Monday, June 27, 2016

We Should Be Committed (A sermon based on Luke 9:51-62)

​We ought to be committed. We ought to be committed to God for all that he's done for us. But, sadly we're too often committed only to ourselves. We prove that by all the sins we've committed. For behaving so crazy, we ought to be committed, not to a padded cell, but to a fiery hell. Yet, Jesus was so committed to us that he willingly went to the cross for us to endure the hell that our sins earned. Now, in thanks to him we are totally committed to living for him above all else. Read or listen to (download) this sermon based on Luke 9:51-62 and become committed again! ​

​We Ought to Be Committed

A sermon based on Luke 9:51-62

Sunday, June 26, 2016 – Pentecost 6C

 

What do you think of when you hear the word, "committed"? Do you think of the professional athlete who does whatever it takes to be the very best—working out twice a day, practicing hours on end, eating only the right foods and never touching alcohol or even sugar? Or maybe you think of the owner of a small company, who pours his heart and soul into making his business a success, spending his time, his energy, his own money to make it thrive. Or maybe you think of a husband who is completely devoted to his wife, or a wife who is completely devoted to her husband. They gladly serve each other and sacrifice for each other because they understand what it is to be committed.

Or… in a different context, that word, "committed," means something entirely different. If you were standing outside the mental institution ready to be fitted in a strait jacket and ushered into your own private padded cell, you'd think differently about being committed. The teen about to enter juvenile detention or the criminal entering prison might think differently about being committed.

This morning in our sermon text our Savior speaks to us about being committed. Though we should be totally committed to serving him who made us and loves us and provides for all we need, too often we're committed only to ourselves. And we deserve to be committed to hell for such selfishness. But we thank God that our Savior was totally committed to saving us from such a fate. And now, because of all he's done for us, we are totally committed to him. Our text for this morning is from Luke 9:51-62…

 

51 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; 53 but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. 54 When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?" 55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them, 56 and they went to another village.

57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go."

58 Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."

59 He said to another man, "Follow me."

But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."

60 Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God."

61 Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family."

62 Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."

 

I.      We Ought to Be Committed to Hell 

We should be committed to God, totally committed, 100%. After all, look at all he's done for us. He's made us. He's blessed us with food and homes, with family, and friends, with toys and joys in this life and even more in the life to come! He's been totally committed to us and to bringing eternal blessings to us.

We should be committed to God, totally committed, 100%. But too often, we refuse to show hospitality to Jesus. We'll let him into our town, but do we welcome him into our homes? Do we read his Word and listen to him? Do we invite him to be a part of our conversations? Or do we treat him like the Samaritan villagers—"the people there did not welcome him"? We're often too committed to our own pursuits to give Jesus the time of day.

Or, maybe, just as bad, we say we welcome Jesus, we promise to follow him, and pretend that we're eager to do it, but… when following him looks hard, when it's inconvenient, when it might cost us something, when being that committed to Jesus seems crazy, we look for excuses. "I'll follow you Jesus… someday. Just not now. Right now I have to focus on work, on my home, on my kids. Maybe someday I'll have time to read your Word, to follow you, to serve you, but not right now. There are other more pressing things in life than you." And we're too committed to ourselves to be that committed to Jesus.

How sad that we so often break the vows we made at our confirmations—to be totally committed to Jesus, to be faithful to him even to the point of death, to daily take up our cross and follow him. Like the cheating spouse, we break our vows to God and show how uncommitted we really are to him.

Now, if you were committed to some cause that was sure to fail, let's say, inventing the world's first concrete life preserver, people would say you were crazy—that you need to be committed. Well, to live selfishly, only for ourselves, ignoring the reality of a life after death, ignoring the God who loves us and cares for us more than the most committed spouse ever could—well, that's more crazy than concrete life preservers. And for acting that crazy every day, we deserve to be committed, not just to a padded cell, but to a fiery hell. We deserve to be committed to an eternity of misery, strait-jacketed by our own ever growing, all-consuming, selfish, commitment to only ourselves.

We ought to be committed to hell. But… we won't be because Jesus was totally committed to serving us. He was totally committed to saving us.

James and John were appalled at how horribly the Samaritans treated Jesus in refusing any hospitality to Jesus. They knew they deserved punishment for acting so crazy! And they were ready to call down fire from heaven to destroy them.

But notice Jesus response. He didn't agree and then sit back to watch a repeat of Sodom and Gomorrah. Instead he rebuked them, that is, James and John! And he made it clear that he didn't come to destroy crazy sinners, but to rescue them. And he was totally committed to that cause.

