“Your Mandate from the Lord”
Mark 13:34

Click for Audio

Pastor Kevin Vogts
Trinity Lutheran Church
Paola, Kansas
First Sunday in Advent—November 27, 2016

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

In the wake of this year’s extraordinary presidential election, in which the electoral college and popular vote were split, the pundits and politicians are trying to figure out what message was sent by the voters.  The political debate is, in such a split election, is there is a clear mandate from the people?

In today’s Gospel Reading, Jesus says about his Second Coming at the Last Day: “Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.  It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task.” 

It’s not my place to make conclusions about a political mandate from an election, but I can tell you this: YOU have a mandate, from the Lord.  “He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task.”  You are the Lord’s servant, you have assigned tasks from him; YOU have a mandate for your life from the Lord. 

You are invited to follow along the on the last pages of the bulletin as we look at “Your Mandate from the Lord” in three important areas of your life: your family; your work; and your faith and Christ’ Church.

Point #1) Out of gratitude for God’s gift of salvation you want to serve Him in your life.

Paul says in Colossians, “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.”  Because of your sinfulness, you are by nature separated from God, and deserving of his wrath and punishment.  But, Paul immediately follows that Bad News with the Good News of your salvation: “But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.”  All your sins are forgiven, on account of Jesus Christ.  Trust in him as your Savior; through faith in him God reckons you “holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.”

And out of gratitude for God’s gift of salvation you want to serve Him in your life.  As Paul says: “[He] gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good;” “He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again;” “You are not your own; you were bought with a price.  Therefore glorify God in your body.”

Martin Luther puts it this way in the Small Catechism: “[He] has redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, that I may be His own, and live under Him in His kingdom, and serve Him . . .”

Point #2) What is your mandate from the Lord concerning your family?

First, we consider the marriage relationship.  There are all sorts of experts and self-help books giving you guidance on how to have a successful marriage.  Those experts and their books do have some good advice, but don’t overlook the best advice on love and marriage, the first self-help book from the TRUE expert, the One who created male and female, and established marriage. 

In 1st Corinthians chapter thirteen, we read of the kind of love God has for us, and God intends husband and wife to have for each other:  “Love is patient, love is kind.  it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not selfish, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always endures.  Love never fails.”

In Colossians and Ephesians, Paul gives advice on getting along with others, advice that applies especially to the marriage relationship: “As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds together in perfect unity;” “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

The New Testament also gives guidance specifically for husbands and wives on how to have a successful marriage:

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her;” “Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them;” “Husbands, be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect . . . and the wife must respect her husband;” “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.  Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.”

The New Testament even gives candid advice on the intimate side of married life: “The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife’s body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband’s body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.”

You may have heard the old English wedding vows in which the last part is: “I plight thee my troth.”  “Troth” is the old English word for “truth,” so it means: “I pledge you my truth;” “I pledge you my faithfulness.”  As Luther says in his explanation of the Sixth Commandment: “We should fear and love God that we may lead a chaste and decent life in word and deed, and each love and honor his spouse.”  Jesus puts it this way: “A man shall leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.  So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man put asunder.”

“He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task.”  If you are married, your mandate from the Lord concerning your spouse is clear and specific.  It is beautifully stated in the traditional wedding vows: “To have and to hold from this day forward; for better, for worse; for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health; to love and to cherish, till death do us part; and I pledge you my faithfulness.”

If you are a parent, your mandate from the Lord concerning your children is summed up in Psalm 127: “Children are a heritage from the Lord, a blessing from him.”  Your children are a gift from God.  God himself has entrusted you with your children, and he expects you to lovingly care for them; to provide for their needs, as best you can; to discipline them, educate them, prepare them for life; and most of all, to “Bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”

As a child, which all of us are, your mandate from the Lord concerning your parents is stated in the Fourth Commandment: “Thou shalt honor thy father and thy mother.”  Luther explains in the Small Catechism, “What does this mean?  We should fear and love God that we may not despise our parents and masters, nor provoke them to anger, but give them honor, serve and obey them, and hold them in love and esteem.”

Paul says, “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord;” “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.”

Point #3) What is your mandate from the Lord concerning your work?

The New Testament tells us that whatever earthly work you do, you should look upon it as a calling from the Lord, a service to him:  “Servants, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.  Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

“Servants, obey your earthly masters with respect and reverence, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.  Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like servants of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.  Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.  And masters, treat your servants in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven.”

Point #4) What is your mandate from the Lord concerning your faith and Christ’s Church?

Worship—“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing.”

Prayer—“Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.”

Bible reading and study—“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly;” “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

Service—“We have different gifts, according to the grace given us;” “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”

Giving—“On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up [for the collection];” “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Godly living—“Live a life worthy of the calling you have received;” “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ;” “Live a life worthy of the Lord, pleasing him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God;” “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Point #5) You remain in this world for a purpose—to fulfill your mandate from the Lord.

At one of my previous churches there was a lady who was over 100 years old.  Every time I visited her she asked me, “Pastor, why am I still here?”  Paul asks and answers that same question about himself in Philippians: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith.”  Like Paul, YOU remain in this world for a purpose—to fulfill your mandate from the Lord.

The pundits and politicians will probably never agree on what the mandate from the voters was in this extraordinary election.  But your mandate from the Lord is clear and specific, concerning your family, your work, your faith and Christ’s Church.  “It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task.”

Amen.