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April 30, 2007 by admin.
Revelation 7:9-17
In the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Whose Heavenly Kingdom Awaits Us All, Dear Fellow Saints of God,
Do you remember your dreams? I don’t. Not for long anyway. I’ll wake up and know that I’ve been dreaming, but then I can only remember a few faint parts of what I was dreaming about. Then there are those who can almost give you the play-by-play of their dreams. Some say they even dream in color. They can describe almost every detail of what was going through their heads during their time of slumber. It’s as if a picture was etched in their memories, one that they can recall with ease the next morning. For those of us who have trouble remembering our own dreams, we have to admit to being a bit envious when it comes to listening to others describing their nighttime visions.
What the apostle John experienced wasn’t really a dream. We’re told the scenes he saw were part of a vision sent by God. And yet you and I can put ourselves in John’s place by listening to him describe what he was privileged to see by God’s grace. And what a wonderful vision it was! John was given the opportunity to catch a glimpse of heaven! And what did he see there? This morning John points us to his vision and proclaims:
“Behold a Host, Arrayed in White!”
I. Where they came from
II. How they got there
III. What’s in store for them
Chapter seven of the Book of Revelation begins with John’s vision of the Lord’s church here on this earth. Following the general theme of the entire book, John assures his readers that even in the midst of persecution, the church will prevail. To give us added assurance of this fact, the Lord goes on in chapter seven to paint for us a picture of heaven (v 9), “After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.” John saw “a great multitude” adorned in “white robes.” Remember the promise God had made to Abraham and to Jacob, that their descendants would be as many as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore? But the Lord wasn’t just speaking about an earthly nation. His promise included the spiritual nation, the family of believers, which would spring forth from Abraham’s line. That’s who made up this “host, arrayed in white” which John saw in his vision.
Did you notice where they came from? “From every nation, tribe, people and language.” Jesus made a couple of promises while here on this earth. On one occasion he said that the gospel “will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations” (Mt 24:14). He also said that “many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 8:11). The kingdom of heaven was never meant to be an exclusive club. If it were, there would be no need for synod mission offerings. If it were, then we could do away with our Evangelism Committee. If it were, then you’d never have to say a word to your friends and neighbors about your Savior. We could be content just knowing that our eternity was secure and that our family members knew their Savior — that is, if God intended heaven’s membership to be limited.
But he didn’t, and neither should we! John saw people “from every nation, tribe, people and language” standing there in heaven. That means we can’t be selfish. That means that our mission offerings can’t be an afterthought. That means that our Evangelism budget can’t be pushed down the priority list. That means that we can’t just cross our fingers and hope that our friends and acquaintances someday might find a church and learn about their Savior. John’s vision serves as a reminder that heaven is meant for all, and we’re the ones God uses to get the Word out!
That Word is meant for “every nation, tribe, people and language”!
John saw the host of people, arrayed in white, standing before the Lamb, Jesus Christ, waving festive palm branches as symbols of victory. But how did they get there? It’s essential that we know who deserves the credit for the world’s salvation.
Just listen to the multitude (v 10), “And they cried out in a loud voice: ‘Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.’” The glorified saints John saw in his vision gave all glory to God for their salvation. The angels and all living creatures join the saints in giving all credit and praise to God (vv 11,12), “All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders [= believers] and the four living creatures [ = all living creatures]. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: ‘Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!’” Quite a contrast from what we’re used to in our society today! So many are inclined to build themselves up, to take credit for any success that may have come their way. But you don’t see the saints in John’s vision doing that. They knew that their place in glory wasn’t due to their own efforts, so they break forth in a sevenfold doxology of praise to the one who was responsible for their salvation. So how did they get there? Who was responsible?
That’s the question posed to John (vv 13,14), “Then one of the elders asked me, ‘These in white robes — who are they, and where did they come from?’ I answered, ‘Sir, you know.’ And he said, ‘These are they who have come out of the great tribulation.’” The white-robed multitude was composed of all who had made it “out of the great tribulation.” Don’t let that phrase trouble you. It doesn’t refer to some specific seven-year period of extreme persecution and suffering, as some would have you believe, the period before what some churches call “the rapture.” Such a teaching has no support in Scripture. A much more correct interpretation would be to look at this “great tribulation” as the horrors of war, famine, pestilence, and persecution which have afflicted the world throughout history. We’re reminded of the words of Paul and Barnabas when they said (Ac 14:22), “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” In other words, the people in John’s vision were the believers who had made it through life with all its troubles and were now enjoying the pleasures of heaven.
But that still doesn’t answer the question of how they got there. The last half of verse 14 gives us the answer, “They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” The whiteness of the saints’ robes symbolized purity and holiness. Here we find out how they became that way: through “the blood of the Lamb.” In his First Epistle John tells us (1 Jn 1:7), “The blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” The fact that the saints are wearing white robes shows that this righteousness is not their own doing. It was given to them when Jesus went to the cross to win their salvation.
