The Tenth Sunday after Trinity

August 4, 2013
Rev. Ross Mahan, Pastor
Titus 2:11-14

Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Savior.

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.

1. God has revealed His grace to mankind in the person of His Son, grace that forgives our sins and transforms our lives and the grace of God is why a Christian cannot be happy in sin. It is impossible. He is a new creation in Christ. The grace of God teaches him to live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world. From the moment we are born we are involved in a lifelong struggle with our sinful human flesh a struggle that will last a lifetime; there will never be a time when we will no longer struggle against our old sinful nature. The grace of God will continue to be good news our entire life. Faith in Christ is the secret to holy living. When the Bible commands us to be holy it does not point us to our own strength but to Christ. We cannot forgive our own sins or make ourselves holy by our own efforts and strength; this was the religion of the Pharisees, a system of external works and merits. But God transforms a person’s life from the inside out. He doesn’t remodel or rehabilitate us but rebuilds our life from the ground up. The grace of God is the only path to forgiveness and the power behind a life of holiness. It is grace alone that makes our worship and good works acceptable to God. For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God (I Pet. 3:18). Christ redeemed us from all sin for a purpose, to purify unto Himself a peculiar people zealous of good works. Let’s examine the grace of God and its evidence in our lives.

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2. The necessity of God’s grace! When Adam rebelled against God in the Garden of Eden he lost the image of God and fell into the misery and despair of sin. We need to understand the seriousness of what happened to Adam. He plunged the entire human race into ruin, death, and hell and Adam’s sin was imputed to all his descendents. In Adam all die (I Cor. 15:22). How would man ever escape the misery, and wretchedness of his sins? How could he enjoy fellowship with God again after committing treason against the most High and having the sentence of death pronounced upon him? Since then man has become a child of wrath and an enemy of God; his innermost being, heart, mind, emotion, and will are enslaved to sin. The fall affected our entire nature. Man is not merely sick or wounded in sin he is dead in trespasses and sins. The fall of Adam affected the entire human race so that now we are born without spiritual life and in need of the new birth. Why is it important to understand these things? You will never understand or appreciate the grace of God in Jesus Christ until you understand sin. It was the failure of the church to understand the doctrine of sin and the condition of man’s heart that caused people to imagine they could earn their way to heaven or cooperate with God in their salvation by their prayers, good intentions, or decisions. Such theology has been caused tremendous confusion in the hearts of many.

3. There was only one way for man to be saved. Salvation had to be the work of God from start to finish! Man could not save himself or contribute to his salvation in any way. God in His eternal wisdom and grace devised a plan for man to be saved. Jesus the Son of God, true God, existing from all eternity with the Father and the Holy Spirit would come to earth through the womb of the Virgin Mary and become a flesh and blood man. Jesus would then live the life God required of us, a life of perfect obedience to the Law and would satisfy divine justice by suffering the penalty that our sins deserved. Christ would stand in our place as our Representative. Jesus was made a surety of a better testament (Covenant) Heb. 7:22). The word surety signifies a personal guarantee that the terms of a contract will be fulfilled. Jesus was the surety and guarantee of the New Covenant, a promise established on the ground of His perfect sacrifice. Christ did for us what we could not do for ourselves. If we were going to be saved it had to be done this way; there was no other means to reconcile sinners to God, no other way to establish peace with God. We had to be washed in the blood of the Lamb, clothed in His righteousness by faith and sanctified by His Spirit. This is the only way sinful man could be set free from the guilt and power of sin. Christ earned the gift of God’s grace for us and now freely offers this gift to us through His Word by faith.

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4. The basis of God’s Grace! Paul tells us that Jesus gave Himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity. Christ came to deal with sin. If man could have been redeemed without Christ’s atoning death God would have surely done it but only the spotless Lamb of God could redeem the world (I Pet 1:18-19). The word redeem describes the purchase of a slave. When sin entered into the world Adam and Eve became the slaves of sin. Jesus said: Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. A slave has no will of his own; his master’s will is his will, whatever the master tells him to do he must do. A slave is not an employee who can go look for a better job he is a slave and will continue being a slave until the day he dies or someone sets him free. Man is not only a slave to sin but a slave to the devil the author of sin. The devil hates God, His Creation, His Word, and His people and is continually seeking to destroy man, God’s highest creation. He destroys his life by drawing him away from God’s Word into sin and perversion. The word redemption also describes the payment of a debt or ransom. In ancient times there were debtor’s prisons. If you couldn’t pay your debts a creditor could have you and your family arrested and imprisoned or he could make you his slave and force you to work for him until the debt was paid. The redemption of Christ freed us from the slavery and debt of sin. The debt we owe to God is obedience to His Law.

 

5. Every person in the world owes his Creator perfect and perpetual obedience to His Law. Christ did not do away with the Law He fulfilled it and wrote that Law upon our heart in the new birth. When Adam fell it did not free him from his obligation to obey the Law, every person is still accountable to it. God’s Law demands perfection and condemns the person who transgresses even one of its precepts. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. (Ja. 2:10). Paul wrote: Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them (Gal. 3:10). When you understand the perfection and standard of God’s Law and what He demands, you begin to realize why works righteousness is impossible! It is ridiculous! Salvation had to be by grace or no one could be saved. The works of the Law could not justify the sinner in a thousand lifetimes (Rom. 3:20). If man cannot pay his debt to God, how will it be paid? First, all sin will be punished. The Scriptures are clear: The wages of sin is death. Second, every sin and debt will be paid by someone, either Christ will pay your debt for you or you will pay it. And since we sin against an eternal God the punishment for sin must also be eternal. But thank God one day the light of the Gospel shined into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, our debt was paid, our prison cell was opened, and Christ set us free. When Jesus described His ministry in the world He quoted from Isaiah. He had come to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound (Is. 61:1). The hymn writer Charles Wesley described this scene for us.

