Sermon Aug. 25-26, 2012

Title: Christ submitted so that you might be united in love to him!

Text: Eph. 5:25-27

25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

The captain of the ship looked into the dark night and saw faint lights in the distance. Immediately he told his signalman to send a message" "Alter your course 10 degrees south." Promptly a return message was received: "Alter your course 10 degrees north."

The captain was angered; his command had been ignored. So he sent a second message: "Alter your course 10 degrees south--I am the captain!" Soon another message was received: "Alter your course 10 degrees north--I am seaman third class Jones." Immediately the captain sent a third message, knowing the fear it would evoke: "Alter your course 10 degrees south--I am a battleship." Then the reply came "Alter your course 10 degrees north--I am a lighthouse."

In the midst of our dark and foggy times, all sorts of voices are shouting orders into the night, telling us what to do, how to adjust our lives. Out of the darkness, one voice signals something quite opposite to the rest--something almost absurd; but the voice happens to be the Light of the World, and we ignore it at our peril.

Paul Aiello, Jr.

Christ submitted so that you might be united in love to him!

Dear friends,

The word submission has different meanings to different people. To some it means to give in and for others it means to give up. The apostle Paul, writing to the Ephesian church, brings this relationship into perspective.

The apostle Paul writes: 22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. So you might be thinking, “Here goes Chauvinistic Paul – placing a wedge between husband and wife calling the wives to be submissive and give in to their husbands!” But it is to their own husbands, to the men with whom they have entered into marriage and the united relationship of Holy wedlock that Christian wives submit … and it is for their own benefit and the benefit of the marriage.

This is not done unwillingly, as in forced submission as in the relationship of owner to slave or boss to worker but by virtue of their willing consent at the time of the marriage; for they are not subject to the husband as their lord and master, but “as to the Lord,” that is, as to Christ.

24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Vs 24

When we think of headship and order we need to think in terms of the Godhead. Father, Son and Holy Spirit being united as one God in Trinity and yet there also is a unity in God that is clear in scripture and yet hard to understand and comprehend. The terms co-equal and co-eternal describe the relationship inside the Godhead as well as give an order and function to God’s work as well. The truth is that Christ will always be the second person in the Trinity, though co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and His work being the work of redemption that he accomplished in His incarnation by the power of the Holy Spirit, being born of the Virgin Mary and becoming man where He lived, suffered, died and rose again for your Justification (your freedom) – Christ paying the price for your sin and you receiving the verdict of Not Guilty and being set free on account of His submission and death.

In subjection, Christ, submits to the Father’s will when He says, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42)

But we again read in our text today, 25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her … 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, (Eph 5:25, 2

The command to the wife is submission as unto the Lord and the command to the husband is Love as Christ loved the church. But not just the love of joy, or attraction, as males and females do in the act of seeking out a mate who they hope to spend the rest of their lives with, but for us men we are called to a sacrificial type of love that does and will do everything for our wives - a task we willfully and often fail at. We are told that husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies –think about it - a very personal connection for us men; 5 …‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? (Matt 19:5) … the two shall become one – submitting to oneself and loving oneself -and also just as Christ does the church, a humbling and eternal perspective for you and me that reveals the complete sacrificial nature of the love of husbands and wives to each other.

Christ submitted so that you might be united in love to him!

While driving down a country road, a man came to a very narrow bridge. In front of the bridge, a sign was posted: "YIELD." Seeing no oncoming cars, he continued across the bridge and to his destination. On his way back, he came to the same one-lane bridge, now from the other direction. To his surprise, he saw another YIELD sign posted. Curious, he thought, "I'm sure there was a Yield sign posted on the other side." When he reached the other side of the bridge he looked back. Sure enough, yield signs had been placed at both ends of the bridge. Drivers from both directions were requested to give right of way. It was a reasonable and gracious way of preventing a head-on collision. When the Bible commands Christians to "be subject to one another" (Ephesians 5:21) it is simply a reasonable and gracious command to let the other have the right of way and avoid interpersonal head-on collisions.

