First Lutheran Church of Little Rock

• Sermon for 11.07.21 All Saints Day
Text: Matthew 5:1-12
Theme: Blessed beyond belief

• *In the Name of the Father…Amen.*

• *Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pray:*

• *Gracious God, You send great blessings New each
morning all our days.*

* For Your mercies never ending, For Your love we offer
praise. *

* Lord, we pray that we, Your people Who Your gifts
unnumbered claim, *

* Through the sharing of Your blessings May bring glory to
Your name. Amen.*

*Text: © 2004 Gregory J. Wismar. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no.
110000247*

• *Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God the Father
through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.*

• *The Gospel lesson serves as our sermon text for
this morning. *

• *Introduction*

• *The theme of today’s worship is “Blessed beyond
Belief.” *

• The word blessed is suggested by the Gospel for this
All Saints’ Sunday.

• “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.

• Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be
comforted. . . .

• Blessed are those who are persecuted because of
righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” and so on.

• These blessings, the Beatitudes, are some of Jesus’
most famous words.

• And, indeed, they remind us this day that WE SAINTS
HAVE BEEN BLESSED BEYOND BELIEF.

• *A. Even we saints have no inherent claim on
blessedness, for our sin often makes the Christian faith beyond belief to
those outside the church. **For a moment, let’s focus on the phrase “beyond
belief”.*

• Forget for the moment about being blessed.

• Forget about those who are in heaven and the hope you
and I have in Christ for heaven when we die.

• For now focus on the phrase “beyond belief.”

• Do you and I sometimes act in ways that put the
message of Jesus Christ “beyond belief”?

• A world-class athlete—whose name you’d all
recognize—tells about his stepfather, a man who professed to be a
Christian:

• He’d talk a good game, talk about Christ, about
faith, but he had a frightful temper. He used to whip his stepson for silly
things—kid things—like being messy.

• *B. Even we saints have no inherent claim on
blessedness, for our sin often makes the Christian faith beyond belief to
those outside the church.*

• When the boy was 14, his mother went into the
hospital for surgery.

• He had to leave for a swim meet while she was still
recuperating, and his stepfather came along as a chaperone.

• As they waited together at the airport, the
stepfather began to write notes on a pad.

• He’d write, then ball up the paper and toss it into
the garbage can, and then start again.

• Strange. After a while he got up to go to the
restroom.

• The boy went over to the garbage can, retrieved the
wadded papers, and stuffed them into his bag.

• Later, when he was alone, he took them out and read
them. They were to another woman. His stepfather was writing to another
woman while his mom was in the hospital recovering from surgery (adapted
from Lance Armstrong, It’s Not about the Bike [New York: Putnam, 2000], 21,
24–25).

• The athlete? Bicyclist Lance Armstrong.

• *C. Even we saints have no inherent claim on
blessedness, for our sin often makes the Christian faith beyond belief to
those outside the church.*

• What kind of impression of Christ do you suppose that
gave this boy?

• Maybe you haven’t sinned in a big way like that, but
ask yourself this:

• Does my conduct ever put the blessings of the Christian
life beyond belief for others?

• Foul language,

• watching pornography,

• financial cheating,

• slandering others,

• self-righteousness,

• a judgmental character.

• Jesus says, “Woe to the world because of the things
that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man through
whom they come!” (Mt 18:7).

• Yes, there is forgiveness for all these sins, but
that’s not the point right now. The point is that our sins, our forgiven
sins, still have consequences—and one consequence is that we sometimes make
the blessings of the Christian life unbelievable for others.

• *D. Even we saints have no inherent claim on
blessedness, for our sin often makes the Christian faith beyond belief to
those outside the church.*

• Each year on All Saints’ Day we hear the Beatitudes
read.

• The Beatitudes are beautiful Gospel, good news of
those blessings God has given us.

• But how so?

• You hear the Beatitudes and think of “sugar and
spice and everything nice”—sweet and pleasant, but not the Gospel they in
fact are.

• To really understand how the Beatitudes are rich
Gospel, try, for just a moment, listening to them as Law, as condemnation
for the godly lives you and I don’t live.

• “Blessed are the meek,” but how often do you turn
the other cheek?

• “Blessed are the merciful,” but how many times do we
who have been forgiven not forgive others?

