“We Find Courage in Our Lord’s Ascension” Acts 1.1-11 Ascension Day ‘13

1.      Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  It should be a celebration! The house is full of kids. You’re the guest of honor, and you’ve got six candles on your cake to blow out. So what’s wrong? Maybe your brother or sister is playing with one of your gifts. Maybe Johnny swiped a finger across the frosting of your cake before you got to blow. Whatever it is, it’s suddenly all coming apart. The bigger picture of fun, games, and friends has been lost.  Because Jesus ascended into heaven, He’s now exalted over all things. He rules all things in heaven & on earth on behalf of His Church. This should bring us as Christians great hope and joy. But, too often we become discouraged by worldly cares. We become like the unhappy birthday child. Our sinful nature shuts our eyes to what God has done through our risen and ascended Lord Jesus. We see only with our physical eyes, focusing on the discouragements around us in this sinful world. In the life of our congregation, we may worry about financial challenges or the number of inactive members. We may become discouraged as we struggle to accomplish the things we feel are important or overcome the challenges we face. We may find ourselves in a state of despair because of our own sins or the sins of others. And as a result, we reel in self-pity brought on by our own disappointment and disillusionment. But, our Lord has ascended on high and rules over all things on our behalf. Let’s not lose sight of this wonderful truth and all that it means for us.  The message this Ascension Day is taken from Acts 1:1-11, and is entitled, “We Find Courage in Our Lord’s Ascension,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.      Ascension Day is important for us in our lives as Christians, but unfortunately many Christians on this day will miss it.  In between Wednesday and the middle of a busy work week and Friday’s promise of the weekend, Thursday hardly seems like a day to celebrate and have a festival when there’s still work to be done. So even though today is just as holy as Easter Sunday, most of the world will move through it unconsciously.  Even those who have confessed the lines of the Apostles’ Creed: “On the third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.”  Our Gospel lesson from Luke 24 for today records, “Then [Jesus] said to his disciples….’See, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.’  Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them.  While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven.  And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple blessing God.” (Luke 24:49-53)

3.      The ascension of our Lord Jesus after His death on the cross and resurrection might seem somewhat anti-climatic. Maybe this is the reason that the resurrection and ascension statements of the Apostles’ Creed are essentially treated as one in the same: On the third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. One might think that the one miraculous act flowed immediately into the other: that the death of the body of Jesus was answered in the resurrection of Christ, a presence who then floated spiritually into heaven. Unfortunately, the result of this impression is that many think that the ascension points to the casting off of Jesus’ human nature, as if Jesus is now a presence that only used to be human.

4.      But, this is far from the experience of the disciples, as we see here in Acts 1, to whom Jesus appeared many times in the days following His resurrection. To them it was clear that Jesus wasn’t any sort of ghost or phantasm. He ate with them. Jesus talked with them. He instructed them as to the ministries they would lead and the deaths they would face because of their belief in Him as their Savior. Jesus was more fully human than they had ever realized, and it was this holy body, this divine person that they held near as they lived and died to proclaim His kingdom. 

5.      As the disciples were watching and Jesus was taken up before their own eyes, a cloud hid Him from their sight. Our text in Acts 1:9-11 refers to them, “looking intently up into the sky as he was going” when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them: “‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go.’” In this resurrected body, Christ ascended to heaven, fully human, fully divine, and entirely glorified.  

6.      On the day Jesus ascended into heaven, the work God sent Him to accomplish was finally completed. The ascension was a public declaration of Jesus’ dying words on the Cross: It is finished. Ascending to heaven, Jesus continued the victory of Easter—the victory of a physical body in whom God had conquered death. Because of the ascension, the incarnation of our Lord isn’t a past event. Because of the ascension, we know that the incarnate Christ who was raised from the dead is sharing in our humanity even now. And just as the angels informed the disciples, so we carry in our own bodies a guarantee that Christ will one day bring us to Himself.  It’s for these reasons that the Christian scholar N.T. Wright affirms, “To embrace the Ascension is to heave a sigh of relief, to give up the struggle to be God (and with it the inevitable despair at our constant failure), and to enjoy our status as creatures: image-bearing creatures, but creatures nonetheless.” (N.T. Wright, Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church (New York: Harper Collins, 2008), 114). 

7.      WE DO FIND COURAGE IN OUR LORD’S ASCENSION.  Jesus lived. Jesus died. Jesus rose. Jesus left for heaven.  There are six reasons we can find courage in Jesus’ Ascension.  First, Jesus’ ascension assures us that we can go home, too. Jesus tells His disciples a little later that he’s going to prepare a place for them in His Father’s house (John 14). Because Jesus returned to the Father, I can say with Paul that, “to live is Christ, and to die is gain,” when I die, I will be with Jesus. 

8.      Second, Jesus’ ascension assures us that He intercedes for us to God.  Jesus, the God-man, speaks on our behalf to God our Heavenly Father. He knows what it’s like to be human (Hebrews 4:14–16), but He’s not just asking God to give me a break. Jesus Himself was broken for my sin, and because of His perfect sacrifice on the cross, He sustains our right relationship with God (Hebrews 9:15). 

9.      Third, Jesus says we should rejoice in His ascension. Jesus says, “If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father.” This alone is reason to be glad. 

10.  Fourth, Christ’s ascension has given us the Holy Spirit. Jesus tells us that He must leave in order to send the Holy Spirit (John 16:7). The Spirit teaches, convicts, and comforts us while we’re here on earth. 

