Feb 28, 2016 – The Talons of Repentance

Feb 28, 2016 – The Talons of Repentance

Here’s a quote I read in the Navy Times. It says “The important thing is to be able to sacrifice what we are… for what we could be.” I mention this quote because it put me in mind of how our lives are undergoing a constant process of change whether or not we like it. This quote reminds us to embrace that idea of change in our lives.

Luther also thought that life included change and in his first of the 95 theses posted on the castle church door in Wittenberg in 1517, he talked about how one particular change affects the whole of a person’s life. That first theses states, “When our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, said “Repent”, He called for the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.”

In today’s gospel lesson twice we hear Jesus say, But unless you repent, you too will all perish.

Repentance is to be the believers ‘lifestyle’. Repentance keeps us focused on the cross of Christ and in that way alone we are given strength in the face of temptation and the path to forgiveness when we fail. Repentance, with its two parts; sorrow for sin and and trust in God’s forgiveness through Jesus’ death and resurrection, points to what Paul spoke in the epistle lesson today. He said, No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. 

The way that God has provided for our way out of temptation is through the cross of Christ. Living with our face aimed toward the cross is the way that God has provided for us to ‘stand up under’ temptation when it comes our way. And temptation will come our way; it simply doesn’t give up on us when we become Christians, in fact that’s when temptation puts us squarely in its sights.

But there are some things to bear in mind when it comes to temptation and these things are very important so listen carefully:

1. Temptation is not sin. (x3)
2. Temptation is not a toy! It isn’t something we can play at or play with. We’re not the master of temptation. It’s not something we can invite in and think we’re in control of it. Like playing with fire, those who play with fire – treat it with disrespect – get burned. Jesus treated temptation with the respect of answering it with Holy Scripture.
3. Temptation however is also nothing for which we need to be ashamed; we are not the cause of temptation that comes to us. Therefore, temptation is nothing we need to hide from God. This one is vital in our struggle against sin, listen again. Temptation is nothing we need to hide from God

Remember that Jesus was tempted and did not sin. We however, are not Jesus and for us temptation can quickly lead to sin. The way to bear up under it is to turn our face toward God with the temptations that come our way. Again temptation is not something we need to seek to hide from God. Only when we seek His face do we focus on His grace and that helps to put up an obstacle to temptation’s repeated attacks. So we turn to Him when temptation comes.

The cross of Christ is the barrier that stands between us and sin, not between us and temptation.3 And yet we often go around the safety of that barrier, by our own choice as we spoke of last week. We often choose sin when temptation comes. And when we do choose sin God, through repentance, offers us a way to return to Him. And He gives us time to be repentant as Jesus pointed out in the parable of the fig tree in the gospel lesson today.

Recall what the gardener, who can be understood to be Jesus, says to the owner. ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’

God has long-suffered mans rebellion and sin. In telling this parable Jesus makes it clear that God is giving us time to become fruit-bearing for Him. And by the work of Christ that is what we become. He gives us time to repent and return to Him and listen to His promises, as He says in Psalm 85:8. I will listen to what God the LORD will say; he promises peace to his people, his saints – but let them not return to folly.

It’s that part about ‘not returning to folly’ that trips us up. When we do return to folly, to sin, He gives us time to repent. So why do we often turn from His compassion and waste our time in fear? We’re given all that we need, through a life of repentance to return to Him and His ways of peace.

His peace stays with us… through the cross. Like the rock that provided water for the Israelites in the desert that Paul referred to in the epistle, that rock, which was Christ, followed Israel in their desert wanderings. So also the cross of Christ follows us wherever we go, calling us back to God’s mercy and grace paid for on that Holy Tree. By living in repentance, as Luther reminded us, living in repentance makes us aware that God’s mercy follows us each day of our lives as that rock of refreshment did for the wandering children of Israel.

Remember the Navy Times quote? “The important thing is to be able to sacrifice what we are… for what we could be.” This quote can help us understand what’s at stake in repentance. We are giving up our old ways in order to gain the way God would have us go. And besides what is it that we are really sacrificing in giving up our old ways? It’s nothing but dung and rot anyway.