• How many times do we refuse to give God the
firstfruits of our time, talents, and treasures?

• “Blessed are the peacemakers,” but how many times do
we fly off the handle and create bigger problems?

• “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of
righteousness.” How many of your daily decisions do you base on what God
has revealed to us in the Bible?

• Are you getting the point? The purpose of God’s Law
is to accuse us because of our sin.

• *E. Even we saints have no inherent claim on
blessedness, for our sin often makes the Christian faith beyond belief to
those outside the church.*

• *“Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do
everything written in the Book of the Law” (Gal 3:10; Deut 27:26). *

• “Blessed are the poor in spirit” is the very first
of Jesus’ Beatitudes.

• We may not fit the bill of most of the Beatitudes,
but at this moment, at this moment I pray you’re feeling poor in spirit.

• *2. A. Blessed be Jesus, who alone meets the description of the
Beatitudes as one blessed. There’s only one person who in himself is in
fact accurately described by the Beatitudes. *

• That’s the Son of God.

• Blessed be he!

• Listen now to the Beatitudes and think about Jesus.

• These Beatitudes describe the perfect Son of God,
not us sinners.

• *Now when [Jesus] saw the crowds, he went up on a
mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach
them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed
are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger
and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the
merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for
they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called
sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Vv 1–10)*

• *2. B. Blessed be Jesus, who alone meets the description of the
Beatitudes as one blessed. There’s only one person who in himself is in
fact accurately described by the Beatitudes. *

• Did you hear it?

• Jesus is the only one who in himself is all the
things the Beatitudes talk about.

• Blessed be he!

• Jesus, as you’ve heard many times, died for our sins
on the cross.

• But there’s another reason why he’s the Savior, the
one who rescues us.

• It’s called Jesus’ “active obedience.”

• Before his crucifixion, during all the years of his
visible presence on earth, Jesus kept the Law of God perfectly.

• As a baby, as a toddler, as a teen, as a mature man,
Jesus did the will of his heavenly Father without fail.

• Whereas you and I, in our daily life, often break
under the pressure and give in to our sinful nature and break the
commandments of God.

• Jesus has no sin of his own to atone for and
committed no sin for which He deserved to die.

• Jesus, Son of the Most High, blessed be he!

• *2. C. Blessed be Jesus, who alone meets the description of the
Beatitudes as one blessed. There’s only one person who in himself is in
fact accurately described by the Beatitudes. *

• And yes, Jesus did endure the punishment of God
against our sins.

• All those times that you and I have not led the
blessed life, all those times when you and I have put the blessings of
following Christ beyond belief for others, all those sins he paid for on
the cross.

• Most important of all, the greatest reach of his
suffering on the cross is into your soul and mine to remove the curse.

• *“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by
becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung
on a tree’” (Gal 3:13). *

• Jesus, Son of the Most High, blessed be he!

• *3. A. The Gospel—beyond belief except by the working of the Holy
Spirit—is that he makes Christ’s blessedness our own. Blessed be he! But
what about us? Can we be blessed?*

• After all those Beatitudes, Jesus turns to us in our
text and adds,

• *“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute
you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice
and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way
they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (vv 11–12, emphasis
added). *

• Yes, Jesus says you, we, will be blessed.

• *3. B. The Gospel—beyond belief except by the working of the Holy
Spirit—is that he makes Christ’s blessedness our own. *

• *How can this be? C. S. Lewis once wrote:*

• Christ says, “Give me all.

• I don’t want so much of your money and so much of
your work—I want you.

• I have not come to torment your natural self, but
to kill it.

• No half-measures are any good.

• I don’t want to cut off a branch here and a branch
there; I want to have the whole tree down.

• I don’t want to drill the tooth, or crown it, or
stop it, but to have it out.

• Hand over the whole natural self. . . . I will give
you a new self instead.

• In fact I will give you myself; my own will shall
become yours.” (C. S. Lewis, “Beyond Personality,” in Sermon Illustrations
for the Gospel Lessons [St. Louis: Concordia, 1982], 81, author’s emphasis)

• *3. C. The Gospel—beyond belief except by the working of the Holy
Spirit—is that he makes Christ’s blessedness our own. *

• How in the world can we empty ourselves so
completely that Christ will move in, reside in us, and let us partake of
his blessedness?

• This, too, is beyond belief.

• Yes, that we should be blessed is beyond belief,
save for one teaching of the Bible:

• *“No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy
Spirit” (1 Cor 12:3).*

• The blessings of the perfect life of Christ and his
forgiveness would be beyond our belief were it not for the working of the
Holy Spirit.

• That’s why Baptism is so important.

• The old Adam is drowned.

• Christ makes his home in us.

• *“I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer
live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal 2:20).*

• *3. D. The Gospel—beyond belief except by the working of the Holy
Spirit—is that he makes Christ’s blessedness our own. *

• Martin Luther once said:

• “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength
believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to him; but the Holy Spirit has
called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, sanctified and kept
me in the true faith” (explanation of the Third Article, emphasis added).

• Sanctified means to be made holy.

• The Holy Spirit has brought you into the blessedness
of Jesus Christ.

• *3. E. The Gospel—beyond belief except by the working of the Holy
Spirit—is that he makes Christ’s blessedness our own. *

• Luther goes on to say:

• “In the same way he calls, gathers, enlightens, and
sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus
Christ in the one true faith” (author’s emphasis). As the Spirit has
gathered us in the church, he’s still calling to those whom we may have
offended.

• “In this Christian church he daily and richly
forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers. On the Last Day he will
raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in
Christ.”

• *Conclusion*

• That’s the climax, the day when we will truly be
blessed beyond belief.

• On that day we will no longer walk by faith, but by
sight (2 Cor 5:7).

• We will see our Savior face-to-face.

• On that day we will dwell with God and all his saints
in heaven.

• We will live with God and God with us (Rev 21:3).

• We pray that people who’ve been offended by our
conduct will be there with us.

• How many people will be in heaven that had no use for
the Christian message at first, but the Holy Spirit worked on their hearts
with the Gospel?

• The encouraging answer is this: *“A great multitude
that no one could count” (Rev 7:9). *

• Blessed be our Savior Jesus Christ! Amen.

• *Let us pray*

• Heavenly Father, may our caring Bear the imprint of
Your grace;

With the Son and Holy Spirit, Praise be Yours in every place!

Lord, we pray that we, Your people Who Your gifts unnumbered claim,

Through the sharing of Your blessings May bring glory to Your
name. Amen.

*B. 2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of
God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.*

*C. The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and
minds in Christ Jesus. Amen. *

*D. In the Name of the Father…Amen.*

• Sermon for 10.31.21 (Reformation Day—Morning Service)
Text: Romans 10:5-15
Theme: Refor“mission”

• *In the Name of the Father…Amen.*

• *Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pray:*

• *We praise You, O Lord, for welcoming us through the
words of all those who bring to us the Good News of Your love. Place that
Word that creates faith on our lips, that we may speak to those who have
not yet heard or believed in Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.*

• *Grace, mercy, and peace be yours from God the Father
through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.*

• *Today’s Scripture text: Romans 10:5-15*

*For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that
the person who does the commandments shall live by them. (6) But the
righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will
ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) (7) “or ‘Who will
descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).
(8) But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in
your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); (9) because,
if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart
that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (10) For with the
heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and
is saved. (11) For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will
not be put to shame.” (12) For there is no distinction between Jew and
Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who
call on him. (13) For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be
saved.” (14) How then will they call on him in whom they have not
believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?
And how are they to hear without someone preaching? (15) And how are they
to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the
feet of those who preach the good news!”*

• *Introduction*

• A missionary in China once said:

*Every heart without Christ is a mission field. Every heart with
Christ is a missionary.*

• These two sentences sum up what this Bible passage
from Romans 10 is all about.

• Let us take a further look into what this all means.

• *1.1 Every Heart Without Christ is a Mission Field*

• *This phrase means that every person who does not
know Jesus Christ as his or her Savior, is lost. *

• A “mission field” is a person or people who do not
know the real God and who are, to put it bluntly, going to hell.

• *Now, that sounds like a very arrogant and intolerant
thing to say. *

• “Pastor, you mean that just because I don’t believe
like you do, I’m going to go to hell??” No.

• *1.2 Every Heart Without Christ is a Mission Field.*

• The reason people are in danger of going to hell is because
of a little three-letter word.

