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

The Holy Spirit Grafts Us into The True Vine, So That We Bear Much Fruit

5/23/2021

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Picture
Christ The True Vine, Athens, 16c. Public Domain.
Pentecost/Confirmation Sunday 
John 15:5; John 14:23-33 
Pastor James Preus 

Trinity Lutheran Church 
May 23, 2021 
 
 
Joel Alexander Hallgren, your confirmation verse is found just a few verses after the end of our Gospel lesson, John 15:5, Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” I pray that you learn this verse well and live by it until you die and inherit eternal life. May we all recognize that Jesus is our one true vine. We are but branches that live off of him. Without Jesus, we cannot live. Without Jesus we can do nothing good. Your faith in Christ is not just one of many tidbits about yourself, like that you enjoy playing soccer and running the 200-meter dash. Your faith in Christ is your everything. Your faith in Christ is your life. Jesus says, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” Your faith in Christ is not an appendage to your life. God lives within you. You are joined to Christ as a branch is to a vine.  
This is most certainly true. Yet, how is it that we are joined to Christ as a branch is to a vine? Earlier in John chapter 15, Jesus tells us that the Father is the vinedresser. And Jesus tells us in our Gospel lesson that the Father sends to us the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ name, who teaches us all things. And this is indeed how God the Father, our vinedresser joins us to Christ, our vine. He sends to us the Holy Spirit.  
You are by nature a branch from a wild vine planted by the sin of our first father Adam, which produces bitter and sour grapes, that is, you are by nature a sinner, who cannot please God. When you were baptized, the Holy Spirit cut you off of that wild vine of Adam and grafted you into the true Vine, Jesus Christ. As long as you are joined to Jesus Christ, you will live. As a vine sends sap and nutrients into its branches, so Christ Jesus gives you his righteousness and life. Yet, just as when you cut a branch off of a stem, it shrivels up and dies unless it is grafted in again, so too would you dry out and die if you were cut off from Christ. Your leaves would wither. Your flowers and fruits would fall off. For apart from Christ, you can do nothing.  
Yet, how is it that the Holy Spirit grafts you into the vine of Christ? And how is it that you remain attached to this Vine and are not cut off? Jesus tells us. He tells the disciples that when the Holy Spirit comes, he will teach them all things and bring to their remembrance the things that he had said to them. And this indeed was fulfilled. On that first Pentecost after Jesus ascended into heaven, the Holy Spirit rushed upon the disciples and divided tongues of fire upon their heads and caused them to proclaim the mighty works of God in Christ Jesus in numerous languages, which they had not previously learned! And so, we also know that the Holy Spirit caused the apostles to write the New Testament, so that we know that the Bible is trustworthy and is indeed the Word of God. This means that the Holy Spirit speaks to us today. No, there are not tongues of fire on any of our heads. And I am preaching to you in the language I first learned as a child and which you all speak at home. Yet, the tongues of fire and the speaking in tongues were merely outward signs of the coming of the Holy Spirit. We still have the Holy Spirit with us today, working through the same Word of Christ, and igniting a flame in each of our hearts which burns through faith in Christ and produces love toward God and one another, as we will hear the children sing:  
O Sweetest Love, Your grace on us bestow;  
Set our hearts with sacred fire aglow 
That with hearts united we love each other,  
Ev’ry stranger, sister, and brother.  
Lord, have mercy! 
Through the proclamation of the Gospel, the Holy Spirit joins you to Christ Jesus by creating faith in your heart. And through the proclamation of the Gospel, Jesus gives you everything to survive. You live by faith in the forgiveness of sins, which Christ Jesus has won. Jesus has died to sin for you and is risen, never to die again. So, you having died to sin, being cut off from the wild and sinful stem of Adam now live forever attached to the imperishable vine of Christ.  
You are cut off from the vine of Christ when you cease to hear Christ’s words and receive his Sacrament. You receive your nourishment from Christ through faith. Faith receives the promise. The promise is in the words of the Gospel and the Sacrament of Christ’s body and blood, which offer free forgiveness of sins for Christ’s sake to all who believe it. But, if you stop hearing Christ’s word and if you stop receiving his Sacrament, then you cut yourself off from the Living Vine. In that case, your faith will dry out, your leaves will shrivel, your fruit will drop off prematurely, and you will die. You cannot have saving faith if you reject the Gospel of Christ. This is why you promise in your Confirmation vows that you intend to hear the Word of God and receive the Lord’s Supper faithfully. This is what Jesus means when he says, “Apart from me, you can do nothing.” To live without the Word of God and Christ’s Sacrament is to live apart from Christ, to be a severed vine that will dry up and be burned.  
