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Episodes
Weekly sermons and Bible studies led by a retired pastor of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
Episodes
Tuesday Nov 23, 2021
Tuesday Nov 23, 2021
Sermon for the Last Sunday of the Church Year, based on:
Sermon originally delivered November 25, 2012
Tuesday Nov 16, 2021
Tuesday Nov 16, 2021
This is the Last Sunday of the Church Year. There are two possible choices for almost all of the readings. I will write about the most likely readings to be chosen, but will also list the alternatives at the end.
The Old Testament lesson is from Isaiah 51:4-6. God calls His people to pay attention and listen to Him; for He says, I will provide “My law, My justice as a light, My righteousness, My salvation, and My arms” to bring hope for you who “wait for Me." Though the heavens and the earth pass away, God’s salvation will be forever for His people.
The psalm is Psalm 93. It, too, emphasizes the everlasting nature of God. Though floods and seas and storms may threaten, the Lord is “mighty” and “trustworthy,” as He reigns over His people forever.
The Epistle is Jude 20-25. As God’s “beloved” people, we are called to continue in the “most holy faith,” trusting in God’s love and “waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.” We are also called to share that mercy of Christ with others, especially those who are struggling in faith. The Lord, who has been working for our good “before all time and now and forever,” is able to is “keep us from stumbling.”
The Gospel lesson is from Mark 13:24-37, as Jesus assures His disciples and us that He, “the Son of Man,” will return one day in “power and glory” and gather all believers to Himself for eternal life. No one but the Father knows when that Day will come, so we are all called to be spiritually awake and ready by continuing faith in Jesus. The heavens and earth will pass away, but God’s Word and His promises will not pass away.
Alternative readings, which might be used in some churches, are:
- Old Testament: Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14
- Epistle: Revelation 1:4b-8
- Gospel: John 18:33-37
All of these readings emphasize the eternal nature of God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” His “kingdom is not of this world,” but we are part of it through faith in Jesus, “who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His Blood” and is “coming again with the clouds for us, and every eye will see Him.” There is eternal joy for those who have the gift of faith, but eternal sorrow for those who have rejected Christ and lived without Him.
Monday Nov 15, 2021
Monday Nov 15, 2021
As we approach the Christmas season, it is good to take some time to look at what the Bible actually says about Christmas. We will hear much about Christmas in the weeks ahead; but how much will be about the real and true story of Christmas, as God has revealed it to us in Scripture?
This is not a new problem. Irenaeus, a Christian church leader in the 100’s AD, wrote a book about false teachers and spoke of “an indescribable number of secret and illegitimate writing which they themselves have forged, to bewilder the minds of foolish people who are ignorant of the true Scriptures.”
Do you remember The DaVinci Code and other books from the early 2000’s which were based on these and other false writings, written long after the time of Christ; and yet the claim was made that these were telling the truth — even though these writings were all rejected as false by the early church? These false books have had a very negative influence on too many people.
Come now to 2021. How many of our Christmas songs and stories will have to do with Santa and reindeer and presents, white Christmas, and on and on. There is nothing wrong with these things, as such - but they miss the real point of Christmas and can lead people astray, away from the real and true message of Jesus as Savior.
Too often, too, things are added to the simple Christmas story and bring more confusion to people. Someone once jokingly asked me where one could find the story of the little drummer boy in the Bible. It is a nice song, imagining a little boy honoring the baby Jesus with the music he plays - as we can still honor Jesus with our songs and music; however, this story is not in the Bible, and it can confuse people, in sorting out what is true and what is not. There is a popular show in the US that can be streamed called The Chosen. I have not seen any of it, but some say it is well done and presents stories about Jesus pretty well. The problem is that other stories and characters, not in the Bible, are also mixed in for greater impact and entertainment. Again, I wonder how many people can tell or bother to check what is Biblical and what is not.
There are also two Hallmark TV channels in the US. Since October 22, they have been running their own two-hour Christmas movies, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, as a “Countdown to Christmas,” on both channels. The shows tend to be better than many one could watch. They are primarily the stories of people falling in love and tend to (but not always) emphasize more traditional values, like commitment in marriage and the importance of family and children, and helping other people in love and care at times like Christmas. There are a number of Christmas hymns sung and once in a while you actually hear the name of Jesus, in passing, or people are pictured in a church. All this is better than what one sees in most TV shows and movies; however, there is never a clear message of Jesus and Who He is and why He was born into this world at Christmas. There is much more about “angels” and what they do to help people - though it is far different from what angels so often do in the Bible, as messengers for God’s plan of salvation in Christ. The angels in these movies have a very human view of things and emphasize your free will and following your heart and your feelings, not God and His will, in Christ, which alone can free us from the bondage of sin and bring us to freedom only in Christ. There is also the usual mix of gay couples and
non-Christian beliefs and supernatural events, with no indication of what might or might not be so good.
All this introduction is a very long-winded way of saying that we really need to get back to the Scriptures this Christmas and make sure we know what they actually say and present about Christ and Christmas. That is what we will try to do in this study.
God in His wisdom chose to give us four Gospels, not just one, to tell us the story of the life of Jesus. Each writer wrote, as inspired by God Himself, and included just what God wanted. Only two of the Gospels, Matthew and Luke, include the story of the birth of Jesus, with those details God wanted us to have. John takes us through the whole story of the coming of Jesus in a summary way, in 18 verses. Mark tells us nothing about the birth of Christ and His early life, but starts in with the work of John the Baptist and then the baptism of Jesus, when he was about 30 years old.
We start the Bible study part of the podcast with a quick look at what Mark wrote and why he may have emphasized what he did. Christian tradition says that Mark worked closely with Peter and was in Rome with him at the time of his death. Mark wrote his Gospel for the Roman Christians, most of them Gentiles (non-Jews), as a summary of the life of Christ, with special insights from Peter. This would likely mean that Mark wrote his Gospel in 68 AD or a little later, after the Gospels of Matthew and Luke had already been written. There was no reason, then, that Mark needed to repeat in his Gospel what was already told by Matthew and Luke about the birth and infancy and early years of Jesus.
Look at Mark 1:1-4. Mark starts his Gospel when Jesus is already about 30 years old, just before his baptism and the beginning of his public ministry. John the Baptist had already begun his ministry, calling people to “a baptism of repentance, for the forgiveness of sins” (v.3). This was needed, so that people would be repentant and ready for the coming of the Lord Himself to His people (v.2-3). Jesus Christ is that “Lord,” and Mark writes of the Gospel, the Good News coming to the world, in and through Him, as “the Son of God” (v.1). (We will see much more about these terms in the Christmas story itself in the other Gospels. If you want to review more about the Gospel of Mark, you can scroll back on the podcast site until you reach our earlier study of the entire Gospel of Mark, also.)
Move ahead now to Mark 3:20-21 and 31-35, and Mark 6:1-4. While Mark does not tell us anything about the birth of Jesus, he does tell us some things about what is often called “the holy family.” Joseph, the husband of Mary, is not even mentioned, as he had likely died by this time. Jesus is called “the carpenter, the son of Mary,” by the people of Nazareth, likely because He, as the oldest son, had to take over His father’s job and help support the family by his carpentry work, until his public ministry began (6:3). Four brothers and some sisters of Jesus are also mentioned (6:3). These are most likely the children of Mary and Joseph, born the normal way after the birth of Jesus when Mary was still a virgin.
What Mark makes clear is that this family (other than Jesus) was not a perfect family. They were holy, eventually, simply by the grace and forgiveness of Jesus in His saving work for them. When “his family” heard about His ministry in Capernaum and what was happening to Him, so that He did not even have time to eat, properly, they came to “seize” Him and take Him back home to Nazareth, saying that “He is out of His mind”
(literally, “He is beside Himself”) (3:20-21). They did not believe in His ministry and that He was doing the right things He should have been doing.
In Mark 3:31-35, we hear that Jesus’ mother and brothers were standing outside the place where he was and “calling to Him,” seeking Him. Jesus ignored them and said to the people listening to Him, as they should be, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.” The will of God is to listen to and trust Jesus and His Word. At this point, though, the brothers and seemingly Mary herself were not trusting Jesus and accepting Him, as they should. See also John 7:1-5, where His brothers were again questioning what He was doing; and John says, very clearly, “For not even His brothers believed in Him” at this time.
