• Sermon for 102724
• Text: Matthew 11:12-19
• Theme: Be faithful to the end!
• In the Name of the Father…Amen.
• The Gospel of Matthew, chapter 11:12-19 serves as our sermon text for this morning, which reads as follows:Matthew 11:12–19 (NASB95)12 “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force. 13 “For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 14 “And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come. 15 “He who has ears to hear, let him hear. 16 “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market places, who call out to the other children, 17 and say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ 18 “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’ 19 “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”
• Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God the heavenly Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen .
• Memory verse! Matthew 11:15 (NASB95) 15 “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
• Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pray:LSB 655:1-2 Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Your WordLord, keep us steadfast in Your Word;Curb those who by deceit or swordWould wrest the kingdom from Your SonAnd bring to naught all He has done.Lord Jesus Christ, Your pow’r make known,For You are Lord of lords alone;Defend Your holy Church that weMay sing Your praise eternally.
Introduction
• In the book of Jude, the Holy Spirit exhorts us “to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” in the Holy Scriptures (Jude 3). • On Reformation Day, we thank the Lord for using Martin Luther as one contender to restore that faith to the world. • But Luther is just one in a long line of saints who have contended for the truth of God’s Word: ○ Old Testament prophets, ○ John the Baptist, ○ saints of the early church, ○ other reformers, ○ and countless faithful men and women today. • All of them have paid a price to contend for the faith—some, the ultimate price of dying a martyr’s death.
• As Christians, we are not contentious people. • We love peace and unity. • We confess our sins. • We forgive one another their sins and do good to others, even to those who sin against us. • We do not seek persecution or martyrdom nor do we seek to persecute or cause one to be martyred, whether they be enemies of Christ or members of the church.
• As Christians, we must be prepared to suffer for God’s truth in our faith and in our lives. • We know that the devil and the world hate Christ and His Church. Therefore they hate us as well. • We know that because Christ’s enemies cannot get at Christ in heaven, they will get to Him in His Word and in His church here on earth. • We know that the devil will attack Christ’s Word and Church, not only through the chief articles of the Christian confession but also just as readily through various teachings that seem less central at first glance.
• For example: • John the Baptist was thrown into prison and executed because he preached on marriage to his adulterous ruler. Try that today! You will be canceled for sure! • Luther was excommunicated by the Roman Catholic Church for undermining the pope’s authority to teach false doctrines like purgatory and the selling of indulgences. How dare he! • Christians today are being pressed hard on a variety of issues regarding: ○ government authority, ○ marriage and sexuality, ○ the beginning and end of life, • We have not even started to talk about the deeper issues of the inerrancy of the Bible, or that God created the heavens and the earth in six days, and so on.
• Jesus is speaking directly to us today. • His purpose is not to frighten or intimidate us. • To the contrary, Jesus Warns Us That His Church Will Suffer Violence but Comforts and Strengthens Us to Be Faithful to the End, to contend fearlessly “for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.”
• I. Be faithful to the end!Suffering violence is the ongoing status of God’s Word, preachers, and hearers (v 12).
• As Jesus was scorned (vv 16–17, 19a) and crucified, Christians will be persecuted as well.
• The precedent was clear with what happened to God’s prophets in the Old Testament: • mocked (2 Chr 36:15–16), • imprisoned (Jer 37:11–16; 38:1–6), • killed (2 Chr 24:17–22) • Isaiah, by tradition, was sawed in two; Mt 23:29–35).
• John the Baptist was first rejected by the religious leadership (v 18), and then later beheaded by Herod.
• Luther, as an outlaw, always lived under the threat of death, and faithful followers of the Reformation did die for their faith.
• In the LUTHERAN HYMNAL, hymn number 259 Flung to the heedless winds, (Luther’s hymn honoring martyrs Jan and Hendrik of Brussels) speaks of this when it says:1 Flung to the heedless windsOr on the waters cast,The martyrs’ ashes, watched,Shall gathered be at last.And from that scattered dust,Around us and abroad,Shall spring a plenteous seedOf witnesses for God.2 The Father hath receivedTheir latest living breath,And vain is Satan’s boastOf vict’ry in their death.Still, still, though dead, they speak,And, trumpet-tongued, proclaimTo many a wak’ning landThe one availing name.
• Today, Christians are being martyred in Muslim countries, and here we suffer under the cancel culture, the woke agenda, and open rejection of moral truths. • In Iran, as a Christian, if you own a Bible or witness to others about Christ, you are considered a “threat to national security.” • In Cuba (90 miles off the Florida coast), the government will detain Christians for up to 48 hours in order to question them about their beliefs, forcing them to deny their faith in Christ. • In Saudi Arabia (a U.S. ally), churches are not allowed to exist in the country and if one were to convert to Christianity from Islam, that would be considered apostasy and punishable by death.
• II. Be faithful to the end!Jesus comforts us by reminding us of the faithful who have gone before us.
• Jesus reminds us that the prophets spoke faithfully despite violence they suffered: • Zechariah, • Isaiah (Isaiah 7:3–14), • and Jeremiah all faithfully testified before kings.
