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

The Chief Article of the Christian Faith: Justification by Grace through Faith alone

10/28/2019

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Picture
Martin Luther Preaching, Lucas Cranach, St. Marien zu Wittenberg, 1547, The Bridgeman Art Library, Public Domain
Romans 3:19-31 
October 27, 2019 
 
This Reformation Day on October 31st will mark the 502nd anniversary of Martin Luther posting his 95 Theses on the Castle Church door in Wittenberg, Germany. These 95 Theses would lead to many debates and further writings by Dr. Luther which would result in his excommunication from the Roman Catholic Church and his condemnation as an outlaw by Emperor Charles V. We celebrate Reformation Day on October 31st, because the posting of these 95 Theses is considered the beginning of the Lutheran Reformation, the event which formed the Lutheran Church and separated us from Rome.  
Yet, few of you Lutherans have read all 95 of these theses. And they are not included in our Lutheran Confessions. And yet, we celebrate a day, which resulted in our separation from the Roman Catholic Church. Why do we celebrate this? Why do we celebrate the Lutheran Reformation? What really was the Lutheran Reformation all about?  
During the Lutheran Reformation, Martin Luther and a few other theologians wrote against abuses of the Catholic Church while writing what they were convinced was the true teaching of the Bible. A number of these writings were collected to form the Book of Concord, also known as the Lutheran Confessions. Within the Book of Concord are some writings you are familiar with: the Large and Small Catechism, and the Augsburg Confession for example. In one of these writings, the Smalcald Articles, Martin Luther wrote in just a few lines what the Lutheran Reformation was really all about. He writes,  
“The first and chief article is this:  
Jesus Christ, our God and Lord, died for our sins and was raised again for our justification (Romans 4:24-25). He alone is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29), and God has laid upon Him the iniquities of us all (Isaiah 53:6). All have sinned and are justified freely, without their own works or merits, by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, in His blood (Romans 3:23-25). This is necessary to believe. This cannot be otherwise acquired or grasped by any work, law, or merit. Therefore, it is clear and certain that this faith alone justifies us. As St. Paul says: For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. (Romans 3:28) That He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:26) Nothing of this article can be yielded or surrendered, even though heaven and earth and everything else falls (Mark 13:31). For there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12) And with His stripes we healed. (Isaiah 53:5) Upon this article everything that we teach and practice depends, in opposition to the pope, the devil, and the whole world. Therefore, we must be certain and not doubt this doctrine. Otherwise, all is lost, and the pope, the devil, and all adversaries win the victory and the right over us.” (Smalcald Articles Part 1 Article 1).  

The Lutheran Reformation is about the teaching from the Bible that Jesus Christ died to save sinners and that sinners are justified by faith in Jesus Christ apart from works of the law. I emphasize this, so that you know that we are not celebrating 500 plus years of rebelling against the Catholic Church or religious liberty or finding our own traditions. We are celebrating the Lutheran Reformation, which confessed the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be the foundation of the Christian Church.  
In Galatians chapter 1 St. Paul writes, “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 1:8-9) It was in obedience to this word of God written by the Apostle Paul that the Lutheran Reformation took place. When Martin Luther wrote and preached against the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, he did not oppose the Church of God nor did he try to establish a new church with a new teaching. Rather, he sought to be faithful to the Gospel delivered to us through the Holy Scriptures. The Gospel of the holy Scriptures teaches us that sinners are saved through faith in Jesus Christ alone apart from their works. Even if an angel from heaven were to preach a different Gospel, we Christians are charged to reject that teaching and cling to the Gospel which saves. The Roman Catholic Church taught that people were saved not by faith alone, but also by their good works. This is the teaching Martin Luther opposed 
Even though the visible head of the church on earth, the pope himself taught a different gospel, even though bishops, emperors, and councils confessed this new gospel and had done so for hundreds of years, Luther held to the Gospel delivered in Scripture, the Gospel, which St. Paul taught, the Gospel that declares free forgiveness through faith in Jesus apart from works of the Law.  
