Sermon for October 3

Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Oct. 3, 2010
Luke 17:1-10
If? If!

In the name of Jesus, amen. There are four letter words, and there are four letter words. You may have heard me say that I know the worst, vilest, harshest, and cruelest of the four letter words. And it is e-x-p-e-c-t-a-t-i-o-n. When you hear what is expected of you, you cannot believe that someone would say such things. And when you drop your expectations on people like a 5-ton bomb, you are really slapping them with something heavy.

Today’s Gospel lesson presents another four letter word for us. It is a word that can cause us to cringe in fear and cry for joy. It is a word that is both sad and celebratory. If…that is today’s four letter word from our Gospel.

If is a very heavy word. We learn this word at a young age and it seems like we never stop hearing it used. If you want presents for Christmas, be a good boy. If you want dessert, eat your vegetables. If you don’t stop pestering your brother, I’ll turn this car around right now.

In our high school years, when we start noticing that girls don’t have cooties and that boys aren’t that disgusting, the word if continues to carry a lot of weight. If you like him, check the box. That’s kind of cute. This isn’t cute: If you love me, you’ll have sex with me. That is so destructive. Those words are so harmful. Even when we get married, our love and our libido get confused.

The “if” conundrum shows up in other places. If you are a loyal worker, you’ll work the extra hours. If you are a loyal worker, you’ll sacrifice time with your family. If you like having a job and receiving a paycheck, especially in this economy, then you’ll like the other way at our questionable ethical practices. “If” is a troubling word because of the position that it puts us in.

Jesus was teaching his disciples, and I believe it is the Twelve, because in a short while the apostles, the twelve men called and chosen and commissioned by the Lord Jesus, will cry out to have their faith increased.

The teaching of Jesus is that temptations to sin will come. They are sure to come. In words that we know, it is not if but when temptations to sin come.

Jesus is being who he is. He is being honest. He is showing himself to be the Lord. He is showing himself to be divine love in the flesh. Jesus knows the struggle that people go through. Jesus was living amongst fallen human beings. The disciples that he called were sinners. The people that Jesus reached out to, invited, ate with, and conversed with, they were sinners as well. And when the time came for Jesus’ arrest and trial and sentencing and execution, well…sinners were right there lying about Jesus, spitting in Jesus’ face and driving the nails into his hands and feet. But Jesus continually reveals himself to be the Lord, to be God for us, God with us.

Temptation to sin is sure to come. The devil is a roaring lion seeking your destruction. So dear disciples, loved learners, pay attention to yourselves.
“If your brother sins, rebuke him.” Yippee! Certainly this is not a question of if but is a matter of when. When my brother hurts me, harms me, lies about me, takes what is mine…rebuke! Let him have it! Let him know how awful he is, what a despot he is being. Play the victim and when mom and dad show up, let the tears flow.
That is certainly a non-Gospel way to talk, to revel in your hurts so that the perpetrator becomes the one who gets hurt.

But…“If your brother sins, rebuke him.” Maybe we need to do more rebuking. But rebuking rarely takes place. We are afraid to label anyone a sinner because it then makes us look sanctimonious, self-righteous, holier-than-thou.

And who really knows what a sin is? Our world has determined that right and wrong no longer exist and that everyone is free to decide what is sin and what is not sin. So nothing is said. Yet there are people, Christians, who presume to sit in God the Father’s seat. They usurp the authority of God and the authority of God’s revealed Word and they judge anyone and everyone.

If your brother sins, let him know. Tell him about it. Tell her that she is a sinner. Warn them of the danger. Warn them that their sin is offensive to God, harmful to themselves, and hurtful to others. Speak the Lord’s words to your brother or sister, that the rebuke is not coming from you, but from the Lord who has called us into a relationship with Him. That is what we are to do when it comes to rebuking the erring brother or sister.

Do not do it harshly. Do not rebuke to belittle the other person and make yourself bigger. Do not rebuke to make the other feel bad and yourself feel good. That is not helpful. That is not what the Lord Christ is teaching the disciples.

This may sound confusing or contradictory, but rebuke in love. Rebuke as a way of warning someone that they are on the wrong path. Rebuke as way of getting the person you love to turn around, to recognize the mistake, the sin, which is taking place.

“If your brother repents, forgive him.” As the correcting power of the Bible, as the certain truth of the Bible, as the teaching authority of God’s Word is applied to our human condition, repentance happens. Not if, but when. It might not be today and maybe not tomorrow but maybe in a few weeks or even a few years. When your brother repents, forgive him. If he sins seven times and repents seven times, forgive.

We do not run the way of the Law. We run the way of the Gospel, for the Gospel has run after us, chased us, sought us. We are forgiven. We are forgiven people who have played the “If” game with God. If you bless me, then I’ll do this for you God. If you save me, I’ll do this for you. If you heal me, then I’ll dedicate my life to you. Who is the god in those statements? It is not the God who made heaven and earth. It is not the God who appeared in the manger in human flesh. It is not God the Holy Spirit who leads, guards, and guides. We dictate to God what should happen and in doing that, we make ourselves gods. And when we make ourselves gods, what is the deadly reality? We are slaves to sin. We are in bondage to Satan. We are marching the path to everlasting death and condemnation.

When your brother sins, forgive him. When your husband says to you, “I’m sorry for neglecting you and overlooking your gifts, forgive me.” Forgive him. When your child says that he is sorry for disobeying, forgive him.

What a blessed teaching from Jesus. He speaks of our sin. He speaks of our repentance. He speaks of His forgiveness, His salvation, His pure goodness and mercy.

This is a hard teaching. We are scared of rebuking others. And we are hesitant to forgive. The apostles cry out, “Increase our faith!” If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea” and it would obey you.

Were the apostles told to have more faith? Only if faith were something that could be increased! In those moments when our faith is small, tiny, and timid, do we go outside of our homes, outside of this church, and make more faith? Do we pump up our faith like it is a flat tire? Faith does not speak of faith. Faith speaks of a Savior.

I know my faith is founded on Jesus Christ my God and Lord; and this my faith confessing, unmoved I stand on His sure Word. My faith is not founded on what I do or say. My faith does not confess that I’m really not as big a sinner as you might think.

Faith speaks of the Savior. Faith responds to the invitation of the Lord to approach His altar. Faith believes and faith receives the forgiveness of sins, the life of our Lord, that salvation of our God in the body and blood of Christ in the communion meal.

We receive the command to rebuke sin and release the guilt of that sin. We take this hard task and pray to God, “Increase our faith!” God’s response is lovingly given: All the faith you ever needed I gave in your baptism. All the faith you ever will need is here in the Lord’s Supper. Love. Grace. Mercy. Protection. Strength. Direction. Purpose. It’s all here! When Christ gives His gifts, He gives the whole lot. Look to your Savior.

When you need the power and the wisdom to teach, correct, and rebuke- look to your Savior. When you need the power to forgive, to reconcile, to embrace- look to your Savior. When you believe that your faith is imperfect, is lacking- look to Jesus, hanging on the cross. Look to Christ’s tomb and see how empty it is. Look to the font, to the altar- there is Christ for you, loving you, forgiving you, giving you the increase of your faith. SDG