NEW BIRTH

NEW LIFE

April 11, 2021

Rev. Mark F. Bartels

Psalm of the Day; Psalm 16

First Lesson; Acts 3:12-20

Gospel Lesson; John 20:19-31

Sermon Text; 1 John, 5:1-6

I bet it has been twenty years ago, (although my sense of time is not always very good, but it was way back when we used to put ads in the newspaper), I remember the Evangelism Committee sat down one day. We were looking at some black and white ads that Mike Mahnke, one of our Evangelism Committee members, had come up with. Mike has this great marketing mind, and he had these black and white ads that I still remember, because they were so good. I still remember them, to this day, twenty years later! One of them, in big, bold letters said this. All it said was,

Cross over from death to life.

I thought that just grabs your attention. I think we were going to put it in at Easter time.

Cross over from death to life.

I thought, “Who would not want to cross over from death to life?”
Did you know that is actually taken from a Bible verse, in 1^st John, chapter four? Here is how it actually goes. This is thought provoking. It says,

“This is how we know that

we have crossed over from death to life...”

So, that verse is telling you there is a way that you can know you have gone from being spiritually dead, and you have been raised from the dead spiritually, and you have come to spiritual life. Do you know how you can know that? How do you think the rest of that verse goes? It says,

“This is how we know

that we have crossed over from death to life...”

What do you think the answer is?

Here is the answer.

“This is how we know

we have crossed over from death to life,

because we love the brothers.”

If you love fellow Christians, if you have a heart for fellow Christians, that is a sign that you have come to life, spiritually.

That is what our text today is talking about. Just listen to what it says from 1^st John, chapter five, verses 1-6. This is in Jesus' name.

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the God who has given birth, also loves one who has been born of Him. This is how we know that we love the children of God: when we love God and keep His commands. In fact, this is love for God: that we keep His commands. And His commands are not burdensome, because everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. This is the One who came by water and blood: Jesus Christ. He did not come by the water alone, but by the water and by the blood. The Spirit is the One who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.

These are your words. Heavenly Father lead us in the way of truth. Your Word is truth.

Amen

I heard a pastor give a Bible Study, once. He was talking about The Lord's Prayer, and he was saying most of us have said The Lord's Prayer so many times that we know it from heart. You could say it backwards, and forwards, and you can say it in your sleep. Anyway, he was talking about the benefit of that, that you know it so well. Here is the scenario he set up in this Bible Study.

He said “Imagine you find yourself one day in the hospital. You open your eyes, and you have no idea how you got there. You have no idea what happened. You have lost your memory, and you don't even know who you are. You don't know who the people standing over you are. They may very well be your relatives, but you don't know them.”

“Or, imagine you are in a nursing home, and it is the same situation. You don't know who you are, and you don't know who the people there are.”

“The only thing you can remember because it has been so imbedded in you is The Lord's Prayer. That is all you can remember.”

Then, this pastor who was leading The Bible Study said, “Just think of what you know, if all you know is The Lord's Prayer.”

He said, “First of all, you know this. Our Father, who art in Heaven. 'Well, I have a Father, and He is my heavenly Father. And, I have brothers and sisters, because it says our Father, who art in Heaven. So I have a Father, and I have brothers and sisters!'”

Then, as you went on in The Lord's Prayer, you discover that your whole life is about your relationship with your Father, and your relationship with your brothers and sisters, because here is how The Lord's Prayer goes.

The first three Petitions are about my relationship with my Father, our Father.

-Thy Kingdom come.

-Hallowed be Thy name.

-Thy Will be done.

Then, look at the next Petitions. They are about my relationship with my brothers and sisters.

-Give us this day our daily bread.

-Forgive us our trespasses...

So, I know, just from The Lord's Prayer, I have a Father. I have brothers and sisters. My life is all about my relationship with my Father, and the brothers and sisters I have, who all have that same Father.

So, how do you know if you are part of that family? How do you know if you are part of the family of God? How do you know if you are a child of God? What if you struggle, and wonder, “Am I a Christian?” Maybe you have gone through all kinds of things that are causing you to wonder, “Am I a Christian?”

I think one of the most powerful questions in our Catechism is this question. “How does even weak faith show itself to be saving faith?”

How would I know, how would I know, if I am questioning, “Do I have faith?”, how would I know the answer to that?

Our Catechism is going to give three little things that will help you look, and say, “OK, those are signs that I can be sure I am a Christian, I have faith, I am a child of God, that God is my Father, and that I have brothers and sisters.”

Here are the three things.

How does weak faith show itself to be saving faith?

Even weak faith shows itself to be saving faith by its

Number one: hatred of sin

Number two: desire for grace in Christians

Number three: love for fellow believers.

