Thursday, May 28, 2015

Peace Through the Spirit (A sermon based on John 14:25-27)

​Is your live a peaceful one? Too often the problems we face rob our lives of peace. But Jesus tells us that he wants us to have peace. He came to win peace with God for us on the cross. And he send his Holy Spirit to lead us to understand that peace and to believe in that peace. And the Holy Spirit brings us that peace through his inspired Word. Read or listen to (download or stream) this sermon based on John 14:25-27 and be at peace...

Peace Through the Spirit

A sermon based on John 14:25-27

Sunday, May 24, 2015 – Pentecost B

 

How much peace do you think the disciples had that night? Jesus was doing some unusual things, washing their feet, changing the Passover, praying alone in the garden. And what he was saying was even more odd: The bread was his body? The wine was his blood? He was going to depart and they couldn't come with him? I'll bet that night left them confused and without much peace.

How much peace do you think the disciples had later that night? Jesus was arrested and he let himself be abused. He could have stopped it. They knew that. But he didn't. He chose to let them hurt him. Maybe he would let them hurt the disciples too. So they ran. Those who had so recently boldly declared they would never leave Jesus' side now ran away like terrified prey into the dark night. I'll bet that night left them scared and without much peace.

How much peace do you think the disciples had later that night? Hiding behind locked doors they feared that the authorities would come for them next. And I'm sure the shame of deserting Jesus—their teacher, their master, their friend—soon hit hard. I'll bet that night left them feeling quite guilty and without much peace.

And yet, on that night, the night on which he was betrayed, Jesus promised his disciples peace. And it's a peace he promises to us too. It's a peace promised to be delivered by the Holy Spirit, a peace described for us in John 14:25-27…

 

25 "All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

 

I. The Holy Spirit Bring Peace by Giving You Faith

 

The disciples were troubled and scared. They were worried and fearful—and understandably so! Their lives were in jeopardy. Their families in danger. Their friend was talking about capture and death. And soon their hopes in Jesus to be the Messiah who would rule the nations would lay in utter ruins. That night, after his arrest, things must have looked pretty hopeless to those disciples. I'm sure there wasn't much peace among them.

We too are often robbed of peace in this sin-filled life, aren't we? Sin brings pain and disease, so we worry about our health. Sin brings disasters and crooks, so we worry about our finances. Sin brings selfishness and war on a big scale and a smaller personal scale so we worry about our jobs and about our kids and about our relationships. At times, it sure seems like there's not much peace in our lives. But then something worse robs us of peace…

The external circumstances were certainly enough to rob the disciples of peace that night. But how much more the internal guilt and shame must have robbed them of peace. We know the remorse of Judas and of Peter who both broke down in shame at what they'd done. And it robbed them both of peace.

And I think we can understand.

In one of the verses right before our text, Jesus said, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching."

And how well have we obeyed his teaching? Not well enough. Too often we show that we love ourselves more than Jesus. We care more about our comfort than about speaking up for him, more about our fun than service to him, more about our friends than our Savior. And when we realize what we've done, how little we've loved him, then the guilt and shame of our sin can rob us of peace. Nagging, gnawing guilt, the shame and regret, sting our consciences like a piece of Devil's club stuck under the surface of the skin. Our consciences sting… unless we've so dulled them we can no longer feel it. But even then the quiet night can often bring back the memories of our sin that haunt our souls with guilt and shame and rob us of peace.

But Jesus sent his Spirit to bring us peace. And he does that by giving us a proper understanding and a right faith…

The disciples had no peace because the lacked understanding. They didn't understand what the Messiah was all about. They didn't get why Jesus had come. They thought he had come to bring them peace in this life: peace from the Romans, peace from poverty, peace from suffering and pain.

But that's not the kind of peace that Jesus had come to bring.

In verse 27 Jesus explained that this wasn't the kind of peace the Holy Spirit would bring. He said, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives." He didn't come to just bring physical health and financial security or happy human relationships that fill our hearts. For all of those would ultimately leave us empty in the end. For "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" (Mark 8:36)

But Jesus brought a better peace. And the Holy Spirit gives us a proper understanding of what God came to do, just like he did for those disciples.

