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Is Salvation Easy or Hard?

1/31/2024

Epistle: 1 Corinthians 9:24-10:5
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
1 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

Gospel: Matthew 20:1-16
1 [Jesus said] “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ 5 So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ 8 And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ 9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10 Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 12 saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ 13 But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity? 16 So the last will be first, and the first last.”
Septuagesima Sunday
Matthew 20:1-16
Pastor James Preus
January 28, 2024

Is Salvation easy or hard? Is it difficult to be saved or is it effortless? Scripture appears to give two answers! In our Gospel lesson, we see that those who worked but one hour received the same wage as those who worked twelve, showing that our salvation does not depend on our works, but on God’s grace. Yet, in our Epistle lesson, St. Paul exhorts you to “run that you may obtain” the prize. On the one hand, Jesus says, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30) Yet, on the other hand Jesus says, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:12-13) On the one hand, St. Paul writes, “For by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) Yet, on the other hand, St. Paul writes, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” (Philippians 2:12)
So, what is the answer? Yes! Salvation is easy and Salvation is hard. Being saved is effortless and being saved is the most difficult thing in the world. Salvation is incredibly hard work, yet Salvation does not depend on your work whatsoever. But how can this be? To explain this, first, we must make a distinction between how Salvation is gained, and how Salvation is given and received.
Salvation is gained, that is, earned and won in no other way than through the hard labor and bitter sufferings and death of Jesus Christ. It is impossible for you to earn your salvation by your own works, because you are by nature a poor miserable sinner. Poor miserable sinners can only sin. They cannot please God. This is why Scripture proclaims, “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:10-12, quoting Psalm 14:1-3) and “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) The wages of sins is death, so the only wages you have earned from your labor is eternal death in hell. But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord, which is received through faith (Romans 6:23). This is why St. Paul argues in Romans chapter 4, “Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.” (vss. 4-5)
When we consider the labor of those workers in the vineyard, we can think of it as sacrifices. Work is a sacrifice offered up by the worker. Now, in the kingdom of heaven, there are two types of sacrifices: the sacrifice of atonement, which pays for sins and sacrifices of thanksgiving, which give thanks to God for His grace. There is and always has been and always will be only one sacrifice of atonement, and that is the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross to make payment for the sins of the whole world. Only the blood of Jesus can satisfy God’s wrath against sin. Only the death of God’s Son can forever pay our debt and set us free. Therefore, all other sacrifices offered in the kingdom of heaven are sacrifices of thanksgiving.
That is why these laborers are all paid the same. Their work is a sacrifice of thanksgiving, not an atoning sacrifice. They are paid for the sake of the atoning sacrifice offered by Christ. That is why they all get paid the same. They all have the same Christ. They all benefit from the same sacrifice. And this sacrifice wins salvation for them whether they have worked a lot or a little. Those who grumbled showed that they had lost their faith in the atoning sacrifice of Christ, because they thought their sacrifices of thanksgiving were taking away their sins and winning salvation for them. They replaced Christ and His work with themselves and their own work as the object of their faith.
So, we see by how our salvation is gained, that it is the most difficult work imaginable. In fact, no one can accomplish this work except Jesus Christ alone. Yet, He has accomplished it for us! It is finished. Your sins are atoned for! You are forgiven. Now salvation for you is easy. It is a free gift received by faith alone.
Yet, here we encounter another problem: how salvation is given and received. Is salvation easily given and received? Well, in one sense, it is given and received very easily. Salvation is given through the Word and Sacraments. When the Gospel is preached and the Holy Sacraments of Baptism, Absolution, and the Lord’s Supper are administered, the Holy Spirit works through God’s promise to create and sustain faith in the hearer, so that the hearer is saved. How difficult is it to hear? How difficult is it to believe? How difficult is it to receive a free gift?
Well, as a matter of fact, it is incredibly difficult! First, we have false prophets and false teachers, who pervert the Word of God and proclaim lies, so Jesus must warn us to beware of false prophets, who come to us in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves (Matthew 7:15). Yet, even when you hear only the pure Gospel from a faithful preacher, there still stands an insurmountable obstacle between you and saving faith. The prophet Isaiah speaks of it in chapter 6, “Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive. Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” (vss. 9-10) This is why Jesus says to his disciples, “Blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.” (Matthew 13:16) Their eyes and ears are blessed, because God has opened them. “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given,” Jesus told his disciples (Matthew 13:11). This is why Jesus says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” (John 6:44) And St. Paul writes to the Corinthians in his first epistle, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:14) and “No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except in the Holy Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:3)
So, according to your sinful nature, not only are you incapable of pleasing God and earning your salvation by your own works, but you are also incapable of believing and accepting the Gospel, even as it is preached in its purity. Rather, the Holy Spirit must convert you, open your eyes and ears and heart to understand and accept the Gospel. This is what St. Paul refers to in Ephesians 2, when He says that God “made us alive together with Christ, even when we were dead in our trespasses.” (Ephesians 2:5) It is the Holy Spirit, who creates faith where and when it pleases God. So, to be given and to receive salvation is greatly difficult, beyond our ability. Yet, it does not depend on our ability, but on God’s grace, who gives and grants faith as a gift.
Okay, so I think we’ve got it. Salvation is difficult, yea, impossible for us to gain, yet God gains it for us through Christ Jesus. Salvation is hard, yea, insurmountable to give and receive, yet God gives and grants faith to receive it by grace. So, salvation is difficult, yet it is easy. Yet, why then does Jesus tell us to strive to enter the narrow door (Luke 13:24), and call the way hard, which leads to life? And why does St. Paul tell us to run, that we may obtain the prize (1 Cor. 9:24) and to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12), if it is God’s work, and not ours, which will accomplish it?
Because we are not robots. God saves us monergistically, that is, only God accomplishes our conversion. Yet, God does not save us independently of the human will. He regenerates the human will, so that you do indeed feel remorse over your sins and choose Christ as your Savior. You cannot take credit for this work, but you certainly are going to experience the work being done in and through you!
I’m sorry, I took a passage earlier out of context. I quoted St. Paul from Philippians 2, saying, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” (vs. 12) What he actually wrote is, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” (vss. 12-13) Now, in context, that says quite a different thing, doesn’t it? It is God who works in you! You will to do Christ’s will, because God is working in you. You work the works of Christ, because God is working in you to accomplish them. You are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works (Ephesians 2:10), so that you can say with St. Paul, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20)
So, when Jesus tells us to strive to enter the narrow door and when St. Paul tells us to run, that we may obtain the prize, they are not telling us that we will enter or obtain by our own strength, merits, or works. Rather, it is God who begins, sustains, and completes our salvation. Our salvation does not depend on our own works, but continuing in impenitent sin can destroy saving faith and lead a believer into damnation. St. Paul warns that the children of Israel who were baptized into Moses and ate and drank the same spiritual food and drink as us, were overthrown in the wilderness, because they chose idolatry, fornication, and grumbling over faith. So, Scripture exhorts us to keep working. Do not let your new self lie dormant, so that your old self takes control. Don’t stand in the marketplace idle all day, but get into the vineyard, and offer those sacrifices of thanksgiving. And you have this wonderful promise, that although you are called to work and strive, your salvation does not depend on your working and striving. Your salvation depends on God’s grace through Christ Jesus, who earned your salvation for you. And your faith remains secure by the power of the omnipotent Holy Spirit, who creates and sustains faith through the preaching of the Gospel and the Holy Sacraments. Through faith, your yoke is easy and your burden is light, because Christ promises you salvation, which does not depend on your works. So, is Salvation easy or hard? It is easy, only for those who have faith in Christ and continue to run race with hope. Without faith, it is impossible. Amen.

