In Jesus Holy Name June 5, 2016
Text: Acts 4:12 Series: The Story Confirmation Redeemer
(Note the title uses the bumper sticker "COEXIST"
Every so often I see this bumper sticker on someone’s car. I always want to say: “Really? You must live in a dream world. Have you even investigated the “teachings” of each religion represented?”
In reality this bumper sticker flows out of a culture that wants to believe in “tolerance” without “truth”. Philosophically, you can believe anything, so long as you do not claim it to be true. Morally you can practice anything, so long as you do not claim that it is a “better” way. Religiously, you can hold to anything, so long as you do not bring Jesus Christ into it.
“All religions, plainly and simply, cannot be true. Some beliefs are false and we know them to be false. So it does no good to put a halo on the notion of tolerance as if everything could be equally true. To deem all beliefs equally true is sheer nonsense…..” . When a religion claims to be “true”, or contain “truth”, then requires teachings of other religion’s on that doctrine to be utterly false.
In post Christian America where “western” values are being substituted for “eastern” religious teachings or the theology of “tolerance”, thus any individual can walk into a “church” and mock its carryings on, its liturgy, its cross, but he or she dare not do the same if the ceremony is from the (Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc). Such is the mood of the 21st century in post Christian America.
Jesus unequivocally stated that God is the author of life and that the meaning to life is found in coming to Him. This is categorically denied by Buddhism. Buddha was a Hindu before he believed that fundamental doctrines of Hinduism were false. Jesus revealed Himself as the Son of God who led the way to the Father, guaranteed by His resurrection from the dead. Islam considers that claim to be blasphemous. God cannot have a son!
The “eastern” religions of India maybe interesting… because one never faces an eternity in hell….when life on this planet comes to a close….one simply is transformed and born again into a different body. Could be animal? Could be human? It is no accident that in the culture of India where Hinduism & Buddhism are the dominant religions, the “caste system was created. All-inclusive philosophies only come at the cost of truth. Into that Indian culture came “Mother Teresa”, as she imitated Jesus with love, care and touch for the “outcast.”
The question in the 1st century and the 21st century remains the same. How does one communicate the truth of Jesus Christ in a culture there truth and absoluteness are not welcomed? This is the “post-Christian” world our confirmands are living. It is what they encounter in school, in life. How then are they too pass the teachings of Jesus to the next generation?
Confirmation instruction is to be a continuation of instruction that happened in the home. Confirmation Day is the student’s public profession that the teachings of Jesus & the major creeds of Christianity is truth upon which they will stand.
(Deuteronomy 6:6-7)
There are legitimate reasons for believing the Bible is historically reliable. Archeology has verified historical events in the Bible. There are legitimate reasons for believing Jesus was a real person that was executed by the Roman government by crucifixion and was seen raised from the dead three days later. There are legitimate reasons for believing that there is a God and that all that exists came into existence by that God. The Christian worldview is not built on shifting sand that will wash it away if you dig too deep. Rather it is built on solid rock which stands firm no matter the battle waged!
Ravi Zacharias who grew up in India, in a Hindu family, now a Christian, All religions are not the same. All religions do not point to God. All religions do not say that all religions are the same. At the heart of every religion is an uncompromising commitment to a particular way of defining who God is or is not and thus life’s purpose. An one who claims that all religions are the same, or that they can co exists, betrays not only an ignorance of all religions but also a false view of even the best known ones. Every religion at its core is exclusive.
Rev. Dale Meyer, president of Concordia Seminary wrote the following words. “America has changed so much in ways we could not have imagined a few decades ago.” The culture surrounding my confirmation day in Missouri was one where we all wore new suits, answered 20 questions in front of the congregation, followed by a dinner and gifts. 90% of my community were Christians. Lutherans, Roman Catholics, Baptists and Methodists. We knew that there were a few people who did not attend church, but there were no atheist, no Hindus, no Buddhists, and stores were usually closed on Easter, Christmas and Sunday’s. I did not have to deal with “transgender” bathrooms… and “gay marriage”, as a matter of fact I did not even know what a “transgender” person looked like.
