Holy, Holy, Holy
Monday, October 29, 2012
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Sermon Oct. 20-21, 2012
Title: Life requires money but death requires Christ!
Text: Mark 10:31
31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
John G. Wendel and his sisters were some of the most miserly people of all time. Although they had received a huge inheritance from their parents, they spent very little of it and did all they could to keep their wealth for themselves. John was able to influence five of his six sisters never to marry, and they lived in the same house in New York City for 50 years. When the last sister died in 1931, her estate was valued at more than $100 million. Her only dress was one that she had made herself, and she had worn it for 25 years.
The Wendels had such a compulsion to hold on to their possessions that they lived like paupers. Even worse, they were like the kind of person Jesus referred to "who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God" (Luke 12:21).
But, how we handle money reveals much about the depth of our commitment to Christ. That's why Jesus often talked about money. One-sixth of the gospels, including one out of every three parables touch on money and Jesus dealt with money matters … because:
Daily Walk, June 2, 1993.
Life requires money but death requires Christ!
23 And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!”
Money is important and it was important in Jesus’ day. In speaking to His disciples in this way Jesus wasn’t making light of money or the concerns that people have regarding it. He was focusing on wealth and specifically the wealth of a certain young man.
If you were here last Sunday and remember the Gospel reading … Jesus had been approached by a man who asked Him:
“Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
And, after going through the commandments with Him and showing him what God requires in the law, the man said:
20 … “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.”
21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
Here Jesus gets to the heart of the problem. Who is your God? The disciples aren’t quite sure where Jesus is going with this after this man of wealth just left the presence of Jesus disheartened … and they are amazed at His words. So, sensing their lack of understanding Jesus makes this statement:
…“Children; Oh how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God!
How difficult indeed.
One just left who had great wealth we are told. Many others probably would do the same. Wealth enabled people then as it does today. Wealth prohibited people too. Jesus answers His statement with this follow up:
25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
Life requires money but death requires Christ!
The last four years have been hard for many. The trials of this economy, business climate or job market as it is called have been really hard for some people and murder for others. Too many of our friends and many of our members here at Peace have been devastated. Young and old alike have seen either the prospect of a job fade to nothing or have seen the job they’ve had for year’s disappear. Many have moved out of state and some have even lost their homes.
Those of us who are still working have seen the value of what we earn and take home not go as far as we’d like and we’ve all had to tighten our belts to coin a phrase. The value of wealth and the need for money is understood by you and me, as well as our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. Jesus is not in our text diminishing the need for work, money, food, home and the like. But He is pointing out what can blind you from the kingdom of God.
Idol worship is not very far removed for any of us. Just as the man in last week’s lesson …left Jesus and went away … we too fall away. Many members who have fallen on hard times are worried and embarrassed at their situation. Some have resorted to drinking, drugs or other vices. Some lie and steal as a means to hide or mask the problem. And, too many of our loved ones have to live with and fight against illness in a world corrupted by sin, that it’s easy to understand their frustration when they turn away and blame God for their condition in this sinful world. We all look for blessings … and when they don’t appear we blame the one who loves us the most.
And it’s not just the young who fall away.
Ill.
I was speaking to a man I know through work who is in his early 80’s and lives near the church. He had called to talk to me about some music and a musician that he found that had excited him and wanted to share it with me.
After we spoke for a while, I told him to stop by the store as I’d love to hear the music and I’d introduce him to the new management in the store. He said, “What, you’re not managing the store anymore?” I took the opportunity to tell him about this wonderful change in my life … that I was leaving the music business that I loved and that has blessed me for over 30 years and going into ministry and getting to serve my Lord and Savior and His flock here at Peace. I said, you should stop by we’re having Oktoberfest and you’ll meet some nice people.
“No!” He said, “I have been too hurt over my life.” He told me of being hungry as a child of losing his wife of many years to illness and death and now his lady friend has broken up with him. He is angry with God. I think we can all understand his loss.
So, as I was saying good bye he said, “I’ll stop by and see you. Even though I live alone, I’m still in the same house in Waterford that I’ve lived in for 50 years. I have three cars that I drive and have 5 IPads so when I leave the house I have all my music with me wherever I go”
… 5 IPads?
Life requires money but death, salvation and newness of life requires Christ!
26 The disciples were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”
29 Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.
And then He closed with this:
31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
It can cause us all to think. Paul Brand writes this little note to the Lord in his book, Fearfully and Wonderfully Made:
Dear Lord,
I have been re-reading the record of the Rich Young Ruler and his obviously wrong choice. But it has set me thinking. No matter how much wealth he had, he could not-- ride in a car, have any surgery, turn on a light, buy penicillin, hear a pipe organ, watch TV, wash dishes in running water, type a letter, mow a lawn, fly in an airplane, sleep on an innerspring mattress, talk on the phone, or own 5 IPADs
If he was rich, then what am I?
P. Brand, Fearfully and Wonderfully Made, p. 61.
Life requires money but death requires Christ!
