Do you expect the WOW factor?

Title:   Do you expect the WOW factor? By Pastor Lohn Johnson

Text: 1 Kings 19: 11-13  11 And he said, "Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD." And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.  12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.  13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

INTRODUCTION: My dear friends in Christ, we’ve all seen roller coasters, maybe like this:

It must be the “Wow” factor that attracts people to these things.  I don’t see it but I have a policy of never paying for someone to scare me – that includes roller coasters.  But others aren’t like that.  They want the “Wow.” They want the thrill. Did you know that there is a roller coaster on the drawing boards that is the ultimate “Wow.”  It will never be built.  It goes up over 1600 feet (that’s almost the height of the New World Trade Center building)  You come down at 220 mph, then you immediately go through several loops.  They say that almost all people would die from lack of oxygen in the brain.  It is called the Euthanasia Roller Coaster.  But they would have a great “Wow” before they died. To me that roller coaster is a picture of our relationship with God.  We want the “Wow” from God but the problem is the “Wow” will eventually kill you.

I. Elijah certainly experiences the “Wow” from God.

A. Elijah was sent to the wicked King Ahab and Queen Jezebel to say: "As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives . . . there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word" (1 Ki 17:1). For three years, the Lord protected Elijah in the drought.

1. First, in the wastelands, God fed Elijah with ravens delivering to him bread and meat. Wow! 2. Then the Lord sent Elijah to the foreign widow at Zarephath. About to starve, the poor widow baked her last meal. But as she shared with Elijah, day after day her cooking oil and flour never ran out. Wow! So why did God allow her only son to be struck sick, to die? Three times, Elijah stretched his body over the corpse, crying out, "O LORD my God, let this child's life come into him again" (17:21). Our miraculous God resurrected the boy! Holy wow! 3. My favorite Elijah "Wow"? The trial by fire! All Israel's people gather at Mount Carmel. Elijah alone challenges the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 of Asherah. "You call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the LORD, and the God who answers by fire, he is God" (18:24). So the false prophets slaughter their bull, cry to Baal, and dance all morn till noon. Elijah mocks, "Either he is musing, or he is on a journey, or perhaps asleep and must be awakened" (18:27). The fools dance up a frenzy. They cut themselves with swords.  But still, Baal has no answer. Elijah then rebuilds the true Lord's altar. The slaughtered bull and altar was drenched with water three times. "O LORD . . . let it be known this day that you are God in Israel. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that you, O LORD, are God.” The fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and stones and licked up the water in the trench around. Result? All the people, long confused, now fell on their faces, shouting, "The LORD, he is God; the LORD, he is God" (18:39). Wow!

B. But now as far as Elijah could see, God's wondrous work was done. But King Ahab tells Jezebel " and how Elijah had killed all the prophets with the sword" (v 1), and Jezebel sends word straight back to Elijah, "May the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow" (v 2).

1. Where is God's protection? Elijah is gravely disappointed in God! "Why did you send me? Why did your fire devour the sacrifice? Why have you roused Jezebel to kill me?"

a. Elijah ran clear out of Ahab's kingdom, deep into the wastelands. There Elijah hid in a cave. For Elijah, the thrill was gone. What if you no longer see God's "Wow!"? b. The Lord gently invites Elijah to come to the light. God tells Elijah, "Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD" (v 11). But Elijah did not want to stand before the Lord God!

2. But on that Mountain the Lord did something truly “Wow” but in a totally different way.  It says: "Behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD"—Wow!--"but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake"—Wow!—"but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire"— Wow! —"but the LORD was not in the fire" (vv 11-12).

a. God drew this picture for the prophet. "Do you think I've lost my power? Are you free from my fury? Yes, Elijah, I could squash wicked Ahab and Jezebel."  Yes Elijah I could use the “Wow” but at times I have a better gift. b.   After the awesome wind and earthquake and fire came "the sound of a low whisper" (v 12). What did it say? The text doesn't tell. I think it said: “You are forgiven, Elijah.  Come! Leave your prideful pity party. Leave your deadly doubts buried in the cave. Come, live new!"

II. Thank God for those days when he shows us his "Wow!" Days when we can't help but shout, "You are so awesome, Jesus!"  But what if you no longer see God's "Wow!"?

