A Word that Saves

“Repetition is the mother of learning,” or so the saying goes.  I have always struggled with that idea, though.  I have often complained about having to study certain subjects over and over.  I remember when I was in the seminary and I looked at the syllabus for one my classes, and there was an assignment that said, “Memorize the Small Catechism.”  I was deeply annoyed.  I had memorized the Small Catechism all through grade school.  I had to memorize it for Confirmation.  I had relearned parts of it when I was in college.  Why in the world would I have to study it again?!?! 

I later found that I didn’t know the Catechism nearly as well as I thought I knew it … so the repetition was a good thing! 

Often when we repeat things we are trying to drive home a thought, secure a fact in our minds, or just trying to make sure we remember something.  I believe that, in our Gospel lesson on Sunday, Jesus was doing those things for us. 

Mark 9:30-32 says that Jesus and His disciples, “left that place and passed through Galilee.  Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, ‘The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.’  But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.” 

This was the second time Jesus had told them He would suffer and die.  The Gospel of Mark records four times that Jesus warns the disciples of His impending death and resurrection.  In addition to this, the consistent message of the New Testament is that this was God’s plan from the beginning to save us from our sins.  1 Corinthians 15:3-8 has Paul’s words stating that Jesus’ death and resurrection and the matter of “first importance” that everything else in the Christian faith revolves around. 

God’s Word is a Word that Saves.  That is the heart of the message of all the Scriptures:  God loves people, despite our sin, and brings salvation to us through Jesus’ cross and empty tomb.  This Word, however, does not just argue and seek to change minds.  This Word does what it declares.  Much as when God declared, “Let there be light,” and there was light, when God declares forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life to us, it is so! 

This is the beauty of Baptism: not the cuteness of a baby being christened, but the power of God’s Word declaring that child (or adult) to be washed of all her sins.  Similarly, the Lord’s Supper may seem like a solemn ritual of remembrance, but God’s Word, “given and shed for you,” delivers Jesus’ body and blood for the forgiveness of our sins!  And we should never overlook the Bible itself.  Here God has recorded His Word through the pens of saints who long ago entered His glory.  He moved them by His Spirit to deliver forgiveness we could not have received in any other way, for the mystery of the Gospel is this:  God saves sinners through His Son’s sacrifice. 

Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”  Let that Word permeate your life, steep into every corner of your being, and infuse your speech, relationships, and thoughts.  It will change you – transform you! – to make you more and more like Jesus. 

Questions to Ponder

-          Sometimes people will say that Jesus just got swept up in the events of his day and got crucified.  In light of Mark 9, how would you respond to that? 

-          What are you reading right now?  (Not this note!  What books, articles, etc. are you reading?)  When/where do you read the Bible? 

-          Re-read Mark 9:30-32.  What does Jesus ask His followers to do in regard to salvation?  If this is the cost of salvation, what can we contribute?

-          How does the Word of Christ dwell in you?  What role does your Baptism play?  What about receiving the Lord’s Supper? 

-          Try this exercise:  Make a cup of tea.  Instead of pouring the hot water over the bag, pour the water into the cup and then add the tea bag.  Observe how the tea steeps.  If the tea is God’s Word, and the water is your life, how can this visual parable display Colossians 3:16?

-          How does reading/hearing God’s word impact the words that come from our lips?  What impact does hearing a Word that Saves have on our speech?  

A Word to Speak

My wife and I are committed to reading to our children.  From the time that they were very little, she and I have enjoyed reading to our kids.  It’s a special time when we can gather around a good book and be transported into a story.  The words have a power to project a world around us to enjoy for a little while, to help us experience beauty and sadness, and to help us think about ideas in ways we hadn’t before. 

As I said on Sunday, words are powerful.  And it was this powerful tool that God chose to use to do some amazing things.  He created the world and everything in it with words.  He reveals Himself to people through words.  And the person of Jesus, the Second Person of the Trinity, is, himself, called the Word which was made flesh. 

Christians are people whose lives have been touched and transformed by God’s Word.  The Holy Spirit works powerfully through the preaching and teaching of God’s Word.  He is also active when we take up our Bibles to read the Word ourselves; strengthening our faith, delivering forgiveness, and shaping our hearts and minds to be reflective of Christ.  I would add that this true of listening to the Word too, if you have an audio-Bible on your iPod, mp3 player, a disc or an audio tape - or even records, like my grandma had!  (Kids, if you don’t know what records were, they were kind of like cds only they made their sound through a needle with wonderful hissing and scratching sounds.) 

I am often asked by people how they can grow in their faith, have more joy, or be more committed Christ-followers.  My answer is consistently – God’s Word.  Get into a Bible study that digs into the Scriptures.  Hear what God says.  Go to worship and hear the word read and preached.  Not only that, but in worship we sometimes see God’s Word in action in Baptism and the Lord’s Supper as it creates faith, forgives sins, and binds us to the hope we have in Jesus.  There is nothing like the Word of God to transform our lives. 

