Your Redemption is Drawing Near

Welcome to the teaching ministry of Kungsvinger Lutheran Church. Kungsvinger is a beacon for the gospel of Jesus Christ and is located on the plains of northwestern Minnesota. We proclaim Christ and Him crucified for our sins and salvation by grace through faith alone.

And now here's a message.

From Pastor Chris Roseberg. The Old Testament reading for this the second Sunday of Advent of Populist Zion is taken from the Prophet Malachi chapter. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. The epistle is taken from Romans chapter 15.

And again it is said rejoice O Gentiles with his people and again praise the Lord all you Gentiles and let the peoples extol him and again Isaiah says the root of Jesse will come even he who arises to rule the Gentiles in him will the Gentiles hope.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke the 21st chapter Jesus said and there will be signs in the sun and the moon and stars and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the seas and the waves people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world for the powers of the heaven heavens will be shaken and they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

Now when these things begin to take place straighten up and raise your heads because your redemption is drawing near. And he told them a parable look at the fig tree and all the trees as soon as they come out and leaf you see for yourselves and know that summer is already near so also when you see these signs taking place you know that the kingdom of God is near.

Truly I say to you this generation will not pass away until all has taken place heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away but watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the cares of this life and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap for it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth but stay awake at all times praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place and to stand before the Son of Man.

In the name of Jesus. Amen. So this is a penitential season and you're gonna note that we're taking another look at the end of the world today. Lo he comes with clouds descending we just sang and you're gonna note there really isn't any bad news for Christians here.

There is indeed bad news for those who arrogantly persist in sin and unbelief and what an interesting text we have in our Old Testament text to begin with. Listen to the words again of the Prophet Malachi.

For behold the day is coming burning like an oven when all the arrogant and all the evildoers will be stubble. Have you ever had the experience of basically sharing your faith with somebody who is an unbeliever and they got really upset really mad and they accused you of being arrogant?

You know it kind of goes something like this well you know what do you believe? I believe in Jesus Christ. What does that mean? Well I believe that there's salvation only in Jesus Christ and then they react.

You can hear the volcano rumbling and then just goes off. What? That is the most arrogant and terrible thing I've ever heard. Are you saying that your religion is the only religion that's right that's correct that is the most arrogant that is the most selfish and they just vomit out right and you'll note here the scriptures teach that they're the ones being arrogant.

We who've been humbly brought to penitent faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins whose mind is being renewed daily by the Word of God as we continue daily by the power of the Holy Spirit to mortify our sinful flesh and its passions to put to death the false doctrine and false teaching that our old Adam loves to hang on to that as we humbly walk in God's Word we believe what his Word tells us.

It is arrogance to contradict God. It is arrogance to say that there is salvation in every religion you know including Christianity but also including Islam and including Buddhism including Jainism including Mormonism and all the other isms out there right that's complete arrogance and so the the flip the script gets flipped when Christ returns and the truth about who's really arrogant and who's really humble now is revealed in stark stark words and so again the day of Lord is coming burning like an oven when all the arrogant and all the evildoers will be stubble and the day that is coming shall set them ablaze says the Lord of hosts so they'll leave them neither root nor branch.

You know God's view of those who persist in sin and unbelief is that they're stubble to be burned up. Reference to the fires of hell though. And you'll note then things now change in this text there's the negative bit but here's the positive bit and this is you'll note designed to give us encouragement to give us hope not to cause us to despair.

Listen to the words. But for you who fear my name listen to these words. The Son of Righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. This kind of works out pretty well in English by the way it doesn't quite have the same wordplay in Hebrew and other languages.

But you'll note the Son of Righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. That's a reference to Christ's second coming. He is the son s o n of righteousness and the healing in his wings that he will have will be to raise you and I from the dead and gloriously gloriously resurrect us so that we now no longer have mortal bodies that are subject to corruption because of sin but immortal bodies bodies that will live forever in the new earth.

And then he describes the joy that we will experience when Christ returns. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. You shall tread down the wicked for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act says the Lord of hosts.

Beautiful text note here if this is a penitential season what's our motivation for repentance. The kindness of God. Because we all know. You don't have to convince any of us. We all know. None of us deserve this.

None of us has earned God's salvation. This salvation this eternal life by our good works by our obedience to God's law far from it. If we if we were to depend upon God's law in our on our obedience in order to save us none of us would be saved.

