Connected to the True Vine

“As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” 

The image of the Vine and the branches is one that has great importance in our day to day lives.  Each day we are confronted with the truth of what would happen if we are separated from the Vine:  we die!  What happens to a body that’s separated from its head?  Apart from the Vine, branches can do nothing!  We have no life apart from Christ.  The sap that flows from the vine nourishes the branches.  We confess that our very lives sprout forth from our Heavenly Father, and that by our sin, we have cut ourselves off from our source of life.  Yet, by His grace through the blood of His Son, shed on the cross for the sins of the world, our sin, we have been reconciled to God, grafted back into the true vine!

The life that flows from the side of Christ Crucified and Risen now nourishes us with His life and forgiveness, so that by faith we might live in union with Him.  The message of the Vine and the branches gives us hope!  Through being grafted into the Vine and by the care of the Vinedresser – we bear His fruit!

So how can our lives be altered, changed, transformed?  Remember, we don’t produce fruit – Jesus does.  When our lives are so consumed with all sorts of things other than bearing the fruit of Christ – then we are the branches that need to pruning of the vinedresser.  The word for pruning in Greek means “Cleanse”.  It takes this pruning – this cleansing – to remove bugs and disease that will cause the branch not to produce fruit.  It’s for that reason that we need pruning.  When we experience this pruning, we must trust that God is in control and the Vinedresser knows that He is doing – He’s working for our very best!

Satan would love for us to think otherwise though.  Satan works very hard to convince us that we don’t need pruning – that He would never cut into our lives – that we would be in compete control.  But jointed to satan – we are dead!

Thanks be to God – for we are alive in Christ.  One of my favorite parts of God’s Word is Galatians 2:20 which says, “I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.”  We are alive in Christ – the true Vine – and through Him we produce His fruit.

That fruit that we produce is what Paul speaks of in Galatians chapter 5 - the fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”. These are, above all, characteristics of our Savior in his relationship with us.  But they are also the fruit that He produce in us as we are joined and grafted into Him.

Being grafted into the True Vine, may the Holy Spirit use the good fruit we produce to be a blessing to each other, our families, and our community and to give the glory to God the Father.

 

Heart Transplant

“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”  Proberbs 4:23

God looks at each and every one of us and proclaims that we need a brand new heart.  He’s not talking about the organ beating in our chest – but that which really makes us tick from the inside out.  God wants us to have a new heart that recognizes sin, mourns and repents of this sin, and treasures God’s forgiveness.  Having this heart transplant is literally a matter of life and death.

The process for this heart transplant begins with repentance.  What is the definition of repentance?  To turn away from sin – to believe what God says is the truth about you.  We were all conceived with a heart that doesn’t want to take responsibility for sin, a heart that doesn’t believe that sin is worthy of death.  The wages of sin IS death.  We know that we are powerless to turn because we are dead in sin, incapable of returning to God.

God reveals that our problem (as his people) is not outright disobedience – but its with the heart.  There is no such thing as a “safe sin”.  We tend to justify our sin because we haven’t done anything terribly disobedient or we haven’t done anything that isn’t being done by everyone else – or my sin is far less than what so and so has done!  But God is blunt, saying, the soul that sins shall die.  God demands perfection.  Every last one of us falls short of that.  Therfore, the result is death.

Our self righteousness can even run so deep that we find ourselves blaming God for the mess we’re in.  It’s as old as Adam saying to God, “The woman who YOU gave to be with me…she gave me the fruit of the tree, and I ate.”  Things haven’t changed.  Every one of us at one time or another has pointed the finger at others, even God, as the reason for our wrong-doing – as if this excuses our sin or removes us from any accountability before God.

Only in repentance can we be restored so that our thoughts, words, and deeds match God’s will.  It is not repentance that saves us; but rather repentance is the sign that I realize what God has done in Christ Jesus.  We are made right with God because prior to all else, Christ lived, died, and rose for us.  Sinful men and women can only be changed into new creatures by the marvelous work of God in Christ Jesus.  Through the atoning work of Christ, we are able to do the will of God – to answer gladly when the Lord calls.

The true and reliable source of life is in Jesus Christ.  How does God give us this new heart for life?  It’s a lot like the way you would receive a new heart if you checked into the hospital for a heart transplant.  Before you can receive a new heart, someone has to die.  Not only that, the person must be willing to give of their heart and it has to be a match or your body will reject it.  You see the similarities with Jesus, don’t you?  Jesus give us the new heart that God demands.

He made that possible by living the perfect life that God demands and dying the death our sin deserves on the cross.  An organ donor is only willing to give you their heart once they’re done with it, not a moment before.  Jesus willingly went to the Cross so that you could receive His heart – now!

