Emmanuel Lutheran Church

Sermon for Midweek of Laetare

Revelation 3:7-13

Jesus’ second-to-last letter, to the angel of the church in Philadelphia, has no criticism or condemnation, only comfort, encouragement, and uplifting promises. Just as we have taken to heart all the rebukes and warnings in the previous letters, let’s also take this comfort to heart.

What image of Himself does Jesus want the pastor and people in Philadelphia to remember? He says, first, These are the words of him who is holy and true. Jesus is holy as both God and Man. He is set apart from the creation and set apart from sin. He is perfect love, perfect mercy, and perfect justice, in perfect harmony. He is also true, the essence of truth, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Everything He says is true and trustworthy. He never deceives, never fails to do what He promises, never lies.

And He has the key of David, who opens and no one shuts, who shuts and no one opens. This image is pulled straight from Isaiah 22. Around the time of King Hezekiah, there was a wicked steward over the royal house of David, a scribe named Shebna. We aren’t told much about his bad behavior, just that he managed the royal house and, by extension, the city of Jerusalem with pomp and pride, seeking glory for himself and not caring for the people whom he was supposed to be serving. But God promises to take the stewardship away from Shebna and give it instead to a better man, to a man named Eliakim, whose name means, “God will arise.” God says through Isaiah, ‘Then it shall be in that day, That I will call My servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah; I will clothe him with your robe And strengthen him with your belt; I will commit your responsibility into his hand. He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem And to the house of Judah. The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder; So he shall open, and no one shall shut; And he shall shut, and no one shall open. I will fasten him as a peg in a secure place, And he will become a glorious throne to his father’s house.

So the Old Testament Eliakim was a type or a pattern of Christ, who has the key of David, that is, the key of the house of David, which is the Church on earth and the Church in heaven, the new Jerusalem. He is the One charged with letting people in or keeping them out, charged also with distributing the goods of the house to the people of God, where and when He chooses.

Jesus tells the pastor in Philadelphia, I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it. The pastor is already in the Church Militant, the Church on earth. Here Jesus promises him that the Church Triumphant is also open to him after this life, and none of his earthly enemies can keep him out of the Paradise that awaits.

What has this pastor done well? For you have little strength, but you have kept my word and have not denied my name. This isn’t a powerful pastor or congregation. They aren’t big. They aren’t influential. It may seem like they’re barely surviving in their daily struggles against the devil, the world, and their sinful flesh. But this pastor, unlike several of the others, has kept Jesus’ word and has not denied His name. He’s preached the Word purely and faithfully, both the Law and the Gospel. He has warned the impenitent. He has comforted and absolved the penitent. He hasn’t tolerated wickedness among his members. He hasn’t tolerated false teachers in their midst. He continues to treasure God’s grace to him as a poor sinner, and so he still loves God and the flock entrusted to his care. What’s more, he hasn’t denied Jesus’ name or any of Jesus’ teachings in order make other people happy or to save his own skin.

Some of those who were obviously trying to get him to deny Jesus’ name were the leaders of the local Jewish synagogues. Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but are lying — behold, I will cause them to come and bow down before your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. Again in this letter Jesus identifies the Jews who rejected Jesus as the Christ as not real Jews. The real ones accepted and welcomed the Christ who had been promised to Israel, the Christ who gave His life as a sacrifice of atonement on the cross and who was raised back to life, according to all the Old Testament prophecies. The real Jews became Christians. Even those who were not Jews by birth became spiritual Jews when they became Christians, as St. Paul explains so beautifully in Romans and in Galatians. But the ones who rejected Christ were severely persecuting the Christians and lying about them. In the end, maybe not until the last day, in some cases, the false Jews will have to acknowledge the true ones, the Christians, and fall down at their feet.

Now, realize, to say that, even to read these words of Revelation in public, would bring accusations of “anti-Semitism” against you from the world. So understand the difference. There is a sin of “anti-Semitism,” that is, hating a person or mistreating a person or even thinking less of a person because he or she is of Jewish descent. That’s not what true Christianity has ever taught or practiced. But true Christianity also doesn’t fail to speak the truth: The Jews who reject Jesus as the Christ have made themselves enemies of God and of God’s precious Holy Christian Church. The world will still call that statement “anti-Semitic.” But the world is wrong.

Jesus continues, Because you have kept the word of my patience, I also will keep you from the hour of trial that will come upon the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. There are lots of words that can describe or summarize the word of Christ. How often do you think of it as the word of His patience? A word that, first and foremost, describes Jesus’ own patient endurance in suffering. But then, also a word that requires patience for Jesus’ sake. That requires endurance and perseverance. A word that tells Christians ahead of time that this life will be full of troubles and hardships and persecutions and struggles against the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh, and that calls on us to bear up under those things and to “produce fruit with patience,” as Jesus said in the parable of the sower and the seed.

