Sermon for Fifth Sunday of Easter

April 24, 2016, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Wallis, Texas

Sermon Text:  John 16:12-22

Sermon Theme:  “Book Sense, Horse Sense, and God Sense”

(Sources:  Concordia Pulpit Resources, Vol. 26, Part 2, Series C; original ideas; Believer’s Commentary; Harper’s Bible Dictionary; Christian jokes online; Lutheran Cyclopedia; Facebook posts)

Grace, mercy and peace to  you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

When you think about it, there are three kinds of sense people can have, — BOOK sense (knowledge), HORSE sense (common sense), and GOD sense (wisdom from God).  And, unfortunately, not everybody has all three, and some people have none of the three – which means, no sense at all.

This is what you’re up against when you try to teach people.  This is what Jesus was up against in teaching the general population, and often, His own disciples as well.

In dealing with people, whether it’s Pharisees, disciples, or curiosity seekers, you can’t help but think it would be nice if they at least had horse sense, that is, common sense.

Some of  you may have seen those delightful posts on facebook recently:

“If common sense was hog lard, most people wouldn’t have enough to grease a pan.”

“Common sense is like a deodorant.  The people who need it the most never use it.”

“Common sense is a flower that doesn’t grow in everyone’s garden.”

Now there’s a lot to be said for “BOOK sense,” but book sense without common sense won’t get you very far.

Even more important than that, book sense and horse sense together, without “God sense,” leave a black hole in your life.  As Aristotle said, “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.”

But “God sense” is more than just educating your heart.  It’s more than going to church and getting involved in religious organizations.  After all, going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car. Continue reading →