Something to Think About

What is wrong with this quote?

“On Sundays we visit different churches trying to find one that ‘fit’ our family, our values, and our theology.”

This quote is almost like suggesting that we will worship God if He fits into our family, our values and our beliefs. The author of this quote has it backwards. It is not the Church that needs to fit his family, rather it is his family that needs to conform to the Church (notice I am using Church with a capital “C”).

The truth behind this quote is that there are many different churches (small “c” as in denomination) and truly many different doctrines and theologies proclaimed by these many churches. And the truth is that this method of finding a church is what is used by most people, that is to look for a church that fits their family, values and theology. And certainly if one looks hard and long enough they can find a church that teaches what they want to believe, not necessarily what the Bible truly proclaims.

Unfortunately, to look for a church that teaches what one believes is the same as seeking a God who fits into one’s preconceived beliefs about God, which is a very fine form of idolatry. God is God. God tells us who He is and what He has done, does and will do for us. Rather than attempt to put God in a box and make Him fit our beliefs, it is better to search the Scriptures, to be as the Bereans, that is to examine what is taught and compare that doctrine to the Word of God.

Perhaps the better attitude and statement might be to say, “On Sundays we visite different churches trying to find one that teaches the Word of God in all its truth and purity and rightly administers the Sacraments accordingly, whether that is a ‘fit’ to our sin-tainted human understanding, our human values, or our human preferences or not.”

“I Am Willing” - February 12, 2012 - Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany - Text: Mark 1:40-45

Again this morning we continue in the season of Epiphany. Epiphany is the season in which we celebrate God appearing to us by His taking on human flesh and blood. This morning we also continue in our reading through the Gospel of Mark. You might remember that two weeks ago we were in the synagogue with Jesus when He was confronted by a man who was possessed by a demon and He cast the demon out of the man. Last week brought us to the conclusion of the synagogue service and we went with Jesus to the home of Simon where He healed Simon’s mother-in-law. Also, last week, we saw the wonderful example of how Jesus began the day in prayer. Finally, last week we concluded with Jesus’ words, “‘Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.’ And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons” (Mark 1:38-39). This morning we continue to walk with Jesus as He leaves to go out and preach and teach to others and He is met by a man who has leprosy. Leprosy, you might remember was a dreaded skin disease that was incurable and would literally eat a person’s flesh to the point of death. Because there was not a lot known about leprosy and because there was no cure, it was a feared disease. And so, lepers were banned from the city and had to live by themselves outside the city limits. Lepers had to shout, “unclean,” when anyone would approach as a warning for them to stay away. It was a rather lonely life that the leper lead.

Our text for this morning continues to show us the Epiphany of Jesus, that is that He is truly human. We are told that when He was approached by this man with leprosy that Jesus “was moved with pity.” Jesus had an emotional feeling of mercy and pity toward this man. He was moved. He demonstrated a human feeling, a feeling of pity.

Mark says that Jesus touched the man. Jesus had a physical hand. He was physically present. Contrary to those who teach that Jesus was only a spiritual being, even while on this earth, here Mark tells us that He actually, physically, touched the man with leprosy. Of course, according to ceremonial law, this touching of an unclean leper would have made Jesus Himself unclean, but Jesus was not so much concerned about that ceremonial law as he was about the man with leprosy.

And Jesus spoke. He first listened to the man, then He spoke to the man. Jesus used His human senses of touch, sight, hearing and speaking. He showed Himself in every way to be a human being. Not just here, but in other places in the Gospels we are reminded of Jesus’ humanness. He was thirsty, He cried, He was hungry, He was tired, He slept, He exemplified all the traits which make us human. Our celebration of Epiphany is a celebration of the humanness of Jesus.

Jesus is also truly God. Jesus shows Himself to be God. When Jesus spoke to the man with leprosy He said, “Be clean!” and the man was at once cleansed of his leprosy. Jesus shows that He is God because only God can do miracles. Jesus shows that He had all power, the power to make whole, the power to cleanse, the power to heal. Most importantly, the power to forgive sins.

Jesus shows that He is true God. When He spoke He spoke with authority. His Word did what He said. Jesus said “Be clean!” and the man was clean. Just as we see that Jesus is human from this text and from other places in the Gospels, so here and in other places in the Gospels we are reminded of Jesus’ divinity, that He is truly God. He healed people of various diseases, He raised people from the dead, He forgave sins, He cast out demons, He exemplified all the traits which show Him to be God. Our celebration of Epiphany is a celebration of the divinity, the God-ness of Jesus.

