The Third Article: Called By The Gospel
Sermon
What's That Supposed To Mean?
Using The Catechism In The 21st Century
Object:
The Apostles' Creed -- The Third Article
I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen. What does this mean? I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel....
How does a person become a Christian? Does a person become a Christian because he wants to? Or does a person become a Christian because God wants him to? Some people believe that a person becomes a Christian by making a personal decision. They think that faith is an act of the will, and they think that the will is informed by the mind. Thus, some people believe that a person becomes a Christian because they decided to ask Jesus into their hearts.
This is not what the Bible teaches. The Bible clearly teaches that we are Christians because God wanted us to be Christians. Listen again to what the Apostle Paul wrote to the church of the Thessalonians: "But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." How did I become a Christian? The Bible tells me that God chose me and then He let me know when He called me by the gospel.
Imagine an orphanage filled with children of all ages and kinds. But no one wanted these children, so they are stuck in the orphanage. Then one day, the supervisor of the orphanage comes into the room full of children. "A rich man called me up and asked me if I had any children who wanted to be adopted. He told me that he has a big house with many rooms. He said that he had lots of nice clothes and good food. I told him that we had lots of children who wanted to be adopted, who didn't want to live here anymore. He told me to send them all to him. So, let's all get ready to go and meet your new daddy."
The rich man chose every one of those children. Nothing special about the children helped him make a choice except that they didn't have a home of their own. There wasn't anything any of those children did that earned them notice. They didn't decide that they wanted the rich man to take them into his family. He decided. He then sent a messenger to tell them of his choice. The supervisor merely had to collect all those the rich man chose.
"I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel." Isaiah preached that Jesus is the one who brought the good news that heals the sick and sets the captive free. Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit carries on the work of calling people by the gospel. He does it through the gospel proclaimed by the apostles Jesus chose: "And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit."
The Holy Spirit gave the apostles the words to say. Their preaching made the choice of God known. Today, the choice of God is made known wherever the record of the prophets and apostles is proclaimed. As that choice is proclaimed, the Holy Spirit invites people to come home to the heavenly Father.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, who has sent Your Holy Spirit to call us home to You by the preaching of the gospel about Jesus Christ, help us be a bigger part of taking that good news to others around us so that they can join us in Your family. Give us faith to support the work of those feet which bring good news with our time and our dollars. Fill us with Your Spirit through Your Word and the sacraments Jesus gave us so that we will be drawn ever closer to You. Amen.
Object lesson: (Have children gather at baptismal font. Needed: large pad of paper, marker pen. Write across top: First Name, Middle Name, Last Name.)
1. Write each child's first name in that column and their last name in the "middle name" column. Pretend to ignore any attempts to correct this.
2. Talk about what a last name means: it marks one as belonging to a family; one gets it when he is born or adopted. No one becomes a member of a family because he decides to.
3. Write "Christian" under "last name" for all the children. "Everyone here has the same last name: Christian. We were given that name when we were born again. When was that? Baptism, for most of us! We were baptized into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. We now belong to the family of God."
4. "How many brothers and sisters do we have? As many as there are Christians!"
I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen. What does this mean? I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel....
How does a person become a Christian? Does a person become a Christian because he wants to? Or does a person become a Christian because God wants him to? Some people believe that a person becomes a Christian by making a personal decision. They think that faith is an act of the will, and they think that the will is informed by the mind. Thus, some people believe that a person becomes a Christian because they decided to ask Jesus into their hearts.
This is not what the Bible teaches. The Bible clearly teaches that we are Christians because God wanted us to be Christians. Listen again to what the Apostle Paul wrote to the church of the Thessalonians: "But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." How did I become a Christian? The Bible tells me that God chose me and then He let me know when He called me by the gospel.
Imagine an orphanage filled with children of all ages and kinds. But no one wanted these children, so they are stuck in the orphanage. Then one day, the supervisor of the orphanage comes into the room full of children. "A rich man called me up and asked me if I had any children who wanted to be adopted. He told me that he has a big house with many rooms. He said that he had lots of nice clothes and good food. I told him that we had lots of children who wanted to be adopted, who didn't want to live here anymore. He told me to send them all to him. So, let's all get ready to go and meet your new daddy."
The rich man chose every one of those children. Nothing special about the children helped him make a choice except that they didn't have a home of their own. There wasn't anything any of those children did that earned them notice. They didn't decide that they wanted the rich man to take them into his family. He decided. He then sent a messenger to tell them of his choice. The supervisor merely had to collect all those the rich man chose.
"I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel." Isaiah preached that Jesus is the one who brought the good news that heals the sick and sets the captive free. Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit carries on the work of calling people by the gospel. He does it through the gospel proclaimed by the apostles Jesus chose: "And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit."
The Holy Spirit gave the apostles the words to say. Their preaching made the choice of God known. Today, the choice of God is made known wherever the record of the prophets and apostles is proclaimed. As that choice is proclaimed, the Holy Spirit invites people to come home to the heavenly Father.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, who has sent Your Holy Spirit to call us home to You by the preaching of the gospel about Jesus Christ, help us be a bigger part of taking that good news to others around us so that they can join us in Your family. Give us faith to support the work of those feet which bring good news with our time and our dollars. Fill us with Your Spirit through Your Word and the sacraments Jesus gave us so that we will be drawn ever closer to You. Amen.
Object lesson: (Have children gather at baptismal font. Needed: large pad of paper, marker pen. Write across top: First Name, Middle Name, Last Name.)
1. Write each child's first name in that column and their last name in the "middle name" column. Pretend to ignore any attempts to correct this.
2. Talk about what a last name means: it marks one as belonging to a family; one gets it when he is born or adopted. No one becomes a member of a family because he decides to.
3. Write "Christian" under "last name" for all the children. "Everyone here has the same last name: Christian. We were given that name when we were born again. When was that? Baptism, for most of us! We were baptized into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. We now belong to the family of God."
4. "How many brothers and sisters do we have? As many as there are Christians!"
