Itching Ears - October 16, 2016 - Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 24) - Text: 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

This morning we continue reading through Paul’s second letter to Pastor Timothy. Interestingly enough, I believe that Paul’s words, or rather I should say, God’s word through Paul to Timothy sound very contemporary, that is they sound very much like God is writing to us today concerning the ideas and attitudes of people in our world and even people in our own church!
 

Paul begins by reminding us that the Bible is a gift. We read, “3:14But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” (v. 14-17).
 

The Bible is God’s gift to us. The Bible is God’s Word, it does not simply contain God’s Word, but it is God’s Word and there is a definite difference in these two ways of understanding the Bible. There are many in our world today and there are many churches and even those that call themselves Christian churches that suggest that the Bible merely contains God’s word meaning that we have to be a detective and find out which is and which is not God’s Word. Of course, this leads to the abuse of God’s Word such as, if we do not like certain parts of the Bible, then we can simply say that part is not God’s Word and throw it out. Unfortunately, if this is the case, then we really must throw out the whole book. However, we understand, we believe, teach and confess that the Bible, all the Bible is God’s Word, it is breathed by God into the Holy Writers.
 

So, if the Bible is God’s Word, then it is to be believed because it is God’s Word. If the Bible is God’s Word, then all of it is God’s Word and all of it must be believed, even those parts we may not like or want to believe. Really, it is an all or nothing with God’s Word. It either is or is not His Word.
 

Because the Bible is God’s Word we understand that it is efficacious, that is it effects or does what it says. Because the Bible is God’s Word, when God tells us we are sinners, then we know we are sinners. When the Bible tells us that God promised to send a Savior and that Jesus is that Savior, then we know that Jesus is our Savior. When the Bible says we have forgiveness of sins, then we know we have forgiveness of sins. When the Bible gives us faith we know we have faith and when the Bible gives salvation we know we are saved.
 

Furthermore, the Bible is profitable for teaching, reproof, correcting and training in righteousness. Although we may buy into societies belief that we are not to judge other people, God in His Word tells us what is sin and what is not sin and it guides us to know how God Himself judges others and us as well. Thus, we can call attention to the fact that someone is sinning in order to correct them and ultimately, if a person remains in their sin and does not repent, we can announce God’s judgement on them.
 

The Bible is God’s Word and it equips Christians to be confident and to do the good works which God has prepared in advance for us to do. This is not something we do on our own, this is not something that comes from inside of us, but this has its origin outside of us, in God and in Him alone. God gives us His Word, and His sacraments. God gives His gifts through His Word. God gives faith, forgiveness and life and God works good works through us as well. It all always points to Him.
 

But, Paul is not done. He reminds us that the Bible is to be used. We continue reading, “4:1I 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. 5As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” (v. 1-5).
 

Paul goes on to instruct Timothy and for that matter, as members of the priesthood of all believers, he instructs us as well. He reminds us that the day of judgment will come. Each day we live on this earth brings us one day closer to the Lord’s return, or to our own passing and going to Him. It will happen, it is inevitable, we will meet the Lord, sooner than we know and sooner than we might imagine and so we must be prepared. And we prepare ourselves, not by staying away from the Word of the Lord, not by staying away from Divine service and Bible class, not by staying away from personal and family devotions, or reading God’s Word and the like, but by making regular and diligent use of the means of grace.
 

Paul reminds Pastor Timothy that he is to preach the Word, in season and out of season. Remember, God’s Word never goes out of season. God’s Word is always His Word of today. God’s Word always speaks to our contemporary situation. Here again, as I mentioned when we started, God’s Word is not simply His Word to Timothy and the people of his day, but His Word is for us here today. And if you actually read and hear His Word you will know this.
 

