The Second Sunday in Advent – Pr. Anderson sermon
St. Luke 21:25-36 “Your Redemption is Drawing Near”
December 8, 2024 | Christ Lutheran Church
In Nomine Iesu
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Cleanse our conscience, we humbly ask You, Almighty God, by the daily visitation of Your grace, that, when Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, shall come in the company of all His saints, He may find us ready for His appearing, to meet Him without spot or blemish; who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, now and forever. Amen. (The Lutheran Liturgy, companion altar book for The Lutheran Hymnal, p.51)
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (Rom. 1:7, etc.)
The sermon text for today is taken from the 21st chapter of the Gospel according to St. Luke. We read selected verses in Jesus’ name:
[Jesus said:] “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
These are Your words, heavenly Father. Sanctify us by Your truth, Your Word is truth. Amen. (Joh. 17:17)
In Christ Jesus, who paid the ultimate price for you with the shedding of His holy blood where He has made satisfaction for all your sins, dear fellow redeemed:
If you want to know the truth about something, you are going to learn about it and then you are going to watch for the facts. It is the facts that prove it is true. Our text for today is about learning and watching the truth unfold. This is because the Gospel writer St. Luke, wanted to make sure he knew the truth. He wrote at the beginning of his Gospel, “Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught” (Luke 1:1-4). He watched and listened to what he had seen and heard. By showing his work, the truth he finds points to the Savior and through the Savior’s work, your redemption is drawing near.
If it is true that our redemption is drawing near and as the world gets scarier, some will ask,
where are the facts? In doing his research, Luke has learned there will be signs, and it will be very noticeable when these signs are happening. For many, the world will be a very scary place. Many things that our Lord said and are written by the Gospel writers are happening when it comes to the end times. There are wars, rumors of wars, pestilence, famines, and floods. Some of you may have felt the earthquake that just happened off the coast three days ago. So, we watch and see Jesus’ Word is truthful with these events happening. If those signs are happening, then we also know as we continue to watch we are going to see more signs. We might not like that we could watch these horrific events unfold, but we aren’t going to have a choice in the matter.
The people in Jesus’ day were also about to witness many things unfold in front of them without a choice in the matter. Jesus is teaching about these signs during the most important week of the year, Holy Week. To teach the people, Jesus resorts to using a parable. “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place.” When Jesus teaches parables, it is in a way for the people to understand even though Scripture tells us many times the people don’t understand them. This is one of those instances where the people don’t understand. As He tries to get them to watch and listen, they are not going to see their redemption drawing near. They will instead see destruction and those who don’t believe today will follow suit.
It is hard to stomach and hear about the coming destruction. This is why we must watch and be ready, for we don’t know when it will come. Not only do we hear this message in our text about how easy it is to not be ready, but this is also a theme Jesus has taught in the past. “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” Jesus compares worrying and the cares of this life like being drunk. When we get sucked into them, it can be very hard to get out because they are like a trap. They grip on to your focus and will power. These problems don’t pick and choose who they will hurt either.
While we all can experience these problems, Jesus instructs the way out of them is to be aware of them and to pray. Prayer is an excellent tool for our help. It is there for our escape, but as sin rears its ugly head and we forget about our communication with God, we can become a part of the generation who will see all that is to come. We heard only a few Sundays ago how the door will be shut when the Bridegroom comes. If this happens, we will stand with no escapes, and the Son of Man will be before us. For many the Son of Man will stand before them as judge and king of all. He will bring a righteous judgement over His kingdom, and He will read out all the people’s deeds. With it being easy to fall into the trap and then hard to get out of it, the hope of this Advent text comes from the light that is at the end of all these signs. It is the hope of the work of the Son of Man. When He comes, He brings restoration and redemption.
These unnatural signs that point out to all that the end is happening, having many worried and alarmed, they will only be at the end. If we see them then Jesus is coming hot on its heels, and this is a good thing. Throughout history, there is a small group that is watching with eagerness for the coming of the Lord. The Old Testament people watched for the first coming. As the New Testament people watch for the second coming, all people have been kept calm through the Word that doesn’t age or decay. Jesus says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.” It is through this Word believers see their redemption drawing near. It is seen in the prophets, like when Micah prophecies, “In that day, declares the LORD, I will assemble the lame and gather those who have been driven away and those whom I have afflicted; and the lame I will make the remnant, and those who were cast off, a strong nation; and the LORD will reign over them in Mount Zion from this time forth and forevermore” (Micah 4:6-7). This happens as God comes down as the Son of Man.
With the Son of Man coming down from heaven, it is then the people see the truth of God’s promise, they see their redemption is near. All the waiting, all the hope, is found to be worth it. As Jesus’ final week of humiliation would reveal the salvation of all, it is in that His work His second coming is a day of rejoicing. There is rejoicing as He makes our bodies new. “For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’ ‘O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?'” (1 Corinthians 15:53-55). If this has happened to death, then how much more celebration will there be when the Son of Man is seen coming on the clouds?
With the Son of Man coming on the clouds, the truth is revealed with the joining of the end times and advent. The truth is that all will be good for those with faith in what is to come. Jesus promises it will be good when He says, “And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” You could be like those who don’t believe and dwell on all the bad that is happening in the world. Doing so will only cause you to be trapped and then to ultimately lose hope for yourself. The devil will capitalize on this to get you to think that nothing will happen, or you aren’t worth the price that was paid. Of course, with a half-truth, the devil is right that you have no worth. It is your sins that have trapped you and are the reason for a harsh but righteous judgement. But in the signs and in the changes of the end, you will watch the truth unfold, the truth you don’t deserve. It is the truth of your redemption drawing near.
You only know of your redemption through what you hear today as St. Paul writes, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 15:4-6). You have hope as you hear the glorious news of the cross. It is there on Calvary you watch through the Word the truth of your Savior’s love and see your redemption price. The price you couldn’t reach. And if this is true, true that He died for your sins and then rose again, then He will come again on the clouds. Your redemption will draw near, and your heads will be raised high because you have certainty, He is bringing you safely into your heavenly home.
Those signs will be hard to stomach for those who have no hope. They will hear, “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken,” and when they think it can’t get any worse, “And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” You can’t boast as this could have been your end. As Jesus is your shining beacon and you watch the end with joy, it is your light others will see and turn. They will turn, not because you did anything. They turn because of the redemption you have. The redemption St. John captures in his last book where Jesus told him, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen (Revelation 22:20b-21).
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.
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