First Lutheran Church of Little Rock

Text: Isaiah 43:1–7
Theme: In God’s eyes
Other Lessons: Psalm 29; Romans 6:1–11; Luke 3:15–22 

(A) In the Name of the Father…Amen. (B) The Old Testament reading serves as our sermon text for this morning. (C) Grace, mercy, and peace be yours from God the heavenly Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (D) Memory verses! Isaiah 43:1–2 (NASB95) 1 But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!  2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you. (E) Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pray: Thanks and praise be unto You, our God and Lord, for sending us the Gospel of Your Son, Jesus Christ, in which You teach us the way of salvation and comfort us with the hope of everlasting life.  Make Your Word in us a power of salvation, and the anchor of our souls in life and death. Cause also the voice of Your Word to be sounded abroad, that the nations that do not know You may come to Your light. Amen.
Introduction
(A) ____________ _____________ ________________?  (1) That’s a question we ask ourselves and others ask us.  (2) It’s a very serious question.  (3) It’s a tough question to answer.  (4) Who am I?  (5) How do you answer that question? (B) Some people try to _________________________ it by grounding their answers in their careers, and so we hear things like:  (1) I’m a teacher,  (2) a pastor,  (3) a car salesman,  (4) an engineer,  (5) a nurse,  (6) and the like.  (C) The __________________________ with all this is:  (1) What happens if you get laid off and lose your job?  (2) What happens when you retire from that job after so many years? (3) Then what’s your identity?  (4) Where is it found?  (5) At times like that, you feel worthless. (D) Others try to ground their ___________________________ in their family name or family history, so, for example, I say: (1) “I am a Bacic.”  (2) But what happens when that name is tarnished?  (3) You feel worthless.  (4) Still others ground their identity in their own talents and abilities.  (5) They define themselves by the fact that they can do something better than most.  (6) But what happens when you can no longer do the things you once did with ease?  (7) You feel worthless. (E) Have you ever felt that sense of _________________________________?  (1) Insignificant.  (2) Incapable.  (3) Unlovable.  (4) You shrink down in your chair so as not to be seen or heard. (5) You bury your head in your hands, wanting it all to go away. (6) It is so easy to feel and to see yourself as worthless, is it not?  (7) It is even harder to get out of that pit. (F) The Good News of the Gospel is that your identity comes from __________________ himself.  (1) He has given it to you.  (2) In Holy Baptism He called you by name.  (3) You are His.  (4) To God: Isaiah 43:4 (NASB95) 4 “Since you are precious in My sight, Since you are honored and I love you, I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life. (1) We feel and see ourselves as worthless because of our _____________ _______________________________, ________________, ___________________, _________________, or even with what others say about us. (A) You _______________ your job.  (1) You search and search to find another one.  (2) But it seems that no one wants to hire you.  (3) You have nothing to offer.  a) You feel worthless.  (B) You go on date after date, but you never really find “____________ ______________.”  (1) Or you ask and ask people to go on a date, but no one wants to say yes.  (2) You feel worthless.  (C) You lose your _____________________.  (1) You lose by way a messy separation, divorce, or the worst thing of all: death. (2) You feel that you have nothing to offer the opposite sex.  (3) You have no one to share your life with. (4) You feel worthless.   (D) You’re ______________________________ with a debilitating illness:  (1) cancer,  (2) dementia,  (3) Alzheimer’s,  (4) Parkinson’s,  (5) multiple sclerosis.  (E) Or you dealing with the _____________________ of old age, which renders you incapable of doing the things that you are normally used to doing:  (1) mowing your lawn,  (2) tending to your garden,  (3) working in your shop or garage,  (4) driving,  (5) reading,  (6) feeding yourself,  (7) going to the bathroom alone,  (8) talking,  (9) walking,  (10) or seeing clearly.  a) You feel incapable.  b) Yes, you feel worthless. c) But are you worthless? (F) You hear those dreadful words ring in your mind and out of your loved one’s mouth, “________ __________ _____________________________ _____________________________ ___________ ___________.”  (1) And you mentally kick yourself:  a) “Why? Why did I do that?  b) I know better.  c) That was a stupid thing to do.  d) If I could only just take it back.  e) If I could only just change that one sin, that one moment of weakness.  f) That one word.  1) That one night I lost my virginity,  2) that one day I lost my temper,  3) the one time where I lied,  4) That one time of taking the Lord’s name in vain just to save my own skin and not get caught.  5) That one moment of pride and arrogance where I should have just bit my tongue and said nothing.”  g) But you can’t.  h) You can’t take it back. (G) You make a mistake and you ______________ yourself down by saying you did something stupid, you screwed something up, etc.  (1) Then you have someone come along, makes it personal,  and says to you:  a) “You are right.  b) You are stupid.  c) You are a screw up.” (H) And you don’t want the whole world to know what a ________________________ you are.  (1) That you are not:  a) the student,  b) citizen,  c) employer,  d) employee,  e) friend,  f) spouse,  g) parent,  h) grandparent,  i) brother,  j) sister,  k) child,  l) man,  m) or woman  n) that you know you should be.  (2) You’re not even the one you know you could be.  (3) You don’t want everybody to know:  a) that you fail God,  b) that you fail others,  c) and that you fail even yourself. (4) You feel worthless.  a) Insignificant.  b) Incapable.  c) Unlovable.  d) Shrink-down-in-your-chair, bury-your-head-in-your-hands, unworthy-of-the-time-of-day,  e) “I-a-poor-miserable-sinner” (see LSB, p 184) kind of worthless. (2) The Southern Kingdom of Judah is regarded as worthless because of their _______________________________. (A) This is the Southern Kingdom of Judah’s _______________________ at the start of our Old Testament Reading this morning. (1) They are nothing.  (2) They are worthless.  (3) Even though the Lord led them through their forty-year wandering in the wilderness and into the Promised Land, even though they swore an oath saying:  Joshua 1:16 (NASB95) 16 They answered Joshua, saying, “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. (4) they have failed.  (5) Time and time again, both the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom have turned their backs on God.  (6) They’ve built and worshiped golden calves.  (7) They’ve burned some of their firstborn children alive on the altars of Molech and Chemosh.  (8) They’ve even participated in temple prostitution as a form of worship to Baal and Asherah. (B) And despite all of God’s warning cries to them through the mouths of His prophets, Israel and Judah _______________________ in their idolatry.  (1) In chapters 41 and 42 of Isaiah, Isaiah refers to them as a:  Isaiah 41:14 (NASB95) 14 “Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel; I will help you,” declares the LORD, “and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah 42:18–25 (NASB95) 18 Hear, you deaf! And look, you blind, that you may see.  19 Who is blind but My servant, Or so deaf as My messenger whom I send? Who is so blind as he that is at peace with Me, Or so blind as the servant of the LORD?  20 You have seen many things, but you do not observe them; Your ears are open, but none hears.  