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"For faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." ~ Romans 10:17

The Solemn and Noble Task of Christians

7/24/2024

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Trinity 8
Matthew 7:15-23
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
July 21, 2028
People like to hear the words of St. Paul from Romans 8 that the Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, that we have the right to call God Himself our Father. Yet, people don’t like that Jesus says, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” These words seem divisive and judgmental. We don’t want to call anyone a false prophet. We’d rather let everyone have his own truth and respect every belief. But Jesus warns us against false prophets precisely because He wants us to be able to call God our Father and to be His children. It is the false prophets, who with their clever tricks and lofty speech would lead you down broad roads of destruction and away from your Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus stated clearly in John 14, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” You cannot call God your Father unless you follow Christ’s teaching. Therefore, we must mark false teachers and prophets and avoid them.
False prophets come to you in sheep’s clothing. This means that they look like the good guys. They aren’t always going to publicly dress up like Satan and drink human blood as we see some doing in Hollywood and in the music industry. They will look like your friends. They will dress like your pastor. They will have winning personalities and even mix their lies with lots of truth, just as Satan quoted Scripture to Jesus when he tempted Him. St. Paul warns us that even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). And so, false prophets will look and sound good to the untrained eye and ear. By their fruits you will know them, so you must recognize what good fruit looks like.
Jesus directs this warning to beware of false prophets both to preachers and to their hearers. This is a solemn and noble task, which no Christian may ignore. Pastors must mark false prophets and warn their people of them. In Nehemiah chapter 4, the Jews having returned from exile were building the walls of Jerusalem. Their enemies with violence tried to prevent them. So, the Jews continued their work with spears, shields, and bows. Workers bore their load in one hand and a weapon in the other. Builders built with swords strapped to their sides. And this paints a perfect picture of what a pastor does. He not only builds up his hearers by preaching the true Word of God, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He also defends them against false teaching, which seeks to tear down what has been built.
This is exactly what St. Paul instructs Pastor Titus and all pastors in Titus chapter 1, “A presbyter must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.” And this wielding of the sword against false doctrine, this rebuking those who contradict God’s Word is necessary. St. Paul warns the pastors of Ephesus in Acts 20, “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. 29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.” (vss. 28-30)
So, a pastor must not only preach that God is one, but He must also preach that every so-called god, which did not send his only begotten Son to suffer and die for the sins of the world is a false god. Muslims claim that Allah is the only God, but Allah is not the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three persons yet one God, and he did not send his son to die for us, so Allah is a false god. The Sikh woman, who prayed to Waheguru at the Republican National Convention last week claiming that he was the one true God was praying to an idol, not the true God, because Waheguru did not send Christ to die for our sins.
A pastor must not only preach that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the whole world who died for our sins, but he must also proclaim that those who continue in their sin without repenting will not enter the kingdom of God. A pastor must not only baptize babies and teach that Baptism saves, but he must also call out those who deny Baptism to babies and deny its saving power. A pastor must not only teach that the Lord’s Supper is Jesus’ true body and blood for the forgiveness of sins, but he must also reject the teaching that it is just a symbol and that Jesus’ body and blood are as far away from the altar as heaven is from earth. A pastor must not only preach that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone apart from our works, but he must also condemn the papist doctrine that we are saved also by our works and that God credits our works toward salvation. A pastor must not only extol biblical marriage between one man and one woman, a life-long union which God blesses with children, whom He intends to be brought to Him through Baptism and daily instruction in God’s Word, but he must also preach against fornication, homosexuality, unbiblical divorce, abortion, and the despising of God’s gifts. A pastor must not only invite people to hear the Gospel and extol the importance of hearing God’s preaching, but he must also declare that skipping church is a sin and refusing to hear God’s preaching and word will send you to hell.
A pastor cannot simply build without also defending with the sword and spear. He cannot only comfort and exhort, he must also refute and rebuke. As a shepherd cannot simply bring the sheep out to pasture, but must also fend off the wolves, so a pastor cannot simply preach the truth, but he must also refute all false teaching and false teachers.
