Sermon – November 29, 2020 – Advent 1

Printable PDF:  11-29-2020 Advent 1 Sermon

David R. Clark  ~  Mark 13:32-37  ~  November 29, 2020  ~  Advent 1

WATCH!

32“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. 35“Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”

 

Dear friends in Christ,

          If there is one thing we have learned it’s to watch. To be on time we are taught to check the time, especially your phone or the little clock on your wrist (which is why it’s called a “watch.”) We have been taught to stop when we see that red octagonal sign. No police officer who saw us not stopping would accept, “I didn’t see it.” And who here doesn’t know to look for a fever, loss of smell and taste, a dry cough as an indication of Covid-19.

     We are taught to watch as Christians, too. Today is the first Sunday in Advent. Advent means, “the coming,” Jesus’ coming. He, himself, tells us about watching.

 

  1. For personal indifference. (verse 33)

     Jesus says, 33Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.

     Jesus uses two different words warning us to watch, which mean the opposite of becoming drowsy or sleeping. It’s what a sentry would do. A sentry has to watch to keep the lives of everyone in his camp safe. The penalty in some armies for sleeping while on sentry duty was death because of the crucial nature of watching.

     So why would someone be indifferent or apathetic or just not watch? The people at the time of the apostles thought Judgment Day would come during their lifetimes. But it didn’t, and it hasn’t come, yet. And because that is so, some might be tempted to feel that “watching” isn’t all that important.

     We all know the signs of not watching. Is the enthusiasm of a new confirmand or a newlywed the same as their enthusiasm a year after their ceremony? One confirmand was so eager that she showed me she had put a small amount of money into her own personal offering envelope a week after confirmation. A year later the elders were calling on her.

     Are you keeping watch, or is tomorrow just another day? What if the Lord came tomorrow or today after church? Are you prepared for that? Is there any unfinished spiritual business you need to take care of if that did happen? Faithfulness is a marathon, not a sprint! Watch out for personal indifference.

 

  1. Your assigned task. (verse 34)

     It’s easier to avoid indifference if we watch our assigned tasks. 34It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

     The master of the house who has assigned the tasks is our God. Some tasks God gives to every Christian; tasks like avoiding false teaching and practice, being good stewards of his abundant gifts; and raising our children as Christians.

     But God has also given tasks to some that he has not given to others. Not everyone has the job of coordinating ministry, but we all help carry it out. Some are asked to serve on the Church Council or as elders or Sunday School teachers. We all rely on these people.

     Jesus did many things while he was on earth that can be a model of this. He preached some pretty good sermons and taught people. He helped people who were sick and dying. These were more general responsibilities. But God only sent Jesus to live perfectly under the law, suffer, die, and rise again. His task was to pay for our sins and assure us of our salvation so that we could put our faith in him and live forever. Watching means each of us faithfully carrying out our assigned tasks.

 

  1. For the Lord’s return. (verses 35-37)

     The final thing to watch for is the Lord’s return. 35“Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”

     Maybe this happened to you last Friday: you are in a slow checkout line with an armful of potential purchases. When you get to the front of the line, you find that the cashier is carrying on a texting conversation. What happens when her boss sees this?

     Sometimes we treat Jesus coming back like that. It’s like we think other things are more important. And that’s exactly the situation Jesus is warning us about. The watches mentioned by Jesus are the times from midnight to 6:00 a.m. The whole point is we can expect him to come at the time when people are least likely to expect him. So watch! Be awake! Be ready spiritually!

     I suppose it would be easier if we had a specific sign, a 2-minute warning that Jesus is coming. The Lord has done that very thing in the past. Remember this one:  A virgin will conceive and give birth to a baby boy and will lay him in a manger. Yet even a sign as specific as that was met with apathy. The number of people expecting Jesus when he was born was pretty small, even though it was a sign that the Savior of the world was coming to redeem us. That same Savior is coming back, not as a baby, but in glory and with power. This is our sign. In other words, Watch!

