Sunday Sermon

"The Call"
[Mark 6:1--13]
March 26, 2006 Second Reformed Church

Peter wrote, "As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (I Peter 2:4-5).

Are we living up to our call?

I was talking with a non--Christian businessman, and he told me that he hated dealing with professed Christian business people because they were bigger liars, thieves, and con--artists than non--Christians. And statistically, he's right -- professed Christians in 2006, get divorced more often than non--Christians, are convicted of theft more often than non--Christians, get more abortions than non--Christians...

The "good" news is that not everyone who calls himself a Christian is a Christian, so those statistics are tainted. The bad news is that you and I are not living up to our call.

Jesus returned to Nazareth with His disciples, and since it was the Sabbath, He went into the synagogue and began teaching. Just like birds naturally live in nests and bears naturally live in caves, it was just natural that Jesus would be in worship on the Sabbath. There was no question of there being something better to do, or being too tired, or just "taking a break" from worship.

This past year, Christmas fell on a Sunday, and a number of the "mega--churches" around the country closed so their parishioners could stay home all day with their families. After all, they argued, the real point of Christmas is being a family. Well, no, it's not. The point of Christmas is that the Almighty God was born in human flesh, to live and die and rise again, to the glory of the Father. This Child is the same God Who said that one day in seven belongs to Him for the worship of Him. Whatever else occurs on a Sunday, unless God in His Providence keeps us away, we are to be in worship.

So Jesus was preaching in the synagogue in His hometown, and the people knew Him; they had seen Him grow up among them. And they began to question among themselves, "Who does He think He is? We know Jesus -- He works for His father, Joseph, in the carpentry shop. We know his brothers and sisters -- they all grew up right here. Who is He to interpret the Scriptures for us? Who is He to tell us what is right and what is wrong?" And they were offended by Him. Notice, it doesn't say that they thought what He was saying was wrong. No, we're told that they were offended by Him because He grew up among them, with their children, He was like part of the family, and here He was, suddenly correcting them and teaching them.

Ask any ordained minister, and you will find out that their family and friends do not suddenly find them to be the source of Truth once they've received their ordination. In fact, there is more likely to be a resentment from them: "I knew him when he couldn't ride a bike. I knew him when he failed his exam. I knew him when he did this wrong and that wrong -- he use to be a lot of fun -- but now he thinks he's 'holier than thou.' Now he thinks he speaks for God."

We can hear Jesus shaking His head, "A prophet is not despised except in his homeland and among his relatives and among his household." And it's true of Christians in general and our call as Christians. The people who will most resent us, most despise us, most pity us, and be most confused by us, are our family, friends, and neighbors. That's a promise from Jesus: if you truly believe in Him and follow Him, we will have problems with our families and friends, especially among those who are not Christians.

Jesus went all around Nazareth and was astounded at their lack of faith, and Jesus could not do much work among them, because they did not believe. Still, we ought not to lose hope or stop being a witness to Christ, simply because of the reaction of those closest to us. It is often easier to receive the truth from someone we don't know well. And we ought not be afraid to leave, when God calls us, to minister among people we don't know.

Let us remember, Moses was dishonored by his brother and sister, Jeremiah was dishonored among his people, as was Daniel, and Paul was despised by his fellow Jews (Petter, 303). These men ought to have been honored, not because they were sinless, but because they were prophets of God; they were ministers of God. And the same is true today, if a minister preaches solely the Word of God, then he should be honored for the sake of the office, not because he is sinless, but because he has been called to speak for God by His Word. It is a terrible indictment of our world that the office of "minister" and "priest" have become synonymous with the crime of pedophilia.

Still, despite the reaction Jesus received, He sent the twelve out, and He sends out ministers and all Christians today as witnesses to Himself. And Jesus sent them out two by two. Why? Because ministry is not a "one-man show"; ministry is not done by "lone rangers." You and I, ministers and parishioners, need a fellow Christian by our side as we do the work of the Lord. Jesus sent the twelve out in pairs that they might comfort each other and encourage each other, and strengthen each other, and learn from each other and present a united doctrine -- a single clear teaching and message together. We need each other, as frail beings of dust, to be able to carry and present the weight of the glory of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Knowing that, we also need to remember that our authority is from God. Just as God gave the twelve authority over unclean spirits and demons, He has given us authority to speak His Word, as we find it in the Bible. God has given us gifts and talents that we would each, in our own way and with each other, be able to present all the God has said in His Word.

