Sermon for 15 September 2013, Proper 19C

The Rev. Paul J Cain, Jr.

1 Timothy 1:12-17

Faith’s Foundation: To Save Sinners

Proper 19, 12 September 2013

Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. (1 Timothy 1:2a)  Amen.

 About the Cover: How vast is our world from our human perspective, yet how little it is among the myriad worlds of this universe! But it was here on planet Earth that the divine drama unfolded: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. He, through whom this world was made, chose to enter it Himself in the fullness of time, that He might save sinners and reveal His astounding grace.

Jesus sinners doth receive.

I understand if you are thinking, “Well Pastor, of course! What you’re saying there is obvious!” If that’s what you’ve been thinking as you sang that seven stanza hymn, I’m glad. I thank the Lord for that.

How about we dig a little deeper? If a Christian hears, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”–if a Christian hears that, he or she will most likely agree. So far so good.

 But what happens if someone asks the typical American Christian, “What’s the most important thing about Christianity? What has been the most important thing about Christianity to you?” How will that typical American Christian answer? It’s very likely he or she will say something like, “It taught me and my kids good morals,” or “I get a weekly pick-me-up,” or “It helps me feel like a better person,” or even, “I just go because I have to.” Those things are a far cry from, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” He came to save you. This congregation is here to proclaim that trustworthy teaching.

Do you see the point? Many Americans, even many American Christians think they know what’s at the heart of the Christian faith, but are unable to volunteer that Jesus is the Savior from sin, death, and hell, or witness to that fact on their own. They might be able to pick out the name, “Jesus,” if He showed up on a multiple-choice exam, but would have a hard time remembering “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” if it were an essay test.

We think we know what it means to be a Christian, but too often forget the basics. We slip back into the thoughts of our sinful human nature that say, “At least I do better than that guy. God will surely let me into heaven. I do the best I can.” And we’re back to living under the law, trying to earn our own salvation without Jesus. No wonder people in the culture complain that Christians are judgmental, goodie-two-shoes hypocrites.

We think we know what it means to be a Christian, but too often forget the basics. Some groan when we revisit the basics of the faith in the Small Catechism, but could the ones groaning pass the Confirmation oral exam before the elders without some prior notice and a night to cram?

In the Holy Christian Church, the message of the Gospel is faith’s foundation. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, including us. We need to be reminded of that because we are all sinners in need of grace, just like St. Paul.

He wrote, I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

Paul does not hide from his past sins. He openly confesses them. He openly confessed that he was a poor, miserable sinner long ago and was forgiven. His slate was wiped clean. He was reconciled to Christ Jesus by Christ Jesus. Saul the Pharisee and persecutor of Jesus became known as Paul the Apostle and proclaimer of Jesus.

Before, he had acted ignorantly in unbelief. How much more precarious is our position when we behave sinfully after having known the truths of the faith! The forgiveness of sins does not give us license to sin! Going ahead with something we know is wrong and spiritually deadly: like willful divorce, habitual lying and gossip, adultery, theft, living together, or staying away from God’s good Gifts. We cannot plan to repent later—we should do so before we act and repent of planning to sin. 

The grace of our Lord overflows for you with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. You have no reason to doubt that you are forgiven. Therefore, as a forgiven saint in Christ, go and sin no more. When you do sin, practice daily contrition and repentance, remembering that you are a baptized child of God. St. Paul has come a long way since Jesus appeared in a vision on the road to Damascus saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” You are a recipient of God’s grace, too.

Paul repented. There are sins that bother you. Be free! Confess them. Receive Christ’s forgiveness. Abandon those long-term, culturally acceptable, habitual sins. Live no longer in ignorance, unbelief, or with an unrepentant heart. The grace of our Lord has been poured out on you abundantly. Don’t reject the gift!

Paul was a sinful human being. He wasn’t perfect. He was forgiven. And the Lord appointed Paul to His service, to tell the Good News About Jesus, even though he had formerly been a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. Listen for how he describes his sinful condition and his Savior.

