Getting Back into the Garden - June 26, 2011

To DOWNLOAD an MP3 of this message, first right click here then choose "save link as" or "save target as". Older audio is removed to conserve server space, but is available by request.

SERMON:

Genesis 3, verse 8 is one of the most haunting passages in all of Scripture. It reads…

“8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden” (Genesis 3:8 NIV).

This verse is haunting both because of what it implies, and because of what it reveals. It implies that God had done this before. He had walked in the garden of Eden in the cool of the day. He had gone to visit His two most beloved creations, man and woman. They KNEW that sound. They had recognized it before with joy.

How different it had been in the past when they heard this sound. “God is here” they must have thought with delight. Maybe they had called out to Him from through the leaves, “LORD, we’re over here. Come see what we’ve been working on”.

But now, now they did not want the LORD to see what they had been working at. They had stolen from the tree which was forbidden. They had sinned against God. And by their sin, they had released pain and confusion and hatred and death into God’s creation.

Not long after Genesis 3:8, the Bible records how Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden. This was an act of love on God’s part. He didn’t want them to eat from the Tree of Life and live forever in their sinful condition. But they were banished from that precious garden all the same.
▬
Ever since that day, mankind has been trying to get back into the Garden. Even those who don’t know the story of Adam and Eve know that something is missing. The world as it is, is in not the way it should be. We long for a connection with the divine. We long for communion with our Creator.

And that’s what Christianity is all about. Getting back into the Garden. Getting back into a relationship with God like that relationship which Adam and Eve had in the beginning.

Our sermon meditation for today comes from Romans, chapter 3. There the apostle Paul tells us what can never get us to back into the garden, and he also tells us what does.

Romans 3:19-25a, 27-28 (NIV)

19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.
21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, m through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith.
●
27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. 28 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.
▬
The law of God shows us what sin is, and that we have done it. Through the law we become conscious of our own sin.

Romans 3:20 is one of my favorite passages in the Bible because it plainly says, “You can’t get into heaven by what you do”. The law of God isn’t a stairway to heaven that you build one good deed at a time. The law is a mirror which reveals all our ugly faults and failings. If it reveals anything it reveals that we have no hope of standing before the holy God when judgment day comes - not on the basis of our own words and actions anyway.

God’s law cannot save us from sin. That’s not what it was designed to do. The law can only show us that we are sinners who deserve hell. Sinners who need to be saved.

The law is like a metal detector. It beeps when metal is present, but it can’t do a thing to move that metal.

The law is like a thermometer. It can show us we have a fever, but it can’t do anything to reduce that fever or make our sickness go away.

The law is like that annoying car sound that tells us the door is ajar. It can beep all day long, but that sensor in the door, and that sound that’s coming out of the dash has no power to close the door.

The law simply can’t get us back into the garden. The law alerts us that we’re not worthy of setting foot in God’s garden. It alerts us to the fact that we’re filthy sinners.
▬
Before we move on, let’s set all the analogies aside and just look at the plain text itself one more time. Paul says…

“20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin” (Romans 3:20 NIV).

Who’s going to get into heaven by keeping the commandments? Nobody. Nobody.

In Galatians 5, verse 4 Paul goes even further. He says that if you think your own good behavior will in any way help get you into heaven, you’ve fallen from grace and will not make it to heaven. Galatians 5:4 reads…

“4 You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace” (Galatians 5:4 NIV).

▬
Now we know what WON’T get us back into the Garden. Let’s see what DOES. Look again at verse 21…

“21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, m through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith” (Romans 3:21-25a NIV).

Now, there are other places in the Bible that talk about a person being righteous where it means righteous in the sight of other people. Like you’ve got a good reputation. You’re a nice person in the eyes of your neighbors.

But HERE Paul talks about another kind of righteousness. A higher righteousness. God’s righteousness. Paul says that this righteousness of God that is GIVEN to sinners is mentioned by the Old Testament prophets. And that’s exactly what we find in the Old Testament.

“Blessed is the one whose sin the LORD does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit” (Psalm 32:2 NIV).

