WHAT WAS THE PRICE ON THAT?

So, what did that cost you? Of course, it's bad etiquette to ask someone this, but not with God. In a free market, we say an item is worth what someone was willing to pay for it. Find out what God thought you were worth today on The Lutheran Hour. I'm Mark Eicher, glad to be with you once again. The Lutheran Hour is listener-supported. Our gifts and prayers help in bringing Christ to the nations and the nations to the Church. Get connected at LutheranHour.org. Our guest speaker today is author and teacher Dr. Dan Pavela from Concordia University in Mequon, Wisconsin. Now with a message titled, What was the price on that? Here is Dr. Pavela. God's word for us today is 1 Corinthians 6, 19-20. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price, so glorify God in your body. You can't ask, even though you want to. You can guess, but don't say it out loud. You're hoping the other person will volunteer and tell you what you're wondering, but that's not going to happen, so you're left to wonder. It's just a simple question. What did you pay for that? Someone has a new car, a new house, a new boat, a new almost anything. Now you're glad for them, so that's not the problem. It's just that you're naturally curious and you want to ask, say, just wondering, what did that set you back? Now again, we're not going to actually ask this. After all, if it's a new car, just go to the dealer's website, you'll see the price that's posted. A house?

Again, just go online. Well, that's fine. But if you're curious, wouldn't it be great if the buyer just volunteered the deal they got? Something like this. You won't believe it. We got this car for $2,000 under list price. It was even the color we wanted. Great. Thanks for sharing. So what was the price on that? It is a question that we wonder about, but we can't really ask. So can we ask that same question of God? Can we ask Him what we cost? Can we ask God what the whole world put together cost? Absolutely, yes. And that's the point of our text. Paul tells us we are not our own. We've been bought with a price. But if we were to ask, well, what did that cost? Paul has the answer ready. We cost God the enormous price of His Son. It cost His suffering, His death, and three days in the tomb. It required His death and then the power of His resurrection. What a price! What a surprising, astonishing value God has put on each one of us. It's a price we could never pay. We would never have dared to imagine God would put that value on us, but He did. So let's see how God did this and what it means for us.

Before we get to the price that God paid entirely by His own free choice, let's remind ourselves that there was a price for us, but we didn't pay it. Let's go back to the idea of being curious over what someone paid for a car or house or a boat. And whether we hear that price or not, remember, that house isn't ours. That car is not for us to jump in and drive off. Don't start backing that boat into the water. All these things, they're not ours. We didn't pay the price to own them. But do we ever forget that? And do we act as though our lives are entirely ours? We might not say it, but we can certainly think something as simple as this. It's my life and I'll do what I want with it. Well, let's think about that for a moment. Things of value have a price. Houses, cars, boats, whatever, they're not sitting empty, unused, just waiting for us to claim them. So what's the value of our lives? Our lives likely last longer than any car or even a house. But have we earned that life, paid for it? Do we even pay the down payment on it? No, our lives cost far more than we can pay. It's not just the outward food and shelter that we need. Our lives are our body and soul together, making us one whole person.

And we're intended for eternity. And that's where the cost lies. But we can provide food and shelter for our bodies. The rich fool did it in the parable in Luke chapter 12. He laid up for himself food and drink, but God warned him, fool, this night your soul is required of you. And the things you are prepared for. whose will they be? And so is the one who lays up treasure for himself, is not rich toward God. Luke chapter 12, verses 20 to 21. So imagine standing before heaven and asking, so what's a place like that cost? Yes, since we're curious, what is the price of eternal life in the perfection of heaven? Well, it's certainly beyond all our calculations. Any price we might imagine will be both too high and too low. The price of eternal life is too high for us to ever pay. And whatever price we might imagine will be too small and too low for who of us can imagine the true value of eternal life in heaven. So is it best that we never look up, never dream of heaven and eternal life since we can never pay that price? Well, left to ourselves, it is hopeless, but it's not impossible for God.

When we couldn't pay the price of our redemption, God did so completely by the life of Jesus. As Jesus said, contrasting his power and purpose, even as the son of man came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many, Matthew 20, verse 28. His payment exceeds anything that we could imagine. This is what Paul directs us to see in 1 Corinthians 6. You are bought with a price. What a contrast there is in this purchase. We cannot pay for one eternal life, our own, but by the one death and resurrection of Jesus, God has satisfied the death and cost of all people. All of our lives, our accumulated wealth, all our abilities cannot pay our debt or purchase our eternal life, but the one life, the one death, and the one resurrection from the dead, all that being from the son of God, that pays for the world. It's as it's said in 1 Peter, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from our forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb, without blemish or spot. 1 Peter 1, 18, 19. One other way to express our wonder over a purchase is to ask, or at least silently wonder, what did that set you back?

