to God the Father.  Our text tells us that there is a proper order in which these things will happen.  Our text said:  “But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.  The last enemy to be defected in death.”

The last enemy to be defeated is death.  Jesus himself defeated death, but the final defeat awaits the resurrection of all mankind.  At that point, when all people are raised from the dead, death will cease to exist.  Because from that moment on, the power of death, which is sin, will be wiped out forever.  As Christ send the heathen to eternal punishment and as he calls his faithful home, sin and death will cease to exist.  Christ has already defeated them through his own death.  But his Victory, becomes OUR Victory at the very end.  Sin and death will cease to exist for you and for me.

The end will be victorious, because Jesus Christ has won the battle.  That is why at Easter time we sing:  “the strife is o’er the battle done; Now is the Victor’s triumph won; Now be the song of praise begun.  Alleluia!  Death’s mightiest pow’rs have done their worst, And Jesus hath his foes dispersed; Let shouts of praise and joy outburst.  Alleluia!”

Christ’s guarantied Victory over sin and death means a new beginning.  Our text sums up this thought very well, “When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.”  Those are exciting words, “God himself will be ruler over all things.  That’s the way it was before the first sin.  That is the way it was before death ever entered into the world.  God ruled over everything.  But man went his own way, and ate the fruit of the forbidden tree.  Sin Broke the rule which God had made.  And so it was that Christ had to come into the world to set things straight once again.

But that is what he did!  And on judgment day, all will be placed back in order.  The heathen, the devil and all his angels will be put into eternal confinement in Hell.  But those who have faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ will enter into eternal glory with God in heaven.  That will be a wonderful beginning.  The end will not be the end — but the beginning of life eternal in Heaven.

And so we wait!  We await the coming of our Lord that second time.  We all await his day of judgment.  For the Christian who puts his complete trust in God’s promise of life eternal through Jesus Christ, it will be a guaranteed, glorious, beginning.  The only other way to explain it would be to say, “The End??  That’s heaven!!”  To God be the glory!  Amen.

May the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hears and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting.  Amen.

Matthew 25:14-30

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DEATH AND MOURNING
I Thessalonians 4: 13-14
Proper 27

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text for this mornings meditation is recorded in Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, chapter 4, verses 13 and 14: “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.” This is our text.

In the name of our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, dear Christian friends. About 30 years ago, in a small town in Arkansas, a small group of about 40 people locked themselves in a house, and they refused to talk to anyone outside the house. For over a month, they closed themselves off from the rest of the world, just sitting there. Why? They were waiting for the end of the world, they were waiting for Jesus to come. But they had a problem. There were 6 children in the group who were under 16 and had not finished the eighth grade yet, so a judge issued a warrant for their arrest because they were in violation of the truancy laws. So the bottom line for this group was finally NOT — here comes Jesus — but here comes the judge.

Paul had a similar problem on a small scale in Thessalonica. There were some people who had quit their jobs and were just sitting around the house waiting for the end of the world to come. Paul must have really impressed them with the fact that Jesus Christ was going to return soon, and they were looking for him right away — if not today — then tomorrow!

But now, several months later, Paul has to write a letter to the Thessalonians explaining to them that they are not supposed to just sit around and wait. That is why in Chapter five Paul tells the Thessalonians, “We exhort you, brethren, admonish the idle.” But quite obviously the first letter Paul wrote to the congregation did very little good, because in his second letter he gets even more explicit and stronger. He says, “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is living in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work in quietness and to earn their own living.”

So it is quite clear that the Thessalonians were having some problems relating to the end of the world, judgment day, the coming of Christ and all those things which are tied together in what theologians call the “parasia” – the end times.

