02APen12.OUT The True Christian Church-Obedient Servants of Jesus Christ

1 Kings 19:9-18; Rom 9:1-5; Mat 14:22-33

I INTRODUCTION

A. God provides his people with great gifts of grace

1. In our Epistle reading St. Paul carefully enumerates those great gifts of grace which God has made manifest through the ages.  Paul traces all those great gifts through the people God called as his Church. Paul says, Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all [Rm 9:4-5]

In God's call to Israel through the ages, God revealed the grace, of how to be adopted into God's family, the divine glory of God's presence among his people, the covenant "You will be my people and I will be your God", the law "obey everything I have said to you so it may go well with you", the way to be in God's presence through worship and receive the blessings of God's forgiveness and renewal, and the glorious promises of the new life to come.

In God's call to Israel through the ages, God revealed the grace of his call at work in the lives of individuals (patriarchs) who embodied the truth of God's Word and bore witness to it in their lives. Finally God graciously & magnificently revealed the grace of his truth in the incarnation of his Son, Jesus Christ, who is God over all.

2. All that grace which culminated, focused, centered in Jesus Christ, is the source of the great confidence & joy Paul just spoke of in Romans 8.  And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose... And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.... What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. [Rom 8:28,30,31,34]

B. Although this is true... Satan works to cover-up, distract, and be-little, God's saving gifts of grace

1. Satan suggests that men can have the gifts which are found solely in relationship w/the One True God

by serving any god of man's own making.

2. Satan suggests we can acquire the gifts which are solely those of the One True God, without bearing the means through which the One True God would inscribe his gifts in the heart and mind of true believers.  Satan suggests that there is another route other than the cross of confession and obedience, discipline and conflict, which Almighty God has chosen.

transition: Isaiah's comment to King Ahaz rings true, "if you do not stand firm in faith, you will not stand at all. [Isa 7:9b]

II. PROBLEM

A. Corporate Crisis

1. Polytheism

In our OT lesson the prophet Elijah is locked into a life and death battle with the children of Israel. Those God "called" to be the Church have become apostate, and are no longer Church !  How far has the deviation gone ?  It is gone to the point where Israel now calls a false god, Baal, god. Elijah has been sent by God, to call Israel back so they can be as God has called them to be.  So In 1 Kings 18:24 Elijah says, Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The god who answers by fire--he is God." Then all the people said, "What you say is good."

God has answered proving himself the only True God. Elijah has all the Baal prophets put to death.  Elijah considers the Church's Reformation complete.  But now King Ahaz and Queen Jezzebel seek his life.  And Elijah flees into the desert.  Elijah is obviously greatly distressed. He is distressed over Israel's response to him & he is distressed over Israel's response to God.  Thus his plea for personal and corporate salvation rises to God in our text... The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too." [1 Kings 19:10 & 14]

2. Theology of Glory

a. What is so attractive about false worship ?  Isn't it the Theology of Glory ?  Just think, to have all the blessings of the true God, without the structure & and order he demands.  To be able to do just what you please, and still have all the blessings of Almighty God.  No personal discipline, no obedience, no conflict with self or others, no cross.

Sounds pretty good doesn't it ?  To bad that it is a bald face lie.

b. Seems like that is the same theology Satan tempted God's Son with, in the desert.  Satan tried to get Jesus to choose a path to glory other than the one established by God.  Wouldn't it be great to get the attention of a great crowd through some entertaining event ?  But does that work faith in the heart ?  Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" ....  [But] Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test. [Mat 4:5-7]

c. Jesus has just fed a great crowd in our Gospel lesson. Some in the crowd begin to say, just think how great it would be to have this Jesus as our king.  He would always be at our beck and call. We would never hunger, thirst, be sick. We could sit back and relax. We could have a great time.  Is this the type of king Jesus has come... to be ?

Or has he come to be the Savior of the World.

We read from John 6: After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world."  Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself. [14-15] And we also read this from our Gospel text today,  Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. [Mat 14:22]   Jesus did not want false doctrine to cloud the hearts and minds of his disciples, who were already weak in the true knowledge of faith.

B. Personal Crisis

1. All this corporate crisis in the church comes crashing in on individual believers.

What is Elijah tempted to conclude from this crisis ?   That he's alone. That he's the only one that is experiencing this doctrinal crisis of faith.  What is Elijah tempted to do ? He is tempted to do what others are saying he should do...

to open his ears & eyes... to be more sensitive to what others are feeling.. and to what others want to do, to chill out, and be more flexible.

2. But what the disciples find on the lake in our Gospel reading is just the opposite.

It's not the wind, waves, personal fears, fatigue, or the faithlessness of others that we need to get in touch with and listen to...  What we need to get in touch with and bow to is Almighty God & his steadfast & faithful Word.

transition: Yes Isaiah's comment to King Ahaz holds true, "if you do not stand firm in faith you will not stand at all. [Isa 7:9b]

III SOLUTION

A. The One True God saves

1. God reveals in his Word throughout the ages, expressed in the lives of his faithful people,  that salvation is in him & him alone.  That is what Paul is pointing to when he lists, the adoption as sons; ... the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship & the promises the patriarchs, &... the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all [Rm 9:4-5]

2. This is the boat of the Church... God's gracious acts which are all focused in Christ is the hull and deck of this ship.

3. And Almighty God doesn't remove that ship because of faithless rebellion of some, but instead he faithfully maintains it for all.

B. The One True God establishes, maintains, and protects his Church (believers) by his Word

1. In spite of the faithless rebellion of some, God calls & commissions leaders who look to him in faith.

And so the Lord instructs Elijah... "Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. [1Kin 19:15-17]

2. In spite of the faithless rebellion of some, God calls & commissions people who look to him in faith.

And thus the Lord says, Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel--all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him." [1 Kings 19:18]

3. God is always conscious of the need of his people.

He is always present to help. And He really does help. So During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. [Matthew 14:25]

4. Jesus roots his disciples deeply into himself, by the trials & tribulations they go through, so that they look to him and him alone, and are thus saved.

IV CONCLUSION

A. The World, our flesh, & the devil, have always worked to change the definition of the Church

1. The demand has been, is, and will always be... to follow the world's definition of what is true, right, and most important... instead of following what our Lord defines as true, right, & important in his Word.

2. The Church's One Foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord. She is his creation by water & the Word [TLH 473]

B. There is pain associated with standing up & confessing the grace of God through Jesus alone.

There is pain in being in the boat of the Church with Jesus and rowing against the wind and wave of popular opinion.

There is the pain of being ostracized. There is pain which comes from concern for the salvation of others. 

There was pain for Moses who said to God But now, please forgive their sin--but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written." [Ex 32:32],  There was pain for Elijah who wrote, The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too." [1Kings 19:10],  There was pain for Paul who wrote, For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, [Rom 9:3],  There was pain for Jesus who cried out "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. [Mat 23:37]

There will be pain for Us if we are truly confessional, for whoever found joy in conflict ?

2. Yet there is also joy in this confession. For great joy is found in the true salvation provided only in Jesus Christ our Lord.  It's that joy we want others to receive.

But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." [Mat 14:30-33]

3. Joy in found only in confessing & living in the promise Almighty God has set before the Church in his Word.

As the Early Church clearly proclaimed in Acts; Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." [Acts 4:12] And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' [Acts 2:21]

And thus we who are the Church today must clearly confess the same, Lord Jesus, "you truly are the Son of God".

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit... Amen.