And this is the Gospel we hold to today. This is what it means to be a Lutheran. We reject any teaching from men or angels, no matter how lofty they might be, and we cling to the teaching of holy Scripture. “We hold that one is justified by faith, apart from works of the law.” (Romans 3:28) 
To be justified means to be declared righteous by God. It means to be found innocent by God, to be forgiven of all your sins. Not only the Roman Church, but every religion invented by man teaches that you are justified by your own works. Even the non-religious, but spiritual types say things like, “As long as you are a good person, you’ll go to heaven.” But Scripture makes clear, that we cannot be justified before God by works of the law, because through the law comes knowledge of sin.  
The Law is good. It tells you what you need to do to be righteous. But Scripture clearly says that it is not the hearers of the Law who are righteous, but the doers of the Law who will be justified. (Romans 4:13) The Law tells you what is right, but it does not give you the ability to do what is right. Instead, it condemns you as a sinner. Sinners fall short of the glory of God. Everyone is a sinner. The Law doesn’t justify anyone. Rather, the Law imprisons and condemns everyone.  
This is why you must be justified by faith and not by works. Those who say that you can be saved by your own good works lie. It is impossible. We all fail. It is only through faith that you can be justified before God. Faith is not your work. Rather, through faith you receive the gift of salvation by grace. “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 to be a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.” This means that God declares you forgiven of all your sins for the sake of Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross. This forgiveness is received through faith, that is, when you believe that God receives you into favor and forgives your sins for Christ’s sake.  
Faith is not a special work you do to earn God’s favor. Faith is simply trusting in the promise God gives you in Jesus Christ. In this way, faith always points you to Jesus. The religion of works righteousness, which says that you must earn your salvation through your own good works sounds very pious and proper. Yet, it takes your eyes off Jesus and onto your own works. The religion of works righteousness makes Jesus optional. Yet, faith makes Jesus indispensable. When Scripture says that we are justified by faith apart from our works, it says that we are justified by Jesus. Our hope is in Jesus, in his death and resurrection that took away our sins! 
This Gospel of justification by faith apart from our works points us always to Jesus. In this way, the Lutheran Reformation is really all about Jesus and what he has done to save sinners. The Reformation was not about inventing a new Gospel, but uncovering the Gospel, even as you don’t put a lamp under a basket, but on a lampstand to illuminate the whole room! 
This Gospel of justification by faith apart from works determines how we teach every other part of Christian doctrine. We look at the Ten Commandments not as the way to heaven, but as God’s tool to show us our sins and need for a Savior. We don’t simply look at God as the creator of the universe, but as the one who sent his Son to die for us and give us eternal life. We see the Holy Spirit as the one who proclaims this saving Gospel to us and gives us the power to believe it. When we look at Baptism, we see how God justifies us by washing us in Jesus’ blood. We receive justification through faith when we eat and drink Christ’s true body and blood in the Sacrament. We believe that the Church is made up not of those, who are without sin and better than everyone else, but of those, who have washed their sinful robes and made them white in the blood of Christ.  
By keeping this teaching of justification central in the Lutheran Church, we keep Jesus central. This is Jesus’ Church.  
We are all sinners. We know this because the Bible says so. We know this because we know our own sins. Jesus says that whoever sins is a slave to sin. But, if the Son sets you free, you are free indeed. The word for free in the Greek is ελευθεροι (eleutheroi). Notice how it kind of sounds like Luther? Luther was known to play around sometimes with the spelling of his name and would even write it in Greek, so that his name would mean free. He rejoiced that Christ Jesus, God’s own Son set him free from sin, death, and the devil. When we call ourselves Lutherans, we are not claiming some German guy, who lived 500 years ago as our Savior. Rather, we are confessing the same faith as that poor sinner did. We confess that the Son has set us poor sinners free, not by works done by us, but through his own suffering and death. We receive this freedom from sin, this justification, through faith alone. Through this faith we receive Jesus. May nothing in heaven or earth or under the earth separate any of us from it. Amen.  
