"We Always Thank God" Sermon: Colossians 1:3-14

“We Always Thank God”
[Colossians 1:3-14 ]
November 15, 2009

Paul opens his letter to the Christians at Colossae by telling them, “we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you.” Do you find that true of yourself? Do you find yourself always giving thanks to God for the people of this church? This morning as we celebrate Thanksgiving Sunday, I would like us to look at Paul’s thanks for the Colossians and have us find four reasons we ought to be giving thanks for each other in prayer and three things that we ought to be praying for each other.

Paul begins by telling the Colossian Christians that they always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for them because they have faith in Jesus Christ. Why would Paul do that? For two reasons – because faith in Jesus Christ comes from God and because we, like the angels, ought to rejoice in the salvation of a brother of a sister.

Paul tells us in that well-known passage, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9, ESV). Anyone who believes in Jesus – anyone who has faith in Jesus – was given that faith and belief by God. It was a gift of God, not something that they – or you or I – could come up with ourselves. So, we ought to give thanks for that gift of faith, not just for ourselves, but for all those who believe – even those in this church.

And Jesus reminds us, “Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance” (Luke 15:7, ESV). We ought to rejoice and give thanks when a person comes to faith in Christ, and, therefore, we ought to rejoice and give thanks for a person who is a Christian.

That leads to the second reason Paul and his companions always give thanks to God for them: the Christians at Colossae had “love for all of the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven.” They loved their fellow Christians. Because a person was a Christian, they had love for them. Because we have the same One Savior and the same One Hope in Him for our salvation and our future, they loved them. And we ought to love one another in Christ and give thanks for each other in love as Christians.

Now, I understand that not everyone is the same. Some people “get along” with each other better than other people. Some people we really like, and some people we don’t particularly care for. That is ok. We don’t have to want to spend every hour of our lives with every single person in the Church – in fact, it would be impossible to do so. But we must all love each other – and as we saw last week, love involves action.

As we’ve seen when we have looked at the command to love our neighbor as ourselves, which is the broader idea, when we love our fellow Christians, we are to do everything within our power to make their lives better. That mean that we don’t sin against them. We don’t do things that will hinder them in doing God’s Will. It may mean, if it’s a person we don’t care for, that we stay out of their way.

There are pastors in Classis that I don’t particularly care for as people, and there are pastors in Classis that don’t particularly care for me, but we love each other in Christ – as fellow Christians, and we are civil towards each other and work for the good together, but we don’t go out of our way to be together otherwise. That’s ok. We don’t have to be best friends with every Christian. But we do have to love them and thank God for them. Each one is a person for whom Christ died. For that reason, we are obliged to love them and thank God for them. And for most people that will not be an issue.

Third, Paul and his companions always gave thanks to God for the Colossian Christians because they were bearing fruit. They were living out the Gospel. They were doing the good works that they were called to do in Christ Jesus. People knew that they were Christians and the things they did – the good they did – was done and done in a way that people knew they were Christians. They did good work – honest work – they were fair and didn’t cheat.

The Colossian Christians were known to have the fruit of the Spirit “... love, joy, peace patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, [and] self-control” (Galatians 5:22b-23a, ESV). Their character was different from the people around them, which showed that they were Jesus’.

Do you work as for God and not merely for men? Do you do the best work you can possibly do and do it in a way that shows the character of Jesus in you? Do we show those we interact with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. And do we thank God when we see these things in our brothers and sisters? We should always be thankful to God when we see such fruit in our fellow Christians.

And fourth, Paul and his companions always gave thanks to God because the Colossians were growing. They were maturing. They were becoming more Christ-like. They were sinning less and living in the way that they had been called to live in Christ all the more. When we notice that someone has matured in the faith, we ought to always give thanks to God.

That is why they always gave thanks to God for them: because of their faith in Christ Jesus, because of their love for all Christians, because they were bearing fruit, and because they were growing. Can the same be said about you and me? I hope so. We ought to have faith in Jesus Christ (and so we are Christians). We ought to love our fellow Christians. We ought to be bearing fruit. And we ought to be growing. And we ought to be thanking God always as we see these things in others.

What, specifically, was Paul praying for these Christians, and what ought we to be praying for each other and all Christians?

First, Paul said that they pray for the Colossian Christians to be “filled with the knowledge of [God’s] will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”

How do we know God’s Will? There are mountains of books on how to determine God’s Will – most of them bad – but we only need one book to determine God’s Will – the Bible. In Paul’s day, they had the scrolls being passed from church to church and copied down, but we now have easy access to everything God has said.

“But the Bible doesn’t tell me who to marry or what job I should pursue,” some will argue.

That’s true: there are lots of things the Bible doesn’t tell us – what shampoo to use, what car to buy, which church to attend, what color clothes look best on us – don’t misunderstand, God does know everything and all that He wants for us, but God has given us what is contained in His Word, with enough commands and principles that we should get along fine if we follow them in spiritual wisdom and understanding.

Where do we get spiritual wisdom and understanding of God’s Word? From God the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26, ESV).

But again, understand, the Holy Spirit will not bring to remembrance things that you have never heard or read. If you never read the Bible, you won’t have anything for the Holy Spirit to bring to your memory. Likewise, the Holy Spirit will not give you wisdom and understanding of God’s Word if you never read it. When we read the Bible, it sinks into our hearts and minds and the Holy Spirit will help us to understand to us remember it and to apply it with spiritual wisdom.

So, I would ask that you would pray for me – that I would keep reading the Bible – every day. And I would ask that you would pray that the Holy Spirit would help me to understand with spiritual wisdom so I can better serve as your pastor. I make a point of getting up, taking my medications, and then reading my Bible. Please pray that I would keep doing that. There are mornings that I am running late and think about putting it off, but I need to get up and read first, as my priority for my soul and for my service

And so do we all. Let us all pray for each other that we would keep in the Bible, reading every day, so we would better know our God and Savior and what He wants us to know and be and do.

Second, Paul tells them that they are praying that they would then “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”

The Bible tells us everything we need to know for life and salvation, and as we read it, the Holy Spirit helps us to understand it and remember it and practically apply it, and this is Paul’s second prayer – for them and for us – that they and we actually live out what God has said in His Word. As we have seen – even last week – it is not enough to know what the Bible says. It’s not enough to know what God has said to do and be. We have to also live it out. We have to do and be what and who God has called us to be – through Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit – and when we do that, we will bear fruit – people will be able to see that what we are doing is for God and according to His Will and Ways.

And again, I would ask you to pray for me – that I would conscientiously and systematically put into practice all those things I learn from the Scripture. I want to know God better, and I want to be more and more obedient, having greater joy, and, accordingly, become more holy – until that final day when I am fully changed into the Image of the Son – fully glorified with Him forever.

And we should pray that for each other. If we are truly Christians, we should want to live out everything we come to know about God and His Will for us. So, let us pray that we will learn more of Who God is and what He would have for us, and that through the grace and power that He gives us through the reading and preaching of His Word and through the sacraments, we all will be able to live fruitful and pleasing lives before God, increasing in the knowledge of Him.

And third, Paul tells the Colossian Christians that they were praying that they would be “strengthened according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father.”

Similarly, Paul wrote, “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith – that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fulness of God” (Ephesians 3:14-19, ESV).

God desires that we be filled with Him, strengthened by His Grace through the sacraments and the reading and preaching of His Word, that we might accomplish what He has planned for us. As Paul wrote, “We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10, ESV).

With God, we can endure whatever happens and persevere until the end of this race called life. Through Jesus and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we can do all that He puts before us, if we trust Him, if we follow Him. And as we rely on Him, we will find we are more patient – with each other – with all people, and we will be filled with the joy that cannot be comprehended by the non-Christian, and we will become a people of thanks, especially of the salvation that we have been given.

Would you pray for me, that I would be strengthened for the work God has given me in this place? That I would follow Him and receive grace from Him here and in other places that I go to worship? That I would become a more patient pastor – trusting all the more on God and His Will rather than merely what my eyes see? That I would be evermore filled with the joy of Christ and never come short of reasons to be thankful to God?

Let us pray these things for each other. We are a church, part of the Body of Christ – a Body that is designed to work together for the glory of our Triune God. Let us all submit ourselves to Him, relying on His strength that we might all endure in patience with joy and have reason after reason to give thanks to our God and Savior.

Do you find yourself always giving thanks to God for the people of this church? May it be so for every one of us, because every Christian in this sanctuary has been saved by faith alone in Jesus Christ. Every Christian in this sanctuary shows loves to their fellow Christians. Every Christian in this sanctuary is bearing fruit and growing.

But let us not be content: not one of us is perfect. We are still flawed, still sinners, still in need of growing up and mature in the faith. So, let us pray that we all would spend daily time in God’s Word to know Him and His Will, being guided by the Holy Spirit Who lives in us. Let us pray that we would each become doers of the Word and not just hearers – let us live out what we learn in the Scripture. And let us pray that we would each be strengthened through the means that God has given us that we might endure, and become patient, and be filled with joy and thanksgiving.

We above all people have a Reason to be thankful.

