23rd Sunday after Trinity

St. Matthew 22:15–22

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit –

What are the two topics we’re told never to bring up in polite conversation? Politics and religion. People have strong opinions on these, and there is often tension between the two. And really, that tension is quite understandable. Yes, there should be a distinction between the church and the state, but the concerns of the church and the concerns of the state often overlap. Because religion is not just nice thoughts about a God far away. Religion is not just about what happens when you die,  but it’s also about how we should live today.

There are two kingdoms, two realms in this universe. There is the kingdom of the world and the kingdom of heaven. And we Christians hold dual citizenship. We are citizens of both kingdoms. By physical birth we have citizenship in this world, and in this earthly realm we also find various nations and kingdoms that govern this world. But Christians, being baptized into Jesus Christ, are adopted into the family of God and so we also hold citizenship in heaven. There are these two kingdoms, and they are both good. For both kingdoms are established and governed by God. But they operate in different ways.

This is the most simple meaning of Jesus’ teaching: “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” We could even make reference here to the Fourth and First Commandments. Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s. That’s the Fourth Commandment: Honor your father and your mother. Obey the authorities placed over you by God. Submit to them, honor them. Pay taxes and uphold the laws of the land. Then also, render to God the things that are God’s. That’s the First Commandment: You shall have no other gods. Fear, love and trust in God above all things. Worship the Holy Trinity alone. And do not listen to the teaching from any other gods.

Both of these kingdoms, the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of earthly authority, both are ruled by the one true God. But He rules them in different ways. In the kingdom of the world, we say He rules by His left hand, that is by His power and might. We call it His left hand because it is not His proper or primary work. He rules with His Law and with punishment for those who break His Law. He rules through the men and women of earthly governments. God has ordained the state to protect men from harm, to administer his wrath and justice against wrongdoers, and to generally provide for the temporal well being of humanity. The civil government is God’s instrument which he holds in His left hand to care for you and me. Thank God for civil government! Pray for our rulers! Because whether you like them or not, whether you voted for them or not, they are God’s agents, established in their offices, not for selfish gain, but to serve you in His name. Like all men however, our rulers are flawed instruments, and we cannot blame God for their sins. Even so, our rulers are God’s men and women, doing His work, even if they fail to recognize this themselves. And that is why St. Paul could urge the church in Rome to obey Caesar, horrible tyrant though he was, to pray for him, and to submit to earthly authorities as they would submit to God.

Now on the other hand, we have the kingdom of heaven. In His heavenly kingdom God rules only by His grace and mercy, and so we say that He rules this kingdom by His right hand, for grace and mercy is His proper work. He rules this kingdom with His Gospel and with forgiveness for all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. In this kingdom, the citizens are those who have been reconciled to God through the blood of Jesus and call Him Lord. In the kingdom of heaven God rules through His Church – with the preaching of His Word and the administration of His Sacraments. These are the only tools or weapons the Church has. The Church doesn’t make and administer laws, nor does she raise armies or levy taxes. But by speaking her Lord’s Word and by giving out His forgiveness the Church’s mission is to conquer men’s hearts with words of hope and acts of compassion.

So again, where do you belong in all this? Are you feeling split in two?

Well, not quite split in two, but you are a citizen of both kingdoms, and both kingdoms demand your honor. The trouble really comes when the servants of the earthly kingdom call you to give the things of God to Caesar. When the civil government requires you to do something that God has forbidden. Then we must obey God rather than men.

If you’re a citizen of the United States, you’re not being killed for the Christian faith – not yet anyway. Although that day could come. No earthly government is immune to the hatred of God’s Word and the persecution of His Christians. So we keep this in our Confirmation vows for just such an occasion: Do you intend to continue steadfast in this confession and Church and to suffer all, even death, rather than fall away from it? Answer: I do, by the grace of God.

