"God Guards the House"

Text: Matthew 24:37-44

Grace, mercy, and peace be yours as you enter a new Church year of service to our Savior God, who alone is truly worthy of our praise, service, and adoration. Amen.

Dear Fellow Watchers, we have entered a new Church Year, and I would like to begin with a simple, albeit blunt question about endings: When and where will you die? Besides blunt, this is, admittedly, a rather serious and sobering question. Many – perhaps a solid majority – are very uncomfortable with such thoughts or questions. In fact it is not at all uncommon to find even grown men and women who have never even allowed their minds to consider questions about their own demise, let alone face the odds-on reality of the thing. Human beings, for the most part, are not comfortable with contemplating our own deaths, or the passing of a loved one. As soon as the general thought begins to take shape in our minds, we mentally wave in away like a fly hovering above the banquet table.

Each of us here, as Christians, is obviously well aware that physical death is a passage to a greater and closer existence with our God. We can therefore look upon death with the eyes of faith and see that it holds anticipation rather than fear. Still it remains true that the human body was not originally created to die. God created us to live. Death therefore represents uncharted waters – an unknown – since we have no close friend or family member who has died and then returned to render even a five minute synopsis of the adventure. When it comes to personal experience, our human intellect knows that it must sail into the hereafter without any sort of a map or compass crafted by human hands. We have naught but the general impressions from what the world considers an outdated and flawed book. So it is that whenever we Christians face the end of life here as we have come to know it, we struggle with that strange mixture of eager anticipation, uncertainty, and apprehension. This sums up how most Christians regard that event that we all must face, if our Savior does not return before we are called home.

So then we return to our original question: When and where will you die? The answer, for all but a rare and select few, is "We have no idea." Hear that answer well, for it will play a key role in the text we are about to study – words from our Savior God concerning the end of time and the start of our full participation in his heavenly kingdom. Our text is found in Matthew's Gospel, the 24^th Chapter:

^NKJ Matthew 24:37-44 "But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ³⁸ "For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, ³⁹ "and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ⁴⁰ "Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. ⁴¹ "Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. ⁴² "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. ⁴³ "But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. ⁴⁴ "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."

So far the very words given to us by God the Holy Spirit through the pen of his servant Matthew. With confidence and excitement we study these words, trusting in the Lord's promise to strengthen and bless us through the study of his Word. In preparation we pray, “Sanctify us through your truth, O Lord. Your word is truth.” Amen.

When the Lord decides that it is time for us to go home, he can and will end our time of grace in whatever manner he sees fit. It is probably safe to assume that everyone here has heard stories of strange and unusual events that claimed one or more human lives. I knew a man, for example, who was killed by a peanut butter sandwich, of all things. Apparently it lodged in his windpipe, and that was that. I also recall anther such story where a piece of sheet metal flew off of a truck and lodged under the vehicle following behind it (a family van) rupturing its gas tank. Sparks from the metal grinding on the highway ignited the fuel that began pouring out, and all of the riders in the van were killed. Nor can a timid soul lock himself in his house and hope to remain forever secure. Several years ago I remember hearing of a man so paranoid about germs that he lined the inside of his house with plastic sheeting – sealing every possible avenue for outside air to enter his home. He died within the week from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Our society has come to label such things as "freak accidents." There is, in fact, no such thing as an accident that just happens to take a human life. God holds all life in his hand, and even the death of a sparrow must be authorized by him. For Satan even to torment the child of God (without actually taking his life) he must have God's permission – as when the devil had to gain God's permission before each step of torment of Job. You will recall that Satan never was given permission to take Job's life. What that means is that no matter how bleak and how "near death" Job must have appeared to his wife and friends, his life was every bit as solid, every bit as secure, as was theirs.

The bottom line here is that God alone knows and determines the end point of our time of grace. What does this mean in practical terms? It means that the Christian soldier in Iraq is no more likely to die than is the Christian schoolteacher, musician, or plumber. If God determines that it would be best for one of his children to come home, that child will come home – no matter if he carries a pencil, a wrench, or a rifle to work. If it is God's will that a time of grace be lengthened, that time will be lengthened no matter how great or ominous the danger.

King David, who knew life as both a warrior and a poet, acknowledged the comforting truth that we rest under God's protection at all time when he wrote in Psalm 31:15, "My times are in Your hands." David had learned the hard way that pitched battle with the Philistines was actually no more deadly than playing the harp for Saul. You will recall that Saul once tried to pin David to the wall with his javelin while David was playing his harp. Such a thing could only be true when an all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving God is in control of our lives, and that is exactly what we have and enjoy in our triune God.

