“Into the Archives of God”

Jeremiah 31.31-34

Pastor Tom Johnson, March 25, 2012

 

Corporations have both been accused of misusing the vast amount of information about us—what we buy, what we eat, where we live, where we shop, where we travel, who our friends are, what our hobbies are, etc. etc. I often wondered how computers could so accurately map out traffic patterns during rush hour. I suggested to my wife that they were tracking peoples’ cell phones. I later found out that is most certainly a part of how they do it. In our church in El Paso, we had an FBI agent who offered some comforting words to me. He said, “We don’t have files on everybody like a lot of people think.” He brought it up, not me. I wonder what he was really trying to say to me.

Now imagine God’s filing system—the rows and rows of file cabinets containing the vast amount of human information. Imagine the hard drive on his computer—the limitless data he has on every detail of our lives. Jesus says God knows the number of hairs on our heads, the number of our days, the thoughts and intentions of our hearts, the words even before they leave our mouths. He knows the entire history of our sin. He knows the strength and weakness of our faith. All this information is at his anthropomorphic fingertips.

The most important part of God’s library is his Word—the Holy Scriptures, the Bible. In our reading from Jeremiah his Word is called “the covenant” or “the law.” This Word tells us that God created us and instructs
us on how we ought to live. This covenant was broken when Adam and Eve ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Years later, God sets apart the people of Israel. The words of the covenant (or the law) are what we call the Ten Commandments. Moses went up into Mt. Sinai. And God writes these words on tablets of stone: “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” This God, who already has saved them and emancipated them, outlines how they are to love him back and love their neighbor.

And the Israelites break this covenant with God. They fail time and time again. God forgives them. He restores them. He brings them back into the land he promised. God raises up prophets to remind them of those words written in stone long ago. They remember the tablets of stone that are kept safely in the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies in the Temple—these sacred words stored away in the most inaccessible place in the world—where only the high priest, once a year could enter. But one of these prophets says this cycle will end soon. It’s in our Old Testament reading that the prophet Jeremiah says the old way of doing things is almost over; a new way will soon begin. God is going to completely rearrange his library system.

Instead of writing on tablets of stone or on scrolls—instead of publishing his material that needs to into the eye or into the ear before it transforms our lives—God will write his Word directly on our hearts. “The days are surely coming, says the Lord.” In Jesus Christ, those days have surely come. God uses the quill of the Holy Spirit and dips it—not into ink—but into the blood of Jesus and the water of Baptism. He writes the name of the Father, Son, and Spirit on our foreheads and continues his loving scrawl onto our hearts.

And this is what he writes: “I am your God. You are my daughter. You are my son. I am yours. You are mine. You don’t need a prophet or preacher. For I myself, by the Holy Spirit, will be your Helper, Counselor, and Friend. You will know my presence and my peace. You will experience my grace. Those who are least will be built up and encouraged. Those who are great will be humbled but assured. I will publish my good news on your hearts—the archives of my Word will be the hearts of my people. As for your iniquity, sin, failures, and brokeness—I will keep no record. All those files go to the shredder. Because death of my Son on the cross, I will select those shameful and regretful files and permanently hit ‘delete.’ I will choose not to remember. I will not recall. I will not remind you of your shortcomings. I will assure you of my grace and impress it into the very core of who you are as human beings. In Christ, I have cleared the record of wrongs and now you are my published letters of hope, good news, and love to the world."

“The Son Lifted Up”

Numbers 21.4-9

John 3.14-21

Pastor Tom Johnson, March 18, 2012

 

The Israelites are sick and tired of the Manna—the bread from heaven. To make matters worse, The Israelites accuse God and Moses of bringing the out of Egypt in order to kill them.

It is a frightful scene. God sends the serpents. People are being poisoned. People are dying. Venom has been injected into them—through the fangs of snakes. It’s a living nightmare. There is no where to hide. There is no where to run. Snakes are on a fiery pursuit. The perpetrators of poisonous words are now victims of poisonous fangs. They have brought suffering and death upon themselves. Sadly, Jesus compares the this ugly scene with the world we live in. We humans have a tragic love affair with darkness.

Turn on the radio, turn on the television, or read the newspaper. The world is filled with perpetrators and victims of darkness. And the line between those who promote evil and those who suffer evil is often difficult to draw. “The light has come into the world,” Jesus says, “and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil.”

The astonishing truth is not that our world is full of darkness, evil, and death. This is dreadfully plain to see. The asstonishing truth is that that God still loves the world. In our Old Testament reading from Numbers, God tells Moses to put a bronze serpent on a pole and lift it up. You can see this on medical alert medalions, hospitals, doctors offices, and health organizations. It is also an image found in Greek mythology that represents medicine and healing—a single snake spiraling around a staff.

For the Israelites, it’s an image of what’s killing them. The image of a serpent represents their sinful condition which manifested itself in poisonous words. The image of the serpent represents death the poisonous snakes are causing. The image of the serpent also represents the “ancient serpent,” the devil, who deceived Adam and Eve in Paradise (Revelation 12:9). All these ideas are lifted up high on a tree limb for all to see—an image of sin, death, and the personfication of evil itself. God’s instructions are simple and clear. “Look at the serpent and you wil live.” Look at what I have lifted up. And trust that I have conquered what it represents.

God does not ask the Israelites to do good deeds. God asks them to look with the eyes of faith and live. All that is required is to believe the Word of God and look—to fix their eyes on God’s instrument of salvation—a bronze serpent lifted up high on a pole. Their salvation is free—they receive new life by grace through faith. The bronze serpent is 100% Good News.

Jesus tells us what this all means. It is a short and concise sermon on our Old Testament passage. He gives us a full explanation of this account of Moses, the bronze serpent, and God’s people. He tells us that it is a picture of the Gospel—a picture of what God has done for the whole world—a picture of salvation through Jesus Christ. He says, “as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.”

The bronze serpent lifted up on a pole is a foreshadowing of the cross. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul says, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’” (Galatians 3:13). Just as the bronze serpent healed the poisoned Israelites, so Christ heals the world poisoned by sin. Just as the bronze serpent diverted and absorbed death for the Israelites, so Jesus will divert and absorb death for the world. Just as the bronze serpent was raised in victory over the snakes, so our Lord defeated Satan on the Cross of Calvary for the world. All we need to do is believe in God’s Word—to trust in the Son of God—to look at the Cross of Christ with the eyes of faith. The Son has been lifted up for the world to see.

Every week at First Saint Paul’s we have a powerful reminder of this text. The cross bearer lifts up the standard high for the congregation to see. Our worship begins “as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,” He is lifted up in triumph over sin, death, and the personification of evil itself. We raise the banner of victory. And the message is simple. “Look at the Son and you will live.” “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Pastor Hicham Chehab shares his story

Pastor Hicham Chehab, March 11, 2012

Listen to Pastor Hicham's story

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Salam Christian Fellowship

"Love's Necessity"

Mark 8.31-33

Pastor Tom Johnson, March 4, 2012

 

Jesus discloses God’s plan. He lays out before the disciples a chain of events. There will be unspeakable suffering. Community and religious leaders will abandon him and betray him. Jesus says that his death is inevitable. His resurrection is assured. He says this in plain, simple, and forthright words. Never has Jesus been so transparent and clear about the Gospel.

The main word that Jesus uses—the verb that the entire sentence is built upon—is a little, three lettered word: δει. It means, “it is necessary.” It is necessary for Jesus to suffer, die, and rise again. Or as our translation this morning says, “the Son of Man must undergo great suffering…be killed, and after three days rise again.” It is necessary for Jesus to suffer, die, and rise again.

Peter takes Jesus aside to be the first to express his difficulty with this and tells Jesus that it is not necessary. There must be another way. Jesus says that it is necessary—loud enough for everyone else to hear—and with difficult words: “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” I’m sure that it wasn’t easy for Peter to hear those words of rebuke. But what Jesus says is comforting for two reasons:

First, if Satan is against this plan of suffering, death, and resurrection—than it must be a good plan! If Satan—the one whose name reminds us that he accuses and beats us down—if he wants Jesus to avoid this plan—then God’s plan must be to overcome his accusations and free us from the bondage of evil and sin. Second, if it is as Jesus suggests, that the human mind has difficulty understanding God’s purpose in his suffering, death, and resurrection, then difficulty in understanding God’s ways is normal.

Many scholars, theologians, philosophers, and thinkers have all had the same difficulty as Peter. The best and the most normal human minds are confused and struggle to understand why Jesus’ death and resurrection are necessary. Struggling with the meaning of the cross is part of the Christian journey. It can offend us. It often confounds us. But God’s purpose is to comfort us. His goal is to assure us of his grace. A few chapters later in Mark chapter 10, Jesus says that he came—not to be served, but to serve and give his life a ransom for many (v. 45). The necessity of Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection is born out of God’s love—to give his life and purchase our salvation.

Last week, Austin Smith was dropped off at his grandparents’ house. The fifteen year old’s grandfather was celebrating his 74th birthday. Austin’s grandfather, whom he calls “Papa,” discovered a leak underneath his 1991 Buick Century. The car was leaking brake fluid. Papa and his grandson put the car on blocks. Papa told him to get in the driver’s seat. And Papa got underneath the car. That was when the unthinkable happened. The car slipped off the blocks and the full weight of the 2,500 lb car was on his skull and rib cage. The 74 year old could only scream in horror and agony. Austin’s grandfather said he felt the full weight of the car pressing upon him and he knew he was gone. He knew he was about to die.

His grandson did not take time to think. He just reacted. He jumped out of the car and lifted the car off his grandfather. He lifted the car high enough for his Papa to crawl out from underneath. Remarkably, he escaped with a six inch gash across his face, a broken eye socket, four missing teeth, and broken ribs. These scars prove that the car’s weight with its six cylinder engine really was about to crush him to death. Later, Austin, who is a faithful member of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Ida, Michigan said, “It happened very fast, I just reacted.” He said there’s no way he could lift that car again and does not know where that calm, cool, and collect demeanor came from (click here for story). On television, Austin demonstrated how he is unable to lift the car. Was it adrenaline? Was it a miracle? One thing’s for sure: it was necessary. In order to save his grandfathers life, he had to get that car off of him. It was love for his Papa that propelled him out of the car and love that fueled his strength.

And so it was necessary for Jesus to suffer, die, and rise again. What propels him forward toward the cross is his love. What gives him strength is his love. He knew that the weight of evil in this world, our sin, and death would crush us. Out of love’s necessity, Jesus took the weight of the world upon himself. By his wounds we are healed. By his death, death dies. By his rising again, we have eternal life. It is a miracle. It defies human understanding. It is difficult to explain. But he has the scars to prove it—on his hands, feet, and side. This is the good news of Jesus—his great love for us that necessitates he take action on our behalf.