At the same time, Jesus’ word is that which gives us patience, that which gives us the strength to patiently endure all the troubles of this world.

Jesus promises the pastor and people in Philadelphia that He would spare them from “the hour of trial” that was—or is?—coming on the whole world. The next two hundred years would see some of the most vicious, most horrifying persecution of Christians there has ever been. This promise to spare that church may have been a promise to shield them from it so that it didn’t harm them, or it may have been a promise to bring them out of this world, safely to their heavenly home, before life on earth got really bad. Either way, God promises to “keep” His people, and that gives us reason to hope and to be at peace.

Behold, I am coming soon! Hold onto what you have, that no one may take your crown. Hold on, Jesus urgently calls out. That implies that there will still be temptations to let go, to let go of His word and of faithfulness to it, to let go of your zeal and of your diligence, of your love and, ultimately, of your God-given faith, which would result in your crown of life being taken away. There’s a warning there, but there is also comfort, because you are not alone in holding on. You don’t hold on by your own powers. “You have little strength,” Jesus said here. But His Means of Grace, His Word and Sacraments, are able to keep you holding on.

Finally, we have those beautiful promises made to all who overcome this world, to all who remain faithful until death: The one who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will never leave it again. And I will write upon him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God. And I will write upon him my new name. A pillar in God’s heavenly temple, steady, firm, and immovable. And just as, in ancient times, patrons or conquerors would inscribe their names on pillars, so Jesus promises to inscribe several names on those who overcome: the name of His God, the name of the city of His God, the new Jerusalem, and His own name, His “new” name, His name of victory over every enemy, His name as the exalted and victorious Son of God. And so Jesus claims these believers as His own, special people, purchased by His blood, made His own in Holy Baptism, and sealed for His own after they overcome this world, to spend eternity with Him in the New Jerusalem.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. You’ve heard and taken to heart all the warnings that the Spirit has given so far, and you’ll hear another warning next week. But for today, hear the comfort that the Lord Christ is offering to you! I would say that we have relatively “little strength” here, like the church in Philadelphia, but I would also say, humbly, that we have kept His word and have not denied His name. Now, you and I aren’t sinless. Neither was the angel of the church in Philadelphia, and neither were its members. But keeping Jesus’ word, as they did, doesn’t mean being entirely sinless in this life, for as much as it is our goal and desire to be. It means struggling against sin, and repenting of it when we fall, and trusting in Christ alone for forgiveness, and then abiding in His Word, holding onto all the doctrines of it, including the unpopular ones, including the ones that the world would have us deny in order to fit in better here.

Will we be spared from the hour of trial that is coming on the world? In a way, we already have been for a time. As I’ve said at times, it’s like we’re still “flying under the radar,” too small and too insignificant to draw too much of the world’s anger and persecution. But it’s really God’s doing, as He has allowed us to continue here more or less unharassed by painful persecution. Will that continue? Only God knows. But if He allows us to be tried, He will also provide the strength we need to prevail.

So keep holding onto Him and His Word! And know that the promises Jesus sets forth here apply to you: An open door that no one can shut, divine help to face the world’s hatred, and a permanent place in the house of God, reserved for you by Him who has the key of the house of David. Amen.

Sermon for Midweek of Oculi

Revelation 3:1-6

Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, commands John to write a fifth letter, to the angel of the church in Sardis. For this pastor, there is no word of praise, only a stern warning, which we can also take to heart: Be sure to have more than just a name for being alive!

Jesus reminds the pastor of the church in Sardis that He is the one who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars. Back in chapter 1, we identified the “seven Spirits” who were before the Father’s throne as the Holy Spirit with His sevenfold gifts, which He always gives in just the right measure. Here, Jesus says that He has the seven Spirits of God. He is the One who sends the Spirit to His churches and distributes His gifts to whomever He pleases. He also has the seven stars, which were identified in chapter 1 as the seven angels or pastors of the seven churches. Jesus is the Sender of pastors. They’re meant to be gifts to His churches. Like stars in the sky, they shine the light of Christ in their preaching, and the Holy Spirit does His work through them. Also like stars, they are to be fixed in place, not wandering about like the planets; their doctrine and life are to be solid and dependable. Since Jesus holds them in His hand, He has the power to protect them and the authority to remove them, if necessary.

When Jesus tells this pastor that He knows his works, this time it isn’t a good thing. I know your works, that you have a name for being alive, and you are dead. A “name” for being alive. If you noticed, the word “name” is used four times in these six verses. Here it refers to the pastor’s reputation. People think of him as being alive, but he is really dead. They think he’s alive, a true believer in Christ Jesus who shares in the spiritual life that comes from God, whose name is surely written in the Lamb’s book of life. But Jesus knows the truth: this pastor is dead in trespasses and sins. He’s become an empty suit, an empty shell. He says the right things and outwardly does the right things, but he’s just going through the motions. On the inside, he isn’t penitent, he isn’t believing. And without faith it is impossible to please God.

So he’s given an urgent warning: Be watchful, and strengthen the remaining things that are about to die, for I have not found your works complete before God. Remember, therefore, how you have received and heard, and keep it, and repent. Be watchful, because you haven’t been. You’ve let earthly concerns and selfish thoughts slip in and take the place of Christ in your heart. You’ve allowed yourself to fall asleep. Snap out of this spiritual stupor and strengthen the bits and pieces that remain! That would include His knowledge of Scripture and of the duties of his office. He’s lost the trust part of faith. He’s lost the appreciation of God’s grace to him, a poor, miserable sinner. He’s lost the heartfelt love for God that accompanies genuine faith. But he still has all the knowledge part of faith. He knows the Law and the Gospel. He knows what he has received and heard from the apostles. And now Jesus is sending His powerful Spirit in the words of this letter to turn the pastor back to what he has heard, to what he himself has undoubtedly preached time and time again, to acknowledge his sins, to repent and trust in Christ for forgiveness, and to fulfill the duties of his vocation.

The warning is sealed with a threat: If you do not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come upon you. Notice, Jesus isn’t expecting the congregation to get rid of this pastor. They can’t even see how dead he really is. Jesus is the One who sees it, and Jesus is the One who will “come upon him,” that is, come against him, in His own time and in His own way.

The pastor’s deadness has had a negative effect on his congregation. His preaching has obviously been affected by his spiritual emptiness. But whatever Gospel still remained in his preaching was still effective. The Gospel is effective even if it’s preached by an unbeliever, just as the Sacraments are still valid, even if they’re administered by an unbeliever. And the Gospel that was still present was preserving a remnant in Sardis. Jesus says, You have a few names even in Sardis that have not defiled their garments; and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. The pastor’s name was deceptive, a name for being alive, although he was actually dead. These few names, these few souls among the laity in Sardis, were genuine believers. They hadn’t defiled their garments, they hadn’t jumped into the common practices of fornication and idolatry. They hadn’t fallen into willful sin or wandered away from the faith or lost their love for God and for one another. By faith they were still counted righteous and pure before God, symbolized by the white garments. And Jesus promises here that they will walk with Him in white, they will spend eternity with Him in righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, as we say in the Catechism, in the Second Article of the Creed, for they are worthy. Not worthy because they were sinless, but worthy because they persevered in repentance and faith.

As for the one who overcomes, he will be clothed in white garments. Those who overcome, who keep their garments undefiled, who persevere in repentance and faith are all promised white garments, or white robes. Later, in chapter 7, we’re told exactly what that means: I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes…One of the elders answered, saying to me, Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?” And I said to him, “Sir, you know.” So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. That’s the glorious heavenly future Jesus is promising in this letter to those who remain faithful here on earth.

He also promises this: I will not blot out his name from the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. The Book of Life comes up several more times in the Book of Revelation. It’s God’s figurative book that contains all the names of those who have been incorporated into Jesus by Baptism and faith. There are other books, too, the books that contain the works—that is, the thoughts, words, and deeds—of all men, and since all those works are tainted by sin, those who are judged by the books of works will be condemned. But God will cross reference the names there with the names written in the Book of Life, and if your name is found there on the Last Day or on the day of your death, you will be safe. And not only safe, but Jesus will confess those names before His Father and the holy angels. This one is Mine. This one believed in Me, and I claim him and her as My own.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

What, in particular, should we take to heart from this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis?

Well, any pastor who preaches on this text had better do some serious soul-searching. Do I believe what I preach? Do I have a genuine trust in Christ and a sincere love for Him and for His flock? At best, the answer will be an imperfect “yes.” But that imperfect “yes” is still the difference between being alive and being dead. And it is obviously a relatively common thing for a preacher to be an empty shell of a Christian, or Jesus wouldn’t have dedicated one out of these seven letters to addressing it (or two, if you count the final letter to the angel of the church in Laodicea).

