The devil is a liar. He is the founding father of lies (John 8:44), who lies in order to lead the whole world away from its heavenly Father (Revelation 12:9). That slimy serpent slithered right up to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and hissed out the most destructive of lies: “You will not surely die” (Genesis 3:4). That is a lie. That untruth snapped Adam and Eve’s openhearted bond with their Creator. That devil dangled money in front of Judas and whispered: “Worldly wealth remains far more valuable than anything Jesus offers.” That greedy lie destroyed him. The devil is a liar. He still lies and he always will lie. He will not stop until he has led every single person away from God.
And so, the devil lies. He lies because he knows the truth: he has lost; Jesus wins. Jesus promises a life better than the one the devil must suffer. Jesus reveals this truth in his Word, the Bible. He has put his Word in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it (Deuteronomy 30:14) and so that you may have life (John 4:14). That Word is not just yours to hold and have. It’s yours to also share. Jesus Sends You Out! With the Word you have received and with the resources God has given you. The devil knows this. So, he lies. He spreads this putrid untruth to the world: “You are God. You hold the authority to determine what is morally ‘right’ and what is morally ‘wrong.’” Jesus arrives in his hometown, Nazareth. He reveals God’s plan to save the world. Masses marvel. He exposes puffed-up pride and points to himself as the only Savior. Masses devour the devil’s lie. “Nazareth is God. Each citizen holds the authority to determine what is morally ‘right’ and what is morally ‘wrong.’ We do not need you, Jesus.” The devil’s lie pushes them to furiously push Jesus out of the city (Mark 6:1-6; Luke 4:14-30). The devil is a liar, who lies in order to lead the whole world away from its heavenly Father. For this reason Jesus enters the world. He comes to reconnect people with their Father in heaven. Jesus went around teaching from village to village (Mark 6:6), telling all people that he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. [They] come to the Father through [his work alone] (John 14:6). Jesus even multiplies his efforts in getting this message out. Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two… He hands them the words to share: “Repent! Turn!” Turn from the lifestyles God calls ‘wrong.’ Turn from the god-less behavior separating you from God! Turn and see that only Jesus can free you from the hell you deserve. Turn and live a God-pleasing life. No, not because you will earn God’s love. Rather, living life shaped by the Word keeps you from death. Jesus teaches a truth that breaks the devil’s lie. That truth reveals Jesus living a perfect life in order to give you life. That truth is yours— and it is yours to share. Jesus does not have you bottle up these words for yourself. Jesus Sends You Out with the Word you have received. That makes you a target. The devil knows his Bible. He knows God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). He knows faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ (Romans 10:17). He knows you are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14-16) pointing to Jesus as the only Way, Truth, and Life to God (John 14:6). The devil knows just how dangerous the Word you carry is to his cause. He knows the best way to keep many separated from God is to lie—and he lies to you. He whispers in your ear: “It does not matter what you believe; everyone will enter heaven.”
Those are lies. And the devil knows that if he can get you to believe his lie, then you will stop sharing the Word of God. And if you stop sharing the Word, then many more will never hear of a Savior. And if many never hear of a Savior, then every non-Christian will walk the wide road straight into hell. Do you believe the devil’s lie? It does matter what lies in each individual heart. It matters to Jesus. It matters so much that he takes on flesh and blood. It matters so much that no insult, no rejection, not even death itself can stop him from sharing the life-saving Word. It matters so much that Jesus dies in order to put an end to the devil’s lies. If the devil is still whispering his destructive lies in your ears, repent! Turn to the cross. Turn away from the excuses you create to protect your pride. Turn from the laziness that prevents you from speaking up. Turn from the excuses your heart creates. Turn and see Jesus give his life. See him wipe away your failure to speak up. See him cure a lazy heart. See him rise to tell you, You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light (1 Peter 2:9). Jesus Sends You Out because you are his disciple. He sends you out with the same powerful message that has created faith in your heart. He sends you out with the same powerful Word that works in the hearts of others. Jesus Sends You Out with the Word you have received. Jesus Sends You Out with the resources you have. Did you catch that? Jesus Sends You Out with the resources you have. Your resources might be you Christian witness. Do you notice that Jesus does not send you out to foreign nations? He does not demand you knock on doors or call strangers. He sends you to share the Word with those who need to hear it. That location might be as simple as your community setting. Inside your bulletin is a half sheet. The center of this diagram reads: “FRIENDS WHO NEED JESUS.” Someone who needs to hear of Jesus the Good Shepherd before they are lost forever. Take a moment today (or another day this week) to identify those in your life. A friend, a family member, a [grand]child. A neighbor who used to worship, but no longer does. A fellow member who used to worship with you, but has grown slow in coming. Write their name down—and then place this sheet in a visible location. As you see that name, pray that God brings his Word to them through you. Pray that God fill you with the words to say and the courage to speak. Pray that God presents an opportunity to invite them to worship, to Sunday School, to Bible Class, to Vacation Bible School. Pray that God use your Words to bring the good news into their hearts. Jesus Sends You Out to them. Your resources might be financial resources. You belong to the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. “Synod” are two greek words put together meaning: “walk with.” You (and I) cooperate (or walk with) 1,300 other like-minded congregations throughout the world to share Jesus. St. John [Faith] most likely could never pay the $150,000 (each year!) need to start a new church in New York City (with the costs involved) or the $500,000 Pastoral Institute Building in Vietnam. Our financial resources are limited. Yet, when you divide that costs among 1,300 other congregations, the cost becomes much more manageable. Consider how God has blessed you financially. Use your financial resources to “send out” others to regions you may never see. Jesus Sends You Out with the resources you have. Remember the reason for sharing the Word. The devil still spreads his awful lie around your town: “World, you do not need help. You do not need a Savior.” Maybe you have a daughter who still lives in a way God would not condone. You may have that son who smirks and shrugs off your invite to worship again. You might have that friend who walks on the other side of the road when they see you or that neighbor who goes outside after seeing you go inside. Some may reject you for the message you bring. The devil will point and hiss: “See, the heartache is not worth it.” Do not believe the lie! Jesus instructs his disciples to take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in [their] belts. Wear sandals but not an extra tunic. The disciples do not need suitcases packed with weeks of clothing or wallets stuffed with cash. They simply preach and God’s Word would work results. Some would hear the Word and the Word would produce results in the hearts of the listeners. One fruit of faith would be the hospitality for their needs. The disciples would have a room, extra clothing and blankets, as well as a meal provided them. Others will not welcome or listen to [them]. If that happened, they would shake the dust off [their] feet when [they left], as a testimony against them.” Shaking the dust off of their feet preached that this household of Jews were no better than the non-believing non-Jews. It powerfully preached: “You are separated from God! Repent! Turn while there is still time!” You will face rejection for preaching and teaching— and that’s alright. Jesus tells you to expect rejection. You may even have to “shake the dust from your feet.” No, not literally. Rather, you may have to make it clear to someone close to you: “You are living in such a way that separates you from God.” The devil will try to silence you: “Ouch! Your words are too harsh!” Do not believe the lie! Shaking the dust off your feet demonstrates that their rejection is serious… which, if you think about that for a moment, really stands out in your world today. You, with your words and actions, are calling him to “Repent, turn to God!” That message points to Jesus and to the life he gives. Jesus Sends You Out with the resources you have. The devil is a liar. He is the founding father of lies (John 8:44), who lies in order to lead the whole world away from its heavenly Father (Revelation 12:9). He still lies and he always will lie. He will not stop until he has led every single person away from God. Yet, you know the truth. He has lost; Jesus wins. Jesus promises a life better than the one the devil must suffer. Jesus reveals this truth in his Word, the Bible. He has put his Word in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it (Deuteronomy 30:14) and so that you may have life (John 4:14). That Word is not just yours to hold and have. It’s yours to also share. Jesus Sends You Out! With the Word you have received and with the resources God has given you. I recently came across these words from another Pastor and want to share them with you this morning. As I read them, try to make mental notes of anything that jumps out at you. Alright? Here we go:
The world now seems to operate according to the motto: ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.’ All sinners proceed on the assumption that there is no God whom men must fear and no judgment in which man must give an account. People make no secret of their sins; they even boast about them. As at the time of the flood and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, sinners regard themselves as secure and carefree. They seek money, bigger houses, and other worldly pleasures. They dismiss as laughable those who witness to the truth of God’s anger and punishment. New movements continue to arise for the purpose of overturning Christian discipline and order, and for stirring up children against their parents, citizens against their government, students against their teachers, and the poor against the rich (God Grant It, by C.F.W. Walther, page 25-26). Any phrases ringing in your ears? [Maybe:] People act as though there is no God? …Many chase after bigger and better? …Secretly shameful sins are now openly praised? …Christians mocked? …Rebels rage against government? …Christian discipline crumbles? (Something else?) Believe it or not, these words come from a devotion written in 1850. It almost sounds as though this Pastor lives in our world today! Yet, Jesus warns you that this would happen. There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power (2 Timothy 3:1-5). As this world races to its end and as eternity marches another day closer, the devil, in his frenzied fits of rage, will fight to detract many from God forever. That means there is still work to do. Understand, God is not telling you to go out and solve society’s troubles. Neither does he want you to point a smug, self-righteous finger at your neighbor or the stranger in the grocery store. Words like these strike home first. Reflect on your calling in life and consider the people God has placed in your life. Remember, Training Preserves Life. Remove what is harmful. Learn what is good. Follow what is right. And she said that to me. A middle-aged woman, standing in my driveway, facing the parsonage garage-door. (The Ten Commandments are painted on it). Her eyes locked onto the Fourth Commandment: “Honor your father and mother.” She turned to me, “My kids need to pay attention to that.” She’s right— but I wonder, has she removed what is harmful? You see, children are not born with this innate sense of right and wrong. They are not these “blank slates” that can choose to love God or choose to disobey him. Scripture plainly says: Surely I was sinful from birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me (Psalm 51:5). God’s Word shatters this idea that babies are born innocent, or that toddlers do not really understand the reason for their tirade, and that “kids will just be kids.” The sinful heart reveals itself with tirades and tantrums, with sass-back and disrespect. Toddlers understand the word: “No.” They cry because they do not want to hear it. Teenagers know drugs and drunkenness are wrong. So, they try to hide it from their parents. Even adults manipulate one another because they are selfish. God looks down on the world, sees every living soul, and concludes: All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one (Psalm 14:3). Not one elderly person. Not one kind parent. Not one newborn baby. Not even one. That means someone must teach God’s ‘right’ and God’s ‘wrong.’ That means someone must teach when an action is ‘right’ or ‘wrong.’ That is reason for God’s command: Fathers… (and we could include father-figures, mothers and mother-figures) [bring up your child] in the training and instruction of the Lord. The purpose is to remove the sin that harmful. Sometimes that means you (and I) have to start with yourself first. Remove the faulty thoughts that are harmful. God lists one: Fathers, do not exasperate your children… ‘Exasperating’ means to behave in a way that brings out anger from your child. To make your child resentful because of your actions. If you wonder why a child is disobedient, a good question to ask is: Are they learning from me? Your child will believe God’s commandments are optional if you do not chastise them for disrespect or cursing or fighting or losing self-control. Your child will think faith in Jesus as Savior is unnecessary if he sees you in worship, but you do not urge him to also worship. Your child might know you worship, but hurt when you insult them and berate behavior. Instead of looking around at others, pointing a finger at their wild lifestyle, you (and I) have to examine our hearts first because your heart turns aside. It can become corrupt. It does not do the good God demands. Left unchecked, it can lead the child in your life to resent God. So, God sends Jesus to remove what is harmful, to remove the ravaging effects of sin in you (and me). Jesus removes what is harmful by remaining without sin. When his disciples panic on a stormy sea, he rescues them. Not just that, but he even corrects their doubting faith. When James and John foolishly ask Jesus to destroy nonbelievers, he does not insult: “You idiots!” Rather, he teaches them that God’s love demands patience. When the Eleven cower for their lives Easter evening, Jesus does not appear with, “Cursed are you! See my hands and feet? I’m alive and you will suffer!” Instead he breathes out, “Peace be with you” (John 20:19). Look at Jesus. See God treat him harshly on the cross. See Jesus carry your (and my) parental failures to the cross. See him rise and raise you forgiven. Jesus has removed harmful attitudes about parenting. Jesus shows you how serious sin is. As you remember his work for you, you will remove harmful thinking. In its place, you will learn what is good. What is good? To bring up [your child] in the training and instruction of the Lord. Who does this? You. Fathers and father-figures, God wants you to continually teach your child about Jesus. Parent-figures, God uses your roles and your relationships as ways to bring his Word to the ears and hearts of others. He even tells you what to say. Instruct [them] in the Lord. That means, teach them what God teaches. Sometimes that learning includes, well, learning. The only way you will know what God calls ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ is to read what God calls ‘right’ and ‘wrong.’ As a [grand]parent, make time for family devotions; make this part of your routine. Spend a few minutes after dinner or right before shutting off the lights at night. Read a chapter in one of the gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. Summarize the one simple truth Jesus (1) teaches or (2) reveals about himself. Then say a short prayer together. God has placed you in the life of a child so that this child may know their Savior. Not only do you instruct, but you also train in the Lord. When a child veers away from what God calls ‘right,’ call them back. Some of you have adult children. You brought them to catechism class to learn the teachings of the Bible. Yet, it can happen that catechism class appears as a classroom lecture that does not touch the heart. Point out the catechism is not mindless information. Instead, it brings out key teachings of Scripture. The best way to drive this home is to share how something you learned from the catechism still comforts you. Speak of God’s promises when issues arise. “God’s in control over governments” (Psalm 2:1-6). “We need to pray for guidance in conflict” (1 Timothy 2:1-2). “God has given us our money, our home, and our food. He gets the credit” (Psalm 145:15-16). By doing this, you are connecting everyday life to the promises God has laid out in the Bible. Perhaps teenagers live at home. It’s an exciting time to watch them mature and form decisions for their own personal future. Yet, remember: teenagers tend to feel a sense of freedom to do the things they did not experience with you. So, if God is a part of your life, you can be sure the devil will tempt them to try life without God. (That is part of the reason why 30% of those under age 30 no longer have a home church.) As a Christian father, share your faith with your teen. Open yourself up, expressing how God fills you with comfort, when you needed him most, and the confidence you hold now with him. Training Preserves Life. Physical exercise increases physical health. In the same way, time in the Word and opportunities to connect faith to everyday life increases spiritual health. You learn what is good. As a result, you follow what is right. Do you see the role you have, fathers and father-figures, [grand]parents and parent-figures? When you train a child, you are laying a groundwork for the child to follow. That proves to be a blessing for all involved. God commands: Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Understand, God is not saying, “Obey because I will be sad if you are not.” What makes this command “right” is that it comes from God and is beneficial. Obey your parents because they share the Word of God Almighty. Obey your parents because you belong to God. Obey your parents because out of love for God, you want to do what he commands. Those who Honor your father and mother…[have] that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” If you respect your authorities, they will not arrest you, throw you into prison or execute you. If you obey your spiritual leaders, you will not bring spiritual harm upon your soul. If you obey your parents you will not be stressed out when talking. You may receive financial help. You will receive advice and guidance. You will enjoy ease of communication. Training Preserves Life. Follow what is right. As this world races to its end and as eternity marches another day closer, the devil, in his frenzied fits of rage, will fight to detract many from God forever. That happens when the family unit breaks down. When parents fail to teach the next generation of their God. When parents do not discipline their child as God expects. When children disobey God and reject his leaders. You do not have to look far to see proof of this happening today. Remember, God does not tell you to go out and solve the world’s troubles. He tells you to start at home. Take a good look at your family. Is there somewhere you can grow? … Somewhere you can spend time with the Word of life? … Somewhere discipline is needed? …Is there a place to spend more time in devotion? The purpose of that Christian family is to have all those parts work together so that all may reach their heavenly home. The way to do that is through the Word. He give us parents (and parent-figures) to speak and children to hear. Reflect on your calling in life and consider the people God has placed in your life. Training Preserves Life. Remove what is harmful. Learn what is good. Follow what is right. Here’s an all expense paid vacation to the Bahamas. In this envelope is your plane ticket, your hotel and dinner reservations, as well as spa reservations, fishing and scuba diving expeditions, and parasailing trips. Everything you need is right here. Take the envelope, travel to the right airport, hotel, restaurant, and activity center, claim your reservation, and enjoy the trip!
After all, it’s a vacation… And vacations allow a break from the everyday busy-ness of life. No pressing deadlines to haunt you. No exhausting trips to doctor appointments. No stressful child-sitting. No nerve-wracking phone-calls. Just let your mind wander. Let someone else care for you. Do what you want whenever you want. Daydream. Nap. Relax! Now, you could take this envelope jam-packed with tickets and reservations. You could spend thousands (of your own dollars) on a plane. You could spend hours scouring the internet for the best hotel rooms. You could spend all week calling restaurants and charter boats and day spas. Even though I arranged the entire trip for you, you could try to make all the arrangements for yourself. Then you would be quite stressed, anxious, and exhausted during your entire vacation. In fact, it would not be much of a vacation at all, would it? You would be working to obtain a ‘rest’ that has already been given to you. It would be foolish to work instead of rest. It is just as foolish to work when you could be Receiving Your Sabbath Rest from God. The time you spend with God— hearing his Word, reading devotions, gathering in worship— is a time where God gives you rest and God comes to you. In the Old Testament God set aside a special day of rest called the ‘Sabbath Day. Remember, ‘Sabbath’ is a Hebrew word meaning: ‘rest’ or ‘cease from work.’ God instructs: Six days you shall labor and do all your work-- your field work, your construction jobs, running your restaurant, sitting at your work desk, doing tedious household chores and errands— but the seventh day is a Sabbath, a ‘day of rest’ (Deuteronomy 5:13-14). On the seventh day you stop your busy-ness. Why? So that you may have a clear, stress-free mind to recall, remember, and reflect on what God has done for you. So, ancient Israel stopped working, and the clear mind (that comes from resting) allowed them to remember that they were once slaves in Egypt (Deuteronomy 5:15). They could recall the sweat and heat, the aches and pains, the twenty-hour-a-day/seven-days-a-week-labor, the lack of personal freedom. Then they remembered how God pried them out of Egypt with ten plagues and led them into an entirely brand new way of life. As the nation remembered what God did, they could reflect how God did all this out of mercy. This recalling, remembering, and reflecting motivates thanks to their awesome God. The Pharisees knew God commanded them to Remember Sabbath by keeping it holy (Deuteronomy 5:12). The way to demonstrate respect for the day is to not work. Jesus’ disciples are walking through a grainfield on a Sabbath day. They’re snagging handfuls of wheat kernels, rubbing them together in their hands, cracking open the chewy husks, and snacking the soft grain. The Pharisees are watching this. In their book, plucking is the same as reaping— as though the disciples are swinging harvest sickles (or jumping into the John Deere to harvest wheat). They rush up to Jesus, chiding, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” This plucking is not forbidden by God. In fact, God allowed people to walk through grainfields and take just enough to fill the stomach (Deuteronomy 23:25). It was the Pharisees who called this action ‘illegal.’ In fact, the Pharisees added extra layers to God’s commandments. When it came to the Sabbath Day, they added 39 classifications of forbidden work. There’s a reason they did this. The Pharisees recognized their own sinfulness; they are not perfect. So, they add regulations that they could keep. Yes, they might not love God with all their heart, mind, and soul (Matthew 22:37), but they could obey their 39 different rules of approved work. They could sit in the synagogue for hours. They could put an end to their excessive laboring. They could stay out of the grainfields. Because they could keep their own manmade rules, they felt proud. That pride soared even higher when they caught others breaking their rules. The Pharisees could not only (1) obey manmade rules, but (2) did something the majority could not. So, they point a finger at the disciples, calling them worse sinners than they. The Pharisees even imply that Jesus failed to be God’s approved Savior because he did not call the disciples’ actions wrong. You see, the purpose for spending time with God is for God to give you rest. Stop to recall, remember, and reflect on the Savior who brings peace with God. Yet, the Pharisees did not want this spiritual rest. They wanted to work for God’s favor. Inside each of us is that same workaholic heart. It can take something so beneficial like worship or personal devotions and twist it into something great you do to earn favor with God. It happens when you slip into bed Saturday night and wake up Sunday morning feeling as though worship is some enslaving command.