The Close Of The Commandments: Grace And Every Blessing
Sermon
What's That Supposed To Mean?
Using The Catechism In The 21st Century
Object:
The Close Of The Commandments
What does God say of all these Commandments? He says thus: I, the Lord, thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me, and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me and keep My Commandments. What does this mean? God threatens to punish all that transgress these commandments. Therefore we should fear His wrath and not act contrary to them. But He promises grace and every blessing to all that keep these Commandments. Therefore we should also love and trust in Him and willingly do according to His Commandments.
Are you holy enough? Are you right with God? Bible scholars count 613 commandments in the teachings of Moses. David in Psalm 15 reduced them to eleven; Isaiah shrunk them to six; Micah binds them into three; and Habakkuk reduces them all to one, namely, "The righteous shall live by faith." If we can keep this one commandment, then we will be holy enough, right with God.
First, let's review what it means to be righteous. The original meaning of the word "right" is "straight." "Let me get this right" means "let me get this straight." When I say I am going right to the store, I mean that I will go straight to the store, not going anywhere else. To act right means that one's behavior is as straight as God wants it to be. God's standard of straightness is His commandments. The opposite of someone who is righteous is someone who is crooked. Don't we talk about crooks and thieves? A crooked person behaves in a way that does not match the straight standards God sets.
Who is righteous according to God's commandments? One sin puts a kink or wrinkle in the straight line God expects. And it matters not if it is a big kink or wrinkle or a small one. Take the nicest person you know -- is his behavior as straight as the commandments measure? No! The best of us and the worst of us -- makes no difference -- are crooked. Now, we might sit around comparing who is more crooked, more cursed, but so what? God has no room in heaven for anything that is crooked, as Paul writes to the Galatians: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law."
And it doesn't matter if we live straight or right from here on. We still have the life we have lived up till now that is crooked. We can't straighten out the past by living straight from now on. And we can't straighten out the past for the same reason we can't straighten out a coathanger -- we don't have the right tools or ability. Try straightening out a coathanger. You can't. We are like a coathanger -- crooked and wrinkled. So, no matter how we behave, we can never get right with God. And so serious is sin, the Bible tells us if we hate God, his anger lasts long after our grandchildren are dead.
But the Bible tells of another way to be right with God: Jesus Christ straightens us out. First, Jesus takes us into Himself by baptism so that we can be painlessly executed for our sins along with Jesus when He died on a cross. Jesus then takes the kinks out of our lives with the same power God used to wake Jesus up after He died. "Jesus was crucified for our transgressions and raised for our justification." To justify something is the Latin way of saying "to straighten something out." The power to straighten us out is found in the work of the Holy Spirit, who uses the Word and sacraments of Jesus to create and build faith in us. The miracle of mercy is that God, through Jesus, straightens out those who trust Him. It is God who both helps us want to do what is right and then helps us do it.
That brings us to the second half of the statement, "The righteous shall live by faith." We know who the righteous are -- those Jesus has straightened out (not those who behave properly). This is one of the most liberating sentences in the Bible. Notice, the Bible doesn't say, "The righteous shall live by keeping the Ten Commandments," or by following certain church rules; there are no rules for righteous living.
God couldn't care less how we behave! He cares about what we believe! If we think that we can live a right life by following rules, we fall back under the curse that comes whenever we sin and put a kink in our life. Rather, Jesus came to free us from the dead-end kind of life that tries to follow rules. "The righteous shall live by faith." Simply put, the person who trusts Jesus is doing the only right thing God wants him to do.
When Jesus said that one's righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, they were insulted. So they asked Jesus, "What must a man do to do the works of God?" Jesus said, "To do the works of God you must believe on him whom he has sent." Period. Jesus did not say, "Believe on him whom he sent and then make sure you tithe, and go to church and so forth." He said, "Believe on him whom he has sent." Period. And, remember, Jesus gives us the faith we need for believing on Jesus each time we hear His Word!
Of course, those who trust Jesus will behave differently than most everyone else. For example, if we trust Jesus, then we will naturally want to spend as much time as we can getting to know Him better through his Word and sacraments. If we take Jesus at His Word we will want to go to church, attend Bible studies, and spend time in personal and family devotions. After all, He promised that anyone who hears and keeps His Word will be blessed. And think of the opportunities we have that people didn't have in Bible times: we have our own personal Bibles, we have radios and tape players to listen to Christian music or teachings.
If we trust Jesus, we will do our best to follow His instructions, even if they seem hard or silly. How silly to put hard-earned money in a collection plate when one could have nice things or go on nice vacations, or to spend time teaching Sunday school or be on the church council or go to church or do other things for the church, when you could be doing things that are fun! But Jesus says if we do all those things we will be blessed and rewarded. Or, how can a bowl of water make a difference in a baby? How can a bit of bread and a sip of wine make a difference? But Jesus tells us that He forgives sins when we do those things.
We will even be able to do the impossible -- forgive the unforgivable, trusting that Jesus will make it up to us. We will be able to make disciples of all nations. Jesus promises that whatever we tell others about Him will not be wasted but will always do what He wants it to do.
If we take Jesus at his Word we will take care of the needs of those around us, even if doing so means tightening our own belt. Jesus did not give us leftovers, but "made himself poor so we could become rich." To live by faith also means trusting that we will get what we need, even when times look bad, and even when death knocks on our door.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You redeemed us from the curse of the law. That means You paid the price it took in order to set us free from the curse our sinfulness earned us. Forgive us whenever we fall back into thinking that our behavior is what matters, when we lose sight of the work You have done to straighten us out. Help us live in the mercy You have shown us by filling us with Your Spirit who will give us the faith we need to live in holiness. Amen.
What does God say of all these Commandments? He says thus: I, the Lord, thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me, and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me and keep My Commandments. What does this mean? God threatens to punish all that transgress these commandments. Therefore we should fear His wrath and not act contrary to them. But He promises grace and every blessing to all that keep these Commandments. Therefore we should also love and trust in Him and willingly do according to His Commandments.
Are you holy enough? Are you right with God? Bible scholars count 613 commandments in the teachings of Moses. David in Psalm 15 reduced them to eleven; Isaiah shrunk them to six; Micah binds them into three; and Habakkuk reduces them all to one, namely, "The righteous shall live by faith." If we can keep this one commandment, then we will be holy enough, right with God.
First, let's review what it means to be righteous. The original meaning of the word "right" is "straight." "Let me get this right" means "let me get this straight." When I say I am going right to the store, I mean that I will go straight to the store, not going anywhere else. To act right means that one's behavior is as straight as God wants it to be. God's standard of straightness is His commandments. The opposite of someone who is righteous is someone who is crooked. Don't we talk about crooks and thieves? A crooked person behaves in a way that does not match the straight standards God sets.
Who is righteous according to God's commandments? One sin puts a kink or wrinkle in the straight line God expects. And it matters not if it is a big kink or wrinkle or a small one. Take the nicest person you know -- is his behavior as straight as the commandments measure? No! The best of us and the worst of us -- makes no difference -- are crooked. Now, we might sit around comparing who is more crooked, more cursed, but so what? God has no room in heaven for anything that is crooked, as Paul writes to the Galatians: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law."
And it doesn't matter if we live straight or right from here on. We still have the life we have lived up till now that is crooked. We can't straighten out the past by living straight from now on. And we can't straighten out the past for the same reason we can't straighten out a coathanger -- we don't have the right tools or ability. Try straightening out a coathanger. You can't. We are like a coathanger -- crooked and wrinkled. So, no matter how we behave, we can never get right with God. And so serious is sin, the Bible tells us if we hate God, his anger lasts long after our grandchildren are dead.
But the Bible tells of another way to be right with God: Jesus Christ straightens us out. First, Jesus takes us into Himself by baptism so that we can be painlessly executed for our sins along with Jesus when He died on a cross. Jesus then takes the kinks out of our lives with the same power God used to wake Jesus up after He died. "Jesus was crucified for our transgressions and raised for our justification." To justify something is the Latin way of saying "to straighten something out." The power to straighten us out is found in the work of the Holy Spirit, who uses the Word and sacraments of Jesus to create and build faith in us. The miracle of mercy is that God, through Jesus, straightens out those who trust Him. It is God who both helps us want to do what is right and then helps us do it.
That brings us to the second half of the statement, "The righteous shall live by faith." We know who the righteous are -- those Jesus has straightened out (not those who behave properly). This is one of the most liberating sentences in the Bible. Notice, the Bible doesn't say, "The righteous shall live by keeping the Ten Commandments," or by following certain church rules; there are no rules for righteous living.
God couldn't care less how we behave! He cares about what we believe! If we think that we can live a right life by following rules, we fall back under the curse that comes whenever we sin and put a kink in our life. Rather, Jesus came to free us from the dead-end kind of life that tries to follow rules. "The righteous shall live by faith." Simply put, the person who trusts Jesus is doing the only right thing God wants him to do.
When Jesus said that one's righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, they were insulted. So they asked Jesus, "What must a man do to do the works of God?" Jesus said, "To do the works of God you must believe on him whom he has sent." Period. Jesus did not say, "Believe on him whom he sent and then make sure you tithe, and go to church and so forth." He said, "Believe on him whom he has sent." Period. And, remember, Jesus gives us the faith we need for believing on Jesus each time we hear His Word!
Of course, those who trust Jesus will behave differently than most everyone else. For example, if we trust Jesus, then we will naturally want to spend as much time as we can getting to know Him better through his Word and sacraments. If we take Jesus at His Word we will want to go to church, attend Bible studies, and spend time in personal and family devotions. After all, He promised that anyone who hears and keeps His Word will be blessed. And think of the opportunities we have that people didn't have in Bible times: we have our own personal Bibles, we have radios and tape players to listen to Christian music or teachings.
If we trust Jesus, we will do our best to follow His instructions, even if they seem hard or silly. How silly to put hard-earned money in a collection plate when one could have nice things or go on nice vacations, or to spend time teaching Sunday school or be on the church council or go to church or do other things for the church, when you could be doing things that are fun! But Jesus says if we do all those things we will be blessed and rewarded. Or, how can a bowl of water make a difference in a baby? How can a bit of bread and a sip of wine make a difference? But Jesus tells us that He forgives sins when we do those things.
We will even be able to do the impossible -- forgive the unforgivable, trusting that Jesus will make it up to us. We will be able to make disciples of all nations. Jesus promises that whatever we tell others about Him will not be wasted but will always do what He wants it to do.
If we take Jesus at his Word we will take care of the needs of those around us, even if doing so means tightening our own belt. Jesus did not give us leftovers, but "made himself poor so we could become rich." To live by faith also means trusting that we will get what we need, even when times look bad, and even when death knocks on our door.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You redeemed us from the curse of the law. That means You paid the price it took in order to set us free from the curse our sinfulness earned us. Forgive us whenever we fall back into thinking that our behavior is what matters, when we lose sight of the work You have done to straighten us out. Help us live in the mercy You have shown us by filling us with Your Spirit who will give us the faith we need to live in holiness. Amen.