Preachers must examine themselves, even as Jesus surely examines each and every one. But we have to be careful not to become judges of preachers, either, as if we could crawl into their hearts and see whether they’re truly alive or dead, whether they truly believe in the Lord Jesus or not. Here, as elsewhere, we have to put the best construction on everything and assume the best about preachers, too. We can judge false doctrine or bad practices. But we can’t judge false faith or assume false motives. That we have to leave up to the One who searches the innermost thoughts and hearts.

Of course, what is said of the pastor in Sardis could also be said about everyone who claims to be a Christian, who has a “name” for being alive. Every Christian, Paul writes, is called on to Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. You should all be doing that regularly, weekly, certainly before you go to receive Holy Communion. And if you’re having trouble, you do have a pastor who can help you to examine yourself, as a doctor examines a patient, by asking certain questions and providing a diagnosis based on your responses. In fact, that’s one of the main purposes of both confirmation, when you become a member of the church, and of private confession, where you can continually come and seek the pastor’s help in your spiritual self-examination.

As for the promises Jesus makes here, about the white garments He’ll provide and the names written in the Book of Life and confessed before His Father, let those promises spur you on to keep struggling against your sinful flesh, to keep fighting the good fight, to keep your garments undefiled, and to keep living at odds with the world, at odds with our corrupt culture, and to remain faithful until the end, faithful until death. Those blessed saints who do will walk with Christ in glory. May our names be found among theirs! Amen.

Sermon for Midweek of Reminiscere

Revelation 2:18-29

Tonight we come to the fourth letter from Jesus to His seven churches in Asia Minor, to the angel of the church in Thyatira. The situation in Thyatira sounds more or less similar to that of the church in Pergamum, which we heard about last week. As we look at this evening’s letter, we’ll note this specific emphasis, that faithfulness to Christ includes dealing with false doctrine.

The letter begins, as always, with a part of the vision of Jesus Himself that John saw in chapter 1. Here he highlights the fact that Jesus has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like bronze. He wants this pastor, and us, to remember that, as true God and true Man, He sees everything. His eyes burn through time and space, body and soul, to see the innermost thoughts and hearts of men. He sees our real motives, our real intentions. Nothing is hidden from His sight. He also wants this pastor, and us, to remember that His feet are like bronze, that is, His rule over all things, since “all things have been placed under His feet,” is both precious and unbreakable. He isn’t malleable. He doesn’t tread lightly on His enemies.

This Jesus has words of high praise for the pastor of the church in Thyatira. I know your works, and your love, and your service, and your faith, and your patience, and that your last works are more than your first. Unlike the pastor in Ephesus, who had abandoned his first love, this pastor retains it. He is no detached lecturer on pure doctrine. No, he loves the Lord and the Lord’s people and shows it with his works of love. He watches over the flock as one who serves, not as one who rules. He patiently endures trials. And, like a healthy branch growing on a vine, he is producing more and more fruit, more good works than at first.

But not all is well. I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed to idols. If you recall from last week, Pergamum’s pastor was allowing his members to be deceived by outsiders, to be dragged off and seduced to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed to idols. This pastor’s members are also being seduced to do the same things, but by a woman within the congregation.

Jesus names her Jezebel, because she resembled the wicked queen Jezebel from the Old Testament, the wife of Ahab. She seduced countless people in the northern kingdom of Israel to join with her in her adultery and idolatry. She opposed the prophet Elijah and tried to kill him. She succeeded in killing many of the Lord’s less famous prophets. But in the end, she was thrown down from a window, and the dogs ate her flesh, as the Lord had prophesied about her.

The woman in Thyatira called herself a prophetess. Notice, Jesus doesn’t call her that. He never sent her. She claimed to have special, direct revelations from God, but Jesus later calls her supposed revelations “the deep things of Satan.” Those claims of direct access to God allowed her to teach whatever she wanted under the guise of “God’s Word,” which is what false teachers often do. Sure, the Bible says, “You shall not commit adultery,” but I’ve been told by God that certain forms of sexual activity are actually pleasing to God! She successfully led many of Jesus’ servants astray. And Jesus holds the pastor in Thyatira partially responsible, because he allowed her to spread these false teachings within his church without preaching against her and without disciplining her or excommunicating her. The pastor isn’t responsible for the sins that are committed outside his church or for the doctrine that’s preached outside his church and fellowship. But he has a divinely given responsibility to deal with false doctrine and sinful practices that are being spread among his flock.

Now, even a false prophetess who was committing such grievous sins and leading others to commit them wasn’t immediately punished by Jesus, just as Jezebel wasn’t. He says, I gave her time to repent of her fornication, and she has not repented. So, Jesus informs her pastor of what He is about to do. I will cast her into a bed, that is, a sick bed, a bed of suffering. The very place where she practiced her sexual sins will become her place of suffering. And those who commit adultery with her I will cast into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death, and all the churches will know that I am he who searches the innermost thoughts and hearts.