I just want to briefly walk through each of those, until we get to the love for fellow believers.

We are brothers and sisters. We are brothers and sisters, if we have a hatred of sin, because true faith, even weak faith, shows itself to be saving faith by its hatred of sin.

So, if you hate sin, what does that mean? Does that mean you are perfect? Does that mean you are able to stay away from sin? No, it doesn't mean that. You may fall into all kinds of sin, but hatred of sin is this. Hatred of sin is, “Why did I do that? Why did I lose my temper? I didn't want that to happen. I wish that hadn't happened. I am sorry.” “Why did I have those bad thoughts? I don't want those thoughts to go through my head. I wish they were not there. I am sorry.” “Why did I treat that person so cruelly?” “Why do I struggle with pride? I don't want that.”
If you have a hatred of sin, you want your sin to be gone, and you wish that guilt were gone, that is one of the signs that you are a brother, or a sister. True faith shows itself to be saving faith by its hatred of sin.

Number two, true faith shows itself to be saving faith, even weak faith, by its desire for grace in Christ. So, I am sorry I have sinned. I am sorry I have done wrong. I hate that sin. The good I want to do, I don't do. The evil I don't want to do, I keep on doing. So, how do I get delivered from that? Well, it is this desire to have grace in Christ. Our text for today says this.

“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ,

has been born of God...”

So, do you believe Jesus is the Christ? Do you believe God's Word that says He has been put in the position that He is the Messiah? He is the Anointed One. He is the only One who is in the position who can do something to save you from your guilt, and your sin.

Then, it goes on and says this.

“Who is the one who overcomes the world?

Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”

So, do you believe Jesus has been put in the position to save you? And then, do you believe the reason He is in that position is because He is the only One who is capable, because He is the Son of God? He is God and Man in one person. He is the only Person who could be under the Law, as my substitute, die as my substitute, but keep The Law perfectly. And, when He died, He paid for the sins of the whole world. Do you believe that?

Then, it goes on, and says this.

“This is the One who came by water and blood:

Jesus Christ.

He did not come by the water alone,

but by the water and the blood.”

What does that mean? Do you believe that when Jesus came by water, when He was baptized, He was entering in to His public ministry? As He was stepping in to the waters of baptism, whose baptism was it for? It was for sinners. There, He was identifying Himself as a sinner, the sinner, the One who is taking your sins.

Then, He also came by blood. He carried that sin to the cross. And there, with His blood, He washed away all of your sin.

Do you have a desire for grace in Him? Do you wish He would take away your guilt? Do you wish He would forgive you of all of your sins? If you have a hatred of sin, and a desire for grace in Christ, you are our brother, or our sister.

But then, thirdly it says, “True faith shows itself to be saving faith also by its love for the brothers, or love for fellow Christians.”

Let's talk about that a little bit. Love for fellow Christians. Just think what we have in connection, and in common with each other. We know we are sinners. We cling to Jesus. We have the same Dad. That makes us brothers and sisters.

I want to talk about this in the context of Covid. Some of us (and now I am talking to those who are home, right now), as brothers and sisters, we have not been able to be together the way we had in the past.

There was a man who lived back in the 1930's, 1940's. He happened to be a Lutheran pastor in Nazi, Germany. His name was Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

The Nazis had overtaken the Lutheran Church, and they were forcing the Lutheran church to teach things that were not true, or correct. There was a group, a small group of Lutheran pastors who secretly pulled away from that. They wanted to continue to teach the truth. So, they started a secret, little seminary. It was an illegal seminary, where they were training pastors. They called Dietrich Bonhoeffer to be the headmaster at this secret seminary. They were able to have this secret seminary in Nazi, Germany for about three years, before they got caught. The seminary got closed, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer got thrown in to prison.

While he was in this secret seminary, he wrote a book called, Life Together. It is about brothers and sisters in Christ, living together, being together with one another.

You know, The Bible, when it talks about believers, The Church, it always talks about us in the context of being together.

-We are the flock. Not just one of us, but a flock. We are together.

-We are the body of Christ. It is not just the finger, but we are all connected. We are the body.

-It talks about The Church as The City of God. A city is made up of a whole bunch of people.

So, he talks about life together in Christ.

And then, given the circumstances he was in, in Nazi, Germany at the time, and what he underwent, he understood what it was like to be separated from fellow Christians. And so, he particularly dwells on that, and he particularly dwells on what happens when you are isolated, when you can't be with your fellow Christians. Maybe you have been thrown in prison. Maybe you are sick, and you literally can't be with your fellow Christians. Maybe you have been scattered, for one reason, or another. Maybe you are a missionary, and you are the only believer in some area, and you are trying to create other believers through The Word.

In this book, Life Together, he asks, “What happens when you are in a situation like that?”

