Hold Tight To What You Have Been Given!

Text: Proverbs 4:10-23

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Dear Baptized Saints, please listen to what I am about to say so that you will live a long, peaceful, and happy life.

In this church, you have been given good doctrine – doctrine that was passed down to you from your Lutheran forefathers.  

You have been taught the 10 Commandments so that you can discern good from evil, sin from righteousness, and darkness from light.  

You have been given the clear teaching of the Apostles’ Creed so that you know how the Lord God created you, redeemed you, and sanctified you as His own.  

You have been taught how to pray by the words of Jesus – the Lord’s Prayer.  You have been taught to pray against the crooked world, the sly devil, and the cunning sinful nature.  

You have been told how the Lord marks you through baptism, cleans your conscience through absolution, and strengthens your faith through the Lord’s Supper.  

You have been instructed how to walk in this world according to the estates of the family, church, and state – how to serve your neighbor in need.  

And you have been taught Godly piety every week by the hymns you sing and the liturgy that you confess. 

Indeed, you have been given every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm through Christ Jesus your Lord.  You have been taught the way of righteousness, forgiveness, and wisdom as church members.   

And so, today, the message from the Book of Proverbs is quite clear: hold tight to what you have been given.  Do not let it go.  Guard these gifts that you have received.  Please do not take them for granted.  

You see, it is important to realize that the biggest threat for this church right now is not a decline in attendance, a furnace breaking down, a leaky roof, a crisis in our budget, the death of a pastor, or persecution from the state, but letting these good gifts of good doctrine, Godly piety, and true wisdom. The biggest threat is letting these depart from our ears, eyes, and minds.  You heard that correctly; the biggest threat is for you and me to let go of this good doctrine of God’s Word – to let go of this way of wisdom. 

Ah, but you and I may say, 

“No such thing may happen to me. No such thing will happen to St. Paul’s Lutheran!”

Dear Baptized Saints, do not be deceived.  If not careful, at best, it only takes three generations to lose the Christian faith: the first generation has the Gospel, the second assumes the Gospel, and the third forgets the Gospel.  And at worst, churches can lose their way in a few short years.  For example, consider the churches of Galatia.  Paul and Barnabas founded the churches of Galatia on Paul’s first missionary journey then only a couple of years later, Paul wrote to the churches of Galatia, 

“I  am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel."

Now, it is important for you and me today to learn from the many churches in America that have gone apostate.  While it may be easy for us to roll our eyes and snub our noses at many mainline churches that promote just about everything other than the good doctrine of God’s Word, you and I must understand that they did not set out a century ago to arrive where they are at right now.  In other words, 100 years ago, these churches did not set their course to ordain LGBTQ Clergy, promote social and political activism, and endorse interfaith relations.  No, that was not even on their radar 100 years ago.  What happened, though, is that they let go of God’s good doctrine, they did not heed the discipline of God’s Word, and they neglected the true wisdom of God.  In the words of Elsa from Frozen, they ‘let it go.’  They let go of the Word, and the rest is all history.  

Today, though, many have learned from the past mistakes of some of these apostate churches.  And instead of letting go, they are forging ahead with their fists clenched and their determination zeroed in.  But there is a problem with this, too! We must remember that the Christian Church has never been about keeping up with relevancy or trying to discover the next-new-best-thing.  The church is not on a journey to get secret knowledge or arrive at some better and greater destination.  Baptized Saints, when you were first baptized, you did not begin a wild adventure as a Christian, you did not embark on a great journey, and you were not drafted for an assignment that needed your talents.  No, when you were baptized – hear this now - you were brought home. In baptism, you were placed in the Light; you were given truth, life, and salvation.  

And so, today, you are called not to let go of the sound doctrine and not to go in search of sound doctrine but to keep the good doctrine and wisdom of God that you already have been given in God’s Holy Word and His blessed Sacraments.  

* * *

The reading from Proverbs tells us something else today: there is a path of the wicked and a way of evil.  And you, as Christians, are told to not so much as set a foot on that road.  You are to stay clear of it – give it a wide berth.  The reason why?  The path of the wicked and the way of evil is a restless existence of trouble where people are always traveling but never arriving, always searching and never finding.  The path of the wicked and the way of evil are not compatible or hospitable to good doctrine, Godly piety, and true wisdom.  

But again, you and I may say, 

“I know who those people are, and I am certainly wise enough to stay clear of them and their schemes.”

Dear Baptized Saints, do not be deceived. The path of the wicked and the way of evil most definitely is found right around the corner with the crooked world and the sly devil, but get this… this path of wickedness and the way of evil goes right through all of our hearts.  The path is right there in our midst.  And so, this is why you and I must be warned today: we cannot let the Lord’s good doctrine and this Godly piety out of our sight for even a moment.  We are to incline our ears to this good doctrine, be attentive to this Godly piety, and not let this true wisdom escape before our minds, so that we do not stumble into the darkness and lose this precious treasure we have been given.

And so, Proverbs is very clear to you and me today.  We are called to avoid, reject, turn, and repent of all evil, especially the evil in our hearts.  And the reason why?  This evil is incompatible with good doctrine, Godly piety, and true wisdom. Furthermore, you and I were rescued from darkness unto Light in our baptisms in the first place.  You and I do not belong to evil but have been delivered from it.  

Baptized Saints, God’s Word taught you the way of wisdom.  The Lord has bedded you down in lush doctrine.  He has led you to streams of grace.  He has refreshed your lives with His Holy Supper.  He has led you along the right paths, as goodness and mercy have chased you down all the days of your lives.  You are the Lord’s baptized children, and so, what business do you have entering the path of the wicked and walking the way of evil? Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on.  

Baptized Saints, listen carefully As a church and by the Lord’s grace, you and I shall be captive to the Word of God, neither turning to the darkness on the right or left but abiding on the solid ground of what has been already entrusted and given to you and me – the good doctrine, Godly piety, and true wisdom of God.  

Indeed, Baptized Saints, cling boldly to the Word that has been poured into your ears; don’t forget a single word.  Know that God’s good doctrine and true wisdom are a reality for your ears.  This good doctrine, Godly piety, and true wisdom are rest for your conscience, clarity for your mind, and the source of certainty and assurance for you amid the dark paths that surround you in this world.  

In the name of Jesus. Amen.