But Jesus doesn’t only charge pastors to beware of false prophets. Jesus charges all Christians to watch out for these wolves in sheep’s clothing. St. John instructs all Christians in 1 John 4, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” A tragic trend, which seems so innocent, is when people are “church shopping,” they often say, “We’re just looking for a church that fits us.” And that might be a good way to shop for a house, restaurant, or pair of jeans. But no where in Scripture does Jesus ever tell us to look for a church that fits us! Rather, Jesus says, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)
Jesus does not charge you to find a church that fits you. This is exactly what Paul warns Pastor Timothy against, in 2 Timothy 4, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” (2 Timothy 4:3-4) Rather, Jesus charges you to deny yourself, follow Him, and beware of any false prophet, who would lead you away from Him with promises that you will fit in. We cannot be our own disciples. Rather, we must be disciples of Jesus.
But how can we be disciples of Jesus? We must not only go and hear God’s preaching, as Jesus says, “If you abide in My word, you are my disciples indeed, and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31) But you must also mark and avoid false teachers, who would lead you away from Christ. Yet, how can you recognize false prophets? Do you have a theology degree? Are you qualified to make such judgments? You don’t need a degree in theology! Jesus tells you how you will recognize false preachers. You will recognize them by their fruits. A teacher’s fruit is his teaching. You must judge what preachers preach to determine whether it comes from Christ your good shepherd, or whether it is a false teaching.
But what standard must you use to determine whether it is true or false teaching? The Bible. St. Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” Holy Scripture is Christ’s Word. Faith comes from hearing and hearing through the Word of Christ (Romans 10:17). Jesus says that when the Good Shepherd comes, “the sheep follow Him for they know His voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” (John 10:4-5) So, when you hear preachers say things contrary to Scripture, you should mark and avoid them, because that is not the voice of your Shepherd.
You should recognize that a preacher that denies that the Bible is without error or who promotes pride in sexual immorality is a false preacher. A preacher who tells you to trust in yourself is a false preacher. Since Scripture clearly teaches that women cannot be pastors (1 Timothy 2:12; 1 Corinthians 14:34-35), a woman pastor is a clear indication of a false prophet.
The best way for you to recognize a false prophet is to know your Catechism. The Catechism teaches the fundamentals of the Bible: The Ten Commandments, the Apostles’ Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the explanations for Baptism, the Office of the Keys, and the Lord’s Supper. Our children learn the Catechism by heart before they receive Holy Communion. And armed with the Catechism on their heart, they are prepared to recognize a false prophet, because they know Jesus’ voice and will not listen to a stranger.
Do you know your Catechism? Why not? You have your whole life to pray it and meditate on it. Can’t you give five minutes per day to God’s Word? Are you prepared to distinguish between a false prophet who teaches manmade doctrines from a true teacher, who preaches from the Bible? Do you meditate on Scripture? Do you faithfully listen to His Word read and preached? God declares in Hosea 4, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” This is a rebuke for ignoring God’s Word. You do not recognize false preachers by instinct. It must be taught by God’s Word. So, Christians must continue to listen to and hear God’s Word.
The aim of all Scripture is to teach you the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that God sent His own Son to suffer and die for your sins, so that you may be saved by grace through faith in Him alone. False doctrine threatens this aim. The teaching that your sins do not matter and you can continue in them is an attack on the Gospel, because saving faith cannot abide with impenitent sin. The teaching that there are errors in the Bible is an attack on the Gospel, because it causes you to doubt whether anything is true in Scripture. The teaching that the Sacraments do not give the forgiveness of sins is an attack on the Gospel, because Christ Jesus instituted the Sacraments to give us His forgiveness and grace to be received through faith. Yet, the most brazen attack on the Gospel is often the most successful, when the Gospel is directly contradicted or entirely omitted, as it is in many churches.
And, so your ears must be searching to hear the pure Gospel, that Christ Jesus has purchased your salvation by His innocent sufferings and death and that He gives this salvation to you as a gift by the forgiveness of sins to be received through faith. If you do not hear this Gospel or hear that you are saved by your works, then you must flee.
Many will call out to Christ on the Last Day, but Jesus will answer that He never knew them, because they rejected His Gospel and followed lawless doctrines. Yet, those who mark and avoid false teachers and cling to Christ’s Gospel and all His teaching will enjoy calling God, “Father,” for all eternity. May God keep us steadfast in the narrow way. Amen.  
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Christ Gives His Church an Inexhaustible Supply of the Bread of Life

7/20/2024

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Trinity 7
Mark 8:1-9
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
July 14, 2024
 
Why did God cause the people of Israel to wander around in the wilderness for forty years, without the ability to plant crops, eating manna from heaven, which He provided each morning? God tells Israel why through Moses in Deuteronomy chapter 8, “And He humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” (vs. 3) Now, when someone tells you that man does not live by bread alone, it is easy to dismiss him, because you need bread to live. That is, you need to eat, you need a place to live, you have bills to pay. That’s bread. Yet, when you realize that the person telling you that you do not live by bread alone is the one who provides all your bread, who provides everything you need to live on, that should cause you to listen more closely.
This is what Jesus does in our text. Jesus is God. St. Paul tells us that it was Christ who fed and gave water to the people of Israel in the wilderness (1 Cor. 10:4). And in fact, Christ sustains the entire creation, which He Himself created with the Father and the Holy Spirit. When Jesus fed the 4,000 in the wilderness, He proved Himself to be the God who provides for the whole creation. He provides for you still today. Yet, He did not feed all these people simply to teach us to trust in Him for all our bodily needs. He fed these people to exhort us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, because He will certainly add the rest unto us (Matt. 6:33).
Jesus feeding the 4,000 in the wilderness teaches us how He provides living bread for His Church on earth. Living bread is not like the bread you consume, but then you die, like your food, money, clothing, and stuff. This is bread, that if you eat of it, you will never die, but live forever. This bread of life is the very flesh and blood of Christ, which He gave for the whole world on the cross.
The feeding of the 4,000, while similar, is different from the feeding of the 5,000 just a couple chapters earlier. The feeding of the 5,000 was a crowd of mostly Jews, while the 4,000 were mostly Gentiles. The 5,000 were fed with five loaves of bread, which represent the five books of Moses. Jesus is the prophet like Moses, who is greater than Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15-18; Hebrews 3:3). After feeding the 5,000, there were twelve baskets of bread left over. These twelve baskets represent the twelve tribes of Israel. Jesus is the promised Messiah of the Jewish people, the Son of David, who has come to redeem Israel and rescue Judah.
The feeding of the 4,000 teaches us that Christ is not only the Savior of the Jews, but of the whole world. Four is the number of the earth. 1,000 is the number of completeness. Feeding the 4,000 indicates that Christ will feed the entire world. Seven is a holy number. Three is the number of God, who is three persons in one Godhead. Four is the number of the earth. Three plus four is seven. Seven means God has joined His creation. So, that Jesus fed the 4,000 with seven loaves of bread indicates that Christ will redeem the entire world with His flesh, because Christ is the union of God and man, the number three joined to the number four. God joined His creation. Seven represents the incarnation. The seven loaves represent the Godman Christ’s body, which He offered up as living bread for the world. This is hinted at by the fact that the crowd was with Jesus for three days before He fed them, because Christ needed to suffer and die on the cross and rest in the tomb three days, before He could feed the world His lifegiving bread.
And despite there only being seven loaves, and a few fish, everyone in the crowd ate until they were satisfied. And we know that there was no one left who was still hungry, because they gathered seven large baskets full of leftover bread, that the people were too full to eat. Likewise, although Christ is only one man, His perfect obedience under the Law and His bitter sufferings and death on the cross is enough to make atonement for the sins of the whole world, because He is both God and man, three joined to four. And that is exactly what He has accomplished. Christ has redeemed the world with His blood. Christ has gained an inexhaustible supply of the Bread of Life, so that no matter how many feast on Him in faith, there will always be more Bread of Life to forgive, comfort, and save.