Let us pray:
Almighty God and Savior, Jesus Christ the Son, and Holy Spirit, we come before the One God to lift up our voices in thanksgiving, because You have chosen to save us for Yourself by Yourself and for Your Own Reasons – may your receive all the glory. Help us to be thankful and prayerful according to the example of Paul and all of your Scripture, and may the Holy Spirit reminds us and instruct us in all these things that we would have Your Joy. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

"Are You Giving God Your Leftovers?" Sermon: I John 3:16-18

“Are You Giving God Your Leftovers?”
[I John 3:16-18]
November 8, 2009 Second Reformed Church

Have you ever heard someone say, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch?” “Nobody does anything without an ulterior motive.” “You scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours.” “Quid pro quo.” We are have become a society that expects that if you do something, you should get something, and, conversely, that if you don’t do something for me, I’m not going to do something for you. We do not look to do good for others, not expecting to get anything back from them, and we are shocked when and if someone does something for us when we have not done or promised anything to them.

So, it makes me wonder, “what motivates our giving?” Why do you and I give what we give, when we give it? Making the question about people – about relationships, we might ask, “how do you know someone loves you?”

John tells us, “By this we know love, that [Jesus] laid down his life for us.” John tells us what love is, and he tells us that we understand that Jesus loves us because He laid down His Life for us. He did something that showed us that He loves us. He did something radical – that people don’t just do for someone else.

It’s all the more amazing because we didn’t know we needed someone to lay their life down for us. In fact, we were spiritual dead, unknowing and unable to help ourselves at all: “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of the world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience – among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even while we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved – and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not of your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:1-10, ESV).

And it is even more amazing – not only did Jesus lay His Life down for us – we who were dead and unknowing of our need – we weren’t neutral – we hated God and anything to do with Him: “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation” (Romans 5:1-11, ESV).

In other words, we were dead in our sin, enemies of God, and Jesus showed His Love to us by dying for our sin, raising us from the dead, giving us new life according to His keeping of God’s Law – and not only that, Jesus was not just a mere man. Jesus is fully a human being, but He is also the One Almighty God.

How unexpected is it then, that God would decide to love a people who were dead and hated Him and had nothing to offer Him, still He became a Man, lived, died, rose, and ascended, and promises us eternal life with Him? That’s love, John tells us.

I hope that still amazes you. Sometimes we sing – almost with a yawn in our mouths – “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.” “Amazing grace! How sweet the sound! That saved a wretch like me!” Do you believe it? Does it amaze you? If it doesn’t, you either have too high a view of yourself or too low a view of God. God is Holy, Holy, Holy – He cannot have any sin in His Presence. And we are sinners by nature – wretches – until He makes us His.

Think about how we were – what the Scripture tells us about ourselves compared to God. How far we were from what God requires How lost – hopelessly lost Do we begin to glimpse what kind of love that is – that Jesus laid down His Life for us?

Repeat after me: “I was a wretch. But Jesus laid down His Life for me.”

Again: “I was a wretch. But Jesus laid down His Life for me.”

Again: “I was a wretch. But Jesus laid down His Life for me.”

“So we ought to lay down our lives for each other.”

What?

What did you say? We know what love is because Jesus laid down His Life for us, so we ought to lay down our lives for each other.. What does that mean? In real life, most of us won’t ever have the need or opportunity, Lord willing, of physically dying for another person. So what does this really mean for us?

Well, John tells us: “But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother [or sister] in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” John says that we can practically lay down our lives for each other by providing for each other’s needs. And if we do have enough and we have the ability to help someone meet their needs and we do nothing – that is not love. It means we may not understand what love is.

James writes, “If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?” (James 215-16, ESV).

If we say we believe in Jesus, if we say we love Him, if we say we love our fellow Christians (in particular, here), and God has blessed us with more than we need – and God has blessed every single one of us with more than we need of something, then we ought to be willing to give whatever that is, even up to our very lives, to fill another’s need and to glorify God.

Meeting others’ needs is one way we show that we understand the love that Jesus has for us in laying down His Life. True love is more than words. True love brings about action. True love is love in deed. Love has a physical and/or material aspect to it.

As we bring this idea back to Jesus and the Church – remember we started by saying that we understand what love is because Jesus laid His Life down for us – Jesus – the Almighty God Incarnate, laid down His Life for a bunch of dead people that hated Him. Amazing!

How do we physically/materially show our love to Jesus? By loving others, and by giving of ourselves and our blessings to the Church (which is the means by which God chose to spread the Gospel to the whole world – as we are beginning to see in the book of Acts).

Right now, I would like us to consider how we show our love to Jesus – through the Church – with our money. And the obvious way we show our love to Jesus through the Church with our money is by giving money to the Church. Yet, we have often given for the wrong reasons or in the wrong way.

We are not to give to the Church in the same way that we pay any other bill. We ought not to look at our giving to the Church as paying what we owe for the week. For two reasons: first, none of us could ever give enough money to pay God back what we owe for this week – for forgiveness, for love, for life. And second, what we give to the Church is to be our gift, a token of our worship – not something we are compelled to do.

Do not misunderstand: God does require that we give to the Church. God said that our giving is to begin with ten percent of our gross income. That was the Law and that is what Jesus said as well. We are to begin by giving ten percent of our gross income to the Church. And then, as we are led by the Spirit, we are to give more. But it ought to be done cheerfully, willingly, joyfully, not like paying the phone bill or the utility bill.

We are not to give to the Church simply to pay “our share” of the expenses. While is it true that the Church has expenses and most of the money that is given to the Church is given to pay for those expenses, if you look at our church budget, you know you are not paying your share. Our budget is just under $100,000 a year. Our share would be at least $5,000 a year. We are not to give to the Church based on whether or not we liked the pastor’s sermon. I am called to speak the Word of God from this pulpit. If I am not doing that, the elders should correct me. If I am doing that, because we are still sinners, there are things I will say that you will like and things I will say that you will not like, and that is completely irrelevant to our giving. If it is the Word of God it is the Word of God. You are not paying for a show or an education.

We are not to merely give our leftovers to the Church. We have a tendency to give whatever we have left over each week to God. We give what we have in our pockets, or in our wallets, or, we look at our checkbook, and think about how much we can spare. But the biblical principle is that God gets the first cut off the top – that’s why I said a minimum of ten percent of our gross income. Most of us have taxes taken out before we receive our paycheck, or SSI, or pension, and so forth. But God will not take second place to the government. God demands ten percent – to begin with – of our entire income.

I was brought up to do that. Many people were not. And those who have not done it have a tendency to say that they can’t afford to give ten percent of their gross – and more. Some people give “x” number of dollars because that’s what their parents did, or that’s what they decided to do fifty years ago, and nothing will ever change that – except their income going down. Which means, either God is wrong, or we are.

Looking at it positively:

We are to give to the Church as part of our worship. When I ask that the ushers come forward that we might worship God with our tithes and our offerings, I am serious about what I am saying. Our giving is to be an act of worship. What we put in that plate should reflect what we believe about the worth of God – of Jesus Christ – and what He has done for us. We do not offer up our gifts to merit forgiveness, but to thank God for the forgiveness He merited for us. How much is Jesus worth?

We are to give to the Church as part of how we show our understanding of the value of Jesus’ Love. Just a few verses before this morning’s reading, John wrote, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are” (I John 3:1a, ESV). John was amazed at the Love of God in Jesus Christ – are we? How much do we value His taking God’s Wrath, forgiving our sin, crediting us with His Righteousness.

We are to give to the Church to see Jesus honored and believed. We give to show each other and the world that we believe that Jesus and His Gospel – salvation in Him Alone – is true – that He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the One and Only Savior.

We are to give our first and our best to the Church because Jesus’ Love is worth more than everything else – together. We give our first and best to the Church because no matter what else happens, no matter what else is lost, no matter what else goes wrong, no matter how the stock market moves or how our friends and relatives use and abuse us for our money – or shower us with financial gifts, we want each other and the world to know that Jesus is first and best and His Love is worth more than anything and everything else all together. Think about it this way: if you had a basket filled with Jesus’ Love and all the rest of your stuff, and you had to give away one thing after another until you only had one thing left, what would you want? I hope the answer is Jesus’ Love. There is no other hope than what He has done for us in His Love.

And we give to the Church to show that we trust Jesus. We give to show each other and the world that we trust Jesus when He promises to provide for all of our needs. We don’t hoard away all of our blessings and neglect giving to the Church because of what might happen. But we manage our money with the wisdom God has given us, yet we also give God what He commands and more as we are led to do so, believing in His Promises, trusting that He will provide for us. Do you believe Him?

This week, my mother gave away two food items: out of thanks to one of my sister's doctors, my mother baked a big banana streusel cake – which is apparently incredible – and gave it to the doctor, who was very thankful and told my mother how good it was. My mother also told me that she had bought this “wheat berry salad” because it was supposed to be good for you, but she didn’t like it at all, and she wondered if I would like the leftovers.

Do you know love?

Or are you giving God your leftovers?

Let us pray:
We pray to You, O God Who loved us so much that You laid down Your Life for us, and we ask that You would help us to know through Your Act what love is. Let us show our love to our brothers and sisters in doing good for them, not expecting anything in return. And let us come to worship, ready to worship You by giving, obediently, and generously, to You out of the financial income You have given us. For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

The Flea Market

The Flea Market is tomorrow, November 7th, from 10 AM to 2 PM (D.V.) -- please join us, take a look, shop, and support the ministry of Jesus Christ at Second Reformed Church -- thank you!

"Who Is Melchizedek?"

“Who is Melchizedek?”
Rev. Peter A. Butler, Jr.

One of the more curious characters we meet in the Scripture is one by the name of Melchizedek. We read this in Genesis:

“After [Abram’s] return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) And he blessed him and said, ‘Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand ’ And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. And the king of Sodom said to Abram, ‘Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.’ But Abram said to the king of Sodom, ‘I have lifted my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’ I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eschol, and Mamre take their share’” (Genesis 14:17-24, ESV).

At the very least, we can say this is a curious passage: Abram has come from defeating some of his enemies on the way to take the land of Canaan, according to God’s Will and Command, and after he has won the battle, he meets this Melchizedek in the King’s Valley. It is certainly a peaceful meeting – they have not come to war with each other. But who is Melchizedek?

We are told that he is the King of Salem. And, curiously, (since God did not allow any other king to also be priest), Melchizedek is said to be priest of God Most High – the same God that Abram worshiped (as we see in verse twenty-two). Melchizedek offered bread and wine to Abram. And Abram offered a tenth of everything he had to Melchizedek. And they parted.

We might consider this nothing more than a curious incident if the author of Hebrews did not tell us more about Melchizedek:

“We have this [hope] as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning home from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of the name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.

“See how great this man was to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils And those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in the law to take tithes from the people, that is, from their brothers, though these are descended from Abraham. But this man who does not have his descent from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior. In one case tithes are received by mortal men, but in the other case, by one of whom it is testified that he lives. One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.

“Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron? For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well. For the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe from which no on ever served at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.

“This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. For it is written of him, ‘You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.’ This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant” (Hebrews 6:19-7:23, ESV).

What in the world is the author of Hebrews telling us?

At this point in the author of Hebrews’ letter, he is arguing that Jesus is a high priest, and a greater high priest that the priests of the Aaronic and Levitical orders – the two orders of priests we find in the Old Testament (save one).

The author of Hebrews argues that the priesthood of Melchizedek (a third order) is greater than that of Aaron and the Levi because the Levitical line came out of the descendants of Abraham, and Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek, so, he representatively acted as the father of the Levitical priesthood and submitted himself to the greater priest, Melchizedek, by paying tithes to him, rather than vice-versa. In other words, since Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek, Melchizedek was greater than Abraham. And since Abraham was the father of the Levites (the Levites were “in” him), Melchizedek was greater than the Levites.

Now, the prophet said the Jesus is the one and only other member of the priesthood of Melchizedek (Psalm 110:4). Therefore, if Melchizedek as priest is greater than Abraham and his descendants as priests, Jesus is also greater than Abraham and his descendants as priests.

But who is Melchizedek?

Figuring out who Melchizedek is reminds me of one of C. S. Lewis’ letters in which he addresses a child’s question of who Aslan is – unfortunately, I could not come across the exact quote, but he doesn’t tell the child. He asks the child to consider who Aslan the Lion might be – the Son of the Great Emperor Across the Sea, who broke the power of the White Witch by his death and resurrection – through the “deeper magic” – and came at the same time as Father Christmas.

Who might Melchizedek be?

According to the Scripture, He resembles the Son of God, He always existed and always will exist, He did not have father, mother, or descendants, He is the King of Righteousness and the King of Peace, He is the Highest and Perfect Priest, He received the offering of tithes, He offered up bread and wine, and the only other member of His Priesthood is Jesus, God Incarnate, the God-Man.

Who is Melchizedek?

There is an idea in theology called “theophany,” and in Christian theology, it specifically refers to a pre-Incarnate appearance of the Son of God. Jesus is the Incarnate appearance of the Son of God – God became man, Jesus of Nazareth. But, there are a few cases in the Scripture where there is a pre-Incarnate – visible – appearance of the Son of God.

Melchizedek was a pre-Incarnate appearance of the Second Person of the Trinity – the Son of God.

[This article is being published in Dnyndharama Issue #3, 2009 (Pune, India).]

"Washed in the Blood of the Lamb" Sermon: Revelation 7:1-17

“Washed in the Blood of the Lamb”
[Revelation 7:1-17]
November 1, 2009 Second Reformed Church

Today is All Saints’ Day. And some may wonder why a Protestant church like ours would recognize the day – some of my colleagues gently tease me about it. All Saints’ Day or Hallowmas or All-Hallows (last night was All Hallows Eve, or Halloween) was instituted by Pope Boniface IV in 609 A.D. as a mass to be held every May 13th to “commemorate all those martyrs, known and unknown, who enjoy the beatific vision of God” (J. C. J. Metford, The Christian Year, 115).

For reasons that have been lost to history, Pope Gregory III changed the date to November 1st in 789 A.D. And in the Saram Missal, it was explained that on this day we give thanks to God for the merits of the saints which are applied to us and for multiplying our intercessors before God (116).

Now, we don’t believe that: Jesus Christ is the Only Intercessor between humans and God, and only Jesus’ Merits are applied to us, not the saints. We don’t worship the saints. We don’t worship the deceased. We don’t believe that any of the deceased can contribute to our salvation. Salvation is of Jesus and Jesus Alone.

So, why bother with All Saints’ Day? We do have a time to remember those who have died during the past year, but we do so not merely to remember them or thinking that in some way they can do anything for us. No, we remember those who have died because their deaths remind us that we, too, will die, and there is a life after this life – and only two places a person will spend it. For those who believe in Jesus Alone for salvation – we will spend eternity in the Presence of our God and Savior. Those who do not believe in Him will spend eternity in Hell receiving His Wrath.

This morning we turn to the seventh chapter of the book of Revelation to consider what we are told about the life after this life for all those saints who do believe in Jesus Alone for salvation. We are going to consider what this chapter tells us about the glimpse we are given of what you and I and all those who believe in Jesus Alone for Salvation will experience in the Kingdom.

Now, we are looking at the book of Revelation, and we need to keep a few things in mind as we do so:

First, the book of Revelation is written in symbolic language – it is written in a code – it is not meant to be taken word-for-word literally. For example, in verse nine, Jesus is called the Lamb. Jesus has not turned into a four-legged farm animal with curly fur. It is an image – a symbol – that has to be interpreted.

Second, whereas we struggle with interpreting some parts of this book, the original audience of this book would have understood it. John wrote the book of Revelation in this style to keep non-Christians from understanding, but the Christians of his day were suppose to understand it, and they would have. Our problem is that we do not live in the same context they did, so it takes more work for us to understand what John is saying.

Third, besides the difficulty of understanding what John means, many Christians stay away from the book of Revelation because they believe is it a terrifying work – like a Stephen King novel. But that was not John’s intent – as one reads over the whole book, it becomes obvious that John’s intent is to comfort the Church – to show them that the Promise of God is that even though things will get bad – there will be persecution – Jesus has already won. Jesus is already victorious. Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords from before time and forever and ever. So, John wants Christians to take comfort and not to be terrorized. Jesus is the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against His Church, because we belong to Jesus.

And fourthly, in the time that we have left to look at this chapter, I am not going to try to decode it all – much less the entire book of Revelation. Let us look to this chapter to learn a few doctrines – teachings – that we find in the light of All Saints’ Day.

Chapter seven has John seeing four angels at the four corners of the earth holding back the wind, so the wind would not blow on the earth – they are disrupting the patterns of nature – ready to harm the earth and the sea – to punish the creation to punish humanity. And God sends another angel who calls out in a loud voice, holding the Seal of the Living God – so they know he is a legitimate representative coming to them with instructions from God – saying, “Don’t harm the creation until all of the servants of God have been sealed on their foreheads.”

Now, if you’re like me, you’re picturing movies like “The Omen” where the little kid has a birthmark of “666" under his hairline or behind his ear – which is not on the forehead, brothers and sisters!

Symbols, brothers and sisters! I have never seen a Christian with a “bought by God” symbol of any kind on his or her forehead. Don’t be confused by Hollywood and fanciful teachers. Symbols!

What is John telling his readers? God will not allow any of the elect to be lost. Every single person that God has chosen for salvation will be saved. Neither human, nor demon can keep God from receiving every one He has chosen for Himself into the Kingdom. Remember Jesus’ prayer: “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. For I have given them the words you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know the truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled” (John 17:612, ESV).

John is telling the first century Christians that though the Romans slaughter them – which is what was happening – though the world and the demons come against them – God will not allow any of His elect to be lost. Everyone whom God intends to save and bring into His Kingdom will be saved and brought into the Kingdom. No matter what happens today or tomorrow or in the days to come, everyone that the Almighty, All-Knowing God intends to come to faith in Jesus Alone will be saved. Take comfort – none will be lost You will not be lost if you believe in Jesus Alone.

John goes on to describe 144,000 being sealed – saved. The Jehovah’s Witnesses take this absolutely literally and say, “Well, yes, there will only be 144,000 people in the Kingdom.” Without going into a lesson in numerology – the numbers three, four, twelve, and ten – which are found in 144,000 are symbolic and, together, the 144,000 means that the complete, full, perfect number will be sealed – not one will be lost – all of those intended will be sealed and saved.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses explain that they are the 144,000 who will be sealed and saved. But verses five through eight say that the 144,000 are 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel – John is talking about the Jews that will come to faith in Jesus Alone. (Perhaps we might ask the Jehovah’s Witnesses we know if they were born Jews...)

There was a question in the first century about whether God had abandoned the biological Jews – and the resounding answer across the New Testament – what John is saying here is, “No God has not abandoned the Jews. The full, complete number of Jews that God always intended to come to faith in Jesus will come to faith in Him Alone and be sealed and received into the Kingdom.”

John tells his original audience, and us, there are elect from all of the tribes of Israel. God is not done with the biological Jews. All that God intended will come to faith in Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, and Him Alone – the Only Savior.

But just as there was controversy about whether God had abandoned the biological Jews, there was a question concerning whether Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, was also for the Gentiles – the non-Jews. Did Jesus come just for the Jews? And, again, John says, “No!” Verse nine: “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and the Lamb.”

