Sermon on Matthew 22:15-22 Monday of the 20th Sunday after Pentecost Our Hope Lutheran Church October 18th, 2020
Text: “Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you trying to trick me, Actors? Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore pay Caesar what you owe Caesar, and God what you owe God”
Intro: The year Isaac Watts wrote “Our God, our Help in Ages Past,” Queen Anne was dying. Her reign was an age of religious peace and tolerance. Watts was a dissenting protestant and before Queen Anne, his church was persecuted by the crown. The leading heir to the crown was Catholic, and many worried about a return of persecution. The fear was relieved when the Lutheran George I was crowned. The hymn reminded them—and us — that God is in charge of the world and our eternal home. On Tuesday of the first Holy Week, the Pharisees were trying to trap Jesus into a sound bite that would undo him. That day they tried politics. It didn’t work.
God appoints earthly governments—even the bad ones.
Earthly governments maintain order and restrain evil.
We owe them honor, obedience in earthly matters, prayers for their well-being and wisdom.
When governments call on us to sin, only then may we disobey.
When, as in a democracy, we are a part of the government; we are called by God to steer it towards the purposes for which it is ordained.
Yet obedience does not come easily to sinners.
We cherish our freedom, and no one can tell us what to do.
Government is made up by sinners, who often serve themselves more than God or the people.
Even when they mean well, they often make things worse.
We are tempted, then, to take things into our own hands.
God is our Eternal Home
Yet Jesus reigns and will return to judge the world.
He left his throne to die for our rebellion.
He rose to open the grave to all believers.
He has adopted us in Holy Baptism.
We are now citizens of a heavenly kingdom.
Conclusion: So, we gladly serve our Lord, by supporting the government he’s given us, exercising our office of Elector of the Republic for his sake, but seeking first his kingdom, knowing all too soon we will go home where we truly belong.
Prayer: Our God, our Help in ages past, our Hope for years to come, our Shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal Home; Be thou our guard while troubles last, And our eternal home. Amen.
Rev. Robert E. Smith Pastor Emeritus Fort Wayne, Indiana
Personal Note: This encore post, first written a year before we knew my wife Kris was in her last days, captures my thoughts well today, as I now focus on the joy I have that she is with Jesus today. Permit me to share it with you today:
For all the saints who from their labors rest, Who Thee by faith before the world confessed, Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest. Alleluia! Alleluia!
On this All Saints 2024, a flood of thoughts and emotions occupy my thoughts. Four years ago, on Reformation day, Evangeline Charissa Keller was baptized into the name of the Triune God by her father in the NICU in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Her entrance into the world was dramatic and the shadow in the back of my thoughts was the remote possibility that she, her mother — my daughter, and her father would be at the Marriage Feast of the Lamb by that day. The Lord had mercy and blessed the work of doctors, nurses and many others to perform near perfect procedures. They all came through well and thrived as I preached for my son-in-law that year’s All Saints divine service. It was as if the Holy Spirit whispered, “not yet, not yet.” This year, all are very well with them and a very bright five-year-old joins her eight-year-old sister in delighting and challenging her mother and father.
Thou wast their rock, their fortress, and their might; Thou, Lord, their captain in the well-fought fight; Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true light. Alleluia! Alleluia!
Then my thoughts turn to those who are now at the Feast, resting from their labors. My own grandparents and grandparents-in-law, who lived and prospered through incredibly hard times, kept the faith in their own … unique … ways, who were often living examples of saints and sinners at the same time. I remember my grandmother Smith reading from the big KJV family Bible to me as a child on her lap. Also, my grandmother Schneider and her aunt, who gave me my first Greek New Testament as a confirmation gift. My parents and parents-in-law, troubled in troubled times, yet still kept their faith. My father, that bruised reed the Lord did not break. And now in 2024, my beloved wife, Kris, who loved me, her children and grandchildren through constant pain all of her life, produced endless beautiful and practical crafts that blessed many. Her straightforward, rock-hard faith was an inspiration to me and to many. All at rest with their Savior, two grandchildren whom the Good Shepherd folded in his arms while still in the womb, along with others. Fathers and brothers in the faith that taught me and many others and laid the same stole of ministry on me as I have now laid on my son-in-law and spiritual sons. I am thankful for them and for their confessions, praying to be faithful to the Lord as they were.
O blest communion, fellowship divine, we feebly struggle, they in glory shine; yet all are one in thee, for all are thine. Alleluia! Alleluia!
Ten years ago, I struggled with a massive infection in my heel. Several times I told my pastor that I still believed what I taught and confessed these thirty-nine years as I went to surgery. Later, I was told that I was on the threshold of attending the Marriage Feast myself. It was as if the Holy Spirit said, “not yet, not yet.” In those few years, I have continued to preach, to teach, cared for my home congregation when our pastor was on the threshold himself, presided at the weddings of all of my children, seen all my grandchildren save one baptized with the same baptismal shell with which their parents and others were baptized, passed the baton on to four of my spiritual sons, welcomed a brand new pastor to our home congregation, and, with him, mentor vicars. God has blessed me more than I deserve.
The golden evening brightens in the west; soon, soon to faithful warrior cometh rest; sweet is the calm of paradise the blest. Alleluia! Alleluia!
And now I reflect I was blessed to celebrate All Saints Day with my wife thirty-four times, thankful for each day we were together, pray to thank the Lord for those safely home, pray after receiving the Lord’s Supper to thank him for my late wife, an ever-growing list of grandchildren, my children and their spouses. I will rejoice that this year I can still hold their hands, speak with them through the ether and see them all once in a while. Soon, all too soon, the angels will come for me or one of them, to join those at the Feast as the Holy Spirit no longer says, “not yet” but the Lord Jesus says to one of us, welcome to the joy of your Father.
But lo! there breaks a yet more glorious day; The saints triumphant rise in bright array; The King of glory passes on his way. Alleluia! Alleluia!
Yes, all too soon there will come to this vale of tears that day, whether we are here to see it or at the side of our Lord, when Jesus will return, destroy sin and death forever, call us all from our graves, make new the heavens and the earth and dry every tear from our eyes. Lord, should you tarry beyond the end of our time, let at last your angels come to Abr’am’s bosom bear us home, that we may die unfearing. Come Lord Jesus, come!
Rev. Robert E. Smith Pastor Emeritus Fort Wayne, Indiana Revised this All Saints’ Day, the year of our Lord Two Thousand and Twenty-Twenty-Four
Dear saints, the appointed Psalm for this day is the 46th Psalm. It is what inspired Luther to write this morning’s Hymn of the Day, A Mighty Fortress. It is a hymn that brings forth confidence. Not confidence in oneself, but in his God. This makes sense, for by the Middle Ages, the systems of theology preached great insecurity. It rightly preached that you are a sinner, but the prescription for your illness was not the Gospel. It was a series of works that you had to do so that your angry God might be appeased.
And so, you bought indulgences. You paid for masses for yourself and for your dead loved ones assumed to be in purgatory. Some abandoned family to take up residence in a monastery, supposing that your spiritual life there would earn heaven and not purgatory. The abuses of the church and the fear within the churchgoer fueled what became the Reformation. For in the Reformation, we are given the fruits of security.
Luther is a prime example of this. He was a committed son of the church. He believed what the church was teaching and was indeed teaching it himself. He took his sin seriously and it drove him to despair. He almost ended up hating God. But God had mercy. In that mercy, the Lord drove Luther to the Scriptures, especially the Psalms. And in his study of Romans, Luther finally saw that God’s wrath had already been carried out. Not on sinners, but on the perfect Son of God whose blood was shed in propitiation, in atonement, for the sins of the world.