Pastor Timothy is to use the Word of God for reproof, rebuke, and exhortation. As Christians, as members of the priesthood of all believers, it is also our duty and privilege, indeed, even our responsibility, to use God’s Word for reproof, rebuke and exhortation. We are to speak words of law to those who sin. And that is the purpose of the law, to cut to the heart of sin. If we ourselves are not hearing God’s Word of law that is because we either think we have no sin or we simply think it does not apply to us and that would be a disaster for us. Each one of us should hear the law. Each one of us should hear how God’s law is singling us out as sinners, lost and condemned apart from Jesus. How can we know of our need for a Savior unless we know we have sinned.
 

And Paul encourages Timothy, and as your Pastor, certainly I read his word of encouragement to me as well, to be patient in his work of service as a pastor. Paul says that the time will come and is already here when people will not want to listen to the purity of God’s Word but would rather pervert it for their own sakes. This is happening in our world today. As I have mentioned in Bible Class time and again, there are those who would preach a message of self-righteousness, telling people how good they are and how good they can be. And this is something some people like to hear. We do not like to hear the fact that we are sinners. We like to hear that we are good and can be good. Unfortunately, the end result is not good. If we are so good, if we can be good, then, really we have no need for a Savior and apart from Christ we would be eternally condemned. Again, unfortunately, those who preach such self-righteousness cause more damage than they can imagine, because when someone has been told how self-righteous they can be, when they hear the law and the Gospel, they want no part of it and they remain in their sin and they remain lost and condemned.
 

Thus, Paul is encouraging Timothy and us to keep the faith, and to keep the doctrine pure and to keep preaching. Yes, even as the people of our world are leaving doctrinally sound churches for those who preach and teach a self-righteousness, we are not to waiver in our course. We are not to compromise our own preaching and teaching, but we are to continue to reach the remnant the Lord continues to keep for Himself.
 

So, what does this mean? First and foremost, Paul reminds us that God’s Word is unlike all other books. God’s Word is a book with power, power to do what it says, power to give the gifts He has to give. This reminds us that when we hear the Word of God, when we hear the Law we must confess, God is talking about me and to me. We know that old joke, a pastor can preach about sin in general, but when he starts preaching about my particular sin, then he’s meddling. Well, that is what that pastor is supposed to be doing, meddling. Because, if we fail to see our sin, if we fail to confess our sin, then there is no forgiveness and the consequences would be disastrous. So, first we must hear that word of law and admit, God is speaking to me and then and only then, as we confess our sins, we can hear God’s most gracious words, “Your sins are forgiven.”
 

Paul reminds us that  God’s Word must be guarded to keep the teaching, that is our doctrine pure. Yes, as we have said over the past couple weeks, purity of doctrine is important. To water down God’s Word, to make it palatable to all sorts of people, by saying the Bible only contains the Word of God, is to make God’s Word ineffective and worthless.
 

Unfortunately, as we have said, the world would rather be confirmed in their sinful ways. The world would rather have someone preach that they are okay. We call this tolerance. Of course, when it comes to tolerance, we might well understand that when we are asked to be tolerant it is always to be tolerant of unacceptable behavior. Well, think about it, do we have to be tolerant of good behavior? No one needs to ask others to be tolerant of our good behavior. We are often asked to be tolerant of others wrong behavior. And our society would rather we be tolerant of their wrong behavior so they may be left to live in sin than to have their ways corrected.
 

So, God’s Word is useful for correcting the false teachings of the world. Yes, God’s Word is useful and we should use it to call attention to sin, however, we should not be shocked when we are called all kinds of names and when all kinds of insinuations are directed at us for doing so, because our society would rather not tolerate such good behavior.
 

For us Christians, for myself as a pastor, I understand that God’s Word gives gifts and thus it must be preached. God’s Word has power and so, more than being afraid of our society, more than being afraid of being put into jail, or persecuted, we are to fear and love God and share His Word with others. And His Word will not return void, but will accomplish that for which He has given it, when and where He pleases.
 

