Let Us Walk in the Footsteps of St. Paul!

 

Philippians 3:17-21 When a congregation is organized, one of the first things that the founding members do is choose a name for their congregation.  This may be one of the first real challenges too because, as you can well imagine, there will be all kinds of good ideas for their church’s name.There are names that capture their prominence in the community—like First Baptist.  There are names that capture some part of our of Lord’s life like Epiphany Episcopal.  There are names that indicate a location like Weber Road Church of Christ.  All of these are perfectly fine names for churches.

One hundred years ago the Lutherans who founded this congregation chose St. Paul for the name of this congregation as so many Lutheran churches do.  Why St. Paul?  Was it just to honor a faithful man of God who lived two thousand years ago or was there something more?

The Lutherans who founded this congregation chose St. Paul as the name because it was their hope that the clear teaching about the way of salvation that is so beautifully taught in Paul’s epistles would also be clearly taught in their midst and in this community—that they and their children and all who followed them in this place would always hold to the biblical way of salvation:  that we are justified by God’s grace, apart from the deeds of the Law, on account of Jesus’ atoning death on the cross.

This was the clear, unwavering teaching of Paul and the Lutherans who founded this congregation wanted it to be so and remain so in their midst and in this community and so when they named this congregation it was in hope that they and all who followed them would walk in the footsteps of Paul and trust nothing but the cross of Christ for their salvation.  St. Paul writes:

Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.   Several years ago I saw an advertisement for a trip to the Holy Land along with Greece and Turkey and the trip was named:  “In the Footsteps of Paul” because the travelers would go to all the places that Paul went on his apostolic journeys.  That is one way to walk in the footsteps of Paul- and I’m sure there is value in that- but there is a more important way and that is to follow his lead when it comes to the things of God.

And so as we walk along with Paul by faith, guided by the words of the Bible, what do we see?  We see a young man who was zealous for Judaism—whose background and training and temperament had equipped him to be a great defender of salvation by works of the law—eating the right foods and worshiping the right way and going through the right rituals and being scrupulous about the details of the law so that he could make his own way to God. 

By virtue of who he was and what he did Paul had every reason to have confidence in his flesh—that is in his own works—so that he persecuted the early Christians who taught that salvation was not by works but by faith in Jesus.

Paul’s persecution of Christ and his people continued right up until the moment that Jesus met him on the Road to Damascus and changed his heart forever.  He learned that as zealous as he was for religious rules and as confident as he was of his own holiness--he was completely wrong about his life with God. 

He may have been going to Damascus but he was headed to hell and the One who he was persecuting was the only one who could save him—not by something that Paul would do-- but by something that someone else had already done and that was Jesus’ death on the cross.

Jesus taught him that salvation and a life with God did not come because of what Paul did but because of what Jesus had already done and desired to give him as a gift. 

When Paul learned that and believed it he was a man reborn.  He went from being a persecutor of Christ to a preacher of Christ and his own life was a living, breathing witness that what God really wants for us is to simply receive the forgiveness Jesus won for us on the cross.

He could look back upon his life and know that he had failed miserably—that he was the chief of sinners-- but because of what Christ had done for him and the difference it made in his life-- he could also call upon every Christian to follow him in receiving Christ’s forgiveness and trusting in Christ’s cross. 

Paul wasn’t alone in this message and he wasn’t the only example of the height and breadth and depth of God’s redeeming grace.  Every apostle could recount and remember their own failures to be all that God wanted them to be and yet rejoice that there was full and free forgiveness that flowed from Jesus ’cross. 

That was the message of the apostles and the message of Luther and the message of the faithful Christians who founded this congregation.  But almost from the beginning there was opposition to the Good News of Jesus.  Paul writes:

For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.  Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.

For every time the Good News of full and free forgiveness in Christ was proclaimed by Paul or one of the other apostles—there was someone else saying “yes, but”. 

You are forgiven and set free from the guilt and shame of the past—yes, but you still have to be circumcised.  Your sins are washed away forever by the blood of Christ—yes, but you have to make sure that you obey God from now on.  There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus—yes, but you must never forget the past.

What does Paul say about those who attach a “yes, but” to the finished work of Jesus?  He says that they are enemies of the cross of Christ.  Enemies of the cross of Christ!  Can there be a more terrible judgment than this?!  Why are they enemies of the cross? 

Because they dare—in their spiritual pride and self-righteousness--to substitute their own voices and opinions about what happened there at the cross in place of the words of Jesus which were:  “Father, forgive them”—and—“It is finished”.  Sins forgiven and salvation finished.  That is life with God!  That is our hope and peace!  That is the content of our faith and the faith of the founders of this congregation and the faith of Paul! 

Now, I will tell you that the “yes, but” appeals to our flesh.  Until the day that we die we will struggle to believe that God’s grace can be so great- and Christ’s forgiveness so complete -that we do not need to add even the slightest thing to it. 

That is why we hear these strong words from Paul that those who add some condition to God’s forgiveness and demand some work besides that of Jesus are enemies of the cross.  Their self-chosen obedience and holiness and conditions do not give God the glory for his work of salvation-- but themselves.  And believing this they go to their eternal destruction because they are not serving God but themselves.

But for those who simply put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ—who know that their salvation is a gift that has been given to them at the cost of Christ’s blood—these folks can be confident that they are right with God, forgiven of their sins, and are going to heaven. 

Paul writes:  Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

Our citizenship in heaven is not just one of these days—our citizenship is heaven right now-- because we are God’s children and he has redeemed us to live with him while we wait for Christ’s return in glory and the renewal of all things.

These are some incredibly comforting words!  Last week we elected a new president and while half the country is glad the other half is heartbroken.  Whether we are glad or sad about the election, there is a reality that is true about us that is greater than our political party and greater even than our national identity-- and that truth is that we ultimately are part of God’s kingdom and no matter what happens in our country we can be confident that we have a perfect heavenly home because of Jesus’s power over death and the grave.

No matter which man was elected, they were going to struggle to make right everything that is wrong with our nation.  But Jesus Christ has the power to subject all things to himself—in other words, he has the power to make right everything that is wrong-- not just in our nation and economy-- but everything that is wrong in our world.

Our national and world wide problems are much deeper than what can be fixed with some political solution or the right leadership—our problems cut right to the heart of a world that has been turned off its course by sin.

But the death of Jesus Christ on the cross and his resurrection has moved the world back in the right direction.  Once more we can have a life with God.  Once more we can look forward to the future without fear because we know that God is in control.  Once more we can count on a life with God that even death cannot end and a world that will be made new on the last day.

Paul looked out upon a world where the greatest empire that ever existed was his enemy.  He faced death time and time again until he was martyred for his faith.  He experienced division and discord in the church. 

But he knew that Jesus Christ was greater than all of it and would raise him from the dead and restore the goodness of the world and so he faced the future with a confident faith.  As a congregation that is called by his name, let us walk in his footsteps and know the same.  Amen.