Sermon Nov. 30, 1997 Text: Luke 21:25-28 "Lift Up Your Heads" Advent begins today. We celebrate the season of Advent for the four Sundays prior to Christmas. Advent means "coming" or "arrival." He who is coming is Jesus Christ, the center and focus of our faith. Advent represents three different "comings" of Christ. First, there is the coming which happened in the past, just over 2000 years ago, in 5 or 4 BC. This coming of Christ in human form was for the purpose of living a perfect life, dying for our sins, and rising again. The next coming of Christ is in the present, His coming to us in faith. Jesus comes to live in us, when the Holy Spirit creates faith. He comes to us in the means of grace, the Word and Sacraments. He comes to us today with His very body and blood in the Lord's Supper. His Word comes to us through our Liturgy, our Scripture readings, the sermon, our group Bible Study, and our private Bible Study. In our worship, our Savior comes to us. The services are called Divine Services because the "divine one," Jesus Christ, comes to be present with us and serve us with His means of grace. Christ comes to us in the "now." Finally there is the future coming of Christ, when He will return to judge all the world after separating out all who are faithful and trusting in Him. This coming has been the focus of the last three Sundays of the Church Year, which we just completed. The second coming is the focus of the first Sunday in Advent. Therefore, we continue this theme for four Sundays in total. Our Gospel reading today from Luke is the parallel reading to that which we had two Sundays ago from Mark. Matthew, Mark, and Luke are the three Gospels which contain many of the same situations and words and therefore they are called the Synoptic Gospels. What Mark reported by and large is the same as Luke reported. Luke includes some details that are missing from Matthew and Mark, however. In these features unique to Luke we will find the focus of our message. Luke gives the signs of the world's end and the coming judgment. There will be disturbances in the heavenly bodies. The sun, moon, and stars will show something dramatic is about to occur. These heavenly bodies will be shaken, as if God reached in with His giant and powerful arm and shook them. I have not been in an earthquake, so I cannot imagine things shaking very well. However, even if you have been in an earthquake, I would 1 suggest seeing the sun, moon, and stars shake is a whole lot more disturbing. These are just the signs in the sky. On earth there will be nations in anguish. The sea will be roaring and tossing. Perhaps huge waves which destroy anything in their path are something that will not be missed or mistaken when they occur. Indeed the impact upon the people will be great. Thus our text says men will faint from terror. They will be apprehensive of what is coming. Many will fear these cataclysmic events. They will not know what to think. They will fear for their lives. They will fear the unknown. Fear so intense it will cause people to faint. What will come next should be feared, for the Son of Man will appear next. Jesus almost always uses the title "Son of Man" to refer to Himself. The Son of Man will appear in a cloud. This is the same way Jesus ascended and also promised to return. Our text reports that "they" will see this return of the Son of Man. Who is the group referred to as "they?" They are the same ones who fear. They are people in general. In fact, the parallel account in Matthew 24 tells us that all nations will mourn when they see the coming. This then tells us that all people will see Jesus return. Another reason for anxiety at not knowing the date of the end of the world, as we spoke of last Sunday, is that some people are concerned with recognizing Jesus when He returns. They are fearful that if they do not notice Jesus they will miss their chance to go with Him. This anxiety is mistaken, for we can tell from the Scriptures that all people will know when Jesus will return. So, first of all, no one will have trouble telling that it is Jesus who has returned. We won't have any issues with Jesus having to tell people that He is here. It is not like David Koresh having to try to convince the world that He is Jesus returned. Rather, we will all be able to see Jesus for ourselves and will have no trouble being convinced that it is He who has returned. Secondly, this anxiety is mistaken, because Jesus will gather us together when He comes. Just like everything else in our relationship with God, He does everything, we just receive. The same holds true for the end, when Jesus will show Himself to us and gather all the faithful to their heavenly home. It does not depend upon our actions, but only on Christ's. What will it look like when Jesus comes? Besides coming in the cloud, it says in our text that Jesus will appear with "power and great glory." We can't tell what this will look like. Hollywood inspired speculation might suggest that He come with lightning bolts or in a tremendous size. The 2 very fact that we are dealing with God, however, suggests that we cannot even conceive of how great the demonstration will be of the Lord's power and glory. We are dealing with God who is all powerful and has hundreds of millions of angels to serve Him. For sure, we will not be able to mistake the power and glory present with the second coming of Jesus. In