A. Have you griped? "I've worked hard for my family, been zealous for the church, tried to be a good citizen, a helpful neighbor. What good has come of it?"

1. We want impressive stuff! We want to be “wowed” out of our seats.

a. “Do something impressive! Everyone but me is against You. Show Your power and put a stop to all this madness.” b. That’s what we think, too, isn’t it? It’s gone far enough, Lord. Abortion, pornography, homosexuality, violence, drugs. The church is suffering from lack of interest. Many members are apathetic. Attendance is down. Giving is down. But persecutions are up. Everything is going in the wrong direction in the world and in the church.” Do something, Lord!” we say with Elijah.

2. But if we’re waiting for God to unleash His power against everything that is wrong and evil, then we’re waiting for the final Judgment, and we, too, will be judged.

a. For everything that is wrong and evil out there, is also in here. Everything that I detest in society dwells also in me. Everything that I hate in my neighbor has a home within my heart as well. I simply refuse to see it and admit it. b. So if I want to see God’s wow, I may be shocked by what I see. Just as Jesus rebuked James and John for wanting to call down fire from heaven upon the heathen, so you and I need that same rebuke when we judge others, but refuse to judge ourselves.

3. Do you realize that Jesus never did a miracle involving fire? Of all the hundreds of miracles that He did, not one involved fire in any way. That’s because fire is reserved for the final Judgment.

a. Jesus stepped into the fires of hell on the cross for you, and for every sinner. He did not call down fire from heaven upon others. He let that fire fall upon Himself. He suffered the agony of what our sins deserve. He endured the punishment that we should have for all eternity. Those who reject His sacrifice on the cross, who refuse His mercy and grace, will feel the fires of Judgment to come. b. But until that final day of reckoning, the wheat and tares will grow together. The wicked will dwell with the saints, and the saints will suffer persecution.

B. God made it clear to Elijah that the most impressive action He takes is not to destroy the wicked with a grand display of His power. He was not in the wind, or in the earthquake, or in the fire, but He was in the low whisper...the still, small voice.

1. Many years later that voice would be heard again as Jesus opened His mouth on the cross. Not, “Destroy them, Father!” but “Father, forgive them,” is what He said. a. The most impressive thing about God is that He shows mercy to the unmerciful, He loves the unlovable, He forgives sinners. b. If God was to seek out evil to destroy it, He would be seeking out each one of us to destroy us, for we are all evil within our hearts. But Jesus died for you. God rained down His fire upon His Son in your place. And now He seeks you only with love. He finds you with His still, small voice. The voice spoken over you when you were baptized. The voice that is preached to you from the pulpit. The voice that speaks God’s forgiveness to you.

2. It’s not a loud, dramatic voice. It’s a low whisper, barely audible. For even though Christ died for all, most in the world are not listening. But you are. By God’s grace, you are. You are here today not for God’s wow, but to hear God’s whisper.

a. “Dear sinner,” He says to every one of you, “I forgive you. All your sins are forgiven. Go in peace and sin no more.” Because here in God’s House, not God’s wow, but mercy is shown; not anger, but love; not punishment for sins, but forgiveness for you in Christ Jesus...for all of you. b. Like this… A woman in the hospital, not a believer, just got the news: "You have only days to live." She called her friend to her bedside and quickly got to the question: "Can your God heal me with some miracle?" "Yes," said the believer, "Christ can cast out this cancer. He can easily lengthen any life in this world. Just like you, I'm praying for that. Christ also has done something far, far harder. He gave all he had. He sacrificed all that he is to win forgiveness for me and for you." With tears in her eyes, a smile on her face, to her dying friend she whispered. "To you, the same as to me, Jesus is giving the life that never ends!" Hear the whisper? Almost always, that's how God speaks. How did you come to faith? I bet it was with a whisper. Maybe it was the soft voice of the pastor at your infant Baptism. Maybe years later the hushed tone of some Christian friend.