“Jesus, your blood and righteousness My beauty are, my glorious dress; Mid flaming worlds, in these arrayed, With joy shall I lift up my head” (CW 376:1). That’s how saints get to heaven! Keep the message straight! The greatest damage the devil has done to the Lord’s church is leading people to believe that their salvation can be earned. Then the Lord loses the glory. Then we build ourselves up. Then we’re never sure if we’ve done enough to “earn our wings.” Then we’ve made Christ’s death of secondary importance, turning it into some kind of “back-up plan” for those who aren’t good enough to work their way into heaven. Make sure that you sound a clear signal by always pointing people to Jesus as the reason for your salvation.
Why do we want ourselves and others to be part of the multitude seen in John’s vision? Just look at what’s in store for them!
“Therefore, ‘they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes’” (vv 15-17). Life ever get the best of you? Ever feel like you’ve hit rock-bottom? Then open your Bibles and read these verses! They make it all worthwhile, don’t they? Because of what Christ has done for us, someday we will be in God’s presence! It’s always been my belief that this is the most underrated part about being in heaven. We will be with God! We will live in peace and safety under his cover and protection. We’ll be completely free from the effects of sin. All because of the Lamb! Ironic, isn’t it, that a Lamb is the one who shepherds us? Jesus tells us (Jn 10:11), “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” Because of his sacrifice, we have the hope of experiencing heaven, a place where tears are forbidden. How comforting to hear that last verse, “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes”!
What a hope! What a future! What good news! We know what’s in store for us as part of God’s whitewashed multitude of saints! God gave this wonderful picture to John and to us today to strengthen us and to keep our hopes up when times get tough while living in this sinful world. He’s assuring us of what’s to come to strengthen us so that we hold on. It’s a little like the people on the Survivor TV show. They endure extremely difficult living conditions for one reason — they know what’s in store for the winner: $1 million. But only one person will win. The rest will lose. Not so for God’s people. As we endure during our days on this earth, God reminds us of what’s in store for us, and we’re all winners! Earlier in his vision John heard Jesus make this promise (Rev 2:10), “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.” That’s what’s in store for you and me! That’s what allows us to be patient, to endure hardship, and to live our lives to the glory of God!
They came from all over the world. They got there by the blood of the Lamb. And they have an eternity in heaven in store for them. It doesn’t get any better than that! Be thankful that you, because of Christ, will be a part of that “host arrayed in white,” and may God use each of us as his witnesses so that glorious “host” may be enlarged all the more!
Amen
–Rev. Jonathan Rockhoff
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April 23, 2007 by admin.
Revelation 5:11-14
“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.” Amen. (Psalm 118:1)
Earlier in the week pastor and I, you may know, attended a conference in Colorado. One of the big presentations at that conference was simply about “Heaven & Hell.” We talked about whether it was more a place or a state of existence. We looked at speculations about what heaven is like from the aspect of time, what resurrected bodies will be like, what a spiritual existence consists of. We looked at the different perceptions of heaven taught by different religions, whether it be the 5 levels of heaven in Mormonism which teaches a degree of salvation for all and therefore no hell; the X-rated version of heaven taught by Islam; the peaceful state of mind taught by Hinduism; or the belief of a soul in limbo in Purgatory prior to heaven taught by Roman Catholicism. There are a number of strange concepts out there.
As Bible-believing Christians, we know that John’s book of Revelation is really our best picture of heaven. We don’t pretend to understand every last detail of the book. We let more easily understood portions of Scripture guide our interpretation. Ultimately, what we want to walk away from a studying of Revelation with is that this heaven that the Apostle John is viewing truly is the place where God dwells, a place where we want to be. If heaven is something that we don’t think about multiple times a day, it’s probably because we don’t fully understand what exactly it is that we are looking forward to. I’m going to suggest this as another description of heaven—it’s a place where people are:
“Compelled to Sing”
We’ll see what that means today by examining Revelation 5:11-14, but first we need to have some general knowledge of the book. How familiar are you with the book of Revelation? It is the book of the Bible that generally receives the most requests for Bible Studies but it’s not unusual for people to come out of those studies feeling like they have even less of a handle on what the End Times will be like. Revelation is always interesting, often misunderstood, but rarely fully appreciated for the joy that it offers.
We take a closer look at the chapters leading up to our lesson for today and find that after writing the Seven Letters to the Seven Churches (Rev. 2 & 3), John was invited to view God’s throne room in heaven (4:1). Around God’s throne were 24 other thrones, on which 24 elders were sitting. In case you’re wondering, these 24 elders are generally interpreted as two groups of twelve—the twelve Tribes of Israel in the Old Testament and the twelve Apostles of the New Testament (Matthew 19:28). In other words, the 24 elders are symbolic of all of the believers of the Old and New Testament world. Perhaps already you can see where confusion often creeps in regarding Revelation. In the center of these other thrones were four peculiar “living creatures,” covered with eyes. One creature had the appearance of a lion; the second, that of an ox; the third had a face like man; and the fourth had the face of a flying eagle. John said that these creatures, often interpreted as either the four gospel writers or four angels, never stopped praising God.
As John stood before the glassy sea and emerald-looking rainbow (4:3), he would hear one of the most powerful songs ever sung. When he turned his attention to the figure on the central throne, John saw a scroll that revealed what the future was going to be. At first, John wept in despair because no one was worthy to open the scroll and look into it. But, he was then informed that someone called the Root of David was able to open it as a result of his victory (5:1-5).
