Second
Sunday in Advent, December 7th, A+D 2025
Our
Redeemer and Our Savior’s Lutheran Churches
Custer
and Hill City, South Dakota
The
Lord of Fire Malachi
4:1-6
Audio of the Sermon available HERE.
Our God is a consuming fire, (Hebrews 12:29). And He is the Sun of Righteousness, rising
with healing in His wings. (Malachi
4:2)
What comes to mind when you hear the word ‘fire’? Depends on how and where it is spoken,
no? “Hey, come sit by the fire with
me,” is the warm and coziest of invitations, if the fire burns in the fireplace
at Grandma’s house, or in a campfire ring out in the wilderness. But if you are in an old wooden building or a
dry forest, someone shouting ‘fire’ may terrify you. Staring into the flames with a warm drink in
your hands? Wonderful. Staring up the hillside as a wildfire races toward
you? Horrible.
Our
God is a consuming fire, and He always has been. In the desert, just after their exodus from
Egypt, the Lord came to the Israelites on Mount Sinai. To the eyes of the
children of Israel the appearance of the glory of the Lord on the top of the mountain
was like a consuming fire, (Exodus 24:17). The sight filled them
with fear, and soon led them to trade the true glory of God for a golden calf,
made by Aaron, a manageable metal god whose presence wasn’t a threat to
sinners.
The
prophet Daniel saw the Ancient of Days, Almighty God, sitting on a fiery throne. And he saw the one like a Son of Man, whose eyes
were like lightning, (Daniel 7 and 10). On the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus let
the glory of heaven, which had always been within His body, shine forth for a
few minutes, to help Peter, James and John see the Truth, (Matthew
17).
And, as Malachi prophesied, the Lord
will on the Last Day burn the stubble, the chaff, that is, the arrogant and the
evil doers.
The harnessing of electric power, which makes possible our very
comfortable lives, also provides us a helpful object lesson to understand what
the fiery, electric reality of Almighty God means for us.
When
we are protected, insulated from the raw power of electricity, remarkable
blessings come our way. Heat your engine
block on a sub-zero morning, make a professional espresso on your kitchen
counter, decorate your house with lights, watch your favorite football team
play a thousand miles away, light the stairway to the basement: electricity
under control blesses us in myriad ways.
But we also recognize the danger of uncontrolled electricity: a
lightning strike, a smoldering short in a light fixture, a power surge, a live
wire dangling from the ceiling in a construction site, a fork stuck in an
outlet by a curious child.
Like
electricity, we know that fire is good, as long as it is controlled. The flame of a candle is a wonder, giving us
light and warmth and beauty. That flame
is a gift, until you put your hand over it, and it burns you, inflicting tremendous
pain, destroying your flesh. The same
light that enhances life can also destroy.
Our God is the
Sun of Righteousness, rising with healing in His wings. And He always will be. As the Apostle John says: In the Kingdom of
Heaven, there will be no sun or moon, "for the glory of God gives it
light, and the Lamb is its lamp," (Revelation 21:23). Which makes sense,
because in Jesus is light, the light of Christ, who is the light of the world, (John
8:12 and 9: 5). We depend on
this fire within Christ, because it gives us life. The life that is in the Word made flesh is
the light of men, the true light which shines in the darkness, (John 1:4-5).
And this
light, this fire, is coming, because the Son of God is coming soon, the "one
who has eyes like a flame of fire," (Revelation 2:18).
On the day of His coming, all men will
see him, and the eyes of the Son will penetrate all, revealing hearts and
unveiling God’s righteous judgment. Therefore,
the Day of the Lord, when Jesus comes to us riding on the clouds, will be a day
of fire. On that day we see Him as He
is, in His unveiled glory. The Lord of Fire
will be visible, even touchable, if one can endure it.
So, will the
coming of the Lord of Fire be a good day?
We do not want to burn up like straw, or the chaff after the harvest,
dry and fit for nothing, except to be consumed.
The arrogant and the wicked will burn.
Which rightly teaches Christians to flee from sin. The consequences of sin in our daily lives
are bad enough, but to face the angry fire of God? No thank you.
The Lord is
coming, visibly, one more time. So, as
you wisely flee from sin, also be sure to approach the Lord of Fire now,
while you can do so safely. Many wait,
they choose not to draw near, out of ignorance or laziness, wickedness or fear. All who wait and do not draw near in this age
will on the Last Day face the uncontrolled divine fire, which no sinner can bear.
Do not wait, do not delay. Draw near.
Approach the Lord of Fire now, while His burning power is a blessing
to you, a forgiving and purifying fire that calms your conscience and restores
you by His grace. Approach the Lord of
Fire now, to be renewed in His salvation, day by day. Then you will go out rejoicing in the sunrise
of His light, jumping like calves set free from their stalls, celebrating the life-giving
warmth of His love.
And you know
where, and how you can safely approach the Lord of Fire, the Sun of Righteousness. You go to the places where He has already
drawn near to you. John the Baptist
promised that the Christ would come to you and would baptize you with the Holy
Spirit and fire. It makes sense that God
uses water, united to His powerful Word, to protect us from the destructive
power of the divine fire. Baptism with
water protects us because God uses it to unite us to Christ’s baptism by fire. As Jesus exclaimed as He was on his way to
Jerusalem to face the flames: "I came to cast fire on the earth; and
how I wish it was already cast down! But
with a baptism I must be baptized, and how distressed I am until it is
fulfilled! " (Luke 12: 49-50)
Jesus’ baptism by fire has been fulfilled. It is finished, for you. Our protection
against the flames of judgment is the Cross of Jesus.
