Luke 9:51

Get ready for the trip of a lifetime

I.                Our Savior’s trip to Jerusalem

II.              Our trip to the New Jerusalem

As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.

            There are certain times that it is very easy to get our boys in the car. If I tell them we are going on a trip to Wal-Mart, swimming, grandma’s, or to the dump they will hop right into their car seats. Those are exciting trips for little boys they are trips of a lifetime. As a young adult your trip of a lifetime may have been your first trip to a national park, or theme park. In college the trip of a lifetime was spring break in Florida or South Texas. Your trip of a lifetime may be that perfect romantic getaway for an anniversary. Maybe you are planning a nice relaxing vacation all by yourself. We naturally look forward to and to some degree get ready for these trips of a lifetime.

            Today in our church year we are going to start following our Savior on the trip of his lifetime. He had not made a trip like this before, but this trip is why he was born into this world. We join our Savior on this trip every year as we move into the season of Lent and walk with him all the way to the cross. Today is a natural day to focus on that trip. To do that we will look at Luke 9:51 and “Get ready for the trip of a lifetime; Our Savior’s trip to Jerusalem and our trip to the New Jerusalem.” 

             This trip would be Jesus’ last trip. His ministry in the northern part of the country was finished and now he would head south to Jerusalem. But first he took his disciples up on that mountain and gave them a glimpse of his glory. We read about the mount of transfiguration earlier in our service. Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus and discussed his work in Jerusalem. On that mountain Jesus saw Old Testament believers who were looking forward to his trip and New Testament believers who were going to follow on this trip. Those 5 people on that mountain, along with every one here and everyone in the world are the people that Jesus took this trip of a lifetime for. We are why he went to Jerusalem.

            This verse describes Jesus’ attitude toward this trip to Jerusalem. “As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.” Jesus was determined to go to Jerusalem to give his life for the sins of the world. He took this trip knowing full well what would happen when he arrived. Imagine that for a minute. Jesus knew all about the betrayal, the beating and brutality. He knew about the suffering and separation from his Father and his death as a punishment for the sin of the world. He knew all this and was determined to make this trip of his lifetime. 

            I do not like making a trip and not knowing what will happen when I reach the destination. I will get a phone call asking me to come over right away but the caller will hang up before I get to ask why. I will make a hospital call and not know the condition of the person I am going to visit. In these situations the possible scenarios keep going through my mind as I travel. It makes for a rough trip thinking the worst possible things will happen or have already happened.  

Jesus knew exactly why he was taking his trip of his lifetime to Jerusalem. Before Jesus was on that mountain he shared the exact purpose of his trip. In Luke 9:22 Jesus said, “The Son of man must suffer many things and be rejected by the chief priests and teachers of the law and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Jesus not only knew he also shared it with those disciples who would travel with him. That was Jesus’ trip of a lifetime to Jerusalem. And that trip of his lifetime was made to save you.  

            This trip was an important part of Jesus’ life. It was about his active obedience to the will of God. His whole life long he obeyed God’s Law. And this trip took Jesus to the place where he would willingly suffer God’s wrath and punishment for our sin. Jesus’ determination to do this is described for us in Isaiah 50, “I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard. I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting. Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore I have set my face like flint and I know I will not be put to shame. It was God’s will for Jesus to take this trip to Jerusalem and save us and for the next six weeks we will walk with Jesus and witness this trip he was determined to make for each of us. 

            We will witness how Jesus went to Jerusalem and was wounded so we could be healed and how he was killed so that our death would not be a punishment for our sin. We will witness how he rose from the dead so that we can be absolutely certain that our sins are forever forgiven. Today as we witness Jesus resolutely setting out on his trip to Jerusalem we find great comfort because Jesus completed his trip of a lifetime so we are on the trip of a lifetime, a trip to the New Jerusalem in heaven. 

            For God’s Old Testament people, Jerusalem was the place where they would worship the Lord. The temple was there and that is where the sacrifices were made. Jesus went on his trip to Jerusalem to offer himself as a once for all sacrifice so that we could come into God’s presence. Jesus removed the sin that separated us from God and has now given us access to our home in heaven. 