Stephen P. Beck

The ESV reads in verse 21: submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

When I was preparing to get married my father had one of those father and son talks with me. He said, “Russ, marriage is a complete and total compromise! When it feels like you’re giving 80% and Monica is giving 20% in return … it’s probably 50/50.”

Subjection and compromise always feel uneven and at times it is just that - complete giving for the good of the other … as Christ did for you.

There is a great example of compromise and love on the part of a husband as he discussed to his friend how he and his wife settled on their vacation destination plans. He said, “I wanted to go to New York and my wife wanted to go to Florida, so we compromised…we went to Florida!”

…Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church. Submission, love and compromise reveal the picture of a healthy marriage. It is the picture of Christ who gave himself unto death for the salvation on the world.

Christ submitted to the will of the father as He stood in the waters of the Jordan River marked as a sinner in need of repentance … for you. He willingly fixed His eyes on Jerusalem and steadfastly walked to His certain trial, conviction and death for his bride and the love of His life … the church. In love He gave Himself for her and the church which is His wife submits to His will knowing how much He loves her and gave Himself for her.

In our Old Testament lesson for today we read from the prophet Isaiah who reminds us”

18 In that day the deaf shall hear
the words of a book,
and out of their gloom and darkness
the eyes of the blind shall see.
19 The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord,
and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.

The deaf, whose ears by their own sinfulness had been closed to the voice of the Lord, will hear from the words of a Book, containing the divine written revelation of God, and the eyes of the blind, who suffer spiritual blindness, shall see out of darkness, for the Lord Himself will enlighten the eyes of their understanding.

The Epistle reading today dealing with submitting is a hard reading for many, but it is the word of God. Monica asked the Priest at our wedding to not read it … but he did anyway … “Woops!” he said after reading the passage she asked him to omit. Next month we will celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary together and I thank the Lord for the blessings of our marriage and family life together, mutually submitting and loving one another out of reverence for Christ.

Friends,

Christ submitted and loved the Church which is you and me. We see this pictured best in the relationship of husband and wife submitted, loved and committed to each other but the reality of sin in the world corrupts these relationships all the time. The brokenness of the body of Christ cries out daily in anguish. We see it and hear of it with our friends, our neighbors and our church family as well. Sin can break the bonds of our love for one another and even husbands and wives deal with broken families and marriages all the time but nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 8:38-39)

Christ submitted so that you might be united in love to him!

Christ loved the church (which is you) and gave himself up for (you), 26 that he might sanctify (you which is to make you holy), having cleansed (you, in your baptism) by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that (Jesus Christ) might present (you) to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that (you) might be holy (set apart) and without blemish.

God in Christ has loved you set you apart as His beloved child having won the battle of sin, death and the Devil - for you. By the power of the Holy Spirit in you He points you to Christ and His finished work and that in Christ you are loved and forgiven! God comfort you with this blessing now and forever.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit!

Amen

Sermon Aug. 4-5, 2012

Title: Christ, true bread unto life eternal, for you!

Text: John 6:26-27, 35 (ESV)

26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

The following letter was found in a baking-powder can wired to the handle of an old pump that offered the only hope of drinking water on a very long and seldom-used trail across Nevada's Amargosa Desert:

"This pump is all right as of June 1932. I put a new sucker washer into it and it ought to last five years. But the washer dries out and the pump has got to be primed. Under the white rock I buried a bottle of water, out of the sun and cork end up. There's enough water in it to prime the pump, but not if you drink some first. Pour about one-fourth and let her soak to wet the leather. Then pour in the rest medium fast and pump like crazy. You'll git water. The well has never run dry. Have faith. When you git watered up, fill the bottle and put it back like you found it for the next feller … signed Desert Pete. P.S. Don't go drinking the water first. Prime the pump with it and you'll git all you can hold." Keith Miller and Bruce Larson, The Edge of Adventure. 

Dear friends,

Have you ever been that thirsty where you might rather just take a sip of the little bit of water that was left rather than priming the pump for all you could get? The crowd in our Gospel lesson today had been. They were looking for Jesus; not because, as Jesus said: “you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.”

The feeding of the 5000 was truly a miracle … the text in John’s gospel tells us that Jesus used five loaves and two fish to feed the multitude and here they are seeking Him out. They are out looking for the man who fed them. They were aware that the disciples had departed and that there was only one boat, so on the next morning they were a bit perplexed at not finding Jesus and wondered where He was. They saw a few other boats that came near from Tiberias and figured to go look for Him and upon finding him the question asked was, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Their concern was, “How did he get away from us with no boat?” And more importantly, “What’s for breakfast!”

We can almost hear their thoughts … “That was a pretty sweet meal last night! So, if we stay close to Him … maybe there is another feeding in store for us?” To which, Jesus knowing their thought says:

27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”

Christ, true bread unto life eternal, for you!

For you and for me we work for food that perishes every day. Our lives are consumed by things we want and we despair over things we don’t have. I’m just like you or maybe you’re just like me? The lust of the eyes can consume … a consumer! My car is 9 years old and it would be nice to get in one that isn’t starting to show its age so bad. You know with 103 thousand miles things don’t work quite so well and there are a few more noises and glitches.

For example: When I go through the drive thru to order a coffee … sometimes the power window doesn’t work. Sometimes it goes down in short bursts but then it won’t go up. But, I figured out how to make it work! After I get my coffee, if I move up just a foot or two and open the door about six to eight inches … I can get the power window to go up!

Yes, I would like a newer car but I have more pressings concerns at this time and if you remember from last week, I am my father’s son … so it will have to be a used car that looks pretty good. You have pressing needs as well I’m sure but can get so caught up with the things of this world too, whether it be a car, home job or a specialty cup of coffee from the drive-thru instead of the run of the mill home brewed stuff.

Jesus is talking to you … just like he was talking to those who were fed by the five loaves and two fish. Seek … the food that endures to eternal life.

Now, you might ask as they did: “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Or, what is the work that endures to eternal life? Or, while we’re on a fast food analogy … “Where’s the beef?”
We all want to know … “Have I done enough for my neighbor and worked to advance God’s kingdom?” And the answer always is no! You haven’t done enough and you can’t do enough. No matter what you think about faith and no matter how little faith you believe you or someone else has, the bar of the Law has been set too high for us in our fallen sinful state and Jesus sets the record straight for you and me as well when He says:

“This is the work of God that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

Quite the gift! No matter how little or how much faith you have the gift has been given to each one who believes. That is the work of God … to bring to faith those, like you and me, who have their eyes aimed at the things of this world … the things that rot and spoil like the bread from my bread box that I threw out the other day or maybe they’re things that rust and wear out, like that car of mine - I do need to address that one day!

St. Augustine had this to say about faith. He said:

Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. St. Augustine.

Christ, true bread unto life eternal, for you!

So the question comes again to Jesus in our text from His followers:

“Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? (Can you believe it? They just ate the loves and the fish. What more confirmation do they want? And then they throw the kicker at Him …) 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” … Bread from heaven ...

What did they just experience? This is the same old grumbling we’re hearing from them, that was heard from the children of Israel in our Old Testament lesson today:

“You should have left us in Egypt! We could have died by the hand of the Lord there and been happy … at least we had meat and bread there and were full … not being brought out into this wilderness to die of hunger!”

But notice … they don’t quote that part of the Old Testament lesson to Jesus. They just bring to Him the fact that Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat to which Jesus says to them and to us:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

Christ, true bread unto life eternal, for you!

So again:

34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” And again:

35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

God, gives you Jesus!

He gives you His very Son to stand in your place.

God gives you Jesus!

He carries your sins upon Himself to the cross.

God gives you Jesus!

He points you to Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit given you in baptism.

God gives you Jesus!

He sustains you by the power of His Holy Spirit, pointing you away from the things of this world that decay and perish and He points you to the bread of life, Jesus Christ, Himself who sustains you and preserves you unto life eternal.

In our opening story about Desert Pete, He said, “Don’t drink the water … but if you prime the pump you’ll have all the water you need from that old well.” The good news for you and me is that the pump has been fully primed and the water that we receive is living water given us in baptism that washes us clean of our sin, creating faith in Him who is the true bread of life, bringing eternal life to all who believe.
God comfort you with this good news now and forever that:

Christ Jesus is the true bread unto life eternal, for you!

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit!

Amen