Rejoice! Christ has called you to be in Him! Rejoice! Your name is written in the book of life! You who have to endure trials for a little while will receive countless blessing for eternity!
God, who was rich in every way, humbled himself and took on the form of a servant for you. If you have needs in this life the greatest need you have has been fulfilled and given to you. Your sins have been taken away and laid on Christ. He paid the price of sin for the whole world with His Holy precious blood as a sacrifice for you. He covers you with the pure white robes of His righteousness because He loves you more than His own life. He made Himself poor so that you might be rich for eternity!
Yes, life requires money but God in Christ has given you and me so much more.
Remember the question from the rich young ruler?
“Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
When you inherit something it is something that you are given; it is something that you receive, not because of your desire or effort but because of God’s mercy. (Rom 9:16 NIV)
Believe in Him whom God has sent and you receive eternal life given to you. The riches of this life pale compared to the glorious riches in Christ.
9 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— 10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. (1 Cor. 2:9-10)
Life requires money but death requires Christ!
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Sermon Sept 29-30, 2012
Title:
God opens the mouth so that we can sing His praise!
Text: Mark 9:38-41
38 John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” 39 But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40 For the one who is not against us is for us. 41 For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.”
Dear friends,
During his days as president, Thomas Jefferson and a group of companions were traveling across the country on horseback. They came to a river which had left its banks because of a recent downpour. The swollen river had washed the bridge away. Each rider was forced to ford the river on horseback, fighting for his life against the rapid currents. The very real possibility of death threatened each rider, which caused a traveler who was not part of their group to step aside and watch. After several had plunged in and made it to the other side, the stranger asked President Jefferson if he would ferry him across the river. The president agreed without hesitation. The man climbed on, and shortly thereafter the two of them made it safely to the other side. As the stranger slid off the back of the saddle onto dry ground, one in the group asked him, "Tell me, why did you select the president to ask this favor of?" The man was shocked, admitting he had no idea it was the president who had helped him. "All I know," he said, "Is that on some of your faces was written the answer 'No,' and on some of them was the answer 'yes.' His was a 'Yes' face."
C. Swindol, The Grace Awakening, Word, 1990, p. 6.
God opens the mouth so that we can sing His praise!
In our Gospel reading today we have an interesting story. John, one of the disciples of Jesus and - an impetuous son of thunder – which simple means he usually acted first and thought later - was bringing to Jesus a story:
“Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” Mark 9:3
The thought of serving the life of the world from a Christian worldview is often the work of the church. Churches often bring food, and aid during times of disaster and we saw this faith put into action during the Tsunami that devastated Japan, the earthquake that paralyzed Haiti as well as the many tornadoes that destroyed cities and towns, like Joplin Missouri and others in and around the mid-west. Our own church members have been involved in bringing aid to those affected by the destruction following Hurricane Katrina and to the victims inBiloxi , Mississippi
At these times as well, churches offer the good news and share the love of Christ with those that are hurting and through the word of Law and Gospel, found in the Holy Scriptures, God, through the power of the Holy Spirit brings to faith those who will believe and trust in Jesus.
John here was confusing who was truly at work in the casting out of the demons. His nature was fixed on the tiny band of disciples that Jesus gathered together and their calling to do the work appointed by Christ. So I’m sure that there was a smile on his face for the good that he the others had tried to do - in stopping one not of their group from casting out demons in Jesus’ name - that smile soon fell to a frown as Christ began to speak.
“Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40 For the one who is not against us is for us.” Mark 9:39-40
Christ in a very concise way draws the distinction of who is really the active agent in casting out of demons or in the bringing of others to faith. It is God by His word and through the Holy Spirit who points us to Christ so that we trust and believe. God certainly uses the failed and flawed sinners that we all are to work through but it still remains His work and in His time how and when He draws those who will believe to faith. It is through that same faith that:
God opens the mouth so that we can sing His praise!
In our day we too must be prepared to speak the truth in love. I’m just finishing a biography called Bonhoeffer – Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas. The story revolves around pastor, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran Pastor inGermany Germany
Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit should move us all to action in love when confronted with this sin infested world; especially for our neighbors who are persecuted and mistreated.
5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5
And we are moved to action, not by a sense of duty or by thinking that our actions merit thanks and a pat on the back – that was what John was expecting - but motivated by joy and the love of Christ that was shown to us at the cross:
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.Rom.
So we also in love share that good news with others.
Martin Niemoller, a Lutheran pastor and a fellow member of theConfessing Church
First they came for the socialists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for me,
and there was no one left to speak for me.
Let us all pray that:
God opens our mouth so that we can sing His praise!
The disciples missed the Lord’s will and desire in His saving work … To reach the lost and to strengthen the saved. Yes, God works through His ordained servants of the word, who proclaim the truth of His word through the Law of condemnation and through the blessed Gospel of forgiveness while also rightly administering the sacraments for our good and for the good of all His church; but also God uses us all- you and me - in the places of His choosing to bring the comfort of forgiveness in Christ to those who need to hear.
