Philippians 2:5-11.                  Here comes your King!!          1/4/12

 ⁵ In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: ⁶ Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; ⁷ rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! ⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

 Palm Sunday thinking has become prominent in the lives of many people these days: they are running to and fro looking for a king – looking for greatness - looking for someone or something that will bring ease, comfort and peace into their lives. And at the first hint of a new thing, invention or way of thinking, people rush to get on the bandwagon - hoping for some real benefits for themselves.

 So, things are no different today, it seems, than it was on that first Palm Sunday. There, masses of people rushed out to hail Jesus as King: he was hopefully going to be the new saviour of the Israelite nation. Here was a king who could heal the sick; feed the poor; and even raise the dead; and since he could do that, he could surely also run the Romans out of town so that they could once again become a great nation. Then they would enjoy peace and have an easy, pleasurable life: they could sit back in the lap of luxury.

 It is interesting isn't it, how humanity seeks after anything that will make life easier for us; especially if it entails little commitment on our part. We run after and hail that which promises to bring peace and wellbeing into our life – promising to give us health, wealth and happiness. We are only too willing to make these things king in our lives; ignoring the truth for the sake of ease and pleasure. Even when we look to God and Jesus Christ, how often there again we are simply looking for him to fulfil our wishes and give us what we want, or to get us out of a difficult spot that we have gotten ourselves into; or to make it so that we don't have to be too committed and involved and yet still have everything that we want. Along with this, we all too often will believe anyone or anything that twists Scripture to promise that kind of thing for us.

As a matter of course, when God doesn't produce the goods just the way that we want, then we cast him aside. On that first Palm Sunday where were all those people who raced to meet Jesus as he enters Jerusalem a couple of days later? When he didn't do things their way they soon started yelling for his blood: Crucify him! Crucify him!

 The same happens today. Look at most of those people who are abandoning Jesus and his Church, simply because they no longer see him as being useful, or that the promises made by some leader of theirs fails to come to fruition; or what they presumed Christianity to be all about isn’t really right; or when they don’t get their up-beat trendy worship service. They cast him and his Church aside in favour of fishing, golfing and many other things: ignoring him because they think he let them down in some form or other. When all we seek is the great, spectacular and easy life, it is then that we will be let down and tempted to abandon the one we are looking to. If all we seek from God is health, wealth and happiness then when some of those things disappear our faith is in trouble. When sickness, death and financial crisis occurs; as it surely does, many turn their backs on God because things didn't happen the way they reasoned it was supposed to have.

 But when we look to Jesus we see that he came with a completely different attitude. He didn't come here for his ease and comfort; nor to provide a great show so as to draw people to following his way of life; nor to be a great and influential leader. No, he came in order to suffer and die for us. The reading that we just heard brings that out very well. The amazing thing is, that despite the fact that his thinking and actions were so radically different from our common human response he still achieves the greatness that we so desperately seek after. Above all, it meets the real needs of every single human being on earth: Maybe not their wants - but certainly their needs. No matter what the situation - no matter what we have done, Jesus' coming makes all the difference.

 He knew that we were in trouble with no way out: every one of us. We might like to try and fool ourselves into thinking we are OK – that we are not so bad, but he knows the real situation and he cares. He comes down off his perch as God where everything is good and perfect, and he takes on our humanity. He leaves all the comforts – all the glory -all the power behind and comes right down to the level of the lowliest person on earth. He is not afraid of dirtying his reputation by associating with sinners: troublemakers; you and I and every other person on earth. He gets right down to where we are and experiences everything we experience and more: and even though he was perfectly innocent, he accepts death – the worst deaths - death on a cross - one of the cruellest forms dying known to man; and he does it for you and me.

 You see, he knew that we have done, are doing, and will continue to do heaps wrong: that we are only interested in one person, our self; and that time and time again we will go against our God. He knew this and he knew that we deserved to be punished for it: not just with the punishment we bring on ourselves in this life, but above all, eternal punishment in Hell.