• It begins with “S” and ends with “N,” and has a great, big
“I” (as in “me, myself, I”) right in the middle.

• “Sin” is the problem.

• Sin means doing wrong or not doing what is right.

• There is not one of us here today who can claim that they
have never screwed up.

• Morally, we all stick our foot in the doo-doo every single
day.

• A nasty remark, an impure thought, a selfish refusal to help.

• Illustration: Mexico City, one of the world’s cities with the
highest amount of pollution:

• You could clean the house in the morning but by afternoon
once again there would be this gritty black dust all over.

• That’s how it is with us, morally.

• We are sin magnets. Not a day passes but that we get dirty.

• *1.3 **Every Heart Without Christ is a Mission Field.*

• *Now, at this point you may be saying, “Wait a minute,
pastor! *

• Sure, I’ve got my faults, but I’m not all that bad.

• At least I’m not as bad as so-and-so over there.

• At least I’m not as bad as the terrorists who have killed so
many people!”

• *Jesus had something to say about that. *

• He said, *“You have heard that it was said to the people long
ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’
But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to
judgment…, and anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ Will be in danger of the fire
of hell.” (Matthew 5:21-22)*

• According to Jesus, you can kill with your tongue as well as
with your hands.

• I have done it all too many times.

• *1.4 **Every Heart Without Christ is a Mission Field.*

• *It does no good to compare ourselves with other people. *

• *We need to compare ourselves with what God says in his Word. *

• When we do, we see how far short we have fallen.

• *Look at it this way. *

• If I let go of this book, it will fall to the ground.

• Because of gravity, it will not remain in the air or
float off. It will fall.

• This is what is known as the law of cause and effect.
Cause, I let go. Effect, it falls. Cause, effect. It will inevitably fall.

• It does not matter if so-and-so over there has a heavier
book than mine.

• If he lets go of his book, it will fall, and if I let go
of my book, it will fall.

• Well, there is also a moral law of cause and effect, as
verse 5 of our text says.

• If I do wrong (cause), I will suffer the consequences
and go to hell (effect).

• It doesn’t matter if so-and-so over there has sinned
more than me.

• He suffers the consequences of his own actions, and I
suffer the consequences of mine. Period.

• *1.5 **Every Heart Without Christ is a Mission Field.*

• *But let’s take this one step further.*

• *Suppose, when I let go of this book, one of you reaches out
your hand and catches the book before it hit the floor?*

• Aha! You, an outside force, have intervened in the law of
cause and effect!

• Just so, Jesus Christ has intervened in the *moral* law of
cause and effect.

• On the cross, Jesus suffered for our wrong doing.

• We have failed, but Jesus suffered the consequences for us.

• And having suffered, he then rose from the dead. [lift
book].

• Even though I have sinned, I know that I will not go to hell
because Jesus has caught me and Jesus will raise me up to be with him.

• *Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is
Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you
will be saved.”*

• *1.6 **Every Heart Without Christ is a Mission Field.*

• *It is only Jesus who can make this difference. *

• Without Jesus, there is nothing to stop you or me from
suffering the consequences of our moral failures.

• That is why, more than anything else in the world, we
need Jesus Christ.

• Every heart without Christ is a mission field.

• *But then remember the second sentence:*

• *2.1 Every Heart With Christ is a Missionary*

• *This means that every person who does know Jesus Christ as
his or her Savior, is Christ’s representative, his ambassador. *

• It is our job, our mission in life to bring Jesus’ love
to the people that God has placed around us.

• *“How can they believe in the one of whom they have not
heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can
they preach unless they are sent?” (Romans 10:14-15) *

• *2.2 **Every Heart With Christ is a Missionary*

• *All of you who know Christ are missionaries, sent by God to
bring good news. *

• God has sent you as his representative in your family,
in your place of work, among your friends and acquaintances.

• *At the time of the Reformation, Martin Luther
understood this very well. *

• When Luther came to understand that he was saved
through Jesus Christ, he could not keep this to himself.

• He talked about it all the time, in his university
classes, in church, on the street, with his family.

• Even when powerful people told him to shut up or die,
Luther said, in effect, “Even if it costs me my life, I must tell people
about this!”

