Dear Christian friends,

We are definitely living in fearful, uncertain times. The President of our nation and leader of the free world has been sorely disgraced and made ineffective by personal scandal. As a result, pressing national and world problems will probably not be dealt with as the congress and President deal with his possible impeachment. Recently two of our embassies in Africa were bombed by terrorists. Children are killing children. Recently our grandson came home from Lutheran day care very upset because a fellow playmate had threatened to kill him. Violence is increasingly being used as a way of settling disagreements. Russia has become an economic basket case as well as much of Asia threatening our own economy.

How are we Christians to find peace of mind and hope in our hearts when we live in such a fear-filled world? Of course, the answer is that we turn to the words and promises of our Lord as found in the Bible. In the Gospel Lesson for today we have some very precious words and promises from our Lord that can remove fear and instead give us peace and courage for these times.

In the verses preceding our text Jesus reminds us that we are citizens of the Kingdom of God and as such are greatly protected and blessed. So this morning I want to speak to you about

I. The first benefit that Jesus mentions is the removal of fear. (v32 read it!)

Since the kingdom has been given to us we are God's precious, little darlings. He is our dear Father in heaven. As such He protects us and nourishes us both materially and spiritually.

A. This is truly amazing since our citizenship in the Kingdom is not earned or deserved by us. It is the gift of our Father to us. By nature we deserved His wrath and displeasure, temporal death and eternal damnation. But He so loved us and the world that He gave His only begotten Son to die for us. Not only did He give us His dear Son, but He also through the Holy Spirit has given us faith to believe in Jesus the Savior. By grace though faith we have become citizens of His Kingdom. We are His precious "little flock."

Consequently He takes good care of us, not only our spiritual needs through Word and Sacraments but also our material physical needs. In the verses preceding our text Jesus had said to His disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life etc." (Read portions of verses 22-31)

Since we are the heavenly Father's precious little flock whose every physical and material need He provides we trust Him and do not hoard earthly possessions as the unbelievers in the world do. We do just the opposite! Jesus says, (Read verses 33-34)."

We are freed from covetousness and greed. So free, that if need be, we will sacrifice all of our possessions in order to help and save a brother or sister in need, knowing that when we have a treasure in heaven there is really no treasure on earth to lose. Not only will we sacrifice our possessions, we will also sacrifice our lives for others, believing that when we have eternal life in heaven there is really no life on earth to lose.

Job, when he had lost all his great wealth, his house and nine children in one day worshiped God, saying, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised." (Job 1:21)

Transition: The citizens of God's Kingdom are not to worry about worldly goods, but they are to be concerned about the return of the Lord which may be delayed and may even come as a surprise. This brings us to the second great benefit of citizenship in the Kingdom.

II. The second benefit is that our citizenship in the Kingdom enables us to be ready for our Lord's return in glory at the end of the world or when we die. (When we die that is the end of the world for us individually.)

A. In our text Jesus says, "(read verses 35-36)" The activity which Jesus describes here does not seem to be anything other than faithful watchfulness and joyful waiting with anticipation. In doing that we are ready. What, then, is "faithful watchfulness?

It is exactly what you are doing in this very hour, hearing the Word of the Lord and partaking of His Holy Supper. There is no better way, in fact it is the way to watch for His return. Through the Word and the Sacraments Jesus Himself serves us with the food of faith. The Kingdom comes to us as a gift from God. What is more, Jesus our master, is such an outlandish master that He serves us His servants. Listen to what He says here: "(Read verse 37)" While this is primarily a description of what Jesus will be doing for us in heaven's glory, it also happened when He died on the cross and it happens every Sunday when we gather here for the service.

Dr. Alvin J. Schmidt points this out beautifully in a article in the August Lutheran Witness, "Multiculturalism on Sunday Morning" He says, "Evidently, we are forgetting what really transpires in a Lutheran church on Sunday morning, namely a place where God serves us. It is a Gottesdienst (God's service), as Lutherans have always called it. God is the subject, not we. He serves us His Word and Sacraments. We merely respond with thanksgiving to forgiveness, heard in the absolution, Gospel, sermon and in hymns that underscore Law and Gospel." Indeed there are no masters quite outlandish as our master, who makes us "kick back" and receive the precious service He provides.

Transition: But what if we don't attend the church services regularly and don't have our daily devotions? What if we are not watching?

B. Jesus has a bit of a warning for us who are tempted to despise His gracious services. He says, "(Read verses 39-40)"

We are all tempted to trust in our own work, financial plans rather than in the heavenly Father, who really provides for us. In doing this we may easily neglect the church and its services and the support of the church and its missions and charities. Does Jesus' command: "Sell your possessions and give to the poor" seem unreasonable to you? If it does; you may not be watching faithfully for His return. So be warned. The Old Testament and Epistle tell of Abraham who believed God's promises, "who was longing for a better country - a heavenly one." We need to be like Abraham!

Conclusion: Let us remember that by God's grace we have become citizens of His eternal Kingdom. He is our heavenly Father who supplies all our needs both material and spiritual! "Do not be afraid, little flock, your Father has been pleased to give you the Kingdom."

Amen