WHY SHOULD WE CARE?
The Corinthian Attitude Problem
The congregation in the city of Corinth seemed to have an attitude problem. It’s interesting what you can conclude about a group of believers from the letter written to them by the apostle Paul, not only because of what he says but also because of how he says it. And judging from the 1st letter that Paul sent to this congregation on the western side of the Aegean Sea: the Corinthians had an attitude problem! They had turned the Lord’s Supper into a potluck feast, a meal in which they ignored the poor who couldn’t bring anything while those who could got drunk. Some of them were taking their own fellow brothers and sisters to court. The worship services themselves were in disarray and chaos because everyone wanted to speak at once and show off their spiritual gifts. The entire congregation seemed to be abusing their Christian freedom, using it as a license to do whatever they wanted. They allowed one of their own to live in an adulterous relationship - as if they were being tolerant and open-minded. There were cliques and factions among the members because of which pastor they liked better: Peter or Apollos or Paul - and because of that there was jealousy and quarreling among them as to who was better. There was not a whole lot of love within this congregation - and so Paul wrote that famous chapter 13 on the spiritual gift of love. There was not much Christian wisdom in this congregation - and so Paul wrote chapters 1 and 2 on wisdom from the Spirit. There was not a whole lot of camaraderie or cooperation between the members - and so Paul wrote chapter 12 about the many parts that were to work together for the good of the one body of Christ.
Turning Their Backs on the Apostles
Reading about all of these problems that Paul has to deal with in this letter, it is obvious that there must have been a lot of selfish attitudes in that congregation and a lot of contentious personalities that butted heads and wouldn’t back down. But we haven’t even talked about the most troubling thing that was happening among those people in and around 55 AD: they were apparently bad-mouthing the apostles themselves. In response to this attack Paul writes, “So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes… Now, brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, ‘Do not go beyond what is written.’ Then you will not take pride in one man over against another. For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have become kings - and that without us! How I wish that you really had become kings to that we might be kings with you!”
Paul is being a little sarcastic here; and he seems to be a little frustrated with their attitude because they were acting as if the apostles weren’t important at all, that the efforts of Paul and his coworkers were overrated, that the Corinthians could get along just fine without them. Paul even says that he is writing a “warning” to the Corinthians because some of them were apparently becoming “arrogant” - doing whatever they felt like doing because they didn’t think Paul would really ever come back and check in on them. This matter was so serious that Paul picks up this topic again in chapter nine and says that “This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me” (9:3). This struggling congregation was bucking at the leadership and authority of the apostles themselves! We could even say that they were in danger of possibly breaking away from the Christian Church at large and becoming an “independent” congregation, separated from the apostles whom the Lord had chosen to spread his kingdom to the far reaches of the earth.
Our “Conditional” Concern for Others
I don’t know how Paul kept his cool! I don’t know how he composed himself to write what he did in the way that he did it! He is certainly harsh at times with these Corinthians, but never cruel. He is pointed and specific about their sins throughout this letter, but never in a vindictive way or with a revengeful tone. Even when these so-called Christians were attacking him personally, questioning the validity of his authority, criticizing his true motives, Paul was patient with them; correcting them in love; encouraging them with the gospel. It’s striking how much concern Paul had for these people who were turning their backs on the one through whom the Lord used to bring them to faith.
I don’t think I would have been that nice. If the congregation I had founded, the group of Christians I had stayed with for entire year and half - putting my missionary journey on hold for them, the place in which I had put my life on the line because of the Jews in town who hated me and what I stood for… if that congregation had turned its back on me and even questioned whether I was a legitimate apostle or not, I might have just walked away! “You don’t want my help? Fine! I’m not going to give it to you. You don’t think I had noble intentions while I was with you? Fine! Have it your way; I won’t come back. You don’t love one another or respect the gospel or consider God’s called workers to be a benefit to you after all that time we were with you? Fine! Then you’re going to learn the hard way.” I don’t think I would have been all that patient. I think I would have been angry. I think I would have been tempted to stop caring about that congregation at all.
Because that’s the way we work sometimes, isn’t it? Our care for others is conditional. And what I mean by that is: we will care for others on the condition that they also care for us. We will show concern for others on the condition that they show concern for us. We will love others up to a point but certainly not any more than they love us. We want our affection to be mutual; we want a little give and take. We don’t want to be the only one sacrificing in a relationship and getting nothing in return. And so when someone is actually mean to us, when someone doesn’t even like us or try to be nice to us at all, well, then we certainly aren’t going to care about them, are we? We’re definitely not going to concern ourselves about those kinds of people because they don’t deserve it. They don’t even want it. And so why should we care? Why should we bother? If they aren’t going to appreciate what we do and who we are then so be it. We’ll leave them alone and not feel bad about it in the least.
Paul’s Genuine Concern for Their Faith
Paul didn’t leave the Corinthians alone. Paul did not just throw up his hands in frustration and walk away. Because that’s not what a Christian does. A Christian doesn’t leave; a Christian doesn’t hold a grudge; a Christian does not treat others like they deserve. Christians care. And Paul obviously cared for that temperamental congregation in Corinth. He expressed his concern for them. He wrote to them an extensive letter covering everything they asked about and more. He was bold enough to correct them. He was loving enough to show them compassion. And he reminded them about everything he and the other apostles had gone through on their behalf: “It seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena... To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.” Paul cared. He truly cared. And he had put up with anything and everything to bring the gospel to these people, even when he was challenged and insulted by the very people he cared about.
Why did Paul care so much? Why was he so concerned about this congregation in Corinth and so willing to sacrifice his time and efforts and even his own life to provide for them? Was it because he was such a nice guy? Was it maybe because he owed them something? Was it because he felt responsible for them and considered it his duty to make sure they were OK? No, it’s deeper than that. It’s more powerful than that. Paul showed this kind of unconditional care for the Corinthians because of the unconditional care Christ had once shown to him.
Christ’s Unconditional Care for Paul
Do you remember who Paul once was? He once was Saul, a tormentor of Christians, an accessory to the murder of Stephen, a man who made it his personal goal to hunt down and arrest and imprison all those who believed in Christ. A man who was once on his way to the city of Damascus to do that very thing. Paul was the number one enemy of the Christian Church until Christ himself stopped him on that road. Christ physically appeared to him; Christ miraculously changed his heart; Christ commissioned him to be an apostle; and Christ sent him out into the world to spread the news. Up until that point Paul hated Jesus; after that event Paul loved Jesus more than his own life. Up until that point Paul refused to believe in Jesus; afterward he refused to stop talking about him. Up until that point Paul did not care about those who knew Jesus as their Savior; afterwards he cared enough for those who did not know Jesus as their Savior that he was willing to suffer just to tell them about it. Paul’s unconditional care for the lost in this world and his unconditional care for the Corinthians stemmed directly from Christ’s unconditional care for him.
Paul never forgot that fact. He calls himself “the least of the apostles” because of who he had once been. He calls himself “the worst of sinners” on account of his past. He admits that he does “not even deserve to be called an apostle” because he persecuted the Church of God. And yet Christ cared for him. Cared so much for him, in fact, that no matter how bad Paul had been, no matter how many Christians he had hunted down in his life, no matter how many murders he had watched take place, Christ still forgave him. Christ’s innocent blood still counted for his sins regardless of how much innocent blood Paul himself had spilled. Paul was indebted to Christ. Paul owed Christ his life. That never left his mind. And what better way to thank his Savior than to show that same kind of unconditional care for those who needed it?
Christ’s Unconditional for Us
We are no less indebted to Christ than Paul was. No matter how bad we are, no matter how unloving, no matter how unconcerned, no matter how many ways we neglect to show care to those around us, Christ still forgives us. Christ’s blood still counts. Christ’s sacrifice still stands. He still speaks to us in his Word even when we really don’t feel like listening to him. He still concerns himself with everything we need even when we really aren’t concerned with what he wants. He still cares for us in every way even at those times when we don’t care a whole lot about anyone but ourselves. It’s an unconditional care. It’s not based on how much we love him back or how hard we try for him or what we can do for him. Christ’s care isn’t really based on anything other than his love. And that, he promises, will never change.
Care for the “Corinthians”
And so why should we care? Why should we bother with those who don’t like us and don’t respect us and don’t even try to be nice to us? Because Christ cares about you. And Christ cares about them. And although they may very well be “Corinthians” in a sense: arrogant, stubborn, unloving, and unwilling to change; so are we. So are we. And if Christ still cares for us even though we are “Corinthians,” how could we not care for those who fall into that exact same category? Make a special effort to reach out to those who pull back from you. Go out of your way to help those who would never think about lending you a hand. Care for those who don’t care about you. Paul did. Christ certainly did. And there are millions of people in this world who still don’t know that.
Amen.
“May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” - 2 Cor. 13:14
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
2/20/11 - Epiphany 7 - Matthew 5:38-48
THE CHRISTIAN DIFFERENCE
Christians are just a little bit different than everyone else. We aren’t different by nature, of course. Every person in this world comes into this life filled with sin, top to bottom, according to God’s own word. And we aren’t different in our ability to get on God’s good side either: every person on this earth is unable to shed that condemnable infusion of sin on his own. Nor are Christians different because we were somehow more “likeable” or more acceptable to God than others were and that is the reason why we are God’s children today. No, there is nothing about us personally that makes us different from non-Christians. But there is something different about what we have. Christians have been given the gift of faith by our gracious Lord. And because of that gift of faith in Jesus as our Savior we are special to God. Through that gift of faith we are saved. And on account of that gift of faith we have a different Christian perspective about life and especially about God’s Word.
This morning we have in front of us a section of Jesus’ famous “Sermon on the Mount” that is recorded for us in Matthew 5-7. And the “Christian Difference” between believers and unbelievers is brought out in this portion of Scripture in a few unmistakable ways because apart from the opening verses, this “sermon” is almost entirely based around God’s laws, commands, and directives. And only a person with faith in Christ can truly understand their full implications. “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you: Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Here’s the first Christian Difference when it comes to these words of our Lord: unlike the majority of the people in this world, we know that we are not to “moralize” his law. “To moralize” means to view these words of Jesus simply as a way to better your life: if you just follow this pattern of living, if you try your best to put this advice into practice, then your life will be that much more pleasant and you’ll have peace and joy and happiness on this earth because you are doing the right things. But that’s not what Jesus is saying here, of course. In fact, he doesn’t speak a word about any material benefits that are promised you from following these instructions as if his laws were merely sound moral guidance from Miss Manners or “Dear Abby.”
