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April 29, 2008 by admin.
In the Name of Our Savior, Whose Word Is Truth, Dear Friends in Christ,
Do you know what a paleontologist is? It’s someone who studies the fossils of plants and animals. Many conduct such studies with the purpose of determining the age of this earth and the origin of mankind. One such paleontologist by the name of Stephen Jay Gould, after doing his research, came up with this conclusion about man’s origin: “We are here because one odd group of fishes had a peculiar fin anatomy that could transform into legs for terrestrial creatures, because comets struck the earth and wiped out dinosaurs, thereby giving mammals a chance not otherwise available; because the earth never froze entirely during the ice age; because a small and tenuous species, arising in Africa a quarter of a million years ago, has managed, so far, to survive by hook and by crook. We may yearn for a higher answer to the meaning of life–but none exists.”
How do you feel when you hear such a blatantly anti-Christian statement? There are two possibilities: First, it probably makes you angry to hear of someone defying the creator God and his power, foolishly proclaiming instead to have the real answer to where man came from. But you might also feel a bit sad, because such a belief indicates that there are many living today who are lost in their own intellect, in their denial of the true God. You’re moved to feel sorry for those who are caught up in such ignorance, an ignorance which keeps them from knowing their Lord and Savior.
I’m sure the apostle Paul felt some anger when he was in the city of Athens. But for him, sorrow won out in the end. He cared for the people, lost in their ignorance, and he felt a sense of urgency to set them straight. He wanted to let the people in on the truth.
What Paul found in Athens parallels what we find in our world today. Our task remains the same:
“Skeptics Need to Hear the Truth About the True God”
I. Their ignorance moves us to care
II. God’s truth compels us to share
The city of Athens was a major metropolis of its day. It had a rich military and political history, being well-known for its architecture and art, and especially for its philosophy. And yet it remained a totally pagan city. The people of Athens worshiped many gods, gods invented by the heroes and writers of their past. They prided themselves on being open-minded, for they were quite willing to allow for the gods and goddesses of other cultures as well. It was this spiritual ignorance which Paul met upon his arrival at Athens, and it moved him (Ac 17:16), “He was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols.”
Paul went to work, preaching in the synagogue and the marketplace every day. But some philosophers became a bit upset with his teaching, so he was taken to the Areopagus, the place where Athen’s Supreme Council met. There he was questioned about his work (Ac 17:19,20), “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.” Paul seized this opportunity by beginning his answer on a positive note (v 22), “Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: ‘’en of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious.’” During his time in their city Paul had seen the many shrines, statues, altars, and temples they had constructed. It was said that Athens had more gods than men. Certainly they fit Paul’s description of being “very religious.”
But their religious beliefs were founded on ignorance. Listen to what Paul stumbled upon during one of his walks through the city (v 23), “For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.” Imagine that! The Athenians were trying to cover all the bases. Fearing that they might offend some yet-to-be-discovered deity, they built this altar just in case. So totally steeped in spiritual ignorance were the Athenians!
That was the situation Paul found in Athens around the year 40 A.D. I’m afraid he’d find much the same in the year 2008 A.D. Today most people will admit to believing in a “god,” but they don’t know the true God. They feel that empty spot in their heart, but they try to fill it by believing in modern day idols such as money, entertainment, fame, or even themselves. Our coins may say “In God we trust,” and we may pledge to be one nation “under God,” and yet the true God still remains unknown to many who are left to grope around in darkness, hoping somehow to stumble upon what’s missing in their life.
But we still consider our country to be a “very religious” one. Over 1800 Christian denominations bear witness to this fact, and yet many who have been introduced to the true God have since forgotten him. We may be a “very religious” nation, but that doesn’t make us a “very godly” nation. Signs of this fact are quite evident: Christian worship attendance is declining, respect for the Bible as the Word of God has decreased significantly, and immorality of all kinds is on the rise. Spiritual ignorance abounds today, much as it did in Athens.
