Sent to Save!

Gracious God, our Heavenly Father, we thank and praise You for sending Your only begotten Son of Eternity into our world to be our Savior. Grant that we trust in the marvelous redemption provided for us through His redemptive work. We ask it in His name. Amen.

Christmas Day of 2008 dawned upon us just a few days ago. Once again millions were privileged to hear the good news brought by angels to humble shepherds in the fields near Bethlehem. That good news is still ringing in our ears: “Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).

That angelic message first spoken over 2,000 years ago was a very simple message, and still is so today. Yet this good news that hails God’s eternal Son being born as a man is so profound that even the greatest minds among us stand in awe of its mystery. The Apostle Paul wrote in awe of it when he wrote to Timothy: “Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness, [Christ] was manifest in the flesh” (1 Timothy 3:16). A mystery, yes indeed! The Apostle John also wrote of this “mystery” of the eternal Son of God becoming a true human being. Listen to his description: “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the word was God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1,14).

Oh, may all who are listening to this broadcast today be given grace from God to believe this divine mystery that God the Father sent forth His Son into this world as a true human being in order to save our sinful humanity from sin, death, and hell. This is the core message of the epistle of St. Paul being read in many churches on this day, Galatians 4:4-5: “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” In this brief text four wonderful and profound truths are revealed.

Let us note first this truth that God sent forth His Son “when the fullness of time had come.”

The Greek language of the New Testament has several different words which could be translated into English with the word “time.” The Greek word translated as “time” in this verse has the connotation of a general period of time about to come to a conclusion. Think of that ancient timepiece called an “hour glass. The bottom of the glass is full of sand. The glass is turned upside down and the sand starts to flow through the tiny opening in the middle. The lower portion continues to fill up until finally it is full! So God sends His Son just when the “fullness” of time in our world’s history was finally reached.

As we look back at the time of Christ’s birth, we perceive that it indeed was the most opportune period of time in the history of our world. It was the right time politically. At this time the Roman Empire was fairly peaceful as Rome’s proud legions controlled most of the civilized world. In that period of time there was a universal language of Greek. The great Roman road systems facilitated a fairly fast travel by land, which would aid the spread of Christian missionaries. There was also economic unrest and poverty, however. And Rome’s tyranny had brought brutality, oppression, slavery, vice, violence, murder, and depravity. The people of Israel, with their Old Testament and beliefs and traditions, were scattered throughout the empire and could become “touch points” for telling about the coming of the promised Messiah. In this period the world was in one of its greatest depths of spiritual darkness. But for God it was the “fullness of time” in which to send His Son to usher in salvation for sinful humanity.

Yes, just at the right time – the time decreed by God from all eternity – He sent His Son into our world. There is a mystery in this we cannot understand. God knows everything. He knew from eternity of His creation of time; of His creation of humanity; of the fall into sin of our first parents Adam and Eve; of the dreadful depths of sin into which all humanity was plunged by their rebellion; of His plan to redeem humankind from sin, death, and hell by sending His eternal Son into the world as a true human being; of just the right time in history when this would occur. As we contemplate this mystery, we are prone to cry out as did the Apostle Paul: “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways” (Romans 11:33).

Right after Adam and Eve’s fall into sin and death, God promised He would send an “offspring” or descendant of the woman who would bring deliverance. God promised Abraham that one of his descendants would be a person through whom all the world would be blessed. Seven hundred years before Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem Isaiah wrote: “For unto us a child is born; unto us a Son is given and the government shall be upon His shoulder and He shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and uphold it… from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this” (Isaiah 9:6-7). The Christmas message we have heard only a few days ago has shown how this prophecy rang true. In the “fullness of time” Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea. This should remind us that God is in ultimate control of history. His Word reminds us that there is yet another “fullness of time” that still looms ahead. God will be sending His Son a second time to judge the world by Him. The writer of Hebrews says: “Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him” (Hebrews 9:28).