Then John witnessed a Lamb standing on the throne, looking as if it had been slain. The four living creatures and the 24 elders formed a circle around the Lamb. As he took the scroll, the living creatures and the elders fell down and sang a new song. The throne room erupted with praise for the Lamb who was worthy to open the scroll. He was worthy because he had been slain to redeem mankind and make them a kingdom of priests (5:6-10).
It is at this point in the vision that our lesson begins. In tackling our lesson, we have to eliminate some of the false preconceptions that the world has regarding heaven. Several years ago I had spoken to a friend of mine, a lifelong Christian, who attended a public university. I’d asked him about his new friends and about witnessing opportunities to them, which he admitted were abundant. But, he said, “You know, it’s difficult, because people have this perception of heaven that’s not much more than a glorified choir practice. Consequently, it doesn’t appeal to everyone. It certainly doesn’t seem worth turning away from the sinful temptation and indulgence of college life.” Sometimes I thought he was trying to convince himself that heaven was worth depriving his sinful nature. I’m not exactly sure how he ended up in his struggles.
The danger of a misconception of heaven is severe. My friend, many whom he witnessed to, and many that I’ve run across in my life have not struggled with the fact that they were sinful, haven’t doubted the truth that they had a historical, personal Savior in the form of Jesus Christ, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), and have not had confusion when it came to what God’s will for their life was in the form of his commands. Where they got caught up though was the issue of whether or not eternity in heaven was worth giving up what their human nature, their sinful flesh wanted for them in the years they had here on earth. Surely the love of money, the excitement of promiscuity, the juiciness of gossip, the forbiddances of homosexuality, the lightheartedness of drunkenness, the fantasy of pornography, the wonderful irresponsibility of laziness, the self-centeredness of apathy, the pleasure of gluttony, and the self-absorption of pride are all more enjoyable to me and my sinful flesh than some white robes, some crazy Lord of the Rings-looking creatures, and a choir practice. It is not easy for our sinful nature to flee such things. In a sense, we may even feel like we are suffering without them. But Paul, referring to a suffering that we probably can’t relate to, said in Romans 8:18, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” It’s a powerful encouragement for us to set our sights on heaven every day. The danger of a misconception of heaven is severe.
Maybe it isn’t the indulgences of this world that really cause us to question heaven. Maybe it’s the problems and misery that sometimes occur in this life that cause us to wonder about how incredible heaven really is. They may very well be legitimate concerns, but I guarantee that they are not as legitimate as the concern of our eternity. We get so wrapped up in our own problems that we take our eyes off the prize that Christ freely won for us. But would we even be tempted to not think about heaven, to not fully appreciate it, if we had a better understanding of it?
So what does the Bible teach that heaven is? We look again at the first verse in our lesson today. “Then I (John) looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang: ‘Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!’” Can you picture that? Here we have “thousands upon thousands” of angels. Literally the word is “myriad”. A myriad is the highest number that a speaker of this time would have used. Consequently, a myriad multiplied by itself would indicate an innumerable amount. All of these countless angels began to gather around the living creatures and the elders. As one loud voice they all began singing praises to the Lamb on the throne. Why were they singing praises to him? They sang praises to glorify the sacrificial Lamb, whom any interpreter of Revelation, novice or professional, can clearly identify as Jesus Christ. Christ brought himself down from heaven, clothed himself in human flesh, remained unblemished, and allowed himself to be sacrificed for our violations against his own Word. But this wasn’t just a kind, generous, philanthropic act. It means everything to us. It saved us from the torments of hell and transported us to the glory of heaven. A glory that our human brains cannot begin to comprehend.
Heaven is not choir practice. This is actually the first time that music is referenced in Revelation and so we have to ask ourselves why it occurs. What we see here is God’s children reacting to the joy of heaven and the one who made it possible. Again, the thought that we want to avoid is that people are singing in heaven because they are commanded to do so. That’s like saying that people in hell are gnashing their teeth and that’s the epitome of what hell is—teeth gnashing. In heaven, God’s people are singing out of joy. Have you ever been so joyful that you burst out in song? Maybe you have. It usually doesn’t happen all the time though. I remember when my Dad would sing when I was growing up. I could hear him when he was in the shower. I could hear him when he was doing the dishes. He would do it on car trips. There were times when I thought it was a bit corny, but my mom would say, “Don’t discourage him. I like to hear him sing. He does it when he’s happy.” He had such a positive, optimistic look at the world sometimes that he couldn’t hold back his enthusiasm and he expressed it in song. Now imagine that you shouted those songs from the top of your lungs because you couldn’t harness the ecstasy any longer. Now we’re starting to grasp what heaven is. It’s a place where we’re “Compelled to Sing” God’s praises.
We see the picture again with another doxology (song of praise) from today’s lesson in verse 13: “Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them (This phrase is used to express the universality of the proclamation. Everyone who saw God was united in this activity). What were they doing? They were singing: ‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!’” A lot could and has been said about the attributes of God listed in this lesson. Which of them are inherent qualities of God? Which of them are qualities that we attribute to God? What exactly is the distinction between such qualities as “power” and “strength.” It has potential to get confusing though and I think the temptation with Revelation is to get lost in confusion rather than appreciate the God-given clarity. What we have here is every creature alive praising God in a manner, in a form that has never been seen before. God grant that we have the same devotion and praise to our Savior in our thoughts, words, and actions, knowing that our praise will be perfect in heaven since that loving Savior has washed away the times we have failed to perfectly worship him here on earth.