When Jesus said, "While I am still with you," he alluded to his departure from this life. The next day he would die. He would be killed on a cross, tortured to death. Why? To win the battle for them and for us that would bring us peace—to bring us peace with God. This is the peace of which Jesus spoke: a peace of heart and mind which comes from knowing our sins are all forgiveness through his perfect life and innocent death for us, a peace that was proved by his resurrection from the dead. It is a peace which passes all understanding. It is a peace which only God can give.

And though the disciples didn't get it that Maundy Thursday, Jesus would send his Holy Spirit to comfort, counsel, help, and enlighten them. On the Day of Pentecost, the light came on for the disciples as the flames appeared above their head. For the first time they really understood what peace Jesus had brought them. He didn't give them a small, temporal, feeble peace that the world gives. He gave a different peace, a better peace, his peace.

And they boldly proclaimed, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call." (Acts 2:38-38) Now they understood. And so do we. We understand that, "since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:1)

And we understand this—we believe this—because the Holy Spirit has worked this understanding and this faith in this understanding in our hearts. And he's done so and continues to do so through the Word.

 

II. The Holy Spirit Bring Peace by Giving You His Word

 

When Jesus said, "While I am still with you," he alluded to his departure from this life. But perhaps he also alluded to his ascension 43 days later. He would leave them bodily and physically. But he didn't leave them alone. While he was still with them he made them this promise: "The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." Jesus left his disciples the Holy Spirit and the promise that he would leave them with the Word.

And Jesus has not left us alone either. He sends us his Holy Spirit who always operates through the Word. Do you want to be close to God? Do you want to know his heart and mind? Do you want to find peace in what he says to you? Then read his Word. It is not just an interesting book with good ideas about God. It's not just a record of the things the disciples could draw up from their memories. It is the very Word of God written by him through the apostles he sent. Jesus promised this to his disciples: It is his Word. "The Holy Spirit… will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."

You've heard the argument and the illustration before, right? If we play that old game of telephone, where I whisper a message to one person who passes it on to the next and then to the next, the message is very likely to be garbled—sometimes in a ridiculous and humorous way by the time it gets to the last person because human memory doesn't always work that well.

But that's not how the Scriptures work. Let people use their cell phones to record the message before they pass it on and the end result will be quite different. Or better still, let the last person talk to the first—the original message giver—and the end result will be flawless.

The disciples didn't have a recording device. But they didn't need one. They had something better: A promise from Jesus that he would send the original message giver right to them. "The Holy Spirit… will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."

So we know that what they wrote of Jesus is the inspired, inerrant Word of God. What comfort that brings when our worries and fears try to rob us peace. We know that it's God himself, not just Matthew, who promises that he is with us always. (cf. Matthew 28:20) What comfort that brings when we face problems and pain that would rob us of peace. We know that it's God himself, not just Paul, who promises that he'll work all things for the good of those who love him. (cf. Romans 8:28) What comfort that brings when we face the thought of our own death that would rob us life and rob us of peace. We know that it's God himself, not just John, who promises that whoever believes in him will never die. (cf. John 11:26)

So when problems or pain or troubles or terrors try to rob you of your peace, then go back to the Word. Read of God's grace to you in Christ. And find peace. Better still, read, mark, learn, and digest that Word of God before problems or pain or troubles or terrors try to rob you of your peace and they never will. Then you will always rejoice that the Spirit has brought you peace by the understanding and the faith that he's given you and that the Spirit has brought you peace by the Word that he's given you. Read the Word. Read of his grace. And be at peace.

And may the grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit give you peace at all times and in every way. Amen.


In Him,
Pastor Rob Guenther

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church
47585 Ciechanski Road, Kenai, AK 99611

Listen to sermons online: www.GraceLutheranKenai.com/Podcast
Watch services online: www.GraceLutheranKenai.com/Webcast

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Tuesday, May 19, 2015

​What If Christ Had Not Ascended? (A sermon based on Ephesians 4:7-16)

What if Jesus were the pastor of your congregation instead of the pastor you currently have? Wouldn't that be awesome?! Obviously, Jesus would do a better job leading you than your pastor ever could. So doesn't it make you wonder why he doesn't? Why did he ascend into heaven? Why didn't he stick around to continue to be with his people bodily? Why isn't he the pastor? God, in his wisdom, knew that we would be well served by sinful, human pastors. It was he who gave us our pastors and teachers. Read or listen to (download or stream) this sermon based on Ephesians 4:7-16. As we celebrate Jesus' ascension into heaven, we also thank him for the gifts he left behind: the pastors and teachers he left us to help us mature in our faith...