Paul’s word to us today reminds us that the Bible is God’s Word, it was breathed by God into the hearts, minds and hands of the writers of Holy Scripture and through His Holy Word He gives us His authority and power so that we may use His Word for teaching, reproof, correction and training, first for ourselves. Indeed, we are first to hear, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest the Word of God for ourselves so that we might be given the gifts of God, loved by Him, and strengthened by Him so that we can share His love with others. And His promise continues to be that His Word will not return void. May the Lord give us such confidence in Him and in His Word so that we might, with all boldness and confidence not only believe, not only live lives according to His Word, but also live and share that Word with others. To Him be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Following Sound Doctrine - October 2, 2016 - Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 22) - Text: 2 Timothy 1:1-14

Last week we finished reading Paul’s first letter to young pastor Timothy. This week we pick up with his second letter. In much of his first letter Paul instructed Timothy on how to recognize and counteract false teaching. His main answer was simple and straight forward: “know the right teaching.” In this second letter, Paul writes Timothy and his church in Ephesus and encourages them in their struggle against persecution. As always, we are reminded that although God through Paul first wrote these words to Timothy, they are also written to use here at St. Matthew Lutheran Church of Westfield, 2016.
 

As with most of Paul’s letters, he begins with words of introduction, “1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus, 2To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 3I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. 4As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. 5I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. 6For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 7for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (v. 1-7).
 

Paul begins with words of grace and even to us today he begins with words of grace. Grace, God’s riches at Christ’s expense. Grace, God’s undeserved love and mercy for us. God’s grace, those gifts God graciously pours out on us His children, faith, forgiveness, life and salvation. Without God’s grace we would be left to our own devices and we would be eternally lost. Thus, it is God’s grace and His mercy which bring peace, true peace, not simply peace as the world understands peace, that is not simply a moment or two or an hour or two of calm in this chaotic world, but true peace, peace that comes only from the forgiveness of sins, which gives life and salvation, which brings the removal of guilt and despair. How fitting Paul begins with grace because God’s grace is the beginning of our salvation.
 

Paul adds words of thanks. He gives thanks for Timothy’s faith and for our faith, faith given to us by God. Faith is not something we get for ourselves. Faith is not something we claim for ourselves. Faith has its origin outside of us, it comes from God and is given to us by God. And as we have said before, it is in instrument which means that it must have an object. The only object of saving faith is Jesus Himself. Paul gives thanks for our faith because he knows that of our inborn sinful human nature, our natural inclination is to refuse and reject the gifts God has to give and we do refuse and reject every week and every day as we live life our own way instead of living life God’s way. So, Paul gives thanks that in spite of ourselves God does give us faith and God gives Jesus as the object of our faith.
 

And Paul adds words of thanks for Timothy’s ordination, the laying on of hands. Not only was Timothy given faith, he was also ordained into the office of Holy Ministry wherein Paul says the Lord has given him a spirit of power and love and self-control.
 

Paul continues to give words of encouragement, “8Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 9who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, 10and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, 12which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me. 13Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you” (v. 8-14).
 

Paul is writing this letter from prison. He has already been put into prison for his faith and his boldness in proclaiming the Gospel. He is a prisoner because of his faith and he is not ashamed to be so. As a matter of fact, the early apostles and Christians counted themselves worthy to be able to be chosen to suffer for their faith. They believe it was a privilege to suffer for their faith.
 

Thinking about Paul’s own life, remember, he began, not as a Christian, but as one who was persecuting the Christians. He believed his calling was to put into jail and put to death the Christians because he believed they were a false sect. Yet, after God called Paul to faith, after He put faith in his heart and after He sent Paul out to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles, Paul says his conscience is clear. Yes, even though he once persecuted the church, that was before Christ revealed Himself to him. Since he has been given faith, since he has been called by God to be an apostle to the Gentiles, Paul knows he is forgiven for his past life and he looks forward to continuing to serve the Lord in any way he can, even in chains.
 

And so, Paul reminds us of just what God’s grace is all about. God’s grace is given in this that Jesus was persecuted, that Jesus suffered death for us. The reason Jesus came into this world, the reason God intervened in human history is because we could not save ourselves. There was nothing inside of us that was of redeeming value. It all had to come from outside of us and that is why Jesus came, as one who was without sin, being truly God, so that He could take our sins upon Himself and suffer and die, as a human being, for us, in our place. And in so doing He abolished death, that is He abolished eternal spiritual death.
 

So, Paul reiterates his apostleship, being appointed by God. Paul has a right to proclaim law and Gospel. Paul has a right, even an obligation to share the good news of salvation, because he was called by God, given faith and forgiveness by God and set apart to be an apostle to the gentiles.
 

Paul’s encouragement, then, is in keeping our doctrine pure. Yes, doctrine is important. Paul calls our doctrine, that is our teaching, “sound words” and “the good deposit.” There are some in our world and even in our own church body that would suggest that people’s lives and souls are more important than concerning ourselves with purity of doctrine. That is not what Paul, by inspiration of God tells us. God, through Paul, warns us of the importance of keeping His doctrine, His teachings pure and steadfast, lest we give up our pure doctrine for the false doctrine and lies of our world, society and culture. And we have seen many churches today compromise their doctrine and go the way of the world and what are they teaching is often what is contrary to the word of God.
 

And so, Paul encourages proclamation. Yes, we are to keep our doctrine pure, but not simply for the sake of keeping our doctrine pure. As we keep our doctrine pure our natural response will be to want to share that good news with others through our own proclamation, through our words as well as our actions.
 

What Does This Mean? God’s first call to us is a call to life and that call is at our conception. At our conception God calls us to and gives us life. God’s second call to us is a call to faith. It is God who calls us to faith and it is God who gives us faith. We do not look for or seek God, He looks for us, seeks us, finds us and calls us to faith. The Holy Spirit calls us to faith through the means of God’s word and through Holy Baptism. Through these outward means God calls and gives faith.
 

Because faith is an instrument, it must have an object. God has given Jesus as the only object of saving faith. Jesus is our Messiah. He is the one who was and is God, born in human flesh in order to live for us, that is in order to do all that we cannot do. Remember, the Gospel is not simply that Jesus died for our sins, but the fulness of the Gospel is the fact that He lived for us doing what we are unable to do. And after living perfectly, after fulfilling all God’s law and prophecies perfectly, He took all our sins upon Himself and all the sins of all people, of all places of all times and He died for us. He paid the price for our sins, eternal spiritual death, for us on the cross. But the cross and the grave had no hold on Him, as on the third day He rose from the dead, for us. Reminding us that we too will rise again.
 

God’s third call is His call to vocation, that is God calls us to live lives of faith no matter what our work or station. In other words, God calls us to live lives of faith where ever we live and work. For some, God offers a fourth call, God calls some men to serve in the Office of Holy Ministry. These men are set apart by God and called by congregation to preach the Gospel, to administer the sacraments, to forgive and retain sins, to visit the sick and shut-in. God calls some men to the Office of Holy Ministry, but He calls all Christians to the priesthood of all believers. God calls us as priest to offer our lives as living sacrifices to Him. Indeed, we serve God by serving others in our vocations and that is what gives our vocations and lives value, pointing to Jesus, being loved by Jesus, being given to by Jesus.
 

God calls us to keep His message pure. God never asks us to be successful. As a matter of fact, the only places Scripture speaks about success is in speaking about military campaigns and the success is not that of the army, but that of God. God does, however, call us to be faithful, until death and He will give us the crown of life. We are to be careful that what we teach is indeed the Word of God, thus we are to be as the Bereans. We are to listen and read carefully and compare everything we read and hear against the Word of God and so rightly keep His word pure.
 

And God calls us to get His message out. We are not supposed to “keep the faith” per say, but we are to tell others of our Lord and the good gifts and blessings He has to give. And again, God does not necessarily give us success as we might define success, but He simply asks that we remain faithful in keeping His message straight and He will give the fruits of our labor, when and where He pleases.
 