But even in the weakness of our praises, the Lord has worked. He blessed this congregation even through the benediction of a new vicar, who could barely concentrate due to his heart practically pounding through his chest. He graciously heard and answered all of our prayers although at times our motivations may have been wrong. His almighty Word even worked through our stumbling words as we witnessed to a friend or stranger. Several weeks ago we had our Festival of Friendship. If you’re curious about the numbers, we as a church invited a total of about 150 people, approximately one for each member. We had 20 visitors from those invitations. If we would have had no visitors though, it still would have been a blessing as the Lord encouraged us to grow in expressing our faith. What a fantastic thing. Feel proud of that. Really take pleasure in that. If you don’t feel the intense pleasure of that now, anticipate the pleasure that sharing your faith can bring. Imagine someone tapping you on the shoulder in heaven. You turn around to find tears of joy in their eyes. They say, “I know you don’t know me, but you left me a card that reminded me I needed to get back to church and get my life back on track” or “you went out of your way to invite me to hear God’s free message of salvation.” “I was saved from the fires of hell, I am here in paradise because of the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit working through God’s Word and you were the one who showed me that Word. Thank you.” He is an awesome God that has heaven prepared for us. Let’s start singing praises to him right now and encourage others to join us on that path to everlasting righteousness.
And so we join together with the gospel writers and the entire God-fearing world mentioned in verse 14 and bow down and worship the one true God and say, “Amen.” This is true. This is right. This is what I love. You are the only God and Lord of my life. If that sounds good now, just wait for what that will sound like in perfection. Amen.
“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Amen. (Philippians 4:7)
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April 16, 2007 by admin.
John 20:19-31
In Christ Jesus, the Life of All the Living, Dear Fellow Servants of the Lord,
I’m sure it’s happened to you. It doesn’t matter what it was — a stereo, your curling iron, the vacuum cleaner, the toaster, whatever. I’m sure at some time or other you went to use one of these modern conveniences, only to find that it wasn’t working. So you picked it up, maybe shook it a little, gave it the “once over,” before it finally dawned on you — it wasn’t plugged in! The reason why you couldn’t get a particular device to work was because it wasn’t plugged into its power source.
You and I can’t function correctly as Christians unless we’re “plugged in” to our “power source.” You might say the disciples found themselves “unplugged” on that first Easter evening. But they weren’t that way for long. They were given a source of power, the same source that is ours today. This morning let’s learn to make use of this power source:
“Receive Power from the Risen Christ!”
I. Power to forgive
II. Power to believe
III. Power to live
What were the disciples doing behind locked doors? It had been a pretty wild day. There were reports flying around that Jesus, the crucified Jesus, was showing up all over the place. Mary Magdalene, a group of other women, Peter himself, and a couple disciples on their way to Emmaus — they all had stories to tell about meeting Jesus. An empty tomb, angels, a living Lord–this was all coming too fast.
So the disciples needed time to regroup, and the locked doors would keep the Jews off their backs for a while, at least (vv 19,20), “On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.” Locked doors couldn’t keep everyone out. Walls offered no obstacle to the risen Lord. All of a sudden he was there! Obviously stunned by his sudden arrival, the disciples’ fear soon turned to joy. This was Jesus! “Look, there are the wounds in his hands and side! It is our Lord! He lives!”
Jesus wasn’t just making a social call. He had work for the disciples (vv 21-23), “Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.’” The Prince of Peace now entrusts his message of peace to his disciples–not only the eleven disciples, but to all his disciples of all time. Jesus was speaking to all Christians when he said “go and make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19). He even supplies the power needed to do so. He “breathed on” his disciples and gave them his Holy Spirit. This was a glimpse of what would take place fifty days later at Pentecost, when the Spirit would come down in great measure to turn these quivering disciples into vigorous proclaimers of his Word. By the power of that same Spirit Jesus instituted what we call the “Ministry of the Keys” (v 23), “If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” This is the part of the catechism most people forget. And yet it remains a great privilege and responsibility for us. God gives us the authority to forgive sins, to announce to people who repent that their sins are sent away and canceled, wiped off the books. And Jesus also instructs us to issue the warning to unbelievers that without repentance, without faith, their sins are not forgiven and will end up damning them to hell.
Martin Luther felt very strongly about the use of the Keys. In a public setting pastors have been called to announce forgiveness or to withhold forgiveness. But in a private setting all Christians have the responsibility of using the keys to forgive or not to forgive sins in the name of the Savior.
Keys are used for two reasons — either to open doors or to lock them. When believers repent of their sins, we can open the door to heaven by pronouncing such people forgiven. But those who wish to remain in their sin and who reject God’s forgiveness are locked out of heaven, and it’s our duty to tell them so. Are we doing our job? Are we using the keys Jesus has given us, or have we tucked them away somewhere? Make use of these Keys! Open heaven’s door to those around you who feel the guilt of their sins by telling them about the living Lord who has won forgiveness for them. And warn those who make light of their sins or think they can reach heaven on their own. Tell them they are still in their sins if they reject their Savior’s forgiveness. Use the Keys and receive power from the risen Christ to forgive others and to warn unbelievers to repent.
