Month: October 2021

Heaven Is… a Great Banquet for Everyone

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(Luke 14:15-24)

When you attend a significant event, the number of people present matters. How would it feel going to hear your favorite band or singer in concert at a large venue and being surrounded by empty seats? What if you received a special exclusive invite to the opening of a trendy new restaurant and only a handful of other people were there? It was one thing to have to witness that kind of emptiness during the pandemic when in-person attendance was not permitted, but barring those restrictions, we expect big events to bring in big numbers of people. If not, and attendance is sparse, it can result in lower expectations, second-guessing the level of quality associated with the function, or wondering about the organization of the whole thing. Numbers matter. We are impressed by large attendance numbers at events – they give credibility to something.

Have you ever wondered what the attendance numbers in heaven will be like? On the one hand, we have pictures of multitudes gathered around the throne. Each of Daniel and John’s (Revelation) visions make reference to thousands upon thousands and ten thousands upon ten thousand – numbers which may refer to just angels or could also include believers. Jesus preached to large crowds and many came to faith. Throughout the book of Acts we are told the Holy Spirit added thousands to the faith here and there through the preaching of the Word. World statistics of professing Christians currently top 2.5 billion, to say nothing of the total number of believers existing throughout history. So it would appear that heaven will be pretty full.

But Jesus also said, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to” (Lk. 13:24). And in the parable before us this morning there are clearly a number who excuse themselves for a variety of reasons, leaving the master to conclude, “I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet” (14:24). So will it be many or few? What will the numbers be like in heaven? We can’t say for sure, and while I know few of us like to hear that answer, we must be willing to accept it frequently in regard to questions about heaven. Instead then, let’s give our attention to two matters that we DO have control over: 1) making sure we get there, and 2) taking as many with us as we possibly can.

I know it feels rather odd even to state it that way, to “make sure we get” to heaven. There’s nothing for us to do! Jesus did it all, so what could we possibly need to “do” to make sure we get there? He traded heaven for earth to make sure that one day we would be able to trade earth for heaven. His perfect obedience replaced our daily disobedience. On the cross he was forsaken so we could be forgiven. How do we cover that debt when it has already been paid? How do we convince a judge who’s already declared us innocent because of what Jesus has achieved as our Sacrifice and Substitute?  

It’s really more about what we can make sure we don’t do rather than taking credit for anything we can do. Simply put, don’t lose what you’ve been given. Don’t reject the free gift of salvation. Don’t misplace your invitation. Don’t let the big day arrive and find you unprepared because you allowed enough excuses to mount up over time that you became preoccupied with this life at the expense of the next one. It’s as if every time you make an excuse, you are pounding in yet one more tent stake to make this your permanent home instead of heaven.

It would appear this is a very legitimate concern on the part of Jesus. At least that’s the way it comes across in the parable. Not only do the servants receive a variety of excuses from the invitees when the party is finally ready, but notice how many times the host has to send out his servants to bring in more guests – three times they are sent out! That would seem to emphasize two important truths. One, many will end up on the outside looking in when it comes to heaven. Two, God really means it when he says that he wants everyone to be saved. Why else would he continue to send out his servants to invite others? “Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full” (v.23). There’s still room. 

There’s still room. You probably noticed the Trunk or Treat invites in your worship folders. Those invites aren’t for you, because you already know you’re invited. But they are for you to pass along to someone else. Heaven is the same. You already know it’s for you, but now the invite is for you to pass along to others. 

So each and every one of us can focus on one or both of the two things we DO have control over. If you are in the excuse-making camp of the banquet invitees in the parable and are dangerously close to forfeiting your spot at the heavenly banquet, then that needs your urgent attention. Get your act together and make your faith the priority it needs to be so that you don’t give up what you’ve been given. And if you are solid in that department, then you can give attention to your role of passing along the invites. One or the other or both is where we all should be. Make sure you get there and do your best to help as many others as possible get there. 

Where exactly is “there?” What will “there” be like? After all, that’s what we’re really interested in – the information about what the accommodations in heaven will be like, right? So will there be an actual feast, a banquet, as heaven is so often depicted in Scripture? Will the most tantalizing food and drink imaginable be served? The perfect cut of meat, perfectly cooked, or for those who prefer, the perfect Beyond Meat plant-based product perfectly imitating the perfect cut of meat, perfectly cooked? Will the food melt on your tongue the moment it touches it? Will the beverages be served chilled so they aren’t too cold or not too hot so they avoid burning your tongue? Will there be appetizers? How many courses? And dessert – what about dessert??? Now that I’ve lost you for the rest of the sermon… will we actually experience any of this? 

Or… is it all figurative picture language to make heaven more relatable to us? It would make sense that Jesus would speak a parable involving a great feast, given he spoke these words this morning while he was a guest at a Pharisee’s house for a meal. And, the comment made to Jesus leading up to the parable referenced the blessing of feasting in the kingdom of God. So is Jesus merely tying his description of heaven to something we can conceptualize, something we could connect to through personal experience? After all, as much as both the Old and the New Testaments speak about heaven as a sit-down saintly smorgasbord, the Bible also says that no one in heaven will ever hunger or thirst. Therefore, if there is eating and drinking, it won’t be out of a need of sustenance, but rather out of the joy and pleasure associated with it.

