The Details

 1 Corinthians 15:1-10

Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.  For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.  After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as it were to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.  For I am the least of the apostles, who am not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.  But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.

Sermon for 11-SAT                                      8/28/22

The Details

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

They say, "The devil is in the details."  That is not a theological proverb, but a description of the importance of the little things, the details.  Something may look good on a broad overview, but trouble may lie deep in the details of the thing.  Building plans work like that - looking pretty good in general, but the little details about material specifications and what-not can make a building a disaster waiting to happen.  Computer programming is that way too.  You can write a brilliant piece of program to do wonderful things, but those little details that you overlook - and everyone does it - cause malfunctions, computer hang-ups, program failures and other things which go by the generic title of "bugs".  That is why a big part of programming is de-bugging the program – finding those overlooked details and fixing them before the program gets out to the public.  Many of those program upgrades and patches your computer downloads each time you go on-line are the result of the failure of debugging to catch all of those errant details.

This morning, our Epistle lesson makes a similar point; only it is that the Gospel is in the details.  Theologians write books, series of books, large compendiums of books about theology and the Gospel, but they are all writing academic and theoretical sorts of stuff.  Don't get me wrong, many of those books are good and useful and even necessary, but the Gospel is so much simpler than all of that.  The Gospel - and the Christian faith - is not some unifying theory or complex set of theological principles that require years of study to understand.  The Gospel is, quite simply, the details.  It is isn't hidden in them or drawn from the distillation of them, or reasoned out from them.  The Gospel is the details.  And that is our theme this morning - simply, "The Details".

Paul's words at the beginning of this Epistle are that he intends to share in writing the Gospel which he preaches.  He clarifies that by saying that it is the very same Gospel which they heard from him, the same Gospel which they believed, and the same Gospel which saves them as long as they hold fast to the message that he has preached to them.  He adds the caveat, "unless you believed in vain."  That line has double edge to it.

The first edge - the first thought - that one could connect to this idea is from chapter 14, where Paul has assailed a number of faulty doctrines, such as the value of tongues-speaking among Christians and in worship, and women who try to assume the leadership of the church and become its teacher and pastor.  He addresses these controversies, and then asserts that truth did not originate with them, and that if they, or anyone, cannot recognize that the teachings he is explaining have come from God, they are not to be recognized as Christians.  So, "unless you believed in vain" can certainly be a reference to those who stubbornly hold to false doctrines, and thereby believe something, but not unto salvation.

The other edge of this phrase points to the critics of his teaching, those who espoused another Gospel and asserted that if anyone believed what Paul taught that they were deceived and lost forever.  Even yet today, Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses, who espouse the faulty and false doctrines that the false teachers in Corinth were teaching two millennia ago, still brashly proclaim that anyone who foolishly believes the Gospel Paul teaches is so seriously in error that they forfeit eternal life – which the Mormons believe is almost impossible to do.  So, Paul makes an object lesson of their claim, and tosses in "unless you believed in vain" as if to say, unless you think those false apostles are teaching you the truth and what I am teaching you is going to lead you to destruction.

The words were a challenge to the Corinthians -and to us - to make up our minds: is the Gospel what Paul preached, or not?  Can we trust his words?  Is this the truth of God's grace - or are those works-righteousness people right?  What follows is that Gospel.  And notice that it is all very precise, reality oriented, and detail laden.  These details of history are "of first importance".  "that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.  After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as it were to one untimely born, He appeared to me also."

Did you take note?  The Gospel is all in the details.  The history, real events in real time, is the saving good news.  Christ, with all the truths and doctrines that this honored title carries with it, died for our sins.  This is not about philosophy, but about a sacrifice for us.  Someone died for what we have done - to rescue us - and that someone was Christ, the Anointed One, God's own Son.  We have to fill in from our own learning that God came in the flesh.  We must understand that Jesus did no sin so that this sentence of death did not belong to Him, but the confession of the Church is that this One did die, for us and in our place.  Paul also says, "according to the Scriptures," which means, "just as the Scriptures of the Old Testament people prophesied that he would."  To the time that Paul wrote these words, there were no "Scriptures" of the New Testament to report this.  He wasn't saying that it is just as the New Testament says.  Paul was saying that all of this Gospel stuff had been clearly prophesied in the Old Testament.

Not only did Christ die, but He was buried, just like any dead person would be, and then He rose from His grave on the third day, just as the Old Testament had promised that the Messiah would.  And Paul didn't expect them to simply take him at his word about this resurrection.  He adduced witnesses — the Apostles, that is, the original eleven surviving disciples — who had followed Jesus for years and would not be deceived or confused by hoaxer.  He identified Cephas - that's "Peter" in Aramaic, transliterated into Greek.  Then he spoke of the Twelve.  There were only eleven still alive of the original group, but that was their name, as a group, just like the Three Stooges were still the Three Stooges even after Curly had died.

But the list of witnesses was not just a small group that might be persuaded to join in on some sort of deception.  There were five hundred of those who had come to believe in Jesus during His ministry who saw Jesus alive after His death and resurrection.  Not just 500, but five hundred at one time!  Some of them had passes away - fallen asleep - by the time Paul wrote this twenty-five years later, but most of them were still alive to give their testimony - and perhaps some of those five hundred lived in Corinth and were part of the congregation who received this letter first!  Five hundred people would make a good sized congregation today, but it was probably the entire Christian Church on earth on the day that they saw Jesus alive from the dead!  Each of those 500 could confirm every detail of this Gospel.  If it were not so, we would know, after all, you know how hard it is to keep a secret if any large group of people know it, right?  Just think of leaks to the press.  We don't know anything about this appearance, except these few words written here, but these words confirm the details.

Paul finishes up by reporting how James, the half-brother of Jesus finally saw Jesus - which accounts for how the brother who did not believe and did not understand while Jesus was alive became the leader of the Church in Jerusalem, and one of the early martyrs for the faith.  And then He talks about himself.  Everyone probably knew the story of the Damascus Road encounter and so He did not repeat it here.  He humbly admits his late coming to the Gospel, and his horrible history of the persecution of the Church, but he does so to illustrate the marvelous grace of God.  And that wonderful grace is part of the Gospel, too.  It is shared here for those who think that they cannot be loved by God or accepted into his grace.  Paul embarrasses himself with his own history so that those who think that they cannot come under God's grace can see how great a sinner and enemy of the faith God will re-claim and love.  He can love and forgive even such a great sinner as you, or you, or me.

These are the details.  It is not profound theology that we are called upon to believe, but that the Son of God took on human nature, and human flesh and blood for us.  Then He kept the whole law of God for us, in our place, because we not only could not, but would not.  Then He died a death He did not deserve - dying in our stead and paying the penalty for our sins.  And we are called on to believe that Jesus rose from the dead, and we have the record of a host of witnesses who saw it, and touched Him and talked with Him, who know He was dead, and know that He is alive again!  We called on to believe these facts, these details, and just one other thing - that we who believe these details are saved by believing - and that salvation means that we, too shall rise from the dead, from our own graves, and shall live forever with Him.

This is not a course on some theory of atonement.  There is no moral code laid out here.  There is nothing more than these details, which teach us the love of God for us, and promise us that this death and resurrection and salvation are for us, too.  Other "gospels" are no Gospel at all, Galatians 1:7.  It is still the simple facts, the details of the case, and the promise of God which are our hope, and make up the Gospel which we believe.  It is the simple gift of God. Simple enough for a child – and Jesus once said that he who does not enter the kingdom of heaven like a little child, he shall not enter therein.  It is all in the details.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
(Let the people say Amen)

To Each One Is Given

 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware. You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the dumb idols, however you were led. Therefore I make known to you, that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus is accursed"; and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. And there are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.

Sermon for 10-SAT 8/21/22

To Each One Is Given

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Our text this morning deals with the topic of "spiritual gifts". In the last twenty years, this was a very controversial topic. The trick of teaching about controversial topics is always not to say too little while being careful not to say too much. When the devil has his foot in the door, so to speak, in a controversy, one needs to teach precisely what God teaches, and nothing more or less. On one side of the road is the denial of the Holy Spirit, and on the other is the charismatic excesses which, thank God, are not currently a problem in our congregation.

This particular text offers a number of emphases and teaching points for us to consider. It speaks of the unity of the church. It talks about faith as the work of the Holy Spirit, and it addresses the importance of every individual within the congregation. We will look at each of them, this morning, under the theme, "To Each One Is Given".