Someone may have wondered about Jesus’ previous casting out of the demon of two weeks ago, “Why did Jesus not let the demon tell who He was?” Again, we might also wonder why this week Jesus told the man not to tell anyone. There are several suggestions why this might have happened. One suggestion is that Jess did not want to be just a “miracle worker.” In other words, He did not want people just to come to Him to be healed. A second suggestion is that Jesus did not want to bring attention on Himself, which He knew would end His public ministry prematurely. Another suggestion is that Jesus did not want to bring on Himself the attention of the authorities which would bring on His death, again, prematurely. And one last suggestion is that Jesus knew the psyche of people and He knew if He said “do not tell anyone” then the natural response would be to go out and tell everyone. What is the right answer? I cannot give you a definitive answer, all I can say is that it is probably some combination of all of these. I do not know about you, but I am adding this question to the list of questions I already have for when I get to heaven. —Anyway, I hope you noticed the man does not listen to Jesus and the result is that He, Jesus, “could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places,” and yet people were still looking for Him and coming to Him.

Jesus came to this earth for a purpose, to fulfill all of Holy Scripture, perfectly, concerning His life, death and resurrection. Jesus came to do for us what we are unable to do. He came to live perfectly for us in our place. It is something like what happened in the civil war years ago. I am told that during the civil war, a person with enough wherewith all, cash, might hire someone to take their place, to go to war for them. The actual person who goes to war is not credited with being in the war, instead the one who was supposed to go gets the credit. Jesus came to live for us in our place. Thus, we are credited with living perfect lives and He is credited with our sin when in fact, we are the ones who are sinners and He is sinless.

Jesus came to this earth on a mission. Unfortunately, not everyone understood who Jesus was or why He came. This misunderstanding by the people brought about the fact that for a while Jesus became popular, but for many of the wrong reasons. People were coming to Jesus, not to be saved by Him, but to be healed by Him, to be fed, uplifted, and the like, by Him. Some were even looking to Him as a political savior.

Jesus came to preach the Good News of salvation. He came to call the people to repentance. He came to show Himself as the Messiah, as the one promised from the Garden of Eden. He showed Himself to be God through the signs and wonders, the miracles He performed, but too many did not understand.

And so, as the word about Jesus went out, as His popularity grew, He was put out to the lonely places. And still, as Mark tells us, “people were coming to him from every quarter.” Perhaps many of these came for reasons such as healing and being fed, but there were those who had a right understanding of who Jesus was and why He came. There were those who were looking for a spiritual savior. There were those who believed He was the true Messiah.

As we progress through this season of Epiphany we continue to celebrate what a great and loving God we do have. I heard, what I think is an excellent explanation about Jesus becoming flesh. It is a story about a farmer who in the middle of the winter would put out seed for the birds to eat. One day during one winter it was just too stormy for the birds to find and eat the seed he would scatter in the yard, so he opened the barn door and tried to get the birds to go into the barn. The birds, however, would not go into the barn. The man thought and had an idea, “if only I could become like them, a bird, then they would trust me and I could lead them into the barn where there is food and shelter.” Jesus came as one of us, a human being, in order to lead us, in order to teach us, in order to be an example to us, but most importantly, in order to take our place, to die the eternal spiritual death penalty of hell for us in our place.

And although Jesus was a human being, He was also God. He was God so that He could fulfill the Law perfectly and the prophecies perfectly and so that He could rise from the dead. Because He was God He could forgive sins. He could drive out demons. He could heal people. He could raise people from the dead.

Jesus came to give His all for us. When the leper approached Jesus he said, “If you will, you can make me clean.” Notice that the leper did not rest his faith on himself but on Jesus. He rested his faith in Jesus alone. I read a church sign once that said, “miracles happen to those who believe.” I wanted to stop and correct the sign to make it read, “miracles happen (Period).” Miracles happen, whether we believe or not. Miracles happen, because God makes them happen. It was not the lepers faith that healed him, it was Jesus who was truly God who healed him.

This morning we come before our Lord’s throne and we speak. Our words are, “Lord, if you are willing, you can save me.” Our words to Jesus are the words of the man who was begging Jesus to heal his son who was possessed by an evil spirit. He suggested that “if” Jesus could do anything that He would help Him. “‘If you can’? said Jesus. ‘Everything is possible for him who believes.’ Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!’” (Mark 9:23,24). We come before the Lord’s throne praying that the Lord will continue to help us in our own weakness of faith and unbelief, that He would help us to grow in our faith and life. Our Lord’s response to us is that He comes to us through the means of His Word and His sacraments in order to do just that, to give us forgiveness of sins, faith, strengthening of faith, life and salvation, and to keep us in faith even unto eternal life. Our response is to rejoice and say to Him be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

God’s Hands and Feet? Or Satan’s?

Perhaps you have heard the adage, “We are God’s hands and feet.” If this is true, that we are God’s hands and feet, what does this mean and what does this say about our God?

In the first article of the Apostles’ Creed we are reminded that God created all things out of nothing. And God continues to direct and preserve all that He has made. It all begins and ends with God.