It was in the Scriptures that God showed Luther that man is forgiven and justified not by private masses, indulgences, and works of penance, but by grace. Grace that is received by faith. What God showed Luther is secure and steadfast. In the 46th Psalm, we see how our God gives us security. Let us look at the four parts of the Psalm this morning:
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.
The opening of the Psalm is the basis of Luther’s great hymn. It is God who is our mighty fortress. It is God who is our help in any trouble. No matter what goes on around us, because of who our God is and because of what He does for us, we shall not fear anything but Him. This is the confidence we have in God. No matter what we go through, He is with us. He keeps our souls. And he will deliver us to life, no matter what trial, trouble, or tribulation you experience in this life.
There are multiple times where God interceded on behalf of His people. He brought Israel out of Egypt and delivered them from Pharaoh’s armies at the Red Sea. He defeated Sennacherib and the armies of Assyria when they were determined to destroy Jerusalem. But the Psalm speaks not simply of earthly rescue. It assures you of your rescue from sin, death, and the devil which culminates on the Last Day. On the Day that Christ returns and completes this psalm’s fulfillment. This is our confidence.
But why do we have this confidence? Because the Lord is with us!
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Though your God is omnipresent, he deigned to be locally present with His people. The holy habitation of God on earth was first in the Tabernacle which traveled with Israel and then the Temple in Jerusalem, the city of God. But Jerusalem did not have a river. What is the river then? St. Ambrose says that the river is the Holy Spirit. This is seen when you recall Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4: “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”This living water is the Holy Spirit.
Also, remember the Revelation to St. John. In the vision, he is shown the river of water that flows from the throne of God and the Lamb. It flows through the middle of the street and gives water to the tree of life on either side of the river. The leaves of that tree were for the healing of the nations. In that time, nothing will again be accursed. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be present. And as God’s servants, each of you will worship Him.
Our days will never be peaceful. There will be wars, rumors of war, and strife. There will be drought, famine, or other calamities. There will be sickness, plague, and whatever else you can think of. But at the utterance of God’s voice, all will cease. For you, God is your fortress. He is the Lord of Sabaoth, the Lord of Hosts. This is seen in the next section:
Come, behold the works of the Lord, how he has brought desolations on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire.
The victories of God are numerous in Scripture beyond what was mentioned earlier. God worked mighty works and brought down powerful men, nations, and armies. Using young David, God defeats Goliath and the Philistines. He used a wicked nation to bring down another. But the greatest work is that of your salvation. And it is through that mighty work that He will end all wars, breaking the bow and shattering spear, and destroy chariots with fire.
While Christ has cried out, “It is finished,” we do not yet see the culmination of His victory. As a result, we still see a restless and raging world. A world that wants to overthrow God and be a ruler and god unto itself. At times, God’s people will be the target of these entities. To all this, God says:
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
As your Lord spoke to the raging wind and it was quiet, so also will He speak to those that rage against Him. And when He says, “Be still,” they will have no choice. And yet He is also speaking to you. He is telling you that He is in control, even when it is chaos around you. He is God, and no man or power can overthrow Him. It has been tried by man and fallen angel.
Therefore, do not be worried when you are afflicted. Do not fret when things look dark. Stand firm and know that God protects His church. Remember that He gives you His Gospel and accomplishes what is good for you and your salvation. Be ready for the day when all wars will come to an end and the new heavens and earth are ushered in by your Lord and Savior. On that day uninterrupted spiritual peace will endure forever. For the Lord is with us. He is our fortress.
He is by your side. He remains omnipresent and here, right now, locally with you. And through His good gifts, even should your adversaries take your goods, fame, child, wife, even your life, your victory is won. The kingdom of God and your reward in it remain. Amen.
