Choose Jesus!
- Order of Service: Morning Praise (CW, p45)
- Lessons: Exodus 33:12-23, Romans 7:15-25a, Matthew 11:25-30
- Hymns: 471, 338
In the Name of Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh.
“Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods! It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our fathers up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. And the Lord drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.” Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.” But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.” Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord.” “Yes, we are witnesses,” they replied. “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and obey him.”
Friends in Christ:
I don’t know how much you remember confirmation, but I’m sure you can say with certainty that after taking your confirmation vows, promising to be faithful to the Word of God, the pastor didn’t say, “You can’t do it!” I know my pastor didn’t. And I’d like to think that the pastor who married you or your parents didn’t say, “I now pronounce you man and wife…” and then said, “But it’ll never last.”
Joshua said just that to Israel, and by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to you. Strange words. Look at the context. Shortly before his death, Joshua gathered Israel together and reminded them of their covenant with the LORD. He recounts salvation history: reminding them of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, of the Exodus from Egypt, of their recent conquest of Canaan, including Jericho’s tumbling walls. Then he says, Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. And Israel responds, We will serve the Lord. And they meant it. We read later: Israel served the LORD throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything the LORD had done for Israel. The people said what they meant and meant what they said.
And just as we trust Israel’s commitment and sincerity to serving and following the LORD, so pastors trust the commitment that you made at your confirmations and marriages, to be faithful to one another and to your Lord Jesus Christ above all else. But I’m here to tell you today, “You can’t do it!” So, CHOOSE JESUS! RECOGNIZE THE DANGERS and STAY FAITHFUL IN THE YEARS TO COME.
Perhaps it would be easier to understand Joshua’s words if we added three words: “…on your own.” You can’t do it on your own, Israel. You can’t do it on your own, St. Mark. You know this. Israel knew it. They believed in God just as you do. Yet, Joshua felt compelled to recount the reasons why Israel couldn’t serve the LORD with faithfulness. They will rebel and sin against God’s commands. They will forsake the LORD for false gods like Baal and Asherah. And disaster will follow because God will forsake them. This sounds like Moses’ final sermons in Deuteronomy. He warned Israel not to abandon the LORD, and the LORD even predicted that they would abandon Him, saying, These people will soon prostitute themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake me and break the covenant I made with them. And these were no idle threats. Read the opening words of Judges: …another generation grew up, who neither knew the LORD nor what he had done for Israel. Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals. They forsook the LORD….
That’s why I have to warn you. Recognize the dangers ahead. The evil triumvirate arrayed against you – the devil, the world, your own flesh – will tempt you to forsake God. The devil will tempt you with money, jobs, kids. He’ll point out how silly it is to hassled for your faith, let alone die for it. He’ll whisper in your ears that financial security, not faithfulness to Christ, is the key to a happy marriage and life. The world will try to convince you that the God-given roles for man and woman in a marriage and in the church are so passé as to be laughable. And holding on to doctrinal teachings? Well, who lives like that these days!? If presidential candidates ditch their churches because of uncomfortable teachings, well, what about normal Joe Schmoes? And your own flesh will rebel! You’ll be tempted to say, “Hey, we were baptized, we were confirmed, we know about God and Jesus and stuff, we don’t need more of that. We got it!” The warnings made to Israel stand true for you: CHOOSE JESUS, or else…
It’s important to stay faithful in the years to come. Obviously, you know that when I say CHOOSE JESUS, I’m not saying that you can ask Jesus into your heart, that you make yourself a believer. Remember these words from your catechism training: I believe that I cannot by my own thinking our choosing believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to him? Joshua wasn’t contradicting that. He would also confess with you: But the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith. The Holy Spirit has already worked in your hearts faith in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ through your Baptism and through the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ. And you already know the story: You were born sinful and remain sinful. Maybe you haven’t always seen eye to eye with your pastor, your church, or with your husband or wife. Maybe you haven’t been as sensitive to each other and let fly with some choice words. Maybe you look into the future with fear and trembling. You sinned yesterday. You’ll sin tomorrow. But God the Father, in His mercy saw you. He saw you sinning. He saw you being insensitive. He saw you fearing and trembling. And He chose to save you. He sent His Son to free you from sin’s slavery, just as He freed Israel from slavery in Egypt. And Jesus accomplished it by living, dying, and rising for you. He was the perfectly faithful servant of the LORD. He bowed to no foreign god. And that’s all you need. Cling to Christ and you’ll be fine.
But how? How can you serve the LORD with faithfulness? How can you say with Joshua, As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD? You can’t do it on your own. But Jesus has done it for you. I find John 15 intimately connected to Joshua’s words. Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, spent a lot of time talking to His disciples. This was, after all, his final table talk with them. And in John 15 He uses the beautiful picture of the vine and the branches. And, as always, it starts with Him. He is the Vine and His Father is the Gardener. The Gardener prunes branches to assure that only the clean remain. Here’s the gospel comfort for you straight from Jesus lips: You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. The Word of God from the Word Incarnate prunes you of your sins. The Gospel cuts away the rotting death-disease of sin. The Water of life waters your roots into eternal life. But then Jesus goes on: I am the vine, you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. It’s a clear picture. We get our life from the Vine, from Jesus. Connected to Jesus we live and breath, producing fruit and living forever with Him. Apart from Jesus we’re dead sticks good for burning.
It’s vitally important than to remain connected to the vine. That’s the message of Joshua. CHOOSE JESUS. Stay connected to the vine. Jesus has given us the tools: His gospel in the Word and Sacraments. You want to be faithful, serving the Lord, connected to the Vine? Connect to God’s means of grace. For our Father, who cannot lie, promises that the Word creates and strengthens faith in hearts. Daily study of God’s Word, devotions around the dinner table, and faithful attendance in Sunday worship and Bible class are a sure thing. Good things happen when God’s people are in God’s Word. Suddenly you say, “I am content, my Jesus lives again.” “I am uncertain at times, but I’m certain that I have Jesus to lean on.” But wait, there’s more! There’s your Baptism. In that washing with water through the Word you were first connected to the Christ-Vine. And that washing is with you today. Luther assures you that it is a daily act, an act you remember with joy, recalling the life and salvation it brings. Recall your Baptism as you utter the words, “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.” And hear God’s reply, “You are forgiven.” But wait, there’s more! Hungry for God’s Word? Good. Because He feeds you in His Holy Supper. There the body and blood of the Bread of Life really and truly presents itself to you in the bread and wine to nourish your spiritual stomachs. This is connecting to the Vine. This is how you CHOOSE JESUS.
You’ve made some incredible promises – to each other and to Jesus. Your confirmation and wedding vows confessed in a church, your membership in a Christian congregation and attendance at church, allow you to confess before us gathered here and before your Lord that you will serve the LORD faithfully. You also confess that you cannot do it on your own. You confess your need for Jesus’ love, forgiveness, and help. You also confess that you have made your choice, you have chosen Jesus. May the Lord Jesus bless you today and forever! Amen.
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