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Jesus Christ is David’s Son and David’s Lord

10/24/2019

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Picture
Hendrick van Balen, Holy Trinity, 1620s, St. James Church, Antwerp. Public Domain
Matthew 22:34-46 
Psalm 110 
October 20, 2019 
 
Psalm 110: A Psalm of David 
The LORD says to my Lord:  
“Sit at my right hand,  
until I make your enemies your footstool.” 
The LORD sends forth from Zion 
your mighty scepter.  
Rule in the midst of your enemies! 
Your people will offer themselves freely  
on the day of your power,  
in holy garments;  
from the womb of the morning,  
the dew of your youth will be yours.  
The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind,  
“You are a priest forever 
after the order of Melchizedek.” 
The Lord is at your right hand;  
he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.  
He will execute judgment among the nations,  
filling them with corpses;  
he will shatter chiefs 
over the wide earth.  
He will drink from the brook by the way;  
therefore he will lift up his head. 
 
After his resurrection from the dead our Lord Jesus opened his disciples’ minds to understand the Scriptures and he taught them that everything written about him in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled (Luke 24:44). The Psalms are about Jesus. When you read, listen to, or sing the Psalms, you should be listening for Jesus. In our Gospel lesson today, Jesus demonstrates to the Pharisees that Psalm 110 not only can be interpreted to be about him, but it must be interpreted to be about Jesus Christ, true God and man, otherwise it makes no sense.  
Jesus asks the Pharisees, whose son the Christ is. They respond, “The son of David.” This is a softball question. Any Jew who attended Sabbath worship somewhat regularly knew this answer. Psalm 132 states, “The LORD swore to David a sure oath from which he will not turn back: ‘One of the sons of your body I will set on your throne.’” And God promised David that this son would reign forever (2 Samuel 7:12-13; 1 Chronicles 17:11-12). Because of this sure promise from God, Jews believed that a descendent of David would be the Christ, that is, the anointed Savior of God’s people. This is why it is significant that the crowds called Jesus the “son of David” when he entered Jerusalem on a donkey. (Matthew 21:9, 15) They were calling Jesus the promised Christ.  
Yet, Jesus’ next question is not a softball. Rather, it can only be understood through the light of faith. Jesus asks, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,  
‘The Lord said to my Lord,  
Sit at my right hand,  
until I put your enemies under your feet’?  
If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” This is a difficult question. The Christ is David’s son, yet David calls the Christ Lord. David wouldn’t call his son Lord, would he? Well, he would if his son were the Lord God.  
David had many sons sit on his throne. Yet, none of them were the Christ. The greatest of David’s sons, who sat on his throne were Solomon, Hezekiah, and Josiah. These kings did right in the eyes of the Lord. Yet, Solomon was not the Christ. He was a sinner, who married foreign women and set up their false gods in Israel. As soon as he died, God divided the kingdom in two. Hezekiah was a great king, more righteous than Solomon, yet he was a sinner, who could not keep himself alive or prevent the disaster that would later befall Jerusalem. God said that Josiah was the best king, better than any before or after him. Yet, Josiah was killed by Pharoah Neco and buried in a tomb. Even though Josiah was so good, God still said that he would punish Judah for her sins. None of these kings were the Christ. They couldn’t save Israel, let alone you or me. And David certainly wouldn’t call them his Lord.  
Rather, David is speaking of Jesus Christ, who is true God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, born of house of David. David calls his son Lord, because his Son is God almighty, the Second Person in the Holy Trinity, through whom and by whom all things were made. When David wrote Psalm 110, he prophesied of Jesus Christ, true God and man.  