Jesus knew that there wasn't much time left, that, "the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven…" His ascension was coming soon. But first… came the cross. So Jesus set out resolutely for Jerusalem.

Literally, the Greek says, he "set his face to Jerusalem." He wouldn't look to the right or to the left, he wouldn't turn aside, but would fix his gaze on his goal and remain undeterred. And he did that knowing full well what would happen to him there; that he would be tortured, killed, and endure hell on a cross. How committed he was to us—even when the way was rough, even when the time was inconvenient, always looking straight ahead to his goal!

We ought to be committed to hell, but because he was so committed to us, we're rescued. We're totally forgiven by his committed sacrifice on the cross since he paid for every crazy, selfish, unfaithful, priority we've had. By his sacrifice our sins became his. His perfection became ours. Now we're embraced by God and loved by him with his totally committed love. Nothing can ever separate us from that love that God has for us. We're a part of his family and heaven itself is our eternal home.

And, now, a result of his committed love, we're totally committed to him…


II.    We Ought to Be Committed to Jesus 

And we can learn something about being totally committed to Jesus by the way Jesus responded to three men who said they were ready to follow Jesus. "I used to be indecisive… now I'm not so sure." That's how some of Jesus' disciples seemed to be. They wanted to follow Jesus, but weren't so sure they wanted to give up comfort or family for the cause. They weren't so sure they wanted to be that committed to him.

The first man, let's call him Homer, claimed to have total commitment to Jesus, that he was willing to follow him "wherever" he should go. But Jesus, who knew this man's heart, warned that he wouldn't be able to establish any roots or have a comfortable home. He would move constantly, from one place to another, if he really was more concerned about heavenly things than about earthly treasures.

Does such a commitment seem crazy to you? No! Not at all! We know that because of Jesus' great commitment to us, heaven is our real home (not the hell we deserve). And we know that we're only camping here on earth for a while—that these homes are temporal and fleeting. So we too are ready to uproot and go where Jesus would send us. But even if we stay put right here on the Kenai, the point is the same. We're not as concerned about having a beautiful home, a big salary, or earthly comforts, as we are about reaching out to save lost sinners. We are that committed to Jesus and our budgets and offerings reflect it—even at the expense of nice homes and nice things.  

The second man, let's call him Junior, was invited by Jesus to follow him. And he said he would, just not yet. He first wanted to bury his father. Now, some have suggested that his father was still alive and this man was, in essence, saying, "In a few years I might follow you, Jesus. But right now I need to spend some time with dad. Someday, when there aren't more pressing concerns, then I'll follow you, Jesus." But even if the man's father was already dead, Jesus' point remains: "Which is more important to you—serving Christ in his kingdom? Or serving some earthly duty that needs our attention?"

Does such a commitment seem crazy to you? No! Not at all! We know that Jesus warned that following him might mean a breakup of the family. He told us, "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me." (Matthew 10:37) And we also know that through his committed love to us we have God as our Father. We're a part of his family. "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" (1 John 3:1) And in view of his committed love to us, we're totally committed to him, even above our earthly fathers or earthly families!

The third man, let's call him Farmer, wanted to follow Jesus. But he too had an excuse. First he wanted to say goodbye to his family. But Jesus told him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." Jesus compared him to a man plowing in a field with a team of oxen. If he didn't look ahead to where he was going, but was constantly looking back to where he'd already been, he wouldn't be able to plow a straight furrow. For this man to serve Jesus properly, he needed to stop looking back—and that even meant leaving behind his family.

Does such a commitment seem crazy to you? No! Not at all! Of course Jesus doesn't expect us to be rude and unfriendly toward our family, but we do remember that the work of his Kingdom is first and foremost in our lives and comes above family, above friends, above comforts and conveniences, above everything! We have a total, complete, and crazy commitment to Jesus because of his total commitment to saving us. We ought to be totally committed to God, and we are—even when the way is rough, even when the time is inconvenient, always looking straight ahead to our goal!

Now, you can't read this account without some serious soul searching, asking, "What would Jesus say about my priorities? Would he be pleased? Or would he tell me that I'm not, 'fit for service in the kingdom of God' ?"  But go home today and remember how totally committed Jesus was for you in resolutely setting out to Jerusalem and to the cross to forgive you for all of your misplaced priorities. Remember how totally committed he still is to you in loving you with a relentless love that will never go away or even fade. Then resolve again to honor him by making him "Number One" in your life. Look at your budget and your offerings, look at your schedule and how you spend your time, look at your home and your comforts, look at your family and your friends, look at your priorities and adjust them accordingly.

