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Albert Schweitzer was born in Germany in 1875. By the age of 21 he had become a brilliant organist, an international authority on organs and organ construction, and an expert on the life of Johann Sebastian Bach. Schweitzer’s future looked settled, secure and comfortable. But at the age of 30, he decided to go back to school, study medicine and devote the rest of his life to serving humanity. He supported himself in medical school by giving organ concerts all across Europe. In 1913, at the age of 38, he finished medical school and went to French Equatorial Africa to serve the impoverished people as doctor, setting up his clinic in an abandoned chicken coop.

Over the years, Schweitzer built a large hospital complex where he treated thousands of Africans a year, free of charge. Whenever he began to run out of money, he returned to Europe to perform organ recitals until he raised the money he needed. In 1952 he won the Nobel Peace Prize and used the $33,000 award to expand the hospital and establish a treatment center for people with leprosy. Schweitzer stands out in modern history as a prime example of a helper of the helpless, a strengthener of the weak, a friend of the needy, a loving healer. By human standards he would certainly seem to have earned God’s approval and favor. But is Albert Schweitzer in heaven today? Schweitzer wrote a book entitled Quest for the Historical Jesus. In his book he concluded that Jesus may never have existed, and that if Jesus did exist, He was certainly not the person the Gospel records describe Him to be. If this is the conviction he held at the point of his death, then we are forced to conclude that he is not in heaven. That is the only option according to Jesus Himself:

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him. John 3:36

If you take seriously the position of historic Christianity, proclaiming that apart from faith in Jesus Christ people are eternally lost and separated from God, many will take offense. But you must be offensive in this way. The message of the cross will be offensive. Be offensive.

Jesus spoke these words:

Luke 6:22-23 Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.  Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.

Being offensive is part of our calling as Christians. But there is a big difference between being personally offensive and generating the offense of the cross. God clearly has called us to be non-offensive on the interpersonal level. But no matter how kind and gracious you may be, if your message is the message of the cross, it will offend some. That is because it declares that we humans are totally helpless to deal with sin by our own effort. It does not matter how nice, educated, powerful or philanthropic we may be, we are all eternally lost apart from a personal reliance on the blood of Jesus Christ as payment for our sin. Telling people they cannot solve the problem of their sin offends their pride. That is why they will lash out at those who speak the truth of the Gospel. But the offense of the cross is non-negotiable. There is no way to escape it if we are to remain faithful to God’s Word.

You and I will be offensive as we remain faithful to God’s Word. There is a saying in football that the best offense is a good defense. We have that: Jesus Christ, My Sure Defense. When you stand before God’s throne of judgment, He is you defense, one that assures you pardon and peace. Knowing that, we are emboldened and empowered to be faithful to Him, being an offense to others, suffering whatever may come. We have the promise that for Jesus’ sake, we will be overjoyed when His glory is revealed.

I Peter 4:12-17  Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? …

Suffering comes in different ways. You and I may not be suffering physical persecution for our belief in Christ like some of our brothers and sisters around the world. However, Christians today suffer abuse from a society that says we should be more tolerant, more accepting. Christians who remain faithful to the Bible are maligned for their narrow-mindedness. Because we still call sinful what God calls sinful, we face ridicule from those who see themselves as more enlightened. In our politically correct world, compromise is applauded and accommodation is seen as a virtue. Those who have absolute and exacting standards are looked down upon.

Being broadminded may be O.K. in some things, but when it comes to the truly important things, life and death matters, most people will change their tune. How many of you would feel comfortable to hear a cardiac surgeon come out after just having operated on your loved one and say, “Well, I didn’t do it exactly right, but it was close enough for government work.” Or consider pilots. If you are flying on an airliner overseas, the radio-compass has 360 potential headings, but only one will take you to your destination. Do you want a pilot who is open-minded or follows the compass? And when he nears the airport, you don’t want the pilot taking a broad-minded approach. You wouldn’t want him debating with the control tower over which runway he should land on. You want him to listen closely to the man in charge and obey his instructions implicitly.

In important matters, narrowness is a virtue. That is also true of the most important thing in the world: your relationship to God. The Bible is your compass and guide. You need to listen to the man upstairs.

I am a member of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, and we have a reputation for being narrow-minded, some would say closed-minded. No, really, it’s true. People think of us as a bunch of stubborn, hard-headed Germans. I thank God for those stubborn, hard-headed Germans who went before us. In matters of faith, the most important things, they stubbornly refused to give in. They held fast to the Word as their guide. They also had the attitude that you don’t change God’s Word just because you don’t agree with it. You don’t change God’s Word because it is God’s Word. This approach was not just because they saw the Bible as some kind of rule book, but because they knew that the Word brought them the life-saving message of Jesus Christ. If God loves us enough to sacrifice His Son in our place, we ought to love Him enough to respond with lives of obedience.

This stance of steadfastness to God’s Word has resulted in being insulted because of the name of Christ. That is hard to endure at times, but Peter reminds us that it is a blessing to suffer for this reason, not something to be ashamed of. After all, who are the ones who will ridicule us for remaining faithful? Those who are not faithful to God! And Peter asks in this text, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? They are the ones who are perishing! Taking a broad-minded approach will not be doing them any favors.