21 The LORD was pleased for His righteousness’ sake To make the law great and glorious.  22 But this is a people plundered and despoiled; All of them are trapped in caves, Or are hidden away in prisons; They have become a prey with none to deliver them, And a spoil, with none to say, “Give them back!”  23 Who among you will give ear to this? Who will give heed and listen hereafter?  24 Who gave Jacob up for spoil, and Israel to plunderers? Was it not the LORD, against whom we have sinned, And in whose ways they were not willing to walk, And whose law they did not obey?  25 So He poured out on him the heat of His anger And the fierceness of battle; And it set him aflame all around, Yet he did not recognize it; And it burned him, but he paid no attention. (C) In 586 BC, for their idolatrous sins, the Southern Kingdom of Judah would suffer the same fiery __________________________ of God at the hands of the Babylonians that the Northern Kingdom of Israel suffered in 722 BC at the hands of the Assyrians:  (1) Exile.  (2) Chains.  (3) Bondage.  (4) Forced to march away from Jerusalem.  (5) Burning.  (6) Destruction.  (7) Plundering.  (8) Guilt.  (9) Shame.  (10) Defeated, with tears of anguish  as they travel to the foreign land of Babylon as if they were walking through the fire of God.  (11) They experienced the fury of God while enslaved to Babylon and received the just wages of generations of unrighteousness and unbelief.  (12) And to Babylon, the Judean exiles are nothing but useful tools of their economy. (D) ________________, the Southern Kingdom of Judah was worthless. (1) Insignificant.  (2) Incapable.  (3) Unlovable.  (4) Unloving. (5) Shrink-down-in-their-chair,  (6) bury-their-heads-in-their-hands,  (7) unworthy-of-the-time-of-day,  (8) “I-a-poor-miserable-sinner” kind of worthless. (3) In God’s eyes Judah is _______________________, because He has called them by name and given up nations in exchange for them. (A) Yet it is to these worthless _______________________, to Judah, to you, to me that God speaks to us today.  (1) Today, God speaks a blazing word of hope and comfort through the mouth of His prophet Isaiah. (2) Notice how our Old Testament Reading begins.  (3) It begins with a radical shift in identity.  (4) You may very well feel and see yourself as worthless. (5) You have been a bunch of worthless sinners.  (6) What does the Lord say?: Isaiah 43:1,4 (NASB95) 1 But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!  4 “Since you are precious in My sight, Since you are honored and I love you, I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life. (7) Precious in God’s eyes?  (8) Honored and loved?  (9) What did Judah do to deserve this radical change in identity?  a) The answer is nothing!  b) In and of themselves they are a bunch of worthless sinners.  (10) But there are two things that make Judah of infinite worth.  a) The first is a matter of who owns them. Isaiah 43:1 (NASB95) 1 But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! (B) The ______________ ________________ is:  (1) despite how Judah feels,  (2) or how they see themselves,  (3) despite their sin,  (4) God has graciously, of His own accord, called them by name, on the plains of Haran, at Bethel, at the foot of Mount Sinai, and now in Babylon. (5) Even in their exile, Judah doesn’t belong to Babylon, Assyria, or Egypt.  (6) And they certainly don’t belong to their sin.  (7) They belong to God and to Him alone.  (8) They are His treasured possession (Ex 19:5). Exodus 19:5 (NASB95) 5 ‘Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; (C) Second, Judah’s ___________________ is also determined by the price that God willingly pays for them.  (1) In verse 4 of our text for this morning, God says: Isaiah 43:4 (NASB95) 4 “Since you are precious in My sight, Since you are honored and I love you, I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life. (2) And so that is what God did.  a) When God led Israel out of Egypt, He paid for them with the lives of some Egyptians.  b) And when God led Judah out of Babylon, He paid for them with the lives of some Babylonians. (4) In God’s eyes we are precious, because He has _______________ up His only Son in exchange for us and has called us by name. (A) But the greatest ________________________ that God would make for his people, for Israel and Judah, for you and for me, was when He:  Galatians 4:4–5 (NASB95) 4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law,  5 so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. (1) And there, at His baptism in the Jordan River (what we remember and celebrate this day), Jesus took your sin upon Himself.  a) He who knew no sin became sin for us so that on a hill outside of Jerusalem, the Father might give His only-begotten Son as ransom for you.  b) Jesus willingly and graciously loved you unto death, even death upon the cross.  c) He paid for your sins in full.  d) Not with gold or silver but with His holy, precious blood, innocent suffering, and bitter death.  e) You are free.  f) It is finished.  g) Jesus has done it all, and all that He did was for you.  h) You are forgiven all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  i) There is no condemnation, no fiery judgment of God, for you who are in Christ Jesus.  j) John says this in his first epistle: 1 John 3:1 (NASB95) 1 See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. (B) Guess what? And __________ ___________ _____________!  (1) Paul says it this way: Galatians 3:26–27 (NASB95) 26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.  27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. (1) You were buried and raised with Christ in Baptism. (2) You don’t belong to sin, death, or even the devil any longer.  (3) They have no power over you.  (4) You belong to God.  (5) You always have and always will. (6) In Baptism: a) He who created you,  b) who formed you  c) numbered the hairs on your head,  d) marked you with His cross,  e) covered you with the robe of His righteousness, f) says to you, “You are mine.”
Conclusion
(A) Don’t you see, dear brothers and sisters of our___________________ and ______________________ God?  (1) The Good News of the Gospel is that it doesn’t matter if you feel worthless.  (2) It doesn’t matter if the world calls you worthless.  (3) It doesn’t matter what accusations the devil throws at you,  (4) or your life circumstances,  (5) the turbulent waters and the fiery trials that you endure in this vale of tears.  (6) It doesn’t matter if in your eyes you seem worthless.  (7) None of these things define who you truly are. (B) Despite All That Makes Us Feel Worthless, We Are ___________________________ in God’s Eyes Because of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection. (C) Your ________________________ comes from God himself.  (1) He has given it to you. (2) He has told you who you are and whose you are. (3) To Him: Isaiah 43:4 (NASB95) 4 “Since you are precious in My sight, Since you are honored and I love you, I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life.  (4) Amen. (D) Let us pray: Lord God, heavenly Father, we thank You for Your grace in causing us to come to Holy Baptism and to the knowledge of Your divine Word and will.  We ask You to put Your Holy Spirit into our hearts, that we may study Your Word and not neglect or despise it, but mark it well, that true godly fear would grow and increase in us, and that in Your Word we may finally die a blessed death and obtain eternal salvation. Amen. (E) Philippians 4:7 (NASB95) 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen. (F) Come Lord Jesus, come quickly.  All of us are waiting and none of us will be disappointed.  The Lord continue to bless us,  shine His face on us,  be gracious to us,  that He lift His countenance upon us,  and give us His peace.  (G) In the Name of the Father…Amen.

Text: Luke 2:40–52
Theme: Still searching?