• In the words of Pastor Steve Hughey, there was not
only a “Reformation,” there was a “Refor-mission!”

• *2.3 **Every Heart With Christ is a Missionary*

• *We Lutherans need to follow in Luther’s footsteps.*

• *Luther brought the message of salvation in the language of
the people, in German for the Germans, not in Latin. *

• *We also need to bring the message of salvation in the
languages of the people whom God has brought to our doorstep. *

• *2.4 **Every Heart With Christ is a Missionary*

• *The fact is that today, we need a “Refor-mission.” *

• We all need to support our own church, because the very
purpose of being together in a church is to preach about Christ.

• We need to pray for our church, be here on Sundays,
help out when we can, and make our offering a priority.

• In these difficult economic times, it is tempting to
keep our money for ourselves and let God’s mission fend for itself.

• Be encouraged to trust in the Lord, that he will
provide, and make God’s mission a priority.

• God is giving us an opportunity to be partners!

• Everything that this church does, is a result of all of
us working together as partners in God’s mission by the power of the Holy
Spirit.

• *2.5 Every Heart With Christ is a Missionary*

• *We need to show Christ’s love not only as a church but also
as individuals.*

• It is not only the pastor who is a missionary.

• As pastors, we have our jobs, but each of us also has
a task.

• Every day, God puts us in contact with people who do
not know Jesus Christ as Savior, who are our “mission field.”

• These are opportunities to *show* Jesus’ love and to
*speak* about Jesus’ love.

• Do our neighbors and friends see us reading the Bible,
putting it into practice, ready to discuss our faith or to help out as
needed?

• Or are we lazy Bible-readers, angels in church but
grumpy devils during the week, hoping the subject of God never comes up
because it embarrasses us to talk about faith, hoping nobody comes along
asking for help because we are too busy?

• *2.6** Every Heart With Christ is a Missionary*

• *You do not need to be a Billy Graham or a professional church
worker to share the love of Christ.*

• The fact is that most people do not come to trust in
Jesus as their Savior because of the pastor.

• What reaches people’s hearts most is the love of Christ
shown by ordinary Christians with whom they have personal contact.

• *2.7 Every Heart with Christ is a Missionary*

• *In Venezuela, was a missionary, who for many years was
working at a church, and the church secretary, Dyna, became a Christian
because her mother Dinorah, talked with her about Jesus.*

• Dinorah became a Christian because her neighbor Carmen
spoke with her about Jesus.

• Carmen became a Christian because her aunt spoke with
her about Jesus.

• It is the same with us.

• If you are a Christian, it is probably because someone –
a parent or a friend or a neighbor – someone showed you Christ’s love and
spoke with you about him.

• Now, what if they had not done that?

• *2.8 **Every Heart With Christ is a Missionary*

• *Unfortunately, sometimes we have not been the best
missionaries in the world. *

• Manny, a student at a school for missionary studies,
once went to another Lutheran church.

• He told his pastor the other day, “Pastor, I feel so
bad for the visitors at that church.

• The pastor is the only one who welcomes visitors and
talks with them.

• How can we possibly have people come into the doors of
our church and not talk with them about Jesus?”

• It’s true. Sometimes we have missed opportunities.

• So what can we do?

• *2.9 **Every Heart With Christ is a Missionary*

• *We go back to Christ, of course, confessing our sins,
repenting of the wrongs we have committed, and ask for forgiveness.*

• Jesus died and rose again also for our failures to be
good missionaries.

• He forgives us, he cleanses our hearts, he gives us the
desire to do better.

• This forgiveness is the wonderful thing about being a
Christian.

• It is precisely what the non-Christian does not have,
and needs.

•

*Conclusion *

• *We all need Jesus Christ.*

• We have often failed, but Jesus has intervened.

• And now Jesus is giving us opportunities to share his
love and forgiveness with others.

• We Lutherans have not only a Reformation but a
Refor-mission!

• Every heart without Christ is a mission field.

• Every heart with Christ is a missionary. Amen.

• *Let us pray:*

• Almighty and gracious Lord, pour out Your Holy Spirit on Your
faithful people. Keep us steadfast in Your grace and truth, protect and
deliver us in times of temptation, defend us against all enemies, and grant
to Your Church Your saving peace; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and
forever. Amen.