Christ has given this inexhaustible supply of the Bread of Life to His Church, so that sinners may receive it for their salvation. They started out with just seven loaves of bread, but after feeding 4,000 men, they had seven baskets of bread left over. And these weren’t small baskets, which fit one loaf each. These were massive baskets, big enough to fit a grown man in to lower him down from a wall (Acts 9:25), baskets big enough to fit fifty loaves of bread each. The point is, no matter how much bread Jesus gives out, there is always more to give! And He has given this inexhaustible supply to His Church on earth. Seven is a holy number. It represents God joining His creation. With the seven loaves, it represents the incarnation of Christ, God becoming man. With the seven baskets, it represents the Church of Christ, His very bride and body, which is joined to Him forever. St. Paul writes to the Ephesians in chapter 1, “And He (the Father) put all things under His (Christ’s) feet and gave Him as head over all things to the Church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” (vss. 22-23)
Christ gave the inexhaustible, that is, incapable-of-running-out supply of lifegiving bread to His Church. That is what these seven baskets represent. He did not give this supply only to the Office of the Ministry. He gave it to His whole Church. Yet, He charged His ministers to distribute this bread to His Christians, just as the disciples distributed the bread and fish to the 4,000. St. Paul describes ministers of the Word in this way, “This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” (1 Corinthians 4:1) Stewards are managers of that which is not their own. This is why Paul instructed the pastors of Ephesus, “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the Church of God, which He obtained with His own blood.” (Acts 20:28)
Christ instituted the Office of the Holy Ministry, not to set up a special class to rule over His Church, but so that He might feed us and assure that we get the bread of life. This bread of life is given and received by preaching and hearing the Gospel, by giving and eating the Sacrament. St. Paul proclaims, “For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the Gospel! … So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:13-15, 17) And Jesus declares to His ministers, “The one who hears you hears Me.” (Luke 10:16)
So, Christ has placed His ministers in His Church to feed His sheep. As the disciples distributed the bread, and as much as they distributed, there was even more leftover, so Jesus’ ministers proclaim the Gospel, declare absolution, baptize, and feed Christ’s Christians His body and blood, and as many as hear the Gospel, believe it, and receive the forgiveness of sins, there is always more leftover!
Finally, you need this bread of life. In 1 Kings chapter 19, an angel awakened the prophet Elijah to feed him heavenly food, saying, ““Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” (vs 7) Jesus likewise said that if the crowd went away hungry, they would faint on the way. Well, I’m telling you today that the journey is too great for you. This world is a desolate wilderness filled with wild beasts seeking to devour you, that is it is filled with Satan and his demons. They attack you with all forms of evil. They try to make you soft with comforts that pull you away from Christ. They know your sinful inclinations and where your weaknesses are. They attack you with doubts, lusts, hatred, murder, adultery, perversions, self-righteous hypocrisy, complacency and whatever else can wear you down and destroy your soul. And your flesh is no help. It wars against your spirit and desires what is evil. Your job, money, friends, house, entertainment, property, they’re no help. They’ll pass away just like yesterday’s dinner.
Only the bread of life, Christ Jesus, can strengthen you for this journey. Only the Gospel that assures you of the forgiveness of sins for Christ’s sake, which feeds you the very body and blood of Christ, which strengthens your faith, soothes your conscience, and gives you certainty of eternal life, can strengthen you for this journey.
Jesus looked at the crowd helpless and hungry in the wilderness, and He had compassion on them. Jesus has a compassionate heart and an almighty hand. And so, Christ looked at us with compassion. His heart broke for us when He saw that we were lost and doomed to sin, death, and hell. So, He came down and became our bread of life, and He provided lifegiving bread to His Church, so that all who come to hear and receive His Gospel, receive forgiveness and everlasting life.
You need this bread of life. Anyone or thing that tells you that you don’t is a liar. Anyone or thing that tells you that you can make this journey without it, that you can continue to miss church, avoid the Sacrament, plug your ears to Christ’s preaching, is from the devil and seeks your destruction. But your Lord Jesus says, ““Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live.” (Isaiah 55:1-3) The journey is too great for you. If you continue in the wilderness without eating the bread of life, you will faint on the way and perish. This feast cannot run out, but time can.
As long as we live on this earth, we will battle temptation, sin, sorrow, and death. Yet, Christ has given His Church the bread of life, which strengthens against temptation, forgives sins, comforts souls, and grants eternal life. So, come and eat. Amen. 