Rev. Brent Keller Trinity Lutheran Church Guttenberg, Iowa and St. Paul Lutheran Church McGregor, Iowa
Encore Post: One of the most popular of the signs Jesus predicted would happen before the Second Advent is the success of the missionary mandate. “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world ,” Jesus predicted. (Matthew 24:14) This sign appears to be, unlike the other signs, a unique condition, one that was not fulfilled in any way during the ministry of Jesus. Millennialist prophecy scholars observe that it wasn’t until the 19th Century that many areas of the world were visited by missionaries. While this is true, it is based upon an English translation of the prophecy. The passage is better translated: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole civilized world. (οἰκουμένῃ–oikoumene–Ecumene)”
The Greek language of the New Testament uses several words that are translated world in our English Bibles. οἰκουμένῃ was used by the Greeks and Romans for the lands of the Roman Empire. They thought in of humanity as made up of two classes of people, the civilized Graeco-Roman nations and the barbarians. κόσμος (kosmos–cosmos) was the word used by Greek philosophers to speak about the universe. Greek speaking Judaism used it to translate the Old Testament phrase “Heavens and the Earth” — all of creation and especially all peoples. This the word used in John 3:16. The word γῆς (ges–the root for our word geography) was used for the physical world, translated earth or the land.
This prophecy, then, is like the others we’ve looked at. It refers to the gospel being preached to all peoples. It was fulfilled already when St. Paul reached Spain, known in his day as the End of the world. It continues to be fulfilled wherever Christians preach the good news of salvation wherever they live. As they fulfill Christ’s sending, baptizing and teaching, the Holy Spirit uses their witness to create faith, call the lost to faith and to build Christ’s church. When he completes this task and our mission in accomplished, Jesus will return to bring his bride home.
Rev. Robert E. Smith Pastor Emeritus Fort Wayne, Indiana
Encore Post: Jesus repeatedly warned his disciples that they would be hated for his sake. Already in the Beatitudes, Jesus tells them they will be blessed when they are persecuted and slandered for his sake, for they have the kingdom of heaven and are like the prophets before them. (Matthew 5:10-12) He tells them to be a disciple means to take up their cross and follow him. (Matthew 16:24-26) The enemies of Jesus and his gospel would arrest you and throw you in prison, bring you before Kings and governors. Even parents, family members and friends will betray you to the authorities. Some will even be put to death. You need not to worry, however, because the Holy Spirit will give you the words to speak. Yet you will not perish. (Luke 21:12-19)
So, as a sign of the end, this prediction is nothing new for them or for us. That it is associated with the end of days also should be not a surprise. It is not as some millennialist writers believe, a specific prophecy of the persecution of the Jewish church after the rapture. Like the previous signs, they describe the times, which is infected by sin and its effects.
This prophecy began to be fulfilled in the days following the Ascension of Jesus and contiuing to the present. All but one of the Apostles died a martyr’s death. Throughout the early Church, persecution occured from time to time. The witness of these early witnesses to Jesus was so impressive that pagans — including persecutors came to faith. As Tertullian put it, “The blood of the martyrs is seed for the church.”
Throughout the ages, the church continued to be persecuted until today more Christians are persecuted and martyred than in all of history. Like their Lord, they lay down their life for Jesus. When Jesus returns in glory, they will come with him to greet those of us who are alive on that day. With them numbered may we be, here and in eternity.
Rev. Robert E. Smith Pastor Emeritus Fort Wayne, Indiana
Encore Post: When Jesus’ disciples asked him for signs of the end of the age, the first sign he gave them came with a warning not to be deceived. (Luke 21:8) The Lord warns us that two things will happen. First, there will be people that claim to be the Christ. Second, others will tell you the end is near, but it is not. ( Luke 21:8, Matthew 24:5 , 11, 23-28) But Christ will not return secretly, as the Jehovah’s Witnesses teach, or by birth, as Sun Myung Moon claimed with he declared he was the second coming of Christ, or as a prophet who came after Christ, like Muhammad and Joseph Smith, or many others. Christ will return from the sky with all his angels and the saints who have gone before us to Heaven. Every eye will see him. In addition to these, in almost every generation, some false prophet or another would appear and announce they knew what even the Son of God did not know — the date of the Second Advent.
