Deo Gloria
Sermon for October 18, 2026
Pastor Martin Bentz
Text: Luke 24:44-49
Theme: Proclaim the Message of Jesus Christ!
- That he fulfills the Scriptures
- That there is forgiveness in his name
Imagine for a second that your daughter is getting married and the wedding is right around the corner. In fact, it’s this coming Saturday. Imagine all the things you’d have to do in the next few days. You’d have to pick up the flowers and decorate the church and decorate the reception hall and double check with the caterer about the food and get your hair done. You’d have a whole host of urgent and important things to do before next Saturday.
You and I are living in the end times. And as we heard in the gospel lesson last Sunday, the greatest wedding banquet of all is right around the corner. You and I have been invited to the wedding banquet of the Lamb. As you might expect, we have some things to do before that grand and glorious event, some rather important things to do. And as Jesus reminds us today in these verses from Luke ch. 24, one of the things on our to-do list is to proclaim the good news about him. Proclaim the message of Jesus Christ!
As you know, this year marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of our country. So imagine that after signing the Declaration of Independence on August 2, 1776 Thomas Jefferson made a prediction. He predicted not only that the United States would be one of the greatest countries in the world 250 years later but also that a man named Donald Trump would be serving as president. That would be incredible. That would be amazing. How in the world could he know something like that 250 years in advance?
The Old Testament Scriptures are filled with predictions, with prophecies about the coming Savior. I’ve never bothered to count them all, but there are easily over 100. For example, the prophet Isaiah foretold that the Savior would be born of a virgin. And Jesus was born of a virgin. Isaiah made that prediction about 700 years beforehand. That’s almost three times longer than the United States has been around. Likewise, the Prophet Micah foretold that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. That too was about 700 years before Jesus was born. And guess what? Jesus was born in Bethlehem. King David, in the book of Psalms, foretold that the Savior’s hands and feet would be pierced and that people would cast lots for this clothing.(Psalm 22) That was about 1,000 years before Jesus was born. And guess what? Jesus’ hands and feet were pierced when he was nailed to the cross and the soldiers did cast lots for his clothing. And then in the book of Genesis we are told that the promised Savior would come from the tribe of Judah. That was about 1,400 years before Jesus was born. And guess what? Jesus was a descendant of the tribe of Judah.
Those are just four examples. We could look at many, many more. So do you know how many of those predictions about Jesus came true? All of them. You heard me right. Not 50% of them, not 80% of them, not 90% of them—100%. Friends, that is amazing. That is astounding. We’re not talking about a handful of predictions. We’re talking about more than a hundred, predictions made hundreds of years, in some cases more than a thousand years beforehand, some with very, very precise details. And every single one came true. That is totally amazing. And it’s exactly what Jesus said here in v. 44: “Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.” The Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms were the three divisions of the Old Testament Scriptures back in Jesus’ days. In other words, Jesus was saying that everything that was written about him in the whole Old Testament had to be fulfilled. And the amazing thing is it was. Jesus fulfilled everything that was written about him in the Old Testament Scriptures. Every single prophecy came true.
So what does that tell you? Well, first of all it tells you that the Bible is no ordinary book. People like to say it is, don’t they? Many like to claim that the Bible is no different than any other historical book or religious book. It’s no different than Homer’s Odyssey, for example, or Ceasar’s Gallic Wars or the Book of Mormon. Ok, so tell me: What prediction did Homer make in the Odyssey that came true hundreds of years later? Or Julius Caesar—what prediction did he make that came true hundreds of years later? Or the Book of Mormon—what predictions are made in that book that came true hundreds of years later? I’ll give you the answer. There aren’t any. The Bible is different. The Bible is no ordinary book. The Bible is the faithful and true Word of God, which gives us something to share with people, doesn’t it?
In our age of moral relativism, where there is no right or wrong, where there are no absolutes, where men can become women or women can become men; in our age of AI where almost anything can be made up or imitated and made to look so real, many people are looking for something that is real, something sure, something certain, something with roots, something they can trust and rely on, something that will give them real guidance for life and real comfort and real peace. And we have what they’re looking for: the Word of God, the Bible, something solid, something certain, something with roots going way, way back, something you can trust in and rely on for this life and for eternal life. Give them the Bible. Give them the Word of God.
It also tells you something about Jesus, doesn’t it? The fact that Jesus fulfilled every single prophecy made in the whole Old Testament tells you something about Jesus. Jesus is no ordinary person either. He is different. He is special. He is the Son of God. He is the promised Savior, which also gives us something to share with other people.
Not only are people now days looking for something they can trust, they are looking for someone they can trust. Can you trust politicians now days? Can you trust the leaders of our state to do what’s right and put an end to the fraud and corruption? Can you trust your boss that he will pay you right and treat you right and not dump you because he can hire someone younger and cheaper? This is the very thing about Jesus. You can trust Jesus. He is never going to lie to you. He is always going to tell you the truth. You may not like what he has to say sometimes, but he is always going to tell you the truth. He is always going to do what’s right and treat you right. He wants nothing but the best for you. In fact, he not only wants to bring you blessings in this life, he wants you to enjoy eternal life with him in heaven. This is an important message for you and me to proclaim, a message that other people need to hear in these end times. Proclaim the message of Jesus Christ.
There is another part of the message of Jesus Christ that Jesus mentions in these verses, another very important part, that there is forgiveness in his name. Take another look at verses 46+47: “He told them, ‘This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.’” “Repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name….” Yes, the message of Jesus starts with repentance. The word Luke uses here has the basic meaning of “changing one’s mind.” The message of God’s Word, the message of Jesus Christ, starts with changing our minds. About what? About our sins.
People like to downplay their sins, don’t they? They like to ignore their sins and excuse their sins and pretend like they’re no big deal. The fact that you lied to your parents the other night about what you were doing with you friends is a big deal to God. The fact that you lied to your teacher last week about that homework you didn’t get done is a big deal to God. The fact that you got into a fight with your brother or sister or that you got into a fight with your spouse and said some really mean and hurtful things is a big deal to God. The fact that you went out and got drunk the other night. The fact that you were sharing juicy bits of gossip about a coworker with others at the office is a big deal to God. Your sins are not OK with God. And neither are mine. God hates it when we do and say things like that. He hates it when we violate his will and break his commandments. It is wrong and evil in his sight and deserves to be punished. And since you and I have said and done those things, we deserve to be punished, with an eternal death sentence in hell. You and I need to change our minds. We need to recognize how serious are our sins really are. Instead of trying to excuse our sins or ignore our sins or pretend like they’re no big deal, we need to humbly and honestly confess our sins to God and ask for his forgiveness.
And that’s the other amazing thing about the message of Jesus Christ: There is forgiveness, real forgiveness, full forgiveness for all our sins in Jesus’ name. The Bible uses a number of very comforting words to describe what forgiveness is. The word Luke uses here means “to let go.” Though he has every right to hold our sins against us, God chooses to let go of them. Why? Because his Son, our Savior Jesus, already paid the penalty for them.
When Jesus was nailed to the cross, it wasn’t because he was guilty of some terrible crime. No, Jesus was innocent. He never did anything wrong. The Roman Governor Pilate even admitted that. The reason Jesus suffered and died on Calvary’s cross was to pay the penalty for our crimes, for our wrongs, for the sins we have done. And because he did, God has forgiven them. He has let go of them. He no longer holds them against us. And as a result, instead of spending eternity in hell, which is exactly what we deserve, we can look forward to spending eternity at the great wedding banquet in heaven.
What a wonderful and comforting message! This is the message I need to hear each and every day. This is the message my family and friends need to hear, and my neighbors and my classmates and my coworkers at the office. Yes, they need to take their sins a lot more seriously than they do. They need to confess their sins to God and ask for his forgiveness. But they also need to hear that God loves them, that he cares deeply about them, that he loves them so much that he sent his own Son to be their Savior, to suffer and die on the cross for their sins. They need to know that thanks to Jesus, their sin and guilt have been taken away, that God doesn’t hold their sins against them anymore, but that they are forgiven in his sight and loved in his sight and that heaven is their home. They need to know that there is forgiveness in the name of Jesus—forgiveness for them, and for others.
There is so much hatred in our world now days, so much slander and gossip and mudslinging, so much vengeance and violence and getting even. We don’t need anymore of that. What we need is forgiveness, forgiveness to heal the wounds in our hearts, forgiveness to heal the wounds in our marriages, forgiveness to heal the wounds in our families. Our children are not perfect. They do and say things that are wrong every day, and as parents we need to discipline them and teach them right from wrong. But they also need to know that we forgive them and still love them very, very much. Our spouses are not perfect. Sometimes they do things and say things that hurt our feelings. But rather than hold a grudge against them, we need to forgive them and tell them how much we love them. Our classmates and our coworkers are not perfect either. Sometimes they too do and say things that hurt our feelings. But rather than try to get even with them or say all kinds of nasty things about them, we need to forgive them and tell them we still love them. The same forgiveness that God has so graciously extended to us, we need to extend to others, to our spouse and our children, to our neighbors and our friends. Tell them, won’t you? It’s the beginning of the end, and it’s high time for people to hear the message of Jesus and his forgiveness. Proclaim the message of Jesus Christ! Amen.