 

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,

fast bound in sin and nature’s night

Thine eye diffused a quickening ray-

I awoke the dungeon flamed with light;

My chains fell off, my heart was free

I arose went forth and followed Thee.

Charles Wesley

 

6. If we were going to be set free from sin and death someone had to take our place in prison or pay the debt we owed and Christ did both. He is the propitiation for our sins, the payment in full; nothing can be added to His atonement. Jesus satisfied the wrath of God that was against us. Just before He died our Savior cried out: It is finished! These words signaled that His sacrifice was sufficient. He had reconciled the world unto God (II Cor. 5:19). God the Father accepted His Son’s offering for sin which He proved when Christ was raised from the dead, ascended to heaven and took His rightful place at the Right hand of God in Heaven. Christ redeemed us from ALL iniquity. Do not doubt God’s Word; do not let fear fill your heart; let not your heart be troubled; listen again to the words of absolution from God’s Word. Hear the promise of forgiveness in the Holy Sacrament. When you believe God’s promise of forgiveness it is yours. After we received the forgiveness of our sins by faith we learn to rest in the finished work of Christ. It is such a relief to realize we can do nothing to save ourselves. Christ is the Author and Finisher of my faith. He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:6b). We have been redeemed from the guilt of sin and delivered from the dominion of sin and now His Spirit fills our hearts with divine love which begins to set us free from the love of sin.

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7. The sign of God’s grace! How do I know I have received the grace of God? Paul tells us. Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Redemption and purification go together. We were redeemed by the blood of Christ and purified through the Waters of Baptism and now being crucified with Christ in Holy Baptism we are no longer living, but Christ lives in us, and the life we are now living in the flesh we are living by faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave Himself for us (Gal. 2:20). God has declared us His people in the world, the new Israel. This people have I formed for myself; they shall show forth my praise (Is. 43:21). But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light (I Pet. 2:9). For thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth (Deut. 7:6). The Lord has called us out of the world to be His saints, and given us the mind of Christ which gradually transforms us into His image. He prepares to do the good works which God has already prepared for us to do. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them (Eph. 2:10).

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8. Christ makes us zealous of good works. And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful (Vs. 14). This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men (Titus 3:8). The works that are pleasing to God are revealed in the Ten Commandments, to honor God above all else, to use His Name properly, to honor His Word and Worship, to obey our parents and others in authority, not hurting or harming our neighbors in any way, keeping our marriage pure and undefiled, not stealing or doing any harm to our neighbor’s property or coveting anything that belongs to him. A good work is everything a Christian says or does according to the Law of God, by faith in Jesus Christ, for the glory of God and for the good of our neighbor. The light of Christ shines in the world through our good works. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven (Mt. 5:16). Good works are not just the things we do in church. You don’t have to be a pastor, monk or missionary to do good works. The believing mother that changes her baby’s diaper, or the man who goes to work at the factory, or the farmer who gets up at 4:30 in the morning to milk his cows are performing wonderful and glorious works for God by faith in Christ.

 

9. Good works are the sign of saving faith and the grace of God. These works include a life of honesty, integrity, uprightness, generosity, kindness, and all of the graces the Spirit creates in our lives through the Word. We serve the Lord by serving our brethren, our neighbors, our family, and even our enemies. On the Day of Judgment Jesus we read: And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me (Mt. 25:40). The grace of God will be manifest in our lives through our good works which will have a profound effect on our culture. Our nation desperately needs Christians to live out their faith in the world. It is our duty and privilege to serve, praise, thank and obey God by doing the works He has prepared. Child of God, you have been cleansed from sin and saved as a gift from God, not of works. There is no room for boasting! When we were dead in trespasses and sins God made us alive together with Christ. His grace leads to repentance, to faith in Christ, and to a life of love and obedience. The grace of God sets us free from the power of sin. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. (Rom. 6:14). Now that we have been set free from sin we gladly do the works God has given us to the glory of God. May God continue to pour out His grace upon us for Christ’s sake; Amen.

 

The 24th Sunday after Trinity

November 18, 2012

Genesis 32:10 (Isaiah 51:9-16; Col. 1:9-14; Matt. 9:18-26)

Grace mercy and peace to the redeemed children of God gathered together to hear His Word.

I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast showed unto thy servant.

 

1. Thanksgiving is coming in a few days and the Scripture I chose for this morning is the prayer of Jacob: I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast showed unto thy servant. Jacob was a real character. If you remember the story, when Jacob was a young man he conspired with his mother to deceive his father Isaac and cheat his brother Esau out of his birthright, a special blessing reserved for the first born son. Esau was furious at his brother and planned to kill him. When someone told Jacob what his brother was planning he went to live with his uncle Laban. Jacob worked 20 years for his uncle and God blessed him with wives, family, and riches, but now it was time to go home. But was Esau still holding a grudge? Jacob began the trip home with his wives, children, servants and cattle and wanting to make peace with his brother he sent messengers on ahead with gifts for Esau in hopes of reconciliation. But the servants returned with news that Esau was heading toward them with 400 men. Jacob imagined the worst. Esau was coming to settle the score. That night Jacob was all alone and God came to him. It is a strange story. A man shows up at his camp sight and wrestles with him until morning. Later we find out it was the Lord Himself. God was at work in Jacob’s life. That night Jacob became a man of faith and a member of God’s covenant with Abraham. The life of Jacob demonstrates the power of the grace of God to transform a life. Jacob was now a believer, a new man, a relationship with God reflected in his new name. No longer would he be called Jacob (lit. supplanter, deceiver) but Israel, (having power with God, or God’s fighter).