11.  Fifth, we have the inspired Gospels. Jesus promises His disciples that the Holy Spirit will teach them and remind them of all that He said (John 14:25–26). And that’s good for us, because the disciples were able to give accurate accounts of events they didn’t understand while they were happening (Matthew 15:15–17; 16:9; Mark 6:52; 9:32; John 12:16). 

12.  Sixth, my king is where He belongs. Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, has taken His seat in glory at the Father’s right hand (Hebrews 1:3). He obeyed, and at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, and every tongue confess that He is Lord (Philippians 2:9–11).

13.  Jesus lived. Jesus died. Jesus rose. Jesus reigns forevermore.  We find courage in our Lord’s ascension into heaven.  On this Ascension Day we remember that our Lord Jesus hasn’t left us as orphans. In the same post-resurrection body He invited Doubting Thomas to touch, Jesus invites us to full humanity today. He ascended with a body, he shares in our humanity, and He’s coming back for our bodies. Christ is preparing a room for us in heaven, and we know it’s real because He Himself is real.  Amen. 

“Come Over & Help Us” Acts 16.9-15, Easter 6C, May ‘13

1. Please pray with me.  May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.  Amen.  On this weekend of the Sixth Sunday of Easter we celebrate again the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. He, the living God and only-begotten Son of the Father, instructs us concerning his victory over death, sin, and the devil and that he has all authority in heaven and on earth. In our Bible readings for today we see that the Lord will enlighten all nations who bring their honor to worship him as Lord of lords.  The message from God’s Word for the 6^th Sunday of Easter comes to us today from Acts 16:9-15 and is entitled, “Come Over & Help Us,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2. On December 7, 1941, the Japanese Air Force launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and forced the United States into World War II. President Franklin Roosevelt described it as “a day which will live in infamy,” and the motto “Remember Pearl Harbor!” became a rallying cry for the rest of World War II.  In Great Britain, Prime Minister Winston Churchill received the news of Pearl Harbor differently. Churchill understood that this fatal mistake by the Japanese in underestimating the United States would now force full-scale U.S. involvement in the war. Upon grasping this consequence, Churchill reportedly said, “Now we will win.”  Throughout the course of history we find such decisions which move things in a different direction. Here in Acts 16 God’s plan to take the gospel into Europe rather than into Asia changed the face of evangelism and the march of the church for hundreds of years. When we think of Martin Luther and Philip Melanchthon we remember Europeans influenced by the decision Paul made to follow God’s leading against his own personal preferences.  God still changes history today. Not many years ago, we thought the Berlin Wall wouldn’t fall and expected the Cold War to go on forever. Who could have predicted in 1985 a united Germany and even Christian missionary activity all across eastern Europe?  God’s timing differs from what we would have planned. Like Paul, we must trust the leading of the Holy Spirit day by day.

3. Here in Acts 16 we see that after experiencing the vision of “a man of Macedonia” calling him to bring help to Europe, Paul and his companions reflected on their journey. God was leading them to Europe.  Luke the Evangelist writes in Acts 16:11-12, “From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis. From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.  Philippi was an ancient town, having been renamed in 356 b.c. by Philip II of Macedon after himself. With the expansion of the Roman Empire, it became a Roman possession in 167 b.c. But its greatest fame came from the fact that it happened to be the place where the armies of Mark Antony and Octavian defeated Brutus and Cassius in the decisive battle of the second Roman civil war in 42 b.c. It was from this event that Philippi derived its character in Paul’s day because for its part in the battle it was awarded the status of a Roman colony that answered directly to the Roman emperor. Roman soldiers were encouraged to retire there, and its citizens were exempt from provincial taxes.

4. Rome didn’t know it, but the flag of Christianity was raised up in the Empire that day, and the reigning Christ was about to win many to himself. G. Campbell Morgan wrote:  “How little the world knows of the Divine movements. Rome had small idea that day, that the van of the army of its ultimate Conqueror had taken possession of one of its frontal defences. On the day when Paul hurried from Neapolis, over the eight miles up to Philippi—and came into the city and made arrangements for his own lodging… the flag was planted in a frontier colony of Rome, which eventually was to make necessary the lowering of her flag, and the change of the world’s history.”

5. Acts 16:13 says, “On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there.” Paul and his companions went to the riverside on the Sabbath instead of a synagogue because there was no synagogue in Philippi. According to Jewish tradition, there had to be a quorum of at least 10 male heads of households before a synagogue could be formed. If these requirements could not be met, the faithful were to meet under the open sky near a river or sea. So Paul and company walked outside the city on the Sabbath, probably to the Gangites River, looking for some fellow Jews. They discovered a small group—all women—who met to recite the Shema, pray, and read the Law and Prophets. This was a divine appointment!

6. Acts 16:14-15 says, “One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.”  Evidently Lydia took her name from her native province—Thyatira’s ancient name was Lydia. Because she was “a worshiper of God”—a Gentile who saw truth in Judaism and wanted it, she came under the influence of the Jews. The majority of those accompanying this wealthy woman were probably family and servants. Lydia had been prepared for an encounter with the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and as she listened, “the Lord opened her heart.” Paul’s pharisaical prejudices, which in pre-Christian years had taught him to pray, “God, I thank you that I am not a Gentile, or a slave, or a woman,” had been altered by Christ and his growth in faith. Later he would write:  There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)

7. As Lydia came to believe in Jesus, she experienced the wonderful news of her sins being forgiven by Jesus. Joy welled up within her and flowed over to her companions. Her entire household believed. They were all baptized right on the spot. God opened the heart of one woman in a colony of Rome, and that city became a mighty beachhead for God. We can’t assess a situation by the numbers. One woman’s heart in Philippi doomed the flag of Rome.  Dear Lydia then twisted the evangelists’ arms so they would stay at her home. The world translated “persuaded” in verse 15b is the exact word used to describe how the disciples prevailed upon Jesus to stay with them after their encounter on the road to Emmaus.  Philippi was destined to become one of Paul’s most beloved congregations.  Paul writes in Philippians 1:3 and 4:15, I thank my God every time I remember you. (Philippians 1:3)  Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only. (Philippians 4:15)

8. The apostles now had the wind at their backs. God’s grace produced Christlike spirits and sacrificial giving. Blown from the coasts of Troas to Samothrace to Neapolis, they now breezed right into Lydia’s heart and home. It was experiences such as this that caused Paul to write in Romans 1:16:  I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.  At this point it may have looked like all their trouble was behind them. But from experience Paul knew better.

