Funeral Sermon: Resting Secure in the Lord (Deuteronomy 33:12)

 

Randall, Michele, Timothy, Michael, Tricia, family and friends of Bernice:

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen!

[Intro]

Today, our sister in Christ Bernice Breyer is resting secure as sin and death has no more power over her, since she is in the presence of her Lord.

Throughout her earthly life, she enjoyed many activities including reading, sewing, playing cards, gardening, dancing, bowling, fishing, camping, and volunteering. Bernice also shared her love for Christ with her family and friends. And even when her health was deteriorating, she continued to have a positive attitude as she continued to smile as she fought cancer.

For some, they may say that death defeated her, but through her faith in Jesus, it is death that is defeated as she is now living in the presence of her Lord.

For us, here today, we may be grieving, since death separates us from our loved ones, but we do not grieve as those who have no hope, we grieve in the sure and certain hope knowing that we will see our loved ones again.

[Confirmation Verse]

In our reading today from Deuteronomy 33:12, which was Bernice’s confirmation verse, we heard: “Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders.”

In this short verse, we hear about how the Lord loves, protects, and nurtures His children. In our other readings today from Romans 8 and John 10, we heard the same. You see, throughout our earthly life and in our heavenly life, the Lord loves, protects, and nurtures His children.

[Love]

First, let’s look at how God loves us. He loves us unconditionally. Even when we sin, He continues to love us. He loves us so much that it isn’t us that chose to love Him first, it is Him who loves us first. This is what the Triune God did for Bernice at her baptism and your baptism. He came to Bernice through the water and the Word, so that she would have the ability to believe in Jesus as her Lord, through the power of the Holy Spirit, so that she would have faith in Christ and receive the gifts of eternal life, salvation, and forgiveness of sins that He won for us through His atoning death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead.

Through this love of God, she confessed her faith in Jesus Christ on her confirmation day, which brings us again to her confirmation verse: “Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders” (Deuteronomy 33:12).

This verse is reminiscent of a father toting his child on his back. The child has no worries. The child knows of the father’s love. From this, we see how God always cares for us.

[Protection]

Second, this verse tells of the Lord’s protection saying, “for he shields him all day long.”

As the world, our sinful flesh, and Satan keep sending arrows attacking us, it is our faith in Christ that doesn’t let those arrows do the damage they intend. For everyone in Christ, we will face hardships and pain, but we know that these are only temporary, as the Apostle Paul informs us in Romans 8, “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height no depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).

Christ is our shield. He is our fortress. Nothing can destroy the love of God that we have in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

We hear of Christ’s protection also in John 10 as Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep” (John 10:7).

Here, the Good Shepherd assures us that He is the gate that controls the safety and security of the sheep. He, alone, provides access to eternal life.

[Nurturing]

Third, this verse tells of the Lord’s nurturing as it proclaims, “the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders.”

Throughout our earthly life and in our heavenly life, God is continuously nurturing His flock. He gives us our daily bread – all our bodily needs, such as food, drink, and clothing. He continues this in heaven as the Church Triumphant partakes of the heavenly feast.

He also nurtures us as we hear His Word and receive His Sacrament on this side of heaven. Through the Word and Sacrament, our faith is renewed and our sins are forgiven. He reminds us that no matter what happens in this sinful world that His Word endures forever. In this we have a sure and certain hope, even in uncertain times.

You see, God is loving, God is protecting, and God is nurturing.

Today, the sure and certain hope in Christ that Bernice had in her earthly life is truly being experienced. For everyone in the Church Triumphant, like Bernice, the sure and certain hope they had in Christ in their earthly life is now their present life.

Today, Bernice hungers no more. She thirsts no more. She experiences no more pain and suffering. She and all the saints in the Church Triumphant are resting secure in the presence of the Lord. Amen.

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Bernice Breyer's Obituary: https://hantge.com/obituaries/bernice-frieda-breyer/

Video of Funeral Service

Sermon for Advent 1: "Stay Awake for the Coming of the Lord"

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen!

