November 28, 2012 Wednesday Advent Service by Pastor Paul G. Eckert - Sermon text Revelation 22:2-21

November 28, 21012 Wednesday Advent


Sermon by Pastor Paul G. Eckert



Sermon text - Revelation 22:12-21

“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give

to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the

Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the

right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.

Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually

immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and

practices falsehood. I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this

testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David,

and the bright Morning Star.” The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!”

And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come;

and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.

I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book:

If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues

described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this

book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of

life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. He who

testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come,

Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.

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In Christ Jesus, who is coming soon, dear fellow redeemed:

The opening words of the first hymn we sang are, “The advent of

our King Our prayers must now employ.” That speaks of employing

our prayers with regard to Christ’s advent or coming, bringing Christ’s

advent, or His coming, into our prayers. Do we do that?

Can you think of a time when we do it quite often, when we pray

about Jesus’ advent, Jesus’ coming? Think a moment. Don’t we ask

Jesus to come, in other words to advent, regularly when we sit down

to eat? We do, don’t we! We employ our table prayer to say, “Come,

Lord Jesus, be our guest, and let these gifts to us be blessed.” Yes,

we employ that prayer at meal time to ask Jesus to sit down with us at

our tables and to bless what we eat. And I sure hope it actually is such

a prayer, and not just a signal that we now can start eating.

Meal time, however, isn’t the time about which our sermon text is

speaking. Instead it may make us think especially of the future when

Jesus, God’s Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords, will return for a

tremendous advent. But the words of our text, which are the closing

words in our Bible, can make us think not only of that future advent

that will come, but also of a past advent that has come, and a present

advent that is coming.

OUR PRAYERS MUST NOW EMPLOY

THE ADVENT OF OUR KING

I THE ADVENT THAT HAS COME. (12-13)

1. Jesus was in the past. (12-13)

“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give

to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and

the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

a) Jesus is now and says He will return on the final judgment day.

b) But Jesus is more than now and then. He isn’t only the Last,

like the Omega which is the last letter of the Greek alphabet, like our

English Z. No, He is also the Alpha or A, the First and the Beginning.

In other words, He is God’s eternal Son, one with the Father and Spirit

from eternity and to eternity.

2. His appearance in the past in the flesh was foretold.

a) Think here of the words from Psalm 24: “Lift up your heads,

O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of

glory may come in. Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD

Almighty - he is the King of glory.”

b) And then hear what the O.T. Prophet Zechariah wrote.

“Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of

Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having

salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a

donkey.” This, as we know, was fulfilled on the first Palm Sunday.

3. Marvel at what was involved here.

a) The second stanza of the first hymn we sang says, “The

everlasting Son Incarnate deigns to be, Himself a servant’s form puts

on To set his servants free.” Yes, Jesus came in the past, was born on

this earth in Bethlehem, to be a servant for us.

b) The Apostle Paul in Philippians 2 puts it this way: “[Christ

Jesus] being in very nature God, did not consider equality with

God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking

the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And

being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and

became obedient to death - even death on a cross!”

4. May we employ our prayers for the spread of this truth.

a) This Jesus, our Savior who came in the past to serve us, who

died on the cross for our forgiveness, is the one we invite to our meal

tables when we say; “Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest.”

b) May our prayer be that others get to know Jesus not only as

someone who can bless the food we eat.

c) Pray that others above all know He came to serve the world

and us, to pay the wages of our sins, so that we may have the blessing

of forgiveness and the promise of life. That’s why He came.

And now let us move on from The Advent That Has Come to:

II THE ADVENT THAT IS COMING. (14-17)

1. Blessed are those who believe. (14-17)

“Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the

right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.

Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually

immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and

practices falsehood. I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this

testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of

David, and the bright Morning Star.” The Spirit and the bride

say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is

thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free

gift of the water of life.

a) It speaks here of washing robes. Revelation 7:14 also speaks

of those who have “washed their robes and made them white in the

blood of the Lamb.”

b) What a blessing! Forgiveness of sins because of Jesus!

2. But many reject Jesus, do not believe. (15)

a) Our text speaks of open and obvious ways of showing

unbelief, like “magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the

idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.”

b) Unbelief is shown also by rejection, like those who rejected

Jesus as the promised King and nailed Him to the cross. And it is

shown today by polite and law-abiding people who see Jesus only as a

teacher or an example and not as the promised King of glory.

3. Still the invitation goes out to all. (16-17)

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say,

“Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes,

let him take the free gift of the water of life.

a) We invite Jesus to sit down with us at our tables with the

words “Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest.”

b) Jesus invites Himself into our hearts with these words from

Revelation 3:20, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If

anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat

with him, and he with me.”

4. Pray that many will heed Jesus’ coming now.

a) Jesus knocks on our heart’s door, His invitation still goes out.

He comes now in Word and in sacrament.

b) Pray that God will bless what we, our synod, are doing to

bring Jesus’ invitation also to others.

c) Pray that others believe and sit at Jesus’ table which provides a

wonderful menu, the menu of forgiveness, with Heaven as the dessert.

And that leads us to the final verses of our text, 18-21.

I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this

book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the

plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away

from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his

share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in

this book. He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming

soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be

with God’s people. Amen.

III THE ADVENT THAT WILL COME.

1. We are warned not to change or despise God’s Word. (18-19)

a) You may turn down some invitations without consequences.

b) But don’t do that with Jesus’ invitation. Changing, tampering

with, rejecting any of our Savior’s words, that leads to terrible

consequences. We like to hear Jesus’ words, “Whoever believes and

is baptized will be saved.” But those who reject Jesus’ words will

hear, “Whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

2. Live expecting Jesus’ advent at any time. (20a)

a) Jesus says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”

b) That could be the day of our death, it could be next week, it

could be a long time yet. That knowledge is withheld from us.

3. Whenever, may our response be, “Come, Lord Jesus.” (20b)

a) Yes, Jesus, come into our hearts, our houses, to our tables.

b) And yes, Lord, whenever You know it is the right time for us

to depart, come, because we know what You have promised us.

4. Pray that many join us in that response. (21)

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.

a) As believers in Jesus, we are God’s people.

b) We want others to be God’s people too, to share in that grace

of God.

c) Let’s employ our prayers that many others would join us in

this Advent season as we, in our church services and in our lives,

rejoice and celebrate JESUS’ ADVENT THAT HAS COME, as we

make faithful use of God’s Word of truth to be a part of THE

ADVENT THAT IS COMING, and as we in faith look forward to

THE ADVENT THAT WILL COME.



Yes, come Lord Jesus, be our guest - now and always.

Amen.

November 25th, 2012

Nov 25, 2012 from Richard Waldschmidt on Vimeo.

CHRIST THE KING

November 24-26, 2012

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Revelation 1:4b-8

“WOW! WHAT A KING!”

Revelation 1:4b-8 (NIV 1984) “Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, ⁵ and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, ⁶ and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.⁷ Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him;  and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen. ⁸ “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

          I don’t know if you caught it in the news but recently a diamond was sold at auction for a record 21 million dollars. It’s known as the Archduke Joseph diamond and all 76 carats of it have a flawless clarity. Wow, what a diamond! Can’t you just imagine the bidder who paid 21 million dollars taking that diamond and holding it to the light joyfully examining every crystal clear facet? The church’s jewel is Jesus Christ. He’s worth so much more that a paltry 21 million dollars. He’s our Savior. Today as the church observes Christ the King Sunday we hold Him and joyfully examine the different facets of Jesus as King proclaimed in His greeting from Revelation 1.

