Here Comes the Drywall

Altar and Pulpit Fellowship with the Siberian Evangelical Lutheran Church

From the LCMS web site
http://www.lcms.org/pages/rpage.asp?NavID=18135

CTCR approves fellowship with Siberian church

By Roland Lovstad

Recognition of altar and pulpit fellowship with the Siberian Evangelical Lutheran Church (SELC) and a document on theological criteria for assessing cooperative endeavors among other Christians and church bodies were approved by the Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR) during its Dec. 16-18 meeting in St. Louis.

Following the CTCR action on Dec. 17, LCMS President Rev. Matthew C. Harrison, having previously consulted with the LCMS Praesidium (vice-presidents), declared recognition of altar and pulpit fellowship with the SELC.

The procedure for declaring fellowship with small, formative or emerging church bodies was adopted last July by the LCMS convention in its Resolution 3-04A, which established a new Bylaw 3.9.5.2.2c. Under the bylaw, when such a church body requests altar and pulpit fellowship with the LCMS, the president may declare such fellowship after approval by the CTCR and consultation with the vice-presidents. In accordance with the bylaw, the recognition of fellowship will be brought to the next LCMS convention for its endorsement.

The SELC counts 2,000 members, served by approximately 20 pastors in 22 parishes and preaching stations spread over a 5,000-square-mile area. The church body first requested fellowship discussions some 12 years ago. While discussions have been ongoing, the SELC expressed renewed hopes for moving forward following Harrison's election last July. In late October, the president sent a delegation to Novosibirsk, Russia, for doctrinal discussions with the SELC.
Representing the LCMS at the discussions were Dr. Joel Lehenbauer, CTCR executive director; Dr. Albert B. Collver III, the Synod's director of Church Relations -- assistant to the president; and Dr. Timothy Quill, dean of international studies at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne.

"As it was my first visit to Siberia, it was very much a learning experience," said Lehenbauer. "But I was very impressed by the theological and missional zeal of the SELC pastors, leaders and members, and I believe that both the LCMS and the SELC will benefit from and be blessed by formalization of church fellowship."
In the "Witness, Mercy, Life Together" blog from the president's office (http://www.wmltblog.org/), Harrison said, "We give thanks to the Lord that after much patience and long-suffering on the part of the Siberian Lutherans, the Missouri Synod can now recognize the gift of fellowship that the Lord has worked between the LCMS and the SELC."

The blog also quoted SELC Bishop Vsevolod Lytkin as saying, "From our point of view, we are in fellowship with the LCMS."

The CTCR document, "Principles for Cooperation in Externals," follows the 2010 convention Resolution 3-03, which called on the CTCR, "in consultation with the Praesidium and other entities and individuals as needed, [to] develop more in-depth theological criteria for assessing cooperative endeavors, determining what would necessitate termination of such cooperative endeavors." 

The convention resolution also resolved that the Praesidium, in consultation with the CTCR, provide an assessment of the current state of cooperation in externals and a full report of criteria for ongoing assessment by July 31, 2011. The convention resolution grew out of concerns about cooperative work with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, especially following its 2009 assembly action on homosexuality.
The document was drafted by CTCR staff and approved unanimously by the commission for sharing with the Praesidium.

"The adoption of this document is significant and reflects the desire and readiness of the commission to tackle this and other challenging assignments in this new triennium," said Lehenbauer. "I'm pleased at the cooperative spirit of commission members and the way they came prepared for substantive discussion and action."

This was the first working meeting of the commission since the convention. Nine of the 16 voting members are newly elected or appointed. The president and first vice president, also newly elected, serve as advisory members.

Lehenbauer said the commission also "did a lot of work" in its three subcommittees. Among the commission projects are:

• continued drafting of a document on immigration, which flows out of the 2007 convention. The CTCR has received a block grant from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans for a consultation -- tentatively scheduled for next fall -- involving individuals with expertise in various fields such as economics, education, law, government, law enforcement and advocacy.
• planning for regional conferences to equip congregational leaders in thinking through the issue of caring for God's creation, both theologically and practically, as a follow-up on the recent report, "Together with all Creatures: Caring for God's Living Earth."
• preparation of study resources for the 2017 celebration of the Lutheran Reformation.
• continuation of assignments on inter-Christian relationships, the theology and practice of prayer, the priesthood of all believers, the natural knowledge of God and the relationship of men and women.

