The text this morning is from the first epistle of John, the third chapter:
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.Thus far the text.
My dear friends in Christ,
There is a wonderful and beautiful thing that has happened to countless numbers of people in this church, something which has never been seen with the naked eye. When I was younger, and I think I’ve shared this before, I would watch and watch and watch as my pastor would speak the words of institution during Communion, waiting for a glimpse of the divine to see how Jesus holds the bread before us and it would be His body. But I never saw it. And that same lack of sight there is the same lack of sight we have when it comes to the saints we have become in this place.
Countless numbers, and I only say countless because our records are kinda everywhere and its hard to get a handle on them, have been baptized in that font, have been granted the gift of faith. And right in our presence, hidden from our eyes, this gift has transformed them into saints, into holy ones. And this happening, not just at our font, but all over the world, and has been for 2000 years, and will continue until Jesus comes back. Saints are being made each and every day, and yet, not one person has seen it.
You see, we lack the ability to see that which is holy. This isn’t because God is mean and vindictive, but because our eyes are scaled-over with sin. We cannot see that which is hidden unless God would specifically rip the scales off our eyes. It hasn’t been given to mankind to see that which is going on around us in the supernatural, except by His permission. Think about it: how many of the saints of Scripture saw angels? Adam, Eve, Jacob, Moses, Elijah, Ezekiel, Mary, Joseph, Paul, John. A few more to be sure, but the reality is, not many. We just can’t see that which is holy on our own.
Thus it is that many have missed the amazing miracle that happens in the water with the Word. Sinners, ugly, dirty, nasty, rotten sinners, are transformed into the most beautiful of creatures, sinners redeemed by Grace. They are made saints. The word “saint” is really just a word that means “consecrated” or “holy one.” Saint Nicolas, or as we like to call him, Santa Claus, is a saint who actually, really lived in the fourth century, most famous for punching out a heretic at the Council of Nicaea. Saint Patrick was a real man who lived in the fifth century, born in Britain, sold into slavery to Ireland, returned home, and then came back. The legends grew around these men, and most of it was untrue, but they’ve still endured even today.
By calling them saints, all we’re saying is that they’re holy ones, holy to God, and we remember them and the wonderful ways they demonstrated the life of Christ in this life. To call them a saint has nothing to do with the amount of perfection each had, which is to say, none, because all mankind is born into sin and commits sin, thereby erasing the possibility of perfection even before birth. Rather, to call them a saint is to recognize what our Lord has done in them, namely that He set them apart from the world by giving them the gift of faith.
God makes one holy. To be holy does not mean to be perfect, because, again, then no person taken to heaven would even have that ability, for they each leave a life of sin in the past. Rather, to be holy is to be set apart. Thanksgiving is coming up. Many of us buy turkeys early and freeze them. We set them apart from our other food so that they are not eaten too early, but used at the right time. Now, the turkey isn’t holy, but it’s been set apart for a specific purpose. So it is with humanity.
The gift of faith sets us apart as the children of God. God has set His children apart from the world for His specific purposes. That may be to preach the Gospel as a pastor. It might be to change a diaper as a mother. It might be to set a broken leg as a doctor. It might be to unclog a toilet as a janitor. It might be to build boxes as a box builder. Whatever it is, it is done to the glory of God because you are children of God.
The world doesn’t see this; the world doesn’t want to see this. They want to see that they’re the same, that what they’re doing is the same as us because it either merits them all or all of us nothing. Two workers do the same work for their master. Will they be praised, or will they get written up? Well, the job was to account for a cash register all day. The two employees both had to make sure all the money was there. Both workers, at an audit, were discovered to have come up $200 short. One worker was fired immediately for his crimes. The other worker came to work the next day and got a promotion. What’s the difference? The second worker is the son of the boss.
The reality is that, in all our works, they are all tinged with sin. Nothing we do is ever going to be perfect. We need to know that. Whether the intention behind it is lacking, or whether it’s the results that maybe we don’t even see, because we struggle with our sinful flesh in this life, we, by our own power, can do nothing good. We’re all the worker, having to account for the money in the till, but we’ll always come up short. When we give an account, would you like to be the first man who is fired, or the second who is a child of the boss? The second, of course. And this is what God has made you through faith, so that your works aren’t just overlooked, but they’re counted as good, because you do it in His name, for His sake.
You have been set apart for good works in Jesus Christ. He lived, died, and rose for you that you may be forgiven of all your sin and welcomed into the family of God. By His shed blood, you have been adopted as a child of God. The world thinks you look just the same, but we all know better, don’t we? Jesus bled and died for you and you have been made His. You have a place to belong in this world, and it’s safely and firmly and securely in Christ Jesus. But the world doesn’t see it. They think you’re just another one of them. You’re going along, doing the same things. But, every time a child of the world changes a diaper, it serves to damn them. Every time a child of God changes a diaper, it serves to glorify God. Just as we cannot see it with our eyes, neither can they see your status before God for they lack faith.
By faith, we can see the children of God around us. We are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses. We may not have seen the transformation with our eyes, but we can see it by faith. We can see our mothers and fathers in the faith, our sisters and brothers in the faith. They are the ones who have climbed these steps to the altar, who’ve brought their babies to baptized, who’ve suffered through hardships and pains, who’ve prayed for us, who’ve prayed with us, who taught us to read the Word, who pointed us to Jesus. They’ve been our favorite people, they’ve been people we’d rather not see again. They’ve been leaders, they’ve been followers, they’ve been failures. They’ve been teachers, they’ve been students, they’ve been staff. They’ve been here, they’ve been at home, they’ve been around the world. They are the saints of Christ, and so are you. You, too, are a saint.
You don’t have to wait until you’re dead, thank God. You are a saint today because our Lord made you one through the gift of faith. And you may not see it now, you may be struggling with your sins, whether it is your secret sins or the ones everyone knows, but you are saint, and the day is coming when you will be transformed. You are one of God’s holy ones, one of His set apart people to do His work, and yet, the day is coming when you will be transformed into the very spitting image of Christ, not in His ruddy good looks, but in His hands, in His feet, in His works. You will be made even more holy than you are now, set completely apart from the world we are currently living in ,that you may never deal with sin again, leaving it behind to live in His grace and His bliss forever.
This is our hope, my friends, that as saints of Christ, children of God, He shall come back with all the saints, and with us, and make us like Him forever. This is not just a hope that might come true, it is the only true thing in the world that we might grasp onto it and make it our entire life’s focus. For saints of Christ, there is nothing better than to receive that promise, and then to share it with others, that they may be washed in that font, that they may walk these steps, that they might drink from this cup, that they might hear from this Word, that they might be counted as children of God with us for all eternity, that they might see God. And you will, you will see God, and you’ll no longer wonder at your sainthood, but place your hope in Christ forever and ever, perfected and purified by His grace. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord! Amen.
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