Test Sermon - Epiphany 4

 "We all possess knowledge". Never has there been more knowledge available to us in human history. There's lots of information out there...and yet we don't seem to be able to agree on much of anything these days, and the fabric of our nation is tearing apart. Why is that? Is it really as simple as one side is evil and the other is not? I don't think so. As we try to confront some pretty huge problems in our world today (some of which have been brewing for generations)...we all have an abundance of information/ knowledge. And the assumption seems to be that knowledge is all you need, to make a good, wise decision. The person with the most knowledge? Well we call him or her an "expert" and they tell us what to believe. Of course, there's always an expert on the other side of an issue with as much knowledge who comes to a different conclusion. The Bible tells us the danger of relying too much on knowledge, warning us that "Knowledge puffs up". Paul sarcastically says..."all of us possess knowledge", because knowledge is not enough. I can know all the statistics of my favorite baseball player, or read about a famous person in the news, and still not know who they really are as a person. More importantly, this same danger can be said about knowing God. We can read the words in the Bible and go to confirmation class or a Bible study to learn about the Trinity, and the Creed, and the Commandments and Sacraments. And we need to know what the Bible teaches and what we believe. But there is so much more to faith than head knowledge. James 2 reminds us that demons know the truth about Jesus, and shudder. But they don't have a relationship with Jesus, because they don't accept His Word of authority over them. There's an important difference between knowing God as a concept and knowing God in relationship. I've shared this illustration before, but it's helpful, so I want to share it again...The German language has two different words for the word - "to know"...wissen and kennen. When you're talking about knowing hard facts, you would use the word wissen. But if you're talking about a relationship with a person you know, you use the word kennen...When we first get to know about someone, all we may know are the facts. Occupation, eye color, batting average, male or female...wissen. But when we invite someone into our lives and experience life together, we begin to know who they are based on what they say and do. Kennen gets at the reality that the person is more than just a collection of dry facts that we know about them. Good long-term relationships are built on experience and grounded in trust...I think of the many marriages that we have in this congregation (going on 40-50 years) as an example. When we talk about knowing God through faith in Jesus Christ, it's important to see that faith is built on both wissen and kennen. We need to know the facts about who Jesus is (in faith formation class or Bible study). But as our faith grows and strengthens, we also come to know Jesus in a personal/relational way. This relationship grows as we hear God's Word and follow it. Which is easier said than done. Case in point, 1 Corinthians. In his letter to the Jesus-followers in Corinth, Paul addresses a conflict in the church around meat sacrificed to idols. (As we reflect on this issue, I invite you to think about an issue today that either you are struggling with personally, or an issue in the world today)...because I believe there's important spiritual truth we need to hear and heed in this passage right now. So there were some in the church at Corinth (those "strong" in faith), who rightly said that meat sacrificed to idols was just meat...The thinking was...Since a false idol has no real existence, then there's no difference between meat sacrificed to an idol and meat which is not...It's all just meat, so why let good meat go to waste? These "stronger" Christians, puffed up in the assurance of their Christian liberty, were openly (proudly) partaking of food sacrificed to false gods, to the point that some others, their own brothers and sisters, were stumbling in their faith. Paul condemns these stronger Christians saying, "Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ." {Why is Paul so adamant here? Why couldn't someone just explain the situation to the weaker brother? Give them knowledge. Just tell them there's only one God, who has given us freedom to eat all kinds of things. Quote the Bible from Acts 10 (Peter's vision), where God declares all foods to be clean. Or cite Matthew 15:11, where Jesus says, "it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person." Isn't this what we sometimes do when we find ourselves in conflict with someone? We disagree with someone, then we go to the Word (which is great) and we find a verse that supports (or appears to support) our view, and then we judge the faith of a brother or sister based on our knowledge of that one verse! The Word is cautioning us...knowledge puffs up. This is a great example of valuing wissen (head knowledge) over kennen (relationship). Paul isn't suggesting that the Word or the truth doesn't matter. He is warning against speaking the truth without love...Love that covers a multitude of sins. Love that comes from God. Love that casts out fear. Walking in love allows us to see another perspective... So in our text, Paul points out that these "weaker" brothers came from a different background. They had some "former association" with idols and the meat sacrificed to them...And seeing so-called "stronger" Christians eating it, was a burden to their conscience. They couldn't so easily just say that an idol has "no real existence". Maybe their experience was different(?) Maybe they had seen first-hand the power of false gods and false faith...that can lead a person astray. Most believers in Corinth were likely recent converts from pagan religions, who didn't grow up hearing "There is no God but YHWH". While they were surely taught and believed the truth that Jesus' death on the cross paid for our sins, these "weaker" Christians seem to also have an earnest desire to walk out God's grace, in their thoughts, words and deeds...just as these "stronger" Christians desired to do. THIS is where conflict can start...because we all have different experiences and priorities and preferences. And we have our reasons and explanations for each of these. Then we see someone with different experiences and priorities, and we might not understand why they act the way we do. But unless we get to know them (Kennen), it's too easy to puff ourselves up...thinking, at least I'm not like THAT guy. But what does the Word say...Knowledge puffs us, but Love builds up. Here's something to think about this week...Notice how knowledge is puffing everybody up these days. The politicians. The protesters. Your spouse and children...and YOU. Then look into the heart of God...our God, who knows everything about you...and still He loves You...so much that He sent His Son into this world to rescue you. Oh how He loves us! When sin separated us from God, before we knew God...God knew us. He knit us together in womb, before we were born. While we were still sinners, Jesus came to die for us. God so loved us, that He didn't give up on us. The Bible affirms God's amazing love, again and again, in so many different ways,. He is the Shepherd who guides us. The General who leads us into battle and fights for us. The Physician who heals us. He's the Father who provides for us and loves us. The Lamb, who died for us...so we...could be with Him forever. We cannot reach up to heaven to know God in our own strength...so God's love came down...so we COULD know Him. The Bible shows us what God's Love looks like. And when we reflect on this love God has for us, we can't help but reflect this love to others. So I want you to do something this week, when you find yourself getting "puffed up"...I want you to look at your neighbor, your spouse, your kids, your parents...and remember...that God knows them and loves them and sees them the same way He sees you. Whether they know Jesus yet or not, it really doesn't matter. God loves them and Jesus died for them. As we start to come out of this pandemic (hopefully by the end of this spring), I want us to acknowledge these are pregnant times...God called us to be His ambassadors for such a time as this. Not to be MORE right or have more knowledge...but to show forth His love, so others may know Jesus too. I believe this is why God led us to start IF last year...to wake us up a little bit and remind us of the mission call He's placing on ALL His people...to share His love inside the church and out. What I love about the Joining Jesus book that Rev. Finke has written, is that it recognizes the importance of relationship (Kennen) over mere head knowledge. If you need a little reminder on what God's love looks like, I encourage you to skip ahead 5 chapters, to 1 Corinthians 13...that beautiful reflection on God's love that empowers us to love others... If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. May the love and peace of God, which surpasses... 1