Prince of Peace and Christ Our Savior Lutheran Churches

May 1, 2005

Vicar Matt Luetke

Easter 6

1 Peter 3:15-22

15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to

give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the

hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16

keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously

against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

17 It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than

for doing evil. 18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the

righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to

death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, 19 through whom also

he went and preached to the spirits in prison 20 who disobeyed long

ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was

being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through

water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you

also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good

conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus

Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand—with

angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.

Jesus Christ Has Won!

I. Make the winner your master

II. Share the winner with others

There is a sadness I feel when I think of August 15. That is the

final day of my Vicar Year and shortly afterward my family and I will

head back to Wisconsin. We won't see you anymore. To be sure, we

will exchange Christmas cards but that doesn't compare to the

day-to-day interactions we have shared. While that day in August

makes me sad, I am also happy because I know that all of us will share

eternity together in heaven, and not just you and me but all the

members of the visible churches like the Wisconsin Synod who are also

members of the invisible church. How wonderful it will be to be

joined in heaven with each of you and the billions who have believed

and with the 100's of 1000's of souls in our Synod who share a common

faith and common purpose. That makes me very happy.

Sadly, I also know that there are people I have met and even grown to

love that have given me no evidence that I will see them again in

heaven. Perhaps you know some people like this. That was the saddest

part of leaving my hometown in Virginian to go to Minnesota for

college. I went to a public high school in Virginia Beach and, by

default, made many non-Christian friends. I spoke to many of them

about Jesus, but when I had to leave in August of '97, there were many

whom I could only pray would someday recognize Jesus as their Lord. I

still pray for them.

When I think about the times I have shared with such people, I think

to myself, "If only I did more to make them believe. I know there

were times I could have shared Christ with them and I didn't. I

remember with sadness those opportunities I had back then, nearly 10

years ago, that I let slip by. I can also remember times when, in

frustration, I spoke to them about Christ but not with gentleness and

respect. As the day of my departure for Minnesota got closer, I

remember panicking. I felt that if I left without changing their

hearts, my friends would have no hope of heaven. There were times I

wanted to stop being so gentle with them and argue Christ into their

hearts. I wished there was a way to make the truths about Christ more

appealing, then maybe they would have believed."

I spoke to my mother about this before I left Virginia and she shared

with me some godly wisdom. She said that all God asks of us is that

we give the reason for the hope that we have. What she said is true.

When you talk to people, you don't have to argue with them, struggle

to make the perfect sales pitch, try to make Gods' ways logical or

reasonable, be clever, or take the burden of converting them on

yourself. Just tell the truth. Just tell what happened, and tell how

you know these things—the Bible tells you so. Just help people find

the Bible's message for themselves and let loose the power of the

Spirit. The reason for the hope is timeless and powerful and

elegantly simple: the Bible! More importantly, you don't have to be

afraid to share Christ! He's won! When you speak to others about

Jesus, you are telling them about the winner, the victor over death

and hell.

What my mom said reflects what God has already told us. God says that

in order to prepare ourselves to share Christ, simply set him apart in

your hearts as Lord. Make the winner your master. In the past he

fought an epic battle with sin, death, and the devil and won! He beat

death single-handedly on the cross. Make the winner your master by

trusting in him as the one who has done what is necessary to save.

Set him apart as the Lord in your heart. As you do this, you will be

ready to do that which God also asks of you: you will be ready to

share the winner with others.

You see, only when we follow Christ will be ready to share Christ.

While God does not want us to use the sneaky techniques of salesmen,

there is one lesson we can learn from them: a salesman has a hard time

selling a product he himself does not value. If you do not value

Jesus, then you will find no reason to share him.

When I say this, I feel as though I am asking you to do something you

are already doing. In fact, I know that you are valuing Christ. The

fact that you are here in church today learning about him proves this

to me. I know that you have made the winner your master because he

has already led you to do some wonderful things, like Jesus Cares,

Christmas and Easter for kids, Soccer Camp, community advertising,

newsletters for prospects, prayers and gifts to support missions and

the synod, the list goes on.

I know that in your hearts, you have set apart Christ as Lord. Yet if

your life is anything like my own, then you can remember times when

you have set him apart as Lord with your hearts, but not with your

actions. You can remember opportunities you had to share Christ with

a confused coworker, a depressed relative, or lonely classmate. You

can remember these opportunities and how you let them pass on by. You

can remember how there was something inside you that held your tongue.

