Proper 10 (Year B) LCMS-3

Proper 10 LCMS 3 Year B

St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Sullivan

Ephesians 1:3-14

God is not a Capitalist

As some of you know, I did my undergraduate at a Baptist Seminary. As such, I am no stranger to the Baptist and Evangelical world. Even before that, as a teenager, I went to youth services and events at Evangelical and Pentecostal churches. And even before that as a little child, when my parents left the Roman Catholic church they began attending a charismatic Brethren church. And what all of these places had in common, was a certain fear. That fear, to put it in brief form; was, am I truly converted? You see, for many in these churches, they would come year after year to the these big events, conferences, revivals as some called them. And they would go out feeling some sort of freshness or newness. As if something had changed. And the pastor would do something called an “altar call” and would say, raise your hand and come to the front to be saved, pray this pray to be saved, if you’ve been deceiving yourself for however long come now and be truly saved. Even in the more toned down baptist churches the same concept existed, in subtler forms. Are you truly saved brother? Are you really converted sister? When were you Baptized? (they only believe in baptizing those who are “truly converted”). Looks like you were truly converted until last month, last week, or just now, lets get you baptized for real this time. And so you would see individuals who had not one, not two, not three, but 4, 5, 6, 7, and even more baptisms, all because they didn’t find within themselves something that they thought they needed to find. Because in these places... to be truly converted you must have something. If you are truly converted... you must dosomething. In these places... you must be something. Because in these places, God is a capitalist, and salvation is His market.

If I asked you when you were saved, what might you say? Might you say, 10 years ago, 20 years, ago, 70 years ago, I had a conversion experience, it was then that I was saved? At least... I think so. But... what if... I was only deceiving myself. What if my faith wasn’t genuine? Or it wasn’t strong enough? Because I thought I had faith... once upon a time I felt as though I had faith. But since then, I have lost whatever zeal and passion for the gospel I once had. And what progress in becoming a better person I was starting to see, a few months, a few years, a few decades went by... and so did my progress. And there I was, back there again, doing that sin that I’m always doing, struggling in the ways I’m always struggling in, and doubting the gospel in the same way that I’ve always been doubting it.

But what if I told you, that your salvation is not only sure and certain, but that it goes back further. Further than 10, 20, 70 years. Even further than 2000 years ago on the cross. You see, your salvation, has been in the works from before the beginning of time itself. God has always... always, been working to make you His. He has always been working to save you. He has always sought you. Brothers and Sisters, if God has been anything... He has been saving you. All that He has ever been doing... is saving you.

Maybe you ask, how can Connor say this, where is he getting all of this from? Well, as Paul says here in Ephesians 1:9; the mystery of His will. The secret of His will for you, that which was hidden from long ago, about you - Has been revealed. And just where is it that it has been revealed? Where ought we to look for that revelation of His will? Is it in ourselves that we look for God’s will? Many Christians think so. So often we look forproof of our own salvation inside of us, perhaps a conversion experience, perhaps “fruit” of works, or some kind of change within us. They say, if God truly wanted to save me, or was saving me, or has saved me, then I will exhibit this or that sign of His work on me, perhaps in goodworks, or a change of heart, or something like this. But Paul doesn’t say that. It is not that we look for something within us or about us to find God’s work. But where, friends, do we find His work for us? It’s in Him that we find such a thing. It’s in Christ, it’s in Christ on the cross being crucified for the forgiveness of our sins that we find God’s will for us. And what will is that? That will, is your salvation, the salvation of all people.

