Sermon in Spokane 01.12.2013

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, let us quieten this morning in opening prayer and thanksgiving.

Dear Heavenly Father, we as your children come before you this morning, and we wish to give thanks to you, Father. We want to thank you that this morning we can gather as your children about your holy and precious Word, and that we have been able to gather this holiday, Thanksgiving weekend, to remember the many blessings in our lives that you have given us, dear Father. Our families and loved ones, our neighbors, the homes that we live in, the food that we eat, the work that we have, and all of these many temporal blessings, we pause and give thanks.

But so much more, dear Father, we wish to thank you for those spiritual blessings, the gift of living faith, that each one of us as your children can own as a gift from you. That through this faith, through the work of your dear Son, our Lord Jesus, we have hope one day of everlasting life there in heaven. This is the greatest blessing one could ever receive. And we can't even begin to thank you, dear Father, as we ought. But here are thanks this morning for our government, for the land that we live in, where we can freely gather about your holy and precious Word, for this free nation, whom you have so abundantly blessed, dear Father. And we would pray that you would continue to bless and guide our leaders, bless our nation, and give our leaders wisdom to guide our land according to your will.

And, dear Father, we pray on behalf of all those on the outside of your kingdom, those who do not own the name of a child of God. Lead them and show them the way to your kingdom here on earth, that your lowly servants could bless them with the forgiveness of sins, and they also could travel as a child of God in your kingdom. We pray and ask all of these in the name of your Son, our Lord Jesus.

And yet, this morning, dear Father, we wish to pray as he has taught us, saying, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

For our study of God's word this morning, we'll read from the Gospel of St. Luke, from the 19th chapter, verses 28 through 44. And we read these words in Jesus' name as follows:

And when he had thus spoken, he went before, ascending up to Jerusalem. And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying, Go ye into the village over against you, in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, and whereon yet never man sat; loose him, and bring him hither. And if any man ask you, Why do you loose him? Thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him.

And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them. And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt? And they said, The Lord hath need of him. And they brought him to Jesus, and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon. And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way.

And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord, peace in heaven and glory in the highest.

And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. And he answered and said unto them, I tell you, that if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.

And when he was come near, he beheld the city and wept over it, saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace, but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the day shall come upon thee that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side. And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee. And they shall not leave thee one stone upon another, because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. Amen.

First of all, in the beginning, I'd like to bring greetings of love and God's peace from our whole congregation there in Seattle. We were able to be with Roger and Arras here for Thanksgiving, and to visit with some of you, and the others, even brothers and sisters here from Seattle also, and here for Thanksgiving. But many greetings from there.

This portion of God's word that we have is one of the gospel texts that tells of this Sunday. You young children were at Sunday school today, I'm sure, singing your songs and saying your pieces for your upcoming Sunday school program. And today, we know, is December 1st. I know for you young children, it seems that Christmas is still a long ways away. And as your parents and grandparents, we are amazed at us and reminded how quick time flies. Now it's here already December, and I was just visiting a brother, and before service, he says, yeah, before you know it, it'll be July 1st. And this is how it is.

But this time of the year, we know, is a special time. Today is the first Sunday in Advent. And we could ask, well, what is Advent? It's a time of waiting for Christmas. And here this text tells about the lowly way of the King of Glory. We can remember here, this account, all the gospels. Luke here tells what happened. And if we were to look at Matthew, and Mark, and also John, all four of the gospel writers tell of this event that took place hundreds of years ago.

Jesus had come to the city there. He'd been with his disciples the evening before. And this time frame that this text, or this account took place, wasn't at Christmas time. We could wonder that, well, this text here was right before Easter. And how does this fit in then with Christmas time? But we can see here what took place.

The Bible had, we know from the Old Testament, there were prophets. Those old, older believing brothers that had to speak God's word to the people. And they spoke about things that would come. You know, things in the future. God gave them a vision to see out into the future. Hundreds of years after they would live. We can't see out into the future and know what will happen. We know from God's word, though, how it assures us that, as God's children, we'll be taken care of.

