First Sunday after Trinity (2023)
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1 John 4:16-21
1 John 4:16-21
My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, what a great and glorious day that we have as rejoice and celebrate that another one who has been baptized here, has gone through preparation and examination and is ready to be confirmed and receive with us the Table of the Lord. She has survived the 3 years of arduous confirmation in order to be ready for this moment. Our Epistle lesson is a wonderful passage for this morning of what she has been taught and learned over these past 3 years.
To Know and Believe
It may seem strange to believe the Love God has for us.
If we have been in the faith, we hear quite often about the Love that God has for us, but that is because we are used to confessing our sins. But his steadfast love and mercy lose meaning, if we do not understand God’s other attributes.
God is not only love, He is also good and just.
That means as one who is good and just that He is opposed to sin and must bring it to an end. That he is just means that He cannot let sin go unanswered for to fail to address sin, he would no longer be good or just, but would become capricious and wicked.
In God’s Word you find His wrath against sin.
It is a terrifying amount of wrath. Most folks don’t understand that aspect of sin. They think that sin is just something that they do against their neighbor, and that doesn’t make them too bad of a person, but the truth is that as sinners.
What do sinners deserve from the Holy and Righteous God?
What did we hear in Christian questions and answers this morning? His wrath and displeasure, temporal death, and eternal damnation. That is what all your sins have deserved in this life, and it is the result of those who fail to abide by God’s command.
Hoping We’ve Done Enough
This is much harder to believe than people think.
Most of us think that we are good and decent people, especially when we compare ourselves to our neighbor, but God doesn’t compare us with our neighbor. He judges us according to the 10 Commandments.
The Law is ever with us and accuses us daily.
So we try to abide by it, but we never quite add up to it in the end, and hope against hope that maybe have done enough, for if we get into trouble in this life, we can work to make things right, and make up for the wrongs we commit against our neighbor.
It is why we gravitate towards works.
We hope to do enough works, to cover up our sins. But God demands not that we do our best, but our perfection, He demands that we fulfill his Law perfectly, that we be good in heart, body, soul, and mind. To love him with all that we have. For that is the bear minimum.
When that fails, we point at our neighbor.
Hoping to distract God, just like Adam did pointing at Eve and God, and like Eve did pointing at the serpent, but God laid a curse upon them all, and the longest curse was for Adam.
Relying Solely on God’s Love
Consider how the questions don’t hide from the truth.
The Christian questions and answers teach that we should not attempt to flee from God’s word, or try to shift the blame to someone else, we are taught to admit to God, that we sinners.
To deny sin is to call God a liar.
For if we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. God’s Word is truth. For us to claim I’m a good or decent person, that I have kept the Law, is to say we don’t believe God’s Word.
To confess your sins means you believe God’s Word.
That you trust what it says, and instead of running from the responsibility of accepting what you have done you admit it and own up to it. Now this is terrifying to do, for you are putting your evil self in the hands of a righteous and holy God, who destroyed the earth with a flood, who wiped out sodom and gomorrah, who destroys nations and commands legions of angels. You are admitting that you are his enemy, a sinner. When we see God like this, we do not see his love, only terrifying power, and wrath and judgment.
What hope do you have to be saved?
Here we boldly confess that it is our hope to be saved, but we do not hope in ourselves, no there is nothing good for us, rather we fix our eyes on Jesus. Who laid his aside his crown of glory, and became flesh, so that He might lay down his life for me, a sinner.
God’s love for you is shown through Jesus.
For who was it that sent Jesus into the World? Who was the one that when mankind messed up, offered up the sacrifice that would forgive our sins, and save us from the God’s Wrath? The Father. He is Good, He is Just, He is Righteous, and HOly, but He is also Love, and He is Merciful.
Confidence at the Judgment
Many fear what will happen at death, but we’ll be alright.
For when they stand before God, they will try to defend themselves based upon their works, based upon who they know, or just based upon how awful the worst person in history was. They will perish, but we heed God’s Word, and confess that we are sinners, for Jesus is the Savior of sinners.
Whoever does fear the judgment does not yet understand God’s love.
They are consequently looking at their own works, their own life, and they think they won’t measure up. They don’t yet know about what Jesus has done for them.
The reason they fear is that do not believe Jesus did enough.
They don’t believe that what Jesus did is enough. Think about what that means, that you don’t believe that Jesus went through all of that suffering all of that pain, and fulfilled the Law for you, and decided after that, he was going to hold back what He was giving to you.
Love that Overflows
Christians are marked by love for their neighbor.
For if the Father who had every reason to punish us with temporal death, and eternal damnation, sent His Son to bear your sins that you might be saved and could love you while you were unlovable. Then we ought to love our neighbor.
You cannot hate your brother.
Our world loves to hate, and justifies it in all manner of ways. If we look at the ancient world, they aren’t from the same tribe, they don’t speak the same language, they have funny customs, they have more food than we do. What about today? Do we hate those who are of a different political party, or support a particular candidate? Do we hate those who have more food, bigger house, or more money than we do? If God has shown love to you, show love to them.
Does love mean accepting everything?
No. God did not love or accept sin, He could not be good and endorse sin. Sin had to be destroyed, but what He did was give up His Son to pay for it. You can call sin, sin, and still love your neighbor. We can speak the truth and speak it in love. For God’s Word gives to us the truth, that we might flee from sin, and instead find life.
Think of a parent and how they love their child.
If you see a child doing something wrong, you don’t encourage them to continue sinning. You tell them that it is wrong, and they ought to amend their ways. If they were risking their life, we would speak, but when they transgress God’s commands, they risk losing their salvation.
Do you remember Caybrey, Confirmation is not what? That’s right you are not done with Church, but you are now ready to receive these gifts, and so you need to be diligent to receive them and find a way here. For in the 3rd commandment we are told honor the sabbath day by keeping it holy, and today you are confirming that this faith is your own, and that you treasure what Jesus has given.
So my brothers and sisters in Christ, God is love, and that is a wonderful thing for poor miserable sinners to hear, it is difficult to believe when we are faced with the wrath of God, for we are tempted to deny, deny, deny, but rather we ought to confess. For the Father sent His Son into this world, to die for sinners. So find in Jesus the hope, love, and forgiveness that is offered by His body and blood. In Jesus name. Amen.