Jesus is the One and Only Savior of the Jews and the non-Jews, every nation, every people, every tribe, every language. As Paul wrote, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16, ESV). It doesn’t matter who you are or what your heritage is or what you have done or how you were brought up – everyone who believes in Jesus Alone for salvation is sealed and saved and brought into the Kingdom of God – surely and eternally – without any chance of being lost.

Be comforted! If you believe in Jesus Alone – that He has paid the debt for your sins and credited you with His Holy Life – you are His forever and ever and no human or demon can ever change that – not even you. If you truly believe, it is because God planned from all of eternity to save you and make you His own. Be assured!

And then what?

John saw a great multitude dressed in white robes worshiping before the throne and the Lamb – Jesus – with palm branches in their hands, crying out, “‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb!’ And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, ‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.’”

That is the picture we see of life in the Kingdom – worship. The primary thing that those who have died in Christ are engaged in and the primary thing that everyone of us who dies in Christ until He returns will be doing in the Kingdom is worshiping Him. The life after this life, for believers, is a life of eternal worship of our God and Savior.

Don’t worry – there won’t be any boring preachers, sinful preachers, who make mistakes in their preaching. There won’t be any bad hymns or bad music. You and I and all those who believe will be before the Face of God, in eternal worship, before the One Who is Utter Truth, Complete Beauty, Perfect Wisdom, Perfect Harmony. It will be a far more glorious worship that we can every imagine or experience here on earth.

But one of the elders turned to John and asked him if he knew who the group was that was wearing the white robes, and John admitted that he did not know and asked the elder to tell him. These, the elder explained, are the ones who came out of the great tribulation. What kind of things did they experience? This and more, as the writer of Hebrews tells us, “Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might again rise to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even in chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in the skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated – of whom the world was not worthy – wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth” (Hebrews 11:35b-38, ESV).

Some people who follow Jesus – some people who believe in Him Alone for salvation – will suffer horribly – even be put to death. Are you willing to be one of them? We would all like to die a quick and painless death – or even to be alive when Jesus returns and be taken straight into the Kingdom. But are you willing, for the Sake of Jesus, to suffer and die horribly? It’s something to consider. In America – for now – it is unlikely that we will suffer like that. We may some day. Christians around the world suffer horribly and are put to death for their faith in the most inhuman ways today.

Here is what one of them wrote – who suffered horribly in his life – and eventually was put to death by being decapitated: “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18, ESV). I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us! As horrible as things might get on this earth – if we keep our eyes on Jesus – if we look at this life through His Promises and what we know will come – whatever we suffer for Him – is not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us!

“Well, you don’t know how much I have suffered,” you may say. And you’re right. None of us know how much any other person has really suffered. But take this word from Paul as a promise – the worst that you ever suffer for Jesus is not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us That is how great life in the Kingdom is. That is what those who have died in the faith are already beginning to experience.

Why? John tells us, because they have been washed in the Blood of the Lamb. Again, that does not mean that these people were literally washed in lamb’s blood – or in the physical blood of Jesus. What it tells us is that in dying – in shedding His Blood – as the Final and Eternal Sacrifice – Jesus has merited salvation for everyone who will believe in Him. Jesus has done all the work.

In his first letter, John wrote, “If we walk in the light, as [God] is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (I John 1:7, ESV).

“Therefore, they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither shall they thirst any more; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

On that final day, when Jesus returns, all the world – those who have believed and those who have not – will see the promises of Jesus come to pass. For those who have believed – for those who have gone before us and for we who have yet to die in the flesh, listen to these words of John, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall their be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:1-4, ESV).

On this All Saints’ Day, let us be comforted and assured, remembering those who have died in Christ and considering for ourselves our future in Christ, believing what He has told us: all those God has purposed to save will be saved. God is still saving some from the biological Jews – through Jesus Alone. And He is also saving some from every type of person that ever was – through Jesus Alone.

And on that final day, because Jesus came to earth to live, suffer, die, rise, and ascend, all who believe in Him Alone are forgiven for their sins, credited with His Righteousness – destined to spend eternity in His Kingdom, in Glory – worshiping forever and ever – safe, secure, guided, at peace, without pain or sorrow.

For those of us who yet live, let us look forward to that day of being united with all of the saints in the Kingdom, and let us not forget that Jesus is with us right now, as He promised: “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20b, ESV). And He meets us spiritually, unites us with Him, strengthens us and empowers us by His Grace to do His Will, through the reading and preaching of His Word, and also through the sacraments. As we soon receive the bread and the cup, Jesus, Himself, the Very One Who has saved everyone who will believe, will meet with you and minister to you, for His Sake and to His Glory. Hallelujah!

Let us pray:
Savior God, it is almost too much to believe that You would choose to save a people for Yourself, but that is Your Promise, and You cannot lie. So we rejoice that those who have died in the faith are with You right now, and the day will come when we will join them and You in joy and worship. Be with us now. Minister Your Grace to us through the bread and the cup. And lead us on in assurance and hope. For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

October 31, 2009

Happy Reformation Day! Make sure to give each of the little sinners that comes to your door today a copy of Luther's Theses.

November Sermons

D.V., I plan to preach:

11/1/09 Communion/All Saints
Revelation 7:1-17 “Washed in the Blood of the Lamb”

11/8/09 Stewardship
I John 3:16-18 “Are You Giving God Your Leftovers?”

11/15/09 Thanksgiving
Colossians 1:3-14 “We Always Thank God”

11/22/09 Christ the King
Guest preacher: Rev. Luis Perez

11/29/09 Advent 1
John 1:1-18 “The Word Became Flesh”

"Christ Lives in Me" Sermon: Galatians 2:15-21

“Christ Lives in Me”
[Galatians 2:15-21]
October 25, 2009 Second Reformed Church

Have you ever done anything wrong? Have you ever not done what you ought to have done? That’s a very simple way of explaining what sin is – it’s doing what God has said not to do and/or not doing what God says we ought to do. And God tells us, even if we do not want to admit it, we have all sinned – “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:3:23, ESV). And what happens to those who sin? God tells us that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a, ESV). And that is not just physical death, but eternal death – eternal war with God – the Eternal Wrath of God against those who are never reconciled to God (cf. I Corintthinas 6:9-10).

It would seem, then, if we really consider it, the most important question we could ask is “How does a person become right with God?” How can you – how can I – become right with God? How can we come out from under God’s Wrath and enter into His Kingdom of Life?

From the beginning of the Church, two different ideas were taught. In first century Jerusalem, there were some who taught that salvation is by faith plus keeping all of the laws of the Old Testament. Today, the Roman Catholic Church teaches that salvation is by faith plus doing enough good works and/or buying enough indulgences and/or by serving enough time in purgatory. Today, some charismatic and Pentecostal groups teach that salvation is by faith plus the good work of speaking in tongues. And some of the Seventh Day Adventists teach that salvation is by faith plus worshiping on Saturday.

The Reformers – John Calvin, Martin Luther, and others – understood that “faith plus something we do equals salvation” is not what is taught in the Scripture. God says and teaches us through His Word that salvation is by faith alone – we become right with God through faith alone. This faith by which we are reconciled to God receives and believes in Jesus and what He has done for all those who will believe in Him. Let us consider, on this Reformation Sunday, what it is that we believe and receive through faith alone through which God reconciles us to Himself.

Paul’s letter to the Galatians is, among other things, confronting the Judaizers – those who were teaching that salvation is by faith plus keeping the Old Testament Law – and telling the Galatian Christians not to believe them – that salvation is by faith alone – keeping the Law could not save anyone and it does not make what Jesus did any more effective. In fact, it makes it look as though Jesus’ Sacrifice was not enough. It makes it look as though what Jesus did was great, but it only gets us so far – we have to keep the Law, which brings us the rest of the way to being right with God. Blasphemy! Heresy!

Paul tells the Galatian Christians to remember that they were born Jews, under the Law, but they knew, even as Jews, it is not possible to be justified by works of the Law, and as David wrote, “no one living is righteous before [God]” (Psalm 143:2b, ESV).

Well, what does it mean to be justified? To be justified is to be declared legally innocent. Understand, when we are justified through Jesus Alone, we are not merely declared not guilty, but we are declared innocent – and we’ll see how that is in a moment. But it is by being justified through faith alone in Jesus Alone that we are reconciled – made right – with God.

Paul tells the Galatian Christians that they believed in Jesus Christ Alone – the He is the Promised Savior, God become Man, Who lived under His Own Law, suffered, died, rose from the dead, and ascended back to His throne – in order to be justified. They knew that every mere human being is born a sinner and therefore condemned, so no matter how much of the Law a person keeps, it can never be enough to merit perfection, which is the only way a person could “work” his way into the Kingdom.

Then Paul addresses a hypothetical question: “If Jews are justified by the Law, and not sinners, like the Gentiles – the non-Jews – does that mean that Jesus makes the Jews sinners?” You see, there was an idea amongst the Jews that it was possible for them to keep the Law and be holy without the Savior. We remember the rich young ruler who said he had kept all of the law perfectly from his youth. Paul answers, “Certainly not!” Jesus unveils our sin – He makes us understand that we are sinners – He removes our self-imposed blinders and shows us for who we truly are, but He does not make us sinners. We are sinners of our own doing.

So, in verse eighteen, Paul says if we argue that the Law justifies us – saves us – in any degree or in any part – all we do is prove that we are sinners. The Law was given to us to show us what God requires and to expose our sin. To try to use the Law to show were are not sinners backfires.