You all probably know that firefighters carry
fire shelters, aluminum and fiber cocoons in which to
hide themselves as a last
resort if a wildfire comes too close. They
are quite effective; according to the National Wildfire Coordinating Group, through
2022 fire shelters have been deployed over 1,300 times in this country, and only
41 deaths have occurred. That’s an impressive success rate.
The Body of the risen Christ is our spiritual fireproof shelter, and His
success rate is 100%. All who find
refuge in Him live forever, even though they die. By your faith in Jesus, by your Baptism, by
His Supper, by the power of His Word, you are in Christ, and He is in you. In Christ, the fire of the Last Judgment
cannot threaten you. The Holy Spirit has
clothed you in the righteousness of God, won for you by God’s Son. So be wise, approach His saving flame, every
day. Rejoice in His light, which
illumines your path, day by day, and forever and ever.
If you wander from His Way and the flames of sin singe your robes and you
sense the heat of God’s displeasure, give thanks for the Holy Spirit’s warning,
and repent. Turn from temptation and
sin, return to the path, get back under your Savior’s healing wings, for the
forgiveness of your sins, and for your renewal.
Veteran firefighters know the dangers of their work, and are wise to train
continually, so they are prepared when the fire comes. If someone new and untrained joins the firefighting
effort, the veterans drill into these newbies both the basics and the finer details
of the job, especially how to stay safe, including how to use the fire shelter.
Because of what Christ has done for you, because of what the Spirit has
taught you about sin and grace and life and death and eternity, you are a veteran
Christian, refined by God’s fire. So,
like a good firefighter, be wise to keep training yourself in righteousness, to
keep growing in the Word and applying it in your daily life.
How does this work? Training in righteousness is pretty simple to
describe, but difficult to do, especially in our day, when we are trained to
organize our lives around comfort and entertainment. For the sinner that remains in each of us,
pursuing righteousness is uncomfortable.
But as saints, for the child of God we have been re-created to be, it is
also joyful and fulfilling.
Since it is from God, training in righteousness is powered, informed and
judged by His Word. And we will use His
Word to examine ourselves. We know God’s
revealed will for our lives, that we should love Him with our whole heart, soul
and strength, and love our neighbors as ourselves. How are we doing? We can get more detailed instruction, by working
our way through the Ten Commandments, using them to honestly and seriously
consider our daily walk.
As I consider my life through the various roles and relationships, the
vocations the Lord has given me to fulfill, the commandments will help me know
what I am to do, how I am to prioritize my time and energy. I am a pastor, a husband, brother, father and
grandfather. I have neighbors on my
street. Does my conversation with and
service to all the people I meet in my vocations communicate that I am a
Christian?
Such an exercise will keep me humble, pointing out my shortcomings, my
sins, turning me back to the Lord and His Way.
It will also make obvious my ongoing need to be renewed and formed by
the Spirit. Even more than
self-examination, training in righteousness involves receiving the Gospel of
God, through our eyes and ears and into our heart. We need the condemning, correcting and
guiding word of the Law, yes. Even more we
daily need the Good News of God’s salvation, of His love and grace toward
sinners. Thus the Spirit by His living
and active Word will be working on us, shaping us, changing us. He will also be comforting and forgiving us, leading
us to good works, and making us wise.
Wise unto salvation, and also wiser for our earthly walk.
As we breathe in God’s Word, we naturally breath out in prayer, speaking
to our heavenly Father as dear children, asking God’s mercy and providence, for
ourselves, our loved ones, our community, our world.
Jesus also calls us to pray for our enemies. That’s tough.
Especially in this ill-begotten digital age, in which the pursuit of
clicks brings every offensive thing, every evil, every blasphemous act before
my eyes. I am tempted to despair. There are so many of “them,” people who seem
opposed to everything I believe is good and right, people I am tempted to hate
and disparage. Healing our culture seems
hopeless. But true hopelessness is to
not believe that the Lord can do anything to help.
In the face of such despair, I do know one thing God has called me to
do. Even though I oppose the agenda and
reject the goals of the ungodly, and even as I am called to uphold God’s truth,
I am also called to pray for “them,” for those whom I see as enemies. I am to continually ask the Lord of the
harvest to draw them to Himself, to make them His children, and our brothers
and sisters. It is hard to hate a soul
you are praying for. And that
is God’s will for you.
We are called to pursue righteousness, to drink deeply from the spring
of God’s Word, and let it occupy the center of our lives. Wherever you are in your pursuit of
righteousness, consider doing just a bit more.
It will be good. Not easy, but
good. Do it for yourself, and for your
brothers and sisters in Christ, to mutually encourage and teach each other. And do it for the newbies, and potential
newbies, for those souls around you who will also face the fire, but don’t yet know
the One true Rescuer, our spiritual fire shelter, Jesus Christ. They may not realize they need to be
protected from the fire. But you
know. This knowledge should not puff up
your pride. Rather, the way that God in
His grace has and continues to rescue you and me should keep us humble, and
lead us to deal with others with the same patience and mercy God has shown to
us. We are led to speak of and imitate Christ,
always with gentleness and respect.
This is what Jesus means in the Sermon on the Mount, when He declares: Let
your light so shine before men, so they see your good works, and glorify your
Father, who is in heaven, (Matthew
5:16). No one can truly
glorify God the Father, except through faith in His Son. And so the light of your faith is used by the
Holy Spirit as He saves souls.
Stay under the healing wings of Jesus, for there you are safe from the
divine fire that destroys all that is wicked.
This is the gift of Christ for you.
And, when you are under the healing wings of Jesus, trusting in your heavenly
fire shelter, you are also a useful light for God’s work, His Mission. Through you and all His children, the Lord shines
the light of His truth, for all to see, that many more would be refined,
restored and protected for eternal life, in the Name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
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