9. Some meeting! Imagine the joy at Lydia’s as Paul and his associates in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ recounted the events that led them to Philippi.  Some church! Lydia the merchant princess and her household were the beginning of the first European Christian church. The rich and poor, slave and free, male and female, were all one in Christ. The flag of the gospel of Jesus Christ and His death and resurrection from the dead was raised up on a continent that needed it desperately!  Some life! Through thick and thin, despite the whirlwinds of Satan’s opposition, the wind of the Spirit was always at the backs of Paul and his companions. Wherever they were they were serving an awesome God.  Some gospel!  I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of every one who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. (Romans 1:16)

10.                     Prayer:  O Lord, help us to raise up the flag of your Son Jesus wherever you desire to use us as your witnesses today and in days to come. Help us to know with whom you want us to share the gospel of life, and to do so wisely. Help us not to be mute because of fear, but to praise you always, even in the most difficult circumstances. May your presence in us draw others, even our enemies, to your salvation, found only in your Son. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

“The Gospel of Christ for All” Acts 11.1-18, Easter 5C, April ‘13

1.       Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  The message from God’s Word this 5^th Sunday of Easter comes to us from Acts 11:1-18 and is entitled, “The Gospel of Christ for All,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.      Mahatma Gandhi shares in his autobiography that in his student days in England he was deeply touched by reading the Gospels and considered becoming a Christian, which seemed to offer a real solution to the caste system that divided the people of India. One Sunday he attended church services and decided to ask the minster for an understanding on salvation and other Christian doctrines. But when Gandhi entered the sanctuary, the ushers refused to give him a seat and suggested that he go elsewhere to worship with his own people. He left and never came back. “If Christians have caste differences also,” he said to himself, “I might as well remain a Hindu!”  Edwin Markham has said, “Some draw a circle that shuts men out;  Race and position are what they flout;  But Christ in love seeks them all to win, He draws a circle that takes them in!

3.      Bad news travels fast, and soon the Christians in Jerusalem called Peter on the carpet for fraternizing with the Gentiles.  Acts 11:1-4, 16-18 says, “1Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying, 3“You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” 4But Peter began and explained it to them in order:  16 [near the end of his sermon Peter] remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?”  18When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

4.      These Jewish Christians were not unhappy because the Gentiles received grace but because Peter had associated with them!  Peter had his hands full, but he answered admirably.  Acts 11:4–18 record his defense, which was so good that in the end, according to verse 18,  “When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.”  The story of Peter’s preaching to the Gentiles was of great importance to Luke. He tells it three times, twice in Acts 10 and again in chapter 11. Luke was composing under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This story was not only important to him but to God also. If God tells us something once, we should listen. If he tells us something twice, we should pay strict attention. How then if he tells us something three times over? In that case, we must give God’s words the most intent and obedient notice possible.

5.      Here in Acts 11 we see that the Gospel of Christ is for All who believe in Jesus as their Savior regardless of race or social class.  Just like the circumcision party here in Acts 11 we too may be skeptical of God bringing to faith others outside our own circle.  The Jewish Christians in Jerusalem called into question Peter’s actions of going to Gentiles.  In the Old Testament, God himself had established a distinction of Israel from the Gentiles (Deut 7:1–6). Jews felt even eating with Gentiles would make them ceremonially unclean.  Likewise, God had forbidden Israel to eat many foods the Gentiles ate (Deut 14:2–19).  But note that Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners.

6.      We may be unsure we can reach beyond our comfort zones.  This might include traditions in our congregation that could be stumbling blocks to those on the “outside” being welcomed.  It certainly does include any hesitancy about welcoming people into the Church because their backgrounds might be suspicious to us. For example, we may wonder whether Muslims can become Christian.  This reminds me of a moment in American history: after the Civil War the question rose whether free blacks and whites of the same denomination would make up congregations. Oh yes, said most white congregations: you can keep coming with us to the Lord’s house, as you did in slave days. Yes, we’ll reserve choice seats for you in the balcony. But commune with us at the Lord’s Table? And stay to eat with us at the tables in the church meeting room or on the church lawn, for a picnic? Never. Historians report that some of the segregation of Christian congregations in America resulted from African Americans’ “self-exclusion.” They knew where they weren’t wanted; it was at the communion table, where believers are intimate with their Lord, close to each other; or at the festive table, where they share their secrets and bare their souls as they feed their bodies.

7.      Thanks be to God that He leaves us no doubt about his purpose to include everyone into His heavenly kingdom through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and His cross and empty tomb.  God made it very clear to Peter.  He gave Peter a miraculous vision (vv 4–10).  Others helped affirm the message (vv 11–14).  Finally, God left no doubt (vv 15–17).

