"The Lone Ranger" 5-1-22

Overview

No Lone Rangers in the Church

Does God call us to walk the life of faith alone? Paul's greeting in 1 Corinthians 1:1-3 answers with a resounding no. Writing as an apostle—a messenger uniquely chosen by the risen Christ—Paul addresses "the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Notice who comprises the church: those made holy through Christ's atoning work and held in faith with him. Notice also the scope: not just one congregation, but believers everywhere. This is what we confess as the "one holy catholic Church"—catholic meaning universal, the body of Christ spanning the globe.

The Holy Spirit not only calls us to believe and empowers that belief through Word and sacrament; He also gathers us together. Scripture consistently paints faith in plural terms. 1 Corinthians 12:13 declares, "in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body." 1 Peter 2:9 calls us "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation"—corporate identities, not solo ones. And the church is even larger than what we see on Sunday: Ephesians 3:14-15 speaks of "every family in heaven and on earth." When we gather to praise God, our voices join those of loved ones who have preceded us in death and now worship in His very presence. That is comfort for every believer—including those whose health prevents physical attendance. You are still part of the body; you have been gathered in.

Our culture pulls hard in the opposite direction. We can travel, eat, work, and live whole days without meaningful contact with another soul. "There are people all around me, but not with me." "Nobody really knows me well." This isolation easily migrates into our spiritual lives, where faith becomes private, the church shrinks to a membership of one, and we place ourselves under the authority of our own teaching rather than the teachers Christ has appointed and the Scriptures and confessions that guide them. We bear our own burdens instead of receiving what Luther called the mutual consolation of the brethren. As one writer put it: spiritual isolation usually results in spiritual disaster.

The lone-ranger impulse also distorts the gospel itself. Left to ourselves, we conclude we must pay for what we've done—try to be good enough, impress God enough, atone for our own sin. God will have none of it. Christ has paid in full. He bore the wrath we deserved, cried "It is finished," and rose from the tomb as proof the payment was accepted (see John 19:30). Having restored our vertical relationship with the Father, He then moves us outward into horizontal relationship with one another. We were never created to live outside community, and we are not redeemed to live our faith outside the community of the church. So resist the pull toward isolation. Gather. Worship. Confess. Bear one another's burdens. The Spirit who called you to faith has gathered you together with all those who, in every place, call on the name of the Lord.

Transcript

Would you open your Bibles please with me to first Corinthians the first chapter for our study today? 3s

If you're using a Pue edition of Holy Scripture, you're going to find that in the New Testament, 9s

page 145, page 145, first Corinthians the first chapter. 14s

Mask, hat, silver, tonto. 28s

I take it, you know who I'm talking about. 40s

The lone ranger, the lone ranger, there have been several iterations of the lone ranger 44s

over the years, haven't there. 50s

Radio, television, movie. 52s

The lone ranger was that one that was in the old American West fighting the outlaws and 56s

the introduction to the show would call us to return to the thrilling days of yesterday 63s

year. 71s

Here the thundering footbeat, hoofbeats of the mighty horse, silver, the lone ranger riding 71s

again. 80s

High, ho, silver, away, high, ho, silver, away, the lone ranger. 81s

Here's my question. 95s

When it comes to our faith walk, does God call us to be lone rangers? 97s

When it comes to our faith walk, does God call us to be lone rangers? 109s

We continue today in our series, the sent one. 118s

We started that series last week and you recall that we studied the sent one, the holy 121s

spirit, and an action that the Holy Spirit takes. 126s

We studied last week about the Holy Spirit, calls us into belief in powers that belief 131s

them through word and sacrament. 139s

Well today I want to take a look at another aspect of the Holy Spirit's work. 141s

That work together. 149s

Let's look please. 153s

At first Corinthians the first chapter, beginning with verse 1, Paul, called to be an apostle 154s

of Christ Jesus by the will of God and our brother, Soastanies. 161s

Called to be an apostle. 169s

An apostle means a messenger, one who is sent. 174s

Now that's a distinction with a disciple, a disciple is a learner. 177s

We're all in that sense, learners, and we're all in that sense as messengers, those who 183s

are sent to proclaim Christ. 191s

But in a technical sense, in a technical sense, the apostle and that role in the church, 193s

that's going out of business. 201s

Because in a technical sense, a apostle only applied to the original 12, then to Mathias, 203s

who replaced Judas and to the apostle Paul, because there was criteria to be an apostle. 211s

One had to be directly chosen by the Lord Jesus Christ and also one had to see the risen 218s

Lord Jesus Christ. 224s

So in a technical sense, that call of a apostleship, well that has gone out of business. 225s

Paul was called to be an apostle. 234s

He was one who is the messenger and had teaching authority within the church. 238s

Let's go on. 246s

To the church of God, that is in Corinth. 249s

To those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints. 252s

There's some important words here. 258s

One, who comprises the church? 261s

Who comprises the church in Corinth? 264s

Well, we're given the answer. 266s

Those who are sanctified, what does that mean? 268s

It means to be made holy. 270s

Who else comprises the church? 272s

Those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints. 276s

What are saints? 282s

Saints are simply believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. 284s

So the apostle Paul, in that unique role here, addressing the church at Corinth and defining, 289s

with regard to the church at Corinth, exactly who is part of that church? 296s

Those who are sanctified, made holy, and those who are saints. 302s

Those who are also believers. 307s

Sanktified through the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ and people who are faith. 312s

In faith with the Lord Jesus. 319s

Then he goes on, second part of verse 2. 322s

Together with all those who in every place, call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 326s

both their Lord and ours, grace to you and peace from God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. 335s

All those. 347s

What are we confessing? 349s

We confess in one holy Catholic church. 350s

Now we're not confessing Catholicism when we say that because Catholic means universal. 358s

It's the church around the world. 366s

And so what's being highlighted then is the individual church at Corinth, 371s

which is a part of the Catholic church around the world, part of the universal church of the Lord Jesus Christ. 376s

The apostle, defining who is indeed part of the church, those who are sanctified in who are saints, 390s

talking to the individual church then that is part of the larger church. 397s

Just as living word is a church, we are part of the church, aren't we? 402s

The larger expression of the body of Christ, the Holy Spirit then calls us to believe and in powers that believe. 410s

And the Holy Spirit also gathers us together. 424s

To put it another way. 431s

There are no lone rangers in the church. 440s

There are no lone rangers in the church. 449s

It's such a beautiful picture. 457s

That scripture paints to us with regard to the church. 461s

I think of first Corinthians, the 12th chapter. 463s

There are Paul writes to this, for in the one spirit we were all baptized into one body. 468s

Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one spirit. 476s

Notice what the emphasis is on? 484s

The emphasis is on the plural there, isn't it? 486s

We were all baptized in the one spirit. 489s

Or this picture, first Peter too. 497s

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, 500s

God's own people. 507s

In order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 510s

A race, a priesthood, a nation. 518s

That's a group, isn't it? 523s

First Corinthians 16. 527s

The churches of Asia send greetings, a quilla and prisca together with the church in their house. 530s

Great you warmly in the Lord. 537s

All the brothers and sisters send greetings. 540s

You see the whole plural understanding of the church and the expanse of the church. 544s

For the church is not that which is simply living this side of heaven, 555s

but the church includes those who have gone before us, 560s

and are rejoicing in the very presence of God in paradise, Ephesians 3 says, 565s

For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. 573s

A ponder that for a moment. 585s

What a word of comfort that is. 587s

As we gather this side of heaven, 589s

and God brings forth from our lips the praise of him. 593s

We are joining them with the church in its full expression in heaven and self. 598s

Those who have gone before us, that at this very moment worship the Lord, 605s

that loved one of yours that has preceded you in death, 611s

who delights me for the very presence of God singing praises at the very moment that we also sing praise. 617s

It is the expanse and the greatness of the church of not only the here and now, 626s

but also in the beauty of paradise itself. 635s

The church gathered in heaven and earth. 642s

May there come a time when you will be physically unable to come to the house on the Lord's day? 653s

Yes? 667s

But that doesn't mean that you are not part of the body. 672s

That doesn't mean that you haven't been gathered in because you have. 677s

Times when one stays away from gathering with the body because of concern for one's health? 687s

But one is still part of the body for we have been gathered in. 703s

There are no long rangers in the church, no longer rangers in the church. 714s

If God then is at work, together, together, his church around the world, 733s

what will our sinful nature do with that? 745s

If God works to do something, our sinful nature will fight against it. 749s

I was struck on a recent trip. 762s

How we live in a day in which we can be so tempted to become our own island. 766s

Just a little aspect of the trip as you are killing time on an airplane. 774s

I thought to myself, this is an expression here of really how our society is increasingly becoming. 783s

We could check in online, just show up. 792s

I didn't even have to take any transportation if I didn't want to be with others at the airport. 797s

I could park close enough. I could walk in to the terminal. 804s

The rental car was really just a handing of keys and off we would go. 810s

Coming to the hotel, we could check in and out without ever even going to the front desk. 817s

Any of you know that we were here, but there was no contact with anybody if we wanted to do that. 825s

Food at the touch of our fingertips. 833s

Pump ones own gas and pay at the pump and off one goes. 836s

One takes one luggage and doesn't even have to check it. 841s

It's just right by one side and into my spot in the overhead bin if I can get an early enough boarding pass. 844s

I just think it just an in that little aspect there. 853s

How simply and travel we can be tempted to become our own, our own island isolated. 860s

Responses to surveys as people respond affirmatively to the statement. 874s

There's people all around me, but not with me. 884s

People on surveys responding affirmatively to the statement. 893s

Nobody really knows me well. 900s

I saladed. 912s

Island. 915s

Alone. 920s

We are tempted to move that into our understanding of our faith walk. 925s

There's a pull in society to ever increasing isolation and forming ones on island. 938s

And we're tempted to do that with regard to our faith walk. 946s

Increasingly there is an understanding across the nominal lines around the world. 955s

Increasingly there is an understanding of faith as being private. 962s

No where in scripture does it ever say that faith is private. 971s

We are to proclaim verbally and in our actions show the very Lord that we worship. 977s

But increasingly there is a move to isolate the faith. 986s

Where one becomes their own church. 993s

The church has a membership roster of one. 999s

Instead of the person putting themselves under the discipline of the church where we are accountable to one another. 1004s

And act if one of us is caught in unrepentance with regard to sin we act out of love. 1015s

We correct one another gently as the scripture says. 1023s

There's the movement and the tendency to understand that we are under the authority of our own teachings. 1030s

Not the appointed teachers of the church. 1040s

Not those called out to teach. 1045s

We become then under the authority of our own teaching. 1047s

We bear our own pain because we're on our own island. 1056s

And the coal in scripture to love one another and to serve one another and to bear one's burdens with one another. 1063s

What Luther called the mutual consolation of one another as the church gathers. 1073s

The temptation is to move into isolationism away from the body. 1080s

Become one's own church. 1086s

Where one's own faith or however one defines it becomes that which they form themselves. 1088s

And can be done at whatever time and place and choosing they have under the authority of one's own teaching. 1095s

Instead of the corrective of teachers who are under the authority of scriptures and the confessions of the church. 1105s

There's the increasing temptation to move into isolation and aloneness. 1116s

Where the emphasis is on me instead of us. 1130s

I like how one author puts it quote, 1142s

Spiritual isolation usually results in spiritual disaster. 1149s

Spot on. 1159s

And this temptation expresses itself in the understanding of how one is even saved. 1165s

The creator of the lone ranger. 1182s

When that creator was coming up with that character, the creator wrote out this moral code with regard to the lone ranger. 1188s

Several different aspects of the moral code. 1199s

And that moral code was then played out in the various episodes that would occur. 1203s

But the creator and then the writers took that moral code and then they implemented it in the various episodes. 1212s

One of the aspects of the moral code of the lone ranger was that one must always pay for what has been done. 1219s

When one becomes the lone ranger with regard to their faith on their own island under the authority of no one but themselves. 1231s

What is increasingly happening are people that understand that they must pay for what they've done. 1254s

They must make satisfaction for their own sin. 1274s

And that leads into a whole host of, I'm just going to try and be a really, really, really good person. 1285s

So dogs are really, really, really impressed with me. 1291s

So that when I stand before him on judgment, they're really, really, really good person. 1294s

And open up the gates of heaven. 1299s

It manifests itself in a whole system of works, righteousness, and the burden that is placed upon oneself as the person tries to atone for their own sin to make payment for their own sin. 1302s

And you know what God will have none of that. 1319s

None of it. 1325s

For God sends his son the Lord Jesus Christ to the cross and on the cross, the Lord Jesus Christ makes payment for our sin. 1330s

On the cross, the Lord Jesus Christ dies in our place. 1341s

God's wrath for sin laid upon the Savior instead of us, the spotless lamb of God bearing the sin of a filthy world awash in its own sinfulness. 1346s

And Jesus saying, it's paid in full to tell the story what he cries from the cross. 1365s

Payment has been made. 1375s

Being resurrected out of the tomb, the payment having been accepted. 1380s

God restores the vertical relationship between himself and us through the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. 1386s

He restores that vertical relationship and then he moves us out into horizontal relationship. 1397s

Having been redeemed and reconciled to him, he moves us into horizontal relationship because when God said, let their be and created our first parents, our first parents were never created to live outside of community. 1407s

God never wired us that way. 1426s

And when it comes to our faith walk, God has not wired us to live our life of faith outside of the community of the church. 1429s

He puts us together. 1455s

He gathers us into us. 1468s

Look again, please, at the text to the church of God, verse 2, that is incourant to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called the be Saints. 1481s

Together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ both their Lord and ours. 1501s

Together with all those who in every place call on the name of the Lord. 1512s

He calls us to believe and empowers that belief and he gathers us together. 1520s

Call to be alone, Ranger, with regard to our faith. 1535s

Hi, Ho! 1546s

Away! 1549s

With that thought, right? 1551s

Hi, Ho! 1557s

Away! 1560s