9/23/12 - Pentecost 17 - Jeremiah 38:1-13

IS IT REALLY WORTH IT?

Was It Really Worth It for Jeremiah?

            Jeremiah probably never imagined that he would ever be in the situation he was in.  He was sunk in mud at the bottom of a well!  And he was sunk so deep, in fact, that he was completely stuck.  And even if he would have been able to free himself, there was no way he could climb up the sides of this deep hole in the ground to get out anyway.  But he wasn’t there by accident.  He had been purposely thrown into that well by those who hated him because they knew he would get stuck, they knew he wouldn’t be able to get out, and they wanted him to die.  And so as Jeremiah sat there in the dark, completely helpless and all alone, without any food or water, he must have thought to himself, “Was it really worth it?  Was repeating God’s words to the king and to the people really worth being thrown into the mud at the bottom of this well?  Was opening my big mouth really worth dying for?” 

            That’s why Jeremiah was there, after all: he had opened his big mouth.  Jeremiah just couldn’t help but tell the king and the people what he knew they weren’t going to want to hear.  “This is what the Lord says: ‘Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague, but whoever goes over to the Babylonians will live. He will escape with his life; he will live.’  And this is what the Lord says: ‘This city will certainly be handed over to the army of the king of Babylon, who will capture it.’”  The city officials didn’t like that a whole lot.  Because it was unpatriotic!  It was an admission of defeat before the war even started!  And so the city officials went to the king and said, “This man should be put to death. He is discouraging the soldiers who are left in this city, as well as all the people, by the things he is saying to them. This man is not seeking the good of these people but their ruin.”  And the king agreed.  And so Jeremiah and his big mouth were thrown into a muddy pit and left for dead.  Was it really worth it for Jeremiah to say what he said?  That prophet of the Lord must have seriously considered that question as he waited to die in that deep hole in the ground.

            But then a man named Ebed-Melech burst onto the scene.  He heard about what happened to the prophet Jeremiah and he made his appeal to the king for the life of God’s chosen servant who was dying at the bottom of a well.  The king granted Ebed-Melech’s request and allowed him to take 30 men and hoist Jeremiah out of the pit.  But I would have to think that Ebed-Melech considered the same question that Jeremiah did: “Is this really going to be worth it?  Should I really be going to the king himself who just put his stamp of approval on Jeremiah’s execution and stick my neck out as Jeremiah’s supporter in front of the city officials who had no qualms about murdering a man of God?  Is saying what needs to be said really going to be worth finding myself in that pit next to Jeremiah?”  I think any normal human being would have struggled with that likely possibility if they were in the position Ebed-Melech was in.  But this faithful Christian obviously decided that it was worth it.  Saying what needed to be said was worth any potential punishment, it was worth dying for - because someone’s life was on the line!  And Jeremiah too must have come to the same conclusion: Saying what needed to be said was worth any potential punishment, it was worth dying for - because people’s lives were on the line!  When it comes to speaking God’s Word, people’s lives are always on the line.  And so saying the words of God that need to be said is always worth it - no matter what the consequences might be.

Do We Act as if It is Really Worth It?

            Jeremiah and Ebed-Melech were not the only ones with the words of God to say.  We too have been given God’s Word to share and spread and offer to those around us.  Words that are certainly true, but words that many people are not going to want to hear.  And so the question is the same: Is it really worth it?  Is saying what needs to be said really worth sticking our necks out and opening ourselves up for criticism and possibly having to defend ourselves against verbal attacks?  It’s easy to say “no” to the question, isn’t it?  “No!  It’s not worth it!  It’s not worth the trouble or the effort or the emotional stress.  It’s not worth putting myself through all of that for no reason.”  And hey, I’ve used all of the excuses myself.  “He’s not going to understand anyway, so it’s really not worth the time I would have to spend trying to explain it…  She has a completely different take on religion and this world, so it’s really not worth the effort if she is already stuck in her ways…  They aren’t going to agree with me anyway, so it’s really not worth the argument we’d undoubtedly get into…  They don’t want to hear it from me again, so it really isn’t worth another awkward conversation…  I don’t want him to challenge my beliefs…  I don’t want her to ridicule my faith…  I don’t want them to look at me funny or ignore me just because I want to share with them the gospel…  It’s just not worth it.  I’ve got better things to do than to put myself into uncomfortable situations.”

            I can’t tell you how many times I’ve passed up an opportunity to say what needed to be said by using one of those excuses.  And saying what needs to be said doesn’t always mean pointing out someone’s sin; saying what needs to be said can be good news too, it can be a few words of encouragement from Scripture, it can be the positive comforting promises from their Savior.  But I’ve convinced myself many times over the years that it just wasn’t worth it.  I didn’t want to have to deal with their possible negative reaction or their critical feedback or anything that might make me feel uneasy.  How many situations have you been in where you convinced yourself it really wasn’t worth saying what needed to be said?  How many of those excuses have you used?  How many possible consequences have scared you away?

Were We Really Worth It for Jesus?

            Jeremiah found himself stuck in the mud at the bottom of a well for saying what needed to be said.  Jesus found himself stuck on a cross with iron stakes through his hands and his feet for the same reason.  Jeremiah was left there to die for what he believed; Jesus did die because people believed in him.  And while Jesus hung up there all alone, I imagine that the devil must have been right there tempting him with the exact same question Jeremiah struggled with so long ago: “Is this really worth it, Jesus?  Look at them!  They’re mocking you, insulting you, spitting on you!  Can you believe it!  You came down to this earth to save them and they nailed you to a wooden board like you were a piece of paper!  Are they really worth all of this pain?  Are they really worth suffering the eternal torments of hell? (Because it isn’t pleasant, trust me!)  Are they really worth dying for?  They don’t even care about what you’re doing.  And the millions upon millions of people that aren’t here, those people that will be born for the next couple thousand years after this, you know better than I do that they won’t care either.  And even those few who do, those you might call your children, they’re going to be just as bad!  They are the ones who will actually know what your Word says but they’ll completely ignore it at times anyway!  They are going to be selfish, nasty, and rebellious every day!  It’s not worth it!  Listen to these people watching you today!  They are calling for you to come down from the cross and prove that you’re true God.  Do it!  Get it over with.  Show them your power and your wrath.  You’re better than this!  You are God himself and you’re bleeding to death!  For what?  For them?  For all people of all time?  They are not worth it and you know it.”

            We don’t know exactly what the devil said - if he said anything - to Jesus while he hung on that cross, how he tempted him, what he did to try to disrupt what Jesus was going to accomplish.  But we do know this: Jesus didn’t come down from that cross.  He could have, but he stayed up there.  And he bled.  And he eventually died.  And because he stayed, his actions proclaimed loud and clear: “They are worth it.  They are worth the pain and the torture and even death itself.  They are worth every ounce of blood that drips out of my body and every ounce of pain that I have to shoulder alone.  All of this is worth it because their lives are on the line.”  And so in the end it was his life for our life.  We are saved because he refused to save himself.  We are now forgiven because every one of our sins was held against him as he hung on that cross.  And to Jesus, it was all worth it.  And he would even do it again if he had to.

            But were we really worth it?  Were we worth the pain and the torture and the death that Jesus had to undergo?  Not a chance!  At least I’m not worth it!  I’m not worth God himself giving up his life for me!  Who would be so arrogant as to say they there worth that kind of divine sacrifice!  No, we aren’t worth it.  But Jesus thought so.  He considered our lives worth saving and so that’s what he did, no matter what he had to go through to make that happen.

Are Souls Really Worth It?

            Our souls were worth it to our Savior.  Are the souls of others worth it to us?  This beautiful gospel message - that Jesus considered us worth saving - is a message that is true for every single person on this earth.  Is it worth the time and the effort and the unpleasant consequences to share this message with them?  To maybe speak of their sins at times?  To maybe comfort them with God’s love at others?  Jeremiah thought it was worth it.  Ebed-Melech thought so too.  And thousands of other Christians - both in the Bible and without - determined that saying the words of God that needed to be said was worth anything and everything.  Is it worth it to us?  Because realistically there will be plenty of people who will not believe the words you say.  I wish I could tell you something different!  I wish I could tell you that everyone will welcome that message of Jesus just as happily as you do!  But that’s just not going to be the case.  Experiencing hardships for your faith is part of being a Christian.  And so there will be people who will not want to listen to you.  There will be people who will not want to talk to you, and if they do it might not be pleasant.  So is it really worth it?  Is it worth the pain and the awkwardness and the mental and emotional strain to share the Word of God with someone who might throw it back in your face?  Is it worth it to share it with them again?  How much are their souls really worth?

            It’s interesting that after Jeremiah was rescued, almost immediately the king of Judah sent for him - the same king who had allowed Jeremiah to be thrown into the well!  And once there the king had the audacity to ask Jeremiah what God had to say to him again!  What do you think Jeremiah did?  What would you do?  Was it really going to be worth it for Jeremiah to tell this king the exactly same words that had earned him a death sentence just a few days before?  “If I give you an answer, will you not kill me?” Jeremiah said.  “Even if I did give you counsel, you would not listen to me” (Jer. 38:15).  “No, I won’t kill you,” the king said, “I will listen.”  And so Jeremiah told him exactly what he had told him before.  The king didn’t order his death this time, but he didn’t listen either.  And soon after the Babylonian army came down, put Jerusalem under siege, destroyed the city, burned down God’s temple, and took the people into exile.  No one had listened to Jeremiah for the 40 years he preached the Word of God.  And he ended up suffering because of it.  Jeremiah himself was taken away from his homeland down to Egypt - against his will - and there he died.  It was a sad end to a sad ministry for this faithful man of God.  But to Jeremiah it had all been worth it. Because lives had been on the line and he had the life-giving words of God to speak.  How could he do anything different?

            Lives are on the line right now.  Millions of them.  All over the world and right next door to you.  And you have the life-giving words of God to speak, to share, and to offer.  Are those words of God worth offering even if nobody listens?  What if somebody does?

            Amen.

