July 2011

 

 

"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?"  So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:13-17).

 In his letter to the Romans, what Paul describes here is the very purpose for the Church on earth. When Jesus declared, “I am with you always” (Matt 28:20) just prior to ascending into heaven, it was clear that our Lord and Savior would continue to make Himself known to us through His Word and Sacraments, those precious means of grace by which we hear His voice and partake of His fellowship. These holy things sustain us in the faith that Jesus first gave to us through the waters of holy baptism until that day arrives when the Lord comes and takes us to Himself.  Until that day when we gaze upon the fullness of His glory, Jesus comes to us through His church here on earth.

Until that day, God commands us. Hear His Word! Paul makes it clear that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” What is that Word? Every member of the Augsburg fellowship who regularly attends worship and Bible Study should know it quite well by now, for I remind you of it quite often and without apology. That word is “Jesus Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2), for the “word of the cross… is the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18). If you’re not familiar with these texts, you’re not attending worship or Bible study on a faithful basis, and if you are, you’re not paying attention.

How are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? Paul poses important questions. We are to hear what the preachers of God have been called upon by Jesus Himself to preach. This is the very reason Jesus devoted three years to those twelve men who would become the apostles. This is the very reason that many ordinary men such as myself would spend years at a seminary… that we might be equipped to proclaim the Gospel to you as Jesus demands it be preached, in all of its blessed truth and purity… that your faith might be strengthened… that you might grow in the grace and knowledge of Your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ… all in order that you might be saved. What does God’s Word say on this important matter? Hearing the Word of G0d is necessary for eternal salvation.  This is the very reason God has given to us the Sabbath Day. We should welcome EVERY opportunity to hear the Word. It is the only Word that can save you.

Having shared this with you, the time has now come for a short quiz. Read the following questions. Answer them honestly…

 ?         How will you hear if you are not there?

?         How will grow in your faith if you do not hear?

?         Do you think that it’s OK to take a Sunday off from church?  

?         Do you keep the Sabbath Day holy when you deliberately choose to skip church?

?         Is there something of more importance to you than God’s Word?

?         Is there something more important than your eternal salvation… for you and for your children? I certainly hope not, and we can be quite grateful that Jesus didn’t have something more important to do on that first Good Friday. What Jesus did upon that cross, He did for us.

 My dear friends, the writer of Hebrews cautions us regarding the eternal importance of giving our faithful and undivided attention to the Word of God when he writes, “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” (Hebrews: 2:1, 3). How shall we escape indeed?

 God placed you first when He sent His Son into the world for you. Jesus placed you first when He suffered and died upon the cross for you. On the basis of God’s great love for you, I urge you to reciprocate by showing your great love for Him. That means placing the Word of God first in your lives. Just as we are faithful to performing the daily tasks that God has given to us as fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, husbands, wives and workers, let’s be equally faithful to honoring every Sabbath Day by keeping it holy.

Pastor Bruce