Remember the End of the Race

[00:00:00] Peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. [00:00:12] This hymn is. [00:00:15] Well, it's the Te Deum Laudamus, which we sing in matins every great once in a while. [00:00:22] But it's a really important hymn, you know, based on a psalm and has been used liturgically since the beginning of Christianity. So we should probably sing that hymn more. This is a more recent version of it. Kind of cool, because it's exciting, and it is exciting, the story of Jesus and how he's. [00:00:49] Well, how he's provided for us, how he's given us a good ending to look forward to. [00:00:56] He was crucified for us, placed in a tomb, but he rose from the dead and won for us salvation and life. [00:01:06] Now he sits in splendid glory, enthroned at God's right hand. He's upholding earth and heaven by forces that he commands. And we know that he will come as our judge that final day. [00:01:20] And so we pray, help your servants you have redeemed by your blood. [00:01:25] And may we with saints be numbered where praise is never ending, glory everlasting. Amen, O Lord. Amen. [00:01:35] Boy, if I thought about that every morning when I woke up, you know, and prayed, that would be a real gift, to see the end before I begin, before I face the challenges of the day, the challenges of life. [00:01:56] So we're going to kind of keep that in mind and go to the gospel reading. [00:02:02] The gospel reading, it starts off this way. Jesus was coming out of the Temple, and as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, look, teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings. The temple really was magnificent. [00:02:23] A massive building with very large stones. If you go to Jerusalem today, you can see, well, some of the stones lying in a heap down below the Temple Mount. They're really big stones. [00:02:38] You can just imagine. I mean, it was a huge engineering feat when it was built. [00:02:45] Beautiful. I guess. That's Herod's temple. He rebuilt the temple after it had been destroyed by the Babylonians. [00:02:54] So it was the second Temple, but a truly magnificent building. So they're looking at it and they're saying, wow, this is so cool. This is magnificent. And Jesus is saying, look, you're paying attention to the wrong thing. So he doesn't even. [00:03:13] Doesn't seem to respond. He is responding to what they're saying, but he just sort of diverts their attention away from the appearance of magnificence, and he directs them to the end. [00:03:25] He's like, don't read the story Based on what you see right now, this looks magnificent. [00:03:33] But if you're trusting in the magnificence of this temple, you're going to be sorely disappointed because it's going to be destroyed. Interestingly, Jesus actually, in the Gospel of John, he talks about the temple and how it's going to be destroyed. And then it says he was talking about the temple of his body. [00:03:52] He's talking about his own body, that it was going to be destroyed. [00:03:59] Don't think, like, the disciples did, like, okay, now is the time, Jesus, we've got you. And then be disappointed when he dies. You're like, wait a second. [00:04:10] I thought Jesus was going to win, but there he is on the cross. [00:04:17] Don't judge by appearances. Like, all right, we've got you in the flesh here, and this is going to be great. [00:04:24] Let me sit at your right hand and then argue about that. [00:04:29] Well, you could say the same about the apostles. Like, the apostles, you know, here, they're. I guess they're disciples. They haven't been sent out. Apostle means just somebody who's sent, right? [00:04:42] But they're saying, wow, what beautiful stones and what beautiful temple. Jesus talks about the temple as his body, right? [00:04:50] They're similar in the sense that they're, well, in death, we disintegrate, right? [00:04:58] We are like a temple that's built up and then the temple is broken. Well, that's the same thing with our bodies in death, as death. As we return as dust, we return to dust. It's that same kind of image. So you could look at the disciples after the resurrection of Jesus and he sends them out and they're armed with this. Like, don't think everything's just going to be fun, you know, fine and dandy because you have your health now or because I'm ruling and reigning over all things. And it's such, like, don't look at the temple of your bodies and think, well, this is just going to be great. [00:05:44] Be prepared. [00:05:49] Don't have false hope in earthly things. [00:05:56] Here are just some of the things that are going to happen. There are going to be wars and rumors of wars and earthquakes and nations rising against nations and kingdoms against kingdoms. [00:06:08] But be on your guard because you are in danger, too. [00:06:13] They will deliver you over to councils and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake to bear witness before them. [00:06:23] The gospel is going to be proclaimed to all nations. When they bring you to trial and deliver you over, it's like, wow, yikes. [00:06:33] He says, don't be anxious because the Holy Spirit is going to be speaking through you. [00:06:41] Don't be anxious. [00:06:44] Things are going to look really bad. But don't judge by appearances. See, it goes both ways. Like, don't be in awe of earthly things and distracted by them and putting your trust in them. [00:06:57] But then when those earthly things are falling apart, don't be plunged into despair by the loss of what seemed worthy of attention and worthy of your hope. [00:07:12] Remember the end. [00:07:15] Remember the end of the story. [00:07:19] This is why Jesus tells them now he's about to be crucified. [00:07:23] So there's kind of a double encouragement here. He's going to be crucified. And it's like, don't despair. Right? But then, well, you could say they're going to be crucified. [00:07:36] Don't despair. [00:07:40] We have this same kind of double temptation today. There are two ways to fall off a horse, Luther liked to say. [00:07:47] And we today could look at the way things are going and get all hopeful and excited or be plunged into despair. [00:07:59] People are on both ends of that spectrum politically, right? [00:08:04] Excited about the new president or concerned about the new president. [00:08:09] And well, in both cases, this is. The earthly things are important, but this is not the end of the story. [00:08:19] The end of the story doesn't come with a new president. Either way. [00:08:26] The end of the story comes with the return of our King Jesus. And so we're encouraged in whatever circumstances we find ourselves to look to the end that Jesus will return, that he's coming in glory, and that he's coming with, well, with glory for his people. [00:08:47] The end of our first reading again. [00:08:50] Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above. And those who turn many to righteousness like the stars, forever and ever. [00:09:10] I was asked this