“Well, I gotta go to church. It’s expected. I must do it. I can’t wait until it’s all over then I can get on with my day.” Instead of finding spiritual refreshment, worship becomes a chore. Fingers points at those neglecting worship. “Well, Dan was baptized and confirmed here, but he hasn’t been to church after confirmation!” What’s the purpose behind that statement? Do you sincerely desire to call back someone neglecting the Word? Or, do you feel that God is happier with you because you came to ‘church’ and you showed up more often than Christmas and Easter service only? Has your worship attendance become some sort of track record you want God to reward? Do you, like the Pharisees, create and follow manmade rules for worship? Like, kids must be quiet— and if your child is quieter, then you are a better parent. You must wear a suit & tie, a dress or slacks; you must wear a certain standard of clothing— and if you do, you are a more sincere Christian than others. You must sit still and follow along— and if you are actively engaged the entire time, then you had a good day. Do you brag about your Sunday School attendance as though you love God more than those who do not come? Are you holding up Bible class attendance and your daily devotions as badges of honor before God? You see, you may not condemn people for crushing grain in their hands on the wrong day. Yet, inside each of us beats a heart which wants you to measure and compare yourself to others according to your own manmade rules so that you look morally superior Do you want to know what Jesus says about that? The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. If you believe you are doing God some great service by worshipping, reading your Bible, and learning God’s Word, you are fooling yourself! The ‘rest’ you get with God is not some meritorious work. It never was (and is) meant for that purpose. To believe it is will rob you of ‘rest’ forever. You are created first. Then, so that you enjoy peace with God, God gives you opportunities to find physical and spiritual rest. Receive Your Sabbath Rest. Did you catch it? Receive. Not something you earn. Rather, God gives you rest. You receive rest as you spend time in God’s Word. God does not command you, living after the time of Jesus, to worship only on Saturday. You are free to set aside a specific day for worship (Colossians 2:16-17). You are allowed to work, if needed, on your worship day. Why? Because The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath. The point of the Old Testament Sabbath Day is to spend time with God— and not just for one day, but daily time with God. As your Substitute he does what you (and I) have not. Jesus is a Son born to the man, Joseph. Jesus has flesh and blood; he is a real, living human being! Since he is born of a woman, he is born under God’s law (Galatians 4:4). That means the Third Commandment is laid on Jesus. Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy (Exodus 20:8). He makes worship his custom. Never does he skip worship because he’d rather be fishing. Never does he groan and gripe that time with God is some chore. Rather, Jesus delights spending time in the Word! He not only listens to God speak, the Word of God is on his lips He preaches to crowds. He teaches. He encourages with the Word. The Lord of the Sabbath dies for your (and my) abuse of the Sabbath. His blameless life satisfies God’s anger forever. God keeps coming to you with that precious message: “Forgiven!” On Easter Sunday (Sunday!—the day on which you worship!) Jesus hands you eternal rest! Recall how he comes to set you free from guilt. Remember he paid the price with his life. Reflect that now you are set free from sin, set free from work, set free to live in peace! As you recall, remember, and reflect, praise and thanks will gush out. That is the purpose for diving into God’s Word. It’s all about what God has done for you! As you better grasp how God has, in Jesus, truly forgiven you all your sins, you live a new kind of life. No longer is worship about you doing something for God. No longer are you fighting to look morally superior than others. Rather, you heart lives at rest knowing God has done all the work need to save you!... and to make you his! Love for worship motivates you to call others to faithful worship. So, look around. Do you recall those who worshipped with you once, but have now grown a little slow? A brother? ...sister? A son? ...daughter? …grandchild? A friend? A neighbor? Why does it hurt you when people stay away from God’s house? Because they see no need to thank God for setting them free from death in hell. They ignore the only One who will give real joy and peace in life. You have experienced real rest in the forgiveness Jesus brings. That makes you qualified to share your experience with others. You may be related to those slow to worship. You may be a friend. You may be an acquaintance. So, pick up the phone and call them. Shoot a text message. Drive to their house. Hold up the real rest given in worship. Your love for the day of rest compels you to do so. Love for God compels you to spend time with him. So, you carve out time to spend with God. You make daily devotions a priority. Either you read a page in the Meditations booklet. Or you find strength in a chapter of the Bible. Or you grow in Bible Class as you see what God is capable of doing for you. You Receive Your Sabbath Rest because God comes to you. You could try to earn God’s favor by behaving a certain way. You could measure yourself to a little child. You could make sure to stand up first and speak the loudest. You could stare at your watch so that you do not miss out on devotion-time or Bible Class. You can live quite stressed, anxious, and exhausted trying to be good enough for God. But you would be foolish to work instead of rest. God hands you his Word so that you may Receive Your Sabbath Rest. The time you spend with God— hearing his Word, reading devotions, gathering in worship— is a time where God gives you rest and God comes to you. Call it a case study if you will... He grew up attending Sunday School and Sunday worship. In later grade school, he studied the teachings of the Bible in catechism class. He continued increasing his understanding in Bible Class. This Christian man even served as an elder in the congregation, giving special attention to the spiritual life of his fellow believers. He made it his regular habit to take in God’s teachings and to live God’s teachings.
Now, this Christian leader had three children: one daughter and two sons— and he cared for their spiritual life. He carried each child up to the baptismal font. He made Sunday School their regular spiritual diet, while he learned in adult Bible class. He faithfully drove each child to catechism class, where they studied the teachings of the Bible. Eventually, each child was confirmed. Now, after confirmation day, this Christian father let his first two children— a daughter and son— decide if they wanted to worship on Sundays. If they wanted to wake up Sunday at 8:00am and join him for worship, they could. Can you guess the decision those teenagers made? They stayed home in bed, sleeping every single Sunday. Can you guess how that affected them spiritually? The daughter grew up, moved out, and stopped attending worship. God was no longer important to her. He did not occupy a place in her life; she could not even give him one measly hour of her week. She created her own teachings for living. The son also stopped worshipping. He married a lady who [honestly!] created her own strange religion. Unfortunately, he floundered in his marriage because he had no firm footing on God’s truth. One final son. The father woke him up every Sunday at 8:00am. Bible Class remained their spiritual diet. He encouraged his son to sing in the church choir and help maintain the church property. Can you guess how that affected this son spiritually? He started studying for the pastoral ministry. Even though he did not become a Pastor, he still assists his congregation every Sunday as a musician. Do you comprehend the results of this case study? Confirmation is not graduation! Confirmands, you are not finished learning what Scripture teaches you! Parents, your child is not graduating (or completing) church! Your life in the Word of God never ends! Each of you will face new challenges that come with the many changes of life. You must Continue Your Training! Your sinful nature constantly fights God, but God keeps you on the way of life. The words for our hearing this morning come from Proverbs 22:6: Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Do you know why you must train a child? Confirmands, you know the answer to this question; in just a few minutes you will describe the natural condition of the human heart. Everyone else, you have witnessed baptisms; in fact, every Sunday you admit: God, I am by nature sinful. The human heart is not naturally good; the human heart is naturally hostile to God. That means, the very moment you (and I) are conceived, we are God’s enemies. You do not submit to God’s law, nor can you do so (Romans 8:7). You do not want to obey God; you fight God. You see, every single child born has a “way.” His “way” leads to death in hell. So God commands: Train a child in the way he should go. A child needs someone to start him on a different “way,” a “way” that leads to life in heaven; a child needs someone to teach him Jesus. Who is that person? You. [Grand]Parents (and Christian examples), you have done that as you carried your child to be baptized into the family of God. You have done that as you brought your child to catechism class. But you are not done yet. You must Continue Your act of Training because the sinful nature continues fighting God. Parents, the devil is still out to destroy the faith of your children. Do you know who he will use to help him? You. He will stoke your own sinful nature to adopt the oft-repeated beliefs of this world. The excuses are many: “I’ll let my child decide what to believe…” “I brought my child to church; I’ve done my part. Now my child will decide what to believe….” “My child is too old to be encouraged to worship…” “Oh, she will come back later…” Do you know what those are? Lies. God explicitly says: Train a child! The devil says: “Why bother?” The devil knows if he can make you— spiritual leaders(!)— indifferent to the spiritual life of your child, he will have removed one more obstacle keeping your child in faith and on the way to life with God. You must Continue Your act of Training because the sinful nature continues fighting God. Confirmands and students, you are walking on this path that leads to life. What you learned in catechism class provides a firm foundation on which to build your life. You will find peace and comfort and strength from God. But you are not done yet. You must Continue Your Training because the sinful nature continues fighting God. The devil’s working hard to destroy your faith. Do you know who he will use to help him? You. He will dangle alluring temptations to snag you away from the teachings you have learned. The temptations are many. Your world will entice you into following its manmade gods of money, pride, and arrogance. Your sinful nature will create fantastic excuses as to why you may ignore what God so clearly teaches. The devil will push you to self-worship: you are the reason for success, you hold all-wisdom, you control life! You must Continue Your act of Training because the sinful nature continues fighting God. Dear friends, Continue Your Training. The sinful nature continues fighting God, but the sinful nature has been conquered. Jesus has opened the way to life. Continue Your Training because God keeps you on the way of life. Parents, do you see where you have ushered your child? Confirmands and children, do you see where you stand? You are walking on the way that has led to the cross of Jesus. This visible reminder preaches God’s love for you. Jesus marched to fight your sinful nature— and did that by resisting every temptation. He makes worship his regular routine. He urges his disciples to follow the words of Moses and the prophets. He puts God in the number-one spot of his heart— and did all this for you. That perfect life trickled out on the cross for you. Jesus paid off the debt of your sin for you. Jesus rises to announce forgiveness to you. Jesus rises up into heaven to make it a home for you. Your faith in Jesus as Savior has placed you on the way of life. So, Continue Your Training. Do not forfeit what you have begun. Parents and Christian friends, Continue Your act of Training. God has set you in charge over the spiritual health of your child (and other Christian friends). You are the people God uses to bring others to him. It is not always the guy next to you. It is not always the Pastor. It is not always a stranger. It is you. That’s why, parents, you Continue Your Training, your act of training up a child. Statistically