Hobbies
Could I
make a suggestion this morning? Along
with all of the other things that you do with your free time, the things that
you enjoy and look forward to and sometimes even escape to, could you add one
more item to that list? Could you
possibly also make the gospel your hobby?
And what I mean by that is this: when you have a free moment this coming
week, a time when you would normally pick up the knitting needles or the latest
novel or your walking shoes or the remote control, pick up your Bible
instead. And just start reading. We have a number of reading lists that you
can use by the front door if you need one, but just start reading. Or pick up a religious book from our church
library. Or go to our website and read and
listen to some of the sermons from the past few weeks. Do something with the Word. And when you get
another free moment, do it again! And
again and again! Now, I’m not suggesting
that you neglect your family or the various responsibilities you have this week,
but I am encouraging you to make the gospel your hobby. At least for a week! It’d be nice if you could implement the
gospel as your favorite pastime for the rest of your life, but at least try to
make the gospel your hobby for the next seven days. Fill your time with reading the Word of God
and listening to the Word of God and studying the Word of God. Dive into the gospel deeper this week than
you ever have before.
Loved, Chosen,
Sanctified, Called
And I’m
not saying this because I feel like standing on a soapbox this morning and it’s
just my opinion that I’d like to see it done.
I’m saying this because the portion of the Bible that has been set for
the basis of the sermon today warrants this kind of language! 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17 is all about the
gospel and the amazing things that our Lord has done through this gospel for
our salvation. The apostle Paul wrote this letter to the congregation in the
city of Thessalonica, but these are words that apply to every Christian: “We ought always to thank God for you,
brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be
saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, that is, through belief in
the truth. He called you to this through
our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Paul makes it very clear: God loved you. God chose you. God saved you. And God sanctified you - which means he set
you apart to be his child by giving you the gift of faith to believe in the
Truth. And he called you to this faith
through the gospel. Only through the gospel
have you been called to believe, only through the gospel have you been sanctified
by the Spirit, only through the gospel have you been chosen by grace from the
very beginning, and only through the gospel have you been loved by the Lord
from all eternity. Only through the
gospel was this plan of your salvation carried out. Only through the gospel were you brought to
know your Savior and everything he did for you.
The gospel, and the gospel alone, is your lifeline. It is the basis for everything you believe. It is the reason why you are going to end up
in heaven one day with the Lord. The
gospel about Jesus is your everything.
Stand
Firm! Hold Fast!
And so
the next words that Paul writes to us are understandable: “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on
to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.” If it is true that the gospel about our Lord
Jesus Christ that describes his life and his suffering, his death and his
resurrection, is the only avenue through which the Lord connects us with salvation,
then it is obviously critical that we “stand firm and hold to the teachings” of
this gospel! You are sitting in this room
today as a Christian because of this gospel.
You have a sure hope and a real comfort and a pure joy in this life because
of this gospel. You would be lost and
helpless and miserable without it - and so would I. And so Paul shouldn’t even have to encourage
us like he does! We should automatically
want to “stand firm and hold to the teachings” of the gospel with a passion and
a persistence that is unmistakable to those around us. Because the gospel about Christ is our only
connection with him. The gospel about
Christ is the only source of strength and encouragement that we have in this
life.
Right
now there are a few different ways that I’m trying to make the gospel my
“hobby.” I’m reading a book called “The
Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel,” a biography of Martin Luther which
of course deals with church history and the foundational doctrines of the
Christian Church, the current Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly produced by our
synod that contains scholarly articles on various teachings and passages in
Scripture, a book that selects a few verses to translate in the Hebrew and
Greek languages along with a short paragraph from the Lutheran Confessions, a
devotional book I read with my wife each night, and naturally my daily Bible
readings in English. But some days are
better than others. I almost never fail
to read those set chapters from Scripture or the devotional book at night, but
I don’t always get to the other books that I’m in the middle of. Sometimes I’m too lazy or supposedly too busy
or too absent-minded or too distracted or too tired or… too something. Realistically, this “hobby” of the gospel is
something I just dabble in from time to time, something I get to only when I
think of it. There are days when the
only time I am “in” the gospel is when I am required to for sermon work or
Bible class preparation or devotion writing.
I’m “in” the gospel, but only for others. And that’s just not good enough. That’s not healthy enough. That’s certainly not treating the gospel of
my salvation with the importance that it deserves.
I’m not
going to quiz you on how much time you spend in the gospel on a daily
basis. There is no standard; there is no
set amount of hours that you need to put it.
