Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel
to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language
and people. He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because
the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the
earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
- Revelation 14:6,7, The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan
Publishing House) 1984.
Dear Friends in Christ,
It may be helpful to begin with a few general comments on the Book of Revelation. Those of us who have spent time (or attempted to do so) in Revelation know it is unlike any other book in the New Testament. Since much of it has to do with symbols and numbers and images, it is often difficult to understand, and sometimes the entire book is labeled as "mysterious."
Nevertheless, there is a central theme throughout the book that is not at all mysterious and not at all difficult to understand, and when it comes to Revelation we don’t want to miss the spiritual forest because of the trees. That theme is: Despite all opposition and persecution from both within and without, the good news of the gospel will never be silenced.
Today’s text is a testimony to this theme. The chapter and a half before it tells us that the church will be under attack but will ultimately triumph. Our text follows and buttresses this message by speaking of the eternal gospel – that is, the good news that both brings eternal life and will be preached eternally, to the end of time.
Throughout history we can find countless illustrations of the fact that God’s Word will never be silenced, even in the face of great opposition. In the early years of the church, for example, when Christians were being put to death for nothing more than being Christians, a believer by the name of Tertullian made the comment that far from eradicating Christianity, in reality "the blood of martyrs became the seed of the church." And so the Lord sustained his church even in the most difficult of times.
Today we as Lutherans gather in grateful remembrance of another difficult period when the theme of Revelation played itself out in history. The time: roughly 500 years ago. In this case, the enemy was within. The persecution did not endanger bodies, but souls. The prevailing religious idea about eternal salvation was the uncertainty of work righteousness. Entrance into heaven was based on performance here on earth. The verbally inspired Word of God found itself taking a back seat to the traditions of men. But the gospel would never be silenced… So, true to His promise, God addressed the situation.
Our text speaks of the eternal Gospel being proclaimed by an angel. What’s an angel? No doubt a number of things come to mind, but according to its simplest meaning an angel is a messenger. And in the midst of this disturbing period God raised up many people in general, but one in particular, the man Martin Luther, as a messenger to return the Gospel to its deserved place as the heart of the Christian faith.
This morning, as we consider our text and what it means for us both in the past and the present, let us use as our theme for the day the title of our final hymn:
GOD’S WORD IS OUR GREAT HERITAGE
What shall we do with this great heritage? Following the thought of our text, let us
1. Glorify God for it
2. Spread it
3. Stand firm in it
Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth – to every nation, tribe, language and people. He said in a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water." Why should we give God glory? Our text suggests a couple of reasons…
First, because He is the One who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water. In other words, He is our Creator and when are His creatures. We glorify Him because He created us. And He created us so we could have a relationship with Him…
Which leads to the second suggestion: we glorify Him because we do have a relationship with Him. The eternal gospel has not only been proclaimed to us, but through power of the Holy Spirit has taken root in our hearts. In other words, we know the Gospel! Specifically, this means…
We know who Jesus Christ is. We know He is not just some historical figure who lived in the Holy Land 2000 years ago. We know He is more than just a great teacher. We know that Jesus Christ is true man and true God. We know is that 2000 years ago something happened that has never happened before or after – heaven intersected with earth, God became man and lived among us for 33 years.
Equally important is to know (as we do!) what He has done for us. Jesus was our perfect substitute, fulfilling all the demands that God makes of us, His creatures. Then He died for us, again as our substitute, taking upon Himself on the cross of Calvary the punishment for all the sins we have or ever will commit. Three days later He rose as proof that everything necessary for our eternal salvation was done satisfactorily.
In other words, everything has been taken care of. There is nothing left to chance. "Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to thy cross I cling." We know this. We believe this. And as a result, we will live forever.
There is a word that theologians and Bible Scholars use for this. They call it "certitude." And we have it. We are certain where we will be after we die because we know our salvation does not depend upon what we do for God, but on what God has done for us in the life, death and resurrection of His Son. Martin Luther made his famous statement that when he came to understand his certitude it was as if the gates of heaven had been opened up to him. Along with him, this we believe…
God’s Word is our great heritage. First and foremost let us glorify God for it.
Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth – TO EVERY NATION, TRIBE, LANGUAGE AND PEOPLE. The second thing we must do with God’s Word is to SPREAD IT.
