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1. Have We Accepted It?
A while back, there was a television show called ‘In Search Of.’ It attempted to delve into the mysteries of the universe and uncover some of the secrets of the past. One mystery it could never solve was who God is. All people know that there’s a God, whether they want to acknowledge that fact or not. The evidence surrounds us. Glance at the spacious skies, gaze at the majestic mountains, or gape at the stormy seas – there is no denying the existence of God. Psalm 19:1 says: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” A leisurely drive along the PCH is enough to convince anybody that there is a Supreme Being. The relentless, powerful crashing of the waves and the magnificent, awe-inspiring sunsets are as good an argument for the existence of God as you’ll find in nature. Acts 17:27 conveys the profound purpose behind this splendor in nature: “God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him.” This natural knowledge of God is meant to move us to search after God.
Creation shows us only a part of God; it only gives us a glimpse of His grandeur, revealing His mighty power. We can’t learn the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ from the mountains or the ocean. That’s why God gave us His precious Word in the Bible. As John so beautifully explains: “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.” There’s only one place where we can find that Good News about our full and free forgiveness in Jesus’ name. That’s in that most precious Book of Books: the Bible. There, we find the lavish love story of God for His people, of the Creator for His creation. God’s Word shows us clearly the selfless love of God, who loved us so much that He sent His own Son to live and die in our place to save us from our sins: “The Holy Scriptures are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.”
Scripture fills in the blanks. It tells us what we don’t know about God from nature and by nature. It tells us what we need to know about our God: “If you accept my words...then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.” Luther and his fellow reformers fought valiantly to establish the truth that the Bible is the inspired and inerrant Word of God and that it’s not to be made subject to the decrees of pontiffs and councils or the traditions of men or the constraints of human reason. Their unwavering dedication restored to the church the pure, unadulterated Word of God and restored and returned to us the glorious Gospel, which had been so bent out of shape and distorted by Rome’s emphasis on works that it was unrecognizable. They put the Bible back into the hands and homes of ordinary people.
That’s part of our great heritage as Christians. But what have we done today? Are our Bibles gathering dust up on a forgotten shelf somewhere? Have we reburied them by not using them? Have we fought to maintain the Bible’s purity? Unfortunately, instead of receiving the Word as the inerrant and inspired Word of the Almighty God in heaven, many subject it to human reason and reject it as a human creation capable of providing little more than interesting bedtime reading. I spoke with a man not so long ago who said he thought the Bible was a really lovely idea and a good thing “if it works for you.” He regarded it as nothing more than a philosophy of life.
Even many so-called Christians often hear only what they want to hear instead of what God’s Word has to say. They flip-flop back and forth like a mop on a wet floor on hot-button issues like the sanctity of life, the sacredness of marriage, and the sacrilege of lifestyle choices. In doing that, they push aside clear statements of Scripture, dismissing them as “irrelevant to today’s society,” “straight from the Dark Ages,” or “for a different time and for a different day.” Many charge the church with not changing with the times. The fact is God’s Word does not change. God’s church dare not change. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today and forever.”
God’s Word Is Our Great Heritage…So What Have We Done Today? What Have We Done With Luther’s Legacy? If we expect to “find the knowledge of God,” we must listen to what God has to say to us. If we expect to experience God’s salvation and blessings in our lives, we can’t just glory in past accomplishments. We can’t just rest on Luther’s laurels. We must continue to receive that Word as God’s inerrant and inspired truth and boldly stand our ground in the confession of God’s Word, saying with Luther: “Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen.”
II. Have We Treasured It?
God’s Word Is Our Great Heritage. It’s Luther’s Legacy to us. So what have we done with it? Have we treasured that Word as our most precious possession? God says: “(If you) store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.” It is disheartening that many hold worldly treasures – money, recreation, leisure, homes, or jobs – in higher esteem than the Word of God. There’s a word for that: idolatry. There’s a commandment for that: the first one! There’s a punishment for that: the consequences are well-documented in Scripture!
The excuses people use to justify their absence from worship, avoidance of Bible Classes, neglect of daily devotions at home, and failure to provide their children with a sound Christian education can be discouraging and disappointing. They can convince themselves, but do they really think they can convince God that their excuses hold any water?
Priorities. We all have trouble with them sometimes, don’t we? Well, let’s try to put some things in perspective. First, think about this life. The Psalmist portrays it like this: “For he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. As for man his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone and its place remembers it no more.” James echoes a similar sentiment: “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” This life takes up only a fleeting moment in the vast expanse of eternity, just a blip on a radar screen. We’re but pilgrims passing through time on our way to eternity. Our finite mind struggles to grasp the concept of infinity, doesn’t it? It stands to reason that when establishing priorities, we should put more of an emphasis on the longer period of time, which is eternity. You wouldn’t spend nearly the amount of time and effort planning and preparing for your summer job as you would planning and preparing for your career, which lasts far longer and is of far greater importance. Even so, the here and the now doesn’t compare to the there and the then.
If we expect to “find the knowledge of God,” it is going to take a certain amount of activity. God makes it plain in our text that we are not to be just passive listeners to His Word. We’re not to let His Word go in one ear and out the other. The Bible says: “Blessed are they who hear the Word of God AND obey it.” Defend it. Protect it. Read it. Study it. Memorize it. Live it. Share it. Treasure it. It’s our most prized possession. It tells us how to get from here to eternity. Being a Christian requires unwavering dedication, uncompromising commitment, and unfaltering activity.
Here at Crean Lutheran, we strive to proudly uphold Luther’s Legacy: God’s Word Is Our Great Heritage. So what have we done today? Unlike those barnyard geese, we must make use of that great gift from God. We can’t rest on Luther’s laurels and expect the blessings of God to come flowing our way. We must persist in cherishing that Word of God as our dearest treasure in life and gladly hear it, learn it, love it, live it, and share it! That’s what God wants us to do with Luther’s Legacy. Amen.
We pray: Dear Lord, this week we will celebrate the Reformation of the Church. We want to thank You, Lord, for men like Martin Luther, who was not afraid to stand up for the truth of Your Word. No matter the consequences. No matter the pressures to remain silent. May we be ready to defend our faith in the face of every challenge and share our faith at every opportunity. Help us to be bold in the confession of our faith so that through us, some may hear about You and come to trust in You as their Savior from sin. Give us the courage we need to be Your voice where Your voice has yet to be heard or has yet to be welcomed. Help us to celebrate and activate that great gift of grace in our lives. Amen.
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