Patriot Day, Series A September 11, 2002
Text: Matthew 24: 3-13 Pastor Michael C. Wittrock
The Grace and mercy of GOD, our Father in heaven; the peace which comes from His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ; and the communion of the Holy Spirit; together, our one Triune God forever; be and abide with all of you. Amen! Our text is from the Gospel lesson, where St. Matthew writes in chapter 24, and it is printed in the bulletin. Please be seated.
"He Who Stands Firm Until the End Will Be Saved"
Watch out that no one deceives you! Many people are looking for truth in these difficult days. Where is God? Who is God? How can these things happen? We are searching for answers to these and many questions. As a nation we realize how vulnerable we are. We had become very comfortable in our way of life. But that all changed with the events of Sept. 11, 2001. We are now in a new cultural climate. We were faced with the imminent possibility of death, not by the normal causes we were used to, but a sudden unprovoked and violent death. The shock of it all has not been and apparently cannot be comprehended by our minds. As Americans we were affected by these attacks in a way different from any other time in history. For the first time, we had been attacked inside of our shores. We have not experienced anything like this since the attack on Pearl Harbor, which many of us do not remember. When these things happen, it is a wake-up call for us. Suddenly, our comfortable lifestyle is threatened. We have had to re-evaluate our thinking.
Jesus, himself, was asked about the meaning of atrocities and the falling of towers. He was asked about who is to blame and what our response should be in Luke 13:1-5. "Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilot had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish." The victims of Pilot's cruelty and the catastrophe at Siloam were not being punished for their sins. And, yet, such horrible tragedies should inspire the rest of us, the survivors, to repentance. The wages of sin is death. But we forget that without repentance and faith in Christ, the result is eternal death!
As people search for answers to the tragedies we face in this life, it is very helpful to seek the guidance of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Since the fall of man into sin, we have had to deal with losses in our lives. False teachers will tell us that God is not in control. How could such a loving God allow such tragedies to happen? But He is in control. Everything happens for a purpose which we don't understand at the time. He has told us that these things will happen. They must happen before the Day of Judgment! It means that what He has foretold, is happening! Strangely enough, that should give us comfort. illustration: John Elway
In our text for this evening, Jesus warns His disciples, "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come." We can take comfort in knowing that God is in control. His warning to the disciples also applies to us today. We must not stray away from the truth. It is the truth that sets us free. The truth is that Jesus Christ is reigning over heaven and earth from the throne of God, seated at the right hand of the Father. By relying on the truth, and realizing that Jesus will keep us strong in our faith, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are enabled to deal with whatever tragedies and hardships we have to face. He tells us not to be alarmed. These things must happen before the end of time. They are all part of the birth pains that creation is going through as the time of Judgment Day approaches. Do not be afraid! The Lord is with you!
The comfort we receive is revealed to us from God's Word. In verse 10, "At that time, many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold." In light of these words by Jesus, we should not be surprised at the things which are happening today. Even in this nation of prosperity, the love of many has gone cold. People have been more concerned about their own welfare and piling up riches for themselves than for the welfare of others around them. We especially need to take heed of Jesus' words of warning. And also remember the love that Jesus has shown us in our redemption. We need to re-evaluate our lives in light of the rapid changes that are taking place each day in our world.
Are we spreading the Gospel to people around us? Are we being an example of Christian love? Are we concerned about the salvation of our fellow man? Many times we need a very severe wake-up call to bring us back to a closer relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is unfortunate that we need such a wake-up call, but because of original sin, which is our nature, we will continue to fall, if we do not wake-up and rely on the truth. We must always remember that Jesus is the Way. He is the only Way to heaven. He is the Truth. The Truth of God's promise to save us, and He is the Life. He is life everlasting. This is the secure foundation of our hope. Our hope is to be with Him, to be free from the terrible tragedies which we witness here on earth. What is God's promise? Verse 13 of our text, "But he who stand firm to the end will be saved." This is His sure and certain promise from our Father in heaven revealed to us in the words of Jesus, His Only Son, and our Savior. By clinging to this truth, and realizing that these things must happen before the end will come, it gives us a true perspective on life. Instead of worrying about how we will eat, sleep, and keep warm, only thinking of ourselves; we should turn our attention to the urgent problem at hand. In verse 14 of Matthew 24, Jesus says, "And this Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."
It is our command to preach this Gospel, relying on our Lord and Savior to take care of us throughout this life. Strengthened by this firm faith, we are enabled to deal with whatever comes before us. Preach the Gospel! Tell everyone that Jesus Christ, True God and True Man, came down to this world to save all who believe in Him. We must not be led astray by false prophets who try to tell us that there is another Christ. As St. Paul said in Acts 4:12, as he brought the Gospel to all the world from Jerusalem, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
This Truth from God flies in the face of all who claim that God comes to people through other means than His Word. We are not all automatically going to the same place when we die. To be sure of our salvation, is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the only Way to heaven.
So as we struggle with the sin in our lives, let us remember the words of Jesus, "Watch out that no one deceives you, for many will come in my name, claiming, I am the Christ, and will deceive many." Do not be deceived by what you read and hear from the wisdom of the world. Take heart and courage from the words of our Lord, Jesus Christ. From verse 23 of Matthew, chapter 24, Jesus says… "If anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There he is!' do not believe it!" Do not be led astray by false prophets. The Holy Spirit will reveal to you the truth as long as you rely on the Word of God as your foundation.
How do we deal with this new age of terrorism? Actually, we deal with it in the same way as we have always dealt with problems in our lives. Rely on the Lord, Jesus Christ; call upon His name; confess your sins to God, our Father, asking Him in the name of Jesus to forgive them. At that moment, you receive the peace of God which comes from knowing that you are forgiven. Trust in the Rock! You can boldly face the world, because Jesus has conquered it. He has conquered all evil. He is our sure Foundation! He has preached to the spirits in Hell to proclaim His victory, and now we await His second coming to reveal the glory that we will receive as children of God. Praise the name of the Lord Jesus, our Savior. Praise Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In an age of terrorism, Jesus Christ is the only security anyone can have! Amen!