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2. God gives us what we don’t deserve: Saving faith gives us a new perspective. The words of Jacob reminded me of the Roman Centurion who asked Jesus to come heal his servant and then said to Jesus. Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed (Mt. 8:8). Where would a Roman Soldier get this kind of faith? Even Jesus was amazed. When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel (Vs. 10). Saving faith gave the Centurion an understanding of who he was before God. Sadly most people are like the church at Laodicea: I am rich and increased with good and have need of nothing (Rev. 3:17a). Jesus had a different opinion of that church. He said they were wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. The Christian confesses with Jacob: I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth, which thou hast showed unto thy servant. Jacob came to the realization that all of the blessings he had received over the years were gifts from God. The same is true today. Man loves to glory in himself but the Bible continues pointing the Christian to God who freely blesses us with gifts and abilities. For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it? (I Cor. 4:7).

 

3. Next to Jesus the Apostle Paul was the greatest theologian that ever lived. God blessed him with extraordinary understanding, grace, and knowledge yet listen how he describes himself. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ (Eph. 3:8). For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing (Rom. 7:18). Paul would not boast in himself but only in the grace of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. (I Cor. 15:10). Paul understood his own weakness and sin. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief (I Tim. 1:15). The Bible gives us a proper view of ourselves. What does it say about us? The entire human race was born in sin with the verdict death pronounced upon us. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. The wages of sin is death (Rom. 3:23; 6:23). We were born under the curse of the Law. If God had not sent his Son into the world to redeem us from sin we would all have been lost for eternity. Every earthly and spiritual blessing comes from God. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning (Ja. 1:17).

 

4. A heart of gratitude and thanksgiving is the only reasonable response to all that God has done for us. Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation (Ps. 68:19). God gives blessings we desperately need that only He can give. Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies (Ps. 103:1-4). Think back on your life, how many times you asked God for help in a time of need and He answered your prayer? How many times have you prayed with the Psalmist David: O Lord, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure. Have mercy upon me, O Lord; for I am weak (Ps. 6:1-4) and the Lord graciously heard and answered your prayer? Every time a child of God asks for mercy and grace in the Name of Jesus, He receives it. This has been the experience of every Christian since the beginning of time. Micah wrote: Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. (Micah 7:18-19).

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5. God is faithful to His covenant: God chose Jacob in light of His covenant with Abraham but Jacob was a stranger to God. The Lord came to Jacob that night to save him. We are also in Covenant with God through Christ. Jesus came into the world to establish the New Covenant. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. (Heb. 8:10-12). God  proved His love for us by sending His Son to die for us when we were His enemies and by His death to deliver us from sin and death. Who hath delivered us from the power (authority) of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins (Col. 1:13-14). He translated us into the Kingdom of grace through the new birth and continues to preserve us in the true faith in spite of our sinful flesh, the world, and the devil. The promises of God cannot fail; they must come to pass. His Covenant is a contract, a rock solid agreement purchased by the Blood of His Son, and a sure promise that cannot be broken.

 

6. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life (Jn. 5:24). Salvation is by grace because it had to be. And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. (Rom. 11:6). During times of doubt and fear when the devil whispers in your ear that you are not worthy of God’s grace, and deserve to go to hell, you can say to him: Yes, I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of the truth which God has given me, but what of it? For Christ died for my sins and though I deserve hell I am going to heaven, not because of my works but because of what my Savior has done for me. The promise of the Gospel is the anchor of our soul. God comes to us through His Word forgiving our sins and assuring us that we are saved. In our Gospel reading we read about the woman with the issue of blood who touched the hem of Jesus’ garment and was instantly healed. Jesus knowing what had happened turned and said to her: Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour (Mt. 9:22). We cannot touch the hem of Christ’s garment but we can touch the Savior through His Word and Sacraments.

 

7. We hear the voice of Christ in the Word, comforting us with the forgiveness of our sin, and reminding us that His death accomplished our salvation. Jesus does not say to sinners: Ok, I’ve done my part now you must do your part NO! Jesus is the Lamb of God! He has taken away the sin of the world! It is finished. Nothing more can be added to it. All through history men have invented their own religions, but all manmade religions have one thing in common, they are all based on works righteousness, on what a worshiper must do to satisfy his god. The Christian faith stands alone in the world, forever separated from false religions such as Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism, for what makes the Christian religion unique is the Gospel of grace. The Bible could not be clearer. Man cannot justify himself. Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified (Gal. 2:16). If we are trusting in good works to be justified we will never know if we have done enough. Along with that, the doctrine of works righteousness places you under God’s curse. The only way salvation can be sure is if it is by grace alone, apart from our works. The Christian faith rests upon the perfect merits and righteousness of Christ, not man’s puny works.

