I have prepared and posted this sermon early due to my upcoming vacation.
“Faithfully Endure in the Face of Overwhelming Hate”
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.]
“O Lord, our hearts awaken To know and love You more,
In faith to stand unshaken, In spirit to adore,
That we, through this world moving,
Each glimpse of heaven proving,
May reap its fullness there.”
(Lutheran Service Book, © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO.
402:3)
Gospel
Reading.....................................................................
St. Mark 13:1-13 (esp. 13)
13And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures
to the end will be saved.
Prologue: Have you ever knowingly been hated? I mean vehemently hated …
with the kind of hate due to which you saw flames in the hater’s eyes and
heard disgusting revulsion in the hater’s voice? Worse yet, have you ever
hated someone (or something) in that way? Before we go any further in this
sermon let’s recall that, in the context of the 5th Commandment, “God
forbids us to keep … hatred in our hearts against our neighbor” (Luther’s
Small Catechism with Explanation. Copyright © 1986, 1991 Concordia
Publishing House, St. Louis, MO. Page 79.), that is, any other person be it
family member, friend, or foe. Why? Simply because “Everyone who hates his
brother [fellow human being] is a murderer, and you know that no
[unrepentant] murderer has eternal life abiding in him.” (1 John 3:15 ESV)
Unresolved anger often fuels such hate that then escalates to a
desire for revenge that may even lead to physical murder. Jesus Himself
experienced and endured that extreme emotion and knew that His disciples
then and Christians today would experience and endure it as well. In that
light “Jesus told His disciples that on the way to the end, life as a
Christian and as a spokesman for Christ would not be easy. Although these
words clearly applied to the disciples who were sitting with Jesus on the
Mount of Olives, they likewise apply to [you]. The world still has a
fanatical hatred for Christ and his gospel. Even worse, a large share of
this hatred has today invaded the outward church as many theologians reject
what the Scriptures teach about Christ. Being a faithful, confessing
Christian still subjects you to hatred and persecution, and in some
countries even to death. Though it is not getting any better, Jesus doesn’t
want [you] to become discouraged.” (Harold E. Wicke in People’s Bible
Commentary: Mark. Copyright © 1992 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis,
MO. Page 185.) So it was that in that context He supportively instructed
His disciples then and you today to …
“Faithfully Endure in the Face of Overwhelming Hate.”
Next Sunday is the last Sunday in this 2011-2012 church year. The
theme of “eschatology”, which is the study of the end times, dominates these
last three Sundays. We are reminded during them that Jesus will return at a
future unknown time as just Judge and righteous King “to judge both the
living and the dead.” (Nicene and Apostles’ Creeds)
In the meantime things will digress from bad to worse. Conditions
in the physical world and among the people that populate it will deteriorate
to the point of utter chaos and tragic despair. In fact, “The power of
deception by [false] prophets [and false Messiahs] would be so subtle that
even the elect would almost be led astray. The only fitting attitude for
the members of the Kingdom is one of constant preparation. Jesus had told
His disciples about His future coming so that they might learn to be
watchful without being obsessed by events to come.” (Donald Guthrie in Jesus
the Messiah: An Illustrated Life of Christ. Copyright © 1972 by The
Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, MI. Pages 297f.)
In the face of such overwhelming conditions, His heartfelt
admonition and near-desperate warning to them then and you today was …
I. Don’t Be Led Astray. (1-8)
1As [Jesus] came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look,
Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” 2And Jesus
said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here
one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”
3And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James
and John and Andrew asked him privately, 4“Tell us, when will these things
be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be
accomplished?” 5And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you
astray. 6Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead
many astray. 7And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be
alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. 8For nation will
rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes
in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of
the birth pains.