     Eight days from now we will mark one of the greatest military disasters in the history of our country, Pearl Harbor. It was a tragedy, certainly because of the great loss of lives and equipment used to defend ourselves, but even more so because we weren’t ready. The Lord is coming, too, don’t let it be a Pearl Harbor for you spiritually. Watch for indifference, watch your assigned task, and then watch for his return. He is coming. Be ready. Amen.

Sermon – November 26, 2020 – Thanksgiving

Printable PDF:  11-26-2020 Thanksgiving Sermon

Pastor Mark R Jacobson ~ THANKSGIVING  

November 26, 2020 ~ Acts 27:35

35After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all.  Then he broke it and began to eat.

 

GIVING THANKS TO GOD

 

“Are you sure YOU want to be giving thanks to God?” If I were on the ship with the Apostle Paul, I think I might be asking that question. I wouldn’t ask that question out loud. Heavens no! No Christian would ask that question out loud. And yet on the ship, with all that adversity, the question would definitely cross my mind, “Are you sure YOU want to be giving thanks to God?”

  1. In spite of adversity

The Apostle Paul was on his way to Rome to stand trial for preaching the gospel. The Apostle Paul along with Luke left Jerusalem and boarded a small ship in Caesarea. They made their way north and west along the coast to the city of Sidon and then Myra. In Myra Paul and Luke were transferred to a large ship with 276 passengers. The intention was to sail past Cnidus and through the many small islands of Greece, but a strong north wind drove their ship south to the island of Crete. In the city of Lasea a decision needed to be made. Should the ship winter in Lasea or travel to a better harbor about 50 miles up the coast? Paul, even though he was a prisoner, was a part of the conversation. Having completed 3 missionary journeys, Paul was an experienced traveler and had already been a part of three shipwrecks. Paul suggested they stay put, but the pilot and the owner of the ship thought they should push on and so they did. Soon after they set sail, a wind of hurricane force, called the Northeaster took them into the middle of the Mediterranean Sea.

The crew passed thick ropes under the ship to prevent their planks from popping apart. On the second and third days the crews threw cargo and equipment overboard to lighten their load and keep the deck from being overtaken by water. Luke writes in Acts 27:20, “When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.” What a 14-day journey they had been on!

We’ve been on quite a journey, too, this year! And who knows when it will end? Are you sure YOU want to be giving thanks to God? The Apostle Paul once wrote to the Thessalonians, “Give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Another person summarized those words this way: “We are to give thanks for both candy bars and dill pickles.” How easy it is to thank God for “candy bars,” for those things which taste sweet and bring joy to our lives. But how hard it can be at times to thank God for “dill pickles,” those things which taste sour and which make us pucker in distaste for life. For the Christian, though, both come from the hand of a gracious God, and for both of them thanks are in order.

Storms have a way of destroying our ship of self-importance. The pilot and owner were confident they could make it to a safe harbor. The seasoned sailors thought they knew all the tricks to keep a ship afloat. But in the end they weren’t as smart or as strong as they thought. They gave up all hope of being saved. In the same way our coronavirus storm of 2020 is doing a good job of destroying our ship of self-importance, too. Against popular belief, science will not solve our medical issues. Against popular belief, the right political leaders do not have the right answers to our local and national problems. Like the 276 passengers on that Alexandrian ship, we can’t be saved from the coronavirus or anything through our own smarts and strength. On our own, we couldn’t even put a meal on the Thanksgiving table today. Today, we give thanks for these “dill pickles” because through adversity we learn again and again how dependent we are to God for all that we have and all that we need.

  1. Because of his promised blessings

God does his best work when we give up on the idea that we can save ourselves through our own smarts and through our own strength. God is our provider, and he will give us our “dill pickles” when they best serve us, and God will give us our “candy bars” at the proper time because of his promised blessings.

On the ship God said to Paul, “Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you” (Acts 27:24). God provided that “candy bar” to Paul and the other 275 passengers.

