Am I Falling Away? - Sermon for the Last Sunday of the Church Year

Last Sunday of the Church Year
November 24^th, Year of Our + Lord 2024
Our Redeemer and Our Savior’s Lutheran Churches
Custer and Hill City, South Dakota
Am I Falling Away?  Matthew 25:1-13

Audio of the Sermon available HERE 

   Am I falling away?  Will I be ready, when Jesus comes for me? 

    Like the first four stanzas of the hymn we just sang, the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins can be uncomfortable for Christians to think about.  It poses a frightening question: Am I falling away?  I’m a member of a church.  I claim to be a Christian.  But am I foolishly drifting away from the salvation that Christ has won for me?  Much like another End Times parable, the Wheat and the Weeds, the Virgins raise the very real problem that not everyone who looks like they are a member of Christ’s Church is truly a member.  In the Wheat and the Weeds, an enemy sows weeds amongst the good seed.  The field is a mess, and the servants want to get rid of the weeds.  But the Owner declines to have His servants try to pull them out, lest the wheat be torn out too.  Instead, He instructs them to wait for the harvest, that is, the Last Day, when the wheat will be harvested and stored safely away, while the weeds will be burned. 

   With the Virgins, the situation is similar, but maybe even more difficult.  Outwardly, almost nothing distinguishes the Foolish from the Wise, except that the Wise brought flasks of oil to replenish their lamps.  But the are all together in the same group.  They all have oil lamps.  They are all waiting for the arrival of the Bridegroom.  And they all fall asleep.   

     The image on our bulletin is of the five wise virgins, alert, standing with their burning lamps in their hands, ready for the arrival of Christ.  One virgin looks directly at us.  She seems to be asking:  What about you?  Are you wise, or foolish?   

   Jesus and His Apostles, not to mention the Old Testament Prophets, teach a lot about the need for endurance in the faith, unto the End.  Jesus explains that the seed that falls on the rocks or among thorns are people who believe, but then for lack of root or because of the cares and pleasures of this world, fall away.  (Matt. 13)  Paul exhorts the Corinthians, and you:  I remind you brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.” And to the Ephesians he says, “take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.”  (Ephesians 5).  Finally, in Revelation Jesus declares: “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Rev. 2:10)

   Because the question of Christian endurance is so important, and so worrisome, we are prone to bad reactions.  We might twist our understanding of Christ’s teaching into knots, trying to make sense of it in a way we can keep straight.  Other times we may be tempted to ignore it, to refuse to even think about it, as if that makes the problem go away. 

   Both reactions are foolish, and bad for our conscience day by day, robbing us of peace and joy.  They are also bad for the Church and her Mission to proclaim the Good News of Jesus to the world, to our family, friends and neighbors.  If we’re full of doubt, or apathy, about Christ and His promises, how will we ever share the Word of Christ with others?  Why would we invite someone to come and see Jesus, come hear His voice, unless we are confident He speaks Good News to us? 

   We should take a few minutes to deal with some of these questions, because the Lord doesn’t want us to be frightened of the End.  He wants us to rejoice and eagerly look forward to His return in glory.  For ourselves, for the sake of encouraging one another, and for confessing the faith to unbelievers, the Lord wants us to have a clear understanding of His salvation.   

   The problem is not that God is fickle, nor that His Word is unclear.  Jesus Christ is our salvation.  He is our righteousness, our holiness, our redemption, our all in all.  He is the Father’s primary gift to us sinners, that we might be His own, and live under Him in His Kingdom, in everlasting innocence, righteousness and blessedness.  Today, and forever and ever, Jesus is the Way and the Truth and the Life, for you. 

   We are the problem.  Our struggle to be confident about our salvation stems from the sin that still plagues us all.  We are prone to distraction.  Our reason and will and emotions are all still corrupted by our sinful condition.  And so, in too many ways to count in one sermon, we tend to misunderstand or reject or neglect God’s Word. 

   One of the mistaken ways Christians sometimes try to avoid the difficulty of endurance in the faith is to proclaim: “Once Saved Always Saved.”  This teaching tries to claim that  falling away is impossible, if you were truly saved.  But it does not solve the problem.  Rather, it simply moves the question of assurance to a different, mistaken arena. 

   “Once saved, always saved” teachers consistently put all their emphasis on the moment of conversion.  Then, and this is the critical error, they misrepresent how conversion works, putting the critical difference in your hands. 

