Intro
What an experience it must have been to be in the Old Testament Church. There
you are in the Temple. Gold sparkles in the sun. Finely polished wood enamors
the eye. Rich tapestries, exquisite engravings, and the flawlessly hewn stone
adorn the Temple of God.
And just as memorable must have been the sacrifices offered within.
Occasionally you would see and take in the incense wafting up into heaven and
the smell of roasted lamb from the morning and evening sacrifices. What vivid
reminders God gave to show that real forgiveness was being given for the sins
of the people.
Main Body
But those sacrifices of old did not forgive sins in and of themselves. They
only forgave sins because they pointed forward to THE sacrifice of sins that
Jesus would one day make on Golgotha’s stony slope.
And so God’s old-covenant people lived in hope. It was a hope that looked
forward to the day when the Savior, the Messiah, would come and fulfill all the
sacrifices they saw, felt, smelled, and experienced in the Temple.
But we, too, in the new covenant also live in hope. We live in hope, knowing
the same Savior who once came to take away sins, will come back and take us to
Himself in heaven. Jesus has already fulfilled the ancient hope, for He came
and atoned for sins. Now He will come yet once more and bring all believers
into His eternal kingdom.
Jesus wants us to live, eagerly looking forward to that moment. We are to
believe and trust that Jesus is, indeed, coming, and that hope will bring us
the peace and joy to live out the faith and to keep us in His heavenly kingdom.
Our epistle reading tells us, “Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.
The Lord is at hand.” That word “reasonableness” doesn’t fully give us the
richness of what the Apostle Paul was getting at. When we think of
reasonableness, we think of not going to extremes, of taking the middle road.
But that’s not the idea here. That’s because one word in English can’t carry
the richness of what Paul was getting at.
What then was Paul getting at? He meant gentleness, consideration, the
opposite of being stern and overly harsh. He meant being gentle, kind,
patient, and yielding to others. Psalm 103 describes this trait well: “As a
father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who
fear Him. For He knows what we are made of, remembering that we are dust.”
(Psalm 103:13-14).
That’s the love we are to show and live toward others--to friend and foe alike,
especially to the weak and helpless. We are to be kind, generous, and
thoughtful, not selfish, rough, or pushy.
But it’s one thing knowing that we should live such love toward others; it’s
another to create it. The Law says, “Love your neighbor as yourself”
(Leviticus 19:18). But here’s the problem: the Law can’t make you love your
neighbor; it can at most only change outward behavior. It can only threaten
and punish you for not doing it.
Where then can such a spirit of gentleness and consideration come from? The
Apostle Paul attaches the power right after he says how we are to live when he
writes, “The Lord is at hand.” Jesus is coming soon. Not only has Jesus given
His life for you to take away your sins and make you a holy in the eyes of God,
but soon He will come to bring you into His eternal presence.
That’s what we look forward to and hope for! Although our sinful nature may
fear death, the new self given us in faith looks forward to being in God’s
eternal presence. The hope of heaven gives us the peace that passes all
understanding, peace with God, and even peace with the world.
The hope of heaven overcomes worry. To worry is to be anxious about something,
and it comes from uncertainty, not knowing how something will turn out. Will
it succeed or fail? Will I live or die, be praised or disgraced, be rich or
poor?
Often, that’s how we live in the world, when our sinful nature runs the show.
When that happens, we grab and fight to have our own way. We try to pile up
money, position, and security, because who knows what will happen? And when
we are selfishly struggling to get our way, we fume at others because they
frustrate us. That’s what worry is. The Lord’s apostle says, “Do not be
anxious about anything.”
But of course we are. We look to the future, and the unknown frightens us.
But Paul still says, “Do not be anxious about anything.” Don’t worry about
anything. God is not dead; Jesus lives! He rose from the dead and sits at the
right hand of God the Father, and everything is under His control--everything!
