Abomination of Desolation - What’s In Your Heart
Divine Service
Lutheran Service Book (LSB) hymnal
Opening Hymn #655
Invocation p. 184
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Psalm 14
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 186
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 189
The Holy Scripture Lessons (see below)
Job 14:1-6 Job’s Despondent Prayer
“Man who is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. He comes forth like a flower and fades away; he flees like a shadow and does not continue. And do You open Your eyes on such a one, and bring me to judgment with Yourself? Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? No one! Since his days are determined, the number of his months is with You; You have appointed his limits, so that he cannot pass. Look away from him that he may rest, till like a hired man he finishes his day.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 The Comfort of Christ’s Coming
13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, 2 lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
Matthew 24:15-28 The Tribulation
“Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened. “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it.
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 191
Hymn of the Day #508 The Day Is Surely Drawing Near
The Sermon The Abomination of Desolation - What’s In Your Heart
The Offertory p. 192
Prayer of the Church
The Service of the Sacrament
Preface p. 194
Sanctus p. 195
The Lord’s Prayer p. 196
The Words of Our Lord p. 197
The Pax Domini
The Agnus Dei p. 198
Distribution
Distribution Hymn 621 Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence
Distribution Hymn 384 Of The Father’s Love Begotten
Distribution Hymn 726 Evening and Morning
Distribution Hymn 555 Salvation Unto Us Has Come
The Nunc Dimittis p. 199
The Thanksgiving p. 200
The Salutation
The Benedicamus p. 201
The Benediction p 202
Closing Hymn #880 Now Rest Beneath Night’s Shadow
Sermon Notes
Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Trinity
(Second Last Sunday of the Church Year)
November 18, 2018
Title: The Abomination of Desolation
Grace and mercy to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
It is written, “Therefore, when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads (this) let him understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains” thus far the text.
Sermon Notes
Our Father did not send Jesus into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Jesus might be saved! So why Jesus preach this fire and brimstone sermon?
Jesus is warning us that the Last Day is drawing near.
Bartholomaus Ringwaldt (1532-1599) wrote today’s hymn and the first line states it well.
He wrote and we sang:
The day is surely drawing near when Jesus, God’s anointed, in all His power shall appear as judge whom God appointed. Then fright shall banish idle mirth, and flames on flames shall ravage earth as Scripture has warned.
Jesus is warning us that His Second Coming is approaching. Make yourselves ready. You have been warned.
Jesus warned ancient Israel to live peacefully under Roman rule.
But they would not live peacefully with the Roman authorities even though warned.Jesus warned ancient Israel to leave Jerusalem, the ancient city of God, because a time was coming when He, Jesus Christ, would destroy the Jerusalem Temple. Along with the warning Jesus also gave them a sign marking the utter nearness of the destruction. The sign was an image of the emperor placed in the Holy Place of the Temple. This act is the ‘abomination of desolation’ prophesied by Daniel. An idol placed in the heart of God’s temple.
But they would not leave Jerusalem nor recognize the sign.
Some forty years after Christ’s resurrection the Roman army made war on Ancient Israel slaughtering many. To mock the Israelites they placed an image of the emperor in the Holy Place of the Temple. And some time later, destroyed the Temple so that no one stone remained on another.
Two out of three clear warning were given to Ancient Israel and they did not listen.
The last warning is for you.
You live in the End Times as has the Christian Church since the time of Christ’s Ascension. The End Times will continue with wars and rumors of war until Christ’s Second Coming.
Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).
The for you today is this, ‘Do not practice idolatry. Do not place the abomination of desolation in your heart which is the temple of God.” For this is how a Christian desecrates the temple of God.
What does the abomination of desolation look like within the church today?
All Christians who are sexually active outside of marriage are practicing idolatry. They are sinning against the temple of God.
This idolatry might look like a young couple living together. They are just out of High School, or the military, or college. The common excuse is that they don’t have enough money to pay rent on two apartments and they are not ready for marriage yet. They have exchanged the Holy Spirit for the abomination of desolation - which is unbelief.
This idolatry might look like a retired couple living together. Should they get married their Social Security checks would lessen. So they two say they cannot afford to live separately because of finances and yet they don’t want to get married yet. They, too, have exchanged the Holy Spirit for the abomination of desolation - which is unbelief.
And so, parents and children alike, you are warned in these End Times, hear again the Word of God for your repentance unto faith in Jesus.
Children of all ages, teach your parents or grandparents that living together without marriage is a major modern sign of the abomination of desolation. They are practicing idolatry against God even if they go to church regularly. Holy Communion would be God’s judgment against them.
Parents and Grandparents of all ages, teach your children and grandchildren that living together without marriage is a major modern sign of the abomination of desolation in their home or apartment. They are practicing idolatry against God even if they say they believe in Jesus Christ. They despise their Holy Baptism.
It’s not a knowledge problem. For you know that “as many of you were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death! Therefore you are buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in the newness of life (Romans 63-4).
Back to the hymn. Ringwalt wrote and we sang (verse 4):
Then woe to those who scorned the Lord and sought but carnal pleasures, who here despised His precious Word and loved their earthly treasures! With shame and trembling they will stand and at the judge’s stern command to Satan be delivered.
There is a strange little proverb that comes a few lines after our printed Gospel lesson for the day. Which is this:
Wherever the carcass is, there the vultures will gather.
This is something different than the judgment of God against unbelievers.
It is rather a Gospel picture to teach us that Christians gather together around the Word of God. When Jesus comes on the Last Day where will he find you?
Wherever the Word is, there will the Christians gather.
Jesus will find you receiving the gifts He won for you in death and resurrection. Unbelief is not found with faith. The abomination of desolation is not in the Temple of God (your bodies). Rather, in body and soul you are the holy Bride of Christ in the forgiveness of all your sins. Day by day you are living in the newness of life even on this earth. And yet waiting for the glorious second and final coming of the Son of Man.
O Jesus Christ, do not delay, but hasten our salvation; We often tremble on our way in fear and tribulation. O hear and grant our fervent plea: Come, mighty judge, and set us free from death and ev’ry evil. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard and keep you in Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.
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