St. Luke’s Evangelical Lutheran Church -- Watertown, WI
Pastor Mark Gartner
Sermon for Advent 2 -- December 10^th, 2006

Dear brothers and sisters in the faith,

What really makes you happy and full of joy? Is it a certain toy or video game? Is it getting a "A" on a tough quiz or on a report card? Is it getting out of school for summer vacation or Christmas vacation? Is it getting a raise at work or having the boss compliment you on a job well done? Maybe it is seeing someone’s health getting better or something as simple as a good meal at a restaurant. I’m sure that each and every one of you sitting here today could think of numerous things that make you full of joy and happiness.

As we look at the words for today, we want to focus our hearts and minds on something that will always bring joy to every Christian. Paul was the pastor to many different congregations and people. In a way he was a traveling pastor and started many different congregations in many different places. As he thought about his work and the people he met, we can see what this joy is for us and all Christians. Today we are going to look at this joy using the theme:

The words of our text are joy filled words. The Apostle Paul wrote them to the Christians in the city of Philippi. That was a long time ago, almost 2000 years ago. Paul was not in a happy situation when he wrote these words. The days were wicked and evil. Christians were being persecuted, and many Christians were being put to death. Paul was not only a Christian, but he was also a preacher of Christ. He was in double harms way. In fact, when he wrote these words he was in prison and knew that he could be put to death. But these didn’t seem to destroy the joy that was in his heart.

Today let’s turn back the clock to almost 2000 years ago and see the reason for Paul’s joy and at the same time see why we can have that same joy. The secret to Paul’s joy actually starts with the verse that is right before the words of our text where he writes in verse 2, "Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." Paul knew the grace of God and he had in his heart the peace which always comes from God’s grace. It then was his joy to remind the Christians in the city of Philippi that grace and peace were their most precious possessions.

Grace – do we remember what God’s grace is? Grace is that undeserved love that God showed to us by which we as sinners are declared free from our sin and guilt. And we also need to ask, what is peace? Peace is what comes into a person’s heart when they recognized through faith that their sins are forgiven. Forgiveness of sins brings peace.

And where do grace and peace come from? They are a gift from God, our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul knew that God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall have eternal life. Paul also knew that the Christians at Philippi knew this. But he was still thrilled to remind them of God’s grace, because he knew that God’s grace was the one thing that they needed. He also knew that his grace and peace was daily strengthening the hearts and lives of his fellow believers.

As we jump into the present time, we realize that this same grace and peace is in our hearts and lives. God’s grace and peace has not changed one bit over the past 2000 years. It is my joy and every pastor’s joy to stand in the pulpit and say "Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." Every one of you knows that you are a sinner. Every one of you most likely knows that because of your sins you deserve God’s wrath and punishment. Yet I pray that you hearts are not troubled. Why not? Because you also know that the grace of God in Christ is still with you. You believe that God sent his Son to take away your sins and mine. You know God’s grace and the peace that comes from God’s grace. That is why our hearts can be filled with joy.

This joy in God’s grace continues as we hear some more of what Paul wrote, ^"I thank my God every time I remember you." What a wonderful thing to be able to say about a group of people. Paul must have had some beautiful memories. What memories you might ask? There lived a lady named Lydia. She was his first convert to Christianity. Wonderful! It was in Philippi that he was beaten for preaching the Gospel. He and Silas his helper spent a night chained in the city jail. Not a very pleasant memory. But it was also here that the jailer came up to Paul and asked, "What must I do to be saved?" Paul then gave him the answer, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved." I’m sure that there were many more memories.

What did it matter that some had given him a hard time? He was even thankful for that, because God used those moments of suffering to draw people to hear the message of law and Gospel that he was preaching. Now as he sat in prison, he was stilled filled with joy because he still knew that God’s grace had built a strong Christian congregation in Philippi. It is my joy to say to you here this morning, ^"I thank my God every time I remember you." I am thankful that God’s grace continues to change your hearts as he fills you with his grace. I am thankful that God’s grace continues to bear fruit in your lives and in our congregation. I have been here for over 8 years and there are many memories. Some of them good and some of them sad. Some of them joyful and some of them disturbing. There have been challenges and there have been days of smooth sailing. That is what happens when you work with sinful people. But what a joy to know that God’s grace is here in abundance.