Other Lessons: 1 Kings 3:4–15; Psalm 119:97–104; Ephesians 1:3–14

 (A) In the Name of the Father…Amen. (B) The Epistle and Gospel readings serve as our sermon texts for this evening. (C) Grace, mercy, and peace be yours from God the heavenly Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (D) Memory verse! Luke 2:48 (NASB95) 48 When they saw Him, they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You.” (E) Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pray: LSB 523:1-2  O Word of God Incarnate O Word of God incarnate,     O Wisdom from on high, O Truth unchanged, unchanging,     O Light of our dark sky: We praise You for the radiance     That from the hallowed page, A lantern to our footsteps,    Shines on from age to age.   The Church from You, dear Master,     Received the gift divine; And still that light is lifted     O’er all the earth to shine. It is the chart and compass     That, all life’s voyage through, Mid mists and rocks and quicksands     Still guides, O Christ, to You.  Introduction 
(A) We have all been there and done it more than once. (1) You set your keys down on the table with your wallet or purse. (2) Next thing you know, you go to retrieve them and they are gone! (3) What is the rule of thumb in order to find them? (a) Go back to where you saw them last. (b) You do that and you still can’t find them!  (c) Now what? (d) You go back even farther. (1) By now the panic has set in. (2) The anxiety level has jumped up considerably. (4) The resolution of the matter: (a) you finally find what you were looking for, although not where you expected. (B) This is something that has happened to all of us a time or two. (1) This is what happened to Mary and Joseph in the Gospel lesson for this morning. (2) They are on their way to Jerusalem to attend the annual Feast of the Passover. (3) Jesus and family are all together. (4) On their way back to Nazareth, one person comes up missing: Jesus! (5) Mary and Joseph go searching for Him, expecting Him to be with one of the family members. (6) Guess what? He wasn’t! (7) Now what? (8) They go back to where they last saw Him, that is, in the Temple! (I) Continual searching brings distress and anguish. (A) Celebrating the New Year is good.  (1) There is something therapeutic about flipping the calendar to a new year.  (2) Many people make resolutions: (a) they search out for routines or practices to answer the difficulties of the past year.  (3) The regular pattern we’ve been following hasn’t seemed to work, because every year it’s the same thing.  (4) There’s a constant search:  (a) for answers to problems,  (b) looking for meaning in life,  (c) ongoing struggle for avoiding stress, anguish, shame, and sin. (B) Life seems to be an continuous attempt at searching.   (1) Though you know the answer to your sin and anguish is Christ, you still search for solutions to life’s problems.  (a) Isn’t that true?  (2) Though you come here:  (a) to worship and hear that Jesus is the one who died for sin (b) and rose again to grant certain peace and resolution to death,  (c) aren’t you, like the rest of the world, still searching for resolution to your anguish and distress?  (3) A new year should bring hope and promise.  (a) But if Jesus is missing, you can search all day long and never find resolution that you are seeking.  (b) Continual searching brings distress and anguish.  (c) You can be just like Mary and Joseph, who were in anguish over losing Jesus. (II) Unless family and friends give you Jesus, you will not find resolution from them. Luke 2:43 (NASB95) 43 and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But His parents were unaware of it, (A) We should give Mary and Joseph a break here.  (1) It is perfectly reasonable that Jesus would be among friends of His own as they made the walk from Nazareth to Jerusalem; (2) they went with a trusted group.  (3) The problem is this: Luke 2:44–45 (NASB95) 44 but supposed Him to be in the caravan, and went a day’s journey; and they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances.  45 When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem looking for Him. (B) The more Mary and Joseph did not find Jesus, the more stress and anguish they felt.  (1) Only finding Jesus would resolve their pain, but they could not find resolution among family and friends. (C) Many people look for solutions among family and friends.  (1) There can be great joy in talking with them about what bothers you.  (2) But family and friends are not the answers to your distress and anguish. (3)  If Jesus is not in your conversations, then all you have is sinners seeking answers among fellow sinners.  (4) Without the presence of Jesus, the search continues without resolution.  (5) Unless your family and friends know Him who has promised to be your peace and salvation, you will not find resolution;  (a) you will not find Jesus.  (b) Unless family and friends give you Jesus, you will not find resolution from them. (III) Unless a special place gives you Jesus, you will not find resolution there either.  (A) When Mary and Joseph did not find Jesus, they returned to Jerusalem and continued their diligent search for him.  (1) The answers to our searching, we may think, must lie in a special place.  (2) But for Mary and Joseph, after three days of searching, they come up empty again. (B) Searching for answers in special places is a common mistake. (1) Some take a hike in the woods to clear their mind, think over things, or marvel at God’s creation.  (a) The thought process is that they do not need to be in church to get the answers they are looking for. (2) Some like to sit in a boat in the middle of a lake and ponder the movement of the currents.  (3) Still others think a shopping spree will solve their problems. (4) Some feel hitting a little ball with a club out on a green field will make all things better.  (5) All these solutions to the problem is only temporary. (6) God’s creation is a gift to provide all your daily needs, but the gift of God’s creation has been unsettled and corrupted by man’s sin.  (7) Why would we expect Jesus to be found in a place that’s been overrun with covetousness and pollution?  (8) These places are not bad in and of themselves, but searching for resolution to sin without Christ’s Word and promise:  (a) in your ears,  (b) on your heart,  (c) and upon your lips (d) special places are corrupted places that groan under the weight of sin.  (e) Unless a special place gives you Jesus, you will not find resolution there.  (9) The question is: will your search ever end? (a) The answer is no. (IV) Searching ends when one looks for Jesus where He has promised to be. Luke 2:46–47 (NASB95) 46 Then, after three days [Mary and Joseph] found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.  47 And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. (A) Repent from looking high, low, and everywhere for answers to your distress! (1) Find Jesus Where He Has Promised to Be, and Have Your Anxious Searching Be Resolved! (B) At Mary’s word, Jesus responds to her:  Luke 2:49 (NASB95) 49 And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?” (C) Searching ends when you are found alongside Jesus, hearing him in the Word of God, which resolves your agonizing search. (1) Your search ends when you hear that:  (a) He suffered for you,  (b) rose again,  (c) and forgives your sins of misguided searching. (D) It is necessary for Jesus to be in the things of His Father, which are His promises being resolved in the Son.  (1) It is necessary for you to be in these things as well.  (a) The search for the answer to your sin and anguish can only be resolved in the Word that proclaims Jesus.  (b) As with the Emmaus disciples–remember why they were sad? 1) They were sad because they thought they’d lost Jesus, but their anguish was overcome as Jesus gave understanding to the necessity of the Christ’s suffering, dying, and rising again.  2) Their eyes were opened as they recognized the risen Jesus in the breaking of the bread.  3) The apostles, likewise, were given intelligence and understanding of the Scriptures as Jesus opened their minds to know the necessity of Christ crucified and risen to bring an end to man’s endless search for answers to sin.   (2) Be certain for yourselves that from this pulpit you hear the necessity of Christ, who brings an end to your search for what is missing in your life.  (a) He brings resolution to your search for comfort.  (b) He forgives you of your sins of endless, agonizing searching.  (c) You don’t have to keep looking, because Christ has told you where He is found.
Conclusion
(A) Having had children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, etc., you know there is nothing good about a child that has gone missing.  (1) The family is in anguish, so the community rallies around them.  (2) The search begins with the last known place, a friend’s house, or maybe a favorite hideout.  (3) The people of the neighborhood band together: (a) forming search parties,  (b) establishing phone chains,  (c) updating everyone through social media in order to keep everyone informed on the progress.  (d) As distress is overwhelming, the support and compassion of family and community is surely appreciated.  (e) For days, the progress may be the same: the child is still missing. (f) Sometimes, unfortunately,  the final word is tragic.  (g) Sometimes there is finally a deep joy and relief, like what happened to Mary and Joseph when Jesus was finally found (Lk 2:41–46). (B) Some of us may have children—or other loved ones and friends—who are lost, that is, distant from their heavenly Father and they do not know it or they do not care.  (1) But He who holds the whole world in His hands and tailors all things toward His good and gracious will is searching with us. (a) Set your distress into the hands of Him who suffered for all sin and rose again so that none would be lost but would be found and forgiven.  (b) In Jesus, you have the Trinity on your side:  (1) God the Father,  (2) Christ as Savior and Brother,  (3) and the Holy Spirit, who gathers the community of saints.  (c) Together with all the faithful, take a moment to pray to Him who bought us with His blood.  (d) Pray for the lost, especially your dear lost one, for you at one time were also lost but were found, called, and sanctified by the Spirit in the Word of the Gospel. (C) What is the lesson to be learned from what happened to Mary and Joseph? (1) End your search where Jesus promised to be: (a) in His church, where His Word is taught purely and His sacraments are distributed rightly.  (2) End your search for answers to sin, shame, and anguish by hearing that He: (a) took your sin,  (b) exposed Himself to shame,  (c) and felt your anguish on the cross.  (3) Rising again, He is the resolution to all your problems, because He comes to you in the gifts He gives to the church.  (a) Find Jesus in God’s Word and Sacraments.  (b) Be certain: You did not find Him first, He found you.  (c) Amen. (D) Let us pray: LSB 523:3 O Word of God Incarnate    O make Your Church, dear Savior,     A lamp of burnished gold To bear before the nations     Your true light as of old! O teach Your wand’ring pilgrims     By this their path to trace Till, clouds and darkness ended,     They see You face to face! Text: Public domain (E) Philippians 4:7 (NASB95) 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen. (F) Come Lord Jesus, come quickly.  All of us are waiting and none of us will be disappointed.  The Lord continue to bless us,  shine His face on us,  be gracious to us,  that He lift His countenance upon us,  and give us His peace.  (G) In the Name of the Father…Amen.

