Pentecost 15 September 2, 2018 Mark 7:14–23
Jesus sacrificed all so that you could be his family!
PRAYER
Back in late June the world became transfixed by the story of a young soccer team stuck deep in a Thai cave with the rainy season all but upon them. For 2 weeks, rescue workers first sought to find the boys and their coach, then to feed and care for them as numerous plans were devised that could possibly rescue all of these non-swimmers! With much assistance from around the world a plan was struck to assist the boys with swimming out of the cave. Did I mention none of them could swim? With the painstaking work of many volunteer divers running guide ropes all along the route and placing oxygen tanks at various strategic positions, all was now ready. To the world’s amazement every single one of the team members and their coach were rescued alive!
But we must not forget that one courageous diver sacrificed his life to keep them alive. The diver, 38-year-old Sa/man Gu/nan, was the “hero of Tham Lu/ang cave,” said Governor Na/rong/sak O/sot/tan/ak/orn of Ching Rai in Thailand. This X navy seal put his life on the line and lost it while making underwater preparations to rescue the team. The very thought that a former navy seal, who kept in shape, died in preparing for the rescue showed just how perilous this rescue attempt was going to be!
To give his life, even though accidently, for others, people he didn’t even know, what a selfless gift to those boys, their parents, their relatives and well, to the whole world!
There are many stories of sacrifice. A cursory look on Google offered up story after story of parents or siblings giving up part of their liver or a kidney for a family member or for a complete stranger. A mother had her ears surgically removed to give to her son who was born without. A man who received 13 liters of blood to save his life when he was 13 years old vowed that when he was 18 he would give blood often to help save others. So far he has given blood over 1000 times.
A WWII survivour wrote that the entire male population of his large community (12 years old and up) was lined up and every 20th person was taken and shot in a mass grave. As he counted down the line he realized that he would be one of the 20ths taken and shot.
As the numbering continued there was a distraction amongst the Nazi soldiers and the silver haired man beside him quickly moved himself into his 20th position. Just before the soldiers took the elderly man to his death he whispered to the youth, “Your life is no longer your own. Live it for both of us.”
These stories give rise to very interesting thoughts and feelings. Would I have the guts to switch places with someone so they could live while I myself die? I would want to do such a thing, to be utterly selfless! But would I! Would you? Can any of us be sure we would follow through? After all our Gospel lesson does a good job of pointing out that what comes out of our hearts is not at all a rushing to the front of the line to die in someone else place.
Our brother the Apostle Mark records these words of Jesus: “And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.””
So the truth is that lutfisk, pizza, cows tongue, snake fillets or properly roasted roaches, slugs, ants or frogs legs etc. etc. will not defile you when you eat them. They may not make your stomach feel all that good BUT they do not defile you!
What defiles us, taints or stains us in the eyes of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, this universes One and only true God, is what comes out of our hearts. We don’t often think of it this way but here’s the list of evil things Jesus says are within our human hearts.
“For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
Yikes, I’d venture a guess that you and I don’t often think of our hearts in that way! And yet each of us knows it’s the truth. Think of your pet sins, the ones that daily dog you, those things that haunt you the most. Think of the thoughts you’ve had toward others and all the good things you had planned and never carried out. All of it deadly!
Though we who have received faith in Jesus and are saved by his sacrificial death in our place, our hearts yet gush forth a whole lot of evil. Garbage fully paid for by Jesus, but evil garbage none the less! That’s why Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us daily as his kids. And we know we need it! We need his help to daily see this evil, loathe it, rather than ourselves, and then quickly turn it over to Jesus who has paid for it in full. With that repentance we have strength to live the new lives which Jesus has given us. Daily fed by reading the Bible and weekly fed by God’s Holy Meal we are strengthened to live lives that reflect Jesus life in us.
The examples of sacrifice I mentioned at the beginning of the sermon were all incredible! Persons giving of themselves so that others might be blessed! However, their sacrifice was only for a time. The boys that Sa/man Gu/nan died to save will die one day. His accidental sacrifice on their behalf has a shelf life. The kidneys, livers and blood shared will one day give out and the recipients will die. The elderly man went to his death and so also will the young lad which was given place number 1 instead of 20.
