January
22, 2006
Series T=
heme:
Every Soul is a Treasure
Sermon T=
heme:
The Time to Gather the Treasure is Short
Text: 1
Corinthians 7:29-31
Pastor P=
eter
Panitzke
St.
Paul’s Lutheran Church of Muskego,
Many of you will hear the account of Jonah in your wors=
hip
services today. Most people probably associate Jonah with the miracle of be=
ing
swallowed by a big fish. But there are greater miracles in Jonah.
The first miracle is God’s incredible patience wi=
th
Jonah. He called Jonah to preach to the people of
To us, Jonah appears to be some unusable fish vomit. But
the Lord is incredibly patient! He called Jonah a second time to dedicate
himself to the Lord’s service. You will want to remember this incredi=
ble
patience of God as we consider our text for today.
The second miracle is that, when Jonah did the LordR=
17;s
work, the Lord’s work worked! He was to go preach to the heathen city=
of
Jonah didn’t want to do the Lord’s work. But
when he finally did, the Lord’s work made a difference in thousands of
lives. You will want to remember the power of God’s Word today as we
consider our text.
The account of Jonah is a good companion to our text for
today because I felt like Jonah when it was assigned to me. I’d like =
to
run in the opposite direction. The text is calling me and you to be a Jonah=
, to
give up any thought of our own safety and comfort and think only of carrying
out the Lord’s work.
Our theme for this Epiphany season is “Every
Soul’s a Treasure.” This lesson from 1 Corinthians 7 reminds us:
The Time to Gather the Treasure is Short.
Let’s listen to what Paul wrote to the Corinthian=
s,
chapter 7, beginning with verse 29:
What
I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wiv=
es
should live as if they had none; those who mourn, as if they did not; those=
who
are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not
theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed =
in
them. For this world in its present form is passing away.
Paul had a startling view of time. His view: We donR=
17;t
have much time left! Paul expected Jesus’ return at any minute.
That’s the God-pleasing view of time. It is a commodity in short supp=
ly.
Do you recognize time as a commodity in short supply? E=
ach
minute is evidence of God’s mercy toward the world. He gave everyone
another minute to repent and turn to him. But he has said those minutes are=
not
infinite. Jesus is going to come back when we least expect it. It could be
another 1950 years—about how long it has been since Paul wrote 1
Corinthians. But then again, Jesus’ return could be today. As far as =
God
has revealed to us, time is a commodity in very short supply.
So how does God want us to use that commodity? Paul
explains, “From now on those who have wives should live as if they had
none.” Taken out of context, it might sound like Paul is saying,
“Forget about your spouse and live any way you want.” But certa=
inly
Paul is not contradicting what the Holy Spirit led him to write in Ephesian=
s.
There he said, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wi=
ves
submit to your husbands as to the Lord…. Husbands, love your wives as
Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:21-=
25).
God’s will for husbands and wives is that each live for the other.
But the context of Paul’s statement is a question
about whether people should stay single or get married. Paul’s counsel
was that if God has given you the gift of sexual self-control, it is better=
to
remain unmarried. Then a person can devote their energies more completely to
serving the Lord. In contrast, a married person has a concern for their spo=
use.
A couple of superhero movies illustrate that. In the fi=
rst
Spiderman movie, Peter Parker wanted to keep his identity a secret because =
his
weakness wasn’t a physical weakness. His weak spot was his aunt and t=
he
girl he loved. His enemies could harm him by harming those whom he loved. T=
he
same story line is in Batman, the Beginning. The thug threatens Bruce Wayne=
by
threatening his butler Alfred and the girl he loves.
So, what is your “weak spot”? Are you marri=
ed?
The devil will use that to try to convince you that the Lord’s work w=
ill
just have to wait. Are you in mourning right now? The devil will use that to
convince you that now is not the right time to d=
o the
Lord’s work. Are you happy right now? The devil can use that to convi=
nce
you that you should take some time just to enjoy life, and that the
Lord’s work will be there next year or the year after. That’s w=
hy
Paul says, “Those who have wives should live as if they had none; tho=
se
who mourn as if they did not; those who are happy as if they were not.̶=
1;
Is your “weak spot” possessions? God gives =
us
possessions in this world to use. In fact in 1 Timothy<=
/span>
6 he says that they are given for us to enjoy! But they can become the goal=
of
our lives. Are you willing to risk all your possessions in order to do the
Lord’s work?