And so, I would encourage you in your faith this morning. God loves you and He created you to love, thus God gives. God has given you life. God has given you faith. God has given His Son and His life for you, for your forgiveness. God has given you His Word. And God continues to abundantly pour out His blessings on you. May you be encouraged by God and His word to remain faithful, but also to respond in faith by sharing the message of salvation with others. In this way we do give God the glory. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Godly Contentment - September 25, 2016 - Ninth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 21) - Text: 1 Timothy 6:6-19

In our Old Testament reading for this morning the prophet Amos warns the children of Israel and us against the sin of self-reliance. In the Gospel lesson, using the story of Lazarus and the rich man, Jesus also warns us against the sin of self-reliance. In our text for this morning, we continue reading Paul’s letter to Pastor Timothy. This morning Paul echos the words of our Old Testament reading and our Gospel reading by reminding us of the importance of being content, not relying on ourselves, but relying on our Lord. Perhaps you have heard the cliche’ “When we worry we undo our prayers.” To fret and to worry is indeed a show of a lack of faith! To be content in all circumstances shows great faith, just ask Paul.
 

Paul begins by reminding us of the importance of being content. We read, “6Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, 7for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs” (v. 6-10).
 

Paul begins by reminding us that what we have when we are born into this world and what we take with us when we die is what is truly ours, in other words, nothing is truly ours. We may talk about the things we own or have, but really everything is God’s. We might liken our conversation to that of our children who talk about their room and their bed while living in our house. It is not really our children’s room or bed, but ours which we have purchase for them to live in. Likewise, nothing is really ours, it is not really our house or our car, but it is all God’s which He gives to us to use while we live in this world.
 

Paul reminds us that all we really need is food and clothing and yet how much more do we have and very often how much more do we want, because we can always want more. Perhaps we would do well to make a distinction between needs and wants. Do we really need a television in every room of our house? Do we need a telephone in every room of our house or for that matter, does everyone in the family need their own telephone? Do we need ten pairs of shoes, twenty changes of clothes, four coats, and I could go on and on. Paul reminds us that all we truly need is food and clothing. And really, if we think about it, if we were honest with ourselves, we could survive this world if all we had was food and clothes. Think about Jesus, the only thing He owned while living on earth was the clothes on His back and He never concerned Himself with where He would sleep or where He would get His next meal.
 

Paul’s warning is a warning against covetousness and envy which lead to destruction. As children we are more blatant in our covetousness suggesting such things as “I gotta have it,” in reference to the latest and greatest toy or video game. As adults we are more subtle in our covetousness, not necessarily stating that we “gotta” have something, but often making sure we have the latest and greatest so as not to be outdone by our neighbor.
 

Blatantly, Paul tells us that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Notice, money is not the root of all kinds of evil. Money is not evil in and of itself. Money is simply a means of barter. However, the love and desire to amass more and more money does lead to all kinds of evil. And we see this time and again in our world as the news paper and the evening news have story after story of anything from petty robbery to corporate scandals.
 

Thankfully Paul does not simply give us words of warning, but he also points us to a proper pursuit. We read, “11But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, 14to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen” (v. 11-16).
 

Paul gives us a different goal, that is to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness and gentleness. Interestingly enough, as we hear Paul’s words of encouragement, because of our sins of omission, that is because we fail to live as we ought, some of Paul’s words may seem as an accusation against us. Paul suggests that we are to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness and gentleness, but these are not what we pursue. Do we always do the right thing, think the best of others, speak well of others, explain everything in the kindest way? Do we live our faith or do we rather trust more in ourselves? Are we steadfast and gentle or are we more unforgiving and hardhearted? Do we believe everything we have is a gift from God or do we believe we have worked for and earned everything we have?
 

Paul’s urging is to live the life we have confessed, that is to live a life of faith in Jesus. Yet, how often do we find ourselves worried and fretting about our lives, about our finances, about our bills, about who knows what? Unfortunately, no matter how hard we may try, because we are conceived and born in sin, we cannot live as Paul urges us. The fact of the matter is, we sin and we sin boldly.
 

Yet, Paul gives us the answer. He reminds us that Jesus’ confession was to give His life for ours. Remember, the very reason Jesus was born into this world was to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Jesus was born to live perfectly for us, in our place. Jesus was born to live a life of contentment because we cannot. And Jesus was content. He lived His whole life owning only the clothes on His back and the sandals on His feet and He was content.
 