Finally, in Mark 6:1-4, Jesus went to Nazareth, his hometown, where he had grown up; and there He received a very cynical, questioning reception. They were “offended” at Him and what He said. Jesus responded that He was “without honor” there and “even among His relatives and in His own household.” And we hear in v.6 that “He marveled because of their unbelief.” That unbelief still seemed to include many, if not all, of His immediate family.
The Good News, of course, is that other Scriptures tell us that Jesus’ family did finally come to faith and trust in Him, by God’s grace, by the time of His death and resurrection. See Acts 1:14, for example. Maybe the Lord guided Mark to tell these stories, so that people would not think too highly of Jesus’ family, in an improper way. Later on in the history of the church, some elevated Mary and Joseph to sainthood, above everyone else, through their own merits. Mary is even eventually called sinless, like Jesus, and even called the “Co-Redeemer” with Jesus, by some. All such thinking was wrong, as Mark indicates, and as we shall see in other Scriptures. too.
Finally, turn to the Gospel of John, 1:1-18. This is the way John described the coming of Jesus to this world. We did not get far into this passage in the study, but it is clear that the Word referred to in v.1 is God the Son, Who existed from eternity, from the beginning, and was God, and was very involved in the Creation, and then, in verse 14, “became flesh,” became a human being, the man Jesus, as well as being God.
We will continue with this passage next week, for it has much more to say to us. Do note, though, that John immediately went on, after v.18, to John the Baptist and the baptism of Jesus and His ministry, just as Mark had done. As far as we know, John’s Gospel was the last of the four to be written, and God led John not to repeat what was already said in Matthew and Luke, as He had done with Mark, but only to re-emphasize a few things he, John, already spoken of in Chapter 1.
Do keep your focus on what these Scriptures say and avoid speculation about what they do not say. God has given us just what we need, and that is enough. Keep your eyes on Jesus, above all. Who He is and why He came is at the center of the real Christmas story.
Sunday Nov 14, 2021
Sunday Nov 14, 2021
Sermon for the 25th Sunday after Pentecost, based on:
Sermon originally delivered November 18, 2012
Wednesday Nov 10, 2021
Wednesday Nov 10, 2021
There are only two more weeks in our church year, and our thoughts turn to the end of our life and end times and the return of Christ our Lord.
The Psalm is Psalm 16. Though David still has struggles, he takes refuge only in the one true God, Who has given him so many blessings and continues to give him counsel and guidance for his life. He does not even fear death, for he has “the path of life” with the Lord forevermore. (His words are quoted in the New Testament as a prophecy of Jesus and His death and resurrection and life eternal.)
The Old Testament lesson is from Daniel 12:1-3. There will be much trouble near the end of the world. The Lord Jesus will then come, and all the bodies of the dead will be raised. Those whose names are in the book of life (by trust in God’s saving plan in Jesus) will be raised to everlasting life, where they will shine forever with the light of the Lord and His righteousness. The others, who lived apart from the Lord, will be raised to shame and everlasting contempt.
The Epistle lesson is from Hebrews 10:11-25 and begins with the contrast between the continual priestly sacrifices of Judaism and the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, which brought forgiveness of all sins and confidence to approach and worship God, in full assurance of faith in Him, and the personal cleansing in our baptism. We are warned not to forsake meeting together with fellow believers, but to encourage one another to love and good works and holding fast to our faith, as we await the Day of Christ’s return.
The Gospel lesson is from Mark 13:1-13. Jesus Himself answers questions and comments from His disciples about times to come. He predicts the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple and much trouble for His disciples and for the believers in the church. At the same time, the Holy Spirit will be at work through the Word, as the Gospel is proclaimed to all nations, including ours still today. Jesus warns his followers to be on guard and watch out for false teachers who seek to lead people astray. He calls believers to stay in faith in Him and His Word no matter what goes on, for those who “endure to the end will be saved.”