In Isaiah 50:4 we find these beautiful words related to God’s Word.  “The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary.  He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.”    There are a couple things I really love about this passage.  One is the hearing/speaking dynamic.  The other is the idea of being equipped morning by morning for the task ahead of us; speaking a word to sustain the weary. 

Before Jesus ascended into heaven (Acts 1) He told his disciples that they would be his witnesses at home, nearby, among their enemies, and far away.  We talk about witnessing sometimes, and when we do we often do so in hushed tones of awe.  Really, being a witness just means that you saw or heard something, and now you tell others what you saw and heard.  This is echoed in Peter’s words before the Sanhedrin, “… we cannot help but speak of what we have seen and heard.”  (Acts 4) 

What had they seen and heard?  Jesus – crucified, buried, risen, and ascended.  What about us?  Have we not seen the same thing through the text of the Bible?  Have we not seen and heard of a God who loves us so much as to give His only begotten Son for us?  Have we not beheld with our eyes and perceived with our ears the Good News that there is salvation apart from our own works and efforts?  Have we not looked upon the Word that declares us to be holy, despite our sin, and had words spoken to us that stated, “Your sins are forgiven and washed away in the blood of Jesus!”? 

Hearing and speaking God’s Word go hand in hand.  Woe to the pastor who never reads his Bible.  And pity the Christian that never reads the Word, so she never sees or hears the message to proclaim.  And, friends, if that last sentence describes you, let me just say, “Repent!”  And then, knowing that all your sins are forgiven for Jesus’ sake, take up your Bible and read some Psalms, part of Gospel, or even an epistle.  See and hear what the Lord has done for you, hear the powerful word God will speak to you, and then a day will come when you find yourself speaking of Jesus; speaking the words of eternal life. 

Questions to Ponder

-          Isaiah 50:4 talks about an instructed tongue and listening like one being taught.  How have you been instructed in the God’s Word? 

-          The passage speaks of a word to sustain the weary.  What wearies people in this World?  What is the root cause of our problems?  What is the solution?

-          How did you come to know Jesus?  Were words involved? 

-          Isaiah 50:4 speaks of being instructed by God Himself.  How does knowing/believing that God speaks through the Bible directly to us impact your opinion of reading the Word?

-          How do you stay connected to the Lord and hear His Word?  What might you do to deepen that connection with Him?  

A Word to Hear

They say that silence is golden, but sometimes it is oppressive, and if it is unbroken, as it is for the deaf person, silence forms a barrier between people.  Something similar can happen when we cease to hear God’s Word; obstacles begin to go up. 

Our God is a God of community and conversation.  He desires to be with us and to speak with us.  In the normal course of things He does this through the Word –when it is preached, when it is read, in the Sacraments, and when it is embodied by His people.  (…[W]e are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  - 2Corinthians 5:20 ESV)  He wants us to hear Him, and He longs for our response in prayers and actions. 

We must be specific in this, though, this community and conversation with God is something He begins.  We cannot make it happen.  He finds us.  He “calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies” every believer, and keeps us in the one true faith, that is, He keeps us in community and conversation with Him. 

However, like the child who “didn’t hear” his mom when she called because he was having too much fun in the yard, we sometimes choose to not hear God’s Word.  Sometimes we “stuff our ears” to avoid hearing God’s voice.  Not that we always do this intentionally.  Sometimes we are so busy, filled with worried thoughts, and consumed with things of this life that God’s voice is lost in hubbub. 

What do we do then?  How do we hear God’s voice again? 

I think we can find a clue in our Gospel lesson from this past Sunday (Mark 7:31-37).  This reading recorded the encounter of Jesus with a deaf man who could not speak properly.  Jesus healed the man in a peculiar way.  Taking the man away from the crowd to a more private setting, Jesus put his fingers in the man’s ears, and then He spit and touched the man’s tongue.  It was like a form of sign language.  Jesus was telling the man what his problem was.  Putting His fingers in the man’s ear was like saying, “You are deaf.”  Spitting and touching his tongue:  “You can’t speak properly.” 

How is that helpful?  Well, sometimes we need someone to point out the obvious to us.  It’s like when someone says, “You are too busy.”  And you think, “Perhaps that’s why I feel disconnected from my family.”  Or someone says, “You have too much stress.”  And you realize, “Maybe that’s why my prayers seem so shallow, I’m still holding on to my problems instead of giving them to God.”  Again, we gather and someone says, “You are a sinner.”  And we respond, “I need forgiveness.” 

Let’s be clear:  Jesus’ stating the obvious is not mocking or making fun, like we sometimes do when we tell someone, “Duh!  That was obvious!”  It is a statement of compassion that reflects His desire to save the man.  His deep sigh and speaking of, “Ephphatha!  Be opened!” shows that! 

We need to hear that word spoken to us, “Ephphatha!” that we might hear God’s Word anew.  Then our spiritual “ears” are opened to hear God’s Word rightly proclaiming His Law and Gospel to us; telling us of our sin and delivering God’s forgiveness in Christ. 