To you at home, and to us here, we have not been able to be together, for various reasons. Whether you are not able to get here, because you are a home-bound member, and just can't be here, or maybe Covid has kept you from being here, one of the things Bonhoeffer says is, “When we are in a situation like that, as Christians, it makes being together with our brothers and sisters even more precious. It makes the heart long to be with fellow believers.”

And so, to those of you who are not here, or have not been able to be here, we long for the day when we get to see you, again. And, I am sure you long for the day, when you get to see us, again.

“This is how we know that

we have crossed over from death to life,

because we love the brothers.”

It creates this heart that wants to be together with God's people.

Next thing Bonhoeffer said was that being separated from one another has this benefit. It really causes us to look forward to being in Heaven, someday. Some of you, maybe, will never be able to be with us here. We won't be able to be with you, because of your circumstance. John the Apostle was once exiled on the island of Papas. So, he was not able to be with his fellow believers. He had this beautiful vision of Heaven, longing to be there. Here is what he said.

“I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the Throne, and in front of the Lamb.”

When we are not able to be together, it creates in our hearts this longing, “Some day. Someday I will get to be with my fellow believers, again.” We all have that longing.

Our scripture goes on, and says this.

“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ

has been born of God,

and everyone who loves the God who has given birth,

also loves the One who has been born of Him.”

We love each other. We are brothers and sisters. We have the same Dad, the same Father.

It goes on, and says,

“This is how we know that we love the children of God:

when we love God

and keep His commands.”

So, what are the commandments all about? They are really simple. They are about my relationship with God. That is the first three. And, it is about my relationship with others. That is the last seven. So, this is how I know I love the children of God. I want to keep God's commands. I want to love other people.

Then it goes on.

“In fact, this is love for God:

that we keep His commands.

And His commands are not burdensome...”

There was a little girl, a little, ten-year old girl by the name of Lisa, who was an orphan. One day at the orphanage a mom and a dad showed up. A husband and wife. When the husband and wife were introduced to Lisa, they said, “Lisa we are thinking about adopting you, as our daughter. What we are going to do is we are going to take you home for one month, and see how it goes. If it goes well, then we want to adopt you.”

How do you think Lisa felt?

Lisa went home with them, and she was terrified. “Did I wash the dishes the right way?” “Did I clean up my plate the way I should?” “Did I listen well enough?” She was terrified, because she did not know if she was passing the test, or not.

When the thirty days were over, guess what happened. They took her back to the orphanage.

About a month later, another man and woman showed up. They said, “Lisa, we want to adopt you.”

She was scared, and asked, “How long is the trial period?”

“Trial period? There is no trial period. We are going to take you home. You are our daughter.”

She asked, “You are not going to bring me back here?”
They told her, “No, you are our daughter. You are coming home with us.”

She went home with them, and there was no fear. She was so happy to do the dishes. She was so happy to vacuum her room. You see, obeying them was not burdensome, at all.

Nor is it for us, as God's children. We obey God, not out of fear, because we have to, but because of what he has done for us.

His commands are not burdensome.

Now, I want to have this thought. That does not mean it is always easy to do the loving thing. There is a difference between saying something is a burden, verses something is challenging to do.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, (the man who wrote that book, Life Together), one of the things he said in that book was this.

“One of the most cruel things you can do

is tenderly consign someone to their sin.”

One of the most cruel things you can do is look at somebody, who you know is walking down a path of sin, and just let them go. It appears like you have this tender heart, saying, “Well, I don't want to talk them about it. I don't want to hurt our relationship. I don't want to make them mad at me. So, I am just going to tenderly let them go down that path.”

Why did he say that is one of the most cruel things you can do? Remember the signs of being a Christian? How does even weak faith show itself to be saving faith? Number one, is the hated of sin. And, if you just tenderly let somebody fall in to sin, you are tenderly letting them walk away from the faith.

He went on, and said,

“One of the most cruel things you can do

is tenderly consign someone to their sin.

One of the most loving things you can do,

one of the most compassionate things you can do

is rebuke someone,

and call a brother or sister away from sin.”

That is part of why we have the brothers and sisters, the body of Christ. If I see someone, or you see me walking in sin and away from the faith, one of the most compassionate things you can do is to call me back, so I do have a hatred of sin, and a desire for grace in Christ.

I am so thankful to be a pastor, here at Holy Cross. I consider it one of the greatest, greatest privileges I have ever had in my life! And, not just being pastor, but having you, you, as brothers and sisters in Christ. It is such a joy, such a joy to walk with you, love you, be loved by you, be cared for by you, and care for one another. What a blessing!

“This is how we know

we have crossed over from death to life,

because we love the brothers.”

Amen