For Thine Is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory

Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost

October 6, 2013

1 Chronicles 29:11

For Thine Is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory

In the name of Jesus.

I.

Last words can be funny or profound. English playwright George Bernard Shaw remarked before he expired, “Dying is easy; comedy is hard.” Famous scientist Johannes Kepler's last words? “Solely by the merits of Jesus Christ, our Savior.”

For many believers, their last words aren't funny or original, but they are profound and true. Christians on their deathbed, even when they have forgotten the names of their own children, have been heard to pray, “Our Father, who art in heaven . . . “ and their last words are “For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

Those last words that have graced the lips of so many believers were first spoken by King David. At the end of his 40 years as king, he spoken his last recorded words, that served as his last will and testament.

May You be praised, Lord God of our father Israel, from eternity to eternity. Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty, for everything in the heavens and on earth belongs to You. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom, and You are exalted as head over all. Riches and honor come from You, and You are the ruler of everything. Power and might are in Your hand (1 Chronicles 29:10-12)

We use David's words of praise as the last words of our Lord's Prayer. But what do these words mean?

II.

King David had great friends, lots of kids, a world-wide reputation as a warrior who had killed tens of thousands of bad guys, and a great place to live with lots of servants. And he was loaded.

But at the end of his life, David remembered who had done the loading. Everything that he had—money, friends, and reputation, and everything else—came from God and thus, everything David had wasn't his, but God's. When you pray, “For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory,” you are simply recognizing the reality in which you live. You are a servant in someone's else world; you are serving in someone's else house.

This reality should lead all people to live accordingly, but most don't because they hate the Someone to whom all things belong. But believers trust that all things are created by God and therefore they live in the real world. Jesus said,

So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, “We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.” (Luke 17:10)

III.

What is your duty? What is Jesus telling you to do? This depends on your vocation.

David's vocation was to be a king and a father. None of us are royalty, but many of us have been called to serve as fathers.

As a king David was a good steward who sought to leave the nation of Israel better than he had found it. And he considered improvement to be one thing: receiving the promises of God every day.

And this led him to carefully plan how he would use God's things to prepare for the building of God's Temple. Solomon's vocation was to actually build the Temple in Jerusalem, but his father David carefully planned out the necessary preparations. He arranged for building materials, but perhaps most importantly, he prepared Solomon for his task by being a good father.

David called his son Solomon “young and inexperienced” in his opening remarks. Why did he say that? He wanted Solomon to remain grounded in reality. There are few better gifts a father can give to a son. When Solomon would later be given wisdom directly from God, his father's final words would assist in keeping him grounded in reality: his wisdom was from God.

IV.

Dear Christians and fathers and mothers? Our church has already been built. So what is your duty now?

You imitate David's careful planning as you build your homes rooted and fed by Christ.

Coming to Him, a living stone—rejected by men but chosen and valuable to God—you yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. . . .

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood,

a holy nation, a people for His possession,

so that you may proclaim the praises

of the One who called you out of darkness

into His marvelous light.

Once you were not a people,

but now you are God’s people;

. . . now you have received mercy.

(1 Peter 2:4-5, 9-10)

Build a strong foundation for yourself and your family by clinging to the joy that you have received mercy. All the forgiveness you have is from Christ. And in this reality, as Christ's living stones, you carefully plan your duty in His service.

As a congregation we ask how we build a foundation for our young stones that will leave them with a life-long love of learning Jesus' promises, so that they will have golden words to speak before Jesus calls them.

So instead of sparkling jewels and tons of gold, serve Jesus by raising up living stones with sharp minds and homes where we treat the Bible like gold. A wonderful offering you can place at Christ's feet as His unworthy servant is yourself and your family at prayer.

Spend your time, no, spend Jesus' time that He has given you, to daily pray the Ten Commandments, the Apostles' Creed, and the Lord's Prayer. Pray these promises for they have been given to you.

