“Thy Kingdom Come”
July 19th, 2010 Posted in SermonsThe Sixth Sunday after Pentecost (Series C)
“Thy Kingdom Come
July 4, 2010
Sermon Text: Luke 10:1-20 [show]Luke 10:1-20
[10:1]After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. And he said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace be to this house!' And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in it and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.' But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, 'Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.' I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more bearable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades.
"The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me."
The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!" And he said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." (ESV)
Grace, mercy and peace be unto you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
How many times have you said it? The second petition that is, to the Lord’s Prayer. You have prayed countless times I am sure “Thy kingdom come.” Is that not so?
But what are you really asking for? As Martin Luther noted in the Small Catechism, “The kingdom of God certainly comes by itself without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may come to us also.”
Indeed… we pray and so desire that it may come to us and that we may abide in it… in God’s kingdom… both now in time and also in eternity.
My friends, to abide in God’s kingdom happens… it is a reality and a certainty… as we are simply in God’s Word and simply walk in God’s ways. It is ours by faith alone… by grace alone. We become beloved citizens of God’s kingdom through the waters of Holy Baptism.
None of this is our doing. Rather, it is only possible… only possible… by the work of the Holy Spirit in us. As we will see in a minute, we cannot receive it on our own, but we certainly can reject the kingdom and those who bring it to the very door of our hearts and homes.
Our Lord sends out the seventy two. He sends them out “ahead of Him,” Holy Scripture says. He sends them “two by two, into every town and place where He himself was about to go.”
He sends them with His peace… offering peace, bestowing peace upon the homes and the people who will readily receive and welcome the Lord’s disciples… the homes where the sons and daughters of peace reside… those whose hearts and minds have been opened by the Holy Spirit.
In these homes and among all who are receptive to the messengers and the message, our Lord and Master tells the disciples to “heal the sick” and if you think that refers only to the physically sick, you are mistaken.
And Jesus also told them to say to the people, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.”
It has come near… and will fully come as Jesus Himself comes to them… as He makes His way through these very same towns and places to them… He who is the very Word of God Incarnate. Most certainly, the kingdom comes in Christ! The kingdom belongs to Christ.
Now contrast this wonderful happening and blessed outcome to what will take place with all who reject the Lord’s servants… those who reject the coming of the King and His Kingdom.
Our Lord told the seventy two, “Whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.”
The fact is… in this world… some welcome Christ and His called servants… others… many… most… will not. It happened then and it happens now… in our day… in our own circle of family, friends and acquaintances… those who have their own thoughts and philosophies… those who have their own ways… those who have their own gods, including many who even claim the Triune God… who claim Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior… but their actions say otherwise. Their actions clearly deny Jesus and His strong Word.
It is interesting that Christ tells the seventy-two to proclaim to all who reject them… reject Him… the very same words said to those who receive and welcome the same… namely that “the kingdom of God has come near.”
It has come near to these obstinate people, my friends, but near is not good enough. It is like the life preserver that is thrown near to a drowning person and yet they refuse to take hold of it. It is like the terminally ill patient who has available to him the cure… the antidote for what is ailing him… killing him… but nevertheless rejects the same.
In regard to these people… these men, women, teenagers and children… it says… Jesus says… that it will be better for Sodom on the last day, than for them. They will face the full fury of God’s righteous wrath spending eternity in hell… in torment.
And the tragedy of all tragedies… it does not have to be. The Lord, our Lord has seen to that. It is He who brings healing and help. It is Jesus who brings salvation. For you see, He will indeed go into the very same towns and villages as He makes His way… yes… to the cross… to Calvary… there to pay for our sins… there to free us once and for all from the clutches of death and the devil. And He will do it with His precious body and blood given up as the perfect sacrifice.
Dearly beloved of the Lord, thanks be to God that His kingdom comes and is readily ours in God’s strong Word and in the blessed Sacraments. It is through these things that we come into God’s kingdom and remain steadfast in it. By our due diligence to the reading, hearing and studying of the Holy Scriptures. By our daily recalling our Baptism and by the faithful reception of the Lord’s Supper. By our daily prayer to the one true God as we day by day praise the Almighty and serve Him through our service to others… through our service to the Church.
Oh, how glad we are that the kingdom of God has comes to us and that in Christ Jesus it is not only near to us, but rather we are in it, wherein we find forgiveness of all our sins… wherein we find true peace, the strength and fortitude to go on and fight the good fight of faith… the strength to overcome all obstacles and come out victorious in every trial and tribulation.
Ya know, today we celebrate the independence of our country… these United States of America. And how blessed we are. How wonderfully God has provided and protected us.
We are indeed thankful to be citizens of this land. But even more so… infinitely more so… we are thankful to be in God’s kingdom and have all things good, right, holy and wholesome now and even more so when His kingdom comes in full and final on the last day.
We await that day in peace and patience as we await our King. Indeed, come Lord Jesus! Amen.
May the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting.
Amen.
“Thy Kingdom Come”
7/4/10 The Rev. Mark H. Hein
St. Paul’s Ev. Lutheran Church, Lockport, IL