St. Michael and all Angels: Revelation 12:7-12

Sept 29, 2013; St. Michael and all Angels; Texts: Daniel 10:10-14, 12:1-3; Revelation 12:7-12; Luke 10:17-20; Title: What’s happening in Heaven? Rev. Tim Beck

Our text: Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but he was defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.  And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!” (Rev 12:8-12, ESV)

This scene is from the revelation given the Apostle John when he was in exile on the isle of Patmos. John recorded what was revealed, the book beginning: “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to          show his servants the things that must soon take place.”  Note this first. The revelation is of Jesus Christ. He is the star of the show, the bright and morning star. Second, the revelation is also given to show Christ’s servants things to come, things leading to His second coming.

          Today on this commemorative Sunday we acknowledge the angel Michael and all angels, as we peek into what they have done on our behalf, as Christ’s servants. We only know of these actions by our Lord’s revelation. John’s vision takes us to what we cannot see but affects our daily lives. It carries us to realms we do not comprehend, yet experience. For example, angels battle on our behalf. Hearing this, what do you wonder? Do you ask, “How do they fight?”  We like silly questions. So some folks get rich writing Christian-fiction about angels, since we are tempted to specialize on what fascinates our fleshly imaginations. That’s nothing new. Michael and the angels have been depicted in paintings, sculptures, and books for centuries...  for better or worse. Why do we want to know what we are not told, such as how angels fight? Instead, let’s why the Almighty God revealed what He did. That’s what He wants us to know, in this revelation of Jesus Christ.

          Meanwhile (as Scripture tells us), the angels long to look into what we know, that is, Christ’s cross. They want to understand all about God’s Son made man. Remember, John’s revelation is of Jesus Christ. He is the star in the show, the bright and morning star. That doesn’t mean we ask nothing about angelic warfare. We’re told about it. It is revealed for a reason, the Spirit of God showing John. There was war, a war Michael fought against the dragon because of what Christ did, a war which shut heaven to the serpent and a victory that is everything to us.  That’s the point! Miss that, and you’ll fall into the dozens of confusing interpretations about this book. 

          I suspect most misunderstandings come from a single reason. It is the same reason we want to know more about how the angels fought than about whom the revelation is about. It is a revelation from Jesus Christ and a revelation of Jesus Christ, and a revelation of the things that take us to Christ’s return. John’s revelation is not given to fixate us on terrible signs and titanic struggles, so that we can predict the day and the hour. Rather, it assures the faithful of Christ and His victory. The Apocalypse describes that which takes place so that we know all things take place only as God intends…for the kingdom of our God and of His Christ rules! To say it again, don’t focus on angels or the fearful events and be led astray from what we are given: a glorious hope in Jesus Christ, the incarnate God.

          Now for something else: to understand John’s vision one must understand its shape. It begins with a prologue to seven historical churches in Asia Minor (the first 4 chapters).  John encourages these churches to endure persecution, to defend the faith against false doctrine, and to repent from sin, because the Lord is returning soon. After addressing 7 churches, the subject at hand shifts from earth to heaven. John sees a glorious vision of God’s heavenly reign with the Lamb slain, a Lamb that yet stands in the center of the throne. We see who won the battle. Then we begin the 3^rd division of the book – after addressing 7 churches, after a vision of the victorious Christ, John describes history from the Ascension to the end of time. He describes this history in 6 portraits of the same set of events, seen from 6 different perspectives. To repeat, first seven letters to seven churches, then a vision of the victorious Lamb, and then 6 portraits of the time between Christ’s ascension and return; and that followed by the grand finale, the return and the kingdom.

          Back to the six portraits: what is the perspective of each? 1) The Seven Seals – suffering caused by mankind; 2) The Seven Trumpets – nature’s plagues; 3) The Church Preserved – note, this includes today’s text; 4) Seven Bowls of Wrath – the call to repentance ending in judgment; 5) Babylon’s Overthrown – the end of the Lord’s enemies; 6) Satan Bound – his demise. These six visions all speak about the same period of time, from Christ’s ascension to the end of the world. The 6 visions are not chronological, but repetitive, thematic. John sees the same period of history from 6 perspectives. And each of these 6 pictures brings us to the end of the present age. Most importantly, each vision declares hope to the earthbound Christian, and a glimpse into the eternal reign of God and His Christ.