Did you notice that the next thing Paul is joyful about? His joy and thanks led him to write, ^"In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy ⁵because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now." He rejoiced to ask God to increase his gifts to the Christians in Philippi. Paul; knew of the many blessings that they had received from God and he thanked God for those blessings. But he also knew what blessings were still needed, and he found great joy in asking God to given them additional blessings.

That is my joy also. When I think of you, I thank God for his grace which has brought you into God’s family. But I know that each of us has weaknesses and problems that affect our lives. It is my joy to talk to God concerning you in prayer. It is my joy because God has told us to ask and it will be given to you. Why shouldn’t a pastor find joy in praying for his members when he knows that God hears every prayer?

All of you have problems to face. The devil, the world and our sinful flesh will try very hard to get you to forget God’s grace and peace. Some of you have problems in your homes. The devil is working very hard to tear apart homes and make them places where people just live, rather than God’s children who are seeking to love one another. Some of you are having troubles with your health. The devil is looking to use these earthly ailments to lead us to think that God’s grace and peace stop when we are sick or ill. Some of you may be going through times of spiritual weakness. Times where we wonder if God really knows what is going on and is it really doing any good to hear God’s Word. The devil delights in every one of these problems, but whatever the problem, we need to realize that God’s Word and Sacraments of Baptism and Lord’s Supper are the tools that God has given to us so that we know and trust that God’s grace and peace are our only hope. But I hope that you find joy in knowing that your pastors and other Christians are praying for you. There is no problem that God cannot solve, if we seek God’s help. He has commanded us to call on his name in our troubles and he will deliver us. It is always a joy for Christians to pray for one another.

Paul knew that God is faithful and true and will take care of his children, ^"being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." That was true at Paul’s time and it is true today. Who created faith in your heart? It was God the Holy Spirit. How did he do it? He called you by the Gospel. What else did he do? He enlightened you with his gifts. What will he do for you now? He will keep you in the true faith. This I am confident he will do and is already doing it.

How can I have such confidence? How can I know what will happen to you? The truth is I don’t know exactly will happen to each of you. But I do know that God is faithful. As you confess your faith and proclaim that Jesus died on the cross to pay for your sins, I see hearts that are full of God’s grace. Of course if you turn your back on God, if you despise God’s Word and refuse to come to his house to hear over and over again of God’s forgiving love, then you only have yourself to blame as the door to heaven closes. You cannot blame God and say that he wasn’t faithful or true. You can only blame yourself.

But as we live our lives close to God’s grace, we soon realize that there are many traps being set by the Devil, but God will lead me through them or guide me around them. Don’t be afraid. Jesus is our Good Shepherd who laid down his life for his sheep and will not let one sheep be snatched from his hand. At times we have to all admit that we don’t really understand what God has in mind for our lives. In his perfect wisdom he sometimes allows things to happen that quite rankly don’t seem to make sense. But don’t be disturbed. God in his faithfulness is using every one of these things to draw us closer to God. The Devil will try to trick us into thinking God must be angry or has left us, but this is the farthest thing from the truth. He will bring to completion what he started when he brought us to faith.

I grew up in Milwaukee and one of the things that I remember was the bridge that went to no where. It was the bridge that was headed toward Lake Michigan by Downtown. All of a sudden the road stopped and there was a large drop off. I could never figure out who was the planner who started this bridge, but didn’t know how to complete it. As I stand here today I am confident that God knows what he is doing in your lives. I am confident, because I know that he is working with all his might to keep everyone of you safe in your faith. My heart sings for joy every time I think about what he has done for you and me as sinful people as he continues to pour out his grace and peace to us. "Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." Amen