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Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, the text for this morning comes from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, the Epistle reading. You may be seated.
Some of you remember, and many of you filled it out. We had a questionnaire, both online and in hard copy, and you filled it out. It had several questions. You may remember one of the questions was this: What is the purpose of the church? And the most beautiful thing out of all those questions, this one had the most unanimous answers, almost to a one. All of them had the same answer as to what the purpose of the church is. And that answer, which you penned, I’m kind of summarizing it in a word, is the purpose of the church. It says, Because a lot of people see the church as a whole host of other things, but you’re seeing the church for what her purpose is. What your purpose is.
Which brings us then to Paul’s purpose. In Corinthians, Paul talked about his calling as herald or proclaimer of this gospel or good news. That’s his purpose. So in light of what you wrote as to be the purpose of the church, to spread the gospel and good news of Jesus Christ and the salvation that’s found in Him alone, here given, who’s responsible for proclaiming that? Does the job rest on a committee? Or maybe the job rests on a board or group? Maybe the job rests on the pastor or you as individuals. Whose job is it? The answer is, all of those folks. But a board and committee didn’t get you to be a believer in Jesus Christ. I can guarantee that.
For most of you, though a pastor baptized you, for the most of you, pastors played a very small role in your growth in Christ. It was primarily your mama and daddy. So, if you were to look at boards, committees, groups, pastors, and you as an individual, of those, who’s the most effective at bringing people into the church, a bottom in the pew, a belief in their heart that the Holy Spirit’s worked? It’s you. You are here because of a parent or a loved one, not because of a board or committee, not necessarily because of a pastor or a group, but because of an individual. Amen.
And that’s still God’s greatest and most favorite way of bringing people to the faith. In fact, your job at proclaiming is to be taken so seriously, like Paul says, that if he doesn’t proclaim it in action or in deed, he says, “woe to me if I refuse to proclaim it.” Well, then we ought to get the pecking order and the power structure straight in our heads if this is our responsibility. Amen.
If this is our responsibility, who’s the master? Well, that’s easy enough. That’s Jesus. If Jesus is the master, then who’s the servant or the slave? That’d be us. We were brought into slavery to Jesus Christ at our baptism. We continue into slavery in Jesus Christ by His Word being proclaimed to us. We’re the servant.
Well, what’s our role then? Well, our role is to serve and love our master, right? But our Master has made it very clear, if you want to serve Me and love Me, serve and love your neighbor. Serve and love your neighbor with this good news, both in action and in word. For what reason? What’s the motivation? Well, it isn’t going to make you a better child of God. It isn’t going to earn you into heaven. It isn’t going to make you more acceptable to God, more lovable to God, more appreciated by God. None of that is possible because that was done for you in Jesus Christ and in Him alone.
But it will bring not all, but here’s an interesting word, some. Paul said that, some. If we’re supposed to be a slave in service to all people all the time, do you know what your problem is? It’s the same as my problem. In serving, loving, and proclaiming to all of these people with whom we come into contact, they don’t all believe.
I can’t tell you the number of nights that I’ve talked to someone on a phone and I’ll never see them again in the church because they walk away from the faith. I can’t tell you the number of men and women that I’ve prayed with, both on the battlefield and here, that I have no idea whether they’re still in the church or not, but the ones I know here aren’t, because I’ve seen them, not any in the church. You don’t know the number of young boys and young girls and older men and women whom I’ve taught in confirmation class or membership class, I’ve communed them, and then I see them walk away. It gets old.
That’s why Paul said, “‘Remember the pecking order.'” Who’s the servant or slave? That would be us. Who’s the master? Jesus. Our job isn’t to figure out and work with the sum. Our job is to serve and love all. Notice that’s what Paul said. In fact, he said, “In serving all, I become a slave to all, so that I may win all.” That’s not in the text. Paul’s a realist and a pragmatist and a very strong person who brings comfort to you because in serving all, he hopes to win some. I might win some.
And the sum that he wins, you’re proof that it works. The sum works. But you also are very aware of the men and women with whom you’ve shared the gospel who have never darkened the door of the church again. The people that you’ve loved and served and prayed with who walk away from it. That leads to this temptation and we have this temptation to take that text and completely and totally rip it apart in the wrong way.
Here’s one error that we make. When Paul says, “I became like a Jew to win the Jew. I became like one who was outside the law to win those who were outside the law. I became like one under the law to win those who were under the law.” It almost sounds as if Paul is a chameleon and he changes himself with a different message and a different entry point into all these people’s lives to bring more and more people to faith. And that’s the secret of church growth. That’s the temptation.
To take this Word of God and reshape it into something that’s palatable to all people and not stick with the Word of God. It works. Joel Osteen’s the perfect poster child that it works. But Paul didn’t play that game. Paul hallowed God’s name at all times as he also loved all people and served all people.
Because the other way we can err, one way we can fiddle with and reshape the message of God, the other way is that we get burned out of seeing people not come, not respond, not listen, walk away from what we’ve done with them, prayed with them and been with them, and we think, what did I do wrong? Get over yourself, because Paul was very clear, “I do it to all that I may win some,” even Jesus, out of 12 apostles. Some believed, not all. Even Jesus with all the people with whom He preached and proclaimed. Some believed, not all.
God knows the all. God died for the all, but God will save the some, and He will save the some without you. But He chooses with joy to let you be a part of it. You’re proof in the pudding because God used someone like your parent or some other loved person who brought the message to you to get you to be a believer. But you also may be part of a family that’s fractured with siblings who don’t even have anything to do with the church. And they grew up in the same house and they heard the same message and they were told the same good news of Jesus Christ.
And why? Just like what Paul said, serve and love all that some may be saved. This is not to be flippant. This is really to push you and me to repent because we’re tempted to either not love and serve all or we’re tempted not to hallow His name at all times. And Paul is saying do both. Love and serve all, not expecting anything. Hallow God’s name that God’s name may be hallowed.
So shepherds have said it this way: If you’re a shepherd, you need to care for the sheep more than you care for their wool. That’s caring for the person more than whether or not you can notch their name on the membership roster or whether they stick with the church at all. You love them for being one of God’s people that He’s placed in your life. You do not labor in vain. That’s one of Paul’s promises elsewhere in Holy Scripture. You do not labor in vain.
I don’t know if you remember, every time we induct new officers into our church, one of the last blessings that’s given to any new officer that gathers up here is, “Remember that you labor for the Lord and that you labor not in vain.” That’s what Paul is saying in this text this way. You labor not in vain, but Satan’s always there, isn’t he?
So, Paul is extremely encouraging because the promise that Paul makes is unequivocal. Some will be saved. We get to see some, maybe. I can also give you many examples of what God has done and they’re still in the church. But I can also give you far more of those who listened, thanked me, and moved on.
Was it in vain? No, never is, because love is never in vain. Was it in vain that He died for all with only some believing? That’s the promise. That’s the promise. And it doesn’t hinge on you. If it did, it would be impossible for your child to be a believer if it hinged on you. It would be impossible for you to be a believer if it hinged on your parents. It hinges on God’s Holy Spirit.
We’re supposed to love and serve and proclaim. Let God do the rest. In the name of Jesus, Amen. The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and your minds on Christ Jesus to life everlasting. Amen.
