Luke 13:22-30 Sermon

Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost (Christian Education)

Shepherd of the Hills Ev. Lutheran Church (WELS) 

Warnings from the Word Series: “The Door Is Narrow”

Luke 13:22-30

22 Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. 23 Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?”  He said to them, 24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ “But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ 26 “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’ 28 “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out.29 People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30 Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.” (NIV)

The two things that really concern us when boarding an airplane are 1) “Is there going to be enough space left in the overhead compartment for my carry on?” and 2) “Who am I going to be sitting next to on the flight?  Most, however, are not terribly concerned about the plane crashing or the pilot needing to make an emergency landing.  Neither should we be, as the chances of anyone of us ever experiencing such a thing are highly unlikely.  Nevertheless, one thing you can expect to hear every single time you board a plane, stow your luggage, and buckle your belt, is a quick run-through by the flight attendants of what to do in the case of an emergency.  You know the drill.  In the case of extreme turbulence the overhead panel will open up and oxygen masks will drop down.  And in case there is anyone on board who is unaware that oxygen is inhaled through the mouth or nose, the attendant informs us that the mask goes over the face.  Directions are given for tightening the mask, and everyone has received the proper crash course – no pun intended – on what to do in the event of a crash landing.  Many of us have been through the routine so many times, that as soon as we’re seated and start getting into that book or checking our messages one last time before take off, we tend to tune out the flight attendant’s safety warnings. 

We cannot do the same with Jesus’ Warning from the Word this morning; we cannot tune it out.  His warning does not fall under the “nice-to-know-but-not-really-necessary” category, because it is a warning that applies to that all people.  In fact, his warning applies to what is in essence the one thing that matters in everyone’s life – whether or not heaven awaits them in the future.  The warning Jesus issues pictures access into his heavenly mansion as being through a door, and his warning is this: The Door Is Narrow.   

Sadly, we know from various real-life tragedies what can happen when a disaster occurs that requires a large number of people to escape through a small space.  Not everyone is going to be able to make it.  The same can be said of the narrow door into heaven: not everyone is going to make it.  Jesus’ warning to the man who asked him the question was a wake-up call: be less concerned about the total number of those who will make it, and more concerned that you’ll be among them.

Many will not make it because time will run out on them.  Jesus explained, “Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us’” (v.25).  The door is only open for a limited time, and once it closes, there are no second chances.  That door will close for every single person in one of two ways.  It closes at the moment of death, or it closes when Jesus returns on Judgment Day.  Either way though, once it is closed, that door does not open again.  When it comes to death and what follows, avoidance, indifference, and delay are risky bets.  The stakes are much too high to ignore the one thing in life that actually matters.  The Door Is Narrow.

While for many time, will simply run out, others will be shocked to find out they will be excluded on the basis of a lack of qualifications.  Those who are stuck outside pleading, “We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets” (v.26) unfortunately missed the point.  “But I was brought up in the church and I was confirmed,” or “I have friends that go to church, or “I thought all religious paths led to the same destination” won’t cut it.  Just as Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse won’t honor your coupon from Beef & Bun, neither will anything apart from Christ allow anyone to enter through the narrow door.  Heaven doesn’t accept competitor’s coupons.  The Door Is Narrow.

Of course none of this matters if we see Jesus’ warning as nothing more than an opportunity to nod heads in agreement, but don’t each bother to personally apply his warning to ourselves.  The saddest thing in the world would be for those who hear the warning to naively assume it only applies to everyone else.  No, the warning is for you.  It is for me.  Conduct a spiritual self-assessment and make sure you don’t fall into any of the afore-mentioned categories.  And if you have, then it is time to take Jesus seriously and “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door” (v.24).

And do so taking note that while “many” will not be able to enter through that door, Jesus didn’t say that all would be excluded.  No, his warning is not meant to send us into a spiral of despair, but rather to cause us to wake up and smell the coffee, and acknowledge that our spiritual welfare is not something to be trifled with or taken lightly.  There is a fine line between being overconfident and being assured.  We don’t want to be overconfident at the foot of the door, only to be blind-sided by having the door slammed in our face.

However, we can be assured.  How?  Go back to the beginning of Jesus’ encounter with this young man and recall the background Luke provides.  He introduces this interaction with the words, “Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem” (v.22). 

