The Christian and the Culture

I am not sure what Pastor White will be presenting during this conference, so I am not sure if my opening devotion will contradict, overshadow, or compliment his material, but one thing of which I am sure, God will work it out! Most people do not think in terms of culture or world views let alone what goes on in society outside our own circle of influence, thus Jay Leno is able to make fun of the, and forgive the term, ignorance of many people in his “Jaywalking” segment, speaking to and asking people about things outside their life experiences, which many people simply believe does not affect them.
 

I believe we all need to be very aware of our culture, not simply popular culture, but the various cultures as well as world views that we have in our nation, our country as well as the world. We need to be aware lest what happened in Germany and other countries happens to us, we wait until it is too late and we have lost everything. And believe me, Satan is alive and well wreaking as much havoc as he can in our world today.
 

Thus, our theme this weekend is to help us to understand and bear witness to the cultures in which we live and move and have our being. With that said, let us look at what God says.
 

The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (Gen. 6:5)
 

1I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths (2 Tim. 4:1-4).
 

18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
 

24Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
 

26For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error (Romans 1:18-27).
 

We live in a culture and society in which God is not accepted. We live in a culture and a society in which God is being pushed out. Yet as Christians, we know that Holy Scripture is true and God’s Word is true.
 

The religion of evolution and atheism cannot stand the truth of God’s Word. The immorality of homosexual, gay/lesbian, trans-gender community cannot stand the moralism of God’s Word. Satan is working overtime in our world even as we speak.
 

Would that the world would do Christianity the favor Christianity has afforded the world over the last too many years, live and let live, but that is not even the case anymore. Anything that is Godly is now target, not simply because it is Godly, but for the sole aim and purpose of destroying what is from and of God.
 

Most recent examples of the demise of this world is the fact that instead of starting their own organization, the homosexual community has joined the Boy Scouts of American and is working to make it into its own playground of immorality. Of course, this behavior does not surprise us in the church, as this behavior has been happening for years, people working to change the church into their image, I say this, rather than they going off and starting their own church and leaving us alone.
 

Indeed, every intention of the thoughts of man’s heart is evil continually.
 

What is our response? We heard the words of Paul to Timothy, to “be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.”
 

As Paul says to the Galatians, “1Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ (Gal. 6:1-2).
 

We have Jesus giving us His authority to speak as such and His promise that He will be with us when we speak, “16Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:16-20).
 

We also have Jesus promise that He will give us the words to speak, “16“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, 18and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. 19When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. 20For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you (Matt. 10:16-20).
 

And finally, we have Peter’s encouragement to always be ready to give a defense of our faith and to do so with gentleness, “13Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame (1 Peter 3:13-16).
 

As Christians, we have the greatest gifts of all, faith, forgiveness of sins and eternal salvation, earn for us and paid for by Jesus life, suffering, death and resurrection. Rather than simply “Keeping the faith,” we have God’s authority to give it away, to share it with others and His promise that He will be with us as we do so, even giving us the words to speak, with gentleness. Thus, we see the importance of having our finger on the pulse of the culture, having our hearts, our noses, our eyes in the Word of God and being ready to give an answer, a defense for our faith. And we have God’s promise that His Word will not return void. Yes, we may not be good at it, but God never asks us to be good, simply to be ready to give an answer with His promise that He will bring out the best in any given situation.
 

My prayer this weekend is that we might all be enlightened and encouraged so that we may all be ready to give a defense of our faith so that God’s Kingdom may be extended, that we His people might be strengthened and that praise and glory may be given to His Holy Name, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Let us Pray
Almighty and gracious God, send Your Holy Spirit to bless, with His grace and presence, all those here assembled in Your name. Bless our presenter with words of teaching, learning and wisdom. Bless our hearers with ears that hear. Bless our conference that Your Church, being preserved in true faith and godly discipline, may do the will of Him who loved her and gave Himself for her, even Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

7 “Christian” Rules that Every Christian Ought to Break as Often as Possible by Jonathan Fisk

This is the second in a series of articles expounding on the quotes from the book 7 “Christian” Rules that Every Christian Ought to Break as Often as Possible, by Jonathan Fisk. As you read the quotes, honestly think about the answers to the following questions: Does this “belief” remind you of anything (denomination, preacher, philosophy) in our world today? Have you ever had this “belief”?

