Jesu Juva

“No Fear When God Gives Himself to You”

Text: Revelation 14:6-7; Romans 3:19-28; John 8:31-36; Psalm 46

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

What is the worst thing in this world? What is the worst thing that could happen in this world? What do you fear the most in this world?

We all have little fears . . . losing a boyfriend or girlfriend, failing a test, messing up at work. And these are our own. But there are bigger fears, too. And these are shared by many.

Like, people losing their minds over next week’s election. Both sides stirring up fear if the wrong candidate gets elected as our next president.

You’ve also heard the fear that the war in the Middle East, or the war in Ukraine, or an upcoming war for Taiwan might escalate into World War III or a nuclear holocaust.

We were told to fear Helene and Milton. Storm surge, flooding, tornadoes, devastation. We’ve seen the pictures from the Carolinas and Florida. They’re frightening. It looks very much, in fact, like what Psalm 46 was describing - the earth giving way; mountains moving and the waters roaring and foaming.

We fear crime. We fear losing our jobs, our homes. Buy a generator, stock up on food and water, arm yourself. Fear covid, or the next covid variant, or the next pandemic-causing virus coming down the pike.

There is certainly no shortage of things to fear in this world. Big things. And I’m sure you could add more things to this list.

But there is something worse than all this. Worse than politics, worse than war, worse than natural disasters, worse than food shortages, worse than disease or nakedness or poverty. It simply does not get worse or more desperate in this life than a person who does not know his Saviour; who does not know that she has a gracious, loving, giving God.

Now maybe you disagree with me about that. I’m a pastor, after all, so I have to say that, right? But maybe I’m right. And maybe that little nagging voice in your head is telling you I’m right. That you’ve been fearing the wrong things. That you’ve been loving the wrong things. That you’ve been trusting the wrong things. Things that are of this world, not of eternity. This world that is passing away. This world that is constantly changing. That’s been your focus instead of the changeless one, the eternal one. And therefore, fear.

But the reading from Revelation that we heard today is to give us hope. To direct our hearts and minds back to the one who is greater than all; greater than whatever it is you fear.

Chapter 13 of Revelation, just before our reading for today, describes two beasts, servants of the dragon, satan, unleashing persecution on Christians. I didn’t mention that before; and maybe that is something you fear - persecution. At the beginning of chapter 14, though, we are given a vision of the Church Triumphant. That all who belong to the Lamb, who belong to Jesus, are safe. All of them. Every single one known and counted. Neither the dragon nor his beasts could have them. And never will.

But that’s not us, yet. We’re still here. In the Church Militant. So to us, three angels are sent to announce the defeat of the dragon and his beasts. And the first angel’s message is the one we heard today; a message for all who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. And his message is this: Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.

So he says first, fear God. If you are going to fear anyone or anything thing, don’t let it be one of the things that are less than Him! Fear Him! The one who is over all. And second, he says, give Him glory. I think it’s important that those two things are put together and are not separate. Because to fear God is to give Him glory. It is to acknowledge Him as the one above all. The one who holds all things in His hands - not just the present, but the past and the future. There is nothing above Him or equal to Him. Nothing that can overthrow Him. He is the Almighty. Fear Him and give Him glory . . .

Because the hour of His judgment has come.

Now maybe that statement makes you fear! The thought of death and Judgment Day. The thought that I’m going to be on trial! And our guilty consciences fear. I know my sin, and so I know what the judgment against me should be . . .

But that statement is not meant to make you fear. Because in this context, the judgment is on the dragon, the beasts, and those who follow him. This is a proclamation of good news! That all the evil and wickedness and sin and turmoil that causes us fear will one day end. There is an hour, a time, a day, already chosen. These things may all be greater than us, but they are not greater than our Lord. And as I said a couple of weeks ago, just as satan and his angels were cast down from heaven to the earth, so the day is coming when they will be cast down from the earth into the abyss, once and for all. And the hour for that is coming. It. Will. Be. We may wish it to come sooner - and maybe it will be soon! But that’s not up to us. Our Lord has His time. And it is the right time.

