A gentle shepherd cares for his flock on a hillside. The shepherd picks up his flock and

Transcription

1 1 A gentle shepherd cares for his flock on a hillside. The shepherd picks up his flock and drops them in the middle of a pack of wolves. The snarling wolves sink their teeth into the flock, making them bleed. Why would a good shepherd do this to his flock? Our task is to understand this today, because this is our story. We are the sheep. On this Reformation Sunday, we relate to the apostles. Jesus sent them to the towns of Israel. He sent them out as sheep among wolves. Jesus has sent us out to be his witnesses in this hostile world. But let s learn an unexpected truth today. It s this: The more dangerous this life gets for us, the more confident we can be. Be Confident as Sheep Among Wolves. Part of our confidence is Jesus first words. I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. But how can we be? How? Well, think about snakes. They are low to the ground and vulnerable but they stay alert to avoid getting stepped on. Doves are white, a symbol of innocence. Jesus made his apostles shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves, by telling them the truth. They were in danger. For isn t it wise to be prepared? That s why schools have fire drills, and why we lock our doors at night. It s wise to do this, even though a fire at school may never come, and an intruder may never to try to break into the house. But Jesus sheep must be prepared, because wolf attacks are not a possibility. They re a certainty. Be on guard, Jesus tells his sheep. The apostles would be put on trial and whipped for speaking about Jesus. Their backs would be bloody and raw, just as Jesus back had been before Pontius Pilate. And notice Jesus said they d be whipped in the synagogue. The house of God would become a house of violence. Seems too awful to be true, but it ended up happening.

2 2 We are shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves as we face the truth. We are sheep. And wolves are all around us. Wolves are the unbelievers, the followers of Satan. These people don t believe in repentance and the forgiveness of sins in Jesus name. These wolves are everywhere and no matter what they say they re not looking to coexist. They seek to devour us. Most American neighborhoods look peaceful on the outside. But beneath that facade, real hatred is lurking in many homes. About two months ago, I was on an outreach visit with a member of our Bd. of Evangelism. We came to this beautiful country house. It almost looked like a bed and breakfast. You d expect nice people to be living there. And as the man answered the door, he was friendly, until we mentioned we were from Trinity Lutheran Church in the town of Liberty. Immediately his expression changed. We asked him if he had a church, and he said it was none of our business. He closed the door. Then as walked back to our car, we couldn t help but hear the next few words spoken from inside. The wife said, Honey, who was that? He answered. O, some religious freaks. Next time, I m getting my gun. I don t say that to scare you away from witnessing. Most people are friendly, and some will respond be beware. Beware of wolves. They are everywhere. A coworker at your job says, I m basically a good person. I think I ve done enough to get to heaven. That person s a wolf. A friend of yours says. It really doesn t matter what you believe. Just be spiritual, and go with what s right for you. That person s a wolf. A relative of yours says. There are mistakes in the Bible. The original message has been lost over time, so you can t fully rely on it. That person s a wolf. A neighbor of yours says. I don t think Jesus is the only way to heaven. That person s a wolf.

3 3 You see, the worst wolf attacks are not physical but spiritual. Through false beliefs, wolves are doing Satan s work and trying to tear us from the flock, devour us, and destroy our precious faith. But why would the Shepherd do this to us? Why would he throw us to the wolves and let them attack us? The answer is in what Jesus told his apostles. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. Jesus sends his sheep into wolves dens to be his witnesses. Be confident as sheep among wolves. Think of when your hope in Jesus has been mocked, when you ve been teased, or been called a Jesus freak. Jesus has put you in that position to be his witness. Like the sermon last week, our guest preacher mentioned a man who was so mean and harsh against the Christian faith, but eventually he took confirmation class and became a Christian, and what lead him to see the light? The crazy members of his wife s church. They were crazy nice. Answering his mean attacks with kindness. One of most triumphant chapters of the Bible, Romans 8, speaks this way. It says. We are as sheep to be slaughtered. This sounds depressing, but it is our triumph, our joy, our glory. In this world, we are privileged to suffer in Jesus name. Jesus told his apostles that they would stand before kings as his witnesses. Like all God s promises, this came true. The apostle Paul stood before King Agrippa. Later, Paul was put on trial before the Roman Caesar. What an opportunity! The Caesar, leader of one of the strongest empires in world history, and Paul got to stand before him and speak of his hope in the resurrection of the dead and of the forgiveness of sins in Jesus name.

