Sinner and Saint

God Forgives

Epiphany 3, 2018

Jonah 3:1-5, 10

"God forgives"

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

            Have you ever been tailgated? How does it make you feel when someone is tail-gating you while you are going the speed limit or even a few miles over the speed limit? There are times when people tail me and finally pass by, waving the one finger salute, and zoom away that I wish that a cop would come out of nowhere and pull them over or that they would have a flat tire a mile or so down the road. There have actually been a few times when this has happened and as I pass by I think to myself “it serves them right.” If this has happened to you…I ask you…would you ever pull over to help them if they were in need?

          Jonah was a prophet of God. He lived approximately 700-800 years before the birth of Christ. God called Jonah to “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” (Jonah 1:2) But as most of us know...if not all of us... Jonah refused to go. I'm sure Jonah had his reasons for disobeying God.  Nineveh was the capital of Assyria...a hated enemy of Israel. It was a city full of wickedness... like Sodom and Gomorrah. Nineveh didn't deserve to hear God's warning. So knowing better than God and risking His wrath and anger...Jonah fled.

          Jonah didn't get very far. Asleep on a ship a horrific storm arose. The sailors did all they could...but knew they were in great peril. They cried out to their own gods to no avail. They threw cargo off the ship but that didn't help. They cast lots to find the culprit and the lot fell on Jonah. Jonah confessed to them what he had done. When all attempts failed to reach shore...they threw Jonah into the sea where He was swallowed by a great fish.

          After three days within this fish Jonah cried out to God. He confessed his sins and prayed for forgiveness and mercy. God heard his prayers and caused the great fish to vomit Jonah up onto dry ground. Jonah had disobeyed God and nearly cost others their lives because of his decision. Jonah deserved to be punished...he deserved death and condemnation for his sins. Yet God had mercy on Jonah and forgave His sins.

          "Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days' journey in breadth. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them." (Jonah 3:1-5)

          Jonah finally went to Nineveh. He didn't want to be there...but had learned his lesson. He most likely gave it a half-hearted effort. Regardless, Jonah called the people to repentance. The King of Assyria heard the message. He and his people fasted, wore sackcloth and ashes, and prayed for forgiveness. "When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it." (Jonah 3:10)

          This made Jonah angry. Jonah confesses that he disobeyed and fled because He knew God would forgive them. Jonah didn't want these people to be forgiven. Jonah wanted God to punish his enemies for their sin. They didn't deserve his help. They didn't deserve to be forgiven. They didn't deserve for God's wrath to be turned away! Sound familiar?

            For one reason or another there are often times when people whom we really don’t like very much need our help. Unfortunately, we usually avoid them and go the other way so that we don’t feel the need to help. Often we spitefully ignore those in need. It is on a rare occasion that we help people we don’t like…maybe begrudgingly. Yet to all people, maybe even especially those we don’t like, God calls us to love them, share the good news about Jesus with them, and help them with every need.

          How often are we just like Jonah? We disobey what we know God would have us do or not do. We complain when things don't go the way we think they should. We call God unfair. We often think others are worse than us...others don't deserve God's love. And there are also times we want God to give someone what they deserve.

          The truth is that none of us deserve God's love, mercy, or forgiveness. Yet God does love us. All of us. He makes that plain to see for us through the prophet Jonah. God taught Jonah a lesson about His love. "Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city. Now the LORD God appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.” And the LORD said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons?..” (Jonah 4:5-11)

          God loves His creation. No matter how good or bad a person is...no matter how wicked someone has acted...God loves them. Every single one of you is important to God. Even as we judge some sins to be worse than others...God judges them equally and forgives them equally. The truth is that Christ died for sinners. Christ died for sinners! SINNERS! Christ died for the worst of us. Christ died for the worst that we do. Christ died out of love for sinners. There is no sin and there is no person that God will not forgive. That is wonderful news. It is the news that Jonah was called to share. It is the news we are called to share as well.

          The tail-gaiter on the highway, the neighbor you like and the neighbor you feud with, the teacher that you think is out to get you, the classmate that annoys you, the child that made fun of you when you were younger, your friends whom you don’t want to lose and the friends that stabbed you in the back, your family that you love and your sibling you haven’t talked with in years.  These are your Ninevah. Whether it is fear of losing, fear of being rejected, dislike, or indifference…you are called to share the wonderful message of Christ with all of them. By the faith given to you in God’s Word and the Spirit living in you; you have the gifts, talents, knowledge, desire, and love to do all that God calls you to do. We help, serve, share, and love because Christ first loved us; loved us enough to die on the cross for us and all people. What a wonderful message to share...with one another...with fellow believers...and with those that despise and reject God...and with those that think God couldn't possibly love or forgive them. It is the message of love for all. It is the message of forgiveness. It is the message of Christ crucified and risen. Amen.

Now may the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. Amen.

You are not your own

Epiphany 2, 2018

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

"You are not your own"

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

            I'm sure that you've heard the phrase: "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas." That statement is true...but only to an extent. Because while some may not say what they have explicitly done in Vegas...everyone knows the kinds of things that happen in Vegas.