Jesus appeared visibly to his first disciples. It was hard to dispute the fact that he was alive. We, as disciples today, also believe that he lives. But he hasn’t appeared to us. And yet he still gives us power to believe!
One disciple was conspicuous by his absence that evening (vv 24,25), “Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord!’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.’” Thomas wasn’t going to fall for it. He insisted on visible proof before he would believe. This was more than just doubt–this was unbelief. It didn’t matter what the rest of the disciples said. Thomas wasn’t going to be swayed.
The Lord gave Thomas exactly what he was looking for (vv 26,27), “A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.’” Jesus made an extra visit the following week, a trip made out of love. He came to banish all of Thomas’ doubts and to strengthen the faith of all the disciples. He gave Thomas what he had requested–a chance to see for himself the risen Christ!
What was Thomas’ reaction to all of this? “Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and my God’” (v 28)! We’re not told if Thomas did actually touch the wounds of Jesus. The important part here is his confession. The Lord turned unbelief into faith by a pure act of grace. Thomas was given power to believe!
Then Jesus added important words for all future believers (v 29), “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Perfect faith does not depend on one’s feelings or senses. In his first epistle Peter tells us (1 Pe 1:8), “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him.” Luther had another way of putting it, “I believe what God’s Word promises, if I feel it, or if I don’t feel it.” Faith doesn’t require visible proof (Heb 11;1), “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” As Paul says (2 Co 5:7), “We live by faith, not by sight.” But our faith is anything but blind. It’s solidly grounded on the pure Word of our God.
Thomas believed in the theory, “seeing is believing.” Sometimes when things aren’t going our way we’re tempted to behave just like Thomas, demanding that God give us proof that he’s still there for us. But Jesus tells us that “believing is seeing.” The sure Word of God is all we need. It points us to Christ and his promises for power to believe. Jesus said (Jn 5:39), “These are the Scriptures that testify about me.” They tell us all we need to know about our Savior. No matter what the circumstances, faith clings to that Word. Don’t just trust your feelings. They’ll betray you. The psalmist writes (Ps 42:5), “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God.” Faith is rewarded by sight. Abraham believed and was given a son. The Children of Israel believed and were delivered at the Red Sea and at Jericho. Gideon believed and with a very small army was given a great victory over the Midianites. We also receive that same power to believe from the risen Christ!
With that power we have all we need. We have power to live here on earth and hereafter in heaven.
The disciples were blessed not only with Jesus’ words but also with opportunities to see Jesus in action (vv 30,31), “Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” What we have recorded for us in Scripture is but a small sampling of Jesus’ deity. But it’s proof enough that Jesus was who he claimed to be. The events recorded in Scripture give us the power to believe in “Jesus,” which describes who he is, his person, our “Savior.” We believe that he is “the Christ,” the title describing his office as our Messiah, the one who came as our Prophet, Priest, and King. We believe that he is “the Son of God,” the God-man who came to this earth to be what we could not be, and to die so that we could live eternally. From this risen Christ we receive power to live (Jn 3:16), “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
That’s what gets us out of bed each morning! Even though we know things are going to go wrong (because they always do!), even though we know we’ll never have a perfect day here on this earth, we still keep going because we receive power to live each day from our risen Savior. He never leaves us (Mt 28:20), “Surely I am with you always.” He’s always by our side, and because of that we know where we’re going after we leave this world. We also have power to live eternally through our Lord. For us life is not a mystery. We do have the answers! Death can’t beat us because Jesus has beaten death! He’s our power source for life eternal! Plug into him! Don’t let Satan disconnect you! Get into God’s Word and stay there! Put down that TV guide and spend a little less time with the daily newspaper. Open up your Bibles instead! Read all about the power that is yours through your Savior, how Paul writes (Ro 1:16), “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God.” The Word is God’s dynamite, able to shatter hearts of stone and to give power to live here and hereafter! That’s the power that is yours from your risen Lord!
Have you ever plugged an appliance into an electrical outlet but it still didn’t work? What was the problem? It’s possible that you were working with a “dead” socket. There may have been no life in your power source. That’ll never happen when you plug into Jesus. That’s because he’s a living Savior! So hook up to your power source, and receive power from the risen Christ, power to forgive, to believe, and to live. Hook up to Jesus!
Jesus lives! To him the throne
High o’er heav’n and earth is given.
I shall go where he is gone,
Live and reign with him in heaven.
God is faithful; doubtings, hence!
This shall be my confidence. (CW 145:2)
Amen
–Rev. Jonathan Rockhoff
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April 9, 2007 by admin.