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Source and Content of Scripture

1/26/2024

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Transfiguration Sunday
Matthew 17:1-9
Pastor James Preus
January 21, 2024

Those who profess to be Christians, but do not go to church will often say, “But I pray a lot.” And that’s good. Every Christian should pray. But what is prayer? Prayer is speaking to God in faith. As Jesus teaches us to pray the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9), we should believe that God is our true Father and we are His true children, so that with all boldness and confidence, we should ask Him as dear children ask their dear father. However, there is a time to stop speaking and to listen. In fact, you should listen a lot more than you speak, otherwise, you will not even know how to pray to God in faith.
“This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him!” proclaimed God the Father, interrupting Peter while he was speaking. And so, we should learn from Peter’s experience to stop talking, even pause your praying, and listen. But how can we listen to Jesus? He has ascended to the Father’s right hand. None of us has ever seen Him. How can we obey the Father’s command to listen to Jesus.
We listen to Jesus today by listening to the Bible. The Bible is a book entirely about Jesus. The Gospel of Matthew begins, “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham,” before it lists Jesus’ lineage from Abraham down. In other words, the history that goes along with all those people of the Bible is a history about Jesus. Jesus is the culmination of all Scripture. On that high mountain stand Moses and Elijah speaking with Jesus. Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible, known as the Law or Torah. Elijah represents all the prophets. In the Bible, the Old Testament is called the Law and the Prophets (Romans 3:21; Luke 24:44). The New Testament is referred to as the writings of the Apostles. On that Mountain, with the two prophets and the three Apostles, we see the testimony of the entire Bible that they speak of Jesus. When you hear their words, you hear Jesus (Luke 10:16).
Scripture says that everything must be determined by two or three witnesses. In the Bible, we have multiples of that! Forty authors wrote sixty-six books over fifteen-hundred years, yet with one voice, they proclaim Jesus. Humanly speaking, the Bible is the most reliable ancient document in history. Yet, we do not trust it as a human document, we trust it as God’s Word. We heard Saint Peter conclude from the transfiguration, “And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:19-21) And St. Paul concurs in 2 Timothy 3, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
The prophets did not write their own words, but God spoke through the prophets. The apostles did not write their own words, but God spoke through the apostles. In John 1, the Evangelist calls Jesus Christ the Word, because His voice is the voice of God. When we hear Holy Scripture, we hear the voice of Christ. When we hear Holy Scripture, we hear God’s voice. This is why Jesus says, “Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35) And why the Psalmist declares, “Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path (Psalm 119:105).”
The Bible is the Word of God. It does not simply contain the Word of God, nor is it about God’s Word. The Bible is God’s Word. And for that reason, the Bible is the only source and norm of Christian teaching. The phrase “source and norm” means that this is where we get all of our teaching from. St. Paul writes to the Ephesians in chapter 2 that the household of God is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus being the cornerstone.” The apostles and prophets are the New and Old Testaments of the Bible. The Church stands on the foundation of Scripture, Christ Jesus being the cornerstone, for all Scripture is about Him. This is why our Lutheran Confessions call the Holy Scriptures the pure fountain of Israel. The Bible is the source of all divine knowledge.
There are two religions in the world: God’s religion and man’s religion. And there are two sources of religion in the world: God’s Word and man’s word. All false teachings come from man’s word, from manmade traditions, which replace the pure Word of God. And all manmade traditions, which oppose God’s Word point to the same manmade religion, which teaches that if you are good enough, you will be saved. Have you ever heard someone say that all religions are the same? This is why. Because all manmade religions are the same. Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, Mormonism, the Watchtower, Papism, they all teach that if you do what is in you, you can be saved. It all depends on your free choice, your works. But Christianity is not a manmade religion, because the Bible is not man’s word. It is God’s Word.
And this instructs us on how we should read and listen to the Bible! If you read and listen to the Bible as if it is just another manmade book, then you will come to manmade conclusions! If you read the Bible looking for answers to geology, geography, history, art, literature, math, science, and music, then those are the answers you may find. If you look at the Bible simply as a rule book, the writings of wise men on how you can live a fulfilled life or achieve salvation by your works, then you may rank the Bible with the Koran and the Hindu Vedas. But how does Jesus tell you to read the Bible? “You search the Scriptures, because you think in them you have eternal life, and it is they that bear witness of me,” Jesus says. (John 5:39) The Scriptures bear witness of Christ Jesus, the source of eternal life. St. John writes toward the end of his Gospel, “These things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing, you may have life in His name!” (John 20:31)
You read the Scriptures, so that you may know Christ Jesus and have eternal life through faith in Him. And here, we see that on that high mountain, it was not simply Moses and Elijah, and Peter, James, and John, as representatives of the Old and New Testaments bearing witness to Christ, but Christ was bearing witness to them. That is one of the reasons Jesus brought up His three apostles on that mountain. It is so that He may say to us, “You want to listen to me? You want to hear what I have to say? Then listen to these men. Read their writings. When you hear them, you hear me. You want to find me? Read the Bible.”
But what does Scripture say about Christ? How does it say that He saves us. In the transfiguration of Christ, we have a summary of it. Jesus was transfigured, that is, His appearance changed, so that He shone bright as the sun and His clothes white as light. God the Father declared, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Here, we see that Jesus is true God. His humiliation, by which He hid His divine nature, has for a moment been lifted. This is how Christ will appear when we see Him on His glorious throne in heaven.
Jesus is true God, yet He remains true man. They still recognize Him as the man Jesus. Here they see the miracle, which has been occurring since Christ was conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary. Christ is God, yet He is a man! It is like the burning bush, which Moses saw in the wilderness of Sinai. The bush was aflame, yet the flame did not consume the bush. Moses must fall to the ground before God. He cannot even see His face without dying. The people of Israel are terrified even to see the reflected glory of God from Moses’ face, so he must wear a veil just to speak to them. Yet, the flame does not burn the wood of the bush. And the divine nature does not consume the humanity of Christ.
Jesus’ humility is a disguise. It is a coverup. In His humility, he looks like an ordinary man. But he is and always will be God. As they return down the mountain, Jesus appears as He did before, but that glory they saw emit from Him is still there. He remains their God. This saying of the Father, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,” was prophesied by Isaiah in chapter 42, “Behold, my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon Him.” Yet, of this same servant, Isaiah again prophesies in chapter 52, “Behold, my servant shall act wisely; He shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted. As many were astonished at you—His appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind…” So, this most beautiful Son of God will become hideous for our sake, yet He remains the Son of God.
Likewise, God remains pleased with Him, even as, or rather, especially as He ascends to Golgotha to bear our iniquities. God is eternally pleased with His Son. Yet, here, as in Jesus’ Baptism, His Son stands before Him in human flesh. So, when we hear the Father say, “in whom I am well pleased,” He is not speaking simply of His eternal pleasure with the Son with whom He shares one divine substance. Rather, He is speaking of His Son as He is in human flesh. He is pleased with His obedience as a child of Adam.
And so, you cannot separate Jesus’ transfiguration from His holy, innocent, and bitter sufferings and death for our sins. Though we see the gore and the blood, the spitting and mocking, the suffering and death, He is still the same beautiful Only Son from Heaven, in whom God is well pleased. And it is because He goes willingly as a Lamb to slaughter which so especially pleases the Father. This is why Jesus tells His three disciples not to tell anyone the vision until after He has risen from the dead. Jesus told them the end of the story, but they must not spoil it. We cannot reach that mount of transfiguration again without Christ first suffering and dying for our sins.
In the transfiguration, we see who it is who bears our load of sin and shame on the cross. And we see that our sin and guilt have no chance against this Son of God. Hanging on the cross is the same Jesus, who shone like the sun on the Mount of Transfiguration. Remember that as we again journey with Christ to the cross. Our God has paid our debts. No mere man died for our sins, but God Himself in human flesh. And that same God continues to live as a human for all eternity to mediate for us. With Peter, James, and John, Moses and Elijah, and all the saints, we will see Him as He is, for we shall be like Him. The Transfiguration tells us what is really going on at the cross, and what we are headed toward in our journey.
This is the message of Holy Scripture. We read, mark, and learn the Bible until this Morning Star rising in our hearts through faith. And although we do not see Him transfigured before us now, we know from Scripture that the same Morning Star is with us now in His Holy Word and Sacraments. May we continue to receive Him through faith, until we see Him in glory. Amen.

