Being Givers Like God

Title:  Being Givers Like God By Pastor Lohn Johnson

Text:  Mark 12: 42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny.  43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them, "Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box.  44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on."

INTRODUCTION: My dear friends in Christ, One lady relates this story: I used to work as a waitress throughout high school. We had one lone man come in in the afternoon who was particularly difficult. He complained that there was nothing on the menu that he wanted to eat and our prices were too expensive. After patiently trying to give him suggestions of popular dishes or specials, he tried to negotiate the prices on things – offering to pay half of the price listed on the menu. I told him that I wasn’t authorized to make changes to the prices on the menu, but that I would get my manager to come over and speak with him. After him trying to negotiate with my manager (who is also extremely patient), she told him simply that the prices listed were the prices that they charge for the food and if he wasn’t happy with the selection or pricing there were plenty of other restaurants in town he could eat at. He ended up ordering something off the menu, I served him (pleasantly and promptly) and brought him his bill. When I came back to get payment from him he left the exact change for his bill on the table. He then took a nickel, spit on it, told me that was my tip and threw it on the ground under the table. I told my manager and she escorted him out of the restaurant told him he wasn’t welcome at her restaurant anymore.  That was a nasty man and a rude tip.

I. What is considered proper etiquette for tipping today?  It’s certainly not what that man did – spitting on the nickel.  But etiquette I suppose depends on how good or how poor the waitress or waiter was. Twenty-percent for prompt, courteous service; ten percent or less for poor service.

A. In a way this restaurant scene reminds me of the events of our text.

1. At the entrance to the temple’s “court of women” there were thirteen metal boxes shaped like long horns standing on their ends. They were the money boxes for the temple.

a. As the coins clanged their way into the coffers, they made a sound that could be heard throughout the courtyard. b. Clang, clang, clang, clang. You can only imagine the noise. And everyone stopped and looked to see who it was that made such a glorious contribution.

2. But all the wealthy who put in their gold coins worth thousands were, in reality, only tipping.

a. They were just giving Him a tip--something they wouldn't miss.  Their contributions were out of their abundance. A tipper gives leftovers.  b. And the leftovers show a lack of consideration for God who does way more than serve the tables.  He is the source of all we receive.

B. Isn't it true that all too often we are only tippers?

1. And we tip the waiter at Applebee's more than we tip our loving God.

a. We give him ten, fifteen, or twenty percent, but we often give God only a fraction of that.  b. And as tippers we give out of a sense of duty, because others are watching, or because we're supposed to.  Tippers seldom give out of love.

2. And tippers feel they have the right to complain.  And they often complain that they have to give.

a. And tippers can often find reasons to give less...something the pastor said, something a member did.  b. If they have a gripe, their giving goes down.  If they're angry, they may give little to nothing—like the man with the nickel.

3. And again this tipper attitude reflects what we think of God.  It implies He is to serve us and when He doesn’t meet our expectations we feel we can complain.  We can show our distain by spitting on the nickel.

II. And then comes our dear widow lady with her two copper coins.

A. Plink, plink. They were the smallest coins in circulation. You and I would likely have missed the noise.

1. But sitting across the way, opposite the treasury box, Jesus is watching as people put their money into the treasury, listening to the clang, clang, clanging of the coins. And then He hears the plink, plink of the widows two copper coins, and His ears perk up. He hears something different that he didn’t hear in all the other coins that clanged into the coffer. He hears love and faith. 2. This widow’s faith showed she trusted that God would send a great Champion through the bloodline of Abraham and David - to deliver a world full of people lost in sin.

a. Every time she saw a blood sacrifice on that big seven foot altar in the middle of the temple - she knew that God would some day send a Substitute to be slaughtered for HER sins! b. When Jesus saw her heart, He could tell that she loved Him for making her a part of His family - for promising her a Savior - for assuring her that she was a forgiven child of God. She was thankful for what God had done for her - and so out of love - she gave her offering.  c. She showed that God meant everything to her.  She went far beyond leftovers, she put her whole life in God’s hands.

