Month: June 2003

Let us pray: Dear Lord Christ, thank You for sending us the Holy Spirit! Thank You for not leaving us to fend for ourselves, but sending us the heavenly Counselor, the Comforter of our souls. And thank You for having Him transfer to us personally the peace that You won for us on the cross. Armed with such eternal peace we can all rest with an untroubled conscience. Amen

GRACE MERCY AND PEACE ARE YOURS FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT, YOUR COMFORTER!
TEXT: John 14: 25-27

Fellow Redeemed Sinners:
Do you know what MAD stands for? And no, I’m talking about someone getting angry with another person! MAD stands for “Mutually Assured Destruction.” It was coined during the height of the Cold War between America and the old Soviet Union. Both countries had enough nuclear firepower to destroy each other. The thought was that such deadly destruction would check-mate each country’s ability and will to use that firepower. And so, “peace” was achieved from the 1950’s to the early 1990’s through MAD.

Of course, such human peace really was a lie. Maybe we didn’t destroy the earth through nuclear holocaust, but we did combat each other in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, in Latin America, Africa, and other places too numerous to mention. Was the world at “peace” during those times? Some policy wonk might say “Yes!” But try telling that to those who lost loved ones in these “peaceful” conflicts. The moral to the story is: human peace is a dream, an impossible dream. War stems from a lust for power. And power stems from a sin sickened heart. Unless and until human hearts are changed, there will be no peace.

This past Thursday, the headline in the “Boston Globe” read: “Peace Pledges in the Mideast.” Surely everyone wants such peace. We all hope it will pan out. Nonetheless, the history of the world teaches us that it is a chimera—a false dream. It may be here today, but it will be gone tomorrow.

Today you have come to church because you desire real peace, peace that is lasting, peace in which the rug won’t be pulled out from under you. And on Pentecost, God directed such peace at each of us. And so today, I want to ponder:

PEOPLE PEACE VS. PENTECOST PEACE
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As I looked over this little text, one line leaped out at me. It is where Christ says: “I do not give to you as the world gives.” That little line says it all. Just think about worldly peace. Every wants it. Countless people pray for it. Our political leaders spend huge amounts of money trying to achieve it. And yet, today the world is filled with violence and hate. WWI was going to be the war that ended all wars. And then came WWII. WWII was to forge a lasting peace in the world. But then came the Cold War. Now we’re in a war of terror—even though America’s greatest enemy, the former Soviet Union is no more. And when the war on terror is won, what will happen? I think you know the answer. Another enemy of peace will arise. As Scripture says—people long for: “Peace, peace, but there is no peace.”

So, too, in our own lives. Road rage lives on, not only in Massachusetts! Anger management classes are in vogue—some businesses even pay to send you to them. Domestic violence is a huge problem in our society. The divorce rate speaks volumes as to the lack of peace within marriages. Bullies still exist on the playgrounds of our schools. And stress leads to consciences at war with themselves. People peace is based on keeping the veneer of respectability. People peace is based on the threat of lawsuits. People peace can and is withdrawn in an instant—if we don’t get our way. So, isn’t it nice to know that when it comes to peace, Christ, Who cannot lie, promises: “I do not give to you as the world gives?”

II

Pentecost is often referred to as the “birthday of the Christian Church.” It took place 50 days after Easter. On that first Pentecost both the Father and the Son sent the 3rd Person of the Trinity, the Holy Ghost, upon the disciples. He filled them with His power, His joy, His peace. He personally applied to each of them the peace with God that Christ had won on the cross. He inflamed their hearts so that they knew they were at peace with God. And let’s face it, if you’re at peace with God, doesn’t the silliness of this world fade in comparison?

Listen again to our text where Christ promises them all this. “All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Here our Savior promises that the disciples, and by extension, us, will be under the influence of his peace. “Peace I leave with you.” This was Christ’s will, His testament, His living legacy of love to us. His soul He committed to His Father on the cross. His body He bequeathed to Joseph, who put it in his tomb. His clothes fell to the soldiers. His mother he left to the care of John. But what should He leave His disciples? He had no silver or gold. But He left them something infinitely better—His peace. For when you’re at peace with God sin doesn’t reign in you. And when sin doesn’t reign in you, you’ll be equipped to handle the ups and downs of life without falling apart or resorting to violence. Yes, He gave them and us His love, His compassion, His sense of perspective, His peace. All this is ours because the Spirit has worked faith, confidence, and trust in our hearts. All peace is based on faith. And when that faith is a God-given gift, the peace that it brings will not and cannot fail.

People Peace Vs. Pentecost Peace, which would you rather have? Which is more lasting? Which is more valuable? Well, you know the answer. In fact, that’s really why you’ve come today—to celebrate the gift of the Spirit and the peace that He brings! So, go forth this week in confidence and joy knowing that you’re at peace with God….Amen

Let us pray: Dear Savior, in love You gave Your life for ours on the cross. In love You worked saving faith in our hearts. And now, You want us to show forth that love by putting aside any hatred, rage, anger, and bitterness that we might have toward another. Lord, the only way we can do that is to keep our eyes and our mouths and our hearts fixed on You. So, give us the ability to do exactly that. Amen

GRACE MERCY AND PEACE ARE YOURS FROM CHRIST, THE LORD OF LOVE!
TEXT: I John 4: 13-21

Fellow Redeemed Sinners:
Tests are a way of life. Tests are a way to show us what we’ve learned and what we still need to learn. They measure growth. And they will never end as long as we draw breath. So, you young people better get used to those tests in school, because they are a precursor, a forerunner, of what awaits. When you pass the MCAS test, you’ll get your high school diploma. But then comes the real time of testing. College, job interviews and later performance reviews, the time when you’ll lose your parents, handling physical pain, and the dating game—all of them are future tests. Some you’ll pass. Some you’ll fail. And hopefully you’ll learn from every single one of them.

God sends countless tests our way in order to measure exactly where we are when it comes to our faith and where we need to be. Today’s text outlines one such test. And today we’re going to take it. So, I ask you:

DO YOU PASS THE LOVE TEST?
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For me, every Sunday is actually a test. Every sermon is a test. Did I faithfully and correctly preach God’s Word, or not? Did I reach your souls with His life-changing message of forgiveness, or not? Did I give you something to cogitate on during the week, or not? But, for me the testing doesn’t end with the final “Amen” at service end. No, I’ve learned the hard way that such testing continues every single day. How so?

Throughout my ministry most of my members have been accepting and appreciative of what I’ve tried to do for them and in their lives. But, I have had people that for whatever reason didn’t like me. Perhaps a sermon rubbed them the wrong way. Perhaps I said or did something that they didn’t understand and they put the worst possible construction upon it. In any case, I’ve had people who rejected me and my work. People who got angry over some supposed slight and stayed away from worship. People who agitated behind the scenes in order to foment discontent among other members. Every pastor faces such difficult people. It comes with the territory. In fact, we even have a name to describe them. We call them “alligators.” As in, “they snap at us a lot!” A number of years ago I was talking to Pastor David Lillegard, a son of this congregation, a foreign missionary in our synod, and a friend about this very issue of alligators. I’ll never forget the advice he gave me in handling difficult people. When I asked him what he does in such circumstances, David replied: “I love them all the more!” That’s wise advice. Biblical advice. And I’ve never forgotten it.

It’s easy to love those who love you back. But what about the “alligators” that you face at work, at school, in your extended family, or perhaps even at church? Do you “love them all the more,” or not? Let’s face it, anger and disgust are easy. Bearing a grudge is easy. Hatred and bitterness are easy. They are easy because they naturally spring forth from our sinful nature. But love, true love, is hard because it is alien to our natures. For true love comes only from God. “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgement, because in this world we are like him.

Now, let’s be clear. Love doesn’t mean you excuse bad behavior. Love doesn’t mean you ignore people who are ingrates. Love doesn’t mean you overlook sin. For God is a God of honesty, and thus our faith and lives must reflect such honesty, too. That being said, since love is the primary principle behind everything God does, it must be so for us, as well. If it’s not, you will fail to pass His love test.

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So, how are we to love? What form should it take? The Bible tells us never to “repay evil with more evil, but repay evil with good.” In other words, act toward others as Christ acted towards you. Without Jesus guiding us by His Spirit—“We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.”—without that every one of us fails the love test miserably. For our nature is to hurt others who have hurt us and to hit back twice as hard as we’ve been hit. But when Jesus is added to the equation, when He puts His love into our hearts, all that changes. Yes, “we love because he first loved us. If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.”

A week doesn’t go by that I don’t think about those who have been petty and spiteful towards me. And by God’s grace, I pray for them. I pray that God may change their hearts and find a way to change their attitudes. Does this make me a model Christian? No! Christ has made me His child by His love for me on the cross. And that love and forgiveness has blotted out resentment and retribution. By His grace alone I focus on the great truth that John preaches: “We love him because he first loved us!” Indeed, to do anything less is to mock His love and His life.

Do you pass the love test? If you take this test alone the answer will always be: no. You will fail miserably. But with Christ’s power and the Spirit’s guidance, you can and will pass this test with flying colors. Just remember to always rely on Christ and to mirror His life in yours! “If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.” Being a Christian doesn’t mean you’ll ever be perfect or that you’ll never give in to pettiness. Instead, being a Christian means that you try to live love and always plead the mercy of God’s love in Christ when you fail. Think about that truth this week and then put it into practice. Amen