"I'M BUT A STRANGER HERE!"

"I'M BUT A STRANGER HERE!"

Philippians 3:17-21

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

Dearly Beloved in Christ,
Most human beings don't like being or feeling like a stranger, i.e., an outsider, one who
doesn't belong! That's why we want to welcome any visitors in our midst, to help overcome
that feeling of strangeness and unfamiliarity they feel in our midst. That's one of the main
reasons for our fellowship time after Church, with coffee, etc. To get a chance to meet and
greet our visitors, and make them feel at home.
One of the increasing problems in our society is that more and more Americans feel like
strangers in their own country. The rapidly increasing hostility of our society in general, and
our government in particular, to the traditional values upon which our nation was founded
leave many feeling as if they no longer belong here. I certainly feel that way – especially
because I am a Christian. The fact that most of the so-called "politically correct" views held
in America today are contrary to the Christian faith makes me want to move to another
country – but there's no place to go anymore, since the liberal factions who foster this
ungodliness have determined to spread their doctrine all over the world, especially through
television and movies.
But what we are experiencing at the beginning of the 21st century is nothing new in the
history of the world. Rather, it is merely a return to what the world was like before
Christianity became the prevailing force in Western Civilization. For up until that time, all
Christians experienced the very same thing, no matter where they went! Abortion,
homosexuality, spiritism, etc. were the norm until Christianity prevailed, and now they are
the norm again, even here in the last bastion of the Western Church on earth. Again, and
increasingly, that makes me, and probably you too, feel like a stranger! Yes, in a very real
way, every Christian is able both to sing and to feel our Sermon hymn: "I'm but a stranger
here, Heaven is my home; earth is a desert drear(y) Heaven is my home. Danger and sorrow
stand Round me on every hand; Heaven is my fatherland, Heaven is my home." For this is
the testimony of the Apostle Paul in the third chapter of his epistle to the saints at Philippi.
Let us consider what we mean by this saying:

I. "I'm But a Stranger Here!

A. Like Abraham, the Hebrew – "One who passes over", i.e., "Just passing through"
(Heb. 11:8-10) "By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a
place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing
where he was going. And he lived as an alien in the land of the Promise, as in a
foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow-heirs of the same
Promise. For he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect
and builder is God."
1. Abraham was apparently wealthy & comfortable in Ur of the Chaldees.
(Mesopotamia, Iraq!)
2. But God called him out of his comfortable life into the unknown wilderness!
a. And made him a "Stranger and a pilgrim on the earth" (A pilgrim is one
on a journey to a Holy Place; "just passing through wherever they are
at the moment.)
b. So much a stranger, even in the Promised Land, was Abraham, that he
had to purchase a piece of land just to bury his dear wife!
(1) O.T. Lesson, Gen. 23:4 "I am a stranger and a sojourner among
you; give me a burial site among you, that I may bury my dead out
of my sight."
(2) Thus all he ever owned of the Promised Land was a burial plot
containing the bones of his beloved fellow-pilgrim, Sarah!

B. All Christians are Hebrews – "Ones from the Other Side!!!"
1. As were all the O.T. fathers, according to author to the Hebrews: "All these
died in faith, without having received the things Promised, but having only
seen them afar off, and having saluted them, and having confessed that they
were strangers and pilgrims on the earth." (Heb. 11:13)
a. "All these" == those covered in all of Heb. 11: Abel, Noah, Abraham,
Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, etc.
b. Enoch alone didn't die, but was taken directly to heaven.
2. As David confessed in our Introit, saying: "SAVIOR, show me the end of my
life, and the extent of my days; that I may know how fleeting my life is!" (Ps.
39:4)
a. And he complains about the futility of being a Stranger in the earth:
"Surely every man at his best is a mere breath; surely every man walks
about as a mere phantom! Surely he makes an uproar for nothing; he
heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it!" (Ps. 39:5-6)
b. But at last he confesses: "But now, SAVIOR, what am I waiting for?
My hope is in Thee! Deliver me from all my transgressions; make me
not the reproach of fools." (Ps. 39:7-8)
c. And he prays: "Hear my prayer, O SAVIOR, and give ear to my cry. Do
not be deaf to my weeping, for I am a stranger before Thee, and a
sojourner, like all my fathers!" (Ps. 39:12)
3. If you feel like a stranger here, Christian, you are not alone!