B. So what is Jesus' point here?  He surely does not expect us to be like that widow and give all that we have to the Lord? Was He criticizing those who gave a lot?  Neither!

1. Jesus noticed this woman because she was doing the very thing He was about to do. In other words she was a picture of Christ.

a. Already a widow living in poverty, this woman made the final sacrifice--she gave the only thing of value she still had. She did not cling to it.  She freely, cheerfully, without hesitation sacrificed all she had left.  That is what Jesus did for you.  He came to our world leaving His glory on high.  He lived here in poverty, and He did this for you.  "He became poor," the Bible says, "that you might become rich."  b. And then He made the final sacrifice.  All He had left to give--His life's blood, His dying breath--He gave for you on the cross.  c. To the world it seems like nothing.  The world that ridicules the poor widow's penny is the same world which scorns the death of the Son of God.  It means nothing to them.  “What good is the death of Jesus on a cross!” they sneer.  Like the widow's mite, the offering of Christ, and His Word and Sacraments, are seen by the world, to be worth but a penny or less.

2. But as Jesus took notice of what the widow gave, so God took notice of what His Son gave on the cross. And God, in response, declares you forgiven.

a.  Jesus' blood, worth but a penny in the eyes of the world, has purchased for you forgiveness, life, salvation and the gift of heaven.  Jesus did not hold back just as the widow did not.  He did not give only partially.  Like the widow, He gave for you all He had left to give. b. And this was no tip.  The thorns, the nails, the splintery cross, the punishment of God--it pierced His very soul with agony to give His life for you.  But He did not complain.  He opened not His mouth.  As the widow walked up to the offering box, gave, and then walked away, so Jesus was led up to Calvary and death carried Him away, and no complaint was on His lips.

III. This poor widow gave her offering and she held nothing back. She gave all that she had. This is how God gives to you. His love for you moved Him to give up His only Son. He gave all He had. Jesus gave all he had so you don’t have to.

A. But God still doesn’t want us to be tippers.  Being a tipper implies a wrong conception about God, as if we were above God and He were our server.  But God is the owner of all, who graciously gives us all things.

1. Yes, God created us. God provides for all of our needs. Not our wants and desires, but our daily needs. The talents we have are given to us by God. We use and build upon those God given talents and abilities in order to earn a living for our families. 2. We may buy stuff with the money we earn but even those things can be attributed to God because we used our God given talents to earn the money to buy the things. There is nothing which we have which does not come from God.

B. And this God serves us and makes us His children and as His children we are brought to dimly reflect our Father.  And we then become a little like that widow and place our whole lives in God’s hands.

1. Our Father is a giver and He brings us to be givers too.  That’s what He worked in that widow.  That’s what He works in us too.

a. Not that we give our last two pennies, but that we give with the same attitude of love that that widow showed.  b. And He gives birth in us an attitude that acknowledges that we are totally dependent on Him.  We place our lives in His hands.

2. He works to make us to be givers a bit like this story one pastor tells: I saw the widows attitude one Sunday in the form of a five year old little boy who ran up and threw his arms around my leg and hugged the stuffing out of me. He leapt out of nowhere in the busy crowd in the entry way of the church I was serving at the time. He nearly tripped me. But it was his hug of love that kept me from falling, just as it has been Christ's very own hug of love that has kept me from falling so many other times. When those little arms unwrapped themselves from my leg the little boy they belonged to yelled, "Hey pastor, look what I've got for Jesus this morning." I looked down and he proudly showed me his quarter for the Children's Offering. His Mom and Dad had already started him on an allowance. They gave him 10 quarters a week. One of them (the first one) was for Jesus. The second one was for savings. And the other eight he could spend almost any way he wanted. I wish you could have seen the look of joy on that little boy's face when he gave his quarter to Jesus.

CONCLUSION: Yes, Tipping etiquette may vary in our society and we may intentionally or inadvertently apply the practice to our offerings to God.  But God’s not looking for tippers. That widow is a picture of what God has in mind.  She pictures Christ, who gave all He had.  Jesus went without complaining to a cross for us.  God gives us all He did in Word and Sacrament.  He makes us His.  He makes us givers in a small way like He is.  Now we are people who know we are totally in His hands.  We are people who gladly return a portion of what He gives for His work.  Amen.