Ill.
Just prior to World War II -- Jesse Owens seemed sure to win the long jump at the 1936 Summer Olympic Games. The year before he had jumped 26 feet, 8 1/4 inches -- a record that would stand for 25 years. As he walked to the long-jump pit, however, Owens saw a tall, blue eyed, blond German taking practice jumps in the 26-foot range. Owens felt nervous. He was acutely aware of the Nazis' desire to prove Aryan – white superiority, especially over people of color. At this point, the tall German introduced himself as Luz Long. "You should be able to qualify with your eyes closed!" he said to Owens, referring to his two jumps. For the next few moments the black son of a sharecropper and the white model of Nazi manhood chatted. Since the qualifying distance was only 23 feet, 5 1/2 inches, Owens qualified easily. In the finals Owens set an Olympic record and earned the second of four gold medals. The first person to congratulate him after his win and in full view of Adolf Hitler was Luz Long. Owens never again saw Long, who was killed in World War II. "You could melt down all the medals and cups I have," Owens later wrote, "and they wouldn't make the platting on the 24-carat friendship I felt for Luz Long."
David Wallechinsky in The Complete Book of the Olympics.
Christ has redeemed you. He has covered you and as Luther says in the explanation to the second article of the creed:
… not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. This is most certainly true.
He has washed you clean through the water of your Baptism and given you the Spirit to go and to sing His praises!
James reminds us in our epistle today:
19 … if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. James 5:19-20
We are mandated to seek the lost (though it’s God’s work alone); we are called to spread the Good News (though it’s the work of the Holy Spirit who brings one to faith); and even more we are blessed by God and through this same Spirit to have success (though the true success was won at the cross over sin, death and the power of the Devil by Jesus Christ our Lord).By this same victory and this same Spirit we too can sing His praise as:
God opens our mouths so that we can bring this Good News to others!
May we all, by the power of the Holy Spirit, and in keeping with the message of forgiveness in Christ, shine forth the praises of God’s love as others see our actions and hear our words echoed in the proclamation of Titus Chapter 2 verse 13.
13 while we wait for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. (NIV)
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit! Amen.
Text: Mark 9:38-41
38 John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” 39 But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40 For the one who is not against us is for us. 41 For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.”
Dear friends,
During his days as president, Thomas Jefferson and a group of companions were traveling across the country on horseback. They came to a river which had left its banks because of a recent downpour. The swollen river had washed the bridge away. Each rider was forced to ford the river on horseback, fighting for his life against the rapid currents. The very real possibility of death threatened each rider, which caused a traveler who was not part of their group to step aside and watch. After several had plunged in and made it to the other side, the stranger asked President Jefferson if he would ferry him across the river. The president agreed without hesitation. The man climbed on, and shortly thereafter the two of them made it safely to the other side. As the stranger slid off the back of the saddle onto dry ground, one in the group asked him, "Tell me, why did you select the president to ask this favor of?" The man was shocked, admitting he had no idea it was the president who had helped him. "All I know," he said, "Is that on some of your faces was written the answer 'No,' and on some of them was the answer 'yes.' His was a 'Yes' face."
C. Swindol, The Grace Awakening, Word, 1990, p. 6.
God opens the mouth so that we can sing His praise!
In our Gospel reading today we have an interesting story. John, one of the disciples of Jesus and - an impetuous son of thunder – which simple means he usually acted first and thought later - was bringing to Jesus a story:
“Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” Mark 9:3
The thought of serving the life of the world from a Christian worldview is often the work of the church. Churches often bring food, and aid during times of disaster and we saw this faith put into action during the Tsunami that devastated Japan, the earthquake that paralyzed Haiti as well as the many tornadoes that destroyed cities and towns, like Joplin Missouri and others in and around the mid-west. Our own church members have been involved in bringing aid to those affected by the destruction following Hurricane Katrina and to the victims in
At these times as well, churches offer the good news and share the love of Christ with those that are hurting and through the word of Law and Gospel, found in the Holy Scriptures, God, through the power of the Holy Spirit brings to faith those who will believe and trust in Jesus.
John here was confusing who was truly at work in the casting out of the demons. His nature was fixed on the tiny band of disciples that Jesus gathered together and their calling to do the work appointed by Christ. So I’m sure that there was a smile on his face for the good that he the others had tried to do - in stopping one not of their group from casting out demons in Jesus’ name - that smile soon fell to a frown as Christ began to speak.
“Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40 For the one who is not against us is for us.” Mark 9:39-40
Christ in a very concise way draws the distinction of who is really the active agent in casting out of demons or in the bringing of others to faith. It is God by His word and through the Holy Spirit who points us to Christ so that we trust and believe. God certainly uses the failed and flawed sinners that we all are to work through but it still remains His work and in His time how and when He draws those who will believe to faith. It is through that same faith that:
God opens the mouth so that we can sing His praise!