But this event that we read about how Jesus would ride into the city, was even told about hundreds of years before Jesus. We'll even go, we can take a quick look there, in God's word. The Old Testament prophet, we know there were many prophets, but this one particular brother, Zechariah, had spoken exactly what would happen here. In the ninth chapter of Zechariah, listen here what the Bible tells us.

And this is the words of this prophet from many years, hundreds of years before. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion. Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, thy king cometh unto thee. He is just, and having salvation. Lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass. In other words, a baby donkey.

So he told what would happen way before it actually did. And so these disciples then, when they came near, they were near the city of Jerusalem. Right on the outskirts there, Jesus sent two of his disciples. He said, go to the village. You'll find this colt, or this baby donkey. And so they listened to Jesus. They went and did as he told them.

It's interesting here, Jesus even told them what to say when they went to ask for this baby donkey. They said, if any man asks you, why do you loose him, or why do you let him go, or bring him with you? Thus shall you say unto him, because the Lord hath need of him. Jesus needed this little baby donkey. And this was going to fulfill that prophecy from the Old Testament.

And we can see then, the unity or the oneness of God's word. From the New Testament, we see this portion of the Bible here. In the New Testament, in the front part of the Bible, the Old Testament. How they fit together as one. God's holy word.

And so many of those brothers, like we said in the Old Testament, told of the things that would happen. And they did happen. And now we read about them today.

And so they went there, and they went to those owners, and the owners did ask them, why are you letting this little donkey, why loose ye the colt? And so they told him, just as Jesus said, the Lord hath need of him. So then they brought this little baby donkey to Jesus.

And we can think then, you know, Jesus was God. You children have learned about this in Sunday school, how Jesus was our Savior. He was God of the second person. And he was perfect. Jesus didn't have any sin.

And many people could have thought that Jesus would come into this city like a true king. Perhaps there would have been horsemen going out in front. People riding, blowing the trumpets perhaps, that here comes the king, this mighty king. Rolling out gold flying flags and gold banners and so forth. In a big fancy wagon or chariot.

But we see that this is not what happened. Jesus came as a lowly king. Riding that baby donkey. There on the last trip into Jerusalem. He knew that he was going shortly to be crucified. That he would die for our sins and the sins of the whole world. And so he came this lowly way.

God's word even tells us about many things about Jesus. There's even a place where the Apostle Paul, we remember, wrote many of the epistles, his letters to the New Testament believers, and to one of the congregations in Philippi. He wrote about Jesus in a way that ties in here to our text.

In the second chapter, I think it was, to the Philippians, here in God's word, it tells us a little bit, and it's a reminder to us to have the same type of mind as Jesus. In the fifth verse, we'll read a few of these verses. It says, Let this mind be in you, to have a similar type of mind as Jesus, which was also in Christ Jesus.

Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God. So Jesus was God in the second person. We know the third person was the Holy Spirit. But it tells us here what Jesus did. It says, But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.

And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

So God had this plan for salvation, that Jesus wouldn't be this big, mighty king here on earth, and establish an earthly kingdom. But his kingdom is in heaven. So he came on earth to be this, in the form of man, and he was obedient to the heavenly Father to the death of the cross.

And then it tells us here, continuing on, Paul tells us what God then has done. It says, Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth.

And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

As believers at Christmas time, we look forward to this celebration and remembering the birth of our Lord Jesus. And we even know, even in his birth, he wasn't born in some fancy palace, in some castle, amongst all the rich people. No.

Where was Jesus born? You little kids know the answer to that, don't you? We study that in Sunday school. He was born there in the stable, with the animals, and with Mary and Joseph. That lowly birth so that he could do that work of the heavenly Father.

And so that by being that perfect sacrifice, that he could die for our sins, that we could go to heaven.

And so it was when the people there came into the city, they were working their way into the city. That tells us how they spread their clothes in the way.

In here in our Luke's gospel, and in some of the other writers, they mentioned how he cut trees off the branches. It was something that they would do.

So we could picture if Jesus was coming up this aisle, and we see some of these trees here behind me, those sort of look like palm trees, and they would have cut some of those branches off and laid them in the way for Jesus.

And it tells us here, when he was come nigh, even at the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice.