In Revelation 21 the Apostle John had a vision of heaven and describes it as the New Jerusalem coming down from the sky. This is God’s gift to us through faith in Jesus as our Savior. Because of Jesus we know we are on the trip of our lifetime to the New Jerusalem of heaven. But while Jesus was going to Jerusalem to suffer and die, we know that we are going to this New Jerusalem to be forever released from suffering and death. Listen to Revelation 21 and hear how John described that New Jerusalem. He says, “Now the dwelling of God is with men and he will live with them. They will be his people and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” We are on a trip to that New Jerusalem. Every day we are determined to be ready for that trip. At least we should be. 

            Today is the Daytona 500. I have never been to that race, but if I had a ticket to speed week in Daytona, I would be up early on the day we left. I would have made all the preparations and would be determined to get there on time and enjoy the race. Whatever your dream trip might be you would act in a similar way. So why do we have such a hard time with determination when it comes to our trip to the New Jerusalem? The reason is we are sinful. Our sinful flesh does not want to go and knows we don’t deserve to go. But yet as a believer we know how awesome it will be. That is where the struggle comes in and this is why we need determination. 

            Over a year ago I visited a family in their home and they showed me a picture of the wide road that leads to hell and the narrow road that leads to heaven, which is the path we are on. That night we talked about that picture, but that family has not been in church here since. There are distracted. That can easily happen when we stay away from God’s Word. 

Those people should really come to church. Then they would be focused like we are. Then they would be determined like us, because we are never distracted on our trip to the New Jerusalem. We never sit in worship and think ahead to the race that is on today. We never think negatively about others in worship with us. We never wish the sermon was over and that we would sing better hymns. We don’t do that. We are determined to get to the New Jerusalem. We are ready for the trip of a lifetime. Not really. Not at all. 

            Reviewing our attitudes and actions reminds us just how unworthy we are to be on this trip to heaven. Our sin assures us that we deserve to be on the path to hell. We were heading there until Jesus turned us around. We daily stray back in that direction, but Jesus continues to be determined to get us ready for heaven by leading us to repentance and pointing us to the New Jerusalem. He uses the troubles of life. He uses our fellow believers. He uses pastors and vicars. He uses his Word in the service, in the hymns and in the liturgy to set us straight. He shows us our sin and shows us his determination to save us. That determined work of our Savior keeps us on the path and comforts us with the truth that God does not treat us as our sins deserve and he does not abandon us to an aimless life of sin. He keeps us on the trip of our lifetime to the New Jerusalem by continuing to call us to repent. 

            It is great to be on this trip, but we also long for this trip to end. We long for the release from pain and suffering. We long to be free from the guilt that we feel. We long to be free from chronic pain and chronic trouble. We love being on this trip to heaven but there is a part of us that wants it to be over. That same part of us longs to be with other people on this trip the New Jerusalem. We long to gather together to hear the Word and celebrate the Lord’s Supper. This Wednesday at 7 pm we will have the opportunity to do both as we begin our Lent services. Through these means the Lord keeps us on the path to our new home and the Lord comforts us all the way home. Let’s continue to be ready for this trip to the New Jerusalem where our Savior is waiting for us.   

            On December 28^th of last year we had one of those difficult trips. We took our newborn baby A.J. for an electrocardiogram. His doctor heard something at the hospital and at his first checkup and wanted to see what was going on with his heart. Katie and I did not really talk about it, but on the trip to the hospital there was concern. The baby seemed healthy but we did not know what the tests would show. The man performing the procedure did not tell us everything, but he made it clear that there was nothing to worry about. The trip home was a lot better than the trip there. You have made similar trips in your life. Maybe it was to the doctor for tests, or to receive results. You might have been going to another country to fight in a war. Maybe you responded to a call for help from a friend and as you drove there, you were anxiously wondering what was wrong. On those trips we find true comfort in our Savior’s trip to Jerusalem and our trip to heaven. He resolutely set out to save us and he is just as resolute in wanting us home in heaven. We are ready for this trip of our lifetime. Amen. 

Pastor Matt Brown

Our Redeemer Lutheran Church (WELS) of Union City, Tennessee,  Rooted in the WORD