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8. God reveals Himself to His elect. Jacob met the living God that night, the God of Abraham and Isaac, for Jacob was one of God’s elect. The Lord had said: Jacob have I love, Esau have I hated. (Rom. 9:13). After wrestling with the angel he later said: I have seen God face to face (Gen. 32:30). His life would never be the same. This is a picture of the church. We come here to meet God. This is why Christians love the church. In the person of Jesus Christ we see the face of God and hear the promise of forgiveness. Through the Word the Holy Spirit creates faith in our hearts to believe on Christ (Rom 10:17).The Spirit of God gave us the church so we could hear the Word of God and persevere in faith. The Church is the place to give thanks to God, encourage one another, receive the forgiveness of our sins and offer a sacrifice of praise to God. By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased (Heb. 13:15-16). Thanks, is all that we can give to God for everything else is already His. All that we have comes from Him (Luther). In Holy Communion we offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to God and proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. This morning as we are coming to the end of another church year, and as we enter another year of grace, let us resolve to give thanks to God in every circumstance.

 

9. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: To show forth thy loving kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night (Ps. 92:1-2). In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you (I Thess. 5:18). And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him (Col. 3:17). God gives us all things. Luther gives us a short list in his catechism: I believe that God has made me and all creatures, that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still preserves them; also clothing and shoes, meat and drink, house and home, wife and children, fields, cattle, and all my goods; that He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life; and He defends me against all danger, and guards and protects me from all evil; and all this purely out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me; for all which it is my duty to thank and praise, to serve and obey Him. This is most certainly true (Luther’s Small Catechism: The First Article of the Creed). The Lord wants us to live a life of gratitude. Thanksgiving is the secret to Christian contentment and the cure for the discontentment that is so common today. But gratitude is not natural to man. Man by nature is ungrateful and selfish. How do we learn gratitude?

 

10. We have much to be thankful for, our Savior, our family, and a great nation. We have problems for sure, but even with our problems this is still the greatest nation in the world. We have freedom of conscience; freedom of speech and freedom of worship. We have the Word of God and the freedom to gather together for worship. There has been a misunderstanding of freedom in the last few years. True freedom means the freedom to succeed and the freedom to fail. But the government has been subsidizing a lot of bad behavior these days in the name of compassion. As a free people we must defend our freedoms, with our lives if necessary for we owe it to our children and grandchildren to pass down to them the same nation our forefathers gave to us. The same is true in the church. We have a duty and obligation to give our descendents the same Church, worship, Law, and Gospel that was given to us. We are free to confess the truth of God’s Word to our family, friends and neighbors and Jesus promised if we confess Him before men He will confess us before His Father in heaven, but if we refuse to speak His truth, He will not confess us before His Father. The defense of our spiritual and political freedom is to believe, defend, support, and confess the truth of His Word to a world that has forgotten God and His Word. Therefore let us live each day to the honor and glory of God and may the Lord give us the strength to walk with Him each day for Christ’s sake; Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Christian’s Hope

5-2-2012

Rev. Ross Mahan, Pastor
Titus 2:11-14

Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Savior.

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.

1. God has revealed His grace to the world in the person of His Son. Jesus Christ is the grace of God. Divine Grace brings salvation and teaches us to put away sin and to live a godly life in this present world. The grace of God transforms the hearts of sinners by the new birth. Godly living is the foundation of Christian culture. Theology determines culture. What a man believes will determine how he lives and how people live will shape the culture of a family, church, or nation. Culture is simply theology in action. It is theology externalized. A change in culture takes place because of a change in the underlying beliefs of the people. To change a culture you must change its theology. This is what has happened in our nation. A pagan and ungodly belief system has entered our nation through the media, seminaries, universities, and the government and changed the hearts of our people and the culture. The answer is repentance and a return to God’s Word. The grace of God guides us by the past. We look to the Scriptures for the church’s doctrine and practice but we also listen to the wisdom of our Christian forefathers. The Christian life is lived in the present as we learn to trust in God to provide our needs (Mt. 6:31-34). We are guided by the past, we live in the present, and we look to the future. The return of Jesus Christ is the hope of the Christian. There is a Day of Judgment coming and the Lord tells us to prepare for it (Heb. 9:27). We live each day Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ. Let’s examine the hope of the Christian.

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2. The reality of Christian hope. The word Hope describes how we view the future. Circumstances may be bad in our life. We may be on a battlefield or a sickbed but the worst condition any man can be in is to be without hope. Man needs hope to live in the world. Webster’s Dictionary defines hope as desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment. Hebrews says: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Heb. 11:1). Now faith means we are confident of what we hope for, convinced of what we do not see. Hope is connected to faith. Faith in Christ is the ground of our hope. God creates faith in our hearts through His Word and teaches us to hope in His promises. Hope is the object of our faith. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost (Rom. 15:4, 13). Christian hope is invisible, we can’t see it.  For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it (Rom. 8:24-25). Christian hope is the return of Jesus Christ in glory. Even though life on this earth is going to end one day Jesus our Savior has promised to take us beyond this life into eternity.

 

3. Our life on earth is temporary but hope is eternal for hope is based on the promises of an eternal God. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal (II Cor. 4:17,18). Hope is like an anchor in the soul of man that connects us to God’s steadfastness. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable (I Cor 15:19). Jesus spoke many times about His return. For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels (Lu. 9:26). Christ came to earth the first time as a suffering servant to satisfy justice and redeem the souls of men by His blood. But He will return the second time in majesty as King of kings and Lord of lords. On that day every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of; God the Father. When Christ appears He will judge the world in righteousness. That day will mark the end of time. He has promised to take His people to Heaven to be with Him. So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation (Heb. 9:28).

