See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

As many of you know Lukas and I recently returned from the National Youth Gathering in Orlando; 25,000 high school students gathered together learning more about Jesus, singing His praises, and enjoying the fellowship of like minded Lutherans. Wow! It was great, but the trip involved some logistics: meals, lodging, this and that and oh yeah, a rental car, actually a 12 person van. On one of the days it was my job to see to the return of the van….. “See to it” that is the subject of this sermon.

Seeing to the van meant all I had to do was take the van from our hotel, east to the airport. Not all that difficult… except in Orlando there aren’t any mountains to always remind you which way is west.

I’m a bearings person, a map person. The map that came with the van was pretty basic, so basic that many of the roads I needed, weren’t listed. And, it isn’t all that safe to be reading a map while driving in an unfamiliar city, in a vehicle one isn’t use to driving.

Well, after some vague hand gestured directions from the desk clerk, I set out east for the airport, and I was doing pretty well. I even got through the construction zone, and then came to gauntlet of airport signs and roads. I don’t think one ought to approach an airport at 60 miles an hour, in a strange city, in an unfamiliar vehicle and try to read all the signs. Add to that, the beautiful fast growing trees which limited my time to read the informational signs that were soon behind me, before I could read the line that had the information I needed. Then came the signs for rental cars: Avis, Hertz, and National to the left and Alamo, Enterprise, Dollar and Thrifty to the right…but we had rented a van from Budget…. Do I go left or right??? Many airports have loops that go and around and around, multiple chances to get it right, but did or does Orlando? I was one lane left of center coming around a curve when there printed on the pavement was a sign with an arrow, “rental car returns”. It was one lane over and a seemingly hairpin turn. But with a couple high maneuvers, the envy of any want-a-be Dayton 500 driver, I was in the garage with a high clearance van ducking as I passed under the low clearance beams.

I gotten the van back in one piece, “I had seen to it,” but it wasn’t what I’d call a pretty trip. Too many times, for my taste, I was in danger of getting lost or misled and too many times, I was on the edge of peril or possibly perilous to others. As I thought about that trip and today’s lesson, I wondered about the number of people are on the journey of life with incomplete and or inaccurate maps. How many people have gotten incomplete or faulty directions? How many people, if they had good directions have abandoned them thinking I know where I going? “Maps… I don’t need no stinky map.” How others have broken down on the highway of life? Heaven knows few people stop to help strangers any more, especially ones that look a little down and out. How many others have stopped in places that looked good on the outside but the storefront was a false front, like the gas station on I-80 where the gas station attendant secretly squirted oil on my shocks and then tried to sell me new ones at inflated prices all under the guises of keeping my family safe.

St. Paul writes, see to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. He is speaking about much more that a van return to an airport. He is talking about the dangers along the road of life; dangers that seek to more than inconvenience us, but take us captive, hostage, prisoner.

This taking capturing is done with practices and teachings that are hollow and deceptive. Most of us in here are wary of palm and tarot card readers, as well as, openly satanic cults that sacrifice goats. But the lines begin to gray for some of us when it comes to many of the new age teachings, some of which seek to control unseen forces like in the latest craze, The Secret. Many of those teachings appeal to our sense of reason, and we may have a friend or relative who is involved and it hasn’t been seemingly hurt by them and their lives even seem a little better or on track. We shrug our shoulders thinking, “Well, it is hard to argue with success,” but we fail to acknowledge who is behind such deception.

It is hollow and deceptive to mix teachings, by mixing a little bit of untruth with truth and declarations of God. Jesus once said, “I am the way, the truth, and life no one comes to Father except through Me.” (Jn 14.6) How many (people) have mixed with that truth, the idea that someone ought to merit heaven or God’s favor because that person has done so much to help others, or has lived a good life, or has suffer much? How many of us love the idea of heaven, but push aside the thought that someone we know and/or care about just might go to hell; isn’t hell just for the likes of Hitler? How many of us and even some Christian churches have made gods of finely-crafted and articulated worldly thinking and reasoning? How many of us are captive to our addictions of indifference, self-righteous arrogance, and idolatry? Truly, there is much to take us captive! Sadly, it isn’t that we are just captive once captive to it all, but in our sinfulness we cooperate with our captors from the dark side.

St Paul says, Watch out for those who would deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. (Col 2.4) St Peter tells us, to watch out for the evil one is like a cunning and hungry lion prowling around looking for someone to entice, deceive, and devour. (1st P 5.8) Watch out for hollow and deceptive philosophies, teachings and attitudes that lead us into sin. Sin, which leads to death, and death, which leads to the hell of eternal separation from God.

What can be done? By us, nothing BUT let us not despair for the eternal, triune God has seen to our salvation. Where the world’s philosophies are hollow, in Jesus the fullness of the Deity, the fullness of God, was present. Where they lead to darkness and death, He leads to light and life.

He taught with unrivaled power and authority. He performed countless miracles. Angels attested to him at His birth. The Father acknowledged Jesus to be the Son at His baptism and His transfiguration. Our salvation was seen to, not by all of this. These are precursors of what Jesus did to win our release from sin, death, and the hell and hopelessness of eternal separation from God.

Our rescue came by and at the cross. Jesus who knew no sin became sin for us. (2 Cor 5.21) He took upon Himself the rebellion of our sins: He took upon Himself all of our sins of dabbling and dancing with Devil, along with our sins of thinking, reasoning, and even arguing that we some how know better than the eternal, all-knowing God. He took up all our sins of self-serving and self-righteous arrogance and indifference. The sewage of our sins was poured upon Him in full measure.

The punishment, the hell of separation from the Father was upon Him, and after long hours on the cross He died the death that should have been ours. (Is 53.4-5) He went down in a grave that should have been ours…but do not despair for all of this was done that our sins would be forgiven, atoned for, paid for, seen to! He suffered and died that our sins would be forgiven!

Yes, He died that we would be set free, released, from the bondage of sin and death, and He rose up from grave to certify that our debt has been paid. He rose up not like some beaten, senseless prizefighter on wobbly legs, but He was resurrected; He rose up in glory and victorious. His resurrection disarmed and made a public spectacle the powers and authorities of sin and death. (Col 2.15) Truly, by His death and resurrection He has seen to- cared for- our sins, taken away the sting of death, and given us real life, now and eternally.

He bids us come and confess our sins…..and receive His forgiveness again and again. It is His forgiveness that comes to us in His Words of absolution we heard spoken here this morning. He calls us out of darkness when and where His Word is read and studied. It is by His baptism that the damning power of sin and death are cut away from us; we are adopted into God’s family, and we are filled with Holy Spirit. It is at His table He comes to us and abides with us in a very real, yet sacramental way. By and through these means, He comes to us that we might live rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in our faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. (Col 2.6)

And then He tells us to go and live as ones “who have been seen to”. Go and live as ones rescued from much and forgiven much. Go, share and teach that which He has given and shared with us. Take the light into the darkness; give directions, clear directions, to the lost. Help those who have broken down; help those who aredifferent from us. Share the map upon which is written God’s plan of salvation; it is the Bible. May we see to others as we have been seen to. May we live lives of gentleness, joy, and the certainty of a salvation that are rooted in a risen Jesus.