Renovation
Scripture References
Jeremiah 28:5-9
Hananiah the False Prophet
5 Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke to Hananiah the prophet in the presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the LORD, 6 and the prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen! May the LORD do so; may the LORD make the words that you have prophesied come true, and bring back to this place from Babylon the vessels of the house of the LORD, and all the exiles. 7 Yet hear now this word that I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people. 8 The prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied war, famine, and pestilence against many countries and great kingdoms. 9 As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes to pass, then it will be known that the LORD has truly sent the prophet.”
Romans 7:1-13
Released from the Law
1 Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? 2 For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. 3 Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress. 4 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. 5 For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.
The Law and Sin
7 What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. 9 I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. 10 The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. 11 For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. 12 So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. 13 Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure.
Matthew 10:34-42
Not Peace, but a Sword
34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. 37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Rewards
40 “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. 41 The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”
Restoration
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word, “Restoration”? I think of it as something old being made new… or a treasured item being returned to its former glory.
This is what I had in mind when I could see the potential beauty underneath the rust and behind the dents of a 1951 Chevy pickup. I become the proud owner, relishing over the five-window cab, then quickly gathered a few parts to begin this restoration project. I was in high school at the time and good intentions were soon pushed to the side by a busy life after graduation. Over the years I have worked on it from time to time and this project still claims a spot in the corner of my shop. I guess you could say that it is a masterpiece in waiting.
Potential Maserpiece
As I studied the scripture readings provided for this day, it reminded me of my potential masterpiece. There it sits… patiently unfinished after all these years, I wonder… Is the yoke a bit too heavy like Jeremiah was lamenting over? Maybe my focus was directed to the negative aspects in this project instead of the good qualities like Paul speaks of?
It could very well be that I am not ready to face the difficulties or cost involved as we heard Jesus speak about in the Gospel lesson.
Made New
Today, we will transition these thoughts of restoration into how that applies to you and me being made new in Christ… How God is wanting us look at ourselves as His masterpiece. How He sees the beauty within us and calls us into a deeper renovation, even when it’s costly and requires a little extra effort.
On this 5th Sunday After Pentecost, God is calling us to embrace the hard work of spiritual renewal… to place our trust in Him… to help us restore the beauty already within us… and to consider our potential by getting a few dents pounded out… a little rust sanded off… and to strengthen the framework of our relationship with Jesus.
As we pause and consider this renovation, we might ask… What will it involve? How hard can it be? How can we be made new through Christ…?
It Won’t Be Easy
Well, you might agree, like any rebuilding project… it takes place one step at a time. A commitment from within to turn away from the corrosion of sin through repentance, and dedication to resist the multitude of distractions found in the worldly corrosion.
That is the reason Jesus would like for us to shake a little dust off and consider our place in His greater story, through His reconditioning process… and He will tell us straight up it won’t be easy.
Sword
We heard Jesus say In the Gospel lessen of Matthew 10 a few moments ago, “Do not think I have come to bring peace to this earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.”
For the second week in a row, we get unsettling words from Jesus. Is He not the Prince of Peace? What is He going to do with a sword? What does this have to do with restoration?
Families Divided
I think it will help if we understand who Jesus’ audience was when Matthew wrote this Gospel. They were mostly Jewish Christians, many who have been expelled from the synagogues. The reason being, because some of them embraced new covenant Christianity while others still held fast to old ritual laws. This not only divided friends and neighbors, but also families.
Several of these new Christians who “took up a cross and followed Him” as mentioned in verse 38, were sentenced to death by Caesar, often by cruel methods. Disciples of Jesus in less-hostile regions might not have faced these extreme measures, but like I said, still lost cherished relationships with loved ones because of their confession of faith.
In our evolving world today of multiple theological nuances and activist groups, a similar threat of division can still be found… even within our own families. One of the many crosses we must bear.
Cost Of Discipleship
Therefore, in the Gospel lesson today, Jesus is challenging the root of our ideals by calling us to build strength from the beauty found within our shield of faith. Boldly telling us that the renewal He brings to us will not always look the way we imagine. It may involve disruption, setbacks, or divisions associated with following Him… like I said, a cross we must bear. You can see why as Christians, this is the “Peace of God which surpasses all understanding.” Sometimes, the way to this peace leads us through the rough seasons of conflict or discomfort.
When Jesus says He comes to bring a sword, He is telling us that by following Him, we must have the courage to cut through our old disruptive patterns in life… and embrace the cost of discipleship. Allowing us to be made new through a real relationship with Him and the Father who sent Him… Finding comfort in the truth that the peace which Jesus speaks is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of God within it.
Restored
This presence of Christ is what will make us new… The fact that He has risen indeed will restore us to Him. Thus, paving the way for our strength through faith, allowing us to stand strong amid the “swords” because of His presence. That is why He willingly went to the cross… suffered and died… to give us forgiveness for all our dents and rusty spots.