 

4. At our Lord’s ascension the angel predicted His return. And while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven (Acts 1:9-11). The hope of Christ’s return comforts the child of God when he stands at the grave of a believing loved one. We grieve when the people we love die. Our hearts are sad and we weep, but we do not grieve like the world. The world has no hope. The unbeliever doesn’t understand death. He has no idea where he is going when he dies. But we know. Jesus promised us we will see our loved ones who have died in Christ some day. The God of truth has promised it. His Word will come to pass. This is why the Christian is not afraid of death. We are sad but we do not despair when our Christian brethren die. We know they are with the Lord and are not gone forever. We will see them again in glory. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words (I Thess. 4:14-18).

II.

5. The reason for Christian hope. In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began (Titus. 1:2). Our hope is built upon God who cannot lie. God has established a covenant with us. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, He confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor of the soul firm and secure (Heb. 6:17-18). We rest upon God’s promise. Edward Mote was a pastor and hymn writer born in London on 21 January 1797. His parents managed a pub and often left Edward to his own devices, playing in the street. He was trained as a cabinet maker and worked in London for many years. Later he became a Christian and entered the ministry and was pastor at Rehoboth Baptist Church in Horsham, West Sussex for 26 years He was well liked by the congregation in Horsham and they offered him the church building as a gift. Mote replied “I do not want the chapel, I only want the pulpit; and when I cease to preach Christ then turn me out of that” One day he started to write a hymn on a piece of paper he kept in his coat pocket and after jotting down a few lines a friend asked him to pay a visit on the wife of a friend who was on her deathbed to pray with her and perhaps sing a hymn. At the woman’s home after praying with her, the husband couldn’t find a hymnal so Rev. Mote took the paper from his coat pocket and shared the words he had written. You’ve heard them before.

 

My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness

I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ Name.

On Christ the solid rock I stand All other ground is sinking sand.

 

His oath, His covenant His blood support me in the whelming flood;

When all around my soul gives way He then is all my hope and stay.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.

 

6. Jesus is our hope (I Tim. 1:1). He gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto Himself a peculiar people. His death reconciled us to God. His resurrection assures us that one day our bodies will be resurrected from the grave. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (I Pet. 1:3). Apart from Christ there is no hope. This was the condition of the Gentiles before Christ. Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world (Eph. 2:11-12). God placed us in Christ when we were baptized. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ (Gal. 3:26-27). Not only are we in Christ but Christ is in us. Paul described the Gospel as a mystery hidden in the past that now is made manifest to the saints. To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory (Col. 1:27). The mark of a true Christian is waiting for Christ’s return.

III.

7. The response to Christian hope. How should a Christian live in light of Christ’s return? Jesus told His disciples to watch and be ready for His return. But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch (Mk. 13:32-37). The grace of God prepares us for His return by teaching us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world. The Apostle John wrote: Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure (I Jn. 3:3). The return of Christ is a godly motive for true holiness. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, (II Pet. 3:11). Only the power of the gospel can create holiness in our hearts and lives.

 

8. To the end he may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints (I Thess. 3:12-13). Hebrews tells us: Without holiness no man shall see the Lord (Heb. 12:14). Preparing for the Lord’s return requires a faithful use of the means of grace. It is walking with God each day in the light of His Word, cleansed by the blood of Christ (I Jn. 1:7). We also prepare for the Lord’s return by completing the work God has given us to do. The Lord has a vocation for each of us. The Parable of the Talents describes the child of God working and preparing for the Lord’s return. As we work in our vocation and as we invest our time, talents, and resources into the Kingdom of God and the mission of the church in the world, Jesus said we are laying up for ourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also (Mt. 6:20-21). At the end of his life Paul, knowing that he had completed the work God had given him wrote these words: I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing (II Tim. 4:7-8). Finally, preparing for Christ’s return means proclaiming the Gospel to the nations of the world. Rev. 7:9 tells us that there will be people from every nation, tribe, and language in heaven. Therefore may the Lord prepare us for His return that we may rejoice in hope, steadfast until the end awaiting His appearing.

When He shall come with trumpet sound, Oh may I then in Him be found;

Clothed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.

 

Amen

The Grace of God II

April 18, 2012

Rev. Ross Mahan, Pastor
Titus 2:11-14

Grace, mercy, and peace be unto you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Savior

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.

1. The book of Titus was written to a young pastor Paul had left on the island of Crete to preach the Word of God and appoint elders in the churches (1:5). Paul’s theme in the book is good works. The true Christian faith will always be revealed in the way we live. This was the reason Christ died. Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Paul’s theme in our text is the grace of God in Jesus Christ. God has revealed His grace to mankind. Grace had to be revealed for man cannot understand the things of God on his own. He cannot see or enter the Kingdom of God (Jn. 3:3, 5). He cannot come to Christ unless the Father draws him (Jn. 6:44). He cannot hear the Word of God apart from the Holy Spirit (Jn. 8:43). Man cannot submit to God’s Law or exercise saving faith (Rom. 8:7-8; Heb. 11:6). He cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God (I Cor. 2:14) and he cannot call Jesus Lord except by the Holy Spirit (I Cor. 12:3). If man was going to be saved God had to reveal the Gospel of grace to him and grant him repentance and faith to receive the promise of forgiveness. God has revealed His grace to man in creation. Each day the sun rises and the rain falls on the evil and the good (Mt. 5:44-45). But the Lord has revealed His grace most clearly in the person of His Son. Jesus IS the grace of God toward mankind. Let’s examine two more truths concerning the grace of God.