Jerusalem.  For Jesus it wasn’t a tourist destination.  He wasn’t heading to Jerusalem to visit family or friends.  Jerusalem was where his tomb was waiting to eagerly devour his dead body.  Jerusalem is where the cross called out to him, beckoning him to finish what he was born in the flesh to do: die.  With his flawless life and ministry, the curtains had fallen on Act 1 of the drama of salvation; his sinless life and righteous obedience were necessary so that his perfection could be applied to you and me.  At Jerusalem the lights dimmed and Act II was carried out; he suffered and died to pay for our sin, which we desperately needed.  For where Jesus this morning has told us to make every effort, too often we’ve relaxed with very little effort.  Where Jesus has warned us that many won’t make it through the door, we’ve arrogantly brushed off that warning and assumed it applies to everyone else because, well, “I’m me, and they’re not, and of course I’ll make it through the door.”  But we’ll be in for a rude awakening unless we cling firmly to Jesus alone to enter through the door.  The only way one enters is by the blood Jesus shed for forgiveness.  Recall in Egypt how God’s people observed the Passover by smearing the blood of the Passover lamb on their doorposts so that death would pass over their home.  That blood symbolized the blood shed by Jesus, shed so that we could cross the threshold of the narrow door and enter into heaven.  That access is granted only to those who by God’s grace know and believe that they have been covered by Jesus’ blood.

Does it make sense why we have such a high regard for Christian education and recognize how vital it is in the life of the Christian?  Really, Satan’s work can be boiled down to one goal: undermining the life and death of Jesus, because he knows that is all that is needed to spend eternity in heaven.  Through Christian education the Holy Spirit counters the devil’s work.  As the Holy Spirit trains us for spiritual battle through his Word and sacraments, we are much better equipped to recognize and defend against the devil’s attacks.

So we rejoice that one of the ways God has allowed his Holy Spirit to carry out that training is through the elementary school we’ve been blessed with for 40 years.  For four decades we have been able to help families make every effort by hearing, learning, and seeing Jesus’ grace daily, while at the same time receiving an excellent education and being prepared to excel well beyond elementary school.  And while teaching styles and methods have changed significantly over those 40 years, the focus on the Savior has not, nor will it.  For forty years children have memorized the Scriptures, their books of the Bible, and what those books are all about, preparing them for a lifetime of continued study in the Word, so that Jesus will keep them close.  Another blessing provided through the school for 40 years is that by default it guards against the godless garbage that is required to be taught in other schools.  No, it doesn’t completely shelter our children from the world, nor should it, but our school has minimized the world’s influence and protected young hearts and minds from being exposed to what society determines is appropriate for them.  Oh, and boys will use the boys bathroom, while girls will use the girls bathroom.

But let us not run the risk of turning that blessing into a curse by presuming that an elementary school stands alone in providing Christian education.  The devil works very hard on parents and families to deceive us into thinking we have “made every effort” simply by enrolling our children in the elementary school.  But not every effort is being made if the Word is not heard first and foremost in the home.

Do we get intimidated or overwhelmed by the prospect of making the Word more prominent in the home?  Perhaps we’ve confused what God is asking of us as parents.  He isn’t asking you to be theologians who can answer every question that might ever come up.  Rather, Jesus is just asking to be invited into your home on a regular basis, so that he can bring blessings with him.  If you’re intimidated by reading the Bible together as a family, then have your child read it to you.  They love to read, and using the Bible as the textbook sends a clear message to our children that it is important.  You don’t have to have the perfect prayer at bedtime; let your children take turns praying for what’s on their hearts and minds.  You’ll be amazed by what you hear, and it may just bolster your prayer life a bit as well.  Dad and mom, you have more influence than any teacher or pastor will ever have on your children.  That also means you have a lot more leeway when you don’t get it right; you’ll get more chances. Children are very forgiving of mom and dad.  When it comes to Jesus, what you do or don’t in your home will have more influence on your children than 9 years in our elementary school and every Sunday in church – combined. 

Now don’t take that to mean that being in church regularly isn’t important.  We have not “made every effort” if the Word is not heard regularly in God’s house as well.  Many of you have expressed the positive impact worship has on your week, and conversely, the negative impact it has when you miss it.  Should it surprise us that God keeps his promise of blessing us through his Word?  Of course not!  Active involvement in worship and in our congregation in general is not what gets us into heaven; but it is an important part of Christian education that keeps us centered in the One who alone does get us into heaven: Jesus.

Let all three – church, home, and school – work together to provide the richest Christian education possible, so that we can truly say that we’ve “made every effort.”  We have made every effort to keep our focus on the life-saving truth that access through the narrow door comes only through the life and death of Jesus.