And when you do, others might think your commitment to Jesus is a bit extreme. They might even think you're a bit crazy and ought to be committed. But we know how committed Jesus was in rescuing us when we deserved to be committed to hell. And that moves us to be totally committed to him. Dear friends, we ought to be committed. And we are committed to God, totally committed, 100%, for Jesus' sake, 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, June 21, 2016

Take Up Your Cross, Not Your Pillow (A sermon based on Luke 9:18-24)

Wouldn't it be nice to have a life of luxury, comfort, and ease? Not if you're a Christian. As Christians we know that life isn't about serving ourselves and taking it easy. It's about hard work. It's about discomfort and pain as we live to serve our Savior in thanks for the hard work, discomfort, and pain (to put it mildly -- after all he suffered hell for us). Read or listen to (download) this sermon based on Luke 9:18-24 and be encouraged to...

Take Up Your Cross, Not Your Pillow

A sermon based on Luke 9:18-24

Sunday, June 19, 2016 – Pentecost 5C

 

When a certain college student who studying to become a pastor (and, let's let this hypothetical student remain nameless, shall we?)… when he would whine and complain to his professor about his work load—he already had 40 lines of Greek to translate, 10 lessons of Hebrew grammar and vocabulary to study for a test of Friday, and an essay to write for his lit class tomorrow, and now—on top of all that!—his German prof gave him another 4 pages to translate by tomorrow too?! Well, that that particular prof would inevitably remind his students, "Boys, remember: Our Savior didn't say, 'Take up your pillow and follow me,' ja? What did he say? Oh, yes! 'Take up your cross.' Go. Translate." And with that he sent us… er… I mean… the students off to lunch.

Jesus didn't say, "Take up your pillow," but "Take up your cross." That was our professor's way of reminding us that if we were to follow Jesus and live to serve him and his people, then we certainly shouldn't expect that life would be all fun and games, all rainbows and unicorns. No. It would be hard at times. It would be difficult. But we should expect nothing less. For Jesus himself suffered nothing less for us. Indeed, he suffered so much more…

And now, because Jesus didn't take up a pillow but a cross for us, we, in turn, can take up our crosses and follow him. Listen as Jesus gives that reminder to his disciplies in Luke 9:18-24…

 

18 Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say I am?"

19 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life."

20 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"

Peter answered, "The Christ of God."

21 Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone. 22 And he said, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life."

23 Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it."

 

I. Jesus Took Up His Cross

 

The most important question that anyone can answer in this life is this: "Who is Jesus?" You'll notice that everyone had a high regard for Jesus: "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life." It was obvious that Jesus was a good guy and even that he was sent from God. But those answers weren't good enough. For if Jesus is only a good man, one of the prophets come back to life, then… well… to put it bluntly, we're all doomed to an eternity in hell. That's not enough.

And the disciples themselves needed some clarity in answering that question: "Who is Jesus?" So Jesus made it more pointed by asking them not just what popular opinion was about him, but what they believed. "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" And Peter, as the self-appointed spokesman of the group, answered for them all: "The Christ of God."

"The Christ." That's the Greek word for the Hebrew, "Messiah." Both words mean "The Anointed One." And that was a good answer. It was right. But there was still a lot of confusion regarding what the Christ, or Messiah, had come to do. Most thought the Christ would be a hero who, with the aid of God, would ride out in glory to conquer the Romans and all who dared to oppose the Jews. It would be a blood bath. But then, after the war, he would bring about an era of peace and prosperity, comfort and luxury, a life of peace and ease for all who followed him. In other words, they thought he would bring heaven to earth.

And that's exactly why Jesus strictly warned his disciples not to tell anyone who he was. Their idea of what the Christ had come to do was way off. And Jesus needed to set them straight. 

He said, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life."

No, Jesus would not ride out in glory. He wouldn't fight the Romans. Instead he came to suffer. He came to die. He would not take up his shield and his armor. He would not take up a sword or a spear so that later he might take up his pillow and take up his cup. No. He would take up a cross— that instrument of suffering and pain, that instrument of violence and gore, that instrument of death of by torture.

Why? Why would he do that, when, as true God, he could have stopped it at any time? You know the answer: To save us from our selfishness and sin.

 

Who do you say Jesus is? Sure, we all know he's the Son of God as all the Gospel accounts clearly describe. We know he's the one who did all sorts of miracles and wonders, helping the sick and poor, even raising the dead! And we know that he's our Savior.

But do we sometimes have the same misunderstanding of who Jesus is that his first disciples had? Do we always understand what exactly he came to save us from? Or have you ever thought, "If Jesus really loved me, then I'd have a job." Or a better job! "If Jesus really loved me then I wouldn't be sick and in so much discomfort and pain." "If Jesus loved me, he'd keep these problems from me. He's keep my family close. He'd make things easier, my life happier, less painful and more comfortable! If only he came to take up his pillow and hand it to me."

But that's not why he came—thank God! Thank God that Jesus didn't come just to take up a pillow and hand it to you, to make life easier or happier for you. Thank God that instead Jesus came to take up a cross for you. Because there on that cross Jesus endured hell itself to save us from our own selfishness and narcissistic obsessions. There he took away every self-centered action, every loveless thought, every whining complaint we've made against God! There he took away every time that I was so self-absorbed that gave no concern to the hurt or pain of someone else. There he took away every one of my sins and every one of yours. There he made us sinless and holy in God's sight. That's why he came! 

And you know the answer to the most important question that anyone can ever ask: "Who is Jesus?" You know that he is the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God, who took up his cross, not to save us from poverty, from sickness, or from boredom, but from sin and selfishness and satan, to save us from death and darkness and despair.

 

II. We Take Up Our Crosses

 

And now, understanding who he is and what he's done for us, we're not so concerned about our comfort and convenience as we once were. We don't always need to ask, "What's it in for me?" We don't need to reach for the remote or for the pillow, but we too, reach for the cross. In thanks to him, we will gladly serve him. We'll gladly suffer for him. We'll gladly crucify our selfishness and put it to death. We'll gladly die for him. After all that's what cross is used for: to torture and kill.

Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."

You see, many people interpret this "cross" as some burden they must carry in their lives, like some strained relationship, a thankless job, or a physical illness. With self-pitying pride, they whine, "That's my cross I have to carry."

But when Jesus hung on the cross of Calvary, no one thought of it as something symbolic. When Jesus' disciples heard him speak of a cross, they thought of an instrument of death by torture. Imagine if Jesus were to say, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and [sit in his electric chair] daily and follow me."

No. To take up your cross doesn't mean to just suffer a setback or two or face a few problems. It means to be willing to die by torture in order to follow Jesus. It means to deny oneself, said Jesus, to give up what you want most in order to serve him.

So deny your desire to sit on the couch and veg out when the dishes still need to be done. Deny your desire to be popular and cool when your classmates or friends need to hear the truth about themselves and about Jesus. Deny your desire to be financially secure with a huge stockpile when you have opportunity to support the work of God's Church. Deny your desire to avoid physical pain and torture should you someday be called upon to testify to the truth with the same consequences as those first disciples. Take up your cross with daily self-denial as you follow Jesus even to the point of death.

Why do it? Why give up your life for Jesus? Not to win your salvation. Jesus already won that for you. But to thank him for the salvation he's given. Because we know that, "Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for [Jesus] will save it."

Radio talk show host, author, and financial advisor, Dave Ramsey, encourages his audience to, "Live like one else today, so you can live like no one else tomorrow." Don't be like everyone else, buying whatever you want while ignoring what you can afford. Deny your impulses and live below your means so you can save. Then tomorrow (or, I guess, really a few dozen years from tomorrow) you can live like no one else. No one else will be debt free like you, financially secure like you, and able to give like you.

In the same way, Jesus says to us all, "Live like one else today, so you can live like no one else tomorrow." Take up your cross, not your pillow. Deny yourself and your sinful nature. Lose your life for Jesus and you'll save it. And tomorrow (or a few dozen years from tomorrow) you can live like no one else in the glories of heaven. For you know how your Jesus took up, not a pillow, but his cross to rescue you from you sin. Now take up your crosses and live for him in thanks. In Jesus' 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

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Thursday, June 16, 2016

You Can Handle the Truth In Spite of Your Debt (A sermon based on Luke 7:36-50)

Do you owe a lot? Do you have a lot of debt? I know that you do. Now, I don't know what you owe the bank or the credit card company, but I do know that you owe a debt to God that you could never repay. Nevertheless, in his great love for you, Jesus paid the debt that you owe. Now you owe nothing to God. And that truth makes us want to give God everything. Read or listen to (download) this sermon based on Luke 7:36-50 and rejoice in your debt forgiven! 

