October 23-25, 2021 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Romans 12:1-8 (EHV) “WE LISTEN TO GOD’S ‘BODY’ LANGUAGE”

 

PENTECOST 22

October 23-25, 2021

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Romans 12:1-8 (EHV)

 

“WE LISTEN TO GOD’S ‘BODY’ LANGUAGE”

1.     As we offer our bodies in service to Him.

2.     As we value the bodies He has placed us in.

 

Romans 12:1-8 (EHV) “Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice—holy and pleasing to God—which is your appropriate worship. ² Also, do not continue to conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that you test and approve what is the will of God—what is good, pleasing, and perfect. ³ So by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought, but think in a way that results in sound judgment, as God distributed a measure of faith to each of you. ⁴ For we have many members in one body, and not all the members have the same function. ⁵ In the same way, though we are many, we are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. ⁶ We have different gifts, according to the grace God has given us. If the gift is prophecy, do it in complete agreement with the faith. ⁷ If it is serving, then serve. If it is teaching, then teach. ⁸ If it is encouraging, then encourage. If it is contributing, be generous. If it is leadership, be diligent. If it is showing mercy, do it cheerfully.”

 

          We communicate with more than words, don’t we? In fact, I’ve seen reports that suggest that more than 90% of communication is non verbal and that has some implications. Many of you have heard me repeat the mantra. You can’t tell tone in text so while emails and texts are great ways to communicate factual information, they and social media are awful places to have discussions on anything important whether it is family drama or political views. It almost always ends badly. Why? We talk with our hands. We talk with our face. We talk with our bodies. You can’t see those anywhere but face to face.

          This morning in God’s word from Romans 12 you heard the Lord, who is spirit, use some body language of another sort. It’s important that we listen to it. Today we are at the end of the Pentecost season of the Church Year. It’s the part that has us focusing on growing in our Christian living or sanctification, the way we thank Jesus for all He has done. Listening to God’s body language sums it up nicely.

          First let’s offer our bodies in service to God. “Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice—holy and pleasing to God—which is your appropriate worship. ² Also, do not continue to conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that you test and approve what is the will of God—what is good, pleasing, and perfect.” God wants you. He wants you to want to serve Him willingly. Make no mistake, my friends, God can make anyone He wants to serve Him. Just ask Pharaoh in Old Testament Egypt about that. But forcing people is not want God wants. Just like all of you parents want willing and loving obedience from your children God desires that we offer ourselves. That’s a willing word. And God gives us what we need to do that. Mercy. I was at a meeting recently where I saw a pastor friend I had not seen for a while. He asked me how things were going. I said, “Great. Every day where I wake up and I’m not in Hell where I belong is a great day.” I came out as a quip. But when he responded, “Amen brother.” It made me think a little bit more. I said it. Do I really mean it? Am I really living each day conscious of what I deserve and that is the torment of Hell? Are you? But that’s not what we have received from God. He has not given us the punishment we deserve. That’s mercy. Each and every day we exist by the mercies of God.

          And it’s gratefulness for the mercy of God that He desires to be our motivation to offer our bodies, our very selves, in service to Him. As you read your Old Testament it becomes really clear really quickly that God desires sacrifice and that sacrifice included bodies. The bodies of animals. But remember, those were pictures designed to teach until Christ came. Once Jesus finishes His work things change. Pictures are replaced with reality. Animal sacrifices were outward pictures that God’s people were giving Him their hearts. That’s what God has always wanted from His people. Their hearts and their lives lived for Him as a spiritual act of worship.