“18 “Come now, let us settle the matter,”
says the LORD.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool” (Isaiah 1:18 NIV).

““For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more” (Jeremiah 31:34b).

There are just a few of the places where God says that He will take sinners, and not count their sins against them. And Isaiah 53:5-6 tell us why…

“…he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:5-6 NIV).

All have sinned and fall short of God’s standard. But through Christ, even the worst of the worst are forgiven completely, and freely.

I think Paul wants us to really understand that forgiveness is free. Look at the words he uses to emphasize this:

Verse 22, “given”. Paul says that God’s righteousness is given, not earned.

Verse 24, “justified”. To justify someone is to declare that they are “not guilty”. Today we usually use this word in a bad sense. You know, someone justifies their actions. They paint what they did as good, when it was actually bad. Well, this is exactly what God does for us. He looks at sinners and declares us “good” BECAUSE His Son Jesus died in our place, and suffered the punishment for our sins.

Paul adds the word “freely” to make sure we get it. This declaring sinners righteous is not done because of any payment WE have made. It is the free gift of God.

But Paul doesn’t stop there with the gift words. He also says that it is through God’s “grace” that we sinners are declared righteous. Grace means giving something you don’t have to give. Grace is the Holy Son of God suffering for our sins, and giving us His righteousness.

Paul adds another gift word, “redemption”. This word means to “buy back”. HE redeemed us, because there was no way for US to redeem ourselves. Like Paul wrote in First Timothy, chapter 1…

“He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus…” (1 Timothy 1:9 NIV).

There’s another gift word, “sacrifice”. A sacrifice is made on behalf of someone else. Through His suffering our punishment, Jesus gave us the gift of a restored relationship with God that will never end.

Our salvation was an act of utter charity. Through Christ we are given God’s righteousness as a free gift.
▬
And that’s why Paul says we can’t boast. Look at verse 27-28.

“27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. 28 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law” (Romans 3:27-28 NIV).

We can’t boast about our righteousness. Like Paul said, it’s actually God’s righteousness GIVEN to us. How do you boast about something you didn’t have any part in making or purchasing? Our righteousness is a GIFT, not a REIMBURSEMENT.

If you ever get into a conversation with someone who thinks their actions have some part in getting them to heaven, ask them gently, “Does God owe you, or do you owe God? Is heaven what God owes you for all the good deeds you’ve done for Him, or is heaven the gift that God gives you through Christ, even though you do not deserve it?”

Do this gently, in love. If we think our own actions will earn heaven for us, what we’re really saying is God owes us because of the great way we’ve lived our lives. God save us from such arrogance.
▬
Now, there’s one last thing I’d like to talk about here. Look again at verse 22. There Paul says,

“…There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:22-24 NIV).

Paul puts Jews and Gentiles on the same level because there were both ethnic Jews and ethnic Gentiles in the congregation in Rome.

Before Jesus, the Jews had traditionally looked down on the Gentiles. In Rome, the Jewish Christians knew more about the Bible than the Gentile converts. The Jews had been taught about the Bible all their lives. The Gentiles had just begun. The Jewish Christians in Rome probably hadn’t participated in the same kinds of outward sinful acts that the Gentiles had. For these reasons, and probably plenty of others, the Jewish Christians in Rome would have seen themselves as better than the Gentile Christians.

And the Gentile Christians had their own reasons for considering themselves better than the Jewish Christians. After all, the Bible itself records how the Jews had pushed God away throughout their history. They rebelled against God over and over. And when the Savior finally came, it was the Jews who incited the Romans to crucify Him. In addition to this, many Gentiles had come to faith through the message of Christ, but for the most part the Jewish nation had rejected Him. For these reasons, and probably plenty of others, the Gentile Christians in Rome may have judged themselves better than the Jews.

So, Paul reminds them that all this ranking and classing people is not only nonsense, it’s hypocrisy. We have nothing to boast about because we didn’t earn our salvation…

“…a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law” (Romans 3:28b NIV).