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Christ's Marital Union

1/14/2024

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Audio of Bible Lessons and Sermon.

Epiphany 2
John 2:1-11
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
January 14, 2024

The overarching theme of Christmas, obviously, is the incarnation of Christ, that God became a man in human flesh. Epiphany means manifestation, that is, that Christ shows Himself to us. Our Gospel lesson concludes, “And He manifested His glory and His disciples believed in Him.” The purpose of Christ’s Epiphany is so that we will believe in Him. So, the overarching theme of the Epiphany season is faith.
What is faith? Faith is the marital union of the Church (the Bride) to her Bridegroom, Christ Jesus. Through faith the Church is united to her Husband. And through faith we are joined to Christ our Head. This is the meaning of Jesus turning water into wine at a wedding. Why is it this miracle that caused His disciples to believe in Him? Because this miracle manifested Christ’s love, kindness, generosity, and mercy.
Faith comes from hearing the Gospel, not the Law. The Law demands, but what it demands is never accomplished. The Law threatens, but its threats never succeed in producing the desired result. There were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rite of purification. Stone symbolizes the Law, which was inscribed in stone. Six represents incompleteness. Seven is complete. Seven is perfect. Six is incomplete and never reaches perfection. Through the Law, we never reach perfection. Through the Law’s commands, we are always missing what we need to be whole.
So, Christ cannot make us His bride through the Law. The Law only exposes our sins, our wrinkles, spots, and blemishes, that we are an unfit bride. The Law only tells us to become what we cannot make ourselves: a holy bride for a holy Bridegroom. So, Christ must come down to make us His bride. He must lavish His love upon us, so that we may believe in Him.
This is how St. Paul tells us that Christ made the Church His bride, when He instructed husbands on their conduct with their wives, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that He might present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” And so, we learn that in Baptism, Christ makes you a member of His bride the Church. Baptism is Gospel. It is Christ’s work of cleansing you of your sin through water and the Word, and its benefits are received through faith alone.
Participating in the Lord’s Supper is participating in the Marital Union between Christ and His Church; it is a foretaste of the wedding banquet in heaven. The Sacrament of the Altar is an exclusive meal meant only for the Bride of Christ, that is, for the baptized, who are united to Christ through faith. Martin Luther wrote a preface to his Small Catechism (which is part of our Lutheran Confessions), where he instructs pastors on how to teach the Catechism. In it, he points out that the people had been abusing the freedom they had received in the Lutheran Reformation from the laws of the papacy by keeping themselves from the Lord’s Supper. Yet, instead of laying down a new law, Luther instructs pastors to encourage the people to receive the Sacrament willingly through faith by warning of the dangers against their souls and their great need to receive the Sacrament and by proclaiming the benefits of receiving the Lord’s Supper. Luther writes:
Last, since the tyranny of the pope has been abolished, people are no longer willing to go to the Sacrament, and thus they despise it. Here again encouragement is necessary, yet with this understanding: We are to force no one to believe or to receive the Sacrament. Nor should we set up any law, time, or place for it. Instead, preach in such a way that by their own will, without our law, they will urge themselves and, as it were, compel us pastors to administer the Sacrament. This is done by telling them, “When someone does not seek or desire the Sacrament at least four times a year, it is to be feared that he despises the Sacrament and is not a Christian, just as a person is not a Christian who does not believe or hear the Gospel.” For Christ did not say, “Leave this out, or, despise this,” but, “Do this, as often as you drink it” [1 Corinthians 11:25], and other such words. Truly, He wants it done, and not entirely neglected and despised. “Do this.” He says.
Now, whoever does not highly value the Sacrament shows that he has no sin, no flesh, no devil, no world, no death, no danger, no hell. In other words, he does not believe any such things, although he is in them up over his head and his ears and is doubly the devil’s own. On the other hand, he needs no grace, no life, no paradise, no heaven, no Christ, no God, nor anything good. For if he believed that he had so much evil around him, and needed so much that is good, he would not neglect the Sacrament, by which such evil is remedied and so much good is bestowed. Nor would it be necessary to force him to go to the Sacrament by any law. He would come running and racing of his own will, would force himself, and beg that you must give him the Sacrament.