8.      Today, God affirms his promises to include all people by the testimony of his Word.  Scripture had always hinted at it.  Ps 148:11–13 says, “11Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers | of the earth! 12Young men and maidens together, old men and children! 13Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above earth and heaven.”  Now we understand clearly.  Jesus tells us in John 16:13, ¹³When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”  For this is one of God’s new things as Jesus also says from His throne in heaven in Revelation 21:5, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

9.      This is the new covenant instituted with the shedding of Jesus’ blood.  Jesus’ death on the cross has paid for the sins of the whole world, that is, all people!  1 John 2:2 says, “2He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”  By Jesus’ cross, the gifts of forgiveness and eternal life have been given to all who believe (v 17).

10.  In the end, God calls all to faith through the same Word and Spirit.  Whether it’s infant Baptism or adults coming to faith, all are by God’s Spirit through his Word.  The Gospel message itself is beyond our reason.  We think those who are “in” must somehow “rate” based on something in them (our)selves.  But we know better; every one of us is “in” because Jesus paid for our membership by dying for us—and only because he did.  We sometimes need to make sure not to stand in the Spirit’s way.  Our final response is praise for what God does in bringing others to faith (v 18).

11.  Our reading from Acts 11 today reminds us that our attitude toward the world—those who do not know God—is very important. That’s the whole point of the Old Testament book of Jonah. It was Jonah’s bad attitude toward the world that landed him in the belly of the great fish. God was saying to him, “Jonah, this is what I think of your self-will, your prejudice, your elitism. Take a good look.”

12.  In our Lord Jesus there is no basis for discrimination of any kind. Prejudice or elitism on the lips of a believer is an obscenity—whether it be racial, national, cultural, or social. James says, “My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism” (2:1). If only there had been more love and less bias in that usher’s heart when he met Gandhi. The future world leader had read the New Testament and had even seriously considered Christianity, but his conclusion was, “I like the New Testament, I like your Christianity, but I do not like your Christians.”

13.  What a difference it makes when we look at others with attitudes that are inclusive, optimistic, and loving. Peter’s story reminds us that God wants to instill in us his attitude toward the world.  The gospel never changes. But we can become unchangeable, inflexible, and thus unusable. What are our attitudes toward others? Exclusive, pessimistic, passive? Or concerned, hopeful and loving? We need to regularly consider Peter’s vision and its meaning and implications for us today.

14.  Prayer:  Our gracious Lord, we want to have hearts that are inclusive and optimistic. We desire a blessed, merciful aggressiveness like Jesus’. Enlarge the circle of our lives, we pray, whatever the cost. Help us to be open to your leading and to not see ourselves as above those you want us to reach. May your love for everyone overflow from our hearts and draw others to the Savior who died for them as much as he died for us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

“Shepherd the Flock of God” Acts 20.17-35 Easter 4C April 2013

1.       Please pray with me.  May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.  Amen.  The season of Easter and this Good Shepherd Sunday give us a chance to focus on the role and relationship of faithful pastors, undershepherds of Jesus, grounded first in the relationship with the Good Shepherd, and with their Christian congregations.  The text from Revelation 7 today, shows the heavenly scene in which all the faithful are gathered before Jesus our Good Shepherd. We see in our reading from the book of Acts that the hardships for Paul and the Ephesians are overcome by the time of that heavenly gathering.  John chapter 10 contains the words of Jesus the Shepherd himself. The message is entitled, “Shepherd the Flock of God,” and it’s taken from Acts 20:17-35, dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.       A group of military servicemen asked their new chaplain if he believed in a real hell for lost sinners, and he smiled and told them that he didn’t. “Then you are wasting your time,” the soldiers replied. “If there’s no hell, we don’t need you; and if there is a hell, you are leading us astray. Either way, we’re better off without you!”  These words are so true about why the Apostle Paul is calling the Ephesian elders here in Acts 20 to hold fast to the doctrine and teaching that was entrusted to them and to shepherd the flock of God, because the salvation of the bodies and souls of God’s people are at stake.

3.       Paul’s words to the Ephesian elders here in Acts 20 are about proper love and care for those entrusted to them. We are spiritual orphans in need of a loving heavenly Father. The image on Good Shepherd Sunday of Jesus as a shepherd caring for us is expanded in the role of those undershepherds, those pastors, who watch over the flock of God’s people.

4.       I want to focus today specifically on Paul’s words in Acts 20:24, 27, 28-35 where he says, “²⁴But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God, ²⁷for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. ²⁸Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. ²⁹I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; ³⁰and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. ³¹Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears. ³²And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. ³³I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. ³⁴You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. ³⁵In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

5.       Notice that the Apostle Paul had a proper set of priorities (v. 24). He told the elders, “I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.”  When I read that verse I think of Philippians 3:13–14, where Paul gives a similar testimony: “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Paul’s goals involved forgetting what was behind—the failures, temptations, weaknesses, even the achievements—and pressing forward instead to the things God yet had for him, always having his eye on the prize to which God had called him in Christ Jesus.

6.       One reason why many of us are not more effective in our Christian lives is that we don’t have our priorities in order. Isn’t it true that most of us value our lives far more than our Christian witness? We value the praise of men far more than the praise of God.  St. Augustine, we are told, once dreamed that he approached the gates of heaven. An angel stopped him before he could enter and asked, “Who are you?” Augustine responded, “I am a Christian. “No,” said the angel, “you are a Ciceronian. Here we judge people by what interests them, and you have interest only in the classics.” Augustine claims that as a result of the dream, he changed his habits and devoted much more attention to the Scriptures and holy living.  Such focus of life is Paul’s challenge to the Ephesian church leaders and to us in Acts 20. Through them, the Holy Spirit and the Word speak to us as well, raising questions about our values and focus in life.  How easy in our hectic world to value the temporary and ignore the eternal. Paul commended these brothers to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified (v. 32).  This chapter ought to call us back to the basics, back to the priorities of Christian faith to which Paul gave his life. The twenty-fourth verse of Acts 20 could well be a life verse for serious Christians intentionally wanting to be the Lord’s disciples: However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.