Like all of the Biblical signs of the end, these signs were fulfilled during the lifetime of the Apostles and every generation since. These describe our times, not specific events to be checked off. False Christs indicate how desperately the devil wants to take God’s children away from him. It tells us as do the other signs that the age is coming to an end and that Christ can really return at a time we do not know.
Instead of false Christs, their fake miracles and promises, we look for Christ where he really is. He is with us until the end of time already — in his word purely proclaimed, in baptism and especially in the Lord’s Supper. There he comes us to give us his body to eat with bread and his blood to drink with wine. There he offers what he earned for us on the cross — the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. We look forward to the day when he returns from Heaven to bring an end to sin, death and the power of the devil. On that day, he will wipe every tear from our eyes and bring him to his new Heaven and new Earth forever.
Rev. Robert E. Smith Pastor Emeritus Fort Wayne, Indiana
Encore Post: The second sign that Jesus gave to his disciples to show the world is coming to an end is that there will be wars and rumors of war. (Matthew 24:6-7, Luke 21:9)
The first time we read this prophecy it strikes us as kind of strange. After all, there is nothing unusual about wars and rumors of wars. In fact, this one is a constant problem for people seeking to discover the year of the coming of Christ. The way they cope with it is to admit that, yes, there have always been wars. But they will get more and more intense as we get closer to the end. They do have a point there, since Jesus describes these signs as labor pains. At first, labor pains come far apart. The closer you get to birth, however, the more frequently and more intensely they come.
The difficultly with this kind of sign, however, is that wars sometimes come one after another and other times years pass where few happen. So, most Romans at the time of Jesus did not experience war. The peace of Rome kept things quiet in most places. Yet, in thirty years, the Jewish people would see war in full measure as the Roman legions crushed a revolt in the Holy Land. In our day, the two worst wars of all time happened in the early and middle of the twentieth century. Nothing like them, thank God, has happened since. The wars we and other powers have wages were much smaller.
So, for the purpose of pinning down when the end will come, they do not help much. So why did Jesus give them? This sign is about helping us to see that all is not well in the world and that it will one day come to an end. He did not want us to do what Christians sometimes have done. When they suffer in war, they worry that everything will come to an end right way and they will suffer more. Or they may be convinced of this would be the war to end all wars. Instead, we should take them as a reminder that Christ will indeed come again and to encourage us to cling to him in faith as we look forward to the New Heavens and the New Earth, where war will cease and we will live in the peace of God that has no end.
Rev. Robert E. Smith Pastor Emeritus Fort Wayne, Indiana
Encore Post: Before the world comes to an end, Jesus told his disciples, there would be earthquakes, famines and pestilences. Fearful things and strange signs in the heavens would appear. (Luke 21:11, Matthew 24:7) As with wars and rumors of wars, these signs aren’t of much help in predicting the Second Coming of Christ. After all, disaster is a part of the curse that Adam and Eve received for committing the first sin. St. Paul describes creation as subject to futility, groaning like a woman in childbirth. (Romans 8:20-22)
Pastor Hans Fiene observes that because of the fall, the creation is cursed, turned from harmony with us to being hostile towards us. The world is trying to kill us with extremes of heat and cold, disease, floods, forest fires, famine and other disasters. Human beings need to exercise dominion over it to survive.
These signs were present from the very day Jesus predicted them. Even as Jesus died on the cross, an earthquake struck the Holy Land and the sun went dark during midday. Famine struck during the dark days of the AD 60s and 70s. Throughout the millennia that followed, many natural disasters have destroyed many lives.
Many Christians have concluded that these events will become more and more frequent as we get closer to the Second Advent. Perhaps. The problem is we will never know for sure that such indicate the return of Christ in our generation. The key to understanding what these events tell us is to realize they describe the time from the Ascension to the Second Coming. They are not like the prophecy of the Virgin Birth, the town of Bethlehem or the precision of Psalm 22 describing the crucifixion. What these signs do is remind us that the world is cursed and will one day fail. It keeps us from getting too comfortable in our sin and warns us to repent and cling to Christ.