While such information is both true and comforting, why exactly do we mention such things in connection with our text for this morning? Look again at that text. There we hear the Savior himself warn us to "watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming." The "coming of our Lord" has wider application for us than just his Second Coming to judge the world. In reality our own personal "coming of our Lord" takes place at the moment of our death. Remember Jesus' words to the dying convert hanging next to him: "Today you will be with me in paradise." Jesus could rightly say "today" because he knew that time itself was about to end for that man – that he was even then living in his last day. Our minds simply cannot comprehend how time interfaces with eternity, or even how, upon entering eternity, the man would that day be with Jesus, when Jesus himself did not return bodily to heaven for another 43 days. We leave such puzzles to God.

What we do know is that this man was given a rare and unique gift. This man knew, by the word of the Son of God himself, not only that he was going to heaven, but he knew the "day" of his departure and arrival. You and I will probably never know such things, no matter how bright the outlook or how dark, since we have a God who can prevent the inevitable and bring about the impossible. This leaves us with one option, and one option only: Watch, and be ready.

Great advice, obviously, and we would all be well served to remind ourselves often of the value of this warning. These are the words, after all, of Jesus himself.

Yet there is more here. There is an element to Jesus' warning that we often overlook or forget. Jesus not only told us to watch, he also added these words: "But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."

We probably all have pet irritants that come up from time to time in books or movies. For some it is the ditzy blonde who hears a strange noise in the cellar and goes down to investigate armed only with an orange peeler and a hairbrush. (Not sure what she intends to do if she finds someone down there, which she always does.) I personally always wonder why those defending key military installations, or manning forward positions on the front line, don't just go to bed early, get a good night's sleep, and set their alarm clocks for 2:45 a.m. This would give them plenty of time to wake up, take in a good hot cup of coffee, check their email, and still get into position for the enemy assault, which always begins at exactly 3:00 a.m. – which (as everyone knows) is when "the human metabolism is at its lowest ebb."

Don't you find yourself shaking your head and muttering to yourself, "Only in the movies"? Apply those same words, that same sentiment here, to this text, for those words are never more true than they are in connection with our text and the arrival of the end. Only in the movies would so-called Bible experts be able to point to obscure events and hidden numerology in the words of the Bible and thereby claim to know – even approximately – the appointed time of Christ's return. The point, again, is that all we know is that we won't know; we won't be able to guess or anticipate the exact time.

You and I are then left with one of three options: Live as though you are never ready; live as though you are sometimes ready; or live day by day as always ready to meet your Lord. Who here would not choose the third? Who would even want to take a chance on option two – living as ready only some of the time? The comforting truth here is that there really are only two options, not three. In life you are either ready or not. The key is in knowing not when or how you are going to die, or even when Jesus is going to return. The key is in knowing how anyone can live always ready for either, and at any time. The key, as always, is Jesus Christ and him crucified.

To know and believe in Jesus Christ is to live prepared to meet him at any given moment. Jesus is the only means whereby we can stand without condemnation of any kind in the presence of a holy God on Judgment Day. Since God the Father has transferred our debt of sin onto his Son, and has therefore declared every sinner to be not guilty, our sins, no matter how black, can no longer condemn us. This great truth is clearly taught throughout the Bible, yet there remains something in each of us that imagines that we will be saved or lost according to whatever we happen to be doing at the moment our time of grace is ended. If this were true, not only would our hope for heaven be a roll of the dice at best, it would also mean that very few will ever be saved, and that we are, in the end, saved by our own actions. This, we know, is altogether false. You stand ready every moment of every day through faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior, or you are never ready. Jesus won forgiveness for every one of your sins, or he has won forgiveness for none of them.

But then what is this about "guarding the house" that Jesus spoke of in our text? Is Jesus telling us here that there is, after all, some activity or good work in which we must be engaged in that we might prevent the thief from breaking in and stealing our souls or our faith prior to Jesus' return? Is there then, in the end, something that is required of human beings to maintain, if not create, saving faith? No, there is not. In fact just the opposite is true, and that is the invaluable lesson that Jesus is here teaching. The point that Jesus makes is that the master of the house will never know the exact time. It is therefore impossible for him to turn away the attacker and be ready at the critical moment. If he could have known, Jesus tells us, he would have acted. But he cannot know, just as you and I can never know, and that is the point. We would therefore live in sheer terror if not for the fact that our eternal wellbeing rests in the uniquely capable hands of our God. He alone will never let us down.

Are there those things that we can do to strengthen the faith that alone can save? The strength is always of God, but we can, of course, expose ourselves to those gifts that God has given us for our strengthening, comfort, and assurance. You are doing just that by reading or listening to this sermon. Such strengthening is also offered in Holy Communion, in private Bible reading, and in public Bible Study. In the end, however, we never rely on what we do, but on what Jesus did. We rely always and only upon our Savior and his goodness. He has washed us clean, redeemed us, saved us. Eagerly then we watch for his certain arrival. In him we are most certainly prepared. Therefore run the way of his commandments in eager anticipation of the end of days – confident that you are safe and secure under the loving protection of your God and Savior. Amen.

