COVER STORY – END TIMES

“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.”

(2 Peter 3:10)

It’s general practice, when people visit the local food market, to check the expiration date on products they are intending to purchase. By confirming that the expiration date is well out into the future, they can be reasonably certain that the milk they buy will taste good (at least for a while), the chips will be crispy, not stale, and the hamburger excellent for grilling. If they purchase an item with an expired date stamped on its label, chances are good that it will spoil soon and be unusable.

Most would agree that checking expiration dates on food products before buying them is a good idea. There’s another date that is critically important for all to be concerned about: the expiration date of the world, when the Lord will keep His promise to return in glory as Judge of all, to destroy the godless, and to take His believers home.

On what date will this happen? Though many have tried to prognosticate this, the truth is that no one knows when it will be, since the Bible doesn’t provide that information. Rather, the Bible teaches that the Last Day will come out of the blue, without warning, like a thief breaking into a house in the middle of the night. Since this is true, an important question for each person to ask is, “What shall I do to get ready for that Day so that, whenever it happens, I will be safe?”

When you think of a priest, a lot of terrible news stories might come to mind.

Sins have become public and all too commonly connected with the word priest. This, however, is no modern issue. Even Aaron, whom God appointed as priest over the Israelites in the desert, failed to live up to his calling. He made a golden calf for the people to worship (Exodus 32). Eli’s sons, the priests Hophni and Phinehas, were notoriously evil (1 Samuel 2:22-23). The chief priests in Jesus’ time took part in crucifying Him (Matthew 27:20). The high priest was part of the judicial body that condemned Stephen to death for preaching about Jesus (Acts 7). We Christians are called priests, but what can that mean for us when so many have failed in this calling?

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9-10)

The Bible clearly includes all Christians in the “royal priesthood” mentioned in 1 Peter 2:9. This is not the same as the Old Testament priesthood. In the Old Testament, only the descendants of Aaron were to be priests. In general, they fulfilled the important duties of performing sacrifices and speaking to God on behalf of the people. But these sacrifices were not enough. As hymnist Isaac Watts wrote, “Not all the blood of beasts on Jewish altars slain could give the guilty conscience peace or wash away the stain.” (TLH 156)

COVER STORY – CONVENTION REPORT

The thirty-third Convention of the Church of the Lutheran Confession
was held at Immanuel Lutheran College, Eau Claire, Wisconsin on
June 21-24, 2018. The theme of the convention was “Behold Your God!”

Pastor David Pfeiffer served as chaplain to the convention, opening and closing each session with the Word of God—where we most clearly “Behold Our God!”

President Michael Eichstadt addressed the convention with his biennial report centered on that same theme, reminding us to recognize and proclaim the power of God in our homes, in our fellowship, in all the world, and in our testimony to the Truth.

The two essays that were presented further divided the convention theme into two parts:

1) “The LORD GOD came with a strong hand!” and 

2) “The LORD GOD comes with a gentle embrace!”

The first essay was delivered by Professor John Ude. 

The essay was based on Isaiah 40:9-10 (NIV):

“You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, ‘Here is your God.’ See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.” 

COVER STORY – WORSHIP

“Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” (Psalm 29:2)

We truly owe God our worship, for He is our Creator and has given us everything we need for our body and life. More than that, He has given His Son to redeem us and has chosen us in Christ to be His children, as Paul says, “Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world.” (Ephesians 1:4)

Yes, we ought to “Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name” in worship. But what is true worship? You may think of worship in terms of gathering in church to sing hymns, listen to a sermon, and offer prayers to God. Those are acts of worship, but can we really give the glory that is due His name in a one-hour-a-week service?

In Romans 12:1, the Apostle Paul urges us to do much more: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” (ESV) Paul speaks of our worship in terms of sacrifice.

Old Testament worship revolved around sacrifices.

There were many different sacrifices in the Old Testament, but they basically fell into two categories: sacrifices to atone for sin and sacrifices of thanksgiving and praise. When you think about it, our worship really revolves around those same two types of sacrifices.

