Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The text on which this morning's message is based comes from our Gospel lesson (Matthew 18: 15-20) and the verses that precede it.

With today being Education Sunday and New Member Sunday, I thought it wise to go back to the basics about Lutheran-Christian sermons, and teach today about the basics of the Bible. The catechumens, that is our confirmation students, should be able to tell you that the message of the Bible, God's Word, is divided into two main points: LAW and GOSPEL. Our catechumens learn that lesson of LAW and GOSPEL on the first page of the first lesson they come in to complete. They learn that the LAW is God's sad news, that we are all sinners by birth, that we all continue to sin and separate ourselves from the Lord throughout our lives. Because of this sad news, we fear God, and know that we deserve nothing but his wrath and judgment. We deserve nothing but hell. The LAW makes us sorry for the sins we have done. But the GOSPEL is God's Good News, that God loves us so much that He sent his Son as a ransom for our sins. He sent Jesus to die on the cross to take on the punishment for our sins. That is the great Good News that is so hard to believe that we must hear it and be reminded of it regularly. We must be reminded of the LAW also, the sad news, lest we fall into complacency with the Gospel and begin to believe that we really are pretty good people who don't need saving. But when the Law has done its job, when we sense our sin and fall before our God pleading for his mercy, then we need to be reminded of his Gospel, the love and goodness He wishes to show to us, his children who trust in him. These two distinct messages run throughout Scripture from beginning to end. Some people get the mistaken notion that the Old Testament is LAW and the New Testament is GOSPEL. That notion is absolutely, absolutely wrong. The Old Testament has law, but the Old Testament emphasizes God's promises, starting even in Genesis, that our Lord has a plan to save his people. Those promises are what the Old Testament believers held on to through difficult times.   Nor is the New Testament all Gospel. Our Lord Jesus Christ was a spectacular Law-Gospel preacher, weaving those two distinct threads back and forth, back and forth in order to point out our need for both. Nowhere does Jesus preach Law and Gospel more grippingly, more poignantly than he does here in Matthew 18, our text and the verses before our text. Starting at verse 1, the disciples show their sinful pride with the question 'Lord' "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Jesus, with some subtlety, calls them to humbly repent and then assures them of the Good Gospel News: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me."

But Jesus doesn't stop there with only Gospel. He continues with a warning that rivals any LAW message in the Old Testament. Jesus was a LAW and GOSPEL preacher. His next Law message should cause all of us over the age of 12 to shudder as we consider it. Jesus said: "But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. 7 "Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come!"

Wow, is that Law or not? Some people, even some Christians believe that pastors and the church should stop talking about law and sin, hell and devil. Such concepts are too "coarse and upsetting" they say. But Jesus doesn't stop there with his vivid imagery: " 8 If your hand or your foot causes you to sin cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell. 10 See that you do not despise one of these little ones."

I'll tell you that I was relieved that all the Bible commentaries and experts I consulted agreed that Jesus was speaking very seriously here, but not literally. The Christian church has never, based on these verses, implemented laws like in some Muslim countries where thieves' hands are amputated. Our Lord knows and taught that sin is a matter of the heart, and that even a handless person -- evil of heart -- can still covet and steal. Even a blind person, evil of heart, can still lust and commit adultery.

But Jesus is speaking LAW here, law that scares me, and I expect frightens you. He knows that the sinful human heart often needs to be jolted. Jesus isn't speaking to Pharisees and chief priests who were plotting to kill him. He is speaking to his disciples, and putting the literal fear of God into them. In his recorded word He continues to speak to our hearts.

However, Jesus doesn't stop his sermon here with only LAW and fear and hopelessness. He weaves back in the predominant message of His love for us, the Gospel. "11 <"For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. (also Luke 19: 10)> 12 "What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? 13 "If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. 14 "So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish." Pure, sweet GOSPEL our Lord proclaims. He is seeking and saving the lost. He came to give himself, the Shepherd for the sheep, so that the lost could be found. He came to give up his body for us, because maiming our own bodies could never earn our forgiveness or rid our hearts of sin. He rose again from the dead, physically, bodily, to assure us that we too will rise again physically, perfectly formed anew. He is seeking after us. And he is using us to seek and save others who may have strayed. This is the context of our Gospel text read earlier.

"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over." Our Lord's instructions in our Gospel text for dealing with offenses among his people seem strange to the ears of an individualistic society. It's between me and God, and nobody else" we are likely to hear, likely to say. (modified from Kolb, Concordia Journal, July 1996). But our Lord knows that this world is full of temptations and we need warnings. A former park ranger at Yellowstone National Park once led a group of hikers to a fire lookout tower. He was very focused on describing the animals and beauty of the park, so focused that he got tired of talking over the occasional scratching of his two-way radio and turned it off. As the group neared the tower, a lookout who was nearly breathless ran to them. "Why didn't you respond to the messages on the radio?" he asked. "A grizzly bear has been spotted stalking your group. They were trying to warn you on the radio." (modified from Rev. Henry Simon in Concordia Pulpit Resource, 1999, p. 16).

Persons who do not listen to God or his word or his people speaking God's word put themselves at great risk spiritually. Like a grizzly bear or a roaring lion looking for lost sheep, "the devil prowls around looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5: 8).   As Christians, we need each other to gently warn of sin in our lives, to share God's law in a way that leads to repentance and contrition, to prepare for Gospel and forgiveness. We never want our sin to lead others of God's children, especially young children, away from their Lord. Galatians 6: 1 "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted." Our goal in going and telling a brother of his fault is never to win a debate and make ourselves feel holier than thou. Our goal is always to win the brother over for Christ. Our goal is never Law alone, but always Gospel. Our goal is never cutting the brother or sister out, but to seek and save the lost. If you walk out of here this morning thinking "I've been looking for a good reason to tell so-and-so what I really think of them", then you haven't been listening to Scripture or my message very well. But if you leave here today with a burden to seek and save the lost, to gently correct an erring brother, with prayer in your heart for their salvation as well as your own, then the LAW and GOSPEL TOGETHER have worked their way into you. If you leave here today remembering again how so in need of a Savior you are, and how great a Savior has been sent for you, then praise be to God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.