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

Trinity 15: God is God

9/25/2017

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Matthew 6:24-35

"No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one 
and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." Mammon is money and possessions. Jesus is telling us that we cannot serve both God and material wealth.  

God will not share your worship and adoration with any other god. God wants to be your one and only God. This means that you fear, love, and trust in him above all things. The largest false religion in the world, and this doesn't seem to change through the centuries, is the worship of material wealth. And this idol has followers in Muslim mosques, Jewish synagogues, and yes, Christian churches.  

A god is whatever you fear, love, and trust in most. God wants you to fear, love, and trust in him. Yet people tend to fear, love, and trust in material wealth over God. This is breaking the very First Commandment. If you fear, love, and trust in material wealth you will despise God, because you will not devote yourself to him.  
Jesus says, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on." Do you think Jesus is wrong? Most wouldn't want to admit that they think Jesus is wrong, but they disagree with our Lord nonetheless.  

Jesus tells us not to worry and that God will provide us with everything we need. "But I have to work or I won't be able to pay my bills!", is often the reply, as if Jesus is unaware of your need to work. Jesus is God. It was God, who first gave Adam the command to work the Garden of Eden and after the fall into sin God told Adam that he would work the ground by the sweat of his brow. God commanded through St. Paul in 2 Thessalonians three, "If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat." Jesus knows full well that you need to work. He understands the laws of economics. Jesus knows more than you do about these things. And he says, "Do not be anxious. Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and the rest will be added unto you."  

Yet these words don't satisfy us, do they? We argue with our Lord, or simply dismiss his words as overly religious sentimentality. They sound nice, but they don't actually pan out in the real world. Yes, we think we know better than Jesus. But God didn't command Adam to work, because otherwise he wouldn't be able to feed him. God fed the people of Israel with bread from heaven and quale from the wilderness. They didn't sow or reap for forty years in the wilderness, yet God did not let them go hungry. God commands us to work, because work is good and pleasing to him. And he blesses our work with good fruit: money, food, and possessions. Of course, God also provides for those who don't work, the flowers of the fields, and the birds of the air.  

Many also fool themselves into thinking that they can serve both God and mammon. Or they remain painfully oblivious to the fact that they are serving mammon instead of God. But we must first understand what it means to serve God and what it means to serve mammon.  

To serve God means first of all to put all trust in him and expect all good things from him. To serve God also means that you follow his commands. This means that you hear God's Word and believe it, that you pray, praise, and give thanks, that you love your neighbor, honor your parents and other authorities, take care of your children, and yes, work.  

Serving God doesn't involve spending every day in church constantly singing hymns and listening to sermons. Serving God means that you do the work God has commanded you to do in this life. That means that children should obey their parents, wash the dishes and take out the trash. Wives should submit to their husbands as to the Lord and see to it that their children are raised in the fear of the Lord. Husbands should love their wives and sacrifice themselves for them at all times being even willing to lay down their lives for them, to teach them God's word and see to it that their children learn God's word as well. This also means that when you are at work earning your money, so that you can pay your bills, feed your family, and save up for retirement, you are serving God.  

Well, if you can serve God even while gaining material wealth, then what does it mean to serve mammon? You serve mammon when you put off doing as God commands in order to obtain material wealth. God commands you to work and earn your money, so you can pay your bills and help those in need. God forbids you to trust in your own work, so that you neglect to do your more important duties.  

Working is good and pleasing to God, but if you work so much so that you aren't teaching your children about Jesus, so that you're neglecting prayer, or not coming to church to worship God and receive his word and forgiveness, then you are worshiping mammon. "But didn't God command that I work?", many will doubtlessly say. Yes, but God has given you other commands. If a father tells his son to mow the lawn, but the kid goes and works on homework all day, he has disobeyed his father's command. Sure, doing homework is good. But there are plenty of hours in the day to do homework. The boy should obey his father and then get to his school work.  

"But I must work to support my family!", others will say. It's amazing that in the richest country that has ever existed people have even less time to worship God and hear his word without falling into poverty. But what's more important is that this excuse shows a lack of trust in God. Do you think God will let you starve, because you took a couple hours to worship him?  