God is not asking us to offer ourselves as a sacrifice to atone for sin. Like the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament, our bodies would never be worthy enough to atone for even one sin. The writer to the Hebrews says, “Every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.” (10:11) All those sacrifices pointed to Jesus, Who alone could truly atone for our sins. As the passage in Hebrews 10 continues, “For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.” (10:14)

COVER STORY – PATRIOTISM

I urge, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone, for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”

(1 Timonthy 2:1-4 NIV84)

pa·tri·ot

“A person who loves, supports, and defends his or her country and its interests with devotion.” This is a dictionary definition for the word patriot. Do you think of yourself as one who falls into this category? Perhaps not. When you hear the word patriot your thoughts may turn to American heroes like Paul Revere, who made his daring midnight ride to warn the colonial militia about approaching British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord. Or men like Patrick Henry, the American orator, known for his fiery declaration before the Second Virginia Convention: “Give me liberty, or give me death!” Those men were patriots. But me? I don’t think so.

Think about it

When you think about it more carefully, though, can you see that, as a believer in the Lord Jesus, you are in a position to serve your country as a patriot in the highest sense? You understand, don’t you, that history is not ruled by happenstance, but by your almighty Savior, Who has determined the pre-appointed times and boundaries of the nations. This being true, you may approach His throne of grace, imploring Him to bless your nation with wise leaders who will govern the citizens of your nation well.

COVER STORY – DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY

The life of Job is worth our consideration whenever we feel discouraged. After being substantially blessed by God, he lost his possessions, his children, and finally even his health. All of that tribulation eventually led him to this question: “Is it not destruction for the wicked, And disaster for the workers of iniquity?” (Job 31:3) Thousands of years later, many people, even Christians, continue to ask, “Why is this happening to me?”

After a rebuke of his supposed self-righteousness from Job’s friend Elihu, God answers Job with a series of His own questions in Job 38-41. He demands Job answer these questions that are unanswerable to all except God Himself. This confrontation led Job to realize that the wisdom of man is nothing compared to the wisdom of God.

The doctrine of the Trinity (that three Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—are together one God) is not able to be explained in a way that agrees with human logic. It has no true earthly parallel. Many of the most brilliant minds on earth would, no doubt, call it foolishness. Yet it is Biblical truth, passed down to us from the Almighty Himself. Like God’s response to Job, it is a reminder to us that there is much we will not and cannot understand on our earthly pilgrimage. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9)

However, the Trinity is not only a reminder of our own lack of understanding, but also divine truth. God tells us in Romans 8:28 that He works all things for our good. We realize when considering the Trinity and other mysteries of God that we cannot see the full picture. Our plans are based on our incomplete view, but God’s plans are perfect.

COVER STORY – ASCENSION

Ascension is actually not our holiday, is it? Not really. It belongs, for the most part, to our Lord Jesus. Think of it. If you were Jesus, wouldn’t you be eager to return to heaven to be with your Heavenly Father and to exist in the perfect bliss of paradise—especially if you knew from personal experience what that place was really like?

Clearly. Who wouldn’t want to be there right this minute? The Apostle Paul certainly agreed. In his letter to the Philippians he said, “If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.” (Philippians 1:22-23 ESV)

The Ascension was therefore the day Jesus got to go home—victorious!  It was Jesus’ great day as He returned to the glory and bliss of His Father’s side in heaven.

That’s not to say that there’s nothing in the Ascension for Christians.

The word the Bible uses to describe how the disciples stood staring off into space is the same one it uses to describe how the children of Israel stared at the glowing face of Moses when he came down from Mount Sinai (2 Corinthians 3:13), and how Stephen stared at the vision of angels when he was being stoned (Acts 7:55). Clearly, this event was absolutely amazing to those who witnessed it. Who knows how long the disciples stood there, or how long they would have stood there had the two men dressed in white not arrived? The angels asked the same question anyone walking up to a similar group today would ask: “Why do you stand looking into heaven?” The angels obviously knew the answer, so with the question they offered both an explanation and a promise—and in that explanation we learn the promise that the Ascension of our Lord Jesus holds for us: “This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11 ESV)

COVER STORY – Easter Glory!

