I. The Back Door Attack on the Gospel
\nIt\u2019s no secret that church attendance and church membership is declining in Canada today. This isn\u2019t just among Lutherans by any means, but fewer and fewer people identify themselves as church-going Christians throughout North America today. Evangelism is difficult\u2014usually we think of the mission fields in India, Africa and China, but today we should add Canada to that list because evangelism in Canada is even more difficult. There are all sorts of books and articles and conferences about the problem, with all sorts of different and opposite conclusions\u2014each of which generates a sure-fire, guaranteed program that will turn things around for your congregation. <\/p>\n
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We know evangelism is tough: in fact, it\u2019s literally a miracle that anyone believes. It\u2019s God\u2019s doing, not ours. We know that the Gospel sounds like folly to those who have no faith\u2014that was St. Paul\u2019s point in I Corinthians 1, which we heard in our sermon last Sunday: \u201cFor the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God\u201d (1 Corinthians 1:18). So the Gospel sounds foolish to those who are perishing: nevertheless, it\u2019s only by the Gospel that God saves those who are perishing; so the answer is certainly not that the Gospel is at fault. <\/p>\n
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Within Christendom, though, many have faulted the Gospel. As we\u2019ve noted in Bible class and occasional sermons, a lot of popular preachers and mission \u201cexperts\u201d have advised that the Church should move away from \u201cChrist-crucified\u201d and move toward speaking far more of Christian living and obeying the commandments. The Gospel, they say, just isn\u2019t doing the trick anymore. How the devil must delight to hear \u201cChristians\u201d declare that we ought to stop telling people about the cross. May God preserve us from ever being ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to all who believe. <\/p>\n
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But the devil has more than one attack up his sleeve, for he hates all of God\u2019s Word. And while it\u2019s easy for us to focus on his campaign against the Gospel, he is also busily at work to attack the preaching of the Law, too. In this attack, he makes the most of his allies\u2014the world and your own sinful flesh. <\/p>\n
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And that, I propose to you, dear friends, is the foundational reason for declining membership in churches in our nation today: the preaching of the Law, as it\u2019s supposed to be preached, has been largely silenced. <\/p>\n
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The proclamation of God\u2019s Law has been largely silenced in society. Look at the realm of political correctness, where the greatest sin is to hurt somebody\u2019s feelings by declaring God\u2019s law to them. Pastors in Canada today can be accused of hate speech for saying that the Bible condemns homosexuality, or that other religions are false. More and more, it is against the laws of man to preach the Law of God. It is becoming illegal simply to repeat what the Bible says. <\/p>\n
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Look at media\u2014TV, movies, music. Not so long ago, a good story was one where the hero fought off evil and temptation in order to do the right thing, to be an example or a role model to show people what they ought to be doing. That\u2019s what\u2019s made movies like Lord of the Rings, the Chronicles of Narnia and even the \u201cToy Story\u201d franchise popular\u2014sometimes to the astonishment of critics. Overall, though, the prevailing theme of media remains an anti-morality \u201cdo-whatever-you-want-and-it\u2019s-okay.\u201d <\/p>\n
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All of this is what unbelief always does to attack the Law of God. But I tell you this: the devil\u2019s target ultimately is not the Law. It\u2019s the Gospel. See, if the Law isn\u2019t preached, then it\u2019s so much easier for people to deny that they\u2019re sinful. If they don\u2019t know they\u2019re sinful, then they see no need for the Gospel. So when the Gospel is then proclaimed, they say, \u201cSo what? I\u2019m not bound by all those commandments that God laid down and Christians lived by. I don\u2019t need to be saved from sin because what I\u2019m doing isn\u2019t sinful.\u201d <\/p>\n
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We mentioned before those within Christendom who say that the Church should turn from speaking of the Gospel and turn instead to speaking of \u201cChristian living.\u201d In other words, the Church should tell people how to live their lives\u2014they should spend more time laying down the law. This is the kind of the stuff you\u2019ll find in many Christian bookstores. It\u2019s a disaster for Christianity, and here is why: when a preacher tells you that Christianity is all about Christian living, he\u2019s telling you that it\u2019s all about following God\u2019s commands. The problem, of course, is that you can\u2019t keep God\u2019s commands perfectly. So how does such a preacher solve this problem? He says this: \u201cI know you can\u2019t keep God\u2019s commands perfectly. He knows that too. The point is that God wants you to do your best, try as hard as you can. The more you do, the more you\u2019ll be blessed.\u201d And what happens? People believe that Christianity is all about trying their best: they have a vague notion that Jesus died on the cross, but that\u2019s history and the present is about what you\u2019re going to do with your life. <\/p>\n