          Do you see what this means? Not only do we get to worship God corporately together but we also get to worship Him daily in everything we do. We do that with our bodies when we stop conforming and keep transforming. Stop conforming to the way the world thinks and be transformed to the way God says. “It’s my body I can do what I want to” is transformed to “You are not your own you were bought at a price therefore honor God with your body.” Self esteem gets transformed to Christ esteem. He gives me my value. “My boss is a jerk so I do no extra work” is transformed to my boss is the Lord so I will be the best mechanic, the most honest accountant, the go the extra mile server because God deserves my best. Morality determine by poll is replaced by “Thus says the Lord.” And the only amount of likes that concern me is does God like how I talk, dress, act. Each and every moment of my life and your life becomes a spiritual act of worship as we listen to God’s body language and offer, willingly, thankfully our bodies in service to God so that whether we eat drink or whatever we do, we do it all to the glory of God.

          But God’s not done yet. Listen to His body language and value the bodies He’s placed us in.  “So by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought, but think in a way that results in sound judgment, as God distributed a measure of faith to each of you. ⁴ For we have many members in one body, and not all the members have the same function. ⁵ In the same way, though we are many, we are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. ⁶ We have different gifts, according to the grace God has given us. If the gift is prophecy, do it in complete agreement with the faith. ⁷ If it is serving, then serve. If it is teaching, then teach. ⁸ If it is encouraging, then encourage. If it is contributing, be generous. If it is leadership, be diligent. If it is showing mercy, do it cheerfully.”

          Here God’s body language is used to picture us as a congregation. A congregation is just like a body. There was one at Rome. We have one at St Jacobi. Have you wondered why it is that you are here? We are Americans so we tend to view things as decisions we have made but the God who loves you so much He gave His Son for you has been working in your life sometimes obviously, but most of the time in hidden ways, to mold you and shape you the way He wants, always with the greater plan of salvation in mind. Your salvation and the salvation of others. So you might think it is because it’s where your parents go or went or because of the school or it’s close or because you accepted a call here but the reality is you are right now because God placed you here. And for a purpose. It’s beneficial for your salvation and the salvation of others.

          Now of course the Devil does not like that so he works hard to stop us from working together hard for the Lord. He uses our pride. Look at all I do. Why doesn’t everyone else do what I do. Listen to God’s body language. Don’t think more of yourself than you ought. Look at yourself through God’s eyes. He’s given you the gift of faith. He’s given you the abilities. He’s given you time and energy and everything else that you are. He’s given you each other. We listen to God’s body language when we value each other’s different gifts. Just like he’s put the different parts of the body. You can’t have a body made up of all eyes or ears or hearts. And you certainly wouldn’t want a body made up of all backsides. But you do need one. So it is in our congregation. We have different gifts as God wills. What’s important is that we use them for the good of the mission of serving the Lord. Good at cleaning? Clean so that people who come here can tell we think a lot of our God. Good at tech? Help us take that beast captive to spread the Gospel? Know the word? Share it with others? Musically gifted? Use it for the Lord. Are you an empathetic encourager? Keep your eyes open for who needs that physical or figurative hug. Got the gift of money? You’ll find joy in in generosity. Got the gift of gab? You are a perfect person to make sure everyone who walks through our doors feels welcome. Got the extra time to pray as you wait for Jesus to come take you home? Then join the ranks of prayer warriors and pray for each other. Each one of us has a part to play. Together we make a great team. The body of Christ at St Jacobi with the important work keeping people connected to Christ. God’s body language.

          Friends if you have a blow up in your family or a friendship and it’s because of something you posted or emailed and you come see me you are going to hear me ask, “Why didn’t you have that conversation in person. You can’t tell tone in text!” There is one exception. When you are reading the text of the Bible. You can tell God’s tone very clearly. He. Loves. You! To the death of His Son. Always. That’s why we all want to serve Him as bet we can until His mercy which has withheld the Hell we deserve is paired with His grace in giving us the heaven we could never deserve. Amen.