"What If…?"

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What If Christ Had Not Ascended?
A sermon based on Ephesians 4:7-16

Sunday, May 17, 2015 – Ascension Sunday

Read by Principal Ryan Holper

 

Okay, Pastor Guenther's not here, so I can say this… "What a schmuck that guy is, right?" … [Dramatic pause. But seriously, pay attention to who nods their head in agreement.] J (Okay, for the record, I don't really think that Pastor Guenther's a schmuck. I'm just reading what he wrote. Really. You can check his manuscript after the service if you don't believe me.) But seriously, do you ever wonder why God entrusts his church, to weak, sinful, arrogant, broken, losers like Pastor Guenther?! (I'm still just reading the script. I promise.) But why not send his angels to serve as pastors? They'd surely do a better job! Or really, better still, why not just pastor us all himself?

Do you ever wonder what it would be like if Christ had not ascended into heaven, if he were still here on the earth, teaching and preaching just like he did so many decades ago? This morning we consider one more "what if…" this Easter season. We ask, "What if Christ had not ascended?" and we see that, in a way, we really are better served by human pastors and teachers—God's gifts to his church—than if Christ were still walking this earth. Our text for consideration is taken from Paul's letter to the Ephesians, chapter 4, verses 7-16. There, God, through Paul wrote:

 

7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it says: "When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men."

9 (What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

 

I. We'd Have No Pastors and Teachers

 

Ever wonder why Jesus had to ascend? Well, here are a number of reasons: 1) He wanted to demonstrate that his mission was complete. He could leave the battlefield because he won. We don't need to doubt if there's something left for him to do. 2) He wanted to drive home the point that his Kingdom is not of this world. If he were still here, don't you think many would still go to him just for a miracle, to raise a dead relative back to life, or to force him to be president or king? And 3) Jesus had to leave this earth in order to get the message of his mission out.

Think about it: If Christ were still here on earth in one physical location, would anyone seriously want to listen to Pastor Guenther? And if everyone wanted to flock around Jesus, let's say in Israel somewhere, how easy do you think it would be for you to get to worship each week? And even if you could go see him, how close do you think you'd get? And would you really be content to just sit and listen? Or would you seek a miracle from him too?

I think (that is, Pastor Guenther thinks) that if Christ had not ascended, if Jesus were still around, the kingdom would be a whole lot smaller because no one would want to listen to his ambassadors, schmucks like Pastor Guenther, when they could go listen to him. And if no one listened to his ambassadors, how many missionaries and pastors would remain silent?

But Jesus did ascend! His mission is complete! He is victorious! And he didn't leave us empty handed, but left us his spoils of war: "When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men." Of course, of those gifts, we certainly enjoy forgiveness of sins, peace with God, and heaven itself. But those aren't the gifts Paul mentions here…

Here he mentions: "It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers…"

Do you view Pastor Guenther as a gift of God? Do you consider the other pastors that have influenced you and helped you grow in your faith as gifts of God: Those who have translated the Bible so you can read it in English, those who have written Meditations and People's Bibles that explain the Word to us, those who preach and teach the Word and share it with us from the pulpit or the classroom or the website… what are they other than gifts of God?

"But, Mr. Holper," you might object, "some of those pastors (and I won't name names) really are schmucks. You're not kidding! How can they be gifts of God?" Well, ultimately, it has nothing to do with the pastor's personality. It doesn't matter if he's smart or not, if he's got a face fit for radio or if he's good looking like Pastor Guenther … (okay, now you know I'm just reading the manuscript). It doesn't matter if you like him or not, Pastor is a gift to God's church because of the message he brings—the message of the "grace [that] has been given [to each one of us] as Christ apportioned it."

Yes, pastors, teachers, evangelists are gifts of our Ascended Lord. For "It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers…"

So, do you always treat them as gifts from God? Who gets a gift from someone and then leaves it in the corner unopened? And if you do, what an insult to the gift giver! If we all viewed those who share the Word with us as gifts given to us directly from God himself, wouldn't we do all we could to listen to their message, to study the Word as they teach it, to make their work a joy by being here as often as we can?