In our day we too must be prepared to speak the truth in love. I’m just finishing a biography called Bonhoeffer – Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas. The story revolves around pastor, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran Pastor in
Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit should move us all to action in love when confronted with this sin infested world; especially for our neighbors who are persecuted and mistreated.
5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5
And we are moved to action, not by a sense of duty or by thinking that our actions merit thanks and a pat on the back – that was what John was expecting - but motivated by joy and the love of Christ that was shown to us at the cross:
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
So we also in love share that good news with others.
Martin Niemoller, a Lutheran pastor and a fellow member of the
First they came for the socialists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for me,
and there was no one left to speak for me.
Let us all pray that:
God opens our mouth so that we can sing His praise!
The disciples missed the Lord’s will and desire in His saving work … To reach the lost and to strengthen the saved. Yes, God works through His ordained servants of the word, who proclaim the truth of His word through the Law of condemnation and through the blessed Gospel of forgiveness while also rightly administering the sacraments for our good and for the good of all His church; but also God uses us all- you and me - in the places of His choosing to bring the comfort of forgiveness in Christ to those who need to hear.
Ill.
Just prior to World War II -- Jesse Owens seemed sure to win the long jump at the 1936 Summer Olympic Games. The year before he had jumped 26 feet, 8 1/4 inches -- a record that would stand for 25 years. As he walked to the long-jump pit, however, Owens saw a tall, blue eyed, blond German taking practice jumps in the 26-foot range. Owens felt nervous. He was acutely aware of the Nazis' desire to prove Aryan – white superiority, especially over people of color. At this point, the tall German introduced himself as Luz Long. "You should be able to qualify with your eyes closed!" he said to Owens, referring to his two jumps. For the next few moments the black son of a sharecropper and the white model of Nazi manhood chatted. Since the qualifying distance was only 23 feet, 5 1/2 inches, Owens qualified easily. In the finals Owens set an Olympic record and earned the second of four gold medals. The first person to congratulate him after his win and in full view of Adolf Hitler was Luz Long. Owens never again saw Long, who was killed in World War II. "You could melt down all the medals and cups I have," Owens later wrote, "and they wouldn't make the platting on the 24-carat friendship I felt for Luz Long."
David Wallechinsky in The Complete Book of the Olympics.
Christ has redeemed you. He has covered you and as Luther says in the explanation to the second article of the creed:
… not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. This is most certainly true.
He has washed you clean through the water of your Baptism and given you the Spirit to go and to sing His praises!
James reminds us in our epistle today:
19 … if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. James 5:19-20
We are mandated to seek the lost (though it’s God’s work alone); we are called to spread the Good News (though it’s the work of the Holy Spirit who brings one to faith); and even more we are blessed by God and through this same Spirit to have success (though the true success was won at the cross over sin, death and the power of the Devil by Jesus Christ our Lord).By this same victory and this same Spirit we too can sing His praise as:
God opens our mouths so that we can bring this Good News to others!
May we all, by the power of the Holy Spirit, and in keeping with the message of forgiveness in Christ, shine forth the praises of God’s love as others see our actions and hear our words echoed in the proclamation of Titus Chapter 2 verse 13.
13 while we wait for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. (NIV)
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit! Amen.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Sermon Sept 15-16, 2012
Title: God uses for good what we use for evil to build His kingdom!
Text: James 3:5-8
On a warm summer day in April of 1988 a young man of 40, standing in the office of his studio in the Hollywood Hills, noticed from the window of that office, two teenage boys running after a German shepherd dog. Not wanting the dog to enter the office through the door that had been left partially opened to allow a breeze to come in, Larry moved to close the door. As he reached the door, he looked up coming face to face with a young man of about 15 years old who rather than speak pulled from behind his back a 357 magnum handgun and proceeded in one motion to point it at Larry shooting him in the neck from about 12 feet away.
The young man fled on foot leaving to bleed on the floor Larry Carlton, famous jazz guitarist and musician with at the time 10 solo albums as well as numerous other recordings to his credit. Miraculously he didn't die or even lose consciousness and even though he temporarily lost all use of his left hand and couldn't play guitar at all, through the Lord’s great blessing, his faith in God, wonderful doctors, tremendous physical therapy and the care of a loving wife, he recovered well enough to perform again only 10 months after, as he called it, the incident.
So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great
things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a
fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining
the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by
hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be
tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It
is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
On a warm summer day in April of 1988 a young man of 40, standing in the office of his studio in the Hollywood Hills, noticed from the window of that office, two teenage boys running after a German shepherd dog. Not wanting the dog to enter the office through the door that had been left partially opened to allow a breeze to come in, Larry moved to close the door. As he reached the door, he looked up coming face to face with a young man of about 15 years old who rather than speak pulled from behind his back a 357 magnum handgun and proceeded in one motion to point it at Larry shooting him in the neck from about 12 feet away.