Okay, just what does God tell us about Christ’s second coming? He
tells us that “A. Christ will return visibly and with great glory on the
Last Day. B. Christ will return to judge the world, not to set up an
earthly government. C. Christ will return on a specific day known by God
alone. D. Before Christ returns, there will be increasing turmoil and
distress for the church and the world. [And,] E. The return of Christ is a
source of hope and joy for the Christian.” (Luther’s Small Catechism with
Explanation. Pages 343f.)
As we eagerly await His return there are many who would lead us
astray. Both avowed non-Christians as well as well-intentioned Christians
can cause that to happen. Generally speaking, avowed non-Christians are
easy to identify since they, for the most part, openly reject that Jesus is
“the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (St Matt 16:16 ESV) In other
words, they may admit that He was a good teacher with beneficial
instructions for living life in this world, but they deny that He was God’s
Son and mankind’s Savior. Yes, it’s fairly easy to identify avowed
non-Christians.
However, it’s more difficult to identify well-intentioned
Christians who incorrectly interpret and teach God’s Holy Word. Jesus
issued the warning, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s
clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” (St Matt 7:15 ESV) … and you
yourselves would do well to heed that warning.
What might that include or how might you identify such? Unlike,
avowed non-Christians who openly reject the true teachings contained in the
Bible, incorrect well-intentioned Christians will often slyly do so by
twisting, misinterpreting, and even leaving out certain items that don’t fit
what they think the Bible says or want it to say. With them it’s often what
they refuse to say more than what they do say that makes the difference.
Such individuals and groups that combine wrong with correct
teaching fall into a category known as “heterodoxy.” They appeal to many
ears on the basis of emotional and relational teachings that give wonderful
instruction about how to live this life in personal, family, community, and
other settings. However, they often ignore or sometimes even deny the
gracious spiritual value of Holy Baptism, the effective soul-soothing and
cleansing benefit of Holy Absolution, and the personal presence of our
Savior’s body and blood in, with, and under the sacramental elements of
bread and wine in Holy Communion.
Instead, they place significant emphasis on clappy-happy feelings
at the expense of Saint Paul’s very important reminder, “Therefore, since we
have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace
in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than
that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces
endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,
and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into
our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Rom 5:1-5
ESV)
Tragically, there are many people in congregations of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod who attend such heterodox Bible study groups,
conferences, and retreats; feast on such heterodox devotional materials;
participate and even take up formal membership in heterodox worship
settings; and immerse themselves in printed heterodox Bible studies.
However, they avoid the orthodox Lutheran Women’s Missionary League,
Lutheran Laymen’s League, and Lutheran Hour Ministries activities; don’t
meditate on orthodox Lutheran devotional materials produced by them and
Concordia Publishing House; neglect to faithfully participate in
confessional Lutheran worship settings; and refuse to immerse themselves in
the excellent orthodox Bible studies that LWML, LLL, LHM, and CPH produce
and publish.
On the one hand, many of our Lutheran sheep chase after the
sugar-coated candy produced and sponsored by heterodox wolves-in-sheep’s-clothing
that either subtly or by elimination lead their listeners and readers
astray. On the other hand, they ignore the solid substance of sacramental
spirituality prepared and served by orthodox Lutheran congregations and
organizations that strengthen and safeguard them for spiritual health now
and eternal life in the future. Saint Paul warned about this very thing
when he wrote to young Pastor Timothy, “For the time is coming when people
will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate
for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from
listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be
sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your
ministry.” (2 Tim 4:3-5 ESV)
You see, only resources and activities that uphold the truth and
purity of God’s Holy Word according to Jesus’ pre-ascension instruction,
“Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.” (St
Matt 28:20 NLT) will truly prepare and equip you to …
II. Be Always Alert and Vigilant. (9-12)
9“But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you
will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings
for my sake, to bear witness before them. 10And the gospel must first be
proclaimed to all nations. 11And when they bring you to trial and deliver
you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever
is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.
12And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child,
and children will rise against parents and have them put to death.