But be honest: which upsets you more, when you miss an episode of your favorite TV show or of your favorite sports team, or if you miss a Bible class or an opportunity to worship? The sad reality is that we too often take God's gifts of pastors and teachers for granted. But where would we be without them?

You know the answer. If the Bible were still hidden to us in the Greek and Hebrew, and had never been translated into English, would you know of Jesus grace? If no one had baptized us, if no one taught us the Word, if no one helped strengthen our faith, what extra challenges we would face in our daily struggles in the faith.

We ought to all repent of the way we've taken our pastors and teachers for granted. Then we ought to thank God for the forgiveness that we have in Christ, for the absolution that our pastors proclaim, and for the gifts that God has given to the church in the pastors and teachers that he's given.

And thank God that you have his forgiveness. His ascension is the proof. "When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train…" Christ is victorious! He defeated satan! He removed your sin! He conquered death! So you win! You are forgiven! Be at peace with God and thank him for his gifts of pastors and teachers that proclaim that message to you.

 

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I
I. We'd Have No Maturity or Growth

 

And why do they proclaim it? What is the goal of every faithful pastor or teacher? It's the same goal of Jesus: To help you to you grow up. Now I don't mean to call you a bunch of babies. (Nor does Pastor Guenther.) But that's what God says his goal is for you:

It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.

What if Christ had not ascended? What if he were still here taking care of your every need? Would you grow up? What if your mom still took care of you, paid the bills, cooked your meals, did your laundry? Would you mature? Or would you stay dependent on her, and live in your parents basement at 40 years old? Thank God that mom said, "It's time to leave and cut the apron strings! It's time to leave the nest!" That separation has helped you to mature.

If Jesus were still here, taking care of your every physical need, wouldn't you get lazy? Would that really be for your good? Or do you think that you might grow spiritually dull if you never faced any problems or struggles that drove you to your knees in prayer.

But God wants you to grow up! "Don't be babies!" he says. "Grow up and get to work! Grow up in the Word! Then apply that Word to your lives so you're a productive member of the body! Grow up to help each other mature as each of you are called to be mini-pastors and teachers, sharing what you know of the Word with each other.

But, "Bible class is too easy," some may object, "and I already know all that." So what? Show up to build one another up even if "you're already [sarcastically] "so mature that you don't need to grow anymore." If you're so mature, stop thinking about just yourself. Stop viewing church as just a place where you can get what you need spiritually, and start viewing it as a place where you can give encouragement to others and help build them up.

And that happens in two ways: First, you grow in the Word as you sit at the feet of Pastor Guenther and other pastors who teach and preach and write about God's Word. Grow in your faith so you're better equipped to help others grow.

And you're better able to do that as you grow in your relationship with your fellow believers. Fire off an email. Pick up a phone. Shoot a text to someone else who you know could use some encouragement. Help one another in this spiritual battle we're all in. Why? Because so much is at stake.

This week Paul echoes what we heard Peter say last week: There are lying preachers ready to lead you away from God.  They have a wind of teaching and use cunning and craftiness in their deceitful scheming. And we don't want to eat their spiritual poison. So we need to speak the truth in love to one another that we all might grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.

What if Christ had never ascended? I think we'd have no use for Pastor Guenther. We'd have no use for any pastor or teacher—God's gifts to the Church. We'd have no use for each other. We'd have no maturity or growth in our faith. We would refuse to listen to anyone but Jesus. And no one would listen to us. So, as strange as it may seem, the Church is better off without Jesus physically leading it. He knew that. So he ascended into heaven and left us pastors, teachers, and each other to speak the truth in love until we all grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. In his name, dear friends, amen.

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In Him,
Pastor Rob Guenther

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church
47585 Ciechanski Road, Kenai, AK 99611

Listen to sermons online: www.GraceLutheranKenai.com/Podcast
Watch services online: www.GraceLutheranKenai.com/Webcast

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Tuesday, May 12, 2015

What If The World Were Right? (A sermon based on 1 John 4:1-11)

Not all that seems loving is loving. There are lying preachers in the world that would kill people's souls with their poisonous doctrine. So God through John encourages us to test the spirits to find out what kind of message they have before we swallow it. He encourages us to test ourselves to see if we're showing the same kind of love to others that God has shown to us. Read or listen to (download or stream) this sermon based on 1 John 4:1-11 and rejoice that God loved us so much that he sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins...