4/8/07 Matthew 28:1-10
In the name of Jesus, the only Savior of any religion who died and yet still lives, dear Christian friends,
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Could there be a more glorious day than this? What about the first day of creation, when simply by saying “let there be” God began forming this world out of nothing? Or how about the fourth day of creation, when God again used just his spoken word to create the lights above – the sun, moon, and stars? Were those days more glorious than this one? Not at all! As glorious as all the days of creation may have been, still this world and everything in it will one day fade away. But this day is different! This day will always shine brightly. Brighter than even the Last Day, the day on which Christ himself will come back with all the angels to raise up all the dead for final judgment? Is this day even more glorious than the Last Day of judgment? In every way! If it wasn’t for today, the Last Day would only be filled with terror and dread, for we would have no Savior and instead be forced to hear God’s thunderous voice proclaim, “Depart from me, you sinful creatures, cursed to spend all eternity in the place prepared for the devil and his angels!” No, this day, the day of our Lord’s resurrection, is the most glorious day of all. It’s more glorious than your birthday, your wedding day, the day when your child was born, even the day of your death when you’ll experience your own entrance into glory. How come? Because this is the day that changed everything! This is the day we cry out, “Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!” This is the day in which the glory hidden on the cross reaches its peak.
But once again this morning we’ll see what we’ve been noticing all during this Lenten season. Every step of the way during Lent there was glory, but that glory was hidden. And even today, on this the most glorious day of all time and eternity, the glory of Christ is hidden.
“It Is Hidden Even in the Savior’s Triumph”
Did you notice that when we read St. Matthew’s account earlier this morning? Who appears as glorious in that report? It isn’t Jesus (v 2), “There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.” It’s an angel! God sends down one of his heavenly messengers who knocks open the grave and takes a seat on the throne that blocked its opening. Where is Jesus? His work is already done, and it was done hidden from sight. On Easter Sunday his body and soul were reunited in the grave. No one saw it. On Easter Sunday the risen Lord descended into hell – not to suffer (that was already finished on the cross), but to proclaim on the devil’s own turf his great victory over sin and death. No one on earth heard the shrieks of rage and howls of anguish of the demons that day. This, too, was hidden. Then, before the angel even reached the sealed tomb, Jesus let himself out. But again, the glory was hidden. The only one who comes across as glorious in Matthew’s report is the angel who rolled away the stone to let the world know that the tomb was empty. We’re told (v 3), “His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.” And the visible effect of that glorious angel was hard to miss (v 4), “The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.” So much for those tough soldiers who were trained to stare death in the face! They were no match for the glory of this angel. Stunned and terrified, they fell to the ground “like dead men.”
By the time the women arrived at the tomb, the soldiers must have recovered and composed themselves enough to run into the city to tell the chief priests what had happened. But the angel stuck around. As the Lord’s messenger, he had news to deliver. The women came with plans to anoint their Lord’s dead body and thereby finish the funeral that had been left unfinished on Good Friday. But they had two surprises awaiting them when they got there. First, the tomb was open – someone had rolled the stone away! Then they met the “stone-roller” whose glorious appearance frightened them as well. But even more glorious than the angel’s appearance was the message he had for these women that day (vv 5-8), “The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: “He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.” Now I have told you.’” “You’re looking for Jesus? You won’t find him here in the house of the dead, because he’s alive! Remember? He told you he would rise. Go and see for yourselves! But be quick about it, because you need to tell the disciples about what happened. Remind them that he’ll see them in Galilee, just as he told them.”
Are you a bit disappointed that the angel seems to be “outshining” our Lord in this account? After all, wouldn’t it be more fitting to have our Savior sitting there on the rock with his face shining like the sun and his garments white as the light? Shouldn’t we be expecting somewhat of a repeat of what the disciples saw up on the Mount of Transfiguration, or maybe a glimpse of the glory we’ll witness when Jesus returns for us on Judgment Day?
Don’t be disappointed, because the Lord’s glory is there, but it’s hidden even in his triumph. Notice how his glory is hidden as he appears to these women who are described as “afraid yet filled with joy” (v 8). “Suddenly Jesus met them. ‘Greetings,’ he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him” (v 9). If the glorious appearance of the angel had knocked soldiers off their feet and brought fear into the hearts of these women, imagine what the Lord’s resurrected glory would have done to them! They would have been frozen with terror and died of fright right on the spot! Jesus didn’t appear to them to make them even more afraid. He came to bring them joy! He came to make them happy! Jesus had no reason to flaunt his glory. He didn’t need to impress anyone. The next time he comes, on the Last Day, will be the time for him to display his glory and majesty. But now it was enough for him simply to let these women be the first to know that he truly was alive.
So even on Easter Sunday Jesus hides his glory. He appears to the women in the same humble form that they knew and recognized from before. Note how differently they reacted to the Savior than to the angel. No fear here! They run to Jesus, not away from him. They fall to their knees in worship, joyfully hanging on to his feet, trying to soak it all in. How they must have drenched the ground with their tears of gladness! Their Lord is risen! He is risen indeed! And he didn’t come back to terrify but to comfort and console. The work he declared finished on the cross truly was finished. Sin has all been paid for in full, covered in his blood. And now the day had come to proclaim the glory of his victory!