Is there any more glorious day than Easter? Christ is risen from the dead! From the DEAD! What is more dreadful or final than death? Death is a bleak reminder of the horror of our sin, the wages of which must be paid. It violently tears the soul from the body. It tears a loved one from family and friends. No one has power to stop death. No one can escape it, or even lessen its blow. No one can release death’s grip.

No one except Jesus! 

Jesus said that He has power to lay down His life and power to take it up again. (John 10:18)  He proved it when He rose from the dead. He conquered death for us. Praise be to God Who gives us the victory! What a glorious event!

That being said, do you ever wonder why Jesus didn’t show Himself to everyone? After all, His suffering and death were on public display. He was crucified near Jerusalem where everyone could see His agony and disgraceful death. Why didn’t He go and stand in the Temple and show everyone that He was alive? He won the victory. Why not appear to the whole world as He did to Saul, shining brighter than the sun? Let the world see that He is the Son of God!

Instead, He appeared to only a select few. Enough to provide plenty of reliable witnesses, but very few compared to all the people of Israel or the world. When He did appear, His glory was still hidden in His human nature. The angels in the tomb appeared more glorious than Jesus. Why not show His glory now that His work was accomplished? Wouldn’t that bring many more to faith?

COVER STORY – Lent

“But Jesus answered them, saying, ‘The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.’” 

(John 12:23-24)

As you read this article, the weather is probably not looking very springlike. If you live in a northern region of our country, the temperature outside may be downright frigid. Snowflakes may be floating in the air. Even if you live in a region that enjoys warmer temperatures, you’re probably not thinking about engaging in outdoor gardening activities like planting flowers or sowing vegetable seeds. The time for doing such things is spring, and spring is a long way off.

It’s interesting, though, that the church year season we recently entered (Lent) comes from the Old English word, lencten, which means “spring.” And though it is true that we aren’t thinking about outdoor gardening work now, there is a seed-sowing that we love to think about especially at this time of year: the seed-sowing that Jesus speaks about in the Bible verse above.

It was Tuesday of Holy Week. Two disciples had just placed before the Savior the request of some Greeks to see Him. Apparently these Greeks had heard about Jesus’ reputation as a prophet and were looking forward to meeting Him. When Jesus heard about their request, His mind turned immediately to the work of redeeming mankind that He was soon to bring to completion. In three days He would be betrayed, arrested, falsely accused, condemned, crucified, and His body buried in a grave. The result of it all would be that souls out of every nation (Greece and countless others!) would be saved for eternity, a thought that filled His heart with joy.

COVER STORY – TRANSFIGURATION

Life on earth has been described as peaks and valleys. Even within a single day, we can feel euphoric one moment and despondent the next. While experiencing a joyful moment, we often long to extend it and make that time last just a little longer. Peter, upon witnessing Jesus’ transfiguration and the appearance of Moses and Elijah, wanted to act on that feeling. “Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’” (Matthew 17:4) In that moment, life was good. Understandably, Peter wanted it to last as long as possible. His comprehension of Jesus’ mission on earth was incomplete, but he immediately recognized this as a special moment.

A few days earlier, Jesus had been teaching about his upcoming suffering, death, and resurrection, which Peter found objectionable for the Son of God. “Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, ‘Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!’ But He turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.’” (Matthew 16:22-23)

In both instances, Peter missed the point. Jesus’ purpose on earth wasn’t to heap blessings upon His followers. He became man to live a perfect life and die a gruesome death for the sins of the whole world. Until then, He spent much of His time preparing His disciples for the time when they would no longer be able to see and hear Him.