          The Revelation given to St. John is a beautiful and comforting book for Christians. In visions and picture language it proclaims to us that Jesus wins and all who stick with Him in faith win too. God had John write down what he saw and pass it on to the Christian churches. He greeted them from the Triune God. “Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, ⁵ and from Jesus Christ.” Then he held up the jewel of Jesus describing him as,” the faithful witness.”  A witness tells what he has seen or heard. A faithful witness is one who does so truthfully and reliably. What has Jesus testified too? All kinds of things like the glory of His and our heavenly Father. Like the fact that only He is the way to heaven. That the Bible is God’s Word of truth. That He will be with us always. Look at that facet again when the Devil fills your heart with doubts about your Savior or fear at the thought of dying. Let it strengthen you as individual Christians and churches get challenged more and more on what the Bible says. We need to be strong but we aren’t by ourselves. Only with Jesus our King. He is the faithful witness. Wow. What a King!

          Let’s look at another facet. Jesus is described as “the firstborn from the dead.” That refers to the fact that He is the first one who died and came back to life again with His body. He is the first of many. Looking at this facet of our King reminds us of His power over death. This is what we get to look forward to. Our bodies may die physically but our souls live on. Our bodies will be miraculously resurrected and will be like Jesus, glorious. Are you getting tired of your body? Doesn’t work like it’s supposed to? Do you find yourself wishing it was like a car that you could trade in and get a new one? Have you had to watch a loved one’s body slowly waste a way? No matter. We do get to trade in the old for a new and the new will be perfect. Jesus our King is the proof. He is the firstborn from the dead. Wow. What a King!

          He is also” the ruler of the kings of the earth.” What a great truth, huh? Scripture teaches that God establishes all governments and he lifts them up and knocks them down as He sees fit as He carries out His plan of salvation. What arrogance then when kings of the earth act as though they get their position apart from God. Muhammed Ali proclaimed himself  “the Greatest” the king of boxing. And now look at him. For real kings or rulers there are such notables as Genghis Kahn, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar. Getting a little more modern there was Idi Amin, Stalin, Hitler, Saddam Hussein…we could go on and on. All thought they were the best and would rule the world. All dead and gone. Except for historians nobody cares. Jesus our King lives. His rule has continued since His ascension to heaven and will continue through eternity. We need to remember that Jesus, our King, is the ruler of earthly rulers especially when we have rulers we don’t like or when rulers across the ocean are rattling their sabers. Pull out the jewel of Jesus, the ruler of the kings of the earth, and take comfort.

          Take comfort because our next facet shows us Jesus as the King of love. “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,” Jesus who is also the faithful witness said “Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” Could we go a step further? Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life, even for his enemies?” Yet this king does just that! Think of how in so many of the kingdoms of the world kings expect their people to die for them. Every once in a while you will get a leader who actually makes some sacrifices for his people. Jesus sacrifices Himself for everybody. It isn’t just for those who believe that Jesus died. He paid for the sins of all people. Even those who reject Him, hate Him and want nothing to do with Him. Wow! What a king! And look at the result of His sacrifice. He has freed us from our sins. Do you see what that means for us? In the words of the favorite hymn, “In Christ Alone” it means no guilt in life no fear in death such is the power of Christ in me. What are you ashamed of? What sins you fall into make you so disappointed in yourself? Jesus has freed you from that. You may feel guilt but by the blood of Christ you don’t  need to. And you don’t have to keep doing those sins. You have the power of Christ the King in you. Wow. What a King!

          Listen to what that means. “And has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever!” Jesus the King is a kingdom maker. He takes us that have no claim to greatness or glory and makes us into God’s kingdom. Not a physical place. God doesn’t care about land. God cares about people. We are His kingdom. We get to serve. Wow! What a King!

And while that is a privilege right now it will get even better. As we continue to look at the jewel called Jesus what do we see? “Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him;  and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.” In the Lord’s Prayer we pray “Your kingdom come.” Those of you who remember studying that petition in Catechism class remember that we are praying for the Lord Jesus to rule in our hearts right now and to rule in the hearts of unbelievers. Sometimes that petition is called the Mission petition. A time is coming when no more mission work can be done. It’s when Jesus comes as king in glory at judgment day. Even those who pierced Him will recognize that they were King killers. All those tied to the earth will mourn, wail, kicking themselves for their unbelief. But we won’t. Scripture tells us who believe to look forward to that day.

Look forward to that day because the one we call Savior also says this. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” Here Jesus our King assures that He is true God, from eternity, the be all and end all. We lack nothing when we have Him. What a King.