Actually there’s only One person’s sacrifice that that has no expiry date on the shelf life! There’s only One person that can truly place you in position # 1 and have it stick, forever! That person is the One and only Saviour of every person’s soul. Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God and son of Man who gave us his perfect life so that our imperfect lives could be made acceptable to him, forever!
All that stuff that defiles us, all that evil that spills forth from our hearts, the “evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.” All of this evil has been paid for in full by Jesus’ once and for all sacrifice of himself upon the Cross of Calvary. And you are forgiven! All persons are forgiven, whether they believe in this Jesus and what he did for them or not! He forgave us all! None can change that! We are forgiven by God almighty!
By relying on Jesus sacrifice you have eternal life now and forever (remember no expiration date). Simply through accepting what Jesus has won for you, it’s yours! No payment needed! In fact, what could you ever give as sufficient payment to the One who owns everything? And it’s not your decision to accept this gift, it’s simply Jesus gift to you. Oh you can reject it but that would be denying what he has done for you and saying you are content with living with the stuff found in your heart.
When you receive a gift on your birthday, what do you do with it? (Pause) Do you say I will decide which gifts I will open and which gifts I will reject? NO! You simply open them sharing a joyous response with each giver! Same with Jesus sacrificial gift to you!
Truth is most reject the gift! Most don’t even open it! People reject the gift of being in God’s family with the gift of peace and joy now, peace to quell the mess in our hearts that doesn’t just disappear when we simply trust in Jesus incredible sacrifice for us! Most reject the gift of true life now and family now and forever, mostly because of pride.
If Jesus did not come back to life after his sacrificial death then he is not worth trusting! What good is it to believe in a dead guy! That would be of no help to you, in fact, it would harm you greatly! However, it’s been proven not only in the Bible but by others, non-believes, that reported that this Jesus did truly come back to life.
But if you can prove them wrong you would definitely have a leg to stand on. Then pride could stand! But people that I know who have truly put their all into the attempt to disprove the resurrection have come to see the unending joy that Jesus is the Lord of their lives and the Saviour of their souls. They have come to see the sacrificial truth.
Jesus sacrifice was not accidental! It was on purpose! It was to save you and me because there was no way for us to swim ourselves through the weight of our evil to safety. He saved us by dying on purpose!
Yet people all around us at work and play, who do not believe in Jesus, are not yet in his forever family. They are easy pickings for their old evil foe! They are not condemned by Jesus, No! Remember these words? “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him!” It’s God’s desire that all the people of this world come to hear of Jesus and what he has done to save them, just as we have heard. He is their Saviour, just as he is ours! There’s only One!
That’s why this year, beginning this month, with the help of Lutheran Layman’s League – Canada, we are going to share our hope in Jesus from on high.
For two weeks every month prayerfully every driving Fort McMurrian will see our message about or from Jesus. This month from the 9th to 22nd down beside Earl’s on the northbound Jumbo Tron people will see these words:
Jesus sacrificed all for you to be his family!
Underneath these words people will read:
So What? Come and see @ trinitylcfm.org
On our website persons who Come and see will find resources pertaining to each month’s theme. We pray that we will have opportunity to answer questions and offer hope to any who reach out to us. It’s our desire that in this age of media and tech that we use what’s at our disposal and the things that the world is tied to in order to share Jesus, the Person every human needs. Without him they’ll never have hope, never have peace, never be with and in Jesus’ forever family. Amen.
Mark 7:14–23
14 And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: 15 There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” 17 And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. 18 And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, 19 since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) 20 And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
Ephesians 6:10–20
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”
Deuteronomy 4:1–2, 6–9
“And now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the rules that I am teaching you, and do them, that you may live, and go in and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you. 2 You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you…. 6 Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ 7 For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? 8 And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today? 9 “Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children.”