november 23 2023
Thanksgiving 2023 November 23rd
Old Testament: Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Psalm: Psalm 56:1-13 vs 8
Epistle: Philippians 4:4-13
Gospel: Luke 17:11-19, 21:25-28, 34-36
Sermon
Text: Luke 17:11-19 and Luke 21
Sermon Title: “Thankful for
the Coming of the Lord”
Grace to you and peace, from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
As you know by now, we are in the final days of the Church Year. We have been hearing about the return of Christ in glory, to judge the living and the dead, and that will be the theme for at least one more Sunday. We have heard many of the warnings in Holy Scripture about the need to be ready for that day by receiving His gifts in Word and Sacrament. For example, last Sunday, we heard about the dangers of apathy, of taking God’s Word for granted. Through the prophet Zephaniah, the Lord declared, “I will punish the ones who are complacent, who say in their hearts, the Lord will not do good, nor will He do ill”. (Zephaniah 1:12b)
We talked a bit about the various ways that God comes to us today; especially in His Word and Sacrament, where we receive the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation that Christ won for all people by His atoning death on the cross nearly 2000 years ago. Christ, the Word, “became flesh and dwelt among us”; (John 1:14a) which is what we will celebrate during the Christmas season. For us and for our salvation, “He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death; even death on a cross”. (Philippians 2:8b)
So, on this Thanksgiving, we should be thankful for Christ’s first coming as a baby in Bethlehem, being born if the Virgin Mary, “to save His people from their sins”. (Matthew 1:21b) We should be thankful that He continues to come to us in His holy and precious Word, every time we study it or hear it rightly proclaimed.
We should be thankful for the Holy Sacraments; where Christ is present with us; for baptism which the Apostle Paul describes as the “washing of regeneration and the renewal of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5a) and “the washing of water with the Word”. (Ephesians 5:26b) We should be thankful for the Lord’s Supper, which we will celebrate momentarily. The words “given for you” and “shed for you”, indicate that “whoever believes these words has exactly what they say, the forgiveness of sins”. (Small Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar, Part III, explanation)
We should be thankful for Confession and Absolution; which gives opportunity for confessing our sins and then hearing the word of forgiveness “from the pastor, as from God Himself … and by firmly believing that by it our sins have been forgiven before God in heaven”. (Small Catechism, Confession, explanation)
Of course, we should be thankful for the material blessings that God richly and daily provides for us, which is literally, “everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body”. “We pray in this petition, give us this day our daily bread, (that we would) … receive our daily bread with thanksgiving”. (Small Catechism, Lord’s Prayer, 4th petition, explanation) So, we are to, “with thanksgiving, let our requests be made known to God”. (Philippians 4:6b)
Of course, according to Holy Scripture, we are to “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus our Lord”. (1st Thessalonians 5:18) “Giving thanks always and for everything, to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”. (Ephesians 5:20) Scripture is clear, we are to give thanks to God, even when our lives are not going the way we think they should; even when we suffer, illness or poverty or loneliness persecution.
Knowing that this wicked world has nothing good to offer us, we also give thanks to the Father, through our Lord Jesus Christ; for the promise of His coming again in glory. When we see the signs of distress in this world, “people fainting with fear and foreboding at what (judgment) is coming on the world” (Luke 26:21a) it should not cause great distress for the believer in Jesus Christ. For Jesus said, “When these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near”. (Luke 21:28)
This the great promise of God, who has told us in His perfect Word, that those who belong to Him; no matter what they/we endure in this life; whether “tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger or sword” (Romans 8:35), will be more than okay in the end. Christ doesn’t promise a life of ease and comfort and happiness, but He does promise to bring us through them all into our heavenly home. Does this not make you thankful? Remember the words of the Apostle Paul, “for me to live is Christ and to die is gain”. (Philippians 1:21)
This confident expectation of eternal life (after physical death) has been a great comfort to Christians for centuries now, in the face of the trials, sufferings, and persecutions of this life. We need in our own day, to rediscover this confidence in the nearness of heaven, of the (literal) reality of not only temporal death, but the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.
The warnings that we have been hearing in recent weeks, are so that we would not lose sight of these gracious truths about our Lord’s coming; that we would not be apathetic or complacent “and that day come upon us suddenly like a trap”. (Luke 21:34b) The threats of the Law and of eternal punishment are for the sake of the proclamation of the Gospel of grace, “that we may have the strength to escape all these things that are going to take place and to stand before the Son of Man”. (Luke 21:36)
The Scriptures do have a few things to say about the reality of “life everlasting” that all who trust in Christ alone are promised, (and we will examine some of those details in the Sunday Bible class over the next few weeks) but even more important than that, it testifies as to how to get there; how to avoid “the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels”. (Matthew 25:41b)
The Scriptures teach that we are not saved by any good works that we do, but rather, “by grace through faith (in Christ) … which is the gift of God”. (Ephesians 2:8) As we heard on Reformation Sunday; “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are redeemed by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus”. (Romans 3:22-24)
Because of His great love for all mankind, Christ Jesus our Lord sacrificed Himself on the cross for our sins; “for God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life”. (John 3:16) Because of His great love, Christ also declares (warns) that there is no other way to heaven than Himself, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Him”. (John 14:6) We should also be thankful for His great love shown to us “poor, miserable, sinners”, in rescuing us from an eternity on hell.
Finally, in summary, I will speak briefly about the purpose of these doctrines regarding eternal life and death, and how they bear on our present lives in this sinful world. First, so that we would repent of our sins and “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and be saved” (Acts 16:31) and be careful to remain in the faith until the end, for Jesus said, “be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of eternal life”. (Revelation 2:10b)
Second, so that we who believe in Christ, who are still in the world would believe that heaven is our true home; “for here (on earth) we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come”. (Hebrews 13:14) For the Apostle Paul taught, “set your minds on things that are above, not on the things of this earth”. (Colossians 3:2)
Third, so that our eager expectation of heaven would incite us to greater effort in holiness of life, of living out our faith in the world, “renouncing ungodliness and worldly passions, living self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age”. (Titus 3:12) As Jesus said, “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys”. (Matthew 6:20)
Fourth, so that even though we are “hated by all for His name’s sake” (Matthew 10:22a) in this life; we would “rejoice and be glad, for our reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you”. (Matthew 5:12) For the Word declares, “it is through many tribulations that we must enter the Kingdom of God”. (Acts 14:22b)
Fifth, that we would have the confidence and hope of eternal life even now, for Jesus said, “whoever believes in Me HAS eternal life” (even now). John 6:47) Yet, Paul also wrote, “if we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied”. (1st Corinthians 15:19) So, we who trust in Jesus look forward to “the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge will award to all … who have loved His appearing”. (2nd Timothy 4:8) Now, we look forward with thanksgiving to the day when “death is swallowed up in victory” and “thank God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ”. (1st Corinthians 15:54b, 57) “Encourage one another with these words”. (1st Thessalonians 4:13) Amen.
“The peace of God …