God provides for us, too. In his grace and goodness, God doles out the king size and fun size candy bars. The king size candy bars are our eternal blessings. God gifts us with salvation and eternal life. God so loved the world, he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. God forgives our sins and doesn’t even hold a grudge against us. The Bible quotes God as saying, “I will forgive their wickedness and remember their sins no more” (Jeremiah 31:34b). God wants us to live with the calm and confidence that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ and no one can snatch us from his hand. These eternal blessings are king size “candy bars”!

And God provides us fun size “candy bars”, too. The fun size candy bars are our temporal blessings. God promises as long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease. God heals all our diseases. Whether God does that healing through the good, old practice of divine miracles or the slower practice of modern medicine is up to him. God is in charge. The Bible says all things are under his feet. Whether God rules over us through a theocracy as he once did with the Israelites with a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar fire at night or whether God rules over us through a democracy of choosing between weak and mortal people as God does now, God will faithfully rule all things for the benefit of believers. God is also the one who puts the food on our tables, so don’t test him. Don’t think you bought the food or cook the food with your own strength and smarts. God in his wisdom can take away those blessings, too. Everything that is good comes from God, and everything that isn’t good, God will make good for those who believe in him.

“Are you sure YOU want to join the alliance of people giving thanks to God?” Absolutely you do! Praise God from whom all blessings flow.” Amen.

Sermon – November 22, 2020 – Christ the King

Printable PDF:  11-22-2020 Christ the King Sermon

David R. Clark  ~  Matthew 27:27-31  ~  November 22, 2020  ~  Christ the King

WE NEED A KING…

27Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. 30They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. 31After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

 

Dear fellow subjects of our heavenly King,

People went to the polls earlier this month to decide a very important question: What kind of a president do you want? I think it is fair to say that people had some different answers to that question.

People feel that same way when they talk about Jesus. A large group of people near the Sea of Galilee wanted Jesus to be a Bread King. Others, including some of his disciples, wanted him to be a political/military King who would restore the glory of David and Solomon to Israel. Herod wanted him to be an entertainer. He would have given anything to see a miracle.

It’s no different today. Some people want Jesus to be the permissive king, who tells you what you are doing is fine, no matter what it is. Others want him to be someone who will give them health, wealth, or that certain someone, as if he is a Santa Claus King. There are also those today who want him to be the king that will fix everything they think is wrong with this country. That’s the political/military king again.

Pilate knew Jesus claimed to be a king, but was disinterested when Jesus told him his kingdom was not of this world. So what kind of a king is Jesus?

  1. Who knows our greatest need.

My earliest years in the ministry were spent knocking on a lot of doors. That’s what a missionary does. When someone would answer the door, I would introduce myself and tell them I was starting a new church. I asked them to do a short survey there at the door to find out what they felt was the greatest need a new church could supply. Overwhelmingly, they said, “More family ministry and activities for children and teens.”

What do you think your greatest need is? I will bet some, but not all of you, might agree with the people I surveyed. Others might focus in on sports or music activities. Twelve-step programs are very popular as are such social issues as feeding the hungry.

People today have big needs:  a better job, a cure for coronavirus, a little more time, a stronger relationship with your spouse, or your kids, or your friends? More confidence in the world around them? But are they really the greatest need? As legitimate as all of those needs may be, they could easily be like the 10th grader who inherits money from his grandmother. He may be sure that buying a new gaming system is the way to spend his inheritance. His parents might see it quite differently.

So what is our greatest need? What’s #1 on the list? What’s the thing we cannot do without? The answer is important because what we look for in a king, our king, will show us how we look at Jesus. I can tell you what God saw as our greatest need, and it was none of those things. He sent Jesus to be the solution to our greatest need, to be the king we needed.

  1. Who satisfies our greatest need. (verses 27-31)

What kind of king did he send? 27Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. 30They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. 31After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

What kind of a king is this? Who needs a king like that? We do. God knew that every single person that is born is taking one more step towards hell and there is nothing we can do to stop our slide into damnation.