In plenary sessions, the commission discussed the restructuring process with Harrison and heard a report from Collver on his work as director of Church Relations. The commission spent an hour and a half with First Vice-President Herbert Mueller discussing his work on the Koinonia Project to build greater unity in the Synod.

Roland Lovstad is a freelance writer and a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Perryville, Mo.
Posted Dec. 22, 2010

Snow Delay

Message from LCMS President on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

 

In a surprising turn of events in the waning days of the current Congress, the effort to repeal the U.S. military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy has gained new momentum with the announcement today of support from Republican senators Scott Brown (Mass.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), and Olympia Snowe (Maine).  The repeal may be voted on in the Senate as early as tomorrow.  For a number of reasons, we encourage you to let your elected leaders know that The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod has a clear biblical position on this important issue.

 

In terms of our spirituality, we are all alike sinners (Rom. 3:9ff.) in need of repentance and forgiveness.  For 2,000 years the church has welcomed sinners, but refused to affirm sin.  The saving grace of Jesus Christ and His Gospel are for all people (2 Cor. 5:19), and the only thing that separates us from this forgiveness is a lack of repentance or sorrow over our sin. We believe the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy will sorely inhibit our military chaplains’ ability to call all sinners to repentance.

 

If the government normalizes homosexual behavior in our military branches—a behavior that we believe God’s Word identifies as intrinsically sinful (Rom. 1:26ff)—the implications are profound.  Military chaplains striving to carry out their responsibilities for preaching, counseling, and consoling will find themselves under the strain of having to question whether to obey God or men (Acts 5:29).     

Lastly, we express our concern as citizens that a move by the government to essentially affirm homosexual behavior within the armed forces will endanger the morale or esprit de corps—the unit cohesion and the primary mission of the military, namely, to prosecute and win the war—of the men and women who serve and willingly place themselves in harm’s way on our behalf. 

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we urge you to share this message today with your colleagues, congregational members, and any others whom you believe would benefit from it and be moved to contact their government representatives. 

 

You may find the contacts for your senators and representatives here:  http://www.senate.gov/  and http://www.house.gov/

 

For more information on this issue, see The Lutheran Study Bible, Page 1911, on Romans 1.

God bless you.

Rev. Matthew C. Harrison, President

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

 

Dr. Mark J. Schreiber,

CAPT, CHC, USN, (Ret.)

Director, LCMS World Mission’s Ministry to the Armed Forces

Contemporary Worship in the Old Testament Scriptures

Yesterday I was interviewed by Rev. Todd Wilken on Issues, Etc.

Click on the link below for the audio file

http://issuesetc.org/2010/12/15/9715/

Sermon: Dressing for Action

First Sunday in Advent, 2010

Romans 13:11-14

Rev. Brian L. Kachelmeier

 

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

 

Today marks the first Sunday in Advent and the beginning of the new church year. Once again, we reassess where we stand before God and where we are going. Our goal and destination is heaven. Thus, we ought to be on the move. Either we are walking toward this goal or walking away from it. Now is not the time to doze off. We are to remain awake recognizing that there is not much time left. As our epistle lesson puts it, “salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.” (Romans 13:11, ESV) We have come a whole year closer to our end goal. We have come a week closer since the last time that we met together in this space. In fact, we have come about 30 minutes closer to our final salvation since we first arrived here on this day.

 

In the season of Advent, we wait for Christmas Day. Each Sunday, we light another candle to help in the count down process. There are four candles for the four Sundays in Advent and one candle for Christmas. Now we can understand what it means to wait in anticipation for our goal. In fact, we are waiting for the new building to be complete at the end of January. The actual building is nearer to us now than when we first conceived the idea of having our own building. For this reason, we are making plans and getting ready. We’ll have a building meeting tomorrow night. We’ll have a voters meeting on next Sunday. Over the next course of weeks we’ll see more and more changes in the appearance of the building. Eventually, we’ll move the furniture. Then we’ll move in to our new location. We are excited and we just can’t wait. Now is not the time to forget about the building and fall asleep on the job.