And how do we treat this new heart?  We treasure it!  We treasure the new heart and forgiveness God has given to us.  We “cast away all our transgressions” or as Luther put it – our entire lives are lived in repentance – treasuring our relationship with God above all things.  We nurture our new heart with the Word and with the life-giving food of Christ’s body and blood.

Therefore, when we face sin and temptation, we TURN away from it and rejoice in the promises of God that give us strength.  When we face doubts and circumstances that take away our confidence, we TURN to the promises of our Baptism and the sure and certain truth that we belong to God and we have been given a clean heart and have been restored in salvation.



Clothed with Christ

In the month of October we often times talk about dressing up.  Usually we are speaking of dressing up for a Halloween celebration.  The real reason I want to talk to you about dressing up is because of what the Bible says we, as Christians, are clothed with – Christ’s righteousness.

Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ lived the perfect life that we are totally unable to.  He died the horrible death that our sin deserves.  He then rose victorious from the grave to ensure the promises of forgiveness, life, and salvation for us!  This is good news!  It’s even better news when we realize that through Baptism, we have been clothed with the very righteousness and innocence of Christ.  This Good News affects everything we do as renewed, redeemed, and reformed children of God.

We have been clothed with Christ!  Galatians 3:27 tells us, "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ."  As Christians who have been clothed with Christ’s righteousness, we have the awesome opportunity to give witness to the forgiveness, life, and salvation found in Christ alone.  May the month of October serve to remind us of the most important garment we have – the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ.

 

God's Labor Through Us

So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.  James 2:17

With the words of James, we are thrown into an age-old debate. It is a debate that is more often sparked by the words that follow in verse 26: "faith apart from works is dead." The problem we have is understanding how these words jive with others of Scripture, like Paul’s in Romans 1: "The righteous shall live by faith" (1:17). But ours is a tradition based on faith alone, grace alone, and Word alone.

It’s all about order. Works do not count for our salvation. We are saved only through the righteousness of Christ, a righteousness carried out in His perfect life, His suffering, death, and resurrection and given to us by the grace of God in our Baptisms. We know the words. But then it’s the actions that follow that seem so inconsistent.

There are two sinful outcomes of a Christian’s life when he or she dismisses works because they can’t save. We either do whatever we want because God’s grace is there to pick us up (which is exactly the problem Paul had to warn the Romans against), OR, we do nothing because it counts for nothing. Instead, it’s important for us to understand that what we do or don’t do does matter. It matters to God and your neighbor. Moreover, those actions are connected to our faith, not in order to be saved, but because we are saved.

And so James is writing also to each one of us. In his day, James was confronting a problem in the
Church. There was a disconnect between the faith they professed and how they lived out their faith.
The same caution is extended to us in our day, especially as we hear the example of this disconnect that James gives. Two men enter the assembly, the gathering of believers in the presence of God. One is dressed well, the other not. The one dressed well is distinguished among the church family. The other is given a lower place because he doesn’t measure up. "If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself, well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it" (vv 8–10).

So what we do really does matter! And what do we do now? It can seem as though all of James’s words, including those about faith being dead without works, all add up to this: "Do better!" Is that it? Do better? Do better so people can see you’re a Christian? Do better so God knows you’re serious about Him? If that’s all James is saying, then why don’t we simply do better? Why don’t we just do everything God says? After all, God said to do it; just do it! But we don’t. In fact, we can’t. If James is saying nothing more than "Do better!" he’s actually doing exactly what he condemns in vss. 15–16 of our text: "If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, filled, body, what good is that?"

On our own, we can’t "do better" just because James says so any more than the indigent person can be warmed and filled by our words alone. That’s because our sinful nature always has its own selfish agenda. Our sinful nature always looks out for itself, not for our neighbor in need; that’s just what the sinful nature is: all out for itself.

So the age-old debate is set before us: Either James’s words are empty encouragement for us as we live our lives in perpetual disappointment to God, or there’s more...

Indeed, there is more! We don’t have to look far for a hint at where to turn in our confusion. In verse 7, James makes what seems to be just a passing comment in the middle of his encouragement to do good. He refers to the "name by which you were called." However, it’s not just a passing comment; it’s filled with the answer to the problem here. It suggests there was action prior to ours. That action is the action of the One who called us, for we can’t call ourselves. It’s God, of course, who has called us. He’s called us into a relationship with Him that is lived out in relationship to one another. It really is all about order.

It all begins with God’s action toward us and continues as we live out His action toward us in our actions toward others. To understand, let’s put the shoe on the other foot. What if God made distinctions? What if God analyzed our worthiness and acted accordingly? What if God analyzed our works and dealt with us according to what He saw? - and He sees all!! What if God kept a scorecard and awarded our place before Him based on that scorecard?

