Grace Lutheran Church 18th Sunday after Pentecost, September 18, 2005

The Rev. Evan Gaertner

18^th Sunday after Pentecost "Bold to Speak"

September 18, 2005 Philippians 1:12-14, 19-30

Nearly every day something happens to remind me that God's ways are not my ways. I can seek to have everything figured out and have my day all planned and then of course nothing goes quite as I expected. There was an interesting article in the New York Times last week and that examined the date book pages of people on September 11, 2001. What did people plan on doing that day compared to what actually happened? One gentleman's date book showed that he was going to view some real estate that the university he worked for was going to purchase. Other date books showed hair appointments, lunch dates, or business presentations. But nothing that day for the people of New York City went as planned. We may want to have everything figured out, with predictable results. But no matter the event God can be at work to advance the gospel. There is no event that is larger than your Lord and God.

I want to have everything figured out. When things don't go as I have planned can God still be at work advancing the gospel? If we answer no, there are just some events that are so horrendous that God could never be at work in such an event. The problem is that we box God's power inside a set of limits. God can work here … but not here….

One person in commenting on the suffering Hurricane Katrina said that we just must understand that God did everything he could but that some events are just too powerful for God to prevent. I am sorry that is a lousy answer. God is all powerful. Jesus in the middle of the Sea of Galilee said to the wind and the waves, "Be still." The wind and the waves upon his word became still.

With a survival instinct we want to escape our problems. What do you do when you are not living your plan A? Some may give up their faith, some may question the presence of God, and some others may wonder if they did something to deserve it. It is without question that it takes faith to trust in the Lord God's grace and care when we do not know what direction our life is going.

As matter of grace Jesus called St. Paul to become a messenger of the gospel. Through that call to faith Paul became a pastor at heart. Even while suffering he considered the cares and worries of those that had come to faith through his proclaiming of the gospel. To the Ephesians he wrote concerned that they would doubt his message of victory in Christ because he was suffering. Therefore he wrote, "I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory. For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being."

The apostle Paul demonstrated an attitude that overflows with joy and thanksgiving. He wrote to the people of Philippi content no matter his circumstances. Paul wrote, "I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel."

For two years, while Paul awaited his appeal to Caesar to be heard, he was held by the Imperial Guard. The Imperial Guard was full of the elite troops of the Emperor Nero. These guys had the highest paid salary in the Roman Empire. Serving in the Imperial Guard was a stepping stone to some of the highest positions in the empire. There is not a more strategic group of people that Paul could witness to. God did not waste this opportunity. In fact God does not waste any opportunity.

God put Paul in Rome. Paul was arrested in Jerusalem and insisted on appealing to the Caesar in Rome. So Paul was transferred to Rome. I love this, Nero paid the bill to bring the gospel to Rome. Every four hours, as the guard changed, Paul was able to witness to another set of future Roman leaders. Someone figured that if Paul was imprisoned for two year and he received a new guard every four hours that's 4,380 different people he witnessed to!

A reminder to you that God does not waste opportunities we know from history that Nero's wife, mother, and children all became Christians, even though Nero would be the Emperor that began the first Roman Empire persecutions of Christians, which included the execution of St. Peter. Nero's wife, mother, and children all became Christians. God worked through the opportunity of Paul being imprisoned by the Romans.

Paul was imprisoned because he had proclaimed the gospel in Jerusalem. When they tried to stop him, he took his case to Rome. In Rome he was held under guard. But rather than the gospel being imprisoned, the brothers and sisters of the faith in Rome became even more bold to speak the word without fear.

Paul was in bondage by the powers of the Roman Empire. But to the glory and praise of God the good news of Jesus Christ was advanced. The brothers and sisters of the faith were bold to speak the comforting message of Jesus. In every opportunity Paul learned what it mean to be content because he trusted that the Lord was always at work advancing the good news of salvation.

I know it takes faith to see God at work in our lives when all seems empty or broken. I know that it takes faith to see God at work in our lives even when our lives are boring and mundane.

How we look at our problems is more important than what our problems are.

What does it look like to delight in difficulties? Consider what your spiritual delight looks like when you gaze upon the crucified Christ. Certainly there is a deep sorrow recognizing that one man would need to suffer so much for the sins of the whole world. But this sorrow is braced with the confident faith and hope that through this cross comes the calling out of sin, death, and the darkness of sin. This theology of the cross is the faith to be able to see God at work in the worst of our suffering.

Paul's story is a reminder to us all that God's ways are not our ways. If we were to develop a strategic plan on how the gospel was to be shared the first fifty years after Jesus death and resurrection, how many of us would have included the execution of eleven of the twelve disciples and the imprisonment of the apostle Paul.

In every moment of our lives, we are called to live to Christ. Because whether we live or die we are alive in Christ. Apart from Christ we are dead. Apart from Christ we dead to the reality that God wants to work in our lives. Living apart from Christ we are blind to his care and mercy and only cognizant of the depressing works of sin, death, and the devil. Consider how many are joyless because there's really no purpose to live for. See if you can relate with any of these statements —

FOR ME TO LIVE IS MONEY ... AND TO DIE IS TO LEAVE IT ALL BEHIND

FOR ME TO LIVE IS FAME ... AND TO DIE IS TO BE QUICKLY FORGOTTEN

FOR ME TO LIVE IS POWER ... AND TO DIE IS TO LOSE IT ALL

FOR ME TO LIVE IS POSSESSIONS ... AND TO DIE IS TO DEPART WITH NOTHING IN MY HANDS.

But I promise to you whether you can believe it today or not, God desires to be at work in your life. It is a time to rejoice, a time to be glad, a time give thanks.

Soli Deo Gloria

Grace Lutheran Church

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