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…You’ve heard that before. Did you remember that Paul considered himself the very worst of sinners, or as the hymn goes, “Chief of Sinners though I Be?”

You regularly confess that you are a poor, miserable, sinner. Paul knew he was, too. He knew what he had done. He approved of the murder of Stephen. He persecuted Christians. At the time, he thought he was doing the right thing, but had since realized his sin. He was honest with himself, his conscience, and with the Lord and His Word.

Is such honest self-examination and confession painful? Yes. Is it pleasant to examine yourself thoroughly by comparing your thoughts, words, and deeds, actions, and inaction according to the Ten Commandments? No, it’s not pleasant. We’re often afraid of pain or difficulty just on principle, blind to the benefit of what comes next.

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. What comes next? But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

There’s always something next, even after the “Amen.” Even though Paul was a sinner, he received mercy. We are all sinners, too. You have also received the same mercy, in that God does not give to you the punishment you deserve. That’s mercy. And He is gracious, too, giving you faith now, so that you may believe in Him for eternal life.

Your baptism into Christ took place, or, for some of you, will take place at a specific time. The benefits, the “what comes next,” are with you the rest of your life. You have been given the gift of faith to believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior from sin, death, and Satan. What comes next? Eternal life. That’s God’s promise to you in Christ.

Will the wait for that eternal life be easy? No. You will lose loved ones to death. You may suffer other kinds of physical and emotional pain and loss. You may even be persecuted for your faith in Christ. And you will die, as we all will. Remember that God’s mercy has a purpose. Your pain and suffering have a purpose.

What did Paul confess? But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.

When people see Christ’s strength as the only possible explanation for what keeps you going, that is a powerful witness to your Savior. In your pain, you can witness better than in your prosperity. When you bear the cross, others can see Jesus in you. They will be able to hear with their eyes when they see Christ’s patience in you. And I pray you would even have an opportunity to verbally say, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, including me—and you.

Amen.

Receive the blessing St. Paul gave to Timothy:

The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you. (2 Timothy 4:22)  Amen.

Sermon for 08 September 2013, Proper 18C

Rev. Paul J Cain

Deuteronomy 30: 15-20

Life

Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, 08 September 2013, Proper 18C

Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

 About the Cover: God’s will for His baptized people remains the same always: “I have set before you today life. . . . Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live” (Deuteronomy 30:15, 19). Just as a mother welcomes and rejoices in her baby, so the Lord urges us to welcome and rejoice in the life of faith in Christ that the Holy Spirit has caused to be born in us through the hearing of the Word and the waters of Holy Baptism, that we might grow up in Him, loving Him above all earthly ties.

God’s will for His people in Deuteronomy is His will for us, His baptized people here and now. Our land has been given to us as a great blessing of abundance, protection, and freedom to worship Him according to Holy Scripture and not merely human conscience. In hearing the Word of the Lord again from Deuteronomy 30, do not confuse the Promised Land of God’s ancient people with our nation. Yet, the warning of the law against turning away and the consequence of perishing remains the same.

¹⁵ “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. ¹⁶ If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. ¹⁷ But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, ¹⁸ I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. ¹⁹ I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, ²⁰ loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

Our temptation as American Christians and as Lutheran Christians is to put our focus on the word “choose.” Theologically, the term “choose” is used here in a sanctification sense rather than a justification sense. In other words, the choosing intended here would be part of living the Christian life rather than conversion or becoming a Christian.

The truly most important word in the text is the word “life.” The most important action done in the text isn’t by the people, nor would it be by us. The Lord Himself is the one who loves us, He who gives us His Word for our correction, comfort, and redirection, the only true God, the only being worthy of worship, the Savior and giver of life and all that we need to support this body and life. 