The young man fled on foot leaving to bleed on the floor Larry Carlton, famous jazz guitarist and musician with at the time 10 solo albums as well as numerous other recordings to his credit. Miraculously he didn't die or even lose consciousness and even though he temporarily lost all use of his left hand and couldn't play guitar at all, through the Lord’s great blessing, his faith in God, wonderful doctors, tremendous physical therapy and the care of a loving wife, he recovered well enough to perform again only 10 months after, as he called it, the incident.
I was there in
1989 at the Royal Oak Music Theatre to see his much anticipated return to the
concert stage. After walking out to thunderous applause an eerie hush fell over
the crowd. You could almost hear a pin drop. Larry walked to the mike and with
a voice still raspy and recovering from the gunshot wound – and working with
his only one remaining vocal cord – he asked a simple question. “Are
there any guitarists in the audience?” A sea of hands went up … to which
Larry, looking at and scanning the audience replied … “Ah, it’s nice to be judged.”
3 Not many of you
should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be
judged with greater strictness.
James makes this
statement in our epistle today reminding us that:
God uses for good what we use for evil to build His
kingdom!
This pastoral letter was written to calm the habit of some of the mostly Jewish congregations who were permitting almost any man to speak during worship, pointing to the greater judgment that will fall upon those who are called to preach and rightly divide God’s word to his people. A humbling task to say the least!
This pastoral letter was written to calm the habit of some of the mostly Jewish congregations who were permitting almost any man to speak during worship, pointing to the greater judgment that will fall upon those who are called to preach and rightly divide God’s word to his people. A humbling task to say the least!
Within these
congregations there had been some who were obviously very self-righteous, that
James calls - a perfect man - having
complete self control in all he says and does even comparing this control to
the bridle in the mouth of a horse or the steering of a large ship with a tiny
rudder.
For
the pastor, preaching and teaching correct doctrine is essential and to not do
so would be to tamper with God’s divine Word itself, making a mockery of it and
rendering it of little or no value!
James
calls the tongue a fire and if you’re
like me you’ve been burned by it and probably caused others harm with it.
At least if you’re honest or you’ve been in an Elder’s or Voter’s Meeting you
know what I mean.
James
continues:
6
And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among
our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life,
and set on fire by hell.
James
is pretty clear: In our sinful nature we will follow the ways of the world, the
flesh and the Devil. Boasting of ourselves and even belittling those who we
perceive and judge to be less pure in doctrine, confession and practice and at
times judging motives we can’t really know by actions we think we understand.
And
it’s not just pastors who will be judged and are controlled by the fire of the
tongue. But, all members of the body of Christ who worship the true God use the
tongue to bless our Lord and Father, and with it we also curse people who are
made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing
(and James tells us) my brothers, these things ought not to be so.
1988, was not a
good year for me or so I thought. Just 5 days prior to the shooting of Larry
Carlton, my mother died of cancer. The wellspring of emotions could have caused
a great fire of curses to flow from my tongue, drawn from the pit of hell to
curse my mother’s passing. But that which the Devil intended to cause despair
in me God intended for good. So in the quiet of my basement, I prayed the only
prayer I knew, the Lord’s Prayer and I asked the Lord to comfort me at this
time of grief and to draw me closer to Him and His word.
Maybe you have a
transformation stories too? Where God took you in your brokenness and through
suffering and set you up giving you the strength to endure, in Him. He brought
me through this convoluted path that led from the Roman Catholic Church,
through a small non denominational church to St. John Rochester
“Russ, If the Lord wants you to be a pastor, He’ll figure
a way for you to do it … and maybe even keep us in our church!”
… Fat chance of
that happening, I thought … “That’s not
how it works Honey.” I said.
But, the Lord has
his own plans and while in my sinfulness and stubbornness, I still think I
would have rather done it my way going to the seminary 10 years ago. God had
his own plan. You see He took a person Hell bent on worshiping the wood of an
idol shaped in the form of a guitar and He pointed me to the wood of the cross
by the power of the Holy Spirit.
As Pastor Merrell
and I sat at dinner one Wednesday evening here at church three years ago, he
asked me, “Russ, could you see me after class?” He had been teaching
confirmation and I was leading an adult bible study through 1st Corinthians.
Just after class
ended the chairman of the Board of Elders said to me, “Did Pastor tell you he wants to
see you after class?” I’m
starting feel a bit uneasy and just then Officer P.J. Osika, one of the members
of our church, walks in and says, “Pastor around, he wanted to see me?” Now
I’m thinking, “He’s got the Elders and
the Cops after me! Have I been teaching false doctrine?”
No … just
circumstance. Pastor brought the notion of the SMP
program to me and asked if I would prayerfully consider entering it and serving
here at Peace. As I thought about it I keep thinking … that’s not how it works …
27 But Jesus
said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”
(Luke 18:27) So,
I prayed and accepted the opportunity.
