Sermon in Minneapolis 23.12.2012

Grace from the God of grace, peace from our Christmas Prince of Peace, may they increase for each and every one of us in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

We join in beginning these services with prayer, thanksgiving. Our dear Heavenly Father, may thy children draw nigh unto you in prayer. Father, we ask, Father, for your presence and blessing for this evening's service. We ask that you would reveal unto us your word as you see fit. Divide unto us those morsels of grace which you know we have need of. You know our cares, trials, and our temptations, and you alone are able to so give. Father, bless your word for the honor and glory of your name and the edification of your congregation. Amen.

I shall read for our mutual study an Old Testament text that is for this Advent season. It's found in Zephaniah, 3rd chapter, verses 14-17. You hear these words in Jesus' name as follows.

Sing, O daughter of Zion, shout, O Israel, be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. The Lord hath taken away thy judgments. He hath cast out thine enemy. The King of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee. Thou shalt not see evil anymore.

In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not. And to Zion, let not thine hands be slack. The Lord thy God, in the midst of thee is mighty. He will save. He will rejoice over thee with joy. He will rest in his love. He will joy over thee with singing. Amen.

As one of the minor prophets, Zephaniah, in that same period as Jeremiah, is probably a fellow servant with the prophet Jeremiah. They lived in a time that was for part of their lives. It was, I'm sure, very heartening to see the temple cleansed and all the idol worship taken out. Because the previous kings, to the king Josiah, who became king when he was eight years old, the two kings before him were so evil and so wicked that they not only practiced child sacrificing, but they also brought idols into the temple, and they brought idols into the temple in Jerusalem and defiled the temple of God.

But Josiah, with the death of his father, the king who only reigned for two years when he was killed, Josiah then was apparently a distant relative of this prophet, Zephaniah. Zephaniah is one of the only minor prophets who actually lists his heritage. And he is also of royal heritage of the same house, Hezekiah, as the king Josiah was.

So it could be because of the leadership and guidance through the tutoring of the prophet Zephaniah that Josiah then, also, as the scripture says of him, began to seek for the God of his father David. And it was during his reign when they found the scroll of the Old Testament in the temple, sitting on the shelf, dusty and forgotten, unread for decades and decades and decades.

So Josiah caused that scroll to be read to the whole people, all the nation of Judah. Judah at that time that was left, the northern kingdom was already overtaken. And there the people once again, or the priests, once again established the feast of the Passover, the celebrations, and sacrificed again unto God.

We can see that as a very wonderful time for the prophets and the people of Israel. But Josiah didn't live to be very old. He died in warfare somewhere around the age of 40. So he was still a fairly young man. And the kings after him were reverting to that same evil of the previous ones.

And so it was after the death of Josiah, maybe 20 some years to the Babylonian captivity. So the prophets speak of it, Zephaniah speaks of it, of the difficulties that will come upon the nation of Israel because of their ungodliness and their lack of faith.

But this portion where Zephaniah speaks of, we could call it his Christmas gospel, his prophecy of the coming of the king of Israel that will rule and return the hearts of the people to God. Zephaniah prophesies of the remnant of Israel that will be left. And as if saying that there will come such a time when that captivity ends and the remnant that returns will be a poor people. But in other words, those who believe.

But of course it doesn't only prophesy that return, but it also speaks of course of the congregation of God, the holy city of Jerusalem, which as John saw in Revelation, coming down out of heaven prepared by God.

So it is that new Jerusalem where we today live and we today rejoice and celebrate the new Jerusalem. And we today celebrate Christmas. That this is the city that God has given unto his own, given unto those who believe, given unto his children, where we are able to sing as Zephaniah exhorts, sing, O daughter of Zion, shout, O Israel, be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. The Lord hath taken away thy judgment. He hath cast out thine enemy. The king of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee. Thou shalt not see evil anymore.

When God is able to take away sin, purge it from the heart, then he gives a new heart in that place. Or as Paul describes it, that the heart is circumcised by faith. Spiritual circumcision, where the promises are made to God that the heart is circumcised by faith.

So I desire, you desire to be faithful unto him who has called us. It is his heavenly calling. It is not something that any person can accomplish. We cannot give someone faith who does not want to believe. We cannot cause someone else to believe.

Or as we have often experienced in the mission field of the kingdom of God, that we cannot give someone faith that we preach the word. We preach the word as Jesus spoke of the sower, almost in abandon to all who will hear. And it is the work of God if some desire to believe.