   Jesus in John 15 teaches, “You did not choose me, I chose you.”  Again in chapter 6, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.”  St. Paul unpacks this truth by declaring: “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, but God made you alive together in Christ; by grace you have been saved.” (Eph. 2)  God has done it all.  He saves us.  Wonderful good news for us sinners! 

   Sadly, “Once saved, Always Saved” teachers falsely and consistently say conversion finally depends on you, on the individual sinner.  They often say you must choose Jesus, to finish the deal.  Supposedly, they say, once you have made your decision for Jesus, or once you have made Him Lord of your life, or once you have done whatever they imagine you can and must do, then and only then are you saved.  After that, they say, nothing can change.  Once saved, always saved, they say. 

   The problem is, the Bible doesn’t teach “Once saved, always saved.”  And so, the individual’s conscience is not relieved, not for long, because it is not trusting the Word, but rather they are hoping in the work of a sinner.  All the doubt and worry get internalized:  “Did I really choose Christ?  Did I truly surrender my heart to Jesus?  Have I really done enough good to merit God’s forgiveness?”  The Devil licks his wicked lips, in anticipation of torturing that poor soul who has been taught to hope in his own work, his own choice, rather than trusting in the gracious, undeserved choice of God.    

   Now, there is a truth about your endurance in the faith, which “Once Saved, Always Saved” teachers are trying to draw upon, however badly they mess it up.  This is the truth of “election.”  It is true, those whom God chose from the foundation of the world will be saved. (Eph 1)  Last week we heard Jesus warn of “false Christs,” who would deceive, if it were possible, even the elect, the chosen of God.  (Matt. 24:24)  But this can’t happen, for God has promised to save every soul whom He has chosen, elected, before time began.  He will drag each of His elect across the finish line of eternal salvation, come what may.  Jesus teaches us of eternal election to comfort us, to strengthen our confidence.  His choice is sure.  Indeed, God chose you before He created time.  Nothing can snatch the elect out of the hand of the Father.  Nothing can snatch you out of the hands of Jesus. 

   But, we find ourselves asking, how do we know if we are elect?  What God meant as a comfort for believers, part of His Good News, our feeble souls want to turn into a question of the Law.  In our flesh, we cannot help but ask this question, because the mystery of God’s will, the mystery of His plan of salvation, is bigger and deeper and wider than our limited and fallen minds can grasp.  We simply cannot peer back before time and fully understand election.  But, thanks be to God, we do not have to.   

   God in His Bible teaches the good news of His election, but this is not where He points us for understanding how salvation works in the life of a sinner.  Election is good news, but it is not where we are to run when sin and doubt assail us.  Do not try to ponder unseen events in the mind of God before time began, because you cannot.  But God is not cruel, He does not leave us hanging.  No, in His wisdom and mercy, the Lord gives us things we can see and hear and taste, concrete events in our time and place, through which He delivers the forgiveness and salvation that He has won for us.  These visible Gospel sources are what we need, in order to endure. 

   This is the point of the Parable of the Virgins.  The burning lamps of the wise are what we need to endure, to be ready.  And how we keep our lamps burning is not a secret; it is not beyond our comprehension.  When the cry rings out, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him,’ and the foolish virgins have no oil, the wise know right where to send them.  I think the fools know too.  “We’re sorry,” say the wise, “we cannot give you our oil.  Go to the dealers and get oil for yourselves.” 

    Faith in Jesus Christ, trust in who He is, God’s eternal Son made man, and what He has done, winning forgiveness and eternal salvation for sinners through His death and resurrection, this message is what makes us ready for the Last Day.  The oil we need is the Word of Christ, the message of sin and grace.  We need God’s good law, which must convict us because we are sinners, and we need God’s marvelous Gospel, the Good News that Jesus has fulfilled the Law, paying the full debt of human sin, thus opening heaven to all who believe in Him.  This oil is the fuel the Holy Spirit uses to light the fire of faith. 

   “Once Saved, Always Saved” treats faith as a one time, check the box event, a get out of jail free card that qualifies us to enter God’s Kingdom.  This is shallow, and untrue.  God is the source of all life and being, and we were made to live by being connected to Him, showered by His blessings, each day, and forever and ever.   We are His favorites.  As hard as it is to believe when we see the sinful depths to which men, women and children can fall, nevertheless, we human beings are the crown of God’s creation.  The Lord wants to live in close communion with us, now, and always.  We were not created for independent, autonomous lives.  We were created to live with God, in His blessing and glory.    

