Wednesday, August 28, 2013

A Simple Question


It is a simple question. Really it is.  “Will those who are saved be few?” (Luke 13:23).  It’s a question each of us has asked, if not pondered deeply.  Will heaven be full or relatively empty?  Jesus’ answer is not what was expected.  Jesus discusses many who seek to enter and are unable to do so.  He indicates at time is coming when it will be too late. The door will be locked and those outside will be remembered no more. There will be great weeping and gnashing of teeth.  Those who thought they had it made are left out and called evil.

At this point the implied answer is “yes” as few appear to be saved. Jesus continues.  He describes Abraham, Isaac and Jacob taking their appointed places with the prophets in God’s kingdom with the original questioner and his peers outside. People from all over the world, east and west, north and south enter God’s kingdom and recline at His table. These latecomers, as it were, enjoy the full benefits of heaven.  Those who came early may lose what they thought was a cinch. The answer to the simple question is: “More than you think but not whom you expect.”

Why would Jesus give such a perplexing answer to what was essentially a simple question?  The reason is found among those who raised it.  Judaism in the first century was an exclusive religion.  You were either a Jew or goyim, a non-civilized gentile.  The rabbis, scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees prided themselves on being the chosen people. They were the crème de le crème, the best of the best whom God could not help but reward when He came. Since they were so small in number they anticipated that only a few would be saved.  They expected Jesus to confirm this.

Jesus is the King above all kings.  He is the only Savior of the human race.  He fulfills every prophecy regarding the Savior.  But He wasn't saying what the leadership wanted to hear, doing what they deemed right and honoring them as they felt they deserved.  Both the Baptizer and Jesus called everyone to repentance including the religious leadership. Jesus did not come to confirm misguided people in unbelief but rather to draw them to Himself. He alone is the gate through which one may enter the sheepfold (John 10).  Only Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He is the precious door to heaven.  There is access through no other than Jesus. This is why he told the questioner that he should “strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able” (Luke 13:24-25).

It’s not for a lack of effort that many fail to enter eternal life.  Everyone has their own idea, opinion and feeling of what God should and should not like. Everyone claims to be an expert on the Almighty and things eternal without cracking open a Bible or submitting to the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 3).  This can be an especially pernicious problem among multi-generation Christians and congregations more than a century old.  It’s easy to fall into the trap that captured the Chief Priest, scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees. Those who strive on the laurels of others have nothing to show at the end of the day.  Your ancestors do not save you anymore than being the third, fourth or fifth generation of a particular congregation guarantees you eternal life.  Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). One may have a Christian lineage going back to the apostles but that will not save them ahead of a scoundrel who confesses his sins and cries out for mercy, grace and forgiveness from Jesus.

Few disagree that Christianity is in sharp decline in the United States. The symptoms are decried but the underlying disease is denied.  We have no one to blame but ourselves.  This generation has countless advantages that are squandered and ignored. Biblical illiteracy is epidemic.  It is not for a lack of resources. There are far more tools available at our fingertips to dig deeper into the faith than ever before.  They are taken for granted.  It is presumed they will always be available. Why should I spend my time studying Scripture when I have the best of games, social media and entertainment in my hand?  We ask the wrong questions and are content with bad answers.  Do I really have to go to church to be a Christian?  The anticipated answer is no.  So what habit is reinforced with this reasoning? Sunday mornings are best spent anywhere other than in God’s House receiving His gifts.

There is a Pharisee in everyone. It seeks affirmation for your particular pet sins that you refuse to confess or consider to be wrong. We repeat lies that may find us on the outside looking in to heaven.  “I’m Lutheran.”  “I’m confirmed.” Being a confirmed Lutheran, even an LCMS Lutheran, does not guarantee salvation apart from faith in Jesus Christ. Then there are the false beliefs that contradict the faith.“I don’t need to hear God’s Word.” “I don’t need the Lord’s Supper.” “I can gossip about my neighbor because I am doing a community service.” Do any of these cross your lips or have hold of your thoughts? Repent! Confess your sins to Jesus.  He is faithful and just to forgive your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. Salvation is found solely in Jesus Christ.  Apart from Him you have nothing of lasting value.  The Scriptures do not lie when they testify:  if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth has no place within us (1 John 1:10). Jesus says: For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life, and I will raise Him up on the Last Day (John 6:40).

