Dear people of God, do you notice how I begin most every message that I preach. I begin with this greeting: Grace, Mercy and Peace be to you…it actually comes from the New Testament epistles, but it is also the custom of many preachers to use that greeting at the beginning of a sermon. We begin with the Peace of God.
And we end too, with the Peace of God. The last words I say to you in today’s message; and in most every message I will preach to you is this:
The Peace of God, which surpasses understanding guard your hearts and minds in the one true faith, in Christ Jesus.
We begin and end with the Peace of God in Christ. And we live, too, by the Peace of God.
And if you’re wondering, that’s the theme for today. For the last three weeks we’ve been studying Hebrews 11-13, which speaks to us about Faith. And we’ve been wrestling with question, What does faith have to do with Faith? Why is this the characteristic that this congregation chose to be known by, to be known for? And how does the life of faith meet us here and now as we look back at our past and on into our future as a church?
So far we’ve seen that Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Our faith has the power to make us certain of our future, because it is fixed on Jesus and the promise He makes. And the promise of Jesus is a powerful promise. It is an absolute, unbreakable promise of forgiveness, life and salvation; and of a kingdom that is present here in the Church and that is coming in fulness on the Last Day, when Christ returns.
We’ve also seen that faith which is fixed on Jesus produces endurance. When our eyes are fixed on the person and promise of Jesus in the midst of this broken world, then we are empowered by Him to endure whatever life throws at us. We will face all manner of trial and tribulation and persecution. We will be tempted and struggle, but our hope and our future is unchanged. It is undiminished by any of the struggles we may face, because our faith is fixed on Christ, who is God come in the flesh to die for us on the cross. And who rose again. He endured and defeated all of our enemies, and so we also endure by faith in Him, who has forgiven us and given us life, hope, and a future.
So we are assured by faith. We endure by faith. And we are disciplined by faith. Faith fixed on Jesus leads and guides us in the very best way of life. Faith fixed on Jesus teaches us to love the things that God loves and walk in His ways. And it teaches us to say no to the godless desires and philosophies of this world, because our eyes and our hearts and our hope is fixed not on earthly things, but on heavenly things…on the life of the world to come. And we do this with the help of God, and with help of a great cloud of witnesses. God has put us into a community, surrounding us with the people we need to help us and grow us and encourage us in the one true faith and the godly life of discipleship.
But all of this…this life we are called to life…all of it comes from a place of peace. The peace of God.
And in today’s reading from Hebrews, we see that peace sprinkled throughout, intermixed with encouragement and admonition to live by faith, to live out our faith.
Because the living out of the Christian faith should come from a place of peace.
The living out of our faith here at Faith should come from a place of peace.
Notice how the author of Hebrews makes this point as he concludes his or her message to the people of God:
First we read, let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken.
I love that. There’s so much peace in that. The world will try to shake us. The devil will try to strike fear into our hearts. Circumstances will threaten us with doubt. But the kingdom of God, which is present here in His church, and in each of our hearts, where the Holy Spirit dwells, that kingdom cannot be shaken. It is firm, immovable, steadfast, secure.
And that’s true for Faith Lutheran Church. That’s true for you and for me and for all the people of God gathered here.
You’ve been through a lot. More than a decade ago there was a betrayal that took place at our school. It hurt, It shook us up. It violated our trust.
More recently, finances have been a struggle. Enrollment at the school has been down. Grades have been cut There’s been a gap in pastoral leadership. A gap in school leadership. We’ve struggled with communication. And we tend to be anxious about what will happen next. We want to fix it. We want to try to figure out how to get back to where we were in the past. We feel uncertain, shaken.
But hear this: we have received a kingdom that cannot be shaken.
The evidence of that is that Jesus is here today for you in His Word and Sacrament. He is here to declare His peace to you. That peace comes when you confess your sins and hear His Word, I forgive you all of your sins. That peace comes when you remember your Baptism…that you are a dear child of God, forever. That peace comes when you, yes you, are welcomed to His table, to eat and drink the food that He provides, His body and blood. These are simple things, but they are powerful things. Things that form and sustain faith, and grant to us a Kingdom that cannot be shaken.
So be at peace. There will be struggles yet to endure. Problems to solve. A new vision for the future. And it will take time. But it’s crucial for us that we begin with the peace of God, with the confidence of Christ. With the certainty that this kingdom of God, present here in His holy Christian church, where Christ and His cross are there at the center… this Kingdom cannot be shaken. So, peace be with you.
