Trinity Sermon


	Return to Sermons \| Home
All Saints’ Day – November 3^rd, 2024 Trinity Ev. Lutheran Church, Block, Kansas Rev. Joshua Woelmer Text: Matthew 5:1–12 “Saints on Earth, Saints in Heaven” Theme: We in the church militant are united with the church triumphant in worship of Christ. Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. There are two different pictures of the church that we get in Scripture. One dominant one is the church on earth. It is called the “Church Militant.” You are probably familiar with the whole armor of God from Ephesians 6. There is a reason for this. We have enemies on this side of eternity. Our primary enemy is the devil who tempts us to sin and despair. Peter reminds us: “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet 5:8). He is the father of lies (John 8:44), and each of you are like a soldier who is tasked with defending yourself and others by using the truth of Holy Scripture against these attacks. At the same time, the Bible talks about another aspect of the church, and that is the “Church Triumphant.” There will come a time when the battle will end for each of us. It will either be when we die and our souls go to rest with Jesus, or when Jesus comes again on the Last Day. Today is a day to celebrate the Church Triumphant, to think about the battles they fought while they were on earth, and to eagerly await that day when we will one day join them. It is one of my favorite Sundays of the Church Year. There is a rejoicing and grieving and longing all tied together. The focus, though, should be on Jesus Christ and what he has done for those who have gone before us and what he is doing for us now. This is why the Beatitudes are a great text for us today. We should understand the Beatitudes as a description of both Jesus and those who have been joined to Jesus to his kingdom. Who was the one who was perfectly “poor in spirit”? Consider what Paul writes in 2 Corinthians: “You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (8:9). Who was the one who mourned? The shortest verse in the English Bible is John 11:35, “Jesus wept.” Jesus also wept over Jerusalem and her faithlessness. Who was the one who was meek? Jesus says to you, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matt 11:39). Who was the one who hungered and thirsted for righteousness? Jesus hungered and thirsted while he hung on the cross for your righteousness. Who was the one who was merciful? Jesus. Who was the purest in heart? Jesus. Who was the peacemaker between you and the Father? Jesus. “For [Christ Jesus] himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility” (Eph 2:14–16). Who was persecuted for righteousness’ sake? Jesus. All of these are also descriptions of you as you live now in the Church Militant. They are not legalistic demands of you, that unless you are all of those things, you will not receive them. The Beatitudes are what Jesus is working in you by your faith in Jesus. He is conforming you to be like Jesus in all of these things. You are poor in spirit when you confess your sins to God. You mourn when you lose loved ones. You are meek when you recognize that power will not solve the world’s problems. You hunger and thirst for righteousness when you recognize that you need God in your life. God shapes you to be merciful, pure in heart, and a peacemaker. And he is with you “when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account” (11). The promise we have when this happens is this: “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (12). Our reward for being Christian is not an earthly reward. God may bless us with a good life here. He may not. He may grant us rain when we need it. He may send rain when we don’t. He may grant good leaders, and he may not. But Jesus is our Lord, our King. He is leading us to a reward that will not pass away. Many of our loved ones have already received that reward. Praise be to God for their faith in God’s sure promises. They are described in Revelation and the crowd gathered around the throne of God: “…a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands” (7–9). Who are they? “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (Rev 7:14). They are dressed like Jesus. We too are and will be dressed in his white robe of righteousness. We see in that wonderful host this fulfillment of the beatitudes: they are fully and truly blessed. “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (15–17). Thanks be to God for giving us strength to endure the trials of this world. No matter what you are going through, God has something better planned. Do not be ashamed of being Christian. Do not be ashamed at the mockery. Do not be ashamed at the crosses that you carry. Do not think it strange that fiery trials come upon you. Do not seek comfort in worldly things or long life. The Lamb was slain, but the Lamb lives. Do not fear those who can only kill the body. Jesus lives. The Kingdom is yours. This world is temporary and so is your sorrow. Your blessedness goes on and on and on. Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen. Return to Top \| Return to Sermons \| Home \| Email Church Office

Return to Sermons | Home

All Saints’ Day – November 3^rd, 2024

Trinity Ev. Lutheran Church, Block, Kansas

Rev. Joshua Woelmer

Text: Matthew 5:1–12

“Saints on Earth, Saints in Heaven”

Theme: We in the church militant are united with the church triumphant in worship of Christ.

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

There are two different pictures of the church that we get in Scripture. One dominant one is the church on earth. It is called the “Church Militant.” You are probably familiar with the whole armor of God from Ephesians 6. There is a reason for this. We have enemies on this side of eternity. Our primary enemy is the devil who tempts us to sin and despair. Peter reminds us: “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet 5:8). He is the father of lies (John 8:44), and each of you are like a soldier who is tasked with defending yourself and others by using the truth of Holy Scripture against these attacks.

At the same time, the Bible talks about another aspect of the church, and that is the “Church Triumphant.” There will come a time when the battle will end for each of us. It will either be when we die and our souls go to rest with Jesus, or when Jesus comes again on the Last Day. Today is a day to celebrate the Church Triumphant, to think about the battles they fought while they were on earth, and to eagerly await that day when we will one day join them. It is one of my favorite Sundays of the Church Year. There is a rejoicing and grieving and longing all tied together.

The focus, though, should be on Jesus Christ and what he has done for those who have gone before us and what he is doing for us now.

This is why the Beatitudes are a great text for us today. We should understand the Beatitudes as a description of both Jesus and those who have been joined to Jesus to his kingdom.

Who was the one who was perfectly “poor in spirit”? Consider what Paul writes in 2 Corinthians: “You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (8:9).

Who was the one who mourned? The shortest verse in the English Bible is John 11:35, “Jesus wept.” Jesus also wept over Jerusalem and her faithlessness.

Who was the one who was meek? Jesus says to you, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matt 11:39).

Who was the one who hungered and thirsted for righteousness? Jesus hungered and thirsted while he hung on the cross for your righteousness.

Who was the one who was merciful? Jesus. Who was the purest in heart? Jesus.

Who was the peacemaker between you and the Father? Jesus. “For [Christ Jesus] himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility” (Eph 2:14–16).

Who was persecuted for righteousness’ sake? Jesus.

All of these are also descriptions of you as you live now in the Church Militant. They are not legalistic demands of you, that unless you are all of those things, you will not receive them. The Beatitudes are what Jesus is working in you by your faith in Jesus. He is conforming you to be like Jesus in all of these things.

You are poor in spirit when you confess your sins to God. You mourn when you lose loved ones. You are meek when you recognize that power will not solve the world’s problems. You hunger and thirst for righteousness when you recognize that you need God in your life. God shapes you to be merciful, pure in heart, and a peacemaker.

And he is with you “when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account” (11). The promise we have when this happens is this: “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (12).

Our reward for being Christian is not an earthly reward. God may bless us with a good life here. He may not. He may grant us rain when we need it. He may send rain when we don’t. He may grant good leaders, and he may not.

But Jesus is our Lord, our King. He is leading us to a reward that will not pass away. Many of our loved ones have already received that reward. Praise be to God for their faith in God’s sure promises.

They are described in Revelation and the crowd gathered around the throne of God: “…a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands” (7–9).

Who are they? “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (Rev 7:14). They are dressed like Jesus. We too are and will be dressed in his white robe of righteousness.

We see in that wonderful host this fulfillment of the beatitudes: they are fully and truly blessed. “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (15–17).

Thanks be to God for giving us strength to endure the trials of this world. No matter what you are going through, God has something better planned. Do not be ashamed of being Christian. Do not be ashamed at the mockery. Do not be ashamed at the crosses that you carry. Do not think it strange that fiery trials come upon you. Do not seek comfort in worldly things or long life. The Lamb was slain, but the Lamb lives. Do not fear those who can only kill the body. Jesus lives. The Kingdom is yours. This world is temporary and so is your sorrow. Your blessedness goes on and on and on.

Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.

Return to Top | Return to Sermons | Home | Email Church Office