“May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that Great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.  Amen.”   - Heb. 13:20-21

9/17/12 - Hilda Schlott's Funeral - Philippians 3:20

A LONG JOURNEY HOME

A Long Journey Traveled

            Hilda didn’t have the easiest journey in this life.  She used to tell me the story about when she was in the Ukraine as a young woman during the time of WWII.  And because Hitler’s army needed to be fed, he forced those in the lands he had conquered to work in the fields to support the troops under his command.  Hilda was among those who were forced to work to feed the German army.  Unfortunately, the fields to which Hilda and her family and her friends were assigned were located in Yugoslavia.  So they had to travel under armed guard to get there.  Once there, they worked in the fields all day, still under armed guard, with only a few hours of sleep at night outside.  And this went on day after day until Hitler was defeated.  Which meant that one morning Hilda and the rest of the group that was with her found themselves in a field in the middle of Yugoslavia, with no one else around and nothing more to do then turn around and make the long journey home.  It took them weeks, walking all day long, scrounging for any food they could manage, sleeping in the ditches at night, to finally complete the trek and settle in Austria.  And according to Hilda, it was one of the worst times of her life - understandably so!  But I would imagine that after she made that journey, home must have never looked so sweet.

            I would doubt that Hilda’s life got much worse after that incident, but I don’t know if it got a whole lot better either.  Many of you who knew Hilda either know of or have heard about many of the things that she had to go through when she lived in this world.  Not the least of which is the fact that she was a widow longer than I have been alive.  Her journey through this life was difficult, filled with pain and trouble and disappointment.  And as she was struggling with more of the same in the past few months of her life, she told me many, many times that all she wanted to do was to go home.  And she didn’t mean going back to her house over on the east side of town - although she wouldn’t have minded that either, and she certainly didn’t mean that she wanted to go back to Austria either.  Hilda wanted to go “Home” home - to heaven, to the Paradise where her Savior was.  Because Hilda understood something that God clearly says in the Bible: “Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.”  Hilda may have been born in the Ukraine, she may have spent time in Austria, she may have been a long time resident of Colorado, but she was most importantly a citizen of the kingdom of heaven because she believed in Jesus as her Savior.  And when she finally did make it home just a few days ago, I can imagine that “home” never looked so sweet.

A Long Journey Evaluated

            I had many conversations with Hilda through the years I knew her, but especially in these last few weeks as her health deteriorated I got to talk to her more and more.  And as we would talk about life and death, about the journey she has taken in this world and the glories awaiting her in heaven, sometimes she would get a little frustrated because the Lord hadn’t taken her home yet.  She was ready, she was longing to enter that life of perfection with her Lord, but he hadn’t taken her as soon as she wanted.  And she said to me on more than one occasion: “Maybe I’m just too big of a sinner.  Maybe that’s why God hasn’t taken me yet.”  Now, I didn’t tell her that she wasn’t a big sinner… Instead I told her: “So am I!  Welcome to the club!  I’m a big sinner just like you are.”  And that was true!  I wasn’t just trying to make her feel better.  She was a big sinner in this life.  And so I am.  And so are you.  We have done things and said things and thought things that were awful and disgusting and mean and selfish.  And Hilda understood that for even one of those sins she did not deserve anything good from her Lord.  None of us are good enough to deserve anything good in return from the perfect God. 

            But that wasn’t the end of our conversation either.  “Welcome to the club,” I said to Hilda.  “You may be a big sinner, but you are a forgiven sinner as well.  Your sins are completely wiped away because of what Jesus did for you on the cross.  Jesus was treated like the biggest sinner of all, so that when God the Father looks at you now, all he sees is his perfect child.  He’s not refusing to take you because you’re a sinner; he’s just waiting for exactly the right time for someone he loves so much.”  And that was true too.  I wasn’t just trying to make her feel better.  Because of the sacrifice of himself that Jesus offered on the cross and the fact that he actually rose from the dead to prove that he was true God as well, Hilda’s faults and errors and evils, and my faults and errors and evils, and your faults and errors and evils have been forgiven.  They are no longer held against you.  No matter how many sins you have committed in this journey of life and no matter how big they were or how big they will be, the shadow of Jesus’ cross covers them all and the depth of Jesus’ empty tomb buries them forever.

       
A Long Journey Finished

            It took a while for Hilda to come to terms with that wonderful gift of God’s grace.  It took her awhile to be convinced by the Lord that he really did forgive her completely, that he really did love her, that he really did want to take her home - even though he may have waited a little longer than she would have liked.  But as her body grew weaker, her faith grew stronger.  And through God’s Word her Lord assured her that her citizenship really was in heaven, and her Savior - the Lord himself, Jesus Christ, was waiting for her there.  And now that is exactly where she is: her long journey is finished, her difficulties are done with, not because she tried so hard, not because she did her best, but because her Savior did everything that was necessary for her.  Her journey on this earth has ended, but her journey in Paradise has just begun.

            That’s the beauty of the funeral of a Christian!  I can stand up here this morning and tell you with 100% confidence that Hilda Schlott is in heaven with her Savior right now.  I couldn’t read her heart, but I did hear from her own mouth what she believed.  She believed that Jesus was her Savior.  And Jesus himself has promised, “Whoever believes in me will be saved.”  God’s promises do not fail.  And so Hilda is with her God as we speak.

            That same promise is yours: “Whoever believes in Jesus will be saved.”  There are no exceptions to the rule, but there aren’t any strings attached either!  You aren’t required to do a thing!  Jesus has done it all for you!  And because this is true, every single person who believes in Jesus as their Savior will see Hilda again.  Not just “might,” not just “maybe,” not just “I hope we do…”  Every Christian will see Hilda again because our citizenship is in heaven too and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.  What a comfort that is.  What a joy to go home with.  What a profound happiness that Hilda is experiencing first hand at this very moment. 

            This journey of life may be long for you just as it was for Hilda.  It may be filled with difficulties and last longer than you would like just like it did for Hilda.  But just like Hilda, you can finish this long journey strong.  Because you can look forward to that wonderful home where Hilda now is.  Cling to your Savior who promises to take you there.  Because when you do arrive, home will have never looked so sweet.

            Amen.

9/16/12 - Pentecost 16 - Isaiah 35:4-7

SLOW DOWN

Tactics

             The devil likes to speed things up.  He likes to make us feel hurried and rushed.  He likes to get us frantic about all of the little things that are happening and all of the big things he throws at us at the same time so that we are overwhelmed by them all.  He likes to make it seem as if we are always behind, that we need to catch up, that we have far too many balls in the air to juggle all at once.  He wants us to imagine that we have to quicken our steps, that we have to move a little faster and accomplish a little more if we don’t want to get completely swamped by life.  He doesn’t want us to stop and think; he doesn’t want us to pause and consider the big picture; he doesn’t even want us to slow down.  He wants to speed things up to a point where our head is spinning because we are so frustrated and flustered and frazzled.

            The Lord, on the other hand, wants us to slow down.  He wants us to pause and take in the bigger picture.  He wants us to stop for a second and think about what is really important.  The Lord wants us to understand that we aren’t behind, that we don’t have to catch up, that we don’t have to juggle all of those balls in the air at the same time.  The Lord wants us to calm down, to relax, to step back from the situation and look at it in the light of God’s Word.  And so let’s do that.  Let’s step back and evaluate our lives in the light of what God says in Isaiah 35:4-7: Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.  Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.  Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.  Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. ”

            Be strong.  Do not fear.  Your God will come.  And he will save you.  When we trust in these powerful words of our Lord we don’t ever have to feel hurried or rushed again.  We can slow down in this life and relax because we can confidently rely on the promises of our God in whatever situation may come up.

Hurried & Worried

            And that’s important to remember because “situation” will come up in this life, wont’ they?  That’s why the Lord starts out with, “Say to those with fearful hearts…”  That word “fearful” is really an interesting word because it doesn’t mean “to be afraid” or “to be frightened.”  God is not addressing those of us who are physically in fear of something or someone.  This word carries the connotation of being quick, hurried, rushed.  God is speaking to those with frantic hearts, those with agitated and anxious thoughts, those whose lives our hectic at times, who might make rash decisions, those whose heartbeats are beating wildly from pressure and stress.  And if you don’t fit that description right now, I’m sure you have in the past and, chances are, you will fit that description in the near future.  Because who doesn’t feel hurried and rushed at times?  And sometimes that happens more than once a day, doesn’t it?  But when we’re hurried, we’re worried.  We get all worked up about the things in our lives and we start to speed up as well.  Our mind is racing with possible solutions and potential disasters, about what can be done to fix the problem and what is beyond fixing.  And we tend to be quick to the negative at those times, aren’t we?  We are very pessimistic.  We certainly aren’t thinking about positive outcomes when we are rushed with worry!

            Which is nothing new.  Think about some of the examples in the Bible itself when Christians were quick to the negative because they were rushed with worry.  Jesus’ disciples were in a boat one afternoon on the Sea of Galilee as a violent storm threatened to capsize the small vessel they were in.  Jesus happened to be sleeping in the boat and so they woke him up and said, “Master, do something !  We’re going to drown!”  The disciples couldn’t possibly imagine that anything good would come out of the situation because they were rushed with worry and quick to the negative.  Jesus, though, calmly slowed them down, rebuked them for their lack of trust and then he rebuked the wind and the waves, instantly making the waters quiet and calm.

            Early on in Jesus’ ministry he and his disciples were at a wedding.  After a while the wine ran out and there was apparently a scramble to find more wine for the guests.  You can almost imagine the scene of a worried host and frantic relatives going to neighbors’ houses or the stores in town but not knowing what to do.  Jesus’ mother even approached her Son and told him to do something about it.  Everyone was quick to the negative and rushed with worry.  But Jesus calmly slowed his mother down, “My time has not yet come.”  And when “his time” did come around, Jesus simply turned about 150 gallons of water into the best wine anyone had ever had.

            Years before that incident happened in the land of Cana, Jesus’ parents lost their 12 year old son in the capital city of Jerusalem.  For three days Mary and Joseph scoured the city looking for the Son of God whom they had misplaced.  How could anything good happen from this situation?  How could this possibly turn out in their favor?  But then they happened upon the temple, there they found Jesus, questioning and answering the teachers of the law.  “Son, why have you treated us like this?” Mary asked.  “Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you!”  Calmly and slowly Jesus answered, “Why were you searching for me?  Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”  Even the strongest of Christians: Jesus’ disciples and his own mother and father were quick to the negative and were rushed with worry at times even when they had witnessed the power of God before.  Are we any different?

            We have experienced God’s power in our lives for year.  But when unexpected problems come up in our lives we are instantly quick to the negative.  Difficulties seem to build up and build up as the days go by and we are rushed with worry.  And instead of slowing down and calming down and trusting firmly in the power and promises of our God, we let the situation get the best of us and we can’t think straight and we can’t get our mind to stop turning and we can’t get our stomach to settle.  But are God’s promises that unreliable?  Is his power that weak?  Has your Lord ever let you down before so that you would treat him with such disrespect?  What more does the Lord have to do for you to prove his love?  What more does the Lord have to do for you to gain your trust?

Jesus Slows Us Down

            Say to those with fearful [frustrated, flustered, and frazzled] hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come… and he will come to save you.”  Be strong.  Do not fear.  Your God will come.  And he will save you.  There’s a promise of God.  And that promise is not unreliable.  His power is not weak.  And he has proven that throughout the centuries!  Time and time again throughout the stories of the Bible, we read that whenever any of his children were struggling or upset, worried or rushed, he slowed them down and calmed them down with his power and his promises.  We could talk all day about people like Abraham who was afraid that he would be killed and his wife taken from him; Moses who had to run away from Pharaoh; David who was hunted down for years by the king; Jeremiah whose life was in danger from people in his home town.  These were Christians who underwent a tremendous amount of pain and difficulty, but they were also Christians who were continually soothed by the promise of a coming Savior.  Just like we are.

            Our Savior slows us down and soothes us with his love.  Whenever you get frustrated in this life and don’t know what else to do, your Savior calmly reminds you about what he did: how he put his life in harm’s way for you, how he shouldered every one of your difficulties, how he carried every one of your pains - so that you do not have to carry them at all.  Whenever you get flustered in this life by all of the responsibilities and obligations that have fallen into your lap and you can’t even seem to get your head on straight, your Savior calmly reminds you about what was placed on his head: a makeshift crown full of thorns as he hung there on that cross, bleeding for every sin, and suffering for every mistake of every person of every nation.  Whenever you get frazzled in this life and your emotions are frayed, your Savior calmly leads you to the place where he tied up every loose end: that newly hewn tomb that remained occupied for only three days, that death chamber that could not hold death, that grave in which our Savior came back to life.  Because there, on that Sunday morning we now call Easter, all of the problems and all of the worries and all of the stresses of this life were done away with.  Your problems are no longer unfixable in the light of the tomb, your worries are no longer unmanageable in the light of the tomb, your stresses are no longer unbearable in the light of the tomb.  Everything is all right in the light of Jesus’ empty tomb!  Because that same God who made that tomb empty makes sure that your life will run according to his plans still today.

Trust He Can Do It

            Just slow down and trust that he can do it.  Just like the deaf and mute man who trusted Jesus’ touch in Mark 7.  Just like the crippled man who trusted Jesus’ power through Peter and John in Acts 3.  Just like all of those Christians for thousands of years who trusted Jesus’ promises in Isaiah 35.  Trust that your God, who was able to take all your sins and all your pains and all your troubles and put them on the shoulders of his Son, is able to do everything necessary to mend anything in your life now.  Now that doesn’t mean he will fix every problem in your life - because sometimes that’s not what is best for you (or me!).  But if it will ultimately be for your good, know he can.  And he can because he holds the upper hand over Satan, he holds the victory over death, he holds your sinful nature at bay, and he holds your life in the palm of his hand.  Trust that he will never let you go.  That is exactly what he promises, after all.

            And so there’s no need to rush, is there?  There is no need to quicken your steps or speed up your efforts.  There is no need to be worried or anxious or frustrated with the thousands of things that can infect your mind every day.  Slow down.  Relax.  Take in the bigger picture so you don’t get caught up in the dirty details of a day in the life of a sinner on this earth.  Your God can do what needs to be done.  You God has already done what needs to be done!  And he will continue to do so until he comes again to take you home.  “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come… and he will come to save you.”  

            Amen.

“He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’  Amen.  Come Lord Jesus.”  Amen.  - Rev. 22:20

9/9/12 - Pentecost 15 - James 1:17-27

DO WHAT IT SAYS

The Law Convicts

            The Lord is good at getting my attention.  Maybe I should even say that the Lord is good at slapping me across the face.  Because there are times when I get too proud of myself and there are times when I get distracted from what really matters in this life and there are times when I become completely self-absorbed to the harm of everyone around me, and I need a slap in the face… or two… or three.  And thankfully the Lord is more than willing to do that for me!  Now sometimes he does that through certain people in my life who make me stop and think how I am acting; and sometimes he does that by allowing different difficulties in my life to rearrange my priorities; but many times he gives me a slap in the face with a simple verse or two from the Bible.  James 1:22 is one of those verses. “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

            Ouch.  That gets me every time.  Because every time I feel as if I’m doing fairly well as a Christian, every time I assume that most of my life is relatively God-pleasing, then I seem to run across James 1:22 again and I get slapped in the face one more time.  “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” 

            Does this verse make you feel a little guilty too or is just me?  Because we sit here in a worship service every Sunday, listening to the words of God and agreeing with all of them.  And we delve into the details of what the Lord says through Bible studies during the week and we are supportive of them all.  And we read our own Bibles at home, soaking in the absolute truths of God’s word and subscribing to each of them.  But agreeing to and being supportive of and subscribing to God’s Word is one thing; actually “doing” what the Lord tells us to do is something completely different, isn’t it?  And that’s why this verse gets me every time.  It convicts me.  It reminds me about what I do not do and how hypocritical I really am sometimes.  “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”  That really is a slap in the face.  Especially considering that one of the ways people should be able to identify us as Christians is by what we do.

Actions Identify a Christian

            Take a look at what you do as a Christian compared to what God tells you to do.  And we can start right here with the directives surrounding this very verse in James 1, directives that should be distinctive of Christians.  God told us just a few minutes ago that “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (v.19).  Now I’m sure that no one in here was offended by those words - we all agreed in our own minds that this is exactly what a Christian should do.  But did you honestly intend to go home and put those words into practice?  Did you think to yourself, “You know, you’re right, Lord!  I’m going to be quick to listen to everyone as often as possible; I’m going to be slow to speak no matter what I have to say; I’m going to do my best to hold back my anger regardless of the situation.  That’s something I’m going to implement right away!”  Was anything like that going through your mind when the second Scripture reading was read or were you just listening to those words without intending to do them?

            What about the words that God spoke to us a few verses later?  “If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless” (v.26).  When you heard those words earlier this morning did you honestly think to yourself, “That’s something I need to work on; and I’m going to work on it.  I’m going to keep a tight rein on my tongue so that I don’t undermine the Christian name that I carry; I don’t want to dishonor my God by the inappropriate things that I say.  And I am going to make sure that I do a better job of that in the future - starting today.”  If something like that ran through your mind when James 1 was read… all I can say is: Wow.  If that is the case, you are a much more mature Christian than I am.  Because I only listened to those words; I wasn’t planning on making the effort to integrate them into my everyday life!

            But that’s precisely what a Christian does: a Christian does.  A Christian won’t just listen, a Christian will do the things the Lord asks him to do.  And so as we go down the list of commands and instructions in the pages of the Bible, the hundreds and hundreds of ways in which a Christian can identified, how do you fare?  Are you a doer of God’s word or are you normally just a listener?  Are you content to simply sit in a worship service and hear these words or are you someone who does not hesitate to get out of that chair and carry them out? 

            Of course, even when we actually try to do the things the Lord asks us to do, we are usually miserable at it, aren’t we?  We can have the best of intentions and put in a lot of effort in getting those things done, but most of the time we fall far short!  It’s a scary thing to think that one of the main ways a Christian can be identified is by our actions.  Because I, for one, certainly do not do what I should do as often as I should do it.

Christ is “The Doer”

            So where does that leave us?  If we don’t do what we should do, and if we can’t do what we should do even if we wanted to, where does that leave us?  It leaves us with an ego that is deflated, a conscience that is loaded down with guilt, and a whole list of commands that have yet to be carried out.  And so that also leaves us with a need for something that can give us confidence again, for something that can take away those guilty feelings, for something that can accomplish those commands that we cannot accomplish on our own.  But we need more than a something, don’t we?  What we need is a Someone to do those things.  We need a Doer.  We need Jesus.  Because God in his Word doesn’t just slap us in the face, he also lifts our face up to see Christ and what he did on our behalf.  Everything in the Bible has been written to turn people to their Savior.  Even a passage like James 1:22 is meant to steer us in the direction of Jesus.  “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”  Even this verse points us to Christ because when we read these words we realize that Jesus is the only person that could ever do what these words demand!  He is The Doer.  The Accomplisher of our salvation.  The one who said, “Yes, I’ll do it all” and the one who actually did.

            Take some time this week and read through some of the stories of Jesus.  And when you do, count how many things Jesus actually did.  He was always doing something; he was never sitting back and watching as the world passed him by.  He preached, he taught, he instructed; he healed, he cured, he forgave; he performed miracles publically on the waters of Galilee, privately on the mountains of Israel, and personally inside the houses and bedrooms of those who believed in him.  And on top of it all he was always keeping every one of God’s laws every moment of every day!  Be loving, God said… done.  Be kind… done.  Be honest, truthful, and faithful… done.  Be dedicated to your God… done.  Be dedicated to everyone else… done.  Be tortured… done.  Be crucified… done.  Be a corpse… done.  Be alive… done.  Everything that his Father asked him to do, he did.  Everything that we were supposed to do and didn’t, he did.  And he did it all not to prove how good he was or to gain any credit for himself.  Jesus did all of those things so that we wouldn’t be held accountable when we couldn’t.  What Jesus did counts for us.  What Jesus did has been put on our record.  Because what we failed to do was put on his.

                   
A Christian is a “Doer”

            Which means that we can now look at a passage like James 1:22 in a different light.  We know that we do not need to keep God’s Word perfectly to get to heaven; Jesus has already done that for us.  But we also know that when we try to do what the Lord tells us to do and not just listen to it, we are pleasing our God who did so much for us.  Instead of an obligation, God’s commands are now opportunities.  Instead of a requirement for forgiveness, they are ways in which we can praise the Savior for the forgiveness he has already earned.  “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”  “OK, Lord!  I’ll try to do it!  I know how much you have done for me; I know how much you are doing for me right now; I know how much you have promised to do for me as long as I live on this earth and all the way through eternity!  And so I am more than happy to do what your Word says and not just listen to it!  If that is what makes you happy, if that is a way in which I can show my appreciation for your love, then that’s exactly what I am going to try to do!”

            And that’s why a Christian is a “doer” - not because he has to but because he wants to.  Not because he’d feel guilty if he didn’t but because his guilt has already been taken away.  A Christian tries to do what the Lord tells him to do; a Christian strives to accomplish the tasks the Lord gives him; a Christian makes an effort to carry out the directives that the Lord has laid out.  It’s one of the ways a Christian is identified in this world.  Not the only way.  And it’s not a fool-proof method either.  But when a person does what the Lord commands joyfully and enthusiastically, that is a fairly strong indication about who that person really is.

Be a Joyful Doer

            “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”  You have a wonderful opportunity this week: to put these words into practice.  It does no good to listen to these words on a Sunday morning without trying to carry them out Monday through Saturday.  And so when you go home today and you honestly try to implement God commands into your life - and you do so with a happy heart, excited to find ways that you can thank your Savior - that is one of the most pleasing things that you could ever do for your Lord.  It honestly makes him happy; it thrills him to see that kind of attitude in his children.  Because he is no longer upset that you don’t do everything perfectly, he is simply content that you do what you do for him.  “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”  Gladly, Lord.  Gladly.  Because what a joy and privilege it is to do this little thing for him who did so much for us.

            Amen.

“May our 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

9/2/12 - Pentecost 14 - John 6:60-69

SPEAK UP!

The Confession of a Christian

             Are you a Christian?  Speak up!  I know that you’re not used to talking during a sermon but there’s no reason to be shy!  Especially in here!  You are surrounded by those who believe exactly what you believe, who subscribe to the Bible as the only source of truth, who cling to Jesus as their Savior just like you do.  And so let me ask that question again - and speak up! Are you a Christian?  Yes!  You believe that Jesus saved you from the horrible consequences of your sins by his life and death and resurrection and you get to go to heaven because of what he has done.  Of course, by answering “Yes” to that question, you have just made a confession of faith.  You have just verbally announced what you believe.  That’s what a confession of faith is, after all: stating what you believe.  Which means you’ve been involved with a number of confessions already this morning.  Not only did you say “Yes” to the question: Are you a Christian? but you also sang two hymns, one confessing your faith in Jesus and the other confessing your faith in our three-in-one God.  You also sang “Lord Have Mercy,” “Glory be to God,” and “Alleluia” - those too serve as confessions of faith.  And on top of the singing you also joined with me in saying the Nicene Creed, that great confession of faith written by Christians all the way back in 325 AD.  And before we’re done you are going to sing more hymns and songs, many of you are going to take the Lord’s Supper together, and you are all going to sing and say “Amen” to the prayers.  All of those are different ways of confessing your faith in your Lord and Savior.

            But a confession of faith does not need to be confined to formal worship service.  In fact, it should never be restricted to a group effort on a Sunday morning.  A confession of faith can and should be made by individual Christians in a variety of situations outside of these four walls.  Whenever you tell anyone about what you believe, whom you believe, or why you believe it, you are making a confession of faith that is just as powerful and just as important as those confessions you are making right here.  In fact, the main way Christians are to be identified in this world is by their confession of faith.

Peter was Not a Background Christian

            Consider some of the confessions of faith found in the pages of Scripture: Nathanael, one of Jesus’ original disciples, confessed on the first day he met his Lord, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel” (John 1:49).  Martha, brother of Lazarus, confessed on the day Jesus raised her brother from the dead, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God who was to come into the world” (John 11:27).  Thomas, another one of Jesus’ disciples, after seeing Jesus in the flesh after he rose from the dead confessed, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28)!  And Peter, possibly the most famous of Jesus’ twelve disciples, once said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16).  But that is not the only confession of faith that Peter spoke.  Later on he makes another remarkable confession at a time when most people were leaving Jesus behind. 

            Jesus had been talking to the people about the Bread of Life.  And he made it clear that no one could go to heaven except through faith in him.  Many people who heard those words didn’t like what Jesus said because it excluded so many people from going to heaven - those who may have been nice and friendly and loving on the outside, but those who did not believe in Jesus as their Savior.  And so even some who had claimed to be his disciples picked up and left.  

            “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.  Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.  We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”

            What a courageous confession by Peter!  Others were grumbling against Jesus, complaining about Jesus, leaving Jesus, and even planning for Jesus’ death.  But that did not keep Peter from saying what he firmly believed:  “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.  We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”  Peter was not a background Christian.  He did not try to fade into the background, out of view, hiding from criticism and scrutiny, even when everyone else was starting to hate Jesus.  Peter stepped forward.  He confessed boldly and unashamedly.  He was unconcerned about the consequences and undeterred by the attitude of others.  He was not shy.  He knew who his Lord was and he was not afraid to confess it. Peter spoke up. 

Are We Embarrassed Christians?

            Of course, that wasn’t always the case, was it?  Remember when Jesus was on trial before the chief priests of the Jewish people and Peter was standing in the courtyard outside?  To be fair, it was a dangerous situation: Jesus had been arrested in the middle of the night, he was being accused of blasphemy, and they were trying to get the death sentenced passed.  Peter was one of Jesus’ disciples, which meant that he would be considered a close associate to the one who had been arrested just hours before.  And so when someone asked Peter that night if he knew Jesus, Peter denied it.  All he wanted to do was fade into the background, to warm himself by the fire and not be noticed.  And when someone else pointed out that he had been with Jesus in the past, Peter denied it again!  And once more, for a third time someone confronted Peter with the fact that he must know Jesus because Peter was from Galilee and for a third time Peter refused to speak up.  In fact, he called down curses on himself to “prove” that he didn’t know who this Jesus guy was.  Peter was not bold there in that courtyard; he was not proud of who he was and the one he called “Lord.”  He was scared, he was intimidated, he was embarrassed.

            Are you a little embarrassed to be a Christian sometimes?  Especially in those situations when you are in a group of people who do not share your same faith?  It’s hard to speak up, isn’t it?  It’s difficult to firmly and boldly and unashamedly confess your faith in exactly what the Bible says without apology.  It could be at work when you are surrounded by coworkers who do not care about what Jesus says.  It could be in school when the majority of your classmates are bashing everything about Christianity.  It could be in a conversation with your neighbors across the street who aren’t into this “organized religion” thing.  It could be with a couple of your relatives who just don’t want to hear it from you anymore.  It’s difficult to speak up in those situations.  And so sometimes we’d rather be “background Christians” - hiding out of view, hoping not to be noticed, not stepping forward, not speaking up.

            But listen to these biting words that Jesus says about those who do not speak up for him: “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven” (Matt. 10:32-33).  Oh, that’s not good…  I guess it’s more than just a personality issue: I can’t blame my silence on my shyness.  And I guess I don’t have an excuse just because I’m uncomfortable in a situation.  And I guess I can’t just brush it off as an unfortunate weakness in my character.  If I do not speak up for Christ before others, why would he bother speaking up for me!  “Hey,” Jesus himself says, “if you don’t want to admit that you’re a Christian after all I’ve done to make you one, then I don’t have to be your Christ.  I can leave you alone if that’s what you really want.  I can cut off all ties with you so that you don’t have to associate with me anymore.  If you’re too embarrassed to stand up for me, then why am I wasting my time on you?  I might as well tell my Father to take your name off the books if that’s really the way you feel...”  Not speaking up for Jesus is a serious offense to the honor and glory of your God.  It is an affront to his love and an insult to his sacrifice.  Would you continue to be kind to someone you had sacrificed so much for but someone who constantly distanced themselves from you and claimed to never even know you?  After a while, wouldn’t you just stop bothering with them at all?

Jesus is Someone to be Proud of

            Thankfully your Lord does not stop “bothering” with you.  He doesn’t cut off ties with you.  He doesn’t just leave you alone.  How could he after all he’s been through for you?  How could he after all he’s given up for you?  When no one else wanted you, he did.  When no one else could possibly repair the damage you had done, he did.  When no one else was willing to put in the time and the effort and the sacrifice to win you back, he did.  He bloodied himself for you before you even knew who he was!  He gave up his life for you before you were even alive!  He made you his own dear child when you were still his enemy.  He sacrificed everything for you!  And you didn’t ask him to do it, you didn’t pay him to do it, you didn’t even know he was going to do it.  And so Jesus is not going to turn his back on you now!  He’s invested way too much time in you to drop you on the spur of the moment.  He’s invested way too much pain in you to just walk away.  He has fought for you.  He has won for you.  He has been watching out for you before you were born.  And he still speaks up for you today when you need it the most. 

            When Satan stands before God and accuses you, your Jesus speaks up, “No, they are not guilty.  I was the guilty one.  I paid the price.  I took the death sentence.  They cannot and will not be held accountable.”  And whenever we pray to our God, Jesus once again speaks up, “I present to you their prayers, Father.  Hear them for my sake.  Listen to them because they believe in me.  And answer them according to your love.”  And when that Last Day arrives and the Judge sits down on his throne, Jesus will speak up for you once again with the gavel in his hand, “I have written your name down in my book of life.  You are not guilty.  You are free.  I have granted you the right to enjoy the glories of heaven for the rest of eternity.  And no one can overrule my decision.”  Your Lord does not hesitate to speak up for you.  Because he loves you.  He is proud that you are his own.

Everyone Should Know

            And that’s something to be proud about, isn’t it!  The fact that the Lord is proud of you should fill you with pride!  What a gracious God!  What an amazing Lord!  What a truly incredible Savior we have who would do that for us and think that of us and say that of us!  We truly are blessed to have Jesus himself on our side who loves us so much!  We truly are blessed to be Christians!

            So speak up.  Everyone should know that.  Everyone should be fully aware how proud you are to wear that name “Christian” and to carry that name “Jesus.”  Not only because that is who you are, but also because that is who you want others to be.  Because Jesus didn’t just die for you, did he?  His words of eternal life aren’t just for you, are they?  No, he has died and has risen for everyone!  He has preserved his Word and wants to share that word of Truth every human being who has ever lived!  So speak up!  Let them know about your Savior because he’s not just your Savior.  He’s their Savior too.  But it will do them no good if they don’t believe it.

            Speak up.  Not in a way that’s “in your face” but in a way that shows the face of Christ.  Speak up.  Not in a way that intrudes but in a way that invites.  Speak up.  Not in a way that sounds like you are apologizing but in the way Peter himself did.  “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.  We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”  Can we make that confession together this morning?  Say that together with me if you would: “We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”  We believe and we know that.  But will we speak up so that others believe in him too? 

            Amen.

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.  Amen and Amen.”  - Psalm 41:13