This will then loosen our tongues, to share the good news of God’s love with others, to sing our Redeemer’s praise, and to speak, “Gloria Dei!” – that is, “Glory to God!” 

  

Questions to Ponder

-          While I have used the events of this healing as a parallel to how Jesus spiritually opens our ears, this is a real event with a real deaf person.  What would be the biggest challenge for that man in this scenario?  What about the crowd?  What about Jesus? 

-          Look at the way Jesus healed the man.  Imagine watching the event as it unfolded.  How did Jesus protect the deaf man’s dignity?  What does this teach us about our care for others? 

-          How did the man respond to the healing?  What about the crowd?  Why is the crowd’s response significant?  (See Isaiah 35:4-7 for a hint.)

-          How are verses 33-35 parallel to God’s application of Law (confronting us with our sin) and Gospel (giving us forgiveness for Jesus’ sake)? 

-          Do you ever shut God’s Word out of your hearing?  If so, how?  Pray about that, repenting and knowing that God forgives you!  (1 John 1:9-10)

-          If God is a God of community and conversation, what does this say about the importance of things like Sunday worship, personal devotions, Bible study and prayer?  

A Word to Watch

Have you ever given thought to how it is that you became a Christian?  Some of you have very interesting stories of conversion.  There was a clear moment that life changed for you and you became a follower of Christ.  Others of us experienced the miracle of conversion in the waters of Baptism when we were very young, and we don’t really remember the moment – although it is no less miraculous!  Any time a person who was dead in trespasses and sin comes to life in Christ it is an amazing thing! 

For every Christian there was a moment when God intervened in his or her life and, through the power of His Word, created faith.  That Word may have been spoken or it may have connected to and combined with the waters of Baptism, but the Word was the tool God used to bring us to faith. 

The Word of God goes by many names; the Word, the Bible, Holy Scriptures, or the Good Book.  Whatever you want to call it, you have a special relationship with the Word (my preferred name for it) because it was with there that you heard about God’s love, forgiveness, mercy, salvation, and, most importantly, Jesus – who is also known as the Word Who Became Flesh.  It is there that you find your connection to Jesus, and therefore your life, forgiveness, power, and hope flow to you through the Word. 

The Word is important – not just for knowledge that imparts, but for all the work it does in our lives.  Isaiah tells us that like the rain and snow that water the earth, the Word goes out and always accomplishes the purpose for which God sent it. 

Our Old Testament lesson this past Sunday (Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9) Moses encouraged the people of Israel and us to watch the Word.  That might sound a little weird.  We hear words; not watch them.  But we’ve all heard someone yell, “Watch it!” and we know they’re not asking us to stand and observe something, but to pay attention to a dangerous situation.  In essence, Moses says to us, “Watch it!” because if we lose God’s Word, we are truly lost. 

Moses highlighted this fact by pointing out that God’s Word is our wisdom.  While there are many things in the Bible that people reject and consider foolishness, the reality is that this is the only source to truly know God.  It is the Bible that reveals Jesus to us and shows us that His death and resurrection are our hope and salvation. 

Paul, too, in our second reading (Ephesians 6:10-20) spoke to the importance of the Word, arguing that it is our weapon – the Sword of the Spirit – to fight against our enemies.  He says, “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  God’s Word is our tool to fight temptation, the devil, and all sin. 

And Jesus spoke of what makes a person clean or unclean in God’s eyes, saying that it is out of our hearts that sin and all kinds of evil come from.  (Mark 7:14-23) We find that something must come from the outside to make our hearts clean so that good and God-pleasing things flow from us.  That thing that comes from the outside is the Word, and it washes us of all our sins as it brings us Jesus’ forgiveness. 

I strongly encourage you to be people of the Word.  Pick it up.  Read it.  Study it.  Attend a Bible class or ChristCare.  Bring your children to Sunday School and let them see as you stay to grow in the Word, too.  Watch what the Word will do in you and in your family and see how God uses it to give you wisdom, a weapon, and a washing! 

Questions to Ponder

-          Moses encouraged the Israelites to watch themselves and their lives (4:9) so that they do not forget the things their eyes had seen and that they didn’t let it slip from their hearts as long as they lived.  Think back across Moses’ ministry.  What kinds of things happened that showed them God’s love and salvation? 

-          What are the things that happened in our lives to bring us salvation?  (Make sure you think through personal experiences as well as the Bible!) 

-          According to Deuteronomy 4:1 what is the benefit of following the decrees and laws of the LORD?  What is the benefit to us when we live in the Word of God? 

-          In the sermon I told a story about a soldier needing to know his weapon so well he could disassemble and assemble it in the dark.  If the Word is our weapon, how well do you know it?  How can you get to know the Word better?  How might that benefit you? 

-          In John 5:39 Jesus says, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me….”  When we watch the Word who are we actually watching?  What is the benefit of spending time with Him?