I.

2. The grace of God brings salvation. The grace of God is the free favor and good will of God toward sinful man offered and sealed to man apart from any works or merit in us but by the merits and righteousness of Jesus Christ. The grace of God is not unprincipled or lawless. God forgave our sins according to His Law, by the perfect redemptive life and death of His Son in our stead. Christ made grace possible by satisfying God’s perfect holiness. The Grace of God in Christ brings the knowledge of salvation to the world. The word Salvation is an umbrella word that encompasses all that God does for us. Paul writes:  Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified (Rom.8:30). Here the Apostle takes the believer back to the beginning before creation, when God chose us in Christ. He fast forwards to the time when we were called by the Gospel and justified by grace through faith, and then to the future when the Lord promises to glorify us in heaven. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption (I Cor. 1:30). Here are several facets of our salvation; the wisdom of God in Jesus Christ, the righteousness we receive in Christ, our  sanctification, and Christ’s redemption for our sins. Salvation includes all of these and more. Jesus said: He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved (Mk. 16:16). What does the Bible mean by the word saved?

 

3. When a man is saved what has happened to him? When we are saved our sins have been forgiven. This is where salvation begins. Sin has separated man from God. Sin created a war between God and man. If peace was going to be established sin had to be taken out of the way and dealt with once and for all. Sin is the transgression of God’s Law. Paul tells us that the wages of sin is death (I Jn.3:4; Rom. 6:23). To satisfy the condemnation of the Law that was against us there had to be a death. A sacrifice sufficient for our sin had to be offered and accepted. This is the message of the Gospel. Jesus the Lamb of God laid down His life for the sins of the world. He is our propitiation. His sacrifice canceled our guilt and God the Father no longer charges us with our sins. God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation (II Cor. 5:19). The war is over. Peace has been established. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:1). Not only does the grace of God deliver us from the guilt of sin grace also sets us free from the power of sin. When we were baptized into the Name of the Triune God we died with Christ and were raised to newness of life. We are no longer slaves to sin. A Christian cannot live as a slave to sin any longer. It is impossible. We cannot be happy living in continual sin.

 

4. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace (Rom. 6:14). There is no sinless perfection in this life. There will never be a time when we do not need the grace of God. The first of Luther’s 95 theses states: When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, “Repent” (Mt 4:17), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance. Saving faith always includes repentance. If a man is not sorry for his sins, with a desire to stop doing them, he has no faith. His profession is just words. Sin does not rule over the child of God. When we are saved God sets us free from the devil’s kingdom. We are no longer under Satan’s rule. Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins (Col. 1:13-14). Salvation is deliverance from the guilt and power of sin, freedom from Satan’s power, and escape from death and hell. The fear of death has enslaved mankind since the beginning of time and Christ has conquered death. Christ has delivered us from death. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:  (Jn. 11:25). God is for us (Rom. 8:31). If God be for us, who can be against us? JC Ryle described how he prepared people for communion. He would ask: What has Christ done for you? Did they understand the objective nature of salvation? What has Christ done in you? Did they know the subjective work of the Spirit? Our salvation includes both.

II.

5. The grace of God teaches us!  The grace of God forgives our sins, delivers us from the guilt and power of sin and death and grace also teaches us. Grace applies all of the blessings of Christ’s redemption to our hearts and lives. Grace teaches us to abandon sin and to live a sober, righteous, and godly life in this world. How does the grace of God teach us? Divine grace teaches us through the gift of the new birth. When we were baptized into Christ we died with Christ, our old Adam was put to death, and we received a new spiritual life. Our old nature was so corrupt and sinful the only thing God could do with it was to put it to death and give us a new nature. Paul described this new man in Christ:  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (II Cor. 5:17). Our  new relationship with God through Christ gives the Christian new spiritual life by the indwelling Holy Spirit. This is the New Covenant predicted in the Old Testament. After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more (Jer. 31:33-34).

 

6. We are justified freely by grace and we are also sanctified by grace. Both are the work of God from start to finish. Sanctification is the gracious work of God to make us holy. One man described it like this: Sanctification is what happens when we are grasped by the fact that God alone justifies. It is not our work. It is the work of the Spirit who is called Holy. The fact that it is not our work puts the old Adam (our old self) to death and calls forth a new being in Christ. Sanctification is thus simply the art of getting used to justification. It is the justified life (Gerhard Forde). The Spirit of grace sanctifies us as we walk with God in the light of His Word cleansed by the blood of Christ (I Jn. 1:7). Sanctification is more than merely living a moral life. Moral living is called civil righteousness. An unbeliever can live an outwardly moral life. Living a moral life is important. It is a good thing but it should NOT define what it means to be holy. The moral life is often just our old Adam struggling to keep the requirements of the Law. Sanctification is the result of the dying of the old and the rising of the new. Sanctification is God’s secret, hidden (perhaps especially) even from the sanctified. The last thing the sanctified would do would be to talk about it or make claims about achieving it. (Forde). True holiness is the work of the Holy Spirit through the Gospel, not our old Adam trying to climb to the heights of God’s Law. Listen to Paul’s description.