CONCLUSION: When we remember that handful of water with which he christened us, the Lord speaks. When we listen to what he says of this bread and wine, we hear the Lord speak. "This is my body, my blood. I, the resurrected, living Lord, give myself to you for your forgiveness." In the Bible's promise, the Lord speaks. Sometimes, it's just a whisper. And God speaks today even through a fool like me. As God sends you to some friend, God still speaks through you, too. Amen

We Go to Church to be Forgiven

Title:   We Go to Church to be Forgiven By Pastor Lohn Johnson

Text: Luke 7:48-50   48 And he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."  49 Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, "Who is this, who even forgives sins?"  50 And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

INTRODUCTION: My dear friends in Christ, Something about this text made me think of Damaged Goods. That's what the Pharisees saw, "Damaged Goods." Today you may be able to find scratch and dent places where you can get appliances at a discount.  Sometimes we can get dented cans at grocery store for a discount.  But really nobody wants damaged goods. When you go to the grocery store most people pass up dented cans and open packages. For the budget minded, in some stores you can actually go to a shopping cart filled with dented cans or cans without labels and buy them for about 10 cents apiece. But most people don't. And a lot of stores have quit bothering to put the dented cans out. They just send them back. Why?

I. Because they’re "Damaged Goods."  And nobody wants Damaged Goods.

A. In our world there are the obviously damaged goods.

1. Just like the woman in today's Scripture. She was obviously Damaged Goods.  She was obviously a sinful woman.

a. She's a public sinner--it was known by both God and man that she has broken His commandments. b. She lives a life of shame; but perhaps that shame is actually a blessing. After all, she is daily reminded that she is sinful, that her debt before God is huge and unpayable. With dishonor like that, there's no chance that she's going to believe she's okay before God. She has nothing to hide behind.

2. There were hundreds of houses scattered throughout the city, but this woman sought out only the house where Jesus was eating.

a. She had heard of Jesus. Probably heard Him teach. Maybe even had a brief moment with Him where she confessed her sin and received His word of pardon.  She comes in humility.  She comes for mercy. b. She doesn't weep and wash Jesus' feet hoping that He might be the forgiving Savior, but because she already trusts that He is! She is not seeking to earn forgiveness, but acting as one who has already been forgiven.

B. And then there are those who are not so obviously damaged.  These men at the table are all damaged goods too, every bit as much as she is. Of course Simon, the Pharisee is not quite perfect, and he realizes that he's sinful.

1. But he also believes that he makes up for his sin by the good life that he leads.

a. In other words, with the rest of the Pharisees, Simon figures that he's made up for his debt of sin. By his efforts and good works, he has balanced out most of his failings. b. And this religious idea prevents them for seeing their own sinfulness. And failing that, they fail to see Jesus for who He is – the Savior of sinners. The fact is, if you don’t think you are a sinner, then you have no need for a crucified Savior.

2. In a book, one author deals with people who have scars that nobody else can see. He uses the analogy of those beautiful giant redwood trees in the far western part of our country: "In most of the parks," says the author, "the naturalists can show you a cross section of a great tree they have cut, and point out that the rings of the tree reveal the developmental history, year by year. Here's a ring that represents a year when there was a terrible drought. Here are a couple of rings from years when there was too much rain. Here's where the tree was struck by lightning. Here are some normal years of growth. This ring shows a forest fire that almost destroyed the tree. Here's another of savage blight and disease. All of this lays embedded in the heart of the tree, representing the autobiography of its growth.” "And that's the way it is with us," the author continues. "Just a few minutes beneath the concealing bark, are the recorded rings of our lives especially our sins.

a. That’s the danger of religion. It gives you a pretense of respectability, a thin veneer of bark over our sin. We call it our “Sunday best.” We wear it when we want others to see how religious we are. Oh we wear it well. b. There was very little hope for Simon because he saw no need for change. The prostitute knew she was missing the mark; Simon was blind to the entire target. You have to get under the bark to reach him.

II. And then there’s Jesus.  He’s in that room too.

A. He’s no sinner at all.  There’s no obvious sin, no hidden sin.  No sin under the bark.   Jesus, of course, is the most righteous of them all, because He is the sinless Son of God, become flesh to die for the sins of the world; and yet He will become the least righteous, for God will make Him to be sin so that we might be delivered. B. The wages of sin is death, so Christ pays the debt to His Father by dying on the cross in our place; and having debited our sins from us, He credits us with His righteousness.

1. Jesus only wants one thing from you--your sins. He went to the cross for you, not to hear you sing His praises, but because He loves you.    2. And Christ the Savior has come to redeem us--to buy us back and set us free from sin and death.  He came to seek and to save the lost. He came to rescue sinners. He came for that damaged woman, and she believed it.

