Monday, August 13, 2018

Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost (B) 2018

+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.

Text: Ephesians 4:30
Theme: Sealed By The Holy Spirit

Dear friends in Christ Jesus,

God is never taken by surprise. So, He is never on the back foot. He can’t be thrown into confusion by circumstances that perplex Him. He is not reactionary. He isn’t lacking foresight. His intentions towards us are always characterized by a clarity of perspective that considers all factors that influence our well-being. From cradle to grave; from conception in the womb to consummation in heaven, God always seeks to draw us to the centre of His presence. Jesus said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.”1

God initiates His pursuit in baptism. St. Paul says believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit “for the day of redemption.”2 This sealing with the Holy Spirit is a reference to baptism. Baptism involves an unconditional promise in which the saving work of Christ is made available to the baptized. The Holy Spirit dares to assert that the sinner is reconciled to the Father purely by grace. The Spirit Himself gives the faith which trusts in the biblical promises. A clear distinction in identity accompanies these blessings. Believers have an inheritance that is not available to those who reject the forgiveness of God accomplished in Christ.

Society is changing. Christians are feeling the tension between worldviews that are pulling in opposite directions. Soon it won’t be nearly so easy to be a nominal adherent of the faith as it has been in the past. Discord over matters such as sexual identity and the sanctity of life are only symptomatic of a crisis at a deeper level. Contentious questions at the core of the issue include: Is creation purposeful- including our individual existences- or is everything the result of mindless, chaotic, mechanical processes? Is ultimate meaning limited to the experiences we have in the few days we walk this earth? Or is life here just a preview and preparation for what is to come? Is there someone greater to be accountable to, or is collective humanity the highest authority?

The evidence is pointing to the fact that fewer and fewer people believe they have anything to be saved from. More specifically, they don’t believe they need to be saved from anything that might imperial their current spiritual or eternal well-being. They don’t believe sin could finally separate them from God. They don’t believe in hell, which is nothing more (but certainly nothing less) than being completely estranged from the blessings and presence of God for eternity. Clearly, there are many things people want to be spared from in this temporal life. They want to be spared from poor health or traumatic experiences. They want to be spared from financial hardship. They want to be spared from broken relationships and stressful conflict. They want to be saved from a soiled reputation or slander and embarrassment in the public eye. In short, they want to be spared from the consequences of sin in this life but have little concern about the guilt of sin in eternity. Satan is very happy with those who are self-consciously self-righteous. He is pleased with those whose consciences are mistakenly at ease. A conscience at peace is not the same thing as a conscience falsely at ease.
God tests our faith, but evil forces try to shipwreck it.

When Jesus teaches His followers in the Lord’s Prayer to seek God’s help in times of temptation He’s not simply rattling off a pious-sounding formality. The testing of our faith is a very tangible reality. It is not a possibility or even a probability: It is a certainty. There are three foes that align themselves against believers; Satan, the carnal, unbelieving world, and our own sinful natures. If you don’t believe you face any real temptations, then the Scriptures issue you a clear reality check. “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”3 And Jesus said, “Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man unclean.”4 Can you claim that you are free from lust, greed, selfishness, or jealousy?

The first port of call when facing temptation is your baptism. Spiritual battles require divine resources. The apostle reminds us, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil…”5 The importance of your baptism doesn’t diminish over time, it increases. Martin Luther describes the implications in this way, “The Old Adam [that is, the sinful nature] in us should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die with all sins and evil desires, and that anew man should daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.”6

In baptism we are cleansed with the gospel-rich water of life. The gospel creates the desire to follow God’s will. The commandments are then transformed. God’s law always retains its function of convicting sinners, calling them to repentance for their transgressions.
But now the law also becomes an affirmation of the desire the gospel has already created. So, for example, everything St. Paul mentions here in Ephesians when he says, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you,”7 is for the believer the desirable goal of living as a child of God.

Dear friends, baptism is not magical. There is no hocus pocus that goes on. But baptism does involve participation in a miracle. It ties us to the very core of Christian belief. If there is no crucified Jesus, there is no point and purpose to baptism. If there is no resurrected Jesus, there is no point or purpose to baptism. If there is no Holy Spirit, there is no power in baptism. If there is no almighty heavenly Father at the head of an eternal kingdom, then baptism as no real blessings to offer. It would be like an orphan being adopted by a corporate entity that had no place of residence, no house for the child to go home to, no family members to share life with each day. But, baptism isn’t a hollow religious ritual. It is the means by which God covenants with His people.

Christians don’t believe in magic, but we do believe in miracles. Life itself is miraculous.
The same God who was the Agent of creation was murdered on a Roman instrument of execution. The method was known as crucifixion. It was common practice at the time. But the slaying of this man was uncommon in every way. His death was the unique, all-sufficient sacrifice to atone for the sins to the entire world. The same Author of life forfeited His own. He laid it down in humility. He took it back again with authority. He walked out of the grave on the third day. Baptism takes us with Christ from Good Friday to Easter Sunday and beyond to the timeless presence of the holy Trinity. We’ll never surprise God. But He surprises us all the time with His boundless mercy. Amen.


+ In nomine Jesu +

Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost
12 August 2018
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt

1 John 6:44
2 Ephesians 4:4-6
3 1 Peter 5:8
4 Matthew 15:19-20
5 Ephesians 6:12
6 Luther’s Small Catechism
7 Ephesians 4:31-32




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