February 21^st, 2010

Romans 10:8b-11

The Word at Work

Pastor Terry Defoe, Mount Olive Lutheran Church, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Copyright © 2010. Pastor Terry Defoe. All Rights Reserved.

Our sermon text for this first Sunday in Lent is found in the Apostle Paul's letter to the Romans, chapter 10, verses 8 and 9. He says:

The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart - that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. (New International Version)

This is our text. Please be seated.

+ + +

For most people, the Bible is a very difficult book. It’s a book full of mysterious names and places, unusual customs and traditions. It’s not surprising that many people have difficulty figuring it out. On top of that, we know that there are many conflicting opinions about what the Bible says. Given these many difficulties, it’s not surprising that many people dismiss the Bible as a closed book, impossible to understand. I’m here this morning to tell you that the Bible can be understood. I’m here to demonstrate that its message can be put in very simple terms. And I pray, as I always do, that God would bless our consideration of His Holy Word this day.

+ + +

I can understand the frustration that many people have with the Bible. I’ve mentioned to some of you that when I was getting ready to leave home and move into my first apartment, I was packing up some books to take along. And, as I was doing that, my mother, bless her heart, handed me a Bible and suggested that I might want to take it along as well. And so, I packed it, along with the rest of the books. But as I did that, I was silently thinking,

"What good will it do, taking this Bible along? It's totally irrelevant to my life. It's really a waste of time."

A few months later, I noticed that Bible on my bookshelf and I thought,

"Well, why not? Why not go ahead and read it? I might get something out of it."

Now you need to understand that I was a typical Lutheran. I was confirmed in 1964 when I was 14. And I need to tell you, right up front, that the Bible had always been a special book to me. The Bible that I had packed that day had been given to me as a gift by an uncle and aunt back in 1957. And I also need to tell you that even though I had drifted a long way from the church in the intervening years, I still had a great respect for the Bible. And so, there in my apartment, all by myself, I picked up that Bible, I opened it, and I began to read. By chance, I had opened it to the Book of Revelation. I read about horsemen, and beasts with seven horns and ten heads. I read about a woman clothed with the sun. And, as you might expect, the more I read, the more confused I became. Finally, I closed the book, and put it down, convinced that it would never be able to understand it.

The problem I had was very common: the Bible just didn't seem to relate to my life and my day-to-day problems. It didn’t seem connected to my life and my reality. I know that there are many people who feel the same way. They respect the B. They’d like to find some meaning in it, but when they begin reading, they can’t figure it out. These are the people who leave their Bible sitting on a shelf gathering dust.

+ + +

Thankfully, our sermon text this morning is one of those places in the Bible where God's message is especially clear and easy to understand. I now realize, years later, that when I had opened my Bible to the Book of Revelation I had inadvertently chosen one of the most difficult sections of the Bible to read. Reading the Book of Revelation is like eating a great big steak. The Book of Revelation is for mature believers, not for those just starting out. What I needed back then was Pablum, in other words, something easy to understand – something easy for a person like me to digest.

+ + +

Let me give you some examples of Bible verses that I consider to be very clear in expressing God’s will. The first is John 3:16:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. (N.I.V.)

A similar verse is found in Acts, chapter 16, verse 31. The Philippians jailer, fearing for his life, asked Paul and Silas this question:

... what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household. (N.I.V.)

These verses clearly explain God's will. They are clear and simple and get right to the point. In these verses we are told,

"… salvation comes only through faith in Jesus Christ. As you are enabled by the Holy Spirit, working through the Word and through the Sacraments, trust Him, and commit your life to Him. Let Him mold and make you into a new person."

These verses are bright stars shining in the Scriptural heavens. In these verses, God's will for humanity is boiled down into its most simple and basic form. Here all of the underbrush has been removed. Here we can see the message in sharp focus.

+ + +

Our sermon text this morning is one of those brilliant stars in the Scriptural heavens. Let me read it again, in a different translation. The Apostle Paul says, in Romans chapter 10, verses 8 to 11:

⁸ "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: ⁹ If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. ¹¹ As Scripture says, "Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame." (Today’s New International Version)

The phrase the "Word of God" can refer to the Holy Scriptures. It can also refer to Jesus Christ. Here, in the book of Romans, it refers to the Scriptures and the message they carry. The "Word of God" has God's will for all human beings. The Bible is trustworthy and it has authority. When we search the Scriptures for God's will, we won’t be disappointed. The Bible carries a two-part message. First, it tells us what we are to do for God. That’s called THE LAW. And secondly, it tells us what God has done for us. That’s called THE GOSPEL. This two-edged Word of God is proclaimed by the Church. God has many ways of getting His Word out. And the Word of God is shared for one reason and one reason only: and that is to create faith in the human heart. The Word of God – under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit – has the power to create faith where none existed before. And that happens every single day.

