Sermon-Sunday-March 11, 2007
Isaiah 55:1-9 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 Luke 13:1-9
Brothers and sisters,
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Do you think that they were worse sinners than you? That is the question that Jesus asks those who had gathered around Him. When He asks this He is referring to an incident where Pilate had slaughtered a group of Galileans, and the result was that their blood mingled with that of their sacrifices. Jesus also asks this in reference to a group of people who had been killed when a tower fell on them. Both of these would have been considered to be very tragic ways to die.
And today, through His Word, Christ Jesus asks this question of you. Do you think that they were worse sinners than you? Do you think that those who were killed during the 9-11 tragedies were worse sinners than you? Do you think that the people killed in Hurricane Katrina were worse sinners than you??
Maybe you scoff at such a notion. Maybe you say, “Well of course I don’t think that, no self-respecting Christian would.” Allow me to read you something that was said by a very well-known televangelist in the days immediately following the 9-11 tragedies. I want to make it clear, these are not my words.
“ I really believe that the pagans and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays
and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative
lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way-all of them who have tried to secularize
America-I point the finger in their faces and say: ‘You helped this happen.’”
Now of course, this televangelist also blamed the terrorists and recognized their role in it. But what was being suggested was that 9-11 was some sort of retribution from God as if the sins of pagans, and, homosexuals, and doctors who perform abortions were worse than everybody else’s.
But the truth is the sinful nature that drove the terrorists to hijack those planes and crash them into the World Trade Center is the same sinful nature that the people that this televangelist made reference to struggle with, and the same sinful nature that drives people to blame tragedies like 9-11 on other people’s sins, and it’s the same sinful nature that makes you susceptible to believing such heresies.
But Jesus has something else to say. Jesus dismisses the whole idea of earthly death of any kind, no matter how it appears, as some sort of retribution from God. Jesus says that you will all perish as they did, unless you repent. Jesus reminds you today that your time is fragile, that judgment is coming and that unless you repent, you will be pronounced guilty.
In light of this, Jesus calls you to be alert. He calls you to be aware. He calls you to be about repentance. So what does repent mean? What can you do to know that you are in proper repentance?
Is there some book that you can read? Is there some plan that you can follow? Well, not really. Because, despite what some people like to turn it into, repentance is not about what you can do, or what you are doing, or even what you can do better. Repentance is not about your success, it’s about your failure, it’s about what you fail to do every day. Repentance is about knowing that you can’t even come close to fulfilling what God demands of you; perfect righteousness.
To repent means to turn, in this case to turn away from your futile attempts to justify yourself, and turn to God’s mercy in Christ Jesus. To repent is to simply remember and believe the words of promise that were spoken over you in the waters of baptism, the promise of God’s faithfulness in Christ Jesus; the promise that through the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus you are freed from the oppressive power of sin, death and the devil and you are raised up in new life.
To repent is to heed the advice of the prophet Isaiah from today’s Old Testament lesson; listen so that you may live, seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Forsake your wicked ways and your unrighteous thoughts and let them return to the Lord, for He promises mercy and abundant pardon.
But the time for repentance is limited. There is only so much time. You are the fig-tree that Jesus speaks of in the parable from the Gospel lesson. Jesus calls His people to repent. Jesus is calling you to repent for the time is short.
And God knows that you can be deceived, that you can be misled. He knows that you are like the Israelites in the desert at the foot of Mt. Sinai, whom Paul makes reference to in today’s second lesson. They grew impatient waiting for Moses to return, and they ended up worshipping false gods.
God knows that you are just as susceptible as those Israelites to the slings and arrows of temptation that the devil will throw your way. Deep down you are not looking for a merciful and loving God who brings redemption and forgiveness. You are easily swayed by false gods who promise prosperity when you sow the right seed, or who support your political agenda, or who coddle you and affirm all of your sinful orientations, or who bring about tragic death as retribution for other people’s sins. You are swayed by false gods who, in the end, only bring death.
But there is good news. There is eternally good news. God brings something different, He brings something truly worthy of repentance. He brings the rock of salvation; Christ Jesus the Lord. Our Lord brings the one who laid down His life for you; the one who took all of your sin, and pain, and weakness, and guilt to the cross and gives you His perfect righteousness in return.
He brings the one who defeated sin, death, and the devil and walked out of the tomb and revealed a new reality in doing so. He is Christ Jesus who comes to you daily in baptism and gives you the will to turn from the false hope of the devil and his legion of false gods. Through the Holy Spirit Christ Jesus calls you to repentance and gives you the strength you need to endure any test that comes your way.
He comes to you in the wine and the bread and strengthens you to live in the midst of a world that tempts you to turn away from Him; the very One who gives you new life, and redemption and forgiveness. And through His blood you are saved. He brings you out of bondage and into freedom; the freedom to bear fruit worthy of the repentance that He calls you to.
He frees you from the guilty verdict you deserve in judgment and frees you from being cut down and cast away, and frees you to now put the focus on your neighbor, whom you are called to love as yourself and proclaim the Good News of Christ Jesus to. You are freed to live out the great commission, to go therefore and make disciples of all nations.
We don’t know when the time for repentance will fully come to an end, but we do know that with every passing day we are one day closer to that time. You have the Word of promise. It has been placed on your lips and in your heart, and your neighbor has been placed within earshot of your proclamation, so they too can hear and believe the Word that sustains and nurtures and gives new life in repentance and forgiveness.
Amen
Brothers and sisters,
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Do you think that they were worse sinners than you? That is the question that Jesus asks those who had gathered around Him. When He asks this He is referring to an incident where Pilate had slaughtered a group of Galileans, and the result was that their blood mingled with that of their sacrifices. Jesus also asks this in reference to a group of people who had been killed when a tower fell on them. Both of these would have been considered to be very tragic ways to die.
And today, through His Word, Christ Jesus asks this question of you. Do you think that they were worse sinners than you? Do you think that those who were killed during the 9-11 tragedies were worse sinners than you? Do you think that the people killed in Hurricane Katrina were worse sinners than you??
Maybe you scoff at such a notion. Maybe you say, “Well of course I don’t think that, no self-respecting Christian would.” Allow me to read you something that was said by a very well-known televangelist in the days immediately following the 9-11 tragedies. I want to make it clear, these are not my words.
“ I really believe that the pagans and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays
and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative
lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way-all of them who have tried to secularize
America-I point the finger in their faces and say: ‘You helped this happen.’”
Now of course, this televangelist also blamed the terrorists and recognized their role in it. But what was being suggested was that 9-11 was some sort of retribution from God as if the sins of pagans, and, homosexuals, and doctors who perform abortions were worse than everybody else’s.
But the truth is the sinful nature that drove the terrorists to hijack those planes and crash them into the World Trade Center is the same sinful nature that the people that this televangelist made reference to struggle with, and the same sinful nature that drives people to blame tragedies like 9-11 on other people’s sins, and it’s the same sinful nature that makes you susceptible to believing such heresies.
But Jesus has something else to say. Jesus dismisses the whole idea of earthly death of any kind, no matter how it appears, as some sort of retribution from God. Jesus says that you will all perish as they did, unless you repent. Jesus reminds you today that your time is fragile, that judgment is coming and that unless you repent, you will be pronounced guilty.
In light of this, Jesus calls you to be alert. He calls you to be aware. He calls you to be about repentance. So what does repent mean? What can you do to know that you are in proper repentance?
Is there some book that you can read? Is there some plan that you can follow? Well, not really. Because, despite what some people like to turn it into, repentance is not about what you can do, or what you are doing, or even what you can do better. Repentance is not about your success, it’s about your failure, it’s about what you fail to do every day. Repentance is about knowing that you can’t even come close to fulfilling what God demands of you; perfect righteousness.
To repent means to turn, in this case to turn away from your futile attempts to justify yourself, and turn to God’s mercy in Christ Jesus. To repent is to simply remember and believe the words of promise that were spoken over you in the waters of baptism, the promise of God’s faithfulness in Christ Jesus; the promise that through the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus you are freed from the oppressive power of sin, death and the devil and you are raised up in new life.
To repent is to heed the advice of the prophet Isaiah from today’s Old Testament lesson; listen so that you may live, seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Forsake your wicked ways and your unrighteous thoughts and let them return to the Lord, for He promises mercy and abundant pardon.
But the time for repentance is limited. There is only so much time. You are the fig-tree that Jesus speaks of in the parable from the Gospel lesson. Jesus calls His people to repent. Jesus is calling you to repent for the time is short.
And God knows that you can be deceived, that you can be misled. He knows that you are like the Israelites in the desert at the foot of Mt. Sinai, whom Paul makes reference to in today’s second lesson. They grew impatient waiting for Moses to return, and they ended up worshipping false gods.
God knows that you are just as susceptible as those Israelites to the slings and arrows of temptation that the devil will throw your way. Deep down you are not looking for a merciful and loving God who brings redemption and forgiveness. You are easily swayed by false gods who promise prosperity when you sow the right seed, or who support your political agenda, or who coddle you and affirm all of your sinful orientations, or who bring about tragic death as retribution for other people’s sins. You are swayed by false gods who, in the end, only bring death.
But there is good news. There is eternally good news. God brings something different, He brings something truly worthy of repentance. He brings the rock of salvation; Christ Jesus the Lord. Our Lord brings the one who laid down His life for you; the one who took all of your sin, and pain, and weakness, and guilt to the cross and gives you His perfect righteousness in return.
He brings the one who defeated sin, death, and the devil and walked out of the tomb and revealed a new reality in doing so. He is Christ Jesus who comes to you daily in baptism and gives you the will to turn from the false hope of the devil and his legion of false gods. Through the Holy Spirit Christ Jesus calls you to repentance and gives you the strength you need to endure any test that comes your way.
He comes to you in the wine and the bread and strengthens you to live in the midst of a world that tempts you to turn away from Him; the very One who gives you new life, and redemption and forgiveness. And through His blood you are saved. He brings you out of bondage and into freedom; the freedom to bear fruit worthy of the repentance that He calls you to.
He frees you from the guilty verdict you deserve in judgment and frees you from being cut down and cast away, and frees you to now put the focus on your neighbor, whom you are called to love as yourself and proclaim the Good News of Christ Jesus to. You are freed to live out the great commission, to go therefore and make disciples of all nations.
We don’t know when the time for repentance will fully come to an end, but we do know that with every passing day we are one day closer to that time. You have the Word of promise. It has been placed on your lips and in your heart, and your neighbor has been placed within earshot of your proclamation, so they too can hear and believe the Word that sustains and nurtures and gives new life in repentance and forgiveness.
Amen
posted by Steve at 7:49 AM
1 Comments:
No, not really. At least no more than usual. It could be partly because I heard a sermon on KFUO last week that just blew me away and made me realize how much harder I could be hitting them with the law.
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