LSB 534 - Lord, Enthroned in Heavenly Splendor; Malachi 3:13-18; Colossians
1:13-20; Luke 23:27-43.
Are You Flying Futilly, or Landing in Paradise?
This is the last week of the Christian year. Those outside of the church
might say WE are out of step with the world. But true reality is that we are
listening to The Drummer and trying to march to His beat, not the world's
poundings.
In this season, you may notice God's Word focuses on End Times for the
world, such as last week. But on this day, the lessons focus more on our own
personal End Times, and when we will face eternity. They reflect on how we
live our life (OT), why we can do so (Epistle), and the sure promise we have in
the peace of Christ's cross (Gospel).
The idea of 'life-coaching' has no business at all in God's House. But
repentance and the cross are THE business here. So I want you to answer to
your own soul a few important questions. If you learn to fly, you hear a
phrase something like: "landings are mandatory, takeoffs aren't; don't takeoff
unless you know where you'll land."
When you come to the end of your life, where will you land? What is the
thing you value most? Money? Power? Friends? Family? Fields? Grandkids?
How will you be remembered? If you take off in life, you may fly toward one or
more of those destinations, depending on how you live. But where will you land?
The people in Malachi's time had come back to the Promised Land after 70
years of captivity in Babylon. Thru Ezra and Nehemiah, the walls of Jerusalem
had been rebuilt in God's strength. But it seems no lesson was learned. God's
people didn't follow Old Testament laws. Priest's offerings were polluted.
Divorce was common. People did not tithe. They oppressed the poor. God was
angry.
Believers were depressed. Life seemed futile. Evil was prospering.
Since bad things were happening to good people they were wondering why they
were following God.
Sounds like today. Don't we Christians sometimes struggle in and with
faith when we hear words like cancer, Alzheimer's, car crash, friendly fire,
mugging, fired, bankrupt, and others? We see people "cut corners" and even
"cut throats" to get ahead or eliminate competition. Those who mock God seem
blessed. Those who follow Christ are ridiculed, blamed for things, and
bullied. (Malachi 3:14-15).
Then the Holy Spirit records 'those who feared the LORD spoke to one
another.' Not about snowy weather, football, black Friday shopping, or such
items. They spoke to each other about the only hope in them: God's Promises.
It is said the fuel of futility is nobody cares. Ecclesiastes is full of
wisdom about how hard work, family, honors, and power are futile and vanity.
They can't last: moths eat, rust corrupts, we die, no one remembers. There
are days when we feel nothing matters because nobody cares.
GOD cares. God knows about every hair on your head and every struggle in
your life. When all of mankind turned away from Him thru the first Adam, the
Lord intervened in history to send the Second Adam. The Scarlet Thread wove
thru the generations of Adam, Abraham, and David to be totally fulfilled in
Christ.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For
by Christ all things were created... all things were created thru Him and for
Him. In Jesus Christ, ALL the fullness of God was and is pleased to dwell, and
thru the Son of Man God made all things right to Himself making peace by the
blood of the Christ's cross. (Colossians 1).
The events taking place even now around the world and in your life are
under the direction and restraint of God. Not exclusively for your pride,
wealth, enjoyment, family, or any earthly goal; but the good goal of your
landing in heaven. While the world may seem in chaos and life is futile, God
is still paying attention. He has a Book of Life, and the names of all who
fear, love, and trust in the LORD are written there. All who believe and are
baptized shall see the LORD's salvation.
"They shall be Mine," says the LORD of Hosts, "in the Day I make up my
treasured possession; and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves
him." Those who believe that Christ Jesus is the only Way, the Truth, and the
Life can live in that certainty of eternal life now and forever.
We can do so, as Paul reminded the Colossians (and us): "God delivered us
from the domain of darkness, and He transferred us to the kingdom of His
beloved Son, in Whom we have (present tense) redemption, namely, the
forgiveness of sins." (1:13-14).
We see that promise of peace in the Gospel lesson with the thief on the
cross.
Rome treated Christ like a hardened criminal. Religious rulers scoffed at
Jesus, saying God had forgotten Him. They all felt Christ's greatest act would
be saving Himself. Even one of the dying men ridiculed Him this way. They
were all sure Jesus of Nazareth would be forgotten by God and history for a
life of futility.
But there was a man on a different cross. He asks, "do you NOT fear God,
since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we, indeed, justly,
for we are receiving the due reward for our deeds; but this Man had done
nothing wrong."
You are the man. For the good you have failed to do, for the evils you
have done, you deserve nothing but hell and damnation from God. You are the
thief. You can do no good to erase your bad. God does not demand balance.
God demands absolute perfection. His holiness can demand no less from anyone.
No works, no meditations, no giving your filthy heart; no, nothing is enough.
It is futile and vain to serve God if our goal is to save ourselves, make God
notice us, or earn ANY reward. All we can do is confess with the thief.
This Man has done nothing wrong. I have. He is suffering and dying on
the cross under the same condemnation I deserve as my Substitute. I have no
worth, and there is no reason on my part for Jesus to care about me. But only
Christ CAN save me. He can do so by His mercy. We do not receive Him on our
terms; He receives us sinners on His terms. So we beg Him, "Jesus, remember me
when You come into Your Kingdom."
That is the continuous, genuine repentance God calls for, shown in this
man who had been flying blind all his life. The certain hell he should have
crashed into was fast approaching. But here in the last moments, safe landing
was assured in God's grace. He was forgiven of all offenses, governed by God's
goodness, and entered Paradise.
God gives you and me those promises in the waters of Holy Baptism. He
repeats them in His Word: printed, spoken, illustrated, sung, or preached. He
gives them to us in, with, and under bread and wine. He declares you to be His
own, beloved child. Your name is written in His Book of Remembrance, and He
will take you on the Final Day to be His treasured possession: because of the
work of Christ Jesus.
The world, the devil, and our sinful flesh screams "it is vain to serve
God." But, living faithfully in all matters in this crazy world, believing in
Christ even in the darkest times, we have the certainty of paradise won on
Christ's cross.
In these End Times, of the world or of our life, we are His treasured
possession. Others who despise God may prosper with wealth, health, friends,
and family as they fly around life, but won't land in Paradise.
When you come to the end of your life, where will you land? Each person
who is in Christ Jesus can be sure of where they are going. We may not know
WHEN we are getting there, or how difficult the path will be, but we have the
promises of Almighty God that eternal life is ours by His work and gift alone.
He reigns among us by the preaching of Christ's cross. He forgives our
offenses, and He works in us and thru us to govern us by His goodness, so we
may enter at last into His eternal paradise: a happy landing.
God continue to work such faith in us and in every part of the world by
His Word and Sacraments: to the glory of His holy Name. Amen.
Pastor Michael Harman,
St. Peter LCMS - Newell, IA
vacancies at ...
Immanuel, Pomeroy
First Evangelical, Fonda
I haven't posted to CAT41.org in a while. This may likely be refined and
focused a bit more before morning if I have time, but I need to get ready for
First Fonda so you get this third draft.
