Month: October 2009

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This We Believe

Text: Romans 3:28
Date: Pentecost XXI + Reformation Sunday + 10/25/09
Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, Rochester Hills, MI

When the Apostle Paul wrote, “For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law” (Rom. 3:28), he was speaking, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, for the whole Church of Jesus Christ. Now, on Reformation Day it’s too easy especially for Lutherans to attempt to confiscate or kid-nap these apostolic words to serve as a protest against other Christian denominations as if the Apostle were saying, “For we LUTHERANS hold this-and-that” over-against the Papacy on the far right or the Reformed on the far left. As true as that may be, there were no Lutherans or so-called “denominations” when Paul wrote those words. There were those already, however, who were allowing the innate legalism of our common, fallen, sinful nature and spiritual blindness to get in the way of the Gospel. The “we” in “we hold that one is justified by faith” are all those who hold to the pure, central Biblical doctrine of the Gospel of salvation, the justification of the sinner by God’s grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, apart from works of the law. This is no new teaching of the 16th century but the apostolic Gospel from the beginning. Continue reading “This We Believe”

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Riches and Reward

Text: Mark 10:23-31
Date: Pentecost XX + St. Luke, Evangelist + 10/18/09
Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, Rochester Hills, MI

Today’s Gospel is a continuation of last week’s story of the Rich Young Man who asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. The whole story, verses 17 through 30, used to be read as one on the Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost in Series B of the lectionary. It is therefore a unique challenge to preach on each half of the story over two Sundays with little reference to the other half. The first half ends with the young man going away sorrowful because he couldn’t imagine doing what Jesus told him to do, namely, to sell all he had and give to the poor and then to come and follow Jesus. In preaching on that text last Sunday we focused on Jesus’ identity and how a person inherits eternal life only by way of repentance and faith in Jesus. Today the second half of the story has Jesus turning to his disciples to help them analyze in an even deeper way the disciple’s changed relationship with the world and the cost of following Him. Continue reading “Riches and Reward”

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Repent and Follow Jesus

Text: Mark 10:17-22
Date: Pentecost XIX (Proper 23) + 10/11/09
Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, Rochester Hills, MI

For the rich young man who came to Jesus, when he asked, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” he showed that it wasn’t his riches that was the problem. He was seeking to be justified on the basis of his own, outward keeping of the Law of God, the Ten Commandments. Jesus knew that the Law of God had not yet done its complete and proper work in this young man’s heart. For the proper work of the Law is not to “straighten you out,” but to make a man despair not only of earthly possessions and money but of the Law itself! That is, to realize and face the impossibility of being saved by means of works of the Law. It means to make us despair in order that we may flee for mercy to God’s grace alone as the only hope. So Jesus challenged him, saying, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” The key, of course, was not in the “selling all you have,” but in the “follow me” part. But then, what do we see? We then read that the young man was disheartened and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. He didn’t “get it.” He did not follow Jesus. For him the answer Jesus gave was too much. For him that price of inheriting eternal life was too high. And he went away sorrowful. Continue reading “Repent and Follow Jesus”

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The Wrong Bible Verse

Text: Mark 10:2-16
Date: Pentecost XVIII (Proper 22) + 10/4/09
Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, Rochester Hills, MI

Do people desire to become Christians or to be the more committed Christians primarily because they are thinking about going to heaven when they die or is it because they are looking for something that can make sense out of our otherwise confused lives right now, today? It may be one or the other or even both. On the one hand, Jesus came, and, in today’s Gospel, we see Him more and more determined to make His way to accomplish His sacrificial death on the cross. He came for the purpose of dying for the sin of the world and to open the kingdom of heaven to all. On the other hand, there is also concern for how we make it through our days in this life, even while we wait for sin and death to be done with and attempt to walk along the path of faith in Christ, living in the forgiveness of our sins. So while we are concerned about salvation, about heaven, about what our destiny and lot will be after this life, we also hope to lead lives of faith now, lives that at least try to be pleasing to God and receive and reflect His guidance and blessing even amid the difficulties and problems that sin causes every step of the way. Continue reading “The Wrong Bible Verse”