`"What If…?"

What If The World Were Right?

A sermon based on 1 John 4:1-11

Sunday, May 10, 2015 – Easter 6B

 

A few years ago, I read a book called Into the Wild by John Krakauer that tells the true story of how, in April of 1992, Chris McCandless walked into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. In his diary, he described how he ran out of supplies, but couldn't get back across the river to get out of the woods, so he hunted small animals and foraged for berries and roots.

But he confused his berries. You see there are two berries that grow in Alaska that look almost identical. But there's a big difference. One is completely safe to eat. The other contains a deadly poison.

Most believe that instead of eating good berries, McCandless ate a poisonous plant that looks almost identical. And that was his undoing. With his stomach cramping up and unable to keep food down, Chris McCandless crawled into his sleeping bag in an old bus and laid down to die. Two weeks later his body was found by a man on a moose hunt.

If you want to live off the land, you have to have quite a bit of knowledge, don't you? If you want to eat wild berries, you have to know what you're doing. You have to know the difference between edible berries and poisonous ones. It's a matter of life and death. Eat the good berries and you live. Eat the wrong berries and you die.

This morning, thee Apostle John warns us that the same is true with doctrine. You need to know the message of the preacher. It's a matter of life and death. It's a matter of eternal life and death. The right kind of doctrine brings life and peace and joy. The wrong kind brings death in hell. So know the difference, John says, and test the spirits to see whether they are from God. Test them to see if their message is spiritual food or spiritual poison. Eternity hangs in the balance. Our portion of God's Word for consideration today is from 1 John 4:1-11…

 

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

 

I. Test the Spirits of the World

 

Not all doctrine that seems right is right any more than every berry that looks similar is the same. They're not all harmless. Some doctrines, while delicious looking are deadly.

One author once wrote that there are really only two worldviews: The one is Theocentric or Christocentric, that is, it's all about God in Christ. This is the healthy doctrine. The other is Anthropocentric or Egocentrice, which says it's all about man or, more pointedly, it's all about me.

These two may both look nice, but one is healthy for the soul and the other is a deadly poison of the world, spewed by false prophets, literally "lying preachers," and find their source in the spirit of the antichrist, in satan.

And the latter, poisonous doctrine suggests that its all about you. First, it suggests that life is all about you in living to serve yourself. For the opposite of love isn't really hatred, but selfishness. Where love says, "I will sacrifice what I want to serve you," selfishness says, "I will take what I want or at least manipulate and plot to get it, even if I appear loving."

But then, when the guilt and shame of such selfishness strikes, that egocentric worldview says that it's still all about you. Now you must make it up to God. You must set things right. You must earn his love back again after you messed up.

In contrast, the true healthy, life-giving theology is all about Jesus. I often tell my Bible Information Class that when choosing a church, they ought to do a simple, two-step test: 1) Pay close attention to how often they mention Jesus. Do they preach Jesus? Or is it all about you and what you do? Do their sermons offer, 7 steps to a better life, or 5 ways to a happier home? Do they promise you more things if you do the right things? Do they only tell you what you ought to be doing for God? If it's all about you, it's not Christian. "Every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God."

Then the next step of the test, is to ask, "If they do mention Christ, what do they say about him?" Do they say he was a great teacher? A moral leader? A wonderful example for us to follow? Those are all true, but if that's all they say, they're not Christian. "Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God… This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."

That is to say, Christ is God come in the flesh to pay for mankind's sin—to be the atoning sacrifice that would pay for our sin, yours and mine. Any church that teaches Christ as example, but fails to proclaim Christ as Savior, denies that he's God come in the flesh to die for sin and they are not from God, but from the world, from the antichrist.

The source of such a teaching is not the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, but is a spirit, a breath or wind, of falsehood. Not to get too crass, but if they're not from God, they're just breaking wind. That's all it's worth. But it's more dangerous than that because it often smells so good to us who, in our sinful nature, always want it to be all about me. It's poison dressed up like perfume. It smells so good, but is deadly, like the berries that looked so delicious to McCandless, but ultimately killed him.