Rev. Robert E. Smith Pastor Emeritus Fort Wayne, Indiana
Blogger’s note: Somehow I forgot running these posts after Last Things #7… I’ll run them starting now. Apologies for them being out of order.
Encore Post: As the winter approaches in many areas of the world, plants, animals begin to prepare for the change in the climate of their home. In the American Midwest, the leaves on many trees change color and fall from their branches. The Canada Geese first fly in circles and then most head south for the season. The Juncos, small sparrow-like birds are the last to leave where I live and the first to arrive in Spring. When these things happen, you can expect winter weather and cold will not be far behind.
The date Christ’s return is unknown to us. Jesus taught that even he did not know when it will happen — only the Father in Heaven. (Matthew 24:36) Yet we do know Jesus’ return is near. He told his disciples that they know summer is near when the fig tree starts to grow leaves. They knew — and we know — that time is growing short because we see the signs of the times that the Lord gave them.
Yet the signs of the times are not specific events, nor are they like variables in some prophecy algebra problem — you know — insert the invention of television, the establishment of the modern nation of Israel, the identity of the anti-Christ and the use of bar codes and then you know the year of Christ’s return. These signs are like those that identify the season — they tell us the kind of times that we live in. These signs tell us the world is passing away.
Since Jesus told his disciples they would see these signs in their generation, what is taking so long? Over two thousand years does not seem like soon — at the very gates — to us. St. Peter explains this to us. The return of Christ is not measured on our human calendar. It is on God’s scale. For the Father, a thousand years passes like a day passes for us. (2 Peter 3:8-9)
We have a similar experience. When we are on a long trip with young children, they often ask: “are we there yet?” We say, “soon.” But while an hour or two is soon for us, it is very long for the children! He waits for the last person who will be saved to repent. And we should be glad for it — it includes us!
Yet still we remain alert. We do not know when that day will come and the great marriage feast of the lamb will begin. We want to be ready for that party!
Rev. Robert E. Smith Pastor Emeritus Fort Wayne, Indiana
Encore Post: When people speak of the Second Advent of Christ, the focus almost always is on his descent from Heaven, with all the angels and all the saints who had died. That is a natural thing to do, because it is very dramatic. The skies parting, the army of heaven with countless members descending with the Son of God in his full glory. The tombs are rended, the dead raised as the author of life calls them forth in the glorious resurrection of the last day. Then the drama of the destruction of sin, death and the power of the devil and the summons all must obey to the Judgment Seat of Christ. Then the book of life is opened, all secrets are revealed and those with faith in Jesus pronounced “not guilty” before the throne of God, for the Son of God, the Lamb who took away the sin of the world, was slain for their sake. Then the unbelieving will be sent with Satan and his angels to the unending lake of fire prepared for them.
But the best is yet to come and gets little attention. Perhaps it is because we merge it in our minds with the state of the dead who, in this age, die in the Lord. They are with him forever. And yet their state is not yet perfect. Their bodies are yet to be called by Jesus from their graves, so they may be fully restored and improved for eternity.
Perhaps it is because we really can’t understand it. So, the Scripture describes it for us and paints several images for us. Eternal life is — well — eternal! We will die only once and once resurrected, live forever with the Lord. It will be without sin. Having been defeated on the cross. We are cleansed of it forever. There will be no more sorrow or sighing or grief or pain, for these things will pass away. God will dry every tear from our eyes. Our bodies will be glorified, purged of sin and its curse. We will shine like the stars in the joy of our Heavenly Father. We do not know what we will be like except that we will be like Christ.
Best of all, we will be with Jesus and see him face to face. Then, with joy, we will sing his praises forever.
Rev. Robert E. Smith Pastor Emeritus Fort Wayne, Indiana