It is that assurance and faith in Him that will make us new… and that restoration is done through a heartfelt alliance with Him which takes form in the service even to the little one who stands in need of a cup of cold water…
Sharpness Of The Sword
Several years ago, I wanted to move my 51 Chevy out of my main shop to another building. So, during a cleaning day, we pulled it into the yard to do just that. Well wouldn’t you know it, one of the guys backed into it and smashed the five-widow cab. I guess you could say that was a sword of which Jesus speaks that gets in the way of a restoration project…
When things in your life get crunched so to speak, that is the sharpness in the sword that can hinder your bond with Jesus. But He doesn’t want us to consider for one minute… “Is this project worth it?” Or ask, “Why do all of the bad things that happen seem to outweigh the good?”
Grace
Paul seeks to help us with these concerns in the Epistle lessen from Romans 7. Here we find Paul opening his heart to us as he speaks about his honest struggle with sin and the law. In fact, he speaks of the internal conflict that every believer faces… the desire to do good, yet the reality of falling short. However, Paul’s transparency should be comforting to us, as he explains how this is true.
I would like to direct your attention to his second letter to the Corinthians, chapter 12 verse 9, where he shares this message quite well.
Here the Lord said to him… “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” My friends, that is grace in our crunched moments.
The law Paul talks about in his letter to the Romans today exposes our need for this grace… pointing us toward the renewal that comes from Christ. An important reminder that restoration is not a sign of weakness, but a journey through honest struggle. Not just a one-time event, but an ongoing process where God will continually meet us in our shortcomings and lead us into deeper wholeness. What Paul needed, and what we need as well, is not more rules… but renewed… a transformation from the inside out.
Masterpiece
This is where the promise of Jeremiah comes into view in our Old Testament Lesson. The people of Israel faced uncertainty and false hope. Some prophets spoke easy words, promising quick fixes and immediate peace. Jeremiah was called to speak the hard truth. Expanding on a common theme for today that restoration will not come through denial or empty promises, but through God’s faithfulness, even during our times of struggle.
Jeremiah’s message was one of hope rooted in truth… a hope that endures, even when we lose sight of the beauty in that project… even when we think it is going to be harder than anticipated. Being made new is God’s work in God’s time, and that my friends is worth waiting for. Because we are His masterpiece.
One of these days I will get back to work on that old 51 pickup. Yes, I have wondered why I even still have that project. But truth to be told, underneath the dust, behind the dents, and despite the setbacks… it is still my masterpiece.
He Is Always With Us
That is the way each of us are in God’s eyes. Each time we are crunched with discouragement, He is there. When we think the path to peace seems a bit rusty, so full of sharp edges, so costly… He is there.
In fact, He has been by our side since we were formed… Our whole life we have been His masterpiece. One that is detailed… intricate and extremely valuable to the maker. You and I are God’s masterpiece and ever-changing work in progress… with that being said though, we must still keep in mind that, just like my project, it will not finish itself… only God can lead us through this, for He is the one who has seen our beauty all along. A restoration that has begun in our baptism and working progress each day as we are justified and redeemed through His sacrifice.
Lose Your Life To Find It
The beauty of it all is the fact that Jesus did all this work to make us new, for free… indeed, surpassing all our understanding. Because He is our merciful God. He lovingly works in our waiting, our tears, or by the encouragement of a friend. He is working through each one of us right now as we gather for worship. Regardless of how God restores us… it is always through Christ, who is steadfast, faithful, and true. He is the one who holds all the pieces of our lives together and shapes them into something beautiful, something new. Jesus shares an important message with us in Matthew 10 by saying, “Whoever finds his life will lose it and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
This is not a call to turn the clock back to the 50’s, so to speak, to make that old pickup new … but a call to being “restored” to a new life. Such as we are called to park our old ways, then put our dents and rusty spots at the foot of the cross. To lose our prior life and find a new life in Him… to be made new with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Each day, Jesus is inviting us to trust Him enough to place our lives in His hands… to have faith that what He gives is better than what we have been trying so hard to hold onto. Jesus will never forget us or turn away from us. He comes near. He receives us with mercy. He restores us patiently, lovingly, and faithfully. Until what is broken is made beautiful by His grace.
In His Image
Now as you go out from this place, live the restored life. But do this knowing it will be a daily journey. Each morning, wake up in need of God’s mercy, in need of His grace. Use each day as an invitation to turn away from every setback and turn the wheel towards His goodness. Looking to the beauty of knowing there is forgiveness, for yourself and others. Seeking God for understanding when the road gets a little rough.
Offer a cup of cold water when someone else is thirsty, and let the Spirit of Christ shape your thoughts, words, and actions, so that each dent taken out, each rusty piece made new, you will be restored into His likeness.
Brothers and sisters in Christ we are His masterpiece. With Him there is no setback to strong, no yoke too heavy, no cost to high. Jesus has not forgotten you or walked away from what He has claimed as His own. He has already paid the price. He will finish what He has begun, and in the end, we will be completely rebuilt, every part made new… eternally restored.
Amen