It's been said that believing anybody is just as dangerous as believing nobody. We need to test the spirits, dear friends, because so much is at stake! To be deceived is to risk losing the Word, losing your faith, and ultimately losing heaven itself!

So test the spirits. But test them by the right measure. Test them by the Word of God! Have you even seen a "Fisherman's Ruler"? It claims it's a foot long, but is really only about 6 inches. The fisherman uses it to measure his catch so he can tell people how huge the fish was that he caught and can swear that he measured it! But of course, you know it's a lie.

What if the false prophets or lying preachers were right? What if it were all about you and all about you earning favor with God? Then we'd all be damned! Thank God that the world is not right! Follow them and you lose your soul. But follow the Word, spoken by God through John and the other human authors of the Bible, follow this true ruler and study the Word here in Bible class, at home in your own reading and devotions, then listen to what you hear and test it against that Word that you'll know so well, and you will be able to distinguish between truth and lies, between life-giving doctrine and poisonous teachings.

Then you will be able to rejoice in truth of what Christ has done for you…

 

II. Love the People of the World

 

"Test the spirits," John says, so you know what is from God and what is from the world. But then John goes on to give another another test to give:

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."

So how well do you love others? This isn't a difficult test to administer. You simply have to ask yourself how selfish you've been. Have you been selfish at work? Or have you always sought the best interest of your employer? Have you been selfish with your spouse? Or have you sought to get them to do what you want instead of serve them in humble love? Have you been selfish with your siblings or your parents? Or have you always sought to serve them first in whatever way that you could? Have you been selfish with your time? Or have you used all of your time to serve your Savior and only stopped to recharge that you might serve him more?

This isn't a difficult test to administer. But it is an incredibly difficult test to pass. In fact, we've all failed. And we all fail this test every day. Can anyone here dare to claim that they've been perfectly loving and never selfish for even a single day of their lives?

"Whoever does not love does not know God…"

Thank God, dear friends, that that's not the end of the message. John goes on to write, "God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."

God the Father loved you so much that he sent his Son to be tortured and killed for you. He loved you so much that he abandoned his Son to hell for you. Jesus loved you so much that he volunteered to be the atoning sacrifice for your sins—even knowing the hell that it would cost him.

So John calls all who read his letter, "Dear friends." But the King James Version is more literal to the Greek when it translates that word, "Beloved." With that simple word, John reminds his readers—he reminds us—who we are: Beloved not just of John, but beloved of God. So the old liturgy began, "Beloved in the Lord, let us draw near with a true heart…"

This is who you are through Christ: Not a failure, even though you've failed to love God, not a loser, even though you've at times bought in to the theology of the world, not a damned soul, even though you rightly deserve to be just like I do. No. You are beloved by God. You are his dear children, born of God. You are forgiven for every loveless action, credited with Jesus perfect love to others. God credits Jesus' loving words and actions to you and so, through Jesus, you pass the test.

Now, "[Beloved], let us love one another, for love comes from God… [Beloved], since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." And we do love each other.

We love each other with a true and sincere love, even if that love is sometimes a tough love. Love points out sin. If you went on a hike with a friend and watched him start to eat poisonous berries, it wouldn't be loving to ignore it and let him eat away. Instead the loving action would be to knock the berries out of his hand. If he got angry with you and called you loveless for taking away his precious berries, and insisted on eating them, the loving action would still be to plead with him not to eat.

Love doesn't tolerate poison, but tries to lead a friend to repentance. So engage in that difficult discussion with your friend. Consider taking the Bible Information Class again so you're equipped to have it. Or read some apologetics so you can answer the challenges he'll bring.

Show love in external matters, providing for the apparent needs of your friend. (And, by the way, this won't always be fun or easy since, to show love always calls for sacrifice.) But show love in meeting needs, that you might show love by showing how Christ has met their biggest need: "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."

And show love as you help others to test the spirits according to the Word of God. Show love even to those who hate you and who would hurt you. After all that's how God loved you. Even while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. "Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another… if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us."