Tuesday Nov 09, 2021
Tuesday Nov 09, 2021
I read an article in our local newspaper on Saturday, written for the Associated Press by a Roman Catholic theologian and professor, Dorian Llewelyn, on miracles and how one can be declared a “saint” by the Roman Catholic Church. Pope John Paul I, who served as Pope for 34 days before dying in 1978, will soon be “canonized,” given the title of “Blessed” or “Saint” and formally declared to be in heaven. This process of being declared a “saint” can take years or even centuries. How does it happen? This is what the Catholic theologian described:
A bishop of the church must open an investigation, a rigorous examination of the life and holiness of a person, with several stages. The person has to have had a reputation for exceptional holiness, as shown by the investigation, and then can be called a “Servant of God.” Much more research and investigation must take place, affirming the holiness of the person, and then one can be declared “Venerable.”
Then, the Vatican must confirm that the person performed a “miracle” by interceding with God on behalf of someone. In the case of Pope John Paul I, an 11 year old girl had been very ill and expected to die. There was no hope for her until her mother, the nursing staff, and a priest all prayed to heaven, to this pope, this holy person, and the girl was suddenly healed. To verify this miracle, Catholic theologians had to study the whole situation and agree that it was a miracle. An independent medical team also had to be hired and investigate and by a two-thirds vote had to say that the healing could not be explained in a natural or medical way. Only then, through this miracle, could this former Pope be given the title “Blessed." A second miracle, done by this same person, must also be verified before that person can be officially declared a “Saint.” This whole process can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, which must be raised by those wishing someone to be declared a saint.
I thought about this description in light of the Scriptures and what we have been reading in 1 and 2 Thessalonians. Have you ever read about any process like this in the Bible, in determining if one is a saint? Clearly, this is a human tradition developed in the history of the Roman Catholic church and not handed down from God Himself. If we have to be exceptionally holy ourselves even to be in heaven, and we are not sure that Popes are there yet, what hope do we ordinary people have?
Above all, this process contradicts the teaching of Scripture. Look at 1 Corinthians 1:2, for example, where Paul speaks of the church of God in Corinth, “to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours.” In v. 4, Paul thanks God for “the grace that was given them in Christ Jesus” and in v. 7 speaks again of “our Lord Jesus Christ Who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by Whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” We are guiltless saints, not by our exceptional holiness, but by the grace of God and the forgiveness earned for us by Jesus our Savior. See also 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, Romans 1:6-7 and 3:19-24,28, Ephesians 1:1-4, Colossians 1:2, 12-13, and on and on.
Remember again the words we recently studied in 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11: “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with Him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” Again Paul wrote: “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He Who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24). And in 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12, Paul wrote: “We always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of His calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by His power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Again he wrote, “God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth” (2 Thessalonians 2:13).
The Apostle John also saw a vision of heaven, recorded in Revelation 7:9-17, where there were present not just a select small number of especially holy people, but “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” (v.9). They were “clothed in white robes… washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb.” None of these people were in heaven by their exceptional holiness, but by the gift of God through trust in Jesus, the Lamb of God and their Savior. How else could the great promises of the Scriptures have been made?
- “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
- “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household… and they spoke the Word of the Lord… and he was baptized at once, he and all his family” (Acts 16:31-33).
- “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16).
In all of these passages, the focus is upon God and His saving work through Jesus, not on our efforts. Ephesians 2:8-10 puts it all in perspective: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Yes, God wants us to seek to do good, not to earn anything from Him, but in gratitude for what He has made us to be, as a “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17-19), headed for heaven (Ephesians 2:4-7). “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).
Remember also that there is no Scripture that teaches us to pray to saints or angels or anyone else other than the Triune God Himself, when we need help or a miracle or anything else for us or others. God is the only one who can ultimately do miracles, though He did sometimes work through a few disciples - who always gave Him the credit. (See Acts 3:1-15, for example,)
The Scriptures say that there is only one “mediator” between God and man, and it is Christ Jesus, true God and true man. Only He is described in the Bible as One “at the right hand of God, Who indeed is interceding for us” (Romans 8:34).
In summary, then, a “saint” is simply any believer in the one true Triune God and who trusts in the saving work of Jesus. That includes you and me, too, as we trust in what Jesus has done for us, and continue in Him and His Word. I conclude with one of my favorite Bible passages, 1 John 5:11-13: “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.” This passage is talking about you and me, too. We are saints through Christ.