          How does this relate to today’s text? Our text describes things from the viewpoint of heaven, describing events on earth. We see angels battle, and why. From heaven we see Christ’s work on earth, so that today’s text is a message of hope, despite the dire warfare. As our text says, there was war in heaven… a war by which God fulfills His plan for a fallen creation. This angel-involving plan was for you. What Jesus Christ revealed is not for the sake of curiosity, but to strengthen your faith, to give hope for battles you face. God chose Michael to cast out the dragon, the serpent of old, called the devil and Satan, the one deceiving the whole inhabited earth. We don’t know how Michael and Satan battled, but we know this: we rejoice on earth because of who is no longer permitted in heaven. Our enemy was cast down: murderous, beastly, cruel, and vicious; strong, crafty, venomous and malignant. Pictured as seven-headed, he is not easily slain. His desire for blood is never satisfied. 

          What did this dragon do while he had access to God in heaven? The serpent of old deceived Eve and tempted Adam to choose evil. And succeeding, He continues to destroy by deception. He tells the nations that violence is good. From his principalities of spiritual wickedness He says goodness is to be destroyed (Eph. 6:12). But what was the fight in heaven about, the fight that is finished? To understand, listen to what that serpent’s name means: Devil means slanderer, an accuser with evil intent. Satan means adversary, whose goal is to lead us into sin. He leads us to sin, then points at us before God and says, guilty! Look at Jill over there. I’m going to tell you a thing or two about her. Look at Jack. Are you going to do what holy-justice demands?  And God listens to accusations, that is, those that are true. God sentenced Adam and Eve… despite who caused the fall of the human race.  Yes, for a time, Satan had access to heaven, accusing us on earth for the results of his temptations. Then something changed the course of heaven’s history, so human history. God the Father no longer listens to the devil’s accusations against us. Why? Michael cast him out so that he can no longer accuse believers before God.

          That’s heaven’s view. And we on earth know when Satan was cast out… when the Christ cried “My God, why have you forsaken me?” He bore all accusations, He suffered the Father’s righteous indignation, He paid the cost, suffered the wounds, absorbed the serpent’s poison. And you are no longer guilty before God, in Christ. Thus the cross on earth armed Michael in heaven.  For unto you the salvation and power and kingdom of our God and the authority of Christ now reigns. For unto you the salvation and power and kingdom of our God and the authority of Christ now reigns.  The kingdom of God is a victorious NOW in you and for you. The devil no longer can claim you as his, you baptized soul.  There was a victory, a victory in heaven when God’s Son suffered on earth. So you are victorious on earth; who in Christ also dwell in heavenly realms. This victory occurred in heaven because of the blood of the Lamb on earth.

          The church follows in that victory by our witness to Christ’s word. We do not love our life unto death, but lose our life in Christ and gain eternal life. In the Revelation of Jesus Christ, the theme of the blood of the Lamb circles us back to John’s first glimpse of heaven. Before the throne of God John wept because none was found worthy to open the scroll. Within that scroll were all the events of the revelation, all needing to take place for our redemption. Unless it was opened the saving events could not take place. Our mortal enemy Satan would triumph.  Then one worthy to open the scroll was found. “Thou are worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof; for thou was slain, and has redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and has made us unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth.” (Rev. 5: 9, 10)

          The Lamb slain opened it, bringing to pass all that must take place, as seen from the perspective of heaven. How does it look from the perspective of earth? As our Lord said recorded in the gospel of John, “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.  And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” This he said, signifying what death he should die. As Paul records in Colossians, And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses. Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.”

          Again, why does our Lord reveal to you those events in heaven? The heavenly picture is for confidence on earth. The cosmic battle is won. The dragon was defeated by the Lamb.  Therefore the church stands, because of the Lamb slain who stands. Because of Him we shall be true to the word in our witness. We witness to the forgiveness of sins and therefore, stop the devil’s accusations.  We witness with water and word, and are freed from the deception of sin. We witness to Christ’s death and commune in His very life. We share on earth in heavenly things. Soon we shall reign in heaven when Christ returns on earth.