Text: Exodus 13:1–3a, 11–15
Theme: Remember
Other Lessons: Psalm 111; Colossians 3:12–17; Luke 2:22–40

(A) In the Name of the Father…Amen. (B) The Epistle reading serves as our sermon text for this morning. (C) Grace, mercy, and peace be yours from God the heavenly Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (D) Memory verse! Exodus 13:3 (NASB95) 3 Moses said to the people, “Remember this day in which you went out from Egypt, from the house of slavery; for by a powerful hand the LORD brought you out from this place. And nothing leavened shall be eaten. (E) Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pray: LSB 352:1 Let the Earth Now Praise the Lord Let the earth now praise the Lord, Who has truly kept His word And at last to us did send Christ, the sinner’s help and friend.
Introduction
(A) Frohe Weihnachten! (B) Feliz Navidad! (C) Kala christougenna! (D) Merry Christmas!  (E) No matter how you say it, it still is Christmas.  (1) Oftentimes, the 1st Sunday after Christmas is seen as the “oh-hum” Sunday: (A) the gifts have been exchanged. (B) the radio stations have stopped playing Christmas music. (C) Let’s move on to the next commercialized event! (2) Though much of the world has already moved on and many of you may have gone back to your regular routine, it is still Christmas.  (3) And let Christmas continue to be on our hearts and minds!  (4) We should never forget the work of God coming to His people to redeem them. (F) It’s good to remember.  (1) Remembering brings the past into the present.  (2) Remember­ing brings back all those emotions of the past. (3) Remembering resets your heart and mind to know that in all things, God is working.  (4) God continues working to: (A) uplift you,  (B) forgive you,  (C) and guide you into the fulfillment of His promises. (G) In our sermon text for today, Moses instructs Israel to remember God’s strong arm and mighty work that purchased their salvation.  (1) Let the past dictate your present and future, Moses says.  (2) In all things, commit your way to God, who has overcome Pharaoh.  (3) Entrust your days and burdens to God, who will fulfill His promises.  (4) Worship him and remember His work of salvation in your thoughts, words, and deeds.  (5) In all this, God, through Moses, instructs His people—including each one of us: (A) This Do in Remembrance of Me. (I) God has done a mighty work of redemption. (A) The very end of Exodus 12 reads:  Exodus 12:50–51 (NASB95) 50 Then all the sons of Israel did so; they did just as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron.  51 And on that same day the LORD brought the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their hosts. (B) Through His chosen servants, Moses and Aaron, God led the people of Israel out of Egypt.  (1) It was the Lord who did this. In confident trust that the Lord’s Word was good, so the people did. “The Lord said to Moses: Exodus 13:2–3 (NASB95) 2 “Sanctify to Me every firstborn, the first offspring of every womb among the sons of Israel, both of man and beast; it belongs to Me.”  3 Moses said to the people, “Remember this day in which you went out from Egypt, from the house of slavery; for by a powerful hand the LORD brought you out from this place. And nothing leavened shall be eaten. (C) God acted.  (1) Moses relayed the Lord’s message.  (2) The people did.  (3) And this was good.  (4) At the price of the firstborn of Egypt, both man and beast, God redeemed His people.  (5) What better way to be reminded of his mighty work than by doing the same? (D) To consecrate  or sanctify means to set apart.  (1) The firstborn of both man and beast were to be viewed as a gift from God.  (2) Unless the Lord had redeemed them, this child or animal would exist not in freedom but in slavery.  (3) In this act of remembrance, there is thanksgiving. (4) Every birth proclaimed God’s mighty deed!  (5) In the ritual God supplied for them, the people of Israel remembered what He had done for them. (II) Christmas is a time to remember. (A) Christmas is a time of remembrance; at least it should be.  (1) God:  (a) sent His own Son,  (b) born of a woman,  (c) born under the Law,  (d) to redeem you.  (2) At the price of His own Son’s body and blood, given over to death on the cross, the mighty hands of God overcame the slavery of sin.  (3) And in Jesus’ rising again, His strong, pierced hands have brought you out of the place of slavery, that is, the grave.  (4) But how many of your Christmas celebrations were done in remembrance of the death of the firstborn for your redemption?  (a) Probably not too many. (5) Perhaps you become so caught up in everything else that you forgot? (B) Gifts are good to receive, but do you remember who gave each one of them to you?  (1) Celebrations and parties are good to attend, but do you remember who all attended?  (2) Worshiping our God who broke into human history, being born as a child who would be the redemption price for all, is good.  (3) Did you worship Him on Christmas, or something else?  (4) Are you worshiping the same something, whatever it might be, other than God, today? (III) There is a real danger in forgetting. (A) The great thing about our worship here as the people of God is that we don’t have to come up with it all on our own.  (1) God said, “Do this,” and so we do it.  (2) By doing it His way, remembrance will occur.  (3) Yet Israel, in the very next chapter of Exodus, forgot. (B) The moment Israel took their sights off God’s work for their salvation, trouble ensued. (1)  Troubles from the outside: (a) The Egyptian army pursued;  (b) the Red Sea seemed to hem them in;  (c) Talk about being between a rock and a hard place! (2) Troubles from the inside: (a) They stopped remembering.  (b) There was grumbling and anger.  (c) There was distrust, disbelief, and a disassembling of their worship.  (d) Their thoughts moved off the gifts of God’s promises of life, and with great heartache and bitterness, they began to forget.  (e) God knew the weakness of their sinful flesh.  (f) He knows the weakness of yours and mine.  (g) Right away, God gave them instructions on how to remember. Exodus 13:11–13 (NASB95) 11 “Now when the LORD brings you to the land of the Canaanite, as He swore to you and to your fathers, and gives it to you,  12 you shall devote to the LORD the first offspring of every womb, and the first offspring of every beast that you own; the males belong to the LORD.  13 “But every first offspring of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck; and every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. (C) God gives His promise.  (1) He will fulfill what he swore to Abraham, that the land of Canaan will be Israel’s inheritance.  (2) He will give it to them.  (3) God’s mighty arm had acted against their oppressors. (4) At the price of the firstborn, both man and beast, God carried them into freedom.  (5) He purchased and won them with the blood of a lamb. (6) Therefore, with every firstborn, there is redemption: (a) a buy-back price so that the people will not forget. (7) They were instructed:  (a) Do this, in remembrance of me. (D) The Passover feast was the main act of remembrance. (1) But a year is a long time.  (2) A lot can happen to jumble up your thoughts. (a) Temptation abounds, with the devil desiring you to forget how strong God’s hand is.  (b) He tempts you to look at the sweet baby Jesus and forget that, yes, these tiny arms of an infant are the strong arms that will purchase your salvation. (3) Israel did not know that it would be forty years of wandering, trial, hunger, and war.  (4) Israel did not know that they would be oppressed for centuries.  (5) Because Satan never takes a Christmas break, he will attack so that you:  (a) forget God,  (b) forget His work,  (c) and forget His promises. (E) This ritual God lays out for Israel is His way of leading them out of temptation.  (1) Each firstborn would be a reminder of their own redemption.  (2) Each payment to buy back their own child from God with the blood of sacrifice would be a reminder of how God gave them the lamb of price for their own salvation.  (3) They would do this, all in remembrance of Him. (IV) Let us remember frequently. (A) What do we have to help us remember?  (1) We have Christmas to help us remember.  (2) We have the Christ Child, the Lamb of price.  (3) His blood purchased freedom for you from your sin.  (a) He freed you from your own weak, sinful nature that is prone to forget.  (4) Remember, Christmas is not over.  (5) Christmas should never be over.  (a) Celebrate it with remembrance and praise, that God has come to redeem His people with the price of His Firstborn.  (b) Celebrate the coming of Christ weekly so that you do not forget.  (c) Do this, He said, in remembrance of me. (6) Worship with praise and thanksgiving.  (7) Speak back the promises of God to one another.  (8) Come and remember our Lord on the night when He was betrayed into death and He especially called you to do this in remembrance of Him:  (a) receive the Sacrament of His body and blood and remember all He has done for you.  (b) He was given into death for your sins.  (c) His strong arm conquered the grave.  (d) Do this in remembrance of me;  (e) to remember Christ is to remember all His benefits, now and in eternity.Conclusion
(A) Temptations will come.  (1) A year is a long time.  (2) So don’t let the next year go by without remembering Him.  (3) Look to the manger scene and remember:  (A) God gave His only Son so that you and I would live.  (4) Worship each Sunday and remember:  (A) Christ rose from the dead.  (B) In him, we have the life He swore to our fathers.  (B) By a strong hand Christ brought you out of hell, out of the house of sin and death.  (1) When Satan stubbornly refused to let you go, Christ killed all sin and overcame death.  (2) Therefore, sacrifice your day, your life, your all to Him in every thought, word, and deed.  (3) As you remember: (A) Give thanks.  (B) Do all things in remembrance of Him.   (C) Be reminded: in Him I have forgiveness, life, and salvation to the praise of His glory.  (D) Amen. (C) Let us pray: LSB 352:6  Let the Earth Now Praise the Lord Then when You will come again As the glorious king to reign, I with joy will see Your face, Freely ransomed by Your grace. Text: Public domain (D) Philippians 4:7 (NASB95) 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen. (E) Come Lord Jesus, come quickly.  All of us are waiting and none of us will be disappointed.  The Lord continue to bless us,  shine His face on us,  be gracious to us,  that He lift His countenance upon us,  and give us His peace.  (F) In the Name of the Father…Amen.

