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Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost / Proper 17
29 August 2010
Hebrews 13:1-17
What does the Christian life look like? It has a twofold shape. It’s faith toward Jesus and love for the neighbor.
Christians believe in Jesus. That’s faith. Faith comes by hearing Christ’s Word. Faith in Jesus saves. Faith saves because it clings to Jesus who died and rose from the dead. Who “makes you holy through His own blood.” Again, faith trusts in Jesus. Faith trusts in His promises. And the previous chapters in Hebrews have been teaching about faith in Jesus who has sprinkled His blood on you for your salvation. So the first part of the Christian life is faith. Faith in Jesus.
Now today in Hebrews 13 we get to hear how faith goes to work in daily living. You are to live outside yourself as you descend to serve others with love. And that’s the second part of the Christian life. Faith in Jesus rolls up its sleeves and gets busy. Faith doesn’t remain idle. Faith is a living, busy, active, mighty thing. The Christian lives not for himself/herself. THE CHRISTIAN LIVES FOR OTHERS! And the people in our lives have many needs. They need your love.
Jesus doesn’t need your love. But the people around you do. And so Jesus would use you as His instrument – His hands – His mouth – to show His love for people who need it. You are to be “little christs” if you will. Not in the sense that you save people. But only in the sense that through you – through your sacrificial works of love – Jesus cares for people in their various needs.
Today I’ll limit the sermon to four practical, earthy ways that saving faith in Jesus puts on its work clothes and gets busy. Very busy. Four points otherwise the sermon will be way too long. It will be a tad longer than you’re used to. So I better get started. Here goes.
First, the text begins: “keep on loving each other as brothers.” Faith loves. Faith loves. Not itself. But others. Faith is busy as it loves people.
Have you been loving those around you? In your family? Your congregation? Your community? Haven’t been? Been a little hate, grudge holding, or animosity going on? Then it’s time to repent. Because you are loved by Jesus. Loved to death – by His death on the cross. How could you not love each other then? How can you not forgive one another just as God in Christ has forgiven you of absolutely everything? Let me remind you once again of Jesus’ will for your life: “Love one another as I have loved you.” Loving “each other as brothers” in Christ is a mark, an outward sign, that you are disciples of Jesus.
And surprise, surprise! Sometimes, when you in love, open up your homes and tables to help out a stranger, you “entertain angels without even knowing it!” Incredible isn’t it? That happened to Abraham and Lot in Genesis 18 and 19. And so the text says: “Do not forget to do good and to share with others. For with such sacrifices God is pleased.”
Love also extends itself to those in prison. “Remember those in prison,” the text says, “as is you were their fellow prisoners.” Love flows out to those “who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” Christians all over the world are imprisoned and mistreated for confessing Christ. Love doesn’t forget them.
Second, faith in Christ affects marriage and the bedroom. The text says: “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.” Faith receives marriage as God’s good gift. Faith honors marriage as it should be: holy.
Therefore faith keeps the marriage bed pure and undefiled. Do you know what that means? It means that God forbids any sexual activity outside of the boundaries of holy marriage. To put it positively it means marital fidelity – the lifelong union of one man and one woman to live by their vows. No divorcing. No homosexuality. No “messing around” with any one outside of the one flesh union of holy marriage.
Brothers and sisters, I beg you: beware of sexual sin. When politicians, the TV shows, movies, or your friends tell you that sexual sin doesn’t affect anyone, their dead wrong.
Why? Because sexual sin is the idolatry of the self. When someone lives only for himself, he lives without any regard for others, the congregation, the community and most especially God.
God judges sexual sin very severely: there are STDs of all kinds, broken families, shattered, devastated children, violence against women, and even death. These are warning shots of God’s Law – warning all of us to turn away from whatever adulterates holy marriage.
Where we have all failed to honor marriage – where we have all profaned the marriage bed in whatever way, Jesus through today’s text urges us all to repent. To confess our sin and turn to Him for forgiveness. For cleansing. For purity. After all, He bore all sin, including adultery and immorality, in His body on the cross. He has better use for us all. He would use us to love others by honoring holy marriage as God’s good gift and keeping the marriage bed pure.
The third way that faith in Christ goes to work is that faith “keeps our lives from the love of money.” Look, money is a gift from God. Let’s be clear about that. The proper use of money is in service to others. Taking care of your family. Helping the poor. Supporting the church so the Gospel of Jesus can be preached, so that your children can be baptized, and so that you can eat and drink the Lord’s body and blood in the Sacrament. Again, money is to be used as God’s good gift so you can be his instruments to help others.
But when you look to money for all your good and all your help, and not Jesus, then you turn God’s gift of money into an idol! When you do that, watch out! God money turns into a tyrant. God money will demand everything from you. Idol money will require all your time, your talents, your energies, your heart, mind, soul – YOUR ENTIRE LIFE!
It will give you no rest. No peace. No joy. Idol money will never let you know the joy of giving a generous offering to the Lord as a thanksgiving or helping those in need. You’ll be like the rich fool who said to himself: “Got plenty! My life is secure! Time to take life easy. East, drink and be merry!” But then he dies and then he has nothing. Jesus says: “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things FOR HIMSELF but is not rich toward God,” (Luke 12:13-31).
So be warned brothers and sisters: if you love money you’ll end up hating someone else. And who would that be? That’s right: Jesus Himself. You’ll be like the rich young man that wouldn’t follow Jesus because of his great wealth. The love of money is the source of all kind of evil Scripture says: greed, bribery, robbery, envy, hatred, violence and even murder.
But God makes a promise to you. “Never will I leave you. I won’t forsake you, ever!” And so faith says confidently: “Yes, Lord, you are my helper. I won’t be afraid. Even if I don’t have very much money.”
The fourth way that faith goes to work is this. “Remember your spiritual leaders who spoke God’s Word to you.” “Imitate their faith.”
Pastors need your love too. They need your prayers. They are not CEOs that you fire when the so-called franchise struggles or begins to go under. They are not coaches that you let go when you’re having a losing season. That isn’t how it should go in the church at all.
Most pastors I know don’t look for more money or bigger congregations, recognition, or fame. All they want is for is a few broken sinners to gladly hear God’s Word, repent, believe in Jesus for forgiveness, and who want to do better. That gives pastors great joy. It keeps them from burning out or throwing in the towel.
So faith that goes to work in love remembers the pastors that baptized you, taught you, warned you, preached Christ’s forgiveness to us, and who modeled faithfulness to God’s Word to you. “Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.”
Well, I hope you’re probably not ready to bolt for the doors after hearing this sermon and never come back.
After all, Jesus, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever is the source for all these works of love. He’s always the Savior. His wounds forever count for you. You need Him and His gifts of forgiveness in His Word and Supper all the time. That’s faith remember?
With faith in Jesus He then uses you as His hands and mouths of love for others in your hospitality, your marriage, your use of money, and remembering your spiritual leaders.
Faith and love: the twofold shape of the Christian life.
Happy believing. Happy loving.
In the Name of Jesus.
Edited on: August 29th, 2010 6:25 am
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