          That’s the reason the devil has great anger, knowing that he has little time. His goal is to destroy your faith, to destroy the church. Therefore, battle with the word of God, even these: Christ died for sinners, saving us by grace through faith and not by works. We are declared righteous before the Father, adopted as His own. We were joined to Christ’s death and resurrection in baptism. We eat and drink His body and blood for the forgiveness of sins.  We look to what the angels long to know, that is the mystery of Christ crucified for sinners. We will endure because the Lamb slain lives. Salvation, power, the kingdom of God, and the authority of Christ is established – now, for us and in us. He is the star in the show, the bright and morning star.

The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your heart and mind in Christ Jesus our Lord (Amen).  Come Lord Jesus.

17th Sunday of Trinity: Luke 7:11-17

Sept. 15, 2013; 17^th Sunday of Trinity, Texts: Psalm 30; I Kings 17:17-24; Ephesians 3:13-21; Luke 7:11-17; Title: The March from Death to Life; Rev. Tim Beck

Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ

You’ve seen a parade or two.  People line the street and the show goes by. Perhaps you’ve been in a parade or two, maybe marched in the high school band. I remember those days… gathering away from the crowd, marching to the crowd, marching by the crowd, marching away from the crowd and that was it. After all the excitement, it felt funny to just to pack up and go home. Why didn’t the march go somewhere for a glorious end, more than the director shouting “Way to go, everyone take a drink from the water cooler!”

          Jesus is marching. He appeared away from the crowd. He gathered a great crowd. They follow his parade until he turned off to some lonely place outside Jerusalem. But for now, we’re still with the crowd. They are passing a town called Nain where Jesus paused on his purposeful march toward Jerusalem. On the way into Nain, His huge crowd met a small crowd going out. The crown around Jesus is expectant, eager, and with the twinge of excitement a marching band can produce. The other crowd is downcast and dreary as death; for it is death that Jesus meets on his way into Nain, on his way to Jerusalem.  See the widow who lost her only son, which in that culture means she lost almost every thing: her financial support and retirement account.

          Jesus had compassion on her. Who had compassion on her? Notice that the Evangelist Luke identifies Jesus as “the LORD.” He uses a term for the divine name. Jesus is not only man, but God. When we see Jesus we see God, and we see Divine compassion. What else do we see when God is at work?  This isn’t like the parades of this world, like my high school band marching for a convention at the Denver Hilton. We assembled in a hallway outside the grand auditorium. We were going to march through that crowd. But after folks ate, they pushed their chairs away from the tables into the aisles, aisles that were our highway to the stage.  The band stopped at the door, gawked, said, “Now what?” And the director barked, “Go!” We did. With a great blast we marched in, horns blaring, people scrambling out of the way and Mark Atchison, bright and shy, his flute got stuck on a mile-high coiffure. The woman’s wig flew off and dangled from his flute until the exit on the other side of the stage. The world’s march doesn’t stop for an embarrassed woman. 

          But God stops the parade to care for a widow’s need. He barks, “Stop weeping!” Then He halts the funeral bier and touches the pallet of the dead. From that touch (remember the Mosaic Law) what sticks to Jesus is ritual defilement. He now wears the uncleanness of death.  He absorbs that too for us.  Then of all things, Jesus commands the dead man to rise. He commands the dead to rise and he did.  Jesus returns him to his mother, and everyone shouts a great cheer in glee.  Is that what our text said? What? No shout of glee? No joyous parade?  Our text says, “Fear seized them all.”  Jesus’ parade reversed death, and in place of an anti-climatic finish, new life is given. But the reaction is fear! This is amazing. Why fear such a wonder? Why fear God’s unmerited favor, his grace? Why fear this incredibly good, powerfully kind revelation of God in human flesh?

          Since there is nothing wrong with what Jesus did, what is wrong with our human race in that “all were seized with fear?” Fear is of the law, isn’t it? That’s how the law is supposed to work, creating fear so that it drives us to contrition?   You know what it feels like when suddenly you see whirling red and blue lights, hear a siren blast and “Pull over buddy!”  But our fallen race so often responds in reverse to what the law should do and what grace offers.  In the history of God’s people, how often did fear of God bring them to repentance?  And brought out of Egypt by outstretched hand they despised grace. They grumbled about manna and meat, about water and heat, about Moses and          Aaron, about a land that was barren. And after each sin God let them feel the law. The sons of Korah were swallowed whole. Many munching quail died by plague. Fire from heaven ate up others, etc…  So, why did all who left Egypt of military age die in the wilderness, all but Joshua     and Caleb?  