7.       This is why one of the roles of a pastor is to be like the Apostle Paul and to make sure that his parishioners have the right priorities in order.  For this reason I’m about to enter into the most explosive subject imaginable.  No, not abortion or same-sex marriage, not even immigration reform or gun control.  I want to talk about parents, sports, work, and the church.  How many of you already felt your defenses go up and your blood pressure rise?  I believe that on the 8^th day, God created ESPN.  I played organized sports from grade school all the way through college.  I believe sports are a healthy investment for parents to make, even when it involves sacrifice to have your children involved.  But, according to a new study published in the Review of Religious Research, an examination of declining attendance at 16 congregations revealed that many pastors place the most blame on children’s sports activities, since both practices and competitions are increasingly, “scheduled on Sunday mornings at the very time when many churches traditionally have provided religious education.”  I’ve seen the same thing.  I see parents letting almost every other extracurricular activity in their child’s life take precedent over investments designed to make a spiritual impression.  Meaning soccer, football, volleyball, or baseball, get first dibs on the calendar.  I’ve also hear people make the same excuse when it comes to their work schedule, that their work comes even before worshiping our Lord Jesus in church.  Think about what you’re saying.  In fact, say it out loud, in front of a mirror.  Listen to it.  “I will do spiritual things for my child’s sake until sports or work conflict, then sports and work win.”  Do you mean it?  Really?  Is that how you want to prioritize things?  Remember that the Lord wants us to remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

8.       The Apostle Paul brought his farewell message to a close here in Acts 20 by warning the leaders of the dangers they had to recognize and deal with if they were to protect and lead the church. Never underestimate the great importance of the church. The church is important to God the Father because His name is on it—“the church of God.” It’s important to the Son, Jesus our Good Shepherd, because He shed His blood on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins, and it’s important to the Holy Spirit because He’s calling and equipping people to minister to the church.   The Apostle reminds us that there are dangers around us, “wolves” that want to ravage the flock (Acts 20:29). Paul was referring to false teachers who exploit the church for personal gain (Matt. 7:15–23; 10:16; Luke 10:3; 2 Peter 2:1–3). This is why it’s important for both pastors and laypeople to know the Word of God and be able to detect and defeat these false teachers.

9.       But there are also dangers among us (Acts 20:30), because of people within the church who are ambitious for position and power. Church history, ancient and modern, is filled with accounts of people like Diotrephes who love to have the dominance (3 John 9–11). It’s shocking to realize that more than one false prophet got his or her start within the Christian church!  And there are also dangers within us (Acts 20:31–35), and this seems to be where Paul put the greatest emphasis. “Take heed, therefore, unto yourselves” (Acts 20:28). He names some sins that are especially destructive to the life and ministry of the church.  The first is carelessness (Acts 20:31), failing to stay alert and forgetting the price that others have paid so that we might have God’s truth.  Paul’s warning should be constant reminders to us to take our spiritual responsibilities seriously as God’s people.  The second sin is shallowness (Acts 20:32). We can’t build the church unless God is building our lives daily. There’s a balance here between prayer and the Word of God.  Covetousness is the third sin we must avoid (Acts 20:33). It means a consuming and controlling desire for what others have and for more of what we ourselves already have. “Thou shalt not covet” is the last of the Ten Commandments, but if we do covet, we will end up breaking all the other nine! Those who covet will steal, lie, and murder to get what they want, and even dishonor their own parents. Covetousness is idolatry (Eph. 5:5; Col. 3:5).

10.  Paul closed this memorable occasion by kneeling down and praying for his friends, and then they all wept together. It’s a difficult thing to say good-bye, especially when you know you will not see your friends again in this life. But we have the blessed assurance that we will one day see our Christian friends and loved ones in heaven, when Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior returns (1 Thes. 4:13–18).  But, now for us as Christians, both pastors and laypeople, there’s a job to be done, so, let’s do it!  Pastors, Shepherd the flock of God, and lay- people, obey your spiritual leaders and submit to them as those who are keeping watch over your souls, so that the Church may be protected, built up, and edified in all that it does.  Amen.

“The Good Shepherd Carries Us to Heaven” John 10.27-29 Danny Hartmann’s funeral 4.16.13, St. John Baldwin, Pastor John Taggatz

1.      Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Dear family and friends of Daniel, on behalf of the congregation here at St. John, I want to express to you my deepest sympathies as you mourn over his death.  But, I want to tell you today that even though we grieve over his death, we don’t grieve as those who have no hope.  We can take hope and comfort that Daniel was baptized into the Christian faith through water and the power of God’s Word on Dec. 28^th, 1930 and was brought from death to life so many years ago here in our church at St. John. Daniel’s baptism gave to him the promise of eternal life, the forgiveness of sins, and salvation on account of our Lord Jesus.  This is what the Apostle Paul teaches us in Romans chapter 6.  The message from God’s Word is taken from selections of John 10, which contains Daniel’s confirmation verse from John 10:27-28, that he received on the day of his confirmation here at St. John on April 2^nd, 1944, and is entitled, “The Good Shepherd Carries Us to Heaven,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ. 

