How to Overcome the World: A Sermon for Christians Only
St. John
 |
| Matthias Grunewald Crucifixion from the Isenheim Altarpiece Musee d'Unterlinden, Colmar 1510-1515 |
The
text for this morning is our Epistle, 1 John 5:1-8, which has already been
read.
Grace,
mercy, and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ.
This
sermon is only for Christians, those who have been born of God and are His children. I know, that sounds harsh, so exclusive in
our inclusive age; but it follows the text.
St. John makes it especially clear that he is addressing Christians in
the verses following: “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know
that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).
And the fact is the actions for which St. John
This
week, in his blog, Pastor Matt Richard, brought to my attention a comedy sketch
that featured Bob Newhart as a psychologist who offers five-minute counseling
sessions. A woman comes into his office
to deal with her phobia. “I just start thinking about being buried alive in a
box and I panic,” she confesses.
“Has
anyone every tried to bury you in a box?” he asks.
“No,
but it really makes my life difficult,” she says. “I can’t go into elevators or tunnels or
anything boxy.”
“So,
what you’re saying is that you’re claustrophobic?”
“Yes…
yes, that’s my problem.”
“Okay,”
he responds. “I think we have enough
here. I’m going to say two words to you
right now. I want you to listen to them
very carefully. Then I want you to
incorporate them into your life.”
“Shall
I write them down?” she asks.
“You
can, if it makes you more comfortable.
But it’s just two words. Most
people have no problem remembering them.”
“Okay,”
she replies.
“Are
you ready?” he asks, and she nods affirmatively.
“Here
it is… Stop it!”
Now
the sketch went on for another four or five minutes. But I obviously don’t have the comedic
talents of Bob Newhart. And even if I
did, you didn’t come here to be entertained, but to hear the word of God
proclaimed.
So
why did I bring it up? As a reminder to
us who are preachers and parents.
Believing that simply telling sinners to “stop it” (that is, that speaking
Law without Gospel) carries the power to exact lasting change, is as
unrealistic as a psychologist telling one of his patients to “stop it” to cure
them of their fears and neuroses. In
fact, it is worse, because at least the basis for psychological counseling is
found in law—natural law.
Can
you imagine Bob Newhart as a preacher?
“My
friends, do you keep on sinning? Well,
just ‘stop it!’ Do you have doubt,
struggle, and worry? Well… just ‘stop
it!’” Yet the sad reality is that this
is the message that is heard from pulpits across America
What
is wrong here? A failure to correctly
understand, properly distinguish, and appropriately apply Law and Gospel. Jeff VanVonderen summarizes the problem this
way: “The greatest misunderstanding concerning the Law comes in the area of our
perception of its purpose. Somehow we
continue to believe that the Law is God’s provision for people to live
victoriously.”
So,
how does this all fit in a sermon entitled, “How to Overcome the World?” Let me explain.
The Law clearly limits sin through its threats of
punishment and its promises of favor and well-being. The Law can be used to regulate society,
prevent us from doing some really stupid things to ourselves and other people. The Law can make things bearable in a sinful
world. The Law can curb external sinful
behavior for believers and nonbelievers.
But the Law is totally incapable and powerless in changing the attitude
and behavior of the heart, let alone saving a person. The Law commands, but it does not give us any power to fulfill its
conditions. On its own, the Law will
only lead us to self-righteousness or despair.
My dear Christian friends, let’s keep in
mind that the Law is good. It reveals sin to us and
shows us God’s perfect holy will. However,
the Law does not contain in itself the power to convert the heart or forgive
sin, for that belongs solely to the Gospel. The Law doesn’t “reform” the sinful nature. No, it reveals our sinful nature; it leaves us
exposed as sinners and drives us to Jesus! Only the Gospel can bring lasting redemption
and change (Titus 2:11-12).
So,
how does this fit with our text? St. John
On the surface it might sound
like John is preaching conditional Law.
“Want to be a Christian? Want to
overcome the world? Then obey God’s Law. Love God.
Love your neighbor.” But if you
listen closely, you’ll find that such words are not written to make people Christians, but to people
who are already Christians—to those who already have been born of God.
This may come as a surprise to young Christians, who
are still fresh from the thinking process they just went through in order to
understand the concept of justification by grace through faith alone. In that context we are taught by Scripture to
say “No, we can’t” in regard to human works.
A human being by birth cannot do what God requires. Paul also teaches this repeatedly: “You were
dead in your transgressions and sins” (Ephesians 2:1); “There is no one
righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10); “not by works, so that no one can
boast” (Ephesians 2:9).
But what is impossible for an unbeliever is not only
possible, but essential in the life
of a believer. In each reborn Christian,
God has forever forgiven all sin, changed the clothes from filthy rags of sin to
righteous robes, snapped the power of sin to control, implanted the Holy
Spirit, and changed the mindset. The
goal of saving us is not merely negative—to get us out of hell, but positive—to
transform us into men and women who think and act like God.
Here’s another surprise: God’s commands now become
joyful to obey, no longer burdensome.