          And us, do we take the law seriously? For example, Scripture says don’t commune unworthily, so do we examine ourselves? Do we review the 10 commandments asking, “How have I offended thee, O Lord?”  Do we reconcile with those we’ve offended, and test if our doctrine is pure, conforming to Scripture?     That’s why we enter this holy place confessing our sins, letting the law do its work, for the law will have its way. For example, Elijah met a widow, who when her son died …she said to Elijah, “What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!”  This widow lived in Zarephath, in Phoenicia.  She was an Israelite who had deserted the land of promise for that pagan city. Her son’s death brings into sharp focus her sins. She thinks, “God has come to punish me.”  In her the law did its proper work. However, she was utterly mistaken about God’s intent.  The LORD sent Elijah not to punish, but to give life. After all, it was grace that sought her while she was outside the land of the promise, living among the lost.

          It was grace hidden behind the law that through her son’s death was ready to pour out forgiveness and life. She failed to discern that the purpose of the law is not to destroy, although that is what it does if we refuse to hear it. The law brings us to contrition as preparation for grace, mercy, and peace. After the cry for mercy, we discover that all along God was visiting us with grace. As He prepared the woman of Zarephath and the widow of Nain for joy, He does for you.  Consider what He did for those fearful people at Nain. In Jesus’ glorious parade he has compassion and stops for a solitary widow in her anti-parade.  Surprised by grace, the people finally leave fear and cry, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!”

          Now they recognize the work of the LORD.  Who else can end the fear of the law and replace it with life? Who else can reverse the punishment of the law, namely death?   And that was the purpose of Jesus’ parade, not to run over grief, but to absorb our defilement, to bear our griefs, to drink our cup of guilt. At the end of His earthly parade, at that lonely, solitary hill outside the walls of Jerusalem, he drains the community’s poisoned water cooler into himself.  Then unlike all earthly parades that end in a fizzle, the death that greeted Jesus at the end of his march became for us a glorious fountain of living water. Why did the Lord march to the widow of Nain?  For the same reason Elijah visited the widow of Zarephath in the Lord’s name. He came to take away weeping and replace it with a joyful song. He came that we might sing in confidence, “God has visited His people!”  And He has visited, God made man, He whose parade gloriously revealed grace lifted high.  Because Jesus died and rose your deepest fears caused by your darkest sins are conquered.

          Now we pass through, we march through temporal death and into eternal life. Our dying bodies will become everlasting bodies come that Great Day. That is the finale to the parade of faith. Because of His grace, you pass from ache to joy to exclaim, “God has visited    his people.”            He visited you: Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised form the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. (Rm. 6:3-5)         

          He visited you: for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Col. 3:4)

          He visited you: that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Eph 3:17b-19)     He visits you: “This is my body, this is my blood.”      His grace is given you, so that at the end of your earthly parade your joy will be full. He gave and gives you life.  He forgave all your sins to make you children of the heavenly Father.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Amen)

15th Sunday in Trinity: Galatians 5:16-25

Sept 1, 2013; 15^th Sunday in Trinity; Texts: Psalm 119:9-16; Proverbs 4:10-23; Galatians 5:16-24; Luke 17:11-19; Title: What Will it Be? Works or Walk? Rev. Tim Beck

Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ

Our passage in Galatians speaks about sanctification, in this letter from the Apostle Paul. Walk by the Spirit, not by the flesh, he says. He is speaking to the baptized, speaking only to Christians. He is speaking to those justified by grace, saved, adopted into the household. He is speaking of what logically follows, of sanctification. He is telling us how to live – but much more than that. He describes the two worlds in which we live, worlds at war.

          All people are born into one world, the world absent the righteousness of Christ. It is the world of Adam’s sin, the inclination away from life, away from good and away from the true God, of the Father, of the Son, of the Spirit, one God. However, the church was re-born into the other world, the world of Christ’s righteousness counted as ours. This is the world of the second Adam’s faithfulness, He justifying sinners. It is also the world of He sanctifying sinners, bringing us into His life, into the good, into a living fellowship with the true God.