2.      As all of you know Daniel was deeply loved by his family and friends.  Here at St. John he faithfully ushered during our worship services for many, many years.  He deeply loved his wife Pat, his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.  Daniel was well respected in the farming industry, having faithfully managed and operated the family business, Hartmann Farm Supply, Inc., with his brother Henry all his life.  He was a member of the American Legion here in Baldwin and loyally served on our Baldwin Fire Department for over 55 years.  Danny was known as “Rabbit” to his friends and was an avid Rams football fan and never missed a season’s game with his football crew.  He cared for his country as well.  He proudly served his country in the United States Air Force from 1951-1955.

3.      Daniel’s confirmation verse is from the 10^th chapter of John’s Gospel.  Here in these few verses we have words of comfort and hope in the face of death that our Lord Jesus, the Good Shepherd, won’t let us slip out of His Father’s hand and will carry us to our heavenly home.  Jesus says, “¹¹I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.  ¹⁴I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, ¹⁵just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.  ²⁷My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”

4.      The body of Daniel Hartmann lying inside this casket is precisely the reason a man named Jesus was sent into the world. Death needed a cure. Death needed an enemy. Death needed a victor. And death got one. It was Jesus, our Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd goes to battle against death. You can’t defeat death.  Daniel couldn’t defeat death. Only Jesus can.

5.      You see, the founder of all science, God the Father, determined, from the foundation of the world, that science couldn’t cure death. No amount of technology. No drugs. No vaccinations. The Creator of all mysteries in the universe, God the Father, determined, from the foundation of the world, that no scientific formula, no alignment of stars could cure death. The maker of all the universe, God the Father, determined, from the foundation of the world, that neither passionate human love nor personal sincerity nor super human strength and effort could cure death.

6.      Only One could cure death. Only One could make right that horrible first death, righteous Abel, who was killed by his brother Cain, and every death in between, right down to this one before us. Our Good Shepherd, Jesus, laid down his life on the cross of Calvary to defeat death.

7.      God the Father said to Adam & Eve about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that, “In the day that you eat of [the fruit] you shall surely die” (Gen 2:17). And, even though Adam & Eve sinned against God by eating that forbidden fruit and brought sin and death into the world, God the Father promised to us a cure for death that would come from “the Seed of the woman.”  And so it was, that the cure for death was born of the Virgin Mary, and then he, Jesus, laid down his life on a cross. His death defeats death. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. That’s how death was defeated. That’s how our beloved Daniel Hartmann gains eternal life. That’s how Daniel never perishes. That’s how Daniel Hartmann can’t be snatched from the hand of Jesus, the Good Shepherd.

8.      He who has no faith in Jesus, the Good Shepherd, could look at this casket, this body, these family members with their tears and sorrows and ask, “Who is your Good Shepherd who knows you and leaves you in such a state? Who is your Good Shepherd from whom you believe that you will have eternal life? Who is your Good Shepherd in whom you believe that you shall never perish?”  As believers in Jesus Christ we can answer simply, but boldly: Jesus. There’s no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved. Not Allah. Not Buddha. Not Medicare. Not the United States of America. Only Jesus. God the Father has put all things under Jesus’ feet. That includes death. Death is now a footstool to Jesus. But then, why the reality of what we see here? this casket? this lifeless body?

9.      Sin. Sin still ravages the body. Sin still has its teeth in our flesh. But you must not put your eyes on your sin. Fix your eyes instead on Jesus. Yes, hate your sin, detest your sin, curse your sin, but fix your eyes on “Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Heb 12:2). Jesus is the Lamb of God who took away the sin of the world. How? By becoming sin for you. By taking on your punishment. By dying your death. A death that didn’t have power over Jesus. A death that couldn’t hold Jesus in the grave. Three days after Jesus laid down his life, the Father justified the Son. He was raised from the dead.

10.  St. Paul writes: “We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God” (Rom 6:9–10).  Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, you and I must still live in the flesh. Daniel has put his off. Very early on this past Friday morning on April 12^th, the Lord Jesus said to Daniel, “Today you are with me in paradise” (cf. Lk 23:43). His soul is with all the saints, awaiting the resurrection of his body when it will be transformed like the Lord Jesus’ glorious body (Phil 3:21). Since Daniel believed in the forgiveness of his sin in this life, he now has new life, eternal life, Jesus’ life.  Daniel has new life because of Jesus His Good Shepherd.  And you do too if you believe in your heart and confess with your lips that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior from sin, death, and the power of the devil.

11.  “Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen” (Heb 13:20–21).

“Worship the Lamb Who Was Slain” Rev. 5.1-14 Easter 3C, April ‘13

1. Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  The message from God’s Word for us today comes from Rev. 5:1-14, but will look specifically at verses 8-14, and is entitled, “Worship the Lamb Who Was Slain,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2. One of the great tragedies in English literature was published in 1623, William Shakespeare’s, “Macbeth.” Near the end the queen, Macbeth’s wife, dies. By this time he has so lost his conscience that Macbeth is unable to feel anything at all. He expresses his weariness in the following famous lines:  “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day To the last syllable of recorded time; And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing” [Macbeth, act 5, scene 5].   400 years later, many would still agree. History has no pattern. There’s no goal, either for overall world history or for an individual’s life. Even at Disneyland, the revised “Tomorrowland” is now retro, all about visions for the future that people of earlier times have experienced.  But, the Christian view is that God has a script for the future of the universe. Here in Revelation 5, the scroll written on both sides emphasizes this. Jesus knows all about events between the first century and the end-time judgments. He’s in charge of making the end-time judgments unfold according to God’s plan. And this plan includes Jesus the Lamb of God who was slain receiving all worship.