Pastor Meyer went on to write: “Change affects our lives. As church people these changes worry us. We see many of our Lutheran congregations struggling. We see our young people walking away from church….as new cultural values seek to pull them away from their biblical foundations; God’s rules of engagement.
The word “n o n e” is now used by pollsters to identify someone who once belonged to a congregation in the past and now lists “none” as their religious preference. We worry that our children will wander into a spiritually dangerous “far country” much like the prodigal son, who went his own way.
In our 21st century the wonders of modern communication have made us conscious that we are living in a global community ruled by “facebook”, Twitter, and other forms of “social media”. Washington is in gridlock. Diversity accelerates. Political correctness dominates public conversations. A sobering note: “It’s not going to change anytime soon…..” and we are sending our confirmands into this new changing world…..asking them to be different.
The Apostle Paul reminds the Christians in Rome and us: “Do not conform to the standards, the values of your culture, this world, but be transformed…” by the teachings of Jesus. Romans 12:2
Each confirmand has their own “Story” built on the foundations stones of God’s Word, taught to them by their parents, grandparents, pastors and teachers. But like every Christian, they now take upon themselves the responsibility to complete their own spiritual journey with Jesus. They will live in a culture that will not so readily accept their values, based on the words of Jesus. Other religions will try to offer other ways in which sins are forgiven. Other options for life after death will be offered.
I know that during confirmation this year with Pastor Hues, the students were encouraged to spend more time in personal devotions, more time in prayer as a way to connection with Jesus.
Communication, conversation, is the key to any loving relationship. God wants to be part of their “story”.
When the children of Israel reached Mt. Sinai God was preparing to dwell in their midst. He wanted speak with them as he did with Moses. At Mt Sinai Moses entered the “Cloud” where God provided the “rules of engagement”.
1) To be the people of God they must live by a set of guidelines. The guidelines which you and I know as the Ten Commandments would create a community where people were treated with dignity and respect.
2) When a community, when a culture, does not take responsibility to practice and keep these Ten Commandments, the result will be chaos, death in the streets of Chicago or Bagdad. There will be pain and hatred.
3) The first 3 commandments apply to our vertical relationship with God. Worship Him. Do not create our own gods. Hindu has at least 33 gods. Yes, Islam has one God, Alla, but you’ll have no secure hope of forgiveness nor eternal life.
4) The rest of the commandments; the rest of the rules of engagement, guide us in our horizontal relationships, how we treat each other.
a. Honor our parents
b. Do not murder
c. Do not commit adultery
d. Do not steal
e. Do not lie or tell untruths about other people
f. Do not covet what belongs to other people.
5) In other words: Love God. Love your neighbor. Don’t harm others. Don’t take advantage of others
In the book of Deuteronomy God instructed the children of Israel to teach their children these rules of engagement. They were instructed to pass on God’s commitment to His covenant of love. The primary purpose of the Christian home is to reflect and distribute the love of Jesus. Acceptance and care. Each family, each church family is to be such a community.
There will be days when you will be challenged about this Jesus you follow. The world will ask “Why”? You should immediately answer: “Why not! Do you have something better?”
Remember human history has seen world empires flourish and then fall into the pages of history. Fortunes have been made and lost. Technology has advanced….my grandfather could never imagine a man traveling to the moon, nor a thing called an automobile. He was familiar with a one bottom plow and a team of mules. I remember 8 track music, telephone wires. Now I have GPS and Fitbit…… but sin has remained constant.
Much has changed, but this has not: God still wants the lost found. He offers forgiveness when the rules of engagement are broken at the cross of Jesus. Because God wanted you to know him…he chose to be born in Bethlehem so that we might know his love, acceptance and care.
When Peter and the Apostles were preaching on the day of Pentecost He was speaking to people who knew the O.T. stories. They knew the rules of engagement at Mt. Sinai. They knew Jesus healed the blind…giving them color and light. Darkness was shattered. He raised the dead to life. He himself rose from death after the Roman crucifixion and being 3 days dead, He rose. That’s why Peter could stand in the Jewish temple, speak to those still holding to the Jewish faith, and the temple sacrifice…. “There is no other name given under heaven by which we might be saved.” Jesus. There can be no “co-existence”.