 

7. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me (Gal. 2:20). And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:24-25). Paul described the Christian faith as Christ in you the hope of glory (Col. 1:27). There is no salvation apart from the indwelling Holy Spirit. If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God (Col. 3:1-3). The majority of the Spirit’s work in our lives is beyond our comprehension. It is a mystery. Jesus said: The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit (Jn. 3:8). In other words, you can see the signs of the new birth just as you see the results of the wind but how the Spirit works in our life is still a mystery. The grace of God connects us to the Word of God, the means of grace. There we meet the true God. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (Jn. 8:31-32). As the child of God sees the face of Christ in His Word He is gradually transformed into His image.

 

8. Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled faces beholding as in a glass  the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image with ever increasing glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord (II Cor. 3:17-18). Sanctification takes work and effort. Paul tells us to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, but it is not the kind of work we would imagine. To progress in our Christian faith we find ourselves always starting out fresh each day. As Luther said in his commentary on Romans: To progress is always to begin again. Sanctification is continually returning to our Baptism in repentance and faith to receive what God offers us. Again and again the Christian returns to the grace of God in the Gospel. We never get over grace. We never entirely learn it. The grace of God continues to work in our hearts each day by the Holy Spirit who comes to us through the Word. As one man wrote: So, by all means work! But the hard work is not what you think it is–your personal improvement and moral progress. The hard work is washing your hands of you and resting in Christ’s finished work for you–which will inevitably produce personal improvement and moral progress. Progress in obedience happens when our hearts realize that God’s love for us does not depend on our progress in obedience. Martin Luther wrote: “It is not imitation that makes sons; it is sonship that makes imitators.”

 

9. The grace of God brings salvation. Grace teaches us. It grants the forgiveness of sin. Grace works in our heart to make us holy. And grace brings us back to repentance and faith each day, cleansing us from sin and transforming us into the image of Christ. God often uses trials, afflictions, and chastening to sanctify us. This is not something we would seek. We don’t really want it. The Lord sanctifies us by stripping away all of our defenses, works, and self righteousness. He teaches us to live in His grace trusting only in Him. It was during Paul’s thorn in the flesh that God told him why He had allowed him to go through it. Christ was protecting Paul from pride that could have destroyed his soul. God is more interested in our holiness than our earthly happiness. The Lord said to Paul: My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong (II Cor. 12:9-10). Christ died to redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a people zealous of good works. We were justified by the grace of God and we are sanctified by that same grace as we walk by faith in the Gospel. Christ continues to call us to new life by faith in the promises of God in Jesus Christ. May the Lord grant us this grace for Christ’s sake; Amen. 

The Twentieth Sunday after Trinity

November 6, 2011

Rev. Ross Mahan, Pastor
Eph. 5:15-21; Mt. 22:1-14

Grace, mercy and peace be unto you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our eternal Savior

See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

1. 1.      God is eternal, without beginning or end, and therefore timeless. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God (Ps. 90:2).  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.(Rev. 1:8). God is the Creator of time. In the beginning He created a 24 hour day, a 7 day week, and seasons of the year. Man was created subject to time. Our lives began on a certain day and one day they will end. We are stewards and custodians of time and God expects us to manage our time along with all of His gifts. The glorious message of the Gospel is that the eternal God entered time through the womb of the Virgin Mary and became part of human history. But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons (Gal. 4:4-5). Time is God’s gift to man, an opportunity to live out our lives in this world to His glory. Many things have been written about time. One man wrote: Time is more valuable than money. You can get more money but you cannot get more time (Rohn). Time is a great teacher but unfortunately it kills all of its pupils (Berlioz). In our sermon text Paul tells us to redeem the time, literally to buy the opportunity and make the best use of our gifts and talents in light of the future. What does it mean to redeem the time?

I.

1. 2.      Make good use of your Day of Grace. God has established a period of time in which to show grace to sinners, a time when men and women can be saved and we are living in that day. The Day of Grace was made possible by the death of Jesus Christ. His blood purchased redemption for all mankind, reconciling the world unto God, and now the Lord invites all men to come to Him for forgiveness. But the Day of Grace will not last forever. It began the day we were born and will end the day we die or the Lord returns and the Lord has already determined the day of our death. It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment (Heb. 9:27).Life is very short. The Bible says life is like a vapor that appears for a brief time and then vanishes away (James 4:13-16). Therefore redeeming the time is fellowship with the true God. So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom (Ps. 90:13). Applying our hearts to wisdom is receiving the forgiveness of sins by faith and growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. This is a lifelong endeavor that begins at our Baptism and continues until death. God in His wisdom has connected our eternal salvation to the means of grace, to Word and Sacrament, and no one will be saved apart from these means. The new birth and saving faith are given by the Word.  Being born again, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever (I Pet. 1:23). So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Rm. 10:17).

 

1. 3.      The Word of God creates and preserves the new life God has given us. Like a new born infant Peter tells us to desire the milk of God’s Word that we may grow. But today many people are neglecting the Day of Grace. They have no time for God’s Word, or His Church, their lives are too busy with the things of this world. We saw this in our Gospel reading, when the guests refused the King’s invitation to His son’s wedding. They were too busy with their farms and businesses, too busy making money and living for themselves to come to the feast. Jesus spoke this parable to the Jews of His day that were refusing to believe on Him as their Messiah and be saved. Jesus said to the Jews before His crucifixion: If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation (Lu. 19:42-44). Paul gives us another reason why we should redeem the time; because the days are evil. We don’t know how much more time we have left to worship and serve God freely. Jesus said: I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work (Jn. 9:4).