“For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ.” This is the first half of how were are justified – how we are made right with God: as we already said, the punishment for sin is death, and every mere human being is a sinner. The Law exposes our sin and condemns us. The only way we can live is if Someone Who never sinned voluntarily takes our place – as our Substitute – and receives the full punishment – God’s Wrath – on Himself. That is what Jesus has done for everyone who will believe. Jesus has taken your place and my place and your place, and suffered the punishment for your sin and my sin and your sin. Jesus acted as our Representative and Substitute before God and received the penalty we were due for our sin. So, just as we became sinners “in Adam” – because Adam was humanity’s representative at the creation, we receive new life – forgiveness for our sins – as we have been crucified with Christ. As Paul also wrote, “So you must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Jesus Christ” (Romans 6:11, ESV).

That’s the first half – Jesus as our Representative – our Substitute – stood in our place – we were crucified in Jesus and with Jesus – and the debt for our sins was paid. Our guilt has been removed. We are forgiven.

But the second half is this – Christ does not just put us back in the place of Adam before the Fall – a human being who is innocent, but has the ability to sin. No, “it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” You see, Jesus kept the Law of God perfectly. He never sinned. He is holy. And Jesus imputes – He credits to our account – His perfect righteousness – His perfect keeping of the entire Law of God, so that when God looks at us He sees the whole Law perfectly fulfilled in us. And, as we have seen, He gives us the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit to remind us of all that He has said in His Word and to help us understand all of it.

Christ’s obedience to the Law is our comfort, because we know that no matter what our failures in this world may be, we are eternally credited by Jesus with the full keeping of the Law. And, we are also forgiven for all of our real sin, because Jesus has already taken the punishment of all of the sin we will ever commit on Himself.

How could anyone possibly think that what we do can and would add to the Work of Jesus? Now we live by faith alone – receiving and believing that Jesus has lived a Perfect and Holy Life under God’s Law, that He has voluntarily been our Substitute, taking the punishment for our sin – so we were crucified in Christ, and He has credited us with His Holy keeping of God’s Law and given us the indwelling of the Holy Spirit – so Christ lives in me – the Father sees Christ when He looks at us.

As Paul wrote, “For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised” (II Corinthians 5:14-15, ESV).

If, Paul concludes in this morning’s reading, if we could be justified through the Law – if we could be forgiven and made holy through the keeping of the Law – then Jesus would have died for no purpose. Do you understand? If we can or have to do anything to have God declare us innocent and bring us into His Kingdom, then Jesus’ Death was worthless. If Jesus did not do it all – if Jesus did not have to do it all – then the Incarnation was worthless.

But it was not worthless, dear brothers and sisters – and that is why we celebrate Reformation Sunday, remembering the rediscovery of the biblical teaching of justification by faith alone.

We know from the Word of God that Adam sinned as our representative, so every mere human being is born a sinner.

We know that God’s Law exposes our sin and condemns us to eternal death, and no one can completely keep the Law.

So, we need a Savior. We need God to become man, live under His Own Law, suffer, die, rise from the dead, and ascend back to His throne. We need the God-Man to voluntarily take our place on the cross as our Representative – as our Substitute – and take God’s Wrath upon Himself for our sakes – for our sin. And we need the God-Man to impute – to credit us with His Holy Keeping of the Law, so we would be seen as righteous in the Eyes of God and be received into His Eternal Kingdom.

And, brothers and sisters, that is exactly what Jesus did. And if you believe in Jesus Alone by faith alone – not relying on your own good works to save you – He will save you. He will forgive you. He will make you right with God. He will prepare a place for you. And you will have an eternal home with God.

What should our response to this be? What else can it be but to thankfully obey God? How else could we show our everlasting thanks to God, but by doing those things He has commanded us to do and not doing those things that He has forbidden – not because they have any part in our being right before God, but because we are so thankful to God for what He has done for us – (because we cannot help ourselves!) – that we want to do everything we can, by the help of God the Holy Spirit Who lives in us – to please God?

We have been crucified with Christ; our sins are forgiven.

Christ lives in us; we are seen as holy by the Father.

Let us rejoice, give thanks, and live for Jesus.

Let us pray:
Almighty God and Savior, You came to us when we had nothing but sin to offer, and You chose to die for us and to give us life through You. How amazing is our God Let us be thankful and live ever more thankful lives, letting others know about the Only Savior, our Only Hope. For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

Reformation Sunday Pot-luck Lunch

Join us for worship this morning at 10:30 AM and then stay after as we celebrate the biblical understanding of the Scripture with a pot-luck lunch. All are invited!

"Do You Understand?" Sermon: Acts 8:26-40

“Do You Understand?”
[Acts 8:26-40]
October 18, 2009 Second Reformed Church

This morning we meet Philip for the second of three times in the book of Acts: we saw his encounter with Simon Magus, who desired to buy the ability to give the Gift of the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit, and now we are told that an angel of the Lord told Philip to go south – remember he was in Samaria in the north – to the road that went from Jerusalem to Gaza.

This was an old route that was not used as often as others at that time – it went from Jerusalem, which is northeast of the Dead Sea, and extended down to the port city of Gaza, in what we now call the West Bank. This road went through a section of desert. So, since it was an old road and a road that went through the desert, we might well expect that it was lightly traveled.

For whatever reason, in the Plan of God, there was an Ethiopian eunuch on that road. He was a court official of Candace, the Queen of Ethiopia. He was a man of power – in charge of the treasury of the Queen. And he had come to Jerusalem to worship – he had made what would have been about a twelve-day journey by chariot from Ethiopia to Jerusalem to worship. He was a Gentile believer in the God of Israel. He was one of the few at that time outside of Israel who was a faithful follower of YHWH. And he was a fulfillment of prophecy:

David wrote, “Nobles shall come from Egypt; Cush shall hasten to stretch out her hands to God” (Psalm 68:31, ESV). Ethiopia was once called Cush.

And Isaiah wrote, “Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say, ‘The Lord will surely separate me from his people’; and let not the eunuch say, ‘Behold, I am a dry tree.’ For thus says the Lord: ‘To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast to my covenant, I will give in my house and within my walls a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off” (Isaiah 56:3-5, ESV).

Both as a nobleman from Cush (Ethiopia) and as a eunuch who believed in the God of Israel, this man was part of the fulfillment of the prophecy that God made that He would bring eunuchs and Gentiles – and specifically those from Ethiopia – into His Kingdom. And we know from reading the whole history as it is presented in our text that this man believed in the Savior that God sent.

And Philip saw the chariot, and the Holy Spirit told Philip to run and catch up to the chariot – it must not have been going very fast – and as he ran up beside the chariot, he heard the eunuch reading from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah.

Now let’s consider what that tells us: This eunuch was a powerful man, he would have had his own servants, servants who could have read to him, but we are told that he was reading the scroll himself. We can assume that he was also holding the scroll as he read. There were not many scrolls of the Scripture in existence, so it would have been costly to obtain. Yet, here he was, with his own copy of Isaiah, reading it himself, out loud, as he was being taken home.

Consider: first century chariots didn’t have shock absorbers or air-conditioning. He was on an old road – probably bumpy – going through a desert part of Israel, reading what was likely a Greek scroll of the prophet Isaiah.

If he didn’t want a servant to read the scroll to him, or if he didn’t have a servant with him to read the scroll to him, why didn’t he just wait until he got back to the palace, where he could be more comfortable to read? Why was he reading in a chariot on a hot, bumpy road? Why wasn’t he doing everything he could to make the ride home comfortable?

There can only be one reason: he wanted to read the Word of God – Isaiah – right then and there, uncomfortable as it was, because reading the Word of God was a top priority for him. He desired to read the Word of God whenever and wherever he could, even if the conditions weren’t optimal, because the Word of God was that important to him.

Many of us have seen each other’s homes. Most of us have comfortable places to sit and read. We sit and read the newspaper, and we sit and watch TV, ... do we sit in our comfortable chairs and on our comfortable couches and read God’s Word? We read Nora Roberts and James Patterson, do we read the Word that contains the Way to eternal life?

In a strange way, it is a comfort and quite disturbing to know that nothing changes:

St. Chrysostom, in the fourth century, made this comment: “Consider, I ask you, what a great effort it was not to neglect reading even while on a journey, and especially while seated in a chariot. Let this be heeded by those people who do not even deign to do it at home but rather think reading the Scriptures is a waste of time, claiming as an excuse their living with a wife, conscription in military service, caring for children, attending to domestics and looking after other concerns, they do not think it necessary for them to show any interest in reading the holy Scriptures” (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: New Testament V: Acts, 98).

Most people I ask either say they don’t read the Bible because they don’t have the time or because they don’t understand it. The excuse of not having time is a silly excuse, as we can understand from Chrysostom’s quote – we make time for what we believe is important. And as far as not understanding the Bible, I find that most people say that but have never even tried to read it, or they pick up an old King James Bible and get thrown by the language. If you have trouble understanding the language of the Bible you have, ask me, and I will at least recommend another.

Still, there are some who have difficulty understanding even so – that is in part due to the fact that there are difficult passages in the Bible. But most of it is straightforward, so, if you need help in understanding something – ask me, look it up in a good reference book, etc., don’t let go of something of importance in the Scripture.