As our lives are enriched more and more through Christian education, as we are making every effort to allow Jesus to enrich our lives through Christian education in every way possible, we become increasingly aware of something else: Jesus’ warning this morning is not intended to be heard only by us.  “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to” (v.24).  I pray that our concern with Jesus’ words doesn’t stop with self.  I pray that when we hear those words, “many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to,” that in place of a “ha – told you so” attitude that our sinful nature might wish to direct toward unbelievers, Jesus’ warning would instead tug at our hearts and stir up in us a genuine, heartfelt concern for those on the path to having the door shut in their faces.  As a congregation we’re about seeking the lost and serving the found.  Woe to us if we ever fall into the trap of being comfortable with only serving the found and taking care of ourselves.

Another benefit of Christian education is that it guards against that.  The more my life is filled up with Jesus, the more Jesus I have and want to give to others.  So Christian education keeps the focus where it needs to be for us to fit through the narrow door, but it also builds up our passion for the lost, a passion that Jesus would have translate into effort and action in helping others see Jesus as their only hope through the narrow door.

As many times as many of us have heard the pre-flight spiel about what to do with our oxygen masks, we no doubt can recall the specific direction given to adults with small children: adults, first secure your own masks, then assist the little ones with theirs.  So it is with Christian education.  Feed yourself with Jesus so that you don’t run the risk of being shut outside the narrow door.  Then, reach out to others and warn them so that they don’t run the risk of being shut out either.  Your mask is already on and secure; now help others with theirs.  Amen.

                                                              

“For the freer confidence is from one’s own works, and the more exclusively it is directed toward Christ alone, so much better is the Christian it makes.” (Luther)

Luke 12:49-53 Sermon

Thirteenth sunday after pentecost

Shepherd of the Hills Ev. Lutheran Church (WELS)

Warnings from the Word Series: “Division, Not Peace”

Luke 12:49-53

49 “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! 51 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. 52 From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” (NIV)

The officer arrives on the scene to see the criminal surrounded by police.  The criminal is armed.  An officer shouts at him to drop his weapon and put his hands up where they’re visible.  The criminal hesitates.  The officer fires a warning shot and repeats his command, at which point the criminal obliges and lays down his weapon.  Elsewhere, a driver on the highway notices a blinking yellow light up ahead and as he slows down, he observes the “Caution” sign.  The sign indicates that the bridge is out up ahead and a detour is necessary.  He cautiously proceeds and follows the detour signs to eventually arrive at his destination. 

Both cases involved a warning, yet the purpose behind each was strikingly different.  In the first case, the warning was purely a threat to the criminal that if he didn’t follow directions, ugly consequences would follow.  In the second case, the warning was not a threat, but rather a safeguard to ensure that no driver would unknowingly run the risk of driving over an unsafe bridge.  Two different warnings each have different purposes.

So as we begin our series this morning on “Warnings from the Word,” which purpose is in line with the warnings God gives to us through his Word?  Is he threatening stern consequences, or is he lovingly trying to protect us?  Can the answer be “both?”  And don’t both ultimately stem from his boundless love that desires to see no one suffer eternal consequences, but everyone to remain safe and secure in his loving presence forever?  Surely the complete opposite of love would be to know of a danger that others are risking and say nothing of it!  And one would also wonder where the love was if someone was aware of the reality of boundless blessings for all eternity, but didn’t lovingly warn others who ran the risk of forfeiting those blessings.  So God’s love compels him to warn us not only of imminent danger when on the wrong path, but also to warn us of the good we might be passing up unless we are on the right path.

What, then, is God’s first “Warning from the Word” that we’ll look at this morning?  He lovingly warns us that Jesus will break families apart.  Now that’s not to label Jesus a home wrecker.  However, his message and his work will offend many and cause division within the family.  So why does he warn us?  So that when it happens, we aren’t caught off guard with a weak faith or worse – no faith – making us willing to compromise when it comes to God and his Word before we are willing to put up with discord and division within our family.  God would not have us risk the blood of his own Son for the blood of father, mother, brother, or sister.  God’s warning is that this stuff – your faith, his Word, Jesus’ work – it will destroy families by causing offense and disdain.  But don’t let that destroy your inheritance in heaven that he gave everything to secure.  We are better equipped to deal with that if we recognize Jesus’ warning: he came to bring Division, Not Peace.

Imagine you are job-hunting and you come across a job offer that includes this description: “Worker will need to completely downsize.  Employment here will result in employee being unwelcome by others.  It may result in being turned over to the police and punished.  Employee will be betrayed, hated, and persecuted.  If employee badmouths employer in any way, employment will immediately be terminated, and ex-employee will be black-listed.  Finally, employment will leave your family divided and they will turn against you.”  Of course those aren’t the words of any job description; rather, they are a description of what one can expect as a believer (as paraphrased from the tenth chapter of Matthew’s Gospel). 

But if those words were a job description, I would imagine that most could willingly put up with much of that list if it meant being employed.  The one exception, however, might be the damage it would do to family.  While there are some who get along just fine without family, most would admit that there is no tighter bond than the one with family.  We will tolerate an awful lot more from our family than we ever would from others.  We will fiercely defend the members of our family and give them the benefit of the doubt every time before we take a stand against them.  For many, there is nothing else in life that comes before family.

Did you know that there is actually a name for that in Scripture?  It’s called idolatry.  When Jesus said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple” (Lk. 14:26), he was using a figure of speech to convey that devotion to family cannot ever trump devotion to him.  Jesus knew how challenging that would be; after all, he is the one who blesses us with families.  Knowing how much we would treasure the families into which he has so graciously placed us, he warns us that when division occurs within the family because of him, there is no taking sides with family instead of Jesus.

Does this happen?  Ask the family members who try to defend or even hide their relative’s sinful divorce, even when they know it is wrong.  Why has the mother’s stance on living together in sin before marriage suddenly softened, if not because it now applies to her son? Talk to the sibling who always clearly understood that homosexuality was sin… until a brother or sister came out and suddenly homosexuality might not be wrong after all.  Ask the parents who always gave the teacher the benefit of the doubt in discipline cases… until it was their own child who needed discipline.  Follow up with the who-knows-how-many former members/families of any given church who hightailed it out of there because they didn’t like “the church” calling a spade a spade when it came to some sin in the family.

In each case, what changed?  Did God’s Word change?  No, it was just denied on the basis of emotional attachment to family.  That’s what Jesus was warning against.  Sin and the application of God’s law to point it out will result in families being divided.  Jesus said, “Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.  From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law” (v.51-53).  The question is, which side of the divide will we be on?  Will we side with family against the Savior and his Word, or will we heed Jesus’ warning and reflect that our hearts and our loyalty belong to him, even if it means scorn and rejection from our own flesh and blood? 

Our answer to that question may potentially have much more serious consequences than just being cut off from family.  Not only is it sin to side with those who deny God’s Word, but the greater danger is that once we become comfortable denying God’s Word for the sake of family in one area, it becomes easier and easier to deny God’s Word in other areas.  And if – God forbid – that ultimately leads to rejection of Jesus altogether, we shudder to think of the eternal consequences.  After all, Jesus himself dreaded the division that would come into the world through him.  He said, “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” (v.49).  Jesus knew families would be ripped apart by the message he came to bring, and if he knew how much turmoil that would cause on earth, it is hard to imagine how much dreadfully worse it must make eternity.

His awareness of that no doubt contributed to his distress not only over the message he came to bring, but the sacrifice him came to make.  He said, “But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! (v.50).  “Baptism,” as he uses it here does not refer to his baptism in the Jordan – a baptism of water; rather, it refers to the suffering and crucifixion he would need to endure, the cup of suffering about which he would later pray in Gethsemane.  How remarkable then that Jesus a) knew the division that would result from his work, and b) knew the suffering and pain it would require him to endure, and still he marched forward.

But Jesus was not only distressed; he was also determined.  In spite of the agony that would come from both his suffering and his realization that his work and Word would turn family member against family member, he was determined to see our salvation through to the end.  He saw the imposing mountain of pain and suffering that was before him, and he didn’t shy away.  He was willing to make the greatest sacrifice so that the sin that sets up family as an idol, and the sin that separates sons, siblings, and spouses would be forgiven.  Daunting as the task at hand was, Jesus did not pass the buck or refuse to deliver the helpless.

