Sermon June 1st 2008
Jared Rakness
Sermon June 1st 2008
First Reading Deuteronomy 11:18-28
Second Reading Romans 1:16-17; 3:19-31
Gospel Matthew 7:21-29
“Death and Life”
Dear hearers of the Word of God, Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Let us pray: Almighty God, you swept over the waters of this world and brought order to the chaos. You speak and it is so, your word goes forth and who can hinder it. Hearing your word of law and gospel, of letter and spirit, bring us down to death that you might raise us up a new creation, for we are a sinful people who live in a world of sinners, but you O Christ have come for just such people, so come this day to us, claiming us as your own and creating us new again, for it is in Jesus name that we pray, amen.
This morning I bring you greetings from the South Dakota Synod of the ELCA, this past weekend a few hundred of our brothers and sisters in Christ, both lay persons and clergy came together to conduct the business of the Church. As one of my colleagues said about it, they did a good job of cramming 2 hours worth of business into two days. But I report that things are the same as they have ever been at the synod, so lets move on to what’s important.
Today we have before us three very important texts in the scripture. First is the Deuteronomy text, which tells the Israelites what they are to do, how they are to live if they want to live long in the land that the Lord their God has given them. So this is what they are to do, put these words of mine in your heart and soul, bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead. Teach them to you children, talking about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise, write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
What does this mean, it means that you are to take the Word of the Lord very seriously; you are to meditate upon it day and night, taking it into your heart and soul. For what purpose are you to do this, so that your life may be long in the land, this is a matter of life and it is a matter of God’s blessing upon that life.
Why is it important that you do this, so that you will not follow other god’s falling into the life of idolatry, and turning away from the one true God, thus placing upon yourself the curses that God has said he will lay upon you. So teach your children the scriptures, teach them the Lord’s pray and the Ten Commandments bring them to church and raise them in the one true faith. This one is easy, it’s a no brainer.
But now we must dive into the Gospel text, where things are not so easy, not because Jesus hides them into language we cannot understand, it is not easy because it is so simple and easy to understand in its conviction of all who have ears to hear it.
So what is it that Jesus is speaking of as he is wrapping up his “Sermon on the Mount”? Well, he is condemning those who do things on their own. But Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name? Then I will declare to them, I never knew you; go away from me you evildoers.”
Now you may be saying to yourself, aha, but I’m in church this morning, so Jesus could not be speaking of me, right? Are you sure? Let’s think about this, today we live in a community of around 2000 people, but in church this morning we have around 110 people, on average we have in worship around 130 people. On a good Sunday we have anywhere from 160 to 180, and on a down Sunday we have anywhere from 90 to 110.
Now across town there are other Christian worshiping communities, one of whom worships around the same as Immanuel, but on average I would say on any given Sunday there are around 500 people in worship from our community. Out of a community of 2000, that is right at 25% of the people in church.
The big question of course is where are the other 1500 people and why are they not in church? Now I know there are some of you who are breaking the long tradition of Lutheran’s and you are actually inviting others to attend worship, but we must address this specific question, why do the other 75% of the community need to be in church?
Now the only answer to this question is this, they need to be in church to hear the Gospel message that they too are claimed by Christ Jesus and their sins are forgiven. The wrong answers to this question are because we are the best church, or because we have so much going on, or because they should be here so that we might feel better about ourselves, after all its easier to do things in groups, or they should be here to help us pay for the building, or they should be here because it makes us feel better about our selves.
All are wrong answers, in fact if you ask someone about church, or are thinking of inviting someone to church, first ask them if they are currently in a faith community, and if the answer is yes, then well and good, now you can begin to confess your faith together, but don’t try and get them to come to your church because you think it’s better for them, as if you know best.
Do you want to know why it is that many of our neighbors are not in church this morning, it is most likely because at some point in their life they have encountered Christians who cry out to the Lord, but the Lord never knew them. They see the arrogance of some Christians as they walk around with their noses up in the air thinking everyone is beneath them.
Faith or the label Christian has become a status symbol to some, it is nothing more than a club, you should come to our club because we have the most fun, or we do things better than the other clubs in town or we have a nicer building. I am convinced that one of the main reasons many of our neighbors are not here this morning is because of us, and our spiritual arrogance and not because they don’t know we are here.
So why should we evangelize or talk about our faith with others, well, so that they might also hear the life giving words of Christ and his gospel message, a message that kills and makes alive, we don’t evangelize so that more people are here or because we feel we are doing things better than everyone else, that after all is sin, being about me, being curved in upon one’s self. But a true Christian doesn’t see themselves in this matter, all they see is the Gospel and an ear to hear, making it not about you, but about Christ and his Word for all sinners.
This is what Jesus is speaking against, those who go out and do, but they do for themselves, those who do for their own glory, for the glory of the building or the organization. But do you see what gets lost in this, or better yet who gets lost in this. Jesus does, all of the sudden we get so wrapped up in the church that we forget Christ and his message, feed the poor, take care of your neighbor, do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth.
You see to glory in anything but Jesus Christ is to glory in the self, and that is to build your foundation not upon the solid rock, but upon sand, and it will be blown down when the winds and rain come, and come they will, this you can be assured of.
In the end of this text Jesus speaks of hearing and doing, or hearers and doers. But where does this begin? Here we turn to Romans the 3rd chapter, I declare this to you today, you are all sinners, unable to do anything about your sin, you have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God, not one of you is righteous, you are all unworthy, you are all gentile dogs.
Hearing this word ought to bring your noses down a bit, so that you no longer distinguish between the haves and the have not’s, for you have all been declared as have not’s. So your gaze should be a little lower now and your walk a little less pride filled. You are all sinners, this means that you have already been judged, there is no more time for you to earn your way to heaven, the judgment has already been made and worse yet it was made 2000 years ago upon the cross.
Now your head should really be lowered from the place you had once placed it, now it is looking down, and do you know what, for the first time you see the lowly, you can see the poor, the hungry, the needy, the sinner, and worse yet for you, you are one of them. That’s right, all this time that you have been walking in spiritual arrogance you were doing so as a hypocrite, for you were the most sinful, you were the biggest sinner of the bunch as you went around and preached and taught in Jesus name, and yet he did not know you, for you did those things for yourself, and not for Christ.
But this is not the end, you see your old self had been a life to deather, one who went around working on the afterlife, but now that is behind you, death is behind you, the judgment is behind you, so now there is nothing before you but life. Life that is lived for the neighbor, life that is lived not for yourself, but for Christ and him alone, the one who has brought you down, lowered your gaze so that you can see those around you, the sinners, the needy, and now in Christ you can begin to be a doer, or one who preaches this same message of Jesus Christ and him crucified to all people.
For you have died, and you life is now hid in Christ. How do I know this, well because the scripture tells us, 2nd Cor. 3:6, the letter kills, but the spirit gives life. This is not some metaphorical verse as the hpyerchristian, hyperspiritual and hyperlearned Goat Emser would have it. But it is a word that completes what it is sent for.
In the hearing of the Law from Romans 3, you are all declared sinners, you are brought to death through the law, for the letter of the law kills, but now in Christ, through the Gospel, through the spirit you are given life. You have died, you are no more, there is no more time for you and you own projects, there is nothing for you to do, nothing for you to add to Christ, for Christ is going to do it all. There is nothing for you to be arrogant about; there is no more room for pride, now there is only room for Christ and his word, Love the Lord your God and your Neighbor as yourself.
So go and do, go and proclaim, go and love, amen.
http://ilcep.org/ilcblog/public_html/article.php?story=20080602113057452