About True Christian Life A short Hutterite sermon from the 17th century Preface No

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About True Christian Life
A short Hutterite sermon from the 17^th century
Preface No. 25

    Dear brothers and sisters, we want to be admonished and strengthened by the Word of God, by the teachings of Jesus Christ, his apostles, and the prophets. We want to speak about such things as will prove beneficial for us, comfort us, and lead us to blessedness.
    God in his eternal wisdom knows our human nature-our weakness and foolishness—and he knows how easily we forget and disregard what is required of us. Therefore his Word urges us again and again to be watchful.
    Through his grace the Lord has given his church the means for the devout to watch over and protect one another. He has set them to teach, encourage, admonish, and discipline one another so that no one is neglected or goes short of warning. For this reason God wants his Word to be proclaimed daily and constantly in his church, not through holy angels but through such men as are pleasing to him.
    Therefore much depends on us. The Lord does his part at all times, and we can always count on him. If we do our part, everything will turn out well. We know well what we should do, what we should strive and struggle for. We also know what we should avoid, what we should hate and flee. Concerning all these things we have teachings and instructions enough: the Word of God proclaims it, our own hearts and our consciences tell us, and we have many models and examples we can follow.
    God’s love draws and quickens us in many different ways. Therefore let each godly and believing person apply himself to such teaching and counsel if he values his salvation. Let each zealously proceed on his way through life in accordance with the example and teaching of the Saviour. All admonition, all godly instruction by the beloved apostles and all spirit-filled men, is intended to help us keep our eyes fixed on the Lord Jesus, learn from him, am pattern our lives after his; to follow, as Peter says, in his footsteps.
    Thus the Lord Jesus in his great kindness and love for mankind called all men and invited them to come to him: (Mt 11:28-30) ”Come to me, all that are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
    If we are to learn from Christ and seek to become more like him in spirit, that will surely give us enough to do for the rest of our lives. If Christ is to be born in us, it will not be without affliction and pain to our flesh, for his life and nature is wholly contrary to the life of the world, to our flesh, and to human nature. We will not be able to avoid suffering.
    Let us take one small point from Christ’s teaching and life and hold it up to our nature to see how they compare. Christ teaches us: (Mt 5:43-44) “You have heard it said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, ‘Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.”
    Of course, a carnal man who is not ruled and urged on by Christ’s Spirit cannot fulfill such a teaching, which is completely against his carnal nature. Each of us should question his own heart, especially those who have to endure being offended. Alas, how difficult it is for flesh and blood to endure all opposition with Christ.
    What a bitter need it must have been to the hero Abishai when he had to listen to the godless Shimei cursing his master, King David, and stoning him: (2 Sam 16:5-9) “Get out, get out,” said Shimei, “You scoundrel! You bloodhound!” What burning indignation and fierce desire for revenge will have arisen in Abishai so that he must have wanted to vent his anger on this insolent slanderer. He asked: “Shall this dead dog curse my master the king? I will go and knock off his head!”
    The evangelist Luke reports an example concerning Jesus’ disciples when they wanted to find lodging for their Lord in a Samaritan village. But the village did not want to receive him, because as the Evangelist says, Jesus had set his face to go to Jerusalem. James and John were so upset that they spoke in a vengeful spirit: (Luke 9:51-56) “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, even as Elijah did?” But Jesus turned and rebuked them, saying: “Do you not know which spirit you are serving? The Son of Man has not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.”
    The elementary law of nature teaches us to do good, to be kind, and to love those who do the same to us. Even the cruelest peoples do that. Even irrational creatures such as lions, bears, and wolves are kind to their own species. However, that does not get us anywhere, it is not nearly enough. This is not yet the Christian life but sheer paganism.
    If we fulfill Christ’s teaching as told above, we must love our enemies, not only our friends; do good to those who speak evil of us; bless those who curse us; pray for those who persecute and offend us. Then our righteousness will far exceed the righteousness of the scribes and of the carnal, unredeemed men, and we will be true children of our heavenly Father. And this is the character of our heavenly Father, in Christ’s words: (Mt 5:45-46) “He lets his sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?”
    Thus our lives must become like Christ’s life, as Peter teaches: (I Pet 2:21-23) “For to this you were called because Christ also suffered for us. He gave us this example so that we might follow in his footsteps. He committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but entrusted himself to the one who judges justly.”
    Paul says in Philippians: (Phil 3:4-1 1) “If any other man thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law a Pharisee, as to zeal a persecutor of the church, as to righteousness under the law blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, based on law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith; that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his suffering, becoming like him in his death, that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”
    Therefore Paul describes elsewhere the his own situation and that of his companions: (2 Cor 4:8-11) ”We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not left to die. Wherever we go we carry the death of Jesus in our bodies, so that the life of Jesus might also reveal itself in our bodies. Although we still live, we are surrendered into the hands of death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be revealed in this mortal body of ours.”
    Paul speaks here first and foremost of dying according to the spirit, namely that we must daily resist and turn away from all evil lusts and temptations. As he says elsewhere: (1 Cor 15:31) “I die every day—I mean that, brothers—just as surely as I glory over you in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
    Therefore we should daily renounce injustice and always strive to attain eternal bliss, as the Apostle teaches elsewhere: (Gal 2:17) “If, while we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not!” Therefore we must never again live for ourselves, but by the good Spirit promised to us, whom we must allow to guide and lead us.
    These are the true signs of a Christian life, which the Apostle also bore: first of all, the beatings he suffered for truth’s sake; and further, the Christian virtues, which enabled him to silence his tormenters and to be an example in all suffering. (Gal 5:6) “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”
    This is the sign in the fight, the hallmark of the body of Christ; not eating and drinking and good living; and it is against the flesh. Therefore let us die joyfully here on earth in order to live joyfully with Christ in the world beyond. For with this death we inherit eternal life. As Paul says: (Phil 1:21) “For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
    Those who have been redeemed from the death of sin and been given new life, who henceforth live virtuously and in the true simplicity and serenity of Christ, will always be condemned to death by the godless. People will shout: “Do away with them! Burn them at the stake, throw them in the water, execute them with the sword. They are not worthy to walk on this earth. They are a nuisance because they witness against our deeds.”
    All this happens to the devout because they confess Christ and his Gospel before all men. Thereby Christ’s life is revealed in our mortal bodies. If we bless those who scold and beat us instead of hitting back when we are struck, bear insult and spitting, and suffer it all patiently for his sake, then Christ’s life will be revealed in us.
    We do not find such a life in men ruled by their flesh. Nowadays we find many people in the world who lead a decent life; we have no reason to speak evil of them. Yet their lives are far from being Christ-like. They live according to their own nature and the flesh. These men are even called devout and men of honour.
    However, if one of these were unjustly accused, as Christ was, threatened with the gallows, rack, or sword, Christ’s life would surely not be seen in him but only a spirit of revenge. He would want to justify himself. That is not the life of a true Christian. As Christ patiently endured many kinds of suffering, so we too must do the same if we long for eternal life hereafter with him.
    Christ’s life was one of poverty, need, and want. He had nowhere to lay his head. If our own desire is to become rich and have a good time, then we do not witness to Christ’s life, but deny it.

He was lowly; we tend to be proud and crafty.
He was the everlasting truth; we tend to be liars.
He showed the utmost love; we tend to be envious and hateful.
He was wholeheartedly opposed to all that is wrong;
      but our will and our love are inclined to do wrong.
He shared; we tend to be selfish and greedy.
He was long-suffering; we tend to be revengeful.
He wept; we want to laugh.
He was obedient to his Father even unto death on the Cross;
      but we tend to be stubborn and disobedient to his word and will.
He prayed for his enemies; we, however, want to abuse and curse them,
      wishing them all kinds of misfortune.
If we do these things, Christ’s life is not revealed in us, but completely denied.

Therefore Paul says: (Rom 6:5) “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.”
Amen!

Psalm 133: "For there [in brotherly community] the Lord has commanded the blessing, life for evermore."

Hutterite Sermon Prefaces:

     #1-1: Concerning the Great Profit and Blessing of the Word of God
     #1-4:    Concerning the Correct Use of Grace and Prudence
     #1-18: Concerning How We must Follow Jesus Obediently
     #1-24: About the true discipleship of Christ
     #1-25: About True Christian Life
     #2-3:    Concerning Heavenly Wisdom and Grace
     #2-17: How One should prove oneself in love
     #2-23: Concerning Our Whole Life and Conduct

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