 He knew all this that was in store for us, but he didn't want that to happen to us, so he accepts on himself all that punishment we deserve: he suffered and died for every single little and big thing we have done wrong: he suffered and died for the sinful nature that is at the very heart of every one of us: he literally went to Hell and back for each one of us. He put aside his glory and got down to doing what had to be done: he got down to doing what was necessary for us to be saved; and in so doing we end up with all we really need in life; we end up with the easy way to heaven, no cost to us, courtesy of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Having done all that is important for us, God then raised his Son to life again so that all people and all generations can look to Jesus Christ and see that He is now the one who holds the key to life: He now can be King not only for those people who lived 2,000 years ago; but that he is now King of the whole world, for all time. And the time will come when every single human being; believers and others alike, will recognise who this Jesus really is and the importance of what he has done. For us who believe, of course then, we will join him in his glory; but for those who couldn't give damn about him now in their everyday life, and who would sooner go fishing, golfing or whatever, instead of worshipping him and seeking to live as he would have us; they will suddenly realize what a terrible mistake they have made. In Hell they will rue their days here on earth and their failure to give proper consideration to Jesus Christ.

 So, yes, Jesus Christ is Lord – he is King, yesterday, today and forever. So let us look to him and what he has done for us - particularly on the cross, his throne. Sure it is not big and spectacular. It is not the easy road through life - but it works – it is where true life really is. It does not fit the criteria of what we associate with greatness; but it does mean that throughout life we can rest assured that our most important needs have been taken care of; and with that, everything else finds its place and meaning.

 Jesus Christ comes as King to you and me; to all who feel weak and uncomfortable; in the midst of hardship and pain; even in the face of death itself. In the midst of any and all of this we find this one who gives real help, our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. This coming week be reminded again of how this Jesus took up his throne on the cross, so that all who believe in him can have a truly blest life here on earth in the midst of suffering and hardship; and above all, be assured of eternal life with our Lord and King in heaven. So this Easter ponder again the greatness of our Lord Jesus Christ and what he has done for us; and there find the peace, joy and salvation that we so desperately need and which our Lord wants for us. Then again may all glory, honour and praise go to our great God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit for all that he has and is doing for us. AMEN

 Pastor Roger Atze

Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish

Ephesians 2:1-10.                    ‘Me’ or God??                                    18/3/12

 (1)  As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, {2} in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. {3} All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. {4} But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, {5} made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. {6} And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, {7} in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. {8} For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- {9} not by works, so that no one can boast. {10} For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

 Here in the midst of Lent we are confronted with a real challenge to our Easter preparations; and in fact to our whole approach to life, both in the church and out in the world. This reading here gets right down to the heart of what it means to be a Christian. Therefore it challenges us to repent of our idolatry and turn back to what and who is truly important. At the same time it surely gives us the greatest encouragement and source of hope as we struggle on as God’s people in a sinful world.

 But, of course, this is a hard message for us to receive: it is a message that we have difficulty in accepting and coming to terms with. That is because it not only flies in the face of our modern day thinking and what we are taught from infancy; but also grates very strongly against our sinful human pride, that has been there in mankind since the fall of Adam and Eve in the garden.

 Sadly also, this is a message that is very much out of vogue in many ‘Christian’ circles today as well. The whole ‘uni-bapti-costal’ movement is having a big influence on Christianity in the western world today, as it panders to the whims of our greedy, selfish humanity. And if we are honest with ourselves, we will also acknowledge that this thinking has spread into our own church and our own lives, like wildfire.

 Now it is here again, that we need to realize that we are confronted with two diametrically opposed thoughts and ideas. It is not that one is just a little different than the other, and that it can somehow be accommodated to a greater or lesser degree. At the heart of the issue we need to recognise that only one view is Christian; and the other is not; even if it is couched in ‘Christian’ talk.