Therefore, you must not make any law about this, as the pope does. Only set forth clearly the benefit and harm, the need and use, the danger and blessing, connected with this Sacrament. (Preface of Dr. Martin Luther: Enchiridion: The Small Catechism)
The Sacrament of the Altar can only be received worthily through faith. And so, it is only faith that can draw a person to worthily receive it. The Sacrament of the Altar is a blessing of the Marital Union between Christ and His Church, so it must be received willingly through faith. So, Martin Luther instructs pastors to convince people of three things. First, they are in great danger of the devil, the world, and their sinful flesh, which seek to drive them to death and hell. Apart from Christ, we are under the control of Satan, filthy in our own sins, wrinkled, spotted, and blemished, and doomed to death and hell.
Second, that in the Sacrament Christ offers deliverance from Satan, the world, and our sinful flesh. This Meal is not something we must do to make ourselves holy. Rather, in this Supper, we receive what Christ has prepared for us. Jesus turned water into wine quite remarkably, instantaneously. And so, he does in the Supper by turning wine into His blood and bread into His body. Yet, we must not forget the labor Christ did to prepare this Meal for us. As wine is produced through violence done to grapes, so the wine of this Supper was produced by violence done to our Lord Jesus, his blood being pressed out of His body and his body being baked on the cross like bread. The body given for you in the Supper was nailed to the cross for your sins. The blood shed for you in the Supper once poured out of Jesus’ wounds. By His stripes, we are healed. We like sheep went astray, but the Lord laid on Him our iniquities. No, this Meal is not at all about our works, neither is it a simple memorial meal. This meal is prepared for us at the great labor of our Lord, who laid down His life for His Bride. And so, we know participating in this Meal grants us deliverance of all the things Christ strove with on the cross: our sin, our flesh, our Satan.
Third, refusing this Meal is refusing Christ. If you had faith in Christ, you would urge yourself to be with Him. It is to be feared that if you continue to keep yourself from this Meal that you despise this Meal and do not have faith in the One who has prepared it. That is the most terrifying thing a Christian can hear.
These three points emphasize that the Lord’s Supper is Gospel. It is a means by which Christ comes to us in His grace and mercy. He comes to us as a beloved Bridegroom to His Bride. And the Bride, if she is the Bride, hastens to meet Him! This is the message Jesus conveys by turning water into wine at a wedding as His first miracle. He comes as a loving Bridegroom to bless us. Only His love can produce faith in our hearts. And only faith can unite us to Him.
Jesus loves marriage. His union with His Church is the apotheosis of marriage. Apotheosis means the most divine example. As Christ enjoys eternal companionship and chastity with His bride and their union produces many children of God, so God blesses marriage with lifelong companionship, chastity, and children. Yet our earthly marriages are not as perfect as Jesus’ union with His Church. As God told Eve when He cursed her and all women after her for her part in the fall into sin, women will resist submission to their husbands. And as God told Adam when He cursed him and all men after him for his part in man’s fall, men will toil under the sun to provide for themselves and their families. While children remain a blessing, they come at the cost of great pain for the woman and toil for the man.
Yet, why does a wife find it so difficult to submit to her husband as Scripture teaches? Is it not because she lacks faith that her husband will look out for her best interest? And why does a husband find it difficult to lay down his life for his bride as Scripture teaches? Is it not because he lacks faith that his sacrifice will be worth it? And why do couples now think that the blessing of children is not a blessing, but an expensive curse that should be limited, so that they can secure other earthly treasures? Is it not that they lack faith that God will provide for His children both now and in eternity? But Scripture does not teach that a wife submits to her husband, because she has faith in her husband. But rather, she submits to her husband, because she has faith in Christ. And a husband knows his sacrifice for his wife is worth it, because Christ’s sacrifice on the cross secures the reward of every cross he bears for Christ’s sake. And people drink wine at weddings to celebrate the future blessings they pray God will bestow on the couple, especially children, so Christians should pray for children in their marriages just as they pray that Christ’s Church would grow with more children of God.
Faith is the uniting of the Church to her Bridegroom, Christ. She is united to Him when she trusts in His goodness. And so, faith can be created in no other way than through the promises of God’s grace, to forgive, strengthen, and save, for Christ’s sake. May we hasten as a bride to meet Christ in His grace and mercy, so that our union to Him will grow ever stronger. Amen.