          We, the baptized, live in both worlds although not in the same way or at home in both. We flee the world of our origin as we run toward our Saviour. We flee Sodom, as it were, for the mountains of Israel. Do not look back. (Note: the world of Adam’s sin is not at heart physical, what is created… only that which is distorted and ruined by rebellion against the Creator who made all things good.) We flee that ugly world, ever reaching out a bony hand from sin’s prison, beckoning us back behind bars. Let us run toward the freedom of Christ’s feast! It is a battle to the death, or properly understood, a war to the life. That’s what the Apostle describes, commands, and encourages when he tells us to live in the Spirit, in the Holy Spirit.

          Let’s consider the easy part of Paul’s passage first, his description of the battle front. On one hand there is the bad: the works of the flesh are evident. The Apostle says they become visible, manifest, and appear as these: Sexual immorality – briefly defined, all sexual relations outside the marriage bed      of one man to one woman.  Impurity – luxurious, profligate living like the prodigal son, everything about me, a choosing a god by what I want. (This word is also used in Scripture to describe what demons do to a person, to bind us.)  Sensuality – to be lascivious, licentious, shameless, insolent… does this remind you of what passes for comedy on TV? ‘Sensuality’ is not relaxing in a bubble bath or eating a juicy steak, although it could become that without thanks to God. Idolatry is giving priority to, valuing anything, anyone, any idea more than the true God. Sorcery is Harry Potter’s world of manipulating others, by calling upon powers to affect your will rather that God the Father’s will. Enmity is hostility, un-forgiveness. Strife is contention, wrangling, loving a good fight. Jealousy - the rage of desire over something or someone; aiming to control what          is not yours. We also get “zealot” from this word. (Oh, but God is a jealousy God when it comes to you. His is a holy jealousy.)  Fits of anger, wrath, passion, emotional excitement that explodes – what the world sometimes calls the evidence of sincerity and commitment. Rivalries are dissensions that lead to sects, parties, heresies. It includes electioneering or intriguing for office and partisanship (politics anyone?) Divisions, envy and drunkenness hardly need defined. Orgies – (as one commentator put it) nocturnal and riotous processions of half drunken and frolicsome fellows who after supper parade through the streets with torches and music in honor of  Bacchus or some other deity, and sing and play before houses of male and female friends^[1]… and things like these.

          Things that are very normal in our world, or the world into which we were born, the world we are fleeing for a better home. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things (who practice such things) will not inherit the kingdom of God. That is clear enough, a somber warning.

          In contrast, what are the good things?  What is the new world like? But the fruit of the Spirit is… love - the Greek word agape, self-giving for the benefit of another. Joy – thankfulness, gladness in Christ, including a confident hope in the future with present freedom in the gospel. Peace, shalom, well-being and contentment from permanent reconciliation with God. Patience - persevering in the faith for the neighbor’s good. Kindness - the combination of integrity and giving. Goodness - the combination of kindness and uprightness. Faithfulness – firmness, constancy in receiving the grace of God. Gentleness - restrained strength for the good of others, meekness.  Self-control, mastery of one’s passions and desires. Against such things there is no law.

          What law condemns these things, which are in fact, the fulfillment of the law? What freedom when these things are a constant friend and companion. If only we were just one list, never the other! So we just covered the easy part, describing what ought not to be and what ought to be. You know the difficult part, doing what is righteous and good. Are you ready to be only of one world and not the other? Can you do that? By the way, asking “can you do that” is a bit of baiting on my part. Who can fulfill the law? Further, to place the focus on your doing is not correct. Why is that? When it comes to what is good Paul doesn’t say “do” but “fruit.” The source of fruit isn’t you, but the Holy Spirit.

          As for what the struggle against the flesh and for the Spirit is like, a comment by the Rev. Dr. Luther will help: “Therefore let no one despair when he feels his flesh begin another battle against the Sprit, or if he does not succeed immediately in forcing his flesh to be subject to the Spirit. I too wish that I had a firmer and more steadfast spirit… ‘But I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind’ (Rm 7:23). No one should be surprised or frightened when he feels this conflict of the flesh against the Spirit in his body, but he should fortify himself with these words of Paul: ‘The desires of the flesh are against the Spirit’ and ‘These are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you would.’ With these statements he is comforting those who are undergoing trails, as though he were saying… Your flesh will be an obstacle…(yet do not) lose heart on this account, but by the Spirit he should fight back and say: ‘I am a sinner, and I am aware of my sin; for I have not yet put off my flesh, to which sin will cling as long as it lives. But I will obey the Spirit rather than the flesh. That is, by faith and hope I will take hold of Christ. I will fortify myself with His Word, and thus fortified, I will refuse to gratify the desires of the flesh.” (AE 27:72, Galatians).