That glory is hidden, hidden in our Savior’s words. In just two short sentences he sums up the whole glory of Lent, of Easter, and of the gospel itself. He tells the women, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
“Do not be afraid.” Isn’t that what Good Friday and Easter are all about? The two go hand-in-hand. Without these two days, we’d be living with fear all around us. Along with Adam and Eve, we fell into sin and were separated from God. We, too, were staring death in the face, with a future in hell to follow. But then Jesus arrived, just as prophesied beginning already back in the Garden of Eden. And he did exactly what he said he would do. He went into battle for us on the cross, and he won! Easter Sunday proves it. Our sins are paid for. So don’t be afraid – he’s conquered hell. Don’t be afraid – he’s triumphed over the grave. Don’t be afraid!
Want even more proof? Look at what he says next, “Go and tell my brothers!” Isn’t that amazing! Jesus calls the disciples his brothers! These are the guys who fell asleep on him in Gethsemane. They were the ones who ran away like scared little bunnies when the soldiers came to arrest Jesus. Their spokesman Peter even denied knowing Jesus when the pressure was on. None of these guys deserved to have Jesus call them his brothers, did they? No, they didn’t. And neither do we, because we’re no better than they are. And yet here we have the glory of Lent and the glory of Easter. All the disciples’ sins – and all our sins – are gone, buried in Jesus’ grave. With our sins covered and hidden away, there’s nothing that keeps Jesus from calling us his brothers. That’s just another way for him to tell us, “Don’t be afraid.” Once again we’re brothers and sisters in Christ, redeemed by our Savior, reconciled to God, and back in his family – all because Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
In love and consideration for us, our Lord continues to hide his glory. Since we are still sinful human beings, we are unable to witness our Savior in all his glory. That day will come, but not until we’re with him in heaven. In the meantime we’re directed to where we can catch a glimpse of his glory – we’re directed to his Word! Did you notice that Jesus revealed his glory in that way in the words before us this morning? Jesus gave his Word that he would rise from the dead. He tells the women to report the news to his disciples. He didn’t appear to them right away, because he wanted them to depend on his Word. He also tells the women to remind the disciples of what he had told them earlier, that he would meet them in Galilee. Again, he wants them to depend on his Word. In a short 40 days Jesus would be leaving them – at least, physically – when we would ascend into heaven. But he would still remain with them always, even if they couldn’t see him. That was his promise. And the disciples would have to learn all the more to rely on his promises. They would have to learn to rely on his Word.
It’s no different for us as his disciples today. Do you want to find the true glory of Easter? You’ve come to the right place! This is where his Word is proclaimed – the Word that drives out our fears by proclaiming to us that our sins are forgiven and our salvation is secure. We have no reason to be afraid. Yes, tomorrow will come and with it there will still be problems and temptations as well. But in his Word we hear Jesus say, “Don’t be afraid. I have died to pay for your sins, and now I’m alive again, just as I promised. And I promise that I’ll never leave you nor forsake you. Even though the grave may still lie ahead, don’t be afraid. I conquered death for you. And because I live, you also will live. You have my Word on it.”
So “let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Heb 10:25). Let us rejoice with David who proclaimed (Ps 122:1), “I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD.’” Jesus himself proclaims (Lk 11:28), “Blessed . . . are those who hear the word of God.” Just as he sent the disciples to Galilee to see him, so now our Lord sends us to his Word. Don’t make Easter one of the rare occasions you’re found here in God’s house. Don’t let your Bibles collect dust in your homes. Don’t let family devotions become something you talk about but never make time for. Listen to your Lord, and seek him in his Word. There we behold him with the eyes of faith. There we are called his brothers and sisters. There we see his glory – glory hidden in the cross, but glory that we will someday share with him for all eternity!
That’s his promise to you and to me. Believe it, for Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Hallelujah!
Amen
–Pastor Jonathan Rockhoff
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April 2, 2007 by admin.
Luke 19:1-10 4/1/07
In the Name of Jesus, Dear Fellow Friends of Our Lord,
A friend of mine in college named Tom once told me about how in high school he had been diagnosed with a brain tumor. As expected, he was told that he would have to have his head shaved before the operation. The surgery itself was enough to occupy his thoughts, but now he also had to come to grips with being without his hair for an extended period of time.
The surgery went well. But Tom still was wondering how his friends would react to his “new look.” It didn’t take long for him to find out. That afternoon his friends came for a visit–and they had all shaved their heads bald! They didn’t want Tom to feel uncomfortable, so they sacrificed their own hair as a sign of their love for their friend.
Tom’s friends wanted to identify with and experience the thoughts, feelings and attitudes of their friend. That’s one of the great blessings of friendship. It makes us realize that we are not alone in the battle of life. Far greater than this is having the “best Friend” of all, Jesus Christ. He not only knows what we’re going through, since he took upon himself flesh and blood and became one of us, but he actually took our place and suffered the death we deserved to die so that we might live with him forever in heaven. As we read earlier in our Epistle lesson (Php 2:7,8), “[Jesus] made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death–even death on a cross!”
There’s an Indian word for friend that means “one who carries my sorrows on his back.” If that is the definition of a true friend, then today we have every reason to take a closer look at Jesus Christ. Today we celebrate our friendship with the Lord:
“What a Friend We Have in Jesus!”