Here is another thought: why should we ever experience any good pleasure at all in a broken, fallen world? Why should we be able to enjoy tasty delicacies and delightful drink? Surely a world of rebellious sinners has not and could not earn the right to such pleasure? No, but God is good. God is gracious. Maybe there is another reason behind God allowing us such enjoyment – perhaps such pleasures have an even greater purpose: merely to whet our appetite for what is coming in heaven. Certainly no good, no excellent experience here on earth was ever intended to attract us so strongly to this temporal world; rather could it serve all the more to provide us with teaser upon teaser of how splendid heaven will be? 

And don’t forget another part of a great meal – one enjoyed with favored guests! After all, a meal spent with old friends can make even the blandest food palatable. And even outstanding food is only made better when enjoyed in the presence of those dear to us. Think of that part of a feast or banquet – not so much about the food, but about the guests gathered together to enjoy it together. That is real joy! Gathering around food builds community. Meals are where stories are shared and memories are made. Traditions and family rituals so often involve food. Food satisfies, but sometimes the biggest role it serves is to bring people together. And that is certainly one of the main themes of heaven, isn’t it – all of God’s blood-bought saints finally being brought together in perfect unity and harmony? No polarizing division. No draining disagreements. Just Jesus-centered gathering.

Years ago there was a popular series of T-shirt slogans that had a statement regarding one’s favorite sport. It had a simple phrase indicating that one’s favorite sport was life, and the rest was just details. “Basketball/tennis/golf/baseball/etc. is life. The rest is just details.” The point was clear: nothing else really mattered. The wearer of the T-shirt was claiming that other concerns in life were quite trivial in comparison to the favorite sport. 

At the end of the day, there is much speculation about what heaven will be like. There are many unknowns. We don’t know if there will be a literal banquet feast or if the imagery is merely figurative. But there is one known: Jesus will be there. And we’ll get to be with him. Nothing will be better. In heaven we could rightly sport the T-shirt, “Jesus is (eternal) life. The rest is just details.” Let’s make sure that when we’re done here on earth, each and every one of us – and as many others as we can possibly bring along – are all wearing the same shirts.

Heaven Is… Coming

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(Matthew 25:31-46)

More and more evidence points to the reality that the happiness associated with a certain experience has less to do with the experience itself and more to do with our anticipation of it. Studies that measured brain activity and the subjects’ feelings of happiness prior to a positive experience and during that experience have seen higher dopamine levels before than during the experience itself. So it seems that looking forward to a positive experience is many times the most exhilarating part of all.

I won’t disagree. When I got to the last book of the Harry Potter series, I recall how bittersweet it was. While it was always exciting to finish one book in the series and look forward to starting the next, I knew I wouldn’t have anything to look forward to after I read the last one. So, I actually put off starting the final book for some time just to extend the time I had to look forward to it. We’ve probably all experienced something similar in the past at some point regarding vacations. We were so eager to plan and look forward to and anticipate an upcoming vacation – but the vacation itself didn’t match our anticipation of it. Or, we look forward to watching an episode of our favorite show, but how bummed are we when the last episode airs? Now we don’t have anything to look forward to anymore. It is the anticipation of the experience – not the actual experience itself – which is so often the most exhilarating part. 

Heaven, dear friends, will be the exception. Are we eager about heaven? Do we anticipate it? Are we looking forward to getting there? Absolutely. But unlike every other experience we have had on earth, it will not be the anticipation of heaven that fills us with the greatest joy, but our experience of it. Our experience of heaven will absolutely surpass in every possible way any detail we could have imagined about it. No matter how high the dopamine levels register in our anticipation of heaven, they’ll be off the charts when we actually experience it!

When it comes to anticipation, studies have shown that two primary factors play the biggest role in heightening our good feelings about an experience: 1) simply looking forward to the experience itself, but also 2) the increased likelihood that it will happen. When those two factor in together, we experience the height of anticipation. You get a rush from placing an online order, but that anticipation is heightened when your tracker tells you the delivery truck is only two stops away! The opening music to your favorite show starts playing on the screen and you get a quick rush no matter how good or bad the episode is. You look forward to the possibility of reconnecting with an old friend, but that anticipation is heightened when your phone pings with a text confirming the date and time. It’s really going to happen! It’s a certainty!

Jesus provides us with the same certainty as he introduces his teaching on heaven this morning. He started out, “When the Son of Man comes…” (v.31). There is no uncertainty in those words, is there? Jesus doesn’t say “I’m hoping to” or “I’ll really try” or “I might be available”; he says, “when the Son of Man comes.” Everything then, which follows, will happen. Jesus will return. He will come back to us. Doesn’t that heighten our anticipation?