This again is why the children will sing these words:  
To God the Holy Spirit let us pray 
For the true faith needed on our way 
That He may defend us when life is ending 
And from exile home we are wending.  
Lord, have mercy! 
The Holy Spirit keeps you in the true faith by proclaiming Christ to you, by feeding you his body and blood. You need this true faith not just today, not just at your confirmation, but throughout your entire life, especially when you exit this life to enter the one to come. And so, this should be our constant prayer, that the Holy Spirit would tend to us, so that we are always attached to the Vine of Life.  
Jesus says that whoever abides in him will bear much fruit, but that apart from him you can do nothing. To be grafted into Christ the Vine has a greater effect on you than when a branch is grafted into a regular stem. For when a branch is cut off from a tree and grafted into another tree, it continues to produce the fruit of its original tree. But the vine of Christ has such an effect on the branches grafted into him, that he actually changes the branch to be like him and changes the fruit to be good fruit like his. It is as St. Paul writes, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” So, you as a Christian, must consider the works you do as the works of Christ, which you perform through faith in Christ Jesus.  
Yet, this is a hard thing to believe. We look at the fruits produced by the Holy Spirit that first Pentecost and in the years following. Men speaking the mighty works of God in tongues they never learned. Men and women prophesying and old men dreaming dreams. The apostles laid their hands on the sick and healed them and were bitten by poisonous snakes and survived. Our works are not nearly so splendid. And many have had this thought before us, so they made up mighty works to prove they had the fruit of the Spirit, by fasting, saying long prayers, going on long pilgrimages, and what is common today, trying to speak in tongues and giving heart-wrenching testimonials to prove their fruits.  
Yet, you must stop looking at the fruit, that is, you must stop looking at your own works to determine whether you are attached to Christ. Rather, it is those who are joined to Christ who produce much fruit, not those who produce fruit who are then attached to Christ. It is Christ who works in you through faith. So, if it is Christ who works in you, then even your ordinary works are abundant fruit produced to the glory of God. So, when you obey your parents, do your homework and help clean-up around the house, you are bearing great fruit. When you say your prayers every day and go to church every Sunday; when you marry a Christian spouse, love your wife and support her, bring your children to be baptized, teach them to pray and bring them to church, when you do your job diligently and are honest, when you help your neighbor and humbly do what is right, these are abundant fruits of the Vine, which Christ has caused to be produced in you, his branch.  
Yet, this offends the world. They see these works and find nothing special about them. They despise Baptism and the word of God. And many of the other works you do, they claim to do them themselves, and even better. How can Christ say that without him you can do nothing? Aren’t there many people who do not believe in Christ, and who without Christ do many and more of these things than you do? This is why we must not focus on the outward work, but on the faith, which trusts in Christ. What Christ Jesus does is far better. All that we do of ourselves is for selfish gain and following after the lusts of the flesh. But what we do through faith in Christ is holy, honors God, and even, as it is when we bring our children to Baptism and to church, results in eternal life. This is because Christ is perfect. He forgives our sins and even sanctifies our works. Our boasting is never in ourselves, but in Christ.  
Having been grafted into Christ by the Holy Spirit through faith in the Gospel of Christ, we have peace with God. This peace is not the same peace as the peace given by the world. The peace of the world comes from obeying the world’s wicked commands. The peace of the world is slavery to sin. It is temporary comfort and shallow love. But the peace, which comes from Christ is reconciliation with God. It is to be forgiven. It is to know that even though your works are imperfect and riddled with sin, God is pleased with you on account of Christ. It is to know that you are joined to Christ Jesus so closely as a branch is to its vine, that you know that as long as Christ lives, so you too will live. As long as you are joined to Christ through faith, you will have this peace. Let us pray.  
Shine in our hearts, O Spirit, precious light;  
Teach us Jesus Christ to know aright 
That we may abide in the Lord who bought us,  
Till to our true home He has brought us.  
Lord, have mercy! Amen.  
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The Significance of Jesus’ Ascension

5/17/2021

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Picture
The Ascension, John Singleton Copley. 1775. Public Domain
Ascension Day (Observed) 
Acts 1:1-11; Mark 16:14-20 
Pastor James Preus 
May 16, 2013 
 
 
Last Thursday marked the fortieth day of Easter. St. Luke tells us that Jesus, after his death and resurrection, showed himself alive to his disciples for forty days before He was taken up into heaven. Yet, for most people Thursday passed by with little noted significance. But should the day of our Lord’s ascension to the right hand of God the Father be ignored by the faithful? Don’t we confess in the Apostles’ Creed every day, “He ascended into heaven…”? Let me give you four reasons why we should celebrate Jesus’ ascension into heaven not only on the fortieth day of Easter, but every day.  
First, Jesus’ ascension to the right hand of God the Father proves that Jesus is victorious over sin, death, and the power of the devil. When Jesus sat down at the right hand of God, he fulfilled what David prophesied in Psalm 110, “The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.’” Jesus is the Lord God. He is the eternal Son of God the Father, who from eternity has shared in his divine essence and majesty along with the Holy Spirit. Yet, for us men and for our salvation, he came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary. Not only did the Son of God take on our human flesh, but being born under the Law, he humbled himself to the point of death on the cross. In our place he fulfilled the law actively, that is, in our human flesh he perfectly loved the Lord God with all his heart, soul, and mind and loved his neighbor as himself. And in our place, Jesus also fulfilled the law passively, that is, in our human flesh he bore the punishment of all our sins on his body and soul.  
Our Savior Jesus was vindicated Easter morning when he rose from the dead. He proved that he was innocent of all sin, that he is truly God’s Son and the teacher of truth, and that he has washed away all our sins forever. Now, in his ascension, God the Father took him who was made for a little while lower than the angels and has crowned him with glory and honor (Psalm 8:5). It is as St. Paul says, “[the Father of glory] raised [Christ] from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he has put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him who fills all in all.” (Ephesians 1:20-23) 
What does this mean? It means that our Lord Jesus is victorious over our enemies and rules over all powers and authorities. Your sin is under Jesus’ feet. Satan, who attempts to lead you into sin and unbelief and accuse you before God is now crushed under Jesus’ heal. The Law, which condemns you is under Jesus’ feet along with death and hell. And all other powers and authorities are under his dominion. We have bad government on this earth. Our own government sanctions the killing of unborn children, the destruction of the family with bad laws that destroy marriage, and increasingly, the persecution of the church. History will repeat itself. Christians will suffer from governmental persecution. Yet, these governments too remain under Jesus’ feet. Jesus is in charge. All powers and authorities on earth will pass away. But Christ’s rule will never pass away.  
The second reason we should celebrate Jesus’ ascension to God’s right hand, is because it proves that he is always with us. This might sound contradictory. Jesus ascended into heaven. His disciples watched him go. How can he be with us? There is a lot of talk lately about flying rockets back to the moon and even astronauts landing on mars in the near future. Maybe that’ll happen. But I assure you, astronauts will never find Jesus in their adventures among the stars. Elon Musk can’t build a rocket to the right hand of God the Father. Yet, this does not mean that Jesus is far away from us. In fact, it is precisely because Jesus is at God the Father’s right hand that we know that he is with us in the Church today.  
It is exactly as God says in Isaiah chapter 57, “For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.” (vs. 15). Jesus dwells in the heaven of heavens. Yet, Jesus dwells also with us lowly creatures here on earth. How can this be? Because the right hand of God the Father is not a location far off in a distant galaxy. The right hand of God the Father is God’s right hand of power. Jesus is not limited by his position at the Father’s right hand. Rather, he is unlimited in his power. He is able to do far more than we can either ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). The term, right hand of God, does not refer to a local place, but rather to a position of power. Most people are right-handed. When a person is called someone’s right hand man, it means that that person accomplishes the work the other person sends him to do. Jesus does the work of God the Father. Jesus at the Father’s right hand is all powerful. We celebrate Jesus as the Father’s right-hand, because at the Father’s right hand Jesus is with us here on earth.  