But besides that ultimate sacrifice, there are others. For example, are we catechizing our children, teaching them the faith, knowing that it is absolutely the most important thing they could ever learn? Make no mistake, if you’re not catechizing your children, the government and schools will gladly do it for you. But they won’t be teaching the Christian faith. And then when you’re child believes something that is contrary to God’s Word, then what do you do? Or how can we support the organizations and causes that directly violate God’s Law? There’s no command from Christ on what political party to belong to or what candidate to vote for, but we cannot give money to Planned Parenthood and finance abortions, or “like” posts on Facebook that redefine the institution of marriage. These are things that ultimately belong to God, and we must obey God rather than men.

Frankly, really think about this teaching of Jesus, “Give to God the things that are God’s.” Don’t all things belong to God? Aren’t you then supposed to give Him all things? Love Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength? Yes. So repent. The Pharisees said to Jesus, “You do not care about anyone’s opinion, for You are not swayed by appearances.” You’re not superficial Jesus – you don’t just take things at face value. And they’re right. Jesus was aware of their malice – He could see how they desired to entangle Him in His words. And we can’t hide or explain away our sinful desires any better. Jesus sees the evil that is deeper than skin-deep. He sees that we do not give all to God. He knows our excuses and they won’t work. He is a King far greater, and far more terrible than Caesar or the President of the United States.  He sees not only our actions, but He sees our hearts – He sees that our true sinful allegiances don’t lie with Him.

And yet, at the same time, this King is far more merciful than any earthly king. And He entered this earthly realm, subjected Himself to suffering and death so that He could give His all for us – in our place. He became the substitute for all sinners and the hammer of God’s justice came crashing down on Him, so that we might go free. He shed His blood that we might be forgiven, be made citizens of heaven and welcomed into His eternal kingdom.

When Jesus got the coin, He asked them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” And they answered, “Caesar’s.” Caesar’s face was stamped on the coin. Caesar’s name was inscribed in that precious metal. He minted it – it was legal currency by His authority – it was His. So give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s. But on you, O Christian, O citizen of heaven, O Child of God. There is something far more glorious stamped on you. You bear the image of your crucified and risen Lord. His cross has been stamped on you and His blood marks you. The holy name of Your God and King is inscribed on your forehead. You are His. As our Small Catechism says, Jesus Christ is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. This is most certainly true.

Come quickly + Lord Jesus –

Immanuel Lutheran Church, Charlotte, IA

November 8, 2015

A couple paragraphs were borrowed from Rev. Scott Stiegemeyer in a sermon for Trinity 23 (2007) at Redeemer, Fort Wayne.

The Feast of All Saints

Revelation 7:2–17

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit –

Many people are fascinated by the Book of Revelation – maybe even obsessed. So many think of it as a great puzzle, that if we could only solve it, we would know what’s going to happen and when. Other Christians think of Revelation with fear, confusion, and despair. Whether you think Revelation is scary or intriguing, it’s probably not the book of the Bible that we turn to when a loved one dies. And there are some good reasons for that. The Gospels and some of Paul’s Epistles have plenty of confident and clear messages of comfort for us. And when our grief is overwhelming, we don’t need to bother with symbols and visions.

Still, there are some wonderfully beautiful, comforting passages in Revelation as well – ones that we couldn’t do without. Like Jesus saying, “Behold, I am coming soon… I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end… Fear not, I am… the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore.” (Rev. 22:12–13 & 1:17–18) And this: “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Rev. 2:10) Or this: “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!” (Rev. 14:13) And then we have our reading today from Revelation 7 – one of the most beautiful pictures of the Church.

Revelation 7 shows us an image of the Church on earth and the Church in heaven. There is only one Church – one holy Christian and apostolic Church – but for now, this one Church has a barrier running through it. It’s the barrier between earth and heaven – between time and eternity. Revelation 7 first gives us an image of the Church here on earth, the Church Militant, and then shows us the Church Triumphant that we will one day join. Revelation 7 is about us here in this earthly life. It’s also about those who have gone before us and have come to their heavenly rest. And it’s about us all, when we are finally reunited around the throne of God.

First, we see the Church Militant. An angel says the servants of God must be sealed, and the number of the sealed is 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel. 12 tribes with 12,000 from each tribe is 144,000. That total number is really not the important thing. The important number is 12 – the number of the tribes of Israel, the number of the apostles, and so it is the number for God’s people. 12,000 times 12 gives you just about the most complete, most full number you can get for God’s people. It’s not a literal number of people – it’s a symbol for the whole people of God – the whole church here on earth.

