LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1983, Page 94

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94 CONVENTION SERMON

But St. Paul is not talking about that in this Word of
God. Granted that it may be important for us to speak
out on such matters on some occasions on the basis of
God’s Word. But the essential task of the church is to
proclaim something very definite, something very
specific. The apostle says it in one simple word—Him we
proclaim!

To be sure, the apostle’s context tells us what he is
including in this word “Him” as it refers to our Lord
Jesus Christ. Look at verse 26. To make the Word of God
fully known, Paul says, is his task. And that he further
defines in one clear:sentence: “The mystery hidden for
ages and generations, but now made manifest to his
saints.” Whenever the apostle Paul talks about the
“mystery,” he is using a word that for him was very,
very special, and possessed a profound meaning. The
word “mystery” embodied God’s entire redemptive
mission for the world He had created, but which fell into
sin and rebellion against God.

Paul speaks of God’s redemptive plan as a “mystery”
because it is not readily perceived by anyone in our
human society. Yet, as Paul describes it in the New
Testament, God’s mystery is something that He began
to plan already in eternity. Already before He created
man, He knew that He would redeem us from the sin and
judgment that we would fall into. Then He carried out
that plan, and did so in our human history—working
through His chosen people in the Old Testament, the
children of Israel, sending prophets to buoy up their

hopes by keeping their eyes focused on the coming One.

But most profoundly His mystery is carried out in the
person and work of Jesus Christ—coming not as a great
conquerer, nor as a great hero, but as a common
ordinary man, with feet of clay walking upon this earth,
living the life that God wanted us all to live and dying
the death that we should all have died because of our
sin, in order to reconcile us to God! That is God’s
“mystery.”

Paul tells the Colossians that this great mystery
hidden for ages and generations is now made manifest
tothe saints. Suddenly God has turned the lights on into
the windows of eternity! He has let the church, the
saints of Jesus Christ, know something of His “secret”
plan: His plan to redeem and restore all of mankind. In
fact, Paul describes the mission of the church in reality
as disclosing or revealing the mystery of Christ. This
mystery is not to remain secret, not at all! God, having
disclosed His plan for us and for all mankind in Jesus
Christ, now calls upon us to make that Word of God fully
known! God’s “open secret” is the message of the
church. We proclaim the “mystery’—that is our task.

Simply stated, our message, as Paul summarizes it,
is “Christ in you.” “Christ among you” might bea better
way of translating his words. The Christ who is in
among us in the church is “the hope of glory.” For that
message which He proclaimed and which is laid upon
the church as its essential task is indeed “the hope of
glory,” the life with God that knows no darkness nor
despair.

What a magnificent task is ours to proclaim such a

message! What fantastic substance our proclamation -%
has when it is centered in Him! .

The goal of the church in this task of proclamation is
also beautifully described in the words of our text. What
is our goal? That we may present “every man maturein
Christ.” Growth in Christ is the task of proclamation.
The word “mature” may be translated in various ways,
such as “complete,” “perfect,” or “mature.”

It is an interesting and fascinating word because it
emphasizes growth and process as our goal in proclaim-
ing Christ. The task of the church in proclaiming Jesus
Christ and disclosing the mystery of God’s redemptive
plan for one and all is nothing less than to present every
person perfect, complete, or mature in Jesus Christ,
What a challenge that is for all of us!

Think about it for a moment. Our goal pertain 3
“every man,” and to accent that fact he says it no]
than three times in one verse! No one is excluded!

But our goal is nothing less than to present ever
person mature, complete, or perfect in Christ. Already
the font of Holy Baptism, He gave birth to us who.a
Christ’s people—new birth through the blood of Jeg
placing us into the family of God, laying upon each o;
the name of the triune God Himself, calling each of us}
name: “My son, my daughter, I have begotten you an
of water and the Word.” Then, the process of grov
begins through the work of the church in using Wa
and Sacraments. Under the Holy Spirit’s guidan
every one baptized into the new life of God in Chi
begins to grow and mature and move toward perfecti
and completion. Our proclamation of Christ is to:
focused inwardly upon ourselves as we eat and drin
body and blood of the Lord this evening and Sun
after Sunday. God’s majestic cupboard is a
ending source of food, of life and nutrition and. gr
for all of us who are the church.

But the message of proclamation not only:
growth and maturation goal for ourselves—not &
For the apostle Paul and the whole New Testament
glorious task of making known the whole Word
of disclosing God’s mystery, this great “open:
plan of human redemption in Christ, is a ta
extends to every person on the face of this earth.

My brothers and sisters, this is a majestic th
this 55th convention and for each and ever}
that comes before us. What a fine question. it
ask ourselves: how does this help the church:
Him? What does it do to move us forward in
presenting every person in this world ..pél
complete in Christ? Perfect, not in the sense
moral achievement, for none of us can
perfect through the forgiveness of sins in
Perfect through the sanctification of the Sp
through Word and Sacrament to each and ev!
us and received by faith! That is God’s goal fo
together. Thatis the standard for measuring €

we do as the church of Jesus Christ.

Our deep dedication to proclaiming H
ately needed by both the world around
church in which we live and move and serve-: