Dear Friends in Christ,<\/p>\n
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This morning I would like to look at this text from 1st John from two perspectives \u2013 first, according to the Law of God, and secondly, from the Gospel of Christ.<\/p>\n
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I. According to the Law
\nAccording to God\u2019s Law, you\u2019re not who you appear to be. <\/p>\n
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If you want to be technical about it, we teach that God\u2019s Law operates in part as a curb: it discourages evil from happening. In other words, you know better than to say some of the things that you want to say and do some of the things you want to do. You don\u2019t always act on your thoughts or appetites or impulses. <\/p>\n
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Why? Because they\u2019re wrong. Because doing so would damage you. It would lead to punishment. It would harm your reputation.
\nSo even when you want to talk back to your parents or your boss, you know better: you\u2019re going to pay for it if you do. Even if you bear a grudge against someone in your mind, you know better than to act on it. Even when you want to slug somebody, you don\u2019t throw down. Or when you want to indulge sexual temptation, you don\u2019t. Even when you want to take your neighbor\u2019s new truck, you leave it where it is. Even when you want to lie to get out of a bad situation, you know that it\u2019s right to tell the truth. <\/p>\n
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Right? Well, maybe. Maybe you do talk back, act on grudges, slug people, gratify your lust, steal your neighbor\u2019s truck or lie. When you do, it\u2019s wrong. Sins like that will work to kill your faith, rob you of life and salvation. Repent. Confess those sins. Be forgiven, because Christ has died to set you free. <\/p>\n
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But most of the time, you know better, I\u2019m guessing: otherwise, I might be preaching this sermon to you over a greasy phone through thick glass while you do your time. You know better than to act on all those sinful temptations and impulses that lurk around your mind, that crawl out of your heart. Because of the consequences, you suppress them as much as possible. In the words of that great theologian, Thumper, \u201cIf you can\u2019t say something nice, don\u2019t say anything at all.\u201d <\/p>\n
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On behalf of society, thank you. Thanks for not acting on every sinful impulse that runs around your brain. Some would say say that you should do whatever feels right to you, which I believe is also the worldview of sociopaths. If everybody did whatever they felt like doing to gratify themselves, this world would be a whole lot uglier than it already is. So thanks for suppressing a lot of the temptations floating around in your mind. <\/p>\n
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At the same time, remember what Jesus said: \u201cFor out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person\u201d (Mt. 15:19-20). Before you do anything sinful, you\u2019ve already thought about it. You\u2019re already guilty before God. You\u2019re already defiled and sinful. You\u2019re not righteous before Him because you\u2019ve managed to quell a lot of temptations inside. That was what the Pharisees believed: they thought that as long as their actions were law-abiding, they must be righteous before God. In response, Jesus called them white-washed tombs: they looked very nice and clean on the outside, but inside they were dead. <\/p>\n
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White-washed tombs. That\u2019s what I mean when I say that you\u2019re not who you appear to be. According to God\u2019s Law, you\u2019re worse. Far worse than you appear. You\u2019re guilty of all the sin that you\u2019ve held inside: even though you haven\u2019t acted on it, it\u2019s death and decay to your soul. You may not feel that bad about it: but then again, Jeremiah tells us that the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked (Jer. 17:9). We can\u2019t comprehend the depth of our sin: rather, we believe what God says about us in His Word. <\/p>\n
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But here\u2019s where the Law really crushes: Jesus is coming back to judge in glory. You haven\u2019t seen Him revealed in His holiness and glory yet. But you will. On that day, if your sins still cling to you, you\u2019ll be exposed for who you truly are: and according to the Law, that deserves only God\u2019s wrath and punishment. <\/p>\n
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According to the Law, you\u2019re not who you appear to be. You\u2019re worse. <\/p>\n
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We\u2019d better not end the sermon there. There\u2019s some better news according to the Gospel. <\/p>\n
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2. According to the Gospel
\nAccording to the Gospel, you\u2019re not who you appear to be. <\/p>\n
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What with keeping all those bad thoughts and behaviors in check, you come across as a pretty nice person and all. But according to the Gospel, you\u2019re not a pretty nice person.<\/p>\n