And that's kind of the big problem out there with all the false religions of the world is they all teach a de facto works righteousness. You do the right things you say the right prayers you light the right candles you put the right amount of money in the offering plate and you do the doings and the does the stuff and the things.

And then maybe maybe maybe maybe you know you'll make it. But we don't want to be arrogant and think and presume that we have salvation. Man totally backwards. It is absolutely arrogant to contradict God and to say to Christians oh you shouldn't be so sure that you have salvation.

I mean after all I mean I know that it says that salvation is by grace through faith and that it's a gift of God. It's not of our own doing or things like that. But do you you can't you can't think that way that that's that's just arrogant.

No it's not. It's humbling you know. And so as we consider then this next text our gospel text I'm gonna grab something from a strange place and kind of help us out here because you'll note then that the arrogant are constantly nipping at our heels.

And at times in human history the arrogant get the upper hand in the government and as a result of it Christians suffer horrible persecutions. And so in in our lifetime we'll note that we are in the last waning days of Western civilization of what used to be called Christendom but that that that's no longer a thing.

In fact a good way to think about it is is that it is is that that's kind of an abnormal thing for Christians to get along well with others and people to kind of think kindly of them and just to leave them alone.

Normally Christians are persecuted. So we're coming to the end of those days when we're not going to be vexed by by people who want want us dead. And so we have to go back a little bit to a text that I think is a little bit odd for this but it fits perfectly.

Do you remember in Daniel chapter 2. Daniel chapter 2 King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream. The Judah is in exile because of their impenitent idolatry and now they are you know literally in exile under King Nebuchadnezzar and nobody could accuse Nebuchadnezzar of being a sound reasonable kind fellow with an even temper or things like this.

In fact he was far from any of that and he had a dream that God had given him and that dream needed an interpretation and he refused to tell the dream to his magicians and sorcerers and enchanters because he didn't want them to try to basically pull the wool over his eye and say well here's the interpretation after they consider what the dream was and so he said to them I'm not going to tell you the dream but you need to tell me both the dream and its interpretation.

And they said no no king has ever asked for anything like this. Only God can give an answer like that. And so it turns out as the story goes you know Nebuchadnezzar he his volcanic anger explodes and he wants to run.

He basically murder all of the the magicians and enchanters and the chief the chief guys in charge of his government and Daniel is able to have a word with him. At least get by some time. He has himself and Shadrach Meshach and Abednego pray in haste a very hasty supplication to asking God for mercy.

God answers their prayer gives Daniel both the dream and its interpretation and it has a lot to do with our gospel text today it really does. So listen to Daniel and his interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar his dream from Daniel chapter 2 verse 31 he says.

Daniel said you saw Oh King and behold a great image. This image mighty and exceeding brightness. It stood before you and its appearance was frightening. So Nebuchadnezzar had a dream about an image that was bright and note the word frightening.

What follows next is well a description of the rest of this particular image. The head of this image was a fine gold its chest and arms of silver its middle and thighs of bronze its legs of iron its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.

And as you looked a stone was cut out by no human hand and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay and broke them in pieces. And then the iron and the clay the bronze and the silver and the gold all together were broken in pieces and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them could be found.

But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. Interesting vision. Now the interpretation. This was the dream. Now I will tell you its interpretation. You Oh King the King of Kings to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom the power and the might and the glory and into whose hand he has given wherever they dwell the children of man the beasts of the field the birds of the heavens making you rule over all of them you are the head of gold.

Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you. And yet a third kingdom of bronze which shall rule over all the earth. And there shall be a fourth kingdom strong as iron because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things.

And like iron that crushes it shall break and crush all of these. And as you saw the feet and the toes partly of potter's clay and partly of iron it shall be a divided kingdom. But some of the firmness of iron shall be in it just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay.

And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay so the kingdom shall be partly iron partly strong and partly brittle as you saw the iron mixed with soft clay so they will mix with one another in marriage but they will not hold together just as iron does not mix with clay.

And in the days of those Kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed. Nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all of these kingdoms and bring them to an end and it shall stand forever just as you saw that the stone that was cut from a mountain by no human hand and that it broke in pieces the iron the bronze the clay the silver the gold a great God has made known to the king what shall be after this.

The dream is certain. Its interpretation. Sure. So think of think this through with me. Nebuchadnezzar has a dream about a frightening image and the image is according to the interpretation basically about all the kingdoms of the earth and and God basically saying I'm gonna bring all of this to an end.