My dear listener, there is another “fullness of time” coming. Jesus is coming again to judge all the people of this world who have ever lived! All the dead will be resurrected and stand before the Lord Jesus Christ to be judged. The Apostle Paul said to the Athenians: [God] “has fixed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom He has appointed…” (Acts 17:31). Paul was referring to Jesus. If Christ Jesus was to return today or tomorrow or next week, would you be ready? A person is ready when he or she is trusting in Him as the one sent by God the Father to procure salvation by His life, death, and resurrection! Perhaps today is “the fullness of time” for you to trust in Christ as your Savior from sin, death, and hell and thus be ready when this new “fullness” breaks into our world. If Paul could write to the Christians at Corinth in 50 A.D. and say: “Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2), how much more this is true for you and me.

We stand in awe of this marvelous truth that God’s timetable for Christ’s first and second coming was set even “before the foundation of the world” (1 Peter 1:20). But a second portion of our text leads us to yet another wonderful truth revealed about God sending His Son to save us.

We note that God sent forth His Son by means of a marvelous birth!

Paul writes: “God sent forth his Son, born of a woman…”

Many of you have celebrated Christmas and have heard the story as told by Matthew and Luke. The Angel Gabriel announced to Mary, who was a virgin, that she would become with child by power of the Holy Spirit and give birth to that child whom she was to name “Jesus.” He would be called “the Son of the Most High.” He would sit on the throne of David and rule over a kingdom that would never end.

This conception of the Eternal Son of God in the womb of a virgin is a miracle far beyond our comprehension. The whole Old Testament pointed forward to this great and wondrous miracle. Isaiah the prophet declared: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and shall call His name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). Matthew points out in his Gospel that Jesus’ conception and birth was the ultimate fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy (Matthew 1:22).

To our human, finite minds, it seems impossible for a child to be born without a human father. Mary, herself, when the angel Gabriel made his announcement to her asked the question: “How shall this be since I am a virgin?” Gabriel’s reply was simply: “For nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37). Mary, with firm faith, accepted the word of the angel and replied: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).

This firm faith is a characteristic of Mary. She is an example to believers of all times in the unquestioning and sincere way she accepted the word spoken to her. Such faith is produced by God’s Word. Thus it remains as Paul says in Romans: “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” Mary heard and Mary believed. So the Holy Spirit through Word and Sacrament continues to create faith in people today. He calls us by the Good News concerning Jesus. Faith is God’s work of grace in us just as it was in Mary. In his letter to the Ephesian Christians Paul wrote: “By grace are you saved through faith, and this is not your own doing. It is a gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).

Today God is inviting you to believe that he sent His Son to be born of the Virgin Mary as a true human being, except in this, that He was conceived and born without sin. Gabriel told Mary: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the highest will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy – ‘the Son of God'” (Luke 1:35). The writer of Hebrews affirms to us that Jesus is “holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners” (Hebrews 7:26). Scripture teaches that all people since the fall of Adam are conceived and born in sin and by nature under God’s wrath against sin – that is – all people with the exception of Jesus. Jesus was born without the sin and guilt of Adam solely by the work of God’s grace and power. It was the work of the Holy Spirit to produce from the sinful nature of the Virgin Mary the holy nature of Christ. And this all happened according to God’s plan and purpose for the redemption of our sinful human race by a sinless yet sin-bearing Savior. Of this redemption Paul writes in our text: “God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law…” So, let us note in our text the third truth revealed, that

God sent His Son to secure our redemption from sin.