You Can Handle the Truth

In Spite of Your Debt

A sermon based on Luke 7:36-50

Sunday, June 12, 2016 – Pentecost 4C

 

A woman at the airport waiting to catch her flight bought herself a bag of cookies, settled into a chair in the airport lounge and began to read her book. Suddenly, she noticed that the man beside her kept helping himself to her cookies which sat between them. Not wanting to make a scene, she read on, ate her cookies, and watched the clock. But as the daring "cookie thief" kept on eating the cookies, she got more irritated and said to herself, "If I weren't so nice, I'd blacken this guy's eye!" She wanted to move the bag of cookies to the seat to the seat on her other side, but just couldn't bring herself to do it. With each cookie she took, he took one too. And when only one cookie was left, she wondered what he would do. Then with a smile on his face and a nervous laugh, he took the last cookie and broke it in half.

He offered half to her and at the other half. She snatched it from him and thought to herself, "Man, this guy has some nerve! And he's so rude that he didn't even show the least bit of gratitude!" She sighed with relief when her flight was boarding. She gathered her book and her bag and headed for the gate refusing to look at the ungrateful "thief." She boarded the plane, sank into her seat, and reached into her bag to get back into her book in order to forget all about the ugly incident. And that's when she noticed… her unopened bag of cookies still in her bag and came to the realization that the cookies she ate in the lounge weren't' hers. She had been the cookie thief.

A similar story is told in our Gospel lesson for this morning. One man was pointing the accusing finger only to find out that he was really the guilty one. Like the woman in the cookie story, he believed he was such a wonderful person to be putting up with the problem sitting beside him. But in the end, Jesus showed each person where he belonged… The one thought he needed little forgiveness and he showed it. The other knew how much she'd been forgiven and she showed it.

As we read the account of the Pharisee and the Sinner recorded for us in Luke 7:36-50, ask yourself, "Which one am I?"

 

36 Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. 37 When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, 38 and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner."

40 Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you."

"Tell me, teacher," he said.

41 "Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"

43 Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled."

"You have judged correctly," Jesus said.

44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."

48 Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

49 The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"

50 Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

 

I. Owe Much

 

Now, we don't know why Simon invited Jesus to his house, but it does seem pretty clear that this particular woman was not on the guest list. The Greek literally says, "Behold! A woman…" In other words, "Surprise!" This woman was a party crasher and not a very reputable one at that. She "had lived a sinful life in that town," obviously sinful enough to have earned a reputation. We don't know exactly what she did, but from Simon's reaction we can make some guesses.

And Simon, who was a fine upstanding citizen of that town, well liked and well respected, said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner."

Well, what do you make of his assessment? If you think about it, he was sort of right, but sort of wrong. He was right that "if" Jesus were a prophet, he would know all about this woman. But he was wrong in assuming that Jesus wasn't a prophet. He was right in his implication that this woman was a horrible sinner who didn't deserve Jesus' time or attention. But he was wrong in thinking that he somehow did.

Implied by what he said in this internal monologue was a false assessment of himself. "She's a horrible sinner with whom any respectable rabbi should never associate," he thought. "But I, on the other hand," he implied, "well… how fortunate Jesus is that I invited him here. What wonderful press he gets to be seen with me."

You see, Simon had been so focused on the huge debt that this woman owed to God that he failed to see his own debt—his huge mountain of sin before God. But, don't we do the same thing? I'll admit it. I love to do that. "Thank God that I'm not like that delinquent, or like that backslider, or that gossip. Thank God that I'm not like that arrogant jerk who's always right." (How ironic!) But we do that because we know that if we can find someone who's a "worse sinner" than we are, it makes our sin seem, well, not so bad. And then we don't really need to think about what rotten sinners we are.

But what a dangerous position that puts us in! Whenever we say (or imply), "I don't need Jesus as much as that other person does," we really say, "I don't need Jesus." So let's check our credit scores with God. Which person are you? Simon or the unnamed "sinful woman"? How much debt do you owe to God? Are you a pretty good person?

Well, maybe you don't commit gross, outwardly scandalous sins that earn you a reputation in the community, but those aren't the only sins that count before God. God's assessment of mankind in Genesis 6:5 is this: "The Lord saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time."

