St. Luke Ev. Lutheran Church

Sermon delivered by Pastor Anthony E. Schultz

Daniel 7:13,14

Advent Vesper 3. December 20, 2006

In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations, and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

People of God—rescued from the flaming lake of fire in hell by the innocent blood of the very Lamb of God:

There is a mountain in Oregon State—a mountain called Mount Hood. It is some 11,000 feet above sea level. It is covered with snow. This time of year it is exceedingly cold. The other day it was 18º below zero in the sunshine. That’s cold! Add to that literally 100 mile an hour winds. That’s not just cold—it is deadly dangerous. It’s so dangerous some 130 people have died—since they started keeping track of people dying on the mountain. More than 100 of those 130 have died on the mountain since I was in college! The first man to die climbing the mountain was a man named Fred. He died on the mountain in the summer—in July of 1896. He fell some 40 stories! Ballpark that would be 20 times as far as falling from the peak of St. Luke’s. There was an avalanche—and he fell—40 stories. Sometimes people die in bunches on Mt. Hood. In May of 1986 seven student and two teachers froze to death. Three more almost died. One who survived lost their legs to the cold. Climbing Mt. Hood is dangerous. But if you think about it—day to day life—a thousand miles from that mountain is dangerous, too. It’s dangerous because of sin. It’s dangerous because one day every single one of us is going to die. Maybe it won’t be something as spectacular as in an avalanche. Maybe it will be as quiet as dying in our sleep in our bed in a nursing home. The good news is—whenever we die—however we die—we will wake up to an eternity in Heaven because of the Christ child! Tonight—our last midweek Advent Vesper comforts us:

Our Savior Is The Son of Man!

1. He has power over everything

2. People from everywhere will worship him

3. His kingdom will never end.

The part of God’s Word we are concentrating on is from the scroll of the prophet Daniel. Do you remember Old Testament history—the unfolding of God’s plan to save all people from all their sins? 931 years before baby Jesus was born—there was civil war in Israel. Israel was torn in two. Ten tribes became the Northern Kingdom—two tribes became the Southern Kingdom. The Northern Kingdom lasted about 200 years--a little less than these United States. She had 19 kings—20 if you include the one pretender to the throne. These kings were wicked men. They were supposed to protect God’s people. Instead they led them into gross wickedness and sin. Finally she was crushed by the Assyrians—people who reveled in violence! Does that sound familiar—to revel in violence? Do you watch professional sports? Basketball? One team runs up the score—scores again and again—because they are having a good night and you aren’t. So what do you do? If you are the coach of the losing team—the embarrassed team—the humiliated team? Do you warn the other team—once—not to go near the basket again. Then tell your guy to take him down? Do you sucker punch people—start a fight—then quickly back-peddle so people don’t hit you—in the fight you started? Does every player from both teams have to join the fight? Is this the best we have—in this country? Are these the heroes for our children? Are these the players whose jerseys our children will find under their Christmas tree? Do our children admire the football player who literally spits in the face of his opponent—then mumbles the public apology—apologizing to his family and fans for embarrassing them—with the same tired words we have heard a thousand times? Then the company whose shoes he sells—pays the fine for him. And maybe—just maybe—when nobody’s looking—the league reduces the fine—so that the offending player actually makes money off the deal? And again—this is the player our children grow up to admire—because he can break the invisible plane with an oblong inflated pigskin? The ten tribes of the north were crushed—put to death and carried off into oblivion—to become the lost—forever lost tribes of Israel!

The kingdom of the south lasted for about 350 years. Her capital was Jerusalem. She too had 19 kings—20 if you include her royal pretender. Humanly speaking—it would have been tempting—to get rid of the children of Abraham—the people of the south, too, and simply start all over! But the LORD was faithful to his powerful Gospel promises—that the Savior would be the literal blood descendant of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, David, Solomon! The Savior would be born of a Jewish virgin—in the little town of Bethlehem. He would hide in Egypt for a little while—before coming back to grow in wisdom and stature and favor with God and people in Nazareth! The LORD used the mighty army of Babylon to discipline his people. The army from a thousand miles to the north came pounding down on Israel again and again and again. Daniel was a young and gifted man when he was part of the first wave of people deported—taken to far off Babylon—to serve his Heavenly Father there. How painful it must have been—to be physically cut off from the Temple—the place where the LORD met his people through God’s Word—and through the whole system of blood sacrifices—guilt offerings, sin offerings, whole burnt offerings, fellowship offerings. The place where the prayers of God’s people were like incense—the lifting up of hands in prayer—like the evening sacrifice. Where each day began with the thick smoke from burning wood and meat and each day ended with the thick smoke of burning wood and meat—another sacrifice.

God’s people would be in exile for 70 years. The LORD would discipline his people over time. He would not relent—the way you see parents at the toy store—caving in to crying, stomping screaming children. God did not cave in to people—the way parents are tempted to give in to their children—failing to set boundaries—and then are somehow surprised—when their children grow up—acting as if there are no boundaries! The LORD’s discipline would last 70 years and then it would be over. The LORD told his people through the prophet Jeremiah, “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters…Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Jeremiah 29:5-7 There was to be no guerilla war—no armed resistance. God’s people were to be content for the time of their exile. Trusting with child like faith—that at just the right time—the LORD would bring them home to Israel.