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

[Intro]

Jesus said: “Therefore stay awake – for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning – lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake” (Mark 13:35-37).

Some years ago, a tourist was traveling along the shores of Lake Como in Northern Italy. He wanted to visit especially one castle called Villa Arconti. Now, when the tourist reached the castle, a friendly old gardener opened the gate and showed him the grounds, which this old man kept in perfect order.

“How long have you been here?” the tourist asked. “Twenty-four years,” replied the gardener.

“And how often has the owner of the castle been here during that time?” “Four times.”

“When was he here the last time?” “Twelve-years ago.”

“Never since then?” “Never.”

“Does he write to you?” “No.”

“From whom then do you get your instructions?” “From his agent in Milan.”

“Does this agent come out here quite often?” “Never.”

“Who, then, comes here?” “I am almost always alone – only once in a great while a tourist comes here.”

“But you keep this garden in such fine condition and take such excellent care of all the plants, just as though you expected your master to come tomorrow.”

“Today, sir, today,” the old gardener promptly replied.

[Be Prepared]

Today we begin a new church year and a new season, Advent. Now, Advent literally means “coming,” so during this season, we celebrate the Lord’s first coming, which began at His conception in the virgin Mary’s womb through the Holy Spirit and ended with His bodily ascension into heaven, where He is to this day, sitting at the right hand of God the Father. We also anticipate Christ’s second coming, when He will come to judge the living and the dead, which could be at any moment – and not just during the season of Advent.

So, how is your faith this day? Are you prepared to meet our Master Jesus, like the gardener is prepared to meet his master, the owner of the castle? How prepared are you?

In our Gospel text from Mark this morning, Jesus teaches and reassures us – His flock – on how to be ready for His second Advent, His second coming. Christ teaches us: “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come…. Therefore stay awake – for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning – lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake” (Mark 13:32-33, 35-37).

Here, Christ is warning His flock to stay awake until His coming. Now, Jesus is not telling us to never rest our eyes and sleep, for we all need a good night’s rest in order to stay awake and function in our daily lives. Rather, Jesus is warning us to remain alert to proclaim the Gospel and practice the one true Christian faith in our daily life – our daily vocations: father, mother, son, daughter, teacher, student, boss, employee, and on and on. 

What Christ is saying is this: “Be on guard! Be alert!” He is teaching that we should not immerse ourselves in the things of this world and thus lose our own soul. He is teaching us to not be an easy-going Christian whose conversation and conduct are hardly distinguishable from unbelievers. He is teaching that we must always keep our eyes fixed and focused on Him alone.

As God’s children, we wait with patient watchfulness. And why are we patient? We are patient because our Savior has planted a bright and certain hope in our hearts.

Upon hearing the Boy Scout motto: “Be Prepared,” someone asked Scouting founder Robert Baden-Powell in 1907[1] the inevitable question: “Prepared for what?” “Why for any old thing,” he replied. He then went on to say, “Being prepared means you are always in a state of readiness in mind and body to do your duty.”

This is exactly what Jesus is teaching us today since the Christian is never off duty. We are not just a Christian on a Sunday morning, we are a Christian day and night, night and day, 24-7. We are always to remain vigilant and prepared for the Lord’s coming.

[How Prepared is Christ?]

But, what about Jesus? Is He prepared for His own bodily return? For He says, “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Mark 13:32).

Is it true that Jesus does not even know when He will come to judge the living and dead? Well, pay attention to when He said this. He spoke this prior to His atoning death and resurrection. So, when He spoke these words, He was in the state of humiliation. Remember, since before time existed, Jesus has always been God. But, when He came into the world in human form, He willingly gave up much of His divine attributes – His divine powers – during His earthly ministry, although when necessary, He used His divine powers to bring people to faith in Him, such as turning water into wine and healing the sick.

The Apostle Paul explains Christ’s humiliation this way: “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by being obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross” (Philippians 2:5-8).

So, as Christ said, “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father,” here He is speaking this from His state of humiliation. But what about today? Does Christ, in fact, know when He will return? That answer is “Yes!”