          The conflict is in our flesh, inherited in our birth into one world. (Note that in this context this is not your physical being, your body, which is a different Greek word). We were born of the flesh, the old Adam, the old nature, the sinful concupiscence that still dwells in the believer, conquered though it is. On the other hand, you were re-born by water and the Word, the Holy Spirit producing faith in you, faith laying hold of justification; and then the Spirit producing fruit, a sanctified life. So I take hold of Christ through His word and obey the Spirit.

          The war of the worlds is more than doing since the roots run deeper and the cure higher. True, when we give ourselves to the works of the flesh we fall under the condemnation of the law. So we repent our sins and believe the absolution that frees us from the law’s demands. Then we walk in the Spirit because the Spirit dwells in us. As those set free, declared righteous, the Spirit is working the actual righteousness of Christ into our very lives. That’s the walk, the walk of sanctification. Walk by the Spirit… the desires of the Spirit are… if you are led by the Spirit…the fruit of the Spirit is… of those who belong to Christ Jesus...

          The walk isn’t your search for a little voice within, struggling to feel the Spirit, to ask if He wants you to go to the beach or the mountains for your vacation. It isn’t a feeling that says brush your teeth, go here, go there. The Spirit does not come independently of the Word, that is, without Christ.  The Spirit comes to you through the word and sacraments declaring grace, stirring up faith and then growing fruit. That’s how you walk in the Spirit, by walking in the word of God. Luther described well the walk that doesn’t work to obtain love, joy, peace,    and all the rest, although it seems like work. The qualities of paradise are fruit from a tree, from the tree of paradise, from Christ Jesus’ tree, grown by the Spirit in you.

          When did fruit happen? It began when you were baptized into Christ, brought out of darkness and called into His kingdom of light. In baptism, as the Apostle points out in Romans chapter 6, you were crucified, crucified with Christ and raised to new life. Your flesh was nailed to the cross when you were joined to Christ’s death and life, the Spirit given to produce the fruit of Christ’s death and life in you. Now the Spirit leads you to mortify the flesh and to live in fellowship with the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, one God. For the Spirit testifies of Jesus, taking you to the Word and to the Word’s promises in the Sacraments; pouring out life, strength, grace, mercy and peace. He confirms you were saved by grace, by Christ’s declaration of peace with God, sinner though you are. Then He enters into you for your sanctification, your walk into actual righteousness, since Christ also won that for you. And the Spirit bears fruit. You pray, praise and give thanks just like the one leper who returned to give thanks (Lk 17:19).

          Faith heals us, because it receives the word and by the Spirit, resists the flesh.  Faith makes us whole because Christ reaches out to us, stirring up faith. That summarizes the two worlds in which each Christian lives, simultaneously sinner and saint; sinners since the flesh still dwells in us, and saints by virtue of Christ’s sacrifice.  The sinner must die and the saint, live. It is a challenge, an impossible one apart from Christ, and apart from faith. Therefore our Lord already completed the necessary work when He cried, “it is finished.” Justification saves us. Yet He is now, by the Spirit, working actual righteousness in us, calling us to die to the flesh and live in Christ. Even now the Spirit is working the fruit of faith in us. Even now, though dying, we taste eternal life. Even now we banquet in the feast to come, forgiven and strengthened until that glorious day.

          How then shall we live? Not earning our standing before God by works, by  fulfilling the law, but by believing Christ fulfilled the law in our stead. And believing He declared us righteous, we then walk in the gifts of God. We live in Him who has already joined us to His death and life. We live by faith in the Word of God that proclaims Christ won you. He already won the war.

The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord (Amen)

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^[1]Strong, James: The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible : electronic ed. Ontario : Woodside Bible Fellowship., 1996, S. H0