Immanuel Lutheran Church, Springfield, IL April 3, 2016

Transcription

1 The Second Sunday of Easter, Series C Rev. Darrell Debowey Immanuel Lutheran Church, Springfield, IL April 3, 2016 Acts 5:12 20: 12 Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon s Portico. 13 None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. 14 And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, 15 so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. 16 The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed. 17 But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy 18 they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. 19 But during the night tan angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, 20 Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life. It s What We Hear, not What We See Grace to you and peace The text for today s message is the Reading from Acts, the fifth chapter. Introduction The nickname for the state of Missouri is The Show Me State. There are several stories concerning the origin of that nickname, but the most widely known story gives credit to Missouri s U.S. Congressman Willard Duncan Vandiver for coining the phrase in During a speech in Philadelphia, he said: I come from a state that raises corn and cotton and cockleburs and Democrats and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I am from Missouri. You have got to show me. The phrase is now used to describe the character of Missourians they re not gullible they re unwilling to believe without adequate evidence. That sounds a lot like Thomas in today s Gospel reading. He has the nickname, Doubting Thomas. But maybe we should call him, Show Me Thomas. He was unwilling to believe the Page 1

2 other disciples without adequate evidence the evidence of his own senses of sight and touch Unless I see and place my finger and place my hand I will never believe. Before we re too quick to criticize Thomas, how many of us actually take people at their word today especially if they tell us something as fantastic as someone rising from the dead? With so many scams and with an Internet filled with more scams and lies and untruths and distortions, we ve all become healthy skeptics. Because there are so many false stories, myths, and misinformation out there, there s a fact-checking website, called snopes.com, that roots out urban legends. So, the next time you get an about the family that drowned at an automatic car wash because they left their sunroof open, you can go to snopes.com to find out if the story is true or if it s an urban legend. But of course, can you believe snopes.com? That s another rumor that s circulating around the Internet. When it comes to the Internet and scammers, contract negotiations and modern politics, today it s a virtue to be a skeptic we ve all become Missourians especially if you have an elderly parent! In our text from the Book of Acts, Luke says, Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. Signs and wonders accompanied the apostles preaching and teaching to demonstrate the power of God s Word to the early hearers of the Gospel. If the Word could change a person s outer condition blindness, sickness, paralysis, demon possession then that was evidence it could change a person s inner condition. Having been given miraculous power from Jesus, even the shadow of Peter had healing power. For these early hearers of the Gospel, seeing became believing just like it was for Thomas. Page 2

3 And just as the leaders of the Jews were envious of Jesus, they were envious of the apostles and threw them all in the local jail. For those leaders, it was obvious that seeing wasn t believing! Now the Lord sent an angel to open the prison doors and free the apostles. And once freed, the Lord gave the apostles this command, Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life. The Lord told the apostles to preach about Jesus, for it is His Life that gives life not signs and wonders. God sends His Holy Spirit through the Word and it is the Holy Spirit who gives life in Jesus through the Word. IT S NOT WHAT WE SEE THAT OVERCOMES UNBELIEF AND GIVES LIFE, IT S WHAT WE HEAR IT S THE LORD WHO OVERCOMES UNBELIEF AND GIVES LIFE IN CHRIST THROUGH THE POWER OF HIS WORD. Signs and wonders died out with the close of the apostolic age. We don t need signs and wonders to confirm the power of God s Word today we don t need to see to believe we believe in Jesus because God has given us His Word and Spirit. Yet, we like to be Show Me Christians. We want to see evidence of God s work evidence of His power. Perhaps that s why we think God is more at work in mega-churches than He is in mini-churches that He works better through gifted and eloquent pastors than through ordinary pastors. And, perhaps that s why people are enamored by the exotic spiritual gifts of healing, miracles, speaking in tongues and interpretation, because it looks to them like the Holy Spirit is more at work in these gifts, than in the more mundane gifts of preaching and teaching. When I was a student and Concordia College now University in Ann Arbor, Michigan, it was during the height of the charismatic controversy. People wanted to experience the power Page 3

4 of God, so they wanted to possess one of the exotic spiritual gifts especially speaking in tongues for in these gifts they thought they could really see the power of God. But it didn t take long for some students to doubt their own faith because they couldn t speak in tongues they were told that speaking in tongues was necessary evidence they had the Holy Spirit. And late one night, one of my professors had to rescue a despairing young woman from a group of students who kept telling her she was sick because her faith was weak. Yet, Paul said to the people of Corinth, Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts. The higher gifts to Paul were not the exotic gifts, but the gifts of preaching and teaching, for such gifts build up the whole Church, because they speak to the people the words of this Life they proclaim Jesus. On the other hand, though, have you ever observed that people are more prone to do evil because they don t see any evidence of God s power. In the Old Testament, the Israelites were a Show Me kind of people. They believed they could do whatever they pleased because they didn t see any evidence that God had the power to do anything about their evil they didn t see Him working against them, so they didn t believe He would. God s response is found in Zephaniah: At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the men who are complacent, those who say in their hearts, The LORD will not do good, nor will he do ill. And God did act He sent the nation of Babylon to put an end to their evil. And in the New Testament, people often wanted to see Jesus do signs, but when He wouldn t do signs because of their unbelief, they rejected Him and they rejected His Word of Page 4

5 Life. Even Mary Magdalene saw the risen Jesus but she didn t believe it was Jesus until He spoke her name. If you re looking for evidence of God s power, then consider what your eyes might deceive you about such things as: Christ on the cross does that really look like the power of God? The water of baptism does that look like God is doing a great thing? The bread and wine of the Lord s Supper is the body and blood of Jesus really there? The absolution does some guy dressed in robes really take your sins away? If the evidence of God s power to save was based on what we see, there would be no Christian Church no Christianity. Noah wouldn t have built the ark. Abraham would have never left Ur for Canaan. There would have been no deliverance from Egypt. And consider this: If faith was based on sight, then Jesus would have to come down to earth and die on the cross and rise again for every generation and then there would still be those who didn t believe, like the leaders of the Jews. Instead, Jesus has based your faith in Him on what you have heard about Him. Your faith is based on what the apostles saw and their eyewitness testimonies of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus testimony for which they were all willing to die. Your faith is based on Jesus, who is the fulfillment of God s Old Testament Word. Jesus doesn t need to come to earth, die and rise again so you can see to believe He s given you His Word all the words of this Life His Life Who is now your life. Thus, Jesus told Thomas, Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not Page 5

6 seen and yet believed. And John concludes our Gospel reading by saying, but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. Because you have the Holy Spirit through the Words of This Life: You believe that Jesus is your Lord and Savior, even though you ve never seen Him. You believe in His death and resurrection, even though you ve never seen the filled cross and the empty tomb. You believe in the Real presence of Christ s body and blood in the Sacrament, even though you don t see His body and blood in, with and under the bread and wine you believe because Jesus said so. You believe that when I announce the forgiveness of sins, God has taken your sins away, even though you don t see them being taken away. And in Holy Baptism, you believe a person receives the Holy Spirit and becomes a believer in Jesus because God says so in His Word. Ultimately, we are all called to walk by faith to trust God at His Word. You don t need to see God at work to know He s working. You believe He is at work because you have the Spirit and the Word your faith is all the evidence you need to know that God is at work in you and in this world. Conclusion: The Lord said to His apostles: Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life. It is the Word of God about Jesus that grows the Church and gives life to Page 6

7 believers that s why Jesus said to His disciples to Go and Baptize and Teach. The Gospel is the true power of God to save by creating faith in the hearts of those who hear the message of Jesus. We don t need to say to God, Show Me we have His Word His promises fulfilled in Christ and that is enough. In Jesus Name. Amen. Page 7