Life is what the Lord gave in creation. Life is the gift He gave to Adam and then to Eve. Even her name, “Eve,” means “life giver” and mother of all living. Every human on this planet is descended from Eve and Adam. Life was the Lord’s gift to them. Death is their gift to us because of their sin.

Life is the gift God gave to all people, yet they rejected His intention and His gifts and ate, drank, and made merry. Life was God’s gift to Noah and his family, only eight souls in all saved from the Flood in God’s holy ark. Life was the Lord’s gift to Noah’s descendants. Even many of them fell away, rejecting life in the Lord, choosing a false life of worship of false gods they themselves invented, many so-called “ways” that are but a a single way that leads to death.

The Lord chose Abram and Sarai, renaming them Abraham and Sarah and promising them life in Himself. Isaac was promised and delivered, new life from two as good as dead, Scripture says. Isaac was the father of Jacob, also known as Israel. The Lord blessed the nation of Israel, the twelve tribes descended from Jacob so that they would be a blessing to the nations around them. The Lord always preserved a faithful remnant in Israel, but the majority seemed to fall away again and again, choosing death in the ways of sin, self, and society rather than life in the Lord and the promised Son of Man, Son of God, and Lord of Life, Christ.

We have much to learn from the counter-example of God’s ancient people, the sinner-saints of every time and place, and from one another today. We could learn from the mistakes of others. Instead, we, too often choose death in the ways of sin, self, and society rather than the path of life that is Jesus Christ our Lord.

Idols remain today. It could be the false god of Islam, a golden Buddha, eastern mysticism, modern secular humanism, agnosticism or mere apathy. All exalt someone or something in the rightful place of the Lord your God.

Our Lord Jesus even warns us against idolizing other human beings. Athletes, actors, and pop stars and their devotees are easy to identify, criticize, rebuke, and call back home to worship of the one true God. It is definitely more dangerous for a modern preacher or even our Lord to criticize worship of a more seemingly innocuous and acceptable kind, at least in our society as well as the ancient world: worship of family. Some worship ancestors. Others worship the living.

I remember a conference in this very district of the LCMS where a guest speaker and preacher supposedly went too far. His “sin” in the eyes of some? He called parents to repentance for idolizing their own children! He called upon parents to bring up their own children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord as St. Paul urges us yet today in Ephesians 6.

And this preacher had the unmitigated gall (please take note of the sarcasm) to call out parents who allowed their children to run the household by determining acceptable meal options, nearly all choices of entertainment, his or her own bedtimes, and saddest of all, whether the family went to Bible Class, Church, and Sunday School based on whether the child felt like it or not!

Children in every time and place have plenty of people available to be their friend or “buddy.” Parents are given to be parents, especially when it is not popular with the child. You shall have no other gods—not even your own family! This is the meaning of Jesus’ words in Luke 14: ²⁶ “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. ²⁷ Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple…” You shall have no other gods—not even your own family!

Deuteronomy 30 has the same warning as the First Commandment: ¹⁷ But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, ¹⁸ I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish… Yes. That is the Word of the Lord. And it is heavy Law. And Law is not the final Word for the baptized people of God.

¹⁹ I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, ²⁰ loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days… God is your life and length of days. Christ is your life and your length of days. Yes! This is the Word of the Lord! And it is Gospel. It is possible only because of the fulfilled promise of a Savior and Lord of Life, Jesus, the crucified and Resurrected One!

We are not promised a mere patch of dirt on this third rock from the sun, nor are we promised collective or political salvation as the American people, but something far more important, comforting, and enduring. Our Promised Land in Jesus Christ is Eternal Life—Heaven with Him! You are given daily bread, all you need to support this body and life. You are given Life in Jesus in reconciliation with God and one another in the forgiveness of your sins. And you have life eternal as a gift in Jesus where and when you will dwell with Christ and also Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the heavenly host of saints.