An ordinary man could not be the Christ. An ordinary man could not save us from our sins. The Christ needed to be God. He needed to be God in order to have power over Satan and our sins. He needed to be God in order for his death on the cross to be a sufficient price to pay for our sins. He needed to be God, so that he would have power over death and rise from the dead. Yet, the Christ needed to be a man as well. He needed to be a man in order for him to take our place under the law and fulfill the laws demands on us. He needed to be a man, so that he could die for our sins and pay our wages on our behalf. The Christ needed to be both God and man in order to save us from sin, death, and hell. The holy Scriptures prophesied that the Christ would be both God and man, David’s son, yet David’s Lord. Jesus is the Christ, God’s own Son in human flesh, the Son of David, who came to save us from our sins.  
Before this talk about who Christ is, Jesus answered a question from a lawyer about what the greatest commandment in the Law is. Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, which is the greatest commandment. And love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the Prophets.”  
Jesus teaches us that love is the fulfillment of the law (Romans 13:10) The purpose of every commandment, whether it is “You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet, etc.” is to love. This shows us how great God’s Law is. He commands us to love. This is the greatest good. You can find no fault in God’s commandments. They are perfect, holy, and good. To follow God’s commandments, to love God with all your being and to love your neighbor as yourself is the most wonderful thing you can do.  
Jesus shows us that God’s Law is wonderfully good. Yet, he also shows us that God’s Law is awesomely terrifying. Because, the Law does not simply command that you do outwardly good works. That’s not impossible to do for the most part. You can refrain from saying prayers to other gods. You could go to church every week and read your Bible every day. You can be respectful to your parents and not break any laws, refrain from murder, refrain from cheating on your spouse, and so forth. But Jesus shows us that the Law does not command simply outward works, but love. Love must begin in the heart. You must love God with all your heart, soul, and mind. You must not only openly worship him, but trust in him at all times and forsake all others in your heart. You must hold his word as your most precious treasure in your heart. You must not only refrain from doing bad things against your neighbor, but you must love him! Not only must you not cheat on your wife, but you must love her from your heart, desire her welfare before your own. The Law commands that you love your enemy, pray for him, and desire what’s best for him.  
When you recognize from Jesus’ words just what the Law demands, it is terrifying. This wonderful Law exposes even the sin hidden in your heart. This Law accuses you and condemns you. The Law says, you must die.  
Yet, Jesus is David’s Son and David’s Lord. He loved God with his whole being. He was obedient even to death on the cross. It is for that very reason that the Lord exalted him above every name and placed all his enemies under his feet. And Jesus died not only in love and obedience to God, but out of love for you. Jesus truly loved his neighbor as himself. Greater love has no man than to lay down his life for his friends. Jesus laid down his life for you.  
Jesus fulfilled the demands of the Law for us. All the law and the prophets depend on this fact. Jesus is love incarnate. The demands of the Law are met in Jesus, yet for our sake he bore the curse of the Law intended for us. The righteous one died for the unrighteous ones. This is why St. Paul called all his works of the law rubbish in order to gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of his own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith. (Philippians 3:8-10) 
God put all Jesus’ enemies under his feet. This speaks of Christ’s resurrection from the dead. The enemies Christ conquered were not the Philistines or the Ammonites or even the Babylonians. The enemies Christ conquered were sin, death, and the devil. Christ took our sins away by dying for them in our stead. He defeated Satan by taking away his ability to accuse us and drag us to hell. The last enemy he defeated was death, who could not hold him in the tomb. And through Jesus Christ we are victors over these enemies as well.  
Not even the Law, the good, holy, wonderful, and righteous Law can condemn us. “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus!” (Romans 8:1) The Law, which judges the very intentions of your heart and which threatens you with death and hell cannot condemn you!  Because Christ Jesus, David’s Son and Lord has fulfilled the Law and has been punished under the Law in your stead.  