 Now in its simplest form, it can be brought again down the point of who is at the centre of life and our thinking; is it ‘I,’ ‘Me’ and ‘myself,’ or is it God. Now our society says very clearly that you are the most important person in the world. Our very own thinking, says; ‘move over God, I want control over my own life. Now, just because some, so-called ‘Christians’ quote the Bible and talk in nice, flowery Christian terms, doesn’t necessarily make it right. In fact it makes it all the more dangerous. When the ‘I’ is placed before God, we are anti God and destined for Hell.

 What was Adam and Eve’s real sin? Was it eating the apple, or listening to the serpent? No. It was in wanting to be like or equal to God. It was wanting to have control over their own lives. Now before they ate from the tree, what did they have? Everything! They could do anything and everything except eat from one tree. They listened to the lie: ‘If you eat from the tree you will be like God in every way. You will know good and evil.’ Yet they knew all that was good. They had it all. All they gained was knowing evil; and it killed them. Their desire to be equal with God proved to be disastrous.

 That is the same for us today. How many of us are doing the very same thing. Move over God, I want some control over my own life. Even if it is just a bit. I know what is good for me. Yes, we hear it all the time; and we even say and think it ourselves. ‘I don’t need to go to church this week.’ ‘This or that part of the Bible is not relevant to us today.’ ‘I have to accept Jesus into my heart.’ ‘If I pray in the right way and say the right thing, then God will answer me.’ ‘It is my commitment, remembering, living as a Christian that makes me acceptable to God.’ And I could go on. But notice again, the I, me, my; move over God I want my place here.

 But what does the Bible tell us in this regard. ‘you were dead in your transgressions and sins,...... we were by nature objects of wrath. In Isaiah 64 we read how our very best actions are in God’s sight, as filthy rags. No even worse than filthy rags; as a rotten, soiled and stained pair of old underpants. Our whole orientation is away from God. By nature we are rebellious, selfish people. We have no worth – no value – in ourselves. We too only deserve to die. Whenever I put the focus here, on me; on my work; on my accepting; on my ignoring what God has to say to me in his Word; then I too am listening to the lie, and I am in big trouble. Throughout the Scriptures we see that this is God’s perceptions of me and my works.

 But in contrast to this, and in spite of this, we are reminded here that, it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and even this not is from yourselves, it too is the gift of God. It is not by any works that we can or do perform. We have nothing that we can offer; nothing to give. But God in his graciousness; that is, in his love for us even though we don’t deserve it, takes this me and you and gives us forgiveness, hope and worth. He makes a new creation out of you and me: a creation that is not focussed on ‘me’, but on God alone.

 Out of his goodness, he takes our worthlessness and sin to the cross and is punished and dies in our place. In return he gives us his perfection; his goodness. He freely forgives us and accepts us as his brothers and sisters. At your baptism he personally gives you all the benefits that Christ has won for you and me. We are God's workmanship. ...... raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.

 All we can do: All we are called and encouraged to do and need to do, is to trust that this is so, and to live in light of it. And that is faith; and even this not is from yourselves, it too is the gift of God. So God not only has saved us, but he works in us so that can know and believe in this Good News.

 So now we are able to go forward each day with a deep sense of trust and confidence, knowing that even though we and our world sins much, God has won through for us. Instead of looking within and at the world around us, which is constantly letting us down and selling us short, we can now look to God, in and through our Lord Jesus Christ and his death on the cross, and know that there we have everything we need. God has already given it to us, even while we were dead in transgressions. So as we continue to look to him, focussing first and foremost on him, and trusting in him we are assured that everything will work out for good, to those who love him.

 Surely, knowing that Jesus has done everything for us and for our salvation, we can go forward with hope and confidence. Since he has begun this good work in us we can go forward each day, trusting that he will keep his promise and not allow anything in all of creation to separate us from his love, in Christ Jesus.

 Knowing that, we can then set about to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do just this. Because he is now our Lord and our Saviour we will go forward now to live and act just as he would have us. Instead of ‘I’, ‘me’ and ‘myself being the centre of things, God is. So what he says, we will accept, and trust that he knows what he is talking about.