 

How much more then should we anticipate and get ready for the salvation of our souls and the resurrection of our bodies? We long to see the fullness of the kingdom of God. Our epistle lesson for today opens with these words, "Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed." (Romans 13:11, ESV) Earlier in chapter thirteen, St. Paul had addressed the second half of the Ten Commandments in which we are called to serve our neighbor in love. 

 

He opened the chapter by explaining that all governments come from God and therefore we are to willingly put ourselves under man-made forms of government. Our service to the government officials flows from our service to honor our father and mother as given to us in the fourth commandment. Rebelling against God’s order is rebelling against God. Of course this biblical understanding of service to government goes against our American concept of the right to rebel even in small things like the use of a radar detector. Paul goes on to list the rest of the commandments. We are not to murder, commit adultery, steal, or covet. Of course such a life of service goes against our ingrained sinful desire to serve ourselves. We are in need of divine instruction. 

 

We are learning to ask ourselves these diagnostic questions, “How does this action serve our neighbor in love? Are we serving ourselves our own desires or are we serving the needs of others?”

 

In chapter thirteen Paul continues to teach us after addressing the Ten Commandments. He writes, "Owe no one anything, except to love each other…” …and… “Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law." (Romans 13:8,10, ESV) In this way we serve our neighbor in love. For this reason, Paul says that the law is fulfilled in love. Now we know that love does not justify. Our love for others does not make us right in God’s sight. Rather, we have been justified by faith alone on account of Christ alone. We have been pardoned and made to be servants of God who serve God and others. Christ served us by dying for us. Apart from Christ we are self-serving. In Christ we are learning to be of servants of all. This is a process that we are beginning to understand. Thus, we look for opportunities to serve others. 

 

Now as the people of God, we already know that we are to serve one another in love. So Paul adds on top of this by saying, “Besides this you know the time… …for salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.” (Romans 13:11, ESV) Since we know that the days are short, how much more should we make the best use of the time that we have to serve one another in love? If you knew that there were only a few days or hours left in someone’s life, how different your attitude and interactions would be toward that individual? Thus, we assess ourselves and ask the question, “How does this action serve our neighbor in love? Are we serving ourselves our own desires or are we serving the needs of others?”

 

St. Paul writes in today’s text saying, “…the hour has come for you to wake from sleep.”(Romans 13:11, ESV) Again, we can follow the simple imagery that the Holy Spirit uses. Just like each morning when our alarm clock goes off we know what hour it is. It is time to wake up and face the day. Each day is a new beginning in which we rise to serve the Lord. Now, when we first get out of bed, we are a little groggy. Sometimes it may take us a snooze button or two. We may need a cup of coffee or two. We’ll surely need some nourishment to start the day right. But eventually we are up and ready to go. Each morning we realize that we have things to do from a horizontal perspective. 

 

Yet as disciples of Christ, we also see things from a vertical perspective. We know that as we serve others in our vocations and stations in life, we are serving the Lord. Realizing that we are nearer to our salvation than when we first believed, how much more should be ready to serve the Lord each morning? Realizing that we need to sustain our bodies with physical food, how much more should we nourish our souls with spiritual food? Why not start off each morning with God’s word and prayer?

 

St. Paul strengthens the image by stating, “The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” (Romans 13:12, ESV) Christ has delivered us from darkness and placed us into His kingdom of light. More than just waking up, we are to cast off the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light. Now this is no easy task. This is a struggle and a battle. Thus, we are to dress for warfare. We are called to dress for action. Again, we can easily understand the imagery here of being properly dressed. 

 

Over Thanksgiving, we went target shooting at the ranch. We dressed for action. We wore our jackets because it was cold and we wore our ear protection because it was loud. However, we didn’t wear mittens, because mittens would have hindered our ability to pull the trigger. If we had put mittens on, we would have quickly taken them off in order to shoot at our targets.