First, our text tells us that faith is the work of the Holy Spirit. Therefore I make known to you, that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus is accursed"; and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit. In a church where one cannot distinguish between believer and unbeliever – which isn't so much of a problem in our world today - unbelievers generally don't bother coming to church - but in such a world, it is important to know that no one who has the Holy Spirit at work in them is going to deny Christ or curse Him. That was happening under persecution, in the days of the Apostles. People were being asked, at the point of a spear, to curse Christ or die. Even back then, however, the intellectuals in the church - few though they were - were always tempted to be too wise to fall for the ‘superstition' of the Gospel, and so they would deny Christ, and Paul says quite plainly that no one can deny Christ if the Holy Spirit is at work in them.

Why is that important? Because the Holy Spirit alone works faith: no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit. You can pronounce the words, of course, but you cannot confess the faith with integrity unless the Holy Spirit has created faith within you. The Church and the Christian faith in each and every believer is the work of the Holy Spirit. So, aside from those pesky hypocrites, you can tell believer from unbeliever by whether they confess Christ or deny Him.

Of course, denying Christ means far more than simply saying the words "Jesus is accursed." The modern scholars who deny that He said the things He said or did the things Scripture tells us that He did are denying Him. When they try to picture Jesus as merely a great man, they are denying Him. When men hijack the church for their own purposes – fund-raising, or political action, or social service alone, or just to turn it into a psycho-therapeutic society – they are denying Jesus. By taking Him and His Church for any purpose other than the Gospel and the salvation of men - and women, of course - they are, by their deeds, as much as saying, "Jesus is accursed."

The Church is God's work, for the purpose of the nurture of His holy ones, and the sharing of the good news that Jesus has conquered sin, death, and hell on our behalf with those that do not yet believe. Christ's death paid the penalty due according to the justice of God for our sin, and His resurrection declares the forgiveness of our sins and the favor - the goodwill and love - of God for us. Because of Jesus, your sins are forgiven. Because of Jesus, you will live forever. It is by grace, through faith, and the Church exists to nurture that faith, and enable you to stand firm in it until you reach God's promised rest in heaven. He has knit us together into a family and given us the charge to show forth His glory by holy lives of faith and by telling others the same Gospel that we believe.

Now and then, some Christians get it in their minds that they are insignificant. They think that they do not matter. The church is so big, and they are so small that they are inconsequential – or churches are generally so big and their congregation is so small that it doesn't make any difference in the world or in the mission of Christ in the world.

This text argues against those ideas as well. While the text doesn't mention church sizes, it does address the individual's place in the church. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. The manifestation of the Spirit is a fancy way of saying, the gift which the Spirit brings. Notice that every single one - each one - is given the manifestation of the Spirit. You have a place of significance in the Church. You have something to offer that the church needs. No one is unimportant.

Now the ordinary Christian is tempted to fall off the straight and narrow of sound doctrine and thinking in one of two ways. Some people think that they are not significant, and others begin to imagine that they are so talented and so important that the church cannot do without them, and that they ought to be accorded special consideration for being so bright, or talented, or important, or rich, or whatever. Paul apparently was facing both ideas in the church in Corinth, because he effectively addresses both.

First, each of us has a manifestation – a gift. It is for the common good. The church is stronger and better off when each member uses their gifts. You are a blessing, intended for our well-being as individual Christians and especially as a congregation.

Secondly, He goes on to explain how each gift is worked by God - and he cleverly works the Trinity into the explanation. There are gifts, ministries, and effects named, but they are all worked by the same Spirit, same Lord, Same God. Whatever good things happen in the church happens by the power and under the direction of the Lord. The evil men do in the church is not done by God's power - but He knows about it – and sometimes He uses it for His own purposes, such as disciplining the lazy Christian, or trying to awaken the church that is losing its confession to its dangerous situation. But the good stuff, blessings, growth in faith or in numbers, unity, and such, that is all accomplished by God.

He takes several verses here to point to specific gifts, and claim each one is worked by the Spirit. Wisdom, knowledge, faith, and all the other manifestations of the Spirit mentioned are worked by God where and when it pleases Him, for the good of all. This is where we come face-to-face with the idea that each of us is important. God gives each of us our abilities and fits us into our place for the common good. We don't have to know what all we accomplish. We are not responsible for rating the value of any gift. We are merely called on to use what the Lord gives us - whether we see it as precious or we don't even see it as a gift – in the situation in which He places us, for the glory of God and the life of the congregation. How it works out from there is up to God.

We are not responsible for figuring out why or how things work. Paul writes that the Spirit distributes them to each one individually just as He wills. We have what we need, and the congregation needs every one of us. Sometimes it is easy to discount this and think we are here, but we are not all that important. That is just the sin-sickness of the flesh talking. We are important because God says so.

Let me give you examples from history. Some of the most famous congregations in history were small. They did what they could, what they saw as set before them to do. And so people remember them as great congregations - like the church in Neuendettelsau where Pastor Loehe (Löhe) served, and sent missionaries to a new land, America. His sendlinge - the sent ones - became the backbone of the Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and other States, which we now call the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. It was a small congregation, but vitally important in our Synod's history.

I have also noted that many of our favorite hymns were written by people who were weak and sick. I think of Frances Ridley Havergal. She lived just 43 years. She was in frail health life-long. Still, she wrote ‘O Savior, Precious Savior', ‘Take My Life and Let It Be', ‘I Gave My Life For Thee', ‘I Am Trusting Thee, Lord Jesus', ‘Now the Light Has Gone Away', from the hymns in our hymnal, and the tune we use with the hymn, ‘We Are the Lord's, His All-Sufficient Merit'. She is not the only example, but I think she is one of the best. I cannot imagine that she felt important or powerful or that she was making a big difference. She was weak and sick and died young, but no one who sings her hymns would count her or her contributions to the church as insignificant. What faith she proclaimed - and still proclaims. What joy she has brought to the hearts of millions of Christians. What comfort her hymns contain and impart.

We do not know what God is doing in us or through us. We get to be there when it is happening, but we cannot know how God will use our humble faithfulness. As a pastor, I have seen where the seemingly insignificant people were quietly doing the things that made the biggest difference down the road. I have also witnessed where the man or woman who did nothing extraordinary, simply was always there, always kind, always praying, was considered the "rock" for so many, an example of patience, of kindness, of faithfulness by others, often the more important seeming others, at the time of their passing. That very faithfulness and goodness was their particular gift for the common good. After all, to each one is given that manifestation of the Spirit. And generally, people don't know what it is, or how significant they are in the lives of others - or how they are significant. That is why it requires our faithful doing of what God gives us to do.

It is very much like our salvation: planned by God, earned by Jesus, given to us by grace, that is to say, without considering our value, worth, or beauty. Our lives are given to us in the family of God, the Church, too. God has planned the good works we are to walk in - He says so in Scripture, Ephesians 2:10. He has given us gifts and manifestations of the Spirit, according to His plan and will, not our wisdom or wishes, for the common good. We are permitted the glory of doing what God does through us, but it is God at work, not us – so it doesn't have to make sense to us now or reveal itself as the thing it is in the hand of God. We are simply called on to receive His blessings with thanksgiving, and walk in the light of our salvation faithfully.

God grant it for Jesus' sake.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
(Let the people say Amen)

Take Heed

 1 Corinthians 10:6-13

Now these things happened as examples for us, that we should not crave evil things, as they also craved.  And do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, "THE PEOPLE SAT DOWN TO EAT AND DRINK, AND STOOD UP TO PLAY."  Nor let us act immorally, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day.  Nor let us put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents.  Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer.  Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.  Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.  No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.

Sermon for the 9-SAT                                                                  8/14/22

Take Heed

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

I ran into a Baptist at the gas station, one day.  I didn't hit him with my car, we just happened to be gassing up at opposite sides of the pump at the same time.  He noticed my unusual attire and asked me if I were a Roman Catholic priest.  When I said, "No, I am a Lutheran Pastor," he began to tell me about a neighbor of his, now gone from this life, whose faith was such a joy to this Baptist.  "He was so certain and so confident of his salvation."

It turns out that his neighbor has been dead for many years, but his witness to his faith was so striking and powerful that this Baptist was still deeply moved.  I was struck by the fact that this man, from a denomination that teaches the doctrine of eternal security (you know, "Once saved, always saved") was still struggling with confidence in his own salvation.  Needless to say, we talked, and I was about a half-hour late for my appointment with a shut in to bring him communion.

He said that his preachers were always preaching uncertainty and the obligation to do more.  He knew better, in his head.  I discovered that as we talked.  But the effect of law preaching instead of Gospel preaching was to make this man uncertain, and he could readily identify the monster of uncertainty about which Luther spoke and wrote in his own life.  He even knew it's name, from his former neighbor.

I could turn this illustration into an example of how important, and how powerful your faithful witness to your hope in Jesus Christ can be - but the text doesn't go there, so, just preach that sermon to yourself later.  I want to talk about our text which also speaks about our security in the faith.  Our theme is, "Take Heed".

