"No Shame"

Text: 2 Timothy 1:7-14

Grace, mercy, and peace be multiplied to you on this Trinity Sunday from our Triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Dear Fellow Christians:

We are not being honest with ourselves, and with one another. It is never right to use national pride as a mask for sin. Yet in our beloved country we have done just that. We pride ourselves on living in a country where we would never strap bombs to our children and blow them up in crowded shopping malls; yet in our country we kill millions of our children before they can even leave the protection of the womb or see the light of their first day. Here we do not indoctrinate our children with the mad rantings of violent imams; instead we fill their eyes and ears and hearts with perversion and rot them from within. In our country we don't dress our women up in head-to-toe burqas and hide them from the rest of society; we put them on display as objects of lust and teach them to measure their self-worth according to their ability to make men desire them. Here we do not repress our women; we give them headship over their husbands. In our country we have been spared the horrors of poverty and starvation; only to replace them with materialism and gluttony.

And isn't the devil clever to raise up religious fanatics from time to time so that the rest of us are taught to keep our mouths shut and let it all happen.

The result is that the right sort of shame is a vanishing commodity in our society, while the wrong sort of shame has become commonplace. There is, in fact, much in every culture of which its citizens ought to be ashamed, much that is evil. All is a result of sin. That which distinguishes right from wrong is not the general inclinations of a people, but the Word and will of the One True Triune God. That which makes a nation great is not the principle on which it was founded, but the extent to which its citizens follow the will of their Creator. It is God who determines what should and should not cause us to be ashamed, and there is only one God and one will of God. With this fact in mind we turn to our text for this morning, found in the Second Letter of Paul to Timothy. Here we read the inspired words of one of God's great warriors as he approaches the end of his time of service, and counsels the young pastor, Timothy, concerning what should and should not cause him shame:

^NKJ 2 Timothy 1:7-14 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. ⁸ ¶ Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, ⁹ who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, ¹⁰ but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, ¹¹ to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. ¹² For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day. ¹³ Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁴ That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.

These are the very words of the One True God, who alone has the right to dictate to every single man, woman, and child both what is right and what is wrong. We thank our God for these holy words, and we now ask him to teach and instruct us through them with this prayer: "Sanctify us through Your truth, O Lord. Your Word is truth." Amen.

Fellow Worshippers of the Triune God, every single one of us has words and thoughts and actions in his life of which he is, and ought to be, ashamed. We all have things we wish we had not done; things we wish we could do over and do better. You and I can all look at the perversions of our society and mourn the demise of simple propriety in our own hearts, and we can struggle to preserve our own families in the spirit of Joshua: "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

Our text for this morning, however, does not deal with that sort of thing. Our text does not deal with the things that ought to cause us shame; it deals with that which should not cause us to be ashamed. In our text the Holy Spirit through Paul says, "Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God." There are many things in this life that cause us shame. Our text teaches us, first and foremost, that "the testimony of our Lord" ought not be among them.

Understand that the temptation for each of us (spiritually lazy as we are) is to hear these words, to acknowledge that they represent a true saying, and to then simply move on. There is even a temptation to regard them as overly simple and obvious, and to do so in as superficial a manner as humanly possible. Yet as there is more to God than first meets the human eye, so there is always more to God's Word than first meets the ear. Every bit of God's Word is worthy of our study and contemplation. We will therefore take a harder, more careful look at the Holy Spirit's words here. What does it mean "to be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord"? Have I ever been ashamed of the testimony of my Lord? Am I ashamed of it even now?

Just to make sure that you and I have a fix on just how important this topic really is, and just how worthy of our discussion and meditation, we remind ourselves of Jesus' words in Mark 8:38, "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." This is certainly a warning no one among us wants to take lightly. Nor do we want to allow such sin to continue in our hearts unchecked. We therefore turn to an inspection of our hearts, and this morning it is for evidence of this problem that we are searching.

Begin by asking yourself this question: "With whom am I comfortable sharing my beliefs about God and salvation?" The honest answer, tragically enough, is that when it comes to sharing my personal beliefs I am only comfortable speaking to those who share my beliefs, and that I am therefore not comfortable witnessing to unbelievers.