4 4 Today is Reformation Sunday. We give hearty thanks to God for what he did through a German man named Martin Luther, five hundred years ago. By the year 1500, the truths of the Bible had been mostly forgotten. The worst lie that the priests and the pope taught was that people could not be sure of salvation. They had to try to do enough good works. They had to do certain ceremonies. They even could buy a piece of paper called an indulgence, which the church said would gain them God s forgiveness. These were all lies. Luther learned from the Bible the truth that we are all sinners. He learned from the Bible that there is only one way for a person to be saved, and it is through faith in Jesus. And like the apostles, Luther had to stand trial. At the Diet of Worms, Luther was told by the Holy Roman Emperor that he needed to take back all that he had written. Luther s response was that unless they could prove to him from the Word of God where he had been wrong, that he would not take back his writings. The Holy Spirit gave one small sheep, named Martin Luther, the courage to speak to a room full of wolves. Why? So that they could hear the Bible truth, that we are saved by grace alone. By faith alone. By Scripture alone. Just as that banner says. You are a sheep. You may not be put on trial before a King but you will encounter wolves. Don t be afraid of them. Many of you have friends who do not trust in Jesus, or you re not sure if they do. Many of you have friends that I will never meet, so that s your gift. You can witness in places where pastors cannot go.

5 5 But what if I say the wrong thing? Be Confident as Sheep among wolves. Jesus said. Do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. When someone asks what you believe, and you re not sure if you ll say the right thing, don t worry. God is speaking through you. When you face wolves, you are the lips of God, you are the tongue of God, you are the witness of God, as you speak of your hope. This banner expresses our hope. The Spirit came down as a dove and rested on Jesus shoulder at his baptism. The Spirit is innocent like a dove. He speaks the truth. He is God. And he is the Spirit of your Father. Jesus uses that special name for the Spirit today to give you confidence. As a sheep in Jesus flock, your father is God the Father. And he will give you the words to say when someone asks, Why are you a hopeful person? What makes you that way? Now, let me add. It s important to go to church, read the Bible. Pray on it, to prepare yourself for witnessing. But at the same time you re always going to wish you were wiser, more poised, and more quick with an answer, when you re dealing with wolves. So praise Jesus for this assurance, that when the moment comes, it won t be you speaking but the Spirit of your Father. Your witness is this simple message. I am sinner and I know I can t save myself, but Jesus lived a perfect life in my place. He died for me and rose from the dead. He has saved me. That truth is expressed on our Reformation altar cloths, too. The color red reminds us of the blood of the Lamb of God, who has taken away the sins of the world by his death on the cross. Be Confident as Sheep among wolves. We re on this earth to be attacked by wolves, so that by our patient response, unbelievers may see the love of Jesus in us, so that they too may

6 6 believe and become sheep. So if suffering is good, should we look for it? No. Jesus told the disciples when they were persecuted in one place, to flee to another. In other words, be confident as sheep among wolves but don t be reckless. Reckless would be if I went back to that house where the man said next time he d get his gun. I don t know if he was serious but I m not going back to find out. No need to purposely risk our lives. For yes, those who are killed for their faith are witnesses but we lambs can do more witnessing for Jesus as long as we re alive. Will things get worse or better for us? We can expect the wolves to get meaner and nastier before the end comes. Jesus spoke about brother betraying brother to death. And children rebelling against their parents. It s been proven all through history, that when people are without the Word of God, they began to discard the ten commandments, rejecting the true God, lying, and committing murder, and most of it is focused on Christians. Jesus tells us the danger from wolves will only increase. All men will hate you because of me, he says, but at the same time he who stands firm to the end will be saved. How can we stand firm as sheep among wolves? Because we know that as sheep, we haven t been sent out by just anyone. We ve been sent out by the Good Shepherd. And he doesn t just drop us in a wolf den. He s holding us in his arms all the while. As he said in John 10, I know my sheep, and my sheep know me. And no one can snatch them out of my hands. So truly, the more dangerous this world gets for us, the more confident we can be in the faith. For Jesus said that wolves would attack and hate us, and his promise is coming true. This reassures us that his other promises will also come true. He will be with us always. His Spirit will speak through us. No one can snatch us out of his hands. And he will return. Amen.