It really is a simple question.  “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” A day is coming when the door to heaven is closed and those outside can only look in with regret.  Today is the day of salvation. Today salvation draws near to you. Jesus is here with His good gifts and favor.  Here you receive what you do not deserve, Christ’s holiness and righteousness through the forgiveness of your sins.  The name of Jesus is the only name under heaven by which we are saved (Acts 4:12).  Don’t confuse saving faith with your ancestry or personal accomplishments. Salvation remains the gift of God through faith in Christ Jesus. Happily there are places hungering for the Gospel and the salvation found only in Jesus.  We shall behold our contemporaries from Latin America, Africa and Asia reclining at table with Jesus.  May you and I be numbered with them.  Will those who are saved by few? More than you think but not whom you expect.

Thursday, August 1, 2013

A Multi-Colored Gift

       In the name of the Father, Son +, and Holy Spirit, Amen.  A diamond ring has many facets that reveal its inner beauty, luster and radiance. Examining it under a jeweler’s loupeand bright light one appreciates the unique character of each stone.  One of my hobbies is coin collecting.  Many collectors are drawn to bright shining coins that look like they come straight from the mint.  Some coins that have been left largely alone in a box, bag or vault take on some very colorful toning. There, the atmosphere humidity, temperature and material surrounding the coin give it a unique patina.  The result is a coin that may display fabulous color.  Some of the beauty is not obvious initially.  But tilted under a light color jumps off the coin. These coins demand a premium from collectors who appreciate gorgeous toning.  They are literally one of a kind despite being one of thousands minted that year.



God’s gift of Holy Baptism is much like these coins.  The eyes behold water.  Seen through the light of God’s Word, this gift is much more vibrant and colorful. Each verse presents another facet of the diamond that is Jesus.  Each verse brings a new vibrant hue from the reality that is Christ Jesus.  Paul reminds the Colossians of all they have received from their connection to Jesus.  He rattles off a list from the gift-giving God. The Lord is at work throughout.
       In Baptism they have been buried with Jesus into His death.
       The Triune God is at work raising you from the dead in the resurrection of Christ.
       In Him your hearts have been circumcised
       God makes you alive together with Jesus,
       He forgives all your trespasses,
       He cancels your debt and marks it paid in full by nailing the bill to the cross.
      He disarmed rulers and authorities.
      He displays victory through death and resurrection.
You and I are the recipients of God’s manifold mercy and grace in Jesus Christ.  In Jesus the fullness of the deity dwells bodily. The implications are astounding.  We proclaim Jesus Christ.  He embodies the fullness of God in human flesh.  What we are unable to do, Jesus did. He made perfect satisfaction for your sins. He took your place under the law. We have what the world does not understand or know that it needs.

     Earlier this week I heard several men on the radio sharing their religious views.  Each of them believed that they were saved by their works.  They acknowledged that they are not perfect but hope that God will accept them based upon the good they did and their good intentions even when they did not result in good things. None of them expressed a need for a Savior or an Advocate to stand before the throne of God on their behalf. This is an example of what it means to be held captive by philosophy and empty deceit according to human tradition and the elemental spirits of the world. They are dead men talking and do not realize the severity of their condition or the salvation that Jesus brings..

     Not that we should take credit for what we have in Christ.  It is part of God’s gifting to us.  Paul carefully illustrates this by the language he employs.  Words like “as you received,” “rooted,” “built up in Him,” “established in the faith” are all passives.  No one has the power to root, establish and build themselves up in the faith.  These works are reserved for God the Holy Spirit. They begin with baptism and continue through the hearing of the Word. This is what makes not attending church so damning.  A person removes themselves from the very place God chooses to root, establish and build them up in Jesus Christ.  As you have received Christ, so walk in Him. This is what you have been taught to do. It fulfills the commandment to remember the Sabbath day and keeping it holy. How is it kept holy? When we gladly hear the Word of God and live holy lives according to it. The apostle says it like this:  “As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving” (Colossians 2:6).

     Solomon observed that there is nothing new under the sun.  The world is terminally ill unto death.  It is not a condition that anyone can overcome.  Left to our alleged goodness and noble intentions we fail.  We die because we are sinners.  The only antidote is Jesus Christ. He knows the true condition of every human heart.  He knows how we minimize our sins and maximize our own goodness.  He knows that are condition is fatal.  He comes anyway.  He comes to treat us not as we deserve but according to His mercy.  He comes and unveils for us a glorious salvation.  You are baptized into it as through this washing of water you are buried with Jesus and are instantaneously raised to new life.

     In the light of God’s Word, baptism pops with vibrant living color.  It’s all a gift for you daily. Many will try to disqualify you by saying that this can’t be true.  You must do and do and do and not do this, that and other things. Paul dismisses them as puffed up without reason, not holding fast to the Head who is Christ.  The reality is Jesus.  He is the head from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God (Colossians 2:19), Amen.