In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power… Son of man—was a name the LORD called Ezekiel—some 66 times—so he didn’t become puffed up when God was so gracious and good to him. Son of man is a name Jesus used for himself again and again. It is a name of lowliness and humility that Jesus used to describe himself—born of a Virgin. The eternal and all powerful Son of God—took our flesh upon himself. Jesus humbled himself and became obedient unto death—even death on a cross. Jesus humbled himself to rescue us from all our sins. In a way our human minds cannot understand—the Son of God is ushered into the presence of His Heavenly Father. Here He is given authority, glory and sovereign power. Jesus has authority over everything! What do you have authority over? What do I have authority over? Your car? Turn the key. Does it start—every time—or sometimes not? Does your windshield stay clear—or does it fog up? And if you turn on the defroster—does it immediately clear—or do you have to wipe it with your hand—and it gets all smeary? Are you the boss of your transmission fluid—so you shift gears smoothly? How are your brakes? Do they squeak? How are your tire treads? How about that green juice in your radiator? Is it good? Will it protect your engine if it’s below zero? Should you be buying those little plastic bottles of heat juice with the impossible to open little caps? I don’t think I’m the boss of my car. I don’t think I’m the boss of my computer—when the screen freezes—or the Internet won’t open—or that little bubble pops up that says fatal error—that can’t be good! If you have a puppy at home—you aren’t the boss of those little teeth that can chew up your best shoes—or tear up Kleenex or make a stain on your carpet. You can’t control the weather. And you can’t control your job—can’t control your customers or control your co-workers or control your boss. You can’t control your health either. You can exercise and exercise—you can run 70 miles a week! And then I heard the other day—that that can be bad for you—bad for your joints to run too much! I’m not the boss of the little skin beside my fingernail—that little piece of skin that you try to get out—and you can’t—so you bite it—and it pulls out—all beside your fingernail. And now every time you touch anything—it hurts. We aren’t the boss of anything-and Jesus is the boss of everything! Jesus has authority over every drop of rain—every snow flake—every blade of grass—every hair on your head. Jesus watches over every sparrow at your bird feeder in the dead of winter. Jesus has authority over every everything. And Jesus has promised—all things—all things work together for good for those who love God!

All people, nations and men of every language worshipped him… There are how many—169 different nations in the United Nations? There are how many____ different languages in this world? There are people with skin the color of every soil you can find on the earth. Most people have skin with much more color than pale peach! There are people who eat lots of fruit beside apples, oranges, bananas and grapes. There are lots of people who eat many more bugs than cows, pigs and chickens. They say more than half the people on this planet live on less than $2,200 per year. That works out to about $7 per day—7 bucks! You can’t buy any video games or plasma TVs or Nikes on $7 per day! They say there are about 6.5 billion people on the planet—alive today. There are about 5 or 6 people in the Watertown Daily Times Obituaries every day. Jesus knows them all! The day will come when Jesus comes back to earth the second time. Then every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. In the meantime we have no more important task than to spread that Advent/Christmas Gospel—beginning with the people we know and love. And from there—to spread the Gospel to people on islands far far from here!

His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed! Never! That’s a word hard to wrap your mind around—never! When I was little I was under the distinct impression that if you took very good care of something—it would last forever! Like shoes. If you were very careful not to wear them into puddles—and didn’t get mud all over them—and every Saturday night cleaned them with saddle soap and then polished them and buffed them-they would last forever. But they don’t. They wear get holes clean through the bottom. Toasters! Carefully put the toast in—carefully put in the little round waffles—carefully put in the bagels. Carefully pull them out and put on the butter and the black raspberry preserves. It should last forever. But it doesn’t. One day you carefully pull out the plug and realize the cord s getting hot. That can’t be good! Your favorite neck tie—fades in the sunshine—the silk wears then when you tie the single Windsor knot the same place again and again and again. That very nice shirt collar is worn when it rubs against manly whiskers. It is painful to watch on the news—huge trees in the Pacific Northwest—trees that have bent in the winds of storms again and again—have their roots in soggy soil—and the winds blow—and the whole tree is uprooted and comes crashing down on a home. Nothing in this world lasts forever. But Jesus’ forgiving love does! Jesus forgiveness never ends. Jesus reign as King of kings and Lord of lords—ruling in our hearts and live here and in heaven. That never ever ends. How wondrous is that? Jesus’ kingdom will never ever end!

It was in May of 2002 that three climbers died on Mount Hood and 4 more were hurt—when they fell into the hogs back crevasse. People tried desperately to save people. They sent in a helicopter. But the helicopter got too close to the mountain side. One of the blades clipped a sloping ice bridge. And the helicopter went rolling down the mountain side. Danger! Danger! Look out! Wouldn’t you think? Mount Hood can be deadly dangerous! No—a guy from Argentina thought he would ride a snow board down the mountain. He was 30 years old. Oh, he made a turn, then two, then three—“Dude!” Then he fell some 2,000 feet. He won’t have a 31^st birthday! How foolish was that? How careful are we—spiritually? Do we appreciate how breakable people are? Or do we think—I’m young and strong—practically indestructible? This Christmas and New Year’s Eve time—people will be tempted to drink egg nog with Brandy—chilled glasses of beer—martinis and old fashioneds with fruit or olives on little tooth picks. They will be tempted to steal hugs and kisses. They will be tempted to take money that isn’t theirs. They will be tempted to do all sorts of things that are self and soul destructive—all in the name of the birth of the Christ child. How ironic is that? It will only be by the grace of God—that this Christmas time—we will celebrate in such as way as to give glory to our newborn Savior and King! To him alone belongs all power and glory and honor—forever! Amen!

To God alone all glory!

Rev. Anthony E. Schultz