Sermon Text: I Timothy 1:2
"Three Little Words"
IN HIS LETTER TO YOUNG TIMOTHY SAINT PAUL GREETS HIM WITH THESE WORDS: "UNTO TIMOTHY, MY OWN SON IN THE FAITH: GRACE, MERCY, AND PEACE, FROM GOD OUR FATHER AND JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD." 1 Timothy 1:2
For almost 30 years, I have Greeted you with those words prior to each sermon. I did it again just a few moments ago.
I suspect if you heard me reading these words on the radio, you would immediately recognize my voice and know I was about to preach a sermon.
"GRACE, MERCY, AND PEACE BE UNTO YOU FROM GOD OUR FATHER AND FROM OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST!"
I grew up hearing those words each time my father preached and have heard or spoken them almost every Sunday of my life.
With extra services for Advent and Christmas and Lent and Holy week and a few funerals, we average about 70 services each year.
If you average 50 times a year that you are here, you can quickly figure out that you have heard them more than a 1000 times - and most of you many more than that.
Pastors FOR THE PAST 2000 YEARS HAVE GREETED THEIR CONGREGATIONS WITH THESE WORDS BEFORE DECLARING THE WORD OF GOD IN THEIR SERMONS.
But HAVE THESE WORDS BECOME SO WELL KNOWN TO US THAT, to PASTORS AND LAY MEMBERS ALIKE, that WE FAIL TO REALLY HEAR WHAT GREAT POWER AND BLESSINGS ARE BEING SPOKEN?
MARTIN LUTHER UNDERSTOOD WELL THAT SOMETIMES WHEN WE BECOME VERY FAMILIAR WITH PARTS OF WORSHIP WE ALSO MIGHT FAIL TO FOCUS FULLY ON WHAT GOD IS SAYING TO US IN HIS HOLY WORD.
You may have heard this short story ascribed to MARTIN LUTHER. IT GOES SOMETHING LIKE THIS…
"TWO PRIESTS WERE ARGUING DOWN AT THE LOCAL PUB. THE FIRST PRIEST SAID TO THE OTHER "YOU’RE SO SELF CENTERED I BET YOU CAN’T EVEN PRAY THE LORD’S PRAYER WITHOUT THINKING ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE!" THE SECOND PRIEST REPLIED "I’LL TAKE THAT BET. WHAT WILL YOU GIVE ME IF I SUCCEED?"
THE FIRST PRIEST THEN SAID, "SEE MY HORSE I HAVE TIED OUTSIDE THE DOOR? I’LL GIVE YOU THAT HORSE IF YOU SUCCEED."
SO THE SECOND PRIEST STARTED PRAYING "OUR FATHER, WHO ART IN HEAVEN, HOLLOWED BE THY NAME…..…. SAY, DO I GET THE SADDLE WITH THE HORSE TOO?"
He obviously didn’t get very far into the prayer before he proved the 1st priest’s point.
SAINT PAUL WAS PROBABLY WRITING THIS LETTER TO TIMOTHY FROM MACEDONIA FOLLOWING HIS FIRST IMPRISONMENT IN ROME.
THESE WORDS OF GREETING were USED BY SAINT PAUL to VERY POWERFULLY PROCLAIM THE FACTS OF OUR CHRISTIAN FAITH.
So LET’S TAKE A FEW MOMENTS TO CONSIDER EXACTLY WHAT ST. PAUL WAS DECLARING TO TIMOTHY IN THESE THREE LITTLE WORDS, GRACE, MERCY, PEACE
FIRST WE LOOK AT THAT WORD GRACE. IF WE CHECK OUR DICTIONARY WE MIGHT FIND THAT GRACE IS DEFINED AS UNMERITED, DIVINE ASSISTANCE OR LOVE.
ALL CONFESSING CHRISTIANS ARE QUITE FAMILIAR WITH THIS WORD "GRACE".
EVEN PEOPLE YOU MEET ON THE STREET THAT HAVE NO FAITH IN THE GOD Of THE BIBLE, WHEN THEY SEE SOMEONE CRIPPLED OR SUFFERING, CAN BE HEARD SAYING THE EXPRESSION "THERE, BUT BY THE GRACE OF GOD GO I"
BUT WE LUTHERANS, IN PARTICULAR, HAVE AN EVEN CLOSER RELATIONSHIP WITH THAT WORD "GRACE".