Neither did a man named Chris Ihle, from Des Moines, IA earlier this month.  His late lunch over, and Chris had come back to finish the day out at the bank where he worked.  While in the parking lot, he suddenly noticed there was a car stopped on the train tracks of a nearby crossing, with the sound of the train whistle ringing in his ear.  As he hurried toward their car, Chris heard the drivers of other cars shouting to the elderly couple inside to get out, but the couple remained inside while the elderly gentlemen in the driver’s side kept trying to start the car.  As he arrived at the car, Chris realized the hood was over the train track, and that he should only need to move the car a bit in order to save the couple.  He pushed, but nothing happened.  The train kept rumbling toward them and he pushed again, while yelling to the driver to make sure the car was in neutral.  This time the car rolled back enough to keep both the car and Chris out of the train’s path as it raced by.  He had risked his life to save the couple.

Jesus not only risked his life, but gave it for you and me, and he delivered us from a fate far worse than the damage any train wreck could cause.  Yet, those who choose family or any other worldly concern over Jesus and his Word fail to see that they are essentially stalled on the tracks, yelling to Jesus, “Get out of here!  Leave me on the tracks!  I don’t want you to push me off – I am right where I want to be!”  Yes, right in the path of destruction, jaded by the empty prospect of peace and harmony within the family, they are blind to the eternal consequence of choosing the passing peace of family over the permanent peace that Jesus purchased for eternity.  Jesus warns us this morning because his desire is that we wouldn’t forfeit his peace.  He warns us, because he yearns for us to reap the guaranteed benefits of salvation he paid so dearly to secure.  Amen.

           

“For the freer confidence is from one’s own works, and the more exclusively it is directed toward Christ alone, so much better is the Christian it makes.” (Luther)

Haggai 1:12-14 Sermon

Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost

Shepherd of the Hills Ev. Lutheran Church (WELS) 

Think About It

Haggai 1:12-14

12 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the Lord their God had sent him. And the people feared the Lord. 13 Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave this message of the Lord to the people: “I am with you,” declares the Lord. 14 So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the Lord Almighty, their God,

“Give careful thought to your ways.”  The advice is sound in any number of areas of life.  As you are managing your finances, careful thought should go into your budget each month, your savings, your investments, etc.  Without giving careful thought to your ways financially, it won’t be very long until you’d be in rough shape.  It is also good to give careful thought to your ways when managing your schedule – allowing sufficient time for work, family, projects, relaxation, and so on, so that you don’t end up neglecting anything or anyone.  It also applies to choosing friends, or what to watch on television, or where to explore on the internet – “Give careful thought to your ways.”

It also happens to serve as a sort of catch phrase in the book of Haggai.  But God’s counsel to his people through the prophet Haggai is more than just the “Be careful!” shouted to a child by an over worried parent.  It’s an invitation to his people to conduct a review or an assessment of their lives in light of their calling as God’s holy people.  It is an opportunity to consider their life and actions and how they are a reflection of priorities in one’s life.  It was a needed reminder for God’s people at the time of Haggai because something important was being neglected: God’s house.  And even that may have been understandable if it was simply a matter of not having the manpower or the resources or the time get anything done.  But those things weren’t the case, as the manpower, the resources, and the time were all there… they were just being utilized in a way that reflected skewed priorities; they were being utilized on their own homes and not God’s.

Before we come right out and blast the Jewish people for giving their attention to their personal homes at the expense of God’s house, we should recognize that it is easy enough to do.  Remember, after all, that they had been displaced from their homes and taken into captivity.  Their homes were vacated and emptied and they were herded away to a foreign land.  Now, they were being allowed to return to their homes. 

And anyone who has ever gone through any sort of big move or relocation knows all the work that is involved in making a house a home.  The repairmen needed to come in and address any possible structural issues and make sure the house was safe.  Maybe the family had grown a bit, and it was necessary to build an addition.  Then, once that stuff was done, all of the little personal touches that make a house a home needed to take place.  Some redecorating was necessary – a coat of paint here, new furniture there; trips to Home Depot, Target, and Kohl’s were a daily occurrence.  Finally the Jewish people were starting to feel settled once again.  They were ready to hang the newly framed  “Welcome Home” picture they had just purchased.  And that was how they overlooked the shabby and shameful state of God’s house. 

Enter Haggai, and God’s message proclaimed through him.  Notice that God didn’t have any issues with his people rebuilding their homes.  That wasn’t the problem.  It wasn’t what they were doing, but what they weren’t doing.  They weren’t giving precedence to God by giving precedence to their place of worship, which served as a visible reminder of God dwelling with his people.  So God said to his people through the prophet Haggai, “Give careful thought to your ways” (1:5).  “Consider your priorities and how they reflect your relationship with me.  Think about it.”

