PENTECOST 14, B – September 6, 2009

SCRIPTURES – Isaiah 35:4-7; James 2:1-10, 14-18; Mark 7:31-37; Ps. 28 

Friday evening I was riding along with a police officer, and we received a call to go to a home where a 53 year old woman was injured. When we arrived, we were flagged down by her family and brought to where she was, lying in a driveway in her daughter’s arms and in pain. It seems that she had been riding a little scooter – kind of like a narrow skateboard with two wheels and little handlebars – and fell off as she was going down the fairly steep driveway. The result was a compound fracture of her lower leg. It was not pretty. There was little we could do but flag down the ambulance when it arrived. The EMT’s then took over and took her to the hospital. 

I am sure that she needed surgery at the hospital, and that she went home on crutches with her lower leg in a cast. Weeks of healing, and perhaps physical therapy will follow. Now, when she is finally healed, do you think that she should get back on that scooter and try to go down that driveway again? How foolish that would be! I’m guessing that she’s learned her lesson and will not get on that scooter again. 

This woman is a simple illustration of what God has done for us in Christ, and of how we should respond. We in the Lutheran Church rightly stress that we are not saved by anything we do, but solely by Christ’s works:

q   By His living a holy life and perfectly keeping God’s Law for us, something we cannot do. For, as James says, “whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.” We are all guilty, then, of breaking every one of God’s good commandments. Only Jesus has kept all of them.

q   By His taking our sins and their penalty on Himself, and by His death on the cross bearing all of God’s righteous anger at and punishment of our sins. Jesus summed up His life by saying, “The Son of Man came to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28).

q   And, by His rising from the dead and ascending into heaven, thereby breaking death’s hold on us and preparing a place for us in heaven.

In the Augsburg Confession, the founding statement of the Lutheran faith, it says (Art. IV):

Our churches teach that people cannot be justified [pronounced righteous] before God by their own strength, merits, or works. People are freely justified for Christ’s sake, through faith, when they believe that they are received into favor and their sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake. By his death, Christ made satisfaction for our sins. God counts this faith for righteousness in his sight (Rom. 3:21-26; 4:5). 

Why do our own works and efforts at doing good play no part in our justification, our forgiveness before God? Because our sins make us like the woman with the broken leg. She was in pain and shock and could not help herself. She could not set her bone, or get up and drive herself to the hospital. She could only receive help. It was the same with the man Jesus healed who was deaf and mute. He could not hear, and so could not speak but could only make noises. He could not change this, but could only receive help. And so, Jesus, without any help from him, healed him. Faith – believing in Jesus and that all that He did He did for your forgiveness – this alone saves, for faith is receiving Christ’s help and holding on to Him. And so, we say that by faith alone we are saved. 

But, what about once we are saved? Then we need to listen to what James says: “Show me your faith by your works.” It would be foolish for that woman to go down that hill again on the scooter! More than that, it would be dangerous. She had been riding without a helmet. What if she had hit her head on the pavement? Her injury could have been much worse. And, what about the deaf and mute man Jesus healed? If he had decided not to speak after Jesus restored his hearing and his voice, he would have been ungrateful and sinful. It would have been especially wrong for him to not use his voice to praise God, to praise Jesus, for his healing. Why did Jesus open the eyes of the blind? So they could see! Why did He open the ears of the deaf? So they could hear! Even so, Christ has saved you that you might now live your life in a way that pleases your heavenly Father. This also was stated very plainly in the Augsburg Confession (Art. VI):

Our churches teach that this faith is bound to bring forth good fruit (Galatians 5:22-23). It is necessary to do good works commanded by God (Ephesians 2:10), because of God’s will. We should not rely on those works to merit justification before God. The forgiveness of sins and justification is received through faith.

We are to do the good works commanded by God. This is why you should learn the Ten Commandments and how they apply to your life, and then do them. This pleases God and honors your Savior. It shows that you are His people. It is doing what God created you in Christ Jesus to do. To not do them is to dishonor your Savior and sin greatly against Him.

 

Today’s Old Testament reading from Isaiah says: “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.” You may not think of Him this way, but Jesus came with vengeance. He hates the devil and his works, the sufferings and afflictions he has brought into this world and upon us, and He came to put an end to them. He therefore came with power and healed many people. His greatest power and deliverance, however, was shown when He became weak and helpless and allowed Himself to be crucified. By this act He crushed Satan and his power over us, the power of sin, under His feet, and the day will come when that victory will be seen in its completeness. There will be no more sick-nesses or injuries, no more afflictions of body, mind, or spirit of any kind, when Jesus comes again in glory. Oh, that that day would come!

 

Until then, Christ comes among us in vengeance with the forgiveness of our sins, and He shows forth that healing of our souls by bringing forth good works from our lives. Do not think that your Lord of glory will leave you with nothing to do, no works to glorify Him and show His victory over the devil. As Psalm 28 says, “The Lord is the strength of His people.” He has changed our lives and lives in us. He who is strong will be strong in you and will give you works to do. Some will be works of serving: the sick, the poor, the helpless and needy. Some are in your community, and some are certainly in your family and in your church. Serving them is doing God’s mighty works. Such service is His strength working through you. Other works of service are ones in which you become the one served, the one who is helped and so through whom others serve God. No one wants this. We would rather serve! But, think of how Jesus was glorified when He healed the man who was deaf and could not speak. Because of this man, many were astonished and said of Jesus: “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” This helpless man became the one because of whom many praised Jesus.

 

Whether it is by serving or by being served, “Show your faith by your works.” You have a new life in Jesus! Your heavenly Father has shown the light of His love and mercy upon you in Him! And so now, as Jesus said in His Sermon on the Mount, “Let your light shine, that people might see your good works and praise your Father in heaven.” To the glory of His name. Amen.