Then the author of Hebrews goes on to encourage us, to admonish us…because we have the peace of God, an unshakeable Kingdom, let us worship, and let us offer ourselves, our lives to Christ, with reverence and awe for He is a consuming fire. The imagery here is of sacrifice. Of presenting ourselves, our lives, our possession, our everything on the altar, to be sacrificed…to be given to God to do with as He pleases.
Without the peace of God and unshakeable Kingdom, that’s scary. But when we see Christ, our God, our King our Savior. When we look upon Him and know that He has us, He is with us, He will not leave us or fail us. When we know that Peace, then out of that Peace we can give Him everything.
And brothers and sisters in Christ, that’s what we need to here at Faith. We need to know the Peace of God, and then offer everything we have, everything we are to Him. We offer this church, the building, the people, the ministry, everything…to Jesus. It is His, we lay on in the altar for Him to do with as He pleases.
And we offer our school and its future to Him. It is His, to do with as He pleases.
And we offer even our own lives, our time and talent and treasure, our future, all of it, we offer to God. We give it to Him, to do with as He pleases.
And we can only do this by faith, by trusting in His goodness, mercy and love, which brings PEACE.
Ok, let’s go back to our reading and see a little more.
So after the author of Hebrews encourages us to offer ourselves to God in worship, he gives more encouragement in the Christian life.
Out of that peace he says,
Let brotherly love continue. — in other words, love one another.
And
2 Do not neglect to show hospitality – be welcoming to others.
And he says,
Remember those who are in prison; and those who are mistreated. – care about each other, bear each other burdens.
And then he says,
Let marriage be held in honor – value the gifts that God has given you from the beginning. Value the calling to be husbands, wives, parents, and children. Value and honor the family as the place of your calling. And don’t defile marriage or the family.
And finally he says: Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have. Don’t be governed by greed or the lust for possessions or the pursuit of more and more and more. But be content. Be at peace.
These are all laws, all commands for us to live by. But where is the power to actually do these things? Well, we’re told where that comes from…to all these things, live by faith, because Jesus has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
So you don’t need to be governed by selfishness, or to try to constantly grasp after the things of this world. You don’t have to look our for number one and ignore the people around you. Because God is actually looking out for you. He will never leave you or forsake you. He has you in His hands. And He has called you to a better life. A life in His unshakeable Kingdom. So with Peace you can say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”.
Do you see…the living out of the Christian faith comes from a place of peace. Not desperation.
And for us the living out of our faith here at Faith should come from a place of peace. Not desperation.
It’s true that we can honestly appraise our life together and find problems to solve, matters to address, work to be done, vision to be established and lived out. But we begin and end with the Peace of God. Whatever we do in the days, months, and years ahead, let it come from this Peace.
This same pattern continues in our reading. The author of Hebrews gives us a few more examples of the way we are to live…the life of faith. Remember and honor your leaders, imitate their faith…
Don’t be taken in by strange teachings or new ideas, whether from the world or from some false religion. The world will preach, peace, peace…bu there is no peace apart from the Word and Work of Jesus. So don’t be taken in by other philosophies or ideas or beliefs, but instead, let the peace of Christ reign in your hearts. Because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
So let your eyes be fixed not on the things of this world where there is no true, lasting peace, but fix your eyes on the city that is yet to come. The new heavens, the new earth, the promise of paradise in the Kingdom of God which has no end.
The living out of the Christian faith comes from a place of peace. We are assured of what we hope for, confident of what we do not see. By faith in Christ and His cross, which is the center of our life and our worship, we know that we are God’s forgiven people. We know that He has our life and our future in His hands. We know that He will never leave us or forsake us. We know that He will guide us into holy lives, that are pleasing to Him.
Oh we may not see it clearly. We will certainly have much to endure. It will take a lot of time, a lot of work. There may even be frustrations between you and me. But all this is joyful work, because it is the work of God’s children, who are called by the Gospel. It is the work of living out our calling, our faith, our hope, each and every day.
So peace be with you dear children of God.
And as the author of Hebrews says,
may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Let’s pray…
Lord God, You are the Good shepherd who has called us, Your servants, to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that Your hand is leading us and Your love is supporting us; through Jesus Christ, our Lord and our Peace. Amen. (From LSB p311)