Our Robes are Made White

Title: Our Robes are Made White By Pastor Lohn Johnson

Text:  Rev.7:9-10;13-14 9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,  … 13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?"  14 I said to him, "Sir, you know." And he said to me, "These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

INTRODUCTION: My dear friends in Christ, As I worked on this text I was drawn to the idea of an old child’s game called Monkey in the middle.  Yes, this game is hard on the Monkey in the middle, while the people on each end are picking on him or her.  And we can learn from this childhood game because all of life seems like playing monkey in the middle.  One side is the past, the other side is the future and our lives are lived in the middle.  And it can seem quite cruel to us in the middle.

I. Yes we are people who live in the middle of time. And People who live in the middle of time are like people who play monkey in the middle but also like people who swim into the middle of a lake, and find it hard to see, either shore.

A. Here, in the middle of time, that we call the present, we often feel so "in over our head" and aware of how easy it might be to sink –like the cruel past and the unknown future are playing with us.

1. This is because we are in over our heads in sin.

a. Now the word “sin” doesn’t’ seem to have the traction it once did. Tell someone that something is a “sin,” and they’ll probably laugh at you and call you a “religious fanatic.” b. And because of sin our struggles will continue here.  We splash about as if we are sinking or we run back and forth unable to catch what we need.

2. And because we are caught in the middle we shouldn’t expect this life to be easy. Don’t expect a divine bailout for your problems.

a. The prophets before you were persecuted. b. All but one of the apostles, John, were martyred. Expect trouble, now. In fact, be suspicious when things are going peaceful. It’s the quiet before the storm.

B. We are in the middle of the lake and we seem to be sinking to our doom.  But now that water is transformed for us.

1. God has provided us with life-giving water. And if we follow that stream of water back, we will find that it started to flow from a hill – a hill called Golgotha.

a. Jesus was killed by crucifixion on that hill. He died on a cross after being brutally mistreated. He was killed to make peace between a holy God and sinful humanity. b. When the spear pierced His side out flowed water and blood as He died.

2. And when on a dark Friday afternoon his body was placed in a grave, his friends thought that they were seeing the last of Him. A large rock placed at the entrance. But on Sunday morning, He rose.  And the stream that started at the cross began flowing. It seemed only a trickle at first. And then, then that river started to surge. It exploded and burst from its banks at Pentecost. Its water began flowing and carving its way through all nations and peoples. It has been washing people clean for generations.  That water has come to us too.

II. We are still in the middle but everything is changed. We are no longer monkeys in the middle with the cruel past and future threatening to abuse us. We are no longer in the middle of the lake sinking down.  Now because of that flow of water to us in baptism we are redeemed and now we have a picture of the past, the present and the future that is quite different.

A. Our picture of the past is changed.

1. You see Everyone in heaven has a past.  You do not go to heaven without one.

a. No Israelite entered the Promised Land without first traveling through the desert.  And no one enters the Promised Land of Heaven without having lived here on the earth. b. But the fact of the matter is that we make too much of our past.  Either we count on our past getting us into heaven, or we despair that our past will keep us out of heaven.

2. But our text speaks of God's saints as having a past, but the only thing it says about their past is that "they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."

a. It does not say, "They tried their best to keep the Commandments."  It does not say, "They were good people," or "They were good enough to be called saints of God."  b. All it says about their past is "They washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb"--that's all...period!

3. No saint is in heaven because of their past, and no saint is barred from heaven because of their past.

a. they are only there because in their past they had had their robes washed in the blood of the Lamb.  b. Now we are added to their number.  In our baptisms we are washed in the blood of the Lamb.  Our past transgressions are washed away.

B. And our present is changed. Whatever is in your present; whatever worries, troubles, and frustrations--Jesus is not just the Savior of your past, He is here for you in your present as well.