And this Christian Difference also prevents us from watering down God’s law as well. “Watering down” God’s law would include trying to soften his demands and trying to find loopholes in his commands. But as Christians we should know better than that, shouldn’t we? When Jesus says that you are to “turn the other cheek” and not hold a grudge against your enemies that also includes avoiding every disparaging thought you would ever have about them as well. When Jesus says that you are to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you that doesn’t just mean putting up with them or simply being cordial to them when they’re around; love really means “love” in every sense of the word: Jesus is asking us to sacrifice ourselves for those people and care for them and go out of our way to help them and concern ourselves with them to the same extent we concern ourselves with what we want and need and like. And when Jesus uses the word “perfect” to describe what we are supposed to be like, it can’t mean anything else than what it’s supposed to mean: Perfect means without one single sin, without one single fault, error, or mistake - and nothing less. Jesus doesn’t say, “Try your best to be perfect,” or “Aim for perfection,” or “Be as close to perfect as you can be.” No, he says, “You shall be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” It’s not a suggestion. And it’s not just wishful thinking. It’s a strong and immovable command: “You shall be perfect. Period.”
Which brings us to the next Christian Difference: we are forced to admit failure. Whereas others might attempt to convince themselves that they have been good enough or that they have done what is required or that God will be happy with them if they just do their best, we understand that when it comes to our salvation we haven’t been good enough and we haven’t done what is required and no matter how hard we try to do our “best,” our “best” isn’t what the Lord has demanded. Because that last sentence still stands: “You shall be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” And no matter what we do we can’t live up to that, can we? We have made plenty of mistakes in this life. We have been the cause of multiple problems. We are responsible for countless errors and oversights and incredibly shameful sins. We aren’t even close to that requirement of “perfection.” And even if we were: “close to perfect” isn’t going cut it!
We have to admit that, right? We look at this list that Jesus lays out for us and we see that 1) we are always supposed to be gentle to those who are cruel to us and that 2) we are always supposed to be generous to those who take from us and 3) we are always supposed to be loving to those who outright hate us and 4) we are always supposed to be completely pure and faultless from the very moment we are conceived all the way up to the moment when that last breath leaves our bodies… and we shake our heads in frustration because we haven’t and we can’t and we never will. That’s the Christian Difference: not that we think we are any better, but that we’re just as bad; and that sometimes we are even worse because we know and care about what God says and we still don’t do it. And no matter how painful it is to admit that to ourselves, it’s true.
The Christian Difference is that we take God’s law seriously; but the Christian Difference is also that we know God’s law is not the end of the story. When it comes right down to it: the Christian Difference is not only a clear understanding of God’s law; more importantly, it’s an unwavering trust in God’s gospel.
There’s no gospel here, of course! The “gospel” is the Good News about what Jesus has done to save us from the consequences of our sins. And in verses 38-48 of Matthew chapter 5 there is not a lick of gospel. In fact, in the verses that compose the rest of this spiritual speech of our Savior on that hillside in Galilee only a handful of pure gospel words are found. But that’s precisely what the Christian Difference is: these words of the law and our failures to keep it drive us to the gospel; they force us to the gospel; they push us and prod us and pin us down into a position that can be alleviated by nothing but the gospel. And so that means that we as Christians don’t despair over our sins; instead we depend on our Savior. We don’t turn away in helplessness; we turn to the One who gives us hope. We don’t wallow in our misery; we are revived by his mercy. We don’t die in depression; we live in and under and because of the grace of our glorious God. The Christian Difference is Christ.
The Christ who, when struck on the cheek by the chief priests in that kangaroo courtroom, turned the other to the Roman soldiers who beat him over the head with a wooden staff the very next morning. The Christ who not only allowed his tunic to be taken from him before he hung on the cross, but also his cloak and the rest of his clothing as well. The Christ who did not complain when they forced him onto the road that led to the site of his own crucifixion - and who even carried his own cross on his back. The Christ who not only loved his mother and his disciples and his friends, but the Christ who loved even the worst of his enemies, including Judas and Pilate and the soldiers who pounded the nails into his flesh. The Christ who prayed for those who persecuted him and even went so far as to ask his Father to forgive their heartless actions. The Christ who hung there not only for those who liked him, but for those who despised him. The Christ who welcomed the criminal on his right hand side into Paradise that same afternoon. The Christ who didn’t just try to be perfect or do his best to be perfect or got close to being perfect, but the Christ who was perfect in every way.
The Christian Difference is that we know of and believe in this Christ. That this Christ did everything that we couldn’t and everything that we wouldn’t. And he did it for us. So that now, although these words of Jesus in Matthew 5 convict us, they don’t condemn us. They may very well point out our sins, but they also point us to the One who saved us from our sins. These words of Jesus make it very clear to what extent he had to go to be like us and how much effort he had to put in not to be like us. These words of Jesus show how invaluable his substitution was in our place because it’s obvious that we can’t do it on our own.
The Christian Difference makes a big difference, doesn’t it? Faith in Christ puts things into an entirely different perspective. It doesn’t change the words of Jesus, of course. It doesn’t give them a different meaning or bring out some sort of secret connotation that wasn’t there before. Faith in Christ as our Savior simply clarifies the bigger picture. It enables us see exactly what God wants us to see in every verse of the Bible because it holds up Christ in front of our eyes so we don’t forget the reason why these words were written down for us in the first place. And so in these very commands and directives in Matthew 5, we not only see our failures, we also see opportunities to thank the One who gave us the victory anyway.
Isn’t that interesting? The very same commands that we cannot keep perfectly are the very same commands that we can strive to keep to give thanks to Christ - no matter how imperfect our attempts may be! When my one of my children draws me a picture, it is far from perfect. In fact, at such young ages some of their pictures don’t look anything like what they are attempting to draw. A few scribbles here and a few doodles over there somehow become an entire scene filled with animals and people and storylines. Those pictures will never become famous works of art. They will never be able to be sold at an auction. And, if I’m being honest, I could draw a lot better picture myself. But I like my children’s drawings anyway. I am pleased and happy with their attempts - no matter how imperfect they may be. Why? Because my children drew them for me out of love for me.
When God’s children attempt to keep the commands that Jesus lays out for us here in Matthew 5 and elsewhere in Scripture, he is pleased. Not because they are done well, they never are. And not because they live up to his standards, that’s not possible. God is pleased with our efforts because we are doing those things for him out of love for him. They are expressions of our appreciation and our thanks. They are genuine faith-fueled actions that are meant to show our gratitude to the One who did so much for us. Those attempts to keep his laws don’t make him love us any more than he did before. And he doesn’t personally benefit from them either. But he is happy with them. He is happy with us. And he enjoys seeing his children follow his commands that he has laid out for us in his Word.
It’s just another Christian Difference. Our God is thrilled when we do these things him, but he is disgusted when a non-Christian does the exact same things. Because that unbeliever never does anything for him. That unbeliever does not know him or believe him or care about him. That unbeliever lives without him. But not us. We live with Christ and because of Christ and for Christ. We live with Christ on our minds and Christ in our hearts and Christ in our very names. We are CHRISTians. Not because we wanted to be, but because Christ wanted us to be. And so he lived and died and rose to make that happen. By his grace we believe that. And through his power we live because of that. That is the Christian Difference.
Amen.
“To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father - to him be glory and power forever and ever! Amen.” - Rev. 1:5-6
Christians are just a little bit different than everyone else. We aren’t different by nature, of course. Every person in this world comes into this life filled with sin, top to bottom, according to God’s own word. And we aren’t different in our ability to get on God’s good side either: every person on this earth is unable to shed that condemnable infusion of sin on his own. Nor are Christians different because we were somehow more “likeable” or more acceptable to God than others were and that is the reason why we are God’s children today. No, there is nothing about us personally that makes us different from non-Christians. But there is something different about what we have. Christians have been given the gift of faith by our gracious Lord. And because of that gift of faith in Jesus as our Savior we are special to God. Through that gift of faith we are saved. And on account of that gift of faith we have a different Christian perspective about life and especially about God’s Word.
This morning we have in front of us a section of Jesus’ famous “Sermon on the Mount” that is recorded for us in Matthew 5-7. And the “Christian Difference” between believers and unbelievers is brought out in this portion of Scripture in a few unmistakable ways because apart from the opening verses, this “sermon” is almost entirely based around God’s laws, commands, and directives. And only a person with faith in Christ can truly understand their full implications. “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you: Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Here’s the first Christian Difference when it comes to these words of our Lord: unlike the majority of the people in this world, we know that we are not to “moralize” his law. “To moralize” means to view these words of Jesus simply as a way to better your life: if you just follow this pattern of living, if you try your best to put this advice into practice, then your life will be that much more pleasant and you’ll have peace and joy and happiness on this earth because you are doing the right things. But that’s not what Jesus is saying here, of course. In fact, he doesn’t speak a word about any material benefits that are promised you from following these instructions as if his laws were merely sound moral guidance from Miss Manners or “Dear Abby.”
And this Christian Difference also prevents us from watering down God’s law as well. “Watering down” God’s law would include trying to soften his demands and trying to find loopholes in his commands. But as Christians we should know better than that, shouldn’t we? When Jesus says that you are to “turn the other cheek” and not hold a grudge against your enemies that also includes avoiding every disparaging thought you would ever have about them as well. When Jesus says that you are to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you that doesn’t just mean putting up with them or simply being cordial to them when they’re around; love really means “love” in every sense of the word: Jesus is asking us to sacrifice ourselves for those people and care for them and go out of our way to help them and concern ourselves with them to the same extent we concern ourselves with what we want and need and like. And when Jesus uses the word “perfect” to describe what we are supposed to be like, it can’t mean anything else than what it’s supposed to mean: Perfect means without one single sin, without one single fault, error, or mistake - and nothing less. Jesus doesn’t say, “Try your best to be perfect,” or “Aim for perfection,” or “Be as close to perfect as you can be.” No, he says, “You shall be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” It’s not a suggestion. And it’s not just wishful thinking. It’s a strong and immovable command: “You shall be perfect. Period.”
Which brings us to the next Christian Difference: we are forced to admit failure. Whereas others might attempt to convince themselves that they have been good enough or that they have done what is required or that God will be happy with them if they just do their best, we understand that when it comes to our salvation we haven’t been good enough and we haven’t done what is required and no matter how hard we try to do our “best,” our “best” isn’t what the Lord has demanded. Because that last sentence still stands: “You shall be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” And no matter what we do we can’t live up to that, can we? We have made plenty of mistakes in this life. We have been the cause of multiple problems. We are responsible for countless errors and oversights and incredibly shameful sins. We aren’t even close to that requirement of “perfection.” And even if we were: “close to perfect” isn’t going cut it!