And we are so in need of that repeated reminder, aren’t we? As more time passes, we wonder more. We question ourselves. We question God. The world worsens. Is Jesus’ return a reality we can count on, or is it just wishful thinking? Am I foolish for believing it or looking forward to it? Jesus puts that to rest. Jesus doesn’t lie. He laid out what will happen when he returns. He will return. 

And his return will be glorious! While Jesus’ first coming into our world was meaningful and marvelous in its own right, I don’t know that “glorious” is the description we’d use for the child born in a barn. Jesus highlights the difference between the first coming and the second coming – “in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne” (v.31). Glory – what a contrast to Jesus’ first arrival! That last glorious day is described elsewhere in Scripture in this way: “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). No secluded stable, but the most glorious announcement, accompanied by hosts of angels and trumpet calls – “Jesus returns!” 

And why is he returning? To judge. Notice both parties on that last day are shocked, but for different reasons. They are surprised at the criteria behind Jesus’ judgment. Believers were not even aware of their service to others amounting to service to Jesus himself. The believer, from whom faith naturally springs into action to love and care for and serve others, thinks nothing of those things. They weren’t carried out to earn points with God or to elevate our standing before him, for we know that nothing good lives in us by nature. Yet through faith, God works much good in the lives of believers!

Unbelievers, on the other hand, were not aware that their selfishness and lack of service to others amounted to selfishness and lack of service to Jesus himself. The unbeliever was convinced he was doing enough to be on good terms with God, that he was a pretty decent guy or gal, making some positive contributions in the world. At the very least, better than a whole lot of other people. And they’re absolutely shocked to not be acknowledged by God.

So the sheep and the goats, believers and unbelievers, were both surprised, both shocked. In other words, you will be shocked on that last day. The question is, for what reason? Will you be surprised by how effortlessly and naturally your faith flowed into service for others without ever thinking of recognition or reward? Or will you be surprised because you were pretty sure you were going to hear from Jesus’ lips, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, take your inheritance…” (v.34), but instead will hear “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (v.41)? I don’t imagine too many people actually expect they will hear those words from Jesus, but he makes it clear that he will speak them. Will they be spoken to you? 

They may be, if you should make the terrible mistake of presuming that how you live doesn’t matter, that you treat your faith like a hazmat suit that somehow protects you from caring for others and serving their needs. You may hear those words if you make the grave mistake of treating grace and forgiveness as merely a free pass to live as you please. Those words may be spoken to you if your confession of sins and confession of faith are merely empty words that have no root whatsoever in your heart. Now before you blow off that possibility, are you really willing to gamble that you might be wrong? Maybe you don’t believe there is a hell. Maybe you don’t believe a loving God would actually ever send anyone there. One, do you really want to chance that, to take that risk, and two, are you comfortable with calling Jesus a liar when he lays out that this is exactly what will happen on the last day? Hell and eternal punishment are real and many are really going to end up there. Don’t let it be you.

Let us instead hear the other words of Jesus, music to our ears: “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world” (v.34). We are finally going to experience what all the “fuss” is about! We’ll finally experience the culmination of everything he’s done for us and the blessings laid out for us from the very beginning. Jesus calls you “blessed.” You think you know what that word means now? People toss it around as a blanket term that covers anything good that happens to us – whether or not they acknowledge God as the source of blessing. Rest assured, the word will take on a new meaning in heaven. If the best it can do this side of heaven is describe only the stuff we know now, imagine what it will truly mean to be blessed when we hear that word on the last day in reference to what’s waiting for us. 

And what is waiting for us is an inheritance. An inheritance is always a good thing. No one leaves behind an inheritance that is intended to harm another or leave them worse off. An inheritance is always a good thing. How much more so with heaven! What will that inheritance include? How can we use known terms and experiences to describe what can’t be known or experienced here on earth? It will simply surpass the best of the best in this world by leaps and bounds, and exclude anything and everything that is undesirable and unpleasant. 

Jesus described that inheritance as “the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.” He is not referring to just an object or item, but an entire kingdom, a way of life, a world, an experience that completely overshadows anything we could know or experience in this life.

And imagine how much the Lord has been longing to grant this to us – he’s had it prepared from the beginning. Ever shopped for someone and found the perfect gift that you know they are going to love? But you have to wait to give it to them. You want to right now, but the occasion has not arrived yet, so you have to wait. Imagine God holding on to this amazing gift that he knows will blow our minds, and he’s been waiting this whole time, throughout the entire history of our world, from creation until that last day, to give it to us. He must be about to burst every day that he waits!

What will determine who receives this gift? In a word, faith. Only Jesus doesn’t use that word; rather, he describes what it looks like. Think of faith like this. Coaches in many sports speak of the importance of follow-through. A golf or tennis swing with a strong follow-through matters. A shooter in basketball knows the importance of follow-through after he releases his shot, as does the pitcher on a baseball mound. Follow-through is important. It matters. Faith alone saves, but faith has a follow-through: works. Works are the follow-through of faith. They are the continuation of it. They are how faith shows itself, how it manifests itself. So without works, faith is not only incomplete; it simply doesn’t exist. There is no such thing as saving faith that is not accompanied by works. Jesus makes this clear by referencing works to determine who are the sheep and who are the goats, as those works are the follow-through of faith. 

Heaven is coming. Anticipate it. Strengthen your faith to be sure of it. Get to know the voice of Jesus more and more through his Word, so that you will be confident of the words he will speak to you on that last day, leaving nothing up to chance. Believe, boldly show that belief in how you live, and long to hear those words of eternal life, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world” (v.34). Amen.

Apologize

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(1 Peter 3:13-16)

If this morning’s word is not familiar to you in the context of evangelism, then it might be necessary to clarify that we aren’t talking about saying we’re sorry for believing in Jesus. Though apologies in that sense may have their place if we need to come clean before somebody else we may have wronged, the word apologize this morning carries with it a different meaning than “I’m sorry.” Apologetics refers to the field of defending the Christian faith. One of our Confessions in the Book of Concord is called the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, which is not Lutherans saying we’re sorry for ever confessing our faith as expressed in the Augsburg Confession, but rather a defense of what that Confession states. So while we are never sorry for our Christian faith, there is great benefit in being able to defend it. 

One important caveat when it comes to apologizing, or defending, our Christian faith: strictly speaking, defending our faith is not evangelism. No single soul was ever ushered into heaven because of a convincing or compelling defense of the Christian faith. Only the gospel awakens faith in the human heart. So what role, what place does defending the Christian faith have? 

If you’ve ever gardened, you know there is value in tilling the soil. Doing so prepares the soil for the seeds that will be planted. It removes the stones or pebbles or debris in the dirt that might otherwise impede growth and never give the seed a chance to take root. Growing in our ability to defend the faith can serve the same purpose – it doesn’t convert souls, but it may help to jar loose some of the other debris in someone’s heart or mind that could decrease the likelihood of the gospel being clearly heard or understood.

Some of that opposition to Christianity is based on the perception that the Christian faith is unreasonable. Now on a side note, what a perfect time for Christianity – our world is completely unreasonable right now! We see a lack of reason all around us. So in a world in which so few people actually make any sense and seem to be acting unreasonably, then Christianity ought to fit right in – an unreasonable religion for an unreasonable world! 

While I say that tongue-in-cheek, the reality is that Christianity is actually quite reasonable. Jesus thought so, as Luke recorded in our First Reading from Acts. “After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God” (1:3). Note that Luke referred to Jesus providing “convincing proofs.” That is, the evidence that Jesus displayed after his resurrection was apparently very reasonable. If something is truly unreasonable, then we would presume there would be no amount of evidence that would ever appeal to someone’s reason. Yet, people had seen enough from Jesus over the forty days after his resurrection to conclude that his rising from the dead was not so unreasonable after all. Their reason was in fact convinced by the proof.

So apologetics matter – appealing to people’s reason can make a difference. In one case it may serve merely to pique someone’s curiosity who is then open to hearing more of God’s Word, regardless of whether or not that results in saving faith. In another case appealing to one’s reason may serve as the very compelling and convincing element they needed to put them on the path to faith in Jesus. If we can then help people be open to the possibility that perhaps Christianity isn’t so unreasonable after all, we may have removed just enough obstacles in the way that previously kept that person from being open to the power of the Holy Spirit to work through the Word.

If the thought of being an apologist, of having to defend your faith, terrifies you, or if you don’t feel confident in that arena, you live at a good time. Because there is something else that others may be willing to listen to than the truth of the Bible, which doesn’t carry the same authority in many people’s minds today as in the past; they’re more than willing to listen to your truth. Much as we might cringe at such a statement, it might be an extraordinary time for us to take advantage of it. Here are two reasons why this is true.

One, our culture is anti-institution, so inviting someone to church may not be received as warmly as in the past. For some who seem disinterested or even turned off by Christianity, the real issue may not be Christianity itself, but the organized church they’ve come to associate with it. Some of those reasons are understandable; others perhaps not. When a pastor or religious leader associated with a certain church has fallen from grace, or when someone has been personally burned by a bad experience in a church in the past, we can understand why they may want nothing to do with the church as an institution. Those scenarios can be more challenging for us to help them navigate through. Then there are the general ones like “the church just wants your money” or “the church is full of hypocrites” that have always been around. Regardless, where people today may not trust the church as an institution, you are most likely the best thing we’ve got going. For that reason, we need to shift our perspective a bit to seeing ourselves – not necessarily our church – as an instrumental stepping stone to connecting others to Jesus. 