Now three years
since that meeting and in anticipation of my Theological Interview in a few
weeks when Pastor and I return to Fort Wayne
I called my
friend Paul shortly after meeting with Pastor Merrell to get his wisdom and
council. “We’ve been friends since 1st
grade. I said Paul, can you see me as a Pastor in God’s church?” To which
he replied … “Well, if God can use
uneducated fisherman, a man who persecuted the church, and boastful arrogant
“Sons of Thunder” I guess He can use you!” Comfort from a friend.
God in His wisdom
has called each one of us to the truth of His gospel. By faith He causes us to
believe and confess this truth by our mouth drawing from the sweetness of the
well of forgiveness instead of from the pit of the well of despair.
Martin Luther
made this clear in his writings and theology, that we remain both a Saint by faith and a sinner by nature.
This truth is reflected in the tongue that we and other Christians use in both
Christ like and carnal ways.
But our Lord and
savior Jesus came to calm the hearts of his children. Taking the weight of sin
upon Himself bringing forth faith in His finished work by the power of the Holy
Spirit and through that same Spirit conforming the tongue of fire and spite from our mouth into a tongue of Hope and
blessing for His kingdom.
God uses for good what we use for evil to build His
kingdom!
Just like me your past has shaped you into who you are … but God has shaped you and called you into who you are in Christ. Despite the failings and brokenness of life whether by the fire of the tongue or as in Larry Carlton’s case by the fire of a bullet from a gun, God has given you the blessed Good News that in Christ you have the forgiveness of sins – the favor of God on account of Christ - and in Him God is well pleased and in you the favored one of God dwells bringing forth the tongue of blessing and comfort for the children of light.
Just like me your past has shaped you into who you are … but God has shaped you and called you into who you are in Christ. Despite the failings and brokenness of life whether by the fire of the tongue or as in Larry Carlton’s case by the fire of a bullet from a gun, God has given you the blessed Good News that in Christ you have the forgiveness of sins – the favor of God on account of Christ - and in Him God is well pleased and in you the favored one of God dwells bringing forth the tongue of blessing and comfort for the children of light.
May the blessed
robes of His righteousness, the Love of God and the fellowship of the Holy
Spirit be and abide with each one you now and forever!
In the name of
the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit!
Amen
Amen
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Sermon Sept 1-2, 2012
Title: Guilty and Bound in Sin but Christ has set you free!
Text: Mark 7: 14-16
14 And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: 15 There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.”
A man entered a bar, bought a glass of beer and then immediately threw it into the bartender's face. Quickly grabbing a napkin, he helped the bartender dry his face while he apologized with great remorse. "I'm so sorry," he said. "I have this compulsion to do this. I fight it, but I don't know what to do about it." "You had better do something about your problem," the bartender replied. "You can be sure I'll remember you and will never serve you another drink until you get help." It was months before the man faced the bartender again. When he asked for a beer, the bartender refused. Then the man explained that he had been seeing a psychiatrist and that his problem was solved. Convinced it was now okay to serve him, the bartender poured him a drink. The man took the glass and splashed the beer into the barkeeper's astonished face. "I thought you were cured," the shocked bartender screamed. "I am," said the man. "I still do it, but I don't feel guilty about it anymore."
Charles Sell, Unfinished Business, Multnomah, 1989, p. 223.
Dear friends,
Now while this story is funny it is not to be our model for how we deal with our guilt as Christians. We are not to willingly continue in our active sinful behavior but just not feel guilty about it. But in our Gospel lesson today Jesus is dealing with guilt that is being placed upon people, from the outside.
Jesus says,
14 “Hear me, all of you, and understand: 15 There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” (Mark 7:14-15)
In the Old Testament, Levitical impurity or ceremonial washings were of great importance but they no longer hold any value in the New Testament. Of far greater significance is the importance of the spiritual purity of a person and the impurity, that we in our human nature are bound to, wrestle with and know all too well.
The Christian value or standing of a person isn’t dependent upon the outward appearance. Whether one wears suites and formal attire or jeans and flannel shirts washes before meals or not, eats certain foods or not. All these Law based things are immaterial and have no effect where worship of the Lord is concerned. They may have proper hygiene and sanitary value, just as we have good and reasonable customs regarding how we dress or present ourselves in God’s house, our work or special occasions we attend. They do not concern the spiritual value of a person or their relationship to our Heavenly Father but, as Christ says, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him.” That which comes forth from a man, is what is apt to make him unclean and these things may disturb and cause the relationship between God and man to be severed. Jesus is making a very important point and one that He wants those hearing in our text today to know and understand.
Guilty and Bound in Sin but Christ has set you free!
So how about you and me? Does it matter whether we eat before coming to church of after? Or whether our breakfast is cold pizza and soda or Bran Flakes and milk? No. The point that Christ is making is that we are corrupt from our very core. We are broken and only fixed by the word of God and the work of Christ. King David knew this too, being confronted by the prophet Nathan after he sinned with Bathsheba and sent her husband Uriah off to the front and to certain death. The story of the pet lamb brought David’s sin into the light of God’s condemnation and it is something that each one of us can claim too for we are corrupt in our sinfulness.
Psalm 51
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!