          In Saint Paul's time the city of Corinth was like Vegas. And the Christian Church in Corinth, like many Christian congregations in Vegas, was surrounded by sexual immorality. Vegas isn't the original "Sin City." Neither was Corinth. Yet Corinth knew how to throw a party. Within Corinth was a temple to the goddess of love, Aphrodite. Within the temple were the temple prostitutes. Sexual immorality was part of their religious life. It wasn't really looked down upon...not even by the philosophers who taught that only a person's spirit mattered...and what you did with your body; with your flesh...didn't...so you could do whatever you liked. The church of Corinth would have been constantly tempted to remain in their old pagan ways.

          Sins of the flesh. Sexual immorality. This isn't a topic that I particularly like to preach on...and it's not a topic many like to hear. It goes against our society...and the freedoms this world like to cling to. Remember what they say... there are two things you don't talk about... politics and religion. And sexual immorality... that's the worst...because it's mixed with both topics. Maybe because we don't talk about religion and politics is part of the reason our society is in the mess it is in.

          There is one person that doesn't abide by that rule...never has...never will. God. God who created both the soul and the body is the God who gave the gift of life, marriage, and sex. God who created us to love and procreate is the God that sent His son to die for us; to die for both our body and soul. Both our soul and body were purchased at a great price and that price was Christ. So yes, sexual immorality matters to God.

          I don't have to tell you about the state of our culture. The old adage is "sex sells." It's on our TV and in our magazines. It plagues movies and the internet. It's in our neighborhoods and even in our homes.

          I'm reminded about the lyrics to the song Used to Be. It's been sung by various artists but I learned it from the band Lost & Found. Listen to these words:

    "Superman was killed in Dallas. There's no love left in the palace. Someone took the Beatle's lead guitar. Have another Chivas Regal. Your twelve years old and sex is legal. Your parents don't know where or who you are. Used to be the hero of the ball game. Took the time to shake the loser's hand. Used to be that failure only meant you didn't try. In a world where people gave a damn.

          Great big wars in little places. Look at all those frightened faces. But don't come here we just don't got the room. Love thy neighbor's wife and daughter. You cleanse your life with holy water. Hey we don't need to bathe we've got perfume. Used to be a knight in shining armor. Didn't have to own a shiny car. 'Coz dignity and courage were the measure of a man. And not the drugs he needs to hide his scars.

          Can your teacher read. Does your preacher pray. Does your president have soul. Have you heard a real good ethnic joke today. Mama took her speed. And daddy ran away. But you mustn't lose control. You see the kids are wild we just can't tame 'em. Do we have a right to blame 'em.

          We fed them all our indecision. And raped their minds with television. But what the hell They're too young to feel pain. But I believe that love will save tomorrow. I believe that truth will make us free. Someone tried to say it and we nailed him to a cross. I guess it's still the way it used to be."

          We aren't here to point fingers [far too often that is the only thing Christian Churches have done]...but if we did point fingers we'd have to point them at ourselves. Look at what we have brought not just upon ourselves...but also our children. What we need is to listen to God's Word no matter how close it hits to home. We have to admit that this kind of sin is in our hearts.

          When we apply the 6th commandment, we must recognize that all forms of sexual sin are condemned by God. It's not just wives and husbands cheating on each other, but it's living together outside of marriage. It's homosexual activity and divorce. It's the murder of babies so that we don't have to deal with the consequences of sex. It's the lust in our hearts and the wandering sinful thoughts of our minds. Pornography. The degradation  and abuse of women [#metoo] and the degradation and abuse of men, the failing of husbands and wives to truly love each other. All of this comes out of our sinful and corrupted nature and  flesh.

          And it's a sin against our own bodies. The Greeks rationalized it away, saying it didn't matter what you do with your body, it's the spirit inside that counts. And we continue to rationalize it by saying, “It doesn't hurt anyone”, and “how can love be wrong?” and “It's no one else's business but mine”, or “It's a biological need” "My body, my choice". But none of this will do. These sins come cloaked in the costume of love, but they are not loving. They come soaked in the promise of pleasure, but the pleasure they bring is impure.

          God designed us, male and female, for each other, for that love to be expressed in a godly way, in the bounds of marriage. And in our sinfulness we find ways to twist this good thing into all sorts of evil. Male and female, we must confess. Young and old, we must confess. In thought, word, and deed, we must confess our sins. We must repent of these sins of the body, and every other kind of transgression.

          For each of these sins, in its own way, is a sin of unfaithfulness. Unfaithfulness to our wedding vows. Unfaithfulness perhaps to our future spouse. Unfaithful to ourselves, and certainly to our Lord. We cheat in so many ways, defiling the body God has given us, all the while excusing and hiding it, hoping not to be exposed. But God knows our sins. All of them. And He still loves us. And He did something about it.

          Jesus' body, given at the cross, cleanses our bodies of sin. His body broken brings wholeness to our brokenness. His purity for our impurity. His body and blood are the price paid for us, to buy us back from our self-inflicted prostitution to all things sinful. His body and soul for our body and soul. His whole self to save our whole self.

          You are not your own. You were purchased for a price. That price was Jesus. God loved you so much he paid for your salvation with His own Son. Jesus covers you in His perfect righteousness. You have been made as pure as snow.

          Dear Christian men and women live by faith, honor God with your bodies. Flee sexual immorality. Be examples of faithful and forgiven people to your children. Live in accord with who you are – who Christ has made you to be, with the Spirit's guidance, to the Glory of God the Father, Amen.

Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. Amen.