Through eyes of faith, they were able to see that here on this lowly donkey was their Lord and Savior. Here was their King of Kings, the good shepherd, the Lord Jesus. And they were happy. Their hearts rejoiced. They began to sing and to praise God.

Haven't we sometimes experienced this also, dear brothers and sisters? Many times we feel so cold and empty in our journey of faith, probably more often that way. But we also have experienced times, perhaps that services, we had summer services here in Spokane. It sure was nice to be here.

And I'm sure all of you, though as the host congregation, it was a lot of work, but God blessed our services there. It was a time for us as children to be happy and to rejoice that we're believers in his kingdom.

And this comes from the Holy Spirit that dwells in each of us. It's not from our flesh. Our flesh isn't happy to be a child of God, to hear about God's kingdom, and to be reminded about sin and the dangers of sin. Our flesh doesn't like to hear that. It likes to go and do the sins.

But our spirit rejoices. And just as it was with these disciples and the people there, there were some there that didn't understand that it was Jesus. And perhaps they were there just thinking also.

There were some of the Jews. They thought that Jesus was going to be this earthy king. They were there to celebrate probably as well. And we see then how some of the more self-righteous Jews, those who didn't like Jesus, how they reacted.

When they saw these brothers and sisters rejoicing and happy to see Jesus, they said, Master, rebuke thy disciples. In other words, tell them to quiet down. We don't like to hear them rejoicing. We don't like to hear them happy.

Jesus told them, I tell you that if these should hold their peace, in other words, if these should be quiet, the stones would immediately cry out. There was nothing that could stop these brothers and sisters from being happy to see their Lord Jesus.

It's the same for us today, dear brothers and sisters. We can be happy that we dwell as God's children in his kingdom, that our sins are forgiven. Even this morning you can each be uplifted to leave all your sins forgiven in Jesus' name and precious blood.

This is the good message of Christmas, the gospel, the good tidings of the Lord Jesus.

And we see that he came into that city of Jerusalem. And Jesus beheld the city. When he came near, he was probably on a bluff there overlooking the city. It says that Jesus wept.

This was one of the two times in the Bible that's at least recorded in the Bible that Jesus cried. He cried when his dear friend Lazarus had passed away. Then we know how Jesus went on to do a miracle and raise Lazarus from the dead to be alive a little longer.

But this other time was when he was there looking over this city, his chosen people, the Jewish people. And they had rejected him. They didn't want anything to do with Jesus.

We know eventually what happened then, don't we? They brought Jesus before Pilate, and they crucified Jesus. But this was all part of God's plan.

Jesus, when he looked over this city, he said, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this day, thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace, but now they are hid from thine eyes.

They had had their time of visitation, a time when Jesus was there with them, preaching to them and teaching them. And they could see Jesus with their eyes, and they could hear. But they didn't really hear, and they didn't really see him.

They saw him physically, but not in terms of faith matters. They weren't able to believe.

And even God's word tells us even how this is how it is. Jesus in another place, when he was speaking to his disciples, as we know that he did many times, but he was another time talking to his disciples.

And he told them that, Blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them, and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

Dear brothers and sisters, we are so fortunate and so blessed. It's nothing from ourselves that we are able to believe, but it's simply God's gift, a grace gift.

Paul teaches about this even. How does, when he writes to these brothers and sisters in Ephesus, or actually it was in Galatia. No, actually, I think it is Ephesians, where he said, For by grace are ye saved through faith. It was to the brothers and sisters in Ephesus.

In Ephesians, For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. For by grace are ye saved.

There's nothing that we've done or could ever do, but God has revealed these things to us as his children, revealed his kingdom, that we can believe the gospel, that we can believe our sins forgiven in Jesus' name and blood.

And that's what was written from these Jewish people there in Jerusalem. They were not able to see, not able to believe.

And Jesus went on to speak then, now that their time of visitation had passed, saying, If thou hadst known, even thou at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace, but now they are hid from thine eyes.

And he went on to Jesus then prophesied, or he told about the future. He told them that enemies would come and cast a trench around them, and compass thee around, and lay thee even with the ground, that not even one stone would be left on top of another.