III. And you and I are damaged goods too.  We are sinners – some more obvious sinners, some with sin hidden under our bark.

A. Yes, we can be like the Pharisee and cover our sin with the bark of our religion.

1. Then we like the Pharisees won’t realize our debt of sin.

a. The sinner naturally believes that sin isn't all that bad, and that he has made up for his sin by the good works that he does. b. It can be like this: A new pastor was in his first year at a certain congregation. The congregation had traditionally had a Confession of Sin as part of their worship liturgy. This pastor’s predecessor had eliminated this confession of sin from the service. He tried to reinstate it. But resistance to the proposed change was fierce. Some members thought that a confession of sin was too morbid a thing to do in church, where one’s spirits were supposed to be lifted up. During the heat of the debate, one woman in the church exclaimed, “But I don’t need to apologize to God for anything!” The pastor was dumbfounded. “My seminary training hadn’t prepared me for this,” he said. “I thought everyone knew we had to confess our sin.” (3)

2. And this may one of the greatest tricks of the devil because if we discount the debt, we fail to appreciate the enormity of Christ's sacrifice on the cross and see little need for forgiveness.

a. It is true: You and I are debtors, and it is a debt we cannot repay. From the time of Adam and Eve, we have been sold into sin and cannot redeem ourselves. b. The payment-the wages of sin is death. Apart from Christ, we are in grave trouble and we are left only with sin and death and hell.

B. Or We can be like the woman and acknowledge our sin.   Our text does not tell us what this woman’s public sin was. We could take a guess, but if we do we miss the point. She could be any one of us, and in fact, she is all of us.

1. Since she is all of us we can imagine that we are here in the house of Simon the Pharisee, so to speak, just as she was. If you have come like this woman did, then you are richly blessed to have the proper attitude. And you will leave as she did, with God’s eternal gifts that no one can take from you.

a. When you are like this woman, and you prepare yourself to listen--hungering for God’s gracious words to you--coming to His Supper thirsting for your Savior, you will not leave disappointed. b. You will leave as she did--filled and satisfied. And you are the ones who will continue to come back to Simon’s house for more week after week.  It’s because Jesus is here.

2. You are forgiven much too. More than you realize. The commandments will tally the size of the debt, and it isn’t a small one. We too are adulterers and murderers and thieves.

a. To know the greatness of your sin is also to know the greatness of your Savior. No matter how great the sin, no matter how messed up the life, Jesus is always greater. Greater than our sin, greater than our death. b. He loves you unconditionally. He forgives you, all of you, no matter what.

CONCLUSION: We can sum up the message of the text with this: One pastor/ told a story about a pastor who saw a former burglar kneeling beside a judge, the very judge who had sent the burglar to jail for seven years. After his release this burglar had been converted and became a Christian worker. Yet as they knelt there, the judge and the former convict, neither seemed to be aware of the other. After the service, the judge was walking home with the pastor. The judge asked, “Did you notice who was kneeling beside me at the Communion rail this morning?” The pastor replied, “Yes, but I didn’t know that you noticed.” The two walked along in silence for a few more moments, and then the judge said, “What a miracle of grace.” The pastor nodded in agreement. “Yes, what a marvelous miracle of grace.” Then the judge asked, “But to whom do you refer?” And the pastor said, “Why, to the conversion of that convict.” The judge said, “I was not referring to him. I was thinking of myself.” The pastor, surprised, replied: “You were thinking of yourself? I don’t understand.” “Yes,” the judge replied, “it didn’t cost the burglar that much to get converted when he came out of jail. He had nothing but a history of crime behind him, and when he saw Jesus as his Savior he knew there was salvation and hope and joy for him. And he knew how much he needed that help. But look at me. I was taught from earliest infancy to live as a gentleman; that my word was to be my bond; that I was to say my prayers, go to church, take Communion and so on. I went through Oxford, took my degrees, was called to the bar and eventually became a judge. Pastor, nothing but the grace of God could have caused me to admit that I was a sinner on level with the burglar. It took much grace to forgive me for all my pride and self deception, to get me to admit that I was no better in the eyes of God than that convict that I sent to prison.”