Emmanuel Lutheran Church

Revelation 22:12–21 (NKJV)

¹² “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. ¹³ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” ¹⁴ Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. ¹⁵ But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. ¹⁶ “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.” ¹⁷ And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. ¹⁸ For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; ¹⁹ and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. ²⁰ He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! ²¹ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Jesus tells us at the beginning and end of today’s reading, “I am coming quickly.” How does the church respond to this promise? “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’” The church is Christ’s bride. Christ “loved the church and gave Himself for her,  that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish” (Eph 5:25-27). Having been washed by water and the Word in Holy Baptism, and clothed with Christ’s perfect righteousness, the church eagerly awaits the return of her Bridegroom.

The Bridegroom also brings His reward to give to everyone according to his work. With these words Christ wants to spur His bride on to good works. The faith that eagerly expects Christ’s return brings forth good fruit and Christ promises to reward that good fruit in the life of the world to come.

To all those who do His commandments He promises “the right to eat of the tree of life,” as well as the right to “enter through the gates into the city”—both of which are pictures of the bliss, joy, and security of everlasting life. St. John summarizes the commandments which we are to do in 1 John 3:23, “This is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.”

Outside the gates of the city are the dogs, sorcerers, the sexually immoral, murderers, idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. They have not obeyed the commandment of faith in Christ and love toward neighbor. They chose to remain in their sins because they believed and lived according to the lie the that Christ would not return so they could live according to the desires of their flesh. To the faithful and unfaithful alike Christ says, “I am coming quickly.” For the faithful it is joyful news. For the unfaithful it is a call to repent, believe in the coming One, and bear good fruit.

Let us pray: Give us hearts that eagerly expect your coming, O Lord, increasing faith and good works in us. Amen.

2 Peter 2:1–22 (NKJV)

¹ But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. ² And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. ³ By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber. ⁴ For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; ⁵ and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; ⁶ and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; ⁷ and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked ⁸ (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)—⁹ then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, ¹⁰ and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, ¹¹ whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord. ¹² But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption, ¹³ and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you, ¹⁴ having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children. ¹⁵ They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; ¹⁶ but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet. ¹⁷ These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. ¹⁸ For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. ¹⁹ While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage. ²⁰ For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. ²¹ For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. ²² But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “A dog returns to his own vomit,” and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.”

False prophets have always been around, threatening the  Christian Church from within, and they will never leave the Church in peace on this earth. St. Peter isn’t warning his readers about pagan prophets, but about those prophets, preachers, and teachers who claim to be Christian, but who bring a message that corrupts or contradicts the true Christian faith.

False prophets have multiplied over the centuries, causing the visible Christian Church to divide and splinter countless times. Some are openly wicked and immoral, supporting abortion and sexual deviancy, teaching that there is salvation apart from faith in Christ, openly denying the truthfulness of God’s Word. Others shun such things, but still teach falsehood about the person of Christ, the ministry of the Word, the Real Presence of Jesus’ body and blood in the Sacrament, justification by faith alone, etc. They all have their own followers. They all are successful in their deceptions among certain groups of people who “do not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (2 Thess. 2:10).

But St. Peter assures us that God is storing up judgment for all these false teachers. They will not get away with their deceptions for much longer. Even now, Christ preserves a little flock on this earth that hears the voice of the Good Shepherd and adheres to the truth of His Word. He “knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations,” just as He knows how and when to mete out judgment to those who lead His sheep astray.

Hold onto the precious treasure of God’s Word. Pray for those who proclaim it rightly. Support them. Defend them. Listen to them. For in the midst of so much falsehood, God will continue to provide faithful preachers and teachers for His people, even if they seem few and far between.

Let us pray: Almighty God, preserve Your little flock and defend it against the assaults of Satan. Grant wisdom to Your children, that we may discern between truth and error, and make us bold to adhere to Your Word at all times; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

2 Peter 1:1–15 (NKJV)

¹ Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: ² Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, ³ as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, ⁴ by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. ⁵ But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, ⁶ to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, ⁷ to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. ⁸ For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. ¹⁰ Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; ¹¹ for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. ¹² For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth. ¹³ Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you, ¹⁴ knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. ¹⁵ Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease.

The God who has brought us to faith in Christ solely by His own working through the Word now seeks fruits of faith from us. The God who has forgiven and justified us solely by faith now calls upon the righteous to live righteously, to turn away from sinning, to think carefully about how we may devote ourselves to godliness, and then to put it into practice in order to “make our call and election sure.”

Our Lutheran Confessions offer a useful explanation of this: “Peter speaks of works following the forgiveness of sins and teaches why they should be done. They should be done so that the calling may be sure, that is, should they fall from their calling if they sin again. Do good works in order that you may persevere in your calling, in order that you do not lose the gifts of your calling. They were given to you before, and not because of works that follow, and which now are kept through faith. Faith does not remain in those who lose the Holy Spirit and reject repentance. As we have said before, faith exists in repentance” (Ap:XX).

“And since the Holy Spirit dwells in the elect, who have become believers, as in His temple, and is not idle in them, but impels the children of God to obedience to God’s commands, believers, likewise, should not be idle, and much less resist the impulse of God’s Spirit, but should exercise themselves in all Christian virtues, in all godliness, modesty, temperance, patience, brotherly love, and give all diligence to make their calling and election sure, in order that they may doubt the less concerning it, the more they experience the power and strength of the Spirit within them. For the Spirit bears witness to the elect that they are God’s children” (FC:SD:XI).

Let us pray: Gracious Father, You have worked mightily in us through Your Word to convert us. Continue to work mightily in us, that we may persevere in the faith until the end, produce fruit in keeping with repentance, and lead godly lives here on earth; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

1 Peter 4:12–19 (NKJV)

¹² Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; ¹³ but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. ¹⁴ If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. ¹⁵ But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. ¹⁶ Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. ¹⁷ For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? ¹⁸ Now “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?” ¹⁹ Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.

Few people understand suffering rightly. They imagine that suffering is always a sign of God’s wrath, or that Christians shouldn’t have to suffer so much, because they’re Christians. Neither is true.

Christ suffered God’s wrath as a punishment for sin—not His sin, but our sin. His suffering made satisfaction for our sins, so that, no matter how much we may suffer, we cannot earn God’s favor or make up for our sins in the slightest way, nor should we try. Our suffering does not atone for sin.

But suffering and afflictions may still be punishments for sins—punishments that serve a good and salutary purpose. As the Apology of the Augsburg Confessions says, “Saints are subject to death, and all general afflictions, as 1 Peter 4, 17 says: For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? And although these afflictions are for the most part the punishments of sin, yet in the godly they have a better end, namely, to exercise them, that they may learn amidst trials to seek God’s aid, to acknowledge the distrust of their own hearts… Afflictions are a discipline by which God exercises the saints” (Ap., Art. VI).

Because Christ, by His suffering, has removed God’s wrath from believers, and because God tells us that suffering for doing good makes us partakers of Christ’s suffering and of Christ’s glory, we can rejoice and bear up under the temporary and passing afflictions of this life. The unbeliever, on the other hand, has no such consolation, but will indeed suffer God’s wrath and punishment eternally, if he does not repent and turn to Christ in repentance and faith.

Let us pray: O Christ, who suffered for us the bitter pain of the cross and death, have mercy on us and drive us to cling to You alone in all our sufferings, that we may ever rejoice in Your good purpose for us. Amen.