We needed a king who would wear a crown of thorns. Having him stripped before a band of Roman soldiers and mocked with an old scarlet robe was a need. The world needed a king that would be beaten over the head with a reed staff. We needed a king who would be humiliated and publicly executed with criminals. It was only through these acts of savagery that the price of sin could be satisfied. God sent us the king we need, even though most people don’t know that’s our greatest need.

But we know! And that’s why we live the way we do. We are not disheartened when the whole world seems to be going sideways, because we know our King has won the victory. Even if we have a grim past or a difficult present we look to the future when every living creature will see that Jesus is the kind of King we need.

It is also why we come here to the Lord’s house. Nothing is more important, not your favorite football team playing the early games, not having family in from out of town, not the frustrations and fears of the week. It is practice for a great symphony of voices that will be raised on high when he comes again. Our lives and the decisions we make are a rehearsal for the day when he will come again with all his holy angels, the day when all of the troubles and distractions of this world will turn to dust and you and I will raise up our voices in a great unified anthem of praise to welcome his return.

Brothers and sisters, lift up your eyes! Your salvation is near. Praise Jesus with your entire life. Praise him and crown him, the King we need. Amen.

Sermon – November 15, 2020 – Saints Triumphant

Printable PDF:  Saints Triumphant – p. 15, Common Service, Communion

Pastor Mark R Jacobson  ~  Saints Triumphant Sermon  ~  November 15, 2020  ~  Matthew 25:1-13

A Parable to the Wise Christians  

1“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 6“At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ 7“Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ 9“‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ 10“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. 11“Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’ 12“But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ 13“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

Today is Saints Triumphant. We’ve already read the names of those who have transferred their membership from Grace Lutheran Church on earth to Saints Triumphant in heaven. On this day we also think about our family members and close friends who are home with the Lord in heaven. In a sense today is a sad day. We miss those members, and we miss our loved ones. Yet today is also a day of hopeful anticipation. On Saints Triumphant we pause and ponder that time when Jesus will make good on his promise to come back on the last day in the same way he left on his ascension and take all believers to be where he is. On that day all believers will be with Jesus in Paradise. Never again will they hunger. Never again will they thirst… God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 7:16).

Such a splendid outcome comes to us and all people through the means of the Gospel. The Gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ and what he does to save people. Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). Whoever believes in Jesus shall not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16). Whoever does not believe will be condemned (Mark 16:16). The stakes are high. Faith in Jesus is the dividing line between eternal life in heaven and eternal damnation in hell. There is nothing more important in all the world than your faith in Jesus Christ. That’s why our Gospel today on Saint’s Triumphant is a word to the wise, a parable to the wise Christians. Be prepared to believe for the long haul.

  1. Be prepared to believe for the long haul.

Jesus starts, “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.” The wedding custom of this parable is a little different than our wedding customs. The key difference is time. Our bridal couples sign the wedding certificate and enjoy the wedding celebration all in one day. In the parable, those two steps usually took a period of months. A point of interest:  Mary and Joseph were between these two steps when Mary learned she was to have a child, which was why Joseph at first considered a quiet divorce when he learned Mary was pregnant.

The ten virgins or bridesmaids in Jesus’ parable were looking for the coming of the bridegroom and the wedding celebration. If the bridegroom arrived in a timely manner everything would have been fine for all ten, but as you can already envision, the bridegroom was a long time in coming and so there was a potential problem percolating for 5 of those 10 bridesmaids. The five foolish bridesmaids had not prepared for such a delay. The five wise bridesmaids were prepared for the long haul.

A parable to the wise Christians, be prepared for the long haul. Don’t gamble with the fuel of your faith. There are times when I gamble with the propane of my gas grill. I know I should use charcoal like my father. The food tastes better, but I sacrificed taste for convenience a long time ago, and my conscience has accepted that. The trouble with propane, though, is you never really know how much propane is left. It’s good to have a spare and I do have a spare, but sometimes the spare propane tank is empty when the propane on the grill is empty. A propane gap is a bummer for dinner. A faith gap can be damning for a sinner.