• *Prayer*

• *2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus
Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with
you all.*

• *The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep
your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen. *

• *In the Name of the Father…Amen.*

Sermon for 10.24.21
Text: John 14:1-6
Theme: Christ Alone

• *In the Name of the Father…Amen.*

• *The text for our consideration this morning comes from the
Gospel of John, chapter 14:1-6, which reads as follows:*

(1) “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.
(2) In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have
told you that I go to prepare a place for you? (3) And if I go and prepare
a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where
I am you may be also. (4) And you know the way to where I am going.” (5)
Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we
know the way?” (6) Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and
the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

• *This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Amen.*

• *Introduction*

• *Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pray:*

• In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

• In Christ alone! – who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe.
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied –
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.

• *Introduction*

• *An American pilot was flying over Burma when his plane
began to break down. (This was back when Myanmar was still called Burma.)*

• The pilot had to bail out of his plane and parachute
down.

• He managed to land safe and sound in the jungle far
from civilization.

• A native Burmese man found the pilot there, lost in
the jungle.

• The Burmese man was cutting a crude road through the
brush with a machete.

• The pilot, now desperate, yelled, “How can I find the
way out of here?”

• The Burmese man, in his poor English, answered, “I am
way. Just follow me and you will be safe.”

• *Introduction*

*B. There are many people and many philosophies in this world that
represent themselves as the truth and the way for those who are lost and
confused.*

• However, according to Jesus there is only one way and
only one truth.

• Only through Jesus can we reach the true God.

*I. **Christ Alone is Our Savior *

• *Today many people believe that all roads lead to Rome
and all religions lead to the same God in the end. *

• Regrettably, they are dead wrong.

• The city of Rome is south of the city of Venice.

• If you are in Venice and get on the highway heading
north, you are never going to reach Rome.

• It just isn’t true that all roads lead to Rome.

• *I. Christ Alone is Our Savior *

*B. It is also not true that all religions lead to the same God.*

• There are many “alternate routes” that will get you to
hell, but there is only one road to get to the true God.

• Jesus said, *“I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6, NIV) *

• He also said, *“Enter through the narrow gate. For
wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many
enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to
life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14, NIV)*

• *I. Christ Alone is Our Savior *

Brothers and sisters in Christ, any person with a working brain can see
that the different religions take you to a destination that is far from the
true God.

• Some religions – like the Hindus – believe that many
“gods” exist.

• Other religions – like some Buddhists – believe in a
cosmic, impersonal force that guides things.

• Still other religions – like the Muslims – believe in
one god, but it is not the God of the Bible.

• It is not the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the God who
has saved us.

• *I. Christ Alone is Our Savior *

• So there are plenty of false roads and wrong turns, but
only one way to get to the God who is real.

• *As Deuteronomy 4 says: Acknowledge and take to heart
this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There
is no other. (verse 39, NIV) *

• Out of the 10 Commandments, the first is: You shall
have no other gods.

• *I. Christ Alone is Our Savior *

• Anyone who bothers to read the Bible will see that God
is a jealous God.

• The Lord hates it when people worship false gods.

• In ancient times, God got very angry with the
Israelites when they fell into worshiping idols, false gods.

• Why should we think that idolatry is all right today?

• *I. Christ Alone is Our Savior *

• There is just one God and one way to God.

• Jesus is the only route to God because he is the only
one who has saved us.

• Jesus said to his disciples in our sermon text for
this morning: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God;
believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not
so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to
be with me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:1-3, NIV)

• *I. Christ Alone is Our Savior *

• Jesus has reserved a place in heaven for us.

• You should know that almost all the different religions
accept that a person should do what is right.

• Almost all the religions have laws that you should
keep.

• Every human being has a natural sense of what is right
and what is wrong.

• *I. Christ Alone is Our Savior *

• The problem is that we repeatedly fail to keep God’s
laws.

• We stumble a lot.

• And if we haven’t done what is right, then we’re
stuck.

• Almost all the different religions try to get out of
this problem by assuring their followers that they aren’t all that bad, or
by telling them that if they do this or that, they can pay for their
wrongdoing.

• For example, the Muslims have to keep the “5 pillars”
of Islam,

• the Jews have to keep the rules of the Talmud,

• every group has its requirements.