Now that Christ has risen from the dead and has bodily ascended into heaven, He is now in the state of exultation. So, after His saving work was complete, He resumed the full and constant use of the divine powers that he had voluntarily limited Himself while He was in His state of humiliation.

This is a lot to comprehend. Here’s how the Apostle Paul explains Christ’s state of exultation: “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11).

So, since Christ is at the state of exaltation, He is all-knowing. He knows what God the Father knows. He knows what the Holy Spirit knows. For they are three-in-one and one-in-three as one God, now and forever. As Paul says in Colossians 2:3, “In [Him] are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

So, Christ is prepared. He knows the day and the hour. But, since we are not all-knowing, like Him, we are to always be prepared. We are to always be awake!

Now Jesus does give us some hints, but we may not always take notice of these hints. He says: “But in those days, after the tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling down from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory” (Mark 13:24-26).

Will you be prepared for that day? For if you prepare then, it will be too late as Christ teaches us in the Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13). Remember, some of the virgins were foolish, the others were wise. The wise were prepared, but the foolish were not. For that, the foolish were left out of the marriage feast. The foolish ones knocked on the door to the wedding feast and pleaded, “Lord, lord, open to us.” But He answered, “Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.”

So, will you be known by the Lord at His coming?

[My Words Will Not Pass Away]

One way to be known by the Lord at His coming is trusting in His words as He says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Mark 13:31).

You see, the world and sun, moon and stars may go into complete chaos, but the Word of the Lord endures forever. These words of Jesus are written before us in the Old and New Testaments from Genesis to Revelation. These are Christ’s very words. These are the words that will never pass away. These are the words that give us a certain hope in uncertain times.

As we begin the season of Advent and a new church year, this is a time of repentance and renewal.

Each December, we begin seeing commercials for fitness gyms with great offers to get us back into physical shape for the new year. Many of us may make New Years’ resolutions to be better at this or that.

But, what about the Christian new year? Are you satisfied with the shape of your Christian faith?

How often do we really take to heart the words of Christ that will never pass away? Are you lackadaisical in your faith in Christ? If Christ returns today or tomorrow, would you be scared and shocked, or would you be at calm?

Do you fear God’s wrath by avoiding every sin? Is your love for and trust in God evident in your daily living? Do you neglect the Word of God? Do you gossip, listen to rumors, or take pleasure in talking about the faults or mistakes of anyone?

Throughout His Written Word, Christ constantly teaches His flock to “Stay awake.” He says: “Whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teachers others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:19) and “It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void” (Luke 16:17).

We can all do better in displaying the love of Christ, since none of us is perfect. We can all strive to become better Christians by becoming more like Christ by doing our best in following His commandments.

Now, we seemingly always mess up, but do not let that become an excuse. The point is to be ready and not to think of excuses. Instead, we are to repent of that sin, receive God’s forgiveness, and strive to do our best in being a follower of Christ.

Thanks be to the Triune God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – that He gives us time to be ready as we hear His Word and receive His Sacrament. The best news of all is that when all else passes away, Christ’s sure words remain, in which we hope and trust.

The words that we will hear at Christ’s Second Coming – His Second Advent – will fulfill the Gospel as Jesus acknowledges those who, through faith worked by the Holy Spirit, acknowledged Him as their Lord.

We will hear words proclaiming Jesus as the One who came “to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). We will hear words that uphold God’s holy and perfect law, but also announce that through the perfect life of Jesus on our behalf, He has fulfilled all of God’s demands. We will hear words of forgiveness assured for us by the cross and empty tomb. These words will cover us in the righteousness of Jesus for all eternity, for we have been declared righteous for His sake.

For us now, we stay awake for the coming of the Lord as He readies us through His Word and Sacrament.

Now, the purpose of Christ’s second coming is not merely to judge but, primarily, to give us the salvation He won for us during His first Advent on earth. This He accomplished through His sinless life, His atoning suffering and death and His bodily resurrection from the dead. In fact, Christ gives of His forgiveness this day in His Word and Sacrament!

So, always look to Jesus and His cross where He won for all of mankind forgiveness, life, and salvation! This is why He came! This is why He will come again! In the meantime, we trust in Him and His promises by keeping our eyes fixed and focused on Jesus alone as we love God and support our neighbor by staying awake for the coming of the Lord! Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

T SOLI DEO GLORIA T

---

[1] https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2017/05/08/be-prepared-scout-motto-origin/

The Most Important Election

By Pastor Peter Adelsen
First Ev. Lutheran Church, Glencoe

McLeod County Chronicle's Pastor's Corner 

“This election is the most important of our lifetime!” We hear this same phrase every four years. But is this true?

If we put all our stock on the things of this world, then yes. But, if we put our stock on the things of life eternal, then no. You see, if we put all our focus on temporal politics, instead of eternal politics, we will never be satisfied. Each earthly politician makes promises and due to their sinful nature inherited from our first parents Adam and Eve, they will break promises. It is extremely rare that a politician will keep all his or her promises.

Everything in life is political. We can focus on the temporal politics of “R” or “D,” or we can focus on the eternal politic that is “Jesus is Lord.” Now, do not be mistaken, for there is an election that is the most important in our lifetime, but it is not temporal politics.

The most important election of our lifetime was when God the Father elected you and made you His own at your Baptism. This is the election that matters most.

You see, through Baptism, the Triune God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) made a promise, and His promises are never broken. This promise is that He will never leave you, nor forsake your Baptismal seal as His own. The most important election is when we were chosen by God as His own (1 Thessalonians 1:4). So, through the water and the Word, we are united to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In doing so, since Christ was raised from the dead, we too, by faith in Christ, which began at our Baptism through the Holy Spirit, will also be bodily raised on the Last Day. From this Baptismal promise, the Holy Spirit teaches us as we grow in the one true faith as we love God and love our neighbor.

Now, Baptism is not a “get into heaven free card,” since as a Baptized child of God we can choose to deny our faith in Christ and follow another false god. But, at the same time, God never forsakes His promise, so that when the Holy Spirit brings the unbeliever to faith again in Christ, this person is guaranteed of the Baptismal promise.

So, trust in your Baptismal promise, for this is in fact the most important election of your lifetime!

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love He predestined us for adoption to Himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will” (Ephesians 1:3-5).

Merciful Father, though we do not deserve it, You have called us to be Your own through Holy Baptism. Preserve us in Your righteousness as we by faith in Your Son Jesus Christ inherit the Kingdom of Heaven and eternal life. Amen.

Sermon for All Saints' Day: "Coming Out of the Great Tribulation" (Revelation 7)

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen!

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

[The 144,000]

“Who are these, clothed in white robes and where have they come? … These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation” (Revelation 7:13, 14b).

The year 2020 has been packed with tribulations:

• The COVID-19 Pandemic
• The governor limiting church services to 10 or fewer – essentially closing the church for months
• The governor’s mask mandate
• And an unending list of new and ever-changing rules to follow

It is certainly easy to become pessimistic through all of this. But should we – as followers of Christ – be pessimistic?

In a letter written A.D. 250 by Cyprian – the bishop of Carthage – to his friend Donatus, he describes Christians as joyous people. He describes Christians as optimistic people. He wrote:

“This is a cheerful world as I see it from my garden, under the shadow of my vines. But if I could ascend some high mountain and look very far, what would I see? A gang of robbers on the highways, pirates on the seas, armies fighting, cities burning, in the amphitheaters people murdered to please the applauding crowds, selfishness and cruelty, misery and despair under all roofs. It is a bad world, Donatus, an incredibly bad world. But I have discovered in the midst of it a quiet and holy people who have learned a great secret. They have found a joy that is a thousand times better than any of the pleasures of our sinful life. They are despised and persecuted, but they care not. They are masters of their souls. They have overcome the world. These people, Donatus, are the Christians – and I am one of them.”[1]

Today on this All Saints Day, this is most certainly true. We, Christians, are different and we should remain different from the sinful world around us. We live in the world, but we are not of the world. We are different since we are saints of God. By grace, we are no longer dead in our trespasses and sins, since by faith in Christ we are changed. We hear this in today’s epistle: “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him” (1 John 3:1). You see, the world does not know the love of Christ as we know it.