1. His words give strength to you today.  His Sacred Meal sustains you now in this life.  His forgiveness is for your past and for your present.

a. Do you miss your loved ones?  Your loved ones who died in Christ did not leave you.  They are still with you.  You and I just cannot see them or touch them.  And Jesus joins them with us.  In Holy Communion there is no past or future--there is only the eternal present.  b. A few years ago a group of Christians from the United States visited war-torn Nicaragua. While there, a young man in this group was killed by the Contras. This left the group confused and full of questions. On the next Sunday a memorial service was held. From the altar the priest said, "The peace of the Lord be with you" and people from the congregation, Nicaraguan people, began to embrace these Americans and say, "Paz" or "peace." These people who had suffered in so many ways were passing the peace of Christ. During the Communion service there was a pause. The congregation was silent. Then someone called out a name. In one voice everyone responded, "Presente!" Another name was called out. Once again the response was, "Presente!" During the service at least twenty names were called out and each time the same response: "Presente!" The pastor leading this group of American Christians did not understand what was happening until he heard the name Oscar Romero. Then he realized that all the names were those of persons who had died. From that moment on he joined in shouting, "Presente!"  At the Lord's table the word "presente" means "in our midst" or "present with us." Shouting "Presente!" in that worship service was a way of proclaiming the reality of the communion of saints.

2. And our present is transformed by what happens in worship.

a. I heard someone suggest a while back that "the church, especially in its worship, is the language school of the Kingdom of God." In this sense, he said, going to church is like going to language school. If you're planning a trip to a faraway country, you go to language school to learn how to speak the language of the country to which you're traveling. You learn what to say in that country in order to negotiate your way around it. b. This is precisely what we do on Sunday morning. We go to church to try our hand at a strange language. It's the language of forgiveness, and we're still getting the hang of it. We don't speak it near as well as we could, but we come here to practice that language; and, as we do so, the time we live in now gets overthrown by the time we will live in someday.

C. And our view of the Future is transformed.

1. Like this: One author recalls the time when his children were younger.  He and his daughter, Cathy went to find a pet. Cathy selected a tiny peekapoo puppy. When they got home the author agreed to build a dog house for the new pet to live in. He said, "The only kind of dog I knew very much about was a really big bird dog, so when I built the dog house, I built a very large house." In fact the house was too large for the small dog. The size of the dog house scared the little peekapoo puppy. No matter what they did the little dog would not go near the dog house. In exasperation, the author admits, "I would shove him in and hold my hands over the door; but the minute I would move, he would run out, unbelievably frightened." Nothing worked. The little dog would not go into his dog house no matter what they did to entice him. In disgust, the author went inside, and sat down in the den while his daughter, Cathy, stood outside crying over her dad's impatience and the refusal of her puppy to cooperate. After a while, Cathy got down on her hands and knees and crawled into the dog house herself. When she crawled into it something wonderful happened. That little puppy trotted right in beside her and stretched out on the dog house floor. Before too long the dog was taking a nap. All the fear was taken out of the darkness, because the one whom he loved and trusted had preceded him into that dark and frightening place. It no longer caused him fear.  Jesus has done for us what that little girl did for the puppy.

2. John, in writing to this community of Christians, gave them a gift.

a. John pulled back the curtain that obscured their vision of history, in order to show them a party going on in heaven. A party, of those who have been vindicated by God, who are in heaven praising and glorifying God's holy name. b. This was John's way of saying, to them and to us: Have courage, you who bear the ministry of the cross! For you are moving toward the triumph of God! Your life in the middle of time has meaning, because of where it's all headed.

CONCLUSION: You and I look at past, present and future with trepidation. It may seem like we are monkeys in the middle with past and future cruelly abusing us—even the present is hard.  Or we are in the middle of the lake sinking far from either shore.  But Jesus has transformed that water because of the water that flowed from his side. He has removed the abuse that the past, present and future can be for us.  Now the past is forgiven – washed in the blood of the lamb.  Now the present is a time we are in communion with all the saints who have gone before us and we practice the language of heaven in worship.  Now the future has lost its fear factor because Jesus had gone before us and we have a glimpse of the party we will join in heaven.  Amen.  The Peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  Amen.

What is a Lutheran

Title:  What is a Lutheran By Pastor Lohn Johnson

Text:  Romans 1:16-17  16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."