That word was prominent in one of the great truths of the Reformation that Martin Luther brought to light. The truth that God chose us without any merit or worthiness on our part. God chose to give us love and forgiveness, freely, as a gift.
Yes, I am once again referring to Ephesians 2:8,9
"FOR BY GRACE ARE YE SAVED THROUGH FAITH; AND THAT NOT OF YOURSELVES: IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD: NOT OF WORKS, LEST ANY MAN SHOULD BOAST."
OUR MONEY, OUR DEEDS, HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH US RECEIVING THAT GIFT OF "GRACE" FROM GOD.
THAT SAME VERSE IN EPHESIANS TELLS US THE ONLY WAY WE GET THIS UNDESERVED LOVE FROM GOD IS "THRU FAITH".
"…BY GRACE ARE YE SAVED THROUGH FAITH:"
AND, HOW DO WE OBTAIN THIS FAITH THAT, IN LOVE GOD, OFFERS US? GOD ANSWERS THAT QUESTION FOR US IN ROMANS 10:17 WHERE IT IS RECORDED "FAITH COMETH BY HEARING, AND HEARING BY THE WORD OF GOD"
GOD SENDS FORTH HIS HOLY SPIRIT TO WORK THIS FAITH IN OUR HEARTS THRU HIS HOLY WORD, THE INSPIRED BIBLE. AND THRU THE WORD , THE SACRAMENTS, PASTORS, AND LAY MEMBERS ALIKE, CONTINUE TO GROW IN FAITH AND LOVE TO GOD.
Well, next we want to consider that Word MERCY.
AGAIN if we LOOK-UP THIS WORD "MERCY" IN ONE OF our dictionaries WE FIND MERCY BEING DEFINED AS BEING "UNDESERVED FORGIVENESS"
None of us here today are strangers to the word "Mercy." We know that we have original sin which is not something we have done but something we inherited. We were by nature sinners and even enemies of God. What we deserve in our human natures is death and eternal separation from God.
But, notice that I said "what we deserve" not what we will receive. Because, thanks to the good news of God’s Holy Word, we know that we receive "not what we deserve" but instead receive Mercy.
There is a story that I read that helps explain mercy.
It seems there was a struggling widow in France who understood the true meaning of "Mercy."
In an hour of desperation she taught the meaning of this word to none other than the famous General Napoleon Bonaparte.
Now at this point, I can’t resist telling one of my favorite jokes which teaches us that someone can always top you.
A man was visiting the psych. ward at a hospital when a man stood up on his bed, stuck his arm into his pajamas and loudly declared - "I’m Napoleon!"
When another patient asked "Who told you that you are Napoleon?" The man said "God did."
To that a man in the next bed said, "I did not!"
Any how . . . . . . This struggling widow taught Napoleon a lesson about Mercy.
As you recall Napoleon had a mighty army, a army that made his enemies tremble. His march across Europe struck fear in the hearts of kings and queens as well as in their armies.
The approach of his army sometimes led many soldiers to desert and run away from their Army.
But Napoleon’s army never retreated - they stood and fought to the death.
One of the reason his soldiers always stood and fought was because Napoleon had issued a "Standing Order" to his commanders that any deserter would be shot.
When deserters were caught, they were to be held captive over night and then shot the next morning. No trial, no exceptions. Caught and then executed. He wanted the message to be clear - you might as well stand and fight because if you desert you will be shot for sure.
Now war was an on-going event for the French Army so Napoleon, who was emperor as well as General, kept a large number of people employed going with him and taking care of his needs. Among those "needs" was that he demanded to be the very best food, prepared just the way he liked it. So among those following his army was a large number of chefs and cooks.
The widow I mentioned was one of his many cooks and she had a son, who at the age of 19 was serving in Napoleon’s Army.
After one gruesome and gory battle, this 19 year panicked and could not face another battle and he took off and deserted the army.
But again, no one deserted from Napoleon’s army and he was soon caught and in accordance with the standing order was to be kept overnight and then shot at sunrise.
This young man’s mother, because of her job had access to Napoleon himself and so she fell down at his feet and begged for mercy for her son.
In disgust Napoleon shouted at her that her son was a deserter and thus did not deserve mercy. And he ordered his staff to take her away.
But, as she was being dragged away she is said to have shouted to the General. "Excellency, you are right, my son does not deserve mercy, for if he deserved mercy, it would not longer be mercy. "
The truth of what she said struck home with Napoleon and for one of the only recorded times in history, he ordered her son be set free and returned to her.
That is the a picture of the Mercy that Almighty God shows us. In His Mercy, He forgives us each and every sin, not because we deserve it or have earned it, but simply because of His great love.
We note that God doesn’t say, "Oh well, we’ll just forget about those sins." No, God promised all through the Scripture that He would punish sin.
God doesn’t just toss out sin. In Romans 6:23 it says, "The wages of sin is death!" and in Ezekiel it says, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die."
The price of sin, death, must be paid, but not by you and me. The full reading of Romans 6:23 says, "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord!"
In 1 John 1:7 we read "And the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin."
How beautiful the word, Mercy, is when it is used to describe what our loving God shows to each and everyone one of us. Shows to us,
again and again and again.
Grace, Mercy, and Peace. We want to look at the word peace as Paul uses it when writing to Timothy.
This time when we consult our dictionaries we come up with phrases like "Freedom from disturbance," or Harmony in personal relationships.
And those who do not have faith in Jesus Christ do not know of any other kind of peace than the kind described in the dictionary.
But Jesus tells us some startling news about that kind of peace. He says in Matthew 10:34, "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword."
And in Luke 12 we read "Do you suppose that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you no, but rather division."
The peace that we Christians are promised has nothing to do with earthly riches or the lack of problems and suffering.
It doesn’t take long when we look at the events of the world that there many divisions, cause of strife and conflicts in our world.
Many don’t like this fact as mentioned in Scripture. They refuse to accept God at His Word and believe that a loving God would allow suffering in our world.
Their reasoning says that a loving God would not allow his people to suffer. A loving God would not allow His Son to be crucified on a cross. They reject the good news of Salvation that Holy Scripture says came through the suffering and death of His Sons, Jesus.
Let’s be very clear - of course, you and I want peace in our own world. Peace in our families, peace in our relationships. Peace in our lives.
But we realize that real peace, lasting peace, eternal peace, can only come from knowing that we are loved and forgiven by God.
Knowing that the "peace that passes all human understanding, means we can have peace in all situations, but only through faith in Christ. Knowing He has our future, we can face the present.
The world seeks peace in money or power or fame and fortune but they will not find lasting peace there. Fame is fleeting. Money can be lost. Relationships can end.
But the Bible says,
"..ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO THEM THAT LOVE GOD, TO THEM THAT ARE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE." Romans 8:28
When struggle in life, and we all do, we know that God is with us and will sustain us. And knowing our eternal peace and joy is secure through faith in Christ, we can face whatever the world brings to us.
In John 16 we hear Jesus say.
"THESE THINGS I HAVE SPOKEN UNTO YOU, THAT IN ME You MIGHT HAVE PEACE. IN THE WORLD You SHALL HAVE TRIBULATION: BUT BE OF GOOD CHEER; I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD."
In Romans :5:1,2 Paul SAYS IT BEST… "THEREFORE BEING JUSTIFIED BY FAITH, WE HAVE PEACE WITH GOD THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST: BY WHOM ALSO WE HAVE ACCESS BY FAITH INTO THIS GRACE WHEREIN WE STAND, AND REJOICE IN HOPE OF THE GLORY OF GOD."
Martin LUTHER SAID OF THIS PEACE… (Luther's works, vol. 25 )
"THIS IS THE SPIRITUAL PEACE OF WHICH ALL THE PROPHETS SING. AND THIS IS THE REAL PEACE OF mind AND TRUST IN GOD."
St. Paul was inspired by the Holy Spirit to use the words we all need to hear. Grace, Mercy, and Peace.
Three little words that have a powerful message to convey to us each time we hear them. Three little words that give us a picture of our lives with Jesus Christ.
Three little words that we want to accept from God and then share with each other and the world.
Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the Word. Jesus Christ came into the world and lived a perfect life to fulfill the law completely.
Jesus Christ suffered and then died on the cross of Calvary to pay the price of sin, once for all time for all people who would believe.
Jesus arose victorious over sin and death and come out of the tomb on Easter morning.
Jesus lives and reigns and rules right now and always will.
Because of Jesus, you know grace. Love freely and fully given.
Because of Jesus, you know mercy. Undeserved love and forgiveness.
Because of Jesus, you know peace. Perfect eternal peace that the world cannot understand. Peace that your loved ones are already with the Lord and peace that you will one day join them.
So I end by again declaring to the words of St. Paul to Timothy … (and I pray these words will be more meaningful each time you hear them in the future)
Grace, mercy and peace be unto you from God the Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen
