Rev. Dale Critchley
10/19/2018
Children’s Sermon
Object: What’s the greatest thing about: Ice Cream? The Beach? Snow?
Message: What’s the greatest thing about Jesus? †
Transfiguration
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Text: (2 Corinthians 4:3-7) And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
I.Introduction
A.Today, we celebrate the Transfiguration
B.As you heard in the Gospel lesson, Jesus is revealed as the Son of God in glory
C.But there have always been those who refuse to see Him for Who He is
D.A recent Newsweek article about the upcoming Passion of the Christ movie, the director is taken to task for “overly literal readings,” not attacking the movie so much as the Scriptures themselves
1.You see, people want to see Jesus for who they want Him to be, not Who He is
2.They want Him to be a peaceful teacher, a “nice guy”
3.The claims that He is actually God in the flesh are dismissed as “the product of human hands and hearts,” not the Word of God the we know it to be
II.But even if our Gospel has been hidden, it has been hidden in those who perish,
A.The Word has gotten out
1.The message of salvation in Jesus is freely available
2.But still, some haven’t heard it!
3.Why is that?
B.For one, There are those who’ve heard it wrongly
1.Many people who go to church every Sunday don’t know why they’re going
2.And somewhere, either by the preacher, the listener, or both, the message gets confused
a)Because sinful flesh likes to change the story
b)Do you really want Jesus to be the beaten, bloody, bruised, and dead Jewish man on the cross?
c)Or are you more comfortable with the Jesus who goes around hugging the children?
d)You can’t have one without the other
C.For others, they’ve heard it rightly, but it’s just unacceptable
1.Admitting that Jesus is your Savior from hell requires admitting a few other things
a)Admitting that you need a Savior
b)Which means admitting you’re a sinner & deserve nothing but death and hell
c)That’s not good for self-esteem!
2.For others, it’s unacceptable because it sends a very offensive message
a)It means that no other faith or people will be in heaven
b)It means that those who reject the Christ on the cross will spend eternity in hell
c)And it means for you that your friends and neighbors that don’t know Jesus will spend eternity in hell
d)Are you willing to stand by and watch that happen?
e)So often, that’s exactly what happens
III.in which the god of this age has blinded the thoughts of the unbelievers that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, Who is the image of God, would not shine on them.
A.The reality is that Satan is active in our world today
1.He and his demons will do everything they can to drag you away from salvation in Christ
a)They know they face eternal hell
b)And they want to drag you down with them
2.But first, they begin with the unbelievers
a)Best to hold onto the ones they have
b)And that’s the easy work, since we’re not doing much to fight that evil
c)I keep hearing, “Why doesn’t someone do something about those gay marriages starting up?”
d)If you’ve asked that question, the question comes back to you: “Are you that someone?”
B.So what happens to those who’ve been duped by Satan and his demons?
1.And more importantly, are you among them?
2.Where does Jesus fit into your life?
3.How does your Baptism affect your daily decisions?
a)Thousands have been tortured and died to preserve the Word of God that you may know Christ
b)And yet how often are you in His Word?
(1)Less than 1/4 of the people here right now are involved in any regular group Bible study
(2)How often do you set aside personal time to be in God’s Word?
(a)Not only are you hurting your own soul
(b)But think of the message your actions are sending to your family, friends, and children
(c)You’re saying, “Satan’s right. It’s no big deal.”
IV.For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ [the] Lord, and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus' sake.
A.Are you willing to be, as St. Paul says, “slaves of Christ”?
B.He came to serve you, obedient to the point of death on a cross
C.And you can never repay Him
D.But what kind of a “thank-you” do you give Him by your thoughts, words, and deeds?
V.Since God [was] the One saying, "Out of darkness, light will shine," which shines in our hearts, for the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
A.Yet in spite of your laziness, your willingness to go with the flow, even when those currents are directed by Satan Himself, God hasn’t abandoned you in your darkness
B.He sent the Light of the World to reveal the truth of His love
1.And that light, Jesus Christ, plunged Himself into the darkness of death
2.The darkness of your death
3.He entered that darkness to shine the light of love to you
4.He took the darkness of your sin and gave you, and through the Word and Sacraments continues to give you, the light of eternal life
C.In your life, in your struggles, so much is hidden
1.“Why did God take this child from me?”
2.“Why did I have to lose my spouse?”
3.“Why, Lord? Why?”
D.But in the midst of the darkness of those questions, the answer lies in the light of God’s Word
1.Jesus Christ is the light of the World, a light no darkness can overcome
2.Not even the darkness of your sin
3.Jesus has overcome your sin, obliterated it
4.He has given you complete forgiveness and eternal life in His name. Amen.
Now the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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