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God Has Set His King on His Holy Hill

1/10/2024

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Epiphany (Observed)
Matthew 2:1-12
Pastor James Preus
January 7, 2024

Unless the angel heralded the news, the shepherds would have never known that their Lord and Savior was born in Bethlehem. If you put a lamp under a basket, its light will not illuminate the room. And without Epiphany, the miracle of Christmas remains hidden in darkness. Epiphany means manifestation or appearing. The Feast of Epiphany celebrates the manifestation of Christ. Historically, it observes three events in Jesus’ life: the visit from the Magi, the Baptism of Jesus, and Jesus’ first miracle, turning water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana.
Today, we celebrate the Magi, also known as wisemen, who worshipped baby Jesus in Bethlehem. They were the first Gentiles, that is, non-Jews to worship Jesus, demonstrating that Christ came to save all nations and to bless all peoples. If Christ were not manifested to us, we could not be saved, even though God became a man to save us. So, through the story of the wisemen, we learn how Christ is made manifest to us today.
“Where is He, who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east, and have come to worship Him,” said the Magi to King Herod in his palace. How did these wise men know to follow this star? And how did they know that it would lead them to the King of the Jews? And how did they know that they should worship Him as their God? About six hundred years before Christ was born in Bethlehem, a young Judean named Daniel was taken captive to Babylon, east of Israel. He lived there for over seventy years and was numbered among the magi. Magi were known as wisemen, sorcerers, scientist, and astrologers. Daniel was no sorcerer or student of superstitious arts. Rather, He was a prophet of God, who devoted Himself to the Holy Scriptures. He certainly taught the prophecies of the Bible to the Gentiles in Babylon. I am convinced that these magi, who visited baby Jesus in Bethlehem, were acquainted with the Holy Scriptures, and read the ancient prophesies, which foretold Jesus’ birth.
In Numbers 24, Balaam prophesied, “I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel.” (vs. 17) The Magi understood this prophesy of the star quite literally, and when they saw a star rise supernaturally from Israel, they looked for Him who would hold the scepter. In Genesis 49, the Patriarch Jacob prophesied to his son Judah, “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes to him; and to Him shall be the obedience of the peoples.” This is a most remarkable prophesy from the father of the nation of Israel. Eight hundred years before David was crowned king over Judah, Jacob predicted his reign. Moreover, he predicted the scepter would not depart from Judah until Shiloh came. Yet, the scepter did depart from Judah. King Herod was no Jew, but an Edomite, given the throne of Judea by the Roman Senate. He secured his crown over thirty years by shedding much Jewish blood and finally appeasing the Jewish leading class by beautifying the temple.
Yet, the prophesy said that the scepter would not pass from Judah. And the long-promised star had risen. So, Shiloh must have come! There is much disagreement over what Shiloh means. Many point out its similarity to the Hebrew words for rest and peace. What is clear is that Shiloh refers to the Christ, who will reign as king of the Jews. Jesus is our rest. Jesus is our peace. This Shiloh, who comes to rightfully claim His Judean Scepter comes to be not an earthly king, but a heavenly King, a spiritual King, who will rule with justice, righteousness, and peace, and of whose kingdom there will be no end.
And the Scriptures prophesied that these Magi from the Gentile nations would come to worship this King Shiloh. The Prophet Isaiah proclaimed in chapter 60, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and His glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. … A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring good news, the praises of the LORD.” (1-3, 6) And so, the Magi came with their gifts to this rising light.
Yet, the Magi seemed ignorant that this King would be born in Bethlehem, yet Herod’s scribes quickly found the passage from the Prophet Micah, “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore, He shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of His brothers shall return to the people of Israel. And He shall stand and shepherd His flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD His God. And they shall dwell secure, for now He shall be great to the ends of the earth.” (Micah 5:2-4) The prophecy read by the scribes confirmed the hope of the Magi, who came to worship their God. Though He is born in Bethlehem, His coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. He is young, yet He is eternal.
Yet, there is one more thing that the Magi needed, which they received but Herod did not: The light of the Holy Spirit, who creates faith where and when it pleases God. The Holy Spirit enlightened the hearts and minds of these Magi through the Holy Scriptures to believe the promise of the Christ. Yet, Herod, who heard these same prophesies, raged against them, and tried to snuff out the Light of Bethlehem, so fiercely did Herod resist the Holy Spirit.