These words of Jesus to not be anxious should be words of comfort to you. God is God. He's in control. He's not going to let you starve. He's going to clothe you. Don't be anxious about tomorrow. Let God worry about tomorrow. This isn't being reckless. This is trusting in the Lord. God is God. How comforting that is. Aren't you glad that you aren't God? Or that money isn't God? You'd surely mess it all up. And money can only buy things that fail. But God is in control!  

God feeds the birds; he causes the grass to grow; even the little beetles and critters living under our feet that we don't even know are there, God is taking care of them. There are millions of things going on right now, completely out of your control from the revolution of the earth around the sun to the metabolism of each cell within your body to the nuclear warheads in North Korea, and if any one of them went wrong it would mean disaster for you. But don't worry, God has them all under control. And God hasn't forgotten about you or the few problems that you are aware that you have.  

"Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and the rest will be added unto you."  What does it mean to seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness? This seems like a daunting task, doesn't it? God's kingdom seems like an impossible place to reach, like the center of the earth or the outermost parts of the universe. And when we think of God's righteousness, we think of God's righteous Law: Love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind. Love your neighbor. Do not lust. Do not covet. Do not steal. And perhaps you recall God's threat from Scripture, "the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth." (Rom. 1:18) 
Perhaps this is why many don't seek God's kingdom or righteousness. It seems like such an impossible task. You're bound to fail. At least with material wealth you think you're in control. You can measure your success mathematically. But you do not find God's kingdom and righteousness by your own works. Then how does God's kingdom come to you? Your Small Catechism tells you, "God's kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by his grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity." 

God's kingdom is not some faraway place. Neither do you have to wait until you die to live in God's kingdom. God's kingdom is where our heavenly Father gives us his Holy Spirit. God gives his Holy Spirit through his Word and Sacraments. You were first brought into God's kingdom when you were baptized and the Holy Spirit came into your heart to give you faith in God's holy word. God's kingdom is not a physical location on earth. It can be anywhere, yet only where God's word is preached and heard. God's kingdom is here today, because here we have Jesus' word. Jesus said, "Wherever two or three are gathered in my name there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20) Jesus comes to us here in his very body and blood, which reveals to us the reality of heaven, Jesus has won your forgiveness and proclaims it to God the Father! To seek first the kingdom of God is to do no more than to find where God's Word is preached, to listen to it and believe it.  

God's righteousness would certainly be impossible for you to obtain by yourself. No matter how well you obey God's commands, no matter how faithfully you go to church and shun mammon, you will never be certain that you have obtained God's righteousness. But God's righteousness is not something for you to win for yourself. God's righteousness is given to you freely to be received by faith! St. Paul writes: 

 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it-- the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:21-26) 

You see God's righteousness on the cross where Jesus died for your sins and the sins of the whole world. There is where God's righteousness is won for all people. You receive God's righteousness through faith in Jesus. You receive God's righteousness at the Communion rale, where God justifies you through faith in Christ's body and blood. God's kingdom and righteousness are gifts from God to you.  

No matter how much money you make, you will never be satisfied. If you save up 100 grand, you'll want a million. If you get the car of your dreams you'll soon discover one you want even more. Yet Jesus says, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." (Matt. 5:6) Only God's righteousness can satisfy you. Mammon can't. And you can only receive God's righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ.  

The greatest way you can serve God, the only way you can make God your one and only God is through faith in Jesus Christ. This means that you hear Jesus' words and believe them. You find satisfaction in Christ's forgiveness, life, and salvation. Only Jesus can dethrone every one of your false idols. Only his blood can forgive your debt for serving the creation rather than the creator. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness is not like the demand material wealth makes on you, which demands that you labor until you die. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness means the same as when Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke 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) 

Repent of your worship of material wealth. God will forgive you for the sake of Jesus' suffering and death. He will give you peace and rest that the world cannot give you. And do not worry, God will take care of all your physical needs as well. Amen.  ​
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Trinity 14: The Faith that Saves

9/18/2017

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Luke 17:11-19 

"Rise, and go your way; your faith has 
saved you." Jesus tells the man cured of his leprosy that his faith saved him. This is fantastic news and a comfort that we Lutherans hold dear. We are saved by faith in Jesus Christ, not by our own works! (Eph. 2:8-9) This means that our works cannot condemn us! If our salvation depended on what we did and how well we did it, we would never have certainty that we are saved. "Have I done enough?", would haunt each one of our consciences until our last breath. But since we are saved by faith and not by works, our failings and our past sins cannot condemn us.  