   Sin, the sin of our first parents, and our own sin, shatters the connection, the communion, that God made us to enjoy with Him.  Sin twists our desire and understanding, making us think there is life and joy in perverse, evil things.  We are prone to pursue lies, false promises of fulfillment and pleasure in selfish, ungodly things.  These only end in sadness and death. 

   But, our relentless God is always coming to us with the only solution, the forgiving message of Jesus.  And we know where to go to get it.  We know who the dealers are.  I am your called and ordained public oil dealer, placed into the privileged vocation of selling God’s Gospel oil, for free.  As unworthy as I am, it is my particular calling and privilege to be a public oil dealer, to freely administer God’s Gospel, proclaimed out loud, and also joined to physical means.  The Spirit uses the preached Word, including when it is combined with Water in Holy Baptism, and with Bread and Wine in the Supper, to light and maintain the flame of faith.   

   Am I falling away?  From my perspective, because I am still a sinner, I am always in danger of falling away, always in need of God’s forgiving rescue.  When sinful pursuits lead us into shame, we need God’s oil.  When doubts attack us, as they do to every believer still struggling with sin, we are not taught to peer into the hidden things of God before time to be sure of our election.  Neither are we taught to cling to our own feeble declarations of loyalty to God.  No, we are pointed by Christ to the present realities of His Word, and His Sacraments, delivered daily, for you. 

   Whether we think of the last day of our physical life on this earth, or of the Last Day, when Jesus will return visibly and usher in the new heavens and the new earth, the Holy Spirit’s way of keeping us ready, alert, prepared for the End, is to provide the proclaimed Word of Christ, in and through His Church, day by day.  To be wise, then, is to fill the lamp of faith we have been given with God’s good oil, and to keep an extra flask filled and on hand, just in case.  It isn’t complicated.  It’s right in front of us.  Through these means, God makes and keeps us ready.

   And wait, there’s more.  In our daily lives, every Christian is given opportunity to give away the oil, to our children, to each other, to a neighbor struggling with their sin, who is prompted by the Holy Spirit to ask us what is the reason for the hope that we enjoy.      

 

 Powering earthly life takes energy.  Burning oil and other fuels, whether olive oil in the first century, or petroleum products and natural gas in the 21^st, has long been a primary source of light and heat.  Today, many say we should only get our energy from the sun, or the wind, or maybe the energy of water, pooled up to then fall over a turbine in a hydroelectric dam. 

   Others, including the current nominee to head the Department of Energy in 2025, promote an ‘all of the above’ strategy, calling for the development of solar, wind, nuclear and hydroelectric power.  And of course, to also drill, baby drill, for gas and oil. 

   I’m not an expert in energy policy.  But, I am struck by how God in His Word uses all of these earthly energy sources to teach us about lighting the flame of faith in the hearts of sinners.  The Bible talks about life with God like basking in the warmth of the rising sun.  Indeed, Jesus is the Light of the World, a shining the light of hope for people living in darkness.  Falling water, combined with God’s Word, is the washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit.  Like the wind, the Spirit blows where He wills, delivering new birth to sinners, who otherwise are born to die.  The smoldering wick is precious to the Lord; He will not snuff it out.  Wise virgins have ample oil to light their lamps when the Bridegroom comes-a-calling.   

 

   And so, the wise in Christ will “drill baby drill.”  What I mean is, we have been given free access to the oil of life, the truth of Christ, the correction and guidance of His Law, and the sweet relief of the Gospel of forgiveness, won by the shed blood of Jesus.  Let us daily fill our flasks with God’s Good Word, that our lamps be always burning.  The more we drill into God’s Word, the more the Holy Spirit will shape and change us, will give purpose and peace to our daily lives, forgiveness for our sins, and forgiveness to share with others.  Through the oil of His Word, the Spirit will keep us ready for whenever Christ comes, to take us home to the Father. 

Let us pray:  Heavenly Father, we thank you for your plan of salvation, for the work of Your Son, for the gift of Your Spirit.  By Your Word, by our Baptisms, by Your Holy Supper, keep the flame of our faith burning brightly.  Work through all Your people, that with our light shining before the world, many would come to know You, and give You praise for delivering the oil of salvation to them, as well as to us.  We pray this through our Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.