Test the spirits, dear friends. Grow in your understanding of the Word to make sure you never eat the spiritual poison of the world. Then test yourself, to see if you've loving others as God has loved you. Then rejoice that the world isn't right. You don't have to do anything to be right with God. God had done it all for you in Christ. Then, go and love others as God has loved you. In Jesus' name, amen.


In Him,
Pastor Rob Guenther

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church
47585 Ciechanski Road, Kenai, AK 99611

Listen to sermons online: www.GraceLutheranKenai.com/Podcast
Watch services online: www.GraceLutheranKenai.com/Webcast

Have you been blessed by our ministry at Grace? Consider supporting us with your generous gifts. Give securely online with a check or credit or debit card here: www.GraceLutheranKenai.com/Give


 

Friday, May 8, 2015

What If Our Hearts Were Right? (A sermon based on 1 John 3:18-24)

"Just follow your heart"?! What dumb advice! Our hearts are broken. They're sick with sin. And they don't give us the best direction. They lead us into sin. They lead us into despair. It's much better then to follow God's Word instead of your heart. There we find the truth about our sin. There we find the truth about God's great grace to us. Read or listen to (download or stream) this sermon based on 1 John 3:18-24 and rejoice that our hearts aren't right...

`"What If…?"

What If Our Hearts Were Right?

A sermon based on 1 John 3:18-24

Sunday, May 3, 2015 – Easter 5B

 

"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of [our] heart[s] be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, [our] Rock and [our] Redeemer." Amen. (Psalm 19:14)

 

You're sure to do impossible things If you follow your heart.
Your dreams will fly on magical wings When you follow your heart.

If you have to journey far Here's a little trick:
You don't need a guiding star; Trust your ticker, get there quicker.
North or south or east or west Where to point your shoes?
Which direction is the best? If the choosing get confusing Maybe it's the map you're using.
You don't need a chart to guide you Close your eyes and look inside you.

 

You're sure to do impossible things If you know where to start.
Your dreams will fly on magical wings When you follow your heart.

 

Now, I'm sorry to any Barry Manilow fans out there, but… what a stupid song! "Just follow your heart!"?! Let your emotions lead you?! Or, in the words of Jiminy Cricket, "Let your conscience be your guide."?! I know it sound so Disney-nice, but what horrible advice to "just follow your heart."

Our hearts are messed up. Our consciences are broken. Our emotions are horrible leaders. So your heart is bad guide. Our hearts aren't always right. When we follow our hearts, they often lead us to sin—to do things we know in our heads that God doesn't want us to do. Then, after we've sinned our hearts, now full of guilt and shame, condemn us and tell us that we could never be forgiven for what we've done this time.

This morning we consider the question, "What if our hearts were right?" We know that they're not right and too often lead us into sin. But thank God that we know that our hearts are not right. We do not stand condemned before him, but forgiven for Jesus' sake. Our text for this morning is from 1 John 3:18-24…

 

18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 19 This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence 20 whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.


21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. 24 Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

 

I. Your Hearts Leads to Sin

 

It's been said that the devil only has two tricks: 1) He makes you think sin is no big deal. "Just go ahead: Follow your heart. Do what you want. Have fun." But then, 2) once he's gotten you to sin, he makes you think your sin is too big a deal. "I can't believe you did that! You—who call yourself a Christian—knew that was wrong but you did it anyway. That can't be forgiven! Not of you!" And in both lies, one of satan's biggest allies is your own heart.

So the advice of the late Steve Jobs is horrible advice. He said, "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition."

But let me ask you, "Where has your heart led you?" Have your emotions always led you to do the right and noble thing? Or have you watched someone suffer and thought, "You know, that person's always been a jerk to me. I'm glad he's getting what's coming to him." Have you sat on the couch thinking, "I don't feel like helping. If I ignore the problem, someone else will deal with it."? Have you stayed at home thinking, "Someone else can serve. I don't feel like it."

The truth is, your feelings, your heart, serve as a horrible guide. Just think, if you only got out of bed when you felt like it, when you're heart was really in it, would you still have a job? If you only took out the garage when your emotions told you to, wouldn't your house stink? If you only served God when your heart was in it… well, we don't serve God the way we ought.