Another problem which tied in with this was the concern of some of the Christians about their parents, or their wives, or their brothers and sisters, — any of those people who had already died. They were concerned because they were afraid that death was the very end of everything and that only those who were alive at the coming of Christ would be accepted into eternal life in heaven. They wanted their loved ones in heaven with them, but they were afraid that once life was lost, it could not be restored. This was the way Greeks looked at death. When one died they crossed the River Stix into the Land of the Dead, and no one ever returned from the Land of the Dead. Paul was doing fine with Greeks when talking about Jesus life, his teachings, and his death — but when he mentioned resurrection from the dead, he lost the true Greeks, because they did not believe that resurrection was possible. Once someone was dead, they were gone, forever. So the Thessalonians were afraid that death was something that separated them from their loved ones for all eternity. They thought that death was the end of hope, the end of faith, the end of everything.

That is why Paul begins our text with the words, “We would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep.” Paul wanted to give those worried Thessalonians some hope concerning their loved ones, and by doing so, he also gave them hope for their own lives. But Paul’s words also speak of hope for you and me as well, in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Paul told the Thessalonians, “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.”

Quite obviously this text would make a wonderful text for Easter Sunday morning. For it speaks strongly to the hope which is ours in the risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is the foundation for all our hopes and our dreams, not only in the future, but also right here on earth. We know that because of his death and his resurrection there is no doubt within our own minds where we will spend eternity. Jesus Christ himself told his disciples, “I go to prepare a place for you, that where I am there you may be also.” What comfort that should be for you and for me as we face our own death. With faith in Jesus Christ we can boldly say with Paul, “For me to live is Christ, for me to die is gain.” We know where our future lies. We know in whom we trust. Jesus Christ has cut out the pathway before us. He has cleared away the road so that we can follow him through the gates of death into the heaven of everlasting life in the presence of God. We are definitely heaven bound..

So, we should definitely not sorrow over our own death, for indeed, our death will be for us that moment where we join Christ in heaven.

But that same joy which comforts each of us on our own death is also the comfort which we have over the death of our loved ones.

There is the loneliness of separation which we have to face, there is the change in habits and procedures around the house when a loved one dies, and indeed we do grieve the loss of company and companionship which death brings with it. But still, Paul says, “Do not grieve like those who have no hope.”

The worst thing in the world, I believe, would be to have a doubt in your mind concerning a husband, or a father, or a mother. Were they really Christians? Are they now in heaven, or in hell? Where are they and where will they spend eternity? Those kinds of doubts and fears can rob loved ones of hope, and joy, and confidence. But Paul in our text is talking about believers who have departed this life. That is why he says we should not grieve as those who have no hope.

For the Christian who has been baptized into Christ, the one who has professed his faith through word and dead, and then dies in the Lord, we have no real need for mourning. Instead, we should be singing the joyful Easter Hymns, such as “I know that my redeemer lives.” For death for a Christian is release from all the pains and sorrow of this world, and an entrance into eternal joy in the Lord. “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth, that they may rest from their labors and their works do follow them.”

So then, do not mourn at death, and do not fear your own death. For through our Lord Jesus Christ we are victors even over death itself. The power of death is sin, but thanks be to Jesus Christ who has given us the victory over sin and death. We have hope. We have the SURE hope of life eternal. Jesus Christ has a placed prepared for us in heaven.

The Christian has nothing to fear in death for himself or his loved ones. For Jesus Christ has taken the sting out of death. Jesus Christ has turned death into life, and life eternal. We have God’s own promise that he will bring into heaven with Jesus Christ, those who hall asleep in Him. That is our sure hope. That is our confidence. Grieve not brethren as those who have no hope, for in Jesus Christ we can have sure confidence — eternal confidence — this is most certainly true. Amen.

May the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.

All Saints’ Day celebrated
Matthew 23:1-12
If you click the Bible reference above, it should open in a separate window to let you see the Gospel lesson that Pastor Mallie is using is the text of his sermon. If you have Logos/Libronics and click on the tiny logo above, it should open up the software to that Bible reference.
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Reformation
Old Testament: Rev 14:6-7
Psalms: Ps 46
Reading: Rom 3:19-28
Gospel: John 8:31-36 or Matt 11:12-19

  http://ziontomball.info/wfs23a/Oct31_2008_Reformation.m4a