And then no matter when Jesus calls you home, your last words will be His words.

In the name of the Father

and of the † Son

and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The War Is Won; the War Goes On

St. Michael and All Angels

September 29, 2013

Revelation 12:7-12

The War Is Won; the War Goes On

In the name of Jesus.

I.

They accompanied the Lord when He told Abraham that he would have a son in his old age.

They rescued Lot from the wicked men of Sodom.

Jacob dreamed about them on the stairway to heaven.

And this is just a small glimpse of the work of the angels among God's people on earth.

The angels are busy. Jesus sends them to deliver messages. And He sends them out to fight.

Then war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels also fought, but he could not prevail, and there was no place for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was thrown out—the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the one who deceives the whole world. He was thrown to earth, and his angels with him. (Revelation 12:7-9)

II.

This was war, but it's difficult for flesh-and-bone creatures to understand how a war is fought between spiritual beings. How can angels fight? We don't get the details; the tactics aren't explained. But we do know the winning strategy.

The eternal Son of God must die. And die He did.

The angels that had proclaimed the coming down of the Incarnate Son of God to Bethlehem saw Him die.

The angel that warned Joseph to flee to Egpyt with Mary and Jesus saw Him die.

The angels that ministered to Jesus after being tempted by the Snake in the wilderness saw Him die. (Matthew 4)

The angel that ministered to Him in Gethsemane's garden saw Him die. (Luke 22)

And then . . .

They went in but did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men stood by them in dazzling clothes. So the women were terrified and bowed down to the ground. “Why are you looking for the living among the dead?” asked the men. “He is not here, but He has been resurrected! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men, be crucified, and rise on the third day’? (Luke 24:3-7)

The angels rejoiced in His resurrection and were delighted to be first to proclaim that His death had destroyed Death itself! And by destroying Death, the Devil has lost his most trusted ally. Jesus has won the war. And He sent Michael, His trusted ally, His archangel, to hurl Satan and his demons down to earth.

III.

And here they still are. The Devil is mortally wounded. He has lost. But precisely because of his defeat, he is dangerous. St. Peter said,

Be serious! Be alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

But Christ is more dangerous. As you pray in the morning and find refuge in your Baptism, you are smashing the Devil's lies with the faithful daily confession of who we are and who our Savior is. “I am a poor miserable sinner; and because I am, Christ is mine, and He washes me and feeds”—this is the bloodied Word that conquers Satan again and again and again.

They conquered him

by the blood of the Lamb

and by the word of their testimony,

for they did not love their lives

in the face of death.

(Revelation 12:11)

IV.

There are good angels and there are bad angels. They are at war, even though Satan has already lost. But we still pray, “And lead us not into temptation,” which means that,

God tempts no one. But we pray that He would guard and keep us, so that the devil, the world, and our flesh may not deceive us nor seduce us into false belief, despair, and other great shame and vice. Though we are attacked by these things, we pray that still we may finally overcome them and gain the victory. (Small Catechism, Lord's Prayer)

And every day, the angels can pause from their war and rejoice that God's kingdom has come to another precious soul, both within the church and without.

“What woman who has 10 silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she finds it, she calls her women friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found the silver coin I lost!’ I tell you, in the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:8-10)

In the name of the Father

and of the † Son

and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

A Different Kind of Priest: Melchizedek and Jesus

Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

September 22, 2013

Genesis 14, Psalm 110, & Hebrews 7

A Different Kind of Priest: Melchizedek & Jesus

In the name of Jesus.

I.

Abraham had just fought and won a David-and-Goliath war. He'd fought to save his nephew Lot. And then after the battle, Melchizedek showed up.

Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying,

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,

Creator of heaven and earth.

And blessed be God Most High,

who delivered your enemies into

your hand.” (Genesis 14:18-20)

Melchizedek was the king of Salem, also known as Jerusalem. And he wasn't just a king; he was also a priest, a true priest who offered sacrifices to God Most High.

