St. Luke’s Evangelical Lutheran Church – Watertown, WI
Pastor Mark Gartner
Sermon for Advent 1, November 27^th, 2005

4I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. ⁵For in him you have been enriched in every way—in all your speaking and in all your knowledge—⁶because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. ⁷Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. ⁸He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

Dear Children of our Heavenly Father,

Back in 1990, a man named Gary Stewart set a record. He jumped on a pogo stick for 20 hours and 20 minutes. Anyone want to guess how many jumps that is? That equals out to 177,737 jumps on a pogo stick in a row. That is someone who was determined. Some of us might know a man named Cal Ripkin Jr. who played baseball. He started 2,632 games in a row. That is almost 16 years in a row that he never missed a start. That is someone who was dedicated to his team.

As we look around at this world we can find all kinds of people who have done things like these two men. People who loved what they were doing so much that they kept on doing it, even when there were times that they could have quit. As we gather around God’s Word for today we are going to let the Apostle Paul guide us and encourage us through these words to make the best use of all the time that God gives us on this earth. Today marks the first Sunday on the new Christian Church Year. Today is the 1^st Sunday of the Advent Season. That is why we look at this text in the same way that we might look at the starting of a new calendar year. Our theme for today will reflect this:

Paul’s wrote this epistle or letter, which we know as First Corinthians from the city of Ephesus around the year 55. This letter to the Corinthians reveals what the problems, questions, and challenges of the Corinthian believers were. It answers these, and in doing so provides inspiration and instruction for Christians everywhere, in every age. The letter addresses many of the same problems that we face today. It address the problem of disunity in a congregation. It treats practical moral questions such as the misuse of freedom, and of falling to false doctrine. It also instructs Christians on the nature and use of spiritual gifts, with a special focus on the greatest gift, love. Then follows the great resurrection chapter, 1 Corinthians 15. Chapter 16 deals with personal and business matters.

The sermon text begins with Paul’s greeting and a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s goodness to the congregation. "Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." These are the most familiar words of the text because they are so often used as a pulpit greeting. The reason that a pastor might use these words to begin s sermon is because it directs the listeners to realize that it is God’s gospel of Jesus Christ that is going to be the center of this sermon. This introduction or greeting begins with the word grace which is the unmerited favor of God which prompted him to elect us in eternity, redeem us, call us by the gospel, and preserve us in faith. We hear the word peace which is what God has declared and established in Christ for all people. Peace is also the quiet assurance of God’s favor which is ours since we are justified by faith. The name Jesus reminds us that the Lord became man to save us and Christ signifies th! at he is the Lord’s Anointed, God’s Man sent to do God’s work in God’s good time.

Where is the Holy Spirit in this? He is doing what he always does, pointing to the Father and the Son, imparting their grace and peace. "I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus." Constant in prayer, Paul is grateful for grace. The first and essential gift, to which many gifts have been added, is God’s love which came in the form of his Son toward sinners. Christ Jesus lived the perfect life of love which the law demands. He offered himself as the perfect sacrifice for sin. God raised him from the dead because that life and death satisfied his justice.

This grace was preached to the Corinthians. By grace they believed the message. By grace they have been kept in faith and equipped for the life of faith. For this grace Paul thanks God. "For in him you have been enriched in every way—in all your speaking and in all your knowledge—because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you." Not by themselves or in their own right, but in Christ Jesus, they have been blessed. They have not made themselves rich in speaking and knowledge.

There is another key verb, "was confirmed." The picture behind this verb is that of a strong root or a secure anchor. What Paul and his co-workers testified concerning Christ has taken firm hold in his readers. He is confidently thankful that it will remain. Their enrichment in all speaking and all knowledge is in accord with the gospel’s strong root and secure hold on them.

There are people who speak, even eloquently, without knowledge and there is no rich blessing in that. There are also people who know and do not speak, for lack of ability or lack of caring. When knowing and speaking are combined to share the "testimony about Christ, that is reason for thanksgiving. The thanks belongs to God. That is what we mean when we say that we should joyfully hear God’s saving gospel. There is nothing else in all the world that can accomplish what god’s saving gospel does for us. Nothing can bring such assurance. Nothing can give us the strength we need on a daily basis. Nothing can motivate and encourage us like the gospel.

As we come into the Advent season, we have a vivid picture of the gospel. We celebrate Advent to help prepare our hearts for the another opportunity to celebrate the birth of our Savior, who is the gospel. Only a regular hearing of God’s saving word will open our hearts to joyfully come and hear his message of salvation

But the gospel has accomplished even more than this. It helps us to see that there are things that God wants us to be doing while we are on this earth. "Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed." We can go to other portions of this letter to see the lists of gifts that God has given to his people on this earth. These gifts from the Spirit equip Christians with what they need for their spiritual life and mission. These gifts are community property. Not every believer has every gift, but no believer lacks some gift.

In his exalted state the Lord is hidden from our eyes, known only to the eyes of faith. Faith eagerly awaits his revelation on his. Spiritual gifts equip the believer for the wait and are part of the Spirit’s assurance that "our Lord Jesus Christ (will) be revealed." "He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ." "He will keep you strong" talks about a future promise. He will root you firmly and anchor you securely. He will give you the gift of perseverance, preserve you in faith "to the end." It is not wrong to think here of the end of earthly life or temporal death. More likely, however, the end of time is meant -- the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.. Blameless has the sense of not chargeable, not liable to accusation. There can be no thought that this is an achievement on our part. The entire Scripture, this text and the many others in God’s Word that make it! clear that it is God’s doing and that it is by grace.

"God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful." The keeping of the promise of verse 8 is guaranteed by the faithfulness of God. He who called us will not forget us or forsake us. Indeed, the grace and peace of verse 3 are surrounded by his faithfulness. Four times in these verses Paul gives the Savior his full title, Lord Jesus Christ. Twice more he names Christ and twice he uses pronouns. This is a Christ-centered beginning for a Christ-centered letter to Christians who are too confident in their "spiritual superiority." Paul wants to remind them that they are in great spiritual danger on both the doctrinal and moral fronts. Paul is calling their attention back to him who is the cause and guarantee of salvation. Through Paul, the Spirit who gave them so many gifts is redirecting their attention to him who is God’s fundamental Gift.

By the gospel God has called us to share with his Son in all that he has merited and won. That includes all the blessings mentioned in these verses, and more besides. The Gospel reading for today reminds us that Advent is also a season of preparation for our Lord’s second coming. Indeed, it reminds us that every day is a season for such preparation. This new Christian year of grace will be the last for some people, and may be the final one for all people. And so every day is a day to heed the Savior’s words. "Be on guard! Be alert! ... Watch!"

As Christians we are not to look at our lives on this earth from earthly points of view. For instance God is not gauging our lives by how many Sunday’s in a row we have been in Church or by how many days in a row we have opened our Bibles or how many Bible Classes or Sunday School we have attended in a row. God is certainly not just looking at outward events like these. On the other hand, if we can go to such great lengths to try and accomplish things like this for earthly glory and fame or if people can be so dedicated to these types of earthly events. Why can’t we who have been given so much by the grace of our God strive to serve our Lord by being in his house every week and to learn from his gospel every day and to take very opportunity to learn what God has given to me?

As we grow deeper in our appreciation for what God has given to us, we will go into this new Church year with a different outlook. We will seek by the help of our Lord and Savior to be more faithfully in using the gifts and abilities that God has given to each one of us. We will look for any and every opportunity that God places before us to live our faith. Whether this comes in the form of joyful thank-offerings to God or in serving others each and every day. We have been given something very special. We have been given God’s grace. May this grace keep us focused and dedicated to serve our Lord with joyful and faithful hearts. Amen