 Yes, this Lenten season let us again repent of our idolatry of putting ourselves and our ideas up on a pedestal. Let us turn away again from this thought of ‘I’, ‘me’ and ‘myself being the centre of things, and give back God his rightful place in our lives and in our world. Let us go forward trusting that it is by grace alone that we have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Yes this God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is certainly a great God for extending his grace to us in this way. To him therefore belongs all glory and honour, now and always. AMEN.

Pastor Roger Atze

Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish

I Corinthians 1:18-25.                                                                         11/3/12

 ¹⁸ For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. ¹⁹ For it is written:  

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise ;the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”
²⁰ Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? ²¹ For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. ²² Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, ²³ but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, ²⁴ but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

 Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age?

 What a poignant question for today, where are these people? I guess what I mean is that there are more people that are university trained than ever before. We as a society are more highly educated than ever before but even though this is the case, there still seems to be a distinct lack of wisdom out there in the world.

 Why is that?

 Our sermon text today goes a long way to answer that for us. As far as wisdom, education and philosophy are concerned we are in a similar position as the people who St Paul is talking to. The people of Corinth were part of a culture that prided itself on its wisdom, its ability to educate and its philosophy.

 Much like us today their wisdom was built on logic and rational thinking. There were rules for debating, and schools for learning. And just like us, there were many who were highly educated, but then like us now, there was also a distinct lack of wisdom in the community.

 So what went wrong?

 Like I said, the people of Corinth were very similar to us, and like us they thought that they could work out for themselves what is important. Their wisdom, just like todays, is human wisdom. It is a collective knowledge base gained over subsequent generations.

 Just look at our sciences, we are still adding to what we as human beings know about our own world – aren’t we? We continue to build on what the people before us learnt, we continue to add blocks of information on top of one another in the name of wisdom.

 But there is a problem here isn’t there?

 For years and years now, science has been held up as the pinnacle of humanities achievement and through it humanity has learnt so much, and has been able to do so much more than was previously thought possible. But like all human wisdom, science has a fundamental flaw.

 In 1859, Charles Darwin published his book ‘On The Origin Of Species’ in which he details his theory on how the different species of animal came to be. This work of his is hailed as one of the major scientific break-throughs of all time. Darwin’s theory went on to be applied to all forms of life and society. And became the backbone to the modern age.

In his book Darwin suggested that the individuals of a species of animal that are less suited to the environment in which they live are less likely to survive and less likely to reproduce. But individuals who are more suited to the environment are more likely to survive and therefore are more likely to reproduce and leave their inheritable traits to future generations. Darwin suggests that this process results in populations changing to adapt to their environments, and ultimately, these variations accumulate over time to form new species. In other words, Darwin’s observations and conclusions brought about the theory of natural selection. A theory that is still being built on today.

 As I was reading the news paper earlier in the week I came across an article titled ‘Mans earliest ancestor looked like an eel[1]’ according to this story researchers from the Universities of Cambridge and of Toronto said that the extinct 505 million-year-old Pikaia gracilens is the most primitive known vertebrate – which according to these researchers makes these little fish our oldest ancestors.

 The conclusions that these researchers and Darwin have drawn from their observations highlight the flaws in the sciences and also in our wisdom. In reality these conclusions are actually nothing more than what could best be described as educated guesses.

 These guesses are not foolproof, are they?

 Why - because they rely on human understanding. These guesses are what we like to think of as conclusions drawn from human wisdom. They are a product of what we have worked out for ourselves; they are a product of our thinking, our logic and our reasoning.

 As Christians we know that we aren’t flawless. We know that we make mistakes, because we aren’t perfect. But, unfortunately human wisdom does not always recognize this.

