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Pentecost 20 2026 Proper 23
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
October 11, 2026
Isaiah 25:6-9, Philippians 4:4-13, Matthew 22:1-14, Psalm 23
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Text: pastorjud.org
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itunes: bit.ly/pastorjud
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You heard that it was coming someday, but now it is here…judgement day. Everything was a blur, and now you are standing before the throne of God. Jesus is seated on the throne and the nations — all nations — all people — are standing in front of Jesus. You are going to be judged based on your words and deeds, good and evil. This is the really happening.
Jesus is on His throne separating the sheep from the goats. The sheep are going to eternal life in the kingdom of heaven; the goats are going to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
Questions swirl in your mind. Am I good enough? Did I do enough? Did I give enough? Did I pray enough, read the Bible enough? The questions swirl and you know the answer to each one is “no.” You look down and you see it… and you remember Jesus’ promise to you. You are wearing the gleaming white robe of Christ’s righteousness given to you at your baptism. All fear is gone. Panic evaporates. Peace envelopes you like a warm blanket on a cool night. You are right with God the Father through Jesus’ blood shed on the cross for your sins. Your heart is filled with inexpressible joy. Jesus has covered your sins and you are destined for eternal life with Him in the Heavenly City of New Jerusalem. You have peace beyond understanding.
Judgment day is coming…maybe this afternoon…maybe 10,000 years from now…we do not know when, but we know it is coming. For now, here you are, sitting in a pew at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Hamilton, Ohio, pondering the judgment.
What is your status before God? Are you good enough? Have you done enough? Do you deserve eternal life? You know that the answer is no. You are not good enough. So…what is your status before God?
You… are a baptized child of God, an heir of eternal life. You, right now are covered by the robe of Christ’s righteousness. So…as St. Paul tells you…Philippians 4:4 (ESV) 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Philippians 4:7 (ESV) 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
You rejoice in the Lord always because you are blessed by God for eternity. You have the incomprehensible peace of God guarding your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.
This is an amazing gift to you, but as amazing as the gift is, it is not a promise of an easy life. Instead, it is a promise that you will have joy and peace as you undergo all the difficulties and struggles of life — and there are so many — medical, financial, family, relationships, employment, death. The challenges of life are quite real. Life really is hard. You are blessed to face these challenges knowing you wear the robe of Jesus’ righteousness and, no matter how hard the struggles are in this life, on the judgment day you, with the rest of Jesus’ sheep, will enter into eternal paradise.
Right now, you have incomprehensible joy and peace in the Lord through Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. You are right with God. So, if you are already right with God, why do you still come to worship, why do you still come to hear God’s law and God’s Gospel?
You come because life in this world is spiritually dangerous. You are not once saved, always saved, as some churches want to teach. The devil is real and he is coming after you. 1 Peter 5:8 (ESV) 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
The devil is looking to devour you and he is good at what he does. The devil tries to convince you that true freedom if found in giving up on God’s commands and indulging your lusts and desires. This lie is incredibly effective evekn though you see — over and over — how indulging their lusts and desires imprison people as slaves to sin because you can never satisfy your lusts and desires.
You are a natural born sinner — sin comes quite easily. It takes an intentional effort empowered by the Holy Spirit to reject sinful desires and live as a holy child of God. In Paul’s letter to the Colossians he instructs the Christians there as to how to live, putting off their old sinful ways and putting on the ways of living under the reign of King Jesus… Colossians 3:5–10 (ESV) 5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.”
Colossians 3:12–14 (ESV) 12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” Put off the works of darkness and put on the light of the Lord.
In Philippians, after being twice exhorted to rejoice, you get this unusual instruction. Philippians 4:5 (ESV) 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone…” What does this mean? As I dug into the word for reasonableness I found that it is better translated as gentleness. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. Gentleness…calm, kind, tender, not violent, harsh or severe. What should you be known for? Your gentleness. What should Immanuel Lutheran Church and School be known for? Gentleness. Gentleness flows from Jesus to you and from you to others as you put on a compassionate heart and kindness and humility and meekness and patience.
In a world that is all about power and achievement and influence, gentleness is not a highly-sought-after quality, and yet… in gentleness… is found divine power. This is not the power the world seeks…this is the power of God. Gentleness is powerful because it is the power of God flowing into you from the Lord and from you to others though love and service. In Luke, Jesus sends out the 72 disciples with this instruction… Luke 10:3 (ESV)…”3 Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.” Gentle lambs bring the Good News about Jesus to a pack of wolves.
Showing gentleness is you being your authentic Christian self. It is you being the light of Christ. Let your gentleness be known to all.
Christianity is different. In Islam, conversion often come by the sword. Convert or lose your head. Convert or else. Jesus’ power is in His gentleness and service and sacrifice. Jesus gives Himself for you. People are brought to faith not by the sword, but through water and the word and the Spirit. Christianity is not a religion of coercion it is a religion of receiving the Lord’s sacrificial gifts and living in the joy and peace of God.
When we think about the seven deadly sins, pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth, which is the most dangerous? Pride. We so much want to believe we are better and more important than others. Pride drives out gentleness and gets you to treat others as inferiors and adversaries.
Pride is the enemy of salvation in Jesus and the devil knows how to use it to convince you that you do not need Jesus. The devil whispers, “Did God actually say that you cannot save yourself? You’re better than that. He just doesn’t want you to be like Him. You can do it yourself. You may not be perfect, but surely you are better than those other people.” That long-tongued liar appeals to your pride to get you to take off the joy and peace of the Lord and look to yourself, and your own works, as the means of salvation.
Pride is the enemy of joy and peace. Confess the sin of pride. Daily repent of pride and let your gentleness be known by everyone. Gentleness drives away pride — like generous giving drives away the love of money.
In Christ you have incomprehensible joy and peace… because you are not your own… you belong to Jesus. Colossians 1:13 (ESV) 13 [Jesus] has delivered [you] from the domain of darkness and transferred [you] to the kingdom of his beloved Son,” Colossians 1:21–22 (ESV) 21 …you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,” (emphasis added)
Jesus redeemed you…you belong to Jesus. Rejoice that no matter what is going on in your life, you are safe for eternity in Jesus. Through the worst times of this life, you have peace beyond understanding.
Jesus delivers to you forgiveness, joy and peace in His Word and in His sacraments. He delivers forgiveness, joy and peace to you, and forgiveness, joy and peace flow through you to others in your gentleness.
Remain steadfast in joy and peace. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. One day you will stand before the judgment throne of God to be judged based on what Jesus has done for you – you are blessed for eternity with Jesus. Philippians 4:4–5 (ESV) 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone.” Amen
Philippians 4:7 (ESV) 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
