St. Luke’s Evangelical Lutheran Church – Watertown, WI
Pastor Mark Gartner
Sermon for Advent 1 -- November 28^th, 2004

Dear saints of the true God,

It’s now official! Thanksgiving is over and we can now begin the official countdown to Christmas. You can just sense the feeling in the air. The Fall decorations are being changed as we speak with the Christmas lights and Christmas decorations that we have stored away in our attics and garages. Most likely there are many of sitting here today who have already started the switch from Thanksgiving to Christmas as Christmas trees have started to go up and Christmas presents are being bought. Its not like it is a secret. Everybody knows that on December 24^th or 25^th depending on when you celebrate Christmas the presents will be opened and Christmas is officially here. I find it kind of interesting that with all the hype and promotion there are still many who don’t get their presents bought until the last day or there are those who never get started in the first place, because their lives are just too busy. They have more important things to deal with.

This morning as we begin another Christian Church year and the start of the Advent season we want to take note that it is official. God is going to come back to this earth. Are we getting ready for his return, or are do we have too many other things going on right now. Jesus doesn’t want us in the "I was too busy to get ready" mode, but rather that we are prepared and ready, even if he would come at some obscure time. That is why the words from Matthew are so fitting. In fact they almost seem like they were written not too long ago. This morning we will use the theme:

The words for our text were spoken by Jesus as a part of his long answer to the disciples’ question, "When will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age" (24:3)? The question was prompted by the Lord’s prediction that the temple buildings would be utterly destroyed. Whether they realized it or not, the disciples were really asking two questions and that is how Jesus answered them. He spoke of the signs of his coming at the end of the age in the first part of chapter 24 that precede our text and he spoke more about the destruction of the temple and the city. Then, in 24:36 he stated that "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

In the words of our text he especially stresses the unexpected and sudden nature of Jesus’ return, warning his own to watch and be ready. We can see how important the teaching about the Last Day was to Jesus and for us by the fact that his answer to their question continues through the remainder of chapter 24 and all of chapter 25. As we look at this text as I said before it almost sounds like to was written in the present time of 2004, "As it was in the day of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man." In the days of Noah there was so much corruption and violence that God said that he was going to destroy the earth and its people. He warned Noah of this impending judgment. He instructed him to build the ark, providing space and food for the people and creatures that would be spared. Noah did as God commanded.

But the real questions is, "How did the people react to Noah’s message?" Did they listen, or did they continue go on with their everyday concerns for the world? It is interesting that Jesus does not mention their violence and corruption. But rather, he speaks of their importance and involvement with the things of this world. They just went on like nothing was going to happen. They were indifferent to the message that Noah had preached for those many years. In fact they did not even pay attention even when Noah entered the ark. They were so busy that they didn’t even notice what was going on with Noah and the ark.

Twice in these three verses Jesus says that at the time of his return it will be the same way: Before his return on Judgment Day, many people of this world will act as though there were nothing more important than following their earthly routines. Up to the very moment of his coming they will not acknowledge or realize that he who came in grace to save them will return in glory to judge them. "They will say, ‘Where is this "coming" he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation’ "(2 Pe 3:4). And, as it was for the people at the time of the flood, it will be too late when he does come.

As we head into another Christmas Season or any season for that matter, what is our attitude towards Jesus’ return? Are we in such a rut that we are just going through the motions of everyday life, while at the same time we are somewhat indifferent to the fact that Jesus could and will come again? Is it more important to for us to get our earthly things in order, especially during this wonderful time of Christmas, rather than getting our spiritual things order as we eagerly await his return? What is more important? I know what answer everyone will give, but what do the actions of your lives say. How active are we and our families in hearing God’s Word on a regular basis, or are we too busy for that? How often are coming to eat of the true body and drink of the true blood of our Lord and Savior or do I have more important things to do than that? Are we so busy that we will hardly notice Jesus’ coming as in the days of Noah? Or are we sitting on the edge of our seats waiting eagerly for that day to come?

There are always only two classes of people in God’s judgment. There will be those who are in heaven with Jesus and those who are in hell with the Devil. In the day of Jesus’ return they will be eternally separated. On this earth, it is impossible to do this separating. The two may be associates at work. They may live right next to each other. They may even be members of the same household. Listen as Matthew describes this situation, "Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left."

To be "taken" is understood in the sense of taken to be with the Lord. This means that the Lord has brought this person to his side for eternal joy in his presence. To be "left" is the opposite. This has the meaning that this person is abandoned to eternal destruction. The two groups, of course, are believers and unbelievers. The reason why this is talked about by Jesus is very clear. When he is talking about keeping watch, it is our souls that are at stake. It is where we will spend eternity, not just the 80+ years God may give us on this earth. He is talking about forever in heaven or hell.

Whenever we talk about Judgment Day, there always seems to be this thought that Jesus is talking about someone else. He is not really talking to me. I’ve been a pretty good person. I generally have done the things that Jesus has wanted me to do. I know a lot of things that God has written down in the Bible. Yet at the same token, the Devil does not and will not give up his mission of seeking to destroy and mislead the children of God. He wants us to lose touch with the one fact that really counts. Where will we spend eternity? He tries to lull us into sleep. Someone once told me that there is just some thing that happens the minute you start to preach pastor, my eyes get really heavy and it becomes very hard to stay awake. I thought to myself maybe we need to hand out caffinated coffee or Mountain Dew before the service. But what we all need to realize is that the Devil will try anything to get us to stop watching and being ready for that day and we need the Lord’s strength to keep us watching for our soul's sake.

Isn’t it interesting that at this time of the year that people become so careless. It isn’t all that uncommon that people will leave the presents that they have purchased on their car seats with the doors unlocked only to find them stolen while they are in the store. People at this time of the year seem to lose some of their common sense. They become careless in areas of their lives that they usually are not so careless. For this reason it seems that many are taken advantage of at this time of the year. I guess it is this thought of carelessness that Jesus is addressing with the last words of our text, "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." Jesus is really saying, "Keep on watching; constantly watch." As we said before, no one knows the day or the hour of Jesus’ return. As we have just said, things will most likely seem rather normal when Jesus returns and that is why Jesus reminds us, "Keep watch."

Jesus’ words are not really meant to tell us what will happen to unbelievers. They are full of urgent instruction and warning for believers like us. Jesus wants us to understand why the owner failed to keep watch: he did not know when the thief was coming. We are to understand what he should have done: kept watch at all times. We are to understand the consequences of not keeping watch, not expecting the unexpected: a disastrous loss. We are to understand that the Lord’s coming will be a disaster for those who do not keep watch. The illustration of the thief coming at night does not, of course, mean that our Lord’s coming will take place at night. It simply serves to warn against becoming careless in spiritual things.

Jesus’ words in response to the disciples’ curious question are informative. No one knows when he will return. However, in the time before his return people will be tempted by materialism and indifference. We can see this all around us, even invading our lives and the lives of other Christians. When Jesus returns a final division will take place: "One will be taken and the other left" . The time of his coming will be unexpected, surprising even those who know he is coming. The illustration of the householder’s neglect contains the implication of great loss resulting from a failure to watch at all times. May we with Jesus’ help be on watch all the time lest we be caught not ready. Amen