We have all seen the “bait and switch” gambit. But what about when something is not as advertised? I saw that Subway had another class action lawsuit alleging that they were not putting as much meat in their sandwiches as they said they were.

I say “another” lawsuit because it was just a few years ago they faced a lawsuit alleging that their footlong sandwiches were only eleven inches long. Wouldn’t you feel cheated if that happened to you? It may not seem like that big of a deal, until you consider that millions of those sandwiches are sold. That adds up to a lot. That lawsuit was settled by a promise that they would make sure the bread measured up.

Most folks have become pretty cynical about this. It is almost as though you expect to be cheated or shortchanged in your dealings with others. Is there actually such a thing as truth in advertising?

Thanks be to God! We know His promises are true. He is unique in this regard.

Acts 13:32–33a “We tell you the good news: What God promised our fathers he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus.”

Has any other god ever said, “I will send my Son down to earth to become one of you. He will live among you, take you sins on Himself, and pay for them by offering His perfection to cover you imperfection. If you believe in Him, I will forgive you for His sake.”

Only the one true God, the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, made this promised.
Those who follow Him are the only ones who can say, “We have good news. It was promised all through the Old Testament And fulfilled in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.”

As we continue in this Easter season, our faith affirms that “A risen Christ is proof of God’s Truth in Advertising.”

During the Covid-19 lockdown of 2020, I remember people telling me that they found out who their true friends were. There was some truth to that. Many discovered who would truly be there for them in trying circumstances. And that reminded me of this wonderful hymn.

What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer.
Oh, what peace we often forfeit, Oh, what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer!

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged, Take it to the Lord in Prayer.
Can we find a Friend so faithful Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness–Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden, Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our Refuge–Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do Thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer
In his arms He’ll take and shield thee, Thou wilt find a solace there.

This friend bore our sins. He is with us in all situations. Hopefully you have that understand
ng and appreciation in your life. He is the kind of friend that will be there for you when you need him. Jesus is a loyal friend. He is also a powerful friend. And He is a forgiving friend. He calls us to repent. He reminds us what His crucifixion was all about, the payment for the sins of world, including every one of your sins. That is why you and I can be forgiven. His forgiveness is part of His offer of friendship.

While you and I don’t know His presence the same way those first disciples did, by faith we experience it in our lives. That faith comes to you when you hear and believe the pure Gospel message. Faith sees the hand of God at work in Baptism, washing your sins away. Faith perceives that bread and wine are not only bread and wine when God’s Word is joined with them, but that His power is giving you the body and blood of your Lord for your strengthening and forgiveness. Faith connects you to your Friend, the one who has always been near to you, always there for you, the one who showed you friendship like no one else ever will.

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

What a Friend we have, indeed, because that is exactly what He did for you and me and  for all people. And He calls us to be that kind of friend to each other.

 John 15: 13-14, 17  Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command … This is my command: Love each other.”

May you be that kind of friend to those you encounter, sharing with them the message that has been shared with you.

• Let them know who the true God is
• Tell them that He wants to be found
• Share that He loves us all
• Call them to repentance, so they can enjoy the forgiveness Jesus earned for them.

Be that kind of Friend.

Yesterday I shared the account of Peter denying Christ while our Lord was on trial. I think he is an accurate example of most followers of Jesus. We all assume we will never deny Christ, and that was the claim Peter has made.

However, the mere threat of something bad happening causes him to deny knowing Jesus and call down curses on himself (Matt 26). Instead of standing up for his friend, his Rabbi, his Lord, he says “I don’t’ know him. Never met the guy.” That denial makes him guilty. A look from Jesus confronts him with his guilt, and the extreme emotion takes over. It kept Peter from providing a positive witness in that courtyard. It led him to experience anguish and remorse.

This is an important point: When you are guilty, when you are struggling with your feelings of guilt, you won’t be giving a positive witness for Jesus. Peter’s guilt, both the act and the emotion, kept him from being a witness for Jesus.

The best way to be a positive witness for Jesus is to never do anything wrong. Live a perfect life and you will nothing to feel guilty about. Unfortunately, that is not who we are. We are all a bunch of sinners, fallen people who readily identify with Peter. Peer pressure at school or on the job leads to denying Jesus and giving in to unholy emotions. Satan gets hold of your guilt and plays on those feelings. So how should you deal with those feelings of guilt?

First of all, remember that your forgiveness is not based upon how you feel, but on God’s absolute promise. When you put your faith in Jesus, when you believe His death was for you and that His resurrection gives you victory, when you believe that promise, forgiveness is yours. Instead of thinking of it as a sin you committed, you can think of it as a sin forgiven. That enables you to deal with guilt and move on. That is how Peter was able to go on to be a powerful witness for Jesus in the early church.

The problem is that Satan won’t let go. He’ll bring up those unholy emotions, those guilty feelings when you least expect it. Like all of you, I’ve got things I have done in my life that come back to haunt me. I’ve got guilty feelings from things I did thirty and forty years ago that Satan throws in my face from time to time. That is in addition to my sins and failings this week. I’m no good. I can say along with Paul,

“I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful flesh.” (Romans 7:18)

What I have to do is remind myself that I’ve been forgiven by God. When those guilty feelings come to the surface, instead of crippling me and keeping me from being a witness, they serve as reminders of just how great God’s grace is. He has set me free.