The Law of God is indeed bad news to people without faith in
Christ. But believers love to hear God’s
will and do it. The faith and obedience that connect us to Jesus enables us to
share in His triumphs. In John 16, Jesus
tells His disciples: “I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have
peace. In the world you will have
tribulation. But take heart; I have
overcome the world.” Several hours
later, as He dies on the cross, He crushes the head of the serpent for us and gives
us His victory. But like Christ’s
overcoming the world through the cross, our overcoming the world is for the
time being not readily apparent to anyone but those with the eyes of
faith.
What does this life under the cross
look like? In his book, “Grace upon Grace,” Dr. John Kleinig describes
this way of life as receptive spirituality, a practice which presupposes that
we are Christians, that we have been reborn of God, that we already have been
given the gift of eternal life, and that we enjoy it now here on earth.
No
human teacher can teach us about that because no human teacher can give us
eternal life. Nor can we gain eternal
life for ourselves merely by reflecting on our experience of God, or even by
interpreting the Scriptures in the light of our personal experience. In fact, if we attempt to gain eternal life
with God through our own will and obedience, we will commit spiritual
suicide. Those who use their own reason
and intellect to make a ladder for their devotional ascent into heaven will,
like Satan, plunge themselves and others into hell instead.
But
we have no need to climb up to heaven on our own. The triune God has come down to earth for
us. His Son has become incarnate for us. He is now available to us through His Word
and Sacraments. The Holy Spirit uses these
means of grace to teach us the things of God and to bring us to the Father for
Jesus’ sake.
But
surprisingly, God’s best work in our lives is often done as we undergo and
endure trials and temptations. Luther
makes the point that we discover the mysterious power of God’s Word, the hidden
work of the Holy Spirit in and through the Word, most clearly in temptation and
trial. In temptation and trial we morel
fully experience the Word of God at work in us.
While
this experience begins with the conscience, it touches all parts of us and
integrates the whole person, mentally, emotionally, and physically. The Spirit-filled Word attunes us to God the
Father by conforming us to His dear Son.
It is not that we internalize Scripture and assimilate it to our being;
rather, the Word assimilates us and makes us godly; it remakes us in the
likeness of Christ.
Temptation
reveals what is otherwise hidden from us.
It tests the authenticity of our faith and proves our spiritual health. Though trials are unpleasant, at times even
painful, they ultimately refine and purify us.
As
long as we operate by our own power, with our own intellect and our own
too-human notions, the devil lets us be.
But as soon as we meditate on God’s Spirit-filled Word and draw on the
Spirit’s power, the devil attacks us by stirring up misunderstanding,
contradiction, opposition, and persecution.
He mounts that attack through the enemies of the Gospel in the Church
and in the world. The purpose of this
attack is to destroy our faith and undo the hidden work of God’s Word in us, to
drive out God’s Word that has been planted by the power of the Holy Spirit.
But
paradoxically, these attacks are counter-productive. They serve to strengthen our faith because it
drives us back to God’s Word as the only basis for spiritual life. We discover that we cannot rely on our own
resources in the battle against Satan and the powers of darkness. We realize that if we rely on our own wisdom
and power, we will fail, and that our only hope is in Christ and His Word.
Our
spiritual weakness makes us trust in the power of the Holy Spirit and the
wisdom of God’s Word. Through temptation
we learn to seek help from God in meditation and prayer, rather than rely on
ourselves, our own abilities and resources.
We walk with Christ on the way of the cross. We do not experience the splendor of union
with our heavenly Lord, but we share in His suffering and pain. We bear the cross together with our Lord as
we suffer with Him. Through the attacks
of the evil one we are drawn further out of ourselves and deeper into
Christ. And He is the One who has
overcome the world for us.
Overcoming
the world is not something extraordinary.
It is not a superior way of being a Christian that is open only to a
more advanced stage in spiritual life.
It is something given to every faithful Christian. It is simply following Jesus. It is the ordinary life of faith in which you
receive Baptism and live in that Baptism through daily contrition and
repentance. You overcome the world as
you attend the Divine Service, participate in the Holy Supper, read the
Scriptures, pray for yourself and others, resist temptation, and work with
Jesus in your given location here on earth.
You
are not raised to a higher plane above the normal, everyday, bodily life, but you
receive the Holy Spirit from Christ so that you can live in God’s presence each
day of your lives as you deal with people and work, sin and abuse,
inconvenience and heartbreak, trouble and tragedy. You are not called to become more spiritual
by disengaging from earthly life, but simply to rely on Jesus as you do what is
given for you to do, as you experience what is given for you to experience, and
as you enjoy what is given for you to enjoy.
Yes,
many times the world, the devil, and your own sinful flesh will seem too much
for you to overcome. They are far to
much for you to overcome on your own. But
take heart; our Lord Jesus has overcome the world for you! He has fulfilled all of God’s Commandments
for you. He made Himself your human
Brother, that through Him you might become the children of His Father and share
in His great family of love. He has
given Himself into death on the cross, so that you might have forgiveness of
sins, salvation, and eternal life.
Indeed,
in Him, you are forgiven for all of your sins.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Comments