Here's my sermon for Sunday.
Pr Bell
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+In Nomine Iesu+
Pentecost 11
St Matthew 13:44-52
27 July 2008
Each Sunday in the liturgy we hear this: “He that believes and is
baptized shall be saved.” Those words come from Mark 16. Sounds rather
straight forward, doesn’t it? Believe, and be baptized. Do that and
everything’s fine.
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But how do we determine certainty? If either faith or baptism are
something we do, how certain can we be? How do we know we believe? How
certain can we be of faith? Can faith be measured? Is faith provable in
the same way baptism is? Here’s the problem – if we are responsible for
our faith nothing is certain. If our faith – or our baptism for that
matter – rests upon our “decision” for Jesus we can never be certain of
anything. But, thanks be to God, faith and baptism do not depend upon
us. Instead, God is responsible for baptizing us, and for creating
saving faith within us.
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Remember the words of the Psalmist? “_All_ men are liars.” (Ps. 116)
That’s God’s verdict over against us. We lie. And not only do we lie to
God and each other – we lie to ourselves. Thus if we are responsible for
creating our faith, for deciding to believe in Jesus – we are doomed.
How can we be certain that we haven’t been lying all along?
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Isaiah describes every one of us when he describes faith as a “bruised
reed” and a “smoking bit a straw.” (Isa. 42) That’s about as good as it
gets in this life. A father once brought his demon-possessed son to
Jesus to be cured. Jesus predicated the cure on faith. The father cried
out, “I do believe; help my unbelief.” (Mark 9) That wasn’t the
victorious shout of a mountain-moving faith. That’s the plea of one who
is nothing more than a bruised reed – a smoking bit of straw. There was
no roar in that father’s faith, just the opposite. And he knew it.
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And when Jesus told His disciples that faith the size of a mustard seed
could move a mountain – that wasn’t an invitation to start doing
geological transplants. That statement indicted the disciple for the
smallness of their faith. Jesus was pointing out the disciples’ weakness
– not their strength. And that weakness was pointed out time and again.
Even at the ascension – after witnessing everything that Jesus had done,
including His resurrection from the dead – what do we find? “. . . the
eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had
designated. And when they saw Him, they worshipped Him; but some
doubted.” (Mt. 28) Even there some of the disciples were only smoking
bits of straw faith wise.
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You and I, my friends, are no different. If our faith depends upon us –
we’re lost. Indeed, if our salvation depends upon anything good within
us, we’re doomed. “There is none that is righteous, no not one.” That’s
St Paul quoting Psalm 14. And the application of those words applies in
every generation. In ourselves we are sinners. That statement always
defines all of humankind.
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It is very hard for us to be honest. Very hard for us to recognize and
admit our lack of goodness. Our pride won’t allow it. But consider – of
all the “good” works you have done, how many were truly free of
self-interest. Remove everything done because it was helpful to you, and
there isn’t much left. We do not act from pure motives. We do things
that will benefit us. People will like us – admire us. People will
listen to us – honor us. People will see us as generous – benevolent.
You see, our actions are anything but righteous.
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And what about the evil? Martin Luther speaks of the evil within man –
the evil within us. And he makes this point – the true extent of our
evil within is hidden from us. God doesn’t reveal it to us. That, too,
is part of God’s mercy. If our evil were fully revealed, Luther says, we
would be destroyed – devastated. St Paul caught a glimpse of his evil
within. He writes, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is,
in my flesh; for the wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good
is not. For the good that I wish, I do not do, but I practice the very
evil that I do not wish.” St Paul is aghast by what he sees in himself.
The evil he sees within leaves him dumbstruck. He looks into his inner
being and is amazed by the evil that glares back at him.
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And now we have come to the three parables that make up our text this
morning. It’s very interesting how these parables are typically dealt
with in preaching. In many churches this morning people will be told
what they must do. The treasure and the pearl will be described as being
Jesus, or His Word – something like that. And their responsibility –
having been allowed to discover these treasures – their responsibility
will be to empty themselves of everything else in order to possess this
treasure. Empty themselves to make room for Jesus.
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You see who is supposed to do the work? Where does the responsibility
lies in this approach? With you. You are called upon to do something. Do
everything, actually. It’s really quite like demanding that you believe.
It’s telling you that your salvation depends upon you. Do your part and
all is well. Fail in your part, and you’re doomed. Lot’s of comfort
there, right?
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But what if everything is the other way round? What if everything
depends upon God – and not upon you at all? What if the treasure-seeker
is not you – but God? And what if you are the treasure?
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Like a treasure – in this case a treasure buried in the depths of sin –
you have been sought out. Sought out, and found. You have been found by
God. Like a pearl of unimaginable worth – you have been found. Found,
and claimed. You had no idea you were lost. You had no idea of your
worth. But God – the One who sought you – He knew. He knew, and He acted.
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And look what the seeker – what God – has done. He has “sold all that He
has.” In other words, He has given up Himself in order to posses you.
The life of Jesus has become the ransom for your life. He has died so
that you can live. And now? Now you have been hidden again. Not in sin
this time. No, you have been hidden in Christ. That’s how St Paul
describes it.
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Who decides that something is a treasure? Certainly not the thing
itself. The thing itself knows nothing of its value. Why does one person
collect nineteenth-century gold coins, while his neighbor collects bars
of soap from cheap motels? Because they see value – treasure – differently.
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So, who decided that you were a treasure? Certainly not you. You were
lost, remember? Totally oblivious both to your condition and your value.
It was God who decided. He decided you were a treasure. A treasure to be
rescued.
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St Luke describes the baptism of Jesus in very interesting language.
“Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also
was baptized . . .” (Luke 3) Everyone who had come before was baptized
for himself. Not so with Jesus. He is baptized for all people. For you.
Indeed, Jesus becomes one with you. He is baptized because of your sins.
Baptized for your sins. And, since the sin can never be separated from
the sinner, Jesus is baptized for you.
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And from that point on – from the baptism of Jesus onward – a straight
lines runs to His crucifixion. Sin leads to death. Your sins lead to
death. Jesus’ baptism for you leads to death. And so, you die. What
began in water ends in blood. That’s the sense of St Paul’s words in
Romans 6. When we are baptized, we are baptized into the death of Jesus.
Carried along through His baptism, into death.
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Why? Because you are a treasure – a pearl of great value – that’s why.
Says who? Says God! From baptism, through death, and into a new life.
That’s the path. That’s the trajectory meant for you. You see, it’s from
the baptism—crucifixion—resurrection of Jesus that all the promises
flow. “. . . God in Christ also has forgiven you.” (Eph. 4) That’s God’s
promise to you in Jesus. “Because I live you shall live also.” (John 14)
More promise. “But now Christ is risen from the dead and has become the
first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Cor. 15) Another
promise. “For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made
sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made
righteous.” (Rom. 5) And another. You see, the promises pile up, one
upon another.
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Why? So that you will have something to believe. So that your faith can
have an object – a certainty. You, Jesus has declared to be His
treasure. Jesus does it all. And, He does it all for you – even, just you.
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A few moments ago I mentioned St Paul’s amazement at the degree of evil
he saw within himself. He goes on. “Wretched man that I am! Who will set
me free from the body of this death?” Translation – “Who will free me
from myself?” Paul’s answer? “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our
Lord!” In other words, “I have been found – rescued. And it was all
God’s doing.”
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And then there is a final parable. It is the parable of the dragnet. The
net has gathered fish of every kind. Really, this is an echo of last
week’s parable of wheat and tares – this time described as fish. Some
good. Some bad. The good are kept – treasured. The bad are cast away –
doomed.
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Here, my friends, is a warning against complacency – against
self-confidence. A warning not to trust in yourself. The net – the
Church – belongs to God. Not to you. The Church is created and kept at
God’s behest – not yours. The Church is God’s kingdom on earth.
Remember, each of the parables in Matthew is described in the same way –
“the kingdom of heaven is like” or, “the kingdom of heaven can be
compared to.”
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You see, God’s kingdom on earth – the Church – is that place where
disciples are created. Where they are created, and where they live. It
is a place of salvation and life. It’s a place where God works
forgiveness – and we receive the benefits. We receive His gifts. It’s a
place where God creates, and bestows, and strengthens faith.
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And now we are back to Mark 16. God creates His disciples by baptism.
That gift of “disciple-hood” He has given to you. It’s certain. There
are witnesses who can vouch for it. And in that gift God has hidden you
in Christ. How do you know? Because He has said so. And, now, He has
caused you to believe it. Faith. Remember? Faith – another gift from
God’s grace.
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These parables are about you. Once you were hidden – lost. No longer.
Once you were alone – outside God’s kingdom. No more. You have been
found. Found by God and re-created into something new and beautiful. Of
that you can be certain, because all has been done by God. Done for you.
And to you. And in you. Ransomed. Forgiven. Claimed by God. Taught by
Him. That’s you! Do not rejoice in yourselves, dear friends. Rejoice,
rather, in Christ and what He has given you. Rejoice in Christ – for
only His work is certain. And His work includes your baptism, and the
faith that clings to the God of your baptism. This you can believe, for
it is true. As true as God, Himself is true.
Amen
++Consummatum est,, in omne tempus++
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