3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
(Psalm 51 vs.1-9)
What comes out of a man is what is bound into the human condition … sin.
Jesus says: 21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
Listen again:
… Out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts … sexual immorality … theft (have you stolen anything?) murder (remember, Jesus said if you’ve even hated your brother you have broken this the fifth commandment: Matt 5:21) adultery, (cheating on a spouse, sex outside of marriage, living together – ask yourself this question: Is God for it or against it?) 22 coveting ( desiring that which another has) wickedness, deceit, ( wishing evil on another and seeing to it that it happens) sensuality ( Presented in advertising as a good thing. But from the dictionary we can read an example of how they use the word in a sentence: Those people appear to view sensuality as a necessary evil, and do not appear to abhor it as a crime in the unmarried state.) envy,( Being jealous of another’s possessions or place in life) slander,( saying something about another that will negatively affect them) pride,(being confident of yourself in your sin and continuing along the same path) foolishness. (all of the above) 23 All these evil things come from within and they defile a person.” As I go through this list with you - guilt and condemnation fall on both you and me alike.
Luther had this to say about our complete corruption:
“Your home, once the holiest of all, has become the most licentious den of thieves, the most shameless of all brothels, the kingdom of sin, death, and hell. It is so bad that even Antichrist himself, if he should come, could think of nothing to add to its wickedness.”
From The Freedom of a Christian, pg. 336 of Luther's Works, Vol. 31
Because of that we are: Guilty and Bound in Sin … but there is Good News that in Christ you have been washed clean and He has set you free!
Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, 19 since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled? (Thus he declared all foods clean.) 20 And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him.
Ill.
A little boy visiting his grandparents was given his first slingshot. He practiced in the woods, but he could never hit his target. As he came back to Grandma's back yard, he spied her pet duck. On an impulse he took aim and let fly. The stone hit, and the duck fell dead. The boy panicked. Desperately he hid the dead duck in the wood pile, only to look up and see his sister watching. Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing.
After lunch that day, Grandma said, "Sally, let's wash the dishes." But Sally said, "Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen today. Didn't you, Johnny?" And she whispered to him, "Remember the duck!" So Johnny did the dishes.
Later Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing. Grandma said, "I'm sorry, but I need Sally to help make supper." Sally smiled and said, "That's all taken care of. Johnny wants to do it." Again she whispered, "Remember the duck." Johnny stayed while Sally went fishing.
After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally's, finally he couldn't stand it. He went and confessed to Grandma that he'd killed the duck. "I know, Johnny," she said, giving him a hug. "I was standing at the window and saw the whole thing. Because I love you, I forgave you. I wondered how long you would let Sally make a slave of you."
Steven Cole.
Christ has paid the price for the sins of the world. He has propitiated our sins (which is the act of atoning for sin or wrongdoing of delivering from sin or saving from evil- Christ’s work at the cross) but He has also expiated our sins (which is not only the act of paying the price of sin but it is a removal of the guilt associated with sin.) Christ has paid the price for your sin with His holy and precious blood. He has washed you clean of the sin that you were conceived in and born with. He removes the guilt of sin from your heart so that you can stand in the newness of life and proclaim the Good News that because of Jesus Christ you are free!
Christ has set you free … not to return to your sinful habits - but just not feeling guilty about it as the opening illustration suggested - but to truly start anew every day by remembering your baptism and the washing of forgiveness you received in water and the word and that you can remember your past – guiltless. When the Father sees you He sees Jesus.
Guiltless and Free! Bound in Sin and death no more!
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit!
Amen
Text: Mark 7: 14-16
14 And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: 15 There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.”
A man entered a bar, bought a glass of beer and then immediately threw it into the bartender's face. Quickly grabbing a napkin, he helped the bartender dry his face while he apologized with great remorse. "I'm so sorry," he said. "I have this compulsion to do this. I fight it, but I don't know what to do about it." "You had better do something about your problem," the bartender replied. "You can be sure I'll remember you and will never serve you another drink until you get help." It was months before the man faced the bartender again. When he asked for a beer, the bartender refused. Then the man explained that he had been seeing a psychiatrist and that his problem was solved. Convinced it was now okay to serve him, the bartender poured him a drink. The man took the glass and splashed the beer into the barkeeper's astonished face. "I thought you were cured," the shocked bartender screamed. "I am," said the man. "I still do it, but I don't feel guilty about it anymore."
Charles Sell, Unfinished Business, Multnomah, 1989, p. 223.
Dear friends,
Now while this story is funny it is not to be our model for how we deal with our guilt as Christians. We are not to willingly continue in our active sinful behavior but just not feel guilty about it. But in our Gospel lesson today Jesus is dealing with guilt that is being placed upon people, from the outside.
Jesus says,
14 “Hear me, all of you, and understand: 15 There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” (Mark 7:14-15)
In the Old Testament, Levitical impurity or ceremonial washings were of great importance but they no longer hold any value in the New Testament. Of far greater significance is the importance of the spiritual purity of a person and the impurity, that we in our human nature are bound to, wrestle with and know all too well.