“Mysticism: The belief that direct knowledge of God can be attained through your subjective experiences of God or something godlike. Mysticism, then, is nothing more than worship of your emotions.” The idol of mysticism is your emotion which suggests that you can find God in your heart.

Back in the late 60s and early 70s there was a “program” of Bible studies using what was called the serendipity approach, which, more or less was an approach for Bible study in which each participant was asked, “So, what does this passage mean to you?” This “emoting” was expounded in the Star Wars movies with the understanding that it was the feeling of the “force” that led one to act. A corollary to this approach is the post-modern belief that truth is relative, that what may be true for me may not be true for you and visa-versa, but what is true is what you feel to be true for you. As someone, and I do not remember who, said, if you were on an airplane and the pilot would announce over the loud speaker, “We are approaching the runway. I am going to turn off all the instruments, close my eyes and let the force lead my landing.” My response would be, “No, no, no, open your eyes, turn on all the instruments, or let someone else land the plane!”

Our emotions are often fickle and change according to our experiential experiences. In other words, as we move through the day and experience each part of the day, our emotions change. To make our emotions the root of our faith would lead us on a very traumatic roller coaster ride.

Rather than let our emotions, which are not very trustworthy, rule the day, we depend on the unchanging Word of God. It is God in His Word who gives us knowledge of Himself, and it is the Holy Spirit working through the very Word of God, when and where He pleases giving faith, forgiveness and eternal life. We always point people to God and His Word as the only sure and certain source of salvation.

“Moralism: The belief that access to God can be achieved through your personal efforts or attempts to improve yourself. Moralism, then, is nothing more than the worship of your works.” The idol of moralism is your vocation, that is that you can find God in your hands.

Today we hear moralism in those who would teach (and preach) that you can be the person God wants you to be; you can achieve being a morally good person on your own, without any help from God. Now certainly, to some extent people can be morally good and have a morally good character, but this social moralism does not and cannot achieve access to God. God’s command is quite clear, “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt. 5:48). Since we are conceived and born in sin (Ps. 51:5) and since every intention of our hearts is evil all the time (Gen. 6:5), we cannot achieve access to God through our morally good character. And interestingly enough, to suggest that we can achieve access to God through our morally good character, if that were true, we would have no need for God, for Jesus, for salvation as we would indeed save ourselves.

Moralism, therefore, leads one either to despair because we cannot be the people God wants us to be, or it leads to works righteousness thinking that we have earned God’s good pleasure. Pointing back to God and His Word, He tells us that we are sinners and yet because of His love for us He sent His only Son, Jesus, to live perfectly for us in our place and then trade His perfect life for our imperfect life, our sins in order to pay the price for our sins on the cross. As always, we get it right when we are pointed back to the sure and certain source of salvation, the very Word of God.

7 “Christian” Rules that Every Christian Ought to Break as Often as Possible by Jonathan Fisk

This article is full of quotes from the book 7 “Christian” Rules that Every Christian Ought to Break as Often as Possible, by Jonathan Fisk. As you read the quotes, honestly think about the answers to the following questions: Does this “belief” remind you of anything (denomination, preacher, philosophy) in our world today? Have you ever had this “belief”?

“Mysticism: The belief that direct knowledge of God can be attained through your subjective experiences of God or something godlike. Mysticism, then, is nothing more than worship of your emotions.” The idol of mysticism is your emotion which suggests that you can find God in your heart.

“Moralism: The belief that access to God can be achieved through your personal efforts or attempts to improve yourself. Moralism, then, is nothing more than the worship of your works.” The idol of moralism is your vocation, that is that you can find God in your hands.

