The Third Sunday in Advent, 2018.

The Third Sunday in Advent, 2018

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Time

Fourth Anniversary - Corey and Abby Fagan - December 18th.

Norma A. Boeckler's Birthday, December 22nd

Mid-Week and Greek - 7 PM Central Standard Time. Thursday.

The Hymn #645            Behold a Branch           

The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual       

The Gospel              

Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #13                     Before Jehovah's Awful Throne               

Look for Another?

The Hymn # 77:1-8  - Gerhardt              All My Heart               

The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn # 77:9-15 - Gerhardt  All My Heart               

KJV 1 Corinthians 4:1 Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. 3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. 4 For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. 5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

KJV Matthew 11:2 Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, 3 And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? 4 Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: 5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me. 7 And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? 8 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. 9 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. 10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

Third Sunday In Advent

Lord God, heavenly Father, who didst suffer Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to become man, and to come into the world, that He might destroy the works of the devil, deliver us poor offenders from sin and death, and give us everlasting life: We beseech Thee so to rule and govern our hearts by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may seek no other refuge than His word, and thus avoid all offense to which, by nature, we are inclined, in order that we may always be found among the faithful followers of Thy Son, Jesus Christ, and by faith in Him obtain eternal salvation, through the same, Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

"All My Heart This Night Rejoices"

by Paul Gerhardt, 1607-1676

1. All my heart this night rejoices

As I hear Far and near

Sweetest angel voices.

"Christ is born," their choirs are singing

Till the air Everywhere

Now with joy is ringing.

2. Forth today the Conqueror goeth,

Who the foe, Sin and woe,

Death and hell, o'erthroweth.

God is man, man to deliver;

His dear Son Now is one

With our blood forever.

3. Shall we still dread God's displeasure,

Who, to save, Freely gave

His most cherished Treasure?

To redeem us, He hath given

His own Son From the throne

Of His might in heaven.

4. Should He who Himself imparted

Aught withhold From the fold,

Leave us broken-hearted?

Should the Son of God not love us,

Who, to cheer Sufferers here,

Left His throne above us?

5. If our blessed Lord and Maker

Hated men, Would He then

Be of flesh partaker?

If He in our woe delighted,

Would He bear All the care

Of our race benighted?

6. He becomes the Lamb that taketh

Sin away And for aye

Full atonement maketh.

For our life His own He tenders

And our race, By His grace,

Meet for glory renders.

7. Hark! a voice from yonder manger,

Soft and sweet, Doth entreat:

"Flee from woe and danger.

Brethren, from all ills that grieve you

You are feed; All you need

I will surely give you."

8. Come, then, banish all your sadness,

One and all, Great and small;

Come with songs of gladness.

Love Him who with love is glowing;

Hail the Star, Near and far

Light and joy bestowing.

9. Ye whose anguish knew no measure,

Weep no more; See the door

To celestial pleasure.

Cling to Him, for He will guide you

Where no cross, Pain, or loss

Can again betide you.

10. Hither come, ye heavy-hearted,

Who for sin, Deep within,

Long and sore have smarted;

For the poisoned wound you're feeling

Help is near, One is here

Mighty for their healing.

11. Hither come, ye poor and wretched;

Know His will Is to fill

Every hand outstretched.

Here are riches without measure;

Here forget All regret,

Fill your hearts with treasure.

12. Let me in my arms receive Thee;

On Thy breast Let me rest,

Savior, ne'er to leave Thee.

Since Thou hast Thyself presented

Now to me, I shall be

Evermore contented.

13. Guilt no longer can distress me;

Son of God, Thou my load

Bearest to release me.

Stain in me Thou findest never;

I am clean, All my sin

Is removed forever.

14. I am pure, in Thee believing,

From Thy store Evermore

Righteous robes receiving

In my heart I will enfold Thee,

Treasure rare, Let me there,

Loving, ever hold Thee.

15. Dearest Lord, Thee will I cherish.

Though my breath Fail in death,

Yet I shall not perish,

But with Thee abide forever

There on high, In that joy

Which can vanish never.