Text: Hebrews 10:5–10
Theme: God makes us holy
Other Lessons: Micah 5:2–5a; Psalm 80:1–7; Luke 1:39–45 (46–56)

(A) In the Name of the Father…Amen. (B) The Epistle reading serves as our sermon text for this morning. (C) Grace, mercy, and peace be yours from God the heavenly Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (D) Memory verse! Hebrews 10:5 (NASB95) 5 Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, “SACRIFICE AND OFFERING YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED, BUT A BODY YOU HAVE PREPARED FOR ME; (E) Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pray: LSB 544:1-2, 5 O Love, How Deep O love, how deep, how broad, how high, Beyond all thought and fantasy, That God, the Son of God, should take Our mortal form for mortals’ sake!   He sent no angel to our race, Of higher or of lower place, But wore the robe of human frame, And to this world Himself He came.   For us by wickedness betrayed, For us, in crown of thorns arrayed, He bore the shameful cross and death; For us He gave His dying breath. Introduction
(A) God alone is holy.  (1) He is: (a) totally other,  (b) uncommon,  (c) undefiled,  (d) often imitated but never duplicated (e) and free from the stain of sin and death.  (f) His holiness reveals He is one of a kind.  (g) No other god and nothing within creation is holy like our God. (B) Yet this holy God: (1) the one who made man in His image,  (2) who created everything out of nothing,  (3) and who still preserves it all to this day by His grace (4) this holy God desires above all that you, too, would share in His holiness.  (5) He wants to sanctify you. (C) There’s much that stands in the way of His holiness though: (1) first and foremost, our sin.  (2) We’re not only unholy; we’re also unclean.  (3) Defiled without and within—in thought, word, and deed: (a) what right do we have to share in His holiness?  (b) What right do we have to draw near to God,  (c) to approach His holy presence,  (d) to be sanctified,  (e) sharing in His holiness? (D) The answer?  (1) None at all.  (2) No one comes before God: (a) on his own terms,  (b) with his own plans,  (c) by his own means or merit,  (d) no matter how great it may seem at the time.  (3) But none of this stops God from: (a) coming to you,  (b) making you holy,  (c) and giving you complete and total access to Him,  (d) and He has His particular way to do it. (E) God Wants to Make You Holy; For That He Needs a Body. (1) Holiness in the old covenant came through the bodily sacrifice of animals. (A) Actually, that’s how it’s always been.  (1) God has always wanted to make His people holy, and He’s always done so with a body.  (2) That’s what the whole sacrificial system at the tabernacle and temple was all about:  (a) atoning for Israel’s sins and drawing His people near to Him, making them holy. (B) It’s a shared holiness.  (1) Israel never was nor ever could be holy in themselves. (2) They could never be totally other, set apart, one-of-a-kind—at least, not like their God was.  (3) But they were given to:  (a) share in His holiness,  (b) given to draw near to Him,  (c) be separate with Him,  (d) and reflect His one-of-a-kind-ness to the world.  Leviticus 11:45 (NASB95) 45 ‘For I am the LORD who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy.’ ” (C) But the only way to approach this holy God:  (1) is on His terms,  (2) according to His Word,  (3) by the means that He so graciously establishes for all of us.  (4) That’s what the book of Leviticus is all about: (a) God’s gracious means of access to His holiness.  (b) All the rules and rubrics of timing, location, and animal (c) everything laid out so that Israel could draw near to God and that He might sanctify them. (D) There’s no works righteousness in the Old Testament.  (1) It’s not a different God or a different way of being God. (2) Salvation is always and only through faith in Jesus Christ. (3) Holiness is always:  (a) a participation in His presence,  (b) sanctified by his Holy Spirit.  (4) But the way (the means) we’re given to approach Him and share in His presence differs. (E) Holiness in the old covenant came through the bodily sacrifice of animals.  (1) Back then it was by bulls and goats;  (2) now it’s by bread and wine, water and Word.  (3) Then it was by daily, monthly, and yearly offerings;  (4) now it’s by one Baptism and the ongoing feeding at the altar and hearing the preached Word. (2) Holiness in the new covenant comes through the bodily sacrifice of Christ. (A) The letter to the Hebrews doesn’t deny in any way that the saints of old were sanctified by their sacrifices.  (1) But it does strongly warn against going back to what is old when the new has come!  Hebrews 10:5–7 (NASB95) 5 Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, “SACRIFICE AND OFFERING YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED, BUT A BODY YOU HAVE PREPARED FOR ME;  6 IN WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND sacrifices FOR SIN YOU HAVE TAKEN NO PLEASURE.  7 “THEN I SAID, ‘BEHOLD, I HAVE COME (IN THE SCROLL OF THE BOOK IT IS WRITTEN OF ME) TO DO YOUR WILL, O GOD.’ ” (2) When Christ came into the world, He came taking a body. And with this body He came to do the will of God: (a) to atone for the sins of the world and sanctify all who would believe in him. (B) But why a body?  (1) Why not just up and forgive the world?  (2) Why not simply thunder a word of absolution from heaven, avoiding the messiness of flesh and blood?  (3) Well, as it was of old, so it always will be.  (4) To forgive and make holy requires a body because it requires blood.  (5) And without blood there is no forgiveness.  (6) As the Lord declares in Leviticus:  Leviticus 17:11 (NASB95) 11 ‘For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.’ (7) For emphasis, the letter to the Hebrews says the same:  Hebrews 9:22 (NASB95) 22 And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (C) In the old covenant, the blood of bulls and goats was offered repeatedly to sanctify the people.  (1) But now Christ has come. And the body prepared for Him was a body: (a) prepared for death,  (b) for the shedding of blood,  (c) for the forgiveness of sins  (d) and sanctifying of His people.  (2) Holiness in the new covenant comes through the bodily sacrifice of Christ. (D) It was never the body and blood of animals that took away sins or gave access to God’s holiness.  (1) But it was by these that the atoning work of Jesus was given to them.  (2) Through sacrifices as through sacraments, Israel gained access to God and shared in His holiness.  (3) They were:  (a) types,  (b) pictures, (c) figures,  (d) and means of God’s grace,  (e) delivering the One whose blood alone forgives sin.  (f) It is then no wonder the body and blood of these animals were so central to the worship of God’s people! (E) But when Jesus came, everything changed.  (1) His body offered on the cross, and the blood that flowed from His hands and feet, this was the once-and-for-all sacrifice.  (2) This was: (a) the real deal,  (b) the real sacrament,  (c) the opening of heaven,  (d) the forgiveness of sins won for the whole world.  (3) Here, in the body of Jesus, we have full and final access to God: (a) here we share in His holiness. (F) So why go back to the old ways?  (1) Why return to:  (a) the old temple,  (b) the old sacrifices,  (c) the old types and figures, which always pointed toward this reality?  (2) God doesn’t delight in sacrifice for the sacrifice’s sake. (a) There’s nothing unique to the blood of bulls and goats. (3) And God certainly never intended for anyone to trust in the sacrifice itself but rather to look to Him who promised to sanctify by His Word, through these slain bodies and shed blood. (G) As the Lord says in our text for this morning:  Hebrews 10:8–10 (NASB95) 8 After saying above, “SACRIFICES AND OFFERINGS AND WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND sacrifices FOR SIN YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED, NOR HAVE YOU TAKEN PLEASURE in them” (which are offered according to the Law),  9 then He said, “BEHOLD, I HAVE COME TO DO YOUR WILL.” He takes away the first in order to establish the second.  10 By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (H) Even as the writer to the Hebrews recalls the sacrificial system of the Old Testament, he says that we are actually made holy by what Jesus accomplished in his body (Heb 10:5–10).  (1) The call of Isaiah illustrates this role of the body. (2) Isaiah says in chapter 6 of his book: Isaiah 6:1–4 (NASB95) 1 In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple.  2 Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.  3 And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.”  4 And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. (3) Isaiah saw the bodily presence of the Lord and His angels. (4) He stood in God’s presence.  (5) But he knew he shouldn’t be there, sinful as he was, as he declares in the very next verse:  Isaiah 6:5 (NASB95) 5 Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” (I) Then comes the atoning work of Christ, given by a coal from the sacrificial altar, forgiving Isaiah’s sin and commissioning him as prophet—all done in the body:  Isaiah 6:6–8 (NASB95) 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs.  7 He touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.”  8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!”Conclusion
(A) God wants to sanctify His people.  (1) He wants to make you holy.  (2) For that He needs a body: (A) a body prepared for Him that He might offer it once and for all.  (B) Through Him and His offering we have access to God; we’re invited to share in His holiness.  (C) The old is gone; the new has come.  (D) Sacrifices and offerings no longer grant access to God, but here He comes to you today with His Word and Sacrament.   (E) He speaks His promise of forgiveness, life, and salvation.  (F) Here He draws close to you that you might be found with Him. (G) He has come to do the Father’s will.  (H) He has come to make you holy, for He is holy. Amen. (B) Let us pray: LSB 544:6-7  O Love, how deep For us He rose from death again; For us He went on high to reign; For us He sent His Spirit here To guide, to strengthen, and to cheer.   D    7    All glory to our Lord and God For love so deep, so high, so broad; The Trinity whom we adore Forever and forevermore. Text: Public domain (C) Philippians 4:7 (NASB95) 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen. (D) Come Lord Jesus, come quickly.  All of us are waiting and none of us will be disappointed.  The Lord continue to bless us,  shine His face on us,  be gracious to us,  that He lift His countenance upon us,  and give us His peace.  (E) In the Name of the Father…Amen.

Text: Philippians 4:4–7
Theme: Where is true joy found?
Other Lessons: Zephaniah 3:14–20; Psalm 85; Luke 7:18–35 

(A) In the Name of the Father…Amen. (B) The Epistle reading serves as our sermon text for this morning. (C) Grace, mercy, and peace be yours from God the heavenly Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (D) Memory verse! Philippians 4:4 (NASB95) 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! (E) Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pray: LSB 357:1 O Come, O Come, Emmanuel Venī, venī, Emmānuēl; Captīvum solve Isrāēl, Quī gemit in exiliō Prīvātus Deī Fīliō. Gaudē! Gaudē! Emmānuēl Nāscētur prō tē, Isrāēl. O come, O come, Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel, That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appear. Refrain   ref    Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel! Amen. (F) For those of you who know Latin, I just read to you the first verse of O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. (G) Here we are already in the third week in Advent. (1) What makes this week so different than the others? (a) In the midst of talking about hope, peace, and love, this week we focus on joy. (b) The pink candle: the candle that symbolizes joy. (c) We are a week and a half away from Christmas! (d) This ought to give us great joy! (e) Our readings for today reflect that joy.
Introduction
(A) Philippians 4:4 (NASB95) 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! (B) Zephaniah 3:14 (NASB95) 14 Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! (C) Philippians 4:4 (NASB95) 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! (D) It’s so easy to pretend to be full of joy this time of year.  (1) Just wear the right ugly sweater,  (2) drink a proper amount of eggnog (especially mixed with a little brandy or rum–not that I have any experience with this type of thing!),  (3) and decorate the house with ornaments, lights, and a Christmas tree, while pop-Christmas songs play in the background.  (4) Go to the parties. (5) Watch A Christmas Story. (6) Exchange presents.  (7) Everyone can do it.  (8) Everyone does.  (E) But for many, there’s no real joy in it.  (1) And for some, they are actually at their breaking point: (a) will this be the last Christmas they put on a smile and fake it?  (b) Lord, have mercy! (F) It’s hard to rejoice this time of year for many.  (1) Some have lost a husband or wife.  (2) For others, there’s a son or daughter (a prodigal) who no longer is willing or welcome to come home.  (G) Then there’s those who are lonely, barren, and hopeless, things that run rampant in our broken world.  (1)  It’s very difficult to “rejoice and exult with all your heart.” (H) So we fake it.  (1) We put on a smile. (2) When asked, we say: “I’m fine.” (3) It’s just easier that way.  (4) We don’t want to bother anybody with our burdens. (5) We try to blend in so that no one asks.  (6) The truth is that we really do want to rejoice!  (7) We want our hearts to sing.  (8) We want joy and gladness and the peace that surpasses all understanding.  (9) But when we look at our life: (A) our job,  (B) our family,  (C) even our own mind and heart (D) we find little joy and little song. (I) We ask ourselves: Where is true joy found? (I) Zephaniah locates this joy in the Lord’s promises to His people. But when will this be? (A) How can we, too, rejoice, sing and shout aloud?  (1) How can these Scriptures today be for us?  (2) The prophet Zephaniah locates this joy in the Lord’s promises to His people:  Zephaniah 3:18–20 (NASB95) 18 “I will gather those who grieve about the appointed feasts— They came from you, O Zion; The reproach of exile is a burden on them.  19 “Behold, I am going to deal at that time With all your oppressors, I will save the lame And gather the outcast, And I will turn their shame into praise and renown In all the earth.  20 “At that time I will bring you in, Even at the time when I gather you together; Indeed, I will give you renown and praise Among all the peoples of the earth, When I restore your fortunes before your eyes,” Says the LORD. (B) This is the Lord’s promise.  (1) He will do it.  (2) He will gather us.  (3) He will take away our reproach.  (4) He will deal with our enemies.  (5) He will save us and gather us and change our shame into praise and renown in all the earth.  (6) This gives us hope and sets us on the path toward joy. (C) But when will this be?  (1) When will He gather those of us who mourn for the festival?  (2) When will we no longer suffer reproach?  (3) When will our oppressors be put to shame? (4) When will the lame and outcast be gathered together? (5) When will He bring us in, gather us together, and restore our fortunes before our eyes? (II) John the Baptist leads us to Jesus. Is Jesus the one who will bring these promises to you and me? (A) That was John the Baptizer’s question too.  (1) “Are you the one?  (2) Or shall we look for another?”  (3) Some argue whether John asked this for himself—for his own doubts and struggles and fears—or if he asked for the sake of those that he sent.  (4) Whichever it is, it doesn’t matter much; the answer that is given comforts everyone—John, you, me, and all who would hear this proclamation! (5) John the Baptist leads us to Jesus.  (6) Is Jesus the one who will bring God’s promises to me? (B) Recall what we read in today’s Gospel lesson:  Luke 7:21–23 (NASB95) 21 At that very time [Jesus] cured many people of diseases and afflictions and evil spirits; and He gave sight to many who were blind.  22 And He answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM.  23 “Blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.” (III) Jesus is indeed the Coming One! Where He is, there the promises are fulfilled and joy can be found. (A) Jesus answered John’s question of who He is and when these things will be by fulfilling the promises before their very eyes.  (B) Jesus is the Coming One.  (1) There is no other.  (2) Where He is, there the promises are fulfilled and joy can be found!  (3) And as He came in the midst of His people, He came to comfort them in their fear and sorrow and shame and sickness.  (4) He came to undo all that saps the joy from us.  (5) He came to take away their sin and ours.  (6) Where Jesus is, there is our joy. (C) Illustration on JOY (from Pastor Ray Pollatz, the pastor who confirmed me): (1) Focus on in this order: (a) Jesus (b) Others (c) Yourself (D) If you’re wondering where you might find joy, especially this time of year, then don’t look to the tinsel or wrapping paper, spiced wine or spiked eggnog.  (1) Look to where Christ is.  (2) That’s the reason Zephaniah tells us to sing aloud and shout, rejoice and exult: Zephaniah 3:15 (NASB95) 15 The LORD has taken away His judgments against you, He has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; You will fear disaster no more. (E) Paul also locates all of his joy in the presence of Christ when he declares: Philippians 4:4–5 (NASB95) 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!  5 Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. (F) And when Jesus sent the men back to John, declaring all that they had seen and heard, joy sprang into John’s prison cell.  (1) It filled his and their worried hearts, and ours too! (2) Wherever Christ and His work: (a) can be heard,  (3) where the promises of healing and restoration ring out: (a) there you’ll find a peace that surpasses all understanding. (G) So it goes for you: (1) you who mourn the loss of loved ones,  (2) you who suffer for the sake of your faith in Christ,  (3) you who pretend to be joyful because you can’t find any within:  (a) Rejoice and be glad, shout and sing aloud!  (b) The Lord is in your midst too!  (c) He’s here among us: (1) here in His church,  (2) here in the Word as it is read and preached,  (3) here in the bread and wine,  (4) here in and among the baptized. (5) Just as He promised He would be! (H) Here He comes:  (1) to take away the judgment against you,  (2) to cast out your fear,  (3) and to strengthen your weak hands and timid hearts.  (4) He comes to you with the promises fulfilled that He made: (a) the forgiveness of sin,  (b) and He gives you: Philippians 4:7 (NASB95) 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (c) He’s here.  Zephaniah 3:15 (NASB95) 15 The LORD has taken away His judgments against you, He has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; You will fear disaster no more.
Conclusion
(A) Marathon runners, whether they know it or not, pay homage to the legend of Pheidippides (elsewhere named Philippides, a coincidental name considering our epistle reading for this morning!).  (1) As the story goes, Pheidippides ran all the way from the Battle of Marathon to Athens—roughly twenty-six miles—to proclaim the Greek victory over the Persians in 490 BC.  (2) As soon as he crossed the city’s threshold, he declared, “Rejoice, and we rejoice!”  (3) He then immediately collapsed and died. (B) Though the accounts do vary, the idea beautifully parallels the apostle Paul’s call to rejoice.  (1) Joy, just like peace (shalom), does not come from the ease of life or from temporal goods but from the victory of life over death and deliverance from the enemy that Jesus gives to us. (2) As it was for Pheidippides, so it may also be for us, that joy comes even in the midst of death or on the brink thereof.  (3) We rejoice and are called to keep on rejoicing because the Lord is here as our Savior, defeating a far greater enemy than the ancient Persians. (4) No wonder Paul says: Philippians 4:4 (NASB95) 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! (C) This joy is not a joy that is pretend or lasts a moment, but is the eternal joy of the here and now in Christ, who is with you and for you and today is in your midst. now and always. Amen. (D) Let us pray: O Emmanuel, our king and our Lord, the anointed for the nations and their Savior, Come and save us, O Lord our God. Amen. ref    Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel! Amen. The Great “O” Antiphon for December 23 Text: Public domain (E) Philippians 4:7 (NASB95) 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen. (F) Come Lord Jesus, come quickly.  All of us are waiting and none of us will be disappointed.  (G) The Lord continue to bless us,  shine His face on us,  be gracious to us,  that He lift His countenance upon us,  and give us His peace.  (H) In the Name of the Father…Amen.

ADVENT 2, DECEMBER 8, 2024
Text: Philippians 1:2–11
Theme: God completes what He starts
Other Lessons: Malachi 3:1–7b; Psalm 66:1–12; Luke 3:1-20

A. In the Name of the Father…Amen.
B. The text we focus on this morning is the Epistle reading from Philippians 1.
C. Grace, mercy, and peace be yours from God the Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. 
D. Memory verse!
Philippians 1:6 (NASB95)6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
E. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pray:
LSB 525:1  Crown Him with Many Crowns1    Crown Him with many crowns,    The Lamb upon His throne;Hark how the heav’nly anthem drowns    All music but its own.Awake, my soul, and sing    Of Him who died for thee,And hail Him as thy matchless king    Through all eternity. 
Introduction
A. How many of you have ever started a project that never got finished? 
1. You have the best of intentions to finish what you started, but life ends up happening instead, and you move on to other things—or you vow that you will  finish it someday!  2. Good intentions are just that—intentions, not a job well done. 3. There’s even a certain road you’ve probably heard of that’s paved with them.  4. Thankfully, we have a God who isn’t just about good intentions.B. God Will Complete What He Started.
