The Second Sunday in Lent - Reminiscere - February 28, 2010

The Church Season of Lent,
The First Sunday in Lent - Reminiscere,
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (February 28, 2010)
One Year Series

“Called to Purity”

Readings:
Psalm 121
Gen. 32:22-32
1 Thessalonians 4:1-7
Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon Form: Deductive

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Grace, mercy and peace be to you from the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen

The text for today is as recorded in the Epistle Lesson from the 4th chapter of 1st Thessalonians, especially the following verses.

1 Thessalonians 4:1-7 (NIV)

1 Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. 3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; 6 and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

Back in the times of Paul, to many people the freedom of the Gospel and forgiveness of sins meant that they could now go out and sin deliberately and do whatever their hearts desired and it didn't make any difference to their salvation. It would seem that they thought that anyone who called themselves a Christian was going to go to heaven, no questions asked. Quite frankly, for many Christians, almost 2000 years have passed but these thoughts are not much different today. Many people think that anyone who can pronounce the name "Jesus" are all going to heaven, whatever they may imagine that means. And, to be honest, calling yourself a "Christian" back in the early church was a lot different than it is in the modern America of today.

Back in the day, Christians were hated, they were hunted, they were persecuted, and if captured, they were killed for just being a Christian. Christianity was illegal. In fact being a Christian meant that really you were an illegal atheist because you didn’t believe the Roman Emperor was God. Confessing Christ made you an outlaw. The Christian faith and the confession of that faith required a risk and a commitment, that it just seem to doesn't demand today.

Risk or no risk, St. Paul tells these so called Christians that they were to walk in Christ to please God. That is serious advice and it also applies to us. Christians are called with a purpose, and part of that purpose, at least, is sanctification. What does that mean? Sanctification is holy living. St. Paul writes that those who have been called into a relationship with God in Christ Jesus have been made holy by the forgiveness of sins. We as Christians are to live out that holiness. St. Paul also tells his readers that any confusion on this issue can be dangerous. And why is that? Well, because God, will punish those who have been injured by the immorality of others. There is no hiding from judgment by merely claiming God as your God. For God will Judge us all and He will not be tricked by lip service or pretending to be just. He is impartial, the final judge of what is moral and what is not and He has given us the scriptures to tell us just that.

In this particular piece of St. Paul’s letter, he appears to be addressing sexual morality, or immorality, and the instruction is that we are not to engage in sexual immorality, or lustful passion, or impurity. We have a commandment from God stating this same thing, that would be the sixth commandment, Thou shalt not commit adultery. In fact, we are to learn to have self-control, and possess our bodies in sanctification and honor. Sexual morality has always been an issue because it is so very difficult for people, and being a Christian does not insulate us from the temptations of the world. Quite frankly, it makes us a bigger target for the devil, the world and our own sinful flesh. The culture around us in steeped in sex, lust, and permissiveness, even open invitation to wanton sexual desire and activity. You only have to turn on the T.V. set to see how this pervades our culture and even our language. Though our flesh also fights against God's holy will in us, we, the holy people of God, are called out of sin into holiness, and God's purpose in making us His holy people is that we abstain from sins and live in that holiness. We are called to purity, not an easy task to undertake today, and certainly purity is not an attribute that is popular to our culture.

This call to lead a pure life isn't a call in which God demands everything from us, and gives us nothing from Himself. In fact, it’s just the opposite. God has sent His Son, and it is Jesus who lived a holy life, and then laid down His own body for us. He purchased your holiness and purity by His own life and by giving that life upon the cross.

In this time of Lent, with repentant eyes we look at the cross to see Christ nailed there and dying in agony. How important and precious is your sanctification and Holy living? Important enough that God gave His only Son for you. Jesus Christ has purchased holiness for you. Jesus freely gives it to you. He chose you from amongst all mankind, and called you to live before Him in faith and in sanctification. So now we ask ourselves, have I led a pure and decent life encouraging others at all times to do the same? If we answer honestly we would cast our eyes to the ground acknowledging failure. Now cast your eyes on Christ whose incarnation brought Him to our world, and know that He lived that life for you. If you want to see the answer to all that concerns, confronts and dismays you, cast your eyes on the cross, there victory is won for you.

Jesus knows how difficult living in this corrupt and sinful world is for us, and the weakness of our flesh. That is why He has given us this holy meal, which we shall eat this morning, to strengthen us, to purify us, to forgive us and encourage us in holy living. Here is the very body of Christ, for your forgiveness and sanctification. In this Holy meal Christ gives you the very blood which He shed for your sins to cleanse you and raise you up from sin to holiness and everlasting life. You have been called to a life of purity, to ever strive to do better, to proclaim your faith in God by your actions, and also by how you also reconcile your inactions. Come eat and drink and be refreshed, cleansed, and strengthened for here Christ prepares you to fulfill that call.

Today Christianity is slipping once again into the unfavorable category in the perception of our culture. The lives of many who call themselves "Christian" is not good, or clear, or faithful, or holy, or biblical. Sanctification, again meaning Holy living, is tolerated as a personal option, but sadly it’s not a public expectation. The world today needs the witness of our holy lives to contradict the growing persuasion that faith in Christ solves nothing, and that Christians are just like everyone else. Our holiness continues to be a silent witness to the presence of Christ in us, and brings glory to God even when we are unaware that it our sanctification is being observed. It is, at least in part, the purpose of the Lord for calling us into faith in Christ. If God did not have that purpose, He could summon us to Himself in glory just as soon as we came to faith. But God has called us for the purpose of purity.

This is not to say at all that we can live perfect lives, that you and I won’t fail miserably in the face of our own actions or inactions, we will and we do fail. And for those who may be tempted the world’s deceptive religiosity or meandering non-biblical pseudo-religious views, or the people who would tell us it doesn’t make any difference how a Christian lives. Or by those who would tempt you by saying that it doesn’t matter whether or not you sin, since our sins have been forgiven, or the notion that God will accept any form of behavior that we may give to Him. No, and for all of us who have fallen for all those lines, we all need to go back and read this text again and hear it’s warning. It is more than a warning shot across the bow. It is an order to cease and desist, to turn our lives about, and to repent, for we have been given much, much is expected of us.

We are all tempted in one way or another, whether it be by this society, by other people, or by our thoughts of what may be in our own future. But in the face of all that will face you, always know that you are God's holy people. God has given you much, in fact He gave you everything when He gave His only Son for you. God in Jesus Christ made you holy when He cleansed you in the waters of your baptism, and does so today when He gives you the forgiveness of sins and renews your faith in Holy Communion. In Christ, you are forgiven and made holy by His great work on the cross. We who have been made holy are called to lead holy lives and though we fail it doesn’t mean that we should quit trying. Jesus Christ did not quit. In fact, Jesus led a holy and perfect life that we could not live. And Jesus Christ gave His life for you His holy ones, so that you have the promise an eternal holy life. Amen.

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

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