The Baptists generally teach the doctrine of eternal security.  They say that they believe that once you possess salvation, you cannot lose it.  Period.  The Apostle Paul writes to the Corinthians just the opposite message.  You can fall from grace.  You can be a real Christian, and then lose your faith and, therefore, your salvation.  You are secure in Christ, but you must remain ‘in Christ'.  While a Christian may be absolutely secure in Christ, as a good Lutheran is (and such as this man's neighbor was), you may never be secure in yourself.

Paul tells us in this message that not everyone makes it.  He describes the fall of many in Israel in the verses leading up to our text, and then tells us that, "these things happened as examples for us".  We can fall away, even though we have been baptized, and have been confirmed, and have attended church regularly, and have even received the Lord's Supper with some regularity.  We can all remember people who joined the church, and seemed quite excited about it for a time, who have since stopped coming, or going, to church.  We don't have much of that in this congregation yet, but we have seen it in other places.  Those people were not necessarily hypocrites.  They were probably true believers, and had salvation full and free within them, for a time, and then they turned away.

Such people are the seed that falls among the rocks, or among the thorns, in the Parable of the Sower.  They are the ones who fulfill the proverb that Peter tells us about in 2 Peter 2, "It has happened to them according to the true proverb, "A DOG RETURNS TO ITS OWN VOMIT," and, "A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire."  The plain truth is that it can be lost.  That is why we are exhorted to take heed.

A second thought that you want to keep in mind is that not everyone who calls themselves a Christian is.  I am not speaking here about those hypocrites who know that they are not Christians, but have their own reasons for playing the part, or their own agenda which has nothing to do with the Gospel.  I am not even meaning to refer to those who think that they are Christians but know that they do not believe what they hear preached.  They are certainly among us in the visible church, and clearly present in our Synod.  They are not Christians, ofttimes, but I don't mean to address that group either.  I mean to bring to your mind the person who thinks of themselves as a Christian, accepts what is preached, to some degree, but still doesn't believe.

How can that happen?  They have what the Church has called "an historical faith".  They believe the truth of the statements.  They may even know doctrine pretty well, but they just don't have any confidence in God.  They don't actually trust God to come through for them.  They live by their own wits, strength, riches, and "luck."  They cannot see any difference between a real Christian and themselves, so they presume that they are just like the others.  Spooky eh?  That is why Paul - and God speaking through Paul, says "Take Heed."  "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall."

Paul gives us the example of Israel.  They were God's People, right?  They sure thought so, and no brush with reality through the mouth of the prophets seemed to shake their identity.  But they did not live like God's people.  They did not trust God.  They didn't trust Him for protection, and they did not trust Him for prosperity, and they did not trust Him for a good and enjoyable life.  They decided they had to make it happen themselves, but their own methods, by their own wits, and by their own efforts.
The results are what we see in our text.  They craved evil things.  These were sins of thought, which led to sins of action.  They desired what they knew was forbidden.  They did not care about the Lord enough to measure their desires against the rescue from slavery by God.  The simple fact that they wanted it was enough for them.  Never mind what God's will is.  The result of these "cravings" were the sins that followed.

They were idolaters.  The statement in our text about sitting down to eat and rising up to play is a description of the practice of Idolatry in the ancient world.  There was the sacrificial meal, and then the ritual sex - the play.  Israel had sacrificed to the Golden Calf, and then they indulged in the pagan debauchery of the worship of the Calf that they had observed in Egypt.  It was gross idolatry.

But what if it wasn't?  It was, but what if those words described something less overt.  It sounds innocent, doesn't it?  So also do many of our idolatries.  We worship success and people can call it ambition.  But when it gets in the way of God, and fellowship with His people, and hearing His Word, then it becomes idolatry.  The Bible says, in Colossians 3:5, that greed amounts to idolatry.  Our movies often teach us lust and adultery.  The fact that we insist that they are okay, innocent things, may speak about our heart's desires, our worship of physical pleasure, or entertainment.  Much of what we call entertainment involves what used to be called the sin of indolence.  We sit and vegetate rather than doing something useful.

Besides that, you have to admit that at times, the idolatry of Israel sounds like fun.  They ate, and they played.  Many of our distractions are fun, too.  We have people who want worship their way.  They want fun music, and they want sermons that entertain, and they want it all wrapped up in an hour, so as not to interfere with the rest of Sunday.  They want the sermon to be short, concise, and interesting.  They are not there to hear and learn, they are there to "go to church" or to "do religion".  We have less of that here, but it is common in the church today, even within our Synod.

Today we don't think too long and hard about immorality.  Too many of our children have "shacked up" before marriage.  Too many of us, or our children have been divorced.  What used to be a scandal in the Church hardly raises an eyebrow today.  I had to set a policy in my last parish, that I would not perform the wedding for any couple from among the members of the congregation that were living together before marriage.  It was so common that I had almost no experience of marrying those who were not living together without the benefit of wedlock - even among the elderly!  Its so bad that some people are advocating for the casual acceptance of homosexuality within the church.  God, on the other hand, took it seriously.  Twenty-three thousand died in one day.  Paul means for us to understand that God's attitude toward such things hasn't changed, even if we are not being overwhelmed by plagues.

Paul mentions "Putting Christ to the test."  Whatever form it may take, it boils down to doubting God's power to save or that His will toward us is love and blessing and good.  During the Exodus, the people became impatient with the journey.  They had everything they needed, and what they had desired most - rescue from slavery and oppression in Egypt.  But now that the monkey was off their backs, it was almost like they were saying, "That was yesterday.  What have you done for me lately?".  Now that they had everything they needed, they wanted much more.

How often do we find ourselves tempted with the same thing?  What is there that we need, that we lack?  We have food in abundance.  We have clothing.  We have cars and boats.  We have toys of every description.  We have comforts the likes of which mankind had never seen until within our own lifetimes.  Do those things make us happy?  We are wealthy by history's standards, wealthy by world standards today.  We are so abundantly supplied that many people are looking to make life "simpler" and less crowded.  Does that make us feel secure in the good will of God?

So often we are tempted to seek signs.  We worry.  We look for some event, or some special blessing, or some feeling to make us sure that God loves us.  Ultimately, it means that we are doubting the Gospel - or the Word of God.  Ancient Israel doubted God's provision.  They were always afraid they were going to die.  Paul reminds us that God sent serpents to kill them.  It is like He gave them what they trusted in Him for.  They refused to trust God's expressed love for them.  They would not take Him at His Word, and trust that no matter what it seemed like, He was with them for their blessing.  Water out of solid rock and bread out of heaven did not change their attitude.  So they died.

We know that God Himself took on human form and human nature, and lived for us, and died on the cross for us.  That is how deep His love is.  He became sin who knew no sin of His own, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.  He suffered in our place, and pours out life and forgiveness upon all, and has chosen you and me to be among those who believe and so grasp, receive, and possess those rich blessings.  How can we ask for some other sign of the love of God for us.  We have the sign of the cross.

Israel was also held accountable for grumbling.  They complained about being free.  They grumbled about free food from heaven.  At every opportunity, at each inconvenience, at every challenge or danger they saw, they grumbled.  They were unhappy with God's will and God's way.  They were irritated with the work of God and the plan of God.  So who did they grumble about?  Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron, accusing them of causing all of the troubles of Israel.  This would be like turning on the faithful leaders and pastors because we don't get our way, or because things aren't happening as quickly or as wonderfully as we might imagine they could.  Thank heavens, that never happens in modern times, eh?  God showed His displeasure by destroying many of them.

All these things happened to ancient Israel as examples for us and were written for our instruction.  That is what our text says.  It happened for us, who live at the very end of time.  And the message is, Take Heed - pay close attention.  Take note.  God took their lives and used them as object lessons.  He recorded their failures and their punishments for your benefit.  Learn from the example, so that you don't learn by personal experience.  Each of these failings of Israel is a species of unbelief.  Idolatry is easiest to recognize - at least gross idolatry.  And yet, our Synodical leaders seem to have some confusion about what even that might entail.

But when we don't trust God's Word, and we put Christ to the test - whether it is the protestant "laying a fleece before the Lord" - or simply looking for some sort of sign or feeling - it means that we don't believe.  If we crave evil and feel cheated by not being allowed to run after the wickedness of the world around us, we don't believe that God's will, which we find confining at times, is really for our good and blessing.  If we grumble, we are saying, in effect, that we know better than God, and we don't believe God is doing what is right and good for us.

Now, these things occur to us in the course of life.  They come into our minds both by the temptation of the devil and by our own sinful flesh.  Nonetheless, as Luther used to say, "You may not be able to keep the birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from making a nest in your hair."  When temptation arises, take heed.  Paul reminds us, "No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it."

God will help.  Take heed.  Make note!  God has promised help.  When we face trials, or temptations, God will help.  You never need doubt His love, or worry that He has forgotten you.  He will always provide what you need to bear up under the temptation.  And His will for you is always the same - always judged by the cross, and not by what we think is happening to us or around us.

"Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall."  Temptations and troubles will come.  If you think you will be spared, or that you will not be truly tested by what God permits to come to you, you are wrong.   Take heed.

Why does God give us this warning?  Because we are living in the end of the ages.  We stand trembling on the brink of eternity.  The battle is going to be fierce, and long.  It will go right up to the end.  And, even the Christian can stumble and fall.  There is no "once saved, always saved."  No one can snatch you out of His hand, but you need to know that the old evil Foe can deceive you and seduce you into misbelief, despair, and other great shame and vice if you are not alert.
Our lesson today has three main points: Trouble and temptation will come.  God will help those who trust in Him.  So, trust Him.

As Solomon wrote in Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight."

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
(Let the people say Amen)

The Big "IF"

 Romans 8:12-17

So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh – for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.  For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.  For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!"  The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.

Sermon for the 8-SAT                 8/07/22

The Big "IF"


My Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Last Sunday we talked about the freedom versus the bondage of the Christian.  St. Paul teaches that our freedom is an illusion and that we are slaves, either of sin and death or of righteousness and of God.  This Epistle lesson begins with that understanding, stated explicitly.  "So the, brethren, we are under obligation."  We are not free in the sense that we can do whatever we like and that sin or holiness does not matter.  We are under obligation!

Strangely, Paul doesn't complete the thought exactly.  He breaks off into a parallel thought and never quite returns to define our obligation, or to whom or what it is.  He proceeds instead to make a number of conditional statements - you know, the kind that begin with "if".  In five short verses, he uses the word "if" four times.  Three of the if's flow smoothly in the course of developing his point, and seem quite clear and natural, and then we come to the big "if".  Our attention is drawn to that big, uncomfortable conditional statement, and we want to look at it in context, this morning.  Our theme is "The Big ‘IF'."

We are under obligation, Paul says.  That is true, of course, only if we are Christians, only if we believe.  But IF we believe, then we are under obligation, and, although Paul doesn't say so explicitly, it seems pretty clear that we are under obligation to live by the Spirit, and so we are under obligation to be about the business of "putting to death the deeds of the body".  We have no obligation to the flesh.

It often feels like we do.  The desires of the flesh are so urgent and pressing and feel so important.  When you stop to discipline your body it is painful.  You feel like you are being denied something.  The yearning for what you know is not right is almost intolerable.  I think that is why Paul describes the process of disciplining yourself as putting to death the deeds of the body.  It feels like something is dying, or that not doing, or not saying, or not permitting yourself to dwell on something will almost kill you.  It hurts!

But, "If you are living according to the flesh, you must die."  That is one obligation; death for sin if one declines to live the life of righteousness - or you are obligated to live a holy life, a life guided by the Holy Spirit.  It sounds like the choice is yours, but it is only after the choice of God.  First, you must be one of His, which is His choice of grace.  He gives you the Holy Spirit and gives you the power to follow the life of holiness - and He gives you the will to do so.  Then and only then, do you have the choice of following Him.

But that is the choice that you must make and exercise.  We are under obligation.  Having all of the gifts of God, to fail to choose to follow Him is to turn away from Him and salvation, which you already possess by His gift and grace!  That choice is death.  Jesus said, "He that is not with me is against me."  He also said, "I would that you were cold or hot.  So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth."  

What has come so far sounds very much like the Law, like you must do certain works, or all is lost.  While he is encouraging a life consistent with having the Holy Spirit dwelling in you, he is not intending to suggest that we are facing the judgement of God if we do not perform certain works, or if we fail to live up to a particular state of holiness.  The Gospel tells us that all of our holiness is from God.  Jesus exchanged His righteousness for our sin and then paid the penalty for our sin.  He died on the cross because that is what we have earned, and, the Gospel teaches us, we also receive what He has earned - namely the favor of God, perfect righteousness, and life everlasting.  It is ours, not on the basis of anything we have done or any righteousness of ours, but because Jesus made the exchange, and took what we had coming to us, and then bestowed on us what He has merited as a gift.

So, Paul turns quickly from the exhortation to following the Spirit and leading a life which is guided by the Holy Spirit, and which, therefore, includes putting to death the deeds of the body, to a gospel reminder that we are not to live our lives out of fear, but out of love for our Lord.  First he tells us that, "all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God," then He reminds us, "you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba!  Father!'"

The spirit of slavery is the spirit of the Law.  It is the idea that we must do certain things, must establish a personal righteousness of a certain quality before we can hope to enter heaven.  It is the bondage of the Law and the fear is that monster of uncertainty that Luther described which always asks, "Have I done enough?  Have I believed enough or strongly enough?"  The fear is the fear that we haven't made it, and that we don't deserve it.

Which is true, we don't deserve it, but it is a gift of grace received through faith in Jesus Christ.  Our sins are forgiven.  Heaven is opened to us because Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose triumphant from His grave on Easter morning.  The ‘Monster of Uncertainty' has been put to death by the Gospel, which tells us that our salvation does not depend on us.  We have not been called to fear or given a spirit of slavery, but the Spirit of Adoption by which we cry out to God the Father, "Daddy".  We received that Spirit in our Baptism, in which God adopted us.  And that is what the "Abba" means, it was the Aramaic word a child would cry out for ‘Pappa" or "Daddy", and Paul translated it with the next word - "Father".  Our trust in God is like that of a small child in their loving father.

Your faith and confidence in God bears witness to your relationship to the Father, and so does the Holy Spirit as He dwells in you.  When doubts arise, you want to listen to that witness.  He will bring to mind the Word of God and remind you of the evidence of faith and sanctification in your life to show you the truth.  And He will keep you united to Christ, who is our Life and our Salvation.  And because of this union with Christ, you will not only have His protection and forgiveness now, you will be a co-heir.

Co-heir means that you will receive a share in everything Christ has from the Father.  Christ says He has been given all authority in heaven and on earth.  You get a share of that as a co-heir with Christ.  Christ receives all glory - and you are a co-heir in that!  Christ lives forever, and He has risen from the grave - and all of that and whatever Christ receives from the Father, you get a share in all of it.  It doesn't mean that you will become His equal, but He is giving to those who are His a share as fellow-heirs with Him.

Then comes the big "IF".  "If indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him."  This sharing with Christ is the meaning of "salvation", when we talk about "forgiveness of sins, life and salvation".  All three go together, but there is more to salvation than just unending life.  The blessings of God are rich, and abundant, and beyond fully expressing.  The Bible says that in eternal life – in heaven – there is no more pain, no more sorrow, no more sickness, and no more death.  Here, God tells us that we get something more than that - we share in all that Christ receives from the Father.  What that entails I cannot say with any precision, because the Bible doesn't say, but it is good!  And it is yours, IF . . .

If you suffer with Christ.  If you want to take part in this Gospel salvation, and you want to share in what Christ receives from the Father, then you will also share in all that He received - pains and sorrows and death included.  This isn't a new message or a big surprise.  Jesus told us that the world would hate us, and He told us why.  It hates God and it hates Him, so, if we are His, and like Him, we will also be hated.  He told us that they would persecute us.  He told us that they would lie about us.  He told us that the world would even kill us.  And He told us that if we wanted to be His disciples we would have to take up our cross and follow Him.

Being the child of God and co-heir with Jesus means that you are an enemy alien to this world.  You do not think the way the world around you does - and that fact should not surprise you.  You should not be acting like the world around you - for that is the behavior of the lost and condemned and the dying.  You are called to use this world like a tool, for God's purposes, but always aware that it is but a cheap and transitory thing.  You do this - not to curry favor or to impress someone – but because this is who you are, who you have been created to be by your baptism and by the Spirit's transforming work in you.  If it hasn't happened, then you are among the dying - and you must die.

IF you want to take part in all that Christ has and gives to His brothers and sisters, then you must take part in the unpleasant stuff as well.  It comes naturally to God's people.  If you try to avoid it, you come under the judgment of God - "He who would save his own life will lose it, but the one who loses his life for My sake, and for the Gospel's sake, shall keep it."  We cannot run from Christ, precisely at the point of conflict and pain, or we deny Him.

But if we endure - and that is the big "IF", and if we suffer whatever we are called on to suffer - we are His and "heirs of God", and co-heirs with Him.  You don't have to go out and look for the cross - it will find you.  You don't want to invent some pain of your own - Luther and the entire monastic movement tried that and it came up wanting.  You merely want to put to death the deeds of the body, and stand firmly and faithfully on the Word of God and the love of Christ.  Pain and trouble will come and find you.  The sufferings of Christ will find you as you show Christ to the world.  His enemies are still out there.  Just show them Jesus and you will find the pain.

Don't be surprised - although we are always surprised and disappointed by the pain and persecution and the betrayals.  Such things are coming as surely as Christ is the Son of God, and you are His disciple.  The suffering, whatever form it may take in your life, is part of the package.  Just trust God, endure patiently because you understand what is happening, and you believe God's promises - of help, of comfort, of a way of escape that you may be able to bear it, of resurrection from the grave and life everlasting.  Just as surely as Christ rose from the dead, so too, all those who are His and share in all of His things, including the cross, shall rise with Him.

The big question is, are you His?  That is the big "IF".  If we are His, "if indeed we suffer with Him, in order that we may also be glorified with Him."  From the perspective of faith, of course, it isn't really a big ‘if', is it?

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
(Let the people say Amen)

You Are A Slave!

 Romans 6:19-23

I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.  For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.  Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed?  For the outcome of those things is death.  But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Sermon for 7-SAT                                     7/31/22

A Slave Either Way

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Commonly thought of as his greatest work, Luther wrote his Bondage of the Will as part of his debate with Erasmus of Rotterdam.  Erasmus had written "The Freedom of the Will ".  Erasmus believed the Roman doctrine of the necessity of the involvement of the will of the person in becoming a Christian.  To be saved, they teach, the individual must prepare him- or herself by an act of will and by good works and love.  Roman theology looks at sin as a ‘stain' or blemish on a person, rather than the corruption of the will and nature of the person, so they believe that even though troubled by sin, there is something that a man can do to prepare himself for conversion and faith, and thus co-operate with the Holy Spirit in his conversion.  That is the freedom of the will, in Roman theology, and that is the distinguishing characteristic of the one who is saved over against the one who is lost - he did the work, prepared his heart, and cooperated with God.

Luther disagreed.  On the basis of Scripture, including particularly our Epistle this morning, Luther categorically denied the freedom of the will, and spoke of the bondage of the will instead.  He pointed out that while one might speak of someone as being free, either as a Christian or as an unbeliever, that freedom was not absolute.  It was, in fact, relative and in relation only to the bondage of that person, which bondage was, in fact, absolute.  It worked out as our text explains, and as we will talk about this morning.  Our theme today is - A Slave Either Way.

Now, I want you to make note of the fact that Paul says that "[he] is speaking in human terms because of the weakness of [our] flesh."  He means to say that what he is saying is not as it is in and of itself, but this is the closest human analogy can come to the truth of it.  What he says is true, but the reality is deeper and more far-reaching than our concepts can readily express.  Keep in mind also that we have jumped in here, as it were, into the middle of this discussion, not at the beginning.

Our freedom is not absolute, and our slavery is more complete and deep and thorough-going than we can imagine.  No one can control the heart or the mind of a slave in this world.  You can make them obey, even make them afraid to misstep, but you cannot actually control their thinking.  They do that.  You cannot make them love you or admire your cause.  They may choose to do that, and even become a terrorist-like zealot for your cause, but it is by their decisions, not your work.  Even brainwashing doesn't work until the victim cooperates by choice - horrible and extreme choice, perhaps, but a choice nonetheless.  Hypnosis requires a willing subject to really work.  Because we are insulated and actually quite alone inside our heads, no man can make another his absolute slave without his cooperation.

Our slavery in sin is another matter.  We are corrupt.  Sin has become entangled in our very nature since the fall.  To use a farming image, the original breeding stock became corrupted and so all of their offspring carry the same corruption of sin.  We are twisted by nature.  Sin turns us from looking to God and caring about others - as we were created to do - into creatures that turn their gaze to themselves, and view our families and our neighbors, the world, and God Himself, through the twisted perspective of ourselves, our wants, our needs, our lusts, our personal advantage, our feelings, and our own guilt and sin.  The Latin, and you know how I love the Latin, is "curvatus in se".  It means "turned in on one's self".

And the one who pulls our strings is the father of evil, the devil himself.  We are absolutely his slaves – slaves of sin.  We no longer possess the capability, by nature, to think without sin, to speak without sin, to act with proper motives.  Worse than that, when sin calls, our very nature jumps to serve.  We want to do it, and we feel cheated when we hold ourselves back from it, let alone when someone else prevents us from doing it.  We can do hideous things to others simply because they are not US.  They are not ME.

This evil, to which we are enslaved by nature, earns death.  Paul writes, "Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death."  The death Paul writes about is eternal death, not merely death of the body.  He means to put the reader in mind of that death which is not the cessation of existence and consciousness, but the beginning of the torments of the damned.  The outcome of sin is death, for "the wages of sin is death."  That is what sin earns, merits, deserves, and receives without fail.

This is where the Gospel comes in for us.  Our sin receives the sentence of death, too.  It is carried out - but not on us.  Jesus bore that sentence on the cross.  He died, what we have earned, and endured the very torments of hell on the cross and in His passion.  Because Jesus died for our sins, we have been redeemed, and by His resurrection God the Father has declared us forgiven, and given us the righteousness of Christ as a gift of grace, which is received through faith.

When you were a slave of sin, you were entirely free in regard to righteousness.  You couldn't choose it, and you couldn't do it.  It had no appeal to you, and even if you did the same things as a righteous man did in righteousness, they were evil and sinful because they flowed from a sinful heart and mind.  The good tree produces good fruit, and the evil tree produces evil fruit.  The good tree cannot produce evil fruit and the evil tree cannot produce good fruit.  You and I were, and most of mankind is yet today, slaves of sin.

But now that Jesus has redeemed us by His death on the cross and claimed us in the washing of Baptism, and adopted us into His family, we have been set free from sin.  "Even so, reckon yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus."  "He who has died is freed from sin" and we have died with Christ in our Baptism.  Romans 6:14 promises - and commands, "Sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace."  So you are freed by Christ from sin, but you immediately become the slave of righteousness.  If you are dead to sin, you cannot live in it any longer.  Since you live this new life by the power of the Holy Ghost, you must humble yourself to be guided by the Holy Ghost.  Jesus is now your Master, and you are at the same time His brother and His slave.  But when the outcome of this ‘slavery' is life everlasting and righteousness - who objects?

And this slavery is deeper and more thorough-going than you realize.  You cannot feel it in its truth because you still wear the quisling flesh.  Your flesh is still hungry for sin and evil, but you are now the holy servant of God.  Your will is shaped to be like His will.  He shaped it, not you.  You cannot "feel" that will, but it is at work in you.  The outcome of your new slavery is "your sanctification."  You can see it in your life more easily than you can feel it in your consciousness.  God is at work in you, bringing your life and conduct into conformity with His will.  The task is never complete while we wear this flesh, infected with sin, but it is happening, and in the end, the outcome of all this work of God is eternal life for us!

So, since we must be slaves, Paul encourages us,"so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification."  In other words, if you are going to be a slave either way, – and you are – choose to be deliberately God's slave while you have the power, His power, in you to make that choice.  Be deliberately Christian.  Think about what you do, and what you say, and even where you allow your mind to go, and serve the one whose rewards and wages are what you want to receive.

Of course, we want to remember that while death is earned, eternal life is a gift, given to those who do not deserve it, for the sake of Jesus Christ.  Your service does not earn you a thing before God, since God is working all these good things in you by His will and His power, but those who are His slaves have been selected by Him to receive the free gift of life everlasting.

I want life eternal.  I am sure you do too.  My flesh wants to sin, and, in fact, it is still enslaved to sin.  But I want to go to heaven, and so I discipline my body, and I apply the one thing God has given me to combat sin in my life - the Gospel.  I apply it by hearing the Word.  I apply it by remembering my Baptism.  I apply it by receiving the body and blood of my Lord Jesus often, taking what is called "the medicine of immortality".  I apply it by reading the Word of God daily.  I apply the Gospel by fellowshipping with believers, and being encouraged in my faith and life as God's slave by them, and encouraging them in turn.

Since I am a slave either way, I give up notions of what I deserve, or what my rights are, and I choose to live more for Christ.  I suffer insults and discourtesies for Him.  I stand alone, if needs be in the battle of life, upon His truth, and holding His banner high.  I welcome all who are His, and I invite the slaves of our enemy to join us in Christ's saving service by speaking God's powerful Word to them.  I want to do this, but even that desire is by the power of God in me, and not by my own will.  Even in the good I do, I am a slave - cheerfully and gladly - but a slave to righteousness and sanctification, and a slave of God.  If you gotta be a slave either way, and you do, serving God and receiving eternal life is the best way to go.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
(Let the people say Amen)

The Nature of Baptism

 Romans 6:3-11

Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?  Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.  For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.  Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him.  For the death that He died, He died to sin, once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.  Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Sermon for 6-SAT                                                          7/24/22

The Nature of Baptism

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Have you ever wanted to see a miracle?  The problem is, we have to define what a miracle is before we can identify if we have seen one or not.  Scriptures uses the term, in English, to translate a couple of different Greek words.  One word is dynamis, a term for something powerful - used of a powerful sign, a work of power, or a wonder.  Another word that is sometimes translated "miracle" is sameion, which means "sign" and is often translated "sign" as in Matthew 16, where the Pharisees ask Jesus for a sign from heaven, and He gives them the sign of Jonah, pointing to His coming resurrection.  

We tend to think of miracles as extraordinary things that happen, seemingly contrary to the laws of nature, like turning water into wine.  The Bible seems to use the word "sign" as the word for miracle - sometimes referring to the great power required or demonstrated in the sign.

So, if you are looking for something "extraordinary," you may have seen a "miracle" without realizing it.  That could be the case if someone recovers from an illness, especially if they were not expected to recover.  If you were looking for a sign of God's presence or His activity, you definitely have seen "miracles".   You see that whenever the church gathers for worship, or you hear His Word read or preached, or if you partake of the Sacrament of the Altar.  
If you are looking for flash and dazzle, and something contrary to the laws of nature, or seeming to be so, you may or may not have seen miracles.  It is hard to tell.  What we don't often see are miracles performed to order.  If you want to see that, you need to watch a Baptism.  Our theme this morning is, the nature of Baptism.

Is Baptism a miracle?  You could argue either way.  First, it is a Sacrament, which is "a sacred act, ordained and instituted by God, with certain visible means, and which promises , conveys and bestows forgiveness."  Does being a Sacrament mean it is a miracle?  Let's compare it to our earlier description of a Miracle.  It is surely a sign of the presence of God.  He is at work in Baptism.  It is His Word working and although the preacher speaks the words, they are not his, nor is what happens in baptism a result of the pastor's natural abilities or spiritual qualities.  God is at work there, doing what He has promised to do.

Is it something extraordinary?  That depends again on your definition of extraordinary, I suppose.  It is not something unusual.  People get Baptized all of the time.  In some congregations, there seems to be a baptism or two a week.  We seem to average one a year, or so.  But something quite remarkable is happening, even though we may not sense the remarkable-ness of it many times.  Nothing else can do what Baptism does, that much is for sure.  So by that measure, Baptism is extraordinary.

If you are looking for something that is contrary to the ordinary course of nature, and something that is an act of impressive power, Baptism fits the bill.  It may look all simple and ordinary, and even a bit like a ritual, but it is far more.  Some churches use special bells and candles and clothes and all sorts of ‘stuff' to dress it up because they see it as outwardly so plain and uneventful, but all that stuff just distracts from the true wonder of what Baptism is and does.  Baptism is no less amazing than a resurrection from the dead!  That is because Baptism is a resurrection!  Listen to our Epistle today, "Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life."

Now, don't get lost in the words.  Paul is saying that we actually die with Christ in our Baptism, and are raised again to new life.  That is the "born again" that so many Christians make so much noise about without understanding that it happens here, in Baptism.  When Paul writes that "we might walk in newness of life", the word "might" is not expressing mere possibility, it is pointing to the purpose of Baptism.  In Baptism, we. die. with. Christ. We have been buried with Him through baptism into death.  That means that we are buried with Him in the mystical union, which is created in our Baptism, and raised again in His resurrection to a new and eternal life.  And the death and the resurrection are as real for us as they were real for Jesus.  The reason most people don't notice it is that it is our spirit which dies with Christ, and is raised again.  It doesn't happen to our flesh.  That is also why we must face the death of the body one day, and why, just as certainly, our bodies shall rise again from the grave on that great day of the resurrection of all flesh, and we shall be reunited with them for everlasting life.

We are born again.  All of that Protestant babbling about being born again that focuses on our decisions and our experiences is not taught in Scripture.  If you want a real experience of being born again, you gotta be baptized!  But only once.  You don't need a second dose.  God gets it right the first time.

We need Baptism because of our sin.  Baptism is the cure for sin, and we have been born in sin, with original sin, the corruption of our very nature, handed down to us from Adam and Eve.  There is only one cure for sin, and that is death.  Jesus died for us and in our place, and in Baptism He brings us along, and shares His death with us, and His resurrection, and makes us part of His family, adopting us, and shares that cure for sin with us.  We need that death, For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.  

We need that death because He who has died is freed from sin!  His death, shared with us in this mystical union created in Baptism, frees us from sin.  It frees us from the guilt and punishment of sin - because Christ has borne that on our behalf - and it frees us from our bondage, our slavery, to sin.  You are set free by your baptism from the wrath of God and from the need to sin.  Of course, you don't necessarily feel that way.  Your flesh did not die, not yet.  But your spirit has shared in Christ's death and resurrection and is no longer a slave of sin.  The battle of the Christian life is that liberated spirit wrestling against a body of flesh which is still enslaved and still desires to do the will of sin.  That is a battle we need to fight.

Knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.  Scriptures says you are no longer a slave.  In fact it tells you to consider yourself dead to sin, and alive to God in Christ Jesus.  Sin no longer rules in you, and sin can no longer threaten you with death and hell.  For the death that He died, He died to sin, once for all.  So you have been set free – and even when you do not feel that freedom, you may proclaim it to yourself by simply recalling the Word of God here in our text.

This is your power to live a holy life as well.  You are not a slave any longer to those desires and thoughts.  They may hang around, but you can overcome them by calling on the power of God in you to set those sins and temptations aside.  And you have that power in you!  Eph. 3:16, Paul prays, that God would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man. And He describes God's power in you like this in verse Ephesians 3:20, Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us.  And when you stumble over a temptation in weakness, you can repent and ask for forgiveness – and it is yours because Jesus died that death to sin for you, too.  You should look at sin as no longer natural, but a mark of the enemy, and calling on God to aid you, stand firm against it.

But the best part of all of this is that your salvation does not depend on your successful struggle against temptation.  You want to win, of course, but Christ has already died for your sin – for all of it.  Because Jesus Christ has died for you, and risen victorious in the fight, your sins are forgiven!  Just as death is no longer master of Jesus, it is no longer master over you.  We have to face the death of our bodies, but it is not death in its fullness because you have already died in your baptism.  So you cannot die again, not as long as you cling to Christ.  Death of the body is just a temporary thing.  When your body dies, you will be with the Lord, and you will receive your body back on that day of resurrection, refurbished, as it were, and outfitted for eternal life with the Lord.

The last time you were privileged to witness a baptism, you may not have thought about it then, but you were witnessing this miracle – this sign from God of His love and of our salvation.  The child was made a member of the body of Christ, and he or she experienced all of these things, mostly without being aware of them happening.  But there it was.  God claimed him or her as His child, adopting him into His family, making him a fellow participant in the grace of salvation, calling him by name and joining him to each of us.

How can Baptism do all of this?  Because it is God at work.  It is not something WE do, but something God does. Your Baptism has given you all the promises of the Gospel, and had washed away your sins.  You can use it every day, saying aloud, "I have been baptized", and reminding yourself that you belong to God now, and your life is never going to end, not even when your body lies in the grave.  
How do you know that you are saved? You have been baptized!  The sign of God, a sign of His presence and of His working, and time and place where you ceased being merely mortal and began a life that will continue forever because God says so!

Is Baptism a miracle?  Yes.  More than that, it is a mystery - something wonderful that is so much more than it seems just looking at it.  But God has revealed its true nature to us.  We are buried with Christ by our Baptism into His death, and raised with Him in His resurrection to a new life with Him.  For the death that He died, He died to sin, once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.  Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Think about that next time you are troubled by life or tempted by sin.  Your life is no longer about you, but, like Christ, you are alive to God in connection with Jesus Christ.  That is the true nature of Baptism.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
(Let the people say Amen)

Totally Unnatural

 1 Peter 3:8-15

To sum up, let all be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil, or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.  For, "LET HIM WHO MEANS TO LOVE LIFE AND SEE GOOD DAYS REFRAIN HIS TONGUE FROM EVIL AND HIS LIPS FROM SPEAKING GUILE.  AND LET HIM TURN AWAY FROM EVIL AND DO GOOD; LET HIM SEEK PEACE AND PURSUE IT.  FOR THE EYES OF THE LORD ARE UPON THE RIGHTEOUS, AND HIS EARS ATTEND TO THEIR PRAYER, BUT THE FACE OF THE LORD IS AGAINST THOSE WHO DO EVIL."

And who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good?  But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;

Sermon for 5-SAT                                                           7/17/22


Totally Unnatural

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

There are tremendous advantages to living in this time in history.  We enjoy comforts and abundance that was unknown to the world, even unimagined, just a generation or two ago.  One of the big disadvantages is that we do not live in the world our parents grew up in.  We have not experienced the world they knew, and we do not have the tools to live in that world.  That makes correctly understanding reality and much of what they left behind for us in literature and art very difficult, if not impossible.  It can make the future very spooky too, because the artificial world of technology in which we live is fragile and easily destroyed, and if it ended, we would face pain and troubles unimagined by most people today as well.  The world we live in is totally unnatural.

Imagine a world without cell-phones, without computers, without television or radio.  I now, some of you are saying, "I can do that.  I don't have a computer, and I don't use those modern contraptions all that much anyhow."  Now imagine that your car doesn't work because the computers in it are disabled - and almost everything in a modern car is computer controlled - even the brakes and the transmission.  Imagine life without air conditioning or central heat.  Imagine having no refrigeration at all, and having to go back to ice boxes and to do without quickly perishable foods we are so accustomed to today.  I know some of you lived like that as children, but we are not children any longer, and we have grown accustomed to our luxuries.  Many of our neighbors have never seen a non-technological world, and they will panic, possibly violently, if they are confronted with such a life, and it may be coming soon.

The world that lived before those advances is the world in which the Scriptures were written and in which they were read for centuries.  That world would seem totally unnatural to us, and yet it must inform our understanding of what people were saying when they wrote in the past, because they had no way of imagining the world as we live in it today.  Even in that world, the Christian faith was not a natural thing.  In our text, Peter describes how a Christian should live and conduct himself or herself.  He describes a pattern of behavior that is simply not natural for sinful man.  Our theme, as we examine these exhortations of Peter, is "Totally Unnatural".

What Peter describes sounds wonderful, "let all be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil, or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead."  Wouldn't that be nice?  But where have we ever seen this sort of thing?  I cannot recall it.  Harmonious?  We get along pretty well, but if the group is much larger than our congregation, divisions and contentions seem to arise quickly, and over the most insignificant things, at times.  We can do sympathetic and brotherly most of the time, but even at that, when someone pushes it too far or for too long, we can become impatient and unsympathetic in a hurry.  Even kindhearted seems do-able, but I know that some people are more kindhearted around me, as pastor, for example, than they are with some other people.  But even ignoring that, these are qualities we can show now and again, and here and there, but to be consistently and always so is something we have trouble with.

The truth is, however, that these are to be the consistent qualities of the child of God.  And then we are called on to be humble in spirit.  Humility is just not natural for most of us.  Sin finds its strength in our desire to put ourselves first.  We want to succeed.  We want to be comfortable.  We like to be right, and so forth.  Then Peter gets to the "not returning evil for evil, or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead" and we know we are in trouble.  It is one thing to be nice to those who are nice to us, but when they get up in our face, we want to shut them down.  We have been taught not to take "stuff" from others.  Getting them back, returning the ‘favor', and zinging them in return is more our style.  But blessing them when they are rude and crude to us?  That is just not natural - nor is it easy to do.  It is not easy to do it once or twice, but to do it consistently?  That's totally unnatural.

We are called by the Word of God to live up to a standard that is, to be quite frank about it, beyond us.  It means telling yourself that the proverbs of your youth were wrong.  You do not put number one first.  That is the natural way, the way that appeals to our sinful nature.  We are to put someone else first - pretty much everyone else!  This is a kind of living and set of behaviors that is totally unnatural for us.  It must find its power in Christ, not in you.  It is given to you.  Even then, it requires exercising what God gives you – humility, love, and faith.  That is why humility of spirit was named first, I suspect.

You have the text right in front of you on the insert.  Notice that the next verses are all in capital letters, which means that Peter is quoting or paraphrasing the Old Testament:  "LET HIM WHO MEANS TO LOVE LIFE AND SEE GOOD DAYS REFRAIN HIS TONGUE FROM EVIL AND HIS LIPS FROM SPEAKING GUILE.  AND LET HIM TURN AWAY FROM EVIL AND DO GOOD; LET HIM SEEK PEACE AND PURSUE IT.  FOR THE EYES OF THE LORD ARE UPON THE RIGHTEOUS, AND HIS EARS ATTEND TO THEIR PRAYER, BUT THE FACE OF THE LORD IS AGAINST THOSE WHO DO EVIL."  Peter quotes that because it is the from the only Bible he has, and it shows us that these ideas, these rules for living as the child of God, are not new with the New Testament.  This is the way it has always been.  Being the faithful child of God is always counter-intuitive and contrary to our nature.  That is because sin is our nature and quite natural to us, even as believers.

And, although it is totally unnatural to us as sinners, this unnatural behavior is natural to our nature in Christ.  It is part of our nature because it is His nature.  He lived for us, and not for Himself.  He died for us, because He did not deserve death by Himself.  He paid the penalty of the wrath of God against us, and rescued and redeemed us from sin and all that we have deserved.  Peter refers to that when he writes, "for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing."  The blessing we inherit is forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation.  

He is also indicating that these ways of conducting ourselves are not optional, or just suggestions.  They are the conduct of the Children of God.  They are not laws in the sense that you must do them or you will miss the mark and not get to go to heaven.  They are law - for they tell you what you are to do and how you are to be - but they are descriptive of those who actually are the children of God.  If you blow these off and do your own thing, you simply demonstrate that you are not the child of God, and you are not going to inherit that blessing.

He who means to love life and see good days - the child of God - refrains from speaking evil or guile, which means any sort of dishonesty.  He turns deliberately away from evil and does good and seeks peace.  He does it because he knows that such is the way of the beloved of God, and it carries the promise that the Lord is attentive to their prayers, as well.  Those who cannot bring themselves to do these things, or who deliberately choose to do evil - in an on-going way - put themselves at odds with God and reject His grace.

Peter asks the question, then, And who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good?  Doing good is usually not a problem.  Everybody appreciates being treated well and honestly.  This should make this conduct a no-brainer.  But the truth is that it is so totally unnatural to sinful man that it does draw the ire and hatred of some, simply because they hate what is holy.  There is even a common proverb about that, "No good deed goes unpunished."  It is not Biblical, but it is true enough.  Holiness draws the fire of the servants of the Old Evil Foe. God inspires Peter to write about that truth too.  But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts.  Peter quotes the Old Testament again, and he reminds us that this has always been so.  Faithfulness to God is never the majority opinion.  But we, like the people of old, are to trust God and not fear them.  I am put in mind of the words of Christ in Matthew 10, "And do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."  

Peter says to sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts.  That means deal with Christ as your God, and treat Him in your inward being as holy by doing what is right and holy without regard for the intimidation of the world.  Instead of fear, we are to see the opportunities that God may be setting about us.  Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.  The gentleness and reverence speak to how we speak, and that we remember that we are not God-chosen because we deserve it, but because of His great grace and love - and even our enemies may be converted and saved by that same grace of God.

Of course this sort of self-control and self-possession is totally unnatural.  It is the gift of God, the Holy Spirit at work in us through Word and Sacrament.  Like every gift from God, He gives it to us to take it out and use it.  It doesn't overwhelm you and force you to behave - at least not usually, but God gives you the power to do so, and teaches you in His Word and guides you by the Spirit.  It is in your hands to do it, as the chosen child of God in Christ Jesus.  If you try and fail, we rejoice that we have a Savior!  He forgives you and stands you up again and invites you to do it right next time.  He gives you the power to do that which is totally unnatural!

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
(Let the people say Amen)

The Hope of Salvation

 Romans 8:18-23

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.  For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.  For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.  For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.  And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.

Sermon for 4-SAT                                                           7/10/22

The Hope of Salvation

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

A common mistake that we encounter in the world of religion today is when someone says that their religion or their faith is a private thing between them and God.  Many people have this idea, although it has nothing to do with what Scripture teaches.  They imagine – and say out loud sometimes – that their relationship with God is something strictly between them and the Lord, and no one else is involved or has anything to say about it.  I understand the feeling, and it is very American in its individualism, but the concept is still contrary to the teachings of the Bible.  And nowhere in Scriptures are we going to see that more clearly than right here, in our text.

Now, it is true that what you believe is personal and individual in the sense that you are the one doing the believing and you personally will either go to heaven or hell, but our text shows us how wrong the idea is that "its just between you and God."  Here, our text says that the whole creation waits, and the whole creation groans as it eagerly awaits the public revelation of just who is and who is not the child of God.  The creation also awaits that day looking forward to the freedom from the curse of corruption and decay and futility under which God placed it for the sake of man, who had just fallen into sin and death.  Far from being just between you and God, your faith and your relationship to God is of cosmic significance and has the very fabric of reality involved in it.  Let us look at our text this morning, and our theme is the Hope of Salvation.

We are going to focus on two important truths from our text, this morning.  These two truths are; first, that we have been saved, and, second, that our salvation is in hope.  Everything else taught here is a reflection of those two truths, or something that we understand because of these two truths.

I think people are often tempted to think of one's being saved as a presently inconsequential "spiritual" matter.  They think of heaven, perhaps.  Many people imagine that salvation is something like getting a ticket upgrade, or going to New Orleans rather than Nashville.  Somehow they see it as a one time event of personal and eschatological value.  But our salvation is the undoing of the damage of sin!  And what has sin done among us?  It has killed us, our friends, our parents - and everyone we know, one-by-one.  Sin has spoiled our lives and our plans and our joys.  Sin is why things rust and decay and get old.  Sin is why the good old days seem to be the "good old days."  It isn't your imagination, things are going downhill morally, socially – and, sadly, physically.  All of this is the work of sin!

Even the world of nature around us has been subjected to futility – that is how God describes our corruption and decay.  You cannot build forever because it is just going to fall apart eventually – futility.  Raise the perfect tree and it will die one day – futility.  Weed your garden immaculately, and the stupid weeds will just keep on coming – futility.  Dust the house today, and next month it will need to be dusted all over again.  God subjected the entire creation to this futility of corruption and decay for our sakes, because we sinned.

If He hadn't, could you imagine how hard it would be to have flowers last longer than you?  Sin leads inevitably to our death and corruption.  Every meaningless bit of flotsam and jetsam would have more permanence – more reality – than you, if God had not condemned the world to corruption and futility for you.  Your sin possesses cosmic influence and significance – and so does your salvation!

There are two ways to look at that, of course.  First, your salvation is of cosmic significance because the Creator of all that is personally got involved on your behalf.  He came, He became one of us, He suffered for you and in your place the agonies that you have earned and deserve, and then He died in your stead.  God Himself did all of that for you.  He humbled Himself – even to the point of death on a cross, taking upon Himself His own curse upon anyone who hangs from a tree.  What love!  What cosmic importance!  The One who holds all of reality together and guides the destiny of entire galaxies took a personal interest in you, had mercy on you, set Himself aside for your redemption and forgiveness, and died that you might live!

Because of Jesus Christ, because of the cross, because He rose from the dead, and because He promised it to you, your sins have been forgiven!  Because your sins have been forgiven, death has been set aside, and you have been given eternal life!  And while you walk through this life and this world, He who holds all things in His hands is your benefactor.  He loves you and blesses you, and watches over you, and rules all things for your good – little things like your car starting this morning so you could be here to hear His Word, and big things, like the course of history and the fate of nations – is all for your good.

Of course it doesn't always feel good.  We don't necessarily experience it as pleasure or enjoyment.  Sometimes it is downright miserable and painful.  That is where the hope part comes in – and we will get to that soon, but first we have the other half of the cosmic significance of your salvation.  Not only is it of cosmic significance because God was personally involved, but your salvation is the present point of this world and this life, and all of nature – every bird, tree, bush, rock, and catfish out in the lake – is awaiting eagerly the revealing of the sons of God – they are looking forward to the day of judgment publicly pronounced to see who is God's.  Their existence is for our sake.  Their work, their lives, and their deaths are for our well-being.  They don't know which of us they serve, but they are waiting eagerly to see.  

The way St. Paul describes it, it sounds almost as if the whole creation – right up to the sun and moon and stars – are standing on tippy-toe trying to peek over the fence and see who we are – and who is not among us in truth.  God speaks of creation as having a will, and intelligence, and a hope – and we dare not say that it does not, just because we do not perceive it.  He tells us through Paul that, The anxious longing of creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.  So when you are tempted to think that your faith and your religion is just a personal, private matter just between you and God, think again!  All of creation is involved – and vitally interested.  Not that you can tell by looking around you.

The world seems the same for everyone – believers and pagans alike.  We cannot see who are the hypocrites or distinguish them from the true believers.  At least not usually.  And neither can creation.  None of this cosmic significance stuff appears to be true.  You can't see it or feel it.  Those who clearly reject Jesus seem to thrive and prosper, often better than many of those who cling to Him.  You would think that having all of that cosmic significance, that power and all of nature working with you and for you would make some sort of difference you could feel!

But that is where the hope comes in.  Hope in the Biblical sense of the word is that knowledge which has no clear support in the experience of life, just the attestation of God's Word.  It is the possession of realities which are not fully sensed or experienced here, but are guaranteed to us and will be fully revealed – and experienced – in the future.  Hope is confident expectation of something God promises which you cannot empirically prove to be so.  It is precisely what the writer to the Hebrews called faith in Hebrews 11:1, Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

We have been saved  ———  in hope.  Our salvation is sure, and yet it is not felt.  If you think you can feel it, you are experiencing a feeling about your salvation.  You cannot feel salvation.  You may be feeling about your forgiveness, but you are not feeling forgiveness itself, for we have no nerve endings in the soul to experience the sensation of forgiveness.  It is in hope, confident and certain and sure, and a real possession, not just wishful thinking, but without that certain something that we can press to the litmus paper and prove it to the unbelieving around us, demonstrating that it really is so!  The verses in Romans just after our text say it well, For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one also hope for what he sees?  But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.

The one thing we can be sure of feeling in this world is suffering.  The world hates us, just as Jesus said that it would.  The flesh hates denying itself the fruits of sin.  The world around us hates us and the judgment implicit in our faith –
that WE ARE RIGHT and THEY ARE WRONG,

that WE ARE HOLY and THEY ARE EVIL,

that WE ARE GOING TO HEAVEN and that THEY ARE GOING TO HELL, if they remain without faith in Jesus Christ.

They hate it and they try to lure us away from the faith, or to destroy us if we will not be moved.  That is the only way to silence the implicit judgment that our confident hope speaks to them.
 Then there is the old evil foe, whose one mission and goal it has been to destroy.  He will attack wherever he can.  He will use mobs, as we can see in some Islamic countries and in many of the protests in ours by BLM and Antifa and those hoping to cling to abortion, or individuals, such as terrorists, or governments, as we observe in the rising wave of anti-Christian persecution in Europe.  He will use the talking heads in the media who daily assault believers and accuse us of being more dangerous than those who go about actually killing others. I think of Frank Schaeffer, the son of the once renown Francis Schaeffer, who writes today that Christianity ought to be eradicated.  

The Adversary may even use church members, as is becoming the pattern even in our own Synod, to silence our words, destroy our faith, or crush the life right out of our bodies, if he can.  The one feeling you can be confident of experiencing as a Christian is suffering.  And St.  Paul tells us the truth about suffering in the midst of this cosmic relationship we share with one another and with God, For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

God has always been aware of the already-not yet nature of the salvation He was pouring out on us.  He understood long ago the suffering we would have to endure in order to still remain faithful, and He did not leave us utterly without that which we could see and hear and taste and touch.  He left us His Word.  He pours out His Spirit through the Word, that we who hear might believe.  He tells us, in His Word, that what He has prepared for us is so wonderful that the sufferings of this present age are not even worth comparing to it.  When we get there, we will find it so glorious that we will wonder that we were so reluctant to endure the little while and the little bit of pain and trouble here.

And while we are here, enduring, He has also given us the Sacraments.  Baptism allows us to "see" the pouring out of the Spirit on us and on our children and to hear God speak our names and claim us as His own.  And in the Holy Supper Christ gives us His body, once given on the cross, to eat — and His blood, once shed for us and for our forgiveness and salvation, to drink.  He has arranged for His salvation to be delivered to us personally and individually so that we cannot ignore that this good will and love is meant for us, personally, individually.

But, as Luther said, we will not be rationalistic know-it-alls who doubt and question the Word of the Lord, but we will expect and believe and trust in all that He has promised, and so confess and believe that here, in this Holy Supper is something also of cosmic significance – the body and blood of the one who died for us and won for us peace and freedom, forgiveness and salvation.  And it is in a "communion" – a sharing together in something sacred.  So particularly here where God deals with you individually – your faith and your relationship with God is nothing strictly personal, or "just between God and you."  It is a fellowship thing, and a common confession, and a shared thing.  So we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

We are linked.  Each of us and our faith and our relationship to God is part of that cosmic thing called "the body of Christ" or "the Church".  What we believe and the salvation we possess and share is not merely personal, but also communal – a family thing shared by us all.  And your healthy participation in it makes a difference to the whole body of Christ here as well – and to the world of nature around us, although we do not always perceive that difference and significance, except through the Word of God.  And what we share, that unites us, is summarized by our sermon theme – the Hope of Salvation.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
(Let the people say Amen)