We need to read our Bibles every day to be healthy Christians. I find it helpful to have a plan or a system for reading. I used one that is in the daily devotional that I read that has an Old Testament and a New Testament reading for each day – a total of about three chapters a day – which, if you flip through the Bible, you’ll see is not much. I just began Jeremiah and I Timothy. We have shorter reading plans in Freeman Hall – take them, they are free. If you start one, you may slip up and not do a reading one day. That’s okay, just go on to the next day. I find doing my reading first thing in the morning helpful, both for my state of mind and so I won’t get busy and forget to read. Do what works for you, but read. If Jesus and His Salvation – if the Word of God is a priority in your life – and if you’re here this morning, I assume it is – read you Bible.

If you’re not a Christian – if you haven’t believed in Jesus Alone for salvation, you will find the Bible even more difficult to understand, and that’s understandable – you can’t understand God’s Word until you believe it, and then God the Holy Spirit lives in you and helps you to understand.

Philip ran up to the chariot and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

Isaiah 53:7-8, “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before his shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from earth.”

And the eunuch answered, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” “Of course I don’t understand it. I have been in Jerusalem and listened to the rabbis, and they argue amongst themselves as to what the text means. I don’t understand it myself – their arguments all seem equally valid to me – I need someone who really understands to guide me through – to explain the text to me.”

God has done something very strange. God has given the world a book with everything it needs to know for salvation and life, and God has made it impossible to understand until it is believed. God has ordained ministers to preach the Word of God – and teachers will tell you that monologues – speeches – sermons – are a terrible way to convey information. (I can see your mind wandering right now.)

Paul wrote, “For everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. But how can they call on him whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news ’ But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?’ So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:13-17, ESV).

Philip joined the eunuch in the chariot and sat with him. And the eunuch asked, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” The rabbis of the time were scrambling to make sense of this text, because it had been understood to be about the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior – and the Christians were claiming it was about Jesus of Nazareth – the Crucified – so the rabbis were saying it must be a prophecy about Isaiah, himself, or someone else – which of course makes no sense.

So Philip, like Jesus on the road to Emmaus, opened the Scriptures to the eunuch, and showed him that this text was part of the Good News of Jesus Christ. Paul would later write, “...Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:5b-11, ESV).

Philip opened the Scriptures and explained to the eunuch that Jesus is the Savior that God sent for all who will believe. God sent His Son to earth as a human being, Jesus of Nazareth, and He lived, suffered, died, rose, and ascended back to His throne in Heaven, having secured the salvation of all who will repent of their sins and believe in Him Alone for salvation.

And the eunuch believed savingly in Jesus Alone, and when they happened upon some water, the eunuch said, “See, here is water What prevents me from being baptized?” The eunuch did not want to wait until he got back to Ethiopia to be baptized in a clean lake or river, or in a baptismal font or pool. No, as soon as he saw a small amount of dirty water on the side of the road in the desert, he desired to obey Jesus’ command to be baptized: “See, here is water What prevents me from being baptized?” His nobility was put aside – he was now a servant of Jesus Christ and desired to jump to obedience.

Did you notice as we read the Scripture that the text jumps from verse thirty-six to verse thirty-eight? Verse thirty-seven is in a footnote. It reads, “And Philip said, ‘If you believe with all your heart, you may.’ And he replied, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.’” The verse is in a footnote because we do not know whether it is authentic, or whether it was added later. However, the point is moot: Philip would not have baptized the eunuch unless the eunuch repented and confessed faith in Jesus Alone for his salvation. So, whether or not those were the exact words he said, the eunuch did confess his faith, they stopped the chariot, and Philip baptized the eunuch in the water by the side of the road.

Do you want to please God? Do you want to obey Him? Do you get excited reading His Word – hearing it read and preached – and want to act on it? Some of you have asked me why I spend so much of much vacation time going to conferences and lectures – because the Bible excited me – God excites me – Jesus excites me – this Gospel that we believe in excites me – and I want to know it and know our God better – both for my sake and so I can serve you better. Pray that you would want to understand more. Pray that you would want more of Jesus.

And then Philip was gone – the Spirit of the Lord carried him to Azotus – thirty-four miles up the coast – and the eunuch saw him no more. We have a few records of supernatural transportation in the Scripture. There’s not much more we can say about it than that: it was supernatural.

And the eunuch went on his way rejoicing. He was full of the joy of his salvation. He went back to Ethiopia, rejoicing, knowing that the Savior he had hoped for had come. He believed in Jesus and brought the Gospel of Jesus Christ to Ethiopia. “...you will be my witness in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8b, ESV). This eunuch was the beginning of the spreading of the Gospel to the ends of the earth. His name is never even mentioned, but we will know him in the Kingdom.

Philip continued preaching the Gospel, beginning at Azorus, continuing up through all of the towns until he came to Caesarea. Once he got to Caesarea, as we find out later in the book of Acts, he gets married and has four daughters, and they entertain the “soon-to-be” Apostle Paul as he preached the Gospel in that city.

What does this history tells us?

First, we ought to desire to read the Word of God. If we love our God and Savior, how can we not be drawn to His Word and want to know it better and Him through it? If you have or had a spouse, didn’t you want to talk with that spouse and know him or her better? If you have a best friend, don’t you want to talk with him or her and get to know him or her better? We have access to the Word of the Almighty and Immortal God and Savior of the Universe, don’t you want to know Him better?

Then, second, we ought to have reading the Word of God as a priority. Not everyone is called to be a pastor or a theologian. Not everyone is called to spend the majority of their lives studying, reading, praying, teaching, and preaching the Word of God, as I have, but doesn’t it make sense that reading God’s Word would be a priority for every Christian? Shouldn’t that be something we all look forward to doing every day? Don’t we long to know what God will say to us in the next chapter?

Then, third we ought to ask for help in understanding the Word of God, both from other Christians and God. Ask me about translations. Come to Bible study. Read good Christian books. Ask me questions – and if I don’t know, I will get back to you. Ask other Christians that you believe have a good understanding of the Scripture. And pray that God will help you to understand. God had given you God within you – God the Father and God the Son have given God the Holy Spirit to live in every Christian. Remember what Jesus said, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26, ESV). God will help us understand what God has said.

One warning: although God has promised to help us understand His Word, we may make mistakes and the devil seeks to mislead us. So, as we read the Scripture, let us be aware of what the Church has always taught, and if we come up with something that has never been taught by the Church before, or goes against two thousand years of accepted teaching, consider whether you may be mistaken – perhaps inspired by green leftovers...

Fourth, we ought to respond promptly to the Word of God. As we read and understand the Word of God, if we love God, we ought to respond promptly to what He has said. If our response is, “Oh, I don’t believe that” or “Aww, do I have to?” there is something wrong with us, not God, not the text. If we love God, we ought to put ourselves and our preferences and predilections at the feet of Jesus, humbly submitting to what He says – for He is God.

Consider your favorite sin – I have a favorite sin – it is something that we get enjoyment out of doing, but we try not to do because God has said not to do it. For example, a murderer, at least in some sense, enjoys murdering, but God says not to murder, so when a murderer comes to faith, he must humble himself and submit to God and not do what God has forbidden.

But we are also to do those things that God says to do. Love our neighbor – even to creepy ones. Even the ones that are nasty to us. Worship. Pray. Fellowship with other Christians. Jesus said these things are a light burden (cf., Matthew 11:30) compared to the burden we have carried in our lives as slaves to sin.

And that leads to our fifth and final application, we ought to find ourselves rejoicing in Jesus as we follow the Word of God. The Christian life will not always be a happy life, but if we live life through the lense of the Gospel of Jess Christ, it will be a joyful one. If we rightly follow the Word of God, we will have joy.

Do you understand?

Let us pray:
God of Love, Who has given us Your Very Word and the indwelling of God Himself, draw us more closely to You. Make us like that eunuch who just had to read Your Word and then rejoiced and responded in joy when he understood it. Do not let us find comfort until we find comfort in You and in all that You have said. For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

Prayer Meeting

The pastor is starting a prayer meeting, Saturdays from 3 PM to 4 PM at the church, beginning (D.V.) on November 14th. The pastor plans to be there praying. If you would like to join him, you are welcome to do so. If you would like him to talk with you or pray for you, please come. And if you have any prayer requests you would like him to pray for, please let him know. Our Great God invites us to come boldly into His throneroom and ask of Him. Let us not neglect this means of communing with our God and each other.

Flea Market Set-up

Calling all volunteers: we intend (D.V.) to do Flea Market set-up on Thursdays October 22nd, 29th, and November 5th, between the hours of 8 AM and 12 PM, and Saturdays October 24th and 31st from 1 PM to 4 PM. Also, the pastor is planning to do set-up after this Sunday's Consistory meeting (tomorrow) -- if any would like to stay and help out, that would be great -- bring a change of clothes!

The Flea Market is Coming!

Our next Flea Market is scheduled for Saturday, November 7th, from 10 AM to 2 PM. Please plan to come, shop, and, if you are able, to help sell as well. You are needed in all regards, and we look forward to seeing you then.

Consistory

D.V., the Consistory will meet tomorrow after morning worship. Consistory members: please plan to stay for the meeting. Thank you!

"Remembering Grandma"

Remembering Grandma
October 9, 2009
Basking Ridge Country Club

For those of you who may not know me, I am Rev. Peter Butler, Jr., the eldest grandchild of Harriet Jean Schmidt Tymeson Fiacre. We have come together this morning to remember grandma – as I knew her – to remember what was good and beautiful and lovely – and funny – about her. In the midst of mourning her death, we gather to celebrate her life and all that we enjoyed about her. And to those who talked with grandma in the past few months, if she were able to vocalize, I’m sure she would tell us, “I’m just fine!”