The Lutheran Hymnal

Hymn # 77

Text: Luke 2:11

Author: Paul Gerhardt, 1653

Translated by: Catherine Winkworth, 1858, alt.

Titled: "Froehlich soll mein Herze springen"

Composer: Johann Crueger, 1653

Tune: "Froehlich soll mein Herze"

Background for Sermon

This sermon text hinges on one basic fact - John the Baptist had a large following and loyal disciples. Some have debated how much John realized because of the question asked Jesus. That seems to be looking at the bark of the tree and ignoring the entire state park, yet Luther dealt with it. The problem was the loyalty to John.

How does one change the natural loyalty to John so they trust entirely on the Savior? The best way is the direct way. The face-to-face experience began their faith in Jesus.

This is where the rationalists have a party with suppositions based on no faith at all. They think only in human terms and not in God's long-term plan of many thousands of years. An easy comparison can be made today. If we rely on what we know from the public media and the accepted wisdom, we have to think of the Christian Faith as an unpleasant aspect of America, one best left behind for the truly thoughtful.

One pastor's wife had a terrible time with Progressive  Insurance. I said, "The name gives it away. The owner uses a synonym for Marxist or Fascist - Progressive." She said, "I didn't know."

The only way to know the truth about Christianity is to go to the source, not the majority opinion. We had access to the seminary library at Augustana, but it did me no good. I could find lots of books, but which ones were worthwhile?  The mainline professors were all rationalists and would have guided me away from Lenski. I saw those books, but wondered what kind of a Lutheran name was that? I was used to Eric Johnson, John Ericson, Eric Ericson, Sven Ericson, Eric Swenson, ad inf. 

If we start with the words of Jesus, we have the answers. If we start with expert commentary on Jesus (from the expert rationalists) we know nothing. The difference is - the Source will tell us what we need to know and believe, and make us hunger and thirst for more. That is the difference between the Word of God and the word of man. 

Look for Another?

KJV Matthew 11:2 Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, 3 And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?

What did John do? - He directed his disciples to Christ. Go and talk to him and ask the question that is bothering you so much? This bothers some who comment today, because they do not understand faith - they have none - and they cannot grasp how one comes to have saving faith and the forgiveness of sin.

Most of the messages today are wrong. The answers do not come from church structure and their little books. The answers do not come from who talk about everything except what matters. 

John had faith in Jesus and knew as the last of the Old Testament prophets that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah. The best way to deal with the anguish of his down disciples was to send them to the One who would gave them proper faith, not faith in a great man who was a prophet, but only a mortal, but faith in the Son of God.

John was warning people of the wrath to come. Was he correct? The oh-so-modern commentators say, "The prophets were not foretellers, but forth-tellers" - a lame and clumsy word-play, as if men appointed by God could not see beyond tomorrow's news. John properly warned the people against the Zealot Revolt, which led to starvation, cannibalism, death, and slavery, only a few decades later, around 70 AD.

In the midst of apocalyptic warning, John could only send his disciples to the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

3 And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? 4 Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: 5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me. 

Jesus answered their question in a concise, poem, hymn, or confession of faith, an elaboration on Yes:

1. The blind can see,
2. The lame can walk,
3. The lepers are cleansed,
4. The deaf hear,
5. The poor have the Gospel preached to them.
6. Blessed is he who does not fall into the death-trap of doubt.

Attributes of God are found in threes, and here we see them again. Jesus has the divine power to perform these miracles and to preach the Gospel. Those who believe and do not find human reason to doubt are blessed.

Thousands heard Jesus and saw the miracles performed, but many doubted and hated. The Gospel of John shows with great clarity that the opposition began early and became murderous among the religious opponents. That was repeated later many times, when the Church of Rome answered dissent with burning people at the stake, a horrible death so agonizing that prisoners bribed executioners to make it happen faster.

The response of Jesus is to lay claim to His many miracles, which no one could reproduce, the efficacy of His preaching the Gospel, and a blessing on those who believed rather than being energized by doubt and falling away - as many did.

