An old sermon I found on tomorrows series C Epistle./
I myself am gracious to the One Who has empowered me–Christ Jesus, our Lord, that faithful, He regards me, established into service; the one before being the blasphemer and a persecutor and an arrogant one; but I was mercied because of ignorance I acted in unbelief; yet the grace of our Lord over-swelled with faith and God's love–the one in Christ Jesus. Faithful-the word, and worthy of all approval, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, of which I myself am the first. But through this I was mercied, so that in me, first, Christ Jesus might show the whole patience, the prototype of those about to believe upon Him unto life eternal. And in the King of the ages, undying, invisible, only God, honor and glory into the ages of ages. Amen./
Contrary to popular belief, being infamous is not better than being famous. It's actually a whole lot worse. Those scoundrels who achieve infamy are never able to redeem themselves, and rarely are they brought to redemption. They are more than lost sheep who have gone astray. They are more like stubborn goats who have purposely rejected the Shepherd, to wander off wherever they desire to be. How can such a rebellious, prideful person ever be turned around again to God's way?
Perhaps the best example we have of this in the bible is St. Paul. Going by His Jewish name of Saul, this man had rejected his Savior, and persecuted Jesus' church. He had Christians arrested & jailed, dragged believing women out of their homes by their hair, and had even put some to death like St. Stephen, of whose murder Saul had watched with approval. This guy was enemy #1 of the Christian faith. Could such a man be turned around to become a disciple of Jesus? It didn't seem possible.
One day, when Saul was on the road to Damascus to persecute Christians there, Jesus appeared stopping Saul in his tracks. The Lord confronted his chief enemy for persecuting Him, and blinded him. So much for continuing on a journey of persecution. Jesus instructed Saul to go to the house of a certain Simon, to be baptized by him. After that, the mercy of God changed Saul. He was no longer Jesus' enemy, but was now a believer. Taking his Roman name, he was now the Apostle Paul.
You might wonder why Jesus doesn't appear to you as you walk down the road, like He did to Saul. You don't need Him to. For Jesus stopped him so that he could be a model for you. Just as God mercied Saul, so to has He mercied you in Holy Baptism. You had wandered astray like a lost sheep, and your sinful straying was forgiven at the font. Your sinful missteps are all washed away, and your Good Shepherd Jesus found you and has returned you to the fold of His Christian Church.
Jesus came into the world to save Paul, who had been the chief of sinners. He also came into the world to save the #1 sinner you know of–you! You know your innermost sins, how selfish, stubborn, foolish, and cantankerous you can be at times. If you took the time, you could make a list of your own sins a mile long. But Jesus came into this world to take them all away from you–every single one. He became that sin at Calvary, the Good Shepherd laying down His life for you, His beloved sheep.
Your Good Shepherd feeds you not with the grass of a green pasture, but with His holy precious blood, and with His body given in innocent suffering and death on the +. In the Lord's Supper, you receive the fruits of your salvation in the bread and in the cup of your salvation. In the sheep-fold of the Christian church, you are blessed with this spiritual sustenance, which not only forgives your sins, but also saves you from death & the devil, and bestows the eternal life Jesus purchased for you.
Yet you know that you will stray again and again. Even when you don't want to, the devil, this world, and your own sinful nature tempt you to transgress the curb of that straight & narrow path God has for you, and sure enough, you quickly find yourself trespassing into dangerous territory. Which is why you are blessed to have a very patient Good Shepherd, who will leave the flock to come find you when you stray, and bring you back to the safety and security of the sheep pen of the Church.
You who daily sin much are returned to Jesus, the Shepherd of your souls by daily contrition and repentance. Remembering each day that you are a baptized child of God, is how God's grace swells-over into your faith. You admit your sinful-straying, confess it to your Pastor, and he forgives you absolutely, as from God Himself, with the Lord's Own words of forgiveness. This forgiveness of Jesus returns you to Him and to His church, again and again. In this forgiveness, God Himself empowers your turn around from sinner to holy saint, by His Word proclaimed, and His sacraments provided.
John C. Drosendahl, Pastor _______________________________________________ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