3. Because of Jesus’ death, He is worthy of our devotion.  Revelation 5:8-10, & 12 says, “⁸And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. ⁹And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, ¹⁰and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.  ¹²saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” ” In his state of exaltation Jesus the Lamb of God who was slain is worthy to receive these seven accolades.  “Power” and “strength” are similar in meaning. In the state of exaltation, Jesus again took up the power that was evident at the creation of the world, and which he had shown at the overthrow of Satan.  “Riches” is a reference to all things in heaven and earth which he set aside when he became poor, but which things were again put under his control in his exaltation. This includes all material wealth, all creatures, and also God’s people by virtue of his work of redemption. He is “worthy … to receive … wisdom,” the angels say. Now in the state of exaltation, the full use of God’s own omniscience becomes his right.  The last three words speak of the honor, glory, and praise that now belong to Jesus in exchange for the shame, disgrace, and ridicule that were heaped on him in his passion and death on the cross for our sins.

4. Jesus the Lamb who was slain makes us worthy to reign with him. And yet, when we look within ourselves we know that we are not worthy.  You are not worthy because of your sinful condition.  For you were conceived in sin from your mother’s womb.  You have not loved God with your whole heart and you have failed to worship and serve Him only.  You have mistreated your family members and your friends.  You have failed to speak well of them and defend them when others were speaking wrongly about them.  You have not honored your father and your mother and respected those God has placed in authority over you for your good.  You have not been content or happy with the possessions and people God has placed in your life and you have hated your neighbor in your heart, which Jesus reminds us in Matthew chapter 6 is equal to murder.  Because of all of our sins we are not worthy to be in the presence of Christ.  We are not worthy of the price Christ paid for our redemption.  But, thanks be to God that Jesus has changed all that.  Christ has freed us from our sins by his blood.  He clothes us in the white garments of Baptism and makes us holy priests ready to serve our neighbor and live in His peace and forgiveness. 

5. Because of Jesus’ limitless mercy and grace, we can’t keep silent (vv. 11, 13–14).  Revelation 5:11, &13-14 says, ^“11Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands… ¹³And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” ¹⁴And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.”  As the vision unfolds, John the Apostle has been witness to the fact that the divine purpose of God’s creation has been achieved. There’s a great multitude of saved people who, with the angels and all creation, shall praise God forever and serve him in everlasting righteousness and blessedness. He will achieve this purpose. God wanted the persecuted church to know that. For that reason he granted this vision.

6. When the last “Amen” was sung and the elders were bowing before the throne, one of the most powerful songs ever heard had come to an end. Even as we read John’s account of what took place, it brings to mind George Frederick Handel’s “Messiah”, which is based on these words. A listener doesn’t need to possess a great amount of musical knowledge to be moved by the performance of that masterpiece either. Maybe the reason we find that oratorio to be so inspiring is that it serves as a reminder of the great and eternal hymn of praise which is sung by all creation and supported by the very harps of heaven.

7. I believe that when God gave the musical inspiration to Handel to write such music, he was giving us a sample, clouded though it may be by the static of sin, and certainly inferior to the music of the heavenly hosts, of the beatific song heard by the Apostle John. How blessed are we that God has revealed that one day we will be part of the heavenly choir, privileged to bow down in the presence of the Lamb who sits upon the throne!

8.   These words in our text stand as an encouragement for us as Christians, not only for those who are persecuted for their faith in Christ, but also for any who suffer in any way. With Revelation chapter 5’s vision of the Church Triumphant, this text offers a lot of comfort to those who grieve and mourn over the death of loved ones.  These words would also bring welcome help and comfort to a hospital patient suffering from a serious illness. They give a visual picture of what Paul meant when he said, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Ro 8:18).  Through all the difficulties and trials that touch our lives, because of this fallen and sinful world in which we live, these words stand as a powerful encouragement. We don’t need to feel that we’re all alone. We don’t need to despair because we suffer chronic pain. Even if we suffer persecution for the sake of Christ, no matter how desperate our life may seem, we have something that far overshadows our problems. We have a place reserved for us around the throne of God to worship the Lamb who was slain.

9. But, also we join in God’s eternal plan by worshiping our Lord Jesus the Lamb who was slain while here on earth in our present day-to-day lives. Less than a quarter century after Macbeth was published, a great gathering of Englishmen meeting as the Westminster Assembly published the famous Westminster Shorter Catechism of 1647. They had the right answer to Macbeth’s lament and to the question: Is history going anywhere at all? Yes, they said, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.”  Will we side with Macbeth or with the Westminster Assembly? Will we Christians show our belief that history is actually going somewhere? The most important way we can do so is to be part of a Christian community, a church, committed to worshiping Jesus Christ as a primary goal. Fellowship. Evangelism. Bible study. Works of service. Reaching out to the needy. These are all good and necessary for the church to function. But, primarily we’re called to be a worshiping people.  To worship the Lamb who was slain on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins.

10.                     The hymn writer Matthew Bridges drew from the imagery of Revelation 5 with his invitation for God’s people on earth to carry out their responsibility to worship in his hymn, “Crown Him with Many Crowns.” Our calling as Christians is to join with the millions who have sung these worthy lines:  Crown him with many crowns, the Lamb upon his throne; Hark! how the heavenly anthem drowns all music but its own; Awake, my soul, and sing of him who died for thee, And hail him as thy matchless King through all eternity. Crown him the Lord of love; behold his hands and side, Those wounds, yet visible above, in beauty glorified: All hail, Redeemer, hail! For thou hast died for me: Thy praise and glory shall not fail throughout eternity.  Amen.