Grandma and I began talking about this day several years ago when she asked me to preside at this “service.” I said that I would, and she told me that she wanted me to wear my clerical collar, but she wanted “NOTHING RELIGIOUS” to be said or done. I said I would comply with her wishes, but I also wondered what in the world I would do, dressed in my clerics, but not doing any of the liturgical things I normally do at a funeral or memorial. I thought about standing up here and having you just look at me in my clerics and not saying anything.

But this past week, it occurred to me why grandma wanted me to be dressed in my clerics, and it has to do with the fact that if my mother had listened to my grandmother, I might never have been born. You see, when grandma met my father, she was not entirely taken with him. I have been told again and again that after my father dropped my mother back home, my grandmother said, “That is the type of man who would mow the lawn in a t-shirt.” I am like my father, and maybe grandma wanted to make sure I would wear my clerics because she was worried I would wear jeans and a t-shirt today. Grandma did come to love my father, by the way, especially when my father turned forty-six and she remained forty-five.

Grandma was forty-five years old all the years I knew her, which means she was two when I was born – younger than her mother was when she gave birth to her. We come from an amazing line of women. And until recently, on each of my birthdays, grandma would call me and wish me a happy birthday and ask, “Did I ever tell you that your birth was the first time I had a bourbon on the rocks before 9 A.M.?”

Grandma also said that she wanted us to gather and talk about how wonderful she was – that’s what she said – that’s why we are here. And then, after we have talked about how wonderful she was, she said we should go to Canoe Brook and have lunch on her account – before they knew she had died – so they would be stuck with the bill. That didn’t quite work out, but I think what we have here is quite fitting.

Over the past few years, grandma and I would get together from time to time at Canoe Brook for lunch to catch up – I will miss those times – not just for the good food – not just because I enjoyed spending time with her – but because I came to expect that grandma would ask me three questions over the course of our conversation:

First, “Why are you so fat?”

Grandma looked good and thought everyone else ought to look good, and part of looking good was to be thin. I have never been thin, and I dare not hold me breath until I am thin. But I know that grandma’s question was not just a matter of my appearance, she was truly concerned about my health. She was particularly dismayed when I was diagnosed with sarcoidosis, and she expressed her not understanding why I should have this disease. I told her that I have come to understand that the real question is “Why am I so well? Why am I so blessed? Why am I am American with health insurance?” I could be much worse off, so I am thankful that I am only chronically ill, and I try to use my illness for the good of others. Grandma would be happy to hear that I am losing weight and I have been exercising five days a week for several months now. So, who knows, maybe, someday I will be thin.

The second question was, “Why are you still single?”

Grandma loved family. Grandma loved being married. Of course there were ups and downs; of course she didn’t understand or agree with everything about each of us, but she loved us wholeheartedly. She was concerned about my being alone – about being lonely – about not having someone there to help me, and I am grateful that she was concerned for me, though marriage has not happened for me and it may never. Right now I am happy and very busy with my family and my church. Even if my mother and three youngest siblings weren’t close by, I pastor a church of about twenty people who need constant supervision, and I have a cat who demands constant attention. But I am thankful that grandma was concerned for my happiness and security.

And the third question was – and let me ask my dear church members who are here not to be offended: my grandmother had met you and she thought you were a lovely group of people, and she told me that she could tell how much you all care for me. But her third question was, “Why are you so underpaid?”

Grandma was proud of my abilities and my education and my desire to continue my education. So much so that she even gave me a few loans – which I quickly paid back in full – so I could continue my education – even when she was not entirely thrilled with what I was pursuing.

When I went to Drew University, she couldn’t have been prouder – her first grandchild was off to college, and she was still forty-five. I went to Drew with Chemistry in mind and an interest in neurological chemistry. But when I shortly declared a major in Philosophy, she wanted to know, “What are you going to do with that?” I told her I thought teaching could be the answer, which pleased her, but I needed time to work and save money before I could go on to graduate school.

I did end up going to graduate school, but I went back with the intention of becoming a pastor, to which she told me, “You are wasting your abilities ” But, after changing my degree to a Master’s in Theology and getting adjunct jobs teaching at several universities, she thought I had finally found my way, and she began to encourage me to get my doctorate.

I did go back to graduate school and did graduate studies in English Literature, thinking of teaching, but I decided I was right in the first place and went on to get a Master’s of Divinity and to become an ordained minister of Word and Sacrament in the Reformed Church in America. She was very proud of my accomplishments and for my pastoring at Second Reformed Church in Irvington, though she said she didn’t need the “crutch” of religion. “I guess some people need it, but I don’t,” she said. And she continued to encourage me to get a doctorate.

Grandma was always a great supporter of my further education, and she wanted to see me rewarded – recognized – for my work and abilities. I told her that I love my church and my people and they do well by me given what we have. She always wanted more for me – better for me – and I hope I will become a better man and a better pastor as time goes by.

I am disappointed, though. Grandma did not keep her promise to me: she told me that she was going to live to be 100, and I had until then to get my doctorate. She wanted to see me get a doctorate, and she said she expected me to get it before she died. I am not opposed to getting a doctorate, and I may some day – I told her time and money prevents it for now – but I am disappointed that grandma will not be here in the flesh to see that day. I am humbled and thankful that grandma was proud of me and thought me worthwhile.

By the time the third question had been asked, I knew lunch was coming to a close.

I am thankful that I had time to visit and talk to her while she was in the hospital, and I hope she heard me.

Despite being fat, single, and underpaid, I am going to miss her; I love grandma, and I know she loved me.

At this time I would like to ask others who would like to say something positive or funny in remembrance of grandma to come forward to speak, and once everyone who wishes has spoken, I will close us...

Grandma said she didn’t want “ANYTHING RELIGIOUS” at this service, so let me simply close by inviting you to move into the other room to enjoy the luncheon that has been prepared for us, but don’t eat too much, because you’re already too fat!

We Need Your Help

We are setting up for the Flea Market: if you are able to help set up, we are planning, D.V., to set up on Thursdays from 8 AM to 12 PM. We are also planning, D.V., to set up on Saturday, October 10th, from 10 AM to 2 PM. Other dates will be announced as they are planned. Let us know when you are available!

The Flea Market is Coming! (D.V.)

The Flea Market is scheduled for Saturday, November 7th, from 10 AM to 2 PM, D.V. Please plan to help out by setting up, making donations, helping sell, and making purchases. We need your help to make this event a success! Thank you!

"Simon Magus -- Heretic" Sermon: Acts 8:4-25

“Simon Magus – Heretic”
[Acts 8:4-25]
October 4, 2009 Second Reformed Church

Do you know what “simony” is? Webster’s New World Dictionary defines “simony” as the “buying or selling of sacred or spiritual things, as sacraments or benefices” – a church office – priest, bishop, etc. The word came into existence and is named for the character we meet in this morning’s Scripture.

Last week we saw the first martyr of the Church – Stephen – and the beginning of a great persecution against the Christians, who were, at that time, primarily in Jerusalem. The Jews of Jerusalem followed the Sanhedrin in their sin and sought to purge Jerusalem of Christians. In God’s Providence, this moved the Christians out of Jerusalem and into Judea and Samaria, just as Jesus had prophesied before His Ascension.

We may remember from the Gospels that Samaria was an area in Northern Israel where half-breeds – people who were half-Jewish and half of a pagan nationality – lived. They were looked down upon and considered to be more pagan than Jewish. Jesus ministered among them and was criticized for it.

As we have seen Luke do already, this morning’s text begins with a summary statement and then gives a specific story. He begins with a general account of Philip’s ministry in Samaria and then gives us a specific story of a magician named Simon.

Those who left Jerusalem at the beginning of the persecution included everyone except the apostles. For that reason, we know that this Philip was not one of the twelve apostles, but was probably the Philip we meet in chapter six – one of the first deacons. And he, with others, continued to preach the Word – that there is Only Salvation in Jesus Alone – as they left Jerusalem and went to Judea and Samaria.

Philip went to Samaria and preached Christ as the Savior that God sent for all who would believe. Luke tells us that great crowds went out to hear Philip preach, and Philip cast out demons and healed the paralyzed and the lame by the power of the Holy Spirit. And the city was filled with much joy, by which we understand that they also believed what Philip was preaching: there was a mass conversion of Samaritans to Christianity.

What does that tell us? It tells us that we should not shut our mouths because times get tough or because others don’t want the Gospel to be preached. As we’ve seen before, Christianity flourishes under persecution. It’s when times are good that people forget that they are sinners in need of a Savior. That’s why it is so difficult for the Church in the United States, especially in the Northeast: we have it so easy compared to the rest of the world, we are so rich compared to the rest of the world, that the plain Gospel is not well received. Some well-meaning people have tried to make the Gospel more “saleable” to Americans, but in so doing, they have compromised the truth and the heart of the Gospel.

For example, Rev. Robert Schuller of the Crystal Cathedral in California has named his eldest daughter, Sheila Schuller Coleman, to be his successor when he retires. In an interview, she said that one of the major things she plans to do differently is to stay away from the Scripture and tell stories that reflect the moral teaching of the Scripture instead.

Brothers and sisters, we are called to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ – the Jesus of the Scriptures – the Scriptures which are the Very Word of God. We cannot do less, neither for well-meaning reasons, nor out of fear. We must, in the way that God has gifted us, tell others that there is Only Salvation in Jesus Alone. The Holy Spirit lives in every Christian and we receive grace through the reading and preaching of the Word, through the sacraments, and through prayer – to be able to be Jesus’ witnesses. Let us be like Philip, not looking to be killed, but using wisdom to go forth and let others know wherever we are of the Salvation that is only found in Jesus.