 Our reliance on our human wisdom is a major form of idolatry in our world today. Human wisdom itself requires faith in a system of belief. It replaces people’s faith in God, with faith in what we can ascertain for ourselves. It requires belief in the accuracy of what we have learnt and it requires us to believe that scientific theories, like evolution are a fact, that they are proven not just a guess.

 Human wisdom has been raised up by society in to a position of prominence above all things. God no longer holds this position; in fact according to human wisdom we no longer need God in our lives: that is assuming He ever existed at all.

 This elevation of our ability to think and reason is a prime example of our sinful nature; we don’t just want to be like God, we want to be God. We want to be in control of our own lives, our environment and the people around us. And we do what is necessary to achieve this.

Does this sound familiar, think of the book of Genesis and the story of Adam and Eve.  The serpent said to the woman, God knows that when you eat of [the tree of the knowledge] your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil (Gen 3: 4-5). We want to be like God, that is why Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. And that is the sinful nature we have inherited from them to this day. Our sinful nature continually seeks to reject God, by saying things like did God really say?

 St Paul reminds us that the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing … We are naturally inclined to do evil in the sight of God. And through our evil inclinations we are perishing, our sinful lives lead us to be condemned under God’s Law. And on the last day we will be judged, we will be found guilty and we will be sentenced to an eternity in hell.

 According to St Paul human wisdom is no more than foolishness, he says has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? Human wisdom is foolishness; it tends to lead people away from God rather than bringing them closer to Him.

 Look at the wisdom of the Jews, they had studied the scriptures and were expecting their Messiah to come down from above in a blaze of glory. And with His coming He would judge all of the people of the world and condemn all those who were unrighteous. How foolish must it have seemed to them that He came as a mere man and that He could save His people by dying on the cross.

 And look at the wisdom of the Greeks; how could a god, an immortal being allow himself to be born a mortal man, and then die on the cross just like any other mere man. To the Greeks it was surely laughable to think that belief in the cross could save the believer from death.

 In our world today we are no different are we; so often we too look for Christ to act through a blaze of glory to solve our problems, we see the message of the cross as foolishness because our human wisdom tempts us to think like the Greeks did. We feel that we are unforgivable or too insignificant for God to worry about, we think in our wisdom that we are not worthy.

 It’s no wonder that the message of the cross was a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles. Because when we apply our human wisdom to the wisdom of God it will always sound foolish.

 But, in reality the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, because for us who are being saved it is the power of God.

 Christ’s death on the cross is the power of God because He was truly righteous; He was blameless and sinless yet He humbled Himself unto death on the cross. He took on the burden of our sins and He carried them up on to Calvary knowing that He was going to die, not for what He had done but for what we have done. He did this for us so that we would not have to face the consequences for our sins at the time of judgment.

 Our sinfulness deserves punishment, and the sentence for them is eternal damnation. But Christ bore our punishment, and He was obedient until death. Through His death on the cross for us, He has won life for us. And through His resurrection we too are guaranteed to be called to our eternal home. His obedience to the will of His Father guaranties our salvation.

 God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. And when we believe in the foolishness of what was preached, that is the Good News that has been proclaimed to us in the Word of God, we are assured that we are saved by the grace and mercy of God.

 When we believe, the message of the cross is no longer foolishness rather it is the proclamation of the power of God that gives us hope for our future. Rather than lifting up our human wisdom, we are actually lifted up by the Holy Spirit to see the truth of God’s wisdom.

 As we hear the word of God preached, and as we read His word in scripture the Holy Spirit guides us to realize the truth of God’s wisdom. It is the Holy Spirit who gives and grows the belief that we have within us. As St John reminds us the Holy Spirit … will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you (John 14:26).

 God will never be found by the wisdom of this world, rather God can only be found by faith in His Son and the death that He suffered for us on the cross. In the gospel according to John, Jesus says, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6).

 Through baptism we become members of the family of God, we receive the Holy Spirit and are given faith in Jesus Christ. Through baptism we are being made Holy, we are being sanctified and we learn to trust in God’s foolishness, which is wiser than man’s wisdom.