Does your life seem like a war zone? God makes the forge, the iron, and the
fire, and He promises, “No weapon forged against you will prevail. . . . This
is the heritage of the Lord’s servants, and their righteousness is from Me”
(Isaiah 54:17). Whatever threatens, the Lord is your mighty fortress, a shield
which cannot fail you. What then do you have to fear?
The Lord is coming! He is the same Lord who reigns victoriously in glory, with
all power. And we share our inmost thoughts with Him through prayer. In times
of affliction, we are much like our marines and soldiers in Afghanistan. They
are exposed and in danger. But when enemy fire strikes at them, they call out
on the radio for help, and helicopters come from above and rain down fire from
heaven. Prayer is calling to God for help like that, and our Lord wipes out
our enemies according to His will.
So we read, “In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let
your requests be made known to God.” Often the problem we have with prayer is
not that God doesn’t answer, but that we do not pray. We are to be constant
communication with God. Never do we find that He is not at the other end. We
are but to direct our thoughts to heaven and tell our Savior what burdens us,
and He will see that all things work together for good to them that love God.
Does something bother you? Are you in need? Are you thankful for anything?
Tell your Lord. Talk to Him, confide in Him; He understands. If it is not
good for you, He won’t give it--but God won’t deny you anything that will be of
eternal blessing to you. Pray and do not worry.
The hope of salvation also sustains our souls. Hear now God the Holy Spirit
through the Apostle Paul, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all
understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Where
does this peace of God come from? It comes from Jesus Christ. Only in Christ
has God forgiven us and accepts us.
By faith, we are given the benefits of Jesus’ perfect and holy life. That’s
the only reason we are heirs of eternal life. That’s why we are heaven-bound.
Is there not peace in this? Know that heaven is near. Be at peace. For
because of Jesus Christ, God is for you and not against you.
This peace we have is beyond the understanding of the world. We can only face
death unafraid, even amid the fears of our sinful nature, because we know what
is on the other side. The world cannot understand how anyone can willingly die
for his faith, or go without sexual pleasure, or keep his hand from taking
money lying loose. But it’s not hard for us to understand, when we walk by
faith and not by sight.
For we are at peace, the peace that is beyond understanding. This peace is
foreign to those outside the faith. But even we, who have this peace, cannot
fully understand it, because it is so deep, so strong, and so calm. It is a
divine peace, a mystery beyond our understanding, for it is the peace of Christ
and the Holy Spirit.
We notice that this peace will “keep your hearts and minds.” Where does sin
come from? Our hearts, which in this case refers to our sinful flesh from
within. “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual
immorality, theft, false witness, slander” (Matthew 15:19). All such evil
lurks within our sinful flesh, and if God would not guard us with His peace,
His grace, His forgiveness of sins, our sinful yearnings would break out like a
basketful of poisonous vipers.
And where do doubts, fears, worries, and temptations find lodging? In our
minds, in our thoughts. If God’s gracious peace would not turn on the light in
our minds, our thoughts would twist and pervert us and drive us in confusion
like a thundering herd over a jagged cliff.
Indeed, we need God’s peace. We need Christ and His righteousness. We need
God’s Word of absolution breaking into our guilt-laden souls. We need the read
Word to bring us Jesus. We need the preached Word to preach Christ into our
hearts. We need the Lord’s Supper to restore and refresh that peace.
Conclusion
That’s the peace that makes our hearts kind and gentle. That’s the peace that
overcomes worry. That’s the peace that protects us from our own fleshly
feelings and the devil’s lies. Our hearts and minds are kept “through Christ
Jesus.” And it is Christ Jesus whom we receive when He comes to us in His
Word--and in Him we have the hope of eternal life. Receive this peace. For
God is at peace with you. Amen.
--
Rich Futrell, Pastor
Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, Kimberling City, MO
Where we are to receive and confess the faith of the Church (in and with the
Augsburg Confession): The faith once delivered to the saints, the faith of
Christ Jesus, His Word of the Gospel, His full forgiveness of sins, His flesh
and blood given and poured out for us, and His gracious gift of life for body,
soul, and spirit.
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