And we know that this came to be then. The Roman soldiers came, the Romans, not long after Jesus had gone to glory, and they completely destroyed Jerusalem. I think it was in 70 A.D.

So it was not hundreds of years afterward, but a short while.

And so even from this Advent text this morning, as God's children, we can be uplifted and encouraged in faith, that it is a lowly way. God's kingdom is hidden from those wise and the prudent.

The simple faith Paul, the Bible, teaches us about this in several different places. Even in Paul's letter to those believers in Corinth, he speaks how this is, meaning faith in God's kingdom, is hidden from those on the outside.

God has, here in the last part of the first chapter of Corinthians, he speaks about God's wisdom. For you see your calling brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called.

But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. And God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.

And the base things of the world, and the things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and the things which are not, to bring to naught the things that are.

The things that are despised.

Sometimes even in our journey of faith today, have we not felt this scorn, despising, we could say, from the world?

At the discussion we had heard that must or they then hear the word of God and keep it.

The presentation went on to speak of matters of our time, about marriage, how it belongs to one man and one woman, and it's a lifelong covenant, and this accepting of children as gifts from the heavenly Father.

And how in our time, especially with bigger families, we felt from some, not all, but there have been those that have had scorn on them. Why would you have so many children? Don't you understand? That's old fashioned, ways of the past.

But this is the understanding that we have through the Holy Spirit from God's kingdom. As believers, we want to be obedient to this voice, and it's God blesses us then when we're obedient.

You children at school, you're the same. When we try to live as we believe, when you are in those times at school perhaps to confess your faith, now why don't you go to the movies and so forth, or come to the parties that we have.

When we have to weakly answer that as a child of God, this bothers my conscience, this sin.

Many times we stumble in our week and don't have even sometimes words to speak, but just by our actions, when we don't partake of those things.

And then sometimes there's even been, hasn't it, where we have fallen in these matters we visit about.

But dear fellow travelers, what is it that helps us then? Isn't it this, the message of the gospel?

Dear brother, dear sister, those sins can be freely forgiven in Jesus' name and blood.

God, this is the medicine of the good shepherd that washes all manner of sin away.

And so even here, we see how these, returning to our text, they, this city couldn't see Jesus as their shepherd.

So many in the world today also are unable to see.

But when we've been given this gift of faith, let us cling to this gift, hold it near and dear to our hearts, endeavor to put sin away.

Don't let sin build on the heart and conscience. We don't travel making a confession, a word, trying to make a list of all the sins the enemy, the devil, would like us to do that.

But we can freely put away sin when it comes on our heart and conscience and believe it forgiven in the name and blood of Jesus.

As we come to this Christmas season once again, we can be happy and joyful as a child of God.

We wait for that eternal Christmas in heaven.

So in that sense, we have Advent every day of our church this time, waiting for our eternal Christmas in heaven.

As we come here, we are going to soon partake in the Lord's Holy Supper. We can do so with uplifted and free hearts.

We have the body and the blood of Jesus, and through this supper, we receive strength for our faith.

We don't receive forgiveness in the supper itself, but we receive strength for our weak faith.

We take, have a part of the Jesus' body and blood in a spiritual sense.

So you can come freely here to the Lord's Holy Supper, believing sins forgiven in Jesus' name and blood.

And for my own part also, coming to serve and feeling my own weakness and sinfulness, desire to hear the same gospel, can you also bless me, I desire to believe along with you dear brothers and sisters.

We have an eternal Christmas waiting.

We know that then by God's word also tells us how Jesus will come then in great honor and great glory with all his holy angels to gather up his children.

And no longer then will we need to have faith. No longer will we need to worry about sin. No longer will we need to wait for that eternal Christmas when it comes to be, and we can be gathered with Jesus and the angels there to the glory of heaven.

And so we wait for this with patience and longing and in prayer that God would help each of us to make it to that final day.

In Jesus' name. Amen.

Let us close our morning service then in the closing benediction, saying the Lord bless us and keep us. The Lord make his face to shine upon us and be gracious unto us. The Lord lift up his countenance upon us and give us peace.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.