Hold on to Him, brothers and sisters. Value Him. You know we just passed another Black Friday which curiously now begins on Thursday and actually earlier online. People do some crazy things like camping out at Best Buy already starting the Saturday before. All to get a deal. But their joy in that deal won’t last. I saw a great commercial recently that highlighted the temporary nature of joy in things. Maybe you saw it to. It’s the one with the little white smart car wrapped up in a nice red bow. The husband is presenting it to the wife who is so happy until she looks and sees the nice gas efficient luxury Buick driving by. Then the little white clown car doesn’t cut it any more. Funny. Jesus our King will never disappoint. His full worth to us we have yet to see. Are there some crazy things we could do for that deal? How about truly honoring Him with word and worship. Going that extra mile to get to worship? Making sure to listen to Him daily in His word. Wow. What a King. Amen.

November 18th, 2012

2012Nov18 from Richard Waldschmidt on Vimeo.

November 18, 2012 - Saints Triumphant


Daniel 12:1-13 (:NIV) - Sermon by Pastor Paul G. Eckert

1 “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people,

will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened

from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people -

everyone whose name is found written in the book - will be delivered.

2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to

everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 Those

who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those

who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. 4 But

you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of

the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.” 5 Then

I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two others, one on this

bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. 6 One of them said to

the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How

long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?” 7 The

man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his

right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by

him who lives forever, saying, “It will be for a time, times and half a

time.  When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all

these things will be completed.” 8 I heard, but I did not understand.

So I asked, “My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?” 9 He

replied, “Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up and

sealed until the time of the end. 10 Many will be purified, made

spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None

of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand.

11 From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the

abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.

12 Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335

days. 13 As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then

at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted

inheritance.”

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I can say to you, “Thanksgiving Day is coming.” And you know it

is, the exact day, this coming Thursday. The last chapter of the O.T.

book of Daniel says to us, “Triumph Day is coming.” But it does not

give us the year or day or hour. That remains sealed in God’s wisdom.

Let us now look first at Daniel himself. About 600 years before

God’s eternal Son, Jesus, was born in Bethlehem, Daniel was taken

from the land of Israel and into captivity in the land of Babylon. You

probably remember that he was thrown into a lion’s den because he

continued praying to God publicly after he was told to pray only to the

king. But God closed the lions’ mouths. He kept Daniel alive and

later had him write the book of Daniel so that we can look at the last

chapter knowing that, as he was spared from the lion’s den, we have

been spared from hell. Let’s look at that chapter now under the theme:

SAINTS, YOUR TRIUMPH TIME IS COMING!

I IT IS CERTAIN. (1-4)

“At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people,

will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not

happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that

time your people - everyone whose name is found written in the

book - will be delivered. Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the

earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and

everlasting contempt. Those who are wise will shine like the

brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to

righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. But you, Daniel,

close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end.

Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.”

1. There would be trouble. (1b)

There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the

beginning of nations until then.

a) Trouble plagued Israel all 600 years from Daniel’s time to the

end of the Old Testament time when Christ Jesus was born.

b) And trouble has continued throughout the New Testament

time and continues to this day, exactly as Jesus said in Matthew 24:

“Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.

There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.”

2. But there would also be deliverance. (1a,c)

“At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people,

will arise. --- But at that time your people - everyone whose name

is found written in the book - will be delivered.”

a) God’s people who believe, whose names are written in the

book of life by God’s wonderful grace, will be protected by God’s

angels. Michael is mentioned here. Another angel we know by name

is Gabriel. His assignment was to announce the birth of our Savior.

b) We very properly should thank God for His protecting and

guarding angels who deliver us according to God’s wisdom.

3. How glorious God’s final deliverance will be. (2-3)

“Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to

everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those

who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and

those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and

ever.”

a) There will be no glory for those who reject God’s salvation.

