"PROOF"
Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 21)
September 25, 2016
Bethel Evangelical Lutheran Church
Glenshaw, Pennsylvania
TEXT:
"He said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.'"
Luke 16:31 (ESV)
One of the most time-consuming efforts in life is the art of establishing facts. The student in college or graduate school presents a thesis that is relatively simple, but writes several hundred pages trying to prove that that simple thesis is sound and practical. Attorneys spend months in a courtroom trying to prove a person's guilt or innocence. It's been said that we have become a society so preoccupied with having things proven to us that we've totally missed out on the higher ideals of integrity and trust. Instead of paying attention to what a person is trying to tell us, we drown out his or her words with a skepticism that cries out: "Prove it!"
In the midst of all of this suspicion and uncertainty it is refreshing to find that our God doesn't bother with this kind of "proof." He doesn't exert any great effort whatsoever in trying to prove to you that you ought to obey Him, submit to Him, or even believe in Him. He simply speaks and acts, without any apology or explanation. The Bible, which is His written Word, from its very first verse never tries to explain or prove the existence of God; it simply says: "In the beginning God . . . " (Genesis 1:1). It assumes that God exists and then goes on from there to tell what He has done and what His will is. In the same way, our Savior Jesus Christ never gave in to the demands of those who wanted Him to prove His divinity and power. The miracles that He performed were done for the most part to strengthen the faith of those who already trusted in Him as Savior and Lord. This morning let's focus our attention on the futility of human "proofs" and the effectiveness of God's simple unadorned means of grace.
The first problem that we encounter when we are trying to "prove" the truths of God's Word is the fact that the human mind is so limited. It's no accident that our Lord calls us His sheep--and it's no great compliment either. Sheep are pretty stupid animals. They cannot defend themselves and they have a tendency to wander into dangerous places. Like sheep, we (if left to our own devices) are defenseless against the attacks of Satan. And, like sheep, we also like to wander into places of spiritual danger. Limited as our reasoning is, there are, of course, certain things that we are not able to understand, no matter how clearly, simply, or often they are explained to us. In such circumstances all we can do is trust in God to help us to accept what is beyond our comprehension.
Another reason why it is futile to try to prove spiritual truth to the human mind is that the human mind is so infected with sin that it cannot comprehend spiritual things, nor is it particularly interested in spiritual things. The carnal mind doesn't understand the things of the Spirit. That's why people outside the faith can't understand why Christians will do things in the service of their Lord without getting paid for it, simply for the joy of serving Christ. That's why people outside the faith can't understand why the Church will do things for people and communities without necessarily "turning a profit" or even "breaking even." The unregenerate human mind, thoroughly infected with sin, is totally ignorant of spiritual truth. To try to get someone to see the truth and the value of the Gospel of Christ by using logic amounts to nothing more than an exercise in futility.
If logic can't do it, what does it take? What does it take to make lost and spiritually ignorant sinners see their need and grasp God's Remedy in faith? The answer is a sure and simple one: The Word of God and the Sacraments that God has instituted succeed where everything else fails. There is power in Word and Sacrament--the power of the Holy Spirit who gave us these means of grace and who uses them to turn the hearts of people from sin to salvation--from greed to grace--from rebellion to redemption. God Himself has promised that there is power in His means of grace. It is He who has said: "My Word that goes out from My mouth . . . will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it" (Isaiah 55:11 NIV). It is He who has said: "Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God" (John 3:5). And it is He who has said: "Take and eat; this is My body, given for you. Take and drink; this is My blood, shed for you." So it is the Word and the Sacraments, not logic or gimmicks, that are able to change sinners into saints.
But these means of grace have to be used by God's people. Otherwise they are nothing more than an unlimited supply of strength that lies ignored, forgotten, and wasted. The overwhelming majority of us who are Christians have received the Gospel of Jesus Christ from somebody else who was a Christian. Many of us have been fortunate enough to have been born into Christian homes, where we received the Gospel at an early age from loving parents. Others received it from other caring relatives or friends. Still others received it from a pastor or teacher. God is counting on us--you and me, as people who have been fortunate enough to receive His grace in Christ--to share the blessings of that Gospel with others.
So what does it take? It takes us--sharing the grace of God in Jesus Christ even as we have received the grace of God in Christ. The Holy Spirit Himself has given us the means of grace--the Word and the Sacraments--to accomplish this great work, and He has promised to work in and through them. We needn't try to prove the truth of the Bible with petrified arks or sacred shrouds. Let the facts speak for themselves: Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was born of a virgin. He lived a perfect life. He suffered and died unjustly. He was buried in a borrowed tomb. He rose from the dead in glory. He ascended into heaven with the promise that He will come again as Judge and King. All of this He did for you and for me--and indeed for the whole world. That message is what it takes. It takes that message on your lips and on mine--in your life and in mine. May our prayer be the same as that expressed by Martin Franzmann in his hymn:
"Give us lips to sing Thy glory,
Tongues Thy mercy to proclaim.
Throats that shout the hope that fills us,
Mouths to speak Thy holy name.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
May the light which Thou dost send
Fill our songs with alleluias,
Alleluias without end!"
(Lutheran Service Book #578, stanza 5)
Amen.
May the Lord bless your hearing of His Word, using it to accomplish in you those things for which He gave it. May you be enriched and strengthened in faith that you may leave here today to go out into our world armed with the whole armor of God, prepared to be able ambassadors of your Savior Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, and He will do it. Amen.