Sixth Sunday after Epiphany I Corinthians 3:1-9
I Cor. 3:7, “So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.”
Three declarations:
1. A person cannot be a Christian without the Holy Spirit.
2. The best thing that ever happened to you is death.
3. Those whom God calls to preach Christ crucified are nothing.
1. A person cannot be a Christian without the Holy Spirit.
Before God began creation He had a plan for our glorification. Following our inglorious take charge of our own lives plan, everyone dies. We all, like Jack and Jill tumble down, breaking our crowns. We all in Humpty Dumpty fashion, have taken a great fall. The entire king’s cavalry can’t put us together again. No matter how much we try to straighten up and fly right, the glide path of our lives is that of a dump truck. We may be able to patch ourselves up and make some temporary repairs, but the pot holes in our lives will keep breaking open.
God is not into the patch up and repair business. God is in the salvation business bringing into being a new creation where Jack and Jill wear the crown of life, Humpty Dumpty is made whole and dump trucks soar to glory. God revealed his hidden plan in this present age, not in the brilliance of our minds, nor in the power of our strength but in the weakness of Jesus on a hill far away on old rugged cross, upon which was fastened the crucified Christ. Through Jesus crucifixion, God provided eternal salvation in place of eternal condemnation. In Jesus crucified, God overcame our wisdom and our power to take charge of our own lives, resulting in death. God put Jesus in charge of our lives, resulting in life. The only way to grasp God’s wisdom and power of the cross is by faith. We believe “Jesus is Lord,” through the Holy Spirit. Thus God makes us spiritual.
2. The best thing that has ever happened to you is death. Now death doesn’t sound like a good thing let alone the best thing. When you are dead you are completely helpless. You are unable to contribute anything. You are a descendant of the ones who thought God really didn’t mean it when He said, “Don’t eat of the fruit of the tree of good and evil lest you die.” You said, “I’m in charge now God, just watch me control my destiny.” God says, “The soul that sins shall die.” We prefer Greek philosophy’s immortality of the soul, that way we aren’t really dead. Paul writes that you are dead in trespasses and sins. You have stepped over the line where God told you not to go and you can’t get back on the right side. You have missed the target that God set up for you in the Ten Commandments. You must be perfect as your father in heaven is perfect. Death rules.
Therefore, the best thing you can do for yourself is to listen to the Holy Spirit talking to you and admit you are dead. You must become nothing so that God can create a new you. After all God started out with nothing and ended up with a universe filled with life and wonder beyond imagination. What were you, say, in 1811? Nothing. You didn’t exist. Yet, God managed to bring you into existence without any help from yourself. You are dead in trespasses and sins, you have a soul that sinned and therefore will die. Our forbearers the fruit of the tree of good and evil only to discover that its fruit poisoned everyone’s life and you are dead. Alcohol Anonymous advocates, “Let go and let God.” After all, nothing is all God needs to accomplish anything.
The good news is that you have already died and were buried and Jesus met you in your death. It happened at your baptism. In the waters of baptism you were “buried with Christ in his death’ then and there. Therefore, you’ve been dead since you were born, but that is what has given you life. One day Jesus healed a paralytic on the Sabbath. Jesus declared that whoever believes in him has eternal life and has passed from death to life. He continued, “An hour is coming, and now is here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and live.” This promise is not for those who think they have life through their power and wit. The promise is for those who are dead and know they can’t do anything about it. The dead will hear Jesus voice and live. Jesus meets you in your death of trespasses and sins, in your dead soul, and gives life. Jesus does this because on the cross he entered into your death with life. In baptism you enter into his death and life.
3. Those whom God calls to preach Christ crucified are nothing.
The problem in Corinth was one to which the church still succumbs. We concentrate on the one whom God sends to preach that message. But who are these people whom God calls to fill his pulpit. St. Paul calls himself and the whole lot of us, nothing but servants through whom God’s people believe. We are field hands in God’s field. We are nothing. Listen, “So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” Those us who enter the field of Immanuel Chapel may till the ground, plant the seed and irrigate. But it’s God who will bring the growth and provide the harvest.
To concentrate on the person of the pastor is to lose our focus on the person of the cross. It’s to abandon acting like spiritual people and act like mere humans. For anyone who occupies this pulpit must admit with you “I am a poor miserable sinner deserving God’s punishment now and forever.” He is like any man or woman in the congregation who has been angry with his brother or sister and is guilty of murder. He is like any man or woman in the pew, whose eyes have caused him to sin and deserves to be thrown into hell.
It isn’t only members of congregations who like to compare pastors, but so do pastors. At a conference of Missouri Synod pastors held in Brainerd, Minnesota more than 35 years ago, Martin Lieske of the Minnesota South district said, “We have thousands of good and fine pastors in our church. There are only two bad pastors in our whole church, the one who precedes you at your church and the one who will succeed you when you take a call elsewhere.
Whether we occupy the pulpit or the pew we are unworthy of God’s grace. Yet how marvelous is his love. I share with you an adapted section of a sermon preached by A.E. Hageman more than sixty years ago.
Alone, without any help from us, the Son of God fought to the death to rescue all mankind from death. Yet, He chooses humans to distribute the spoils of his victory.
Alone the Son of God drank the bitter cup of suffering to redeem mankind from sin and death. Yet He gives to sinful mortals, the high privilege of offering the cup of salvation to a dying world.
Alone the Son of God labored with bloody sweat for the salvation of a fallen world. Yet the wages of his hard labor, are offered to sinners by saved sinners.
Alone the Son of God, under great shame, sorrow and provocation poured out his blood on the barren cursed field of humanity and transformed it into fertile field to bear fruit of eternal life. Yet he gives the honor of planting, watering and reaping the harvest to you and me.
What more need be said, except, “Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, who was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be.” Amen.
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