As a priest of the true God, Melchizedek blessed Abraham with the name of God. Earlier God Himself had come to Abraham and promised,

I will make you into a great nation

and I will bless you;

I will make your name great,

and you will be a blessing.

I will bless those who bless you,

and whoever curses you I will

curse;

and all peoples on earth

will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:2-3)

But a lot had happened between then and now. And so Abraham needed to hear this divine promise again. He needed to hear that his name was still bound to the name of God Most High. He needed God to say it again. And through His royal priest's mouth, God said it, “Yes, you still belong to Me and you still bear My name. Though you have no son at all, your grandchildren will number in the millions.”

“Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them. So shall your offspring be.” (Genesis 15:5)

Notice that Melchizedek did not offer a sacrifice. He didn't get a goat and kill it and burn it in sacrifice on an altar of rocks. His role was to affirm the divine promise of the coming Jesus through words. Then he's gone.

II.

Then 1,000 years later, another king of Salem, King David, completely out of the blue, drops Melchizedek's name. Understand that Melchizedek had been mentioned that one time in Genesis 14 and that was it. Abraham's name gets mentioned all over the Old Testament. But Melchizedek is a shadow. But a very important shadow. David wrote:

The Lord says to my lord:

“Sit at my right hand

until I make your enemies

a footstool for your feet.”

The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion, saying,

“Rule in the midst of your enemies!”

The Lord has sworn

and will not change his mind:

“You are a priest forever,

in the order of Melchizedek.”

He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead

and crushing the rulers of the whole earth. (Psalm 110:1-2,4,6)

David is clearly describing Jesus, who would be born 1,000 years later in Bethlehem, David's hometown. Jesus is a priest. And what kind of priest He is, is answered later in the Bible.

III.

This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, the name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.” Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever. (Hebrews 7:1-3)

God tells us that Melchizedek resembles God's Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, but He doesn't have a beginning. And He was crucified, died, and was buried, but His life continues to this day.

And now God explains what kind of priest Jesus is.

Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder! Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people—that is, from their fellow Israelites—even though they also are descended from Abraham. This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. And without doubt the lesser is blessed by the greater. In the one case, the tenth is collected by people who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living. One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor. (Hebrews 7:4-10)

Remember the father of John the Baptist? Zechariah was a son of Levi, one of Jacob's 12 sons. Levites were the priests of the Old Testament. They took turns making sacrifices at the Temple. (That's what Zechariah was doing when the angel showed up and told him that his barren wife Elizabeth was going to have a baby boy.) Zechariah was a priest of the Old Testament, a priest of the Law. He served to uphold the contract of obedience between God and God's people. But since God's people ignored and mocked this good and lawful contract, God in His grace sent a different kind of priest to rescue them. And this wasn't Plan B; this was Plan A, the plan Adam and Eve were promised after their sinful rebellion. Just as Abraham had rescued Lot from physically harm, this new kind of priest was going to rescue believers from eternal damnation.

That Priest is Jesus.

If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood—and indeed the law given to the people established that priesthood—why was there still need for another priest to come, one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also. He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar. For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. For it is declared:

“You are a priest forever,

in the order of Melchizedek.”

The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God. (Hebrews 7:11-19)

The law in itself is good and perfect, but to sinners, the law was useless because we don't come close to keeping it pure. But Jesus promises to keep the Law perfect for us. As our Priest He obeys the Law to the letter and keeps its spirit.

And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him:

“The Lord has sworn

and will not change his mind:

‘You are a priest forever.’”

Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant. (Hebrews 20-22)

How do we know Jesus kept the Law? Because He didn't stay dead. Human priests die and stay dead; Jesus is different.

Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.

(Hebrews 7:23-28)

Jesus is the Priest of the New Testament. He is the New Testament! And He gives Himself to us in bread and wine and blesses us with His name.

In the name of the Father

and of the † Son

and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.