Now, it is not because faith is some tremendously good work that it saves. Rather, faith saves, because it holds onto Jesus. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16) Whoever believes in Him, that is, in Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of the Father, who became man and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, who suffered and died for our sins, who rose for our justification, who ascended into heaven and currently sits at the right hand of God's power. If you believe in Him you will have eternal life; not if you believe in Allah, or yourself, or money, or the government, or power, or any other false god. Faith is only as good as what it holds onto. If your faith is in Jesus then your faith saves. If your faith is not in Jesus then your faith does not save no matter how strong it might be.  

"Your faith has saved you" is such a simple statement, yet it is so grossly misunderstood. Many treat faith in Christ as frivolously as knowing the score of a football game. "Who won the game last Sunday? The Packers? Hey, cool. Now I'll continue to live my life just as I would if they had lost." "What's that you say? Jesus died on the cross for my sins and if I believe in him I'll be saved? Hey great; thanks for the info. Now I'll continue to live my life just as I did before I had this 'faith.'" 

But the man healed in our text didn't continue on like that. Rather his faith compelled him to return to Jesus and give thanks. As soon as he saw that he had been cleansed the man ran to Jesus. This is what faith does. Faith isn't simply knowledge. Faith is trust. Faith wants to be with the one it has faith in. The man wanted to be with Jesus. The Psalmist expresses this faithful sentiment perfectly in our Introit from Psalm 84,  

How lovely is Your tabernacle, O | LORD of hosts!* 
     My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts | of the LORD; 
Blessed are those who dwell | in Your house;* 
     They will still be | praising You 
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house | of my God* 
     than dwell in the tents of | wickedness. 

The man praised and gave thanks to God at Jesus' feet. He recognized God in Jesus, so he went to Jesus to give thanks. He recognized where God promised to be. And so, it is with us, who have faith in Christ. We want to be with him, so that we can receive his forgiveness and blessing and so that we can thank him and sing his praises. That great Lutheran hymn describes it perfectly when it says that heaven itself would be void and bare if our Lord Jesus Christ were not there (LSB 708).  

So, we as Christians go to where God promises to be, where our Savior Jesus promises to be. "Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age", Jesus promises. Well, where is he? Jesus is where his word is taught. Where his Sacraments are given. Where you have God's promise of forgiveness, there you have Jesus. Where two or three are gathered in Christ's name, there you have our Lord. And that is where Christians gather, like that healed leper, to give thanks and praise.  

You'll notice that Lutheran pastors emphasize the wonderful benefits of coming to church to receive forgiveness from Christ. And we'll even criticize other forms of worship that focus almost exclusively on praising God and giving thanks. While it is true that God doesn't need your praise or thanksgiving and you need his forgiveness and word a lot more, your faith will compel you to sing praises to God. Faith wants to thank him who has given you all things. That is why our worship focuses both on us receiving God's grace and on us responding with thanks and praise.  

Faith is simple. And you don't need to understand the whole Bible to be saved. Yet, faith is never done learning. Isn't it amazing, that the Book that teaches salvation by faith alone still has a whole lot of instruction? King Solomon wrote in our Old Testament Lesson, "Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life. Do not enter the path of the wicked and do not walk in the way of evil." (Proverbs 4:12-14) 

These words of wisdom were written for Christians, those who trust in the God of Israel. These words were written for those who have saving faith. Well, if they have saving faith, why do they still need instruction? Because instruction produces more faith. It brings you closer to Jesus! It teaches you to fight against Satan and your own sinful flesh. Because saving faith does not stop at being saved, but continues to learn more and more out of love and trust in Christ.  