And we need also to remember that our needs for the good works that God calls us to perform are supplied by God. Jesus told the twelve to bring a rod, a tunic, and a pair of sandals. Jesus promised that He would provide houses that would open up and care for them while they were in a given location. That does not mean that we no longer have to be wise in our use of the blessings God gives us; God expects that we would look to Him for wisdom in how we would use and disburse all that He gives us. However, we are wrong to get ourselves worried about "what if." God will provide for all that He has for us to do for Him. If God does not provide, then what we had in mind is not what God wants.

Jesus told the twelve that there will be those who will not receive them into their house or receive their word. To such as these, Jesus told the disciples to shake the dirt from the bottoms of their feet as evidence against them and leave. We also are to be people who get up and leave when intolerable and blasphemous things are being said about our God and when others refuse to hear the clear Word of God read and preach. Do we get up and leave when our God is mocked? Or do we tolerate it? Or even giggle along?

The historian Eusebius wrote what he was told by Ireneaus, a disciple of the Apostle John: Ireneaus and the Apostle John went to the bathes, and when they found the heretic, Cerinthus, enjoying a bath, they turned around and immediately left, warning everyone who would listen to leave the baths, because there was a heretic in the baths, and God might bring the roof down upon him and anyone else who tolerated his presence (Petter 315). Perhaps we chuckle at the description, but God has been known to kill people for their persistence in sin. And even if one escapes God's Wrath in this lifetime, there will be no escape in the world to come. Everyone who does not believe will be thrown into the lake of fire with the devil and his angels, where they will all suffer eternally in body and soul. This is a horror we don't like to talk about, but for the sake of the souls of those who hear us and see us, we must make that possibility clear.

There is a kindness, a so--called "tolerance," that is completely inappropriate for the Christian. There are times when we must shake the dirt from our feet and leave. And we don't like to do that -- it's hard to do that, but there are times when we must say, "If you have no interest in the Word of God and see fit only to blaspheme Him, we must leave." We do not live up to our call if we coddle such persons.

The positive side is that we are to be witnessing to Jesus by our good works and by our obedience. We are to be a people who are known for our belief and faith and sure hope in Christ. Jesus sent the twelve out to preach repentance. We are not all called to be ordained ministers, but we have all been called to be Christians, to live lives worthy of our God and wholly devoted to Him. In this life, we will not fully reach holiness, but we are called to strive towards it, to make progress towards it.

That's why Paul wrote, "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure" (Philippians 2:12-13). We are sinners -- all of us -- and we are called to repent of our sins, to believe in Jesus, and He has forgiven every sin of everyone who will believe. And He has credited us with His Righteousness. Why? So God would see us as righteous and receive us into the Kingdom and so we would be able to fight and claw and repent and be forgiven, and fight again, until that righteousness becomes a reality in our lives. It's God Who works in us, and part of His Will and His Work is to make that credited righteousness our reality. That we would one day be received by God as eternally, holy beings like Him.

Peter wrote, "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies to him who called you out of the darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation" (I Peter 2:9-12).

Let us remember that God has called us, in His Mercy, to be witnesses. And some of our friends and family will resent us for it. Still, God has given us authority to make His Name and His Gospel of Salvation known, and He has promised to provide us with everything we need to carry out His Will. He has even made people ready and willing to open their doors and hearts and minds to the witness we live and speak. But there are some to whom we are to witness against, those who persistently refuse to believe and profane the Name of God and His Word. These we must testify against and walk away from. Still there are others who will hear and believe, and together, we have all been qualified for the work that Christ has for us. His Word will not return empty, and He gives us no excuses, but makes everything possible in Him, as we live and speak His Word.

Let us pray:
Almighty God, we thank You that You chose us and called us and are making us holy. Cause us to despise our sin and turn more readily from it. Make our desire be the holiness You have called us to and promised we will be when Your Kingdom has fully come. Make us witnesses to Your Word in our actions and words, even as we struggle against sin, and increase our trust and faith in You. Makes us a people who do not tolerate offenses against You, but take a strong stand on the clear teaching of Your Word for Your Glory. For it is in Jesus' Holy Name we pray, Amen.