speaking, these children have about another 70-years to their life. They have much life left and much ahead of them. They have college, marriage, children, parenting, work, retirement, older age, and the thought of approaching death. Those are some serious life hurdles, but hurdles they overcome with God. So, bring them to worship; do not even offer skipping as an option. Encourage them to read their own devotions. Speak your faith to them. Continue Your Training. Children and confirmands, Continue Your Training. God has begun a good work in you; he has brought you to faith. You have a foundation on which to build. So, build on it. Grab God’s promises and find peace in trouble. Run to God in prayer on the day of trouble. Lay anxiety and worry to rest because God is in control. Stand confident of eternal life in heaven because Jesus has won it for you. When you do step off the way, God will use his Word to draw you back. He will expose the error of your walking and the foolishness of you heart. He will walk you up to the foot of the cross and reveal Jesus who died for you. Continue Your Training because God keeps you on the way of life. Our case study demonstrates that truth. One Christian leader. One daughter and two sons. Two spiritually neglected neglect their faith. One spiritually strengthened strengthens his faith. Do you understand the results of this case study? Confirmation is not graduation! It never was; it was the devil who leads us to believe it is. That means, confirmands, you are not finished learning what Scripture teaches you. Parents, your child is not graduating church! Your life in the Word of God never ends! Each of you will face new challenges that come with the many changes of life. So, Continue Your Training! Continue Your Training in the Word of God because Your sinful nature constantly fights God, but God keeps you on the way of life. This is it… This part right here. This 48-inch belt stopped me dead in my tracks just outside Saline, [Michigan]. There I am, coasting at 70-miles-per-hour down Interstate-75. Drove under an overpass, popped out the other side, and started up a slight incline. As I went uphill, my speedometer started slipping down. 70-miles-per-hour. 60. 40. 20. 0 [miles-per-hour]. No matter how hard my foot pressed the gas pedal, the car would not speed up. It sat there dead on the side of the freeway. Do you know what went wrong? Well, do you know what this is? A timing belt. (https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/symptoms-of-a-bad-or-failing-timing-belt)
Now, if you don’t know what a timing belt does, that’s alright; I didn’t know about this belt before that day either. The timing belt makes sure the pistons work in sync with the exhaust valves. The exhaust valves must remain shut when the fuel ignites. The explosion then pushes the piston down, ultimately transferring power to the wheels. Now, if the valves are open when the fuel ignites, the explosive power exits through the exhaust; the power is not transferred to the wheels. Simply put, the timing belt makes sure the individual components of the engine work in sync.(https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070126214836AAiZREP&guccounter=1]) It does not matter if you have a full tank of gas or four brand new, fully inflated tires or the best oiled pistons. No timing belt, no movement. Have a timing belt, have movement. This morning God highlights all the individual components that make up a Christian family. Then, he draws your attention to the one Person who links Christian relationships together. Lose sight of this Person and relationships strain. Set your focus on him and you gain motivation for many parts to work together. That’s why God says, See Christ in Your Christian Home. Through the Christian women he sends and Through the response of praise you give. In Proverbs 31, God lists the many blessings you receive through a wife of noble character (31:10). What makes such a woman “noble” is her faith which clings to Jesus as Savior. God loved her and joined her to the Vine of Jesus Christ. Like a branch connected to a vine produces fruit, so this woman, connected to the Savior, produces fruits of faith. Verse 26 reveals some of that fruit. It says: She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. Now, this wisdom is not life-advice she created from her sense of fairness or from how she thinks the world functions. Real wisdom acknowledges the poisonous devastation sin wreaks on the world and how Christ is the antidote. A Christian mother-figure holds the wisdom to know that greed can drag hearts away from love for God (1 Timothy 6:10). So, she gives financial advice, but does so, recognizing that money is a treasure given from God to provide for everyday life. A Christian mother understands that inside a wild, rebellious child beats a heart fighting against God’s commandments. So, she disciplines in love because turning that sinful child from the error of his ways will save him from eternal death in hell (James 5:19-20). A Christian wife is patient with her spouse. No, not because this keeps matters light and the tensions down for one day. Rather, God calls her to love her spouse just as much as believers love Christ (Ephesians 5:22-23). You see, God highlights the fruits of faith bursting forth. Everything this Christian woman has learned about God gushes out in her words and actions. She is this individual component working in a Christian family or even among the community of believers. Do recognize that this is the work God considers important? To speak wisdom? To give faithful instruction? To watch the affairs of the house? Ladies, when you remember this work is pleasing to God you find satisfaction. Men and children, when you recognize this is how God uses the Christian women in your life, you benefit. As Christian women faithfully carry out their individual callings, you See Christ in Your Christian Home. You see Christ giving instruction and blessing through the Christian women he sends. So, do you see Christ? Do you see the many blessings God gives you through mothers or through your wife or through the motherly-figures in your life? Do you understand the ways you serve the body of Christ as a mother or wife or mother-figure? Or, have you sunk into the standards of the world? The world tends to praise the spectacular, right? Social media exalts the mother who can balance the three sport schedules, two school-bands schedules, and the jam-packed school schedule. It’s as though somehow this is the “real” mother that every woman must aspire to. Maybe it’s even you that feel deep down inside that you can receive glorious praise through the achievements of your child. Doesn’t that just stroke the ego? You set out to be a mother of this world so that you can receive human praise. The world tends to compare, right? If you can look more successful than others, then people praise you! Being mother becomes this badge of pride that allows you to feel better about your life. “Oh, did you see the trouble their son ran into? Our child would never do that!” Or, “My grandchildren are better behaved.” Husband-wife relationships become this sort of competition. “Our marriage is better. We don’t fight. You should learn from us.” You puff out your chest, so proud that you are better than everyone else. The world tends to gorge on the bread of laziness, does it not? Instead of seeing how Christ uses you to serve each other, you instead see how you can serve yourself. So, you manipulate your spouse in order to gain more affection. You demonstrate little care about your child’s spiritual life because you figure “it’s up to them now.” You feel too advanced in life to encourage your Christian family. Do you see what happens? When your attention drops from Christ, you lose this unity with each other. No longer do you find satisfaction in motherly roles. Rather, you behave in ways so that you can steal praise from God for yourself! Even Christian men and children may believe that only the spectacular and sensational are praiseworthy! When you (and I) set our attentions on achieving worldly goals, you fail to See Christ in Your Christian Home. You fail to see the great spiritual blessings you give and you receive. Life then begins to feel like all these individual components spinning about at random, spinning for their own self-interest. When you feel out of sync with your Christian family, set your attentions back to Christ. He unites every individual person together. The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve. Serve he did. He served the sick and diseased— even putting aside his time to help them. He exposed the error of his disciples so that they would not drift from faith. He does not boast about how well he knows Scripture. Rather, he teaches so that many may believe. Jesus sets his attention to the life he gives. Jesus Christ serves you by suffering humiliation on the cross. He suffers as though he is proud. He suffers as though he is spiritually lazy. He suffers as though he selfishly protected his time. Jesus is left out of the home of heaven so that you can call heaven your home. And you can. Jesus rose to announce his forgiveness. For the times you failed to meet his standard of being a Christian woman. For the times you criticized his gift of a mother or spouse. He forgives you. He rises into heaven, allowing you see where he has gone so that you can remember you are heading to heaven. Stop and reflect on the many different roles you have within your family setting. Some of you are children; others are adult sons and daughters. Some of you are fathers and mothers; others are grandparents (and great-grandparents). Some of you are empty-nesters with adult children; others have children growing a little less reliant on you. Some of you are husbands and wives; others carry loads of life experience after decades of marriage. Some of you are young and single; others are older and single. No matter where you are in life, See Christ in Your Christian Home. See how God’s Word is shared Through the Christian women he sends. See how Christ’s love for you motivates your appreciation for his blessings. This comes out in the response of praise you give. Her children arise and call her blessed… Pay attention to the order; praise comes after serving. A negligent mother cannot demand her child respect her. Mother-figures do not manipulate children and friends so that she can receive her selfish craving for praise. When Christian women faithfully serve their Christian family, they naturally reap praise. Praise from whom? Children, you call your mother “blessed.” That is the highest praise you may give. You are acknowledging that she is God’s representative sent into your life in order to be a blessing to you. Mothers provide food and drink, clothing and shoes, house and home for their child. God gives daily bread through the work of this woman. Mother-figures encourage children of a congregation to keep connected to God. They empathize with the struggles children face at school. God uses these Christian women to encourage you in your life of faith. When you thank the Christian women in your life, you are thanking God for blessing you through them. Even when children live ungrateful and do not praise, God sees the faithful work done for his honor. Husbands, you also praise her. You approach your wife, your mother, the widows of your congregation, or the motherly-figures, and you praise them for their real beauty. As our proverb says: Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting… People can cover up their real personalities. Physical attraction does not mean you really know someone. Real beauty is found in a woman who fears the Lord. Love for God is the most priceless trait found in a Christian spouse. How many of you can thank God because your mother shared Jesus with you? How many of you husbands will sing in heaven because of your spouse? How many of you can point to Christian friends who loved God that they invited you to worship, invited you to Bible class, or encouraged you to remain strong in your Christian faith? God uses individual members of your family setting to bless you. This is how you See Christ in Your Christian Home. As a result, every Christian—child and men and women—give thanks to God for the blessings they receive. As you look closer into the Christian home, you see all the individual components that make up a Christian family. No role is greater than another. Rather, your individual roles are different. When you examine how Christ uses you in your role, this body of believers work together to bring God’s blessings into their lives and to thank God for these blessings. Set your focus on Christ. He links your relationships together. Set your attention on him and gain motivation for many parts to work together. See Christ in Your Christian Home. Through the Christian women he sends and Through the response of praise you give. Morgan Spurlock had a simple question: What would happen if I eat at McDonald’s three times each day for one month?
