“In the Newborn Christ the Father Gave Us Salvation Guaranteed by the Holy
Spirit”
In the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.
[Amen.]
Dear brothers and sisters of the newborn Christ, grace, mercy, and
peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord [Amen.]
“Oh, that day when freed from sinning, I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothed then in the blood-washed linen, How I’ll sing Thy wondrous grace!
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry; Take my ransom’d soul away;
Send Thine angels soon to carry Me to realms of endless day.”
(Lutheran Service Book, © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO.
686:4)
Epistle
Reading....................................................................
Ephesians 1:3-14 (esp. 11-14)
11In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according
to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his
will, 12so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the
praise of his glory. 13In him you also, when you heard the word of truth,
the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the
promised Holy Spirit, 14who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we
acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
Prologue: Two thoughts that will hopefully gain and retain your
attention this [afternoon / morning]. First is the concept of “guarantee.”
Most, if not all, new vehicles, large and small appliances, electronic
gadgets, lawn care machines, and many other items come with a guarantee.
That is, the companies that made, marketed, or sold them promised that they
would work flawlessly … at least for awhile. Second is the concept of
endless delight. That is, we desire whatever delights us such as particular
foods, enjoyable activities, a captivating novel, a devoted spouse, and many
other things as well to never end.
Here we are at the 2nd (and last) Sunday in the short 12-day
Christmas season. More than likely most people have already taken down and
stored away their Christmas decorations, and retail stores have replaced
Christmas items (except perhaps the seasonal clearance ones that are greatly
reduced in price!) with Valentine’s items and (looking forward to the end of
winter and beginning of spring) lawn and garden items.
We who greatly delight in Christmas lament the fact that the
all-too-brief Christmas season that began just a little more than one week
ago on December 25 will conclude this upcoming Tuesday, January 5. We long
for a guarantee that the angels’ message to the shepherds some 2000+ years
ago of “peace on earth, good will toward men” would last far longer than
Christmas Day itself.
Well, today’s sermon text encourages that very thing by reminding
us that …
“In the Newborn Christ the Father Gave Us Salvation Guaranteed by the Holy
Spirit.”
As we consider that marvelously wonderful and reassuring message,
the first thing to realize is that …
I. God Graciously Adopted Us through the Newborn Christ. (3-6)
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us
in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4even as he
chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy
and blameless before him. In love 5he predestined us for adoption through
Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6to the praise of his
glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
A devotion designed to give comfort to homebound,
institutionalized, and hospitalized Christians stated: “What is grace? To
some it is the name of a pretty girl they know. To others grace is what you
say before you eat. To still others grace is good manners, or the action of
a performer in a ballet. To the sinner, grace is the unmerited mercy of an
all-loving God.
“Grace is an amazing thing. It is love, but more than love. It is
undeserved love. This grace has been freely given to us by God.
“God’s grace … is not a slow drip, drip, drip from the faucet of his
love. It is grace sufficient to cover all our sins, no matter how bad they
are or how often they have been repeated. It is grace in abundance for
every day of our lives.
“God’s grace … is ours without price. A good thing, for we could never
begin to pay for our forgiveness. The national debt exceeds billions of
dollars. Even if we laid all of this money at the feet of the Almighty, it
would not be sufficient to purchase forgiveness for a single sin. But what
we could not earn or buy, God gives to us freely ‘in the One he loves.’
“Not that this grace is cheap. It has been paid for by the … suffering
and death of the holy Son of God, the ‘One he loves.’ At Jesus’ baptism God
called from heaven in a loud voice, ‘This is my Son, whom I love.’ On the
Mount of Transfiguration the disciples heard the voice from the cloud
proclaim, ‘This is my Son, whom I love.’ God’s grace flows freely in his
beloved Son, Jesus Christ.
“It is this Savior whose perfect life, mighty death in payment for our
sins and victorious resurrection on the third day purchased our forgiveness.
Thus God provided a fountain of forgiveness and mercy for all people of all
generations. This free-flowing grace of God deserves our praises now and
throughout eternity.” (For Such a Time as This: Epistles. Copyright © 1991
Northwestern Publishing House, Milwaukee, WI. Page 71.)
Motivated by that grace, God claimed us as His own dear children
through our Baptism into Jesus. God keeps us as His own dear children
through the contemplation of Holy Baptism, the hearing and reading His Holy
Word, the declaration of Holy Absolution, and the partaking of Holy
Communion. For in those blessed means of grace, we are reminded and
reassured that …
II. God Graciously Redeemed and Forgave Us in the Newborn Christ. (7-10)
7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our
trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8which he lavished upon
us, in all wisdom and insight 9making known to us the mystery of his will,
according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10as a plan for the
fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on
earth.
A brief review of sin reminds us that “Original sin is that total
corruption of our whole human nature that we have inherited from Adam
through our parents.” That same “Original sin A. has brought guilt and
condemnation to all people; B. has left everyone … 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.” (Luther’s Small Catechism with
Explanation. Copyright © 1986, 1991 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis,
MO. Pages 98ff.)
The wretched result of all that is what we confessed earlier in
this divine service: “I, a poor, miserable sinner, confess unto You all my
sins and iniquities with which I have ever offended You and justly deserved
Your temporal and eternal punishment.” (Lutheran Service Book. Page 184.)
We then pleaded for God’s gracious and merciful redemption and forgiveness.
In response to that Pastor Marks announced God’s gracious
redemption and forgiveness to us in the words of absolution. His
announcement stands on the solid foundation of what Saint Peter wrote:
“Knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your
forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the
precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” (1
Peter 1:18-19 ESV) as well as what Saint John wrote: “The blood of Jesus His
Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7 ESV)
Although another jubilant and ecstatic Christmas celebration is
rapidly waning, what will never end is that …
“In the Newborn Christ the Father Gave Us Salvation Guaranteed by the Holy
Spirit.”
And as we now move further into the atoning work of Immanuel in
the upcoming weeks, today we reflect back on the annual formal celebration
of His birth realizing that, as today’s Introit antiphon stated, He is “The
Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as
of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (St John 1:14
ESV) and today’s Gradual declared: “To us a child is born, to us a son is
given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder. And his name shall be
called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things!” (Is 9:6 & Ps
98:1a ESV)
At the same time we look forward with Spirit-inspired knowledge
provided by Doctor Luke in today’s Gospel Reading about this twelve-year-old
“Son of God and Mary’s son” who amazed the temple priests and teachers,
namely, that “The child [Jesus] grew and became strong, filled with wisdom.
And the favor of God was upon him. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in
stature and in favor with God and man.” (St Luke 2:40 & 52 ESV) Of course
His wisdom and stature totally eclipsed that of His ancestor King Solomon,
about whom today’s Old Testament Reading contained the following
conversation between God and him: “And Solomon said, … ‘Give your servant
therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern
between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?’
It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. And God said to him,
‘Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or
riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself
understanding to discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your
word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you
has been before you and none like you shall arise after you.’” (1 Kings
3:6a, 9-12 ESV)
So, as we look both backward and forward, let’s joyfully celebrate
with thanksgiving today and every day that …
I. God Graciously Adopted Us through the Newborn Christ. (3-6)
and …
II. God Graciously Redeemed and Forgave Us in the Newborn Christ. (7-10)
As we do so, let’s keep in our minds the following words contained
in today’s Collect: “You have poured into our hearts the true Light of Your
incarnate Word. Grant that this Light may shine forth in our lives.”
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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