That’s why Jesus is calling for wisdom. Are you a wise Christian or are you a foolish Christian? Will you be a faithful Christian all the days of your life, or will there be gaps in the flame of your faith? There are times when our faith is like a smoldering wick. During our tough times we can burn through faith faster than a RV burns through fuel on the freeway. We are tempted to lose our confidence in God and our patience with people. Tough times are tough, but good times can be even tougher. When life is good it’s easier to lose our humility before God and our appreciation of people. And yet God in his grace promises a bruised reed he will not break and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out (Isaiah 42:3). This promise of grace is connected to the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel of Jesus Christ is what made you a believer in the first place. That same gospel will one day transfer you from a believer on earth to a saint in heaven. And that same gospel is what fuels your faith now as you struggle to live for God all the days of your life. He will not leave you nor forsake. When tempted, he will provide a way out. When you are weak, He is strong. His power is made perfect in weakness. And that’s good because other people cannot believe for you.

  1. Other people cannot believe for you.

Jesus continues his parable, 6“At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ 7“Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ 9“‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ The Bible encourages sharing and in a real life scenario the bridesmaids would share their oil, but in the parable the oil represents faith in Jesus and you cannot share your faith. Each person must believe for himself. A wife cannot give some of her faith to her husband. Neither can grandparents believe their grandchildren into heaven. We can’t share the oil of our faith, but like the 5 wise bridesmaids, we can share the words of our mouth. What words would you share to someone who has a flickering faith? Go to church? Go to church when it’s safe? Watch the livestream? Watch the recording? Watch the recording by Saturday? There is a danger when we gather for church. It’s called Coronavirus. There is also a danger when we don’t gather for church. It’s called unbelief. On Sunday mornings, we are missing more than cookies and coffee. We are also missing Christian conversation, and I fear the damage is more than we realize. Come to church or join a Bible class or make an appointment for private communion. Don’t shut off every opportunity to have a Christian interaction because of the risk of coronavirus. Be encouraged in a real person-to-person way and encourage each other. The damage of unbelief is far greater than the damage of coronavirus. Your time of grace and the time of grace of other people will come to an end.

  1. Your time of grace will come to an end.

Jesus closes his parable, 10“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. 11“Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’ 12“But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ Again, at a normal wedding banquet, latecomers will still find their place at their table, but at the wedding supper of the lamb there will be no late admissions. So check the oil of your faith! Do you really believe that Jesus is the Son of God who gave his life for your sins? Those who do will want to rid their lives of sin with the same eagerness as they would rid their house of mice. That means you won’t make excuses for how you have been lazy with your prayer life and your Bible-reading life.

The point of Jesus’ parable is to be ready at any time. Make sure you are ready in the future as well. Don’t have any gaps in your devotion to Jesus. That’s God’s Word to the wise, a parable to the wise Christians who will surely celebrate at the wedding supper of the Lamb with all the triumphant saints who have gone before us. Amen.

Sermon – November 8, 2020 – Last Judgment

Printable PDF: 02 Last Judgment Sermon

THE DAY OF THE LORD IS COMING
I. So remain alert and sober
II. And encourage one another

Introduction:
Is this congregation like the Thessalonian congregation? Let’s check it out. Could Paul thank God for your good works produced by faith? For your labor produced by love? For patient endurance produced by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ? (1:3) Are you a model congregation to other believers around Arizona? Then you most likely wait patiently for God the Son to return from heaven to rescue us from the coming wrath. (1:10) If you believe in Jesus and believe that he is coming back to judge the living and the dead, then Judgment Day will be a good day. Today let’s consider that THE DAY OF THE LORD’S RETURN IS COMING. We are waiting patiently for Jesus to return so we will remain alert and sober, and encourage one another looking forward to a very happy ending to the history of this world.

