December 1 2021

 

Wednesday December 1st 2021

Old Testament: Zechariah 9:9-12

Epistle: Colossians 1:13-20

Gospel: Luke 1:5-25

Sermon Text: Luke 1 and Colossians 1

Sermon Title: The Person of Christ

Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

In our reading from the Lutheran Confessions a moment ago, we heard in some detail, the teaching of our church regarding the person of Christ; especially the fact that according to Holy Scripture, He is both true God and true man. The theological term for this is the “personal union” and it is summarized in the Formula of Concord in this way;  

“The person of Christ is not divided. Nor are the natures with their characteristics mixed together with each other into one essence. Nor is the human nature denied or destroyed in the person of Christ … rather Christ is and remains for all eternity God and human being in one inseparable person, which is the highest mystery after the mystery of the Holy Trinity. In this mystery lie our only comfort, life and salvation”. (Paragraph 18, Epitome, Article VIII, page 512, Book of Concord; Kolb/Wengert edition) This is what the Bible teaches about Christ in many and various places.

The Apostle Paul affirms this teaching on the person of Christ in the Epistle this evening. That Jesus is true God is made clear in that “by Him were all things created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible … all things were created through Him and for Him, and in Him all things hold together … He is (in) the beginning … in everything (He is) preeminent”. (Colossians 1:16-18)  

That Jesus is true man is made clear as well. “He is the firstborn of the dead … in Him the fulness of God was pleased to dwell … and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, making peace by the blood of His cross”. (Colossian 1:18b-20) “You, He has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death”. (Colossians 1:22a) “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness (Satan’s Kingdom) to the Kingdom of His beloved Son in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:13-14) and the promise of eternal life.

Many other Scriptures affirm both of these truths about the Person of Christ. Jesus is true God according to the following Scriptures. The author of Hebrews declares that Jesus “uphold the universe by the word of His power”. (Hebrews 1:3) The Apostle John also wrote that Jesus; “the Word was God”. (John 1:1b) and the Apostle Paul said in the book of Romans “Christ is God over all”. (Romans 9:5) The angel Gabriel said to Mary that the child to be born to her would be called, “the Son of God”. (Luke 1:35c) The Gospels are full of such examples of Jesus’ deity in that He is said to be all powerful and all-knowing and that He performs countless miracles and healings, including raising people from the dead.

Scripture also clearly affirms true Jesus’ humanity. Paul wrote that “there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus”. (1st Timothy 2:5) In the Old Testament reading, Zechariah speaks of him “coming to you … humble and riding on a donkey”. (Zechariah 9:9b) The Gospels are also full of examples of Jesus’ humanity; the fact that He was born, hungered and thirsted, walked the earth, preached and taught, wept, slept, suffered and died on the cross; (these) all show He was true man; though as true God, He was without sin.

We believe, teach, and confess these truths about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; which also means that we reject any teachings about Jesus that are contrary to God’s Holy Word; such as the idea that Christ is not true God or that He does not have a human nature. We also reject the idea that it is impossible for Christ to be in more than one place at the same time; for example, in the Lord’s Supper.  

We reject these and many other such twisting of Scripture regarding the person of Christ because; “If such false teaching is not contradicted on the basis of the firm foundation of God’s Word and our simple Christian Creed; Christ would be completely lost, along with our salvation”. (Paragraph 39, Epitome, Article VIII, p. 514) We accept what the Word of God says about Christ, because we know that these accounts in Holy Scripture are true and historically accurate.

Luke declares in his introduction to the Gospel “It seemed good to me to, having followed these things closely for some time, to write an orderly account for you … that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught”. (Luke 1:3-4) “Luke introduces his Gospel as a (reliable) historical record of Jesus’ life and teachings”. (Lutheran Study Bible, page 1704, note on 1:1-4) So, the accounts we hear of Jesus’ birth in both Luke and Matthew are (like all Holy Scripture) to be considered trustworthy and true.  

From very early on, the church also took its cues in setting church holidays from these and other Scriptures. Just to give you one example from the Gospel text; according to Luke, Zechariah was from the priestly order of Abijah. We know from history that his turn to serve in the temple would have been between late August and late September. While he was serving in the temple, the angel announced to Zechariah, “your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will call his name John”. (Luke 1:13)  

Luke then records; “After these days, his wife Elizabeth conceived” (Luke 1:24a). Assuming she conceived within a month of the angels promise, 9 months later would put the date of John the Baptist’s birth as late May to late June. Knowing this, historically the church has celebrated the birth or “Nativity of John the Baptist” on June 24th.

Also of note, from later in Luke 1, we hear these words, “in the sixth month (meaning since the announcement to Zechariah) the angel Gabriel was sent by God to the city of Galilee in Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph … and the virgin’s name was Mary”. (Luke 1:26-27) So, six months after Elizabeth conceived would have been late February to late March; which is when the church celebrates the “Annunciation of our Lord” on March 25th. Of course, nine months after that is when we celebrate Christmas. It all fits together quite nicely. As the church has always known.

Now, many rejoiced at the birth of John the Baptist as the angel Gabriel foretold, and everything else he spoke came to pass as well; “He will be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb, and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before Him (the Christ) in the spirit and power of Elijah … to make ready for the Lord a people prepared”. (Luke 1:15b-17) This was John’s ministry; to prepare the people for the coming of Christ.  

John the Baptist is the messenger that the Lord announced through the prophet Malachi; “He will prepare the way before Me”. (Malachi 3:1a) As the Scriptures declare, “John came … to bear witness to the light, so that all might believe (in Christ) through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light”. (John 1:7-8) “He bore witness that this (Jesus) is the Son of God … even the Lamb of God, who came to take away the sin of the world”. (John 1:34, 29b)  

This was John’s calling in life, to bear witness to the worlds only Savior; the God-man Jesus Christ our Lord. For his trouble, John died a martyr’s death, being beheaded for speaking truth to the king; calling him to repentance for his adulterous ways. In all this, the Lord used John to prepare the people for His coming.

Finally, getting back to the Person of Christ, we strive to be faithful in our proclamation of His redeeming work on the cross, knowing that salvation is found in Him alone. In this doctrine of the Person of Christ, and every other doctrine, we pledge our faithfulness to the Word of God, which testifies of the forgiveness of sins and eternal life that He has won for us. The Holy Scriptures are “the one true guiding principle, according to which all teachers and teachings (in the church) are to be judged and evaluated”. (Solid Declaration, Preface, par. 3, p. 527) God grant that we would be faithful in all that we believe, teach, and confess. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, to life everlasting. Amen.

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