Church Sermon - November 21, 2004

Rev. Bernt P. Tweit

Old Testament Lesson; Jeremiah 23:2-6
Gospel Lesson; Luke 23:35-43
Sermon Text; Colossians 1:13-20

About ten days ago, on a local TV station, it played in its entirety the movie Saving Private Ryan. It is a fictional film that completes the story of a mother who had four children who went off to war. In World War II - three of those sons died, on June 6^th, 1944, or the days following. She had only one son remaining, Private James Francis Ryan. The movie begins as the U.S. Army is invading Omaha Beach. Its main character, Captain John Miller, is played by Tom Hanks. You see him and his unit going across the beach. It is their command to take over that beach, to climb the wall, and to start pushing their way into Europe. But, while that is taking place, Captain John Miller receives some new orders. He is told to change from pushing into Europe, to rescuing this private, Private James Francis Ryan, the only son left of his mother.

So, throughout the rest of this movie, we see a daring rescue taking place, with a brave hero. Finally in the end, we see a triumphant victory, in which Private Ryan goes back home, to live at peace with his mother.

We love stories like that don’t we?

Such is the case in our text for today, with our scripture readings. We see a daring rescue taking place by a brave hero, which ends up in triumphant victory.

I. Why We Needed to be Rescued

Now today, it is us, however, who need to be rescued. Our text tells us the reason that we need to be rescued is because we are in the dominion of darkness. Ever since we have been born, (actually going back before that, ever since we have been conceived), we have been in the dominion of darkness, because of our sin. We have been held captive by our sin. We can say, with the Apostle Paul, "I know that nothing good lives in me, (that is in my sinful nature). I have the desire to do that which is good, but I cannot carry it out." Even the good things that we want to do, those deeds are corrupted with sin and we are held captive by that dominion of darkness.

A number of years ago, on a family vacation, we visited Alcatraz. On that tour we went into the place that was held for the worst of all criminals, solitary confinement. We had a chance to step into that cell. The doors were closed behind us, where it was pitch black. That is the picture we have of the captivity we are in, because of our sin. We are locked in that ‘cell of confinement’, that dominion of darkness.

II. A Description of Our Rescuer

We can’t free ourselves from that darkness. We need somebody to come and rescue us. In our scripture readings for today, we have a picture and a description of who it is that comes to rescue us. In our Old Testament Lesson, Jeremiah shares with us who that person would be. He says it would be "a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. This is the name by which He will be called: LORD our Righteousness."

In our Gospel Lesson for today we get a picture of who our rescuer is. It is none other than Jesus on the cross, with the sign above His head that simply says, "THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS". As we see Him on that cross, we see His compassion that goes out to one of the criminals, as He says, "Today you will be with me in paradise".

Now today, in our scripture reading, there are many phrases that help to describe who that person is in far greater details. He is Christ our King. "He is the image of the invisible God." Our King and our rescuer is God, Himself.

Once, Jesus was bringing comfort to His disciples. He said to them, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me."

One of the disciples, Phillip, asked Jesus, "Show us the Father and that will be enough for us."

Jesus says, "Whoever sees me, has also seen the Father." God, the Father, is an invisible being. He is a spirit. Jesus is God in the flesh. Scripture says it is God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness." He made the light shine into our hearts, to give us the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. Jesus is God in the flesh.

Our King and rescuer also created all things, our text says. Usually we ascribe the work of creation to God, the Father. But, Jesus, being God, also is God who created us.

Our text says, "He is before all things." Christ our King and rescuer is eternal, with no beginning and He will have no end.

Our text says, "He is the head of the body". We, as believers, are talked about in scripture to be the body of Christ where Christ is the head of the Church. We, as the body, want to submit to the commands that Christ has for us.

Finally, our scripture reading for today says that not only is Christ our King and rescuer, not only is He God, but He is also Man. He is our brother. He is our substitute. And, in Him the fullness of God dwells in man.

Jesus truly is our Emmanuel.

He is our God with us.

We needed to be rescued, because we are in the dominion of darkness. Christ our King is that rescuer who has come for us. Now, how is that Christ our King rescued us?

III. How the King Rescued Us

There are two words in our scripture reading for today that describes how it is that He rescued us. One of those words comes at the beginning of our text and it is the word redeemed. And, the other one comes at the end of our text, which is the word reconciled. Christ our King is our rescuer who came to redeem us, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Imagine for yourself this morning wearing prison clothes. Those clothes are dirty. They are torn. And, you are in that solitary confinement cell that I described earlier. Satan himself is guarding your cell.

On the other side of your cell wall you hear a conversation between Satan and Christ our King. After a moment, the cell door opens up. You are blinded by the light, not only of the sun, but also of the light of Christ our King, as He shines forth in all of His radiance.

You are asked to take off your filthy, dirty, ripped, prison clothes. You stand there as Satan and all of his evil angels come and rip Christ our King’s dazzling garments. They kick him. They punch him. They beat him. They push him to the floor. And, it amazes you that He does not fight back. The clothes that you once wore, those dirty, ripped, prison clothes, are put on Christ our King. He is thrown into that solitary confinement cell. And, you are pardoned. You are free to go. You are forgiven.

It is in Christ that we have redemption. Through Him, we have the forgiveness of our sins. We are pardoned and we are set free. But, not only are we redeemed, not only are we bought back from that dominion of darkness, but we are also reconciled. We are reconciled to God, as Jesus, Christ our King, made peace for us, through the shedding of His blood on the cross. We, who once were enemies of God the Father, because we are in that dominion of the darkness of our sin, are no longer enemies of His. Jesus has brought us back into harmony. He has given us peace with God the Father, through the shedding of His blood on the cross.

The movie Saving Private Ryan, is a movie in which a daring rescue takes place - a rescue of Private James Francis Ryan, at the hands of a very brave hero, Captain John Miller, who brings a triumphant victory to Private Ryan by bringing him to live at peace with his mother. Today, in our text and throughout our scripture readings, we have an even more daring rescue - the daring rescue, as Christ our brave hero, Christ our King our rescuer, came to rescue us from the dominion of the darkness of our sin, so that we could have the triumphant victory of living at peace with God and being pardoned from all of our sins, through His death on the cross.

Today is the last Sunday of the church year. The middle of this week we have an opportunity to give thanks to God for everything that He gives to us, here on this earth. Next Sunday we will return once again, as we begin a new church year. In the season of Advent, we prepare ourselves for the coming of our Savior, where we see the angels over the hills of Bethlehem at Christmastime, proclaiming to the world, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men, on whom His favor rests." That is a picture of Christ, who is our rescuer.

Amen.

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