Archive for November, 2006

This coming 1st Sunday in Advent, 12/3/06, marks the beginning of a new series of the 3-year lectionary in two ways. First, it begins Year C and second, it begins the new Revised Lutheran Lectionary which this Blog will use. The Old Testament reading is from Jeremiah 33:14-16 (The LORD our Righteousness) and the Epistle is 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 (Establish blameless hearts). There are two options for the Gospel; the first being Luke 19:28-40 (Palm Sunday) and the second being Luke 21:25-36 (Son of Man and Judgment Day). The passage chosen to analyze is Luke 21:36, “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

The season of Advent (from the Latin verb “venire” meaning “to come”) refers to the coming of our LORD Jesus Christ (1) in the Bethlehem stable; (2) into our hearts at conversion and (3) on Judgment Day. This text from Luke 21 speaks of Judgment Day. The first problem with verse 36 is that some Greek manuscripts read, “that you may be counted worthy” from the verb “kataxioo” while others read, “that you may have strength” from the verb “katischuo”. The New King James uses the first while the English Standard Version uses the second.

To be counted worthy would be something that God decides on the basis of our relationship to Him through faith in Jesus Christ and would not cause much of a difficulty. That’s why we will instead deal with the other translation that gives the impression that on the Day of Judgment you need to pray that you will have strength to escape hell itself. What is this strength that provides a way of escape?

In all other religions of the world except Christianity, the strength is YOUR resolve and obedience to follow the Will of God in some way. These religions attempt to give you information as to how to have sufficient strength to overcome the wrath of their gods on the Day of Judgment. But Christianity is different in that God gets all the credit for our salvation, not us. How then can we understand those English translations that prefer “pray that you have strength to escape”?

Scripture interprets Scripture. In this situation we examine how the Greek words for “strength” and for “escape” are used elsewhere. For the word “strength” Matthew 16:18 quotes Jesus saying the following, “…on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” The word “strength” is translated as “prevail.” That means that not even Hell itself has the strength to overcome the Church! Our strength is not of ourselves; it is that of the Church–the body of believers with Christ as our Head. He prevails for us not only here on earth but also on the Day of Judgment in which He testifies to the Father that all believers in Him have had their sins forgiven and are worthy to enter heaven.

For the word “escape” we go to Hebrews 2:3, “…how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him.” What is this salvation that was spoken by the Lord? It is none other than the Gospel which only Christianity reveals that in Christ, all believers have not only had their sins forgiven but also are wearing that robe of righteousness received in their baptismal adoption.

The strength we need to escape the wrath of God is none other than the accomplished work of Jesus Christ in dying for our sins and rising for our justification. We are prepared for that Day of Judgment not with our own strength but by the promises and strength of God Himself Who continues to work in His holy Church of saints who receive the precious Word and Sacraments as the revealed means God uses to save.

This is not only the Last Sunday in the Church Year on 11/26/06; it is also the last time we will be using the present 3 year lectionary system of readings. Next week all the readings will be from the new 3 year lectionary system referred to as the Revised Lutheran Lectionary. For this Sunday there are 2 choices for the Old Testament reading: Isaiah 51:4-6 (Salvation has gone forth) and Daniel 7:13-14 (Ancient of Days); 2 choices for the Epistle reading: Jude 20-25 (Keep you from stumbling) and Revelation 1:4b-8 (Alpha and Omega); and 2 choices for the Gospel reading: Mark 13:33-37 (No one knows the time) and John 18:33-37 (Pilate and Jesus). The text chosen to analyze is Isaiah 51:4 which reads, “Listen to Me, My people; and give ear to Me, O My nation: for law will proceed from Me, and I will make My justice rest as a light of the peoples.”

Do you really want a god of justice? The theme for this Sunday is the great and awesome Day of Judgment. Every religion of the world teaches that on that Day God will judge you on the basis of His justice; that is, giving you what you deserve. Except for Christianity. It is not that the Christian faith has no concept of the justice of God; it is just that it is so different from any other religion.

As every other religion which has a personal god teaches, on that last Day the god will examine your life as to your own works and give you what you deserve. The more obedient you have been on earth; the greater your chance for salvation. But for the Christian your own works will not be the measure of whether or not you are saved. Instead, through faith in Jesus Christ, you will be declared to have received the righteousness of Christ that He achieved while on earth. A glorious exchange will have taken place at your conversion when God took your sins, placed them on the cross of Christ and gave you His robe or righteousness.

That God is “just” is correct but not according to the understanding of the world. His justice is not that He gives you what you deserve for that would be temporal and eternal punishment for your sins. Instead, he justly forgives you not on account of anything you have contributed to the process of salvation but because of the gift of the death and resurrecction of Jesus Christ. For Jesus did what you and I are unable to achieve; that is, pay for our sins and remove the curse of the Law from us which reads, “In the day that you sin, you shall surely die.”

Jesus took that curse upon Himself as is evident from His own words from the cross, “My God, My God, what have You forsaken Me?” In that way, God’s justice for you and me becomes a light that rests on us who were once in the darkness of unbelief. What a joy to realize that on the Last Day the believer has nothing to fear for He enters into everlasting Paradise wearing the robe of Christ’s righteousness forever and ever.

As the church year draws to a close, the three appointed readings for the 3rd Last Sunday in the Church Year are Daniel 12:1-3 (the Last Day); Hebrews 10:11-16 (the new covenant) and Mark 13:1-13 (Hated for His sake). The passage chosen to apply in the sermon is Daniel 12:2 which reads, “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.”

At first reading, this passage sounds like every other religion in the world that speaks of some going to eternal life and others to eternal death. In verse 2 those who go to hell are described as receiving everlasting shame and contempt. The reason is obvious. The shame and contempt is in light of their countless sins. But who of us have not sinned by thought, word or deed? What hope is there for any of us?

Verse 1 speaks of those who are delivered as those who are “found written in the book.” Note that it does not read those who write themselves into the book. No, their names are found in the book because they were written by someone else. And that someone else is none other than God Himself. How though could He be blind to the fact that all are sinners and fall short of the glory of God?

The answer is found in Hebrews 10:17 in which the new covenant reveals that “their sins and lawless deeds I will remember no more.” So God isn’t blind; He’s just forgetful? How can the all-knowing, omniscient God forget anything? However, we jump to the wrong conclusion if we imagine that “forgetting” in this verse has something to do with the memory. It rather has to do with an action.

Two five-year olds are wrestling on the floor. One hits the other who responds, “I’m not going to forget that!” What does he mean? He means that he is going to get even. So also, if God remembers your sins, He holds you accountable for them; if He forgets your sins, you are forgiven. How can that happen? It happens because of the sufferings, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ Who took upon Himself the punishment you and I should have received.

Through faith in the work of our Savior, Christ Jesus, God no longer regards believers as sinners. We are justified in His sight which means we are accounted as righteous. The righteousness is not that of our own but that from Jesus Christ Himself. As verse 14 of Hebrews 10 reveals, “For by one offering (that of Christ) He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.” Salvation is a gift including the faith that God implants in our hearts to cling to Jesus and Him alone for eternal salvation.