“The Enlightenment: A cultural movement in eighteenth-century Europe and America that sought to improve society through the advancement of knowledge.” “Rationalism: The belief that contact with God can be found through the clarity of your observations or the consistency of your logic. Rationalism, then, is nothing more than the worship of your thoughts.” The idol of rationalism is your reason which suggests that you can find God in your mind.

“Modernism: The belief that the new economic, social, and political conditions ushered in by the Industrial Revolution made more “traditional” forms of art, literature, architecture, and faith increasingly outdated.” “Romanticism: A cultural movement that reacted against the Enlightenment by validating personal experience as a significant source of authority.” “Postmodernism: Rising in reaction to Modernism, the belief that reality is only apparent, a variety of evolved social constructions, always subject to change.” “Pragmatism: The belief that knowledge found by evaluating the consequences of actions can create more efficient or “intelligent” future actions.” “Prosperity: The belief that the way God feels about you is measured by how good your life is right now. Prosperity, then, is nothing more than worship of health, wealth, and wellness. Prosperities lie: you can find God in this world.” The idol of prosperity is material things and the thought that you can find God in the world.

“Revivalism: A philosophical movement arising in eighteenth- and nineteenth century Protestantism that believed an increase in spiritual interest and renewed life could be achieved in all churches through the introduction of so-called ‘new measures.’” “Restorationism: A nineteenth-century movement of Christians who sought to bring back, or ‘restore,’ the Church of Jesus Christ, which they believed had ceased to exist. Instead of ending denominationalism (as they had hoped), they only further splintered the American spiritual landscape, giving rise to such new denominations as the Plymouth Brethren (1827) and the Disciples of Christ (1849).” The Threefold Path to a Failed Church: The Idolatry of Oder, thinking that the right church structure will solve the declining church. The Idolatry of Worship, thinking that the right recipe for the way we worship will solve the declining church. The Idolatry of the Leader, thinking the right charismatic leader will solve the declining church. The problem with all these solutions is that the focus is on the wrong thing, in the wrong place, on the wrong person. The idol of spirituality is religion, to think that you can find God in the churches.

“Freedom: The belief that God’s will for you is that you choose your will for yourself, that His strongest presence is found in His absence, that His only law is that you become a law unto yourself. Freedom, then, is nothing more than worship of lawlessness.” “Freedom’s lie: You can’t really find God.” The idol of lawlessness is freedom, that you can find God in God’s absence.

“The Ever-Lie: The belief that you find God. The counterfeit ‘Christian’ rule behind all other counterfeit ‘Christian’ rules, then, is nothing more than worship of yourself.” The Christian faith is not about you, it is about Jesus, the cross and the tomb. Yet, care must be taken when we examine our faith so that when we become aware of Jesus’ true love for us, we do not think it was something in us, which then focuses us back on ourselves.

“The only true Christian Rule: The Truth - Because your salvation is not dependent on you, but has all been done by Jesus and credited to you as righteousness, you will never ever land on the wrong side of God’s justice.”

Next we will take the time to go into more depth on each of these subjects mentioned.

It Takes a Personal Faith - August 25, 2013 - Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 16) - Text: Luke 13:22-30

I read a rather interesting comic strip a while back. It had these two children discussing going to Sunday School. The first child asked the second child, “Do your parents make you go to Sunday School?” The second child said, “No, they want me to look at all the different religions and make up my own mind about what to believe.” The first child responded, “So, what do you believe?” To which the second child said, “I don’t know, maybe I should go to Sunday School and find out.” And as we say from time to time, quoting Ps. 8:2, “out of the mouths of babes” we have some profound truth.
 

Have you ever sat down and given thought to the question, “What is most important in my life?” Or have you ever thought, “What is the purpose for my life, or for anyone’s life?” I do  not mean, have you ever heard the question, you know, when the pastor asks the question and asks if you have ever thought about them, like now. I mean, have you ever given these questions serious thought. I think these are very important questions and I will tell you why I think they are important, and it is not just because I am a pastor. Let us put our lives into some type of perspective, namely the perspective of eternity. How long is eternity? It is forever. How long is eternity compared to my life here on this earth? It is like comparing our short existence of one hundred years or less on this earth to millions of billions of years in eternity and that’s just the start of eternity. Actually, eternity has no start, because to say it has a start would imply it would have an end and it has no end. Now with that frame of reference, what is most important in your life? and what is your purpose in life?
 