This is indeed what Jesus promises us. He doesn’t simply tell his disciples to go out and preach the Gospel to the whole creation (Mark 16:15), but he also promises to be with them always even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). When Jesus’ ministers proclaim the Gospel, they are not only delivering words, but they are delivering Christ Jesus himself, as Jesus said, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” St. Mark even records that the Lord Jesus accompanied the disciples in their preaching and worked with them (Mark 16:20). And he works with us today as well. Jesus is with us today in this church. This is where he promises to be. We all were baptized by different pastors at different times and places, yet, it was the Lord Jesus who baptized all of us and clothed us with himself. At the altar, although we cannot comprehend how this can be, we eat the true body and drink the true blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, because Christ has ascended to the Father’s right hand. And so, we have Jesus bodily with us here today. Every time you have heard the absolution spoken to you by your pastor, it was spoken to you by Christ himself.  
All this is possible, because Jesus has ascended to the right hand of the Father. St. Paul writes in Ephesians 4, “He who descended is the one who also ascended above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.” And indeed, he has filled his Church. And he has raised us up with him and seated us with him even now in the heavenly places through his Word and Sacraments, a reality we will realize more clearly when our faith is turned into sight.  
The third reason we should celebrate Jesus’ ascension is because, as the angels told the disciples, Jesus will return in the same way he ascended (Acts 1:11). We all will see Jesus coming on the clouds of heaven. He will come to judge the living and the dead (2 Timothy 4:1). This is the natural result of Jesus ascending to the Father’s right hand, because Jesus has received all authority from his Father, so naturally, he has also received the authority to judge. And the world must be judged. And Jesus has warned us that he will come at a moment we do not expect. Now, this might sound like a strange thing to celebrate. Jesus’ judgment sounds terrifying. How awful are the words Jesus foretold that he will say to some, “I tell you, I never knew you.”? (Matthew 7:23) 
Yet, for us who trust in Jesus and believe that his death has taken away our sins and that through him we are reconciled to the Father, Jesus’ return to judgment is not a terrifying thought. Jesus promises, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgement, but has passed from death to life.” (John 5:24) Jesus does not come to judge us, but rather to bestow on us the crown of righteousness. Rather, Jesus says, “whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:16) Our sins cannot condemn us, because Jesus has taken them away. It is not, “Whoever has committed the greatest sins will be condemned,” but rather, ‘Whoever does not believe will be condemned.” This is because Jesus has already paid the price for our sins. The only way we can be condemned is if we reject Jesus. (Which many people do, because they refuse to listen to his word and repent of their sins). But for those who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus for salvation, Scripture says, “So Christ having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” (Hebrews 9:28) 
And this brings us to our fourth reason to celebrate Jesus’ ascension to the Father’s right hand, because Jesus will return to bring us to live with him. Through Jesus’ ascension, we too will ascend to live with Christ before the throne of God in righteousness and purity forever. St. Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with him in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.”  
As surely as Jesus has ascended to the right hand of God the Father, so surely will he return to bring us to be with him. This is a real salvation. Jesus Christ is true God and true man. He has a human body, which was nailed to a cross and laid dead in a tomb, which truly rose from the dead and dwells gloriously in heaven. And we will see that same body descend to meet us. And our bodies will be changed in the twinkling of an eye (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). We will dwell with Jesus in our bodies, which will be changed after the image of his imperishable and immortal body. What our eyes cannot yet behold, we will see with our own eyes. Jesus’ bodily ascension into heaven means that our end is not to be disembodied spirits floating around in the heavens, nor will be become angels. Jesus became a human being to redeem human beings, body, soul, and will. We will truly live bodily with Jesus in a physical new heavens and new earth, one that is not corrupted by sin, but which will last forever, world without end. Amen.  
When we celebrate Jesus’ ascension to the Father’s right hand, we celebrate Jesus’ victory over sin, death, and the devil; we celebrate that Jesus is with us today in his Church through the ministry of his Word and Sacraments; we celebrate that Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead; and we celebrate that we too will ascend to live with Jesus in imperishable bodies without sin, death, and suffering forever. These are things worth celebrating. Amen.  ​
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Praying in Jesus’ Name