We have to admit that, right? We look at this list that Jesus lays out for us and we see that 1) we are always supposed to be gentle to those who are cruel to us and that 2) we are always supposed to be generous to those who take from us and 3) we are always supposed to be loving to those who outright hate us and 4) we are always supposed to be completely pure and faultless from the very moment we are conceived all the way up to the moment when that last breath leaves our bodies… and we shake our heads in frustration because we haven’t and we can’t and we never will. That’s the Christian Difference: not that we think we are any better, but that we’re just as bad; and that sometimes we are even worse because we know and care about what God says and we still don’t do it. And no matter how painful it is to admit that to ourselves, it’s true.
The Christian Difference is that we take God’s law seriously; but the Christian Difference is also that we know God’s law is not the end of the story. When it comes right down to it: the Christian Difference is not only a clear understanding of God’s law; more importantly, it’s an unwavering trust in God’s gospel.
There’s no gospel here, of course! The “gospel” is the Good News about what Jesus has done to save us from the consequences of our sins. And in verses 38-48 of Matthew chapter 5 there is not a lick of gospel. In fact, in the verses that compose the rest of this spiritual speech of our Savior on that hillside in Galilee only a handful of pure gospel words are found. But that’s precisely what the Christian Difference is: these words of the law and our failures to keep it drive us to the gospel; they force us to the gospel; they push us and prod us and pin us down into a position that can be alleviated by nothing but the gospel. And so that means that we as Christians don’t despair over our sins; instead we depend on our Savior. We don’t turn away in helplessness; we turn to the One who gives us hope. We don’t wallow in our misery; we are revived by his mercy. We don’t die in depression; we live in and under and because of the grace of our glorious God. The Christian Difference is Christ.
The Christ who, when struck on the cheek by the chief priests in that kangaroo courtroom, turned the other to the Roman soldiers who beat him over the head with a wooden staff the very next morning. The Christ who not only allowed his tunic to be taken from him before he hung on the cross, but also his cloak and the rest of his clothing as well. The Christ who did not complain when they forced him onto the road that led to the site of his own crucifixion - and who even carried his own cross on his back. The Christ who not only loved his mother and his disciples and his friends, but the Christ who loved even the worst of his enemies, including Judas and Pilate and the soldiers who pounded the nails into his flesh. The Christ who prayed for those who persecuted him and even went so far as to ask his Father to forgive their heartless actions. The Christ who hung there not only for those who liked him, but for those who despised him. The Christ who welcomed the criminal on his right hand side into Paradise that same afternoon. The Christ who didn’t just try to be perfect or do his best to be perfect or got close to being perfect, but the Christ who was perfect in every way.
The Christian Difference is that we know of and believe in this Christ. That this Christ did everything that we couldn’t and everything that we wouldn’t. And he did it for us. So that now, although these words of Jesus in Matthew 5 convict us, they don’t condemn us. They may very well point out our sins, but they also point us to the One who saved us from our sins. These words of Jesus make it very clear to what extent he had to go to be like us and how much effort he had to put in not to be like us. These words of Jesus show how invaluable his substitution was in our place because it’s obvious that we can’t do it on our own.
The Christian Difference makes a big difference, doesn’t it? Faith in Christ puts things into an entirely different perspective. It doesn’t change the words of Jesus, of course. It doesn’t give them a different meaning or bring out some sort of secret connotation that wasn’t there before. Faith in Christ as our Savior simply clarifies the bigger picture. It enables us see exactly what God wants us to see in every verse of the Bible because it holds up Christ in front of our eyes so we don’t forget the reason why these words were written down for us in the first place. And so in these very commands and directives in Matthew 5, we not only see our failures, we also see opportunities to thank the One who gave us the victory anyway.
Isn’t that interesting? The very same commands that we cannot keep perfectly are the very same commands that we can strive to keep to give thanks to Christ - no matter how imperfect our attempts may be! When my one of my children draws me a picture, it is far from perfect. In fact, at such young ages some of their pictures don’t look anything like what they are attempting to draw. A few scribbles here and a few doodles over there somehow become an entire scene filled with animals and people and storylines. Those pictures will never become famous works of art. They will never be able to be sold at an auction. And, if I’m being honest, I could draw a lot better picture myself. But I like my children’s drawings anyway. I am pleased and happy with their attempts - no matter how imperfect they may be. Why? Because my children drew them for me out of love for me.
When God’s children attempt to keep the commands that Jesus lays out for us here in Matthew 5 and elsewhere in Scripture, he is pleased. Not because they are done well, they never are. And not because they live up to his standards, that’s not possible. God is pleased with our efforts because we are doing those things for him out of love for him. They are expressions of our appreciation and our thanks. They are genuine faith-fueled actions that are meant to show our gratitude to the One who did so much for us. Those attempts to keep his laws don’t make him love us any more than he did before. And he doesn’t personally benefit from them either. But he is happy with them. He is happy with us. And he enjoys seeing his children follow his commands that he has laid out for us in his Word.
It’s just another Christian Difference. Our God is thrilled when we do these things him, but he is disgusted when a non-Christian does the exact same things. Because that unbeliever never does anything for him. That unbeliever does not know him or believe him or care about him. That unbeliever lives without him. But not us. We live with Christ and because of Christ and for Christ. We live with Christ on our minds and Christ in our hearts and Christ in our very names. We are CHRISTians. Not because we wanted to be, but because Christ wanted us to be. And so he lived and died and rose to make that happen. By his grace we believe that. And through his power we live because of that. That is the Christian Difference.
Amen.
“To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father - to him be glory and power forever and ever! Amen.” - Rev. 1:5-6
Sunday, February 13, 2011
2/13/11 - Stewardship - Mark 14:8
DO WHAT YOU CAN
The widow gave Elijah some bread - and the Lord was pleased. Tabitha made clothing for those who were less fortunate - and the Lord was pleased. Mary used the equivalent of a year’s salary to buy perfume that she poured on Jesus’ head and feet - and the Lord was pleased. “She has done a beautiful thing to me,” Jesus said about Martha’s sister. “She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” Why was Jesus so pleased with Mary and Tabitha and the widow? Not because the things they did were so outwardly amazing; and not because the things they did were any better than what other people could do; Jesus was pleased with these three women simply because they did what they could.
And it’s very important to remember who these women were when they did these things. The widow during the time of Elijah was already a believer. She knew the Lord God and Elijah his prophet. She trusted that her Lord would one day send the Messiah, the Anointed One, to save his people from their sins. And in response to that, she willingly gave the Lord’s prophet the only meal she had. Tabitha is actually called one of Jesus’ “disciples” - a follower of the Lord in the days of the early Christian Church. She knew what her Lord had done. She knew that he had died for her. She knew that he had risen from the dead. And so in her joy and happiness she showed her appreciation for her God by helping those whom he cared for. Mary, the sister of Lazarus whom Jesus had already raised from the dead, remembered that Jesus had told her he was the Resurrection and the Life, she trusted that those who believed in him would never die, and she could not hold back her gratitude less than a week before Jesus’ crucifixion as she anointed her Lord with the oil of a plant that was worth tens of thousands of dollars by today’s standards. These three women were Christians when they did what they did. And so they were not trying to get anything from the Lord; they already had it all. They simply wanted to give something back - anything back that they could.
We are Christians as well. We believe that the Lord is true God. We know what he has done for us by breaking the devil’s back on the cross and then breaking the seal on his tomb three days later. We are fully aware that he is the Resurrection and the Life and because we believe in him we will never die but be with him in heaven forever. We do not have to do anything to get on Jesus’ good side; we are already there. And just like these three women of Scripture, we have countless opportunities to do whatever we can to thank him.
And take the examples of these three women to heart: The Lord isn’t necessarily concerned about the extent of what you do - he just likes to see you do what you can. Sometimes that will include the simplest tasks in your life, like the widow spending her time to make a basic meal. Sometimes that will include using a specific talent or skill that the Lord has given you, like Tabitha did by making clothing for the poor. Sometimes that will include using whatever means you have to thank the Lord for what he has promised to do, like Mary did by spending quite a bit of her hard-earned income to anoint Jesus with a very expensive perfume. These three women did what they could, in three completely different ways in three completely different situations, and the Lord was pleased with all of them.
What can you do to thank your Lord? Not “what should you do?” And not “what do you have to do?” But what can you do? What are you able to do? What are the ways in which you can thank your Lord at this time of your life in the situation he has placed you? The answer to that question could have many different answers because there are probably innumerable ways in which you can thank the Lord by the things you do in this life. That’s just not the way we usually approach this topic, is it? A lot of times we approach giving back to the Lord with the thought: “What should I do? What are those events that I should probably pitch in and help with; what are those things that I should probably take on some responsibility for; what are those things that I should probably get done because they’re expected of me?” Or maybe our attitude is: “What do I have to do? What are those things that I must get done because no one else will do them?” Or maybe it’s even: “What am I supposed to do? Just tell me what I’m supposed to do and I’ll do it! Give me my checklist of things to do so I can get them done!” Of course, there’s nothing specific you are supposed to do or have to do or should do. There are the Ten Commands and the other directives of Scripture, but the Lord doesn’t really give us specific ways we need to carry them out. There’s not a checklist; there’s not a timecard; there’s not a boss looking over your shoulder or a monthly progress report to fill out. There’s just what your Lord has done for your salvation and the thousands of opportunities you can use to thank him for it. There’s a lot of freedom in what you can do as a Christian in order to praise your Lord. Which also can cause a lot of problems.
Because freedom tends to produce laziness, doesn’t it? “Well, I could do this, but I don’t have to. I can do this, but I’m not required to. I am able to do all of these things, but no one is forcing me to do them today - or tomorrow for that matter.” And so it becomes easy for us not to look for things we can do at all. Instead, we start looking for ways that we can get out of doing things that we are fully capable of doing! We don’t have to fill a quota, after all. And we aren’t going to get in trouble for failing to do some of those things. And so we sit back and relax and we spend more time looking at what we can do for ourselves than for the Lord. And we spend more effort supplying what we want for ourselves than what the Lord wants for all people. We abuse this freedom, don’t we? We get lackadaisical in our lives as Christians simply because we aren’t forced to do anything.