Two, if you’ve ever had doubts about your own faith, if you’ve ever had questions, guess what? That makes you 100% relatable. While many Christians wish they were as well-equipped as a pastor or a professor at a theological college or seminary, let me ask you something. Do you think the average unchurched person relates better to the theologically trained expert, or to you, someone much more like them who has real struggles and an imperfect faith that is a work in progress? The answer should be quite clear, shouldn’t it? So chances are, the individual who seeks out a pastor or trained spiritual leader is someone who may be curious or just be interested in seeking out an answer to a specific question. However, to whom do you think the person genuinely interested in Christianity and the possibility of pursuing the Christian faith is going to go? You. Someone just like them. Someone to whom they can relate. In this regard, that makes you uniquely equipped to defend your faith and expand on it for others. 

Now if you see the sense in these two reasons, perhaps your next question is why aren’t people coming to you with their questions? Why might others not approach us? One possible reason: they think Christians are unintelligent dim-wits. Is this justified? On the one hand – nope; we embrace the role of fools that Paul speaks of in 1 Corinthians. On the other hand, are we? When is the last time you read a book? When is the last time you educated yourself on how to talk to skeptics and defend your faith. Maybe they think we’re dim-wits because… we are? Simple evangelism doesn’t have to mean shallow evangelism. Have I been avoiding personal spiritual growth for too long? Then it’s time for us to make a change. 

The other reason people don’t ask us about the reason for the hope that we have? They don’t see hope in us. Why would they ask about what is absent in our lives? If they don’t see the hope in how you speak, live, and engage with others, don’t be surprised when no one asks you about it. If you put Debbie downer to shame with your constant gloom and doom, you might be waiting a while before anyone asks you for the reason for a hope they don’t see in you.

If it isn’t obvious to others, where do we find that hope? Don’t forget the name of this series: “simple evangelism.” At its center, the message of the gospel is profoundly simple, so much so that a child could explain it: we are sinners who have in Jesus the Savior from sin that we all need. That makes heaven ours. It really does not need to be any more complicated than that. 

Question: are you able to apply the hope of that gospel of forgiveness to yourself? Peter wrote, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15). Do you need to revisit that hope? Do you have it? Do you embrace it every day and live in it, breathe it? Does it smother you, cover you, envelope you… or do you allow your own guilt or the crud of this world to pin you down while hope seems out of reach, like an inflated balloon, drifting out of sight high up in the sky? 

Hope is here! Right now! We live under the shadow of the cross. We live in the reality of a vacant tomb. We live in the certainty of a hope-filled home in heaven. That is your lot in this life, your hope. And the reason behind that hope? Jesus. No more. No less. Jesus is your hope. So when your situation feels hopeless or your hope seems distant, chances are, so is Jesus. Keep him near and hope will also be close by. 

It would seem Peter knew that, as he encourages us, “in your hearts revere Christ as Lord” (v.15a). Imagine your reaction if you showed up today and looked to the front of the church and saw the cross had been removed from behind me. In its place was a very nice tasteful painting. Or a floral arrangement. Or a decorative light. I think no matter how nice any of those things might look, you’d be quite shocked and probably downright disgusted to see something replace the cross. That’s what goes on in our hearts when Christ is not revered as Lord, when he is set aside or replaced by some other love in our lives. Let him alone rule. When he alone rules in your heart, so does hope. When that happens, look at what else happens. 

We’re eager to do good, and to do it with gentleness and respect (cf. 1 Peter 3:13-16). These things alone would do wonders for our witness, as they are such a rarity in our day and age. Doing good with gentleness and respect for others is radical; it’s other-worldly. It’s attractive. It’s craved. It’s appealing. And the icing on the cake? When you live this way, even when you suffer certain consequences because of it, that’s when the questions come. That’s when people want to know why you put up with it and what hope you cling to in order to get through it. It’s like the opportunity to shine the spotlight on Jesus is being served up to you on a silver platter! When those times come, listen. Witness. Always. Apologize. Keep it simple. Let Jesus do the work. 

Always

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(Psalm 34:1-18)

Why does she order the same entree every time at this restaurant? Why is that the same beverage I see in his hand every time I see him? Why does he always want the same type of cake for his birthday every year? The answer to all of these is the same: they’ve tasted something that’s good, they like it, and so they don’t waver from it. 

That also explains where David was coming from. Why would he write, “I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips” (v.1)? The answer is in the final verse: “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him” (v.8). David had acquired a taste for the Lord. He knew from firsthand experience how good the Lord was, he liked it, and so he didn’t waver from him. He extolled him and praised him… always.

I will state it plainly: there will be no “always” to your witness without first acquiring a taste for the Lord, as David did. Until that happens, evangelism will be anything but simple. It will be infrequent – if it even takes place at all – and it will be perceived as something we are required to do rather than something that flows from our lips at all times, always. 

After all, it is possible to know a lot about the Bible without ever having tasted how good the Lord is. Many an academic, a scholar, and a skeptic know the Bible quite well – without ever having tasted how good the Lord is. Sadly, the same can be said of many Christians. We can know the Bible quite well – without really tasting how good the Lord is. 

