Lent 2, 2010
“He longs to gather all people”
Jeremiah 26:8-15, Philippians 3:17-4:1, Luke 13:31-35
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Wouldn’t it be nice to believe that the Church is immune to every danger and threat? Unfortunately that’s not going to happen. In fact, in our text today, we discover that God’s holy things, including his holy people face not only danger, but also total destruction. What? Wait a second…that doesn’t sound right!
God’s holy things are subject to destruction when his people ignore His Word. Maybe we are a bit naïve to believe that God’s people are actually following His word. Look at our “Christian” nation. Daily there are more people demanding same-sex marriage. Daily there are those that are shaking the moral fabric of our nation. We have schools teaching that humans have evolved from apes and deny that God created us, the world, and everything in it. We live in a nation that allows the murder of the unborn. We face a society that has decided they need God less and less if at all.
Jeremiah struggled with his people too. He prophesied that the Lord’s house, the temple, and the city of
The people didn’t respond well to Jeremiah’s prophecy. “But as soon as Jeremiah finished telling all the people everything the Lord had commanded him to say, the priests, the prophets and all the people seized him and said, ‘You must die!’” (Jeremiah 26:8) The fact is that the temple was destroyed in
In the Epistle Paul speaks of the holy destruction of people rather than places. “For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is their shame.” (Philippians 3:18-19) He tells us three characteristics of people that live as enemies to the Cross. He says that their god is their stomach, their glory is their shame, and that their minds are set on earthly things. Their destiny is destruction. Of course we have nothing to worry about right? We never put anything before God. We never wallow in our own glory. And of course we never put our hearts into our earthly possessions.
In the Gospel Jesus speaks of the destruction of those who resist the Lord. “O Jerusalem,
These are the people who would kill Jesus, as their ancestors had killed the prophets sent to them. Ironically, God sent his Son-and the earlier prophets-to
Our reaction to God’s warning may be that of those in Jeremiah’s day: “How dare you prophesy anything against God’s house and his people?!” But God destroys his holy things only to build up his people. Today’s lessons are a warning to us that even we, God’s holy people, are subject to destruction if we ignore His Word. We are warned that even whole church bodies can be left desolate by the Lord if they abandon his pure doctrine and practice. Congregations can be left to their own self-destruction if they fall into squabbles and infighting.
God also warns that each individual Christian can be destroyed by giving themselves over to sin. The truth is that even God’s holy people will struggle constantly against sin. Sins like
But out of this wreckage, God can rebuild wondrous things. Thus, the destruction can be a holy destruction, because out of the disaster, God brings something good. Jeremiah’s call, even when it required prophesying destruction, was ultimately to restore: “Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, ‘Now, I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant’” (Jer 1:9-10).
Jeremiah warns destruction only to bring repentance and prevent suffering. Yet from
When the visible church, the church of Rome, abandoned God’s pure doctrine and practice, God left it to its own desolate teachings, but raised up a new visible church on earth through the Reformation. Our church now stands before this same problem. Do we hold fast to God’s pure doctrine? Or shall we be left by God to our own desolate false teachings? Time will tell.
Even the “destruction” of the individual Christian, when the church exercises discipline and removes a member, is intended to-and indeed can-result in repentance, change of heart, and faith being rebuilt.
All of these “holy destructions” are able to bring blessings and restoration because of the destruction of God’s Holy One. Jesus’ destruction on the cross was a holy destruction. He was destroyed, but God raised him up again, bringing something good out of the destruction.
Jesus’ destruction was a painful experience. Adding to the physical pain was the fact he had done nothing wrong. He had done nothing but help people all his life. Surely of all people, Jesus deserved to be destroyed least of all. But by the scheming of wicked men he was destroyed, and, amazingly, this was according to God’s plan.
We must watch out and resist pointing the finger at others for the death of Jesus. Each of us is responsible for Christ’s death. Every sin we commit strikes the blow of the hammer hitting the nails that pierced Jesus. Each sin we commit is another chant from the crowd to “Crucify Him.” We are no less guilty then any other person. Yet, we are forgiven for Christ’s sake through faith.
Out of Jesus’ destruction God brought the highest good. Three days after Jesus’ death, God raised him from the dead. Because of his resurrection, we know that any destruction God works is only to bring us also eternal resurrection.
Jeremiah showed his faith in the life to come as he said, “As for me, I am in your hands; do with me whatever you think is good and right.” (Jeremiah 26:14) Because of Jesus’ holy destruction and resurrection, we can always cling to the same faith. Our sins are forgiven. The words of absolution are certain. Our Baptism remains. We can always repent with the absolute confidence that we will be welcomed back, restored to the status of God’s holy nation. We will not be destroyed eternally.
Though destruction is never pleasant, God brings good from it. Jesus’ holy destruction brings us salvation. We are blessed to be able to hear this message of resurrection and salvation here in this church. God has set us apart from the world and has great plans for us. Let us always give thanks to Him for giving us the pure Gospel that is taught in this place to adults and children alike.
One day our bodies will be destroyed. But as
Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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