“But.” There’s always a “but.” There was not good news for every person: Luke tells us “there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, ‘This man is the power of God that is called Great.’ And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic.”

Simon was a very famous person, Justin Martyr records, “After Christ’s ascension into heaven, the devils put forward certain people who said that they themselves were gods; and they were not only not persecuted by you [the Roman government] but even deemed worthy of honors. There was a Samaritan, Simon, a native of the village called Gitto, who in the reign of Claudius Caesar, and in your royal city of Rome, did mighty acts of magic, by virtue of the art of the devils operating in him. He was considered a god, and as a god he was honored by you with a statue, which statue was erected on the river Tiber, between the two bridges, and bore that inscription, in the language of Rome, ‘Simoni Deo Sancto,’ ‘To Simon the holy god.’ And almost all of the Samaritans, and a few even of other nations, worship him and acknowledge him as the first god, ...” (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: New Testament V: Acts, 90).

Simon was not a street-corner magician – he was a master of the dark arts, considered to be a god, and held in high regard by the Samaritans and even the Romans. But when he saw the power that Philip had – as he understood it – when he saw Philip casting out demons – hearing them scream as they left the bodies of the possessed – and saw him healing those who could not be healed by the physicians – he wanted in. He wanted that power. He believed that this Jesus gave them some sort of power, and he wanted it, so he confessed his belief in Jesus and was baptized with the other Samaritans.

Now the apostles in Jerusalem heard of the mass conversion in Samaria, so they sent Peter and John to go and see for themselves, to pray for the converts, to lay hands on them, that they would receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

That might confuse us: haven’t I preached and haven’t we understood from the Scriptures that once we believe in Jesus Alone for salvation, God the Holy Spirit lives in us? I doubt most if any of us have understood that there was a time after conversion that one did not have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. So what is going on here? Why would God have the converts to Christianity not be indwelt by God the Holy Spirit until the apostles laid their hands on them and prayed?

For at least two reasons:

First, the Holy Spirit was not immediately given to the first converts so there would be no confusion that the Holy Spirit is naturally in the apostles or other believers or that He is our own spirit – even our own spirit made better or perfect. No, the Holy Spirit is not something that comes from within us. In fact, He is another Being from us; He is an Alien Person Who inhabits us; Christians have a Person – One of the Persons of God – inhabiting their human person.

And second, the fact that the apostles had to give the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands shows that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is a gift. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit has to be given – He cannot be gotten in any other way than as a gift.

So what about today? Are we converted to Christ and then sometime in the future receive the Holy Spirit? Later in the book of Acts we will see that is not true. Now, when a person converts – believe – in Jesus savingly – he or she is immediately indwelt by God the Holy Spirit. Why the change? The major reason is this: in the infancy of the Church, the Holy Spirit was given through the laying on of hands by the apostles, and all of the apostles are dead. So now, God immediately gives the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit to the person who believes in Jesus savingly.

“But.” But Simon was a businessman. He went to Peter and asked to have the ability to give the Holy Spirit to anyone he laid hands on. And he offered Peter money for the ability. This is what we now call “simony.” Simon offered to pay for the ability to indwell people with the Holy Spirit.

And Peter flew into a rage: “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right with God. Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.”

God gave Peter the insight to know that Simon had not converted – he was still a pagan. We know God gave him that knowledge because no human can judge another’s heart. Our faith or lack of faith is shown – to some extent – through the fruit we bear, but it is possible to fool people and to even fool ourselves. But God made it clear to Peter that Simon did not believe savingly, so Peter cursed Simon and his money, wishing it to rot with him, as it showed his heart was not right with God.

If someone tells you that you have to give money to be saved, don’t believe it. If someone tells you that you have to send money in to a ministry to be healed, don’t believe it. Salvation is free. God’s Grace is free. Understand, I am not saying it is wrong to give to the work of the Church – we are to give as a response of thankfulness. But giving money to a church or a minister will not save you or heal you or get you anything special from God. That is simony, and it is a sin.

Peter also tells Simon to repent of his wickedness. Simon was wicked, still dead in his sins. He had not savingly believed, so the Gospel call to repent and believe was still preached to him. He was still called to repent of his wickedness and come to Christ.

That is the message we have for all people. God did not reveal to Peter whether Simon might one day come to a true faith, so Peter was obliged to continue to preach the Gospel to him. We can’t know a person’s heart, so we are obliged to continue to preach the Gospel. A person may come to faith even in the moment of death, so we cannot say with one hundred percent certainty who is saved and who is not. We can say that there is Only Salvation in Jesus Alone, and if you do not believe in Jesus savingly, you will suffer God’s Wrath eternally in Hell. But we, of our own knowledge, cannot say with certainty whether a person died in faith or not. There are signs. True Christians bear Christ-like fruit. I can say that because of what you say and do, I believe you are a Christian, but I am not God. I cannot see your heart. And you will not have to answer to me at the end of the age. We saw in Peter’s letters that he urged his readers to make their calling and election sure, because Jesus is the Judge. Not you, and not me.

And someone may ask, “Well, Simon was baptized. Doesn’t that mean he was saved?” The Roman Catholic Church says, “yes.” The Bible says, “no.” We baptize as a sign of salvation – as a sign of what Christ does in a person who believes – which is why we can baptize infants with a clear conscience – we do not claim that baptizing an infant “makes” that child a Christian. But, if a person does coming to a saving faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit seals that baptism – and then it is not merely a sign of what Christ does in a person, but a seal of what Christ has done in a person. We ought to baptize infants as a physical example of what Christ does, but if the child never believes, all the waters of baptism did for the child was get him wet. Baptism does not save a person.

And someone might still ask, “Well, Luke says in verse thirteen that Simon believed. Doesn’t that mean that he was saved?” Given what follows in our text, we must say “no.” God revealed to Peter that Simon had not savingly believed in Jesus, which is why Peter rebuked him and called him to repent of his wickedness. So, what does it mean in verse thirteen to say that Simon believed? Based on his actions, we can say that Simon believed that there was power to be had in Jesus and through His apostles – and Simon wanted that power. He did not believe savingly – he did not repent of his sins and believe in Jesus as the Savior that God sent for all who will believe.

Our biblical knowledge of Simon ends with his request, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.” Simon is never again mentioned in the Bible. Did he come to faith? He was certainly scared by what Peter said to him. But the answer is that we do not know for certain. Simon was considered by the Church Fathers as the first heretic, and Justin Martyr who wrote in the second century, some seventy years after this incident in the Scripture, gave us the report of the statue to Simon proclaiming him a god. We don’t know for sure. The historical report is not good. But, as I said, it is possible for a person to repent on his deathbed and be received into the Kingdom.

After this, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, and along the way, they continued to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ in many of the villages of the Samaritans.

What then can we say?

We are all called, not matter where we are, no matter what we are facing, to let others know that there is Only Salvation in Jesus Christ Alone.

The Holy Spirit is One of the Persons of God; He is not our own spirit.

The indwelling of Holy Spirit is given as a gift by God to those who truly repent of their sins and believe that Jesus is the Savior.

Baptism, in-and-of itself, does not save anyone.

And, it is possible to have belief in the historicity of Jesus, the power of Jesus, the accuracy of the Scripture, and so forth, and still not have saving faith. In order to be saved, we must repent of our sin and believe that Jesus is God the Savior, sent for all those Who will believe. If you do not, you are not a Christian. No matter how much of the Bible you have memorized, no matter how much you respect and admire Jesus and the Scripture – listen, you can be a great preacher, an excellent theologian, pack stadiums, and have a world-famous ministry, but if you do not repent and believe in Jesus as your Savior, you will go to Hell.

Today is Worldwide Communion Sunday. It is the Sunday during the year when “all” churches, not matter how often they normally receive the sacrament, celebrate it together in a unified reception. If you receive the bread and the cup this morning, and you do not believe in Jesus as your Savior, you will receive a bit of bread and a bit of the fruit of the grape. If you receive the bread and the cup this morning, and you do not believe in Jesus as your Savior, you are eating and drinking judgment on yourself. But if you receive the bread and the cup this morning, and you have repented of your sin, and you have believed in Jesus as your Savior, then He will commune with you spiritually this morning. He will minister to you and give you His Grace. He will strengthen you and prepare you for the work that He has called you to do.

You can fool yourself. You can fool me. But you can’t fool God. There is Only Salvation in Jesus Alone. And that Salvation is a gift.

Let us pray:
Almighty God, we thank You that You have not left our Salvation to ourselves. We thank You that we do not have to be good enough or rich enough to earn Your Salvation. We thank You that You call us to repent and believe – that you have done all the Work and give us the very faith we need to believe. We ask if any here this morning are unsure, that You would come to them and draw them to You – that You would give them true repentance and Your Salvation, and then that You would meet with them and us as we receive the bread and the cup. For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

October Sermons

D.V., I plan to preach this month:

10/4/09 Worldwide Communion Acts 8:4-25 “Simon Magus – Heretic”
10/11/09 Guest preacher: Bill Galloway
10/18/09 Acts 8:26-40 “Do You Understand?”
10/25/09 Reformation Sunday Galatians 2:15-21 “Christ Lives in Me”

Don't forget: October is pastor appreciation month. And this pastor's birthday is October 11th. (Hint; hint.)