church

INI
25th Sunday after Trinity
November 9, 2008
Ascension Lutheran Church, Tacoma WA
Paul Naumann, Pastor

SALVATION MAKES STRANGE BEDFELLOWS
Psalm 85:8-13

Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that
great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is
well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and
ever. Amen.. This morning's text comes from the 85th Psalm, verses 8-15 as
follows:.

I will hear what God the LORD will speak, For He will speak peace To His
people and to His saints; But let them not turn back to folly. Surely His
salvation is near to those who fear Him, That glory may dwell in our land.
Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed. Truth
shall spring out of the earth, And righteousness shall look down from heaven.
Yes, the LORD will give what is good; And our land will yield its increase.
Righteousness will go before Him, And shall make His footsteps our pathway.
This is the Word of God.

In the Name of Jesus Christ, the "life of all the living and the death of death,
our foe," Dear Fellow Redeemed,

It was Charles Dudley Warner, a contemporary and friend of Mark Twain, who
famously said, "Politics makes strange bedfellows." And he was right. When a
political issue is on the line, you sometimes find the most unlikely combinations
of people and organizations working together in order to achieve a common
goal. E.g., some years ago when Congress was holding hearings on the problem
of pornography, the two groups most in favor of cracking down on the it were
the Moral Majority and the National Organization for Women. Their motivation
was different, of course; the evangelicals were concerned with public morality
and NOW with the exploitation of women. But the goal was the same. On this
issue these two groups, normally polar opposites, found common ground. It's
true that politics can make strange bedfellows!

The portion of God's Word that I read to you just now contains some unlikely
pairings, too. Some strange bedfellows. In it, the psalmist describes the
salvation that God bestows on us through Jesus Christ. And in the person and
work of our Savior, some of the most unlikely qualities imaginable - some
things that you never would have thought would go together - are combined.
It's a miraculous story, a glorious story. It's your story and mine. If you've been
missing that sense of glory in your life recently, the awestruck wonder at the
amazing things God has done for you, then listen up! Pay attention to what the
Holy Spirit is telling you as we consider the theme:

SALVATION MAKES STRANGE BEDFELLOWS
I. In Christ, mercy and truth have met.
II. In Christ, righteousness and peace have kissed.

At the outset, we should make clear a couple of things that this text is not
about. Some pastors want to preach a Fourth-of-July sermon when they see
verse nine, Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him, That glory may
dwell in our land. To them, this is a perfect excuse to preach a sermon on
national politics. They thunder at their audiences that, if only more people will
become Christian, then “glory will dwell in our land,” and America will rise to
great new heights of power and prosperity. But is that really what God is
promising in this passage? That political greatness and world power is the
reward for being a “Christian” nation? If that were the case, then we’d have to
say that God doesn’t keep His promises very well. Some of the most powerful
and glorious empires in history have also been the most godless – the pharaohs
of Egypt, the Greeks, and the Roman empire, just to name a few. No, the
“glory” our text talks about – the “glory that will dwell in our land” – is not
global power or political glory. It's the glory of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It's
the same glory that John spoke of in the first chapter of his Gospel: And the
Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as
of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. -- Jn 1:4.

Well, this isn't a Fourth-of-July text, then maybe it’s a Thanksgiving text. For in
verse 12 we read, Yes, the LORD will give what is good; And our land will
yield its increase. As soon as they hear that, some preachers assume that God is
here promising believers material wealth and prosperity. That every Christian
farmer will always have bumper crops, that every Christian business owner will
always make big profits. Now from one point of view, of course, every sermon
should be a Thanksgiving sermon, because God in His Word does promise to
uphold and sustain us. His generous hand continues to provide our needs both
physical and spiritual. But the Bible isn’t about achieving earthly wealth. It
doesn’t promise you big paychecks, bumper crops and a brand-new car every
year. That’s not what this passage is about. It’s about spiritual increase. It’s
about the abundance of the fruits of faith. It's about the same kind of "yield"
that Jesus was referring to in the Parable of the Sower when He said, "He who
received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it,
who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some
thirty." -- Mt 13:18.

