Proper 23C Sermon Oct. 14, 2007
October 15th, 2007 Posted in Sermons+ In Nomine Jesu +
The Rev. Evan Gaertner
20th Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 23C)
“He Remains Faithful”
October 14, 2007
2 Timothy 2:1-13
Today I want you to consider the battlefield. There are two kingdoms on this field. The armies are lined up and though the end result is victory for one of the kingdoms, the other kingdom is going to continue to fight and destroy as much as possible.
The kingdom of darkness is destructive in its nature. We can witness the power of evil in this world in so many different newspaper headlines. We can experience this power of evil in families. We can live this power of evil in our hearts as we find ourselves doing what we do not want to do. By flesh and blood this power is too strong for us. We cannot defeat the kingdom of darkness by our own hands.
It is because Satan has so much power that we must listen and be fortified by Paul’s words to Timothy, “You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” Apart from the grace that is in Jesus Christ we have no standing in the kingdom of God, but by the grace that is in Jesus Christ we are citizens of the kingdom and soldiers of the cross.
I suppose we could deny that there is evil in this world. Some people will respond with resignation to events and say, “Oh well that’s human nature, what ya we gonna do?” This response gives expression to feelings of powerlessness that we all feel when we hear and experience evil. But we are not powerless in this world, remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead.
Others will respond to evil in this world by hiding from the world and trying to create an alternate community. This is the solution of some cults and sectarian groups that try to form a utopian society away from the sinful world. Of course this solution does not bring relief because we will because of our sinful human-nature bring into our Christian community the same problems that we are trying to escape from.
Others may respond to evil in this world by redefining what is against the will of God, so that behavior which was prohibited becomes permissible. The tension between theology of Christ and beliefs of a sinful worldview becomes nonexistent when Christ and his message becomes modified, adapted, denied, forgotten in the spirit acceptance and understanding.
Paul told Timothy, “Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” What does it mean to be enlisted in duty as soldier of Christ Jesus?
Here are some key points I find in the second chapter of Paul’s second letter to Timothy.
We will share in suffering. The community of believers together experiences the suffering of Christ in this world. We should not look from afar at the experience of another, but be with our brother or sister in Christ. People should not have to experience their sufferings alone or feel forgotten. We are in this together. We certainly are not in an action packed Hollywood movie where bullets seem to zip by and never hit the hero of the movie. People get hurt. People need mercy. We need to not walk past the suffering of others but find in their suffering a shared experience.
“No solider gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.”
We are a challenged to stay focused on our mission as a church. We are called to make disciples of all nations and teach them all that we have learned from Jesus Christ. We do not use the power of the sword. But we do have the Word of God which is sharper than any two edged sword. We do not coerce a person into believing. We cannot manipulate or force a person to believe in Jesus Christ. But we do have the power of the Holy Spirit working in the Word that works faith in our dead souls. The power of the church is not found in the government. The church has been ordained by God to make disciples of all nations by the power of the Word and the Sacraments. It is by the Gospel that a person believes in Jesus and not threats of the law.
On the spiritual battlefield between good and evil we will find ourselves desiring to use the power of force, but we are invited to trust that the love of God in Jesus Christ is stronger than any sword. Consider how Jesus Christ faced the cross. Jesus Christ was betrayed, arrested, beaten, mocked, and crucified. It looked to all that indeed the whip, the sword, the cross is more powerful than God’s own son. Jesus died. But three days later he rose from the dead and he lives. Jesus is more powerful than any threat, weapon, or hatred that may surround you.
I encourage you in your life to trust in the mercy of Jesus Christ to be your strength. For even when we are weak he is strong for us. He is our stronghold and sure defense against even the gravest threat.
Soli Deo Gloria