To give up our selfish, childish and sinful ways and to live under the grace of the cross of Christ is God’s gracious call to us. What we ‘could be’, giving up our sinful selves, is what God has guaranteed to us in the cross. We’re made children of God and co-heirs with Christ of eternal life. That is what we ‘could be’ and indeed what we are, and what we have, by grace through faith alone.

Remember that repentance isn’t a one-time act of initiation for God’s people. It’s how we live every day of our lives. That’s because we live in a sinful world and daily we must struggle against our sinful flesh. Repentance is the posture that we take for life.

Have you ever seen a bird sleeping on a perch? Ever wondered what keeps it from falling off the branch it’s sleeping on? The secret is the tendons in the bird’s legs. They’re constructed in such a way that when the leg is bent at the knee, the talons on the birds feet contract and grip the branch like a steel trap. The talons will not let go until the knees are unbent again. Bended knees give birds the ability to hold onto their perch tightly and not fall off, even while resting and sleeping.

The person who daily, humbly bends their knee before the Lord, confessing their sin and, receiving by faith God’s forgiveness and grace, will rest secure in the gift of eternal life that God grants to us.

By God’s grace alone, repentance is our lifestyle. The bended knee is our lifestyle. Recall that repentance always has two parts; sorrow for sin and trust in God’s forgiveness through Jesus’ death and resurrection. Remember also when temptation comes our way, it is not sin! But also temptation is not a toy.

We need not fear it nor be shamed by it, but turn to the Lord with it and let His cross deal with it. As the quote we started with this morning reminds us, sacrificing what we are for what we could be has been done for us in the sacrifice of Christ’s death and resurrection in our place. In His name, amen.

Sermon #814 Rev. Thomas A. Rhodes, Pastor – Zion Lutheran Church, Bolivar, MO

First Reading                                                                                  Ezekiel 33:7-20

7 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 8 When I say to the wicked, ‘You wicked person, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade them from their ways, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. 9 But if you do warn the wicked person to turn from their ways and they do not do so, they will die for their sin, though you yourself will be saved.

10 “Son of man, say to the Israelites, ‘This is what you are saying: “Our offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of them. How then can we live?”’ 11 Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?’

12 “Therefore, son of man, say to your people, ‘If someone who is righteous disobeys, that person’s former righteousness will count for nothing. And if someone who is wicked repents, that person’s former wickedness will not bring condemnation. The righteous person who sins will not be allowed to live even though they were formerly righteous.’ 13 If I tell a righteous person that they will surely live, but then they trust in their righteousness and do evil, none of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered; they will die for the evil they have done. 14 And if I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ but they then turn away from their sin and do what is just and right— 15 if they give back what they took in pledge for a loan, return what they have stolen, follow the decrees that give life, and do no evil—that person will surely live; they will not die. 16 None of the sins that person has committed will be remembered against them. They have done what is just and right; they will surely live.

17 “Yet your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But it is their way that is not just. 18 If a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, they will die for it. 19 And if a wicked person turns away from their wickedness and does what is just and right, they will live by doing so. 20 Yet you Israelites say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But I will judge each of you according to your own ways.”

Epistle                                                                                        1 Corinthians 10:1-13

10 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.

6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.” 8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9 We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.

11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

Holy Gospel                                                                                                  Luke 13:1-9

13 Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’

8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”

 

12 “Therefore, son of man, say to your people, ‘If someone who is righteous disobeys, that person’s former righteousness will count for nothing. And if someone who is wicked repents, that person’s former wickedness will not bring condemnation. The righteous person who sins will not be allowed to live even though they were formerly righteous.’ 13 If I tell a righteous person that they will surely live, but then they trust in their righteousness and do evil, none of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered; they will die for the evil they have done. 14 And if I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ but they then turn away from their sin and do what is just and right— 15 if they give back what they took in pledge for a loan, return what they have stolen, follow the decrees that give life, and do no evil—that person will surely live; they will not die. 16 None of the sins that person has committed will be remembered against them. They have done what is just and right; they will surely live.

17 “Yet your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But it is their way that is not just. 18 If a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, they will die for it. 19 And if a wicked person turns away from their wickedness and does what is just and right, they will live by doing so. 20 Yet you Israelites say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But I will judge each of you according to your own ways.”