"We Are God's Children-Simultaneously Saints and Sinners"
In the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.
[Amen.]
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. [Amen.]
"Neither life nor death shall ever
From the Lord His children sever;
Unto them His grace He showeth,
And their sorrows all He knoweth.
"Though He giveth or He taketh,
God His children ne'er forsaketh;
His the loving purpose solely
To preserve them pure and holy."
(Lutheran Service Book. Copyright © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St.
Louis, MO. 725:3-4)
Epistle Reading............................................................
1 John 3:1-3 (esp. 1a)
"1aSee what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be
called children of God; and so we are."
Prologue: I stated in my sermon last weekend when we celebrated the Festival
of the Reformation that "we are now saints-people whom God has declared holy
because Christ's holy blood that He shed unto a holy death on Calvary's
unholy cross 'cleanses us from all sin.' (1 John 1:7 ESV)." Pastor Marks
and I have stated numerous times that the Bible is chock full of paradoxical
lessons that often flow from the mouth of Jesus Himself . ironic statements
that are seemingly inconsistent, absurd, contradictory, and even illogical.
Martin Luther captured one of the most paradoxical lessons of all with the
Latin language phrase, "simul iustus et peccator." Translated into our
English language it tells us that .
"We Are God's Children-Simultaneously Saints and Sinners."
This weekend we're observing "All Saints' Day" that actually
occurred this past Tuesday, November 1. Although it's a festival occasion,
the paraments adorning the chancel area liturgical furniture as well as the
stoles Pastor Marks and I are wearing are white instead of St. Louis
Cardinals red. The following explanation of "All Saints' Day" will
hopefully help us realize why.
"This feast is the most comprehensive of the days of
commemoration, encompassing the entire scope of that great cloud of
witnesses with which we are surrounded (Hebrews 12:1). It holds before our
eyes of faith that great multitude which no man can number: all the saints
of god in Christ-from every nation, race, culture, and language-who have
come 'out of the great tribulation . who have washed their robes and made
them white in the blood of the Lamb' (Revelation 7:9, 14). As such, it sets
before us the full height and depth and breadth and length of our dear Lord's
gracious salvation (Ephesians 3:17-19). It shares with Easter [the
liturgical for which is also white] a celebration of the resurrection, since
all those who have died with Christ Jesus [in Holy Baptism] have also been
raised with Him [in holy Baptism] (Romans 6:3-8). It shares with Pentecost
a celebration of the ingathering of the entire Church catholic [that is, all
Christians past, present, and future]-in heaven and on earth, in all times
and places-in the one [mystical] Body of Christ, in the unity of the Spirit
in the bond of peace. Just as we have all been called to the one hope that
belongs to our call, 'one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father
of all, who is over all and through all and in all' (Ephesians 4:4-6). And
the Feast of All Saints shares with the final Sundays of the Church Year an
eschatological [that means end times] focus on the life everlasting and a
confession that 'the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing
with the glory that is to be revealed to us' (Romans 8:18). In all of these
emphases, the purpose of this feast is to fix our eyes upon Jesus, the
author and perfecter of our faith, that we might not grow weary or
fainthearted (Hebrews 12:2-3)." (Treasury of Daily Prayer. Scott A.
Kinnaman, General Editor. Copyright © 2008 Concordia Publishing House, St.
Louis, MO. Pages 870f.)
As referred to in that explanation, [this Sunday / today] marks
the beginning of the end. It's the first Sunday of the last three Sundays
in the Church Year . the "Third-Last Sunday in the Church Year." Their
significance is both similar to and contrasts with the first four Sundays of
the Church Year which are the four Sundays in Advent that precede Christmas.
You see, these last three Sundays emphasize Jesus as just judge and
righteous king, whereas the Advent Sundays remind us that He God's holy Son
and mankind's humble Savior. Once again, however, as I also stated in last
weekend's sermon, it's all about Christ, the Lamb of God, Who came to be our
propitiation . our atoning sacrifice whose holy life, innocent suffering,
crucifixion death, and majestic resurrection from the dead in victory over
sin, death, and the devil provides forgiveness of sins, salvation, and
eternal life . for us.
The time in which we are living is both sad and sometimes
frightening in that in that it seems to be "open season" on Christians
throughout the world. More believers in Jesus have been persecuted and
executed for their Christian faith in the past decade than all that were
martyred before them! Why? Simply because .
I. Most People in the World Do Not Regard Jesus for Who He Really Is.
(1b)
The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
Sadly, many present-day self-deluded so-called Christian preachers
proclaim a message of glory instead of the cross. That is, they preach and
teach that Christianity is about earthly prosperity, prominence, and grand
accomplishment. The truth, however, is that embracing, confessing, and
living the Christian faith results in a large target being attached to us.
It's one at which the devil, the world, and our own sinful nature fire large
explosive volleys of temptations designed to "deceive us or mislead us into
false belief, despair, and other great shame and vice" (Luther's Small
Catechism with Explanation. Copyright © 1986, 1991 Concordia Publishing
House. Pages 21 & 196.) intended to damage and destroy our relationship
with Jesus and each other.
Because a large part of the world's population just doesn't grasp
or chooses to deny that Jesus is the Son of God and Savior of mankind, we
who are connected with Jesus through Holy Baptism are open to scorn,
ridicule, persecution, and rejection. The sad and distasteful reality is
that "The children of this world will not know, will not acknowledge us,
will consider us beneath their notice, because we are the children of God,
with all that this relation implies. The world [does] not know, [does] not
acknowledge God as the Lord, [does] not accept Him in faith, and therefore
it cannot possibly enter into friendly relations with us, His children; the
unbelievers refuse to acknowledge the new, spiritual, divine character which
[we] Christians show." (Paul E. Kretzmann in Popular Commentary of the
Bible: The New Testament Volume II. Copyright © Unknown Concordia
Publishing House, St. Louis, MO. Page 566.)
After all, Jesus Himself warned His disciples then and us today,
"If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If
you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you
are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world
hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: 'A servant is not greater
than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you."
(John 15:18-20 ESV) In that regard, He also said, "whoever does not take
his cross and follow me is not worthy of me." (Matt 10:38 ESV) Therefore,
He added, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up
his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but
whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." (Matt 16:24-25 ESV)
At the same time, our caring Savior gives us the same comforting
reassurance that Yahweh gave Joshua when He told him, "Just as I was with
Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you." (Josh
1:5 ESV) Jesus repeated that message to His disciples and us when at His
ascension He said, "I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matt
28:20 NASU) He continues to keep that precious promise as He comes to us
and abides with us in the written and spoken Word of God; the water and God's
Word of Holy Baptism; the grand announcement of absolution which Pastor
Marks declared earlier when he said, "I, by virtue of my office, as a called
and ordained servant of the Word, announce the grace of God unto all of you,
and in the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you
all your sins in the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy
Spirit." (Lutheran Service Book. Pages 185 & 214.); and the consecrated
bread and wine of Holy Communion in, with, and under which we receive the
real body and blood of Jesus. After all, that very body and blood of Christ
that we eat and drink in the Lord's Supper was crucified and shed for us for
the forgiveness of sins, salvation, and eternal life. It's for that reason
that we eagerly look forward to when .
II. He Will Return to Rescue and Remake Us. (2-3)
2Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet
appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we
shall see him as he is. 3And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies
himself as he is pure.
God created our original parents, Adam and Eve, in His own image.
That does not and cannot indicate a physical likeness since God is a spirit.
What it does mean is that "Adam and Eve truly knew God as He wishes to be
known and were perfectly happy in Him." In addition, "They were righteous
and holy, doing God's will." However, "this image was lost when our first
parents disobeyed God and fell into sin. Their will and intellect lost the
ability to know and please God. In Christians God has begun to rebuild His
image, but only in heaven will it be fully restored." (Luther's Small
Catechism with Explanation. Page 115.) In fact, mankind today no longer
possesses the image of God due to original sin which "is that total
corruption of our whole human nature that we have inherited from Adam
through our parents." That "Original sin A. has brought guilt and
condemnation to all people; B. has left everyone without true fear and love
of God, that is, spiritually blind, dead, and enemies of God; [and] C.
causes everyone to commit all kinds of actual sins." Those actual sins
include "every act against a commandment of God in thoughts, desires, words,
or deeds." (Ibid. Pages 98-100.)