• Jesus points us to John (Matthew 11:7–11), who never wavered from decrying Herod’s sin.
• Luther, at the Diet of Worms, along with the Lutheran princes at Augsburg, boldly spoke before kings.
• The superscription to the Augsburg Confession declares Psalm 119:46 when it says: • I will also speak of Your testimonies before kings And shall not be ashamed.
• The writer of Hebrews declares: • Hebrews 13:7 (NASB95) • Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.
• Today’s martyrs, by their deaths, testify for all the world to see in their words and witness the love of God found in Jesus Christ. • We are called to be visible and audible with our witness to God’s truth. ○ Wearing a cross—what does that symbol mean to you? ○ Confronted with a decision that needs to be made—what would Jesus do? ○ What on earth are you doing for heaven’s sake?
• The sacrifices of these contenders for the faith have meaning because of the one to whom we all testify, the object of our faith, the one who always goes before us: • Jesus Christ! • His martyrdom is the atoning death that has forgiven all of our sins. • We are His! • He is ours!
• III. Be faithful to the end!By Jesus’ own sacrifice and by these examples of others, Jesus works in us strength and courage to endure.
• Like John, we, too, should be willing to suffer all, even death, for God’s Word. • This may not be as remote for us as we wish to think.
• But God’s eternal promises are sure. • The joys of heaven: ○ Christ, the Son of God, becoming man and dwelling amongst us. ○ The repentant sinner. ○ The exaltation of the Lamb of God on His throne. ○ God’s righteousness triumphs over all that is evil. ○ The saints called home to heaven.
• Like Luther, we, too, should commit fully to the purity of our doctrine.
• We know the great truths taught by Holy Scripture. • God created the heavens and earth and sustains them still. • We are saved by grace through faith in Christ alone! Scripture alone declares this!
• How do we know we are saved? Through the Means of Grace: • The Word of God: ○ The Law shows us our sin. Romans 3:23 (NASB95) 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ○ The Gospel shows us our Savior. Romans 10:17 (NASB95) 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. • The Sacrament of Holy Baptism ○ The water with the Word—a life giving flood. • The Sacrament of Holy Communion ○ Christ’s Real Presence in. with, and under the bread and wine. ○ This truly is a mystery!
• With Luther, we can take our stand on all these, for Christ will stand by all who confess Him!
• Because the violence Christ suffered has secured for us eternal peace and safety with God, we do indeed take up our crosses and follow Jesus. • We do become conformed to His life, death, and resurrection, faithfully to our end, even if it means death for us.
• Illustration
• Violence. • Do you know that Islam and Christianity have at least one point of similarity: they are both, from the beginning, filled with violence. • That’s the word Jesus uses twice in today’s text from Matthew 11. • Violence belongs to the essence of both Islam and Christianity. • That is, of course, where the similarity ends, especially since one religion is the worship of a demon and the other is the worship of the holy triune God. • Islam inflicts violence on others, but the true faith, Christianity, suffers violence at the hands of its enemies, including Islam.
• Yes, both religions are filled with violence. • But this is a point that needs to be put before religious skeptics in comparing these two very different religions. • From the very beginning, the response of Muhammad to opposition was to go to war and conquer with the sword in the name of his religion. • Whole villages were slaughtered. • If people refused to submit to Allah and Muhammad his prophet, they would be executed.
• This heretical religion was conceived and brought forth in the blood of its enemies.
• Its rapid spread throughout the Mediterranean world was all proselytizing by military conquest.
• Islam means submission to the will of Allah, and for those who do not willingly submit to this demon, the religion calls for forced submission by law and tax and sword—in a word, violence.
• Do not overlook, though, that Christianity is also filled with violence: • that is, suffering for the sake of Christ. • It is through suffering that God works life in believers and fulfills His purposes. • The violent death of Jesus won the forgiveness and salvation of the world. • The disciples of Jesus suffered and died violent deaths as a testimony to Jesus. • The Reformers suffered persecution and deadly threats, and, yes, some died for confessing salvation by faith in Christ alone. • Jesus warns all Christians to be prepared to suffer, even to die, for His sake.
• Conclusion
• Jesus summarizes the message of this text with two wise sayings: Matthew 11:15 (NASB95) 15 “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
• He calls on us to pray: • Blessed Lord, You have caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning. Grant that we may so hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them that, by patience and comfort of Your holy Word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
• Jesus also says: Matthew 11:19 (NASB95) 19 “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”
• To be justified is to be regarded as righteous before God. • Jesus is our Wisdom. • God the Father regarded His life and death to be righteous by raising Him from the dead. • When we hear and believe God’s Word and Sacraments, we, too, are justified by this faith in Christ alone. • This is the comfort and help we find only in the Gospel. • Our status with God is sure and certain through faith in Jesus. • Come what might, come what may, even violence against us as we contend for the faith for Christ’s sake, we who are justified in Christ are secure with God forever. Amen.
• Let us pray:LSB 655:3 Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Your WordO Comforter of priceless worth,Send peace and unity on earth;Support us in our final strifeAnd lead us out of death to life.
• 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.
• 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.
• In the Name of the Father…Amen.
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