Faith saves you without your works and despite your sins. But this does not mean that you can continue in sin without repentance. St. Paul wrote by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, "Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." (Gal. 5:19-21) Now when Paul wrote this, did he then deny that you are saved by faith alone? Certainly not! But if you have faith in Christ then you have the Holy Spirit. The desires of the flesh are against the Spirit. This means that if you have saving faith you are constantly at war with your sinful desires.  

You will continue to struggle with sin. But you will struggle. One who does not struggle, but goes headlong into sin, without repenting cannot at the same time have saving faith. Saving faith constantly turns the sinner from his sin to Christ for needed forgiveness. When St. Paul writes, "Those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God," he means it. He is not saying that those who sin will not inherit the kingdom of God. He is saying those who devote themselves to these things without repenting do not have saving faith, so they cannot inherit the kingdom of God. This is why faith constantly drives you to Christ, because you will sin. You need Jesus every day. Jesus receives sinners, no matter their sin.  

The ten lepers cried for mercy. A couple weeks ago we learned about the tax collector, who in the temple prayed, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner." And we learned how the word he used for mercy was a special word: propitiate. The tax collector prayed that God would be propitiated to him, meaning that God would accept the sacrifice for his sins and not be angry with him. The word the ten lepers used for mercy is not the same word. It is a much more common word. It's the same word we use when we sing, "Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy, after the Introit. This word for mercy is much broader. It doesn't only mean, "Lord, forgive me." It means, "have pity on me."  

You can pray that God have mercy on you for an array of problems. "Lord, have mercy on me! I can't pay my bills." "Lord, have mercy on me! I have cancer." "Lord, have mercy on me! A hurricane is going to destroy my parent's home and they are trapped inside." "Lord, have mercy on me! My husband is leaving me. My child is sick. I have a drinking problem." And of course, "Lord, have mercy on me! I am a sinner."  

Saving faith cries, "Lord, have mercy on me!" But not only to ask for salvation. Saving faith asks God for all things. Often we might think that God will take care of our spiritual problems, but the "real world" problems, well, we need to figure those out for ourselves. But God wants you to ask him for all things. Great and small! God wants you to expect every good thing from him. He wants you to believe that just as he has provided you a Savior and eternal life, that he will also take care of you from day to day. This trust in the Lord is a fruit of saving faith.  

The man, who returned to give thanks to God was a foreigner. Worse, he was a Samaritan; a most hated foreigner. Yet, he had faith. Salvation comes by faith. It does not matter what nation you are from or what color your skin is. Jesus died for all people. God promised Abraham that through his offspring all families of the earth will be blessed. Everyone is blessed through faith.  

Faith saves, because it grasps onto Jesus. Is your faith strong? Well, of course it can always be stronger. But the better question is, is your faith in Jesus. Jesus can save you even if you have a weak faith. But your faith must be in Christ. You must trust in him alone for your salvation. Because only Jesus has the power to save. Only Jesus died for your sins and rose to give you new life. Is your faith in Jesus? Then your faith has saved you. Amen.  ​
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Trinity 13:Inheritance by Grace

9/11/2017

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Luke 10:21-37 

September 10, 2017
 
 
"Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?", asks the wise and understanding lawyer. And in his question, he claims to answer the greatest debate concerning Scripture: Does one inherit eternal life by works of the law or by grace through the promise? The lawyer presumes that one earns eternal life by works of the law.  
He of course is wrong. Scripture does not teach that a person inherits eternal life by his own works, but by grace according to the promise of Jesus Christ, the offspring of Abraham. This promise is to be received by faith. St. Paul told us in our Epistle lesson, "For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise." (Gal. 3:18) Scripture has always taught that this inheritance comes according to the promise. In fact, when Israel was about to enter the Promised Land God made sure to let them know that they were not receiving this inheritance because of their own righteousness, but for the sake of his promise to Abraham. "Do not say in your heart, after the LORD your God has thrust them out before you, 'It is because of my righteousness that the LORD has brought me in to possess this land,'" God says to his people in Deuteronomy 9, "Not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart are you going in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations the LORD your God is driving them out from before you, and that he may confirm the word that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob." (Deut. 9:4-5) 
Scripture makes clear that the inheritance of eternal life comes by promise, not by works of the law. But the wise lawyer is blind to this. As St. Paul writes in Romans chapter 10, "Being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness." (Rom. 10:3)  
The Lawyer isn't interested in the promise. He asks what he should do. Jesus asks him what is in the Law. The Lawyer answers this correctly: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind, and your neighbor as yourself. "Do this and you will live." Jesus says. Indeed, this is the same answer Moses gives. Do the commandments and live by them. St. Paul points out the problem here, "For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse, for it is written, 'Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them." (Gal. 3:10) 
So now the lawyer is caught. If he wants to inherit eternal life by works of the law, he must obey the law perfectly. So, he tries to justify himself by softening the law a bit. "Who is my neighbor?", he asks.  
Now why does he ask that? Well, he figures he's got the loving God thing down. Who doesn't love God? But his neighbor. Ooh. That's tough. Surely the law doesn't mean everybody! Perhaps if Jesus will just narrow it down to the few people he needs to love, then he can work on that and earn his inheritance. Of course, this mentality shows that he doesn't really love God. He just wants to do what he needs to do (no more) to earn eternal life. And by asking, "Who is my neighbor?", he is really asking, "Whom do I not need to love? Whom can I still hate? Can I still hate tax collectors, sinners, and Samaritans?" 
So, Jesus tells him a story; one we're all familiar with. A man going down from Jerusalem gets beat up, robbed, and left half dead. A priest and a Levite both come by, see him, and then walk on the other side of the road. Jesus picks the priest and Levite, because they are known to work in the temple serving God. That's what they do: serve God, literally, for a living. If anyone would love God with all his heart, soul, strength, and mind it should be this priest and Levite. But these men don't help the poor beat-up man! They show no love at all. St. John's words should be ringing in all your ears right now. "If anyone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen." (1 John 4:20)  
You love God by loving your neighbor. Who's your neighbor? Well, for whom did Jesus die? Did he not die for all people? Does God not desire that all be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth? You are to love everyone for whom Jesus shed his blood! That includes everyone who's done you wrong, cursed you, slandered your name behind your back, and done evil against you. Do onto others what you would have them do to you. Be more patient than they would expect. Be more willing to forgive than they are to repent. Be quicker to help than they are to ask.  
Now this does not mean that as long as you show compassion on your neighbor that you love God even if you ignore his word, and never pray to him or praise him. Rather, your service for your neighbor should reflect your praise and trust in God.  
One could argue that the priest and Levite didn't hate the man. They didn't beat him up or rob him. Many make the same defense with God. "I don't hate God. I just don't want to listen to anything he says or sing praises to him or receive Christ's body and blood or be gathered with God's people. I don't hate God." Well, yes, you do. If you refuse to hear God's word, you hate his word. If you do not show love toward God, you hate God. It's the same way with your neighbor. If you see someone lying on the side of the road beat up and naked, well, what would you want someone to do for you in such a situation? Just walk by and hope someone else helps? Pray to God that he will send someone upon this poor man's path, who will help, but not me!?  
The priest and the Levite were murderers. Sure, they didn't physically beat up the man, but neither did they help him in his physical need. Are you a murderer? Do you love your neighbor as yourself? Do you put yourself in others' shoes before you refuse to help them? Do you love God? Sure, you do. With all your heart, soul, strength, and mind? Hmm, well, perhaps that would be going too far to say. And so, you see the futility in trying to earn your inheritance by the law. If you want to earn eternal life by the law you must keep the law perfectly in all its parts.  
So, the law doesn't give life after all. Rather it proves to give you death. (Romans 7:10) It condemns you. "Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. But the Scriptures imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe." (Galatians 3:21-22) 
The law to love God and your neighbor does not contradict the Gospel. The law is good. You should certainly love God and serve your neighbor. There is no fault in God's law. But the law doesn't give you life. Rather, it imprisons you, catching you in your sin. The law destroys your delusion that you could earn your own inheritance and leaves you with no other choice than to repent of your sins and believe the promise. It's the promise spoken to Abraham that all nations, all families would be blessed through his offspring, Jesus Christ. He is the eternal Son of the Father. He is the promise fulfilled. He fulfills the law for you and he dies in your stead. His works become your works and your guilt becomes his guilt. It is a wondrous exchange that does not depend on the law, but on God's promise.  
The Samaritan helped the poor man. He poured wine and oil on his wounds to kill the germs and protect against infection. He carried the man on his own animal, so that he had to walk himself. He paid with his own money to give the man safe lodging. The Good Samaritan is Jesus. He is your neighbor. He did for you beyond what you would have him do for you. He did for you what you would be ashamed to ask him to do. He takes your guilt for failing to love God with all your heart, strength, soul, and mind. He takes your guilt for failing to love your neighbor as yourself. He takes your hatred for God and your neighbor and he bears God's righteous wrath for it on his own flesh and soul. Jesus pays your expenses.  
What must you do to inherit eternal life? Nothing. Jesus did it all for you. He became your brother by being incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary. He didn't need your help there. Jesus fulfilled God's law without your aid. And he died for you and reconciled you to God without your council. He did this according to God's promise so that God could give you a free inheritance. You do not receive this because of your own works. You receive this through faith in God's promise to you.  
If you understand Jesus as your Good Samaritan and that your inheritance is a gift, not to be won by your works, then you can go and do likewise. You can serve your neighbor without fear that you'll fail. You won't need to try to figure out who your neighbor is. Rather, you can show Jesus' love to whomever God presents to you: father, mother, son, daughter, employer, employee or stranger.  
What must you do to inherit eternal life? What a foolish question. Jesus has done it all. You are God's own child through Baptism and faith. You do not earn your inheritance. It is given to you by your loving Father. Amen.  
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Trinity 12: O Lord, Open My Lips And My Mouth Shall Declare Thy Praise

9/3/2017

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Mark 7:31-37 
 
There is a difference between hearing and listening and between listening and understanding. Likewise, there is a difference between talking and speaking wisely. It is one thing to hear God's Word and quite another thing to listen and understand it. Scripture speaks of those who have ears, but do not hear or understand (Jeremiah 5:21; Is. 6:9; 42:18-20; Matt. 13:13) When I first received my call to serve Trinity Lutheran Church in Ottumwa, a healthy fear came over me because of the great task of preaching God's holy word, which had been entrusted to me. I prayed that I would preach God's word faithfully and truthfully. I also prayed for the people of Trinity Lutheran, that you would be given ears to hear. Ears to hear; that means that you would not only hear the sound coming out of my mouth, but that God would grant you faith to understand and believe those words for the sake of Jesus Christ.  

Ears to hear are not natural. You aren't born with the ability to comprehend God's Word and come to faith. Rather, we are spiritually like the deaf man in our Gospel lesson. And unless God opens your ears to hear his holy word, you will remain incapable of making anything out of the Gospel. Jesus says to his disciples in Matthew chapter 13, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven." It is by grace that you are able to believe the Gospel preached to you. Unless God gives you ears to hear, you will find the crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Jesus as pure folly, even if you can hear the words clearly.  

Before you can learn to speak, you need to listen. My grandmother was deaf. And although I don't think there was anything wrong with her tongue, she could only say a few words, and none of them clearly. She was a smart woman, but she didn't know how to talk, at least not with her mouth; she used her hands. Likewise, if you do not have ears to hear, you will not learn how to speak God's language. If you do not listen to and believe God's word, you will not know how to speak God's Word.  

And do not be mistaken. It is very important that you speak God's Word. St. Paul writes in Romans chapter 10, "For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved." And our Lord Jesus says in Matthew chapter 12, "I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." And again, our Lord says, "So everyone who confesses me before men, I also will confess before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven." (Matt. 10:32-33)  

And because it so important that we speak God's Word and confess Jesus in this life we pray Psalm 51:15 to open every Wednesday night Vespers Service, "O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise." Indeed, the Lord must open our lips. How does he do this? First by opening our ears.  

Well, how does God open our ears to hear and believe the Gospel? This is very interesting. You don't have the power to believe the Gospel. So, what does God use to give you the ability to believe the Gospel? He uses the Gospel! The Gospel is the power of God to salvation. God uses his holy and powerful word to open closed ears and loosen bound tongues.  

