Sermon B: 3rd S Easter: I John 1:6

On April 30, 2006 we celebrate the 3rd Sunday of Easter with the three readings from Acts 4:8-12 (Salvation only in Jesus); I John 1:-2:2 (He is faithful to forgive sins) and Luke 24:36-49 (Jesus appears to His disciples). For this Sunday I John 1:6 will be the sermon text whcih reads, "If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth."

This is another passage that can frighten even believers. For whom among us are able to keep from walking in darkness if that means we have to stop from sinning? We know that sin separates us from God so how can we be in fellowship with God Who according to verse 5 "is light and in Him is not darkness at all"? Since we sin and appear to practice darkness, how is it possible to be in fellowship with God?

Once more the distinctions between Law and Gospel are most helpful. For those who imagine that to sin means to walk in darkness, obviously they have not read the rest of the chapter. John's point is that those who oppose the truth are not those who sin but those who say they do not sin! What a reversal of thinking. Unlike every other religion in the world in which the followers are to cease from sin and disobedience, Christians are told that walking in the light means to confess that we are sinners!

The Gospel of the Christian faith is NOT that God gives us power to stop from sinning; no, the Good News is that God declares us sinners as forgiven. To walk in the light is to be humbled by confessing that we have nothing to offer God to offset our sins. We are lost and condemned creatures and even the best Example cannot save us. Rather than an example, we need a Savior Who takes upon Himself the punishment we deserved. That is what Jesus did.

Therefore to walk in the light is to be bold about our sinful condition relying totally and wholly on the blood of Christ to wash away our sin. As Acts 4:12 reminds us, "There is salvation in no other name under heaven among men" except in Jesus Christ. That's why Luke 24:47 reveals that the Christian message is not one of improvement and ceasing from sin but rather one of repentance and the remission of sins.

In this sermon I would begin by giving the commonsense view of walking in darkness as being a sinner so that the hearers would also become frightened of their chances of being saved by their own works. Then when the Law has accomplished its work, I would follow up with the Gospel understanding of what it means to walk in the Light of Jesus Christ, our Savior.

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Sermon B: 2 S Easter: 1 John 5:3

With April 23, 2006 being the 2nd Sunday of Easter, the assigned readings in the three-year lectionary are Acts 3:13-15, 17-26 (Sermon in Antioch); I John 5:1-6 (Are we children of God?) and John 20:19-31 (Doubting Thomas). The verse chosen to preach about is I John 5:3 which states, "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments."

At first reading, this verse can be frightening. It appears to be saying that our love for God can be measured by how well we keep the commandments. Who of us keep the commandments perfectly? No one. Therefore, how can this be a comfort that our obedience to the commandments reveals our love for God?

Once more a confusion of Law and Gospel leads to despair and fear about God. Note how we interpret the verse "the love of God" to be referring to our love towards God. Once more we become the center of attention and fall into the trap of either imagining that we love others better than we really do or else that we fall into great despair realizing that if it is up to me, then, woe is me!

But the phrase "love of God" refers to the love from God towards me that then results in keeping his commandments. How does this work? The more I come to realize how far God went in suffering and dying for me out of His love, the more I keep the number one commandment, "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me." And how do I keep the number one commandment? Not by obedience of all ten but by believing in Jesus as the Christ. In fact, both verses 1 and 5 connect faith in Jesus as the Christ to being born of God and overcoming the world.

That is why salvation is not by works through effort but by grace through faith; and that faith not of ourselves but as a gift from God so that no one dare boast of his status before a gracious and merciful God. Through faith in Jesus we gain a new perspective on how to relate to God. Though sin continues throughout life, it now results in an attitude of humble repentance and trust in the One Who died so that we will never really die and Who lives, so that we live eternally.

Once more by simply letting God be the creator and sustainer of our salvation, we are comforted not by the growing level of our love but the growing recognition by us of the tremendous love from God to us, the undeserving.

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Sermon B: Easter: Mark 16:8

It's the Sunday we have all been waiting for as the Lenten season comes to an end with the finality of the Easter event. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! The readings assigned for this April 16, 2006 Easter are Isaiah 25:6-9 (Death swallowed up); I Corinthians 15:19-28 (Death is the last enemy) and Mark 16:1-8 (Women at the empty tomb). The verse of Mark 16:8 is our chosen text for preaching.

This is a text that opens up a number of questions. Had you been one of those women who heard from the angel that Christ is risen, would you have fled from the tomb and "said nothing to anyone"? How can we explain this strange behavior particularly in light of the words of Jesus that in three days He would rise from the dead?

The confusion is erased by keeping in mind the distinctions between Law and Gospel, particularly the difference between those living under the Law from those living under the Gospel. Those who live under the Law conclude that God checks us out on the basis of our behavior and works. With that understanding of a just God, who would not be afraid of the news that Jesus, who had been deserted by his disciples, denied by one and betrayed by another, has returned from the dead?

It reminds me of Edgar Allen Poe's story of "the monkey's paw" which provided three wishes. A couple wished for a lot of money. Their son was then killed horribly in a car accident resulting in their receiving a large amount of money from his insurance. Their second wish was to have him return from the dead. However, as they heard his steps approach the house, they realized that he would be returning in the horrible state in which he had died; mangled and bloody. They then made their third wish to have him return to the grave.

You can imagine why the women were afraid to face Jesus after what they had done three days earlier. Living under the Law they expected a wrath which they could not endure. Thus, they kept silent. In the sermon there are a number of ways to point out how each of the members of the congregation also fear God as they live under the Law. One example is how they imagine they are being punished when bad things happen to "good people." And the list can go on and on.
The message of Easter is one which reveals a God Who continues to love us with a love that we do not deserve. Our sins are no longer part of the equation as to whether or not we go to heaven or hell. Now what makes the difference is whether we trust that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ has broken down the dividing wall of hostility that was erected by our sins. The words from the cross "It is finished" are underscored with the Easter resurrection as proof positive that the Father has accepted the sacrifice of His Son and therefore, all who believe and are baptized are saved. That is not something to fear but to shout from the rooftops!

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Sermon B: Palm Sun: Mk 14:49

The Lenten season enters holy week this coming Sunday, April 9, 2006. Readings selected for Palm Sunday are Zechariah 9:9-10 (King coming on a donkey); Philippians 2:5-11 (Humiliation of Christ) and Mark 14 through chapter 15, verse 39. The Gospel is a total of 111 verses. It will be interesting how bulletins from the publishing house print all those verses on one page. Our work is easy this week since I have already placed on the blog two weeks ago the sermon based on the text from Mark 14:49 which reads, "I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and you did not take Me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled." It is this last phrase about the Scriptures being fulfilled that resulted in the sermon already posted. The point to be made is first one has to interpret the text prior to applying the text from a Law/Gospel point of view. Please read the previous posted sermon entitled, "Fort Wayne Seminary Sermon 3/22/06."

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