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Series A – First Sunday of Advent – Sunday, November 27, 2016 | Pr. Chris Rosebrough

Welcome to the Teaching Ministry of Kongsvinger Lutheran Church. Kongsvinger is a beacon for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and is located on the plains of Northwestern Minnesota. We proclaim Christ and Him crucified for our sins and salvation by grace through faith alone, and now, here’s a message from Pastor Chris Rosebrough:

Time Stamp	Transcript
0:27	The holy Gospel
0:29	According to Saint Matthew chapter 24
0:31	verses 36 through 44.
0:34	Jesus said but concerning that day and
0:37	hour no one knows not even the angels of
0:40	Heaven Nor this time but the father only
0:42	as with the days of Noah so will be the
0:45	coming of the son of man for as in those
0:48	days before the flood they were eating
0:49	and drinking marrying and giving in
0:51	marriage until the day when Noah entered
0:54	the Ark and they were unaware until the
0:56	flood came and swept them all away so
0:59	will be the coming of the son of man
1:00	then two men will be in the field one
1:03	will be taken one left two women will be
1:06	grinding at the Mill one will be taken
1:08	one left therefore stay awake for you do
1:12	not know on what day your lord is coming
1:14	but know this that if the Master of the
1:16	House had known in what part of the
1:18	night the thief was coming he would have
1:20	stayed awake and would not have let his
1:22	house be broken into therefore you also
1:25	must be ready for the son of man is
1:27	coming at an hour you do not expect
1:30	in the name of Jesus
1:34	all right here this from our epistle
1:36	text this morning besides this you know
1:38	the time that the hour has come for you
1:40	to wake from sleep
1:43	for salvation is nearer to us
1:46	than when we first believed the night is
1:48	far gone
1:50	the day is at hand
1:52	now the windows in my office in my
1:55	Pirate Cave if you’ve been there you
1:56	know that it’s decked out in modern
1:58	pirate the windows in my office they
2:00	face East
2:02	I’m in North Dakota I could see the uh
2:05	see the dike and the time you know the
2:08	time of the year when the days are short
2:10	the nights are cold and the days are
2:12	cold too we’re all familiar with those
2:13	days I wake up early in the morning
2:15	hours and I begin to work and Out My
2:18	Window the day begins with total
2:21	darkness now the only lights I can see
2:24	are what my wife calls are Narnia light
2:26	all right we have one of those wrought
2:28	iron lights in my yard she calls it our
2:30	Narnia light and that stays on and then
2:33	it turns off you know when the sun comes
2:35	up but I also can see a city street
2:37	light over on the corner now eventually
2:40	as I’m working I begin to see in the sky
2:44	the first pale pinks of the night
2:47	beginning to Signal the imminent arrival
2:49	of the day and I know that when I begin
2:52	to see color in the sky that it is not
2:55	long before the sun will burst into the
2:57	sky and the new day will Dawn and my
3:00	office will be flooded with sunlight I
3:04	have to put on my sunglasses the whole
3:07	room is just blazing with the Sun
3:11	now brothers and sisters
3:13	what I’ve just described is exactly what
3:16	Advent is all about Advent is that in
3:21	between time we see we’ve been awakened
3:24	from the grave Christ has spoken to us
3:27	we have been regenerated we are alive in
3:30	the wee morning hours of the new
3:33	creation
3:34	sun has not yet come up
3:36	you see through the word through the
3:39	washing of regeneration we’ve been
3:41	awakened from our sinful
3:43	Slumber notice that sin is likened to
3:46	sleeping we’ve risen before the sun has
3:49	arrived and that’s spelled
3:51	s-o-n before the sun has arrived and
3:54	when we gaze at the eschatological East
3:57	often the eschatological Eastern Horizon
4:00	we can see that already colors are
4:03	appearing and becoming more pronounced
4:04	the light is growing brighter and
4:07	brighter And Soon the Darkness will be
4:09	no more the dawning of the new day is
4:12	greater than Christmas This Dawning of
