WORSHIP VIDEO LINK (linked after 10:45 AM Service)
WORSHIP AUDIO LINK
SERMON AUDIO LINK
BULLETIN
SERMON TEXT BELOW
Pentecost 12, 2024
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
August 11, 2024
1 Kings 19:1-8, Ephesians 4:17-5:2, John 6:35-51
Sermons online:
Text and Audio: immanuelhamiltonchurch.com click “sermons”
Text: pastorjud.org
Audio: pastorjud.podbean.com
itunes: bit.ly/pastorjud
Full Service Audio: bit.ly/ImmanuelWorship
Idolatry or Christ?
The children of Israel in the Northern Kingdom at the time of King Ahab and his wife Jezebel have a big problem. They have given up on worshiping YHWH, the true God, and instead are worshiping the local gods Baal and Asherah, fertility gods with sexual perversion as part of their worship.
The prophet Elijah summons 450 prophets of Baal to Mt. Carmel where there is a showdown between YHWH and Baal and YHWH wins. Israel needs a clean break from idolatry. After Baal’s defeat, 1 Kings 18:40 (ESV) 40 …Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape.” And they seized them. And Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon and slaughtered them there.”
Idolatry or Christ? Elijah makes a clean break from idolatry by slaughtering the prophets of Baal. He is clearly on the side of YHWH. Elijah is forced to flee the wrath of Queen Jezebel. Rejecting idolatry can have it costs.
You were born into a perverse and idolatrous world. What Paul says in Ephesians about the people of the world is still true today. They walk… Ephesians 4:17–19 (ESV) 17 … in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. 19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. Idolatry or Christ?
You have made a clean break from this world. In the waters of baptism God stripped away from you the filthy garments of your old sinful self and has given you the robe of Jesus’ righteousness made white in the blood of the Lamb of God. He has delivered [you] from the domain of darkness and transferred [you] to the kingdom of his beloved Son. In baptism, the Old Adam in you, the old sinful self, is drowned and dies. You are given a clean break from idolatry. You are in Christ. As a baptized child of God you are kept safe and secure in the holy ark of the Christian Church, being separated from the multitude of unbelievers and serving God’s name at all time with a fervent spirit and a joyful hope.
Idolatry or Christ? You have made a clean break from life in the world. You have made a clean break from the devil; the god of this world. As the community of Christ, at a baptism we renounce the devil, and all of his works, and all of his ways. We disown the devil. We give up life in his world to live life in the kingdom of God. Life in the kingdom of God is life lived, in community, with the people of Christ. It is life lived in the Church of Christ. It is life lived together in Christ.
What does life in the Kingdom of God look like?
In the Kingdom of God you are… Ephesians 4:22–24 (ESV) 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” Put off your old self. Put on the new self.
In our Epistle reading Paul teaches about life together as the Church. As followers of Jesus, set apart from the multitude of unbelievers, how should you live together knowing that the devil desperately wants to tear you apart through disputes and anger and bitterness and sin. How should you live together? Ephesians 4:25 (ESV) 25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.” You all belong to one another, so speak the truth in love. Pastors must teach the truth of God and not let the lies of the world creep into the teaching of the church as so many pastors are doing. Megan Basham’s has a new book entitled, “Shepherds For Sale: How Evangelical Leaders Traded The Truth for a Leftist Agenda.” In this book it is reported that influential leaders in evangelical churches have been paid off by far left influencers to stop teaching the truth of God’s word and instead adapt their teaching to be compatible with the ways of the cultural elites. This is a well-organized, well-funded movement in order to influence the political voting of the members of their churches.
Idolatry or Christ? Speak the truth.
Ephesians 4:26–27 (ESV) 26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil.” This is an interesting verse. It is actually a quote from Psalm 4:4 (ESV) 4 Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent.”
The danger of this verse is I think it can lead us to believe that it is okay to get angry, at least to a certain extent, and we use this verse to justify our anger. However, the word “angry” in Psalm 4 can be translated “be agitated,” or even “tremble.” You can feel agitation and trembling when you are getting angry. As a situation grows more stressful you can feel the anxiety building, and you can begin to physically shake; maybe just your hands… maybe your whole body. Your temper is building and getting ready to blow. What are the triggers for you losing your temper? Some of my triggers for feeling like this are automated customer service help lines where you dial a number and answer a bunch of questions by voice and push a bunch of buttons and then it puts you back to the beginning and you have to start over and it will not let you speak to a real person. Or when the copier won’t work, or the computer is not cooperating. I am doing exactly what I have done before, but this time it is not working. Or trying to login to a website and it keeps rejecting the password I know is correct and my anger rises. Another time I get agitated is when I am eating out and have finished the meal and ready to head home and the waitress disappears. I just want to get the check and go but they have me trapped. This agitates me. It can make me tremble. Jeannette surely has many more examples.
Be agitated, and do not sin. Anger is a problem for children, teenagers, adults, seniors. We all struggle with anger, some more than others. As a child of God, control your anger… because when you lose your temper you sin. You do things and say things that you need to repent of. Losing your temper can permanently break relationships. You hurt others. The devil loves to get you angry. Don’t give the devil a foothold. Take a break. Call a timeout. Go for a walk. Take some deep breaths. Regain control over yourself. Self-control is one of the fruits of the Spirit.
Anger is dangerous in marriages, in families, and in congregations. Anger gives the devil a foothold to take over your life and pull you away from Christ into idolatry. The devil wants nothing more than for church members to get angry with each other. An angry church member or an angry pastor can do great harm to the Body of Christ. Anger is not a Christian virtue and yet so many Christians are angry. Control your emotions. Rejoice in the Lord. Rejoice in your salvation. Be on guard and do not let the sun go down on your anger. Repent of your anger. Before you go to bed, reach out to the one you are angry with and make amends. Apologize for losing your temper. Apologize for your anger. Ephesians 4:26–27 (ESV) 26 Be [agitated] and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil.”
Ephesians 4:28 (ESV) 28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.” Repent of your wrongdoing and do good. Not just for yourself, but so that you can help others.
Ephesians 4:29–30 (ESV) 29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” You are a baptized child of God. You are redeemed. You have the gift of eternal life. Your body is a temple for the Holy Spirit. Live out your Spirit-filled identity in Christ. Does Christ tear others down? Does He talk trash about others? Does Jesus tell dirty jokes? Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. You are a new creation in Christ filled with the Holy Spirit. Live out your life in Christ.
It is a daily struggle, as a vessel of the Holy Spirit, to live out your identity. Ephesians 4:31 (ESV) 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Ephesians 4:32 (ESV) 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
Forgiveness is key to life in Christ as a temple of the Holy Spirit. When someone wrongs you, you have the right to get even. You have the right to take revenge. God has the right to punish you for your sins. You are a sinner. The wages of sin is death. You deserve death and hell. God has a right to punish you but He gives up that right. Jesus is punished instead and you are forgiven. Forgive one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
After our reading today Paul goes on to warn about sexual immorality and covetousness and filthy talk. These are the ways of the world. But you are no longer of the world.
Idolatry or Christ? You have renounced the devil. In baptism you have been set apart from the multitude of unbelievers. You belong to Jesus. You are a community in Christ. You are the body of Christ. Ephesians 5:1–2 (ESV) 1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
Walk in love because you are in Christ. Amen