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You\u2019re far, far better than that. <\/p>\n
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\u201cSee what kind of love the Father has given to us,\u201d begins our epistle, and what kind of love is that? We find it in the chapter before: in His love for us, God the Father has given His only- begotten Son. He\u2019s given Him up to death in your place. He\u2019s declared, \u201cI so love you and desire your salvation that I have judged My Son in Your place. I do not ask you to earn your salvation by your works and efforts and sacrifices; instead, I have given My Son to work and sacrifice and die. And I have raised Him up again!\u201d <\/p>\n
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What does this mean to you? It means that by the grace of God, you\u2019re a child of God. You\u2019re not the lawless lost one looking in from the outside, nor the hypocrite who pretending to be good and hoping the Lord doesn\u2019t get wise: you\u2019re a child of God. You\u2019re not a slave who has to earn his keep and keep the Master\u2019s favor, nor are you an employee who has to get a good performance review in order to make the cut. You\u2019re a child of God. For Jesus\u2019 sake, He says, \u201cAt your Baptism, I made you My own. I put My name on you, made you a member of My household\u2014and My household lasts forever.\u201d <\/p>\n
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For Jesus\u2019 sake, you\u2019re a child of God. Not, \u201cyou will be a child of God,\u201d but \u201cyou are.\u201d Heaven is yours. The only way, dear believers, that you could not inherit heaven now would be for you to embrace sin and death and run away from home. <\/p>\n
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Furthermore, you\u2019re pure. Your sins are gone, because Jesus has taken them all away. He\u2019s died for them all. Again, since you\u2019re forgiven, God doesn\u2019t see you as an okay person trying hard to do the right thing: He sees you as right and righteous, because Jesus has taken the wrong away. He doesn\u2019t see you as hypocritical, hiding your sins: because of Jesus has taken them away, you have no sins left to hide. They\u2019re gone. <\/p>\n
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You\u2019re a child of God\u2014now. You\u2019re pure before Him\u2014now. That\u2019s what the Gospel declares. <\/p>\n
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You just don\u2019t appear that way right now. The text tells you: \u201cThe reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.\u201d The world didn\u2019t recognize Jesus as the Son of God\u2014instead, the world crucified Him. Don\u2019t expect any praise or favors from the world for being a Christian. Expect the world to say, \u201cYou don\u2019t look like a child of God, so you\u2019re getting no respect from us.\u201d <\/p>\n
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Furthermore, you don\u2019t appear pure, either. People will see and remember your mistakes, not the grace that God gives. You\u2019ll remember them, too, especially those sins along the way where the Law has especially crushed you, where the regret still feels fresh. Sin still clings to you in this life, and will try to persuade you that you\u2019re not pure and never could be. But that\u2019s the appearance, and the Gospel declares that you\u2019re far better than you appear. You\u2019re not pure before God because you never sinned: you\u2019re pure because Jesus has taken those sins away. Once you were defiled. Jesus has made you pure by taking those sins on Himself and dying in your place. <\/p>\n
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You don\u2019t appear to be a pure child of God\u2014to the world or to yourself. But you\u2019ve got Jesus\u2019 Word on it. Today, He\u2019s declared His powerful, effective words, \u201cI forgive you all of your sins.\u201d Soon, He visits you in, with and under bread and wine, with His body and blood, for the forgiveness of sins. If your sins are forgiven, you\u2019re pure. If your sins are forgiven, you\u2019re a child of God. On this Sunday of All Saints, you are numbered among them. You don\u2019t see it yet\u2014you don\u2019t appear that way. Neither do you see Jesus yet\u2014rather, He cloaks Himself in His Word and Supper to give you forgiveness and purity again. <\/p>\n
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It won\u2019t always be like this. Jesus is coming back in glory for all to see. You haven\u2019t seen Him revealed in His holiness and glory yet. But you will. You will see Him as He is, the glorious Son of God who took on flesh and died for you. And then, as one redeemed and forgiven, you\u2019ll be exposed for who you truly are even now for Jesus\u2019 sake. <\/p>\n
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You\u2019re pure.<\/p>\n
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You\u2019re a saint.
\n <\/p>\n
You\u2019re a child of God.<\/p>\n
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Because you are forgiven for all of your sins. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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