• But none of them can truly obtain real forgiveness.

• *I. Christ Alone is Our Savior *

• By contrast, Jesus has prepared for us a place in his
Father’s house, a place that we do not deserve.

• Jesus prepared for us a place in heaven, because he
took our place here on earth.

• In our place, Jesus lived a perfect life. In our place,
Jesus died to pay for our sins.

• Mohammed did not die for our sins.

• Neither did the Buddha. Neither did Krishna or anyone
else.

• Jesus said: Believe in me… I am going there to prepare
a place for you.

• For those who are trusting in Jesus, God has erased our
sins!

• *II. Christ Alone Deserves Our Heart*

• Now, if Christ alone saves us, it is logical that
Christ alone deserves our loyalty, our heart.

• We trust in him alone.

• Unfortunately it doesn’t always work that way.

• Even if we avoid all the false gods, all too often we
trust in ourselves, at least a little.

• *II. Christ Alone Deserves Our Heart*

• For example, when we go to a funeral, many times we
comfort ourselves by affirming: “He or she was such a good person,” as if
we can know that they are in heaven because of his behavior.

• Instead, we should comfort ourselves with the words of
Jesus, who said: “I am going there to prepare a place for you.”

• It is because of Jesus that we have the assurance of
eternal life.

• When are we going to stop trusting in our own goodness
and trust in Jesus alone?

• *II. Christ Alone Deserves Our Heart*

• The Bible says that all of us are sinners.

• And yet so often we try to justify ourselves instead of
admitting to what we have done wrong.

• We think that our sins aren’t “that” bad.

• At least we are better than lots of other people.

• We’ve done more good than bad.

• *II. Christ Alone Deserves Our Heart*

• These are just excuses.

• All of us have done wrong and we need to admit it, not
justify it.

• We need to say, “Lord, I’m a sinner and what I have
done makes me ashamed.

• Forgive me.” And because of Jesus, because of Jesus
alone, God does forgive us.

• *II. Christ Alone Deserves Our Heart*

• Today, Jesus is speaking to us in this Bible passage.

• These words from John 14 were not just for Peter and
the other apostles.

• They are for us too.

• Jesus is encouraging us, because in spite of all of our
sins, he has prepared a place for us with the Father.

• He is the way, the truth, and the life.

• When we think about Jesus’ words, the wrong roads don’t
seem so attractive anymore.

• *II. Christ Alone Deserves Our Heart*

• None of the non-Christian religions can save us,
because they don’t have Jesus.

• About 30 years ago, there was a big problem that Africa
was having with malaria medicine.

• The medicine itself was effective.

• However, there was too much fraud.

• *II. Christ Alone Deserves Our Heart*

• Some pharmaceutical companies in Africa did not bother
much with quality control.

• The medicine that they produced didn’t have the right
dosage to beat the malaria.

• Even worse, some people were putting that weak medicine
in bottles with false labels, claiming to be from other companies with good
reputations.

• For that reason, the article warned people traveling to
Africa to buy their malaria medicine in the U.S., not in Africa itself.

• *II. Christ Alone Deserves Our Heart*

• Well, Jesus is the “medicine” for our sins.

• That medicine saves lives – eternally.

• Too bad there is so much fraud.

• There are many religions that “sell” a fraudulent
medicine that doesn’t work.

• They use God’s name but they don’t have Jesus.

• *II. Christ Alone Deserves Our Heart*

• 1 John 4 says that if someone doesn’t acknowledge
Jesus, their spirit is not from God.

• In the same way, if we try to “medicate ourselves” by
trusting in our own good behavior, we won’t get anywhere.

• Only Jesus is the Savior.

• Jesus is the only way to heaven.

• *Conclusion*

• In the end, there are many roads – and many religions –
around us.

• But that doesn’t mean that they all lead us to God.

• Instead of blindly following the broad road that leads
to destruction, let’s pay attention to God’s GPS, his Word, and trust in
Jesus.

• Because only Jesus saves. Amen.

• Let us pray:

• *Prayer*

• There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine –
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

• *Prayer*

B. No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand:
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.

• *Prayer*

• *2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus
Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with
you all.*

• *The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep
your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen. *

• *In the Name of the Father…Amen.*