 During the season of Lent we become more focused on the suffering and death of our Lord and Saviour. As we confess our sins to the Lord we are innately aware of the consequences of our actions and we remember what He has done for us on the cross and what that means for us. We begin to fathom what His resurrection guarantees for us and for all of these things we sing praises to our Lord who lives on high, and we pray that our Lord will keep us steadfast in His word: The word which is foolishness to those who are perishing, but are salvation for those who believe.

Amen.

Vicar Kees Sturm

---

[1] http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/mans-earliest-ancestor-looked-like-an-eel-uk-and-canadian-experts-say/story-e6frea6u-1226291289241

Matthew 28:1-10.                               2012 Lenten Season

The triumph of His defeat

¹ After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

² There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³ His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. ⁴ The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
⁵ The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ⁷ Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”
⁸ So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹ Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

 As we travel through another Lenten season we are encouraged to focus on the things that are important for our faith: to challenge us to turn back to God, recognising that we fall way short of being the people that he would have us be and that we are in need of major help in our lives. Now here I have a text that has been set down as one of our themes for this series of Lenten devotions and which I have been asked to preach on. It is a wonderful Christian message! In fact for many it is the key to their life as a Christian. The focus is on life and hope. It is an uplifting and positive message that makes us feel good. The Jesus who died has risen again three days later. What an amazing, triumphant message!

 But is it? Here again we have another example of putting the ‘cart before the horse’. We are again getting everything back to front, and then wondering why it is not having the impact that it should be having. The resurrection is meaningless without the cross; and the cross is meaningless without sin, death and hell; and sin, death and hell are meaningless unless it is understood to be the reality of each one of us.

Sadly, these days, we are trying to surround ourselves with feel-good messages so that we can hide from the realities of life, but then left wondering why life is so empty and meaningless. When we do this in regard to the faith then the results are even worse. The more that we fail to take life and sin seriously the more we are left feeling empty and alone and the more the important issues of the faith are overlooked.

Throughout the history of the church Lent has been a time of taking stock of where we are at in our Christian lives. Our church fathers have continually recognised our human tendency to avoid facing and taking sin seriously and so have placed great significance on this time of Lent as a time for us to be challenged to take a good hard look at ourselves and where we are at in our faith and life.

 Now of course this is something we today are very reluctant to do. We don’t like having to admit to the reality that we are deeply sinful and far from being the kind of people that God would have us be. We simply want to hear that God loves and accepts us as we are, and to then to by and large be able to live our lives as we and our society dictate. We want to be able to ignore those parts of Scripture that make us feel uncomfortable and which go against the present whims of our society.

 However, God’s Word is very clear about the fact that ‘all have sinned and fallen short’ of what God demands of us. Not one of us can stand before God in our own righteousness. Nowhere does God’s Word say that sin is no big deal or that we can change it to suit our own whims and wishes. God and his Word has to be taken seriously.

 Again God’s Word is clear that anything short of perfection is sin and deserves the punishment of death and subsequently eternity in hell. So this is a very important issue and cannot be treated lightly: Hence the necessity for us to take time to think deeply on these serious issues; and recognise that this applies to each one of us. It is vitally important that we recognise this and take it seriously, for it is only then that the message of Easter makes any sense at all.

 Jesus death on the cross is the only solution to the problem that we have in the face of our sin. And thanks be to God that he did send his Son into our world to take that punishment that we deserve on himself. Thank God that Jesus Christ died in our place so that we might be forgiven and assured that we are able to once again come into God presence and enjoy eternity with him in heaven. Jesus and his death on the cross alone has ensured that sin, death and hell is not the end of the story for us. Good Friday is of absolute importance to us, for without it, there is no salvation for us at all.

 Jesus’ seeming defeat on the cross is no defeat at all: in fact it is the defeat of sin, death and hell for us. No longer have they power over us. The devil can no longer condemn us; for Jesus took that condemnation on himself. So instead of defeat, Jesus death on the cross is the greatest victory of all time. Through his death, life and salvation is there now for each and every one of us. To him be glory and honour, now and always.