David continues in his Psalm, “Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments.” Christ does for us through faith what the threats of the Law could never do. The Law tries to get you to love from the heart with threats. That doesn’t work. Jesus changes your heart by forgiving you your sins and giving you his Holy Spirit to change your heart. This is why St. Paul says, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” 
The Gospel does not coerce you. Rather, it changes you to have a willing heart. Christ’s people will offer themselves freely on the day of his power, because by the power of his resurrection we are forgiven. And by the power of his resurrection we too will rise! Christ himself clothes us in holy garments, covering our shame, so that we might love God and our neighbor without fear.  
Of course, we know that we do not always live this way. We’re Christians. We trust in Jesus for forgiveness. We believe that the Holy Spirit dwells in us to lead us to do what is right. Yet, we must lament with St. Paul, “I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing!” (Romans 7:19) Even as Christians, we still sin in weakness!  
Yet, this Psalm of David gives us comfort here too. “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.’” Jesus is our priest forever. Priests make intercession between God and the people by means of sacrifices, so that God does not punish the people for their sins. Now, if you are clever you might remember that the priests are from the tribe of Levi. Yet, Jesus is the Son of David, from the tribe of Judah. There is nothing in the Bible about priests coming from the tribe of Judah. Yet, Jesus is a priest not after the order of Levi. The Levitical priests offered sacrifices first for their own sins and then for the sins of the people, until they died. And they had to offer these sacrifices repeatedly. Yet, Jesus is a priest after the order of Melchizedek, the King of Righteousness. This is a better priesthood that goes on forever. Jesus offered the sacrifice of his own body and blood once and for all. And he stands as a priest making intercession for our sins forever.  
This means that when you sin, Christ stands their ready to make intercession for you to God the Father. Christ stands ready to forgive. In Psalm 110, King David prophesied that Christ would be both his son and our God. Christ is our King, who has conquered all our spiritual enemies. And Christ is our priest, who intercedes for us every day and will do so forever. We know who the Christ is. He is Jesus, who has freed us from the curse of the Law and gives us eternal life through faith. Amen.  
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God has compassion on us before we believe and in his mercy he gives us faith to receive his grace.

10/9/2019

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Picture
Jesus raises the son of the widow of Nain, "The Story Bible from Genesis to Revelation," 1873, Artist Unknown, Public Domain
Luke 7:11-17 
October 6, 2019 
 
The famed atheist Richard Dawkins made headlines this past week, because he admitted that Jesus likely did exist. Of course, he denies that Jesus performed any of the miracles attributed to him in the New Testament or that he rose from the dead. Yet, this really shouldn’t be surprising at all. Although many atheists confidently assert that Jesus never existed, those scholars who actually study the evidence overwhelmingly conclude that Jesus, the human being really did walk the earth in the region of Judea and Galilee around 2,000 years ago. And it’s not just Christian scholars, but agnostic, atheist, Jewish, and Muslim scholars by and large agree that Jesus of Nazareth is a real historical person.  
There is general agreement that Jesus lived, because of historical writings around that time, not just the New Testament, but a few secular sources also refer to Jesus as a real person. However, most do not believe that Jesus performed miracles, like raising the widow’s son from the dead, which we heard of in our Gospel lesson, or that Jesus himself rose from the dead. It is not that we have any less evidence for these miracles. They were written about by a number of eye-witnesses that corroborate each other. Yet, people don’t believe that these miracles happened, because, well, they’re miracles. Miracles just don’t happen.  
The widow who gave lodging to Elijah had no hope that her son would come back to life. She was familiar with death. She was a widow. She knew that once a person died, he was dead. She knew that her son was gone forever. Yet, when Elijah brought her son back to her alive and said, “See, your son lives.” The woman exclaimed, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth.” Seeing is believing. The woman couldn’t deny her own eyes. She saw that her son lived! 
Likewise, the widow from Nain had no hope that her son would rise from the dead. The crowd who followed her did not look for a way to bring him back, but they fully intended to lay his dead body in a tomb and leave it there to rot. Yet, when Jesus touched the bier and said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”, they saw the dead man sit up and they heard him speak. That is when they realized that Jesus was the Prophet God promised to Moses that he would raise up from among the people (Deuteronomy 18:18). That is when they knew that God had visited his people!  