But the widow of Zarapheth and Tabitha and Mary weren’t forced to do what they did either. The widow was asked, but not coerced. Tabitha was loved, but not obligated. Mary was praised, but not pressured. And so why did these three women do what they could do when they didn’t really have to do anything at all? They did whatever they could do for the Lord because they knew that the Lord did whatever he could do for them.
The Lord was not forced to do what he did, was he? He was not obligated to save sinners. He was not indebted to those who rejected him. He didn’t have to do anything for us. But he could. And he did. He was fully capable of taking his divine being that existed from eternity and encasing it in the body of a human being. And so he did it. He was physically and psychologically able to be the target of Satan’s attacks along with sinners’ assaults and survive. And so he did it. He was humble enough to give up his life on the cross. He was powerful enough to make that death count for ours. He was faithful enough to rise from the dead. And so he did it. He had the opportunity to give that victory that he won with his own blood to us free of charge. And so he did it. He had the time and the ability to prepare a place for us in heaven. And so he did it. He had the all-powerful capacity to bring us to faith in this gospel and to watch over us and protect us and guide us in the Word and promise to keep us until the end. And so he did it. Everything that God could have done for us, he did. And he still continues to search out ways in which he can do more and more for us every day. He doesn’t stop. He doesn’t let up. He spends all his time finding ways in which he can show his love to us and then he never fails to follow through.
No wonder the widow baked some bread and Tabitha made some clothes and Mary poured some perfume! That was the least they could do after everything the Lord had done for them! They had the opportunity; they had the time or the skill or the means to do something for their Lord; and they couldn’t imagine not doing it for him! Why wouldn’t they? The time and trust it took to make bread and the effort it took to sow clothes and the money it took to use up all of that perfume was nothing in comparison to what the Lord had accomplished for their eternal life. Nothing could compare. Nothing they could have done could have ever measured up to God’s gift of salvation and everything else that came along with it.
I find it very unlikely that we will ever find something to do for him that will parallel God’s gift of salvation to us. But there are plenty of ways in which we can thank him for it. And so can we get specific here? Can we get a little “practical” and talk about some of the things that we can do for our Lord? There are, of course, hundreds of thousands of ways you can do things for the Lord in your individual lives, and so let’s narrow our focus a bit and concentrate on those things that you are able to do within our own congregation for the Lord’s glory.
You have plenty of those opportunities to do the little things like cleaning the church, bringing Sunday snacks, and preparing the altar for the Lord’s Supper. Do what you can. Find those ways in which you can help in some small way. We are also near the end of the planning stage and right at the beginning of an actual building project. And so there’s a lot more to do than usual. There’s a lot more you can do. Meals for Builders for Christ when the get here this summer. Snacks for that same group. Pitching in with the physical work of constructing a facility. Do what you can. Search for those ways in which you can participate in some small way. And this building isn’t just for our own pride of course - along with this building comes multiple opportunities to reach out to those around us. Leading up to and during and soon after the construction we will have hundreds of chances to inform and invite and encourage our new neighbors to come and check us out. Flyers will have to be printed and cut and sorted. Door hangers will need to be stuffed. Those bags will then need to be distributed on the front doors of hundreds of houses. Do what you can. Look for those ways in which you can pitch in with the outreach efforts of the congregation. And that’s not even mentioning the other outreach efforts that you can participate in right now: letter writing to new movers, prospect pick up and drop off, assisting at Easter for Kids and VBS, even something as simple as giving extra offerings to the special funds of the congregation. Just do what you can. Take full advantage of all those ways in which you can cooperate with your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to the Lord glory and the good of his Church.
And this is obviously not a comprehensive list of everything that is available. These are just examples of what could be done. And so it’s simply a matter of “what can you do” and “do you want to do it.” There’s no guilt trip here. I’m not trying to make you feel as if you are required to participate in anything at any time. My goal is to present to you your Savior and everything he has done, and then to present to you some of the opportunities available for you to thank him.
And you don’t have to wait to be asked! You don’t even have to wait for something to be offered. What can I do now - even if we have never done it before! What can I do now - even if you don’t see it on a list! What can I do now - even if there is no sign up sheet available for that particular task! “What can I do?” It is a mindset of appreciation. It is an attitude of thankfulness. And so prepare a meal with the widow. Help the poor alongside Tabitha. Offer whatever means you have with Mary at the feet of your Savior. Do what you can. Do whatever you can. And know that the One who did everything that he could do for you is pleased.
Amen.
“May the Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.” - 2 Thess. 2:16-17
The widow gave Elijah some bread - and the Lord was pleased. Tabitha made clothing for those who were less fortunate - and the Lord was pleased. Mary used the equivalent of a year’s salary to buy perfume that she poured on Jesus’ head and feet - and the Lord was pleased. “She has done a beautiful thing to me,” Jesus said about Martha’s sister. “She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” Why was Jesus so pleased with Mary and Tabitha and the widow? Not because the things they did were so outwardly amazing; and not because the things they did were any better than what other people could do; Jesus was pleased with these three women simply because they did what they could.
And it’s very important to remember who these women were when they did these things. The widow during the time of Elijah was already a believer. She knew the Lord God and Elijah his prophet. She trusted that her Lord would one day send the Messiah, the Anointed One, to save his people from their sins. And in response to that, she willingly gave the Lord’s prophet the only meal she had. Tabitha is actually called one of Jesus’ “disciples” - a follower of the Lord in the days of the early Christian Church. She knew what her Lord had done. She knew that he had died for her. She knew that he had risen from the dead. And so in her joy and happiness she showed her appreciation for her God by helping those whom he cared for. Mary, the sister of Lazarus whom Jesus had already raised from the dead, remembered that Jesus had told her he was the Resurrection and the Life, she trusted that those who believed in him would never die, and she could not hold back her gratitude less than a week before Jesus’ crucifixion as she anointed her Lord with the oil of a plant that was worth tens of thousands of dollars by today’s standards. These three women were Christians when they did what they did. And so they were not trying to get anything from the Lord; they already had it all. They simply wanted to give something back - anything back that they could.
We are Christians as well. We believe that the Lord is true God. We know what he has done for us by breaking the devil’s back on the cross and then breaking the seal on his tomb three days later. We are fully aware that he is the Resurrection and the Life and because we believe in him we will never die but be with him in heaven forever. We do not have to do anything to get on Jesus’ good side; we are already there. And just like these three women of Scripture, we have countless opportunities to do whatever we can to thank him.
And take the examples of these three women to heart: The Lord isn’t necessarily concerned about the extent of what you do - he just likes to see you do what you can. Sometimes that will include the simplest tasks in your life, like the widow spending her time to make a basic meal. Sometimes that will include using a specific talent or skill that the Lord has given you, like Tabitha did by making clothing for the poor. Sometimes that will include using whatever means you have to thank the Lord for what he has promised to do, like Mary did by spending quite a bit of her hard-earned income to anoint Jesus with a very expensive perfume. These three women did what they could, in three completely different ways in three completely different situations, and the Lord was pleased with all of them.
What can you do to thank your Lord? Not “what should you do?” And not “what do you have to do?” But what can you do? What are you able to do? What are the ways in which you can thank your Lord at this time of your life in the situation he has placed you? The answer to that question could have many different answers because there are probably innumerable ways in which you can thank the Lord by the things you do in this life. That’s just not the way we usually approach this topic, is it? A lot of times we approach giving back to the Lord with the thought: “What should I do? What are those events that I should probably pitch in and help with; what are those things that I should probably take on some responsibility for; what are those things that I should probably get done because they’re expected of me?” Or maybe our attitude is: “What do I have to do? What are those things that I must get done because no one else will do them?” Or maybe it’s even: “What am I supposed to do? Just tell me what I’m supposed to do and I’ll do it! Give me my checklist of things to do so I can get them done!” Of course, there’s nothing specific you are supposed to do or have to do or should do. There are the Ten Commands and the other directives of Scripture, but the Lord doesn’t really give us specific ways we need to carry them out. There’s not a checklist; there’s not a timecard; there’s not a boss looking over your shoulder or a monthly progress report to fill out. There’s just what your Lord has done for your salvation and the thousands of opportunities you can use to thank him for it. There’s a lot of freedom in what you can do as a Christian in order to praise your Lord. Which also can cause a lot of problems.
Because freedom tends to produce laziness, doesn’t it? “Well, I could do this, but I don’t have to. I can do this, but I’m not required to. I am able to do all of these things, but no one is forcing me to do them today - or tomorrow for that matter.” And so it becomes easy for us not to look for things we can do at all. Instead, we start looking for ways that we can get out of doing things that we are fully capable of doing! We don’t have to fill a quota, after all. And we aren’t going to get in trouble for failing to do some of those things. And so we sit back and relax and we spend more time looking at what we can do for ourselves than for the Lord. And we spend more effort supplying what we want for ourselves than what the Lord wants for all people. We abuse this freedom, don’t we? We get lackadaisical in our lives as Christians simply because we aren’t forced to do anything.
But the widow of Zarapheth and Tabitha and Mary weren’t forced to do what they did either. The widow was asked, but not coerced. Tabitha was loved, but not obligated. Mary was praised, but not pressured. And so why did these three women do what they could do when they didn’t really have to do anything at all? They did whatever they could do for the Lord because they knew that the Lord did whatever he could do for them.
The Lord was not forced to do what he did, was he? He was not obligated to save sinners. He was not indebted to those who rejected him. He didn’t have to do anything for us. But he could. And he did. He was fully capable of taking his divine being that existed from eternity and encasing it in the body of a human being. And so he did it. He was physically and psychologically able to be the target of Satan’s attacks along with sinners’ assaults and survive. And so he did it. He was humble enough to give up his life on the cross. He was powerful enough to make that death count for ours. He was faithful enough to rise from the dead. And so he did it. He had the opportunity to give that victory that he won with his own blood to us free of charge. And so he did it. He had the time and the ability to prepare a place for us in heaven. And so he did it. He had the all-powerful capacity to bring us to faith in this gospel and to watch over us and protect us and guide us in the Word and promise to keep us until the end. And so he did it. Everything that God could have done for us, he did. And he still continues to search out ways in which he can do more and more for us every day. He doesn’t stop. He doesn’t let up. He spends all his time finding ways in which he can show his love to us and then he never fails to follow through.