That answer, in itself, causes me shame – the right kind of shame. While I am certainly not ashamed of my Lord Jesus and his saving gospel, I do find myself fearful of society's scorn. What a wretched sinner I truly am. How desperately I need the forgiveness that my Lord Jesus won for me on the cross of Calvary. It is not those who share my faith who need my witness the most, it is those who don't believe in their Lord Jesus – and he is their Lord too. Those that share my faith will join me in eternity. Those who do not share my faith will not. God has said so in the clearest of terms: "He that believes and is baptized shall be saved; he that does not believe shall be condemned." The greater need then is obvious. The unbeliever clearly has the greater need to hear "the reason for the hope that is in me." Remember the words of our Lord that we heard earlier: "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." Focus for a moment on the phrase "in this adulterous and sinful generation." The original Greek word translated "in" is better translated here "in connection with" or "among." It is a rare thing to be ashamed of our Lord's words in the company of those who agree with us. Not so in a "hostile" crowd.

What is a "hostile crowd"? Anyone and everyone without faith in Jesus Christ and the Triune God. It can be a crowd of one. In your case the crowd might as small as your next door neighbor, and the constant question we need to ask ourselves is, "Did I share with him all that I could have, all that I should have, concerning his one path to heaven? If not, why not?"

The first step, therefore, is to identify your own personal "hostile crowd."

There are many things in our lives of which we ought to be ashamed. Our faith is not one of them. Why not? Our text explains: "God... has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began." There is nothing to be ashamed of in connection with the gospel, first of all, because – as unpopular as it is among unbelievers – it is still the God-given truth about the one path to heaven. Second, it is not our own personal version of the truth, it is God's truth. Third, the message that we are called to share does not ultimately seek to condemn, it seeks to save. It does not demand, it offers. It does not seek to belittle or separate, it seeks to build up and reunite – the sinner to his God and our neighbor to ourselves. The message we have to share is life and peace. It is the simple fact, in the words of our text, that "our Savior Jesus Christ... has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." What a message we have to share. What important work we have been called to carry out.

The context of our text is helpful here. Paul wrote these words to his protege, Timothy, during his second Roman imprisonment. It had been made clear to Paul that he would not be acquitted this time (as he had been during his first imprisonment there). The background of our text was that of a man who awaited his own execution and thus the final clearing away of all that this life has to offer. This was obviously for Paul a very serious time, a time of sober searching and reflection. His conclusions? "I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed..." Paul was not ashamed, even of things that with his human intellect he could not explain – like the triune nature of our God, which we celebrate on this Trinity Sunday. Each one of us would do well to quietly reflect on these same matters. Our time of grace will one day come to an end – of this every single one of us can be certain. Paul's words to Timothy also serve as his words to us: "Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus."

You and I attend church services, read our Bibles, and say our prayers because we want our Lord to preserve us in this saving faith until we join him in heaven. Witnessing, however, is different. Witnessing is pure love for our God and our neighbor. It will not open heaven's door for us, but it will open heaven's door for our neighbors – to anyone and everyone who is brought to faith through our testimony. It is therefore the single greatest act of love and compassion that we can possibly show to our neighbor – far above feeding or clothing or healing him.

Yet before we could ever expect to show such love to others, we need to experience it for ourselves. That is what our text is all about. Paul did not need to share these thoughts with Timothy for his own sake; Timothy needed them. You and I need them. Masterfully, then, the Holy Spirit preserved these words of encouragement for thousands of years so that you and I could draw on them this morning; so that you and I could hear them and be comforted, encouraged, emboldened by them.

There is little in life more comforting than a Christian as he or she faces the end of his or her time of grace with the unshakeable confidence that salvation has been secured by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In that moment of death, all of the rest is cleared away and forgotten. One thing remains: "Our Savior Jesus Christ... has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel."

God in heaven fill us with such conviction, faith, and love. Let his Word be your truth, your one great joy and delight. When that is, in fact, the case, Judgment Day cannot possibly hold for us any shame, since all such has been borne in our stead by our Substitute. Amen.

Scripture Readings and Sunday Bulletin for May 18, 2008

^NKJ Jeremiah 10:1-8, 10 Hear the word which the LORD speaks to you, O house of Israel. ² Thus says the LORD: "Do not learn the way of the Gentiles; Do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven, For the Gentiles are dismayed at them. ³ For the customs of the peoples are futile; For one cuts a tree from the forest, The work of the hands of the workman, with the ax. ⁴ They decorate it with silver and gold; They fasten it with nails and hammers So that it will not topple. ⁵ They are upright, like a palm tree, And they cannot speak; They must be carried, Because they cannot go by themselves. Do not be afraid of them, For they cannot do evil, Nor can they do any good." ⁶ Inasmuch as there is none like You, O LORD (You are great, and Your name is great in might), ⁷ Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? For this is Your rightful due. For among all the wise men of the nations, And in all their kingdoms, There is none like You. ⁸ But they are altogether dull-hearted and foolish; A wooden idol is a worthless doctrine. ¹⁰ But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth will tremble, And the nations will not be able to endure His indignation.