And our response? Do we find ourselves saying, “So what! It’s their funeral.” Perhaps we too often view unbelievers as savage wolves, waiting to attack our faith, instead of as lost sheep, having wandered from the fold. Paul always saw opportunities instead of threats. He cared for the lost. He knew he had what they needed, and he exercised great patience in dealing with them. Like children who need to be taught, use the same patience with those who are spiritually ignorant, those who don’t have what we have, those who need to hear the truth about the true God.
The ignorance of those living without Christ moves us to care about their souls’ welfare. We have the remedy for that ignorance — God’s Word. The truth of that Word compels us to share that remedy with all people.
Paul isn’t shy about pointing out the true God to these people (v 23), “Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.” Paul was going to change the “what” of their worship to a “whom.” He would take the unknown, impersonal “something” and change it into the living, personal God. He would show them the truth about the true God.
Paul proclaims the true God to them as the God of all creation (vv 24,25), “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.” This was a God quite unlike the idol gods of the Athenians. Paul’s God didn’t need anything from mankind — mankind needed him! He was the one who created man, so how foolish it was to think that man, the offspring and creation of God, could itself create God (v 28), “For in him we live and move and have our being. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’” Even their own poets and philosophers recognized that man came from God! “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone — an image made by man’s design and skill” (v 29). How foolish it is to believe that the Creator can be formed by his creation! Jeremiah points out their folly (Jer 10:5), “Like a scarecrow in a melon patch, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good.” Paul’s point is simple: Since we come from God, how could he come from us?
Since Paul’s God is the God who made the world, he’s also the one who governs that world (v 26), “From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.” Paul was speaking of the true God who has always been in control of all history. He has governed the world’s events to serve his own purposes (v 27), “God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.” The Lord has given all people a “time of grace,” a time in which they can seek him. He wants everyone to “reach out” for him, a word which actually means to “touch” him and be close to him. As Paul states, he isn’t far from us. He’s as close as his Word. There we learn about his Son Jesus, and in him we see his Father (Jn 1:18), “No one has ever seen God, but God the only Son, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.” Paul felt compelled by the truth of God’s Word to share that Word with the Athenians.
In Jesus God the Father revealed man’s redemption. Now there was no time to waste (v 30), “In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.” In the past God mercifully chose not to punish idolaters. As Peter tells us (2 Pe 3:9), “The Lord . . . is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” Now Jesus had been revealed. Now was the time to follow Peter’s Pentecost advice (Ac 2:38), “Repent and be baptized every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven!”
The time is coming when everyone must account for what they’ve done (v 31), “For [God] has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed.” Someday we all must declare which God we followed as the true God. The “UNKNOWN GOD” would not be an acceptable answer for the Athenians.
Such judgment will be pronounced by one hand-picked by God himself. His own Son, Jesus Christ, will be that judge. How do we know? Paul explains (v 31), “He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.” By Christ’s resurrection God the Father proved the Old Testament prophecies to be true. He proved that his Son was the promised Messiah. He proved that his Son’s mission was a success. And he proved that he alone was the only true God. This was the message Paul felt compelled to share with the world.
Here at Messiah we have the knowledge of the true God today. We can make that claim on the basis of Scripture. Everything we believe is supported by God’s Word. This fact is made evident to all those who sit through one of our Bible Information Classes. We know the truth, and that truth compels us to share our knowledge with the world. The resource is available. The Bible is still the most widely purchased book in the world. But the world needs to read the book instead of just dusting off the cover every now and then. Then God won’t be just another “UNKNOWN GOD,” whatever people imagine him to be or want him to be or hope him to be. Then people won’t be able to just create their own versions of “God.” Instead they will know the truth about the true God. But to know the truth, we have to take that truth to them.
There’s no time like the present to do so (2 Co 6:2), “Now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” How important it is to know the true God in repentance and faith before we stand at his throne of judgment! That day is set and approaching fast. There’s nothing we can do to prevent it or change it. It could be tonight, tomorrow, or the next day — only God knows. Such a message sends chills down the spines of unbelievers. But not for you and me. That’s because we know who’s going to be doing the judging. And we know what his verdict will be. We know Jesus, the one who suffered under the curse and punishment we all deserved in order that we might have his righteousness and share in his heaven. It’s his own resurrection that serves as “proof” of our own resurrection. Another modern translation calls Jesus’ resurrection “a good reason to believe” (NET). That’s because ours is the only religion that has an empty tomb. Ours is the only religion that has a leader who gave his life for his people but still lives! Ours is the truth of God, the truth we are compelled to share!