And so if you were to think about it since the top of this image its face is a Babylonian image and made of gold that references the Babylonian Empire. A good way to think of this is that that image is kind of a depiction of what's called mystery Babylon.

And this has to do with all the all the nations of the world and in the ways in which they oppress people why would Christians be afraid of their government. Because I don't know if you guys have noticed it just seems like it's not too long from now before the US government in particular isn't gonna really tolerate a biblical Christianity.

And you'll note that our leaders seem to be hell-bent on not obeying God's commands and enacting laws in accordance with what is true justice and true righteousness. But instead they seem hell-bent on enacting laws that basically undo true justice and true righteousness.

And you Christians if you if you even raise a voice in protest you'll be shouted down you'll be canceled and we'll find a way to have you lose your job and things like this. Yeah I think that through.

So note then that in this pet in this prophecy in this prophetic dream we have a rock that was not hewn by human hands that comes and smashes the kingdoms of the earth brings them as it says to an end.

And then this rock it grows and grows and fills the entire earth. That rock is Christ by the way we know that. So when we look at our gospel text here again watch the dichotomy the dichotomy between those who refuse to hear the gospel refuse to believe the gospel refuse to repent of their sins and be forgiven of their sins.

And what will come of them in the last days compared to Christians. Christians you know a completely different outcome altogether. So it says in our gospel text today Jesus says that in the very last of the last days there will be signs in the Sun and the moon and the stars and on earth the distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. So you'll see what's going on here from the cross references the signs in the Sun and the moon and the stars. We know what those are.

There's a day coming when and here's. You don't have to imagine this because we all kind of know how when the world goes into panic mode how this is gonna play out. But there's gonna a day coming. Maybe it'll happen overnight while you're sleeping.

Maybe it'll happen during the day while you're at work but regardless of when you'd wear it happens it'll happen. And that is is that the Sun will no longer be giving the light that it gives that beautiful white light that we get from the Sun that will be extinguished and the only thing left will be well the the dim light of a dying star turned red.

And so this is what's coming. And then the moon itself since it reflects the sunlight it will no longer shine like it has for all of these millennia but instead will look like blood in the sky. And when that happens everybody on earth all the nations of the earth all the governments of the world are going to go in full panic mode.

You think it was hard to find toilet paper during kovat. Good luck finding toilet paper after this. Okay it ain't gonna happen. That being the case you'll note that that everybody who is an unbeliever this is going to cause them great anxiety perplexity panic.

People fainting as a result of all of this. And then to make matters even worse then the stars themselves will fall from the sky they will disappear altogether. And and you'll note then that what happens is that everybody panics.

Everybody panics. They'll see the sign of the Son of Man coming up in the heavens. And everybody is in complete pandemonium. What are we going to do. What's coming on the earth. People fainting with fear for foreboding of what's coming in the world.

But Jesus says these words to us we who believe in him. Now when these things begin to take place straighten up and raise your heads because your redemption is drawing near. Okay so y 'all I'm sure you all have seen the movie Titanic.

Right. You know as the as the ship is starting to slip into the sea and it's in you know the front of its going into the into the ocean. You have all these people running around trying to figure out what to do.

You know some people throwing deck chairs into the ocean seeing if they will float. And people just in complete panic. Okay. But that's gonna be what it's like when all of this goes down. But we on the other hand rather than in complete panic Christ tells us when you see these last signs right before he returns straighten up and go.

Ah ah Jesus is just around the corner. Yeah right. I mean I might even bake a cake. I mean I you know I don't know how long it's gonna be before Christ shows up once these last signs appear. But we have nothing to fear.

And as a result of it Christ tells us who have humbly confessed our sins who have humbly been brought to contrition who humbly cry out to God for mercy and for forgiveness. That because we are forgiven we have been given faith because we have been reconciled to God and we hear his words and abide in his words as Christ says that that's what Christians do.

We then on when these signs show up it is going to be joy. It is going to be excitement. It is going to be like it's gonna be like Christmas Eve when you're you know seven-year-old kid you can't sleep at night because you know that as soon as you wake up in the morning there's gonna be presents under the tree and they and you get to open them and it's gonna be fantastic.

It's that kind of thing. And the dichotomy couldn't be starker. I mean the difference between the two couldn't be starker because those who persist in sin and unbelief they have their mind set completely on the things of this world.