+ + +

The prophet Jeremiah compared the Word of God to a hammer which is able to shatter rock. In other words, the Word of God has the power required to break down hardened human hearts so that the Gospel of Jesus Christ can get through and bring healing. A hammer can bring a person back to reality instantly, especial if it strikes an unsuspecting thumb!

Jeremiah also compares God’s Word to a fire. And, of course, fire is generally thought of as a destructive force, but humanity has learned how to tame it and put it to work. Dry fields are sometimes burned to get rid of unwanted growth. Fields burned in the early spring are blackened for a while but they are soon greener than ever. God's word works in a very similar ways. It burns off the unwanted aspects of our lives and allows the useful parts to get a head start.

The New Testament book of Hebrews adds one more comparison. Rather than comparing the Word to a hammer or to fire, Hebrews compares it to a sharp two-edged sword. And that sword is able to cut us open and reveal our innermost secrets and motivations. But it doesn’t leave us there – it then applies the healing salve of the Gospel and brings us healing, forgiveness, and peace – in Christ.

+ + +

All these comparisons – the hammer, the fire, and the two-edged sword – have a common denominator. Just this: God's word has power. It’s active and it’s able to do exactly what God sends it to do. A hammer, a fire, and a sword all make things happen – often in a dramatic and unmistakable way. God’s Word has the power to change things. According to the New Testament book of Hebrews, God's word is "living and active." It has the power to kindle faith in the human heart and then to keep that fire burning forever.

God's Word does have power. The Scriptures and our own experience bear this out. But the Scriptures can be resisted or even refused. The primary function of the Word, as I’ve already said, is to create faith in our hearts. The human heart is the ultimate target for the Word. If the Word of God is compared to a dart, then the bull's eye is the heart, It’s only when the Word gets through to the heart that it can do its work. Only when it gets to the heart can it take root, and be nourished, and grow strong in the Lord.

The Scriptures make it clear that the Word of God has many obstacles to pass before it reaches the heart. There are many forces at work in our world which do their best to stop the Word from getting through. Jesus described some of these barriers in His parable of the Sower and the Seed. When you think about it, it’s a miracle that the word of God gets through, considering how many forces are at work intent on stopping that process from happening.

Someone once said that the Word of God must travel past your head to reach your heart. When the Word of God reaches the head and goes no further, what you have is a dry, and dogmatic, and sterile kind of faith – a faith without emotion. When God’s Word reaches the heart it begins an amazing transformation. Think of the process of metamorphosis where an ugly caterpillar constructs a cocoon for itself and then, hidden away from prying eyes, undergoes a miraculous change. When that metamorphosis is complete, a beautiful butterfly emerges from the chrysalis, so very different from its original form.

God's Word does something very similar. It changes us from our natural state, which is to be turned away from God and hostile to His will, into people whose greatest delight is to serve the Lord. Take a moment, if you will, to consider the path that the Word of God takes as it comes to us. First it reaches the eye or the ear. Then it travels to the brain. The brain either acts on the message or disregards it. Acting on the message can only occur by the enabling of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit works, and we do not resist, God’s word moves to the heart, that is, to the core and center of who we are. And that’s when our sins are forgiven and we are on our way to heaven someday.

+ + +

When you think about it, the Word of God hasn't come to the very end of its journey when it reaches the heart. It has brought us into the family of God. It has begun to make us the kind of people that God wants us to be. According to the Apostle Paul, however, there is one more stop on the journey. And that is for us as God’s people to speak the word, to proclaim it, resulting in a confession of faith in the hearer. Scripture tells us that words uttered by the mouth indicate what's going on in the heart. Our words, as someone once said, are a window on the soul. Those who’ve had faith sparked in their hearts through the working of the Word will naturally give expression to their faith through their words.

When God’s Word is at work in people’s lives, those without hope receive meaning and peace. When the Word is at work in people’s lives, those who are enslaved by sin are set free. Marriages are strengthened. Families are united. When the Word is at work, it shows itself in the way we live and also in the words we say.

+ + +

I close with this: God's Word is the foundation – the very bedrock – of our faith. It’s the power at work in us – transforming us into God’s beloved children. In a very special way, God’s Word connects us to Him. It links us with the cross on which our Savior died as payment for our sins. And it connects us to the empty tomb where death was defeated once and for all. May God’s powerful and transforming Word always be freely proclaimed – and joyfully received – among us. May God grant it. Amen

+ + +

LET’S PRAY – Dear Heavenly Father – We pray that your Word would always be at work among us – in our heads and also in our hearts. We pray that the proclamation of your word would bring many to faith and then keep them in that faith forever. We pray these things in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.