The people believed in the impossible, because they saw it. Their skepticism died when the dead man rose. And this report spread throughout the whole of Judea. I’m sure when people heard this story, they were skeptical. Yet as more and more witnesses confessed that they saw the dead man rise too, and as they themselves saw the man, who, they knew, had died walking and talking, they became convinced of this miracle. Yet, today few believe in this miracle anymore. 
And this is the way it is with Jesus’ own resurrection from the dead. Few deny that Jesus was crucified under Pontius Pilate. The Romans themselves have records of it. Yet, most deny that Jesus rose from the dead. Why? Is there no evidence that Jesus rose from the dead? Of course, there is evidence. There is as much evidence that Jesus rose from the dead as that he lived and died. Four evangelists: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, who were eye witnesses wrote of Jesus’ death and resurrection. At least four other writers of the New Testament: Paul, Peter, James and Jude also witnessed the risen Christ. And these writers testify of many more witnesses including the women and the eleven Apostles. St. Paul tells us that over 500 people saw Jesus alive after his death at one time!  
In addition to the many witnesses, all the theories that would disprove Jesus’ resurrection from the dead simply don’t hold water. We know Jesus was crucified. And we know that the Jewish leaders and the Romans wanted people to believe that Jesus stayed dead. Yet, they couldn’t prove it. Why? Because Jesus’ body was gone! Where did Jesus’ body go? Are we to believe that Jesus’ cowardly disciples overpowered armed guards and stole Jesus’ corpse away? Are we to believe that the disciples quietly rolled a giant stone away from the tomb without waking the sleeping guards in order to steal Jesus’ body? And even if we were to believe that the disciples somehow were able to contrive such a hoax, why would they? What did they gain by confessing the resurrection of Christ? They lost their homes, their money, their friends and family. They were stoned, beaten, crucified, and beheaded on account of this claim. They went to their deaths confessing the resurrection of Christ. Not one of the witnesses faltered and admitted it to be a hoax.  
The evidence is overwhelming. Yet, people still don’t believe. Why? For one, with the passage of time, now nearly 2,000 years, it becomes easier and easier to question and doubt the evidence. Most won’t even consider it. They treat it like a sasquatch or UFO citing: I don’t know what, but there’s probably a perfectly reasonable explanation.  
Yet, even those who knew that Jesus rose from the dead, and knew that he raised the son of the widow at Nain, and knew that he raised Lazarus, and that he healed countless people, they still refused to believe. It’s not even that they disbelieved the miracles. They saw the miracles, and they disbelieved in Jesus anyway. And this teaches us something both about faith and unbelief.  
Our faith is rooted in historical facts. It’s important for you to realize this. The accounts of the New Testament do indeed hold up to historical scrutiny. Yet, faith is not simply the ability to discern historical evidence. Nor is faith simply having historical knowledge. Faith is a heartfelt trust in Christ Jesus. Faith is a supernatural gift from God.  
In our Epistle lesson we heard St. Paul pray, “that according to the riches of [the Father’s] glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” To have faith, God must strengthen your inner being, so that you may believe in Christ from the heart. This is a work of God, a gift. It does not come simply by knowing the facts.  
When it comes to receiving faith, you are not the widow, who believes only when she sees her son raised, nor are you the crowd that confesses Christ when they see the dead man rise. Nor are you even the residents of surrounding Judea, who heard the report of this miracle. Rather, you are the dead man himself, helplessly being carried to the grave.  
The dead man was being carried on a bier to the grave. And so, we in our natural state are dead in our sin. And the Law, which convicts us of our transgressions carries us to hell. And we will be carried to hell, unless Jesus stops the Law in its tracks and speaks to us. It is when Jesus speaks to us, that we are made spiritually alive, that we can rise and escape the grip of the Law, which condemns us to hell, and confess Christ with our mouths. Jesus said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” Jesus spoke personally to the young man. The Gospel is personal. In the Gospel, Jesus speaks to you.  