Take roll call on any given Sunday in any given church and you’ll find that not all people are in attendance. Not everyone knows the truth. Many are still skeptical. How do you cure a skeptic? If someone is skeptical about the size of a fish you caught, you show them the fish. If someone is skeptical about the true God, then show them the true God. You speak out. You remove the doubt. You proclaim and show them the truth. You do so by following Peter’s advice from this morning’s reading (1 Pe 3:15), “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” Then step back and watch the power of God’s Word at work. Watch as skeptics become believers!
Amen
-Rev. Jonathan Rockhoff
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April 20, 2008 by admin.
In about a month many high school and college students will be graduating. That is always a pretty exciting time for them. High school students may be looking forward to moving on to college, or some other chapter of their lives, while college students might be looking forward to entering the work force. But while it is a very exciting time, it can also be a very sad time. Many realize that they will have to say “good-bye” to many of the friends that they have made in school. Saying “good-bye” can be a very emotional experience for some people. The emotions will likely be even higher if you know that it is a permanent “good-bye” that is being said.
The disciples sat with stunned looks on their faces when Jesus announced to them that he was going to have to say “good-bye”. The joy and excitement of the Passover meal that they were sharing with Jesus was suddenly interrupted by Jesus’ announcement that he would be leaving them, and leaving very soon. They words of our text are Jesus’ explanation to his disciples abut why he was going to leave, and his attempt to take the sorrow out of his announcement. Let’s listen to see how Jesus tried to
“Take the Sorrow out of Good-bye”
I. With the Promise of a Blessed Reunion
II. With the Promise of Continued Care
The words of our text were a part of Jesus’ conversation with his disciples on Maundy Thursday. He knew that he was going to be betrayed, tried, and crucified within 24 hours. He also knew that 40 days later he would be leaving the earth to return to his home in heaven. These events would be very difficult for his disciples to understand. As Jesus talked to his disciples, he comforted them and tried to prepare them for what they were about to witness.
Jesus aid to them, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in my. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”
During the past 3 years, the disciples had grown very close to Jesus. They had been with him through good times and bad. They had seen him perform miracles and preach with power and authority. They had seen people’s lives changed by him, while others had become extremely angry because of him. Now, in a quiet moment, Jesus had announced that he was about to leave them and return to heaven.
Jesus didn’t say this to hurt his disciples or to cause them any worry or concern. He already saw that their hearts “were troubled.” The word used here describes water that is churned up like rough surf. I’m sure you’ve felt that emotion. It’s the emotion you get when a police car suddenly turns on its lights or when you get called to the principal’s office. Even though you may have done nothing wrong and might not be in any trouble, there’s that initial instance of fear and nervousness.
Jesus removed that fear from his disciples with a promise. He promised that, although he was leaving, he would return. He was going to get a place ready so that they might one day be able to come and stay with him, forever. Confidently Jesus promised, “I am going,” and “I will come back.” There was no doubt in his words and his confidence brought peace and reassurance to his disciples.
But there was something that was still bothering them. “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Not fully grasping Jesus’ words, Thomas assumed that Jesus was talking about an earthly route somewhere. He wanted Jesus to let them know where he was going so they could join him in a little while.
Jesus cleared up their misconceptions saying, “I am the way and the truth and the life. Ho one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” Jesus encouraged his disciples to stop looking at him only from and earthly point of view. He wanted them to understand that he was more than just a good friend, a constant companion, and an earthly provider. He was the Messiah, their only hope for an eternal life in heaven.
Our faith in Jesus helps us to see him as our Messiah, our Savior. We read the stories of the Bible that tell of his love and compassion. We hear his words of wisdom and advice. But we know that there was more to Jesus than just a humanitarian heart. We know that he had a much higher goal, and much more important purpose for his life. He had come to be our Savior. He had said, No one comes to the Father, except through me.”