 

In a similar way, we are called to dress for action spiritually for we are fighting a spiritual war. Therefore, we want to cast off anything that would hinder us in our battle. The Apostle lists such works of darkness as orgies, drunkenness, sexual immorality, sensuality, quarreling, and jealousy. If we were to dress ourselves in works of darkness, we would be making provisions for the flesh and gratifying its desires. In essence, we would be fortifying the strength of our spiritual enemies.

 

Paul then switches gears to a different image stating, “Let us walk properly as in the daytime…” (Romans 13:13, ESV)  As those who have been redeemed by Christ, we should not confess Him with our lips and then deny Him with our actions. As they say, “If you can talk the talk, then walk the walk.” You see, we are either walking toward our goal of salvation and eternal life or we are walking away from it. We are either walking by faith or by unbelief. We are either walking in the light as He is in the light or walking in the darkness as offspring of the devil. We are either walking in the Spirit or in the flesh. We are either walking in wisdom toward outsiders and making the best use of the time or we are walking in foolishness toward outsiders and wasting what little time we have. We are called to walk in love. We cannot do this in ourselves. It is God who is at work in us.

 

When I went target shooting over Thanksgiving, the pistol, the rifle, the bullets, and the ear protection were all provided. I don’t even own a gun. The weapons I needed for the task were given to me. The weapons we need for our spiritual task are given to us. Here the Apostle uses baptismal language about dressing and walking properly and concludes by saying, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ…” (Romans 13:14, ESV) In his epistle to the Galatians, the Holy Spirit adds this promise to baptism declaring,"For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ." (Galatians 3:27, ESV) Our sufficiency is not in ourselves. Our sufficiency is in Christ who took upon the form of a servant to serve us by the greatest act of love which was giving Himself for us unto death so that we might become sons of God and heirs of the kingdom. We are weak, but He is strong. While sin clings to our flesh, faith clings to Christ who was put to death in the flesh. We have been crucified with Christ and raised to newness of life. Amen.

Bird's Eye View

Sermon: Remembering

Last Sunday of the Church Year, 2010

Malachi 3:13-18

Rev. Brian L. Kachelmeier

In the name of Jesus. Amen.
 

On this day, we celebrate the gift that God gives to all of us in Holy Baptism. Through this sacrament the LORD sanctifies us and purifies us by the washing of water with the word as St. Paul teaches us in Ephesians chapter five. St. Paul also states that Jesus “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” (Titus 2:14, ESV) The LORD Jesus makes us His disciples by baptizing and teaching us. The LORD promises that the one who walks in His ways is blessed.

However, as we continue to walk in the Spirit, we must come to terms with the reality that at times the zeal for doing good works grows weak. As we move forward in our lives we become lazy and slack off. It doesn’t help that when we look around it appears as if the wicked are blessed and happy. They do not walk in the LORD’s way. They do not delight in the LORD’s instruction. They do not meditate upon God’s word day and night. But, they seem to have all the luck. They seem to get all the breaks. They seem to have an easier lot in life. In fact, those who do not fear God put God to the test and nothing happens to them. They openly defy God and there is no punishment. They challenge His power claiming that God is impotent and not omnipotent. They grumble and even seem to be rewarded.

People have been making such observations since the beginning of time. Even God’s own people have called in to question the validity of serving the LORD. In today’s Old Testament text from Malachi chapter three, the prophet takes up this issue. Through the mouth of the prophet Malachi, God teaches His own people not to speak harshly against Him and question His wisdom. In verses thirteen through fifteen, the LORD reveals the blasphemous thoughts of His people. Then the LORD teaches us to hear His word, meditate upon it, and cling to it in our hearts. 

In verse sixteen of today’s text, we are taught how to take the harsh words of the LORD against us. Malachi writes, “Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name.” (Malachi 3:16, ESV) When the LORD points out our impurities, we acknowledge them before Him.

Take note that the distinction is made between those who despise and dishonor the LORD’s name and those who stand in awe and fear of His name. The ones who take the LORD’s name in vain claim that they serve the LORD in vain. They refuse to listen to His word. The ones who take God’s word to heart are those who fear the LORD and esteem His name. They heard the LORD and they meditated upon His word. 

Although the people of Israel took the name of the LORD their God in vain, the LORD declared in Malachi chapter one,"For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the LORD of hosts." (Malachi 1:11, ESV) After Jesus was resurrected, He sent out the Apostles to baptize all nations in the name of the LORD causing His name to be great among the nations. Those who have been baptized have been marked by their Maker. 

Have you ever seen one of those big yellow bulldozers with the bold black letters C…A…T…on it? Now putting the word, “CAT” on a bulldozer does not make it a cat. Or even if you put the name “Caterpillar” on it does not make it a caterpillar it remains a yellow bulldozer. However, the name imprinted upon the metal marks it as one that was made by the Caterpillar tractor Company. It tags the vehicle with a unique identity and sets it apart from the rest. 

On this day we have done far more than put the name of a tractor company upon Madison, oh no, we put the name of the Blessed Holy Trinity upon her. She is marked as one who belongs to God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. She has been set apart from the rest. She has been given a unique identity as God’s treasured possession. In time, she will be taught to pray that the LORD’s name would be kept holy in her own life when she petitions the LORD saying, “Hallowed by Thy name.” Likewise, she will be taught to confess her own impurities. She will petition the LORD praying, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

As we remember the promises of the LORD given to us in our own baptism, we confess with the thief on the cross that we have deserved the death that Jesus died for us. We are impure. We join in one voice with the thief on the cross saying, “Jesus remember me, when You come into Your kingdom.” When the LORD remembers us, He remembers us according to His promises and not according to our sins. 

The prophet Malachi uses the image of a book of remembrance in which the names of those who esteem the name of the LORD are written. In a similar way, St. John uses the image of the Lamb’s book of life in which the names of all the saints are recorded. These names are written in the LORD’s presence. He will not forget. The LORD assures us that for the sake of Christ we belong to Him.

In verse seventeen of today’s Old Testament text, Malachi writes,“They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him.  Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him. (Malachi 4:17, ESV) Now at first, you may hear these words and think, “I thought that the Father did  NOT spare His Son who served Him?” That is true. God did not spare His only begotten Son so that He would spare us. Jesus was declared an evildoer so that we would be declared perfectly obedient. Jesus was forsaken as one who did not serve God so that we would be adopted as sons and heirs of the kingdom. God turns everything upside down in order to purify us and make us His own treasured possession. In our baptism, we have the promise that we are sons of God. When we remember our baptism, we remember what the LORD has done for us. Amen.

Lift High the Cross

Preparing for the Cross

Sermon: The Sun of Righteousness

25^th Sunday after Pentecost

 

Rev. Brian L. Kachelmeier

Malachi 4:1-6

 

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

 

After the return from Babylon, the Israelites rebuilt the Temple in the late 6^th century B.C. About one hundred years later, the prophet Malachi rebuked the negligence of the priests and promised the coming of the Messiah. Malachi is the last of the writing prophets. He foretells the ministry of John the Baptizer who will prepare the way for the Messiah. After the ministry of Malachi, the people of God waited four hundred years for a prophet of God. 

 

Verses five and six of today’s Old Testament text states,“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” (Malachi 4:5-6, ESV) In our English Bibles, the book of Malachi closes the Old Testament books with the last words on the coming Messiah. Sequentially the next book is the Gospel According to St. Matthew which tells of the fulfillment of the words of Malachi and all of the prophets regarding the Christ.

 

In our day, we wait for the Second coming of the Messiah. As we come to the close of another church year, we look toward the close of the church age. On these last two Sundays, we focus on the End of Time and the Final Judgment. As we confess in the Creed, “Christ will come again to judge the living and the dead.” With this in mind, note that our Old Testament text opens with these words,“For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.” (Malachi 4:1-6 ESV) In typical fashion, the prophet Malachi calls us to repentance and to realize that the day of the Lord is coming. Christ has come and Christ will come again. 