 Jesus resurrection three days later is a triumph in that it is absolute proof and validation of what he has done for us through his death on the cross. Now we can be sure that what he did for us on Good Friday was for real and that we can be certain that there is life and salvation for us, despite our sinfulness. God raised him again so that we can be sure that his death was not ‘just another death,’ but was God’s plan all along.

 Along with that Jesus was raised so that we also are assured that all who are connected to this Jesus will also be raised to be with our Lord in eternity. This Jesus is Lord of life and death; victor over sin, death and hell. Now we can face our sin honestly and openly, for we know that through Jesus there is life and salvation available to us.

 So as a result of Easter we can face up to the reality of sin, death and hell that is before us. We can take it seriously, recognising the enormity of it; and using this time to turn us back to taking God and everything he has to say to us seriously. The more that we understand the seriousness of our sinful situation, the more we will then appreciate his death on the cross and the more his resurrection will be his triumphant ring across our sinful world.

 So let us see these weeks of Lent as a very important tool that our gracious God is seeking to use to help us to recognise the gravity of our sinful human nature. Remember, that instead of being afraid to do so, we can now do so because we know that the Lord Jesus has gone before us. He has done what is necessary for the forgiveness of all who repent and believe the Good News. Through recognition and acknowledgement of our sin we can now turn to God knowing that there is not only forgiveness and salvation there for us, but there is also help for us so that we can have the life that he wants for us also.

 He is here to help us now seek to live more in accord with his Word and so not be dragged down by our sin and the sin of our world around us. As we realise where we fall short of what is expected of us we now find the help to more and more to overcome these problems: But in particular he uses this recognition to help us to turn and seek his forgiveness and salvation; to appreciate the depth of his love for us through his death on the cross; and the triumph that is there in our connection with him and his resurrection. So to him alone then be all glory and honour, now and always. AMEN.

Pastor Roger Atze

Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish

Romans 4:13-25.                                                                                 4/3/12

            Made right with God not by works, but through faith alone

 ¹³ It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. ¹⁴ For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless, ¹⁵ because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.

¹⁶ Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. ¹⁷ As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.
¹⁸ Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” ¹⁹ Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. ²⁰ Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, ²¹ being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. ²² This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” ²³ The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, ²⁴ but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. ²⁵ He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

 This morning we are confronted in our readings with one of the most important issues facing the church today – as it has been throughout history. Here, more than in any other area of the Christian life, we have many heading down the wrong track without even being aware of it. At the same time it is a danger that we can all run into; and so we all need to be wary.

 To help us grasp the significance and importance of this message I would like to relate a story that might help us in this regard.

Bill Jones had lived all his life in Adelaide. He was one of those all round good guys - one of the best. He worked hard and made a success of his business, despite a difficult beginning and hardships along the way. He was actively involved in his community and church: a good family man; and had a go at various sporting activities. So in almost every way he could hardly be faulted, particularly when compared to many others about. However, he still had his faults and failings.

 Now when Bill started to get up in years it was asked whether he would get to be with God in heaven. Everyone around said that of course he would because he was one of the best. If anyone deserved to get there, he did. In fact they were all envious of him. But Bill was not so sure. Yes, he had worked hard and tried to do the best he possibly could; particularly in trying to be the kind person that he thought God would want him to be. He had tried desperately to live the way that he knew God would expect; and yes he was doing pretty good; better than most anyway. So if anyone should get there, he would.

 But he was not so sure. What if? What if there was something he'd overlooked? What if he had slipped up somewhere along way and hadn’t considered it? What if he died at the wrong moment? But no; surely God would accept him; he had tried his best: he had done all he could possibly do. So he would just keep on working at it. Keep on trying to do the best he could; and surely it would all come right in the end.