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The Eternal Immutable Will of God

7/9/2024

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 Trinity 4
Luke 6:36-42
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
June 23, 2024
 
The Law is the eternal immutable will of God. That means that the Law is what God has always and will always desire to be done. The Law cannot change and it cannot be abolished. The Law of God can be summarized simply as love. Love the Lord God with all your heart, soul, and mind. Love your neighbor as yourself. God desires all humanity to love perfectly and always. This will never change.
Yet, because of sin, the Law took on different uses. The first use is called the curb. It is designed to prevent sinners from committing gross sins, so that we may live in relative peace and justice on earth. St. Paul describes the curb of the Law in his first letter to St. Timothy, chapter 1, “Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine.” (vss. 8-10) The curb of the Law must be employed by governments and authorities everywhere to keep peace.
The second use of the law is the mirror. The mirror shows us our sin, convicts us of it, and condemns us for it. St. Paul writes in Romans 3, “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in God’s sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” The law as a mirror drives you to repentance by accusing you of the sin you have committed. This is the chief reason you should learn and meditate on the Ten Commandments, so that you repent and ask God for forgiveness for Christ’s sake.
The third use is called the guide, because it shows the Christian how to do what he wants to do. Unlike the curb and the mirror, which only threaten and accuse sinners, the guide is used only for Christians, because Christians, having been born again from above, desire to do what is right. The guide shows that the Law and the Gospel do not conflict. The reason why the Law condemns and the Gospel saves is because the Law depends on your works and you are a sinner, while the Gospel depends on Jesus’ work, which He accomplishes perfectly. The guide then comes in to show that God still desires us to do these works after He has saved us from our sins.
St. Paul writes in Romans 8, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (vss. 1-4) The Law, which curbs and exposes sin, Paul calls the law of sin and death. It cannot make you righteous, because of your sinful flesh. It depends on your works, which are sinful. The Gospel, Paul calls the law of the Spirit of life. It did what the law of sin and death could not do by sending Christ Jesus to take on our human flesh, live perfectly under the law for us, and then be condemned for our sins in His human flesh. By doing this, Christ made atonement for our sins, that is, He paid for our sins in our place. The Law of sin and death condemns, because it depends on your works. The law of the Spirit of life, which is the Gospel saves, because it depends on Christ’s work and is received through faith alone apart from your works.
Yet, having been freed from the punishment of your sins, you are not to return to those sins from which you were rescued! That is not why Jesus came to die for you! The Law of God, that is, His eternal, immutable will that you love forever, cannot change. God did not send His Son to die for you, so that you could forsake His eternal and immutable will to love. Rather, God sent His Son to die for you, so that you would fulfill His Law of love for all eternity! “By sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:3-4) God rescued you from your sins, so that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in you. This can only be done by Christians, in whom the Holy Spirit dwells, as St. Paul writes to the Philippians, “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13)
And what is this righteous requirement of the law, which ought to be fulfilled in us for God’s good pleasure? “Be merciful as your Father is merciful.” We know that Jesus means this as the third use of the law, that is, as the guide, because He says, “As your Father is merciful.” He is talking to Christians, who have received the mercy of God through faith. Yet, Christians while they are living in this life are still sinners. You have your newborn will after the image of Christ and you have your old Adam, still hanging around your neck, driving you to sin. St. Paul laments this in Romans 7, “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. … For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.” (vss. 15, 18) This is why St. Paul admonishes us in Galatians 5, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.”  (vss. 16-17)
Yet, our sinful flesh is so wicked and so proud, that we do not always know what to do. Sometimes, we cannot even distinguish between the Spirit and the flesh, so blind does our flesh make us! There are many, who think they are walking according to the Spirit and doing what is right by being unmerciful, judgmental, unforgiving, and cheap. So, Jesus tells us how to walk by the Spirit, so that our newborn selves may have a clear path to walk on. “Be merciful, as your Father is merciful.” To be merciful means to have compassion and sympathy for another. It means to want to do good to that person who does not deserve it. We learn what mercy is by how God has had mercy on us by sending His Son to save us from our sins. Jesus describes how we should be merciful with three actions: withhold judgment, forgive, and give.