Scripture Readings and Sunday Bulletin for December 2, 2007

^NKJ Isaiah 2:1-5 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. ² Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. ³ Many people shall come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. ⁴ He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. ⁵ O house of Jacob, come and let us walk in the light of the LORD.

^NKJ Romans 13:11-14 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. ¹² The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. ¹³ Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. ¹⁴ But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

^NKJ Matthew 24:37-44 "But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ³⁸ "For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, ³⁹ "and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ⁴⁰ "Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. ⁴¹ "Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. ⁴² "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. ⁴³ "But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. ⁴⁴ "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

ST. PAUL EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH

2510 E. Divide Ave.

Bismarck, ND 58501 (701) 223-4885 Cell: (701) 226-8510

Website – www.bismarcklutheran.org

Mr. Mark Johnson, President (222-1855) Mrs. Eileen McEnroe, Organist

Michael Roehl, Pastor

First Sunday of the Church Year – December 2, 2007

The Opening Prayer by the Pastor

The Opening Hymn ‑#705- (Brown Hymnal)

"Come O Long Expected Jesus"

The Order of Service – Supplement page 12ff. (Brown Hymnal)

The Scripture Lessons: (Printed on the back page of this bulletin)

The Old Testament Lesson: (Isaiah 2:1-5) It takes eyes of faith to see the truth. This is certainly true in our first lesson this morning, where the Holy Spirit through Isaiah gives a preview of the rise of Christianity and the peace which comes to those who know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Psalm of the Day – Psalm 24 (Supplement page 25) (Brown Hymnal)

The New Testament Lesson: (Romans 13:11-14) Our Epistle Lesson warns against the very sins that are most common among the unbelievers during "the holidays." Let it not be so among us. Our Lord came to sacrifice Himself for us. Let each of us therefore live each moment as is fitting His ambassadors, and to serve as lights in a sin-darkened world.

The Confession of Faith ‑

The Apostolic Creed – page 15. (Brown Hymnal)

The Pre-Sermon Hymn ‑#63- (Red Hymnal) (Melody of Hymn 780)

"On Jordan's Bank the Baptist's Cry"

The Sermon – Text: Matthew 24:37-44 (Printed on the back page)

"God Guards the House"

The Offertory – (Supplement page 16 insert)

The Post-Sermon Hymn -#528- (Verses 1-5) (Red Hymnal)

"If God Himself Be for Me"

The Offering Hymn ‑#788- (Verses 1 & 3) (Brown Hymnal)

"Lord You Love the Cheerful Giver"

The Prayers of the Day followed by the Lord's Prayer

The Benediction

The Closing Hymn -#56- (Verses 1 & 5) (Brown Hymnal)

"Jesus Came, the Heavens Adoring"

Silent Prayer

Attendance ‑ Last Sunday (53) 2007 Average (55)

This Week at St. Paul:

Today -10:00 a.m. – Worship Service

-11:00 a.m. – Fellowship Hour

Wednesday -5:45 p.m. – Confirmation & Bible History

-7:00 p.m. – Midweek Advent Service

Next Sunday -8:45 a.m. – Sunday School and Bible Class

-10:00 a.m. – Worship Service w/ Holy Communion

-11:15 a.m. – Fellowship Hour

Advent Services Begin – The first of our three midweek Advent services is scheduled for this Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.

Confirmation and Bible History Classes – Parents and students please note that Confirmation and Bible History classes begin 15 minutes early during Advent (5:45 p.m. instead of 6:00 p.m.) Please bring any scheduling conflicts to the attention of the Pastor.

Outreach Committee Meeting – The Outreach Committee would like to remind all members of St. Paul to look over the outreach "menu" to determine what project you might be interested in adopting. For some it might work better to coordinate with another family or two and share a project. The bottom line is that outreach is the calling, responsibility, and privilege of every Christian. Please consider how you too might participate in this vital work. For more information please see either the Chairman of the Outreach Committee Mike McEnroe or the Pastor.

Usher and Cleaning Schedule – The Church Council is in the process of finalizing the Usher and Cleaning Schedule for 2008. Please bring any suggestions or necessary changes to the attention of Secretary Fred Adams.

Annual Voters' Meeting – The Annual Voters' Meeting is scheduled for December 16^th, and will be held in conjunction with a fellowship meal.

CLC Basketball Tournament – This year's tournament is scheduled for March 13-15. Please contact Pastor Roehl if your child is interested in participating this year so that we can plan ahead.