INTRODUCTION: My dear friends in Christ, just this last week I was asked to come up with a class for our school teachers on “What is a Lutheran?”  As I began to work on that it seemed that it would be a good topic for this Sunday – for Reformation.  So I ask: “What is a Lutheran?”  Of course, this question is very vast.  We can’t cover it all. For example in the Seminary there were three volumes that tried to answer this question and that only scratched the surface.  But we can get an overview.  And when we consider this question the first thing we have to clear up is that a Lutheran has nothing to do with Martin Luther King Jr.  That’s usually the first thing someone unfamiliar with Lutheranism thinks.  Although we may respect MLK’s contribution to American history, he has nothing to do with Lutheranism other than, most likely, his mom and dad named him after the founder of Lutheranism.  The founder of Lutheranism is a 16th century Roman Catholic monk—professor Martin Luther in Germany.  (But even this is a misnomer because Jesus Christ is really the founder of Lutheranism.)  But back then Luther was struck by practices in the church that were contrary to the Scriptures.  He sought to return the Church to the authority of the Scriptures.  His protests ended up with this famous scene:

I.  In the process of Luther’s working the reform, certain teachings drawn from the Scriptures became very prominent.  Foundationally to all Luther brought out from the Scriptures, is the fact that God is a Hidden God.  Yes, Luther did have a unique perspective on the nature of God.  That perspective begins by clearly stating that God is Holy – totally untainted by sin, evil or anything like that.  And since we are sinful and even the best of us are corrupted by sin, if our holy God would come into contact with a sin corrupted man or woman that man or woman would be destroyed.  God doesn’t want that to happen. So God hides to protect us.  God didn’t just hide away and withdraw from us.  He determined safe ways to reveal Himself to us.  These safe ways all follow a pattern. That pattern is that God connects Himself to some material means and works through those means to give of Himself to us—and what He gives is special and exactly what we need most.

A. The first way God reveals Himself and gives out His gifts is through the Bible.  The Bible is a unique book because it is God and man coming together to give a safe revelation of God to man.  God moved the men to record what He wanted revealed.  It was done is such a way that there were no errors in the record, but the flavor of the men came through.  So the Scriptures are God and man combined to give what God desired to give man.  And because God is behind the Scriptures they have God’s authority.  In Luther’s day this became known as “Scripture alone.”  And it became part of the slogan of the Reformation.   In other words Scripture was the ultimate authority in determining teaching about God.

1. And because the Scriptures have God behind them they are handled in a special way.  In other words we have reading rules.  It is not subject to our whims and fancies.

a. If the literal sense of a passage makes good sense, seek no other sense or you will have nonsense.  b.  The more difficult sections are interpreted in light of the clearer sections of Scripture.  So Scripture interprets Scripture. c. Context is important.

2. And we must realize that the text we have is accurate.

a. It is not corrupted.  Any major teaching has full support of an accurate text. b. Translations may vary in quality but that’s not the problem of the original text.

3. Also Luther determined that Scripture contains two basic teachings which have different purposes.  These teachings are Law and Gospel.  To correctly understand Scriptures you have to distinguish between Law and Gospel.

a. The Law is designed to show us our sin and thereby bring us to realize that we need help that only God can supply.  b. The Gospel points to our Savior, who is the help we need from God.

B. The second way that God reveals Himself is through His only Son, Jesus Christ.  Again we see the pattern, God + a material human body =Jesus.  He was fully God and fully man.  This we can’t understand fully.  But here is God walking among us in a safe way.  His miracles show us He was from God.  And God even testified about who Jesus was.

1. He certainly showed us He was from God by what he did.

a. He lived a perfect life.  He never once sinned.  Never once disobeyed God as we do.  Only Jesus could and did do this.  And He did it for us. b. Then He was taken to the cross by evil men like us.  There He was crucified.  There he paid for our sin. There God punished Him in our place.  He paid the penalty of hell – the penalty we deserve.  He was and is the help we need.  He was the infinite sacrifice for an almost infinite amount of sin.  He died. c. On the third day He rose from the dead.  This shows us that God accepted His sacrifice in our place.