^NKJ Luke 3:21-23 When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. ²² And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased." ²³ ¶ Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph.

^NKJ 2 Timothy 1:7-14 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. ⁸ ¶ Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, ⁹ who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, ¹⁰ but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, ¹¹ to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. ¹² For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day. ¹³ Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁴ That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.

ST. PAUL EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH

2510 E. Divide Ave.

Bismarck, ND 58501 (701) 223-4885 Cell: (701) 425-5483

Website – www.bismarcklutheran.org

Mr. Mark Johnson, President (222-1855) Mrs. Eileen McEnroe, Organist

Michael Roehl, Pastor

Trinity Sunday – May 18, 2008

The Opening Prayer by the Pastor

The Opening Hymn ‑#246- (Red Hymnal)

"Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty"

The Order of Service – Supplement page 12ff. (Brown Hymnal)

The Scripture Lessons: (Printed on the back page of this bulletin)

The First Lesson: (Jeremiah 10:1-8, 10) How blest we are to know and worship the One True God. As Jeremiah here reveals to us just how silly and worthless is the worship of "gods" made with human hands, so also we acknowledge that the idols in our own society are just as impotent. Our God, on the contrary, is the God of ability and of power.

Psalm 51 (Supplement page 31) (Brown Hymnal)

The Second Lesson: (Luke 3:21-23) The Bible is full of references verifying the triune nature of our God. This reading (the Baptism of Jesus) is one of those sections. Note that while Jesus (God the Son) is being baptized the Holy Spirit comes upon Him in the form of a dove and the Father speaks from heaven.

The Confession of Faith ‑

The Athanasian Creed – page 53. (Red Hymnal)

The Pre-Sermon Hymn ‑#245- (Red Hymnal)

"God Loved the World So that He Gave"

The Sermon – 2 Timothy 1:7-14 (Printed on the back page of this bulletin)

"No Shame"

The Offertory – (Supplement page 16 insert)

The Post-Sermon Hymn ‑#251- (Red Hymnal)

"We All Believe In One True God"

The Offering

The Prayers of the Day followed by the Lord's Prayer

The Benediction

The Closing Hymn ‑#244- (Verses 1-2) (Red Hymnal)

"Glory Be to God the Father"

Silent Prayer

Attendance ‑ Last Sunday (62) 2008 Average (52)

This Week at St. Paul:

Today -10:00 a.m. – Worship Service

-11:00 a.m. – Fellowship Hour

Monday -7:00 p.m. – Church Council Meeting

Wednesday -6:00 p.m. – Confirmation & Bible History

-7:00 p.m. – Midweek Bible Study

Thursday -7:00 a.m. – Pastor leaves for Eau Claire

Next Sunday -10:00 a.m. – Worship Service

-11:00 a.m. – Fellowship Hour

Summer Schedule – Today is the last day of our regular schedule and the beginning of our summer schedule here at St. Paul. That means that both Sunday School and Sunday Morning Bible Class are suspended for the Summer months, starting today. This, of course, does not mean that personal Bible study is suspended.

Vacation Bible School – We are trying to establish the dates and format for this year's VBS. It is our intention to try a full, two-day VBS this year. All those who would like to be involved (parents of VBS-aged children, teachers, and aids) please pass along your preferences for dates, times, and format to Sandy Roehl, who is gathering this information.

Trinity Sunday and the Athanasian Creed – As is our long-standing Trinity Sunday custom, this morning we use the Athanasian Creed for our common confession of faith. While the exact history of this confession is uncertain, it was named, interestingly enough, for a man named Athanasius who almost certainly was not the original author. We use the creed on Trinity Sunday because of its solid declaration concerning the Triune nature of our God – our focus on this day.

Pastor Out of Town – Pastor Roehl is scheduled to attend meetings and graduation exercises in Eau Claire next weekend, followed by the West Central Delegate Conference in Watertown. Plans call for a return on May 29^th. Our congregation will also be represented at the Watertown Conference by Delegate Paul Blumhardt.

Church Council Meeting – Church Council members please note the meeting scheduled for this Monday at 7:00 p.m.

Open House – The congregation is invited to an open house at the parsonage for Emily Roehl on Friday, May 30^th, from 6:00-9:00 p.m.