Let us get to our text for today, the Gospel lesson from Luke and see if we can get some answers to our questions. As we begin our text you will notice that we have another question, “How many will be saved?” We read, “22[Jesus] went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, 24“Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ 26Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ 27But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’”(v. 22-27).
 

As we read and hear these verses it is implied that not everyone will be saved. From that implication it might also be implied that God has predestined or predetermined that some people will be saved and logically, to some people, if He has predetermined some to be saved then that means that He must have predetermined that some people will not be saved. There are too many if’s in that statement for me, so let us go back to the Bible and see if Jesus says anything else about people being saved and He does, in 1 Timothy (2:3-4) He says, “This is good, and pleases God or Savior, who wants all men (all people) to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” So it is true that God has predetermined that some people will be saved, but it is not a predetermined some, rather it is His will that all people will be saved. So, why are some not saved? Simply stated, because some people refuse to believe in Jesus and reject Him. Again, going back to the Bible, Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). There is only one way and that way is through Jesus.
 

Continuing on in our text, Jesus tells us that some will try to enter and will not be able to do so which is why it is so important that we make every effort to enter. And here, let me make a side comment. Dr. Art Just says it best about this term, “strive” or as it is translated elsewhere, “struggle,” in his commentary on Luke. He says, “The command to ‘struggle’ does not mean ‘that moral effort is necessary in order to enter the kingdom,’6 nor does it mean entrance is gained by exercising ‘human responsibility.’7 Rather, the struggle through which one enters is repentance, which is a work of God in the human heart. The struggle is produced when the Word of God—such as the teaching of Jesus here—calls one to repent and trust in Christ, but sinful human nature wars against God’s Word. The struggle is resolved as the old Adam is put to death by the Law and the person of faith is raised to new life with Christ by the power of the Gospel.”
 

Many will try to enter heaven though various beliefs, beliefs other than Jesus Christ. This is similar to people today who think that it does not matter what you believe, as long as you believe something. And this is where Jesus reminds us that the object of faith is important, it does matter what or rather, in whom we believe. That is why Jesus also tells us that the door is narrow, because there is only one belief that saves. Here, again,  Jesus is not trying to say that we must do something in order to be saved, rather He is saying that it is the Holy Spirit who does something for us. He is the one who works faith in our hearts through His Word. The effort we are to make is to not fall away once He has given us faith and in our world, that takes quite an effort, an effort we can make only with His continued help.
 

And this effort is so important, because “Once the door is closed” means that there will be a time when heaven will close and that time will be at Judgement Day. When is Judgement Day? No one knows, that is why it is important to always be ready. Judgement Day is the day Jesus will return, or it is the day we die. After judgement day, when Jesus comes or when we die, there are no more chances, that is why it is so important to be ready at all times.
 

For those who are not ready, and Jesus calls them the ones who call from outside, they think they will be saved by association, that is by knowing someone who is a Christian, or simply by having their names on the church rolls. Notice that Jesus does not say that they will say, “you taught us,” because they were never there to be taught, rather Jesus says they will say “you taught in our streets.” Jesus says that this does not work. Faith, knowing and believing Jesus must be a personal thing. It is not enough to have your name on the church roll, nor simply to believe about Jesus, that is to believe that He was a good teacher or a good prophet, or a good example for us. It is certainly not enough to believe that your good deeds will save you. Saving faith is faith and trust, complete reliance on Jesus. Saving faith is believing that Jesus came to this earth, true God born in human flesh. Saving faith is believing that Jesus took my sins and your sins upon Himself and suffered the eternal spiritual death penalty for us, in our place. Saving faith is believing that Jesus’ death and resurrection is my death and resurrection. Saving faith is believing that I am forgiven and I have a part of heaven because of what Jesus did for me personally.
 