2. This became the “Grace alone” piece of the slogan of the Reformation.  You can look at it like this: G od’s R iches A t C hrist’s E xpense C. Now God gives out what Jesus has done in the same pattern that He has worked in the Scripture and in Jesus.  He gives out what Jesus has done through what we call the means of grace.  These are the Word and the Sacraments. In these means the Spirit works as He has promised.

1. The sacraments are Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.   This is God’s word and promise attached to some material means.  Again we have the pattern for God to come to us safely.

a. Baptism is the Word and water and it conveys what Jesus has done.  We are given faith.  Faith that saves.  Faith that looks to Jesus alone for salvation.  b. The Lord’s Supper is the word, connected to the bread and wine and it carries Jesus’s body and blood to us.  We are really given Jesus in this supper.  We are strengthened and more…

2. Through the Word and Sacraments we are brought to another piece of the slogan of the Reformation: “Faith alone” because faith is given out in these means.   We are saved only by faith that looks to Jesus.  Nothing can be added to faith.  Anything added would take away from Jesus.

II. Through the means of Grace we are made part of God’s family the Church.  The Church is nothing other than a container for God’s gifts.  And again we see God’s pattern of working.  But now we are the material means. Jesus says: I am the Light.”  That light is contained in His church.  The Church is a lit up structure of people reaching into the world – it’s lit up by Jesus and its purpose is to give out God’s gifts.

A. Now we who have been given faith are made the “Body of Christ.”

1. And now we who are gathered together become the Church. And Jesus is in us.

a. And the purpose of those who contain Jesus is to carry God’s gifts to the world in a safe way.  b. We all have individual purposes as body parts have individual purposes.  Our task may be small or large.  Either way Jesus is shown through us to the world.

2. And to be about our purposes we must be connected to the source of our “light,” Jesus.

a. Our Worship and Bible study is designed to fill people with Jesus – to empower us to carry Jesus to others. b. In other words the light of Jesus is encouraged to shine out of us to others.

B. And we are to be constantly on guard that nothing dims the light of Jesus.  But sadly things do tend to dim the light of Jesus in us. Accordingly I have to make a note about other denominations – other than Lutheran. And there is even problems with some Lutheran groups too.

1. Other denominations tend to dim the light of Jesus in us.

a. They do this by denying or twisting or confusing some of the teachings of the Bible.  b. So It really does make a difference to which denomination you belong.  This may not be an immediate threat to your faith but it can be, especially over time.

2. Luther began the Reformation in the first place because it makes a difference what denomination to which we belong.  That’s why it is important to continue the Lutheran Church.  That’s why it’s important for us to continue as Lutherans.

CONCLUSION:  What is a Lutheran?  Again it is far more complicated than can be addressed in one sermon.  But we can summarize and say a Lutheran is a Christian who has been brought to realize that God works in this pattern – the pattern of God of coming to man in a safe way through material means.  A Lutheran is a Christian who knows that Scripture alone is our authority on teaching.  A Lutheran is a Christian who knows we are saved by Grace alone, which means through the work of Jesus given freely to us through Word and Sacrament.  And a Lutheran is a Christian who knows that our Faith alone, given by God and  apart from works, appropriates what Jesus gives out freely.  And a Lutheran is a Christian who knows that they are part of that pattern – we have received God’s gifts.  And now we are the material means God uses to carry his gifts to the world.  So really the answer to the question: “What is a Lutheran?” is really “You.”  Amen.

Jesus Binds us Together

Title:  Jesus Binds us Together By Pastor Lohn Johnson

Text:  Mark 10:6-9 (ESV) 6 But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ 7 ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. 9 What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