Here’s the content of our faith: God does not! If God did make such distinctions, we would be left
to work out our own salvation. And as hard as we might work, we would never know if we had done enough. Instead, He has worked out our salvation for us. The content of our faith is Jesus Christ and His work of salvation on our behalf. He lived the perfect life we cannot live. He died to pay the price we cannot pay. He rose to defeat death and make it possible for His righteousness to become ours. Our faith is in a labor, but not our own. Our faith is in a labor accomplished on a cross and emanating from an empty tomb. Our faith, without Christ, is dead! Our life begins, continues, and ends with Him and in Him, which is why what we do and what we don’t do really matters.

The life we live is the life God has labored for us in Christ. His life—what He has done for us and what He has given to us—animates and motivates our lives. He is the content of our faith and the content of our living. Therefore, He is the content of our labor. Any other understanding of the relationship between faith and works creates an either/or proposition—either faith or works. Rather, Christ in us and Christ through us creates a both/and proposition—both faith and works; first faith, then works, and never ever one without the other.

Now, what about when I fail? In the either/or proposition, our failure means one of two things. Our
failure means either we have no faith OR our failure doesn’t matter. We know our failures can’t simply be overlooked, so in the either/or proposition, we’re sent back within ourselves to do better. We’re left to find our own inner strength. Our faith, though, isn’t in ourselves; it’s in Christ and in His atoning work. This is where the both/and proposition of both faith and works finds a firm hold on
our lives as God’s children. Because if everything begins with Christ, then He is where we go when we fail. When we fail to live as we should, we’re sent back to Christ. We’re sent back to His Word and Sacraments and the reassurance of God’s grace given in Baptism as we hear His Word of forgiveness. We’re sent back to feed on Him in His Supper in order to receive from Him strengthening of our faith and strengthening of our lives lived in that faith. We’re sent back to the One true God, who holds no distinctions but lived and died for all. That is, He loves us whom He has graciously called and to whom He has given His name. His grace is our salvation, and His grace is our strength to live, to live lives that look like what they are—God’s Labor of love – Christ in us and Christ through us.

"So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead" (v 17). However, we are not dead. We are alive in Christ, and so we live and labor in Christ who works in and through each one of us!

 



No Longer I

I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.  Galatians 2:20

We live in a nation that places a high importance on appearance and shape.  We see evidence of this fact in our lives every day.  People in advertisements and magazines seem to always be those people who have a beautiful appearance and are in the best shape.  It is hard to flip through the T.V. channels and not see a commercial for a diet pill that promises weight loss, or a workout machine that will help you get in great shape.  We see countless examples of before and after pictures to prove these results.  After using these products, people who were previously out of shape and unattractive, become a whole new person, fit and good looking.  Galatians 2:20 speaks of a different kind of shape, a different kind of before and after picture.  The text speaks of the shaping power of Christ living in us.

Through our Baptisms, Christ now lives in us.  We possess the righteousness of Christ before God.  Through our Baptisms, our old self is crucified with Christ, and a new self is resurrected.  This fact is shown in Romans 8:10-11, which says, “But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.  If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”

Because Christ died and rose from the dead for our sins, and lives in us, we live our lives in a different way.  We see a different before and after picture.  We now live our lives by faith.  This faith is not from any merit or work on our parts.  This faith is given to us by God.  What a difference this makes in our lives, what an amazing before and after picture!  Christ now lives in us! 

In Baptism we are made new people in Christ.  We are free from the bondage of sin and the Law.  Does this mean that we are free to go about sinning as much as we want?  Surely not!  God forbids this.  Christ lives in us and because of that we are free to follow after that which is keeping with His will.  Of course we all still sin and fall short of God’s will.  But by the grace of God we realize that we are not condemned before God.  We live as people who are free, and not under the condemnation that the Law brings.  Our response to this grace in the way we live our lives as Christians shows that we live free from the Law.

Christ living in us truly shapes our lives.  Our old selves were crucified with Christ and a new self was resurrected with him.  So the next time you’re flipping through the channels and you see another commercial promising an amazing physical change, remember the before and after picture that Paul tells us in Galatians, and how we are made new through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Scars that Save

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

John 10:27-28

There is a story about a hot summer day in Florida, and a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house.  In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran down the dock as fast as he could and flew into the water.  What he didn’t realize was that as he swam out into the water, there was an alligator swimming toward him.