We cannot underestimate the importance of this, because the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only means of eternal salvation. The Apostle Peter put it well in the Book of Acts: "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." In other words, salvation is not found in living a righteous life. It is not found in the sincerity of one’s beliefs, whatever that belief may be. And contrary to the politically correct pluralistic thinking of many, all religions are not just different paths leading to the same place. If that is true, Jesus Christ is a liar, because He is the One who said, "I am the way and the truth and life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Therefore, to get the Word out is vital. That’s why the hymn goes on as it does. "God’s Word is our great heritage, and shall be ours forever. TO SPREAD ITS LIGHT FROM AGE TO AGE SHALL BE OUR CHIEF ENDEAVOR." Uppermost in the mind of a church which has the truth is the God-given directive to share it. Any church or church body that is more concerned about preserving itself as an institution rather than seeing itself as a conduit for evangelism will die from the inside out. A church that truly rests on Biblical Christianity will have as its trademark a keen sense of mission-mindedness, especially in view of the fact that, as the angel says in our text, the hour of his judgment has come. Meaning: we are living in the last times.
How can we accomplish this? What part can we play? There is something we can all do. We can pray for the spread of the Gospel. We can support those missionaries our church body has sent with both prayers and offerings. We can do our own mission work among our personal circle of friends, relatives and acquaintances – not through pressure tactics, but through a genuine concern for their souls and the authentic offer that we’re available if and when they’d like to talk about spiritual matters…
And as we think along these lines, let us not fail to thank God for the blessing He is allowing us to participate in right here at St. John’s. Our Chinese Fellowship program is now one year old. The first Saturday it was held last November there were just over 20 in attendance – and we felt that even if this was a one time occurrence, God had blessed this effort because it gave us a forum to proclaim the message of Christ. One year later this program is going strong. At times we have 70-80 in attendance. Sunday school classes are being taught. Most of those who attend grew up in a land where the national religion was atheism. And God has given us the opportunity to tell them about Christ. How long this will continue and with what results we leave to God. But for now to Him be the glory for allowing us to SPREAD ITS LIGHT FROM AGE TO AGE…
God’s Word is our great heritage. Finally, let us STAND FIRM IN IT. Recall once again the central message of Revelation. It is presupposed that the Church of Christ will have enemies and be attacked. History has shown how true this is. As a result, those who stand firm in the faith will find that there are consequences involved. The enemies advance on a number of fronts. Let me give you one illustration…
I recently read an article in Atlantic Monthly on Christian colleges and universities. It talks about, among other things, the great chasm that exists between faith and science. The conclusion the magazine draws really shouldn’t surprise us, namely: The closer an institution of higher learning holds to the Bible as the source of truth, the more quickly it is dismissed as being "anti-intellectual" by the secular academic world. I believe the term "intellectual somnambulism" was applied.
Maybe you’ve experienced this on a personal level. Maybe you’ve been at the receiving end of what we might refer to as "the look" after you’ve defended a Biblical position or spoken about what you believe to be true on the basis of your Christian faith.
These are the enemies we expect. With God’s help we will continue to stand firm in the face of opposition as true believers have always done. Unfortunately, the Gospel also has enemies on the inside. This was the situation in Luther’s time and it is just as true today. Many examples could be given to prove how some of the most fundamental teachings of the Bible have been abandoned by churches that still consider themselves "Christian."
And it is especially sad to say that much of what calls itself "Lutheran" today is a far cry from the faith returned to the world in the Reformation. As a result, our beliefs as members of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod have become a minority position within the broader scope of Lutheranism. Sometimes this may cause us to ask ourselves some questions. Are we old-fashioned? Are we spiritual anachronisms? Are we really the "strict ones," as is sometimes said about us?
Or does what the Apostle Paul already warned Timothy about provide us with the answer: "The time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine"?
While others have abandoned truth, by nothing else than the grace of God we are standing firm in the faith of our fathers, the faith passed down throughout the ages. May God preserve us in this truth…
Let’s bring our thoughts to a close. Reformation Day reminds us of the central truth found in the Book of Revelation: The Gospel will not and cannot be silenced. Today, perhaps more so than any other day of the church year, let us humbly thank God that we know the Gospel. Yes, let us humbly thank and praise God, for
God’s Word is our great heritage, may it be ours forever.
To spread its light from age to age, may this be our chief endeavor.
Through life, it will guide our way; in death it will be our stay
May God grant while worlds endure, we keep its teachings pure
Throughout all generations. Amen.