5/10/2021

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Picture
Morning Prayer, Ebenezer Newman Downard (fl. 1849-1889), between 1860 and 1861. Public Domain.
Rogate Sunday 
John 16:23-33 
Pastor James Preus 
Trinity Lutheran Church 
May 9, 2021 
 
This Sunday is named Rogate from the Latin word for pray. In our Gospel lesson, Jesus teaches us how to pray, specifically, how to ask God for what we need. Jesus tells his disciples to pray directly to God the Father and that whatever they ask the Father in his name, he will give them. But what does it mean to ask the Father in Jesus’ name? It means to ask the Father according to your faith in Jesus Christ his Son. Jesus says, “The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech, but will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day, you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.” The disciples are able to pray to the Father in Jesus’ name after Jesus speaks plainly to them about the Father. Well, what does Jesus tell them plainly about the Father? He tells them that God the Father sent him into the world to bear the sins of the world on the cross. “That hour” is when Jesus is betrayed into the hands of sinful men, is flogged, beaten, mocked, spit upon, and lifted up on the cross to bear the punishment for our sins. This is not figurative language. This is plain speech. God sent Jesus to die for our sake.  
So, what does this tell us about the Father? Well, it tells us that he loves us. St. Paul articulates it well in the eight chapter of Romans, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things.” (Romans 8:31-32) Jesus tells his disciples plainly about the Father by speaking plainly about his crucifixion, death, and burial. Earlier on this same evening in which Jesus said these words, he said to his disciple Philip, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9) This is the case for a couple of reasons. First, the Father is in the Son and the Son is in the Father. They share the same divine essence. It is impossible to see the Son without the Father. Secondly, because Jesus does the will of his Father. He has come to die on the cross for our sins. Why? Because it was the Father’s will to crush him, having laid our iniquities upon him. When we see Jesus on the cross, we see our heavenly Father. Not that the Father suffered for us. He didn’t. Only the Son did. But on the cross, we see how much our heavenly Father loves us. He has done this out of love for us. So, we know he is willing to give us all things.  
Jesus said, “Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” This certainly is the case for most of us. We do not ask God as we ought. Either we take for granted that he gives us all that we need, so we forget to recognize that all good gifts come from God and to ask him for them with thanksgiving; or we are afraid to ask the Father for anything. We are embarrassed, because we sinned against him and have not lived as we ought. A guilty conscience delays our prayers until we can feel worthy enough to pray. Yet, Jesus does not tell us to become worthy to pray. Rather, he tells us plainly about the Father, that he loves us and prepared our salvation and forgiveness for us through Christ. To pray in Jesus’ name is to pray despite our guilt and shame, but rather on account of what God has done for us in Christ Jesus.  
Now that we know that to pray in Jesus’ name means to pray to God in faith, we now must know what we ought to pray for. Jesus says, “Whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give you.” So, what ought we pray for? Everything. Jesus promises that God will give us everything we ask for. Now, obviously this everything does not include evil. We cannot ask God to commit evil or allow us to do evil. To ask in Jesus’ name means to ask in faith, and our faith draws us to ask for those good things that God desires to give us. Yet, although God generously promises to give us everything we ask for, we still find it difficult to know what to ask from him. So, Jesus has taught us a simple prayer, which you all know by heart, by which we ask our heavenly Father for absolutely everything we need.  
Jesus teaches us to pray, “Our Father, who art in heaven.” We have the confidence to call God our Father, because Jesus, God’s Son, is our brother, who has joined himself to us through faith. Father’s love their children and gladly give them what they need. So, being invited by Christ to call God our Father should bring great joy and confidence that we will receive what we ask for.  
“Hallowed be Thy name.” With this petition we ask that God’s word would be taught to us in its truth and purity. We are asking that God’s word be preached to us. This makes sense, because it is after Jesus speaks to the disciples plainly about the Father that they are able to pray in Jesus’ name. Gospel preaching creates faith. You must have faith in order to pray in Jesus’ name. So, it makes sense that the first thing we ask for is that we would continue to hear plainly about the Father, that is, that we would hear pure Christian preaching, so that we continue to have confidence to pray to God the Father and to believe that he will give us all that we ask for.  