From the time that we were young, we were told that God is in heaven. We were taught that God’s Son came down from heaven and became a man. We heard the story again recently of his crucifixion and resurrection. So even though none of us has ever seen Jesus, or watched God on his throne in heaven, or had a direct conversation with the Holy Spirit, we all believe that we will be with them one day. Many deny that. They don’t believe what we believe. But we’re not upset or afraid. We don’t doubt our faith because God’s Holy Spirit has convinced us that Jesus’ words are true. Jesus has gone back to heaven, and we are waiting for him to come back to take us to be with him. That promise has taken the sting out of his “good-bye.”
The disciples had a very personal relationship with Jesus. Now he was going to be leaving them. But Jesus wanted them to know that he would never truly “leave” them. He wanted them to know that he would always be with them to give them his continued support in all that they did.
This time it was Philip who spoke up. He didn’t understand how Jesus going to heaven was going to be a benefit to them. They had important work to do, work that Jesus himself had mostly done up to that point. They had always just been his followers, his assistants. Now what would they do? Philip had a suggestion. “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Philip wanted a special vision, some tangible proof that Jesus wasn’t just leaving them to be gone once and for all. If they could just see the Father, whom Jesus had said he was going back to, they would feel better.
Jesus told them that they didn’t need that special vision. They already had evidence and proof of God the Father. He said, Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?” What Jesus was referring to is what we sometimes call the mystery of the Trinity. Maybe you remember that triangle from your Catechism days. Three equal sides, but only one object. The corners were each labeled, “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,” and they were all connected in the middle to the word “God.” While each person was separate and distinct, they were all one in that they were all God. Don’t worry if you don’t understand it. It’s something that God simply tells us, he doesn’t expect us to understand it, in fact, we can’t. It’s too big for us, too complicated for our sinful minds. But it is, none the less, true.
Jesus explained, “The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is my Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.” The disciples couldn’t forget the miracles. They all confirmed everything that Jesus said about himself. He said he loved people, and he healed the sick and even raised the dead. Jesus said that he cared for people body and soul, and proved it by dong miracles to provide food when it was needed. He said that he wanted to bring salvation through faith, and he offered forgiveness. When his ability to make such an offer was questioned, he once told a paralyzed man to get up and walk, and he did! If Jesus could do that, he could also offer the forgiveness that he promised. And now Jesus promised his disciples that his divine power would go with them, even though he himself would be returning to heaven.
In our text, Jesus left the disciples with one final word of encouragement. “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” What “greater things” are being done? While Jesus limited his ministry to a small area, his word is going out around the world. While Jesus spoke to only a few thousand people in his three year ministry, millions are now hearing his word. While Jesus never baptized any one and only gave communion to a few, thousands upon thousands have now benefited from these sacraments, because God’s people have gone out and carried on the work that he began. Truly, miracles are happening every day as God’s word and sacraments convey his love and power around the world.
No, Jesus may not be with us in person today. But there are no tears of sorrow in our eyes brought on by his “good-bye.” We know where he is and why he is there. And we know that until his promise to return and take us to be with him is fulfilled, his love and power will be with us here while we live for him and do his will. Graduation days bring joy and sorrow, and Jesus farewell to his disciples did the same. But the joy drowns out the sorrow every time that we hear him say, “I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” Hold on to that promise, now, and in eternity. Amen.
”The peace of God….”
–Rev. Roger Rockhoff
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April 17, 2008 by admin.
In the name of our Lord, the God of grace and glory, dear fellow recipients of his power,
More than 300 years before the time of Christ, Alexander the Great was marching across Asia Minor as the commander of the greatest army ever assembled up to that time. This war machine had conquered every foe. No one could stand up against them. When they reached the Himalaya Mountains, the leaders of the front-line came back to Alexander, filled with concern and apprehension. “We have marched off the map,” they said to him. “We should go back to where we know.” They had literally marched off the known map of that time. Alexander listened to them and then said this, “Mediocre armies always stay within the known areas. The great armies always march off the map.”
