This is how Christ builds his kingdom, through the faithful preaching of the Word and sacraments, through the diverse use of our gifts in service, and through our tithes and offerings. It sounds remarkably ordinary, and it is, but God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; what is weak to shame the strong; what is low and despised to build Christ’s church, that in it and through it he might be glorified. All glory be to Christ!
Category Archives: Luke
How Great a Debtor
Jesus was invited to dine with a Pharisee. Perhaps surprisingly, he accepted. He who said that he came “to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10) would presumably have plenty to seek and save over supper. But as the party proceeded, it was unexpectedly crashed, by a woman known not by name but by sin. Luke records neither.
The Veil of Unbelief
It is not your heritage, your family, your works, or your best intentions that will make you right with God. We are saved only by God’s grace alone through faith alone. According to his sovereign election, he first brings us to life by the power of his Holy Spirit. Then leads us to repentance and gives us the faith to believe. And it is by faith alone that we become children of God, adopted heirs of the kingdom, to the glory of God alone.
When In Doubt
In the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, the writer walks us through what has become known as the Hall of Faith. Some in the Hall are expected, such as Abel, Enoch, Noah, and of course Abraham. Some are a surprise, such as Samson. And then there are the unnamed, who suffered and died for their faith. Based on the descriptions scholars have speculated as to who might be included among those “of whom the world was not worthy” (Heb. 11:38). There are some pretty good guesses, such as Jeremiah, but one I think certainly makes this list is one of my heroes of the faith, John the Baptist.
The Conviction of Things not Seen
Of course, you don’t have to be a serious military man to have faith in Jesus, but you do have to take him at his word, believing that “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3-4). This is the testimony of the Word God has given. Don’t make it harder than it is. As a matter of fact, in it we are assured and by it convicted, and Jesus is Savior and Lord of all who believe.
Fruit from the Heart
What is your life built on? Is it built on your profession, your wealth, your pleasure? Is it built on the blessing of family or the wealth of friends, both good things? Consider carefully the foundation of your life. Whether the foundation of your life is built on what you consider good or evil, unless it is built on Christ, it will not survive.
Good News of Great Joy
We often think of the sudden, supernatural appearance of the heavenly host in relation to Jesus’ birth, and rightly so. But in a sense, their explosion of praise is but a commencement of our continued celebration. Paul said, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord,” and so we do, boasting in what God has done in sending his Son. Think about it: We have assembled on this Lord’s Day, the day of Christ’s resurrection, based on the full revelation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and it is only fitting that we join the heavenly host in crying out, “Glory to God in the highest!” For, our greatest joy comes in and through the good news of Jesus Christ.
Who Made You Judge?
If there is an aphorism derived from Scripture best known and oft quoted in our day, surely it is, “Judge not, lest ye be judged.”[2] Its use is typically meant to refute moral judgment on a particular sin, and its effect is typically the equivalent of “Mind your own business.” The source of the expression is our passage today, as well as Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew. And while I am all for encouraging quotes of Jesus in our culture, I’m not for taking Scripture out of context, for whatever reason. As we will see in our passage today, Jesus was no more dismissing sin than encouraging it, but he was confronting it, a sin that often hides comfortably in the church.
God So Loved
Connecting God’s love to our love, John goes on to say, “God is love,” John tells, “and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (1 John 4:16). Loving our enemies does not make us “sons of the Most High,” but it does reveal that we are. Doing good to those who hate us, blessing those who curse us, praying for those who mistreat us, expecting nothing in return, does not mean that they will love us in return, but God will reward us for it in conforming us more and more to the image of his Son, who in love laid down is life for us.
Blessings and Woes
In writing to the church, the Apostle John cautions, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world” (1 John 2:15-16).
Planter, Pastor, Preacher 