Just think about what this means for your life and for mine. Let's make each unkind thought, each careless word, and each self-centered action (those so-called "small" sins) worth just $1 before God. And even thought God says I'm committing those sins all the time, let's say I only commit one sin every minute (and that's probably being pretty generous). At $1 per sin, I would owe God $525,600 per year! Those sins add up, don't they? By the time I was ten years old, I would have already owed $5.25 million dollars. I'm in my fourth decade now. That's almost $20 million I would owe to God if I could pay for one sin with one dollar. If…

The truth is, I don't need Experian, TransUnion, or Equifax to show me that I am so in over my head in debt that even with an eternity in hell I could never begin to pay it off. There is nothing I can do to pay what I owe to God. Talk about negative equity! I'm ashamed of my credit score before God. How about you? What horrible debt we all have!

But it's good to see that debt so we're not like Simon. Because you can only appreciate the cross as much as you appreciate your own sin. If you think you're only mildly offensive to him, then Jesus becomes a Band-Aid to cover up a tiny scratch, or some Febreeze to cover over a faint odor. If you only owe a few dollars to the credit card company, you'd be mildly appreciative if someone paid it off for you. But when you know you owe millions, when you see how utterly disgusting your sin before God, how horrible the stench, well… how exciting to have all of that debt erased! How refreshing to have every hint of the stench removed!

When we realize what spiritual wrecks we are: by nature, dead in sin, spiritually blind, hostile to God, and eternally lost to hell if left to our ourselves, then we really appreciate what Jesus has done for us…


II. Forgiven Much

 

You know, Simon's assessment of the situation was wrong not just in what he thought he owed to God. He was wrong in something else too. He didn't just misunderstand himself, he also misunderstood Jesus. You see, he assumed that if Jesus knew what kind of a woman this was sitting next to him, well, there was no way that he would associate with her. He wouldn't tolerate her. He would kick her out of Simon's house and declare, "Good riddance!" At the very least, he certainly wouldn't let her fall all over him, touching him, and blubbing on all over him. But Simon couldn't have been more wrong.

You see, it was precisely for women like this one that Jesus came to earth! It was precisely for sinners like you and me—horrible sinners, who recognize their wretchedness, their massive debt owed to God, and the fact that their only hope must come from outside of themselves. For sinners like us Jesus came to earth… to suffer… to die… to win forgiveness for us.

And what do we have to get such forgiveness? Weep on Jesus' feet? Dry his feet with our hair? (That's easier said than done for some of us.) J Or maybe we have to give up some expensive treasures and sacrifice them to him. Maybe we have to dedicate our lives in service to him or promise to never sin again. No. You know we don't have to do any of that. We don't have to do a thing! Jesus told the sinful woman, "Your sins are forgiven… Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

By his death on the cross, Jesus has paid the debt that every sin ever has or ever will incur. That's why he shouted "Tetelestai!" from the cross. "It is finished!" A Greek word that literally means, "Paid in full!" And by his resurrection, he's given us the receipt. The massive debt that we once owed is gone. We're not just helped by Jesus a little bit, but are completely, totally, fully, wholly, perfectly forgiven! We are restored, debt free, and made perfect before God.

  

III. Love Much

 

So why did the woman weep and wash and waste her perfume if she didn't need to do anything? Why offer such an expensive gift?! After all, an alabaster jar usually carried a very expensive perfume, not a knockoff like the CK2 that I wore in high school (not to be confused with CK1 by Calvin Klein—and I'm pretty sure no one did). J No, this was the good stuff. In Mark's account we're told that an alabaster jar of perfume cost more than a year's wages! (cf. Mark 14) Now I don't know what you all make, but can you imagine taking two months' wages (let alone a whole year's worth!) in cash and throwing it on the barbecue, dousing in lighter fluid, and throwing a lit match on top of it all?!

Why such waste?! Why did she do it? Out of an overwhelming sense of thanksgiving. She wept tears of joy and thanks to Jesus. She knew she had been forgiven much and, in response, she loved Jesus much. Jesus said to Simon, "She loves me so much because she appreciates how much I've forgiven her!" And he added this warning: "But he who has been forgiven little loves little."

When we look at the mirror of the law and see how much we owe to God, then look at Jesus and what he accomplished by the cross and see how much we've been forgiven, we can't help but act just like this woman—with extravagant, wasteful, shameless acts of love, with huge gifts given to him who saved us! We are debt free! God cancelled the debt that we owed to him. And at great cost to him! It cost him his own Son! So now we've been forgiven of so much that we can't help but love much!