In many conflicts around the world, opposing sides use
children soldiers. These children have lost their families. They have no
possessions to speak of. They have nothing to loose. They can be reckless
soldiers. But a man with a wife and children, with wealth back home, may ha=
ve far
more reservations about going into harm’s way.
Paul said, “The world in its present form is pass=
ing
away.” God is calling us to be like those young soldiers. We really h=
ave
nothing to lose. Everything in this life is short term. Only what is in hea=
ven
will last forever. Are we are willing to take risks, to loose what God has
given us in this world, to do God’s work? Or do you have to join me in
confessing that at times I’ve been like Jonah—running from this
responsibility. If so, remember the incredible patience God showed toward <=
span
class=3DGramE>Jonah, and the same incredible patience he shows towar=
d you.
Like Jonah we are called to focus on doing the LordR=
17;s
work.
And what is that work? Is it any different than what he
called Jonah to do? Isn’t there a world out there that needs to know =
what
you and I know—that our God is incredibly patient with us, not wanting
anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance? Are there neighbors and
friends who need to be encouraged in their faith in the God who sent his So=
n to
die for them?
Today is the 33rd anniversary of Roe vs. Wad=
e,
the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. Doesn’t the fact that
over one million abortions are performed each year in the United States tel=
l us
that there are people who need to hear God’s Word so that they might =
know
and act on God’s will to save the children in the womb? Isn’t t=
his
anniversary a powerful reminder that there are millions around us who are
carrying the horrible load of guilt that they caused the death of their own
child? They need to know what you and I know. They need to experience what
Jonah experienced. They need that incredible mercy of God as Isaiah describ=
es
it in Isaiah 1:18: “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord.
Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though t=
hey
are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”
There is a need to carry out the Lord’s work, a n=
eed
as urgent today as in Jonah’s day. But how do we do the Lord’s
work? It begins by being strong yourself.
A person can say, “Even though I don’t go to
church as often as I used to, I’m still strong in my faith.” A
person can say that, but what is the confession you are giving to others ar=
ound
you? How will your relationship with Jesus become a natural part of your
conversation if your personal relationship with Jesus hardly ever comes up =
in
your every day life? I’ve known very few people who are infrequent in
worship who were effective missionaries to the world around them.
Let us recognize that if we are going to be committed to
the Lord’s work, we need first of all to be committed to our own pers=
onal
spiritual growth. Live as if you were not married. Don’t let your
responsibilities to our spouse crowd out of your schedule time to grow in y=
our
faith. Don’t let all the possessions in this world crowd out your
responsibility to do God’s will.
What
I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wiv=
es
should live as if they had none; those who mourn, as if they did not; those=
who
are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not
theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed =
in
them. For this world in its present form is passing away.
Do you understand why I didn’t want to preach on =
this
text? As I think about my own daily life, and the thousands of choices I ma=
ke
through the week, this passage convicts me. I love my wife and children. I
enjoy the possessions that God has given me. I often get caught up in my
emotions. God help me enjoy these things—but not get engrossed in the=
m.
God forgive me for the times I have forgotten that the time is short—=
the
time to reach the lost for Christ is now. Forgive us and help us use the ti=
me
to reach one more for Jesus. Every soul is a treasure to Jesus. My soul. Your soul. And our neighbor’s soul. He died for each of us.=
May
we live our lives with that same conviction. Eve=
ry
soul is a treasure. And the time to reach every soul is short. Amen.
Let us pray:
Father, help us remember what time it is. The time is
short. Help us remember what is important. This world will pass away. Keep =
us
from treasuring the things of this life. Instead, help us see that every so=
ul
is a treasure, a treasure for whom Jesus died, a
treasure for whom we willing expend our time and our energy to reach with t=
he
message of Christ.
Thank you, Father for your grace and mercy to us in Chr=
ist
Jesus. Thank you for your forgiveness. Help us, Father, to share that
forgiveness with others. We ask this in Jesus’ name and in his name a=
lso
pray:
Our Father…