The idea is that you have savings. You've been getting ahead on your savings. But when you buy something big, much of that forward motion is gone. Buy that new house and your savings are certainly set back, maybe to near zero. So what did it set God back to purchase the world? Well, on the one hand, nothing, since God owns all the world and nothing can take the universe from him. But to pay the ransom of the world's debt, to purchase us out of our debtor's prison, this is what had set him back. The life of his son turned into the bitter cup of death, even death on the cross. Paul describes this loss so well in Philippians 2, five through eight. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped. But he emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men, and being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. So what did it set Jesus back to redeem the world? He paid that ransom by setting himself back, being mistaken as nothing but a carpenter. He stepped back from the glory of heaven's throne.

He set himself back from showing his relationship to the Father, who praised him at baptism and at the transfiguration, but he was obedient unto death, even death on the cross. And on the cross, he put himself under the sins of the world as Paul describes in 2 Corinthians five. For our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Maybe one more phrase will sum up our questions. When we wonder at the cost of something, we might think or even dare to say, so, it's beautiful, but what are the damages? The car, the house, the boat, each one is great. No damage is to be found there, but what about your bank balance or your credit card charges for this month? What about the plans you have to take a cruise next year? You can't buy something expensive without taking a financial hit. So, what are the damages? When we consider the payment of our sins, the saving of the world, we have to ask the same question. What are the damages that paid the price of our lives? When we view the cross, we're in awe. We likely see a cross every day in our homes, every Sunday in our church and our worship. We see him on the cross and after the resurrection, we see Jesus showing the wounds in his hands and feet. What were the damages done to pay our debt? Look at the wounds he still carries

and see the price that was paid. Do we see the damages there? The damage done all for us. So, by his wounds, the price was paid for the ransom of our lives. lives. And so, we're not our own. Then, what do we do with this payment? We remember that what God paid for us is not now a new debt that we have to work through. We can never pay back what he's given. Instead, we receive his gift by faith, trusting his work and his promises. Paul summed this up in Romans chapter 5. Therefore, since we've been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him, we've also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. We have peace by the ransom of God. We are former prisoners under our debt, but now, instead of being condemned to a debtor's prison, the judge has declared us innocent. The debt went instead to the son. Only one person can be condemned for a crime, and the judge has chosen to make his son the one who pays. Therefore, having been bought by the price of the son, we receive the gift by faith. God has declared us forgiven. So now, what do we do with that freedom? We neither deny it nor forget it. It says Paul wrote in our sermon text, or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? So you are not your own. You were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body, 1 Corinthians chapter 6. We honor God in his payment, first by not suggesting that we should help pay for the ransom of our souls. Imagine the mistake it would be to see someone's new house, admire it, guess the price, and then offer to help them pay for it. Imagine the shock of the new owners if you said, well, you certainly can't afford to pay for this. Here, I'll be glad to help. I imagine the owners would be stunned into silence, but after a few seconds, I expect they would say, no, no, no, that's not necessary. It's fine. In fact, the house is paid for. There's no debt left. At that point, we would be the ones who are shocked. New homes mean new debts, 20 or 30 years in length. But in terms of God and his gifts, his ransom has been paid. His payment for the world is complete and it's done. God deals with us, not with our small funds, but with his own riches. Paul writes in Philippians chapter 4, verses 19 and 20, and my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches and glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and father be glory forever and ever. Amen. God supplies our needs by the

abundance of his grace. We don't supply what's lacking within ourselves. We're the debtors. How could we possibly imagine that there's something missing in God's work? Therefore, give thanks for the payment that's made. Never imagine that our lives are a day-to-day refunding of what God has really done for us. Walk out of the debtor's prison of our past and give thanks. It is as Paul wrote in Galatians 5, verse 1. For freedom, Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. We're free by the payment of the son, complete and whole, received by the gift of faith. Therefore, we're free by faith to recognize that we've been purchased. Now again, our text reminds us to glorify God through our actions. Imagine you bought a new home and the house is perfect, clean, spotless. Open the front door and see that carpet. Beautiful, perfectly clean. Now the question is, do you take your shoes off at the front door? Your shoes are wet, a little muddy. There's even a floor mat by the door where they could stay. Do you take off your shoes? Well, I expect the answer is yes. Of course we take off our shoes at the door. Look at this carpet. Look at the rest of the floors. They're clean. My shoes are definitely not. So leave those shoes off and then come inside. Isn't that an image of the directions Paul gives us? We're brought out of the prison, but then into the home of the one who purchased us. We're overwhelmed with thanks for what he paid to redeem us. And we're further astonished that he wants to live with us wherever our earthly home is. But our life with him is new. The second Corinthians reminds us, therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he's a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Second Corinthians chapter five. Therefore, live as one who's redeemed, paid for, and set free. Your body and soul are no longer yours. They belong to the one who's purchased us. But his purchase is not for a slavish existence, but for the joy of being with him who has called us his own. Because he has so redeemed us, we find that we're free to be directed by him and called his own. It's not our perfect lives that make that connection, but his. So when we see someone with a new car or new house, new boat or motorcycle, we naturally are curious.

The sentence we want to say, but we don't say it is. So, what did that cost you? Of course, it's bad etiquette to ask someone this, but not with God. We know that we've been paid for, and so we can boldly ask God with thanks, so what did it cost you to ransom me, to pay all my debts? And God can simply point to the cross of Jesus, and we can see that it is more than enough. We've been purchased and won by him, and therefore, as Paul says in Galatians 2.20, I've been crucified with Christ. It's no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. In the life I now live, in the flesh I live, by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Therefore, honor him who's purchased you, body and soul, by the life of his Son. Amen. And we pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for redeeming us by the single life, death, and resurrection of your Son. Remind us that he's made the full payment for us, and that we are therefore his, body and soul. Keep us as your own in this life, and on to eternal life. We pray in Jesus' name, amen. ♪♪♪ You're listening to The Lutheran Hour. For free online resources, archived audio,

our mobile app, and more, go to lutheranhour.org. ♪ What is the world to me ♪ ♪ With all its haunted pleasure ♪ ♪ When you and you alone ♪ ♪ Lord Jesus are my treasure ♪ ♪ You only, dearest Lord ♪ ♪ My soul's delight shall be ♪ ♪ You are my peace, my rest ♪ ♪ What is the world to me ♪ ♪ The world seeks to be praised ♪ ♪ And honored by the mighty ♪ ♪ Yet never once reflects ♪ ♪ That they are frail and flighty ♪ ♪ But what I truly prize ♪ ♪ Above all things is he ♪ ♪ By Jesus the alone ♪ ♪ What is the world to me ♪ ♪ What is the world to me ♪ ♪ By Jesus is my treasure ♪ ♪ My life, my health, my wealth ♪ ♪ My friend, my love, my pleasure ♪ ♪ My joy, my crown, my all ♪ ♪ My bliss eternally ♪ ♪ Once more than I declare ♪ ♪ What is the world to me ♪ What are the implications of having been bought with a price? Lutheran Hour speaker Michael Ziegler joins Dr. Pavela to talk about today's sermon text. Thank you, Mark. Today, I get to visit with our good friend, Dr. Dan Pavela,

guest speaker today, frequent guest speaker on the program. Thanks for sticking around to talk with us, Dan. Oh, thank you. I love being on the Lutheran Hour, and thanks for the opportunity. First, thank you for your message. I really appreciate the way you bring everyday life into what you're talking about. Especially, I could relate to the experience of feeling like you're just starting to get ahead in saving money, but then you've got a car that breaks and a house that breaks and appliances that breaks, and then on top of that, kids that need things. And so, I never really get ahead. So, I appreciate how you bring those kinds of experiences, everyday experiences that we can all relate to, into the light of God's word and eternity and scripture. What encourages you and challenges you to speak of God's word? His word like that, to preach like that. I think people listen to stories, and stories especially like you just related, of, oh, the kids need this, this, and this. And then, oh, you just replaced the oven, three weeks later, the refrigerator died, by the way. True experience for us, two years ago. In fact, the appliance guy looked at us and said, what are you doing here? You can't be here for, yes, we are, exactly, again. So people can relate to those stories where it happens again and again.

Jesus, of course, harnessed that very idea. Think about in his parables, where there was conflict, disappointment. Oh, it happened again. Weeds are growing up in the field. Seeds are not growing. They're, in fact, falling to the wayside. He begins with those conflicts, and then he always takes us to the gospel, the good news. The prodigal son might run away with the money, but he's coming back and gonna be welcomed by the father. And so, if we start with our own lives and say, doesn't it always happen? Not to make every story a downer, but there is a conflict in our life, and God steps in and says, well, I know it's not possible for you, but everything is possible for me. So it's a joy to do that. I see people nodding their heads, and it gives us something at the end of a face-to-face sermon to talk about as we go out into the narthex and meet with each other. So it seems to work. So, Dan, our passage today, as you know, comes from 1 Corinthians, and this is a letter that we have been walking through on this program together for several weeks. And we're now in the middle part of the letter where the Holy Spirit, through Paul as the author,

as the messenger of Jesus, he's teaching them 2,000 years ago, and he's also teaching us how to live. And they've got specific questions. They've got implied questions that they haven't asked that Paul is answering for them. And one of the implied questions in this chapter might be something like, I'm a first century Corinthian Christian. Now, why can't I just go on hooking up with the female or male temple prostitutes like everybody else does? It's just a physical act. Doesn't mean anything spiritually, right? So, Pastor Dan, what do you say to Corinthian Christian or today's Christian? How do you respond? Well, I think Pastor Paul, the apostle, would give us our best start with our text today. He says, don't you love when he says, don't you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit whom you have been given from God? Don't you love the way he says that? Now, really, do we have to go over this again? All right, all right, sort of like a patient teacher. Uh-huh, all right, don't you know your body is the temple? So, make this contrast. If you're that first century Corinthian, you have to go to the temple of this pagan idol, and there you have this experience.

Let's just call it that. Paul says, you got it wrong. You don't go to a temple. Don't you know that temple has come? By the price paid, your body is now that temple, and here's the amazing thing. The Holy Spirit has come to dwell in you. You got your directions wrong. You think you need to some honorable act do homage or worship to an idol's temple? God, the Holy Spirit, has come to dwell in you. Now, when he does that, he remarkably cleans house, shall we just say. It's his place. And so, given his presence in what is now his temple, what are you gonna do? I think Paul would just sort of leave it, what are you gonna do? And hope that you understand this now, right? You are now the temple. The Spirit has joined up with you. We'll have no more talk of you joining up with an idol. It's gone the other way around. So, I'm a father of three sons, and two of whom are still in the house and still in high school, and the other day we were having this conversation about a conversation they were having with some of their friends about the ethics of sex and human sexuality,

and one of their friends, they shared, had offered a sort of a rule for this, and the rule was, as long as both people consent, then they can do whatever they want. That's, whatever they want is okay. And my sons were saying, yeah, I guess that kind of makes sense, but it was this passage that you preached on where my mind went, that you are not your own. Again, this just changes the context, changes the story. We read this passage together, and it really transformed the conversation. Dan, in your experience as a father, how does this truth, you are not your own, change the conversation, specifically about the ethics of human sexuality? Basic idea, that idea. as is, we agree. So there's two of us that are impacted by this, and if the two of us agree, we agree. And I would almost wish that we could hear God at that moment say, I didn't agree. I never signed off on that. That's not my plan. And God says that not as an external judge, he is the one who gives us the commandments, but he's also, remember, the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. And at least one of these two should be, we hope, somebody who has come to faith and knows that faith, and then realizes,

oh, I'm not alone here. You know, that my body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. And if I take that body, and along with another person, and we think that we have this just to ourselves, you're missing something. You know, the Old Testament story that struck me on this one is Potiphar's wife and Joseph. And if our friends remember that Old Testament story, she tried to seduce Joseph into a relationship like this. And he said, how could I do this great wickedness and sin against God? And it wasn't against Potiphar, you know, her husband, or her. He said, it's the great sin against God. He realizes that God is his, that is, has dwelt in him and is with him. And so to simply reduce it to, well, two people agreed. No, no, no, God is in the midst of us, and we are not our own. We've been bought with a price. Or Paul says in Galatians so well, it's no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Well, thanks for sticking around to talk with us. Dan, would you close our time by saying the Lord's Prayer, leading us in the Lord's Prayer? Sure, let's pray. Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen. And receive the blessing of the Lord. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look upon you with his favor and give you peace. Amen. The Lutheran Hour is made possible through the support of faithful listeners like you. To learn how your prayers and gifts can extend the worldwide outreach of the Lutheran Hour, go to lutheranhour.org. Our theme music is by Peter Prochnow, Emily Rogers, and Alicia Enstrom. I'm Mark Eicher. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries. ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