Well if it’s not about national greatness, and it’s not about financial success,
then what is this text about? It’s about something strange and wonderful. It’s
about our salvation, and the one who came to bring it – Jesus Christ, our Savior.
Because in the person of Jesus Christ are combined some wonderful gifts, gifts
for us, but gifts that at first glance would never seem to go together. Why do I
say that SALVATION MAKES STRANGE BEDFELLOWS? Well, lets take
the first pair. And it’s certainly a strange one: for in Christ, mercy and truth
have met.

Verse ten is the beating heart of our text; it’s what this section is all about. In
the first half of verse ten the Psalmist says, Mercy and truth have met together.
And this isn't an isolated statement - these two are frequently paired together,
as in Psalm 25:10, All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth," or Psalm 89,
"Mercy and truth go before Your face." But you don’t have to think about that
for very long to realize that mercy and truth meeting together is a pretty unlikely
event. In our world, you either get one or the other – truth or mercy – but you
don’t get both. A story is told of how Emperor Napoleon was presiding at the
trial of a young soldier who had repeatedly been caught stealing. The man’s
mother came to the trial and begged Napoleon for mercy. “This man has
committed the same offense many times,” said the Emperor. “He doesn’t
deserve mercy.” The woman replied, “True, Your Highness, but if he deserved
it, it wouldn’t be mercy.” And the man was pardoned.

Well, the verdict of God's Law on our sin is certainly the truth…but there's no
mercy there. Hearing the truth – the real, God’s honest truth – about our sins is
a very unpleasant and uncomfortable experience. When you don’t pull punches,
but really look at what God’s Word tells you about sin, it's going to cause you
distress. It's surprising how often people ask me, after the service, "Did you
write that sermon about me?" I always say, "Yes! And about him…and about
her…and about myself…" The Law condemns us all, and that's as it should be
because, as Paul says, "Godly sorrow produces repentance." -- II Cor 7:10.
When you hear the real TRUTH, you feel convicted, like an insect pinned to
the wall.

So what goes with truth? Well, if we were writing a logical verse ten, we might
say that PUNISHMENT and truth have met together. That makes more sense.
Certainly punishment is what each of us deserved for our sins. But in Christ,
MERCY and truth have met! In Him the impossible has happened and the
totally incompatible have combined. God’s truth about sin stands, and yet there
is mercy for us sinners after all! It’s important to remember that Jesus didn’t
come to remove the Law. He didn’t come to hide the truth or sweep it under
the carpet. Indeed it was Jesus who said, Do not think that I came to destroy
the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I
say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no
means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. – Mt 5:17-18. Jesus came to fulfill
the Law for us. You see, truth and mercy. The truth is that God requires perfect
obedience to the Law, the mercy is that Jesus fulfilled the Law perfectly, in our
place. Through faith, His righteousness becomes yours. Jesus never had a single
hateful thought about His neighbor, and as far as God’s concerned, you haven’t
either. Jesus never disobeyed His Heavenly Father even once, and as far as
God’s concerned, you haven’t either. Jesus never allowed a single lustful
thought linger on His mind, and as far as God’s concerned you haven’t either.

By the way, that word for “mercy” is a particularly beautiful one in the Hebrew
language. It’s hesed. Hesed is used in many different ways and contexts, but
every possible translation is beautiful. In some places it's translated "mercy,”
other places it's “love." Sometimes it's “grace,” “lovingkindness,”
“longsuffering” or “steadfast love.” We could easily have a whole series of
sermons on just this one word. But even if we did, we’d never reach the bottom
of the wonderful way in which God gives us mercy instead of punishment,
freedom and joy instead of judgment and condemnation. What does Jesus bring
to us? He tells us Himself in the Book of Isaiah. If you're poor in spirit,
brokenhearted by your shortcomings and failures, if you sometimes feel like
your sin is a jail that's holding you captive, then listen to the liberating words of
your Savior: “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has
anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the
brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the
prison to those who are bound; 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the
LORD, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, 3 To
console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy
for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may
be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be
glorified.” – Is 61:1-3

Well, that's one of the strange combinations, but there's an even stranger one.
Some of you may remember a sitcom that was a big hit years and years ago. In it
two friends, out of financial necessity, decide to share an apartment together.
Unfortunately they don't turn out to be very compatible. Felix is neat and fussy,
while his friend Oscar is an unmitigated slob. The title of the show was
(appropriately), "The Odd Couple." Well, if you thought "mercy and truth"
were an odd couple, wait till you hear the next one. Indeed, SALVATION
MAKES STRANGE BEFELLOWS. For the psalmist says that, not only have
mercy and truth met together but, in Christ, righteousness and peace have
kissed.