If there is anyone listening who is not so sure about all this, I encourage you to keep listening to the Scriptures and God’s great promises to all in Christ. (This lesson is also not just to speak about concerns we have with some teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. Any time any church or religion mixes faith and our own works and efforts together as the means of being saved, that is a problem according to the Scriptures.) Next week, unless I get sidetracked again, I will have us turn to the Christmas story and what the Scriptures actually say about Christmas. The Lord’s blessings to all.
Tuesday Nov 09, 2021
Tuesday Nov 09, 2021
Sermon for All Saints' Sunday, based on:
Sermon originally delivered November 4, 2012
Friday Nov 05, 2021
Friday Nov 05, 2021
The readings for this weekend are for All Saints Sunday, which many churches will observe this weekend, though the actual All Saints Day was Monday. November 1.
In place of an Old Testament reading, this week is a reading from Revelation 7:(2-8) 9-17. This is a vision that the apostle John saw of the saints in heaven - people from every nation and background, worshiping and singing praises to God. They wear white robes, washed in the blood of the Lamb, Jesus, their Shepherd. Through Him they are forgiven and holy and have eternal joy in the presence of the Lord.
The Psalm is Psalm 149. Again we see the children of God singing praises to the Lord, for He has “adorned the humble with salvation” - those who praise His Name and will be victorious with Him, their King, on the Day of Judgment.
The Epistle is from 1 John 3:1-3. John speaks of the great love the Father has given to us by making us His children through true knowledge of and trust in Jesus. Through Him we are purified and will one day “see Him as He is” in eternal glory.
The Gospel lesson is from Matthew 5:1-12. This is the beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, the beatitudes, where He speaks of the blessings He brings. We can only receive from Him, since we are spiritually poor and meek and mourn over our sins and can only hunger and thirst for His righteousness and mercy for us. Jesus gives us His mercy, through His sacrifice for us, and makes us children of the kingdom of heaven. In the future, He will give us even more of His blessings, as we trust in Him - though now we will face persecution and evil.
Wednesday Nov 03, 2021
Wednesday Nov 03, 2021
Last week we heard Paul again emphasizing the faithfulness of God to the believers at Thessalonica. He had established this church and given them so many gifts and would guard them against the evil one. In turn, they were to hold fast to what had been handed down to them, the very Word of God, in which God would direct them especially to His love and the steadfastness of Christ and to thank Him with their good words and works in everyday life. Paul also asked them to pray for him and his fellow workers, that this Good News of Jesus would “speed ahead” to many other people through their witness.
Then, in 2 Thess. 3:6, Paul returned to a concern he had already raised in his first letter - that some people were living in a disorderly way, especially in being idle and not working and supporting themselves and others when they could do so. (See 1 Thess. 4:11 and 5:14.) Paul must have heard that this problem was continuing among some and may have been because of the idea that “the day of the Lord had already come”
(2 Thess. 2:2) or would come so soon that they might as well just quit their jobs and whatever else they were doing and just sit and wait for Jesus.
Remember that the Greek word for “idleness” was a military word which meant “getting out of line,” not marching in step, and even ”deserting one’s post” or place of responsibility. Paul called such disorderly conduct, such “idleness," “not in accord with the tradition that you received from us.” Here he was clearly speaking of God’s Word, not just a human tradition, since he said, “We command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness.”
Paul then used himself as an example, calling upon the Thessalonians to “imitate” him and his fellow workers (2 Thess. 3:6-9). Paul’s previous job was as a tentmaker, and he went on remind the people that he was not “idle” but had worked at this job or another the whole time he was in Thessalonica. The same was true of Timothy and Silvanus, so that none of them would be a burden on the people they were reaching out to with God’s Word.
Paul made it clear that they had the right to ask for help and support. (See v.9 and 1 Corinthians 9:9-12,18 and 1 Timothy 5:18, for example. Paul often welcome and received such support.) In this case, though, he and the others chose to work hard, to set an example for the Thessalonians and to show that the Gospel is “free” and they were not preaching for profit or out of greed, for themselves (1 Thess. 2:5).