Saint Peter informed, warned, encouraged, and promised his readers
to “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around
like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your
faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by
your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little
while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in
Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” (1
Peter 5:8-10 ESV) Jesus explained the reason to be always alert and
vigilant when He told His disciples who had fallen asleep while He was
praying immediately prior to His capture in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Watch
and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is
willing, but the flesh is weak.” (St Matt 26:41 & St Mark 14:38 ESV) Jesus
also revealed regarding the unknown time of His return, “Watch therefore,
for you know neither the day nor the hour.” (St Matt 25:13 ESV) And, Saint
Paul wrote, “I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause
divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been
taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but
their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts
of the naive.” (Rom 16:17-18 ESV)
The hymn writer Johann Burkhard Freystein beautifully encouraged
singers to be on guard against the devil, the world, and their own sinful
flesh when he wrote, “Watch against the devil’s snares Lest asleep he find
you; For indeed no pains he spares To deceive and blind you. Satan’s prey
Oft are they Who secure are sleeping And no watch are keeping. “Watch! Let
not the wicked world With its lies defeat you Lest with bold deceptions
hurled It betray and cheat you. Watch and see Lest there be Faithless
friends to charm you, Who but seek to harm you. “Watch against yourself, my
soul, Lest with grace you trifle; Let not self your thoughts control Nor God’s
mercy stifle. Pride and sin Lurk within, All your hope to shatter; Heed not
when they flatter.” (Lutheran Service Book. Copyright © 2006 Concordia
Publishing House, St. Louis, MO. Hymn 663:2-4.)
So, just what does it mean to be always alert and vigilant? The
answer is at the same time simple and profound. First, daily read God’s
Holy Word in your home setting and weekly attentively hear it in our worship
setting. Second, daily reflect on Holy Baptism and its spiritual
significance. Third, take to heart the forgiveness of sins that God gives
you through the Absolution spoken by Pastor Marks and me. Fourth,
faithfully participate in Christ-centered, cross-focused, Bible-based, and
sacrament-laced Lutheran worship and Bible study. And fifth, frequently
partake of Holy Communion properly by humbly recognizing and confessing your
sins and confidently trusting Jesus alone for forgiveness, spiritual
healing, and eternal life with Him in heaven. The unidentified author of
today’s Epistle Reading reflected that when he wrote, “let us draw near with
a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean
from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold
fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is
faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good
works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but
encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
(Heb 10:22-25 ESV)
After all, it was for you that Jesus “A. endured poverty,
contempt, and persecution in His earthly life; B. suffered great agony of
body and soul under Pontius Pilate; [and] C. died in excruciating agony on
the cross.” (Luther’s Small Catechism with Explanation. Pages 132f.) And,
He “victoriously rose from the grave and showed Himself alive to His
disciples” thereby proving that “A. [He] is the Son of God; B. His doctrine
is the truth; C. God the Father accepted [His] sacrifice for the
reconciliation of the world; [and] D. all believers in [Him] will rise to
eternal life” (Ibid. Pages 139f.) … also all for you.
In conclusion, therefore, find comfort and security in Jesus’
promise that you heard in today’s Gospel Reading as well as in today’s
Introit, “The one who endures to the end will be saved.” (St Mark 13:13b)
That is, by the power of the Holy Spirit strive to …
“Faithfully Endure in the Face of Overwhelming Hate.”
Do so constantly begging God’s strength and guidance in the words of today’s
Collect, “O Lord, by Your bountiful goodness release us from the bonds of
our sins, which by reason of our weakness we have brought upon ourselves,
that we may stand firm until the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
So, with all diligence and awareness …
I. Don’t Be Led Astray (1-8) so that you gain what was stated in today’s
Old Testament Reading, “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth
shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting
contempt. And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky
above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and
ever.” (Dan 12:2-3 ESV)
At the same time, …
II. Be Always Alert and Vigilant. (9-12) so that you will be among those
referred to in today’s 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)
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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