So, he put his question to the test. He went to McDonald’s every day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He ordered every single item on the menu board at least once over the course of 30-days. He made sure to eat nothing except McDonald’s. So, that means no cookies at home, no chips, no tacos, no apples, nothing except what McDonald’s offered. He would even SuperSize his meal if the order-taker asked him. Now, he made sure to stay somewhat active during this test; he walked about 5,000 steps per day (which is about how much the average American walks). He did this for 30-days. Can you guess what happened? In one month Morgan Spurlock gained 25-pounds. In fact, he gained ten pounds in just the first five days and gained an additional eight pounds about a week later. Doctors figure his diet averaged 5,000 calories per day. (For comparison, nutritionists recommend a 2,000-3,000 [calorie] daily diet.) Put another way, he ate the equivalent of nine-and-a-half Big Mac [sandwiches] each day. (Can you imagine eating that?) Not only did he gain weight, but he experienced mood swings, depression, and laziness [lethargy]. His heartbeat grew irregular. He had fatty accumulations piling up on his liver. Friends pleaded with him to stop this unhealthy test. His doctor even said, “If you continue this diet, you will die.” Morgan Spurlock went from healthy to near-death all within 30-days (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Size_Me). You must watch what you consume because what you consume can kill you. This morning God is not discussing your diet habits at McDonald’s. Instead, God wants you to examine your spiritual diet. What are you taking in? Feasting on false teaching can bring spiritual death. So, God cannot make it any clearer: Test What You Believe. Many false messages exist. So, make sure to stand on the side of God. It might be the most popular question asked when stepping into a church: “How do I know what the Pastor says is right?” That is an excellent question to ask. It demonstrates your concern about on what your faith rests. You want to hear God’s thoughts, not the thoughts of another human being. You want a message that will not harm you spiritually, but will strengthen your faith. You do not want to stand before God only to hear him say, “No. What you believe is wrong. Away from me.” You want a message that puts you on God’s right side for eternity! So then, how do you know that what the Pastor says is God-pleasing? Well, our reading from 1 John says this: Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God… John tells you: Test What You Believe. In the old wild west, bankers would bite down on gold coins in order to test if they were real. If their teeth left a mark, then the coin was made of real, soft gold. If there was no mark, then the coin was made of false gold. How do you that what you believe God approves? Take what you hear and compare it to what the Bible teaches. Does what you hear agree with what is written down? Or does it contradict the Bible? This is something you must always continue. Why? Because many false prophets have gone out into the world. Did you catch that? You will encounter many different people who claim to speak with God’s authority. You must Test What You Believe. Understand, no one will sneak out of the shadows and tell you, “Follow me. I preach my own feelings about heaven and hell.” No one will jump out of a dark alley and say, “Hey! Come to my church. What we teach is wrong!” No false prophet calls himself “false.” What makes a prophet “false” is that his preaching and teaching will contradict what God says in the Bible. You will hear Pastors tell you, “Do not baptize infants,” even though Jesus commands, “Go, baptize all nations”— that is, all the people in the world (Matthew 28:19). You will hear Sunday School teachers say, “Mary is not a virgin.” Yet, God makes it so clear, in the Bible: “Jesus is born of a virgin; he is without sin” (Matthew 1:23; 3:17). A couple weeks ago, a very prominent religious leader (whom millions follow) said, “Even an atheist [one who believes God does not exist] will go to heaven if he is a good man” (https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/how-pope-francis-comforted-a-boy-who-wondered-if-his-dad-a-non-believer-was-in-heaven_us_5ad5f549e4b016a07ea0afac). This religious leader contradicted Jesus’ clear teaching: Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned (Mark 16:16). False prophets look religious. They preach in churches with crosses in them. False prophets open the Bible and speak random passages to cover up their error. False prophets may be sincere, but still spread lies about what God says. When it comes to your heart consumes, Test What You Believe because Many false messages exist. The trouble is, we are not always so careful about what our hearts consume, are we? The devil does such a tremendous job at convincing us to believe that it doesn’t really matter if you believe the whole Bible. “Just believe the ‘big’ things,” he says. If you wish to think that your baptism is meaningless, then you are free to disregard God’s teachings on baptism. If you do not think Mary is a virgin, then don’t. If you want to believe that all people go to heaven, then believe it. “Believe whatever you want,” the devil whispers. “It does not matter.” Yet, it does matter what you believe. No, not because I (as Pastor) say it does. False teaching is dangerous because it puts you against God. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. Did you catch that? If you want to follow teachings not found in Scripture, then you will follow the spirit of the antichrist… which is just as it sounds: a person who “stands against” Christ. You will either stand with God or you will stand against him. If you choose to stand against God, then you will hear the most horrific words ever imagined: “I don’t know you. Away from me” (Matthew 7:21-23). If you fill up on spiritual junk food, you will die. That is why God stresses: Test What You Believe. Many false messages exist. So, make sure you stand on the side of God. You can because God has given you his Word, the Bible. Do you realize, that God has written down his very thoughts and his very words and his very actions so that you may hear and read and believe? Do you realize that God has made sure that what was first written in the Bible some 3,500 years ago are still same words you have today? God has handed you the Bible so that these words may fill your heart and give you life! These Words contain the events Jesus endures to bring you to his side. The Son of God is born of a virgin, born sinless— just like God promised. While he lived on earth, Jesus did not chase after teachings that felt good or sounded pleasant. Rather, Jesus keeps repeating the same teachings of God even when Jewish leaders reject it. Jesus will not change his teachings even when he dies on the cross because of it. Jesus never changes God’s Word because it gives life. You see, Jesus suffers all this to bring you to stand on the side of God. (1) He lets God punish him instead of you (and me) for the times we tolerate false teaching. (2) He rises from the dead to show he never warped the Word of God. (3) Then, he tells you, You, dear children, are from God. The Word of God gives life. Jesus has grafted you into himself at your baptism. He strengthens that bond in the Lord’s Supper. You, dear children, are from God and you stand on the side of God. Just think about that! You stand on the side of God. If you stand on the side of God, then it means you have overcome all enemies of God! Yes, false prophets will remain in the world. Christian leaders will pressure you to change your beliefs on sex and marriage. Sunday School teachers may try to tell you that all people will go to heaven regardless of what they believe. Some Pastors will remove parts of the Bible that sound offensive so that churches get bigger, so that they attract more children, so that they can tug on people’s emotions. You may feel as though your congregation is failing! That you must change your beliefs in order to succeed in today’s world. Yet, God still says, [T]he one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. That means you must continue Testing What You Believe. You stand on the side of God. The devil knows this and he will spend night and day to destroy your faith. He will try to convince you that children’s programs and the number of kids in church is more important than what the Pastor teaches. He will try to convince that the more people in church, the better that church is. He will tell you that you can make an oath to join any organization that honors any Supreme Being. That Supreme Being might not be your Triune God, but all members may pool their beliefs together. Since the devil wages constant war on you, Test What You Believe and stand on the side of God. If a Pastor teaches that every religion teaches the same thing, then leave that Pastor; he is preaching falsely. If a teacher tells you the Bible has some mistakes in it, then stop listening to that teacher; he is preaching falsely. If your heart makes up beliefs that contradict God’s plan for marriage and divorce, then change your heart. If you realize a group you belong to makes you compromise your beliefs by swearing to an unknown God, then leave that group. Pumping your heart full of spiritual junk food is not worth spiritual death. Test What You Believe; feast on God’s unchanging Word and stand on the side of God. You must watch what you consume because what you consume can kill you. That was Morgan Spurlock’s wake up call. If he continued his McDonald’s diet, he would die. Change his diet and live. So, what makes up your spiritual diet? Are you making sure that God’s pure Word enters your life? Or are you willing to change the Word so that you feel happy for today? Are you willing to pick and choose what to believe? Or do you, out of love for God, fight to keep his Word pure? Feasting on false teaching can bring spiritual death, but Jesus brings you spiritual life. The Holy Spirit used God’s Word to bring you to faith. That faith has grafted you to Christ the Vine. Connected to Christ, you are motivated to live for him. How? Test What You Believe. Many false messages exist. So, stand on the side of God. In November 2016 the Chinese government started testing an entirely brand new technology for their society called: A Social Credit System.
Did you hear about this? The Social Credit System uses cameras and computers to monitor and track social and financial behavior in order to assign credit ratings to citizens. Computers scour through your transit receipts (for the bus or subway), making sure you pay the appropriate fares. Cameras can pick you out of the crowd and determine if you obey civil laws. Programs filter through your internet searches to confirm that you agree with the communist state. All this information is collected and stored in an enormous database; a file is put together on you. Then, based on your behavior you are assigned a credit score. That credit score either allows you access to certain services or it may blacklist you from certain services. This system has been in place in Beijing for two years already. You’re starting to see the results. A Chinese businessman is actually prohibited from purchasing train tickets because he lost a lawsuit against a landlord. A mother got caught using her son’s student discount-card for a subway ticket and the government publicly shamed her by plastering her face (and crime) on television screens hanging throughout the city. If you jaywalk, you may not be able to take out a personal loan. If you have more than one child, you may be banned from sending your child to private school. If you do not pay parking meters, you may not be allowed to check-in at a luxury hotel. Those who behave well are put on a “red list” and have quicker access to government services. (For example, if you were a good person, you could cut to the front of the line at the Secretary of State.) China hopes to monitor the entire nation by 2020. (https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinas-new-tool-for-social-control-a-credit-rating-for-everything-1480351590) This system forces obedience driven by fear. Obey the law and good things happen. Break the law and consequences follow. Could you imagine living under a system that forces obedience? (Be good, or else!) I think you could and you do— because your heart (and mine) often struggle to properly love God. It can feel that you must live a certain way in order to be a Christian. Be good, and you can be sure you’re saved. Act bad and, well, you might not really be a Christian. God busts through the faulty imaginations of your heart and teaches you the proper motivation for life. Christian Living Starts with God. He frees your heart from condemnation. He gives you the Spirit to serve. Today we’re talking about: “sanctification.” Now, I understand that can be a challenging word, but it’s a word the Bible uses (for example, 1 Thessalonians 4:3). [The word:] “Sanctify” means “to make holy” or “to be holy.” To be without sin. To be pure, innocent, blameless in the sight of God. When you look at yourself and examine your life, you realize that “holy” is probably the last word you would use to describe yourself. But you are “holy.” You are without sin in the sight of God. How? Because of Jesus. You see, the sacrifice made on the cross paid your spiritual debt against God. It is gone, removed, paid in full— and you did not have to work for it. This precious gift of forgiveness becomes yours by faith. Faith— that is, trusting in Jesus as Savior. He rescued you, you did not rescue yourself. He removes guilt; it’s not up to you to feel better. The Holy Spirit uses the waters of baptism to wash you clean before God (1 Corinthians 6:11). God the Son removes sin. God the Holy Spirit puts Jesus’ perfect life on you. God the Father declares you “holy.” And that is what you are. You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ (Galatians 3:26-27; see also 1 Peter 2:9-10). It remains important to remember that order. Jesus dies to wash you clean; he rises to call you clean. Now you live a holy life. Christian Living Starts with God. What happens when you flip that order? What happens if you think Christian living starts with you? You begin acting as though God set up his own Social Credit System. The thinking goes like this: In order to be a Christian you must act like a Christian. So, go to church. Be kind. Help the poor. Be patient. Do not drink. Support mission work. Be a better spouse. Do not curse. Encourage your children. Read your Bible. Give a percentage of your income as an offering. Do not dance. Wear certain clothing. Eat the right foods. Pray the right prayers. Choose to accept Christ into your heart. Obey this. Stay away from that. Be better. Be a Christian. Do you see where the motivation for Christian living comes? From guilt! From fear! From pride! You obey in order to avoid punishment and receive a reward. You obey in order to be saved. You find comfort for heaven by the way you live. If you please God with your life, then God will reward you. If you do not please God with your life, then you must work off your crimes against him. If you study that closely, you soon discover that believe you saved yourself. (1) You have heaven because you pleased God. (2) You have heaven because you made the right decision. And both of that thinking rejects the need for a Savior— because you did all the work. The disciple John stresses: Christian Living Starts with God. You cannot examine the way you live and find the assurance that you are saved. You will constantly wonder if it is enough. Christian living comes as a result of what God has done for you. You live as a Christian because God frees your heart from condemnation. [This is] how we will set our hearts at rest in his presence: If our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. When your heart condemns you, when you feel that Christian living is a way to convince yourself that you are saved, look to Jesus. Christ died for you Christ chose to die, not asking that you repay him. He carried your sins. He suffered your punishment. [He] was made sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). It is the saving work of Christ that makes you a Christian. He frees your heart from condemnation. So, when Christian living feels more of a “must” than a “want to,” reset your focus. Christian Living Starts with God. He frees your heart from condemnation and He gives you the Spirit to serve. You live a Christian life because the Holy Spirit lives in you. John writes: Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us. Notice, you did not choose to please God and God rewarded you with faith. You did not behave like a good person and so now God loves you. God gave you the Spirit. The Holy Spirit living in you gives you peace and freedom. Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us… that is, your heart does not condemn you. It finds rest in the Son of God who takes guilt and buries it into the depths of the sea. [W]e have confidence before God. You can point to the cross and say, “But Jesus died! And he died for me!” You can point to the baptismal font and say, “But God forgives! Baptism brings the Holy Spirit into my life. That’s God’s promise; that is what happened!” (Acts 2:38; Titus 3:5) You can kneel at the altar and hear those precious words: “Take eat, take drink this is Jesus given for you, for the forgiveness of your sins” (Matthew 26:26-29). You may be certain that you are holy before God because God himself plainly calls you “holy” and points you to his sacraments which made you holy. God gives you the Holy Spirit so that you are equipped to serve. If you are set free from fear and guilt, you will live as one without fear or guilt. That happens naturally. You do not have to make a conscious effort to be a better person. As you set your attention on the Word and the sacraments, you will grow in appreciation for what God has done for you. Naturally, you will show your appreciation to God by serving others. That’s why John can say: And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ… which, you already do and to love one another as he commanded us. You love one another with more than just words or tongue, you love with actions and in truth. God at work in you produces fruits through you. Some of your fruits are seen. The care God has for you moves you to care for others. So, you write cards. You visit the homebound. You grow concerned when someone is sick. You encourage your son or daughter when they have not been to worship for a while. You donate to food-drives and shelters. You volunteer at hospitals and soup kitchens. You babysit your [great]grandchildren so that parents may work. You are not trying to prove that you really a Christian. You already are! You are connected to Jesus the Vine! The natural result is to do what branches connected to the Vine do: Produce fruit (John 15:1-8). Touched by God’s love, you reflect that love. Continue loving with more than just words or tongue; love with actions and in truth. That means, when your congregation highlights a tight budget, do more than just say, “Oh, someone should give more.” Consider in your heart if you might be that person; if you—along with others—can adjust your offerings to meet the need of carrying out God’s work. That means, when you see someone struggling with a child or with physical need, do more than just say, “Oh, that kid needs to quiet up!” or “Ah, she’s complaining again.” Consider if you are able to help handle an upset child or if you can be the answer to someone’s challenge. Again, the reason you would even consider this in the first place is because Christian Living Starts with God. He gives you the Holy Spirit, who motivates you to serve others. See the order? Sanctification— the way you live as a Christian— only comes after Jesus frees your heart from condemnation. Since you are free from condemnation, you do not have to live as though God has set up a Social Credit System— where God expects good behavior or else suffer the consequences. Rather, God first sets you free from condemnation and then gives you the Spirit to serve. Remember why you live a Christian life. It’s nothing you owe to God. Rather, it is who God made you to be. Connected to the Vine, you produce the results of being connected to the Vine. You touched by God’s love touch others with God’s love. That is the motivation for life. Christian Living Starts with God. He frees your heart from condemnation. He gives you the Spirit to serve. Lisa craved to be adopted. Every morning she opened her eyes, imagining waking up in her own bedroom with her own mother gently caressing her cheek and her own father warmly smiling in the doorway. She daydreamed sitting at the dinner table, recounting the events of her school-day to parents leaning in with excitement. She closed her eyes each night dreaming of a father pushing her on the backyard tree-swing while mom beamed with pride.
Then it happened. A soft voice floated through the air, “We’re thinking about adopting you.” Lisa looked up to see a blonde-haired woman wearing a flowered sundress standing in the doorway beside a clean-shaven man whose arm wrapped around her waist. “But, before we adopt you, we want to bring you home for a month,” she continued. “At the end of 30-days, we will make our decision.” Can you imagine the emotions twisting through Lisa? She hugged both tightly, but made sure not to pinch them. She hopped out to the car with her bags, but still gently loaded them into the trunk. She gladly finished her chores, but anxiously wondered if her parents were satisfied. For 30 days she obeyed and respected and made sure not to be the cause of frustration or irritation. Only after day-30 would she know if her efforts were enough. Another couple stood in her doorway. This time a firm declaration went out: “We have adopted you. You have become our family. You are one of us.” No trial period. No conditions. The papers were signed; the adoption finalized. How do think Lisa responded to this second set of parents? She would obey them! She would respect them! She would love them! No, not because she fears rejection. Rather, she loves because she is set free from fear! She loves because she is accepted already! The conditions of Lisa’s adoption governs how she lives. The same is true for you. The conditions of your adoption govern how you live. That is an important truth to remember as you live your Christian life. God sets your attention on the empty tomb. There you discover: The Resurrection Brings New Life. You have been born into victory. You have been born to overcome the world. The resurrection really does change everything. Because Jesus lives, you also will live (John 14:19). The disciple John connects the events of the resurrection to your life now. Yet, before he ever tells you how you live, he starts by reminding you who you are. Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God… Remember what the name “Christ” means. [It means] “Anointed One.” To “anoint” means to “set someone aside for a specific purpose or mission.” Jesus is not “set aside” to free the Jews from Roman rule. He is not appointed as a motivational Speaker with words to inspire you for a better earthly life. No, Jesus is “anointed” (or “set aside”) for the specific purpose of taking away your sins (John 1:29). That is what Jesus comes to do for you— because without him, you (and I) are dead. The Bible says, You are conceived and born in sin (Psalm 51:5). The punishment for sin is death (Romans 6:23). You cannot change that fact. If you are without sin— never hating, never lying, never gossiping, never holding resentment— if you are perfect, you have no fear of death. Yet, death comes to all because all sinned (Romans 5:12). You are dead by nature, doomed to eternal death in hell. Not just that, you are dead spiritually (Ephesians 2:1). You cannot live to please God. You cannot choose to come to faith by praying and inviting Jesus into your heart (John 15:16). The Bible makes it clear: Faith comes from hearing the message and the Holy Spirit creates faith in the heart (Romans 10:17; 1 Corinthians 12:3; Titus 3:5). Just like Lisa could not choose her parents, you (and I) cannot choose to come to faith. Without Jesus there is no eternal hope. That is why John holds Jesus up high for all to see, as though saying, “Pay attention! Look! This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. See Jesus walk into the water of the Jordan River at his baptism. The heavens instantly rip open, the Holy Spirit comes down as a dove and God the Father trumpets: “This is my Son, whom I love, with him I am well-pleased” (Matthew 3:17). It’s as though a spotlight shines on Jesus, highlighting him as special. This man right here(!) comes from heaven. He is perfect. He is your payment, your Substitute for sin. [Jesus] did not come by water only, but by water and blood. He not only lives a perfect life, but he gives a perfect life by his death on the cross. On Mount Calvary Roman soldiers crush thorns into his skull. Nails are pounded into his hands and feet. A soldier spears his side. As Jesus’ blood trickles down the cross, his life slowly trickles away until he dies. For three days he lies in the grave. Then on Easter, he rises from the dead. He appears to you saying, “The wages of sin has been stamped ‘Paid in Full!’ Peace be with you!” (John 20:19) Jesus is the ‘Christ!’ He has been set aside for the specific purpose of adopting you into the family of God. His blood is the ink which frees you from the orphanage of hell. His perfect life are the adoption papers that declare you his. He brings you up to God and says, “This is my Father—and now he is your Father too” (John 20:17). Jesus lays a hand on your shoulder saying, “My house has many rooms. I have your room prepared” (John 14:2-3). What have you (or I) done to deserve this? If you look at the words you have used over this past week, if you honestly reflect on the selfish thoughts you had, if you admit the hurt of your actions, you realize you have done nothing. Jesus has done it all— free of charge! The Resurrection Brings New Life. Keep looking back at the empty tomb and see that You have been born into victory. Because Jesus lives, you already have victory over death. You will not stay in the ground forever, you will rise immortal. You will not enter hell; you will enter heaven. [You] who believe that Jesus is the Christ [have been] born of God. God has brought you an entirely new way of life. Not just life to look forward to, but a new way of life now. You have been born to overcome the world. That’s what John says. [F]or everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. The Bible often uses [the word] world as a reference to everything that stands against God. The “world” can refer to a proud, arrogant attitude. The “world” can refer to the greedy love for wealth in this life. The “world” can refer to adultery, murder, stealing, gossiping, hatred, love for anything that is not God— the actions non-Christians do not consider to be wrong (1 John 2:15-16). Remember who you are. You have been adopted into God’s family. Since you live with God, it means you live on the side of God. Since you live on the side of God, it means you stand opposed that which stands opposed to God; you stand against the world. You have been born to overcome the world— to fight against sinful desires. Better yet, you now life a Christian life. But, what does that mean— a Christian life? The kneejerk reaction is to say, “Live a ‘good’ life?” Here’s the question: “What is a ‘good’ life?” God does not leave it up to you (or me) to determine what a Christian life is or how it looks. He simply says: This is how we know that we love the children of God: (1) by loving God and (2) carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands. A Christian life is obeying the Ten Commandments. Before you set out by saying, “Alright! I can do it!” Remember your motivation for loving God. Little orphan Lisa obeys, respects, and loves her new parents. Why? Not because she must succeed in trial period. Rather, she loves because she is already accepted! Lisa has nothing to earn or prove. Lisa lives out of thanks for her new parents. In the same way, you (and I) love God’s commands. You have nothing to prove to God. You are not trying to earn his love; you already possess it. You are not trying to make sure you go to heaven; you already have a room there. You are set free from the fear of rejection. This is why John points you to the empty tomb first. Since (1) you already are made a child of God by faith, (2) you are free to live as a child of God by faith. So, you have been born into a new life which overcomes the world. No longer is life about fighting to get more money. You already have heaven! What more is there to gain? So, you give generous offerings to God because God has been generous to you. No longer must you fight to gain more popularity! God calls you “His.” What better title is there? None! So, you are kind and patient to those around you. You encourage the depressed. You let others go first. You put the needs of [grand]kids ahead of your schedules. No longer do you hold onto grudges in order to hold onto power over another. God holds no grudge against you. So, you work to reconcile with your family, your child, your friend. You have been born to overcome the world. See what Jesus has made you. See how you live on his side. As a result, you will naturally stand out from those who stand against God. The conditions of your adoption govern the way you live. Remember little orphan Lisa. Her first set of parents demand that she earns their love. She cannot do that. Yes, she would obey. She would love them. Yet, she would never know if it was enough. She would live in constant fear. Yet, being chosen by the second parents motivates her to an entirely new way of living. She loves because she is set free from fear! She loves because she is accepted! My friends, Easter Day continues every day. Jesus rose from the dead once— and the results continue on. As you ponder how to live a Christian life, first set your attention back on the empty tomb. It all starts there. Jesus has adopted you into God’s family. No trial period. No conditions. The papers are signed with the life and blood of Jesus. The adoption is final. So, you are set free for life. You live free to serve and others. No, not because you must, but because you already have everything. The Resurrection Brings New Life. You have been born into victory. You have been born to overcome the world. You keep coming back! …Every week! Even after hearing the things you hear and saying the things you do! You’re here!
I mean, how does our worship service begin? After our opening hymn, you stand up and the first thing out of your mouth is… “God, I confess that I am by nature sinful... God, I disobeyed you. I chose to do wrong and ignored the right. I deserve your wrath, your anger; God, I deserve to go to hell.” What a way to build self-esteem, right? An admission of guilt? Then there’s the sermon. Each sermon takes a Bible-reading, explains cultural traditions and simplifies Jesus’ teachings; it takes the core truth taught and compares your life to it. You hear applications to your life, reminding you that you are not as perfect as you might think you are. Wow! Who wants to hear that? Isn’t “church” a place to learn how to live a happier Christian life? That we stop talking about the gospel and actually live it? Now, we could stopping talking about “sin” and “evil” and “bad.” We could just start service with: “Yes, you aren’t perfect, but that’s ok! No one’s perfect here. Just forget about the bad things you do. Know that Jesus loves you!” We could sing something upbeat to get our hearts pumping, our minds excited, and our emotions raging. We could do all those things, but we still zero in on this issue of “sin.” Why? Well, for the same reason Jesus does. In our reading, you watch Jesus arrive in Jerusalem for the Passover celebration. This once-a-year festival reminds believers that God rescued them from slavery in Egypt. This rescue also pointed forward to a spiritual rescue. God would send a Savior to lead people out of spiritual slavery and into the freedom from sin’s deadly consequences (Exodus 12). When Jesus steps into the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. Now, a few things first. The temple breaks down into two major parts: (1) the temple itself and (2) the courtyard of the Gentiles. Only Jews could enter the temple building, offer their sacrifice and worship. Some Gentiles [non-Jews] also trusted in Jesus as Savior. They worshipped in the courtyard surrounding the temple. Passover worshippers are pouring into Jerusalem. Some travel long distances. Instead of dragging your sacrificial sheep across the desert road, you could purchase your appropriate sacrifice in Jerusalem (see Deuteronomy 14:24-26). In addition to the sacrifice, God required paying a temple tax (Exodus 30:12). Since many worshippers lived in the Roman Empire, they had Roman coins. Pressed into those coins is the image of the emperor—an emperor who claimed to be god. Such an arrogant boast stole glory from God. So, those entering the temple would exchange their Roman coins for Jewish coins. Then they could pay the required temple tax. You see, selling animals and exchanging money was not wrong. Yet, there’s two things wrong about the actions taking place here. (1) Where this business is conducted. Normally, you bought animals and exchanged money outside the Gentile courtyard. Now, someone brought this business into the place where Gentiles worship! Imagine someone bringing the barn into your church. As you pray, a cow bumps into you. You lift your eyes up to heaven in prayer and cannot help but notice a sheep pooping just a few feet away from you. The lemony-pine smell of your incense blends in with the swampy stench of sweaty cattle. You try to meditate, but someone shouts: “Exchange your money here! Low transaction fees!” What could possibly move someone to bring business inside a church? Well, that leads to the second issue: (2) The motivation behind this business. Money took precedence over the worship of God. Instead of assisting people in their worship, the Passover became a convenient tool to make money. No wonder Jesus made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!” Here’s the point: God is serious about all of his Word. The Jews felt that because they had the temple, the sacrifices, the Word, they had the freedom to behave however they desired. They put their trust in what they had, not why they had it; they rejected the need to change their hearts. Do you see why we still address sin? Jesus demands your heart. And yes, I know, you are a Christian; the Holy Spirit already lives in your heart by faith (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Yet, worldly filth can clutter it up. Greed. Pride. Arrogance. The stubbornness to refuse admitting that you are wrong. That your lifestyle actually does not match up to God’s commandments. That your cursing and swearing should not be. That your thoughts need to change. Your heart can get filled up with all this filth. If this spiritual filth remains there, then, like these Passover-marketers, you find no reason for Jesus. If you do not think you have sinned, then you do not need someone to remove that sin. When, by chance, you need spiritual certainty, you begin placing your trust in something other than the Savior. You point at your church membership: “All is well because I completed [Adult] catechism class. I never worshipped, but I completed the steps.” You point at your family history: “My great-grandfather built this church. I may not include God in my life, but I want him included at my funeral.” You point at your service: “I planted the flowers. Grandma cooked the dinners. We gave a big offering. I always lent a hand. Yes, I may have created every excuse to stay out of worship, but how dare you question what I believe!” Do you see what happens? If you forbid God’s Word to cut into your heart, you will simply whip at Jesus to leave. You, like those Passover-businessmen, will believe God’s Word does not apply to you. For many, the most shocking thing about this account is Jesus’ demonstration of anger. Does he lose control? Is he being too mean? Does he sin? Focus on something far more shocking than that: Jesus stays in the temple. I mean, do you recognize Jesus could have done nothing? He could have left greed destroy the moneychangers. He could have watched people buy an animal in order to simply fulfill a ritual; go through the empty motions of meeting God’s demand. Jesus could have just left the temple. He could have left those hearts so polluted with worthless filth that would only lead to destroy— but he does not. Jesus does not sin here. Zeal for [God’s] house consume[s him]. Jesus’ anger reveals just how much he hates sin. He does not overlook wickedness, he deals with it. So, he cleanses the temple from becoming a house of greed. More than that, he cleanses the temple of the heart. In case you think I am overstating things here, just look at how seriously Jesus treats the Passover. He, the Son of God— the Alpha and Omega, First and Last, Beginning and End— celebrates the Passover. He has to; he is born to keep God’s law (Galatians 4:4). As a boy, he and his parents went to Jerusalem for the annual Passover festival (Luke 2:41). You watch him celebrate the Passover in this reading. Then on the night he is betrayed, Jesus again celebrates the Passover. This is not some mindless ritual; he wants to worship. He does worship with a heart full of love. More than that, Jesus holds this intense desire to meditate, learn, and speak God’s Word. The temple of Jesus’ heart is perfectly clean. If you (and I) still think God does not care that much about our actions, then you better look at the cross. God is serious about all of his Word. He is serious about his commands. He is serious about punishing the law-breakers and those who scoff at sin. God remains so serious about all of his Word that he punishes Jesus. Jewish leaders succeed in destroying the temple of his body. After all, they rejected Jesus as Savior; they had no use to worship him. So, they got rid of him. And for three days his body lay under a heap of rock. Then, three days later, just as Jesus promised, God rebuilds his temple. Jesus rises from the dead! He preaches forgiveness to sin-burdened hearts. He ascends into heaven to rule a spiritual kingdom. He rules now, using his Word to rule your heart. Yes, that same Word God has placed into your life. As you remain in the Word of God, zeal for God’s house starts to consume you. It does in three ways. (1) You hold this sincere, intense desire to grow closer to God. You make it a priority to worship. Sunday mornings are not an empty-minded ritual; this is not something you do for the sake of doing. Sunday mornings, much like the Old Testament Passover, focuses your attention on a God who delivered you from sin’s damning effects. Sunday mornings are a chance for you to be reminded that Jesus (and only Jesus) has cleaned your heart from all moral filth. So, you can leave here happy; you can leave in peace. God, in Jesus, forgives you! You are set free from obeying the Ten Commandments in order to earn eternal life. You have been released from hell, free of charge! With happy hearts you serve God. How? By shaping your thoughts, words, and actions to the Ten Commandments. You live to serve God not because you must, but out of thankful love for him. Zeal consumes you, meaning, (2) you want to pay attention to what God teaches. Yes, we start service with an admission of guilt. You hear about “sin”—not because I hope to make you feel bad and little about yourself. Not because we love dwelling on the past. Rather, because the moral filth that still plagues us will start whipping at Jesus to leave. So, you listen to Jesus. You compare your behavior to his Word. God uses the Bible to strengthen you to whip out sinful habits. He points at your baptism, reminding you how the Holy Spirit now lives in you and equips you for a life of service. In the Lord’s Supper, your trust in Jesus as Savior grows so that you may remain in the one true faith until you see Jesus in heaven. Finally, your intense love for God moves you to (3) promote the need for worship. Chances are, you will not walk past cattle-sellers and moneychangers on your way out today. You probably will not ask a moneychanger to respect God’s house a little more. But, you will come across those who downplay the importance of worship. You may have a child who has not worshipped for years, but sighs with contentment: I’ve been baptized and confirmed. My name’s still in the book. That’s what God wants.” You may have a friend who thinks that simply by joining a church, God is now happy with him. You may hear someone say: “I believe in God, but I don’t need to worship.” Your zeal for God moves you to address these mistaken ideas. You do not need to flip over tables and chase out animals. Yet, flip false ideas on their head. Chase out excuses. Remind everyone how Jesus has set you free so that you can worship him. That’s what keeps you coming back. No, not stopping all talk about “sin” and “evil” and “bad.” Not by starting service with: “Yes, you aren’t perfect, but that’s ok! No one’s perfect here. Just forget about the bad things you do. Know that Jesus loves you!” Not by manipulating our emotions. What keeps you coming back is zeroing in on this issue of “sin.” Jesus cleanses the temple of your heart. By his Word, by baptism and Holy Communion, he lives in your heart. With him living in your heart, you have the peace of spiritual freedom. You have the joy to serve him now all the days of your life. “She’s not coming back.” That’s what one church councilman said to rest of the councilmen (myself included). She was not a member of the congregation, but certainly was under its spiritual care. She worshipped there quite regularly for years. In fact, she had even studied the congregation’s Bible-based teachings with the Pastor. Now, after many years spent in worship, after creating many friendships, after spending time in the Word, she was not coming back. Why? Let me put it in her words: Someone from the congregation told her ‘that she must give a larger offering.’
I wish this was the only time I heard of such things happening in a congregation. The truth is, each of you is different. Look around. Some are elderly; others young. Some have families; others are single. Some of you are lifelong Christians; others pretty new to the Christian faith. Some work; others do not. Some have physical handicaps and others have no troubles with their health or body. Each of you is different. Each of you are at a different stage in life. Each of you have different personal preferences. Those are important factors to remember when you gather for worship. After all, what instrument do you use in worship? A piano? …An organ? …A computer? How should children behave in worship? Where should people sit? How should guests who sit next to you act? Should you wear a suit or jeans? …a dress or slacks? These matters seem so trivial and yet disagreement on these matters have pushed people away from the Savior. The question is not: How do you reach agreement on these things? Rather: How do you reach agreement so that everyone may grow closer to Jesus? Well, by gathering around the one thing that unites you all together: The Gospel. Only The Gospel Frees You from obligations of the Law and it frees you to serve all with the gospel. Over the past few weeks we’ve touched on a Bible reality called: “Christian Freedom.” This morning we’ll dig into (1) what “Christian freedom” is and (2) what it means for you. In 1 Corinthians 9:19 you read: Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. That verse sounds a little contradictory, doesn’t it? The man speaking— the great missionary-Pastor Paul— says that he is both a free man and a slave (two things that seemingly cannot exist at the same time). Yet, Paul is not talking about the civil freedoms he enjoys as a Roman citizen. Rather, he describes the freedom that he possesses as a Christian. Freedom from what? From the stinging, bitter penalty that comes from breaking God’s Law. You see, when God gave his Ten Commandments, he laid down his moral expectations for all people: Love God with all your heart, mind and soul. Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself (Matthew 22:37-39). It sounds simple enough to do, or at least, it’s something you want to do. And yet, you reflect on your words and realize that you do not respect your friends like you should. You reflect on the thoughts racing through your mind and recognize that you love money, your status, the comforts of home more than you love the One who gave them all. You (and I) may want to love God, but we do not. We cannot. Our hearts resist (Romans 8:7). God makes it clear: For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it (James 2:10). The wages of sin is death (Romans 3:23; see also Galatians 3:10). When you break a single command of God, you become a slave; you are enslaved to its penalty. You are not free. Yet, Jesus came to do what you and I could not: obey God’s Law perfectly. The devil tempts Jesus with wealth, kingdoms, and status, and Jesus orders: ‘Go away!’ (Matthew 4:1-10). Although he is true God, as true man Jesus humbles himself to obey his parents (Luke 2:51). When Jesus runs into people who made a mess of their lives, he does not gossip or proudly look down on them, but rather ministers to their heart’s real need (for example, John 4:5-26). You see, Jesus comes to do what you (and I) cannot: obey God’s Law perfectly (Matthew 5:17). To obey it in your (and my) place. Jesus carries no moral fault, no blemishes. He chooses to take your place under God’s death sentence. Jesus takes on our sin and suffers our penalty of death (2 Corinthians 5:21) so that you (and I) never will. His resurrection from the dead declares that he has wiped your (and my) record against God clean. Jesus sets you free from the penalty of death. That is gospel truth. Remember what the word ‘gospel’ means. ‘Gospel’ simply means: good news. The gospel specifically proclaims the ‘good news’ that Jesus endures your penalty for breaking God’s law. The gospel tells you that Jesus has set you free from obligations of the Law. No longer do we follow the Ten Commandments in order to earn eternal life. That’s not the way you enter heaven! Faith in Jesus as the Savior who lived, died, and rose for you gets you into heaven! So, you follow the Ten Commandments out of love for everything God has done for you. This is how you live a God-pleasing life. That’s why Paul says: I am free… I am free from the enslaving penalty of the Law. I am free from the fear spending life in hell. I am free from the soul-crushing guilt that comes every time I fail to match up to God. I free because I see the Savior who forgives. This is ‘good news.’ This is the Gospel that Frees You from obligations of the Law. The Gospel that Frees You to serve others with it. So, missionary-Pastor Paul says: Though I am free and belong to no man… even though God has not handed down specific commands on what I eat or how I dress or what I do in my free-time, I make myself a slave to everyone to win as many as possible. This is the Christian’s number one priority: to share the ‘good news’ [gospel] of Jesus with all people. Paul brings the gospel by meeting specific needs of specific groups. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. Paul adopts Jewish customs. When he preaches to those with Jewish backgrounds, he presents himself a certain way. He stays away from pork and eats only kosher foods. He uses their Old Testament Bibles to point to Jesus. Now, he does not have to. He could eat hotdogs and skip over the teachings of Moses and the prophets—he could because God has given no New Testament laws on these things. Paul is free, but if he behaves carelessly, he may lose his Jewish audience. Some of the Jews may not know why they could eat pork. Others may be offended if Paul appears to disrespect Old Testament prophecy. And so, Paul acts like a Jew so that he has an opportunity to teach Jesus and grow them in Christian living. God has not placed orders as to how you worship. He makes no mention of the use of organs, pianos, drums, guitars, or any other instrument. He does not command that you must use the Common Service or the Service of the Word in worship (any other service being called ‘sinful.’) God does not demand the Pastor wear a white robe or black or any robe. God does not even demand that the Pastor stand behind a pulpit when preaching. Yet, to the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To Christians gathered here, become like them to win them, to be a blessing to their faith, not a burden. Even though you and I are free to worship as we please, we still embrace rich worship practices. Why? Because many here already appreciate our rich worship practices. For me to stand up and preach walking around in a suit (or jeans!) is not wrong. Yet, if I act without explaining to others this freedom they have, I can hurt them spiritually. If I act without listening to them and their appreciate for what we already have, I can drive them away from Christ! So, even though I may prefer one style of worship or I prefer to wear something else, for the sake of others I lay aside my freedom. I choose to not make us of my wishes and my wants so that I do not damage the faith of my fellow believers. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law. Paul even ministers to the non-Jews, the Gentiles. They did not grow up with the Law of Moses. They did not have certain eating rules or worship days or civil laws. (They did have God’s commandments inscribed on their hearts.) In short, Gentiles act differently from the Jews. They are not circumcised. They eat any kind of meat. Some are uneducated with Jewish customs. Yet, Paul serves the Gentiles by adopting their customs and practices. He does not push a kosher diet on them. He does not force them to get circumcised. Paul enslaves himself to Gentile customs so that he may have an opportunity to share the Word with them. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law. Those who worship alongside you may not act like you. The automatic reflex for us is to make a new law. We want to force our wants on others. To make a certain behavior “right” and a certain “wrong.” How many stories have you heard of a congregational member asking someone to “get out of their pew?” How many demand that those around them be quiet instead of moving to another seat? How many have turned around and stared down the parent of a crying child— all because that “noise” was unwanted? How many have complained that shirt, ties, and dresses are the only “right” clothing for worship and anything else is inappropriate? And you may not have seen those troubling matters here. Great! What blessing! And yet, those are true stories I have heard in my brief ministry. This same mindset of creating rules for people to act like us is a constant temptation. In short, we want to make laws even though Jesus sets us free from laws. Jesus sets us free for our eternal benefit and we want to enslave others for our selfish benefit. In humble, selfless love, Jesus meets your needs. Your selfishness. Your needless insecurity. Your desire to control. He meets them all and sets you free from the hell they deserve. That is good news. That is the Gospel which Sets You Free—free to serve it to others. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law. The truth is, God has not made commands for how people act in worship. God has only given a guiding principle: Everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way (1 Corinthians 14:40). So, you are free to determine the atmosphere of your worship, but you may need to set aside your preferences in order to meet the unique needs of others. For the sake of younger families, it may mean that you move so that you can hear the message with greater ease and so that younger families can quickly and quietly step out of the sanctuary. For the sake of the elderly, it may means that you take into account their needs— recognizing if your child (or your coughing, etc.) is getting uncontrollably disruptive, for their sakes, you lay aside your freedom and address the issue. Imitating Christ-like humility, I put my needs below the needs of others. Why? I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. This is tough. To be honest, it’s tough because of the sinful nature inside each of us, a sinful nature that wants you and your needs placed ahead of the needs of everyone else. Yet, to let this selfishness go unchecked can wreak havoc among you fellow Christians. Each of you is different. Some are elderly; others young. Some have families; others are single. Some of you are lifelong Christians; others pretty new to the Christian faith. Some work; others do not. Some have physical handicaps and others have no troubles with their health or body. Each of you is different. Each of you are at a different stage in life. Each of you have different personal preferences. How do you meet those needs? By gathering around the one thing that unites you all together: The Gospel. The good news that you are set free from obligations of the Law. The good news you get to serve to all people. The good news that each of you gather together around one Lord and one Christ and that each of you get to grow in this Christ. So, go. Live in harmony with one another. Serve your Lord in gladness. Because The Gospel Frees You from obligations of the Law and it frees you to serve all with the gospel. |
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