INTRODUCTION My dear friends in Christ, A young couple decided to wed. As the big day approached, they grew apprehensive. Each had a problem they had never before shared with anyone, not even each other. The groom-to-be, overcoming his fear, decided to ask his father for advice. “Dad,” he said, “I am deeply concerned about the success of my marriage. I love my fiancée very much, but you see, I have very smelly feet, and I’m afraid that my future wife will be put off by them.”   “No problem,” said his dad. “All you have to do is wash your feet as often as possible and always wear socks, even to bed.” Well, to him this seemed a workable solution. The bride-to-be, overcoming her fear, decided to take her problem up with her mom. “Mom,” she said, “When I wake up in the morning my breath is truly awful.” “Honey,” her mother consoled, “everyone has bad breath in the morning.” “No, you don’t understand. My morning breath is so bad, I’m afraid that my new husband will not want to sleep in the same room with me.”  Her mother said simply, “Try this. In the morning, get straight out of bed and head for the bathroom and brush your teeth. The key is not to say a word until you’ve brushed your teeth. Not a word,” her mother affirmed. Well, she thought it was certainly worth a try. The loving couple was finally married in a beautiful ceremony. Not forgetting the advice each had received, he with his perpetual socks and she with her morning silence, they managed quite well. That is, until about six months later. Shortly before dawn, the husband woke with a start to find that one of his socks had come off. Fearful of the consequences, he frantically searched the bed. This, of course, woke his bride, who without thinking, immediately asked, “What on earth are you doing?”  “Oh, no!” he gasped in shock, “You’ve swallowed my sock!” (1) Terrible joke, I know. But would anybody argue with me that we take marriage far too lightly in our society? It is a serious matter.

I. But to understand the seriousness of marriage we must look at God’s intention in establishing marriage.

A. To understand God’s intention we must go back to creation.

1. Adam was made a complete, self-contained individual.  Adam was made from the earth (Adam means earth or earth man). 2. And Adam was made to be in relationship.

a. He was the image of God, and even God exists in a trinity of Persons in relationship with each other. God is never alone even in Himself. b. And so it was not good that Adam was alone.

B. And so God put Adam to sleep and took something away from him to give him more.

1. The word that is used here may mean a human rib bone, but, more often it refers simply to “a side of something.” But it may be better not to think of God removing a single rib from Adam, but you might say He divided His “female side” out.

a. So guys, there’s no point getting in touch with your “female side.” You don’t have one. Your female side is your wife. b. So God built a woman. She isn’t made from the earth like Adam, but from his side.

2. Adam awoke and instantly recognized his own reflection in her. “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.”

a. She was like him but not interchangeable with him. And in union with her, he receives what was taken and more. This is the mystery of our being male and female, and why we are so fascinated by each other. b. “One flesh” means something whole worked by the creative Word of God that cannot be undone by a piece of paperwork. This is what elevates human sexuality above the animal. The birds do it, the bees do it, all our fellow creatures do it, but when we, who are made in the image of God, do it, something greater and more significant takes place. “They are no longer two but one flesh.” c. Maybe you can see it like this: Perhaps you saw the original "Rocky" film…. Do you remember the love relationship Rocky had with Adrian in "Rocky?" She was the little wallflower who worked in the pet shop, the sister of Pauly, an insensitive goon who worked at the meat house. Pauly couldn't understand why Rocky was attracted to Adrian. "I don't see it," he said. "What's the attraction?" Do you remember Rocky's answer? Rocky said, "I don't know, fills gaps I guess." "What's gaps?" asks Pauly. "She's got gaps," says Rocky, "I got gaps. Together we fill gaps." In his simple but profound way, Rocky hit upon a great truth. He was saying that he and Adrian each had empty places in their lives. But when the two of them got together, they filled those blank spots in one another. Rocky saw a bit of what Adam saw.  It would pay for each of us to see this too. d. And note that none of this is connected in any way to same sex anything. That is never a part of God’s intention.  It’s part of our next section.

II. It’s too bad that we wreck what God intended—that’s what our text is about.

A. It was Sin that changed all that God had intended.

1. It brought shame, and self-centeredness. Adam and Eve tried to cover themselves with their own fig leaves. They hid from God. They blamed each other.

a. The union between man and woman became a competition to see who would rule. Their “one flesh” union became a struggle leading to divorce and adultery. b. We bear witness to that in the brokenness of our own lives – in our multiple “one flesh” unions, our divorces, our adulteries, our same sex union, and all the ways we attempt to justify ourselves in these wrong ideas and deeds.

