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Pentecost 2 2023 Proper 5A
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
June 11, 2023
Hosea 5:15-6:6, Romans 4:13-25, Matthew 9:9-13
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Why do people come to church? 50 years ago many people came to church because that is what respectable people did and you wanted to look respectable but that is not so much the case today. Nowadays, I think many people come to church for a little tune up, a pep talk, encouragement to persevere through struggles. I listened to a megachurch pastor who had a long sermon about a backcountry motorcycle trip and how he was able to push through difficult challenges. He pushed through and if you can push through the challenges of life like he did, you can find success also.
Some people, I think, come to church to get the smudges of life polished off; a light, weekly buffing to be made nice and shiny again. They are doing pretty good, but need to take care of some stuff where they messed up a little. They just need a little adjustment. They just need a few tweaks.
Why do people come to church? Why do you come to church?
Some people do not come to church because they do not want to hear any criticism. Too often we have behaviora that we know is against what God wants us to do, but we have worked out a good justification. “I know I shouldn’t be sleeping with my boyfriend. I know I shouldn’t be getting drunk. I know I shouldn’t be flying off the handle with my spouse and kids. I know I should be spending more time in God’s Word. I know that it is wrong, but I have a good excuse so it is all okay.” But then you come to church and hear the Word of God, and God declares your sin to be sin, and declares you to be a sinner. And no one likes to hear criticism. No one likes to be told how to do things better. So, many don’t come to church because they believe God is a killjoy. God doesn’t want you to have any fun. God just criticizes and His criticism hurts.
There is some truth to that. God’s law hurts. God’s law condemns. God’s law crushes. Getting crushed by the law does not feel good. Folks come to church to get a bit of polishing and instead they get crushed. Being condemned and crushed by the law hurts. Indeed it kills. God is a kill joy. He kills you in order to bring you joy. Without being crushed and condemned you cannot be raised up to live as a saint in the Kingdom of God. The law crushes and the Gospel raises you from the dead.
As you kneel down to confess your sins you are kneeling down to die with Christ. You kneel in humble submission in a posture of surrender. While kneeling there, you admit that you deserve death and hell because of what you have done in thought, word and deed. You deserve it because of what you have done and what you have left undone. Jesus humbled Himself even to death. Kneeling there, confessing your sins, you are united with Christ in death. Romans 6:5–11 (ESV) 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
God kills to raise you from the dead. God hears your confession and takes ownership of your sin and in exchange Hw gives you Jesus’ perfection. God does not leave you crushed by the law. He does not leave you in your sin. God declares that all your sins have been forgiven through the blood of Jesus. God creates in you a clean heart and renews a right spirit within you.
Why do you come to church? You return to the Lord your God in humble repentance to be killed by God’s law and made alive by Jesus’ Words, and His Body and Blood.
In our Old Testament reading from Hosea, the children of Israel are a rebellious people who are not sorry for their sins. They go through rituals but have not love. God says, Hosea 6:4 (ESV) 4 What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes early away.
How does God react to Israel’s unfaithfulness? Hosea 6:5 (ESV) 5 Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth, and my judgment goes forth as the light.”
God does not lightly polish the smudges off the children of Israel. He roughly shapes them, he kills them, He judges them. Why does God do this? To bring His people to repentance and new life in Him. For the Lord says, Hosea 6:6 (ESV) 6 For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”
The Lord disciplines the children of Israel and the Lord disciplines you. And that is good news. Hebrews 12:6 (ESV) 6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” What a great blessing that God loves you enough to give you his hewing, slaying, judging law to kill your old sinful self, and let your new self rise up to eternal life with Him.
For those who do not heed the Lord’s rebukes there is great danger. It is spiritually treacherous to believe you are good enough and you just need an occasional tune up rather than to be killed and raised again.
You know you are a sinner. You know you need Jesus. Why do you come to church? You come to return to the Lord. You come to be hewn, slain and judged by God’s law, to die to sin, and to rise to new life in Jesus. You come to learn compassion from God so you can show compassion to others.
We see this in our Gospel reading where Matthew and other tax collectors and sinners are eating with Jesus, and the Pharisees are taken aback. “These are not good people. What does Jesus think He is doing by eating with sinners? We Pharisees are good people, these tax collectors and sinners are bad people. We follow the rules and do what we are supposed to do -- those people just mess up and they know it.”
This is exactly the point. The tax collectors and sinners know they are not good enough. They are convicted by their sin and they have been called by Jesus to die to sin and rise to new life in Him. Matthew has been called to leave behind life as a tax collector and follow Jesus. Matthew does just that. Matthew knows he is a sinner and knows he needs Jesus.
You know you are a sinner. You know you need Jesus. Why do you come to church? You come to return to the Lord. You come to be hewn, slain and judged by God’s law, to die to sin, and to rise to new life in Jesus. You come to learn compassion from God so you can show compassion to others.
Jesus says, Matthew 9:13 (ESV) 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” Jesus is using a figure of speech here which means, I want not only sacrifice, but even more importantly, I want mercy.
There were certainly sacrifices in the Old Testament of wheat and birds and lambs and bulls. Jesus comes as the ultimate sacrifice to end all sacrifices but there is still a New Testament sacrifice. Romans 12:1–2 (ESV) 1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Die to self, die to the world. Show mercy. In your baptism Jesus said to you, “Follow me.” So, follow Jesus. Joel 2:13 (ESV) 13… Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love…”
Come to church. Die to self, rise in Christ, live in mercy. Amen.