So offer your time to serve at church, at a soccer camp, at your neighbor's, or at the kitchen sink or at the changing table—not because you have to or the work won't get done, but because you want to to offer your very best to your Savior in thanks to him for cancelling your debt! Offer your generous gifts to God, in the offering plate, in responsible spending, in caring for those that you love and for those that you'll never meet—not because someone has to pay the bills, but because you want to be that someone who uses dollars to show your thanks and love to God for the huge debt he's erased! Offer your very lives, your selves, your all, to the one who says to you, "Your sins are forgiven… go in peace." 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

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Tuesday, June 7, 2016

​You Can Handle the Truth Even In the Face of Death (A sermon based on Luke 7:11-17)

What's the worst thing that could happen to you in this life? I, personally, can't think of anything worse than the death of a member of my immediate family. If that should happen to you, could you handle it? Through faith in Jesus, you could. In our text for this week Jesus raised a widow's only son back to life. But even if he hadn't, he still demonstrated his compassion for her and his power over death for her by his own death and resurrection. And he's done the same for us. Read or listen to (download) this sermon based on Luke 7:11-17 and rejoice that...

​You Can Handle the Truth

Even In the Face of Death

A sermon based on Luke 7:11-17

Sunday, June 5, 2016 - Pentecost 3C

 

"Did you ever think as a hearse goes by that you may be the next to die?" It's a children's poem. It's a little morbid, a little gloomy,

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but its point is clear. "Did you ever think as a hearse goes by that you may be the next to die?" Eventually, each of us will face death. People say that it's completely natural, that we all just wear out. But we know from the Bible that death is the result of sin, a very unnatural thing.

Sin and death have both caused immeasurable sorrow and pain for everyone since the fall into sin. But there is a cure for this pain and a comfort for this sorrow, because Jesus has put the "fun" back into "funeral." By his compassion and by his resurrection, Jesus has taken away the sting of death. So you and I can handle the truth even in the face of death. Listen now to the confrontation between Jesus and death recorded for us in Luke 7:11-17...

 

11 Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 12 As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, "Don't cry."

14 Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, "Young man, I say to you, get up!" 15 The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

16 They were all filled with awe and praised God. "A great prophet has appeared among us," they said. "God has come to help his people." 17 This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.

 

I. Jesus Compassion Moves Him to Act

Imagine that about a month from today, you're in downtown Kenai watching the Fourth of July parade. The floats are coming down the street with people waving. The red, white, and blue balloons are soaring. The Stars and Stripes are flying everywhere you look. You see laughing, smiling faces on everyone you meet as they enjoy the party-like atmosphere.

But then, looking down the street at the opposite direction you see a cop car with the red and blue lights flashing. It's driving too slowly for an emergency. Behind it is another vehicle with flags flying: a hearse. The lead float and the hearse are in a crash course head-on with each other. Two parades, one full of joy and celebration, the other full of sorrow and sadness are about to meet. Which one will win?

Well, that's the scenario that Luke portrays for us this morning. Having just healed the centurion's servant who was sick and about to die, Jesus left Capernaum for the town of Nain, a good 30 miles away. But he wasn't alone. There was a parade with him. "His disciples and a large crowd went along with him." But as they approached the town gate, the only way in or out of the city, they met another parade—a funeral procession. Which party would yield to the other? You know the answer. Of course, Jesus would triumph.

He saw the woman and his heart went out to her. Literally, the word is splagnizomai. It's been translated "heart went out" or "had compassion on" but it sort of sounds like what it means. Splagnizomai literally means the stomach churns and the gut aches to see someone you love in pain. Jesus felt for this poor woman. Her husband had already died. What pain she must have felt to lose to him. But then her situation grew even worse. She had to do what normally should not be done. Children are supposed to bury their parents, not the other way around. But she had to bury her own son.

And not only was this a huge pain to her heart, but it left her in a difficult social and economic situation. Without a husband or grown son to care for her and provide for her, she would be left to beg and glean from the fields—the only social security they had.

But Jesus' "heart went out to her and he said, 'Don't cry.'" For he would act. His love for her moved him to act. And the same is true for us...

 

Ever since Adam and Eve death has wreaked its havoc on this world. Are you grieving today? Are you mourning after the death of a loved one? Or is it more general than that? Do you look out at the world day after day and see a cold, dark, loveless, sinful place? Do the troubles and trials of this life wear on you, roll over you, threaten to trample you into the dirt? Are there days when sorrow pierces you to the heart and leaves you to throw out your arms and cry out, "Lord, how long will your people endure this place? Have mercy on us!"