And this brings us to another Scripture fulfilled in this Epiphany of Christ. Psalm 2, “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against His Anointed saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” (Psalm 2:1-3) This is how King Herod responded to the news of the LORD’s anointed born in Bethlehem! “When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.” Herod plotted against this King born in Bethlehem. He questioned the Magi privately to learn when the star appeared. Then he lied to them and said that he too wanted to worship Him, so he sent them to look diligently for the child. Herod wanted to kill Jesus and snuff out the light of Epiphany.
Yet, Psalm 2 goes on, “He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. Then He will speak to them in His wrath and terrify them in His fury, saying, ‘As for Me, I have set My King on Zion, My holy hill.”’ Herod’s plotting against Christ is ridiculous to God for two reasons. First, Christ was not born to threaten any earthly reign, so He is no threat to Herod. Secondly, no attempt by earthly powers can stop Christ in advancing His kingdom. God has set His King on His holy hill. Who is this King? Psalm 2 again tells us, “I will tell the decree: The LORD said to me, ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you.” This King is the only begotten Son of God. The nations may rage, and the peoples may plot, and the kings of the earth set themselves against Christ the King, but it is all in vain. Christ is King! And there is nothing they can do to undo that!
And Psalm two continues to be fulfilled in our day. The nations and people continue to plot, like King Herod, to snuff the Light of Epiphany out, to cover the Gospel of Christ in darkness, and to keep His reign from spreading. Christ’s Church is attacked from the inside and outside. False teachers and prophets have arisen and attacked the Holy Scriptures themselves, calling them unreliable and belittling the Gospel of Christ. The Bible is the most banned book in America. Hardly a school age child is allowed to read it. Hordes of distractions rise to stop Christ’s people from hearing His Word and worshipping Him. Riches or poverty, work or play, the seemingly innocent to the debased and filthy, anything that will cover up the light of Christ, the emissaries of Satan will throw, as if to cover a lamp with a thick blanket. Yet, He who sits in heaven laughs at them. Christ remains King. His light continues to shine. His light is shining right here on you, as Christ’s Gospel is preached.
And so, the Magi teach us how to celebrate Epiphany even as the kings and nations of the earth rage against it. First, they diligently seek for Christ, relying on Holy Scripture. You cannot find Jesus without the Bible. He will not be found any other place than where His Word is proclaimed purely from Holy Scripture. Second, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy when they found Christ and they bowed down to worship Him. And so, you should rejoice with exceedingly great joy when you have found Christ your King, and you should worship Him. We should joyfully go to church to worship Christ, because He promises to be there where His Word is proclaimed and where His Sacraments are administered. As the Magi bowed down before their God in human flesh, so we should kneel and receive Christ’s true body and blood in the Sacrament with great joy and reverence, for when we do so, we are in the very presence of our God and King, who comes to bless us.
Third, we should confess Christ with our words and deeds. The Magi gave gifts to their king: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gold shows that they recognized Jesus as their God and king. Frankincense is what priests burn to God. St. Paul tells us that Christ gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Ephesians 5:2). So, this gift of frankincense foreshadows Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for all our sins. Myrrh is a spice traditionally used to anoint dead bodies for burial. Nicodemus mixed myrrh and aloes to anoint Jesus’ body before burying it in a tomb (John 19:39). So, the Magi’s gift of myrrh foreshadows Christ’s burial and resurrection. And so, our worship of Christ should always acknowledge that He is our God and King, who offered Himself up as a sacrifice to God to take away our sins, who was buried and rose again for us.
Yet, there is a practical aspect to the Magi’s gift. As beneficial as it is to see the spiritual meaning in them, we cannot ignore the fact that the faithful Magi gave Christ their first fruits, confessing that they found Him more valuable than these treasures. And God used these gifts of the wisemen to preserve His Church on earth. What else is the Church, but the household of God, the cradle of Christ on earth? And so, the Holy Family is Christ’s church on earth. Shortly after the Magi left, Herod’s soldiers came to Bethlehem to murder all the baby boys. Joseph had to flee in the middle of the night to Egypt with his wife and the Christ-child. Do you think that gold, frankincense, and myrrh proved useful to them as they traveled to a foreign country as sojourners? And so, God uses your tithes and offerings today for the sake of His Church. Your offerings to the church are not only an important spiritual exercise, but they go to good use, so that the Gospel may be proclaimed and the light of Christ shined into dark places.
Finally, the Magi went back to their country another way. And so should we. We should no longer walk as the Gentiles do, but walk as if the Light of Christ is always shining on us. Walk as subjects of King Jesus, who rules in our hearts. Frequently walk toward His shining star, so that we may bow down with great joy and receive His body and blood in the Sacrament. God has set His King on His holy hill. And the light of Epiphany has led us to Him. Let us rejoice with exceedingly great joy and worship Him always. Amen.

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Ready to Die

1/3/2024

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Christmas 1
Luke 2:22-40
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
December 31, 2023

Simeon took the baby Jesus into his arms and blessed God. Why did Simeon bless God? Because God had fulfilled His promise and let Simeon see the Christ. What does it mean that Simeon got to see the Christ? It means that he got to see the one God anointed to be the Savior of the world. St. Paul puts it succinctly, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent for His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive the adoption as sons.” (Galatians 4:4-5).
When the fullness of time had come, that is, when God chose from eternity to fulfill what He had promised through the prophets. God sent forth His only begotten Son, who was with Him from the beginning and who is God from the beginning. Born of a woman; God was born of a woman. God now has a mother. The virgin conceived and bore a Son, Immanuel, which means, God with us. This fulfills what God spoke in the garden of Eden, that He would put enmity between the woman and the serpent, and between the woman’s seed and the serpent’s seed. The serpent would bruise the heel of the seed of the woman, but He would crush the serpent’s head. (Genesis 3:15) God’s Son was born of a woman, fulfilling the promise to the people of Israel, that one descended from Abraham and David would bless all nations, and yet being born of a woman, He was born for all peoples. He is the Savior of the Gentiles as well as the Jews.
He was born under the Law to redeem those who were under the Law. That is why Jesus is in the temple. He is there to do what is prescribed in the law, by being presented before the Lord and having a sacrifice offered to God. Yet, already at eight-days-old, Jesus had begun His subjection under the Law. He was circumcised (Luke 2:21). St. Paul tells us that whoever accepts circumcision is obligated to keep the whole Law. (Galatians 5:3). So, this little baby Jesus is obligated to keep the whole Law. This is important, because He actually does it! Jesus fulfills the entire Law. This is called His active obedience. Jesus does in human flesh what we human beings have failed to do!
Why does Jesus submit Himself to the Law? To redeem us who were under the Law. Scripture again says, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law and do them.” (Galatians 3:10; Dt. 27:26). This describes our situation. We are born under the Law. Everyone born of woman is born under the Law, because the Law is what God our Creator demands of us. This New Year is a good time to examine how we have lived under God’s Law. What New Year’s resolutions did you make last year? Did you resolve that you would sin less? You should have. Well, did you sin less? Did you become more devoted to God’s Word? Did you take control of your temper, your lusts, and your bad habits? Have you filled the unforgiving minute with sixty-seconds distance run? Or have you waisted the time and talents God has given you? Have you abided by all things written in the Book of the Law? No? Then you are cursed.
But Jesus did abide by everything written in the Book of the Law, even as an infant. Yet, it is Jesus who was cursed by the Law on the tree. This is how Christ redeemed us. He paid our debts. He lived in our human flesh as we should have lived, yet He suffered the punishment we should have suffered. This is called His passive obedience. This is why Simeon sings praise to God at Jesus’ presence. Seeing Jesus is seeing His salvation, and not only His salvation, but salvation for all peoples, to the Jew first, but also for the Gentile.
Although Jesus is the salvation prepared in the presence of all people, and a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to Israel, He is appointed for the rise and fall of many. He is a sign that is opposed, that is, spoken against. People are offended at this Christ and at the Redemption He brings. They are offended at His incarnation, that a man is God in the flesh, that our God can be found in a manger, on a cross, and in a tomb. They are offended at His suffering, that their Savior comes in such humility that He suffers death on a cross. They are embarrassed to claim Him as their Lord. They are offended that He offers free salvation through the forgiveness of sins, and not based on their own works. They want to be praised for their works, so God’s grace to forgive apart from works for Christ’s sake offends them. They are offended at the means by which Christ gives them His grace, because they must be received through faith and not through rationalistic human reason. They are offended that He offers forgiveness and rebirth in Baptism, that He promises forgiveness of sins through the mouth of a man, and that He offers His own body and blood to eat and to drink for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus is a sign that is opposed, because people do not want to receive Him through faith.
And we could shake our heads at the shame of it all, and say, “tsk, tsk,” at those others who are opposed to Christ. But you don’t have to look that far to see opposition to Christ. Just look at your own heart. Your own sinful heart has risen in opposition to Christ, and you have seen this by how you have chosen your sins over Christ again and again. You have valued the things of this world over Christ. You have refused to say in your heart, “Lord, now let your servant depart in peace,” because you have been too in love with this world to depart it in peace. Instead of praying, “Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly,” you pray, “Not now, Lord. Come later.”
And so, you should see your pressing need to be filled with the Holy Spirit, as Simeon is, so that you can rejoice at the sight of Christ. And you should see your own pressing need to crucify your flesh with its sinful desires and renew your commitment to Christ. As we close another year, we get to say goodbye to our former sins, and commit ourselves to Christ again, marveling at the words spoken by Simeon, that here stands our Savior.
Simeon told Mary that a sword would pierce through her soul also. This means two things. First, historically, Mary would experience great anguish as she stands beneath the cross of her own Son, watching helplessly as He dies in excruciating pain. As only a mother knows, she feels that spear in her own heart as she watches her Son stabbed to confirm His death on the cross. Secondly, there is a spiritual meaning to these words. Mary is a type of the Christian Church (that is, she represents it). She marvels at the words about Christ and ponders them in her heart. And so, the Christian Church is where Christ’s word is marveled and treasured. As Jesus is pierced through, so is Christ’s Church pierced through. As Jesus is spoken against, so His Church is spoken against. And so, Christians should expect persecution from the world, which opposes Jesus.
And yet, even in the midst of persecution, Christ’s Church rejoices. With Simeon and Anna and with Jesus’ parents, she marvels at the words of Christ, she blesses God for His salvation shown in Jesus, she tells everyone who will listen about this Redeemer. And so, the Christian Church joins Simeon in singing His song of deliverance.
This is one of the greatest things the Lutheran Church did for the Western Liturgy. We added Simeon’s song, the Nunc Dimittis, as a Post-Communion Canticle. Every time we receive Communion, we sing, “Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant, depart in peace, according to Thy Word, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people.” When we receive the Lord’s Supper, we are prepared to die! We have received everything we could possibly need or want. The same Christ, whom Simeon held in his arms, has come to us, having redeemed us from all our sins. In this meal, we receive forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. Having received such promises, we are ready to die. None of our sins can make us fear death. And no treasure in this world can keep our hearts back from going to Him, who bought us.
What is perhaps even greater, we have added Simeon’s song to the rite of the Commendation of the Dying. When you are dying and your loved ones call the pastor to give you your final blessing, he will sing Simeon’s son, “Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant, depart in peace.” Having received the forgiveness of sins, we are not afraid to die. We go to the Lord’s Supper as if we are going to death, so that we go to death, as if we are going to the Lord’s Supper. Christ is all we need here in this life, so we are not afraid to leave this life to be with Christ. It is the greatest privilege to sing the Nunc Dimittis with Simeon. It is the greatest privilege to not be afraid of death, because you have already received your reward through faith.
As we approach the end of a year and the beginning of a new one, we hope to be better Christians in the coming year. We hope to put off the works of darkness and walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called. We have greater concerns than New Year’s resolutions about dieting, quitting smoking, exercising, or reading more books. Our concern is to grow closer to Christ and to live lives pleasing to Him; to not live as slaves of sin, but as children of God.
Yet, this song of Simeon reminds us that Christ has already fulfilled the Law for us. This does not give us an excuse to go on sinning, so that grace may abound. Quite the contrary. We sing the song of Simeon as a confession that we are ready to leave this world behind with all its sins and false gods. But we rejoice that our sins will not drag us down. Christ has fulfilled the Law for us. He has paid our debts on the cross. We have seen His salvation and tasted that He is good. Christ knows your sins and your failed resolutions, your doubts and embarrassing secrets of your heart, and He still loves you and forgives you. And so, as we embark into a New Year, we see the goal of this next year completed in Christ. We cannot achieve a single resolution without Him. The Law is forever unfulfilled without Him. Our sins and damnation cling to us forever without Him. But when we have Christ, when we have received His grace through faith, our resolutions are complete, the Law is fulfilled in us, our salvation is accomplished. We find Christ with His grace in His Word and Sacraments. So, when we receive Christ in His Word and Sacrament, we are ready to depart this world, because we have a treasure much greater.
Let us pray,
Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant, depart in peace, according to Thy Word. For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people. A light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of Thy people Israel. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

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Is Salvation Easy or Hard?

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God Has Set His King on His Holy Hill

Ready to Die

Rev. James Preus

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