Now, does this sound at all like the Jesus our world talks about today? Far from it! Today’s false prophets depict a Jesus who is just pure love and acceptance of everyone, who would never dare punish someone, much less call anything a sin! In fact, the Jesus who is taught in most “Christian” churches around the world is happy to let people pursue whatever sexual desires make them happy, because all He really wants is for them to be “happy” and be “themselves.” It actually sounds a lot like what Jezebel was teaching, doesn’t it?

But the real Jesus threatens severe consequences for those who live in these sins. I will give to each one of you according to your works. Now, no one’s works are good enough to save him from condemnation and hell. Outside of Christ, there is no one who does good. But when we are justified by faith in Christ, we are reborn and set free to do the things that please God, with the help of His Holy Spirit. When we do those things, God promises glory, honor, and peace. But those who insist on doing evil, without repentance, will be repaid with evil from God.

I say to you and to the rest in Thyatira, to all who do not have this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they say: I will place no other burden on you. Only hold onto what you have until I come. Here Jesus specifically addresses the whole congregation in Thyatira, not just the angel of the church. He doesn’t hold the innocent responsible for the sins of the guilty. You’ll notice, He also doesn’t call upon them to change the world around them. He simply calls upon them to “hold onto what you have,” the Word and doctrine of God, the holy Sacraments, and Spirit-wrought faith. Hold onto it, He says. Don’t let anyone move you from it. It’ll be enough to sustain you until I come.

Then Jesus promises two gifts to the one who overcomes and perseveres until the end: As for the one who overcomes and keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations. And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; like vessels of clay, they will be shattered, as I have received from my Father. The first gift is the authority to reign with Christ, to share in His authority. Right now, the nations seem to have far too much authority over God’s people, and they certainly abuse it. But in the end, when Christ comes, those who have remained faithful to Him will be the ones ruling.

The second promise: And I will give him the morning star. What does the morning star symbolize? At the end of Revelation, Jesus says, “I am the bright morning star.” He promises to give us Himself. What more could we ask?

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

So what is the Spirit saying to our church in particular in this letter that He would have us hear? Does He know your pastor’s love, service, faith, patience, and growth in good works? I hope so. It’s certainly my goal. But you can be the judge of that, even as Christ is the true Judge of it. Does He know those same things in our congregation? I think so. May it continue to be our conscious goal!

What about the rebuke and warning? Do we both deal with false doctrine in our midst and take care not to be seduced into sexual sins and sins of idolatry? False doctrine can be taught in more than one way, even by one’s example, and it’s a very common thing for people to claim direct revelation from God, as this “Jezebel” did, either through their feelings, or through their private interpretation of Scripture, or through actual whisperings from God, which are more likely the deep things of Satan.

As a pastor, I did once have a member who claimed direct revelation from God, personal messages from God. She valued those personal interactions with God more highly than anything she ever heard from the pulpit. She even criticized me for placing so much emphasis on “the written Word” or the preached Word. She wasn’t shy about sharing her encounters with God and her messages from God, and she could have been a bad influence on other members. The truth is, I should have done something about it. But I was newly arrived, and a large part of the congregation at that time would have seen it as “mean” and “judgmental” and “divisive” if I had dealt with it. We would have surely lost several members over it at the time. So, while I did warn her in private and made sure my preaching was clear from the pulpit about the dangers of these private “revelations,” in the end, I didn’t really deal with it.

On the other hand, together we have made sure over the years not to allow false doctrine to be tolerated within our fellowship, like objective/subjective justification and the twisting of the holy office of the ministry. Because, when you knowingly and willingly remain in fellowship with those who teach false doctrine, you become participants with them and enablers of them.

As for being seduced into sexual immorality, see how seriously God opposes it in His Word, both for the sins themselves, and because adultery and idolatry go hand in hand. People worship the creature instead of the Creator. Their passions and desires become their gods. We have to be continually on guard against such sins in this corrupt world and in these corrupt times.

So hold onto what you have! Remember, Jesus doesn’t command you to “change the world” or to “fix society” or to “create a slice of heaven on earth.” Watch out for false doctrine and deal with it, if it enters our church in any form. And hold onto the deposit of pure doctrine, of true faith that is accompanied by love and the other virtues. When Jesus comes, you will have a reward, if He finds you still persevering in repentance and faith. May God grant it, for Jesus’ sake! Amen.