Here revealed is a brief, but awesome, statement of God’s purpose in sending His Son into our world as a true human being. Jesus came to “redeem” – that is – purchase and “buy back” us poor sinners from the hell we deserve on account of our being born with a sinful nature and our breaking of God’s law. God’s law demands that we be perfect as God the Father in heaven is perfect. But through Adam’s fall “sinned we all.” Paul writes in Romans: “By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin. And so death passed upon all men for all have sinned.” Since the Fall, human beings are incapable of living a sinless life in obedience to God’s law. We are by nature lawbreakers, deserving of God’s eternal punishment in hell. But to remedy this, God sent His sinless Son into this world, placed Him under the law. And under the law, Jesus led a pure and sinless life in our stead. Then, though He had no sin of His own, He took upon Himself the sins of all humanity and suffered God’s wrath against our sin in our stead when He hung on the cross and died. The Apostle Peter wrote: “Christ also suffered once for sins, the Righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God…” (1 Peter 3:18). In a similar fashion St. Paul wrote: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us – for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree'” (Galatians 3:13).

Think now, dear listener, of the price of the redemption which Christmas unveils. The Babe of Bethlehem was to become the Christ of Calvary for you and me. The curse of the law has been lifted by Christ’s obedience even unto death for us. Through His sacrifice redemption from sin, death, and hell was secured for our human family. Through His sacrifice – and we want to add His glorious resurrection from the dead – forgiveness of sins, new life and eternal salvation are offered to the world as a gift of God’s grace.

Just think of the millions of dollars spent in the Christmas holiday rush this year. Originally, this practice of giving gifts at Christmas was to remind one another of God’s greatest gift to us – His Son to be our Savior. He is God’s free gift to you – unearned and undeserved – but freely given. I pray that all who have listened to this message today will by faith receive and hold fast to this gift. The Scriptures clearly state: “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 6:23). There is no greater gift we can ever receive but this precious redemption won for us by Christ our Lord. Receive that gift today by faith and another wonderful blessing from God becomes yours. This blessing is revealed also in our text by the wondrous truth that…

God sent His Son that we might become His adopted children.

Paul writes: “God sent forth His Son… that we might receive adoption as His children.” This was the ultimate aim for which God sent His Son. It was so we might receive adoption into God’s family as His children. All those who by faith accept this gift are received by God as His adopted sons and daughters and become heirs of His love and all its blessings. Just think of it – the Eternal Son of God has redeemed us from the shackles of sin and eternal death that we might be sons and daughters of God and live in the blessedness of heaven forever! God sent forth His Son because He loves us and wants to save us to be adopted members of His forever family. As a seal of our adoption, God has provided the Sacrament of Holy Baptism for us and our children So, dear listener, as we hear again of our redemption, may all those who are in Christ be strengthened ever more in their faith in that redemption. And may you who hear, but have not yet believed, be drawn by this Good News to embrace and ever hold fast to the precious redemption won for us by Jesus, “the Savior of the world” (1 John 4:14).

Our text affirms clearly that God sent His Son just at the right time; through a mighty miraculous birth, for our eternal redemption so that we might be adopted into God’s family. What shall our response be? By the power of God’s Holy Spirit let us continually raise our thanks to God for sending His Son into our world to be our Savior! Let us by firm faith hold fast to His mighty redemption of our race. Let us spread the Good News of this to people in our daily lives who have not yet heard of all that God has done for us in the sending of His Son Jesus, to be our Savior! Let us, in response to our precious redemption, keep walking “in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us…” (Ephesians 5:2). And if you need more help or have questions about God’s sending of His Son, just call us at The Lutheran Hour. Amen!

LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for December 28, 2008
Topic: New Year’s Worship

ANNOUNCER: Now, Pastor Ken Klaus responds to questions from listeners. I’m Mark Eischer.

KLAUS: Hi, Mark.

ANNOUNCER: Pastor, a listener is concerned that his congregation has decided to do away with having services on New Year’s Eve. They were told the pastor needed a little “down time,” shall we say, after all of the special Advent and Christmas services. They were also told that because New Year’s is not an official church holiday, the church is not obligated to hold services on New Year’s Eve.

KLAUS: That’s an interesting and very long letter. Anything else that needs to be thrown into the box?

ANNOUNCER: No, I think that’s the basic situation here.

KLAUS: Well, fair enough. Well, after listening, and some deep consideration, I have to say that I come down squarely on both sides of the argument.