Here we see the Church drawn up in ranks, with believers appointed to each tribe or battalion. They are in battle formation, ready to get their marching orders, ready to set out on the Lord’s mission. The Church on earth is called the Church Militant. We are the fighting Church – doing battle with all the enemies of God.

Now for the Church this is really a defensive war. The only offensive strikes are those made by the Lord Christ Himself – the Victor who dealt the deathblow to sin, death, and the Devil. And even this attack upon our enemies was achieved by His suffering, bleeding, and dying. So also, like her Lord, the Church fights the good fight with her shield of faith and prayer. She fights with the sword of God’s Word. She even fights with her own blood, willing to shed it as witness to what her Lord has done.

The Church Militant, the people of God in this valley of shadow and death, is in a defensive war, but we need not suppose that this means it’s up to us to defend ourselves. The Church on earth, the 144,000 are sealed by God. We are marked with God’s special mark – the mark of His cross. We are signed and sealed with His signature – we are His. He put His name on us in Holy Baptism – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – we are marked as ones redeemed by Christ the crucified. Further, He keeps us sealed with His Word – His sure and certain promises that are repeated for our hearing again and again, that we would not forget or grow indifferent. He keeps us sealed and signs His name all the more clearly with His very body and blood. That Holy Supper tells you, “you are My holy one, My saint.” This seal even tells all the demons of hell, don’t touch these ones – they belong to Me.

For now the war rages on – we still have hardship, attacks, failures, and every kind of tribulation. But they cannot destroy you. The Lord has sealed you, marked you, claimed you as His own. And that means one day He will move you from the Church Militant to the Church Triumphant.

The second, and far more glorious, image in Revelation 7 is of the Church Triumphant – the saints who have left this earthly battlefield and are now at peace with the Lord Jesus. This is a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands. These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. And now they experience the victory of the Lamb – the One who was slain and has begun His reign. These believers have finished their part in the fight. And no matter how long, or how short, their warfare was – they are now at peace. They are with the Lamb, who is also the Shepherd – Jesus – the One who conquered in the fight and gives everlasting peace.

These are the differences between the Church Militant in the here and now – and the Church Triumphant in the there and then. But this sermon is not meant to be a simple compare and contrast essay. Of course, we could go on and on with how different life is here from there in heaven. But if we’re honest with ourselves, if we’re honest like the saints before us, then we know that all the misery we endure right now is a product of humanity’s fall into sin. Even more honestly, it is a product of our own sinful actions, words, and thoughts. But the comfort of Revelation 7 is that those in heaven have been freed from all their misery. They have been freed from all their sin. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. No more sin clings to them – no more filth, grief, or pain. They are only holy – only righteous – washed in the blood of the Lamb.  And that is what we look forward to as well.

For now, we are still on the battlefield – we still see the casualties of the Devil’s attacks. We see how each Christian still falls prey to death. And when a beloved Christian dies we call it loss. But God calls it gain. And by faith we know this is the truth. 144,000 is a big number – in other words, there are a lot of Christians on earth. But it cannot compare to the great multitude that no one could number. With each blessed death that countless host around the throne gets harder to count.

And do not fear, because your face belongs in that multitude of saints as well. St. John was given a glimpse of the whole Church Triumphant – and on the Last Day that will include you. On that Day, the God who became flesh and dwelt among us, He will come again. And then we, in our flesh, risen and glorious, safe and secure, with no tears in our eyes, then we will dwell with God. We know the end of the story. We know the song that we will sing – it’s the same glorious song the saints in heaven are singing right now. “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And the angels all join in, singing to their God for the salvation He gives to humans, so that we might join the angels in their praise: “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” So we also join in the song now, while we are still on earth we sing with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven to our God who saves us from our sin, will bring an end to our warfare, and give us an eternal victory.

In mercy, Jesus, bring us to that eternal rest with You and God the Father and Spirit, ever + blest – Amen

Immanuel Lutheran Church, Charlotte, IA

November 1, 2015