The story has been told some time ago a dinner social gathering brought a number of people together. Among them were an actor and a pastor. The host invited the actor to recite the well-known psalm 23. He agreed. As was expected, he read it beautifully, with clear articulation and at the perfect pace, raising and lowering his tone to properly reflect all the meaningful words and phrases. When he finished, many felt it may have been the finest reading of the psalm they had ever heard. 

After the actor had finished, the pastor was also invited to read the psalm. At first, he declined, knowing himself well enough to realize that his recitation of the psalm would not be on nearly the same level as the actor’s. Somewhat reluctantly, however, he did finally agree to read through it, on the condition that he was permitted to provide some commentary on the beloved psalm. After he had finished, the guests agreed that they had been treated to quite a gift to be able not only to hear the psalm, but to hear it explained in such a profound way. Later, as the guests discussed the unique characteristics that the actor and the pastor each brought to the psalm, they finally agreed on this noticeable distinction: the actor showed how well he knew the psalm; the pastor how well he knew the Shepherd.

That’s the secret to simple evangelism: knowing the Good Shepherd well, knowing Jesus. What does that look like? It looks a lot like what David describes in Psalm 34 for us this morning. “I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips” (v.1). David writes that he will extol the Lord “at all times” and his praise for the Lord would “always” be on his lips. Those phrases indicate a full-time thing. Exalting the Lord was not a part-time job for David. It wasn’t a hobby he putzed with on the weekends. It was an all-the-time thing. It was always.

And the introductory description at the beginning of the psalm provides the backdrop for us to believe that was true for David – all times, good and bad. At the time described, David was not at a high point in his life. He was not only on the run from Saul, who was trying to hunt him down and kill him, but he was also seeking refuge in enemy territory – the territory of the Philistines. Remember them – the ones David had embarrassed when he, the little shepherd boy, took down their mighty towering giant, Goliath? Not only was David willing to hide out in enemy territory, but he had to play the part of a man who had lost his marbles, an insane man drooling on himself and marking up doors and gates. Yet even during this time – not his finest moment by a long shot! – David penned the words of this psalm that expressed the ongoing confidence he had in the Lord.

Christian friends, as you picture a person who fits the descriptions given in this psalm, do you imagine that many in the world might just be attracted to that type? What’s more, if the world notices this consistent upbeat optimism at all times – in both good and bad – isn’t it even more likely to make an impression on others? It is surely one thing for a person to have a cheerful disposition when everything is going his way, but others really take note when that cheerful disposition is still there even when the wheels have come off and everything in life is falling apart. That’s why it always matters that we’re always radiating God’s radical grace! Doing so in the tough times is when it comes across as something real to others.

And we all appreciate when others are real with us. Unless you are someone who appreciates the craft of sales, most of us don’t really like being marketed to and can tell when someone is pitching something or trying to sell us some good or service. In sales and network marketing, the distinction is made between selling and sharing. We can tell the difference, can’t we? We’re pretty good at being able to tell when someone just sees potential dollar signs when they look at us and when someone shares something that they not only feel passionately about but also genuinely feel could benefit us. There’s a big difference between the two approaches.

The same is true of simple evangelism. If you’re trying to “pitch” Jesus, others will see right through you. So how do you avoid coming across as “salesy” when it comes to evangelism? It has to be genuine, and it’s genuine for them when it’s genuine for you. And it’s genuine for you when the words before us from Psalm 34 are not just nice-sounding platitudes, but personal experience. So are they descriptive of your personal experience? Have you tasted and seen that the Lord is good (v.8)?

If you have to think about the answer to that question, that’s probably not a great sign. If you answer yes right away, but can’t describe or explain what it means that you’ve tasted and seen that the Lord is good, that’s probably not a great sign, either. When getting up for church on Sunday morning is routinely a drag rather than a delight, not a good sign. When Bible reading and devotions are deferred daily in favor of every other important task and then subsequently forgotten, not a good sign. When I am disinterested in Bible study opportunities that are offered, not a good sign. 

Because think of it, when you experience something good, no one has to coax you to experience it again. You don’t find a great show to stream and then watch just one episode. You don’t find a good place to eat and then never dine there again. You don’t drink a great cup of coffee one time. You don’t find a great outfit and wear it just once. When you experience something good, you want to return to it again and again. If that isn’t the case when it comes to your relationship with God, one has to ask if you’ve really tasted and seen how good he is, if you’ve really acquired a taste for the Lord.

David shared a number of different ways we taste and see how good the Lord is. There are many! The Lord provides the afflicted with reason to rejoice (v.2). Exalting his name provides a reason to gather together with others (v.3). The Lord delivers from fears (v.4). The ones looking to the Lord are radiant because he has removed their shame (v.5). He saves those who are down and out (v.6). He protects those who are his and delivers them (v.7). Any who take refuge in him are blessed – they need only try him out and they’ll find it to be the case (v.8)! See all the reasons David had to always praise the Lord? See all the reasons you have to always praise the Lord?

If simple evangelism is to be an “always” thing, then my time with Jesus will first be an “always” thing. When that isn’t the case, we are more likely to view evangelism as a program or an event rather than a lifestyle if we don’t regularly taste and see how good the Lord is. But the more of Jesus we have in our own lives, the more we want more Jesus in the lives of others.

So do you get it yet? The key to being an exceptional evangelist is not making sure you’re thinking about evangelism all the time, that every time you leave the house or every time you’re engaging online your thoughts are 100% focused on telling others about Jesus. No, the key to being an exceptional evangelist is making sure that you yourself are always filled up with Jesus and his forgiveness, always tasting and seeing how good the Lord is. When that happens, we acquire a taste for the Lord, and the first verse of this psalm will be descriptive of each of us as well: “I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips” (v.1). When that happens, evangelism will naturally follow. It’s that simple. Always. 

Witness

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(Acts 1:1-8)

You’ve been accused of a serious crime. You didn’t do it, but while you know that, your situation doesn’t look good right now. The opposing counsel has put together a pretty compelling case against you that, as it stands, could easily be enough to compel the jury to find you guilty. Yet as dire as your situation may appear to look at the moment, you are not worried because you know there is still another witness to be called on to testify. The weighty testimony of this witness alone will be more than enough to prove your innocence. You are understandably shocked and terrified then, when this witness is called on to provide testimony and while on the stand, under oath… remains completely silent. The witness refuses to provide the information necessary to prove your innocence. Without the testimony of that key witness, the jury unsurprisingly reaches its verdict: you are found guilty.

The slight difference between that hypothetical scenario for you and the very real reality of a guilty verdict for many unbelievers right at this moment is that the unbelievers don’t know that you are the witness able to provide the key testimony that could set them free. Your testimony is enough to secure the “not guilty” verdict in their trial before God the Father. Their sin is piled up against them, ready to condemn them to hell. All that needs to happen is for them to hear and believe your testimony that they’ve already been freed because Jesus has paid for their sin. But when the witness – you, me, all of us – remains silent, then the only testimony, the good news of the gospel that can so easily acquit them, is not heard or believed, and a soul is lost for eternity. 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us not naively presume that it makes little difference whether or not we tell others what Jesus has done for them. It makes all the difference. In fact, it is the only difference that matters eternally. The stakes are much too high for us to carry on our busy lives going this way and that, occupied with this rather trivial concern and that unimportant matter that takes up far too much of our time and energy. Souls die while we concern ourselves with worthless debates online, never-ending streaming of one show after another, and hour upon hour of gaming. We entertain ourselves to death while remaining blissfully ignorant of the eternal death facing so many of the very people in our lives – people we see every single day. 

We heard last week how important it is for us to listen to them. Today we add another word that is essential to their eternity: witness. We stressed the importance of listening for a purpose: it allows us to be able to determine the kind of response our neighbor needs. Listening provides the context we need to know how to witness. But finally, if we say nothing, if there is no testimony about the good news of life and forgiveness through Jesus, then all the listening in the world won’t have mattered. So we witness. 

Let’s take a moment to simplify what it means to witness. After hearing from several dozen witnesses in a recent courtroom trial, I got a refresher on what a witness is: someone who speaks about what they know from personal experience, someone who simply speaks about what they’ve seen or heard. And, while it’s true that a couple of the witnesses were experts in their respective fields, the majority were not. The majority were average, ordinary people like you and me who were in a certain location at a certain time. All they did was testify about their experience. The attorneys did not ask the witnesses to report on every detail of their lives, nor did they ask about other unrelated events, but only what was pertinent to the trial. That’s what you are called to do as a witness.

Dear friends, Jesus doesn’t just call you a witness by name; it is also what he calls you to do. What he said to the disciples before his ascension applies every bit as much to you: “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts. 1:8). Jesus did not single out “some of you” to be witnesses or leave it as a possibility by saying you “might” be a witness. Five unmistakable words: you. will. be. my. witnesses.

Unless you won’t. If Jesus calls you his witness and commissions you to be his witness, but witnessing has never been a part of your Christian life, are you still at a point in your life of faith where you’re comfortable disregarding Jesus? I don’t imagine any parents would be too thrilled to have children defy them and fail to do the chores they’ve been told to do. There aren’t many employers who would continue to employ workers who refused to do what their job required. Yet, when Jesus says to us, “you will be my witnesses,” are we OK with saying, “Nah, I won’t be doing that” with our actions? If you are OK with continuing on that path, I would just point out that you’re long past due for a serious spiritual health check-up.

But if you’re ready to ditch the defiant attitude when it comes to witnessing, if you’re ready to work toward change – which for some of us might actually be the first time in our entire Christian lives that we’re getting serious about this – and that’s OK, then let’s address what the underlying problem is. Let’s rule out right away the excuses that we’ve sold ourselves on for years and years, because excuses don’t expose the real problem; like a bandaid, they merely cover it up. Let’s peel away the bandaid and see what’s really going in our hearts or minds that is preventing our witness.