“Jesus- The Way, the Truth & the Life” John 14.1-6, Funeral Sermon for Gene Loucks--4-13-13 St. John Baldwin

  

1.      In the name of our crucified and risen Lord and Savior Jesus.  Amen.  Dear family and friends of Gene.  On behalf of the congregation here at St. John we offer to you our deepest sympathy.  In this hour of grief and sorrow we look with hope & joy to the promise that our Lord Jesus gives to us in the Gospel of John 14:1-6.  The message is entitled, “Jesus-The Way, the Truth & the Life,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.      When I speak at a funeral service, there are often young people, and maybe some not so young, who are trying to find the place for religion in their lives. They ask themselves, “Does this mean anything to me? Is this just something my parents cared about?” But then, at some point, everyone faces something he or she can’t handle, something that scares us. Maybe it’s the biggest stress we’ve faced in this life, or maybe it’s the realization that we have to face the end of this life. And suddenly we wish there could be some place to turn, or Someone to turn to, outside ourselves. Then, maybe those who’ve gone before us can teach us something after all, like how they dealt with those fears. As they learned and grew, their faith in Christ became absolutely foundational. It’s not an old-fashioned thing. It’s not a generational thing. Each of us needs a foundation so we know how to face the fears of life and beyond.  Gene, is one of those from whom we can learn. We can learn from Gene because he knew where his faith fit into all this.  He knew he could face fears because his Redeemer Jesus promised to deliver him from them all.  Gene knew that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and that by believing in Jesus he would have the assurance of eternal life.

3.      Let’s get to the text for Gene’s funeral sermon.  John 14:1-6 says, “1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. 5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? 6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

4.      What was ailing the disciples in our text from John 14?  Their hearts were troubled because Jesus had just told them that He would soon leave them and that they couldn’t follow where he was going.  The thought of separation after many months of companionship was a source of grief and pain to them.  I’m sure right now for us today the thought of separation from Gene is a great source of grief and pain too, but we know it’s not the end.  Here in our text Jesus chose words to soothe his disciple’s and our sorrows and silence all our fears.  Martin Luther says this about John 14, “Here we find the best and most comforting sermon preached by Christ while on this earth…a jewel and treasure not purchasable with the world’s goods.”  May God grant us believing hearts that this treasure which can’t be purchased with gold or silver, may be ours by simple trusting faith. 

5.      Who among us here today hasn’t been troubled in their hearts?  I would think that no one here today would say that they live a carefree life without any worry, pain or suffering.  All of us have probably experienced anxious, trying hours—hours of sickness, sleepless nights, the fear of death, loneliness and friendlessness.  Maybe even hours when our debts seem greater than our God.  Hours when our enemies seemed closer than our Savior.  Days when our hearts were troubled and we cried to God for help.

6.      It was then that the divine prescription of our Savior for troubled hearts has provided for us the healing medicine.  Jesus says to us, “Let not your hearts be troubled…  In My Father’s house are many mansions…And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also.”  With these words our Savior Jesus says, all our sorrows, heartaches, disappointments, grief and heart troubles lose their bitterness in His dear promise, “I will come again.”  Jesus will come again to turn your sorrows into joy, your heartaches into gladness and your grief into heavenly reunions in His Father’s house above.

7.      Jesus also tells us in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”  Gene knew that the only way to heaven was through the blood our Savior Jesus shed on the cross to forgive him all his sins.  But, we live in a politically correct world that can’t tolerate such a claim.  They contend that there must be many paths to God, that truth is found in all religions and that eternal life can be obtained through any number of belief systems.  But, that’s not true!  Jesus is the only way to eternal life!

8.      Jesus is the only way.  These words of Jesus and this confession by the early Christians placed believers in opposition to both the Jews who had rejected Jesus and the Gentiles who worshiped many false gods.  For all who claim that there are many ways to heaven, all the other so-called ways are ultimately the way of good works and self-centered individualism:  Do your best.  Live a good life.  Try your hardest.  Follow these principles.  Obey these commandments.  No matter what the religion or belief system, if it’s not Christianity, the way to eternity is always focused on what the individual does or doesn’t do.  And, trying to follow the law can’t save you.

9.      This is why Jesus is the only way.  Trying your hardest is never good enough.  Even your good works are tainted by sin.  The Bible tells us that there is no one who is righteous, no one who does good, that we are conceived and born into sin within our mother’s womb (Rom. 3:10; Psalm 51:5).  Sin is a terminal disease that we inherited all the way back to the first people who disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, Adam & Eve.  That’s why those who believe in a false religion are never certain if they’ve done enough to be saved.  They always feel that there is something that they have left undone, some good work that they have failed to do to earn them salvation.  But, you know that what you could never do, Christ has done for you.  Gene knew this too and he put his hope and trust in this great promise of our Lord!  Jesus lived the perfect life.  He walked the way of the cross, and by His death and resurrection has opened the way for you and me to the Father in heaven.  In fact, when Jesus promises that He’s preparing a mansion for us in the Father’s house, you can be certain that there’s a place waiting for you there.  When He promises you the gift of the Holy Spirit, you can be certain that His Spirit dwells in you.

10.  If Jesus is the way, he’s also the life.  Not only does He make this claim, he reveals its truthfulness.  Jesus is your life, just as He is Gene’s life, because He rose again on the third day!  Death has no power over Him. And because he lives, you will live also if you repent of your sins and believe in him as Your Lord and Savior.  Because he lives, you will see the Father.  Because he lives, you will dwell in the place of life and light prepared for you by Christ himself.  Let not your hearts be troubled, believe in Jesus as your Savior from sin, death and the power of the devil, as Gene did, and you will join him in heaven for that happy reunion as you await the resurrection at the end of the age and the final fulfillment of all things accomplished in our Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.