In the second article of the Apostles’ Creed we are reminded that Jesus is God in flesh who came to live for us, take our sins upon Himself, suffer and die for us. He did this freely because of His love for us, because He created us to love us. He traded His perfect life for our imperfect life. And He rose from the dead, victorious over sin, death and the power of the devil. It all beings and ends with God. This article reminds us of our justification and that we are made just and right in God’s eyes by God Himself.

In the third article of the Apostles’ Creed we are reminded that Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to gives us faith, to strengthen and keep us in faith. We call this work sanctification. The Holy Spirit works to sanctify or make us holy through the very means of God’s Word, enlightening us with His gifts, Confession and Absolution, Holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and giving us faith, strengthening of faith, forgiveness of sins, life in the world and even eternal life. This article remind us that our sanctification, that our being made holy has its beginning with God. God does and gives, and we are done to and given to.

So, if God gives life, forgiveness and new life, what does He need from us? Does God need for us to be His hands and feet? What does it say about God if we say He needs us to be His hands and His feet? An idol, a stone statue or image needs its worshiper to feed it, water it, move it, and in total to do for it because after all, it has no hands or feet and cannot do for itself.

God does not need us to be His hands and feet, but Satan does and unfortunately too often we are his will, if unconscious, hands and feet. How often it is that instead of keeping God first we put something or someone ahead of Him. Or instead of keeping His name holy we curse and swear. Or instead of being in divine service we have something more important to do. Of course, we would never admit that we have anything more important to do than be in divine service on Sunday, yet our very actions betray us, because we do choose to do what is most important to us. We cannot fool our hearts even with our lips. Yes, we may say that church attendance is most important, but what we do shows what is actually in our hearts as to being most important.

How often do we fail to give proper respect to our parents and others in authority, obeying the law? Or do we simply excuse our behavior from time to time? How often do we hurt and harm others with our words and actions? How often do we sit and lust after what we see on television, in movies, in commercial advertisements and even in the world? How often do we fail to take care of what we have borrowed or even failed to return it? How often have we failed to speak up for the absent party in any conversation as their name is “drug through the mud”? How often do we find ourselves begrudging others of what they have worked for and earned as if we deserve a share simply because we do not have it, even though we failed to work for it ourselves?

Yes, we daily step in and use our hands and feet for Satan, and more often than not we do it without even realizing it. We speak out against God, against His servant, our pastor, against His church, our congregation. We speak words of cursing and swearing unthoughtfully using His name. We have something more important to do than be in divine service and invite others to join with us. Anytime we break any one of the commandments we are the hands and feet of Satan.

Now, what does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we let God be God. Fortunately for us, God does not need for us to do any of His work, because thanks be to Him, He has done it all and He gives it all to us. God gives us life at conception. God gives us new life through His Word and Holy Baptism. God gives us forgiveness and strengthening through Confession and Absolution and through His Holy Supper. God gives it all and, we are given to. We need to be God’s hands and feet, as it were. We need to be able to do for God, to respond to Him for all He has done, does and will do for us. And even though we may do imperfectly, God does allow us to do for Him, in particular, He allows us to do the good works He has prepared in advance of us to do (Eph. 2:10), and He makes it right when we mess up what He allows us to do. This doing what He has prepared in advance for us to do is what we call vocation, and in our various vocations we live our lives in such a way that they bear witness of our faith in Jesus and give glory to Him, but again, this is as a response of faith, not because Jesus needs us to be His hands and feet.

Notice, as always, again and again, we get it right when we get right who is doing what, who is running the show, who is running the verbs. When we are running the show, we cannot be sure of what we are doing, and we get it wrong. When God is running the show, we know He always gets it right. Thanks be to God.

A Call for a Presuppositional Change

What would happen if, instead of researchers beginning with the presupposition of evolution, they begin with the presupposition of creation? Let me explain. If your car breaks down, your first thought is to repair the car according to the manufacturer’s specifications. Your first thought is not to wonder how the car came about by chance and then to seek to discover how those chance-melding of parts might be repaired. And a car is rather a simple machine compared to the human body. On a molecular level the human body is quite a “machine” with each part integral with the next, each part uniquely made to serve its unique function, and each part necessary. For the whole to work all the parts must be in tact and work in unison. To believe that the complexity of the human body could have come together by chance through millions of mutations is more unbelievable than to believe that a house was built by a tornado winding through a lumber yard, or an automobile was created by a hurricane winding through a junk yard. The point is, no one would begin repairing an automobile or a house by thinking about its randomness, rather one begins repairing an automobile or a house by thinking about its designer and builder. And interestingly enough, most automobiles and houses get repaired quite easily from this approach.

Now, to apply this thinking to the human body. Would it not be more efficient and logical that when researchers are seeking ways to help repair, mend, or heal the human body, rather than begin by asking how the parts of this more complex instrument came to be and then seek some formula for repair, would it not make more sense to ask, “What did the Designer have in mind when He put these parts together in the way He put them together?” Perhaps we might have better results as well as more and more timely results if we began to think in these terms of designer and builder rather than random and chance mishaps.