“Thy kingdom come.” With this petition, we ask that God would give us faith by his Holy Spirit, so that we can believe the preaching and live in Jesus’ kingdom here and now and also in eternity. We live in Christ’s kingdom in Jesus’ name, that is, through faith in Christ guided by the Holy Spirit we live in service to God and our neighbor. If we are to live in Christ’s kingdom in eternity, we must live in his kingdom now through faith. For this reason, Jesus teaches us to pray for God’s kingdom to come by giving us his Holy Spirit.  
“Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” With this petition we ask that God would hinder the evil wills of the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh, so that God’s good and gracious will can be done among us. With this prayer, we ask both for things we know and do not know. We know it is God’s will that we believe his holy word and live godly lives according to it. That is why he sent his Son to die for us and why he sent his Holy Spirit to create faith in our hearts and forgive our sins. Yet, we do not know what we must suffer on this earth, when and for how long. There is much that God simply does not reveal in his word. Yet, through faith in Christ, we believe that all things work out for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. So, we boldly pray not that our will be done, but that God’s will be done, with sure hope that it will lead to our salvation.  
“Give us this day our daily bread.” In this petition we ask for everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body. Rogate Sunday always falls around planting time. That makes a lot of sense. It takes a lot of faith to put seeds in the ground. And farmers ought to pray that God will cause their seeds to sprout and grow and bear a bountiful harvest. They know that this is beyond their control, but not beyond God’s. With this petition we ask for all that we think we need and for all the things that we need, but don’t know it yet. This teaches us to receive all that we have with thanksgiving.  
“Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Without forgiveness of sins, we are unworthy to pray. Yet, Jesus has won an inexhaustible source of forgiveness for us. Whenever we pray, we should ask for forgiveness, so that our prayers are not hindered by doubt or unbelief. This is the only petition we pray where we in turn make a promise. We promise to forgive others. This is a fruit of saving faith. You can only forgive others if you believe that you have been forgiven by your heavenly Father. So, as we pray to our heavenly Father in Jesus’ name in response to hearing the preaching of Jesus, so we also forgive in response to being forgiven.  
“Lead us not into temptation.” Temptation leads to sin, which leads to unbelief. We know that the devil and the world are against us, because they are against Christ. And we know too well that our own sinful flesh betrays us, which is why the devil tempts us according to our own sinful desires. For this reason, we should constantly pray to be led out of temptation. When we are overwhelmed with sinful lusts, we should run to God in prayer, listen to his word, and not stop praying until the hour of temptation passes. Satan tempts us in order to stifle our prayers, but Jesus tells us to pray all the more when tempted. God knows our weakness and will gladly send aid in such affliction.  
“Deliver us from evil.” With this petition we pray that God would grant us a Christian death. We certainly pray that God would defend us against all evils of body and soul, which may attack us in this life. Yet, there is no evil so great as to die in unbelief. We pray that we would never outlive our love for Christ, but that we will escape this world of sin in Jesus’ name.  
We close every prayer with the Hebrew word, “Amen,” which means, “Yes, yes, it shall be so.” This is because we pray in Jesus’ name and Jesus never lies. We are confident that our heavenly Father will give us what we pray for, because he loves us through Christ Jesus.  
Now that we know how we should pray: in Jesus’ name, that is, through faith in God’s love for us through Jesus; and we know what we should pray for; all things that we need for body and soul here and now as well as in eternity; now we must know when we should pray. Always. At all times. St. Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5, “Pray without ceasing.” This is the life of the Christian. We hear God’s Word in church, and we pray in response to it. We meditate on God’s Word at home, and we pray in accordance with it. This is why we often recite the Ten Commandments and the Apostles’ Creed before we pray the Lord’s Prayer. It is after Jesus has spoken plainly to us about the Father that we have confidence to pray to the Father in Jesus’ name. Sometimes our prayers are very formal, as they are in church or in the Lord’s Prayer. Sometimes our prayers are said at a certain time, such as before and after we eat and when we go to bed. And sometimes our prayers are informal, even inaudible, and said at any and every hour of the day. And at all these times our heavenly Father hears us and answers us in his good time. When you are tempted, when you have sinned, when you are in anguish, when you are joyful, in the morning and at night, in church and at home, when you are with your family and alone, pray. Make known your needs to God in Jesus’ name. Ask, seek, knock, and you will receive. Amen.  
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The Holy Spirit Sanctifies Us