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Am I making a big deal out of nothing? Hardly. Extensive studies of \u201cChristians\u201d in North America show that they believe in what\u2019s been labeled \u201cmoralistic therapeutic deism.\u201d Moralistic therapeutic deism. From back to front, \u201cdeism\u201d means that they believe that God exists, but that\u2019s He\u2019s pretty distant most of the time, most days letting you run your life on your own. \u201cTherapeutic\u201d means that they believe that you really only need to involve God in your life when you\u2019re in trouble, when you need help and healing\u2014otherwise, it\u2019s just fine that He\u2019s far away. And \u201cmoralistic\u201d? That means that Christianity is about being moral, being nice. It\u2019s all about how you live. <\/p>\n
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That means that a stunning number of \u201cChristians\u201d believe that they can keep God\u2019s Law well enough to please God. This can only mean that God has softened up over time, that He\u2019s not quite so serious about sin or enforcing His Law anymore: after all, some will say, He used to strike people down on the spot for sin, or call for people to be stoned to death for immorality. But that\u2019s not the case anymore, so clearly God has changed how His Law is to be used. <\/p>\n
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The devil\u2019s target here is not the Law. It\u2019s the Gospel. Those who think that Christianity is all about doing your best will not think it is about confessing your wretched sinfulness and calling upon God for mercy and grace. The Gospel will sound like folly, and people will cease to proclaim it. <\/p>\n
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Now, as much fun as it is to throw rocks at other people, let\u2019s talk about us. <\/p>\n
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You\u2019ve got an old sinful nature, and your sinful nature is very much into sinful pride: so while you\u2019re willing to admit that you do things wrong, you\u2019re also tempted to say that some of your sins are all right. You\u2019re tempted to hold onto grudges and just stay angry at people you don\u2019t like. You\u2019re tempted to believe gossip and assume the unsubstantiated worst about people. You\u2019re tempted to let your eyes wander to trash and let your mind dwell on it because it\u2019s not like you\u2019re letting it rule your life. You\u2019re tempted to hoard what you have for yourself, and let others help the less fortunate or support the proclamation of the Gospel. Why? Because you\u2019re forgiven, right? And you\u2019re better than you could be, than you used to be. God\u2019s not seriously going to nitpick over little sins like these, is He? <\/p>\n
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That\u2019s how you take God\u2019s Law and start to relax it, acting as though the Lord isn\u2019t so concerned about all of His Law anymore, just the \u201cbig sins,\u201d whatever those might be (usually defined as \u201cwhat others are doing\u201d). And what happens then? Since you don\u2019t see the need for forgiveness for those common, everyday sins, the Gospel doesn\u2019t seem so important anymore. The effect on your faith is this: you\u2019re the salt of the earth\u2014what a privilege! You\u2019ve got a faith to live and proclaim, a faith that\u2019s built upon Law and Gospel. But when your \u201cfaith\u201d is no longer repentance for all your sins and trust in the Gospel, you and your faith lose your taste. The Law you believe is no longer the Law (because you\u2019ve changed it) and the Gospel you believe is no longer the Gospel (because you\u2019ve changed that, too). Your faith is becoming useless so that you\u2019re only good for being thrown out, the least in the kingdom of heaven. You\u2019re the light of the world\u2014what an honor! But if you stop believing that you need Christ to remove all of your sins, your light is going out. <\/p>\n
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2. The Law Fulfilled in Christ
\nFor all of this, Jesus makes a vital declaration: \u201cDo not think I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.\u201d <\/p>\n
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Jesus can\u2019t make it any clearer than that: not one dot will pass from the Law until all is accomplished, until heaven and earth pass away. God hasn\u2019t relaxed His Law at all: sin is still sin, and the wages of sin is still death. You don\u2019t have the luxury or the authority of relaxing that Law, because God doesn\u2019t grant it to you: if you do, you\u2019ll be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. <\/p>\n
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It\u2019s a stark warning: one of the most dangerous sins is believing that a lot of sins don\u2019t matter anymore. If that\u2019s what you tell yourself, you\u2019ll be open to all sorts of sins. If that\u2019s what you tell others, you\u2019re leading them astray, away from the Gospel, too. How silly to believe that Christ has saved you from sin, but then to shipwreck your faith by clinging to stupid, little, everyday transgressions. Judgment awaits the one who doesn\u2019t repent of these sins. That\u2019s the stark law of this text. And should you think that this is much ado about nothing, it only demonstrates how much this Law is necessary for you. <\/p>\n