II.

1. 4.      Understand the will of God. If we are going to redeem the time during this Day of Grace we must understand and obey the will of God revealed in His Word. Living according to God’s Word is walking in divine wisdom. Wisdom in the Bible is an attribute of God and also the revelation of His divine will to man. The Bible describes the Gospel as the wisdom of God. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory (I Cor. 2:4-7). The secret to real happiness in this world is living according to God’s will. God’s wisdom is revealed in His Son Jesus Christ (Col. 2:3) and He promises to give wisdom to all who ask for it. James wrote: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him (Ja. 1:5). There is a tremendous amount of unhappiness in our country. Many people are unhappy because they are suffering the consequences of stupid and unwise decisions. In other words, they are reaping what they have sown (Gal. 6:7). They lack consequential thinking.

 

1. 5.      They cannot grasp that behavior has consequences. When a young person decides to be immoral in violation of the 6^th commandment they are starting down a path of misery and sadness. Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication. He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit (I Thess 4:1-3; 8). God gave us His will to show us how to live a happy and successful life in this world and the next. When men ignore God’s Law they end up wasting their life in sin and disobedience and make themselves and the people around them miserable. But if you will determine by the grace of God to follow the will of God, your life will be blessed no matter what the Lord allows into your life. Your faithfulness will bless your children and grandchildren. The wisdom of God will make a person future oriented. The Christian faith is rooted in the past it is lived in the present, and focused on the future. The same is true of Western Culture. All great nations and civilizations live by the wisdom of the past with an eye to the future. Sadly, as our nation departs from the Christian faith people are losing this perspective.

 

1. 6.      Many are focused only on today, what they need and want right now, regardless of future generations. Our nation’s leaders are making economic and moral decisions that everyone knows will harm our grandchildren, but no one seems to care. All that matters is today and the needs of our generation. We see this same spirit in the protests on Wall Street and elsewhere around the country. These young people are protesting and clamoring for the redistribution of wealth and socialism with no concern about the future of America. All they care about is satisfying their own desires. Sadly most if not all of these protestors are products of the modern church for the same thinking is going on in many churches. Many Christians have rejected the wisdom of the past, and are ignoring God’s Word. They have embraced the philosophies and thinking of this world and are living like fools with little or no thought about God’s Word or the future. When people are foolish enough to follow these false teachers they will go to hell with them. God has revealed His wisdom for our lives in His Word and challenges each of us to search the Scriptures and find it. For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly (Pr.2:6-7). If we are going to redeem the time Paul tells us: Be ye not unwise but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

III.

1. 7.      Be filled with the Spirit.  Our understanding of the will of God must include our heart or it is not genuine. True religion is heart religion. The Holy Spirit is the author of all true religion and saving faith. He alone is the creator and sustainer of the true church on earth. What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit? There has been a lot of confusion on this subject in the past. When Paul forbids drunkenness in the context of being filled with the Holy Spirit, he is not comparing the presence of the Spirit with the effects of wine as some have imagined. A drunkard is an example of the fool who lacks wisdom. Also, when Paul tells us to be filled with the Spirit it is not a separate experience to be sought after conversion, some kind of second work of grace evidenced by speaking in tongues or other miracles. Being filled with the Spirit is an experience but it is more than that and it comes from a definite source. A parallel passage to our text is Colossians 3:16-17 where we read: Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.  And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. Being filled with the Spirit is the same as letting the Word of Christ dwell in us richly. We must never separate the ministry of the Holy Spirit from the Word of God.

 

1. 8.      The Holy Spirit has NOT promised to work apart from His Word. He may do so, but we have no promise that He will, therefore no way to evaluate if what we are seeing and hearing is truly the work of the Spirit or a counterfeit. The Spirit of God through the Word grants supernatural gifts and graces that empower the Christian to live a godly life in this world for without Him we can do nothing (Jn.15:5). Is it proper to pray for the power and presence of the Holy Spirit? Absolutely. Jesus said: If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? (Lu. 11:13). In our text Paul describes the evidence of the Spirit’s presence in our lives, a heart of praise and gratitude. Paul describes a Child of God singing to the Lord and expressing his joy in songs of praise, making melody in his heart. The Holy Spirit is the source of Christian joy, worship, prayer, and praise and His presence fills our hearts with the fruits of the Spirit. The believer confesses with David: Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s (Ps103:1-5).

 

1. 9.      Another evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit is a heart of gratitude. Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Christian is able to give thanks for all things because He alone possesses the knowledge of God through faith in Christ. He knows that God is Sovereign and that nothing happens apart from His knowledge and will. Nothing takes God by surprise and everything works together for good in the lives of His chosen people (Rom. 8:28). We also understand God’s love, wisdom, grace, and mercy; He is too wise to be wrong and too kind to be cruel and He continually blesses our lives with His love, forgiveness, and wisdom. He gives us families, churches, and vocations to live out His will. He gives us purpose for living. Redeeming the time is making good use of our Day of Grace, living according to His Will by the power of the Holy Spirit. All of this was made possible by the perfect redemption of Jesus Christ whose blood makes believing sinners acceptable in God’s sight and whose resurrection gives our lives meaning and hope for today and in the future. Through faith in Christ God has given His people a perfect Robe of Righteousness, like the beautiful wedding garments in our Gospel reading. His righteousness covers our sins and the Lord welcomes us into His presence with joy. May God grant us this assurance this day for Christ’s sake; Amen!