ANNOUNCER: So you have no clear-cut answer, one way or the other?

KLAUS: Certainly nothing that’s ever going to be written in stone. First, the part about the pastor being tired – there’s no question that the clergy have been pretty much running full steam all the way from Thanksgiving right through Epiphany, which is in early January. Extra services, perhaps accompanied by a few funerals, a wedding or two, some private counseling – it really takes a lot of energy and preparation.

ANNOUNCER: But, might not the congregation say, “Hey, this is all part of the deal and you knew that when you became a pastor.”

KLAUS: They might indeed feel that way. But you know, Mark, things aren’t always what they seem and the congregation might not have been given the entire story.

ANNOUNCER: Really? What else might be going on?

KLAUS: You know, Mark, I’ve known pastors who were dealing with a severe illness, either personally, or they had immediate family members who were – cancer, or something else. At such times, that burden can be twice as heavy, and they may, indeed, need a rest. Or perhaps it’s a case where an associate pastor has taken a call to another congregation and the remaining pastor is left with a great deal of work that falls to him, one person, which had originally been taken by two. All kinds of reasons, legitimate reasons, why a pastor might indeed need some “down time.”

ANNOUNCER: But shouldn’t the congregation then just be told that? I think most people would understand.

KLAUS: Yes, I think most people would, too. But we need to realize that a pastor may have reasons that he wants to keep personal and private. And that really does become his right.

ANNOUNCER: OK, I understand that. Now, how about the reason, that New Year’s is not a church festival. What advice could you give there?

KLAUS: Well, in most denominations, New Year’s Day is listed as a minor festival. Certainly you are not going to find January 1st mentioned in the Old Testament as a day that has to be celebrated. On the other hand, the idea of saying “Thank You” to the Lord for His presence in the past year, and, on New Year’s Day asking Him to bless us as we go into that unknown future, is a wise and appropriate thing to do.

ANNOUNCER: And while we are talking about it, I can think of other special days not mentioned in the Bible – The Fourth of July, for example.

KLAUS: Or Canada Day.

ANNOUNCER: Well, shouldn’t the church celebrate those special times, even though the Bible doesn’t command it?

KLAUS: Mark, I can’t tell you the number of times I was proud to stand with an honor guard and speak in a cemetery on Memorial Day. I don’t know too many pastors brave enough to leave Mother’s or Father’s Day unmentioned when those days roll around. Why wouldn’t you want to use Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to speak about the great sacrificial love our Savior’s has for us?

ANNOUNCER: So it would be OK?

KLAUS: More than OK. You know, for years I’ve watched the church complain about how the secular world has taken over Christian holidays like Christmas and Easter. I have absolutely no problem taking a secular occasion and using it for God’s purposes.

ANNOUNCER: So that might even mean that you would, perhaps, reclaim holidays that once were ours. Here I’m thinking, for example, of Thanksgiving Day. Without God, who are we really thanking?

KLAUS: Right again. You know, if you watch Thanksgiving Day specials on TV, you see folks sit down to enjoy all the trappings of the festival, but not a single word of prayer is ever spoken in most of those shows. How strange is that? As you said: To whom are they being thankful, if not to God?

ANNOUNCER: Well, in closing today, what do you think? What about this New Year’s Eve service?

KLAUS: I think in Christ, we are free to celebrate it – gladly, completely, totally. Then, after we’ve thanked God for the blessings of the past, and we’ve asked Him to be our help and hope in the future, then why not enjoy watching the parades and the football games.

ANNOUNCER: This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.

Music selections for this program:

“A Mighty Fortress” arranged by John Leavitt. Concordia Publishing House/SESAC

“Let Us All with Gladsome Voice” performed by the Men’s Acappella Quartet of Christ the King Lutheran Church, Kingwood, Texas. Used by permission.

“Let All Together Praise Our God” arr. Richard Gieseke. From Glad Tidings (© Lutheran Hour Ministries) Concordia Publishing House/SESAC