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There is Gospel in Jesus\u2019 words here, too: wonderful, abundant Gospel. He says, \u201cI have not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfill them.\u201d Jesus says He has come to fulfill the Law. There\u2019s another option: rather than abolish the Law or fulfill the Law, He could have come to enforce the Law. Jesus could have come and said, \u201cI have come, here and now, to enforce the Law, to pass judgment on sinners and condemn you now.\u201d Were that the case, we\u2019d have no hope. But He didn\u2019t. He will come to judge the living and the dead on the Last Day, but He came first to deliver us from judgment. How? He tells you\u2014it\u2019s why He came. <\/p>\n
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He came to fulfill the Law. He came to keep it, every last part\u2014dotting the I\u2019s and crossing the T\u2019s. He lived a perfectly holy and righteous life according to God\u2019s holy Law, and He taught that Word to others, too. That would make Him great in the kingdom of heaven\u2014the Greatest! It also means that He didn\u2019t have to die, because the Lord declared in Leviticus 18:5, \u201cYou shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them.\u201d Because He kept all the statutes and the rules, Jesus didn\u2019t have to die, because death is the wages of sin. <\/p>\n
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But He did die, because He came to fulfill the Law; and the Law declares that \u201cThe soul who sins shall die\u201d (Ezekiel 18:20). But look! And rejoice! Jesus fulfilled this part of the law, too. He took upon Himself the sins of every sinner, you included. He took your place in judgment: He suffered condemnation and death on the cross. You might say that, on the cross, He became the least in the kingdom of heaven, because He was the One outside the kingdom suffering hell for your sin. The cross is proof that God doesn\u2019t relax His Law, because the Son of God suffered every last bit of judgment for the sins of the world. <\/p>\n
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Then He rose again. Risen again, He declares that He has fulfilled the Law for you. He says, \u201cYou know where it says that the one who keeps the Law will live? I kept it, and I give you the credit for My keeping it; so you will live. And you know that part where it says that the \u201csoul that sins shall die\u201d? I fulfilled that, too. I died your death for your sin, and that is why I forgive you. I no longer hold your sins against you.\u201d <\/p>\n
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This is Good News: Jesus didn\u2019t come to abolish the Law or enforce the Law. He came to fulfill it for you. And because He has done so, you have eternal life in Him. <\/p>\n
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So \u201clet your light shine before others, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.\u201d Let the light which shines forth from you be the light of Christ: let the good works that people see be your contrition for sin, your respect for God\u2019s holy law, your faith that Christ is your Savior, your freedom from enslavement to sin\u2014even the comfortable, casual, everyday sins. All of these are God\u2019s gifts to you, Christ living in you. This is the life of the Christian made alive in the Gospel. <\/p>\n
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Christ came and saved you by fulfilling the Law, by living a perfect life, by dying in your place and rising again. That is the Gospel we are given to proclaim: that is the power of salvation to all who will believe. God grant you always to acknowledge His Law in its full, unrelaxed holiness and severity, for that Law will drive you to Christ and the grace that He has won. God grant you all the more to rejoice in that Gospel of Christ and Him crucified, for it is the news that you are forgiven. For all of your sins. \u2028In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I. The Back Door Attack on the Gospel It\u2019s no secret that church attendance and church membership is declining in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[173,176],"wpfc_sermon_series":[],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[],"class_list":["wpfc_preacher-pastor-fritsche","wpfc_preacher-pastor-j-fritsche","wpfc-sermon-single","post-3218","wpfc_sermon","type-wpfc_sermon","status-publish","hentry"],"sermon_audio":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/February-05-2023.mp3","sermon_audio_duration":"00:20:41","_views":"15","bible_passage":"atthew 5:17: Jesus said, \u201cDo not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.\u201d","sermon_video_embed":"","sermon_video_url":"","sermon_bulletin":"","_featured_url":false,"sermon_date":1675573277,"_sermon_date_auto":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/wpfc_sermon\/3218","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/wpfc_sermon"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/wpfc_sermon"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3218"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/wpfc_sermon\/3218\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3729,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/wpfc_sermon\/3218\/revisions\/3729"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3218"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"wpfc_preacher","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwpfc_preacher&post=3218"},{"taxonomy":"wpfc_sermon_series","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwpfc_sermon_series&post=3218"},{"taxonomy":"wpfc_sermon_topics","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwpfc_sermon_topics&post=3218"},{"taxonomy":"wpfc_bible_book","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwpfc_bible_book&post=3218"},{"taxonomy":"wpfc_service_type","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwpfc_service_type&post=3218"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}