II. "I'm But a Stranger here – Heaven is My home!!!"

A. Because Christ Jesus, "for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven
and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary and was made man; and
was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried; and the
third day He rose again according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and
sitteth on the right hand of the Father!"
1. Thus He made us "Citizens of Heaven"!
a. By Himself becoming "A stranger in a strange land," and that,
voluntarily. (Imagine leaving all that for this!)
b. By taking our sins upon Himself – thus making Himself a stranger to
God! ("My God, My God, why has Thou forsaken Me?")
c. This He did in order to transfer His citizenship to us! "So then you are
no longer strangers and aliens (in heaven), but you are fellow
citizens with the saints, and are of God's household!" (Eph. 2:19).
d. As young Sean Eaton became this very morning through Holy Baptism!
2. And having accomplished this great work, He Himself rose from the dead and
returned to His heavenly Kingdom, receiving the hero’s welcome that only He
deserved!

B. Therefore, we should act like Citizens of Heaven!
1. For even though We ARE Citizens of Heaven, we must still live here on
this earth for the time being, but never acting contrary to the Home rules!!
a. Home rules still apply as long as we want to remain citizens of that far
off land!
b. "We must obey God rather than men." (Acts 5:29)
c. Otherwise, we forsake and forfeit our citizenship! (I Pet. 2:11)
"Beloved, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain
from fleshly lusts, which war against your soul."
2. We must not act like those who were troubling the Philippian Church.
a. The Judaizers, who were "Living as enemies of the cross of Christ.” (18)
(1) They wanted to pervert the doctrine that all men are damned to
hell by their sins.
(2) They would not accept that only through Christ's cross can we be
saved, and not by our works.
(3) "Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, and their glory is
in their shame, for they set their minds on earthly things!" (vs. 19)
b. But the Apostle urges us "Citizens of Heaven" to follow his example and
that of other like him. (vs. 17)
(1) "Brethren, join in imitating me, and observe those who live
according to the example you have in us."
(2) Keeping the sound doctrines of our Kingdom.
(3) Keeping our heavenly goal.
(4) Desiring always to go home, where we fit in and belong!

C. For Christ will soon return to take us home!
1. For "Our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a
Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ!" (vs. 20)
2. "Who will change our lowly body to be like His glorious body, by the power
which He has, even to subject all things to Himself!" (vs. 21)
a. The physical, bodily resurrection is true, as Jesus Himself taught in our
Gospel lesson: "Have you not read that which was spoken to you by God,
saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of
Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead but of the living." (Matt. 22:31-32)
b. As Abraham, et al, first believed, and then experienced!

Dear Fellow Redeemed in the Blood of Christ,
I once saw a presentation on the life of the Big Band leader, Glen Miller. Some of you
may remember that he was a student at CU in the 1920's, and became the most popular band
leader in America before he died in a WWII plane crash – at the age of only 40. At any rate,
what impressed me the most about this talented man was that under his senior picture in his
High School Annual he had written, "I'm but a stranger here, heaven is my home"! Why did
he write that? He was already somewhat of a successful musician in Ft. Morgan, where he
lived, and he came from what appeared to be a good home, too. Yet he wrote this strange
epitaph at the age of only 17 or so. Maybe he knew something – maybe God had given him
some knowledge that very soon he would go home!
Well, whether that is true or not; soon, very soon, you will be called out of this vale of
tears to your heavenly home. How long – 20 years, 40, 60 or even 80, for such as young Sean
Eaton, baptized into the Kingdom of God here this morning? Only God knows, of course, but
some of us will no doubt depart sooner than others. But are you ready? Are you really ready
to Go Home? I am, and I have been for a long time, for I feel in my bones and cheerfully
confess that I have long been "A Stranger in a Strange Land", and I am a homebody! Fear
not, for your Savior God is simply providing you with the same experience as Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob, as well as all the saints of all time. And after all, who could ever have felt more
a stranger here on earth, than the Only-Begotten Son of God? But because He endured it
through death to victory, this is to be our lot as well. God grant each one of you the grace to
persevere in faith until you meet Him in your real, your eternal home – Heaven. Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts & minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

“True Sons of God!”

“True Sons of God!”

Matthew 21:28-32 + Philippians 2:3-11

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

Dearly Beloved in Christ Jesus,
What’s wrong with this picture? A professor of mine asked a liberal professor, “Do you
deny that Jesus is the Son of God?” He answered, “No, of course not, no more than I would
deny that you or I are sons of God!” But if Jesus is the same kind of son of God as everyone
else – as you or I, in particular – than no one can be saved, not even Jesus!
In our Gospel lesson for this morning, The Son of God tells a parable about two other
sons of God, that is, about two groups of God’s people, one which began as outwardly obedient,
but became inwardly unbelieving, and the other which was initially outwardly disobedient but
became inwardly believing. His point is to categorize all mankind, including you and me, as
being of one type or the other. But has either one retained the right to inherit his father’s
house? Perhaps, but not for the reason most people would conclude, for we see here that:

I. All the sons of men are always disobedient sons of God in one way or another. (Matt:
21:28-32)
A. One son says “Yes, father,” and then disobeys. (vs. 29 “'Son, go work today in the
vineyard.' And he answered and said, 'I will, sir'; but he did not go.”)
1. He is like the leaders of the Jews in Jesus’ day.
2. Outward obedience covering an unbelieving heart (pietism) is damnable.
a. (vss. 31b-32) "Truly I say to you that the tax-gatherers and
prostitutes will get into the Kingdom of God before you! For John
came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him;
but the tax-collectors and prostitutes did believe him; and when you
saw this, you did not repent and believe him.”
b. They were thus doubly guilty.
c. Like anyone who comes to Church just because “It’s the right thing
to do, rather than because Christ dispenses the forgiveness of sins
here, and then refuses to say the confession of sins with the rest of
the Congregation!!
(1) He doesn’t believe he needs the forgiveness.
(2) But when he sees people both worse and better than he
confessing their sins he will not join them.
(3) Let no mouth which refuses to confess its sins receive the
body & blood of Christ in the Sacrament, for to do so would be
utterly damnable!! (Repeat)

B. Another son says, “No, father,” and then repents and obeys. (vs. 30 "And he came
to the second and said the same thing. But he answered and said, 'I will not'; yet
afterward he regretted it and went.”)
1. He is like the open sinners in Jesus’ day.
2. Repentance beats lip-service every time!! (vs. 31a "’Which of the two did
the will of his father?’ They said, ‘The second one.’")
a. It is not just his work in the vineyard which is the will of his father.
b. But rather, it is his love for his father, and therefore regreting
having disobeyed him which pleases him.

II. Only The Son of God who is The Son of Man is perfectly obedient in every way!!!

A. He is “in very nature God” the Son! (vs. 6 “Christ Jesus, who, although He was
in very nature God, did not regard His equality with God something for selfglorification.”)
1. The God who made us all. (Heb. 1:2) “In these last days God has spoken to
us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also
He made the world.”
2. The God who “upholds all things.” (Heb.1:3a) “And He is the radiance of
His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all
things by the word of His power.”

B. “But He emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave by coming in the likeness of
men.” (vs. 7)
1. He was “Obedient to the point of death...on a cross.” (vs. 8 “And being
found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient
to the point of death, even death on a cross!”)
a. Unlike the second son in His parable, when His Father said, “Son,
go work today in the Vineyard,” He answered “I will!” (John 5:36
"But the witness which I have is greater than that of John; for the
works which the Father has given Me to accomplish, the very works
that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.”)
b. Unlike the first son in His parable, however, He then rolled up His
sleeves & accomplished all His Father’s will!
(1) (John 19:28-30) After this, Jesus, knowing that all things
had already been accomplished, in order that the Scripture
might be fulfilled, said, "I thirst!" A jar full of sour wine was
standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine
upon a branch of hyssop, and brought it up to His mouth.
When Jesus therefore had received the sour wine, He said, "It
is finished!" And He bowed His head, and gave up His spirit!
(2) (Heb.1:3b) “When He had made purification of sins, He sat
down at the right hand of the Majesty on high!”
2. He did this “For us men and for our salvation.” (Nicene Creed)
a. (Gal. 4:4-5) “But when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth
His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, in order that He
might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive
the adoption as sons!”)
(1) Jesus’ death is our death for our sins!!!
(2) Jesus’ obedience is our obedience by faith.
b. (John 14:19) “Because I live, you shall live also.”
(1) Jesus’ resurrection is the death of death
(2) and our eternal life!!!

III. Therefore, “True Sons of God” are those who by Faith Live Lives of Daily Repentance.

A. By Nature, we cannot deny that we are sons of Adam.
1. We do not “have this attitude in ourselves which was in Christ Jesus.” (v.5)
a. We do nearly everything “From selfishness or empty conceit.” (vs. 3a
“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit.”)
b. We do not “Regard one another as more important than ourselves.”
(vs. 3b “But with humility of mind, let each of you regard one
another as more important than himself.”)

B. By Grace, we confess and rejoice that God’s Only-Begotten Son has taken our
place under the wrath of God.
1. Like the “tax-gatherers and prostitutes,” we have found God’s Savior!
2. Like Ezekiel of old, we have heard the desire of God our Savior that we
“repent and live!” (Ezek. 18:32 “For I have no pleasure in the death of
anyone who dies, declares Yahweh Elohim!!!”)

Dear Fellow Redeemed in the Blood of God’s Only-Begotten Son:

To say “Yes” to God’s Law, and then fail to carry it out is certainly damnable, because
our answer is obviously meaningless in the end. But to say “No” to His Law is equally
damnable, whether or not we end up doing what He demands of us, for He will tolerate no
backtalk whatsoever (“You shall not take the Name of the God your SAVIOR in vain!”). Sadly,
we all fall continually into one or the other of these conditions. Therefore, since we rarely, if
ever, say “Yes” and then actually obey Him, there is only one hope of our being and remaining
“True Sons of God” – through the grace and merit of His Only True Son, Jesus. May your
faith and hope of all things great and wonderful be based solely upon His blood and
righteousness, both now and forever! Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts & minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

“We’ve Been Framed!”

“We’ve Been Framed!”

Matthew 19:30-20:16

I’m sure you all know the purpose of a picture frame, don’t you? Originally, it was to stretch the canvas over, and
to provide a structure to hang on the wall.. But soon, people began o make their picture frames very elaborate, so as to
highlight or set apart the picture from the wall behind it. But there are other types of frames, as well. Houses have
frames, or skeletons, to provide structural strength. So do ships. And the art of building frames is called “framing,” and
the work of a framer is to frame things!
Ah, but to frame a person usually means that someone has falsified evidence to make the innocent look guilty. It
is a peculiar usage of a word that originally meant “to benefit, comfort, or construct.” But there’s the rub, for this sort of
legal chicanery often means that someone “constructed,” or better, “fabricated” a false case. Or perhaps it might be used
to indicate that one has been surrounded by false evidence, as a picture frame surrounds its picture. Whatever the case,
however, it shall shortly become clear to you that by this parable, our Lord Jesus Christ has indeed framed us in a way
that is both frightening and wonderful! Consider that:

I. We’ve been Framed (set up) by Our Own Sinful Nature!!

A. We seek by nature to earn & deserve our entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven (the Vineyard).
1. The Landowner is God the Father, Son & Holy Ghost.
2. He graciously invites the idle workers into His Vineyard.
3. The first group of laborers meticulously negotiate a “fair price” for their day’s work. (vs. 2)
a. Then they no longer believe their wage is fair when others are paid the same for fewer hours of work!
(vss. 10-12)
b. They call God’s Grace, unfair! (vs. 15 – They are no doubt members of Vinekeeper’s Local #666)
c. They have been framed by their own sin, selfishness & greed!!
d. Jesus tells this parable against the Jews of His day, who believe themselves superior to others.

B. But grace that is earned & deserved is not grace at all! (Rom. 4:4-5)
1. The later groups of laborers did not negotiate a wage, but trusted the employer’s good grace. (vs.4)
a. They were simply glad to get a job at all. (vss. 5-7; Gen. 2:15; Ecc. 5:18; Gen. 3:17-19)
b. They considered it a privilege to work in the Vineyard!
2. Their wages are therefore not earned, but gracious gifts!!! (vss. 9-10)
a. They have been doubly blessed with both useful work and unearned wages!
b. These who were last hired are the first rewarded by the grace of God! (Is. 55:8)

II. We’ve been Framed by Jesus to Reveal His Gracious Invitation to Serve in His Kingdom!!!

A. He calls us into His Vineyard (Kingdom) by the Gospel.
1. He is seeking us through this parable.
a. From the standpoint of God’s Kingdom, all men are idle, useless & unproductive apart from Christ!
b. He seeks out those who have been brought to realize this by the Law, and gives new meaning to their
lives. (Is. 55:7)
c. His death on the Cross gives meaning to our lives, even in the Kingdom of Heaven! (Eph. 2:8-10)
2. Strangely, this is the same Gospel call as “Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I
will give you rest!
a. In that saying we are laboring under the guilt of our sins.
b. Here in this parable we find we have nothing to offer God for His favor.
c. But Jesus allowed Himself to be framed for our sins, and to suffer and die in our place. He who owed
God nothing gave everything, so that we who owe God everything might do nothing to be saved!!!
TBTG!!! (Is. 55:9)

B. By His grace He even grants us the privilege of serving (working) in His Vineyard!
1. Our “work” in the the Kingdom of God is a labor of love, not a slavery of sweat. (Phil. 1:23-25)
2. Even this work is His work in us! (Is. 26:12-13)
a. Yet He rewards us for it here on earth with Christian friends, His Word & Sacraments, and even
material blessings!
b. And He has prepared for us in heaven unimaginable blessings! (1 Cor. 2:9)

Yep, we’ve been framed alright – framed by grace! For our Lord Jesus Christ has both prepared and paid for an
eternal wealth of glory for us! And He did not tell this parable in order to condemn us, but only to warn us against the
self-righteousness that would remove us from His Kingdom. Here He seeks our eternal welfare, as always; and He would
by these words encourage us to continue in that grateful, humble, childlike spirit which, having done everything
commanded it, would answer: “I am an unworthy slave, for I have done only what was my duty” (Luke 17:10). May God
grant such grace to each of you this very day. Amen.

“The Knowledge of Good and Evil”

“The Knowledge of Good and Evil”

Genesis 50:15-21

The “Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil” is an enigma to most people – an inexplicable occurrence. They
ask, “Why did God put such a tree in the middle of the Garden of Eden? Why would He so tempt Adam, by even
putting the notion of evil in front of him?” The answer: “ Because that’s the way it is, which is to say, it was
necessary.” For if God is all good, then the absence of God is by definition, evil. “Yes, but God is omnipresent –
He is everywhere, so how could there ever be an ‘absence’ of God?” Well, it’s not that He is not everywhere present
as God, but rather that He is not everywhere acknowledged as the completely good and only God, as first Satan,
then Eve, and finally Adam concluded. So to deny God’s goodness is the very essence of evil – which is the natural
condition of every human being born of woman, except One! (Obviously, to attempt to completely delete God by
denying His very existence is even more evil.) Therefore, it is not possible to really understand evil until one has
a grasp of what is good. Thus the tree which begins with the knowledge of good, and only then reveals evil as the
lack thereof, is necessary.
The trouble with this tree, therefore, is the knowledge of evil which it necessarily imparts. For immediately
upon eating of it, both Eve and Adam were horrified to discover that in the very eating, they had become evil! Ever
since that moment, humanity has fled from this knowledge in terror, trying to deny its truth. Thus, father Luther
says “The Theologian of Glory (natural man) calls the bad, good and the good, bad.” But for those few who truly
understand God and His plan, “The theologian of the Cross calls a thing what it is!” Thus we hold that:

I. Everything Man does out of His Own Nature is Evil!!

A. Even the “chosen descendants of Abraham” were not immune to this evil.
1. Jacob sinned against his other sons by showing greater love for Joseph. (Gen. 37:3-4)
2. Joseph, in turn, sinned against them by boasting of God’s revelation to him. (Gen. 37:5-7)
3. Joseph’s brothers sinned against him by selling him into slavery. (Gen. 37:18-22)

B. The result of sin is always loss of peace.
1. Jacob grieved over his lost son.
2. Joseph became a slave in a hostile land – but God had a plan!
3. When Jacob died, Joseph’s brothers were terrified that he would enslave them. (vss. 15-18)
4. We each have our own forms of our slavery to sin and death.

II. Everything God does out of His Own Nature is Good!!!

A. His loving hand chastises us to draw us near.
1. Jacob was forced to recognize his sin.
2. Joseph was tested and tested again until God was his only hope and salvation!
3. His brothers were brought to true repentance.
4. We are brought to realize that our problem is our own sin.

B. Yet even when we “mean it for evil,” God means it for good!!! (vs. 20)
1. Joseph was used by God to save his family.
2. Jacob’s death brought his other sons to salvation!
3. God has given us true “Knowledge of Good and Evil,” that we might know His salvation in Christ!

The terror of this knowledge of good and evil is the realization that because we are now, by our fallen nature,
unfit for the “Tree of Life,” we must die. Thus we are, as the author to the Hebrews put it, “throughout all our lives
enslaved to the fear of death!” (Heb. 2:15) So crippling is this fear that most of us seek every possible way to deny
it, and especially its necessary implication – eternal separation from God. From the Atheist’s denial of the very
existence of God, to the ambition that drives men to “leave their mark on the world,” to the lethargy of
hopelessness, to the death-defying extreme sports mania, everything we do is tainted – nay, poisoned, by this
terrible fear – of death and Hell.
But God had a plan – from before the foundation of the Creation – to use this tree and its terrifying knowledge
to bring us to Himself in everlasting bliss. This plan is called “The Gospel of Jesus Christ,” and it necessitates that
God Himself would partake of our humanity in order to suffer both the fear of death and death itself on the “Tree
of Life.” Then He could “destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,” (Heb. 2:14) by rising
victoriously from the dead. This would then “destroy the shroud that was cast over all people – He would swallow
up death forever!!!” (Isa. 25:7-8). This is the truth with which Joseph “comforted his brothers and spoke kindly
to them.” So also here this morning Christ Jesus has comforted you and spoken kindly to you, “Be at peace, for
your sins have been washed away in the blood of My Cross!!!” Thanks be to God. Amen.