the presence of this powerful and glorious Son of Man, what will become of us? Our Psalm today raised the question: "Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy place?" The Psalm is considering the matter of who can come near to God. Then it provides the answer: "He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false He will receive blessing from the LORD and --- vindication from God his Savior." We don't like to read things like this. This is law that points us to our deficiencies. No, our hands are not clean for they have been dirtied by the many sins of our lives. No, our hearts are not pure, for they are corrupt and constantly thinking up new evil. We also constantly struggle to keep our focus on our Lord God and off of the various idol ds which fill our lives. We struggle to stick to -go the truth and avoid the false. Who will receive vindication from the Lord. Will that be you? The second half of the Psalm and the first hymn today, which is based on it, give an appropriate response to this coming of Jesus Christ. The second half of the Psalm is worded as if speaking to a gate or door of a city. The gate should lift up its head, that is open, as should the door. The gate and door should open to let in the King. This king is glorious and mighty in battle. Our King Jesus Christ has been in battle against satan and was mighty in that battle where satan was defeated. Now, even the gate and door of the city should honor the coming, returning King. Our text too suggests that something be lifted up when the King of Glory comes. It says, "When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." When Jesus comes, lift up your heads. Don't let them hang in sorrow, depression, or fear. Lift it up, stand tall, be of good cheer, because your redemption is drawing near. The one who redeemed you is here. The completion of your redemption is at hand. In redemption we are "bought back" from our sins. We are purchased or redeemed from our deserved punishment. The cost of the redemption was paid by our Savior. When Christ returns our salvation will be brought to a completion. Our response to the end is great joy and celebration. The end has come. The rescuer is here. You can imagine someone stranded in their car in a snow storm. The blizzard roars outside. When a rescuer comes to their car and knocks on the window, they don't hang their head. No, they will lift their head as they realize their redemption is drawing near. They are about to be saved. 3 "Stand up and lift up your heads," says our text. The Christian's response to the end will be unique. Many will shrink in terror. We instead will stand tall. We know what is coming, where as the non-Christian can only fear what is coming for him. And his fear will not even approach the terror of what he will experience. The Christian knows that his sins are forgiven. He knows that, though his hands are unclean and his heart impure, Christ will vindicate him, that is clear him of all charges against him. He knows that, though he has worshipped idols and sworn by what is false, Christ will vindicate him. Indeed our Psalm expressed this good news when it said: "He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior." God his Savior is the gospel phrase here. Though we are sinners, we know that God is our Savior from our sins. All those who trust in Jesus Christ as Savior from sins will know and experience God as Savior. This good news is what our first hymn also expressed. "Lift up your heads, you mighty gates! Behold the King of glory waits. The King of kings is drawing near, The savior of the world is here. He brings salvation down to earth. Greet him with shouts of holy mirth." This hymn continues in the second verse: "The righteous King is bringing peace; He comes the pris'ners to release. His royal crown, self-sacrifice, Its jewel, mercy without price. He brings our sorrows to an end. 4 Shout out your joy to God, our friend." Jesus is indeed the righteous King, for He lived a perfect life without sin. He is the righteous branch from David's line, a human descendant through Mary. This righteous king is bringing peace. We have peace from the war between us and God on account of our sins. Jesus comes to bring this to an end. He comes to release the prisoners of sin, that is you and I who are bound by our sinful flesh. He comes to let us go from that bondage. Jesus has earned His crown due to His work of self-sacrifice. Jesus gave Himself up on the cross and this is His foremost accomplishment for us. This royal crown He wears from His death for us is a crown beyond all price, for the value of our salvation is greater than all the gold in the world. By His coming again, Jesus will bring our sorrows to an end. We no longer will experience the depression of living in a sin-drenched world of ours. Instead we will welcome of coming heavenly bliss. When He comes, our response is to shout for joy. We will shout for joy to God, who is not our enemy, but our friend. We have the signs of the end. We ought not be discouraged as this world falls apart. Rather than seeing that as a sign of things getting worse, see it as a sign of things which are going to get better. "When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." Lift up your heads, you children of the mighty redeemer. Stand tall you who are blessed and vindicated by our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 5