2. Now you see how Jesus can make the blanket statement that to divorce and marry again inevitably results in adultery, because the “one flesh” union has been adulterated, and no amount of legal fiction will make it right.

a. Divorce can never be "justified." Just like no other sin can be “justified.”  b. On the contrary, divorce’s very existence stands as an indictment of the human condition. Divorce reflects the pervasive reality of sin. Divorce reflects our "hardness of heart."  "Hardness of heart" results in a life where divorce becomes common.

B. Already by asking the "Is it lawful?" question, the Pharisees reveal their hardened hearts. Hard hearts want to show God how right they are.

1. This text is about exposing the hardness of hearts. This text is seeking to expose every one of us -- Pharisees, disciples, and even you and me. It’s a hardness that not only has put us at odds with one another but also with God!

a. And in case you are sitting there smugly with your happy marriage and thinking, “I thank God I’m not like one of those he’s talking about,” well, remember what Jesus said about that stray look and that adulterous thought. You’ve already committed adultery too. b. All of us have hard hearts too.  So for us there are no loopholes, no arguments or self-justifications.

2. And think about how far Sin has corrupted the good that God has given.

a. Think about how Sin has dulled that joy that Adam spoke of when he first laid eyes on Eve and said, “Finally – bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh!” b. Think about how Sin takes the joy of the wedding day and turns it into a drudgery and weariness so that religious people can come up to Jesus looking for a reason to divorce their wives.

III. But fortunately God fixes what we have broken in a unique way.

A.  God joined together your sins--all of them--with Jesus. It was why He came.

1. Jesus was condemned in your place. He stood before Pilate as the One, and the only One, who had to die.

a. And as Jesus was thrust onto a cross, God put every sin-- your sins of thought, and word, and deed--all your sins God joined to Jesus. He was so covered with sin that St. Paul says of Him, “He became sin for us.” b. And then He died. And your sins were buried with Christ in His tomb. And when Jesus rose on the third day, He left your sins behind. They can haunt you no more. The deed is done. c. In baptism your sinful flesh dies with Christ, but you, rise with Christ free and forgiven. God has brought us to the Second Adam and joins us to Him in our baptisms.  He has made us one with Him.  “What God has joined together, let man not separate.”

2. Remember your sins are joined to Jesus...and He left them in His tomb.  And you cannot have them anymore.

a. You cannot continue to live in them.  And so put them away from your heart and life. b. Do not separate your sins from Jesus. He took them from you because He loves you. He took them and you are forgiven.

B. Now for us marriage takes on this flavor too.

1. God is the One who joins husbands and wives together. But instead of just two joined, He also joins us with Jesus in our marriages.  Like this: In 1986 they discovered a boat from the first century in the mud along the shore of the Sea of Galilee during a drought. Immediately word spread of this fantastic discovery...the first 2000 year old boat every found in the Sea of Galilee. Newspapers dubbed it “the Jesus boat,” but it is not known for sure whether or not Jesus may have used it. Still, it did ply the waters of the Galilee during Jesus’ day. The problem was how to get the boat out of the mud and into a museum without having it fall apart at the seams. The wood was terribly brittle and had to be kept in water to keep from cracking. Somebody got the idea of filling it with polyurethane foam which was sprayed into the boat and around the boat, so it looked like an overgrown, melted marshmallow. Thus filled, the boat rose and floated at lake level. For the first time in two millennia, the boat “sailed” again to the cheers of an on-looking crowd.  There is symbolism here.  We are that brittle boat and Jesus is the polyurethane foam. 2.  I know that as Adam was incomplete without Eve, so we are incomplete without Jesus. Our marriages are even held together by Him.  We can look to Him for forgiveness for past sins and look to Him to hold us together when our sin tends to drive us apart.

CONCLUSION: We are not alone abandoned in our sin, lost in our hardness of heart.  We are not left to our crumbling relationships.  But Jesus has come. He has taken our sin and gives us forgiveness.  In Baptism we are made one with Him.  Being one with Jesus changes our perspective on life – it changes our perspective on marriage.  He is what holds us together by the power of His love and forgiveness.