▬
And this applies to us today. As we reach out to our community with the message of Christ’s free forgiveness, we’re going to bring in people that don’t know the Bible as well as we do. People who haven’t been raised in the church. People who don’t know the little do’s and don’ts of church things like we do. We dare not look down on these people as if we are better than them. We have all fallen short of the glory of God because of the choices we’ve made and the things we’ve done. We stand on the same ground with the child molester, with the murderer, and with the liar. Only through Christ are we declared righteous before God. Our righteousness is a GIFT, not a REIMBURSEMENT. Let’s let THAT mold our attitude toward others in every setting.
▬
Before we close, I’d like to take you back to where we started. That passage in Genesis 3, verse 8…

“8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden” (Genesis 3:8 NIV).

Adam and Eve hid because they weren’t holy anymore. They weren’t righteous and good, and they knew it. But through Christ, we no longer have to respond to God’s approach with that kind of fear. Through Christ we have been given “God’s righteousness”. Not just a good reputation. Not just a great reputation. We have been given THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD, through Christ Jesus.

Right now we are holy before God’s eyes. And when death arrives to collect us, we will go where mankind has been longing to return since the beginning. We will go to the Garden of God’s presence. Into intimate and perfect communion with our Holy Creator.

All praise and thanks be to Jesus.

Prayer: Father in heaven, thank you for restoring sinners like us through the bold and dear sacrifice that your Son offered in our place. Let us never view our own pitiful and stained words and actions as in any way helping to restore us to you. Instead let us hold tightly to the free gift of your own righteousness that you have given us in Christ. And help us to estimate our worth in relation to others properly. Let us always consider others better than ourselves, putting them first in true humility and love. To the growth of your kingdom, and the glory of your Name. Amen.

Fritz Peterson Memorial - June 22, 2011

To DOWNLOAD an MP3 of this message, first right click here then choose "save link as" or "save target as". Older audio is removed to conserve server space, but is available by request.

SERMON:

Luke 2:25–32 (ESV)

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word;
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation
31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.”
▬
Grace and Peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

We’ve talked a bit about Fritz Peterson today. About his birth. About his life. And now we direct our attention to another man. To a man named Simeon.

This section of Luke, which we’ve just read, contains the only information that we have about Simeon. Nowhere else in Scripture is anything mentioned about this man.

Luke tells us that Simeon lived in Jerusalem at the time when Jesus was born. In the eyes of his neighbors, Simeon was a good man. A righteous man. He was a devout follower of the Lord. Frequently coming to the temple to worship. Above all Simeon was waiting for the “consolation of Israel”. That is, he was waiting for the Savior whom God had promised would rescue sinners from eternal punishment in hell.

Luke also tells us that the Holy Spirit had made a very special promise to Simeon. Ever since the first two humans turned away from God by their sin, the world had been waiting for the Savior. The Holy Spirit promised Simeon that he would not die before he had laid eyes on that Savior.

There a number of characters in this story. But two stick out. This story is all about Simeon, and Jesus. In one sense, Simeon’s life was all about this one moment, the moment he saw salvation arrive.
▬
And so we see Simeon coming into the temple. There are many others bustling in the temple courts on this day. In the court of the Gentiles there are people selling animals for the temple sacrifices. There are money changers exchanging currency for the temple shekel. There are people from far away lands making pilgrimage to the house of their God. So many different people with different purposes.

But through the crowd Simeon moves with singular purpose. He is going where the Holy Spirit is leading him.

Two others move through this same crowd with purpose as well. Mary and Joseph have come to offer the customary sacrifices in behalf of their newborn child.

Simeon sees them. Two travel worn young people in simple dress. In no way sticking out from the rest on this day. But when Simeon’s eyes fall on the little child in Mary’s arms, it is clear to him that this is no common Child. Joy floods into his heart. Here is what he has been waiting for. This is the Child on whom all his hopes and dreams rest. On whom his very life rests. This is the Child who will reunite sinners with the Holy God by His self-less sacrifice in their place.

Approaching Mary and Joseph, he asks to hold the Child and, lifting Him up in his arms, Simeon praises God.
▬
When Christians grow old and frail, the question is sometimes asked: Why doesn’t God just take them home? Isn’t it time yet? But the times and dates of such things rest in the heart of God, far from our comprehension. God alone knows the purposes he has in letting us remain for long years.

Here we find one of God’s purposes for old Simeon. Joy and praise. He was to be one of the first to direct praise to God because of the Christ Child. He was to be one of the first to be filled with joy over what this Child was to do.

With Simeon’s newfound joy and praise also came peace. Holding his Savior in his arms, Simeon said,

“29 ‘Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation” (Luke 2:29-30 ESV).

Simeon had a good reputation. He had lived a long life. He had health and strength enough to make his way through the temple courts. But his peace was not to be found in these things. His peace was found in this – that all was right between him and God, because of what this Child would do in his place.

Through his own actions, Simeon had peace with his neighbors. But through Jesus Simeon had peace with his sinless Creator.

And here too, we find another one of God’s purposes for Simeon’s life. He was to experience this peace in this way before exiting this broken world for the shores of heaven.

If one thing flows through all Simeon’s words and actions here, it is this – readiness. He was ready to depart in peace. And Simeon would have us be ready also.

In the Christ Child Simeon saw the salvation that God had prepared for the whole world. In the Christ Child Simeon saw the savior of Jews and non-Jews alike.

God’s Word says that all people are born into this world sinful. Because of our sins we are destined to spend eternity apart from our Creator and all His goodness. We are sinners, unworthy of God’s love. But God’s Word also says that through Jesus the way back to God has been opened. In Romans 3, it says…

“21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:21-24 NIV).

Essentially Paul says here - even those with the best of reputations, fall short of God’s standards. But even the worst of the worst are redeemed through the blood of Christ.

This is the “light for the Gentiles” which Simeon saw in Christ. This is the “glory of Israel” which Simeon saw in Christ.

And this free salvation was the source of Fritz’s greatest joy in life. The source of his unshakable peace. This gift of free and full forgiveness given through Jesus was the reason he was ready to depart this life whenever the Lord saw fit to call him home.
▬
Earlier I said that this reading from Luke has two characters that stick out. It’s all about Simeon and Jesus. And the same is true about our service today. Our service today is about two people. It’s about Fritz, and his Savior.

There was purpose in Fritz’s long years, just as there there is purpose in this day. The purpose is this, that we would remember what made him joyful, at peace and ready to leave this world. And that we also would be ready to leave this world in peace – because in Christ we too have seen our salvation.

Prayer: Father in Heaven, on this day we remember Fritz Peterson. Thank you for showing him your salvation. Thank you for blessing him with strong faith in Jesus, and with dedication to your Word. Raise up more godly examples like Fritz so that the message of sins forgiven through your Son might be received by many. As we grieve Fritz’s passing, pour out a deep peace upon our hearts. For through your Son we have become your children. And as your children we do not grieve like the world which has no hope. We know the future that you have for all who cling to Christ. Amen.

Power to the People - June 19, 2011

To DOWNLOAD an MP3 of this message, first right click here then choose "save link as" or "save target as". Older audio is removed to conserve server space, but is available by request.

SERMON:

The part of God’s Word that we meditate on today is found at the end of Matthew’s Gospel.

Matthew 28:16-20 (NASB)

16 But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. 18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
▬
Grace and Peace be to you from God our Father, from our Master and Savior Jesus Christ, and from the Holy Spirit who has opened our hearts to see all that we have been given by the Triune God.

Perhaps you’ve seen this visual aid before. I’ve got a single wooden match here. Alone it is easily broken. (Pastor snaps the match in two)

But add a few more matches, and you’ve got a little bundle that is not so easy to break. (Pastor tries, but the bundle resists being broken).

When the eleven disciples met with Jesus in Galilee, they felt a bit like this match (Pastor holds up a single match again). Alone. Weak. Uncertain. Matthew says “some were doubtful”, even in the presence of the resurrected Jesus. And this shouldn’t be surprising.

The disciples doubted Jesus during His ministry. When Jesus suggested that the disciples should feed a crowd numbering in the thousands, Philip said,

“It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” (John 6:7 NIV).

The disciples doubted Jesus when He spoke of His crucifixion and resurrection. When He told them He would have to suffer and die and rise back to life on the third day, Peter said,

“’Never, Lord! …This shall never happen to you!’” (Matthew 16:22 NIV).

When the women returned from Jesus’ empty tomb and told the rest of the disciples that He had been raised from the dead – they simply did not believe them. They didn’t believe what Jesus had said would happen, and they didn’t believe what their friends were telling them.

Sometimes, doubt doesn’t make sense. But it’s part of the sinful human condition. Don’t we find ourselves doubting things or people in which we know we should trust?

We’re here today because we know this about ourselves. We know that if we separate ourselves from the Word of God and our fellow Christians, our doubt will grow. Left long enough, our doubt can displace our faith altogether. We don’t want this to happen. So we come here to gather around God’s Word. We come to hear again the simple message of sins forgiven through God’s Son. We come to listen for something we did not know about God revealed in His Word. We come to be comforted by Christ and to teach our hearts to trust in Him more fully.

Jesus doesn’t disappoint us in our reading for today. The same words He spoke to the doubting eleven, He speaks to us.
▬
Jesus said,

“…All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18 NASB).

We’re not told exactly what the disciples doubted. But whatever it was, these words of Jesus were meant to lay those doubts to rest.

This is our first glimpse of God the Father in this reading. The authority has been given from someone to Jesus. Since it is authority over all things in heaven and earth, it must come from the Father.

We might wonder why the Son of God says that it was given to Him. But when we remember that the Son of God was born into the human race, it begins to make sense. In Jesus, the authority of God became the possession of a man. The God-Man.

No matter what doubts the disciples may have had, these two facts should have obliterated them. First, the eternal Son of God had become one of them, a human. That meant God was on their side. Second, Jesus wasn’t holding back any more with His divine authority and power. During His ministry Jesus did not use all the power that He had as God. But now that His suffering in our place was finished, He was once again exercising the full use of His power for the good of His disciples.

Perhaps it wasn’t Jesus at all that they were doubting. Perhaps it was themselves. If that was the case, their doubt was fitting. They were sinners. They didn’t deserve to be the disciples and friends of the Son of God! Their sins against each other, and others and against God deserved punishment, in hell, forever. But instead they had been given a Savior from sin. Instead they had been given the gift of forgiveness, and a special place in God’s house.

Surely that was what Jesus wanted these men to be most sure of – that His sacrifice had removed their guilt forever. They were forgiven in the sight of God.

And this is the same message Jesus would have you hold most tightly to today. He died for you. Your sins stand forgiven. Don’t be doubtful, trust in the resurrected one.
▬
Now, even when we trust in Jesus, we can still experience uncertainty and doubt. I trust in Christ. I know He is my Savior. I know that nothing I screw up can take His love away from me. But each time I stand outside that door before service, I feel uncertain. I doubt. What if my sinner’s mouth says something foolish and wrong? What do I really know anyway?

I’d bet the disciples felt the same way when Jesus told them the following.

“19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20 NASB).

Really Lord? You want us to convert the world?! You want us, people who fail to keep your commands each and every day to go out and teach the truth?! And that was exactly what Jesus wanted them to do.

But here’s the comfort that Jesus gives them with this assignment – the disciples weren’t going out make people follow them. They weren’t going out to baptize in their own names. They weren’t going out to teach their own commands. They were going out with message that God’s own Son had revealed to them. A message that was powerful by itself because the Holy Spirit went with it. And Jesus Himself promised to go with them as they went out into the world.

This message could be brought by people who fail to keep God's commands because that's what this message is all about - our failure, and Christ's success in our place.
▬
Now, I’d like to pause for just a second and talk about what the Bible says about Jesus here in a little more detail. Lately I’ve been approached either on the phone or online by people who want me to believe that the God of the Bible isn’t really three-in-one. They say that the Holy Spirit isn’t really a person, He’s just the power of God the Father. They say that Jesus isn’t really on the same level with the Father either. He’s more like a little god created under the big one.

Our reading today blows that idea away. Did you notice how our reading flips back and forth from the humanity of Jesus to the deity of Jesus? First it mentions Galilee where Jesus grew up. He’s human. Then it mentions that the disciples worshipped Him. He’s God. Then it flips back and says that all authority has been given to Him. Human. Then it flops back, saying that we’re supposed to baptize people in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. So, we use the name of the three-in-one God to baptize. So Jesus is God. Then it mentions that Jesus taught the disciples during His earthly ministry. He was obviously human when He did that. Then it says that Jesus promises to be with each of His followers even to the end of the world. Obviously, that’s something only God can promise.

For proof of Jesus deity and the three-in-one nature of God, remember the end of Matthew’s Gospel.
▬
Jesus’ final words are full of comfort for His followers. Soon He will be ascending back into heaven, but He promises them that He’s only going to be taking His visible presence away. In truth Jesus will remain with His followers forever.

We hear about this same thing in other passages too. Like where it says,

“For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20 NKJV).

God is with us, and if God is with us, who can be against us? When we are weak, God is there, and strong. In fact, when we are weak, that may be when we are truly the strongest, because we are forced to put our hope and trust squarely on Christ. Like Paul says,

“…Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NIV).

It’s like the match thing, but better.

Sure, a group of matches is stronger than a single match. But what if you put those matches up against an iron bar? (Pastor holds a bundle of matches around an iron bar) What was hard to break before is impossible to break now.

Joined to Jesus by faith, this is us. We are impervious to any real damage. God is with us, come what may. And after we are dead, we know He will gather us to Himself, and to an eternity of peace and joy.
▬
I had to come back early from Pastoral Conference this week. Fritz Peterson was sick, and it didn’t look like he’d last much longer. On the plane ride back I sat next to an atheist pilot. He we pretty talkative, and when he found out I was a Lutheran pastor, he let me have it.

It was the usual line. If God’s so powerful, how come he doesn’t use His power to fix everything? The pilot attributed everything bad in the world to God, because he figured if God is so powerful, He should just make it all better with a snap of his fingers. Since it isn’t all good right now, it must be God’s fault – if God exists. It was kinda a no win situation for God in this man’s mind. Either he doesn’t exist, He’s weak, or He doesn’t care about people.

Of course, I explained that God created the world perfect and free. I explained that God didn’t make the world evil, the choices of Adam and Eve did that.

But later I got to thinking, there's a better answer to that question of “Why doesn’t God use His power to make everything right again?” The answer is: That’s exactly what He’s doing.

God the Son became human to save us. God could have just wiped the slate clean and made a new universe, but He didn’t. He wanted you and me around. Instead of using His unlimited power to create a new universe, He used it to save this one.

And what does God want from us in return for salvation? Nothing. He says it’s a gift. He sent His Son to die in our place. We don’t do the work. Like Paul says in Romans 4,

“However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness” (Romans 4:5 NIV).

God IS using His power to fix everything. He’s just doing it on His own time table. The only way sinners are lost is when they push Him away.

Don’t do that. Instead, grow in faith by returning to Christ daily in prayer and meditation. Read the Words the Holy Spirit has caused to be written for you in the Bible. And know that the God of all power has given all authority to your Savior. And that immense force has been used to make you His own.

Amen.

Spirit School - Jun 12, 2011

To DOWNLOAD an MP3 of this message, first right click here then choose "save link as" or "save target as". Older audio is removed to conserve server space, but is available by request.

SERVICE INTRODUCTION

Today is Pentecost Sunday. On almost every Pentecost we read the story of how the Holy Spirit came to the disciples of Jesus in a special way. This took place after Jesus was crucified. After He was raised from the dead. After He had ascended back into heaven.

Jesus had told His follower to remain in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came to them with power. This happened on Pentecost. Pentecost was a Jewish festival. Thousands of people had come from all over the world to worship at the Temple. And it was at this time that the Holy Spirit descended on the followers of Jesus in a miraculous way, giving them the ability to speak in languages that they had never studied.

But the disciples didn’t use this miracle just to impress people. They used this miracle to communicate. They told the crowds about how Jesus was the Savior whom God had promised to send. Jesus had died for them, so that their sins were forgiven, and heaven was open to them.

Thousands came to faith on that single day. Pentecost is all about the Holy Spirit’s power working through Jesus’ followers to bring the message of free forgiveness to the hearts of sinners.

Today, our sermon isn’t going to focus on the events of Pentecost. Instead we’re going to meditate on what the apostle Paul says about the Holy Spirit in First Corinthians, chapter 2.

SERMON:

Earlier I mentioned that our sermon reading is from First Corinthians chapter 2. Before we read there I’d like to give us some historical background about how the congregation in the city of Corinth was founded. We turn to Acts, chapter 18.

Paul is on his second missionary journey. He has been traveling from city to city teaching in the synagogues that Jesus is the Messiah.

Acts 18:1–11 (NIV)

18 After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, 3 and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. 4 Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.
5 When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. 6 But when they opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”
7 Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. 8 Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized.
9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. 10 For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” 11 So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.
▬
After this, Paul moved on to other cities. And at some point he wrote a letter to the young congregation that he had left in Corinth. In chapter two of that letter, Paul wrote our sermon text…

First Corinthians 2:1-5 (NIV)

1 And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.
▬
Paul says that when he came to Corinth he didn’t speak with eloquence or wise and fancy words. He didn’t come to them like a smooth politician trying to secure their vote. He didn’t come to them like someone in the market, trying to pitch them something, trying to get them to buy something. He says,

“My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power” (1 Cor 2:4 NIV).

With a demonstration of the Spirit’s power. That sounds like Paul is saying he did some kind of miracle. But when we look back at the account in Acts 18 we don’t hear anything about Paul doing miracles. What we hear is this…

“When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah” (Acts 18:5 NIV).

Silas and Timothy were Paul’s partners in preaching the message of Christ. When they came to Corinth, they could work to provide for food and lodging, and Paul could focus himself entirely on preaching the message of Jesus. This is the demonstration of the Spirit’s power that Paul is talking about in First Corinthians.

It was a simple message. Jesus is the Messiah. He suffered for you, so that your sins stand forgiven. Through Him, heaven has been opened to you.

That’s a simple message. Jesus died so forgiveness and heaven are yours – free of charge. Without you having to do anything, or add anything to what He has done.
▬
This wasn’t man’s wisdom at all. In fact, this was a hard message for the Jews to accept. They thought the Messiah was only about glory, not suffering and dying and rising again. Paul had to point out to them that the OT said that the Messiah had to do these things too.

The Greeks looked at this message as utter foolishness. Trust in a man who had gotten himself killed by the Romans? What kind of champion is that?

Just a few verses back in his letter to the Corinthians, Paul wrote…

“but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor 1:23–24 NIV).

It was a simple message, but a powerful one. It was this message that converted thousands to Christ on Pentecost. It was this message that the Holy Spirit had used to bring the Corinthians to trust in Christ.
▬
Now, the Gospel starts simple. So simple in fact, that a little child can sum it up by saying, “Jesus died so I’m forgiven. Jesus died so that I get to go to heaven.” But that’s just where the Good News starts. What follows is hugely complex. In verse 6, Paul says…

1 Corinthians 2:6–10a (NIV)

6 We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 However, as it is written:
“What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”—
the things God has prepared for those who love him—
10 these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.
▬
In this world, people feel guilt. We know when we’ve let someone down. We know we’ve hurt people. And on a deeper level we know that each sin has also wounded God. But in Christ, the guilt for these sins is erased. Through Christ we are forgiven. He rubs out our guilt. Now we have peace with God.

In this world people feel excluded. We find ourselves outside of one group or another. But in Christ we find ourselves included in God’s family.

In this world people feel alone. But the Christian is taught that Christ never leaves His followers. We are never alone, even when we feel alone.

In this world people feel like they have no future. No hope for things to come. In Christ, we are told that God is our future. We are assured that a room is being prepared for us in God’s eternal house.

In this world people feel empty. No self-esteem. No self-worth. But God tells us through the Gospel that He values us so much that He was willing to send His own Son to die for us, so that we could be His cleansed people.

In this world people feel like they have no direction. But through the Gospel God tells us that He worked out a plan to save us even before we existed! He even arranged the events in our lives to bring us to faith in Christ. He assures us that each one of our lives has a purpose in His great plan.

In this world people inevitably have to die. But because of Christ, death no longer looks so scary. Just as Christ rose from the death and ascended to the Father’s side, all who trust in Christ will also rise from the dead on the last day and ascend to meet the Father in glory.
▬
The wisdom of the world can only serve us in this life. But the wisdom of God - the Gospel of Christ and all of the things that come with faith - transcends this life. The wisdom of God serves us in this life, and it opens the door to eternity.

All of these assurances that we’ve just talked about flow from the Gospel and are revealed to us by the Holy Spirit.
▬
Paul talks in detail about the Spirit in the last verses of our reading from Corinthians. He says…

1 Corinthians 2:10b–16 (NIV)

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. 14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 15 The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, 16 for,
“Who has known the mind of the Lord
so as to instruct him?”
But we have the mind of Christ.
▬
Have you ever wanted to know someones thoughts? Perhaps what they thought about you in their heart of hearts? Just imagine what a connection that would be if you could open your mind to your spouse, or your best friend, and they could open their mind back to you – fully. Completely. We could live a whole life with someone and not even get close to this level of intimacy.

And this is what the Holy Spirit and the Father have. They are one in this way. Their thoughts are not only shared, they own each other’s inner minds.

And here’s the astonishing point Paul wants to impress on us – this is what the Holy Spirit is giving to us. An intimate, total connection with the mind and heart of the Father.

Without the Holy Spirit we couldn’t know the Father in this intensely intimate way! The Bible says that without the Holy Spirit people can’t “get” God at all! We find His ways foreign, and His thoughts beyond understanding. Without the Holy Spirit, God’s ways even seem foolish to us.

Seriously God? I’m supposed love the person who hates me? With my actions? And my words? And my heart?

Really God? When I get hurt or cheated I’m not allowed to get even? I’m supposed to just trust that you’ll take care of things?

You’ve got to be kidding God! You want me to be honest, even if it hurts me to do so?

I don’t get you God. Even though I’m so messed up and continually fail to do the good things I want to do – you still forgive me because of Christ? It’s really that free of a gift?

To all of our wicked know-it-all-thoughts, the Bible replies…

“Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the LORD.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:7–9 NIV).

▬
In the last verse of our reading from Corinthians, Paul writes…

“…we have the mind of Christ” (1 Cor 2:16).

Through the Bible, the Holy Spirit not only teaches us to know Christ, the Holy Spirit connects us to Christ in the most intimate of ways. Through faith we are given the mind of Christ. We don’t just learn to imitate Christ, we are given His mind.

This is deep stuff. Spiritual stuff. Our sinful natures say, What does that even mean? Our sinful nature can’t understand the things of the Spirit. But we see the mind of Christ at work when we see followers of Christ modeling Christ in their own lives. With what they do. With the chioices they make. Through faith in Christ, Christ Himself begins to live in us and through us.

The apostle Peter wrote…

1 Peter 1:13–16 (NIV)

13 Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
▬
Pentecost is all about the Holy Spirit’s power working through Jesus’ followers to bring the message of free forgiveness to sinners.

Let’s thank the Spirit for His work. For we have this secret wisdom. We have received the Gospel of Christ, and believe it.

Prayer: Thank you Holy Spirit, for reaching into our lives and shining the light of Christ’s forgiveness on our sins. Help us first and foremost to live guilt free lives, knowing our every sin has been paid for by our Lord Jesus and we now stand forgiven before the Father. Help us to live holy lives from this point forward. And when we fail, point us back to the cross and to renewal. Amen.

"Jesus Ascends to Heaven" - Jun 5, 2011

To DOWNLOAD an MP3 of this message, first right click here then choose "save link as" or "save target as". Older audio is removed to conserve server space, but is available by request.

This sermon available only on audio. Sorry for any inconvenience. -Pastor Schaller