Paul also wanted to show that he tried to practice what he preached: “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat” (2. Thess. 3:10). Some in the church at Thessalonica were not listening, though, and were “walking in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies,” bothering and interfering with lives of others and doing nothing useful for themselves or others (v.11). (See a similar situation and the concern of Paul in 1Timothy
5:13.) Paul then “commanded” and “encouraged in the Lord Jesus Christ” such idle persons to “work quietly and to earn their own living” (literally, “to eat their own bread”) without expecting others to take care of these and their needs. (See what Paul had already said in 1 Thess. 4:11-12, with similar words.)
Obviously, other Scriptures also recognize that not everyone can or must work for pay. Some have illnesses or disabilities or problems of many kinds. Others are elderly or infants and children and cannot work and support themselves. The Scriptures say much about the need to help the widows and orphans, the poor and the needy, and others who cannot help themselves. A parent staying home and caring for children, and a spouse caring for home duties or helping other family, a student and many others are all doing plenty of “work” without being paid, too.
Paul was not trying to put an unnecessary “guilt trip” on people. So he added, “As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.” Every Christian has callings, vocations, in life and can do good in a whole variety of ways. Keep doing what you can, Paul was saying, for yourself and others, even if it is very limited. We don’t have to do spectacular things. “Work quietly,” Paul wrote. An elderly person who just prays is still doing much good. Keep doing what you can until the very moment Christ returns. Just don’t be lazy and idle and be a “deserter” about what you can do, until He returns.
In closing, Paul spoke once again about “taking note of an ‘idler’ and having nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.” The goal of any “warning” or use of God’s Law is to wake a person up to realizing wrongdoing and to call him or her back to the right and better way, according to God’s Word. We need to try to treat each other as “brothers” in Christ, Paul said, as we all fail at times and need warnings about various things to wake us up to repentance, too. See, for example, Galatians 6:1-2. And thank the Lord that He is willing to forgive and lift us up, too.
We could do another whole study on what “having nothing to do with” someone might mean. Jesus gave us direction for discipline in the church in Matthew 18:15-18. The last step is removing someone entirely from the church, though even then, the hope and prayer is that the person would repent and be restored to the church. You can find examples of that in 1 Corinthians 5, with gross immorality, and Romans 16:17-18, where false doctrine is harming and leading others astray, away from the Lord.
In this 2 Thess. situation, though, Paul still seemed to be at an earlier stage of warning people, while still treating them as brothers in the faith. Notice in the final verses of this letter, Paul twice said, “The Lord be with you all” - with everyone, including those who were weak and struggling in some way. That means that we are included, too, even in our own low moments in life (2 Thess. 3:16,18).
Paul ended this letter with a prayer that “the Lord of peace” would give the Thessalonian believers “peace at all times in every way” (2 Thess. 3:16). We may not seem to see and feel that peace, but it is the promise of God and the way God looks at us through Christ, as we trust Him. See the words of Jesus in John 14:25-27 and Paul’s words in Romans 5:1 and Philippians 4:6-7 and many other places. All this comes through “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,” the love and favor and forgiveness that Jesus earned and gives to us, though we do not deserve any of it (2 Thess. 3:18).
Paul added one more special note to this letter. He signed it in his own hand (2 Thess. 3:17). This was the way he wrote, so that there would be no question about whether this letter was genuinely from him.(Remember the rumors mentioned in 2 Thess. 2:2. We are told in other places that sometimes Paul dictated his letters to other Christian leaders, who actually wrote them down for him. God guided this whole process, though, so that we have exactly what He wanted written down and have all the letters He wanted to have preserved for us. See also Colossians 4:18 and 1 Corinthians 16:21, where Paul indicated that he signed those letters in the same way.)
Next week, we will move on to another portion of Scripture - possibly to the passages in the Gospels that tell of the birth of Christ, since we are now only three weeks away from the beginning of the Advent/Christmas season, where we focus on the specific first coming of Jesus, as God and man, into our world. Best wishes in Christ to you all.
Tuesday Nov 02, 2021
Tuesday Nov 02, 2021
Sermon for Reformation Sunday, based on:
Sermon originally delivered October 31, 2010