And we know this because our Lord has already shown us. Satan tried to make his hour and his judgment come, avenging his casting down by casting Jesus into death and the grave. And it worked! . . . for a few hours. But when Jesus rose from death and the tomb was empty, the victory was won. So while it is true, as Paul wrote and as we heard again today, that all have sinned - we have sinned - and fall short of the glory of God, and deserve judgment and casting down ourselves, we will not be. For this is true as well, that we are justified - made right, raised up - by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

So in Christ Jesus, we need not fear Judgment Day. The Son has set us free. So we are free indeed. Free from fear, from from judgment, free to live. For when you are baptized into Jesus, your Judgment Day happened some 2,000 years ago when Jesus took your sins - all of them - and was judged for them; condemned for them. That’s done. That water, filled with the words and promises of God, washed you clean with His forgiveness, put God’s name on you, and made you His. Your judgment is done. The verdict is in. You are free.

Free now, as the angel in Revelation said, to worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.

Now, the angel already said to fear God and give Him glory, so to worship Him means something different than that. And it’s not just that God is the Almighty, though He is that. Maybe the clue here is in the words themselves, the creation of heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water. For why did God create these? He didn’t need them. They are for you. They are gifts for you. And the highest worship of God is to receive His gifts. To acknowledge Him as the giver, to receive His gifts with joy, and to give thanks for them. For this gives Him joy. How do you feel when someone despises a gift you give them? Not good, right? But when they are filled with joy, so are you.

But let me circle back to the beginning of this sermon . . . if our greatest fear should not be the things of this world and life, but not knowing and having our Saviour, then the greatest gifts of God we receive are not the things of this world and life, but the gifts given here. That’s why this is often called worship, or better, the Divine Service. For here the Divine is serving us. Here God gives us the gifts we need the most: His Word, His forgiveness, His Body and Blood, His life and salvation. The gifts that give eternal life. The gifts that join us to our Saviour and set us free. This is number one.

Now maybe you disagree with me about that. I’m a pastor, after all, so I have to say that, right? But maybe I’m right. And maybe that little nagging voice in your head is telling you I’m right. That you’ve put other things first in your life, and so fear.

Saint Augustine, an early church theologian, preached it this way. He said: God does not merely give us what belongs to Him, rather He gives Himself to us . . . It is one thing for God to sacrifice what is His. It is entirely another for Him to sacrifice Himself for us. . . . You appear to yourself to be rich. Yet if you have not God, what do you have? And a poor man, if he has God, what does he not have?

God gives Himself to us. You know, really, that is what the Reformation was all about. Oh, they didn’t deny that at the time, but it wasn’t the focus. The focus, rather, was about us giving ourselves to God. But have you? Have you enough? Have you well enough? And with those questions, fear.

But God gives Himself to us. Jesus is Immanuel, God with us. The answer in Psalm 46 to all that causes us fear in this world, is this, at the end: The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. And what helps you when you are afraid? When someone is with you. And especially, someone who can do something about and help you with your fear.

Luther picked up on that, and so wrote his hymn A Mighty Fortress (LSB #656). And so over the years, some folks have thought that he was the angel in the reading from Revelation, proclaiming again this good news. And I will say: he was. But there are also others who thought this angel was Elijah - and I will say: they are right, too. He was. And this angel is Saint Augustine, John the Baptist, and all who preach the Gospel. All who point to Christ crucified and say: There is your judgment. There is your salvation. There is your hope. For there the Son of God has set your free. For He came and was Bound in Death’s Strong Bands (LSB #458) for you, and broke them. He is free, and so you are free.

So let me ask you again . . .

What is the worst thing in this world? What is the worst thing that could happen in this world? What do you fear the most in this world?

Maybe your answer has changed, like it changed for Luther, who somehow became so bold to stand against both Pope and Emperor. That’s what the Word of God does. It takes away our fear. The Word preached to us, the Word crucified for us, the Word that washes us, and the Word fed to us. And the Word that is coming again for us. And when He does, no fear, just joy. No more death, just life.

And until that day, you can live in joy and peace. Because A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.

In the Name of the Father, and of the (+) Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Now the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.