You don’t become a Christian, because you are convinced of the historical evidence, although the historical evidence can be helpful to battle the lies of this world, which deny our Savior Jesus and his victory over death. And unbelievers do not reject the Christian faith, because they are convinced by evidence that Jesus did not rise from the dead. Rather, faith comes when the message of Jesus Christ is applied directly to you. Why did Jesus die? Why does it matter that he rose from the dead? Jesus died for your sins. The guilt you feel, the reason you know you deserve to go to hell, all that is laid on Jesus. And he bore the divine punishment for your sins. When Jesus rose, he proved that all your sins are paid for, that God is fully satisfied and at peace with both Christ Jesus and you.  
The Gospel speaks to you. It is not good enough to simply believe the historical facts. You must believe that God himself is merciful to you, that he forgives your sins, and that he will give you eternal life for Christ’s sake. This is done when the Holy Spirit convinces you of God’s compassion in your inner being.  
The Gospel is for sinners, who know they are sinners. The Gospel is for those, who fear God’s wrath and punishment. The Gospel is for those, who fear not only physical death, but eternal death in hell. The Gospel is for those, who have heard God’s holy Law and believed it. This is why God proclaims the Law to us, to kill us, so that he may make us alive with the Gospel. Those who reject Christ and his Gospel do so, quite often, because they have rejected the truth of the Law, that they need a Savior to rescue them from their sins and give them eternal life.  
Faith in the Gospel can only come as a gift from the Holy Spirit. Jesus says, “Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed.” This means that we, who believe without having seen have been given a special gift from God. We have knowledge that surpasses understanding, which surpasses all historical evidence and inquiry. We have knowledge of the love of Christ, that he died and rose to forgive us and give us eternal life.  
Jesus saw the widow and had compassion. Who wouldn’t? It was a tragedy. She lost her husband and now she lost her only son. Her family was taken from her. Jesus shows us that our God is compassionate. He has mercy on the woman, and gives her son back to her alive. Is this not the reason Christ came to earth? Compassion! He came to earth to show mercy on us sinners, to rescue us in our misery.  
On Wednesday, evening tragedy struck St. Paul Lutheran Church in Fort Dodge, IA. Pastor Allen Henderson was murdered outside his church in an apparent robbery. His wife is now a widow. St. Paul Lutheran lost their head pastor. The police force lost its chaplain. Pastor Henderson spent his career preaching about God’s compassion. He regularly proclaimed Christ’s resurrection from the dead and assured his congregation that God would raise them from the dead as well. Now his preaching is put to the ultimate test. He preached that death was swallowed up in victory. Will that victory come for him? He preached God’s compassion. Will God hear the cries of his wife and his congregation? Yes, indeed. Allen Henderson will rise from the dead. God indeed looks upon his family and congregation in mercy. And he will comfort them with the Gospel that promises forgiveness of sins and life after death.  
All who mourn the death of Pastor Henderson need what St. Paul prays for in our Epistle lesson, that God the Father would grant them strength in their inner being through the Holy Spirit, so that Christ may dwell in their hearts through faith. This happens through the proclamation of the Gospel, that proclaims God’s compassion. Through faith in the Gospel, they will have knowledge not only of the facts of the past, that Christ did indeed rise from the dead, just as he rose the son of the widow at Nain. But through faith, they will have knowledge of the future, that they themselves will rise from the dead to eternal life, just as Pastor Henderson will.  
And so, will you. This is what Christ’s compassion for you leads you to believe. When Jesus died on the cross, he did so for you. When he speaks forgiveness of sins, he’s talking to you. And the day will come when he will call you by name and command you to rise from your grave. And just as you hear and believe his message to you today, so will you on that day. You will rise. Death will be a forgotten dream. The real, true, and ever compassionate Jesus says so. 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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