Many people think that you need to look at yourself to understand God. Perhaps go off into the woods, experience nature, or lock yourself in a room with just you and your thoughts. But this is not the way you learn to listen to God nor is it the way you learn to speak God's language. Jesus says, "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matt. 12:34) And what comes out of the heart? "Evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander." (Matt. 15:19) How can such things teach you to confess Jesus and speak God's word?  

Jesus said, "Ephphatha" and the man's ears were opened and he spoke plainly. And so, God must speak to us, so that we can believe and confess and be saved. We must never doubt the power of God's word. The Gospel spoken at the bedside of a dying Christian does not fall on deaf ears, even if the person has lost consciousness. God's word is supernatural and all powerful.  

Likewise, we should not doubt the work of the Sacraments. So many scoff at the idea that Baptism can make a child a Christian, forgive sins, and give everlasting life. They think they are doubting the power of ordinary water, but they are denying the extraordinary power of Jesus' word. "I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" are not the words of an ordinary man, but the words of Christ himself. Christ's words have the power to make the deaf hear, the mute speak, even to raise the dead. And they certainly have the power to forgive your sins and give you new life. When the pastor says, "I baptize you etc.," Jesus is saying "Ephphatha" to your spiritually deaf ears and giving you the ability to hold onto his word in faith.  

The water does not make Jesus' words weak. Rather God puts power in the water. Jesus could have simply said a word and the man would have heard and spoke. But instead Jesus touches his ears, communicating to the man that he is going to do something to his ears. He spat and touched his tongue, telling the man that he would loosen his tongue. Out of love Jesus communicates in sign language to the poor man. And so, our Lord uses water to communicate to us what the Holy Spirit is doing through his word; he is washing us clean from our sins.  

Do not be disturbed by the lowliness of water, bread and wine nor be scandalized by the weakness of the man speaking God's words of forgiveness. God's Word is powerful. And when added to such base things and simple men, it does not become weak, but makes them strong. And this should be of great comfort to you. "O Lord, open my lips!" Will he? He certainly will! When? Where? See the font? See the pulpit? See the altar with the bread and wine? There! You can identify the workings of God. He opens ears and loosens tongues where his word is taught in its truth and purity and where his sacraments are rightly administered. Oh, that I had a thousand voices. God produces something much more beautiful from your mouth through your faith, which trusts in the Lamb of God who takes away your sins.  

You can't have faith for someone else. That really hurts sometimes, because you want to. How I wish I could just cause those to have faith, who are straying from Christ, ignoring God's word week after week. And Christian parents certainly feel this pang. They want their children to speak the language of God, to confess and be saved. They can't believe in Jesus for their children, but they can bring them to where Jesus opens ears and loosens tongues. The poor deaf and mute man in our lesson was brought to Jesus by others, who believed Jesus could heal him. So, you bring your children to the font, so that Jesus can say, "Ephphatha" to them and give them ears to hear. Bring your children to church so that the powerful Gospel can work on them. And at home, God's word is not weak coming out of your mouth. Have devotions with your children, sing hymns, pray with them, confess Christ to them and listen to them confess Christ to you. This is how you keep those ears open and that tongue loose.  

Jesus looked up to heaven and sighed. It took something out of Jesus to restore his broken creature. And the words Jesus speaks to you, in your Baptism, in the Lord's Supper, yes, every time forgiveness is proclaimed to you, these words also come with a groaning sigh. That sigh came when Jesus breathed his last, having suffered all for your sins. The words Jesus speaks to you are not only powerful, they are priceless. These words were earned with the blood, sweat, and groanings of our dear Lord on the cross. And for that they are all the more precious. And for that they are all the more securing.  

We can never tire of hearing these words. They keep our ears open to hear, to listen and trust in the love of our God. These words give us tongues to proclaim God's name. And we will never tire of confessing Christ. Because even after we've sung our final Nunc Dimittis we will continue to praise Christ's holy name with the angels and saints in glory forever. Let us pray.  
O Lord, open my lips. And my mouth will proclaim Thy praise. 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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