We've been talking about righteousness a lot lately, haven't we? And it's an
appropriate time to discuss it, given that we celebrated Reformation so recently.
As I mentioned last Sunday, young Martin Luther was one man who just didn't
get the connection between righteousness and peace. He thought he knew what
the righteousness of God was, but that knowledge certainly didn't give him any
peace. Far from it! When he thought of the absolute holiness, the righteousness
and purity of the almighty God, he trembled and shook with fear! He felt like
Isaiah did when he saw the vision of God in His throne room and said, "Woe is
me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips." -- Isaiah 6:5. He felt
like Peter did after the miracle of the catch of fish, when he fell down at Jesus'
feet and said, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." Maybe you've
felt the same way (I know I have!)

Where can we find peace in the face of such holiness and righteousness? If
absolute perfection is the standard of righteousness that God demands from us,
then how can you even put the words "righteousness" and "peace" together in
the same sentence? They seem totally incompatible! But remember,
SALVATION MAKES STRANGE BEDFELLOWS. There's one Person who
satisfies the righteous demands of God's Law and provides perfect peace for us
sinners at the same time - Jesus Christ!

Jesus "…fulfilled all righteousness" for us. He kept God's Law and actually
became our righteousness, as Paul says, But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who
became for us wisdom from God -- and righteousness and sanctification and
redemption -- that, as it is written, "He who glories, let him glory in the
LORD." -- 1 Cor 1:30-31. Jesus is our glory. This is the surpassing glory that
will "dwell in our land" if we Christians will but witness the truth of what Christ
has done for us. And this is the peace - peace with God, peace of soul and
conscience - that our Savior came to bring. It's an objective peace,
accomplished centuries ago when Christ died on the cross for our sins. A peace
no one can change!

And this is important, because there will be some days in your Christian life
when you just don't feel very peaceful. When your faith is weak, when your sins
distress you, when you wonder whether you really belong in the Church at all.
At those times remember: you may not feel at peace, but God is absolutely at
peace with you. His peace in Jesus Christ is unconditional, for all time. The
peace He provides through the atoning work of His son is objective and
unchanging, a blessed peace you can return to time after time. Day after day
you can come back to your Lord in repentance, confessing your sin, and day
after day He will pardon you, cover you with the blood he shed for you on
Calvary's cross. Sunday after Sunday you can return here to God's house to hear
the life-giving Good News that you, too - wretched sinner that you are - you,
too, have been redeemed, restored, forgiven! Have courage! They may seem like
strange bedfellows, but in Christ righteousness and peace really do go together.
As Isaiah reminds us, He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised
for our iniquities: the chastisement for our peace was upon him; and by his
stripes we are healed. --Is 53:5.

For many years the Atlantic Monthly magazine had a feature I always enjoyed.
In each issue, a writer would speculate on what it would have been like if two
famous people of different eras could have met. What might the conversation
have sounded like, e.g., if Galileo could have talked to Albert Einstein, if
Virginia Wolfe could have met Gloria Steinem, or if George Washington could
have had a conversation with George Bush? Of course, none of those meetings
could ever really take place. Those are combinations that simply can’t occur in
the physical world in which we live. But there is a much more important realm
than that - the spiritual world – the world of sin and grace, the world of failure
and redemption, of eternal death and eternal life. And as we learned today, in
that that world, some very odd combinations do indeed occur. For
SALVATION MAKES STRANGE BEDFELLOWS. In Christ, mercy and
truth have met. And in Christ, righteousness and peace have kissed. Let each of
us rejoice this day that God has made these impossible combinations a reality in
the person of the Son of God. AMEN.