Introduction: Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our text for this our celebration of Reformation Day is the First Lesson just read, from Rev. 14. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ:
- Our text invites us to see our lives, all of human history, in a remarkably non-empirical manner. Hence, it sheds light upon all of church history from Adam and Eve to this very day. It also shines a light over and upon the idolatry that parades itself as “science” – a view of reality espousing and imposing the violence of the theory of evolution, denying and obscuring God as Creator and hence hiding Him from those needing forgiveness. This is shameful lying and deceiving!
- Many have thought this “angel” of our text to be a prediction of Martin Luther, by whom, along with many other “reformers,” God restored the “eternal gospel” to the church, and to the whole world. I’m sure there have been many such “angels,” “messengers,” throughout the past two millennia, and that there continue to be such proclaimers even today!
- The angel comes from God, and does God’s bidding, His will. He proclaims this “eternal gospel” to every single human being. We can be sure: “God wills all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” This “eternal gospel” is God’s Word – Jesus assures us that it is truth, and that it “frees” us!
- So let us be blessed by God. Let us allow God to bless us with this “gospel.” For:
I. God Has Given Us This Eternal Gospel, The Great Good News Of His Love, Mercy, Forgiveness, And Salvation, That We Might Fear Him, Have Reverence For Him, And Give Him Glory
This Eternal Gospel is clearly stated in our Epistle Lesson for this morning:
Rom. 3:21-25 “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it – the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, Whom God put forward as a “mercy seat” by His blood, to be received by faith.”
The “fear” that we are to have for God is clearly stated by the psalmist:
Psalm 130:3,4 “If You, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness, that You may be feared.”
Statement: From the beginning, when Adam and Eve first sinned, God responded with this “eternal gospel.” The seed of the woman would crush the head of the devil. This “Seed” is Christ. It is in Him, the “Seed” of Abraham, that “all the nations of the earth will be blessed.” Only Jesus fits this description! God sent Him as “the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world.” His blood was thrown upon the heavenly “mercy seat” over the heavenly Ark of the Covenant – when He bled upon the cross. Just as God provided for Abraham, accounting Him to be righteous because he believed God – because he believed this eternal gospel – just so God has “accounted” us to be “righteous,” has “justified” us, through faith in Jesus Christ. All of this is because of Jesus – Who He is and what He accomplished for us on the cross. He actually is “the eternal gospel.”
Application: This is the only way people can begin to quit “being afraid” of God, and to begin “fearing” Him – reverencing Him for His forgiveness, His eternal mercy and love. This also is the only way in which people can cease and desist trying to claim the glory of earning salvation for themselves – which is a pursuit of utter delusional arrogance! No, once we know the “eternal gospel” of God’s gracious gift of forgiveness and the declaration that we are already righteous in His sight, covered in His own righteousness, then we know that all glory, all laud, and all honor belongs to God alone!
We who know these things, we who believe in Jesus Christ, we who believe the “eternal gospel,” do indeed what the angel proclaims. We “fear God and give Him glory!” God grant it to us forever!
Transition: God wills this for all people, and His messengers proclaim it “to every nation and tribe and language and people.” And so:
II. Through The Truth Of The Eternal Gospel We Are Freed To Worship God
John 8:31,32 “If you abide in My Word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
A. His Word States The Truth That He Is Creator Of All Things – We Know This Truth And So We Worship And Glorify Him
Text: “Fear God and give Him glory . . . worship Him Who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
B. His Word States The Truth That His Judgment Is Near – We Know This Truth And Cling To Jesus By Faith – Which Is God’s Will For Us
Text: “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgement has come.”
John 3:36 “He that believes the Son has everlasting life; he that believes not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
C. So We Endeavor, Because Of The Eternal Gospel, To Fear God and Give Him Glory, And To Worship Him
This is what God’s people do, those who embrace the eternal gospel by faith:
Rev. 7:9-12 “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God Who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’ And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, ‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.’”
Statement: This is the way that it has always been for people of God – those knowing and believing the eternal gospel, knowing and believing the love that God has for us! This is the way it is today, and shall be forever! The message of God is the same – the eternal gospel! This gospel is simple but profound – Jesus, the Lamb of God, has taken away the sin and guilt of the world. God is reconciled to us! He has provided us with a covering of righteousness, His own righteousness, which is applied to and effective for all who simply receive His redemption and salvation in Christ Jesus by faith!
Application: If we believe in Jesus, and rejoice in the gracious gifts of God, including the gift of eternal life, then we too “fear God and give Him glory . . . and worship Him.” This is the good and gracious will of God for us and for all people! The angels of God, His messengers, continue to proclaim the very same “eternal gospel” of God to this very day! Let us believe and rejoice every day!
Conclusion: God is the God of all creation! He not only creates but also rules, reigns over, and preserves creation until the Last Day, the day of His judgement! He has provided all that human beings need to thrive in this life and the next! He wills this blessedness for all of us.
Many reject this reality – opting instead for “empiricistic” and “rationalistic” views and notions that are near-sighted, and that blind people to the goodness and kindness of God, and His free gift of salvation and eternal life. Great woe awaits all who choose this rebellion and who lead others into the same!
Dear friends, the day of Christ’s judgment is coming soon! The message of the angel is beautiful. Let us grasp it by faith, faith in the Word of God, that we may know the truth and be set free to “fear God and give Him glory . . . and worship Him.” God grant this blessedness to each of us, Amen.
Votum: And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in the true faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, Amen.