In stark contrast to that desolate and even depressing
sin-infested situation, "God on his own initiative transformed our identity
from death-row criminals into beloved children. He anointed us with the
Holy Spirit in order to give us saving faith in Christ and also in order to
change our attitudes and lives. In John's words, we are purifying
ourselves. This does not mean that we will achieve moral perfection and
total purity on this earth. Obviously our obedience to God's will will
always be less than perfect. What John means is that Jesus came to destroy
sin-sin's guilt hanging over our heads and sin's power gripping our minds
and hearts. He came to declare war on sin, which in every case is
rebellious lawlessness against the holy will of God. Sin is evil. So
people redeemed by Christ, who are now the brothers and sisters of Christ,
hate sin too. They refuse to get comfortable with it, and they declare war
on it too." (Mark A. Jeske in The General Epistles. Copyright © 2004
Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO. Pages 234 f.)
So it is that we cried out in today's Introit, "In you, O Lord, do
I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver
me. For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name's sake you lead
me and guide me. Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O
Lord, faithful God." (Ps 31:1, 3, 5 ESV) We do so in the confident
certainty that because "God so loved the world, that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have
eternal life." (John 3:16 NASU) we are included in those about whom we heard
in today's First Reading and Gradual, "These are the ones coming out of the
great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the
blood of the Lamb." (Rev 7:14b ESV) In fact, Jesus' own words that we heard
in today's Gospel Reading, "Blessed are you when others revile you and
persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they
persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matt 5:11-12 ESV) comfort and
console us in the midst of all the trials, tribulations, heartaches, and
despairs that plague us in this present life.
In conclusion, All Saint's Day emphasizes the doctrine of the holy
Christian church. Three important points help us understand the meaning and
significance of that basic teaching. 1. "The holy Christian church is the
communion of saints, the total number of those who believe in Christ. All
believers in Christ, but only believers in Christ, are members of the church
(invisible church)." 2. The church is called "holy" because "It is made up
of holy people (saints), believers who have been cleansed by the blood of
Christ and who serve God with holy living." And, 3. "The holy Christian
church is to be found where 'the Gospel is purely taught and the Sacraments
are correctly administered' (Augsburg Confession VII 1). The Gospel and the
sacraments are called the 'marks of the church.'" (Luther's Small Catechism
with Explanation. Pages 21 & 196.)
As such let's join together our voices and hearts prayerfully
praising and petitioning God in the words of today's Collect, "You knit
together Your faithful people of all times and places into one holy
communion, the mystical body of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Grant us so to
follow Your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living that, together
with them, we may come to the unspeakable joys You have prepared for those
who love You." Let's do so, joyfully recognizing in the words of today's
First Reading that we and all believers in Christ both here on earth and
already in heaven are among that "great multitude that no one could number,
from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing
before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm
branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, 'Salvation
belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!'" (Rev 7:9-10
ESV)
That is, .
"We Are God's Children-Simultaneously Saints and Sinners."
As such, let's patiently long for and eagerly look forward to when
"Christ will return visibly and with great glory on the Last Day." And even
though "Before Christ returns, there will be increasing turmoil and distress
for the church and the world," nevertheless, "The return of Christ is a
source of hope and joy for the Christian." (Luther's Small Catechism with
Explanation. Pages 143f.)
So let's not become despondent over the fact that .
I. Most People in the World Do Not Regard Jesus for Who He Really Is.
(1b)
Instead, let's bask in the refuge that .
II. He Will Return to Rescue and Remake Us. (2-3)
God grant it all for the sake of Jesus Christ, His humble Son, our
holy Savior. [Amen.]
In the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.
[Amen.]
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