But Paul is not done. He goes on to encourage those who have been given to, in other words He encourages us. He says,  “17As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life” (v. 17-19).
 

Paul is not writing to give us a new law, rather he is writing to us to help us live lives of faith, that is he is encouraging us in our response of faith. To those who have been given, Paul says, they are expected to be good stewards, in other words, they are to be doing good works and be generous in sharing what God has first given to them with others. As we come to realize that God does give us all that we need, we will also come to realize that God gives us even more than we need and much if not most of what we want. God is gracious to us because His desire is not that we keep these things for ourselves, but that we share from our bounty with others. And we will find that as we do so, returning first to God, He will bless us even more. Because you cannot out give God.
 

Interestingly enough Paul reminds us that in giving we will be storing up treasure in heaven. I know that is exactly opposite of what the world believes, teaches and confesses, but God’s reality is not the worlds reality. Returning to God first, from what He has first given to us is a sign of faith. As we believe God has first given to us and so we return a portion of our first fruit to Him, that is a sign that we do believe He has given to us in the first place and that He will continue to give to us. Which means that the opposite is also true, when we fail to first return a portion of our first fruits, that is a sign of a lack of faith and perhaps even a sign that we believe we have earned what we have and that we believe it is ours. Yes, we might well conclude that the gift of possessions is a lot of work.
 

So, what does this mean? First and foremost we are again reminded that God owns and man owes. Everything we have is God’s and we are simply stewards of all we have. Perhaps we might take care, then, in the way we speak about the gifts God has given to us. Maybe we need to change our language from speaking about our things and instead begin speaking about how we are to care for the gifts God has loaned to us to care for, then maybe we will not be so tempted to be so possessive or so envious or covetous.
 

Second, God, through Paul reminds us that a life lived in pursuit of financial gain and possessions is not only folly, but could be detrimental. In other words, our continued pursuit of money for the sake of gaining more could lead us to idolatry, believing in ourselves and our own powers instead of believing in God and the gifts He has to give.
 

Third, God, through Paul reminds us that all we really need is food and clothing. And yet we have more than we need, much of what we want, and often more than we could want. Last week Paul reminded us of our need to pray and especially our need to give thanks to our Lord. This week even more we are reminded of our need to give thanks. We are indeed so well blessed in this country. We have so much more than others do in many countries around the world. And what is our attitude, to give thanks or to ask for more?
 

As we are reminded every Sunday, God has given to us our greatest need, that is He has given His all in Jesus. God gives us the greatest gifts we need; faith, forgiveness and life. These are not things we get for ourselves. These are not gifts we deserve or earn, rather they are gifts because they are not earned or deserved. If they were earned or deserved, they would no longer be gifts. But the fact is, they are gifts because God gives them to us because of His great love for us. They are gifts because God gives them without expecting anything in return. Yes, God gives and we are given to.
 

And finally, not only does God give us all the good gifts and blessings we have, not only does He expect us to be good stewards of all that He has given, but to make sure we are good stewards, He also promises to help us. And He continues to forgive us when we fail, as we often do. So, as always, we are pointed back to God and what He does and gives. What a great God we have. What a loving God we have. What a gift giving God we have. To Him alone be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

A Trustworthy Saying - September 11, 2016 - Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost - (Proper 19) - Text: 1 Timothy 1:(5-11) 12-17

Our text for this morning is another letter. This letter is one in which Paul is writing to the young pastor, Timothy. The main emphasis of Paul’s letter is to warn and instruct Timothy concerning the heresies of Gnosticism, decadent Judaism, and false asceticism. To help you get a handle on what these heresies are let me make a general comparison to attach these heresies to something from today. The comparisons that I can make to today of these heresies would be something like this: Gnosticism might in a small way be compared to the New Age teachings that the spirit is the main thing and this physical world is just a holding place until we all reach our spirit goal; decadent Judaism might be compared to decadent Judaism of today, that is, the false teachings and myths that are promoted in many Jewish churches, especially those concerning Jesus; and false asceticism might be compared to our modern day “post-modernism” with its understanding that image is everything. Out of these three I believe the one which speaks most to us today is the last, that is, that we are more interested in image than substance, we are more interested in what something looks like rather than what it really is inside, which leads to the question I often ask which is, “What do our actions say concerning what is in our hearts?” With that said, I would, again, remind you that this is a letter. Paul is writing to Timothy, but God through Paul is also writing to us today.
 