Doesn’t God call us to do the same?  We are so blessed that we’re not tied down by rules, regulations, and requirements in our relationship with God.  Christ has freed us from such obligations by keeping the law perfectly in our place.  In Christian freedom we are not limited by the law, but guided by grace. 

But somehow we can so easily manage to abuse that freedom, can’t we?  Like a caged animal just released into the wild, we sprint away to enjoy our freedom and can so quickly forget to give careful thought to our ways and whether or not they reflect our relationship with Jesus.  It reminds me of a line from the movie Jurassic Park.  The creator of the park had discovered how to recreate dinosaurs from old dinosaur DNA. After sharing his excitement over that process and its implications with a curious, but cautious scientist, the scientist responded.  His wet blanket reply was, “Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.”

Christian freedom affords us more liberties than we can possibly count, but we cannot be so enamored with what we can do, without thinking about if we should do it.  We don’t have to go to church to get to heaven.  I don’t have to give 10% to the Lord to make him love me more.  The Bible doesn’t say I have to marry a Christian.  We are not obligated to do any one of these things.  But…

… we’re also free to do those things.  We’re missing out if we let our sinful nature dictate and control Christian freedom.  When that part of us gets a hold of the freedom we have in Christ, of course all it wants to do is drive a wedge between God and us.  No, let Christian freedom appeal to the new creation in each of us, the one who gives thoughts to our ways in light of Jesus’ love for us.  When that part of us gets control of Christian freedom, then it isn’t “I don’t have to…” but, “I’m also free to…”  So no, I don’t have to go to church, but I am free to go as often as I want.  I don’t have to give 10% to the Lord; I am free to give 20%!  I am not obligated to marry a Christian, but the new creation in me sure does find that attribute attractive.

For God’s people who had returned from captivity, it was a matter of sin, not Christian freedom, because God was not their number one priority in life.  God sent Haggai to address that issue.  So what was the result of Haggai’s admonishment to his people to “think about it?”  “Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the Lord their God had sent him. And the people feared the Lord” (v.12).  “The people feared the Lord.” 

What does it mean to fear the Lord?  On the one hand it can mean terror.  The Jewish people could have been absolutely mortified because God had shamed them for being more concerned about the comfort of their own homes than the building of God’s home.  God demands perfection of us, too, and we can’t keep a secret from him that we’re anything but perfect.  So when we consider that God is the one who has the final say regarding our eternity, in light of our sin, that instills a terror that fills us with fear.

But God didn’t only use Haggai to point out the misplaced priorities exhibited by the returned captives; he also used Haggai to comfort and console them. “Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave this message of the Lord to the people: “I am with you,” declares the Lord” (v.13).  So their fear was not based on terror, but on awe, for they had carelessly cast God and his house aside, but he didn’t return the favor.  Instead he promised that he was still with them.  He was still their God.  They were still his people.  He had delivered them in the past.  He would be with them to deliver them in the future.  No, their fear of God was not based on threats and punishments, but on honor and respect.  For what other reaction could they have toward a God who had treated them so mercifully?

And see what a difference it made in their lives to be reassured with the promise that God was with them?  “So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the Lord Almighty, their God” (v.14).  They didn’t waste anymore time.  Their unfinished weekend warrior and DIY projects on their own homes would either have to wait or just get written off, because now their priorities were back on track.  God was back to his rightful place in their lives and they reflected it by getting right to work on his house.

God’s promise to the returned captives is his promise to you.  “I am with you,” he says.  We need to hear that most when, like the returned captives, our priorities are misplaced and we allow sin to master us.  For that is when our fear of God is based on threat and punishment.  “We’ve done it again,” our conscience tells us, “we’ve let sin get the better of us.  Surely God’s love and forgiveness have run out this time.”  Yet to repentant ears, the reassurance “I am with you” are words that give life, hope, and restoration.  Again we’ve sinned.  Again God sees our tears of sorrow and assures us, “I am with you.”  He invites us to think about it for a moment, to recall the sacrifice of his Son, to remember that he willingly let his only child be murdered so that we could be forgiven.  While he certainly showed it on Good Friday and Easter Sunday, he still reminds us that nothing has changed.  He still is with us.  Think about it.  And then go bask in your Christian freedom and delight in all he has freed you to do for him and for one another.  Amen.

                                                              

“For the freer confidence is from one’s own works, and the more exclusively it is directed toward Christ alone, so much better is the Christian it makes.” (Luther)