Jesus’ command not to judge has been manipulated by the perverted world to mean that Jesus commanded us to tolerate every form of evil and call sins good and right. We must refute this lie, because many people, even from our own congregations, have been led astray by it. People, who were raised in the Lutheran Church, but who listen to the lies of the world, have given the excuse that Jesus said not to judge to support false doctrines, homosexuality, fornication, abortion, and the teaching that Jesus is not the only way to heaven. From the mouth of Christ, they claim their defense for the most wicked doctrines, and thus, fall away from the faith.
Yet, that is not what Christ means when He tells us not to judge. There is a time and place to judge. Jesus tells us to judge between right and wrong. In John 7, He says, “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” Jesus tells us to judge the fruit of teachers in order to recognize false teachers. He says in Matthew 7, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits.” (vs. 15-16) St. Paul tells us to judge ourselves, lest we eat of the Sacrament unworthily. He writes in 1 Corinthians 11, “But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged.” (vs. 31) So, Jesus does not give a blanket prohibition against judging. Rather, he tells us in order to be merciful, we should not pass judgment against our neighbor.
This is explained well in Luther’s explanation to the Eighth Commandment, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” He writes that we should “defend him, speak well of him, and explain everything in the kindest way.” Instead of jumping to conclusions and condemning your neighbor, depriving him of due process, assume the best of your neighbor’s actions. Do not accuse him of sin without evidence. And if you do see that your neighbor is clearly sinning, do not slander his name and condemn him, but try to help him. St. Paul writes, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:1-2) So, we see that we are supposed to judge between right and wrong. But what should we do with that judgment? Instead of condemning, we should seek to restore our fallen brother to repentance and faith in Christ.
We forgive, because we have been forgiven in Christ. St. Paul writes in Ephesians 4, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (vs. 32) God does not forgive you, because you forgive. God forgave you in Christ before you ever thought of Him. But, when you forgive others, you confess the forgiveness God has given you in Christ. There is no other forgiveness. The only way you can forgive the one who sins against you is by confessing Christ. But to refuse to forgive is to deny Christ.
Finally, Christians give. We acknowledge that everything we have in this life is a gift from God. And so, we give, knowing that he who gives to the poor lends to God with interest. We have a rich Father, so we cannot be poor, if we trust in Him as His children. Giving to those in need shows that we do not worship our possessions, but we worship God, who provides for us.
You cannot give what you do not have. A blind person cannot lead a blind person without falling into a ditch. Before you can lead your neighbor out of sin, you must first be led out of sin. Before you can forgive, you must first be forgiven by God. Before you can show mercy, you must first receive God’s mercy through faith in Christ. When Jesus guides us with these commands, He always leads us back to the Gospel. You do not earn your forgiveness or salvation by your works of mercy. As you know, your works of mercy are incomplete and you still sin, even after coming to faith in Christ. Only Christ’s mercy can save you. Yet, when you show mercy, you begin to practice what you will do perfectly in eternity according to God’s eternal immutable will.
You do not show mercy to save yourself. Christ alone has saved you. You show mercy to help your neighbor, whom God has given you to help. And you show mercy to confess Christ, who has shown mercy to us. Just as the faith in your heart causes your tongue to confess Christ Jesus as your Savior, so the faith in your heart causes your body to do works of mercy, which confess Jesus as your Savior. When you show mercy, you display that you have a rich treasure from God, which is overflowing; you show what type of measure will be measured back to you for Christ’s sake. Amen. 

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    Rev. James Preus

    Rev. Preus is the pastor of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ottumwa, IA. These are audio and text of the sermons he preaches at Trinity according to the Historical Lectionary. 
    You can listen to sermons in podcast format at 
    [email protected]. 

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