I. He’s not ashamed to seek out sinners
II. He comes to us to save our lives
It’s been said that if you really want to know who your friends are, just make a mistake. Zacchaeus, the man in our text, had made his share of mistakes. He was a tax collector, a profession that in those days went hand-in-hand with corruption. Whatever these men could get by overcharging the people went directly into their pockets, so we’re not surprised when we’re told Zacchaeus “was wealthy” (v 2), especially since he was “a chief tax collector” (v 2). He had heard that Jesus was passing through town, and he wanted to get a look at him. He was too short to look over the crowds (ever been in the back of the crowd at a parade?), so he found a sycamore-fig tree to climb up. Perhaps he was a bit timid in approaching Jesus, so at least for now he would be satisfied to catch a glimpse of him.
There are many today who are a bit timid when it comes to finding out about Jesus and what he has to offer. Perhaps they’re shy. But there are some who may be afraid of what Jesus might have to say to them. They’re afraid to hear about what their sins have done to them. Like Zacchaeus, they’re content to view things from a distance, to keep from getting too involved.
But Jesus looks for those who are afraid to look for him. He invites himself into our homes. Zacchaeus found out that he was going to have company that day (v 5), “When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.’” A true friend is one who can come up to you and talk to you about the problems you might be going through. A true friend is there to help when you need it. Zacchaeus had a real problem–sin. And he wasn’t doing anything about it. Untreated sin is fatal–it leads to eternal death and damnation. Zacchaeus needed a friend.
The people who knew him were not his friends–they were his critics (v 7), “All the people saw this and began to mutter, ‘He has gone to be the guest of a ’sinner.”” Others looked down on Zacchaeus and wanted nothing to do with him. But Jesus was not afraid to be seen with him. Jesus is not ashamed to seek out sinners.
The last verse of our text tells us why Jesus is so eager to seek out sinners (v 10), “The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” What motivates Jesus to be the friend of sinners? It’s his great love for us! Jesus once said (Jn 15:13), “Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” Jesus came to be our friend, to save our lives from sin. What a Friend we have in Jesus!
True friendship is more than just words. A young boy was carrying a basket of eggs down the street to sell at the market place when he tripped on the curb and tumbled to the pavement. In the process every single egg was broken. A small crowd of onlookers gathered around the sobbing boy to see if he was O.K. Some shook their heads and said, “That’s too bad.” Others offered similar words of sympathy. But one man said, “I care fifty cents’ worth,” and handed the boy two quarters. Soon another did the same, followed by one after the other. In just a few minutes the body had enough money to cover the cost of the broken eggs.
God doesn’t just say, “I love you.” He also shows us his love. Romans 5:8 tells us, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Jesus didn’t just talk about friendship–he lived as our Friend and he died as our Friend. He had to live for us because we couldn’t live the perfect life that God demands of us. Then Jesus had to die for us–he had to ride into Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday even though he knew it meant death for him–because with his death we are given life. He died for our sins, giving us his perfection, his righteousness in the process. Jesus came to save our lives, and he did that by being our Friend. What a Friend we have in Jesus!
The result of his death? Our sins are wiped out. A friend of Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross, once reminded her of a very cruel thing that someone had done to her years before. But Miss Barton didn’t seem to recall the event. “Don’t you remember it?” her friend asked. “No,” Clara replied, “I distinctly remember forgetting it.” In the same way God intentionally forgets our sins for Jesus’ sake. Through faith in him we have full forgiveness and eternal life (Ps 103:12), “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” That’s the kind of love our God has for us!
The love of our Savior leads us to take great joy in being his friend. Notice Zacchaeus’ reaction to having Jesus come to him (v 8), “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” There was a change in his lifestyle because there was a change in his heart. He now wanted to put away his sinful past so he could serve his Lord in love for all that his Lord had done for him. He now knew what it meant to have Jesus as his Friend.
Our life also changes when we see what a Friend we have in Jesus. We put away the things of the sinful nature, the things that are displeasing to God. Instead we are led to worship our Lord, to honor him with the way we live, to obey his Word out of love, to trust in him in times of trouble, and to thank him for all the blessings we have. How can we do anything else? To ignore our Savior would be like having someone sell all he owns to buy you a precious gem, only to have you turn around and say, “Big deal.” Jesus gave up everything just so that you and I might live with him in heaven. His gift comes to us with no strings attached. As our Friend Jesus gave up his life to give us life eternal. What a Friend we have in Jesus!
There is a legend that tells of a wealthy merchant who heard about the Apostle Paul as he traveled around the Mediterranean world. On one occasion the man’s business took him to Rome where he made arrangements to meet the Apostle while he was in prison. Through Timothy the man was able to get to the prison cell, and there he found the Apostle Paul, looking much older and more haggard than he had expected. And yet there was a sparkle in his eye, and Paul eagerly shared his message of hope and life with this man. When finally the merchant had to leave the cell, he turned to Timothy and asked, “What is the secret of that man’s power? He has nothing and yet he speaks as though he has everything.” Timothy replied, “Paul is in love.” The merchant looked puzzled. “In love?” he asked. “Yes,” said Timothy, “Paul is in love with the Lord Jesus Christ.” The businessman looked even more confused and asked, “Is that all?” Timothy smiled and replied, “That, my friend, is everything.”
What a Friend we have in Jesus! Your best Friend Jesus has given everything for you. Let us give our all for him!
Amen
–Pastor Jonathan Rockhoff
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