Our faith is so important, because it is our faith which will determine where we will spend eternity, either in heaven with Jesus and all the saints, or in hell with the devil and all the wicked. The last verses of our text read, “28In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. 29And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. 30And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last” (v. 28-30).
 

Hell is a reality, whether we want to believe it or not. Just like our not believing that China really exists because we have never seen it, does not mean it is not there, so even if we do not believe hell really exists, that does not make it not exist. Hell is a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. Hell is a place of continual everlasting sorrow. Hell is total absence of God’s love. The best description I can give you of hell, and this is merely a human perception and description, but hell, is a place that is like being depressed, the worst depressed you have ever been, magnified a few million times and being that way for eternity. Hell is complete absence of God’s love, that is, there is no goodness in hell.
 

Hell is contrasted with heaven which is compared to a feast. Heaven is a wonderful place, a place filled with God’s glory and grace. Heaven is perfect love, perfect peace, perfect everything. Heaven is a place where “there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.” That means that heaven is not something we can take for granted even after we have become Christians. That does not mean that just because you are a member of St. Matthew Lutheran Church that you will have a place in heaven. There may be many people who have yet to believe who will have a place in heaven some even before our own members. These words of Jesus are a warning for us as Christians that we need to take heed of our own faith lest we fall and end up in hell. This is what Jesus means by telling us to make every effort to enter through the narrow door, that we strive to walk the faith that we have and not simply sit on our grace. Today we would say, “if you are going to talk the talk, then walk the walk.” If you are going to have your name on the rolls of St. Matthew Lutheran Church, then be in Divine Service, be in Bible Class, make regular, each and every Sunday and diligent, as often as possible, use of the means of grace.
 

So, we go back to the question of, What is most important in my life? And what does this passage of God’s Word mean? I hope by now that you have come to understand that the most important thing in your life is your relationship of Jesus Christ. I hope you have come to believe that Jesus is your Savior and that you want to live your life to His glory, by keeping Him first in your life, that you want to “talk the talk and walk the walk.”
 

I also pray that you have come to understand that faith is a gift from God. A gift which He gives to us through His Word, the Bible and through His Sacrament, Holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Faith is not something that I can give to you. It is not something that your friend can give to you. It is not something that anyone can give to you. Faith is what the Holy Spirit gives. And He gives faith through Holy Baptism and through the Word of God. Faith is that thing that takes hold of the gifts God gives. It is what grasps and believes that Jesus is your Savior.
 

But faith is not just a heart and mind thing. Faith is something that needs to be exercised. You know how I continually encourage you to exercise your faith by attending Divine Service and Sunday School or Bible class. It is through our Sunday School and Adult Bible classes as well as personal and family devotions and personal and family reading of the Word of God that people exercise their faith, struggling with God’s Word, being challenged by His Word and growing in their faith. Those of you who are in Divine Service and Bible class weekly are truly the leaders of our congregation, because you are demonstrating to the rest of us what being a Christian is all about, exercising our Christian faith.
 

As we exercise our Christian faith we reap a harvest of what is called the fruit of faith, and is otherwise know as good works, but not merely good works for the sake of good works, rather good works which give all glory to God. And that answers our second question, what is the purpose of my life. The purpose of my life is to be loved by God and to be given His gifts. God is love and as love He does not seek anything for Himself. It would be contrary to God’s nature to create us so that we might give something to Him, as if we would have anything that we might could give to Him. No, our purpose in life is to be loved by God and to be given His gifts.
 

The ultimate “goal” of faith is heaven. And we rejoice because that is a goal which has already been accomplished for us by God the Father. God the Father created the world which fell into sin. So, He sent His only Son, Jesus to buy the world back, to redeem the world through the shedding of His blood on the cross, through His suffering eternal punishment in hell for us, in our place. And He sends the Holy Spirit to work faith in our hearts through the Word and the Sacraments. Thus, heaven is a present reality for all those who believe in Jesus. And our response to that is to say, To God be the Glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.