TLSB: The Lord’s declaration to His people to choose life is inseparable from His covenant of grace that He established with them. Israel’s history clearly demonstrates that they spurned the life God had reserved for them through His grace, pursuing death instead. Consequently, by rejecting God’s grace, they rejected the length of days God promised to those who love the Lord, walk in His ways, and keep His commands. ^[1]

Life is yours only in Christ. Amen.

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

---

^[1] Engelbrecht, E. A. (2009). The Lutheran Study Bible (326). St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House.

Regarding 01 September 2013

Pastor Bob Mitchell of Red Deer, Montana preached at Immanuel on this date.

Sermon for 25 August 2013, Proper 16C

Rev. Paul J Cain, Jr.

St. Luke 13:22-30

Come to the Feast

Proper 16C, Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost, 25 August 2013

Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming

For a Lay Reader

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, the thirteenth chapter:

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.”

            This is the Gospel of the Lord.

            It is not the desire of the Lord that any should perish, but that all would have eternal life, turning from the wide way to life. The Devil, the World, and human sinful flesh have been extraordinarily creative in confusing us about who will and who will not be saved.

            Most world religions say they have an exclusive claim on the truth. Which one is correct? Scripture tells us to test the spirits to see which are of God. Only the one that confesses that Jesus Christ came in the flesh qualifies. Which name are we to call upon? The Lord tells us to have no other gods. He also directs us to the only name given to men by which they must be saved, Jesus Christ.

Even within Christianity, one can be confused. Denominations today twist the scriptures to make them say what is politically correct. Some simply reject part of what Jesus has to say to us. In their error, they make Jesus into a new Law-giver like Moses. Some reject baptizing infants. Some demand allegiance to bishops and prayers to the dead. Others approve of all kind of sexual deviations from the divine ideal of marriage. We see promiscuity ignored. Living together outside of marriage is all but approved. Homosexuality is promoted as an alternative, “loving” lifestyle. The most dangerous error—in the eyes of the world—is the one that says you can follow Jesus, or Buddha, or Mohammed, or Joseph Smith—it doesn’t really matter. That is NOT the teaching of the Jesus of Scripture.

Jesus desires that you would be saved and have a knowledge of the Truth, the one Truth, His Truth. He calls you to come to the Feast. Narrow is the way that leads to eternal life.

22 Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. 

Jesus has been on His way to Jerusalem since He descended from the Mount of Transfiguration. Then He set His face toward Jerusalem. Jesus knew why He had come, why He had been sent. He was on His way to Jerusalem to die so that you could come to the feast, His Feast at the Last Day. Verse 22 ties Jesus’ teaching to His crucifixion at Jerusalem.

23 Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?”

Which of us hasn’t asked this or a related question about salvation? Is my neighbor going to be saved? Is my spouse going to be saved? Are our children going to be saved? Am I going to be saved? Jesus directs His response along the lines of, “Are you, questioner, are you, dear reader, dear listener, going to be saved?”

[Jesus] (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. 

Make every effort to enter though the narrow door. Effort. Struggle. It is a lifelong struggle, a tug-of-war between the new man you are in Christ and the Old Adam of your sinful flesh. This is the struggle of all the baptized. All alone, the struggle would be lost for you or me. But we are not alone. Our Lord, the Victor over sin, death, and hell is fighting on your side. He calls you to Come to the Feast, and also to be ready and nourished for battle.

We our nourished by remembering our baptism through daily contrition and repentance. We are nourished by time with other believers who can encourage us when the battle is heated. We are strengthened as we come to the Feast of Christ’s Body and Blood which is a preview of that which is to come. We are strengthened by our time in His Word when He speaks to us.

This week we have provided many opportunities for you to be strengthened by God’s Word in addition to your own daily family and individual devotions and Our Lord serving you in this Divine Service. Sunday School continues year-round along with Adult Bible Class. Midweek Bible Study resumes in September along with youth Confirmation classes. New member classes are ongoing. We speak to the Lord in prayer. We don’t hear from Him apart from His Word. His Word keeps us on His narrow way of life.

Are only a few people going to be saved? Yes. Only a few are going to be saved. The door is as narrow as the name of Jesus. The door is as narrow as the cross of Calvary.

Many will try to enter and will not be able to. They want to enter based upon their own merit. “I live a good life. Won’t God accept that?” Or, “Look, Lord, see how full my day planner is of good works for you!” A library full of day planners, even from habitually effective people, is not enough. A good life is not sufficient. The focus of this verse is not upon the effort, the struggle, but upon the narrow door. The door is as narrow as the name of Jesus. The door is as narrow as the cross of Calvary. When they see that the door won’t open for their good deeds, they will stand outside knocking and pleading. He came unexpectedly. They were surprised when the door was closed.

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.’

In the ancient world, when getting to know a person, it was common to ask where the person had come from, since a person’s hometown, tribe, nationality, or prior activity often revealed something about the person’s character. The master here has no familiarity with those outside since he has no familiarity with their place of origin. He has nothing in common with them, no ties to them whatsoever.

It is not so with you. You are the baptized. The Lord has baptized you. He has placed His name on you and has promised to bless you. He will not abandon His Name.

The baptized, however, can abandon Him. Church may become nothing more than a social club, a place to have one’s name on the rolls, a place to come to be entertained each Christmas and Easter. That cannot save you. Do not despise the gift of your Baptism. Do not delay being baptized. Do not put off having your children baptized. Do not despise your own baptism. That would leave one outside the door.

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!’

Those apart from Christ are evildoers. They are without faith. Anything done apart from faith is sin. Unforgiven sin is damnable. Even just one. He taught in their streets. They say nothing about having heard, having understood, or having put into practice His teaching.

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.”

            Christ Jesus, the Son of God, ruler of Heaven, was First and became last—for you. He took upon human flesh in the womb of Mary. He became a servant, your servant. He became your servant in His going throughout the towns and villages, teaching as He made His way to Jerusalem. There He became the very last, despised, accursed, for cursed is everyone who hangs upon a tree. There was great weeping there, but that weeping was turned to joy three days later when Jesus revealed Himself Risen from the dead!

            His Resurrection makes us, who were last in the kingdom of God because of our unrighteousness, righteous and first. Once the owner of the house, Jesus, returns on the Last Day and closes the door, you who believe will no longer weep, or gnash your teeth for He will come and wipe every tear from your eye.

            You will see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God. You will be among those people coming from the east and west and north and south to take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.

            Come to the Feast! Our Gracious God and heavenly father has given us a foretaste of this feast to come next week in the Holy Supper of Christ’s Body and Blood. He alone can keep us firm in the true faith throughout the days of our struggle during our earthly pilgrimage that, on the Day of His coming, we may, along with all His saints, celebrate the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom. Come to the Feast! Amen.

           

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Sermon for 18 August 2013, Proper 15C

Rev. Paul J Cain, Jr.

Hebrews 12:1-13 [11:17-31; 12:1-3]

Perseverance Through Hardship

Proper 15C, Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, 18 August 2013

Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming

In many and various ways God spoke to His people of old by the prophets. But now in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son. Amen. (Hebrews 1:1-2a)

           

Our Epistle lesson for today concludes with verses from the twelfth chapter of Hebrews, where Our Lord calls us to persevere in faith until the end. I’d like to cover the first five verses of this chapter with you today.

Our Lord calls us to persevere in faith until the end, fixing our eyes upon Jesus, the Son, who alone can strengthen our hearts and minds and bodies. This kind of perseverance through hardship is exemplified by a person who in the seventh century after Christ was called “The Venerable Bede.” One of the greatest Christian scholars of his time, he was devoted to the task of translating the Latin Bible into English. In the last year of his life he had been working hard on the translation of St. John’s gospel. A disease had fastened itself on him, and he could hardly go on. At last, on the morning of Ascension Day, his pupil encouraged him by saying, “Dear master, there is but one chapter yet to do.” Though scarcely able to work, Bede commanded him, “Take your pen and write quickly.” He continued at intervals throughout the day in great weakness and pain. When night came, the pupil bent over his deathbed and whispered, “Master, there is just one sentence more.” Bede wasted no words: “Write quickly.” Once more the pupil spoke: “See, dear master, it is finished now.” Once more the master answered, “Yes, you speak truly; it is finished.” And thus he died.