 Now Bill died shortly after and the time came for him to face his Maker. Out comes the Book of Life with the list of all his sins; and he fell over backwards. All the trust that he had placed in his own goodness and work was gone: even his religious activity counted for nothing. His goodness did not measure up to God's expectations. So Bill was left with nothing but to face the wrath of God.

pause

Now if you were die at this moment, would you be entering eternity with God? Are you sure about getting to heaven? Why?
Scripture tells us, "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." Throughout the Bible God has promised us that as result of Jesus' death on the cross eternal life is ours for the receiving. That call to join God in eternity goes out to all, no matter who they are or what they have done. Jesus died for everyone here in Adelaide. Everyone has the opportunity of certainty in heaven. All he simply says to us is, trust in the Lord Jesus and what he has done on the cross and it is all there for us.

But unfortunately, that is not the way many want it. They can't, or don't want to, take God at his word and don't believe. They have conditioned themselves and one another that it must still depend on our goodness; even if only in a small way. They think that as long as they live up to a certain standard; as long as they have responded appropriately; as long as they now live as a Christian should; as long as do the right things, then they will be OK.

 So what do we find in this thinking: I, me and myself comes to the fore. The focus has shifted from Christ and what he has done, to me and what I must do. And this thinking is disastrous. Because I will fail to be perfect: I will fail take God at his word: I will not trust him above all things: therefore I am in trouble if I look to me and myself.

 At this point, let us stop and think back to Abraham for a minute. Here is this homeless guy and his wife who are both getting well on in years. They are on their own in a far country, without any support and roots; and in that situation, at that time, a person like that was considered a nobody and a nothing. To add to that fact, they did not have any children: no sons to carry on the family name; and that would have been considered a sign that God was dissatisfied him. So as a result we would have to say that he didn't have a future. For him there would have been nothing to live for or look forward to.

But God says to him to get up and go to this land far away that God would show him, and God would make of him a great nation and all people would be blessed because of him. And we are told that Abraham believed him: he believed him, despite what looked a total impossibility, for he and his wife were on their own, and they were too old to have children. How could he even become a small nation? There was no way that humanly they could do it. It was impossible. He had nothing going for him; and yet he believed God when he said otherwise.

Abraham believed God and there God was happy to declare him a righteous man. He left himself in the hands of God, allowing him to control his life. So he went were God led and did what God commanded, leaving himself open for God to do as he pleases; and the result was that he was credited as living in the right with God. Not that he was so good or always did what he should have, but he was credited as such because he believed his Lord. And we know that in the end he and us were richly blessed as a result.

Now God says to us here today; because of Jesus death on the cross our transgressions are forgiven; our sins are covered over; eternal life is there for each and every one of us,        without us in any way having to earn it: without us having to struggle in order to be accepted. All he says is that we are to simply trust him. Trust him and allow his words to fill us, and to allow his Spirit to lead us and guide us. His call is for us to allow his love to flow through us to others around us: To have faith in him for he is a 'God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.

 There we have THE great message for us to give us hope as we go forward as God’s people: To give us a right perspective with which to look at life; and with which to go forward with. It is the message that sets us apart from every other ideology and religion; and from many other denominations. Because we don't have to go out and seek to find and keep God happy in order to be blessed and attain heaven. It is God’s  free gift to us all, because of Jesus death on the cross. All we are called to do is to believe it: To have faith.

So now we can live like Bill not in order to be acceptable; but because we have that certainty of salvation and eternal life that God promises us; and because we are so very grateful for his acceptance of us for Jesus sake. We can be very confident, not in our ability, but in God's ability and promises as we face life every day; and particularly as we look toward heaven.

So let us hold unswervingly to this Good News: to this great and glorious message that has been given to us. Let us allow that to inspire us to live and be the people that God wants us to be. And let us commit ourselves again to work hard as people who have been saved and who want others to know this simple but vitally important message. Let us turn again to our great God and saviour, trusting him and him alone; and giving him all praise, glory and honour, now and always.   AMEN

 Pastor Roger Atze

Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish