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Trinity 20: God Calls and Chooses by Grace

10/15/2018

Matthew 22:1-14
October 14, 2018

In this Parable Jesus gives an historical commentary of the nation of Israel, revealing that the kingdom of heaven is not far off but here and now. God sent numerous prophets to his chosen people of Israel. But for the most part they rejected the prophets. Not even against Moses, the greatest of the Old Testament prophets, were they afraid to speak against him. And many they threatened and imprisoned and beat and killed. They were not afraid of the prophets, because they didn’t come to them with swords or clubs or chariots. They came armed only with words. And the people despised their words. It didn’t matter which words they spoke, Law or Gospel, the people despised them. If God’s prophets threatened punishment for their idolatry, the people gladly listened to false prophets, who told them what they wanted to hear. When God’s prophets promised that God would rescue them, God’s people sold themselves to foreign nations and trusted in their armies rather than the hosts of heaven.
And so, as Jesus tells us in the parable, God the King sent his soldiers to punish the murderers of his prophets and those who refused to listen to the invitation to the wedding banquet. They did not fear the prophets armed with words, so God sent them men to fear, armed with swords and spears. Time and again God permitted Israel’s enemies to rout them. Yet, even in the New Testament Israel continued to reject God’s apostles, until in 70 AD Roman forces surrounded Jerusalem and burned their city. And having found those invited by the prophets and apostles unworthy, God sent his apostles and preachers into the roads and gather all whom they found, both good and bad, preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all nations, languages, and skin colors.
God predicted that this would happen as we heard God speak to the Christ in our Old Testament lesson, “Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know, and a nation that did not know you shall run to you.” (Isaiah 55:5) This is a marvelous thing God has done, that through the disobedience of his people he has brought many more people into his kingdom. Yet, we Gentiles must not be arrogant. If the natural branches could be lopped off by their disobedience to the word, the disobedience of us wild branches, who have been grafted in can certainly cause us too to be removed from Christ. And indeed, this is the case. The Gentiles are not more faithful than the Jews. People continue to reject and despise the servants of God, who proclaim that the feast is now ready. While most simply ignore the preaching of God’s word and occupy themselves, one to his farm, and another to his business, others become hostile to God’s word and to those who preach it.
People don’t ignore those, whom they perceive speak with power. You wouldn’t dare ignore a police officer, if he speaks to you, or ignore a notice from the IRS or a call from your boss. These are perceived to have power in this world. They have guns and authority over your money. But those who speak God’s word are often ignored. Few are afraid to dismiss their message or even to speak against it. This is because the word of God itself is despised. Jesus says, “He who rejects you rejects me and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.” (Luke 10:16) People fear swords and clubs, guns and human authority, but God’s authority is despised. And for this, God threatens the same punishment that he did against those of Israel, who did not believe. Not only pestilence and war, but condemnation and the removal of his word and Spirit from them.
This is truly a tragic thing, because the Word of God is such a pleasant thing. It’s an invitation to a banquet that no money can buy. Jesus says, “Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.” Yet, they reply, “I don’t need your rest. I want to labor under my own load.” And that’s what people do. Even here in the Land of the Free, most people slave away, serving that which perishes until they return to the ground.
Yes, it’s true that God’s word is often harsh. He convicts us of our sins, showing us where we’ve failed, hurt our neighbors and neglected our God. He tells us things that make us uncomfortable about ourselves, makes us face problems we’d rather not deal with and to take a hard, narrow road, which loses us friends and family. Yet, God is always slow to anger and quick to forgive. He does not always chide, nor does his anger remain, but he disciplines us as a loving father and forgives us more richly than we could possibly imagine. Our rejection of God’s word, because we find it too harsh or condescending or out of touch is like the rebellion of a teenager, who rejects his father’s wise words, so that he can embrace the lies of scoundrels and thugs.
We learn in the Third Commandment that we should “fear and love God, so that we do not despise God’s preaching and word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.” There is no sin so devastating as the despising of God’s word. Murder, adultery and fornication, theft, and drunkenness are all dangerous sins that will lead you away from God and salvation. But none of these compares to despising and rejecting God’s word, because, it is only through God’s word that you can have any relationship with God. God will not speak to you in your dreams or come to you as you work in your garden or as you meditate on your own thoughts or any other new-age, recycled spiritualistic fad. God desires only to come to you through his word. That is how you know what he desires from you. And that is how you know what God promises you. Apart from God’s word you cannot know that God is merciful, you cannot know Christ and his forgiveness, and you cannot receive the Holy Spirit, who comforts sinners in their distress.
When we think of the kingdom of heaven, we often think of the end of the world. It is a far-off thing. You have plenty of time to accept God’s invitation to his banquet. But you don’t. The kingdom of heaven is here and now. The Prophet says, “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near.” You do not know how many chances you will get to accept the Lord’s invitation. The soul of the rich fool is demanded of him as he sleeps and the Son of Man will return as a thief in the night. What you do know is that you are being invited now. The invitation is the Gospel that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. You accept this invitation by believing and trusting in the Christ Jesus.
The king does not tell his messengers that the dinner will be ready 70 years from now or 50 or 20. He says, “Everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast!” God invites you to feast now, today. Jesus says, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” and “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” (John 6:35, 51) God does not invite you to a future wedding feast, but a present one for you to enjoy now in faith.
If you do not feast on Christ today in faith, you will not feast with him in eternity. But what a wonderful feast Christ has prepared for us today. Christ feeds us with words that well up into eternal life in us. Although, we sin daily and deserve nothing but punishment, God forgives us for the sake of the precious suffering and death that Christ endured on his body and soul. All your sins are washed away and as certainly as Christ is risen from the dead, God has promised you eternal life. Christ promises to be with his people when they gather around his word. The almighty God and Savior of our race is with us now, here at this very moment! By the miraculous power of Jesus’ body and blood we are joined in a unity that no family, husband, or wife can enjoy as we join with each other in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord. Here, we get a foretaste of the feast to come. Dining here with our ears and mouths we have confidence that our seat is saved for us in heaven.
It troubles many that the king casts out the man not wearing the wedding garment into the outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Yet, there is an important reason why Jesus includes it in his parable. Jesus notes that the servants gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. This means that in Christ’s Church on earth there are mixed both true believers and hypocrites. This means that the church is invisible, because we cannot see into people’s hearts. Only God can. And just because you go through the motions or are a member of a Lutheran Church, does not mean that you will be saved.
So, what does it mean that the man was not wearing the wedding garment? It means that he relied on his own efforts and righteousness instead of in God’s free grace. The king invited everyone to his banquet for free. He wasn’t selling anything. Isaiah writes, “Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” Yet, many still try to enter God’s banquet hall on their own merits. They think they will go to heaven, because they are basically good, or at least better than others. But that is not the way that it works. You enter God’s wedding banquet only by the merits of Jesus, his death and resurrection. You cannot by your own reason or strength enter God’s hall.
This is a strict warning to those, who rely on themselves and refuse to listen to God’s word and instead rely on their own wisdom. But for us, who fear our sins and regret them, this is wonderful news. Your sins will not prevent you from sitting at God’s table! God invites you by grace! He’s not selling you anything. He’s giving you a gift! God has prepared his dinner. He has sent his Son to take on our human flesh, to be sacrificed for us on the cross. Christ Jesus is prepared for us to be our Savior. You are invited only to come and eat. Feast on Jesus today in faith and be certain that you will be joined to him in eternity. Through the message of the Gospel and in Baptism, God himself clothes you with the wedding robe, as Isaiah proclaims in chapter 61, “For God has clothed me with the garment of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness.” Through faith in Christ Jesus and in him alone do you have confidence that you will sit at the Lord’s table in heaven and will never be cast out. Amen.

