Rev. Charles Lehmann + Populus Zion + Luke 21:25-36 In the Name of + Jesus. Amen.
In the ancient world, signs in the heavens were never ignored. In the east, astrologers lived lives of luxury and privilege because the kings of those lands depended on them to interpret the signs. In Rome, augurs were always consulted before important decisions were made. The fate of men and nations could be decided by what an animal's intestines looked like or the way birds were flying that day. The ancients were superstitious. They assigned meaning to the position of the stars, the weather, and all sorts of other things. Today we've escaped much of the superstition of the past. The superstitions of today are often elementary school jingles like “Step on a crack, break your back” and “Never let a black cat cross your path.” They are taken seriously when we're young and ignored when we grow older. The older we get, the more we're immersed in the naturalism of our age. We quit skipping across the seams in sidewalks, and we pet the black cat instead of running away from it. We are too sophisticated for childish superstitions. We know the world doesn't actually work that way. In the ancient world, Satan was very happy with the superstitions of the masses. He encouraged them. He multiplied their idolatries at every opportunity. In Rome the rich built temples to every god of every nation. They wanted to cover all their bases. In Greece, they went so far as to even erect a temple to the “unknown” God... just in case they missed one. We, of course, look at all this and chuckle, even though our country is filled with pagan temples, mosques, and thousands of other buildings erected to the false gods that Americans have been so clever at inventing. The conflict in our world is between paganism and naturalism, and our Christian confession is often the odd man out. Even as Christians, we want to be able to explain everything scientifically, but the fact is that we can't. We worship a man who is risen from the dead. We gather in the name of the Triune God, the Creator of the Universe. This God is the author of all true science and is at the same time completely free from its laws. But none of us have ever seen the God whom we worship with our own eyes. We weren't there when He turned water into wine, freed people from demonic affliction, cured leprosy with a touch, and raised the dead with a Word. But even though we believe in dozens of historical events that fly in the face of our scientific knowledge, we still want to be modern. We still want to be skeptical when it comes to assigning spiritual meaning to what we see in the world each day. We believe in the miracles revealed to us in the Scriptures, but when we look up into the sky and see the moon's shadow obscure the light of the sun, we call it an eclipse and look up the scientific explanation for it on the Internet. We never think to look for the explanation in the Scriptures. Our Lord reveals to us the meaning of the eclipse in Luke, chapter 21, but to us it still seems like assigning any sort of spiritual meaning to an eclipse, an earthquake, or a falling star is going too far. We'd rather talk about plate tectonics and the Earth's orbit passing through the tail of a comet rather than admit thatJesus is telling us something through these signs in the heavens. Satan is just as happy with us as he was with the ancients. The temples we erect to our false god of science are just as numerous and just as spiritually useless to us as every stone temple ever erected by the ancients of Greece, Rome, and Persia. That's not to say that science isn't a good gift of God. It is. But we must always remember that science can only take us so far. Science can give us the mechanics of the signs, but it can never give us the meaning. Only God can do that, and He has. He has given it all to us in the Scriptures. Jesus says, “When these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” That, dear Christian friends, is the meaning of the signs in the sun, moon, and stars. Straighten up! Lift up your heads! Your redemption is drawing nigh. The signs are all around you, and they have been since the day you were born. Jesus is coming on the clouds of heaven. He will raise all the dead, and He will judge every human creature. Straighten up! Lift up your heads! Your redemption is closer now than when you first believed. The signs are all around you, but they're easy to ignore. To think that a falling star means Jesus is coming back sounds too much like astrology. But Jesus is not talking about astrology in Luke 21. Astrology seeks to learn God's will apart from the Scriptures. It is idolatry. Astrology claims that through a cleverly designed human system we can learn what God is up to without paying attention to what He has revealed to us in the Scriptures. That's why even at their very best horoscopes are completely useless to us. Not even the most clever of sinful men can discern the will of God by his own reason. The foolishness of God is wiser than men. We cannot learn the will of God in any way other than the one which He has revealed. We learn God's will only in His Word. We learn it only by reading, studying, and listening to the Holy Scriptures. It is in them that we find the words of eternal life. It is in them that our sins are forgiven. It is in them that we learn that signs point to the return of our Savior. Straighten up! Lift up your heads! Your redemption is drawing nigh! Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. The leaves have fallen from the trees and the cold winter wind chills us when we go outside, but though the world tells us that the long Garrett County winter is on its way, the Word of God interprets the signs a different way. Every time the earth shakes, a star falls, the sun darkens, or the moon is eclipsed, we are being told that our redemption is coming near. Jesus is on the clouds, waiting for the moment that His Father will send Him to claim you as His own. Your Savior wants you to be ready for that day and that hour. He wants your anticipation to be filled with joy. For you, the signs in the heavens and the earth are signs of coming joy. They are signs that the last day is coming when you will receive every gift of body and soul that Christ has won for you on the cross. But the last day will not be that way for all people. For those who do not trust Christ as their Savior from sin, death, and the power of the devil, the signs in the heavens have a different meaning. For them, the signs come as a warning. Their days are numbered. The end is near. If they continue in unbelief, their lives of sin and dissipation will end in a day of eternal death. Their Lord will come for them in judgment and in wrath. Because they have held on to their sins, they will not be forgiven. Because they trust only themselves, they will never receive the Lord's mercy. The signs have a different meaning for them. To the unbeliever, the message of the signs is: “The kingdom of heaven is at hand! Repent and believe the Gospel.” As you hear that, you might be thinking, “Unbelievers aren't the only ones who need to hear that! I sin too. I also need the forgiveness of the Gospel.” If you're thinking that, you are right. The signs of the heavens are a call to every sinner to repent, whether they are Christians or not. Our Lord desires that alll of you believe the Gospel. He wants that because it will change your fear into joy. Jesus wants you to wait in eager expectation because when your Savior comes for you He will be coming as the Lamb who was slain but now lives forevermore. He will be coming as the Crucified One. He will come as the one who was dead but is now alive. He will come as the one who carried your sins to the cross. He will come as the innocent Lamb who was slain that you might live. He will come as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. He will come to trample down all your enemies and cast them into hell forever. When Jesus comes for you, He will come as your Savior, your Redeemer, your Lord, and your Deliverer. In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in faith in Christ Jesus. Amen. Rev. Charles R. Lehmann Pastor, Saint John's Lutheran Church, Accident, MD http://www.stjohncove.org ___________________________________________________________________________ 'CAT 41 Sermons & Devotions' consists of works that are, unless otherwise noted, the copyrighted property of the various authors; posting of such gives members of this list implied consent for redistribution _with_ _attribution_ unless otherwise specified by the author, as well as for quoting or use in a congregational setting _with_or_without_attribution_. Note: This list's default reply is to the *poster*, NOT the list. Do *not* reply to the list with your comments, but to the poster. Subscribe? Send ANY note to: [email protected] Unsubscribe? Send ANY note to: [email protected] Archive? <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/> For more information on this or other lists offered by Confess And Teach For Unity, you can contact the CAT 41 list administrator at: Rev. Fr. Eric J. 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