The Christian value or standing of a person isn’t dependent upon the outward appearance. Whether one wears suites and formal attire or jeans and flannel shirts washes before meals or not, eats certain foods or not. All these Law based things are immaterial and have no effect where worship of the Lord is concerned. They may have proper hygiene and sanitary value, just as we have good and reasonable customs regarding how we dress or present ourselves in God’s house, our work or special occasions we attend. They do not concern the spiritual value of a person or their relationship to our Heavenly Father but, as Christ says, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him.” That which comes forth from a man, is what is apt to make him unclean and these things may disturb and cause the relationship between God and man to be severed. Jesus is making a very important point and one that He wants those hearing in our text today to know and understand.
Guilty and Bound in Sin but Christ has set you free!
So how about you and me? Does it matter whether we eat before coming to church of after? Or whether our breakfast is cold pizza and soda or Bran Flakes and milk? No. The point that Christ is making is that we are corrupt from our very core. We are broken and only fixed by the word of God and the work of Christ. King David knew this too, being confronted by the prophet Nathan after he sinned with Bathsheba and sent her husband Uriah off to the front and to certain death. The story of the pet lamb brought David’s sin into the light of God’s condemnation and it is something that each one of us can claim too for we are corrupt in our sinfulness.
Psalm 51
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!
3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
(Psalm 51 vs.1-9)
What comes out of a man is what is bound into the human condition … sin.
Jesus says: 21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
Listen again:
… Out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts … sexual immorality … theft (have you stolen anything?) murder (remember, Jesus said if you’ve even hated your brother you have broken this the fifth commandment: Matt 5:21) adultery, (cheating on a spouse, sex outside of marriage, living together – ask yourself this question: Is God for it or against it?) 22 coveting ( desiring that which another has) wickedness, deceit, ( wishing evil on another and seeing to it that it happens) sensuality ( Presented in advertising as a good thing. But from the dictionary we can read an example of how they use the word in a sentence: Those people appear to view sensuality as a necessary evil, and do not appear to abhor it as a crime in the unmarried state.) envy,( Being jealous of another’s possessions or place in life) slander,( saying something about another that will negatively affect them) pride,(being confident of yourself in your sin and continuing along the same path) foolishness. (all of the above) 23 All these evil things come from within and they defile a person.” As I go through this list with you - guilt and condemnation fall on both you and me alike.
Luther had this to say about our complete corruption:
“Your home, once the holiest of all, has become the most licentious den of thieves, the most shameless of all brothels, the kingdom of sin, death, and hell. It is so bad that even Antichrist himself, if he should come, could think of nothing to add to its wickedness.”
From The Freedom of a Christian, pg. 336 of Luther's Works, Vol. 31
Because of that we are: Guilty and Bound in Sin … but there is Good News that in Christ you have been washed clean and He has set you free!
Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, 19 since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled? (Thus he declared all foods clean.) 20 And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him.
Ill.
A little boy visiting his grandparents was given his first slingshot. He practiced in the woods, but he could never hit his target. As he came back to Grandma's back yard, he spied her pet duck. On an impulse he took aim and let fly. The stone hit, and the duck fell dead. The boy panicked. Desperately he hid the dead duck in the wood pile, only to look up and see his sister watching. Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing.
After lunch that day, Grandma said, "Sally, let's wash the dishes." But Sally said, "Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen today. Didn't you, Johnny?" And she whispered to him, "Remember the duck!" So Johnny did the dishes.
Later Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing. Grandma said, "I'm sorry, but I need Sally to help make supper." Sally smiled and said, "That's all taken care of. Johnny wants to do it." Again she whispered, "Remember the duck." Johnny stayed while Sally went fishing.
After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally's, finally he couldn't stand it. He went and confessed to Grandma that he'd killed the duck. "I know, Johnny," she said, giving him a hug. "I was standing at the window and saw the whole thing. Because I love you, I forgave you. I wondered how long you would let Sally make a slave of you."
Steven Cole.
Christ has paid the price for the sins of the world. He has propitiated our sins (which is the act of atoning for sin or wrongdoing of delivering from sin or saving from evil- Christ’s work at the cross) but He has also expiated our sins (which is not only the act of paying the price of sin but it is a removal of the guilt associated with sin.) Christ has paid the price for your sin with His holy and precious blood. He has washed you clean of the sin that you were conceived in and born with. He removes the guilt of sin from your heart so that you can stand in the newness of life and proclaim the Good News that because of Jesus Christ you are free!
Christ has set you free … not to return to your sinful habits - but just not feeling guilty about it as the opening illustration suggested - but to truly start anew every day by remembering your baptism and the washing of forgiveness you received in water and the word and that you can remember your past – guiltless. When the Father sees you He sees Jesus.
Guiltless and Free! Bound in Sin and death no more!
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit!
Amen
Saturday, August 25, 2012
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
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