The purpose of the Bible is to fill us with faith in God rather than in man's institutions. Luther spent a lot of time showing people that their human institutions were doubt-creating and faith denying. Praying for the dead, having masses said for the dead, all the repetition showed doubt in the mercy of God. The Vatican developed institutions of doubt and fear to control the people and extract as much as possible from the rich.

I noticed two recent efforts to solve denominational problems with the Law. One SP said, "Each person write down two names for the seminary recruiter." Sure if everyone recruits everyone, the results are the same. This is a purely rationalistic formula that works in sales but not in the Kingdom. The other one was "Every member needs to invite a neighbor or friend to church. There is too much emphasis on faith,  not enough on works." The only thing lacking is the Gospel, so this hackneyed form of manipulation is only going to increase guilt and paralyze the results desired. Gospel results do not come from Law demands.

There are so many wrong paths (with similar characteristics) that people overlook the one correct way - faith in the Son of God. He is the ocean of grace that drowns our sins. He directs us to His loving, forgiving Father to cast our anxieties, fears, and needs upon Him. God is not the Angry Judge demanding we appease Him, but the radiant energy of Love, like a fireplace that warms us from a distance. 

Luther:

9. Christ answered John also for the sake of his disciples. He answers in a twofold way: First, by his works; secondly, by his words. He did the same thing when the Jews surrounded him in the temple and asked him, “If thou art the Christ, tell us plainly,” John 10:24. But he points them to his works saying, “I told you, and ye believe not, the works that I do in my Father’s name, these bear witness of me,” John 10:25. Again, “Though ye believe not me, believe the works,” John 10:38. Here Christ first points them to the works, and then also to the words saying “And blessed is he, whosoever shall find no occasion of stumbling in me.” With these words he does not only confess that he is the Christ, but also warns them against finding occasion of stumbling in him. If he were not the Christ, then he who finds no occasion of stumbling in him could not be blessed. For one can dispense with all the saints, but Christ is the only one that no man can dispense with. No saint can help us, none but Christ.

10. The answer of his works is more convincing, first, because such works were never before accomplished either by John or by anyone else; and secondly, because these works were predicted by the prophets. Therefore, when they saw that it came to pass just as the prophets had foretold, they could and should have been assured. For thus Isaiah had said of these works: “The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me, because Jehovah hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the weak; he hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound,” Isaiah 61:1. When Isaiah says, “He hath anointed me,” he thereby means that Jesus is the Christ and that Christ should do all these works, and he who is doing them must be the Christ. For the Greek word Christ is Messiah in Hebrew, Unctus in Latin, and Gesalbter (anointed in German). But the kings and priests were usually anointed for the kingdom and priesthood. But this anointed king and priest, Isaiah says, shall be anointed by God himself, not with real oil, but with the Holy Spirit that should come upon him, saying, “The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me.” That is my anointment with which the Spirit anointed me. Thus he indeed preaches good tidings to the weak, gives sight to the blind, heals all kinds of sickness and proclaims the acceptable year, the time of grace, etc.

Again Isaiah says: “Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; he will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing,” etc. Isaiah 

7 And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? 8 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.

This is Jesus' two-fold way of saying John is unique, the greatest of all prophets. Are reeds shaken in the wind? Yes, all of them. Do not look for what was commonly expected in the last, great prophet. People expected greater glory and earthly power. Instead, John pointed to an ordinary looking man and said, "This is the One." Far easier, as Luther said, to point into the far future and let people see with their own imagination. A true prophet points where God indicates, where man does not expect.

A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.

Look up the articles in all the media. The honored "prophets" are saying "Do you want a Cadillac like mine? Follow me." The next shows the world, "I live in a $10 million mansion. I must be IT!"

9 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. 10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

So the greatest prophet had the hardest task of all, to teach the truth in a hostile Roman Empire, preparing people in one sense and alarming the Pharisees in another. This was all God's preparation for His Son.

The purpose of this passage is to draw together all the prophecies of the Old Testament and show that Isaiah 40 was being fulfilled in John