Paul is speaking to us today concerning what were we like before faith was given to us. Using himself as an example, Paul says he was a blasphemer, a persecutor and a violent aggressor. We know about his former way of life. We know about how he was there at the stoning of Stephen, watching the coats, and approving of what was happening. We know about how he was a Pharisee of Pharisees. We know about how he went about persecuting the Christians thinking that he was doing what God wanted him to do. He was indeed practicing decadent Judaism, as he calls it. We know that Paul speaks from experience.
 

What about us? What is our background? How were we before faith was given to us? We confess that we are born spiritually dead, spiritually blind and enemies of God. We confess with David, “surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me” (Ps. 51:5). We confess, every Sunday morning, that we are “by nature sinful and unclean.” We confess that this is something that stays with us as we confess that we “have sinned against [God] in thought, word and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone.” To the person who says they do not go to church because there are hypocrites in church, I say, “yes, and that is why we go to church, to repent and be given God’s forgiveness for saying we are Christians and then acting otherwise.”
 

Paul says that he was the foremost of sinners. He literally says he is the first. Paul humbles himself, reflecting on his own life, knowing his own sins. He admits that he should be a better person, but he is a sinful human being who deserves nothing but God’s condemnation.
 

Paul’s words remind us that we too should confess with Paul that we are the foremost of sinners. One quick trip through the ten commandments reminds us of our own sinful human nature, not that we have broken all the commandments by actually committing crimes against them, but that we break them daily in thought and in word, what we say and even how we say it, as well as many time actually in deed. Here, as we contemplate and confess our sins we are reminded of Jesus’ words, “he who is forgiven little loves little, he who is forgiven much loves much” (Luke 7;47). Think how much more Jesus’ death means to us when we realize how sinful we really are. If we think we have only sinned a little, then we live a life which says that we think we are actually good people and do not have much need for Jesus, thus we fail in our making use of the means of grace and we actually often refuse and reject God’s gifts. When we realize how sinful we truly are, as Paul says, when we confess we are the foremost of sinners, then we realize just how much we need Jesus and thus we live our lives in such a way that others see our clinging to our Lord for forgiveness and life as our desire is to be where and when His gifts are given out.
 

We are conceived and born in sin, but that was then, and this is now. How have we changed? Or have we changed? First, we have changed, or we have been changed at our Baptism. At our Baptism we have had Jesus’ name put on us. We have been given faith, forgiveness and life. We have been given grace, God’s riches at Christ’s expense. We have been given mercy, God’s mercy, because without God’s grace and mercy we would be lost. God’s mercy is this, “while we were still sinners [while we were in the middle of sinning, being enemies of God and actually fighting against Him] Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). God’s mercy is seen in this, “very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:7-8).
 

We have been given faith, that instrument which takes hold of and makes the rest of God’s good gifts and blessings ours. We have been given faith at our Baptism. We have that faith nurtured and strengthened through regular divine service attendance, regular reading of God’s Word, and regular Bible class attendance. We have been given faith because without faith we would be lost.
 

We have been given love, that thing which reflects that faith which God has put in our hearts. Love is the culmination of all that God gives. If we do not have love, can we say we have the other of God’s gifts (1 Cor. 13)? Faith, poured out in our hearts shows itself in the fact that we show love for God and for one another. Which reminds us that the opposite is true as well, if we are not showing love then that is an indication of gift refusal and no faith in the heart. John says it this way, “We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother” (1 John 4:19-21). God’s grace and faith show itself in our love which is seen in our actions and in our giving of ourselves, our time, our talents and our treasure, not that we give out of compulsion, because we have to, but that we give because God has first given to us. We have been given love because without love we would be seen to not have faith.
 

