[Sermon Archive]

This Week's Sermon THE FIRST WEDNESDAY IN LENT 24 February 2010 "Fear, Love, and Trust" Exodus 20:2-6 LSB Series C Vicar Jeffrey M. Dock Soli Deo Gloria!

In the name of Jesus + Amen.

The first commandment tells us to have no other gods. And Martin Luther, in his small catechism, beautifully explains what that means. It means that 'We should fear, love and trust in God above all things."

'We should fear, love and trust in God above all things'. It's such a straightforward statement. It's such a simple confession. As instructions which God gives to us go, it doesn't get any more clear or important than this. 'We should fear, love and trust in God above all things.'

Think of how much better our world would be if people simply believed and followed these words. Imagine how much smoother our own lives would run if we could just do what Luther says here. But too often we do not. It is a sad fact that sin strikes here, at the heart of the faith, first. If we could only keep this first commandment, all the others would fall neatly into place. But sin constantly works to destroy this simple relationship God calls us into. Rather than simply trust in Him alone as our God, all too often we look to other things which cannot save us. Money, family, lusts, good health, political leaders, firearms, false prophets, our own charisma, etc. Fill in your own personal blank here. Rather than look to God as the giver of all good things, we look to the things themselves and don't see Him behind them. Rather than use these things as God intended them to be used, we twist them to fit our needs and what we think is best. This is a sin we all struggle with in some form or other.

And so, it is fitting that we meditate and study this first commandment. For here we find God's teaching, calling us to the life we were meant to live. A life which is free from fear, hate, and doubt. A life lived in the full assurance and confidence that can only comes from being a Child of God. A life God desires us to have.

We should fear God above all things.

When we think of fear, we usually think of being afraid. And there is that implication in this commandment. Make no mistake. We should fear God's wrath and punishment. As Jesus said "Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in Hell.¹" God is angry at sin. He is angry at sinners. All debts will be paid.

But as Christians, this is not how we are to fear God. Remember, your debt was paid at the cross. Your sins, which God despised, were taken from you and placed upon the Lamb of God. Christ gives you His righteousness. So Christians should not be afraid of God any more than they are afraid of their own Father. God is not "out to get you." He is not an angry man holding you above a fire just waiting for you to mess up so that He can drop you in. He loves you as His children. The hairs in your head are numbered by Him, and He is the one who tells us to 'Fear not, for we are of great value to Him.²'

No, fear in this sense means to treat God with the honor, respect, and reverence due Him. He is the one who created this earth out of nothing, and continues to keep it going. He is the one who formed you from dust. He is the one who saw you fall into sin, and yet chose not to abandon you. He is the one who suffered all things, even death, in order to give you life. And therefore we are to fear God in the sense that we are to respect and honor Him. He is God after all- we are not. Therefore, let us fear Him above all things.

We should love God above all things.

What is love? Love is not some sort of vague ill-defined feeling that floats out there waiting for us to fall into it. No, to the Christian, love is real. It is actual. God is love. As the apostle John says "In this is love, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.³" This is real, concrete, tangible love. Love you can take hold of and trust in. The love of God is shown forth perfectly in His Son's death on our behalf.

In a sermon awhile back, Pastor used the word 'reckless' to describe love. This word has stuck with me, for this word captures so well the love of God. It is a reckless! For God does not look at what He may gain by loving us, He just loves us. He does not ask what he's going to get out of loving, He just loves. He does not look to see if were worth loving, but loves us in spite of our many faults. God is love, and He loves us perfectly and completely. He recklessly showers us with good gifts. He recklessly forgives our sins even knowing we'll commit then again. He recklessly brings us into His family, sharing with us all the inheritance of Heaven.

And if God so loves us, we also are to love Him and one another. We are to love God above all things, and one of the ways we do this is by showing forth that love to our neighbor. Recklessly. Without thought of what we might get out of it, or what good it does us. We are to selflessly sacrifice for our own families, whether they always appreciate it or not. We freely give to those in need, whether they ask for our help or not. As the apostle Johns says "If anyone says "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen." Loving our neighbors pleases God. We are called to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind⁴. Such love prompts us to serve Him gladly in our lives by doing those things that please Him.

And this life of love we live toward our neighbor is lived within the umbrella of love which surrounds us. Remember, we know that God loves us because He gave His Son to take away our sins. We are clothed in Christ's blood, washed of all wrongdoing, and live in that household of perfect love that is Christ's church. All the love we have for God and others flows forth from this love and forgiveness given freely to us. Therefore, let us love Him above all things.

We should trust God above all things.

God has created us, keeps us alive, gives us all good things, and perfectly loves us. All the reasons we have to trust in Him have been spoken of before. In God is no deceit, no selfishness, and He has no ulterior motives. He only desires to give. He desires you walk in His statutes for your own good, and eagerly desires to one day bring you to Himself in Heaven. He wants your trust because He knows the others things this world tells us to trust in aren't that great. They can't save you. They don't love you. They haven't sacrificed on your behalf. God has.

And so, we are called to trust in Him. To believe that He is our true Father, and that we are His true children. To willingly listen to His commands and promises found in the Bible. To eagerly receive Christ's body and blood trusting it is for our good. To not look at the bad things in life and agonize over why they happened, but it simply trust that God loves you. To believe that all things work together for good for those who are called according to God's purpose⁵. To trust that God does care for you, and will watch over you. To have faith in the hope that awaits us all beyond this vale of tears and sorrows. God is not just a God, but is your God. He is active on your behalf. Therefore, let us trust Him above all things.

We should fear, love and trust in God above all things. May God grant this in our lives.

In the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

¹Matt 10:28
²Cf. Matthew 10:30-31
³1 John 4:10
⁴Matthew 22:37
⁵Romans 8:28