What’s really going on? Do not care that Jesus has purchased you for a purpose? If heaven was his only purpose, you’d already be there. But you’re not. You’re still here… to take others there with you. Or maybe you don’t believe there’s an actual hell where people really go. Or maybe the gospel you’re supposed to be sharing is still only information for you and not real transformation yet. It’s something you know, but little more to you than that. Or maybe you’re just more important to you than Jesus is, which is what we’re really saying when we entertain excuses that are more worried about what others will think of us than whether or not they even get a chance to think about Jesus. Here is a truth about evangelism: when it’s about me, it won’t be about Jesus. Stop making it about you so that it can be about Jesus. Of all these, which one(s) do you need to break down for you to become the witness Jesus calls you to be? 

Let’s revisit Acts. It’s too easy for us to skim past the first several verses from chapter 1 – to treat the details of what Luke records about the Savior as merely being the substance of the content we are called on to testify as witnesses. But don’t rush past those words as mere details to be shared with others; those words are the reality of your standing before God right at this very moment. His “suffering” and the “many convincing proofs that he was alive” are the stuff not just of your neighbor’s salvation, but of yours! Those words are for you, and they are life! They are and they must always be not just information that we pass along to others, but also salvation that we process for ourselves. Jesus suffered and rose again to forgive weak-kneed witnesses like us. He is not only interested in us insofar as we are effective witnesses or not; he is interested in our own forgiveness and salvation first and foremost. He came to bear the guilt of our sin of indifference toward evangelism. He longs to empower us as his witnesses not with threat or fear or coercion, but with the peace of forgiveness that wells up into passion for the lost. He knows that grace makes the best witnesses, and so he suffered, died, and rose again so that we could see what grace looks like. And then he sends us to go to others with that same grace.

So we take the time to listen to others to inform our witness. What types of things are we listening for? What might we expect to hear that can guide us in our witness? Listen for pain points, which are struggles or hardships that are bringing about some level of hardship or suffering in a person’s life. Listen for times of transition, which are seasons of change in life. And even if everything is going well in a person’s life, they may feel a sense of gratitude, but aren’t really sure who to thank or where to direct it. These are open doors to witness how Jesus is a part of the solution to whatever they are dealing with. There are two great ways to carry out this witness.

First: the “Feel, Felt, Found” approach. As you listen and then restate (remember the “R” from listening with your EAR last Sunday), chances are, you have had some similar experiences. Affirm that you understand how they feel, then share a time or an experience in which you felt the same way. Then, as you relate to them they are reassured that they aren’t the only ones to go through what they’re dealing with, then bring in Jesus as you point to what you found in him when you went through a similar experience. “I know how you feel. I’ve felt that way, too. What I’ve found is…” 

The second approach to witnessing is to relate the situation to a Bible narrative. Simply put, tell a story. Admittedly, this approach does require more familiarity with the Bible, as it keys off of Biblical narratives that relate to a person’s situation or skepticism. As you listen to your neighbor’s story, consider a relatable Bible account that could be shared that would bring Jesus into the picture. When a person is expressing discouragement over being disappointed or let down by friends, can you think of any times in which Jesus was disappointed or let down by his disciples? His story relates! A loved one or dear friend passes away and you’re listening to how saddened this person is by it – Jesus’ story relates! He broke down and cried at the grave of his friend Lazarus, making him all the more determined to carry out his work so that death wouldn’t have the last word. When you’re listening to someone lament over uncertainty about the future, the disciples in the upper room after Jesus’ crucifixion could relate – Jesus addressed their uncertainty with peace and promises for their futures! Listen to their story and tie it to His story and let the Holy Spirit make the connections through similar stories. 

Note the word choices Luke uses in the verses from Acts – they have to do with Jesus making himself visibly known – giving people something to witness! (v.3 – “presented himself” “appeared” v.4 – “eating with them”). If the necessary qualification for someone to serve as a witness is simply that they have seen or heard something, then Jesus made sure to provide ample opportunity for others to witness by appearing to all kinds of people after his death. So when we look at the biblical witnesses, we’re not getting a second-hand story or an “I heard it from a friend who heard it from a friend,” but we’re getting first-hand accounts – eyewitnesses. Jesus didn’t just appear to them to fortify their faith, but also to qualify them to serve as witnesses. They saw him, heard him, touched him, ate with him, which then qualified them to tell others about their experience. 

Also, note that Luke is modeling exactly how witnessing works as he writes Acts – he was on the receiving end of what witnesses told him about Jesus, and in his Gospel and here in Acts, Luke is then passing along exactly what the witnesses told him they saw and heard. So Luke shows us what happens when God’s people witness: the good news continues to get passed on. Why is Luke passing it on? So that his audience would do the same.

“You will be my witnesses” to the ends of the earth. That’s us. That’s now. You are the next link in the chain. Since the time of Jesus, witness after witness has testified about the news of forgiveness and salvation and their experience with it. When you witness, you continue to extend that chain that connects others to Jesus. You extend the reach of the gospel and give life and freedom. Witness.