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, having thrown off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, let us go on running with perseverance the race marked out for us.  2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Beginner and Completer of the faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

            We are encouraged by this great cloud of witnesses—God’s saints through all the ages: Abel, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, Jeremiah, John the Baptizer, Paul, Augustine, Athanasius, Bede, Luther, Walther, and so on. The cloud of witnesses is the whole host of heaven, including all those saints who have died in the Lord, our loved ones who, having God-given faith in Christ for the full forgiveness of their sins now are at rest, at peace, with Christ.

            The souls of the saints are at rest, no longer concerned about the trials that occur on earth. They are not witnesses that see our faith and testify about us. They are not looking down upon us through holes in the floor of heaven. They are at rest, at peace. They would not be at rest or at peace if they were to see bad things happen to their surviving loved ones and be able to do nothing about it. They don’t become angels with new work and new responsibilities. They are with Christ and at rest.

Ecclesiastes 9 reminds us: (5a, 6b) For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing…never again will they have a part in anything that happens under the sun.

            Those who die in Christ are at rest with Christ and are safe forever. Their witness to us is of a different kind. They testify and witness to Christ with their faith, life, works, suffering, and death. We thank God for the encouragement of their example and pray that we would remain faithful, running the race marked out for us.

            The race course is clearly marked for us, albeit a narrow way. Sometimes we depart from the course and run into briars, thistles, sandburs, and entangling vines of sin. Greed, popularity, jealousy, lust, disobedience, and lies entangle us. Jesus searches each of us out personally, individually. He comes and removes the vines, the thorns. He cleans and disinfects the scratches, scrapes, and gashes. By His wounds, we our healed. We are freed from the entanglement of sin.

            We run in the freedom of the Gospel, the forgiveness of sins. The sinful nature inside us is drowned in the waters of our baptism by daily contrition and repentance. We can then run without our legs in irons or chains.

            It is a race like no other. We run, but the race is over, the battle won. Jesus began and completed the faith for us and presents the garland crown, the gold medal, the trophy of salvation to us as a gift. It is as if we were running the victory lap for Jesus, with our eyes firmly fixed on Him waiting for us with open arms on the finish line.

            Jesus’ race, run with perseverance, is an encouragement to us as well. But more than that, His enduring the cross, Resurrection from the dead and Ascension to the right hand of God give us hope so that we do not grow weary and lose heart.

            The struggle against sin continues. Without Christ, we would not be able to persevere. We would grow weary and lose heart. With Christ, He gives us faith and endurance to resist faithfully to the end.

4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.  5 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”

We do get discouraged, especially when the race course gets rough. The road may be steep, exceptionally narrow, perilously high. Dogs may run after us mistaking us for the mailman. Storms come up and blow against us, and hail down icy daggers. We forget that we are sons. We forget that we are beloved of God.

The author of this letter to the Hebrews writes to encourage them and us. Sometimes a father has to show his love through discipline to bring about a greater good. Sons don’t always understand or comprehend the potential good. Neither do we always understand the thoughts and ways of our Heavenly Father, even if they are for our ultimate good.

About the Cover: The race we are running in this life is not a sprint, but rather one of endurance. We do not run it alone, for we haven’t the strength to take even a step. But our gracious Lord first calls us to this race and then equips us to run it. Let us keep our eyes fixed on the Savior, who endured the cross. Let us endure as well until we join Him in the presence of God.

Amen.

May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. [Grace be with you all.] Amen. (Hebrews 13:20-21, [25])