October 2-4, 2021 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Mark 9:38-48 “JESUS, ARE YOU SERIOUS…”

 

PENTECOST 19

October 2-4, 2021

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Mark 9:38-48

 

“JESUS, ARE YOU SERIOUS…”

1.     About the horror of hell?

2.     About the happiness of heaven?

 

Mark 9:38–48 (EHV) “John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name. We tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” ³⁹But Jesus said, “Do not try to stop him, because no one who does a miracle in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil about me. ⁴⁰Whoever is not against us is for us. ⁴¹Amen I tell you: Whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you belong to Christ, will certainly not lose his reward. ⁴²“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to fall into sin, it would be better for him if he were thrown into the sea with a large millstone hung around his neck. ⁴³If your hand causes you to fall into sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed, than to have two hands and go into hell, into the unquenchable fire, ⁴⁴‘where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ ⁴⁵If your foot causes you to fall into sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, than to have two feet and be thrown into hell, ⁴⁶‘where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ ⁴⁷If your eye causes you to fall into sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, ⁴⁸‘where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’“

 

          Are you serious? (Now all the iphone uses have to check their phones to see if Siri went into action. Don’t you hate that?) Are you serious? That’s an exclamatory question we often use when someone tells us something that is incredulous, hard to believe, or we don’t want to do. Honey, I think I just won the lottery. Are you serious? Kids, before you play one more minute of that video game you will clean your entire room. Are you serious? You can’t possibly expect that! Did the Gospel lesson leave you feeling that way? Jesus, are you serious about what you are saying? Let’s look and see.

          Now, kids, your parents, probably need your help here. How many of you have played the game, “Would you rather?” It’s a game that gives you a couple of scenarios with a difficult choice to make. Here are some examples: “Would you rather die in a horrible accident or live to 100 and never move or be able to talk again?” “Would you rather eat nothing but celery or oatmeal for the rest of your life?” Tough. Well long before that game came up Jesus pointed out some difficult scenarios. “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to fall into sin, it would be better for him if he were thrown into the sea with a large millstone hung around his neck.” Let’s put it another way. Would you rather be responsible for causing a child to lose their faith in Jesus or die by having a millstone hung around your neck and thrown overboard. By the way here is a picture of the type of millstone Jesus was talking about. Now let’s make sure we understand what Jesus is talking about here and in the next verses. When it says “causes to fall into sin” it means not just any sin but THE sin. You know what THE sin, the damning sin is, right? Unbelief. So what Jesus is saying it would you rather be responsible for causing a little child who believes to lose their faith or take the millstone. And he’s answering the question. Take the millstone. It’s better. Wait, Jesus, are you serious? Yes. He is. Because for those who cause children to lose their faith Hell will be most horrible. Last week Chris and I were watching a Dateline mystery where they were seeking leads to a cold case where some man had lured an 11 year old girl into his clutches and then. Now if you are like me your blood just starts boiling and you think of all the things that you’d like to do to such a man. But then I thought, “Who am I compared to God? How horrible will Hell be for this man?” But there are actually easier ways to experience these horrors of Hell that are so bad it is better to have the millstone before you do them. Parents. You can do this. Are you by word and example teaching your children that Jesus is a school thing, Jesus is a church thing, not a rest of your life thing so they don’t value their faith because you don’t value your faith? Take the millstone. Hell is that bad.

          Jesus goes on, “If your hand causes you to fall into sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed, than to have two hands and go into hell, into the unquenchable fire, ⁴⁴‘where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ ⁴⁵If your foot causes you to fall into sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, than to have two feet and be thrown into hell, ⁴⁶‘where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ ⁴⁷If your eye causes you to fall into sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, ⁴⁸‘where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’“

          Jesus, are you serious? Would you rather cut off your hand or leg or poke out your eye or go to Hell? Jesus! Are you really saying that it is better to maim yourself than to end up in Hell? Yes He is. So if that hand just keeps shoplifting from Kohls though you know better, leading to guilt and staying away from worship and finally forsaking Jesus. Hack it off before that happens. If your feet keep leading you to the bar or the drug dealer or the casino where you can’t say enough so that eventually it affects your faith in Jesus saw ‘em off before it happens. And that eye that wanders and lusts and that ear that likes to hear the juicy gossip and what about that tongue that likes to shade the truth and spread the stories. Cut ‘em all off. OK, humor me. Show me your hands. You have yours. I have mine. Don’t we think Jesus is serious? Because He is. Because Hell is horrible. The Bible consistently describes it as ongoing burning and I want you to think about the last time you got burned and multiply that by a billion.

          So, why aren’t we cutting off all our body parts? Well, it’s exactly because we take Jesus seriously. We know where the sins of stealing and gossiping and substance abuse originate. In our hearts. And if we really want to stop ourselves from sinning we have to cut out our very heart, soul and mind. Like the disciples who heard Jesus say, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man to go to heaven,” and immediately followed up with, “Well then who can be saved?” we also are so glad to hear Jesus say, “With man this is impossible but with God all things are possible,” We know that no matter how hard we try or what we do left to ourselves we are heading for Hell that is so horrible Jesus says it is better to be totally maimed than go there. And He is serious.

          Serious about saving us. Serious about the happiness He has prepared for us in heaven. Before the warnings about the horribleness of Hell Jesus said this, “Do not try to stop him, because no one who does a miracle in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil about me. ⁴⁰Whoever is not against us is for us. ⁴¹Amen I tell you: Whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you belong to Christ, will certainly not lose his reward.” The disciples had seen a man doing the work Jesus told them to do. They were miffed. What’s he doing? He shouldn’t get that honor! We have to give the disciples a break. They were still learning. But did you see what Jesus said? He pointed to fruits of faith and said there is a reward. He’s talking about the happiness of heaven. Heaven is wonderful. It is being with Jesus. It is your best joy and happiness multiplied by a billion. It’s perfection. It’s forever. And Jesus gives that as a reward to those He has chosen. And what a reward does is show how generous the reward giver is. Vicar and I were just talking about this the other day. If I find Vicar’s wallet lying around somewhere in school and return it to him have I done anything special? No. That is what every person who finds a lost wallet ought to do. Return it to the owner if you can. But then what if Vicar said, “Oh, pastor, thanks for returning this. Here is $50!” is that special? Yes. The Vicar is going over and above. He is giving me something for doing what I should do in the first place. Heaven is like that. We say Jesus, it’s your Spirit who gave us faith. You provided us your word and Sacrament to keep that faith alive and surrounded us with people who cared, parents and aunts and uncles and pastors and teacher. I just did what I was supposed to do. And Jesus gives us the happiness of heaven. Are you serious? Yes, he is.

          Now why? Why did Jesus make such a big point about the horribleness of Hell and the happiness of heaven? Well, we understand it with the disciples. If you refresh your mind about the Gospel lessons from Mark we have had the past few weeks you quickly see they were being spiritually immature. They would need these serious teachings. But what about us? We aren’t spiritually immature, are we? Earlier this school year one of our new teachers who will remain nameless (Janelle Nitz) was talking with some others in the office outside my door. I heard her say how she could not stand the sight of needles. They made her faint. And so I thought, well I have a safety pin in my desk, I should go see. And I did. And she didn’t faint but said, “Were you planning on paying my doctor bills if I fainted?” And I thought, “You never I never even thought of that.” And it struck me. I’m an American. And you know what’s true about Americans? They are short sighted. They have a very hard time thinking long term. It’s all in the moment. That’s why Pastor Waldschmidt and I have often said, “Sin is stupid.” It makes no sense. If a person would only stop and think before they post or before they cheat. But they don’t. I don’t. We are Americans. Spiritually stunted and immature thinking more about now than what is to come. That’s why Jesus so lovingly reminds us He is serious. Hell is horrible. Don’t be short sighted. You don’t want to go there. Heaven is awesome. And Jesus has given it to you. Don’t’ be short sighted and keep putting other things ahead of feeding the faith Jesus gave you. Don’t sweat the temporary unpleasantries of earthly life. Heaven is coming for you. Seriously? Yes, seriously. Jesus has promised. And that’s why we cling to Him. Amen.