In fact that's what the Apostle Paul was kind of getting at in Ephesians chapter 2. In Ephesians chapter 2 Paul basically says to all the Christians before they were Christians you you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you once walked following the course of this world following the prince of the power of the air the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh carrying out the desires of the body of the mind and we were by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind.

And so you'll note that all the nations of the earth right now in their secular way of looking at things in there and their way of looking down at Christians and persecuting them and other nations just literally driving them underground all of this all of their grand plans for making the world a glorious place of workers paradise and things like this is gonna come crashing down.

And when they see that their doom is near they panic. We rejoice. That's the difference. And it's all because we know the truth that Christ has come into the world. The Son of God was incarnate came to earth and he submitted himself to God and to the authorities of his day the Roman Empire.

And he submitted himself and was obedient even to the point of death and death on the cross in order to redeem us and save us from this futile world. This world where you know you don't live very long.

I don't live very long and it's just a hard mean existence of blood sweat toil and tears all because of our sin. We are forgiven because of what Christ has done carrying our sins in his body on the tree bleeding and dying in your place and mine giving us his righteousness.

In exchange he takes our iniquity and unrighteousness and and he takes on the full justice of God and what we have deserved by penalty so that we can be forgiven pardon and have encouragement and hope of a future to come again.

The dichotomy cannot be stronger when you see these things happen when the world recognizes this whole thing is going to come to a screeching halt there is no grand future for humanity that only a cold dark end.

We when we see this we straighten up we raise our heads our redemption is drawing near. And so Jesus says look then at the fig tree and all the trees as soon as they come out in leaf you see for yourselves and you know that summer is already near.

So also when you see these things take place these last signs you know that the kingdom of God is near. So truly I say to you this generation will not pass away until all of this has taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away.

But my words will not pass away. The generation that sees those last signs they will not pass away. You can then raise your head and know that our redemption draws near. But Christ gives a stern warning here and one that we need to take into consideration because we he is encouraging us through these words but also encouraging us to not lose heart and as a result of it get caught back up in all the cares of this world and all the nonsense about it.

The you know the lust of the eyes the lust of the flesh the lusts for power and I would say all the stuff that distracts us from from from a sound pious faith in Christ regarding all the conspiracy theories and and all the horrible things that are taking place in in government and behind the scenes and the deep state and all that kind of stuff just don't even focus on that.

He says listen watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation. Dissipation is like going on a multi-week long bender. You know if either drugs or alcohol or something like that. And then the drunkenness and the cares of this life and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.

It's really easy just to say you know there's too many important things going on in the world. I can't be completely checked out. I just I just need to jump in and just you know the cares of this world are overwhelming.

We've got to do something about this and and as a result of it you end up in drunkenness dissipation and all this other nonsense so that now you no longer attend church now you no longer hear the Word of God.

Now you no longer receive the sacraments. Now you no longer even read the Bible or pray. And when you go into that mode time seems to speed up. And when times speed up like that this day or even the day of your own death will come upon you suddenly like a trap it'll come upon all who dwell on the face of the earth.

But Christ admonishes us stay awake at all times praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place and to stand before the Son of Man. And how does one stay awake.

Keep coming to church. Keep hearing the Word of God. Keep hearing your sins being forgiven. Keep receiving the body and blood of Christ. This is how we stay awake. Keep in the Word and let God's Word transform you.

The one who believes in Jesus who loves Jesus abides in his Word. And this is what we're called to. And the one who does so stays awake in faith rather than going into the sleep of sin so that they're awakened with a start when Jesus returns and they're caught completely off guard.

So brothers and sisters this second Sunday of Advent I am struck again by the great kindness of Christ that the call for repentance during this Advent season is not that if you don't repent you're gonna get a good beating.

Instead the the call for repentance is based upon the fact that you are already in Christ you trust him you believe in him. And so as you see the world spiraling out of control in the universe coming to a cataclysmic end note then that we can raise our heads and we can know that our redemption draws near.

And Jesus is indeed our redemption. And when the Son of Righteousness rises he will come with healing in his wings. And he will say to each and every one of us well done good and faithful servant. And then he will open the gate and let us into that new earth when our then the joy that we will experience can only be described as the leaping of a calf.

What amazing things that we will see in that day. So be encouraged continue in prayer. Ask God to give you strength to escape the things that are going to take place and to give you faith and confidence in Jesus Christ so that you may stand before him on this day not in shame but in ah holy ah and Thanksgiving for the great gift that he's given you in your in your salvation in the name of Jesus amen.

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