Although the world around us is full of suffering and disease, we know that this is only temporary. As children of God, we remain optimistic! We remain joyous!

As small “o” orthodox Christians in 2020, we expect to be despised by the sinful world, since we follow Christ as our Anchor and our Rock, and not the shifty sands of public opinion. We do this, since through Jesus Christ, we have overcome the world, so that whatever the sinful world throws at us, we just march on toward the goal that Jesus alone has won for us: eternal life, forgiveness of sins and salvation!

On this All Saints Day, we remember the departed saints in heaven. But, for us, here, this morning, we look forward to that goal, that is, the kingdom of heaven. Today, God teaches us about the now but the not yet in a comforting vision of heaven from Revelation 7.

As Christians, this is where we live. We live in the now but the not yet on this side of heaven. You see, through our faith in Christ that began at our baptism through the work of the Holy Spirit, we are experiencing eternal life now – we are saints, but at the same time, we are sinners. As saints and sinners now, we still experience pain, suffering, heart ache, hunger, thirst, and plague. We are saved now, but we have not yet truly experienced what being saved looks like without sin in heaven.

So, on this side of heaven, we march forward toward the triumph that has been won for us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is where our reading from Revelation 7 begins. John is inspired to tell us, “Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, saying, ‘Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.’ And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel” (Revelation 7:2-4).

From then on, we hear of the 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes.

Picture it this way, these 12 tribes of Israel are marching into battle on parade. They are in perfect formation, just like our U.S. military as they march in formation. As the 12 tribes march, they are prepared for battle as we remember Christ’s comforting words: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20). This battle is known as the Church Militant. In this battle, we proclaim Christ in our vocations – parent, child, boss, employee, and the list goes on. This is our life now.

These 144,000 represent God’s people on earth, who are ready to carry out their mission and thus enter the valley of the shadow of death. Again, this is us! You see, no matter how much we suffer here on earth, these 144,000 fulfill the mission of their Lord as the Lord protects them in their faith.

The Church Militant – you and me – will suffer and die in the Lord’s mission, but we will never lose faith, for the Lord will defend us in that faith. And in the end, the Church Militant will become the Church Triumphant – the faithful in heaven.

Now, should we be worried that we may not be a part of the 144,000? If we trust that we have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone, then no. You see, this number is a representation of total completeness. It gives a numerical picture of God’s people on earth in perfect marching order, in perfect step. This is a perfect and complete army, fully equipped wearing the full Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) and ready to do God’s work. But how do we know this? Well, the Triune God tells us through John.

He says, “After this I looked, and behold, a 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…” (Revelation 7:9).

You see, according to the scene of the Church Triumphant – the saints in heaven – the number is so great that they could not be counted! So, who are these 144,000? They are the whole body of Christians who have lived from Christ’s bodily ascension into heaven all the way to His Second Coming. You see, we – by faith in Christ – are among this 144,000.

[The Church Militant]

Today, we are living in the now but not yet. This is known as the Church Militant. Through Christ, we are saints, but we are also sinners. And as sinners, we experience suffering as we fight under the banner of Christ against our evil foes: Satan, the sinful world, and our sinful flesh.

Each All Saints Sunday, many of us look forward to singing “Behold a Host, Arrayed in White” and “For All the Saints.” These two hymns have catchy tunes, but what really makes them special are the lyrics. These two hymns portray the now but not yet perfectly as they contrast between life in the Church Militant and life in the Church Triumphant.

First, the Church Militant: In “Behold a Host, Arrayed in White,” the lyrics proclaim a “priestly band” consisting of martyrs, but martyrs here is used in a wide sense, meaning all believers who have suffered in this life because of, then die in, their Christian faith. This Church Militant “wept through bitter years” and the great afflictions of this life as they willingly toiled faithfully and sowed God’s Word on the “steep and narrow path” of this temporal world. This caused them much heartache, as they were despised and scorned by those who rejected Christ and His Church, but they endured to the end.