We have changed, but what brought about our change? Was it that we looked deep within ourselves? Society tells us that change comes from within. Look inside yourself for the answer we are told, over and over again, ad nausea. Today we have the electronic e-mail to help us to look inside ourselves. How many e-mails to we receive and forward that encourage such behavior, looking inside ourselves, making a decision for Jesus, don’t feel guilty, just forward this and all will be well we are promised. But what do we find within ourselves? Earlier we made note that we are by nature spiritually blind, spiritually dead, and enemies of God. All we find inside is a person completely against God. Really, there would be no change in us if it had to come from within.
 

Did this change come because we worked for this change? Again, society will tell us that we need to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and make our own way. We are pretty good people after all, at least we are not as bad as our neighbor down the street. “Pastor, I know I am a sinner, tell me what I have done right,” but there is the rub. Can we change ourselves for good? Here again, when we remember that our nature is that we are spiritually dead, spiritually blind and enemies of God we realize that there is nothing that we can do to work a change in ourselves, at least not by ourselves.
 

So, was this change something that came from outside of us? Yes, as always, change, faith, forgiveness, all things must come from outside of us. Faith comes by the Holy Spirit working in us through the Word and the sacraments. Forgiveness is given to us through the Word and the sacraments. Strengthening of faith is given to us through the Word and the sacraments. Change that is good change, that is life changing and life giving change must and does come from outside of ourselves.
 

As I said earlier, Paul is speaking to you and me. Paul reminds us that we are dependent on God for our salvation, it does not come from ourselves. We cannot save ourselves. We cannot choose Jesus. We cannot be good, we cannot, we cannot, we cannot. It comes from God and God alone.
 

How, then, is our dependence on God reflected in our life? I always tell people, “you do not have to tell me your priorities, they show.” What does your life show is important? Does your life reflect self-dependence or God-dependence? Take a look at your life and you will know. How do you spend your time? Do you spend your time concerned with the cares and concerns of this world or with the cares and concerns of your spiritual well-being? How about your talents? Where and how do you use the talents and abilities God has given you? Do you use them simply as a way of making a living, or do you also use them in service to the Lord in His kingdom? And what about your treasure? Where do you spend you money, on the things of this world or in service to the Lord in His kingdom? And when you do give to the Lord, of your time, talents or treasure, do you do so begrudgingly, as if under compulsion, because you have to, or freely, as a response of faith, because you get to. As Paul says to Timothy, so he speaks to us, “5The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (v. 5). And our aim is the same today, that is that we love because God first loves us, that we love and show our love through the life we live, a life that is guided by our faith and good conscience. Because, as we said, the opposite is just as true, a life of lovelessness, a life of thinking, speaking and doing sinful things reflects a lack of love, a lack of gifts received and instead it reflects a life of gifts refused and no faith and no love.
 

If image is everything, what do our lives say concerning our faith in Christ? On Christ’s part, He gave everything for us. Because of His love for us, His creation, His creatures, He gave up the glory that was His in heaven in order to take on human flesh and blood. He owned nothing except the clothes on His back while He was here on this earth and He never was concerned about where His next meal would come from, He lived perfectly, obeying all God’s commands perfectly and fulfilling all God’s prophecies perfectly, for us, in our place as our substitute, because that is what is demanded of us and what we are unable to do.  Ultimately, He took all our sins upon Himself in order to pay the price for our sins, that is to suffer eternal spiritual death and hell, even to die for our sins. He gave His life for ours. He died and He rose and now He is seated at the right hand of the Father where He is watching over us, ruling over us and interceding for us. God created you to love you and He does love you and He shows His love for you in His desire to shower you, to lavish you with His good gifts and blessings which He does through His means of grace. May the Holy Spirit work in your life so that you may be moved to respond in such a way that your desire is to be given even more of our Lord’s good gifts and blessings and finally that your life says, thanks be to God and to God be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.