Alexander the Great wasn’t the only conqueror to give the orders, “March off the map!” In one little verse today, we hear Jesus, the mightiest Conqueror of all, the One who conquered death itself, give those same orders to you and me. Fellow soldiers, today our Savior gives us the command:
“March Off the Map!”
I. March together as a Spirit-led Church
II. March together as a risk-taking Church
III. March together as a reproducing Church
Before sounding the orders to march, our Savior makes a promise. He says (v 8), “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.” As you listen to those words, stop to think what a difference it makes for us to be a Spirit-led army, a Spirit-led Church. First of all, it gives us direction. The Holy Spirit provides the Church with an understanding of what we should be concerned about. That’s not something that comes naturally. Remember the disciples who first heard these words from Jesus? They had walked with Jesus for three years. They had witnessed his resurrection. After he came back to life, he spent another 40 days with them, making it crystal clear to them that he had conquered death. But what were they concerned about? Their heads were still stuck in earthly sand as they asked their Lord (Ac 1:6), “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
Friends in Christ, without the Holy Spirit, that’s you and me. Without the Holy Spirit, that’s our church body. On our own it’s impossible for us to understand what’s truly important. It’s impossible for us to comprehend spiritual things and how important they are. Just like those first disciples, it’s so easy for us to let our personal ideas about what the church should be doing interfere with what the Lord wants done. When that happens, programs become more important than people. Beautiful buildings become more important than bodies won for Christ. Organizations become more important than the Lord’s marching orders. That’s why Jesus sends his Spirit! By walking us through his Word, the Spirit makes sure we’re not left spiritually wandering or wondering what we’re supposed to be doing. The Spirit leads us to see Jesus as our Savior and to recognize that our job here on this earth is to be witnesses of that Savior. And we are to march together as a Spirit-led Church, eager to follow the directions given to us.
But being a Spirit-led Church not only provides direction for our marching. It also gives us confidence to march. Christ, our Commander, says, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.” Just look at the impact the Holy Spirit’s power had on those disciples. Just a few weeks earlier, one of them had fled naked in the Garden of Gethsemane, while another crumbled under the questioning of a servant girl and denied his Lord. In the end, all of them abandoned their Savior. But later on, given the Spirit’s power, those same disciples were changed from frightened cowards to fearless confessors. Empowered by the Spirit, they could even perform miracles – driving out demons and curing diseases. But the greatest demonstration of the Spirit’s power wasn’t seen in outward miracles. It would be seen in the effect their message would have on human hearts! Remember that first Pentecost Sunday? Led by the Spirit, the disciples preached to the crowds assembled in Jerusalem that day. Under the Spirit’s power, their message took hearts once filled with hatred for the Savior and turned them in hearts pulsating with love for the Savior. That’s power! That’s amazing power!
That same amazing power has been given to us. We have the same gospel, the power of God for the salvation of all who believe. But we forget that at times, don’t we? We forget or underestimate the Spirit’s power. Sometimes, almost like those disciples hiding behind locked doors, we sit around and wring our hands about how many enemies are out there in the world – a world in which there are now more unbelievers than at any other time in history – and we’re tempted to throw in the towel and give up. We forget about the power that God has placed in our hands, the raw power of the gospel that can still do today what it did back in the first century. As a Spirit-led Church we have the power to pour water on a baby’s head, apply God’s Word, and know that another soul is brought into God’s kingdom. As a Spirit-led Church we have the power to offer bread and wine connected to God’s promise and know that sinners can be assured that they are once again in a right relationship with God. As a Spirit-led Church, we have the power to proclaim simple Bible stories to little children and know that the gospel is shattering hearts of stone and leading these little ones to faith. Fellow soldiers of our Lord, we can march confidently together as a Spirit-led Church because that same Spirit equips us with the power of God.
As a Spirit-led Church, we can also march together as a risk-taking Church. Jesus gives us this challenge when he gives us his marching orders and says (v 8), “You will be my witnesses.”
Why is being a witness considered risky business? Look again at the disciples. As they witnessed about Christ and for Christ, their lives were immediately at risk. They were tortured for even mentioning his name. They were put on trial, imprisoned, banished, and even executed for just proclaiming what they knew, what they had witnessed. It shouldn’t surprise us, then, that the Greek word for “witness” is actually the word from which we get our word “martyr.”
But it’s not only the external threats that make witnessing risky. At least, here in our country, there aren’t too many people who will torture, imprison, or kill us for speaking about our Savior. Most likely, the bigger risks confronting us come from inside us. As individual witnesses, we face the fear of failure. Will I say the right thing? Will I embarrass myself? Will I embarrass my Savior? Will I end up with more questions about my own faith when I’m done? Faced with these risks, we often end up with the same fearful attitude of that servant who buried the talent his master gave him instead of putting it to work.
Sometimes it’s not the fear of failure that we find too risky – it’s the fear of success. We can be like those soldiers who came to Alexander the Great and said, “We should go back to where we know.” We realize that witnessing could lead us to places where we’ve never been before. Witnessing can take us out of our comfort zone. As a church body, we see more and more people moving into our neighborhoods who are different from us. I learned just this week that here in Wichita we have over 7000 Vietnamese people, ranking us 24th in the nation and third among Midwestern cities. How do we reach out to them? How can we as a synod penetrate the big cities of our country? Can we afford to do so? Do you know that we spend close to $300,000 a year with our mission efforts in New York City? Are we willing to change how we do ministry – not changing the message but perhaps the method – to reach out to different cultures and to reach in to different areas, even if it might seem risky?
Yes, the risks are always going to be there, but look at the rewards God gives when we take risks in his name. You saw in the video the blessings of our Hmong ministry up in Wisconsin. You don’t have to look that far – take a look in our own circuit, up in Kansas City, where just last year four Hmong men were trained and ordained into the public ministry. Was reaching out to a new people risky? You bet it was! But it’s forced our church body to look at ministry from a different perspective. It prompted us to develop a new ministerial training program called the Pastoral Studies Institute which helps us train leaders for ministry from other cultures. And it hasn’t been cheap to do so either. But hasn’t the risk been worth it? We now have several Hmong men serving as full-time pastors in our church body – some here in our country, with others having gone back to Southeast Asia to reach out with the gospel. God moved us to take a risk and now literally hundreds of people from another culture are marching together with us a as a Spirit-led church.
Do you think God wants us to be a risk-taking Church? Listen again to his orders: “You will be my witnesses.” He’s not offering to negotiate with us. He isn’t asking for our input. He’s not overly concerned about whether or not being a witness is exactly what we had in mind. He leaves us no options. We will be what he makes us to be: his witnesses. Fellow soldiers, let us march together as a risk-taking Church because that’s what our Savior calls us to be.
And now for the fun part! What does a Spirit-led Church and a risk-taking Church become? A reproducing Church! On the tail end of his marching orders Jesus adds these words (v 8), “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” We see this happen almost immediately. Ten short days later, led by the Spirit and taking a risk by witnessing to a crowd that once had cried out, “Crucify him!”, the disciples saw firsthand how God made his Church a reproducing Church. On that first Pentecost Christianity became a worldwide event. People from Africa, Arabia, Greece, and Italy were all there to hear Peter’s Spirit-led, risk-taking sermon that day. And they believed. Three thousand were added to their number that day. Later on we find Peter witnessing before the Jews at the temple in Jerusalem and before the Sanhedrin. Keep reading in Acts and you’ll find Philip witnessing to some Samaritans and to an Ethiopian. Read some more and you come across Paul witnessing in Asia, Greece, Italy, and all the islands in between.
Today, the testimony of these eyewitnesses continues to be proclaimed. Today Christ’s Church is still a reproducing Church. When a mother sings, “I Am Jesus’ Little Lamb” to her little baby, God’s Church is a reproducing Church. When a pastor proclaims to his congregation, “Through Jesus you are forgiven,” God’s Church is a reproducing Church. When a grandfather witnesses to his grandchildren from his deathbed by saying, “I’m going home to be with my Savior, ” God’s Church is a reproducing Church. These situations and many like them can be considered our “Jerusalems” today.
But what about our “Judeas and Samarias”? What about reaching “to the ends of the earth” today? It’s happening! Whenever the gospel message is translated into new languages, as we are now doing through our WELS Multi-Language Publications, God’s Church is a reproducing Church. Whenever missionaries march into new fields like Mozambique with the gospel message, God’s Church is a reproducing Church. When we send young people around the world to teach “English as a Second Language” classes and to wear their faith on their sleeves as they do so, God’s Church is a reproducing Church. When we use the Internet to make a Spanish-speaking worship service available to people all over the world, God’s Church is a reproducing Church.
Fellow soldiers, open your eyes and you’ll see that God’s Church is marching right off the map! We can’t turn back now — there’s so much for us to do, so many places for us to go with the gospel. So let’s continue to march together, hand-in-hand, as a Spirit-led Church, as a risk-taking Church, and as a reproducing Church! Let’s be part of something great. As Alexander the Great put it, “the great armies always march off the map!”
Amen
–Rev. Jonathan Rockhoff
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April 11, 2008 by admin.
“You’re strange!” Those are words that we typically don’t enjoy hearing. A young child on a playground might be brought to tears if the other kids said that to him. By nature, we all want to fit in, to be accepted, and to have other people think positive things about us. That begins already when we are young, as the crying child illustrates.
The words of our text for today do not encourage us to fit in or do what will make us popular. In fact, they tell us just the opposite. They tell us to be strange, well, not exactly strange as we might often use that word, but as strangers in a world that is not very familiar with God and his will. Peter assures us that if we do that, we will be better off than if we try to fit in with the often sinful and self-serving ways of the world. Let’s turn to these verses to see why Peter encourages us to
“Live As Strangers”
I. With a God-centered Value System
II. With a God-serving Calling
Peter sets up the context of his statement when he writes, “Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.” Peter lived in a world that was, in many respects, quite different than our world today. But there were also ways that it was quite similar to our world today. One similarity is the worldly value system that was in place at Peter’s time which was, unfortunately, very similar to what we often see today.
Today, as in Peter’s time, success is often measured by how much you have acquired in material possessions. While that, in itself, is not wrong, efforts to succeed, based on such a value system, can often by quite ungodly. If we fall into the devil’s trap of seeking success through ungodly means, we will one day face, as Peter calls him, “a Father who judges each man’s work impartially.” Pursuit of worldly success can sometimes lead to sins of greed, envy, lying, stealing, and the like. Remember, Adam and Eve fell to the convincing lie of Satan that they were missing out on something, that God had held something back from them.
Don’t get me wrong. As I said before, attempting to be successful and even to acquire earthly possessions is certainly not sinful. Possessions are gifts from God who chooses to give them to us in a variety of ways. But we have to remember that God has a different value system than what we often see in the world. In God’s eyes, it’s not always about “stuff.” Peter wrote concerning what God considered success saying, “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”
Peter reminds us that silver and gold are not the most valuable things that we can possess in our lives here on earth. God looks beyond the amount of money that we have in our bank accounts or how many square feet there are in our homes or what kind of car we drive. God looks beyond what he have acquired in our lives to what is in our hearts. Peter told us that Jesus did not use solver or gold to redeem us, but his own blood. God looks to see if there is faith in our hearts to determine if we are successful in our lives. He gave up his greatest possession, his Son, to save us from our sins. He wants to see if Jesus is our most important possession.
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That’s what would make us different, “strangers” in a world where success is often measured in dollar amounts. And that is why he tell us to “live as strangers here in reverent fear.” Our Lord explained the value system that God uses when he said to his disciples in the Sermon on the Mount, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Mt. 6:33) Those who have made God’s word their guide, who have followed him through life, have found true success. And that true success will bring a joy and happiness that nothing else in the world can give.