C. His Word actually accomplishes whatever he sets out to do (Is 55:11). 
1. God spoke, and all of creation and everything in it came into being.  2. That same creative Word is speaking to you today.  3. Our text for this morning, especially verse 6, says:  Philippians 1:6 (NASB95) 6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

I. What is that good work Paul says God has begun? A. Paul is convinced, he says, beyond any reasonable doubt, that God had begun something with these Philippian Christians. He calls it a “good work.” 1. He uses similar language in Ephesians:  Ephesians 2:8–10 (NASB95) 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;  9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.  10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. a. Paul calls us God’s “workmanship,” but an even better translation might be that we are God’s “work of art.” b. God is not just the Creator of the world.  1) He is the artist who brought the world into being, an artist par excellence, who loves to create works of art.  2) It is in His very nature to create. c. In Genesis, He pronounced His work of art, the world, “good” or even “beautiful” (LXX: Greek translation of the Old Testament).  1) After He made human beings, God pronounced them “very good”—“very beautiful.” B. Faith itself is a good work that God began in each of us when He gave us his Holy Spirit at our baptism. 1. It is not a good work in the sense of something we do to earn his favor. 2. It is a good work He did in us to make us His children—not adults of God, but his children. a. Children are meant:  1) to be molded,  2) shaped by their parents, who were given the awesome privilege of participating in God’s creative work by bringing children into this world. b. Children also have that innocent trust that whatever their parents are doing for them is for their good.  1) It is the same with our heavenly Father. C. Faith is the good work that God spoke into you at your baptism. 1. The ultimate goal of faith is our salvation. 2. But another goal of faith is those good works the Artist prepared for us to do.  3. Paul says in verse 9 of our text: Philippians 1:9 (NASB95) 9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, a. Our work of faith is to love, and this is part of God’s good work too. II. There are forces in our lives and in this world that do not want to see this good work of God completed. A. They want to thwart God’s good intention for you. 1. Those who are in league with Satan are actively praying for the demise not only of Christians but also of their pastors.  2. Rev. Dr. Joel C. Elowsky, pastor and professor at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, relates the following story of what happened to him:  a. Back when I was in seminary in St. Catharines, Ontario, I met an actual practicing witch, who told me that she was praying specifically for the downfall of pastors.  b. I was a bit shocked, not only because I had come face to face with a witch but also because she told me that she was actively praying for my downfall.  c. It was truly a “thanks for sharing” moment!  d. At first, I really was shocked to hear that witch say she was praying against me.   e. Then I thought about it for a minute and replied in turn: “Give it your best shot.”  f. This is the confidence we can have in Christ Jesus. III. Opposition is not going to stop this side of eternity. A. The third-century African bishop Cyprian of the prosperous city of Carthage knew this from firsthand experience.  B. He told his people:  1. “Our warfare is with greed, with immodesty, with anger, with ambition.  2. On top of that, there is our diligent but toilsome wrestling with carnal vices, with the enticements of the world.  3. The mind of man, besieged by—and in every quarter infested with—the onslaughts of the devil, can hardly meet the various points of attack, scarcely resists them. 4. If greed is humbled, lust springs up.  5. If lust is overcome, ambition takes its place. . . .  6. Pride puffs up, drunkenness entices, envy breaks unity, jealousy severs friendships. . . .  7. There are so many persecutions the soul suffers daily, with so many risks is the heart wearied, and yet it delights to abide here long among the devil’s weapons” (adapted from Cyprian, On Mortality 4–5). IV. This kind of opposition can create doubt. A. In the face of such opposition, can God really bring the good work he started in us to completion at the day of Christ Jesus? B. Satan has allies:  1. our sin-soaked culture,  2. our sin-poisoned atmosphere,  3. and our own sinful flesh. C. There are times God’s work in us can be painful as he disciplines us. Proverbs 3:11–12 (NASB95) 11 My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD Or loathe His reproof,  12 For whom the LORD loves He reproves, Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights. 1. Have you known anyone who, after having surgery, began physical therapy, and then declared:  a. “If the therapy is going to hurt this badly, I’ll just choose never to “fill in the blank”? 2. Without the therapy: a. the knee replacement will never work as it should, b. the broken bone will never mend like it should,  c. the heart will fail. 3. We may settle for this, as something we put up with, but God will not settle for that with us. V. God’s work in our lives will  be brought to completion at the day of Christ Jesus! A. It is no less than God Himself:  Philippians 2:13 (NASB95) 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. 1. He is our Creator, the one who brought us into this world in the first place. a. He is the one who made us, not we ourselves. b. When we get broken spiritually, He knows what’s going on in us. c. Paul’s words assure us that the prayers of those who oppose God and His people are no match for the Creator and Artist of the universe. B. This is the Artist who, to sculpt His work of art, first allowed Himself to be disfigured, defaced, broken to pieces by His own creatures, who were no artists. 1. For us and for our salvation, He took our sins on Himself and put them to death with Him on the cross. 2. But the Creator did not let the pain, suffering, and death His creatures inflicted on Him have the final word. LSB 525:4 Crown Him with Many Crowns 4    Crown Him the Lord of life,     Who triumphed o’er the grave And rose victorious in the strife     For those He came to save. His glories now we sing,     Who died and rose on high, Who died eternal life to bring     And lives that death may die. Text: Public domain C. And then the Artist took to crafting the clay, beginning with a water bath. 1. The old Adam:  a. needs to be put under,  b. needs to be drowned daily with all our sins and evil lusts,  c. so that a new Adam can emerge who is righteous and holy before God. 2. The Artist knows the damage sin can cause: a. He felt it himself.  b. It can be downright painful at times—at least for the old Adam. D. But the Artist’s work of art—His masterpiece!—will be completed! 1. That final day when He comes with all His holy angels, He will have finished what He started—making you His forever. 2. In the meantime, He continues His artist’s touch:  Philippians 1:9 (NASB95) 9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, a. He reminds you of your baptism; He forgives your sins at this altar. b. And you, as forgiven sinners, more and more come to see those around you also as the Artist’s workmanship: 1) sinners who are also being sculpted into precious pieces who will share eternity with Him and with us 2) those whom we also love.Conclusion
A. With the help of a generous donor, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, recently installed stained glass windows in its chapel, where previously there had been clear windows to the outside. 
1. These new windows depict the theme of the Te Deum, the hymn of praise to God sung in our liturgy of Matins.  2. The Te Deum depicts all of creation praising God for the salvation He accomplished through His Son’s atoning sacrifice.  3. His kingdom is now opened up to all believers, who in the final window scene appear before Him as He welcomes them into the new Jerusalem descending from above.B. Take a look at the stained glass we have in our sanctuary:
1. Stained glass windows serve as the perfect medium to represent the salvation of God’s people.  2. Each window is made up of broken pieces of glass that on their own might look rather useless and tragic.  3. But when those broken pieces are put together by the hands of the artist, the result is a beautiful work of art that redeems the broken pieces and gives them new meaning in the larger context of the art piece.  4. We truly are God’s work of art, broken pieces and all, for He is putting them, putting us, back together and assembling us into something we could never have imagined.  A. The Master Artist has done this in our baptism into Christ, and we can be sure that He who began such artwork in us will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6).C. This text from Philippians 1 reminds me of a song that came out in the late 1980s by a Christian singer named Steve Green:
He who began a good work in you He who began a good work in you Will be faithful to complete it He’ll be faithful to complete it He who started the work Will be faithful to complete it in you
If the struggle you’re facing Is slowly replacing Your hope with despair Or the process is long And you’re losing your song In the night
You can be sure That the Lord has His hand on you Safe and secure He will never abandon you You are His treasure And He finds His pleasure in you He who began a good work in you He who began a good work in you Will be faithful to complete it He’ll be faithful to complete it He who started the work Will be faithful to complete it in you. 
D. Like the Philippians, we Christians today can look forward to the day of Christ Jesus, not only with hope but also with confidence that He who began this work will bring it to completion on that day. Amen.
E. Let us pray:LSB 525:5  Crown Him with Many Crowns5    Crown Him the Lord of heav’n,    Enthroned in worlds above,Crown Him the king to whom is giv’n    The wondrous name of Love.Crown Him with many crowns    As thrones before Him fall;Crown Him, ye kings, with many crowns,    For He is king of all.Text: Public domain
F. 2 Corinthians 13:14 (NASB95)   The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,    and the love of God,    and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Amen. 
G. Come Lord Jesus, come quickly. 
1. All of us are waiting and none of us will be disappointed.  2. The Lord continue to bless us,  3. shine His face on us,  4. be gracious to us,  5. that He lift His countenance upon us,  6. and give us His peace. H. In the Name of the Father…Amen.