And face it, that should include us by nature, for we all are sinners,

whatever our sins - big or little, one or many, public or private.

b) But for those who believe in what God’s love did for all,

those who have been made saints by the blood of Christ, who have His

righteousness and share that truth of salvation with others, their bodies

in the grave won’t keep them from glory. They will arise to glory.

4. Let this knowledge not be lost. (4)

“But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the

time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase

knowledge.”

a) Daniel was told to seal this message from God so that it would

be preserved, stay available to increase our knowledge too.

b) Daniel did a pretty good job of that, didn’t he. No page of

God’s message here has been lost. We can study it today.

c) Let’s make it a goal always to study our Bibles regularly. This

book, the Bible, is still available so that we can increase in knowledge.

II WAIT PATIENTLY. (5-8a)

Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two others, one

on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. One of

them said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters

of the river, “How long will it be before these astonishing things

are fulfilled?” The man clothed in linen, who was above the

waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward

heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying,

“It will be for a time, times and half a time.  When the power of

the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be

completed.” I heard, but I did not understand.

1. We won’t be waiting alone. (5-6)

a) Here we are told about two other angels. No names are given,

and we might wonder about the third person mentioned here, a man

clothed in linen. It would seem clear that this third person is the O.T.

Angel of the Lord, the Son of God, who made several appearances to

people on earth before He took on our flesh and blood in Bethlehem.

b) This Angel of the Lord was asked how long it would be before

fulfillment came, before the promises of resurrection and everlasting

life in glory would all be completely fulfilled.

2. A picture is given to us as to the length of time. (7)

The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river,

lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard

him swear by him who lives forever, saying, “It will be for a time,

times and half a time.  When the power of the holy people has

been finally broken, all these things will be completed.”

a) When is that? Jesus said, “No one knows about that day or

hour.” Instead He said the end would come like a thief in the night.

b) So don’t look here for an exact time of the end, but rather see

a picture that I feel can well be explained. It speaks here of time,

times, and half a time, or 3 and 1/2 times, but does not say what the

length of each time is. That is deliberate, because Jesus plainly said

nobody will know the exact day or time. So this clearly is a picture.

3. So don’t expect to understand fully. (8a)

a) Daniel said, “I heard, but I did not understand.” We can’t

figure out the exact time either. However, from the use of 3 and 1/2

also in the N.T. book of Revelation, in my opinion the 3 and 1/2 is a

picture of the total time from Christ’s first coming in Bethlehem to His

coming again on Judgment Day, or the whole New Testament era.

b) But that does not tell us the exact time of the last day. How

far are we into the time, or the times, or the half time? I don’t know,

and I’m not supposed to know. That is sealed until the end comes.

4. What we do is wait patiently. (6b)

a) We too want to ask, “How long will it be before these

astonishing things are fulfilled?”

b) God alone knows. Trust Him who saved you, who with the

blood of His Son wrote your name and mine in the book of life.

c) At His right time we will know and awake to everlasting life.

III REJOICE ETERNALLY! (8b-13)

So I asked, “My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?” He

replied, “Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up

and sealed until the time of the end. Many will be purified, made

spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked.

None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will

understand. From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished

and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be

1,290 days. Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end

of the 1,335 days. As for you, go your way till the end. You will

rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your

allotted inheritance.”

1. Now we move on. (8b-10)

a) To us too, as to Daniel, the Angel of the Lord says, “Go your

way,” as we continue to live in a world made up of unbelievers and

believers, the wicked who don’t understand and the wise who do.

b) May we always be among those who are wise, like Timothy

whom the Apostle Paul described in these words: “From infancy you

have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise

for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” How wonderful to be

wise, to have the wisdom that assures us of salvation in our Savior.

2. We know for sure the last day will come. (11-12)

a) We have talked about “3 and 1/2 times”, haven’t we. Now

we hear about “1,290 days” and “1,335 days”. What might the

connection be? Let’s try something. If we would convert 3 and 1/2

times into 3 and 1/2 years, that comes to 1,278 days. Could the

“1,290 days” tell us that we have now gone beyond 3 and 1/2, that the

end has come; and could the “1,335 days” tell us that we have for sure

gone past the end, that we are now in eternity?

b) Like Daniel, we may not understand everything. But right

now I think this could be the meaning: that the end will surely come at

a time we don’t know; that we’ll get past that last and judgment day;

and that for sure after that last day eternal time will go on.

3. So we continue our journey of life. (13a)

“As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, ---.”

a) Live, knowing there will be an end to our earthly existence,

that our bodies will be laid to rest, but also that there is more to come.

b) So live, being wise in Christ, and know that when that end

comes, our real rest will not be in a grave.

4. Know for sure you will have an inheritance. (13)

“As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at

the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted

inheritance.”

a) What is that inheritance? Jesus said, “In my Father’s house

are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am

going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a

place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you

also may be where I am.”

b) What an inheritance! I’m but a stranger here. Heaven is my

home. Heaven is your home, every true believer’s home.

c) Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection guarantee that!



Can we for sure say, “Thanksgiving Day will come”? No! Why

not? Because it is possible that the 3 and 1/2 times, that days 1,290

and 1,335 could come before this coming Thursday comes. That God

alone knows. But for sure we can say to all who believe in the Lord

Jesus Christ: SAINTS, YOUR TRIUMPH TIME IS COMING!

What a Thanksgiving Day that will be!

November 11th, 2012

Nov 11, 2012 from Richard Waldschmidt on Vimeo.

LAST JUDGMENT

November 10-12, 2012

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Malachi 4:1-2

“WE’LL SEE GOD’S REAL GLORY ON JUDGMENT DAY!”

1.     It’s flipside can be seen in the Judgment of the unbeliever.

2.     It’s fullness is seen in the Judgment of believers.

Malachi 4:1-2 (NIV 1984)“Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them. ² But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.”

          When I was serving as a pastor in Texas one of the pastors presented an interesting paper at a conference. It was on the beliefs of the Muslims. He had actually personally interviewed a local Muslim cleric to get a first person perspective on their beliefs. One stood out to me. The Muslim concept of Judgment. According to this cleric when a Muslim dies he must stand before Allah with his book of deeds in his right hand—that’s the clean hand in Muslim culture. The book of deeds records everything good and bad the man has done. Allah looks at the book punishes him for all the bad he has done. Then forgives it and then welcomes him into Paradise and rewards the man for all the good he has done. There’s more. When a non Muslim who believes in some god dies he too stands before Allah for judgment only his book of deeds is held in his left hand. That’s the unclean hand in Muslim culture. He is punished more severely because his book of deeds is held in his dirty hand and when all his bad deeds have been more severly punished, Allah forgives him and welcomes him into Paradise where he is rewarded for all the good he has done. The pastor asked, “Is there any Hell?” “Oh yes,” came the reply. “Atheists go to Hell. They go to Hell where their bodies grow to be sixty feet tall so there is more of them to be eternally punished!” I must confess there is a part of me that kind of likes that way of thinking. It makes sense. Everyone has to pay a little. Atheists pay a lot. It’s a very human concept of judgment. And it falls so short of the glory of the one true God. Where can see that glory? What shows it off the most? The glory of the only God is something we will get to see on Judgment Day.

          God announced that through the prophet Malachi. Malachi means my messenger. He is the last prophet in the Old Testament. Chapter 4 is the last chapter of his book and it directs our attention to the last judgment. “Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them.” Malachi directs our attention to the day that is coming. It is not a good day for the arrogant and evil doer. Who are they? You know, no Bible book exists in a vacuum or as a stand  alone from other Bible books. The Lord speaks very clearly that there are really only two types of people, those who trust in Jesus as their Savior and those who don’t. Sheep and goats. Believer and unbeliever. Righteous and unrighteous. Arrogant evildoers is a good description of those who reject Jesus as their Savior. It is the height of arrogance to replace God’s way of salvation with your own. “Yeah, I hear what you say, God, but you know, I think my way is better. It makes more sense. Yeah, I know you created me and all things and you can exist without me and I can’t exist without you but let me tell you how to run things God. Your standard of perfect living to earn a spot in heaven. That’s just not realistic. So I’ve determined it’s not going to work that way. As long as you try, that’s good enough. Your way of having your Son be the substitute, I mean, who would do that? If you give it away for free people are going to take advantage of you so we’re not doing that. You’re going to have to pay in some way. But eventually everyone should go to heaven. Except for the really bad people.” Arrogant. Evil doers. God wasn’t kidding when he said the imagination of man’s heart is evil from its youth. Think about it. We are Christians and we know the thoughts we still struggle with.

          Can you imagine it on Judgment Day? They come before God. The charges are read. Every sin laid bare. Lies and lusts. Harbored hatreds. Acts of perversion. Words of filth. And on top of it all rejection of God’s Son. Hell is the sentence. Hell is consistently described in the Bible as a place of burning and hopelessness. When God sais not a root or a branch will be left. He means no second chance. No hope. Just despair. This is not a pretty picture. Can we see God’s glory here? Only the flipside. It’s true that it is a to a leader’s honor to be just in punishment. But punishment isn’t what God really wants to be about. Some have called God’s just punishment of those who reject His Son His alien work. It’s foreign to Him. Remember He is the one who said He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. He’s the one who said He wants all to come to repentance and be saved. He’s the one who loves everyone so much He sent His one and only Son to die for the sins of all people.

          Where then is God’s glory in its fullness on Judgment Day? It’s in the judgment of believers. Let’s see what that looks like. “But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.” Believers are described as those who revere the Lord’s name. Revere has that idea of loving respect, wanting someone’s approval. That’s a good description of believers. We know the Lord as the Savior God. We know we deserve punishment for our sins. We sadly see what Jesus has gone through instead of us. On Judgment Day we see the benefit.

          Malachi describes our judgment as the sun of righteousness rising with healing in its wings. Picture the sun rising and feeling its rays warm you on a cool fall day. That’s a picture of the Son, Jesus, who by rising from the dead has his forgiveness of sins touching every believer. Maybe a picture will help. It’s judgment day. You have watched the line of unbelievers stand before the judge. You hear the long litany of their sins revealed. You see their shame and despair. Now it’s your turn. You walk forward and sweat is beading on your brow. You see family members, neighbors, co-workers and you dread them hearing the sins you have worked so hard to keep hidden. Now they will know what you said about them behind their backs. They will hear what you really thought. The shameful embarrassing sins you thought to keep secret. Exposed! Reluctantly you step forward. The judge says. “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. You made sure I knew I had a Savior. You served the needs of others. Well done, good and faithful servant!” What of all the sins? They’re gone as if they never existed. It dawns on you that this is what God meant when He said for believers I will remember your sins no more. Here is the full glory of God. It is seen in the forgiveness of sins, not counting our sins against us, covering us in the righteousness of Jesus.

          Our reaction? We’ll jump for joy. We’ll be like calves let out of their stalls. I’ve seen that. One of my jobs growing up was working for some local dairy farmers. During winter the cows and calves were kept in the barn. Every spring they had me and my brothers come out when they would let the calves out for the first time. The barnyard had an electric fence around it and the calves had never experienced it before. Our job was to keep the calves from running right through that electric fence by shooing them if they got to close. Why was that necessary? You should see a calf the first time it’s let out. Freedom! Kicking snorting sniffing the air. They are so happy. We will be happy on judgment day too. But why wait? Why not live that happiness now?

          God created people to find happiness in willing obedience to His commands and in willingly serving the needs of others. Why does there have to be a long list of sins we are afraid others might find out? There doesn’t. We are believers. We are a new creation in Christ Jesus. We can say no to sin. We can respond to God’s love of us with love of others so that there are more examples, fruits of faith, to be listed on Judgment Day. Then we will see the full glory of God. The flipside is the sad judgment for those who reject Jesus. The fullness is God’s mercy and compassion to those who believe in Christ. In anticipation of seeing that glory let’s live for God’s glory now.  Amen.

November 4th, 2012

Nov 4, 2012 from Richard Waldschmidt on Vimeo.