No wonder the widow baked some bread and Tabitha made some clothes and Mary poured some perfume! That was the least they could do after everything the Lord had done for them! They had the opportunity; they had the time or the skill or the means to do something for their Lord; and they couldn’t imagine not doing it for him! Why wouldn’t they? The time and trust it took to make bread and the effort it took to sow clothes and the money it took to use up all of that perfume was nothing in comparison to what the Lord had accomplished for their eternal life. Nothing could compare. Nothing they could have done could have ever measured up to God’s gift of salvation and everything else that came along with it.
I find it very unlikely that we will ever find something to do for him that will parallel God’s gift of salvation to us. But there are plenty of ways in which we can thank him for it. And so can we get specific here? Can we get a little “practical” and talk about some of the things that we can do for our Lord? There are, of course, hundreds of thousands of ways you can do things for the Lord in your individual lives, and so let’s narrow our focus a bit and concentrate on those things that you are able to do within our own congregation for the Lord’s glory.
You have plenty of those opportunities to do the little things like cleaning the church, bringing Sunday snacks, and preparing the altar for the Lord’s Supper. Do what you can. Find those ways in which you can help in some small way. We are also near the end of the planning stage and right at the beginning of an actual building project. And so there’s a lot more to do than usual. There’s a lot more you can do. Meals for Builders for Christ when the get here this summer. Snacks for that same group. Pitching in with the physical work of constructing a facility. Do what you can. Search for those ways in which you can participate in some small way. And this building isn’t just for our own pride of course - along with this building comes multiple opportunities to reach out to those around us. Leading up to and during and soon after the construction we will have hundreds of chances to inform and invite and encourage our new neighbors to come and check us out. Flyers will have to be printed and cut and sorted. Door hangers will need to be stuffed. Those bags will then need to be distributed on the front doors of hundreds of houses. Do what you can. Look for those ways in which you can pitch in with the outreach efforts of the congregation. And that’s not even mentioning the other outreach efforts that you can participate in right now: letter writing to new movers, prospect pick up and drop off, assisting at Easter for Kids and VBS, even something as simple as giving extra offerings to the special funds of the congregation. Just do what you can. Take full advantage of all those ways in which you can cooperate with your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to the Lord glory and the good of his Church.
And this is obviously not a comprehensive list of everything that is available. These are just examples of what could be done. And so it’s simply a matter of “what can you do” and “do you want to do it.” There’s no guilt trip here. I’m not trying to make you feel as if you are required to participate in anything at any time. My goal is to present to you your Savior and everything he has done, and then to present to you some of the opportunities available for you to thank him.
And you don’t have to wait to be asked! You don’t even have to wait for something to be offered. What can I do now - even if we have never done it before! What can I do now - even if you don’t see it on a list! What can I do now - even if there is no sign up sheet available for that particular task! “What can I do?” It is a mindset of appreciation. It is an attitude of thankfulness. And so prepare a meal with the widow. Help the poor alongside Tabitha. Offer whatever means you have with Mary at the feet of your Savior. Do what you can. Do whatever you can. And know that the One who did everything that he could do for you is pleased.
Amen.
“May the Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.” - 2 Thess. 2:16-17
Monday, February 07, 2011
2/6/11 - Pentecost 5 - Isaiah 58:5-9
SO WHAT?
Here we are again: at another worship service praying and singing, confessing and reading. We have taken time out of our Sunday morning to come to God’s house. Many of you have driven quite a few miles just to get here. Many more of you have not missed a Sunday morning worship service in who knows how long… But so what? If you are here this morning because that’s just what you’re used to doing on a Sunday morning, so what? If you sing a couple hymns today about loving others, but never put that scriptural directive into practice during the week, then so what? If you hear about the compassion of your Lord in the Scripture readings and the mercy of the Lord in the songs of the liturgy but have no intention of showing compassion and mercy to those “out there,” then so what? If you just go through the motions each week of sitting down and standing up and bowing your head and saying what you’re supposed to say when you’re supposed to say it… so what?
Back in the time of the prophet Isaiah, the Israelites had been just “going through the motions” for centuries. They had been saying the prescribed prayers and refraining from the restricted foods and fasting on the appointed days… but they were doing those things simply because that’s just what they did! That was their culture, their heritage. They wouldn’t dare do anything different, but the problem was: they weren’t doing those things out of faith; instead they were doing those things out of obligation. They didn’t think about what they were doing and they didn’t care about why they were doing it; they just knew that they were supposed to and so that’s what they did.
But that’s not what the Lord wanted, of course. He didn’t want his people to simply perform the appropriate acts of Old Testament worship life without meaning it. And he definitely didn’t want his people to go through the prescribed steps at the temple while neglecting all of the other things that he wanted them to do in their everyday lives. God wanted them to act like real Christians. “For day after day they seek me out,” the Lord said, “they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God” (Is. 59:2). The Israelites hadn’t been following God’s commands to help and treat others well, but they still expected to be treated well themselves simply because they were faithful in carrying out the religious customs of the day! “‘Why have we fasted,’ they said, ‘and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed’” (Is. 59:3)? “What’s wrong, God? Why are you ignoring us? Why aren’t you fulfilling our requests? Aren’t we putting into practice all of the different elements of worship that you have prescribed? Aren’t we praying and reciting and fasting like you told us to?” The Lord’s answer is where our Old Testament reading begins: “Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?"
“So what?” the Lord was basically saying. “So what if you go without food for a certain amount of time or mouth the words to some ancient prayers or decline the invitation to eat pork at your neighbor’s house? So what? I don’t care if you do those things in a mindless manner, without understanding why and without the proper motivation in your heart! If you really were my people and truly did believe in what I have promised to do for you, you would be living like Christians all the time and not just trying to act like it on Sabbath mornings.” The Lord wasn’t fooled. And he wasn’t buying it either. He knew where the hearts of the people were and they certainly were not focused on him - no matter how their outward worship life may have looked to anyone else at the time. And so the Lord told them exactly what he wanted: “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter — when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.”
If the people of Israel really had loved their Lord and really had wanted to “worship” him, they would have been helping the poor and assisting those who were oppressed and giving aid to the hurting and all of the other things that Christians naturally do. But they weren’t doing those things. Instead they were ignoring those in need; they were quarreling with one another; they were sinning over and over again against a variety of different commands that the Lord had laid out for them. Their actions outside of the worship services was telling of their true motivations inside those worship services. And so when they were worshiping, they weren’t really “worshiping” at all.
And so here we are, in one of our own worship services again. And here we pray and here we sing and here we read and here we confess. In fact, we have already performed all of those actions earlier in this worship service. On the very first page, p.26, I began by saying, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you.” But did I really mean that or did I just say it without thinking about what was written on the page? Of course, you then responded with, “And also with you.” Did you mean that or did those words just come out of your mouth automatically because that’s what you were supposed to say? Next we confessed our sins with a familiar formula we have used countless times before. But did we really confess our sins or is that just what it sounded like? We continued on the next page with a responsive prayer. I read the portions of the prayer off the page and we all responded by singing, “Lord have mercy.” But did we really pay attention to the words of that prayer, did we truly ask the Lord for his mercy at that point or were those notes that came out of our mouths completely disconnected with the thoughts of our minds? We sang the song “O Lord, Our Lord;” we read a lesson from Isaiah, we sang a Psalm, we read another lesson from 1 Cor. 2, we heard the Verse of the Day and responded with the Alleluia words of praise, we stood for the gospel and heard words from the Sermon on the Mount, we sang another hymn, and now we’re sitting here. Was all that just a routine? Was it simply a repetition of a habit that we have conditioned ourselves to do over the years? Were we just going through the motions like the Old Testament Israelites did during the time of Isaiah? And if that is so, then so what?
So what if we sang hymns and confessed sins and joined in songs and had the Word of God read in our presence if we didn’t really listen and didn’t really pay attention and didn’t really care. So what if we make it to God’s house on a Sunday morning but God’s Word is sadly absent from our lives during the other six days of the week. So what? Is that really the kind of “worship” that makes the Lord happy? Is that really the kind of attitude that he wants his people to have? Simply coming to church doesn’t please the Lord. Simply attending a Bible class or Sunday school doesn’t please the Lord. Simply putting a few bucks in the offering plate because that’s what you should do doesn’t please the Lord. The act itself is secondary. The reason why we would want to do any of those things is what matters the most to our Lord. The reason why we would want to do anything as a Christian in this life matters most to our Lord. So what is the reason why? The reason why can be found right here in a worship service.
Every week we sing hymns here about Christ and what he has done. Every week we confess our sins to Christ and hear that wonderful news about the forgiveness that Christ has won for us on the cross. Every week we join in liturgical songs that revolve around Christ. Every week we read parts of the Bible that point us to Christ. Every week we listen to a sermon that is focused on Christ. Every week we pray the Lord’s Prayer that was taught by Christ. Every week we end our worship with a blessing from Christ. So what? Why would we do that? Why would we repeat ourselves week in and week out with the same material that we’ve all heard before? Because that is our salvation. And, therefore, that is also our motivation. That is the reason why. That is the “So What.”
Do you remember what the Lord said through the prophet Isaiah that he does for those who truly are his children? Those who are clearly his people because of how they act in this world and what they do for others? “Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.” We sing about Christ and confess to Christ and read about Christ and listen to Christ in every worship service because Christ never lets us down. He never blows us off. He never has something else to do. He is never too busy to take care of our needs. And he doesn’t take a day off! He is always there for you in this world making sure that no permanent damage is ever done to those he loves.
Which also means that when you pray to him here in a worship service or in your own home, he doesn’t only give you his half-hearted attention. No, he sits up and takes notice and looks you in the face. He listens to every word that you say - not interrupting, not overreacting, not shaking his head in frustration because he’s heard it all before. He died for you, after all! He gave up his own life for you! And so when you come to him now in prayer he is not going to put you on hold or only give you the time of day if he has nothing else to do! Your life is the very thing he sacrificed his life for! And so he’s certainly going to pay attention to you now when you come to him for anything that is bothering you in this life of yours that the Lord himself saved! The Lord doesn’t just go through the motions of answering your prayers…
And when you come up in front of his altar, and take his body in your hand with the bread once again, and hold his blood up to your lips with the wine once again, he doesn’t treat that as if he has done it a thousand times before for thousands of Christians throughout the world - even though he has. No, he loves this! He can’t enough of this! He eagerly anticipates those moments when you have a chance to participate in his Supper because this is where he is as close to you as he was at your baptism. And he reaches out and he says, “This, this is my actual body given up to death for you on the cross: take and eat. Please take and eat. And this, this is my actual blood poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins on that same cross. Take and drink. Please take and drink. This is me for you. This is another way you can have my forgiveness yet again that I worked so hard to earn for you. Take it and enjoy it and believe it.” The Lord certainly doesn’t just go through the motions when it comes to this spiritual Feast. This unique Meal is precious to him - every time - and he treats it as such.