There is a story that I read about that is supposedly true. It is a story about a man who cam to a psychiatrists office and explained that he was experiencing depression and sadness in his life. He seemed to be perfectly healthy. An exam didn’t turn up any physical problems. The psychiatrist determined that it must be an emotional problem. He decided that the man needed to have some fun in his life, to do something that would cheer him up. He told him that he had heard about a clown who was performing in town named Grimaldi. Everyone who saw him went away laughing with a big smile on his face. “Go see the clown,” the man was told, “and you’ll be fine.” But the man disagreed. “I’m Grimaldi,” he told the doctor.
How could the clown who brought so much joy and cheer to others be so miserable himself? How could the person who has so much in life, who seems so successful be considered a failure when he stands before God? It depends what value system you are using. Where the world often looks for “stuff” God is looking for faith.
So how successful are you at this point? How is your relationship with God? How strong is your faith, and how beneficial to your faith is the life that you are now living? Are you taking advantage of the tools God has given you to be “successful?” Or are you just trying to fit in with the rest of the world so that you don’t stand out as the “strange” one? Do you think more about what others might say about you, or about what God will say about you? He gave his Son for you, and he wants you to live, as Peter said, “in reverent fear” to show your love for him.
If you do so, you will be successful. If you listen to the Lord and live according to his will, you will find contentment and happiness here on earth, because you will see what God has planned for you while you live here on earth.
II. We Have a God-serving Calling
Peter was writing this letter to people who had been convinced that they weren’t important. They had been judged by the world’s value system and had been found lacking. You see, their Christian faith and lives had made them outsiders. No one wanted to associate with them. Christianity was not a popular religion, and those who claimed it were viewed negatively. People didn’t want to have anything to do with them.
But God used Peter to tell these people how happy he was because of their faith. He wanted them to know that he did not consider them failures just because many in their lives had turned against them. He reminded them of the cost that he had paid to make them his children. He had given up his Son, “a lamb without blemish or defect.” And Peter also spoke about the care and concern that God showed in developing and carrying out his plan to save them. He wrote, “He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.” God sent his Son to be our Savior so that we might have “faith and hope.” Equipped with faith and motivated with hope, we can do
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things that other people cannot do. I don’t mean that we can accomplish earthly things that others cannot do. They might be far ahead of us in many of the earthly categories. But we are able to do things that bring joy and gladness to our Lord. In fact, everything that one of God’s children do out of love for him brings him joy and happiness. We have been called by God to live as his children, and, as Martin Luther wrote, “to be his own and live under him in his kingdom and to serve him in everlasting innocence, righteousness, and blessedness.”
We have a purpose for being here. We have a reason for getting up each day and going about our business, and it’s much more important than trying to earn a buck and pad our bank accounts. We are here to be what God has made it possible for us to be. We are here to serve him, to take advantage of the opportunities that we have to show him our love and devotion. And those opportunities come in many ways, and often at times when we do not expect them.
As God’s children, we see things differently than others do. Consider the way that we face an illness or other medical setback. While some may grumble and complain, or give up and despair, we can see it as an opportunity to put our trust in God and show our trust in God. I’ve sat in many hospital waiting rooms, and I can tell you that there is a huge difference between the Christians who are waiting to hear about a loved one and the people who don’t have that same faith. A huge difference. Even in challenging and difficult times, we are able to “live in reverent fear,” putting our lives in God’s hands and trusting his love for us and his decisions for our lives.
There will be times when we fail to serve God by what we say or do. We will sin many more times than we want to admit. And when we do, we have to remember that God does demand perfection and that he is serious about his hatred of sin. So again, we put our faith in God, we trust his promises, and we repent. We ask him for the forgiveness that Jesus was sent to win for us, and we believe when he says that it is ours. That, too, will enable us to serve him, moving forward with our efforts to do what God wants us to do.
Sometimes people around us will decide that we are weird, that we are strange because of the way we live our lives. Serving God and living according to his will is foreign to them and doesn’t often make sense. And if that is the case, then it’s OK to be considered strange, to live differently than others, to live the way God wants us to live. God chose us to be different, to be driven by different motivations with different goals than others may have. So don’t be ashamed to say that you are a stranger in this world, because you know that you will always be welcome in God’s world, here on earth and forever in heaven. Amen.
“The peace of God…”
–Rev. Roger Rockhoff
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