morning, why does Daniel say many here? I'm going to give it a shot. Okay. Been thinking about this. [00:09:22] Thank you for the question. Why does he say, many who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake? [00:09:30] Aren't they all going to be raised from the dead? We have plenty of Bible passages that say all the dead will be raised, some to everlasting life and some to everlasting contempt. [00:09:42] But here we hear, many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake. [00:09:50] Okay, so when there's a difficulty like that, you gotta sometimes think a little bit creatively. [00:09:57] I think this would work. [00:10:02] We think of those who sleep in the dust as those who have died physically, like, literally, they're placed in the ground and they go back to the dust. [00:10:14] But, well, we have a different perspective from God's word. We recognize that there are two kinds of death. [00:10:22] There's physical death and there's spiritual death. [00:10:27] And, well, physical death kind of expresses spiritual death in a way that we can see. So Adam and Eve, sin in the Garden of Eden. And, well, their nature starts coming undone physically because spiritually it's already started coming undone. How did God create Adam? [00:10:50] He made him from the dust, and then he breathed into him the breath of life, the spirit of life. [00:10:58] We were given God's spirit in creation so that in our inner life, our thoughts and desires, our understanding of ourselves and of God, so that all of that would come from him. And that's what it truly means to live is to receive from God through faith, to receive our inner life, our spiritual life, from God. [00:11:26] Adam and Eve, they gave that up by turning to the serpent. [00:11:30] And so they. I mean, they were giving up the spirit of God. They were giving up his perspective, his understanding, his life. And so God says, dust you are, to dust you shall return by giving up God's spirit. They died. [00:11:49] They died spiritually. [00:11:52] So many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth, well, you could say that those who reject God, which is, well, all of our nature as descendants of Adam and Eve, except by God's grace. [00:12:15] By giving up God's spirit, we're giving up life. We're sleeping in the dust of the earth. We are earthly, so Paul says. As we've borne the image of the earthly man, so let us bear the image of the heavenly man. [00:12:28] Jesus Christ has come to us, to us, dust in order to breathe into us. He came to his disciples after the resurrection from the dead, and he breathed on them. The Holy Spirit said, received the Holy Spirit. He was recreating them, recreating them to be the way that he intended. [00:12:52] Jesus came to our world to give life to those who were dead, spiritually dead. [00:13:00] Many of those who sleep in the dust. See, I'll just bring it back to this for a second. The question. [00:13:09] Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth, right? Well, we're all right. But not all have finished their race. Not all have died and will be raised from the dead when Jesus comes back. I don't know if that actually works anyway, but I'll just slip it in. [00:13:29] This is the hope that we have, that we have. [00:13:34] Well, we have died in Adam spiritually, but We've been given life in the new Adam, Jesus Christ, so that no matter what happens to us, we have the hope of resurrection from the dead in Jesus Christ. He has come to make God known to us, to restore us, to restore life in us, to restore us to the way that God intended us to be. And so no matter what happens, we have hope. [00:14:11] To say a little bit about Caro Kassan and Edris Hilt, it was a real joy to see their faith in the Lord here. They have returned to dust, so to speak, in an earthly fashion. But they have life in Jesus, Jesus living in them. [00:14:33] And they held onto him to the end. [00:14:36] We sang in the hymn, may we, like saints, be numbered in glory. We said in our prayer of the day, release us from the bonds of our sins, which by reason of our weakness, we have brought upon ourselves that we may stand firm until the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. [00:15:00] We have many examples among us of those who have stood firm, who are standing firm. And those who have stood firm, may we with them be numbered by faith in Jesus Christ. [00:15:17] We're surrounded by distractions, earthly distractions that could make us excited, make us despair. And the challenge is not to put our hope in those things. That's why we're together. It's because we have the end. Where does the end come from? Like, how do we know how this is all going to end? [00:15:42] Not by appearances, not by what we can see, not by extrapolating the end from our circumstances. [00:15:52] It's by God's word. [00:15:54] God's word that comes to us from outside of us. Like, you can't make it up. [00:16:01] It's just what God tells us. All we have is what God tells us. [00:16:05] That's a lot. [00:16:06] Jesus Christ will return, that he's conquered all of our enemies and his enemies. Nothing can stop him. And he's promised life to you, no matter what, in him. [00:16:21] So we run our race. [00:16:24] Lord, keep well. Release us from the bonds of sin. He has. He's forgiven our sins. [00:16:32] He's offered to sacrifice for all time. [00:16:39] But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. That sacrifice covers you and me. Our sins are forgiven. [00:16:51] He sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet by a single offering. He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. [00:17:05] He's perfected for all time those who are being sanctified, those who are being holy. [00:17:10] He's made them. He's already perfected them. [00:17:16] You and I, we have sins and difficulties daily to confront. [00:17:24] Jesus Christ has offered himself for us, for our forgiveness and given us holiness, righteousness, forgiveness of sins. [00:17:36] I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more. He says that even as we are being sanctified before we've been totally purged of sin and cleansed in experience. [00:17:52] He says, I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more. Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through his flesh, through the curtain, and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith. With our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering. For he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near. [00:18:50] We're called to gather like this together, to be immersed in God's word, to be immersed in the good ending, to give us strength and focus as we fight the fight of faith every day. [00:19:06] I thank God for you, for your fellowship in the Gospel, for the way that you speak God's word and model it, embody it for me daily and well. Let this be our focus in our prayer. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful in Jesus name. Amen.