His mother, in the house looking out the window - saw the two approaching each other.  In utter fear, she ran out the back door screaming at the top of her lungs for her son to turn around.  Hearing the alarm in his mother’s voice, he made a quick U-turn to swim back to shore.  But it was too late.  Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him.  From the dock, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs.  That began an incredible tug-of-war between the mother and the alligator.  The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was too passionate to let go.  A farmer drove by, and hearing the screams and seeing the incredible struggle, he stopped and got the gun from his truck and shot the alligator.

Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived and the doctors and surgeons were able to save both legs.  His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack.  The local paper and television news team requested an interview of this heroic little survivor.  The reporters asked if they could see his scars.  Everyone expected to see him left his pant legs, but instead he rolled up his shirt sleeves.

On his arms were deep scratches.  The reporters said, “We want to see the scars the alligator’s teeth made on your legs.”  “I could show you those awful things, but I would rather show you these.  These are the scars from my mother’s fingernails.  These were made because my mother refused to let go of me.  These scars are why I’m alive today!”

You and I can identify with that little boy.  We have scars to point to as well - not from a mother but from a Good Shepherd.  Our Good Shepherd refused to let go of us, His sheep, therefore, He faced the vicious attack of the ravenous wolf by Himself.  Satan attacked the Shepherd in hopes to devour and scatter the sheep.  But no one can snatch us out of His scarred hands. 

We bear the mark of the cross on our forehead and heart - the mark of the love of God for us that He would rather send His Son to die on the cross than let go of any one of us.  The cross is a beautiful mark - for it reveals the love of our God who refuses to let go of us - despite the fact that we are sheep, and sheep love to wander, and sometimes we wander into dangerous situations.  St. Paul reminds us in Romans 8 that nothing can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord.  Death can’t, life can’t, principalities and their evil values can’t, nor things present like cancer, trials, nor height, the greatest times, nor depth, even the lowest of depression, nor anything in all creation, can snatch us away.

What greater safety can there be than to know that the Lord takes your hand, and in the power of His saving Name, promises to never let go - when we face cancer, a job loss, problems in relationships, no matter what struggle or in the midst of any great joy - our Good Shepherd firmly grasps us and assures us of our forgiveness, He restores us in His peace, He comforts us with His presence, and He gives us eternal life.  We are safe in the Name of our loving Shepherd, and we have the scars to prove it - and they are on His hands that hold us forever.

 

From Darkness to Light

Darkness makes us uneasy because it creates dangerous uncertainty.  When power outages occur and we have no flashlight, trying to find our way can be hazardous—heads can bump into a wall or door frame, feet stumble over a footstool or trip on a toy left on the floor.

One great truth runs through the pages of the Bible: God always come through in the darkest hour of uncertainty!  Whether He was rescuing the Israelites from Pharaoh’s armies or protecting the three men in the fiery furnace or ordering Abraham to hold back his knife from plunging it into Isaac, God shows Himself to be a trustworthy Savior from life’s uncertainties in our darkest moments.  The resurrection of Christ that we celebrated last Sunday reminds us that God’s Word brings light and certainty, for three times did Jesus predict He would be raised from death.  The Old Testament also offers its record of God’s promised Messiah, and now that promise is a light that breaks through our uncertainty.

Do you face uncertainty about your job?  Do you struggle with doubt about your children’s future?  Did the doctor notify you about a matter that casts doubt on your own health?  Don’t try to cheer yourself with thoughts that things will eventually get better. Let the light of Christ’s resurrected glory dispel the darkness of those things that cause you to stumble in uncertainty and doubt.

What a glorious difference Easter makes for us!  Christ has been delivered for our offenses and raised for our justification.  The darkness of our sin has been overcome by the light of His resurrection.  Death and the grave have been overcome by life in Christ for eternity and new life in Him every day.  Easter’s glorious light lifts us above our daily battles and puts a spring into our step.  Easter’s glorious light brightens our darkest day and keeps the smile of faith on our lips.  Easter’s glorious light shines down on our deathbeds and puts a light that cannot be extinguished into our graves.

As long as this world of darkness stands, Easter people like us will find their greatest joy in the risen Savior, who said, “I am the Light of the world.  Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  Turn to Christ in confidence that the light of His resurrection has triumphed over evil.  In your Baptism, you were transferred from the kingdom of darkness and made a child of the Light!  The light of Christ’s resurrection enlightens us with promise: “Because I live, you also will live.” Because you have been buried with Him by Baptism into a death like His, you will also be raised to a new life like His in resurrected glory.  Christ’s promises are just as sure and certain as the sunrise that scatters the darkness and brings the new day.  Easter allows us to see the Cross in the Light of the empty tomb: Because Jesus walked away from His tomb, we’ll walk away from ours.  That’s life-changing power, darkness-overcoming Light - and Easter makes it yours.  Thanks be to God!  Christ is risen!