Your heart is a bad guide. So is mine. We all have a heart disease. It's called sin. And it makes us pretty selfish. "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me," David confessed. (Psalm 51:5) And it's true of all of us that, by nature, "that every inclination of the thoughts of [our] heart[s] [are] only evil all the time." (Genesis 6:5)

We shouldn't follow our hearts. They're not right. Jesus tells us what happens when we do: "… the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander." (Matthew 15:18-19) We act selfishly. We pretend to love God, but "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." (Matthew 15:8 quoting Isaiah 29:13)

What horrible guides our hearts make. What fools we are if we follow our hearts. Instead we ought to follow God's Word. He tells us where our hearts out to be: 29 "The most important [commandment]… is this: …Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'" (Matthew 12:29-30) God doesn't want just lip service, but to put our actions where our mouths are: "Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."

But of course, you know we haven't done that. We haven't loved others the way we ought. We haven't loved God above all things. We've loved ourselves first with all of our hearts. Ah… how wrong our hearts are. How selfish, how sick, how broken!

 

II. Your Heart Leads to Despair

 

But then, when we listen to our hearts instead of to God's Word, when we do what we think is best instead of what God clearly says, when we do what our selfish nature wants and rebel against our loving God, well, then satan tries to takes us down his other path of lies. Your heart tells you that you could never be forgiven. "This time you've gone too far! God will forgive you of a few mistakes, but this time? You've got to be kidding me? You expect to be forgiven for that?!"

But again, your heart is wrong. Don't listen to your heart.

Yes, it is good to have a broken heart when you realize your sin against God. As King David put it in Psalm 51(:17), "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." But this broken heart is not meant to drive us to despair. It's only meant to drive us to despair of ourselves and our own efforts to make things right. As Paul said in 2 Corinthians 1(:9): "Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead."

You know the truth: That your status before God doesn't depend on your love for God and for others, but entirely on God's love for you. Two verses before our text John wrote, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us."

He lived a perfect life for you. That's a fact, no matter what your heart tells you. He endured hell on the cross to pay for your sins. That's true, no matter what your feelings say. He rose from the dead to guarantee that you are forgiven and that you too will rise to be with him in heaven. That's certain, whether you feel forgiven or not.

And the Holy Spirit has led us to believe these truths in spite of what our heart may tell us. And through faith in that message God has changed our hearts. "For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." (2 Corinthians 4:6)


Did verses 21 and 22 cause you concern? 21 Dear friends…  we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him."? Did you think to yourself, "But I don't obey his commands and do what pleases him!"?

Then read on to verse 23: "And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ…" We do obey God's command because we believe in Jesus and in what he's done for us. 

And so we don't believe our fickle hearts which tell us to rebel against God one minute and that we are damned the next. Instead we believe God who said through John, "This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts…"

So be at peace, dear friends. Don't listen to Barry Manilow when he says to follow your heart. Don't listen to your heart when it condemns you. Listen to Jesus. Listen to God as he assures you that you are forgiven. Listen to the words of absolution which are more certain that your feelings or your heart.

And then, believing in Jesus with all your heart, go love him with all of your heart (and with all of your soul and all of your mind and all of your strength as well). Serve your employer faithfully and "obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ." (Ephesians 6:4) Strive for, "a spirit of unity among yourselves" with your spouse, with your kids, with your parents, with your fellow believers, "as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 15:5-6) And don't, "hide [God's] righteousness in [your] heart… [but] speak of [his] faithfulness and salvation." (Psalm 40:10) Let everyone know of his gace.

What if our hearts were right? Well, our dreams wouldn't "fly on magical wings" like Barry Manilow says. Instead we'd follow our hearts to every sin that felt right at the moment. Then we'd believe our hearts were right when they condemn us and we'd despair of God's grace. Thank God that our hearts aren't right, but his Word of Grace is. Don't listen to your heart. Listen to him. And as you do, "the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:7) In his name, dear friends, amen.


In Him,
Pastor Rob Guenther

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church
47585 Ciechanski Road, Kenai, AK 99611

Listen to sermons online: www.GraceLutheranKenai.com/Podcast
Watch services online: www.GraceLutheranKenai.com/Webcast

Have you been blessed by our ministry at Grace? Consider supporting us with your generous gifts. Give securely online with a check or credit or debit card here: www.GraceLutheranKenai.com/Give