And maybe what makes it even worse is knowing that we deserve nothing better! For as Paul wrote in Romans, "The wages of sin is death," and it doesn't take much soul-searching to find how much we've earned death. There is not a single command of God that you or I have kept. We've coveted those things that belong to others. We've lied to those we love. We've stolen, we've lusted, we've hated, we've disrespected authority. We have not worshipped God wholeheartedly. We've misused his name. And all of this is proof that we have not loved and trusted God above all things. We daily grieve the heart of God, and the only reward we deserve from God is the death sentence!

But don't cry. Don't cry. Jesus compassion for us has moved him to act. He has come to help us by taking our death sentence on himself. Jesus broke the power of death when we were headed straight for it. He broke the power of sin by dying in our place, by offering himself to God to pay for our sins. For our sins, he endured whips on his back. For our sins, he wore a crown of thorns. For our sins, he hung on the cross that was meant for us. For our sins, God died. And he did it all willingly, even eagerly, because his heart went out to us.

Now Jesus says to us: "Don't cry!" "Don't cry!" "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5)"Don't cry!" "[I am your] refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." (Psalm 46:1) "Don't cry!" "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." (Psalm 34:18) "Don't cry!" God doesn't ignore your grief. He comforts you who grieve. He grants you the strength to rely on him for that comfort. And what's more, Jesus doesn't just have compassion on you, but he has the power to help you. For Jesus' power enables him to resurrect the dead and conquer even death...


II. Jesus Power Enables Him to Resurrect

Now, the New International Version translates the word, "coffin," but that can be a bit misleading. This was not like the coffins that we're used to. There was no lid. It was more like a stretcher. So when the parade of Jesus' followers met the parade of death, the wrapped body could be plainly seen. And with nothing more than his Word, Jesus demonstrated his power over death. He walked up to the dead man and spoke: "Young man, I say to you, get up!"

And he did! "The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother." He didn't need a few weeks of bed rest. He didn't need to be kept overnight for observation. He didn't even need a moment to catch his breath. With just a few short words, Jesus' healing was full and complete. He gave the boy back to his mother. He returned a beloved son to her, but also restored the possibility of a better, more secure life.

The news of this miracle naturally spread like wildfire. They were all filled with awe and praised God. "A great prophet has appeared among us," they said. "God has come to help his people." This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country." People had been hearing about Jesus' miracles for some time now, but this was something different, something new, something wonderful! As incredible as his acts of healing were, Jesus had the power to bring the dead back to life! When the two parades met, Jesus' parade of life and joy trumped the parade of sorrow and death and Jesus put the fun back into funeral! And he's done the same for us!

You know, the word that the NIV translates "coffin," the King James Version translates "bier." B-I-E-R. I like that translation because it reminds me that when Jesus raised that young man back to life, he demonstrated what every good German already knows: "In heaven there is no bier." Okay, I'm sorry. That wasn't even remotely funny. But seriously, in heaven there is no bier, no funeral coffin, no stretcher. In heaven there is no more death or sorrow or mourning. Those things will be gone, because they belong to the old age of the sin-fallen earth.

How do we know? How can we be so sure? Because Jesus demonstrated his power over death! Not only here where he raised someone else to life, but on Easter when he raised himself from the dead! His empty tomb is the sign that your sins have been taken away. His folded burial garments show that you wear his holiness even now. And his appearances to his disciples, to Mary, to Peter, and all the others, are proof that death has been swallowed up in victory!

And now, Jesus says, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die." (John 11:25-26) Yes, the world is still filled with sin. Yes, if Jesus doesn't come back first, we will all taste death. But Jesus showed his power over death. He showed his power over death by raising up the widow's son to life again.

So we can handle the truth even in the face of death: That even though we die, we will be raised on the Last Day. We will be gathered together with all believers. We will live in heaven eternally with God, face to face with him where we'll praise him eternally! There is no doubt: "God has come to help his people."

And so we need not be afraid! We don't need to be afraid when the economy tanks. We don't need to be afraid when the doctor gives a bad report. We don't need to be afraid when we get a pink slip. We don't need to be afraid when a loved one dies. And even our own death need not intimidate. For Jesus has won the victory for us! It's guaranteed! Jesus has indeed put the fun back into funeral!

"To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever." (Revelation 1:6) 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

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