In “For All the Saints,” the military imagery of the Church Militant begins to fully come out in stanza two: “Thou, Lord, their captain in the well-fought fight.” In the Church Militant imagery of this hymn, God provides His saints with sufficient armor and weaponry to wage war against Satan and his spiritual forces of evil. Though at times the saints feebly struggle, and at other times their hearts are brave, they continue to rely on Christ’s strength as they are fully equipped with His Word. The Church, coming out of the Great Tribulation, is assured of victory.

[The Great Tribulation]

So, what is this Great Tribulation? Revelation pictures tribulation as the continuing reality for all Christians.

For John – the writer of Revelation – he surely experienced tribulation. Due to his witness to Christ, he was exiled to the island of Patmos. He also suffered as his brother James was martyred.

Indeed, Christ Himself acknowledged that His people on earth were and would continue to experience suffering and tribulation. Christ says, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 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” (Matthew 5:10-12). And the Apostle Paul stated that “through many tribulations it is necessary for us to enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22) and “all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12).

Even though we are persecuted, we pray for those who persecute us, so that they, too, would have the same joy we have in Jesus Christ, since He died for the forgiveness of all people, including them!

So, are the tribulations in our life, in fact, the Great Tribulation? For most, if not every Christian, we will experience a testing of our faith in Jesus at some point in our lives. The question for us is this: How will we – or did we – handle the testing? Will we be strengthened by the test, or will we be weakened by the test? Will we remain in the one, true Christian faith, or will we leave the faith?

For our many members who are in school, from elementary school to graduate school, they face this test daily. Is God real? Did Jesus really suffer and die for me? Did Jesus really rise from the dead on Easter? Did Jesus really forgive my sins? Did Jesus really bodily ascend into heaven? Is Jesus really going to return to judge the living and the dead? These are questions that our school-aged members have and likely others, possibly you, have. These are the same questions I had.

When I was going through Sunday school and catechism classes, I had a childlike faith. I believed that Jesus is my Savior and Lord. I believed that He was raised from the dead and that He will come again.

But then came my senior year of high school and my freshman year of college. I began to question everything as my pastor began teaching that the Bible was not completely true. How could something that I believed to be an absolute truth, become subjective, or a matter of opinion? This was my personal tribulation.

I began to doubt everything. If the Bible wasn’t true, what could I trust? But through this personal tribulation, Christ led me to this synod. I passed through my personal tribulation to find a church body that continues to remain faithful and anchored to Jesus Christ and to His Law and Gospel.

Is this what John is referring to? We are getting closer. But the Great Tribulation is actually so horrible that even God’s own elect would not be saved unless those horrific days were cut short for their sake (Matthew 24:22). So, the evil days immediately before Christ’s second coming, together with their sufferings and persecutions, is called the “Great Tribulation.”

The real “Great Tribulation” is what Christ will rescue His faithful from.

But we will all experience tribulations. Due to our faith in Christ, we will be hated and mocked. We are seeing this more and more these days as the sinful world has become more outspoken against Christ and His teachings. So, as we confess Jesus Christ as Lord in our vocations of our daily life, expect push back, but when that happens, reply in love. And if they don’t listen, know that they don’t actually hate you, but they actually hate Jesus Christ. So, we are always in good company. During His earthly ministry, Jesus was hated, but He also gave His life so that by believing in Him, they too, would be saved.

So, every Christian will experience some form of tribulation. Some tribulations and sufferings will be so piercing that the very faith and foundation of the believer’s hope will be severely tried, almost to the point of despair and defeat. For that Christian, at that moment, his sufferings and trials are his great tribulation. But, by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, our life does not come to an end at our death. In fact, it continues in the Church Triumphant.

[The Church Triumphant]

Christ’s Church will be “the ones coming out of the great tribulation” (Revelation 7:14a). Today, we refer to this as the now but not yet, but for those in heaven, this is their now. They are no longer sinners, like us. They are truly saints by God’s grace and favor.