 

This day will be a day of judgment. In particular, all the arrogant and all the evildoers will be judged guilty. They will be like stubble in a burning oven. They will not stand. They will not have root or branch. They will be ashes. Thus, we are taught to repent from our sinful desires to do evil things and to be arrogant toward the Lord. As those who name the name of the Lord, we are called to depart from iniquity.

 

Like the prophets before him, Malachi points us back to books of Moses. He writes, “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel.” (Malachi 4:4 ESV) The Torah of Moses was the instruction that God gave to us to teach us repentance and faith in the promises of the Messiah. In the days of Malachi, the priests had failed to do their duty. They failed to correctly teach God’s word in its purity. Therefore, the book of Malachi rebukes the priests.

 

In the Torah of Moses, we are instructed to fear, love, and trust in God above all things. The LORD instructs us as His people on what is prohibited and what is forbidden to us. Because of our corrupted nature, we are unholy and have an unhealthy desire for that which is prohibited and forbidden. In Deuteronomy chapter four, Moses writes, "For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God." (Deuteronomy 4:24, ESV) This is bad news for the arrogant who think they know better than God and the evildoers who devote themselves to evil. Like a pine needle, they are quickly consumed in the presence of fire.

 

Likewise the five books of Moses instruct us in the promise of the coming Messiah who will make all things right. Christ came into the world to save sinners. The commandments show us our sin and the promises show us our Savior. Moses writes in Deuteronomy chapter nine, "Know therefore today that he who goes over before you as a consuming fire is the LORD your God. He will destroy them and subdue them before you. So you shall drive them out and make them perish quickly, as the LORD has promised you." (Deuteronomy 9:3, ESV) The LORD in His infinite mercy established a covenant with His people promising to dwell in the midst of His unholy people making them holy in His presence. He then instituted the Divine Service at the tabernacle with Holy fire upon the altar. This is good news for the humble that hear the word of God and cling to it. For us who believe in the promises of God fulfilled in Jesus, God is a consuming fire who purifies us. 

 

As St. Paul sums it up in Titus chapter two, Jesus “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” (Titus 2:14, ESV) So that we are not ruled by sin being arrogant and evildoers before God, we are instructed to set our eyes on the one who frees us from captivity and makes us pure. In verse two of today’s text, Malachi writes, “But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.”   (Malachi 4:3, ESV) 

 

In today’s passage we are given two groups. Those who refuse to hear the word of God and those who hear the word of the LORD and rejoice in it. On the one hand, they will be consumed on that day… …but… …for you… on the other hand… …the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings. They do not fear the name of the LORD and they shall be set ablaze left with no root or branch. But… …you who fear the name of the LORD… …shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.

 

Here the LORD makes the contrast between those who are ruled by sin and those who are given the kingdom of God. We have an assertion. The day is coming and it will be bad news for the arrogant and evil doers. Then we have the contrast starting with the word, “but.” The day of the LORD is coming and it will be good news for those who fear God because of Jesus. 

 

By nature we cannot properly fear, love, or trust in God above all things. Thus, the Holy Spirit uses His word to instruct us. In Proverbs chapter one, we learn that “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Prov. 1:7, ESV) Later in Proverbs chapter two we are taught, “For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” (Prov. 2:6, ESV) When we fear God, there is nothing else to be afraid of. As His holy people we are learning to be reverent in His presence. We are learning to put to death our irreverent and arrogant attitudes toward God. Malachi and all of the prophets teach us to trust in the LORD with all of our hearts and lean not on our own understanding. 

 

In order to connect with us, He uses images of the rising sun, healing wings, and leaping calves. As darkness is overcome by light, we set our eyes on the horizon looking to Jesus as the Sun of Righteousness. As the sun shines in the day giving warmth and light to all creation, Jesus bestows His light and life upon us. He is the Light of the World. As the Sun of Righteousness, He shines forth His righteousness upon us. As the gospel is preached the sun rises in our own hearts. 