And the same goes for his Word. When we are singing the hymns and the psalms, when we are listening to the Scripture readings and paying attention to the sermon, the Lord doesn’t sit back and do something else for a few minutes. No, he is right here, taking each word we sing and read and hear and he works it, he directs it, he kneads it into our hearts so that our faith is bolstered and our hearts are refreshed. He is constantly at work, making sure that the message of his cross settles deep into our souls and sticks and grows and matures. He does not waste a moment in any Christian worship service in any place at any time to feed his people with his saving gospel.
And so… so what? So what does that mean for the way we will live our lives? Are we going to just go through the motions for the rest of this worship service so that we can get out of here as soon as possible and get on with our lives? Are we going to ignore what God wants us to do for others during the rest of the week as long as we show up again here next Sunday? Are we going to act as if we “have done our duty” here at church and so there’s nothing more left for us to do? How could we? How could we have that attitude after all that the Lord has done for us? How could we possibly disrespect him by going through the motions when he has never treated us that disrespectfully? How could we possibly ignore his Word when he has never ignored us? How could we possibly neglect those in need when he never neglected our needs? How could we think that we have “done our duty” here at church when the Lord has made sure that we don’t have a “duty” to do at all? He has done it all! He has won it all! He has provided it all! And so what an opportunity we have to live our lives for him without any requirements attached! To thank him and praise and show him at least a little bit of appreciation without a punishment hanging over our heads! We won’t ever do that perfectly of course; we won’t ever fully make up for what he has given to us. But so what! He’s forgiven us for those failures! That’s why we’re Christians in the first place! So we can live in peace and happiness knowing that our lives don’t have to be perfect to please him; we already are pleasing him by living lives through faith in Jesus as our Savior. And that he has given us. And he has given us multiple places to display that faith: in this world and in this town and in this congregation and in this building and in this very worship service that we are right in the middle of.
We have the Nicene Creed, a couple prayers, the Lord’s Supper, and some hymns left this morning. We have Bible class and Sunday school afterwards. We have a full week’s worth of opportunities outside these walls. And then next Sunday we get to let loose our faith all over again from the beginning. We have any number of ways in which to thank our Lord by the way we live our lives in these next few minutes and these next few days and for however many years we remain on this earth. Christ has supplied us with the “so what.” So what can we now do to thank him?
Amen.
“Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!” - Rev. 19:6-7
Here we are again: at another worship service praying and singing, confessing and reading. We have taken time out of our Sunday morning to come to God’s house. Many of you have driven quite a few miles just to get here. Many more of you have not missed a Sunday morning worship service in who knows how long… But so what? If you are here this morning because that’s just what you’re used to doing on a Sunday morning, so what? If you sing a couple hymns today about loving others, but never put that scriptural directive into practice during the week, then so what? If you hear about the compassion of your Lord in the Scripture readings and the mercy of the Lord in the songs of the liturgy but have no intention of showing compassion and mercy to those “out there,” then so what? If you just go through the motions each week of sitting down and standing up and bowing your head and saying what you’re supposed to say when you’re supposed to say it… so what?
Back in the time of the prophet Isaiah, the Israelites had been just “going through the motions” for centuries. They had been saying the prescribed prayers and refraining from the restricted foods and fasting on the appointed days… but they were doing those things simply because that’s just what they did! That was their culture, their heritage. They wouldn’t dare do anything different, but the problem was: they weren’t doing those things out of faith; instead they were doing those things out of obligation. They didn’t think about what they were doing and they didn’t care about why they were doing it; they just knew that they were supposed to and so that’s what they did.
But that’s not what the Lord wanted, of course. He didn’t want his people to simply perform the appropriate acts of Old Testament worship life without meaning it. And he definitely didn’t want his people to go through the prescribed steps at the temple while neglecting all of the other things that he wanted them to do in their everyday lives. God wanted them to act like real Christians. “For day after day they seek me out,” the Lord said, “they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God” (Is. 59:2). The Israelites hadn’t been following God’s commands to help and treat others well, but they still expected to be treated well themselves simply because they were faithful in carrying out the religious customs of the day! “‘Why have we fasted,’ they said, ‘and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed’” (Is. 59:3)? “What’s wrong, God? Why are you ignoring us? Why aren’t you fulfilling our requests? Aren’t we putting into practice all of the different elements of worship that you have prescribed? Aren’t we praying and reciting and fasting like you told us to?” The Lord’s answer is where our Old Testament reading begins: “Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?"
“So what?” the Lord was basically saying. “So what if you go without food for a certain amount of time or mouth the words to some ancient prayers or decline the invitation to eat pork at your neighbor’s house? So what? I don’t care if you do those things in a mindless manner, without understanding why and without the proper motivation in your heart! If you really were my people and truly did believe in what I have promised to do for you, you would be living like Christians all the time and not just trying to act like it on Sabbath mornings.” The Lord wasn’t fooled. And he wasn’t buying it either. He knew where the hearts of the people were and they certainly were not focused on him - no matter how their outward worship life may have looked to anyone else at the time. And so the Lord told them exactly what he wanted: “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter — when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.”
If the people of Israel really had loved their Lord and really had wanted to “worship” him, they would have been helping the poor and assisting those who were oppressed and giving aid to the hurting and all of the other things that Christians naturally do. But they weren’t doing those things. Instead they were ignoring those in need; they were quarreling with one another; they were sinning over and over again against a variety of different commands that the Lord had laid out for them. Their actions outside of the worship services was telling of their true motivations inside those worship services. And so when they were worshiping, they weren’t really “worshiping” at all.
And so here we are, in one of our own worship services again. And here we pray and here we sing and here we read and here we confess. In fact, we have already performed all of those actions earlier in this worship service. On the very first page, p.26, I began by saying, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you.” But did I really mean that or did I just say it without thinking about what was written on the page? Of course, you then responded with, “And also with you.” Did you mean that or did those words just come out of your mouth automatically because that’s what you were supposed to say? Next we confessed our sins with a familiar formula we have used countless times before. But did we really confess our sins or is that just what it sounded like? We continued on the next page with a responsive prayer. I read the portions of the prayer off the page and we all responded by singing, “Lord have mercy.” But did we really pay attention to the words of that prayer, did we truly ask the Lord for his mercy at that point or were those notes that came out of our mouths completely disconnected with the thoughts of our minds? We sang the song “O Lord, Our Lord;” we read a lesson from Isaiah, we sang a Psalm, we read another lesson from 1 Cor. 2, we heard the Verse of the Day and responded with the Alleluia words of praise, we stood for the gospel and heard words from the Sermon on the Mount, we sang another hymn, and now we’re sitting here. Was all that just a routine? Was it simply a repetition of a habit that we have conditioned ourselves to do over the years? Were we just going through the motions like the Old Testament Israelites did during the time of Isaiah? And if that is so, then so what?
So what if we sang hymns and confessed sins and joined in songs and had the Word of God read in our presence if we didn’t really listen and didn’t really pay attention and didn’t really care. So what if we make it to God’s house on a Sunday morning but God’s Word is sadly absent from our lives during the other six days of the week. So what? Is that really the kind of “worship” that makes the Lord happy? Is that really the kind of attitude that he wants his people to have? Simply coming to church doesn’t please the Lord. Simply attending a Bible class or Sunday school doesn’t please the Lord. Simply putting a few bucks in the offering plate because that’s what you should do doesn’t please the Lord. The act itself is secondary. The reason why we would want to do any of those things is what matters the most to our Lord. The reason why we would want to do anything as a Christian in this life matters most to our Lord. So what is the reason why? The reason why can be found right here in a worship service.
Every week we sing hymns here about Christ and what he has done. Every week we confess our sins to Christ and hear that wonderful news about the forgiveness that Christ has won for us on the cross. Every week we join in liturgical songs that revolve around Christ. Every week we read parts of the Bible that point us to Christ. Every week we listen to a sermon that is focused on Christ. Every week we pray the Lord’s Prayer that was taught by Christ. Every week we end our worship with a blessing from Christ. So what? Why would we do that? Why would we repeat ourselves week in and week out with the same material that we’ve all heard before? Because that is our salvation. And, therefore, that is also our motivation. That is the reason why. That is the “So What.”
Do you remember what the Lord said through the prophet Isaiah that he does for those who truly are his children? Those who are clearly his people because of how they act in this world and what they do for others? “Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.” We sing about Christ and confess to Christ and read about Christ and listen to Christ in every worship service because Christ never lets us down. He never blows us off. He never has something else to do. He is never too busy to take care of our needs. And he doesn’t take a day off! He is always there for you in this world making sure that no permanent damage is ever done to those he loves.
Which also means that when you pray to him here in a worship service or in your own home, he doesn’t only give you his half-hearted attention. No, he sits up and takes notice and looks you in the face. He listens to every word that you say - not interrupting, not overreacting, not shaking his head in frustration because he’s heard it all before. He died for you, after all! He gave up his own life for you! And so when you come to him now in prayer he is not going to put you on hold or only give you the time of day if he has nothing else to do! Your life is the very thing he sacrificed his life for! And so he’s certainly going to pay attention to you now when you come to him for anything that is bothering you in this life of yours that the Lord himself saved! The Lord doesn’t just go through the motions of answering your prayers…
And when you come up in front of his altar, and take his body in your hand with the bread once again, and hold his blood up to your lips with the wine once again, he doesn’t treat that as if he has done it a thousand times before for thousands of Christians throughout the world - even though he has. No, he loves this! He can’t enough of this! He eagerly anticipates those moments when you have a chance to participate in his Supper because this is where he is as close to you as he was at your baptism. And he reaches out and he says, “This, this is my actual body given up to death for you on the cross: take and eat. Please take and eat. And this, this is my actual blood poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins on that same cross. Take and drink. Please take and drink. This is me for you. This is another way you can have my forgiveness yet again that I worked so hard to earn for you. Take it and enjoy it and believe it.” The Lord certainly doesn’t just go through the motions when it comes to this spiritual Feast. This unique Meal is precious to him - every time - and he treats it as such.
And the same goes for his Word. When we are singing the hymns and the psalms, when we are listening to the Scripture readings and paying attention to the sermon, the Lord doesn’t sit back and do something else for a few minutes. No, he is right here, taking each word we sing and read and hear and he works it, he directs it, he kneads it into our hearts so that our faith is bolstered and our hearts are refreshed. He is constantly at work, making sure that the message of his cross settles deep into our souls and sticks and grows and matures. He does not waste a moment in any Christian worship service in any place at any time to feed his people with his saving gospel.
And so… so what? So what does that mean for the way we will live our lives? Are we going to just go through the motions for the rest of this worship service so that we can get out of here as soon as possible and get on with our lives? Are we going to ignore what God wants us to do for others during the rest of the week as long as we show up again here next Sunday? Are we going to act as if we “have done our duty” here at church and so there’s nothing more left for us to do? How could we? How could we have that attitude after all that the Lord has done for us? How could we possibly disrespect him by going through the motions when he has never treated us that disrespectfully? How could we possibly ignore his Word when he has never ignored us? How could we possibly neglect those in need when he never neglected our needs? How could we think that we have “done our duty” here at church when the Lord has made sure that we don’t have a “duty” to do at all? He has done it all! He has won it all! He has provided it all! And so what an opportunity we have to live our lives for him without any requirements attached! To thank him and praise and show him at least a little bit of appreciation without a punishment hanging over our heads! We won’t ever do that perfectly of course; we won’t ever fully make up for what he has given to us. But so what! He’s forgiven us for those failures! That’s why we’re Christians in the first place! So we can live in peace and happiness knowing that our lives don’t have to be perfect to please him; we already are pleasing him by living lives through faith in Jesus as our Savior. And that he has given us. And he has given us multiple places to display that faith: in this world and in this town and in this congregation and in this building and in this very worship service that we are right in the middle of.
We have the Nicene Creed, a couple prayers, the Lord’s Supper, and some hymns left this morning. We have Bible class and Sunday school afterwards. We have a full week’s worth of opportunities outside these walls. And then next Sunday we get to let loose our faith all over again from the beginning. We have any number of ways in which to thank our Lord by the way we live our lives in these next few minutes and these next few days and for however many years we remain on this earth. Christ has supplied us with the “so what.” So what can we now do to thank him?
Amen.
“Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!” - Rev. 19:6-7
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
1/30/11 - Pentecost 4 - 1 Cor. 1:26-31
DON'T FORGET HOW YOU GOT HERE
Back when the Promised Land was divided up into two nations, Judah to the south and Israel to the north, a boy was once crowned king in that southern capital of Jerusalem. His name was Joash. And when he was only seven years old he officially sat upon the throne over God’s people for the very first time. Of course, that wasn’t normal. Boys usually did not take over the throne for their fathers at such a young age. But Joash’s grandmother, Athaliah and done the unthinkable. After her son, Joash’s father, was assassinated, she began to kill off the rest of her descendants so that she could take over the throne herself. But Joash, an infant at that time, was hidden away for seven years in the temple of the Lord - watched over by a priest named Jehoiada. After those seven years had ended, Jehoiada gathered all of the God-fearing Levites in the city, captured Joash’s grandmother Athaliah, had here killed for insurrection, and crowned Joash king of Judah - as he rightfully should have been all along.
After being saved from his grandmother’s murderous intentions, Joash was mentored by Jehoiada, supported by the people, saw the temple of the Lord repaired and rebuilt, was blessed with the renewal of worship life during his reign, and was given the opportunity to hear the Word of God read every Sabbath Day. Joash had been watched over and had been given tremendous blessings by the Lord from day one. But after the priest Jehoiada died, Joash forgot how he had gotten there. He soon abandoned the temple of the Lord, he built Asherah poles to worship false gods, he refused to listen to the prophets sent to him by the Lord, and he even murdered Zechariah, Jehoiada’s own son, for preaching the Word of God because “King Joash did not remember the kindness Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had shown him” (2 Chron. 24:22). Joash apparently didn’t remember anything about his past and how he had ended up on the throne. It is one of those tragic stories of Scripture of a person who received the grace of God throughout his life, but who ending up rejecting the very God that gave him all those blessings.
The apostle Paul did not want that same thing to happen to the Christian congregation he had founded in the Greek city of Corinth. They too had been saved by God’s grace - just as Joash had been; they too had been recipients of multiple blessings from the Lord - just as Joash had been; they too had to give all the credit to their heavenly Father for the situation they were in - just as Joash should have done; and Paul did not want them to forget that. Because he had established that congregation. He had spent a lot of time with that congregation. And now he was writing to that congregation about some problems they were having and to encourage them as children of God. Paul did not want them to forget how they had gotten to be children of God in the first place.
“Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.’”
It was important for the people in that congregation to remember that when they were called to faith in their Savior most of them were not intelligent - humanly speaking, most of them were not well-known leaders of the community, most of them had not been born into wealthy and prestigious families. They were average people with average jobs leading average lives - they were nothing special. Until God made them special. He did not choose those people that had a handful of degrees and impressive title or those who had achieved amazing things or those who had attained a certain level of social status; he chose the weak and the poor and the lonely and the hurting. He chose those who didn’t have much and couldn’t do more. And Paul didn’t want them to forget that now. Because they still didn’t have much. They still couldn’t do more. They still weren’t smart enough or strong enough or capable enough to last in this sinful world on their own. They needed their Lord now just as much as they did back then. And it would be detrimental to their faith to forget that.
Don’t forget how you got here. Right now you are sitting in a church building on a Sunday morning at the end of January because you want to hear about your Savior again and praise his name with your brothers and sisters in Christ just like you did last week. And you are here right now because you are a child of God. And you are a child of God right now because you are a believer in your Savior. And so don’t forget how you got here! Don’t forget why you are who you are and why you are where you are! He brought you to be his child at a point when you were his enemy. He led you into the light of his gospel when you were wallowing in darkness. He raised you to spiritual life when you were decomposing in spiritual death. Of course, he died you before you were even aware of who he was. He rose from the dead for you before you ever lived on this earth. He saved you when you were incapable and unwilling to do it yourself. Don’t forget that. Don’t forget where you were and how you got to be here.
The point at which our Lord brought us here, to faith in him, will vary from person to person. Some of us were brought to faith as adults, others as young men or young women, others as teenagers, others as children, and still others as infants. I was about two weeks old when I was brought to faith in my Savior. Because at my baptism the Lord did for me what he promises to do at every baptism: he forgave my sins, he placed the gift of the Holy Spirit into my heart so that I could believe it, and he accepted me into his family. Was I “smart” at the time I was taken up to the front of a church in the arms of my mother to be baptized at the rim of a baptismal font? Not hardly: a baby is not intelligent at all. Was I physically strong and fully able to deal with things on my own at that point? That’s a ridiculous question to even ask. Was I capable of doing great things? I could cry and sleep and fill my diaper, but that was about it. I was an infant after all! I was unable to do anything for myself or even logically think through what was happening at the moment I was brought to faith in my Savior. And that’s the point, that’s the bottom line: The reason I am here today as a believer in Jesus is not because of anything I did or anything I would be able to do. It was only by the grace of God that I can claim a faith in my Savior today.
The same holds true for you. Whether you were 5 days old or 55 years old at the time you were brought to faith through the gospel, it was only by the grace of God that you believe in your Savior today. Your intelligence didn’t do it for you. Your strength didn’t either. And your capability and potential to do great things were nothing close to where they needed to be. The Lord took care of it all for you. And now you are enjoying all the benefits from his work. Don’t forget that.
Because as we get older and as we get supposedly “wiser” and physically “stronger” and more capable than we were whenever we were brought to faith, we sometimes can forget how we got here. Because now that we are used to figuring things out on our own and now that we are used to being able to comprehend fairly complex ideas and concepts, now that we are more experienced and have developed more life skills than we had back then, it is sometimes hard to see the need to lean on the Lord as often as we used to. Because we have been able to stand on our own two legs for quite a while now, haven’t we? We have been able to make tough decisions; we have been able to fix difficult problems; we have been able to survive some unfortunate situations. We have proved ourselves to be relatively competent in this life. And so to fully lean on the Lord for every little thing without at least putting a little bit of weight on our own feet? To trust in him to supply us with every good thing without taking the situation into our own capable hands? To admit that no matter how much we plan and no matter how hard we try the Lord is the only one who is able to do what needs to be done in the end? That’s hard! That’s humbling! Because we don’t want to have to depend on someone else. We don’t want to have to admit that we aren’t good enough. But don’t forget how you got here!
This is how you got to where you are at: God chose the foolish things of this world so that your intelligence would play no part. God chose the weak things of the world so that your strength would be useless. God chose the lowly and the despised things of this world so that all of your great achievements and all of your wonderful abilities would have nothing to do with your salvation. Think about what Jesus did and especially how he did it: He chose to be born through the womb of a virgin girl by the power of the Holy Spirit. That’s a little “foolish” isn’t it, according to any human way of thinking? That’s even a little stupid - if you’ll allow me to use that word. God chose to come to this earth not in power and glory and majesty as we would expect the Almighty God to do, but in the body of a baby. Is there anything “weaker” than that? God chose to act like a servant in this world, not a master. Why would he become something so culturally despised? He chose to ride into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday on the back of a donkey. He chose to be crucified as if he were a hated criminal. He chose to defy the very laws of nature and rise from the dead. He chose to physically and visibly ascend up into heaven without first punishing those who had killed him. He chose to prepare a place in heaven for us after we die and he promises to come back one day and end it all. All this is so foolish when you really think about it! It’s stupid! It’s idiotic! This science fiction story can’t be true! Can it?
And then, to top it all off, in order to convince us that these things actually are true, God didn’t use thunder and lightning, massive earthquakes or breath-taking supernatural acts of his divine power, instead he chose the simple words that are written in a book called the Bible. God chose water connected with that Word. God chose pieces of bread and a sip of wine. He chose common things, normal things. We might even say that he chose ridiculously simple things to demonstrate his power. But no man or machine on this earth, no matter how strong they may be, can do the things that God does through the gospel in these simple forms. No one can actually forgive the sins of another - but the bread and wine in the Lord’s Supper can when coupled with the words spoken by Christ. No one can offer the gift of faith - but the water used in baptism can when it is paired with the promise the Lord attaches to it. No one can save someone else from the pits of hell - but the simple gospel found in Scripture can.
What God chose to do for our salvation has nothing to do with our intelligence. In fact, it is just the opposite. Our minds convulse at the idea of Christ. What God chose to do for our salvation has nothing to do with our strength either. Our abilities could not accomplish what needed to be done. What God chose to do for our salvation has nothing to do with our potential. We will never be good enough for the Lord to want to save us. You are a believer right now not because you were smart enough to pick him, but because he was loving enough to pick you. You are a believer right now not because you were strong enough to contribute, but because God was strong enough to save you even though you couldn’t contribute at all. You are a believer right now not because you were nice enough or pleasant enough to get on his good side, but because he was compassionate enough to bring you to faith in his cross anyway.
Don’t forget how you got here. Because you still need him - now more than ever. You still must rely on him and trust in him and lean on him now just as much as you did when he first brought you to faith. Because nothing has really changed: we are still naïve; we are still weak; we are still vulnerable. And so go to the Lord in prayer often. Approach the Lord in his Word daily. Stand in front of your Lord’s altar frequently. He is the one who can protect you and strengthen you and comfort you now because he is the one who saved you back then. He’s the one who will never leave you because he is the one who has always been here. He’s the one who can take you home because he’s the one who is there right now. Don’t forget where you were. Don’t forget how you got here. And don’t forget where you’ll one day be.
Amen.
“You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” - 1 Cor. 6:11
Back when the Promised Land was divided up into two nations, Judah to the south and Israel to the north, a boy was once crowned king in that southern capital of Jerusalem. His name was Joash. And when he was only seven years old he officially sat upon the throne over God’s people for the very first time. Of course, that wasn’t normal. Boys usually did not take over the throne for their fathers at such a young age. But Joash’s grandmother, Athaliah and done the unthinkable. After her son, Joash’s father, was assassinated, she began to kill off the rest of her descendants so that she could take over the throne herself. But Joash, an infant at that time, was hidden away for seven years in the temple of the Lord - watched over by a priest named Jehoiada. After those seven years had ended, Jehoiada gathered all of the God-fearing Levites in the city, captured Joash’s grandmother Athaliah, had here killed for insurrection, and crowned Joash king of Judah - as he rightfully should have been all along.
After being saved from his grandmother’s murderous intentions, Joash was mentored by Jehoiada, supported by the people, saw the temple of the Lord repaired and rebuilt, was blessed with the renewal of worship life during his reign, and was given the opportunity to hear the Word of God read every Sabbath Day. Joash had been watched over and had been given tremendous blessings by the Lord from day one. But after the priest Jehoiada died, Joash forgot how he had gotten there. He soon abandoned the temple of the Lord, he built Asherah poles to worship false gods, he refused to listen to the prophets sent to him by the Lord, and he even murdered Zechariah, Jehoiada’s own son, for preaching the Word of God because “King Joash did not remember the kindness Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had shown him” (2 Chron. 24:22). Joash apparently didn’t remember anything about his past and how he had ended up on the throne. It is one of those tragic stories of Scripture of a person who received the grace of God throughout his life, but who ending up rejecting the very God that gave him all those blessings.
The apostle Paul did not want that same thing to happen to the Christian congregation he had founded in the Greek city of Corinth. They too had been saved by God’s grace - just as Joash had been; they too had been recipients of multiple blessings from the Lord - just as Joash had been; they too had to give all the credit to their heavenly Father for the situation they were in - just as Joash should have done; and Paul did not want them to forget that. Because he had established that congregation. He had spent a lot of time with that congregation. And now he was writing to that congregation about some problems they were having and to encourage them as children of God. Paul did not want them to forget how they had gotten to be children of God in the first place.
“Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.’”
It was important for the people in that congregation to remember that when they were called to faith in their Savior most of them were not intelligent - humanly speaking, most of them were not well-known leaders of the community, most of them had not been born into wealthy and prestigious families. They were average people with average jobs leading average lives - they were nothing special. Until God made them special. He did not choose those people that had a handful of degrees and impressive title or those who had achieved amazing things or those who had attained a certain level of social status; he chose the weak and the poor and the lonely and the hurting. He chose those who didn’t have much and couldn’t do more. And Paul didn’t want them to forget that now. Because they still didn’t have much. They still couldn’t do more. They still weren’t smart enough or strong enough or capable enough to last in this sinful world on their own. They needed their Lord now just as much as they did back then. And it would be detrimental to their faith to forget that.
Don’t forget how you got here. Right now you are sitting in a church building on a Sunday morning at the end of January because you want to hear about your Savior again and praise his name with your brothers and sisters in Christ just like you did last week. And you are here right now because you are a child of God. And you are a child of God right now because you are a believer in your Savior. And so don’t forget how you got here! Don’t forget why you are who you are and why you are where you are! He brought you to be his child at a point when you were his enemy. He led you into the light of his gospel when you were wallowing in darkness. He raised you to spiritual life when you were decomposing in spiritual death. Of course, he died you before you were even aware of who he was. He rose from the dead for you before you ever lived on this earth. He saved you when you were incapable and unwilling to do it yourself. Don’t forget that. Don’t forget where you were and how you got to be here.
The point at which our Lord brought us here, to faith in him, will vary from person to person. Some of us were brought to faith as adults, others as young men or young women, others as teenagers, others as children, and still others as infants. I was about two weeks old when I was brought to faith in my Savior. Because at my baptism the Lord did for me what he promises to do at every baptism: he forgave my sins, he placed the gift of the Holy Spirit into my heart so that I could believe it, and he accepted me into his family. Was I “smart” at the time I was taken up to the front of a church in the arms of my mother to be baptized at the rim of a baptismal font? Not hardly: a baby is not intelligent at all. Was I physically strong and fully able to deal with things on my own at that point? That’s a ridiculous question to even ask. Was I capable of doing great things? I could cry and sleep and fill my diaper, but that was about it. I was an infant after all! I was unable to do anything for myself or even logically think through what was happening at the moment I was brought to faith in my Savior. And that’s the point, that’s the bottom line: The reason I am here today as a believer in Jesus is not because of anything I did or anything I would be able to do. It was only by the grace of God that I can claim a faith in my Savior today.
The same holds true for you. Whether you were 5 days old or 55 years old at the time you were brought to faith through the gospel, it was only by the grace of God that you believe in your Savior today. Your intelligence didn’t do it for you. Your strength didn’t either. And your capability and potential to do great things were nothing close to where they needed to be. The Lord took care of it all for you. And now you are enjoying all the benefits from his work. Don’t forget that.
Because as we get older and as we get supposedly “wiser” and physically “stronger” and more capable than we were whenever we were brought to faith, we sometimes can forget how we got here. Because now that we are used to figuring things out on our own and now that we are used to being able to comprehend fairly complex ideas and concepts, now that we are more experienced and have developed more life skills than we had back then, it is sometimes hard to see the need to lean on the Lord as often as we used to. Because we have been able to stand on our own two legs for quite a while now, haven’t we? We have been able to make tough decisions; we have been able to fix difficult problems; we have been able to survive some unfortunate situations. We have proved ourselves to be relatively competent in this life. And so to fully lean on the Lord for every little thing without at least putting a little bit of weight on our own feet? To trust in him to supply us with every good thing without taking the situation into our own capable hands? To admit that no matter how much we plan and no matter how hard we try the Lord is the only one who is able to do what needs to be done in the end? That’s hard! That’s humbling! Because we don’t want to have to depend on someone else. We don’t want to have to admit that we aren’t good enough. But don’t forget how you got here!
This is how you got to where you are at: God chose the foolish things of this world so that your intelligence would play no part. God chose the weak things of the world so that your strength would be useless. God chose the lowly and the despised things of this world so that all of your great achievements and all of your wonderful abilities would have nothing to do with your salvation. Think about what Jesus did and especially how he did it: He chose to be born through the womb of a virgin girl by the power of the Holy Spirit. That’s a little “foolish” isn’t it, according to any human way of thinking? That’s even a little stupid - if you’ll allow me to use that word. God chose to come to this earth not in power and glory and majesty as we would expect the Almighty God to do, but in the body of a baby. Is there anything “weaker” than that? God chose to act like a servant in this world, not a master. Why would he become something so culturally despised? He chose to ride into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday on the back of a donkey. He chose to be crucified as if he were a hated criminal. He chose to defy the very laws of nature and rise from the dead. He chose to physically and visibly ascend up into heaven without first punishing those who had killed him. He chose to prepare a place in heaven for us after we die and he promises to come back one day and end it all. All this is so foolish when you really think about it! It’s stupid! It’s idiotic! This science fiction story can’t be true! Can it?
And then, to top it all off, in order to convince us that these things actually are true, God didn’t use thunder and lightning, massive earthquakes or breath-taking supernatural acts of his divine power, instead he chose the simple words that are written in a book called the Bible. God chose water connected with that Word. God chose pieces of bread and a sip of wine. He chose common things, normal things. We might even say that he chose ridiculously simple things to demonstrate his power. But no man or machine on this earth, no matter how strong they may be, can do the things that God does through the gospel in these simple forms. No one can actually forgive the sins of another - but the bread and wine in the Lord’s Supper can when coupled with the words spoken by Christ. No one can offer the gift of faith - but the water used in baptism can when it is paired with the promise the Lord attaches to it. No one can save someone else from the pits of hell - but the simple gospel found in Scripture can.
What God chose to do for our salvation has nothing to do with our intelligence. In fact, it is just the opposite. Our minds convulse at the idea of Christ. What God chose to do for our salvation has nothing to do with our strength either. Our abilities could not accomplish what needed to be done. What God chose to do for our salvation has nothing to do with our potential. We will never be good enough for the Lord to want to save us. You are a believer right now not because you were smart enough to pick him, but because he was loving enough to pick you. You are a believer right now not because you were strong enough to contribute, but because God was strong enough to save you even though you couldn’t contribute at all. You are a believer right now not because you were nice enough or pleasant enough to get on his good side, but because he was compassionate enough to bring you to faith in his cross anyway.
Don’t forget how you got here. Because you still need him - now more than ever. You still must rely on him and trust in him and lean on him now just as much as you did when he first brought you to faith. Because nothing has really changed: we are still naïve; we are still weak; we are still vulnerable. And so go to the Lord in prayer often. Approach the Lord in his Word daily. Stand in front of your Lord’s altar frequently. He is the one who can protect you and strengthen you and comfort you now because he is the one who saved you back then. He’s the one who will never leave you because he is the one who has always been here. He’s the one who can take you home because he’s the one who is there right now. Don’t forget where you were. Don’t forget how you got here. And don’t forget where you’ll one day be.
Amen.
“You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” - 1 Cor. 6:11
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