We know this precisely becauseScriptures proclaim to us this truth. Not only in saying that God does not will that any perish eternally in hell, (although this is clear) but also precisely in that the Father sent the Son, for you, to take humanity upon Himself, that He might bear your sins, suffer your trials, die your death, and remain victorious over all of it. That He might sanctify (that is, make holy, and set apart for His purpose) all things in Himself. That in Him being born, He has sanctified and made that holy, in growing, living, learning, working, He has sanctified it and made it holy. In suffering, and in dying. He has sanctified it, He has made it holy. He has filled all things with Himself, filling death itself with life, and bursting it open, defeating it, filling it with His holiness, and sanctifying it, making it a transformation from this world into the life everlasting. Christ’s death turned death into the birth of new life. In making these things holy, just as He has made you holy in taking humanity upon Himself and sanctifying it, He has consecrated it for Himself and For His Holy will and good pleasure, and what is that holy will and good pleasure? To have you, to save you, to bring you to Himself, that you might be His forever. Now all of this; you and all people, birth, life, suffering, death, it is all for His purpose and good will. It is all according to His plan and His usage, to bring you closer to Him.

Firstly let us look at The Father’s will : That all be saved - I don’t expect you to all be thinking about these things throughout the day, but, it doesn’t take great genius to realize that salvation is not something that we just stumbled upon. The Son of God did not just so happen to become a man, but the entire gospel from beginning to end, was purposedfor you. And the beginning of this salvation is not the incarnation, but is God’s desire to save you. That He might have you, that you might be His. We are Predestined. Your salvation is not plan B, not an accident, not coincidental, not up to chance, and certainly, not up to a decision of your will. But you are sought. And claimed. Bought. Purchased. Redeemed. By another.

And all of this, Through Christ. It is through Christ that God’s Will is accomplished. In thatincarnation, thatwork, that death, that resurrection. These thingsare not merely a historical retelling of what happened, but the unfolding of God’s plan, His mission. That in taking your humanity upon Himself, that all that He does, would be yours, and all that you did, would be His. That your punishment istaken by Him, that His righteousness is given to you, that the desire of the Father, to have you, close to Him, has not only happenedthrough Christ, but in Him. In Him who is both fully God, and fully man, we find the truest, the fullest, and the most complete union between God and mankind. And this union, is your salvation.

In Christ : we have all things. All things that are given to us, are given in Christ. That’s the key to all of this. It’s the key to faith itself, that we look not within ourselves for these things but outside of us. If you look within yourself for your own justification, for your own righteousness, you wont find it there. If you look within yourself for your own election to salvation, for a reason for God to choose you to be saved, for a sign that He has predestined you and not somebody else... you will not find it. If you look within yourself for a sign that you are in some way, being “sanctified,” becoming holier, becoming less like the world, my friend, you will not find it. If you look within yourself, examine yourself, if you put yourself under the microscope you will see only a need to be saved, and so far from looking like you have been changed for the better, the mature Christian recognizes more and more the depths of what they have always been. If you want to find who it is that God has chosen for salvation, ask yourself who He became a man for, lived for, died for, and rose for. Christ is God’s election and predestination of sinners. If you want to find your justification, your righteousness, look at Christ. Look at righteousness Himself. Look at the spotless lamb. If you want to see your holiness, look at Christ, for you were predestined to be holy and blameless in Christ.

From beginning to end the Christian experience is one of gift. It turns the structure of all human religion upon its head. We do not take part in a back and forth two-way relationship with God, where He gives but also demands. Nor one where we offer up sacrifices to God so that He treats us a certain way. All demands are met in Christ. All sacrifices are offered up in Christ. All worthiness, righteousness, holiness, faithfulness, is given to you in Christ. Even faith itself is not from you, but it is from God and given to you as a gift through the preaching of the Gospel and the administration of the sacraments. We do not begin at salvation by grace through faith and then move on to learning about what we now must do. Christ is not the gate into the Christian life, but He isthe Christian life. The part that you play in this salvation, is in being the one who is saved, the rest, is on God. The Christian experience from front to back is one of reception. So receive. Receive your justification by grace. Receive your sanctification in Christ. Receive your adoption by the Father. And live in the freedom of what has already been done for you, and with God needing nothing from you, go and live solely, entirely, and completely, as the giver and the gift to those who need you, to the praise of the glorious grace of your Father in heaven. Because while God is not a capitalist... your neighbours are. Amen.