But I’m going to be bold enough to assume that if you are thinking about
your schedule right now and how often the gospel of your Lord shows up in it,
there are probably at least a few times when the gospel could be a little more
prominent than it is, right? There are
probably days when you might do dozens of different things that you enjoy, but
reading God’s Word doesn’t make the list.
There are probably weeks when you plan events and spend a lot of time
getting ready for them, but studying God’s Word doesn’t make the cut. There are probably entire months when you
look back at all of the things you did and accomplished and were involved with,
but an in-depth examination of the gospel was not even considered. Rarely does the gospel become a “hobby” for
anyone. But is there any reason why it
shouldn’t be? What could be more
important or more exciting than the rich words of God that talk about your
salvation? What could be more
fulfilling? What could be more
rewarding?
Encouragement
and Strengthening
We are
not alone in our lack luster attempts to delve into the gospel like we
should. The Christians in the city of
Thessalonica struggled with it too. In
fact, Christians throughout the history of this world have found it difficult
to immerse themselves in this Word of God like they should. And so as the Holy Spirit moved Paul to write
this letter, he fittingly ends this section about the gospel of Christ with
these words: “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.”
The
blessing of the Lord is this: Because he loves you so much, he will give you
eternal encouragement and he will give you good hope and he will continue to
strengthen you whenever you need it as long as you live. And so at those times when we set his gospel aside
for something else, our Lord will remind us how Jesus did not set us aside but
came down to us personally. And at those
times when we get distracted by other activities in this life and forget about
the gospel, our Lord will remind us how Jesus never got distracted from his
goal of our salvation but had a drive and a purpose in life from which he never
wavered. And at those times when we are
too tired or too lazy or too absent-minded to put any effort into reading the
gospel, our Lord will remind us how Jesus put every bit of effort into our
salvation no matter how tired he was and no matter how many excuses he could
have come up with to stop what he was doing.
Our Lord will continue to encourage us and strengthen us with the gospel. And he will only strengthen us with the gospel through the gospel.
Whether
it’s in worship, a Bible study, a devotion book, a Forward in Christ magazine,
or the pages of your own Bible at home, he will encourage your hearts and
strengthen you in every good deed and word through the gospel. He will work your heart over, mold your
heart, knead your heart, and shape your heart with his forgiveness. And he will do that not because you asked
him, not because you please him, not because you’ve earned it, and not because
you are so likeable. He will do that to
your heart because of his love, because of his deep longing for your soul. That’s what the gospel is, after all: the
Lord’s deep longing for your soul and everything he did to save it.
A Gospel
Obsession
Make the
knowledge and understanding of this glorious gospel your hobby. Make it your obsession. Search out ways you can come into contact
with these words. Dig deep. Ask questions. Find answers.
Don’t settle for a peripheral awareness of what the Bible says; make it
a point to comprehend - through faith - every concept, every sentence, every
Word by the grace of God. Use your free
time wisely this week. Tell me what you
did to dig deeper. Ask me questions
about what you found. Come to me for
suggestions about what you can read or listen to. Simply spend some time with your Lord in his
Word. And I guarantee your faith will be
bolstered because of it! Your sure hope for
a life in heaven will be refreshed! Your
confidence in your Savior will be strengthened!
And your joy in Jesus’ forgiveness will be at an all-time high! And that’s not just my wish, that’s God’s
promise. He actually promises you that
when you are in his Word, he will work great things in your heart. He will fill you with his forgiveness and
grace to such an extent that it will flow out of you.
Just try
it. Make the gospel your hobby this
week. Plan to come to as many Bible
classes as you can. Plan to get into the
Word as deep as you can go. And I will
too. I will do my best to fill my
schedule with the gospel for the good of my faith. And I realize that some of you will have more
time than others. That’s OK. Whatever time you have, take advantage of
it. Dedicate yourself. Exhaust yourself. Read and study and drink in that gospel until
your mind just can’t handle anymore. It
will take some effort. It will take some
concentration. But the Lord will
encourage you and strengthen you throughout the entire process. He will make it all worthwhile. He will assure that it will be time well
spent. And so “stand firm” this week, my
brothers and sisters, and “hold fast to the teachings that were passed on to
you.” It’s going to be a good week! It’s going to be a great week! I’m honestly
excited about what the Lord will do through this new hobby of yours. I can’t wait to get started on this new hobby
of mine.
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.”
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