I. So remain alert and sober
Paul explains that we remain alert and sober by holding firmly to our Christian faith. When you received God’s Word, which you heard from us, you did not receive it as the word of men but as the word of God (as it really is), which is now at work in you who believe. (2:13) Let’s do a self-check on whether you are like the Thessalonians: 1. Does your faith produce good works? 2. Does your love work hard to help others? 3. Does your hope produce a patient endurance waiting for Jesus to come back at the end of time to judge the world?
While Paul was in Athens, he sent Timothy to encourage this congregation to stand firm against the Tempter. When Timothy returned to Athens and reported the good news about their faith and love, (3:6) Paul was filled with joy. This good report encouraged Paul to pray for the Thessalonians (as I pray for you) that God the Father himself and our Lord Jesus increase your love for all people, so that God may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his saints. (3:12) We need to pray for each other to remain alert to the teachings of our God and to be sober as we apply the teachings of our God to our daily lives, guiding our thoughts, motivating our decisions, filling us with patient endurance in the face of all the problems of 2020. Judgment Day will not be like a jury trial where we hope the members of the jury side with us. Judgment Day will not be like an election where every vote must be counted and we must wait to find out if we will go to heaven. We have been elected by the Lord. We have an Advocate before the Father, Jesus Christ, the Righteous one. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Our Savior will win the case. The Judge has already declared us innocent. The DAY OF THE LORD IS COMING and we are not afraid.
Paul urges us to remain alert and sober and gets somewhat personal when he directs these believers to love one another just as you have been doing, to support others who are suffering for their faith in Macedonia, and to do it more and more. Paul writes, Make it your ambition to live a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with hands and mind to earn a living. Do this so that you are treating outsiders decently and setting a good example. (4:11) Jesus directed his disciples to do what is holy and honorable, to live a sanctified life, to avoid all immorality that the outside world will say, “See how they love one another!”
Be alert and sober so that when others are saying “Peace and security” and the Day of Judgment comes suddenly like a thief in the night, you won’t be caught napping on the job. Arm yourselves. Put on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. (5:8) With daily meditation, regular devotions, steadfast worship, heartfelt prayers, and sober behavior stay alert. Stand at the foot of the cross to remember what Jesus did for you. He took your sins to the grave. He rose to give you eternal life.

Transition: Tell yourself over and over again: “Jesus is my Savior. Jesus loves me; this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” I am not afraid of Jesus coming back to judge the world.

II. And encourage one another.
THE DAY OF THE LORD IS COMING – Judgment Day… and the end of the world is coming, so let us encourage one another to press on. One of the most encouraging passages that I love, is in chapter 4: Do not be ignorant of your loved ones who have gone before. Don’t grieve like those who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and in the same way we believe that God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. (4:14)
Paul gives us the whole picture: “We who are alive and left until the coming of the Lord will certainly not go on ahead of those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive will be caught up in the clouds together with them, to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore, encourage one another with these words. (4:15-18)
These are encouraging words.
Our text also encourages us. God did not appoint us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. (5:9-10) Do you feel that comfort? Do you take in that encouragement? Whether Bill and Lucille are dead and I am alive, we live together with Christ. Whether Lyndon and Marcy are dead and I am alive, we live together with Christ. Think that through for yourselves. Think of those who are asleep in Jesus. Think of those who have gone before. Think of those who are waiting in our heavenly home. Think of those you will stand with on Judgment Day without fear. Nobody but Christians have such encouraging words. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as you are doing. That is what we are doing in this congregation, here in church and on the internet. Remember these encouraging words.

Conclusion:
Paul closes this first letter to the Thessalonians with some more encouraging words. Admonish those who are idle. Live at peace with one another. Encourage those who are discouraged. Help those who are weak. Be patient with everyone. Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks. Strive to do good to each other and to everyone else. (5:14-15) That sounds like a lot of people I know. That sounds like the believers in Thessalonica. That sounds like the members of Grace.

May the God of peace himself sanctify you through and through, and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls you is faithful and he will do it. (5:23-24) The day of the Lord is coming. Judgment Day is coming. And we are not afraid!

Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! Amen!

Sermon – November 1, 2020 – Reformation

Printable PDF:  11-1-2020 Reformation 2020

David R. Clark  ~  Mark 10:46-52  ~  November 2, 2020  ~  Reformation

WHEN JESUS COMES TO TOWN

46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. 51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” 52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

 

Dear friends in our Savior Jesus,

          I want to start this morning by thanking all of you who sent me cards, texts, emails and especially for those of you who prayed for me. It was truly appreciated. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am healing quickly and doing fine.

          With that said, I learned a few things during the past three weeks that I never expected to learn. I learned that daytime TV is HORRIBLE! I was also amazed at 10-12 phone calls every day from people running for office. That doesn’t count the 4-5 cards in the mail every day and the commercials. It also seems that our presidential candidates think Arizona is the place to visit. Over and over again they have come to town and reporters dutifully show people excited and inspired by their candidates.

          Jesus had that experience in Jericho. You know Jericho in the Old Testament as the place where the walls came tumbling down. In the New Testament Jericho had a reputation as a low city. It’s almost 800 feet below sea level, close to the Jordan River and the Dead Sea. But it was also low because the people who tended to live there were not the respectable part of society. So when Jesus came to town, the people were excited and agitated and provoked and inspired.

 

  1. People got shook up!

          46 As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. 51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” 52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

          Being blind meant a challenging existence. Bartimaeus couldn’t work, so he begged. If he got a handout, he ate. If he didn’t get a handout, he didn’t eat. People were used to hearing him beg but they didn’t want him raising a ruckus when this celebrity, Jesus, came to town. Then Jesus shook everything up. Bartimaeus called out to Jesus. Jesus answered and everything changed.

          Bartimaeus threw off his cloak and came as quickly as a blind man could. Jesus healed his blind eyes but more importantly, he healed his blind heart. The man believed and his life changed. When Jesus came to town, the gospel shook things up.

 

  1. Martin Luther shook things up.

          There was blindness at the time of Martin Luther too. But the greatest blindness was spiritual. They had churches and worship services and choirs and organs and clergy but still were spiritually blind. So the church came up with all kinds of tricks to get people involved, tricks like promising people they could get their dead relatives into heaven for a certain amount of money.

          Then Jesus came to town. Martin Luther learned through the Bible that people are saved by faith alone apart from anything we do and he began to preach that message to eliminate the spiritual blindness of his time. Many who were spiritually blind called out to Jesus. Jesus called them to be his own and everything changed.

          Clergy preached the forgiveness of sins through Jesus and people rejoiced. Offerings were given but out of a thankful heart to Jesus. Gathering together in worship became a blessed privilege. The gospel shook people up.

 

  1. We still get shook up.

          The gospel still shakes people up today. There are so many people, even spiritual people, who walk around spiritually blind. Paul describes them as (2 Ti 3:5) having a form of godliness but denying its power. Without Jesus, without the gospel, they are lost and don’t even know it.

          By nature we are all spiritually blind beggars. So what has happened in your life since we learned what corona virus was? Does your family worship hour have the same prominence today that it had? Do you still rejoice and participate in the fellowship of your church in whatever way you are able to celebrate it? Are the sacraments a priority? Or are you more focused on local and national elections than you are on your spiritual life? Just like those people in Jericho, we can become spiritually blind spectators – that is, until Jesus comes to town.

To be clear, Jesus is here calling each of us out of our spiritual blindness. He is here to touch our hearts and give us hope. He is here to show us the nail holes in his hands and feet, to show us the marks of his love. He is here in the sacrament and whenever two or three of us come together in his name. He is here ruling over our lives and the world for our benefit. Jesus is also here today shaking us all up through his gospel.

          On Tuesday people to elect those who will be God’s servants. If you have not voted, please do so. But as important as your vote is, please do not lose sight of the most important thing in your life! One of the last things Martin Luther wrote, which was found after he died was this:  “We are all beggars.”  Continuing to hear the gospel of Jesus and the forgiveness of sins through him alone is what we need the most. Our focus is on restoring sight to the spiritually blind, healing the hurts of the broken-hearted, and shaking the apathetic from their indifference. That is what happens when Jesus comes to town. Amen.