Something… something bitter… something that hurts you even now.

What was it? What was the tool the devil used to keep you from

sharing Christ? Did review your own opinions about Jesus, how you see

him as a God who does good things, but not as a life-changing God, and

wonder whether he is a God you are comfortable sharing? Did you

think, "How can I share with others a so-called life-changing Savior

who has yet to change me from being a worrisome sinner? Did you

forget that he did change your life completely when he bought you back

from hell? Was this tool the devil used to keep you from sharing

Christ—a lowered appreciation of your God?

Or was it a lowered appreciation of the victory he won for you?

Sometimes the devil tries to convince us that the death Jesus saved us

from isn't that bad. As the devil convinces us of this, we end up

treating Jesus as unnecessary. After all, if the death he destroyed

isn't so bad, what does it matter if we don't share the remedy to

death with those who are dying? And if the punishment we deserve for

sinning isn't that bad, what does it matter if we don't share Jesus

with those who will most assuredly face that punishment?

Or has the devil used a different tool on you? Did you think that it

would be hypocritical of you to speak to others about how Jesus has

made you holy when you yourself sin daily? Has the devil convinced

you that as a sinner, you can't talk about someone who saves us from

sin?

Whatever tool the devil has used to keep you from sharing your Lord

and master with others, the end result is always the same: instead of

Jesus winning, your inaction allows the devil to win.

And those people whom you care about but for some reason did not share

Christ with; they will not share in the joys of heaven. The troubles

they face now will continue for them into eternity. They will never

have an escape, because today, while there is still time, you passed

by the opportunity to help.

Our inaction hurts others but it also hurts us. After all, what is

God going to do with those who call him their master but do not follow

his commands? An employee who does not do the work his boss has asked

him to do will be fired. Do you think that God is any different? A

God who demands that we dedicate ourselves to him and do what he

commands will fire those who are not dedicated. Speaking to the

church in Laodicea, Jesus said, "I know your deeds, that you are

neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So,

because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you

out of my mouth."

Friends, it is a sad day when we who have made Jesus our master do not

follow our master's commands. It is a sad day when we who see Jesus

as the winner do not share his victory with those who are losing to

their own sinful desires, lusts, depressions, weaknesses, and the

like. It is a sad day because on that day we know we have sinned.

And we know what our sins deserve. We deserve to be spit out. We

deserve to face the very punishment we for one reason or another did

not warn others about.

What do we do to fix this? How do we save ourselves and those whom

we, through inaction have allowed to remain outside of God's family?

Friends, there is nothing we can do. But that doesn't mean nothing

has been done. Hear what Jesus did for you. Hear of his victory.

And as you see him as the winner, see also how he wants you to share

his victory over sin with others.

1 Peter 3:18 tells us how Jesus won. "Christ died for sins once for

all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God."

Christ died for sins. These words remind us of our sin, our problem,

our guilt, but for the solution points to what someone else did for

us, in our place, on our behalf. It reminds us that our problem is

severe, but the solution is even greater: Christ died for sins.

Once for all. These words show us the completeness of Christ's

victory. On the cross he proclaims, "It is finished!" It really is

finished. Jesus' one time sacrifice covers all the sins of all people

of all time.

The righteous for the unrighteous. This is how Jesus won for us the

victory: a substitution was made. The Father placed on the Son the

full weight of all our sins and then had him executed in our place.

While we see God's wrath in the punishment that fell on Jesus, we also

see the greatness of God's mercy on us who believe.

To bring you to God. This is the reward of Christ's victory. We who

cannot lift ourselves up to God have been lifted up to him by Christ.

Having one for us the victory, Jesus then went and proclaimed his

victory to the spirits in hell. He was able to go into the heart of

Satan's power as Satan's defeater, unafraid. This is proof that

despite the lies the devil tells us, he knows that Jesus won. So when

the devil tries to convince us otherwise, we know that he isn't

confused. He isn't trying to offer us a different way to be saved.

He is trying to take from us the only way to be saved and to keep us

from sharing Christ's victory with others.