Or as I experienced when I was in Togo with Brother Bekka Kylinen from Finland in that one village where we held a meeting. It was called more of a meeting than services. But as we were wrapping up, one of the members of that village's council said that in the beginning, in the opening, you said that we're all sinners here. That hopefully you aren't going to leave without forgiving us our sins.

And so, brought so clearly to mind again how it is the work of God. Because it felt, of course, that there were as if this was just more like a council meeting rather than a religious gathering. And that, is there any impact of that word? But that request, that confession, before the other members of that council, just renewed again that understanding and that faith that it is God and it is His work from the beginning to the end.

That those whom He calls, He takes away their judgments. He casts out the old enemy. That He is no longer able to keep one on the way to perdition.

Or as Zechariah experienced, when the high priest received the grace of repentance, when he and Haggai were there with Joshua, the high priest. And Haggai said, The Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan, even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee. Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?

Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and stood before the Lord. And so his filthy garments were taken away. And he was clothed with the pure garments, the linen of the righteousness of the saints, which can only be owned by faith, by believing one's own sins forgiven in the name and blood of Jesus.

We, of course, to that man in that meeting, preached his sins forgiven. He wanted to believe. It was a sermon also to the other council members. Because they then began to ask, Well, what about us? Can't we also believe? And so, of course, we preached to them all. And it's our hope and prayer that God is able to sow in their hearts that seed which does bear that correct fruit unto righteousness and salvation.

And so, when God is in our midst, when we are able to be in this New Jerusalem, he says, You will be my people, and I will be your God. God promises that there where his own are, there he is in the midst of.

Jesus says, I shall be with you every day unto the end of the world. And so we are able to rejoice over our salvation that God has cast our sins behind his back. He looks upon you, dear brothers and sisters, through the merit works of his Son, and he sees no sin.

Isn't it a wonderful grace order of God that God has so ordained that sins are first forgiven here on earth, and then they are forgiven in heaven, wiped out of his book? Just think if it was the other way around. Isn't it? If God first forgave sins in heaven, how would we know? How would any of us be assured? How would anyone be able to know that my sins are forgiven?

But just as happened to the centurion, even though the angel came to him, the angel, if he would have had the keys to the kingdom of heaven, he could have said, your sins are forgiven unto you. He did not. He said, send to Joppa, and get there one Simon Peter, and he shall tell you those things that you need for salvation.

So clear, so straightforward, is this grace order of God, as it was in the Old Testament, was during the time of the apostles, and is during our day. It is God's order of grace, as Paul writes of it. He entrusted us with this word of reconciliation. He has given unto those who believe, unto those who are his own, the word of reconciliation, the gospel of forgiveness, that Christmas gospel that Jesus came into this world, to suffer and die on behalf of the sins of all mankind, and that by faith, anyone who wants to believe can grab hold and cling to that message, and be his child, be a follower of him in life, in suffering, and in doctrine.

In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, fear thou not, and to Zion, let not thine hands be slacked.

I'd look at this portion in Finnish, because it actually says it slightly clearer, the last portion, ala kesias laske alas. In other words, the slackness that is referred to in English comes a little bit clearer in the Finnish translation, that don't let your hands fall down.

And it brings to mind, of course, the story from the travel in the wilderness of the nation of Israel, when they had to battle. Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the mount. And as long as Moses had his hands up, raised in blessing over the nation of Israel when they were in battle, the nation, they were victorious.

But when his hands became tired, and they came down, the enemy began to be victorious. And so Zephaniah's reference strikes that same chord that don't let your hands become slack or fall down. But keep them up. Keep them blessing. Keep them blessing there at home over your little ones. Keep them blessing over those who you speak to, brothers and sisters in faith, those who come to you asking, can I believe my sins forgiven?

Isn't it wonderful that we never hear from Zion that you are not contrite, penitent, sorrowful enough to go and search deeper, search for more sin? No, never. But rather, we hear again and again that you can believe all sins forgiven in Jesus' name and blood.

Because God has not given us that knowledge that we would be able to search the hearts of anyone else for the day of judgment. But we know that God is not going to give us the depth of their penitence and sorrow and contrition over their sins.

So let not thy hands become tired or slack down, dear brothers and sisters. Continue to bless. Continue to teach. Continue to exhort.

The Lord, thy God, in the midst of thee is mighty. He will save. He will rejoice over thee with joy. He will rest in his love. He will joy over thee with singing.

God is so mighty and powerful that the prophet desires to exhort the people that even though the times may become so difficult as the other prophets also exhorted the nation of Israel when they had to go into that Babylonian captivity that they had to leave their own homes, had to leave everything that was familiar behind, had to leave the temple, had to watch it being destroyed and all the treasures therein being carried off to Babylon.