5/3/2021

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Picture
http://cliparts.co/clipart/3809707
Cantate
John 16:5-15
 
Pastor James Preus 
Trinity Lutheran Church  
May 2, 2021 
 
“I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith. In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian Church He daily and richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers. On the Last Day He will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ. This is most certainly true.”  
These words are the explanation to the Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed in Luther’s Small Catechism, where we confess our faith in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God, just as the Father is God and the Son is God. The special work of the Holy Spirit is that he sanctifies. The Father creates. The Father created us through the Son and with the Holy Spirit and he still takes care of us. The Son redeems. The Son redeemed us with his precious blood and innocent suffering and death. The Father and the Holy Spirit did not suffer and die for us, but rather it was Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of the Father who was made man in the womb of the Virgin Mary, suffered and died for our sins, and was raised from the dead. The Father created us. The Son redeemed us. The Holy Spirit sanctifies us.  
To sanctify means to set apart for God’s special purpose, to be made God’s precious possession. The Holy Spirit sanctifies us by means of the Word of God. The Holy Spirit does not work apart from God’s Word. Yet, through the Word of God, the Holy Spirit sanctifies us by separating us from the sinful world and placing us into the Christian Church. Jesus’ disciples are sad, because he tells them that he is going away to the Father, but Jesus tells them that it is to their advantage that he go away, because if he does not go away, the Helper will not come to them. But if he goes away, he will send him to them. The Helper is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit can only come to do his work of sanctifying us if Jesus first departs to the Father. This is because Jesus goes to the Father by way of the cross, where he redeems us from all sin, death, and hell. If Jesus does not redeem us, then the Holy Spirit cannot sanctify us.  
The title Helper given to the Holy Spirit comes from the Greek word, Paraclete. Paraclete can also be translated as Comforter. The Holy Spirit comforts us by means of words, specifically, the Gospel that Jesus has redeemed us from sin and hell and has won for us salvation. The Holy Spirit works in the world, because it is those in the world, whom he seeks to sanctify. The ruler of this world is Satan. The world is full of sin and death. The world hates Christ and is in constant rebellion against God. So, the Holy Spirit comforts us by taking us out of the world and placing us into the Christian Church. By doing this, we are not of the world even while we are in the world. This gives us comfort even in the midst of sorrow.  
The Holy Spirit sanctifies us by preaching. By means of preaching the Word, the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, because they do not believe in Jesus. All inhabitants of the world are born in sin, inheriting the desire to sin from their first father, Adam. Yet, because Jesus has borne the sins of the whole world, unbelief has become the only unforgivable sin. Only through rejecting Christ Jesus are your sins still bound to you.  
The Holy Spirit convicts the world of righteousness, because Christ Jesus goes to the Father. Again, Jesus goes to the Father by means of the cross. The whole world is convicted of righteousness, because Jesus has borne the sins of the whole world and removed them from us. This means that the whole world is justified, that is, declared righteous and innocent of sin on account of Christ.  
Yet, this is confusing. How can the Holy Spirit convict the whole world of sin and of righteousness? Sin is the opposite of righteousness? The whole world is convicted of sin, because by nature all mankind is born under sin and in unbelief. The whole world is convicted of righteousness, because Christ Jesus has paid the debt of the whole world and has won righteousness for us. Those of the world who do not believe in Jesus do not have his righteousness counted in their favor, because this righteousness can only be received through faith. While those who do believe in Jesus do not have their sins counted against them, because Christ’s righteousness puts away their sin. It is as the Holy Spirit speaks through St. Paul in Romans chapter 5, “Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.” (vss. 18-19).  