And if ever the devil should convince you that you have no right to

proclaim Christ because you are sinful, then remember the promise

attached to your baptism. You are forgiven. You are forgiven all the

times that you, through in action, allowed the opportunities to share

Christ slip on by. You are forgiven all the times you doubted

Christ's victory and the times you trivialized his victory. Peter

describes the gift of forgiveness that comes through baptism as "the

pledge of a good conscience toward God." In other words, you are

assured that when you stand before God, you can say to him that you

have a clean conscience. You are not guilty of sin because Christ

rose from death, proclaiming victory over sin.

As you hear these words, you know that they are true. The words

themselves have the power to convince you. They have the power to

make us make the winner our master. And as we see Christ as the

all-time winner for all people, we do what comes so naturally

afterward, we share the winner with others.

Jesus has given us a command: "Always be prepared to give an answer to

everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have."

We want to do this. You and I are overjoyed by the fact that we will

see each other again in heaven. We want desperately to share heaven

with everyone we meet.

There is a simple way you obey this command: you get prepared. You

review in your minds what you know to be true about Jesus and prepare

yourself to share that good news at every opportunity.

In a way, you are already prepared. All you really need to know you

learned in Sunday School. Remember the stories you heard about God's

providence in the Old Testament, about Jesus' love in the New

Testament? Questions about science, morality, philosophy, history,

love, forgiveness, good works, all of them can be answered by telling

a story you learned in Sunday School.

Another way to be prepared is to remember four simple words. If you

can share the meaning of these four words with others, than you have

given the reason for the hope that you have. The words are as

follows: SIN, GRACE, FAITH, WORKS.

Sin: Tell people how we are separated from our Creator at birth. Tell

them how no human being can stand up to God's standards of holiness,

that all people, by nature, deserve nothing but God's wrath.

Grace: Tell people how God loves us anyway, that he sent his Son to

take on human flesh like ours to live, die, and rise in our place.

Tell them how God declared the world not guilty because of what Jesus

did in our place.

Faith: At this point, you might not even have to tell them about

faith. They may already have it sprouting in their hearts. But tell

them what is theirs through faith: forgiveness, peace, spiritual life

now, and life forever.

Works: Tell people how the Spirit of God who lives in believers now

enables them to live lives of service to God, that believers see God's

ways as a delight and find joy in conforming their will to his will.

As we equip ourselves with the knowledge to tell others, let us also

equip ourselves with the right attitude: one of service to our master.

Let us desire to do that which our Lord has asked us to do so that we

may see in heaven the lonely person at a nursing home that you spoke

to about Jesus, the struggling mom in the grocery store line whom you

stopped to share Christ with, our barbers and hairdressers, mail

carriers and garbage collectors.

As we are equipped with the right knowledge and attitude, let us also

remember how Peter says we please God with our service. As we give

the reason for the hope that we have, let us always do so with

gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience. Peter gives us a

reason for sharing Christ in this way. He says that if we do this,

those who speak maliciously against our good behavior in Christ may be

ashamed of their slander. Peter isn't saying that our goal is to

humiliate others; rather, it is to make them conscious of their sin,

ashamed of it, penitent, and ready to hear from us the good news that

Jesus has won for us the victory.

As the power of God's Word fills you with the desire to share it, you

may be saddened by the fact that you can only work locally in this

endeavor, not globally. Friends, I want you to know that the harvest

is ripe here in SD and there is no end to the local work we can do for

God. But you can work globally through the network of believers

throughout the world who are supported by your offerings. Our Synod

has missionaries in many countries who are doing the work you cannot

do. But they need your help. On this "Walking Together" Sunday, as

we consider the ways we as a Synod can work together to share the

winner with others, consider making a special contribution to the work

of your Synod. There are so many continuing and new opportunities to

share the gospel. The Lord invites us to use our financial resource

to win for ourselves friends who will welcome us into eternal

dwellings. To realize that those things that are passing away can be

used by God to bring eternal blessings to others—amazing!

And as we do all this, we know that it will result in glory to God.

We know that Jesus won. Those to whom we tell it will know this truth

too. And that joy that you and I will have when we see each other

again in heaven, we will share that joy with those who today are

strangers, but tomorrow hear from us the truth: Jesus has won for us

the battle over sin.

To God be the glory. Amen.