 

As we believe the promises of Christ, we hide in the shelter of His wings. Like little chicks fleeing from a hawk, we seek refuge under the protection of His wings. He has compassion upon us like a mother hen.  In addition, there is healing in His wings. In this life, we are being healed by Christ. We are being healed of our evil desires and arrogant attitudes. Through the power of the gospel, He is creating godly desires and humble attitudes in our hearts.

 

As sadness is replaced by joy, we leap like calves that have been released from the stalls and tread down all of our enemies under foot. I’ve never seen a calf leap out of a stall, but I can image the joy. When I was a child, I had a broken leg confined to a cast. I can remember the great joy that I had when that cast was removed. I was released and I could jump, run, and leap around. How much more, should we rejoice in the release that we have from the captivity of sin?

 

In today’s text as we follow the flow of the verses, we quickly move from joy to despair. The ending note of the book of Malachi ends with “utter destruction.” Understand that this phrase is like a cliff hanger. God’s will is not that the end will be utter destruction for us. The book of Malachi opened with the assertion of God’s love. “I have loved you,” says the Lord. But you say, “How have you loved us?”" (Malachi 1:2, ESV) God’s love can be traced throughout the whole of the Bible. He shows us how He has loved us. 

 

In Genesis chapter one, God shows His love through the act of creation. Even after the fall into sin, God shows His love in the promise of the seed born of the Virgin who would defeat the devil. Throughout the history of Israel, God showed His love through His mercy and faithfulness to the sons of Abraham. In the New Testament scriptures we are told that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) In Ephesians chapter five, St. Paul teaches us, ^“And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 5:2 ESV) Through Christ’s sacrifice we have access in one Spirit to the Father. God’s love is poured out from the cross. Amen. 

Advent Blessing From LCMS President Matt Harrison

Advent Blessing from President Harrison from VimeoLCMS on Vimeo.

Sermon: The Blood of the Lamb

All Saints Sunday, 2010

 

Rev. Brian L. Kachelmeier

Revelation 7:9-17

 

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

 

On this day, we are given a lesson in counting. Now as we look around, we can number those who are gathered here. We could easily count all the souls present. Yesterday, I was at a middle school and high school musical performance at Santa Fe High School gymnasium. There were quite a bit more people in that gathered space. Yet, I could still count them. I’ve been to a major league baseball stadium that seats over 30,000 people which is a much larger number, but still countable. 

 

In today’s reading from Revelation, John writes saying, “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages.” (Rev. 7:9, ESV) Just as God had promised Abraham, his descendants are more numerous than the stars in the heavens or the grains of sand on the seashore. These numbers include Jews and Gentiles. Because of our finite minds, we are not able to count all of the saints of God. On this day, we celebrate all the saints that have gone on before us and will continue after us. It is hard to even imagine all the saints. Yet, there is one man in the midst of all of humanity that grabs our attention. Jesus is at the center. 

 

John goes on to state that this great multitude was “standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands…” (Rev. 7:9, ESV) This great number of people were not gathered around a musical performance nor were they gathered around a baseball game. No, they were gathered before the throne and before the Lamb.

 

Now before we move on, let us understand the significance of the throne and the Lamb. In chapter four, John sees one sitting on the throne and then he sees the Lamb who is worthy to open the seven seals of the scroll. The One who is seated on the throne is God the Father and the Lamb is God the Son. After opening six of the seals, John sees the church militant moving onward marching as to war. Now John sees the church triumphant with palm branches in their hands. These saints are standing before the throne and before the Lamb.

 

As we continue are lesson in counting, I want you to count two main things from today’s text. First, we are taught about the distinction between the persons of the Holy Blessed Trinity. Second, we are taught about the difference between the believers in Christ and the unbelievers.

 

First, in the Bible we are instructed to confess one God and number three persons of the Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Here John teaches us about the distinction in persons of the Holy Trinity. The person of the Father is distinct from the person of the Son. Yet, the Father and the Son are one in divine essence. In this passage, the Father is referred to as God who sits on the throne and the Son is referred to as the Lamb who stands at the throne. The distinction is made between God, who so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, and the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 

 

The emphasis is placed upon the person and work of the Son who took upon our flesh and blood in order to spill His blood to make atonement for our sins. Only the Son of God was incarnate sharing in our humanity. He is truly God begotten of the Father from eternity and also truly man born of the Virgin Mary in time. As true human, He has ascended into heaven and stands before God the Father so that we are able to stand before Father with Him.

 

Again, this passage is not taking away from the deity of Christ; rather, it is teaching the distinction in persons between the One who sits on the throne and the Lamb who had been slain to provide us access to the throne. His blood has ransomed people for God. In the last chapter of the book of Revelation, the throne is said to belong to God and to the Lamb equally. There we are taught that the Father and the Son are consubstantial, that is of the same divine essence.

 

Likewise, in today’s passage we are taught that the Father and the Son are given equal honor and praise. Those standing before the throne were crying out with a loud voice saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:10, ESV) Both God and the Lamb are worthy to receive glory and honor and power. For this reason, we gather today with all of the saints around the presence of the Lamb at this altar and we sing the canticle “This is the Feast.” In the words of that canticle, we boldly sing that “Blessing, honor, glory, and might be to God and the Lamb forever. Amen.” As we gather here in time we join with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven and sing Holy, Holy, Holy to the Blessed Trinity.

 

Second, we learn about the difference between believers who are righteous in God’s sight and the unbelievers who are unrighteous in God’s sight. In John’s vision, he sees the righteous as a great multitude that no one could count. They were clothed in white robes. Now John relays to us that one of the elders addressed him and asked the question, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” (Rev. 7:13, ESV) To be clear, it is not as if this elder did not know the answer. He knew the answer. This is the method of catechesis in which we meditate upon God’s word and continue to ask the question, “What does this mean?”

 

In the same way, when Adam and Eve transgressed against God in the Garden, the LORD asked them, “Where are you?” It is not as if God did not know the answer. Rather, the LORD is teaching his people to ask the right question and to seek the right answer. Adam and Eve had sinned and felt their guilt and shame so that they could not stand in the presence of God. They were hiding from God trying to cover their sin.  After being exposed and also recognizing this transgression, the LORD gave them the promise of the Messiah who would crush the serpent’s head making them able to stand in His presence.

 

Thus, in our text, John asks the elder to reveal to him the right answer. The elder responds, “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. Therefore they are before the throne of God…” (Rev. 7:14, ESV) Here again we see the theological significance of the word “therefore.” Because their robes had been washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb, therefore they are able to stand before the throne. 

 

Because we are human, there is a need to be washed and purified in order to stand before the holiness of God. Without the blood of Christ, we cannot stand. In Psalm 130, we are taught the right question and the right answer. "If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, therefore You are feared." (Psalm 130:3-4, ESV) Because of Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, the Father does not number our sins. His blood has set us free. We have been washed. Thus, God is not able to count our sins against us.

 

Now at the end of time there will be a division between the righteous and the unrighteous. The unbelievers will either attempt to stand before God based upon the number of the things they did right or by challenging the number of the things that they did wrong. However, the believers in Christ will stand based upon the number of things that Jesus did right.

 

In this life, we are learning to mark, number, and count our own sins so that we can confess them before God. Yet, Psalm 19 teaches us that we are not even able to number all of our sins. Verse twelve states, "Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults." (Psalm 19:12, ESV) Thus, we are learning to rest solely in the mercy of God for the sake of Christ. 

 

For this reason, we are taught to count that there is one mediator between God and man. He is the Lamb and the Shepherd. He is the Priest and the Sacrifice. Our robes are made white in the blood of the Lamb. Now we gather here this day as the church militant. We partake in the Supper of the Lamb now and we are waiting for the consummation of the age in which we partake of the marriage feast of the Lamb then. From this altar He we receive the blood of the Lamb which makes us able to stand before the throne. It is the blood of the New Testament which is poured out for the forgiveness of all of our sins. In Christ, count yourselves redeemed and numbered with all of the saints. Amen.