And there they were in the midst of that throng of the nation of Israel all together going, taken into a place long, long distance journey away from home where they had to begin a new life.

So it reminds us that in our day we do not have such difficulties. We have a wonderful time where we can freely worship, freely gather, freely pray, freely teach, freely preach.

We do not know if such a time will come during our lives when that is taken away from us, when we are no longer able to preach and freely worship the name of God.

But God is still in whatever time we live in. He is the Almighty God. It is His power and His might that works in the midst of His own in this world.

This world is still spinning today because God has yet those whom He will call and sanctify into His kingdom and bring into His congregation.

If that was not the case, then this world would not be needed any longer. But God would end this world and take us home.

The prophets also noted in their time that the people, when the people fell away from faith and they began to become as the angel warned. As John wrote, to one of the angels of one of the churches, that because you think you are rich and increased in goods and have need of nothing, I will spew you out of my mouth.

That I would that you were cold or hot, but you are lukewarm.

And so it is under such times and such conditions where the children of people of the world have become so rich and so increased in goods that they have no need of faith and they have no need of God.

They think that they have all power and understanding in their own hands. And by the wisdom of man they will keep this world spinning. And by that wisdom they think they are able to so live their lives without faith.

So God can of course take such and spew them out of his mouth. In other words, remove his blessing from them.

Because even those who are not believing, even those who are unrighteous and wicked, they enjoy the blessings of God. As the scripture said, the rain falls on the just as well as the unjust.

Jesus noted to the Pharisees that during the time of the prophet it did not rain in Israel for two and a half years, thirty months. And he was not sent even though there were many widows in Israel. He was not sent to any of them but to another.

And of course they could not bear that reminder of the scriptures that God is still the creator, the father almighty. And if he takes away his blessing then all will suffer.

It is in his might and in his power that this world spins today and by that we also are able to rejoice and worship and pray.

The finished translation of this verse adds the statement that God is the creator. The creator is pride of the Lord. The creator is the creator, and the God is the state of the heavens.

I will continue to preach in Greek about our nation's indigenous struggle because it is the divine relationship God wants to extend and protect in Israel.

God wants to give to those in the faith of the king. He has one faith and a flesh to live in that we have a good, wonderful, loving Heavenly Father who is ready and willing to forgive if only people would repent.

And so the message is still the same today as it has always been. That the gospel of the kingdom of God is offered. It is freely offered. And if anyone desires to hear and then to believe that gospel, they can own peace with God, the forgiveness of sins, and be on the way to heaven instead of the way to perdition.

This is the gospel and Christmas message of peace we desire for all. For all of the citizens of our nation. For every person in this world. That all would be able to come to hear and to rejoice with us over their salvation, over our mutual salvation, over personal salvation.

God calls. He gathers. He enlightens. He sanctifies. He brings the whole Christian church into one fellowship. Into union with Jesus Christ in the true faith.

As we confess, in which Christian faith He daily and richly forgives me and all believers all our sins and at the last will grant me and all believers in Christ everlasting life.

And so we wish for all this freedom. Freedom from sin. Freedom to believe. Their sins forgiven. Freedom to join us and follow Christ in life and suffering and in doctrine.

And we say to all that we are all who may be listening who seek for this peace that by knocking on this door you will hear that message which frees you from the bonds of sin and joins you with the congregation of God.

And you will not be left as an orphan. But you will find yourself in the midst of wonderful brothers and sisters.

Or as the prophet told the high priest Joshua, Behold I give you a few of these here. These fellows that sit before thee. For they are men wondered at.

And then Zachariah writes, I will bring forth my servant to the branch. For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua upon one stone shall be seven eyes. And I will engrave the engraving there. And I will remove the iniquity of that land in that day, saith the Lord of hosts.

In that day that Jesus suffered and died on the middle cross Golgotha. He paid the sin debt of all mankind. From the first human pair to the last of this world. The whole sin debt was paid.

And so that access to heaven is offered here today from the kingdom of God. As it has always been offered to those who seek for peace, who seek for righteousness, who seek for true Christmas peace.

Lift up your hearts dear brothers and sisters and believe that your sins are forgiven in Jesus name and blood. Unto peace, freedom and joy.

I also ask for myself, can I believe my many sins and doubts forgiven. I desire to believe together with you.

And I wish on my own and on Seneca's behalf wish you wonderful Christmas, peace and a festive season and a blessed new year. In Jesus name. Amen.

The Lord bless us and keep us. The Lord make his face shine upon us and be gracious unto us. The Lord lift up his countenance upon us and give us his eternal peace. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost. Amen.