So, it is clear that all are sinners and all are righteous. All are sinners by physical birth. All are righteous on account of Christ reconciling the world to the Father by his suffering, death, and resurrection. Yet, sin is not counted to those who believe, but only the righteousness of Christ. And the righteousness of Christ is not counted to those who disbelieve, but only their sins. So, the big difference is faith. This is why the Holy Spirit’s work of sanctifying is accomplished only through the Word. Faith comes by hearing and hearing from the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17). The Holy Spirit convicts us by convincing us by means of the Word, that God is at peace with us on account of Christ. Our first birth of the flesh makes us sinners. But the Holy Spirit gives us a second birth by means of the implanted word, which enables us to hold fast to Christ’s righteousness through faith. This second birth is accomplished by the Holy Spirit ordinarily in Baptism. And the Holy Spirit continues to daily and richly sanctify reborn Christians by means of the preaching of the Gospel and the Sacrament, which again is empowered by the Word of God.  
This is not self-righteousness. Self-righteousness is righteousness that you think you have by your own good works, as if you earned it yourself. This righteousness that the Holy Spirit convinces you of is the righteousness of Christ, which is given as a gift and received through faith alone. Again, it is as the Holy Spirit caused St. Paul to write, “For Christ’s sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.” (Philippians 3:8-9).  
This is why we call the Holy Spirit the Comforter. He does not come to lay upon us another Law, by which we attempt to become righteous before God, but fail; a law that only shows us our sin and guilt. No, the Holy Spirit is sent by Christ after he has won eternal redemption for us. The Holy Spirit comforts us by telling us that it has all already been done for us. We are redeemed. We are forgiven. We are righteous before God for Christ’s sake. When we believe this, we are also sanctified and separated from the sinful world and placed in Christ’s kingdom, the Holy Christian Church.  
Finally, the Holy Spirit convicts the world of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. The ruler of this world is Satan, who falsely judges and condemns us beyond his authority. He is the enemy of God and of the Christian Church. Satan has ruled this world ever since man’s fall into sin. The whole world is born under the influence of Satan until they are rescued by the Holy Spirit. The world of sin is judged along with its ruler. But those whom the Holy Spirit has sanctified, whom he has rescued from the world of sin and convicted of righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ the Redeemer, are not condemned with the world. Rather, they pass from judgment into eternal life (John 5:24).  
It is the exclusive right of the Holy Spirit to judge, because the Holy Spirit is God. Every judgment the Holy Spirit makes he receives from God the Father through Jesus Christ his Son. Yet, Jesus teaches his Christians not to judge. Christians are not to judge where they have no right to judge, but are rather to leave judgment up to God and to those whom God has delegated judgment, such as parents, the Church, and government. Christians are not to judge the motives of others, but are to put the best construction on everything. Rather than condemn others, Christians are called to forgive as God in Christ forgave them. Yet, this does not mean that Christians are to make no judgments whatsoever. Christians are called to judge between right and wrong, to confess the truth and refute error.  
One of the most absurd errors that the Satan has convinced so many people of believing is that when Jesus says that Christians are not to judge that Christians are not allowed to state what is right or wrong, to confess the truth, or to call sin, sin. I was once told that I was wrong to say that Jesus is the only way to heaven, because Jesus said not to judge. Well, how absurd would it be for Jesus to tell us it is wrong to confess what he teaches us about himself? No, Christians are called to confess what the Holy Spirit says about sin, about righteousness, and yes, about judgment. Christians should call sin, sin, and unbelief, unbelief. Christians should confess Jesus as the Redeemer of the world and the one who gives his righteousness to whomever believes in him. And Christians should confess that God will judge the living and the dead and that this judgment will be determined on the basis of whether people cling to sin and Satan or to Jesus and righteousness.  
The Holy Spirit convicting the world of sin and judgment is terrifying for the unbelieving world, because it sets it at enmity with God. Yet, the Holy Spirit remains our Comforter, because he sanctifies us by the Gospel, that is, he separates us from the sinful world and places us safely into the Church of Christ, where we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ through faith alone. Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but passes from death to life.” (John 5:24) We are not judged along with Satan. We are not found sinful along with the world, rather, having believed in the redemption of Christ preached to us by the Holy Spirit, we are declared righteous by God. The Holy Spirit tells us how it shall be for the righteous in Psalm 37, “The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble. The LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.” May this message from the Holy Spirit comfort us always. 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. 

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