This, the Church Triumphant, is all the saints in heaven who have entered heavenly rest. They are relieved from the labor of fighting and of all dangers. They are experiencing the fulfillment of the promise that the Church Militant only receives a glimpse of in the Divine Service. As “Behold a Host, Arrayed in White” proclaims, these saints “enjoy the sabbath rest” as they gather around the heavenly altar as Christ’s bride partaking of the heavenly wedding feast with Christ, the Bridegroom Himself.

Likewise, “For all the Saints” proclaims this now but not yet in seven words in stanza four: “We feebly struggle, they in glory shine.” We struggle today while the Church Triumphant is shining in the light of Christ in heaven.

This message of the Church Triumphant is a message of comfort for all Christians as they “hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne [is] their shepherd, and he [is guiding] them to springs of living water, and God [wipes] away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 7:16-17).

Now – do not be mistaken – no one is sad in heaven. For these tears were wiped away as they entered the Church Triumphant. There is no more hunger, yet they eat. There is no more thirst, yet they drink. Everyone is completely satisfied as they are in the presence of their Lord. Everyone in the Church Triumphant sees their Lord as He is (1 John 3:2b). Everyone is at peace.

[The Church is Sealed]

Our reading in Revelation began speaking about the sealed 144,000 from every tribe of the sons of Israel. Remember, this is us in perfect marching order as the Church Militant as we advance into battle against our evil foes: sin, death and Satan.

But how does God seal His people? And do we actually have seals upon our foreheads? Well, not exactly. But we are sealed. We are indeed sealed through visible marks and in doing so, we are sealed as God’s people.

We are sealed ultimately at our Baptism, when God the Father adopted us as His own child through the water and the Word. At this sealing, the Holy Spirit gave us faith to believe in Jesus Christ as the sign of His cross was made over our foreheads and our hearts. Here, God the Father identifies the baptized as His child. At that moment, we received the robe of Christ’s righteousness that covers all our sins. This is the white robe that the Church Triumphant is wearing in heaven (Revelation 7:13-14). These robes were not earned but instead given to us only by God the Father’s grace. You see, we are sealed as children of the Heavenly Father at our Baptism.

But God the Father does not just stop there! Since our life is not easy as we face many tribulations in our life here on earth, He comes to us as He invites us to the marriage feast of His Son and His bride, the Church, in the Lord’s Supper – the foretaste of the wedding feast to come!

He comes to strengthen our Baptismal seal as we partake of the Lord’s Supper. You see, God seals us using visible elements: water in Baptism; bread and wine in the Lord’s Supper. Through these marks – Baptism and the Lord’s Supper – the Holy Spirit works according to those words and promises, thereby the Holy Spirit seals God’s people and confirms that they are indeed His people. In doing so, we are strengthened knowing that God will protect us in every tribulation.

As I have said before, we each have free will. So, we can choose to take off our robe of righteousness and go about our lives alone, apart from God. In doing so, we ignore God’s grace and instead inherit eternal damnation. But, when we repent of our sins against God our Father, we are forgiven, and instantly, He places back upon you and me the white robe of His Son that covers all our sins.

You see, it is all by God the Father’s grace that we are saved through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. He desires everyone to be saved through the merit and work of His Son’s suffering, death and resurrection for you and me!

The Triune God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – continues to protect and identify us as His redeemed children in faith. This is why He continues to seal us with the assurance of His forgiving love in the Gospel promise. Since we are sealed in Baptism and strengthened in the Lord’s Supper, we are guaranteed as inheritors of heaven, where the white-robed, palm-waving saints are singing! 

Through the Baptismal font and the Lord’s altar, we have been sealed in His grace. In this grace, we, even through tribulations in our life now are assured that we will be numbered with the saints in the Church Triumphant! Here on earth, we may be dirty and sinful, but in heaven we are pure as we wear Christ’s robe of righteousness! We – by grace through faith in Christ alone – will pass through the Great Tribulation wearing the robes that have been given to us and made white through the blood of the Lamb to the comfort and joy of eternal life with the faithful in heaven! Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

T SOLI DEO GLORIA T

---

[1] Encyclopedia of Sermon Illustrations (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1988), 38.