4:14	this new day is greater than Christmas
4:16	Easter oh in the last day of school
4:18	combined
4:20	those were the three Pinnacle days if
4:24	the kids calendar Christmas Easter last
4:28	day of school it’s greater than all of
4:30	that and we when this day Dawns we will
4:33	finally behold Jesus with our own eyes
4:36	we will finally be able to worship at
4:38	his feet our hearts will swell when we
4:41	finally behold the awesomeness of our
4:45	crucified Risen Savior and King
4:49	will sit on the throne of David forever
4:51	so look at the horizon
4:53	can you see that the night is far spent
4:57	if you can’t see it then trust the words
5:00	of our epistle text the night is far
5:04	spent the sun s-o-n is almost here now
5:10	here’s a little bit of a factoid I’d
5:12	like to consider today your view of the
5:15	future has a well huge impact almost in
5:17	a determining impact on how you live
5:20	your life you may have heard the phrase
5:22	that person is so Heavenly minded
5:24	they’re of no earthly good
5:26	have you ever heard this whoever says
5:29	this doesn’t know what they’re talking
5:31	about and if a pastor says this from a
5:33	Pulpit you need to put a dunce cap on
5:36	him and send them to the back of the
5:37	congregation for remedial instruction on
5:40	Theology and what the scriptures say
5:43	it’s a little strong I know but that’s
5:45	the truth the fact is is that scripture
5:47	says you are only able to be of any
5:50	Earthly good when you are really
5:52	Heavenly minded
5:54	we have our minds looking forward to and
5:57	seeing what is coming and we live our
6:00	lives appropriately
6:02	so let me kind of point out this on the
6:04	back end of it the the negative side if
6:07	you believe that Jesus is a myth and I
6:09	hope that there’s nobody here who
6:10	believes this but if you believe that
6:11	Jesus is a myth a legend a fairy tale
6:14	something akin to the tooth fairy or
6:17	Santa Claus or maybe even the Easter
6:19	Bunny then you believe that he’s never
6:21	going to come back and you probably even
6:23	doubt that he came in the first place if
6:26	this is what you believe then you are
6:28	asleep
6:29	you’re asleep in your sins you live in
6:32	the darkness blissfully unaware of the
6:35	coming Dawn because of this you continue
6:37	to practice the works of darkness which
6:39	our scripture passage makes clear
6:41	include includes sexual immorality
6:43	hatred murder coveting gossiping of the
6:47	like things like this in fact you live
6:50	for yourself
6:51	and all you do is for you and your
6:54	benefit
6:55	oh you’re looking out for number one
6:57	the big eye the big ego so if this is
7:00	you I must warn you
7:02	the day is Dawning and do not think for
7:05	a second that you will be able to press
7:06	the snooze button once the day of the
7:09	Lord Dawns that ain’t gonna happen boy
7:11	do I love my snooze button oh
7:15	best invention ever my college roommates
7:18	hated it though because I would five
7:21	six seven eight times it took me a while
7:24	to wake up but when the day of the Lord
7:26	Dawns you will not be able to press the
7:28	snooze button in fact Peter warns those
7:32	who are not awake and those who scoff at
7:35	the idea that the darkness is fast
7:37	fleeing before the dawning of Christ Our
7:41	cross-reference today is found in second
7:42	Peter chapter 3 starting at verse 1. if
7:45	you’d like to follow along
7:47	and here’s what Peter writes
7:49	this is now the second letter that I’m
7:52	writing to you beloved and both of them
7:54	I am stirring up your sincere Mind by
7:56	way of reminder that you should remember
7:58	the predictions of the Holy prophets and
8:01	the Commandment of the Lord and Savior
8:03	through your Apostles knowing this first
8:06	of all that scoffers will come in the
8:08	last days with scoffing following their
8:13	own sinful desires show me a pastor from
8:17	the pulpit that scoffs at the idea that
8:19	Jesus is returning and I’ll show you a
8:21	pastor who is following his own sinful
8:24	desires show me a pastor who scoffs at
8:26	the idea that Jesus is returning soon or
8:29	that the well the Bible is the inspired
8:31	inerrant word of God and I’ll show you a
8:33	pastor who’s got some really interesting
8:35	skeletons in his closet
8:38	this is what this text says
8:41	they are scoffing because they are
8:42	following their own sinful desires they
8:45	will say where is the promise of his
8:47	coming forever since the fathers fell
8:50	asleep all things are continuing as they
8:52	were from the beginning of creation you
8:55	see they kind of extrapolate it this way
8:57	human beings as far back as anybody can
9:00	remember as always the history books
9:02	kind of record have all been screwed up
9:05	we’ve all been this way it’s been
9:07	Darkness ever since the beginning of the
9:09	dawning of time and darkness has
9:12	continued till now Darkness has been
9:14	there my whole life therefore Ergo
9:16	Darkness will continue forever
9:19	to air is human they say
9:23	oh but this is not what God says this is
9:26	not what God says and then to make
9:29	matters worse
9:31	give me an example of this a pastor
9:32	friend of mine a colleague who works
9:34	with me with our alethia outreached down
9:37	in Australia was telling us the story of
9:40	well an event that he had to go to where
9:43	there was an installation of an Anglican
9:45	priest and he had been invited you know
9:47	clergyman from all over the region were
9:48	invited to this this fellow’s
9:50	installation and the presiding Bishop of
9:53	the Anglican Church there made a quip
9:56	about well those people who believe in
9:59	the inerrancy of scripture they clearly
10:02	don’t know what they’re talking about
10:03	because Jesus said behold I come quickly
10:05	it’s been a few thousand years if you
10:08	haven’t checked your watch
10:09	so therefore God’s word must not be
10:12	trustworthy
10:14	send this man back to college for
10:17	remedial logic
10:18	and he said it from the pulpit
10:21	but Sierra here’s what Peter says
10:24	forever since the fathers fell asleep
10:26	all things are continuing as they were
10:27	from the beginning of creation that’s
10:28	their argument for they deliberately
10:30	overlook this fact that the heavens
10:33	existed long ago the earth was formed
10:35	out of water and through Water by the
10:37	word of God and that by means of these
10:40	the world that then existed was deluged
10:42	with water and perished this is a
10:45	reference to the flood
10:47	by the same word the heavens and the
10:49	Earth that now exist are stored up for
10:51	fire being kept until the day of
10:54	judgment and the destruction of the
10:56	ungodly but do not overlook this one
10:58	fact beloved that with the Lord one day
11:00	is as a thousand years and a thousand
11:03	years as one day and this is due to the
11:06	fact that God himself exists in eternity
11:08	we are the ones who exist in time and
11:11	space and we experience things one thing
11:13	after another
11:14	God experiences them all at the same
11:16	time
11:17	right so with him well one day is like a
11:21	thousand years and a thousand years as a
11:24	day and the Lord is not slow to fulfill
11:25	his promise as some count slowness but
11:29	as patient towards you in other words
11:32	the fact that Christ continues to tarry
11:34	is a sign that God loves you he’s being
11:37	patient with you not wishing that any
11:40	should perish including you
11:43	instead God desires that all should
11:45	reach repentance
11:47	but the day of the Lord will come like a
11:49	thief
11:50	and then the heavens will pass away with
11:52	a roar the heavenly bodies will be
11:55	burned up and dissolved and the earth
11:57	and the works that are done and it will
11:58	be exposed
12:00	since all these things are thus to be
12:03	dissolved what sort of people ought you
12:05	to be in lives of Holiness and godliness
12:08	notice here Peter wants us to be so
12:11	Heavenly minded that we can finally be
12:12	of some Earthly good
12:15	and think of it this way everything
12:16	right now that you can see smell taste
12:20	touch experience purchase by love
12:25	everything that you’re looking at all of
12:27	this is going bye-bye
12:30	none of it will exist after this
12:34	the whole creation will die
12:38	God himself is killing it
12:43	but
12:44	he’s also making a new heavens and a new
12:47	Earth you have the information of what’s
12:51	coming next since all of these things
12:53	are to be dissolved they are
12:55	what sort of people ought you to be in
12:57	lives of Holiness and godliness waiting
13:00	for and hastening the coming of the day
13:02	of God because of which the heavens will
13:04	be set on fire and dissolved and the
13:06	heavenly bodies will melt as they burn
13:09	but according to his promise we are
13:13	waiting
13:14	for the new heavens
13:15	and the new Earth in which righteousness
13:18	dwells that’s right in the world that is
13:21	coming there is no Darkness there is no
13:24	sin there are no corrupt politicians
13:27	sorry I get excited about things like
13:30	that there are no awful bosses who treat
13:34	you poorly there are no people who are
13:38	engaging in sexual immorality or fall
13:40	short you have in this new creation
13:44	will be completely set free
13:46	from the Dominion of Darkness the
13:48	tyranny of sin the tyranny of death
13:50	there will be no disease there will be
13:52	no hospitals oh and by the way in case
13:55	you hadn’t paid attention to the subtext
13:57	of our of our Old Testament reading from
14:00	Isaiah people are going to learn about
14:02	God from God himself I’m out of a job
14:08	I’m really nervous about all of this I’m
14:11	gonna have to learn how to farm
14:14	some of you Farmers well I’m gonna need
14:16	your help
14:18	because Pastor is going to be well out
14:21	of a job and homeless if I don’t get to
14:22	work
14:24	this is what we are hoping for this is
14:26	what we are expecting and this is what
14:28	God says is coming and does God ever lie
14:31	no so in other words keep your eyes
14:35	focused on the horizon what’s coming
14:38	because only then focusing on what is
14:41	coming and hoping for expecting waiting
14:45	can’t wait for it to get here it’s
14:47	almost Christmas kind of thought talking
14:49	right
14:50	only then are you able to live a life in
14:53	Holiness and godliness
14:55	only then are you to be of service to
14:57	your neighbor
14:58	you must become so Heavenly minded
15:02	that you will finally be of some good
15:04	here on this planet Jesus says regarding
15:07	this day
15:08	we read it in Our Gospel text concerning
15:11	that day
15:12	that hour no one knows
15:15	not even the angels of Heaven nor the
15:16	son but the father only for as were the
15:19	days of Noah so will be the coming of
15:20	the son of man
15:22	for as in those days before the flood
15:24	they were eating and drinking marrying
15:26	and giving and marriage until the day
15:27	when Noah entered the Ark and they were
15:30	unaware until the flood came and swept
15:32	them all away
15:33	so will be the coming of the son of man
15:35	and you think about it it’s really
15:37	foolish
15:38	Noah according to scriptures preached
15:41	for a hundred years he was a preacher of
15:44	righteousness he was warning everybody
15:46	that the flood is coming
15:48	can you imagine how difficult it was for
15:51	him to get the building permits to build
15:52	an ark in his backyard
15:56	and they never listened to him none of
15:58	them
15:59	but God doesn’t lie and God judged the
16:02	world just like he promised and there
16:05	was plenty of room on the ark for others
16:06	to come along
16:08	but they persisted in sin and unbelief
16:10	they slumbered they were asleep they
16:13	were cozy in their beds of sin it’s so
16:18	warm there and I’m so tired I don’t I
16:21	can’t get up
16:23	that’s what sin does to you
16:26	but Jesus says this
16:29	two men will be in the field one will be
16:31	taken one left
16:32	two women will be grinding at the Mill
16:34	one taken one left when the day when
16:36	Jesus returns it says earlier in the
16:38	passage
16:39	that he’s going to send out his angels
16:41	and they will gather up the elect
16:43	they will be gathered up in first
16:44	Thessalonians says we will meet him in
16:46	the sky therefore stay awake you don’t
16:51	know on what day your lord is coming but
16:54	know this that if the Master of the
16:56	House had known in which part of the
16:57	night the thief was coming he would have
16:59	stayed awake and would not have left let
17:02	his house be broken into therefore you
17:04	must be ready the son of man is coming
17:06	at an hour you do not expect brothers
17:09	and sisters you have been awakened
17:12	you are awake Christ has raised you up
17:16	do not return to your bed of sin and go
17:19	back to sleep
17:21	again here the words of Paul besides
17:23	this you know the time the hour has come
17:25	for you to wake from sleep for salvation
17:27	is nearer to us than when we first
17:29	believe the night is far gone the day is
17:33	at hand
17:35	Today We Live By the Light of Bethlehem
17:38	and Calvary the cradle and the cross
17:41	but keep looking at the eschatological
17:44	Horizon the night is far gone
17:46	the reason that you know this is because
17:48	Christ has awakened you so that his day
17:51	will not catch you unawares you’ve been
17:53	awakened in the wee hours of the first
17:55	day of the new creation your sins have
17:58	been washed away in the waters of your
18:00	baptism you’ve been fed the breakfast of
18:02	Christ’s body and blood given and shed
18:05	for you for the Forgiveness of your sins
18:07	you’ve received word from Jesus himself
18:10	that all of your sins are forgiven in
18:12	the words of the absolution
18:14	the dawning of the day of your salvation
18:16	is at hand can you see his light in the
18:20	Horizon Jesus is just about ready to
18:23	burst forth from the Eastern sky
18:26	the war will finally be over
18:30	and our reunion with those who’ve gone
18:32	before us is mere minutes away
18:35	all of this Darkness sin and devilish
18:38	satanic evil will disappear at us coming
18:40	the way the darkness disappears when the
18:42	sun comes over the horizon
18:44	so let us walk properly as in the
18:47	daytime not in orgies or drunkenness not
18:49	in sexual immorality and sensuality not
18:52	in quarreling and jealousy and
18:54	backbiting and stabbing each other and
18:57	gossiping
18:58	instead
19:00	put on the Lord Jesus Christ
19:02	make no provision for the flesh to
19:05	gratify its desires and notice Jesus
19:08	here is likened to a garment
19:10	something that you put on
19:12	our sinful nature hates these clothes
19:16	have you ever seen the movie A Christmas
19:18	Story remember Ralphie his aunt made him
19:21	that bunny suit the pink nightmare our
19:24	sinful nature thinks about Christ in
19:27	those terms you put on Christ and it’s
19:30	sitting there going oh you look
19:32	ridiculous
19:33	no you don’t
19:35	you look like you’re ready for the dawn
19:41	so all of those sinful desires passions
19:44	thoughts actions they’re going to be no
19:46	more when Jesus comes so let’s drop them
19:49	now leave them Behind These are the
19:52	shackles in the chains that bound us and
19:54	enslaved us to the devil and his
19:56	Dominion of darkness in the first place
19:58	the light is Dawning so let us get out
20:01	of bed cast off the works of darkness
20:03	and put on the armor of light
20:08	Luke says from our gospel text from a
20:10	couple weeks ago there will be signs in
20:12	the sun and moon and stars on the earth
20:15	the stress of Nations and perplexity
20:17	because of the Roaring of the Sea and
20:19	the waves people fainting with fear and
20:21	foreboding of what is coming on the
20:23	world
20:24	because they are not paying attention
20:26	the powers of the heavens will be shaken
20:28	they will see the son of man coming in a
20:30	cloud with power and great glory and now
20:33	when you see these things begin to take
20:36	place straighten up
20:38	raise your heads because your Redemption
20:41	is drawing near the colors in the
20:43	Horizon tell us that your Jesus is near
20:46	very very near it won’t be long now
20:51	and it shall come to pass Isaiah says
20:54	that in the latter days the mountain of
20:56	the house of the Lord will be
20:57	established as the highest of the
20:59	mountains it shall be lifted up above
21:02	the Hills
21:03	and all the nations will flow to it
21:08	cannot wait
21:10	a new world is coming
21:12	it’s almost here
21:14	Can you feel it
21:16	in the name of Jesus
21:18	amen

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