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Trinity 17 God Exalts the Humble by Grace through Faith

9/24/2018

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Luke 14:1-11
September 23, 2018

“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” These words are repeated in one form or another several times throughout the holy Scriptures, including from our Lord’s mouth a number of times. The mother of our Lord, the Virgin Mary herself spoke such words in her Magnificat, when she rejoiced for the child in her womb, saying, “He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate.” And in her song, Mary expresses nothing more than what is consistently repeated in Scripture. Psalm 113 articulates it well, “He raises up the poor out of the dust and lifts the needy out of the dunghill; that he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.” (vss. 7-8)
And what Jesus is teaching with this statement is nothing short of the hope that all we Christians cling to: we are saved by grace apart from our works. He who exalts himself will be humbled. Who will humble him? God will. God casts down the mighty from their thrones and humbles the proud. He who humbles himself will be exalted. Again, who will exalt him? God will. God exalts the humble, that is, those who claim the lowest place at the banquet. God exalts those, who claim nothing from their works, but rely purely on God’s grace.
Exalting yourself before God is a foolish thing to do. While you might be able to convince others that you are great or even convince yourself that you are righteous, God cannot be fooled. He searches the innermost heart of man. He who searches the mind of God and knows his inner thoughts certainly can search you and find any blemish there is to find. And we all know there is plenty for the Lord to find wrong with each of us.
So, it is foolish to exalt yourself, yet that does not mean that people don’t try. In fact, it’s quite difficult not to exalt yourself. Humbling yourself is much more challenging. Because, to humble yourself you must rely solely on God to elevate you to a proper place. Fear creeps in, “What if God doesn’t exalt me? Will I be stuck at this miserably low spot?” And that is why people try to exalt themselves. They trust in themselves that they can get a better spot at God’s banquet. And they don’t trust God to give them an adequate spot.
So, you see, to humble yourself takes faith. To humble yourself, you must trust that God will lift you up. Those, who refuse to humble themselves lack faith that God will exalt them. Those who do humble themselves trust in God, that he will give them a greater position in his Kingdom than anyone could dream for himself.
St. Paul teaches us how to have such faith. He writes in Philippians chapter 3, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as dung, 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.” (3:8-9) St. Paul, who certainly could claim much higher works than any of us, does not count any of them toward his credit or boast to sit at a higher seat. Rather, he trusts that God raises the needy out of the dung heap and, having washed them all clean, sets them before princes.
Now, how can St. Paul do this? How can he so readily let go of his good works and take such a lowly spot for himself? Because he has faith that God has instore for him a much greater position than he could ever gain from all his works. Again, St. Paul writes in 2 Timothy 4:8, “Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”
That God exalts the humble means that God saves sinners by grace apart from their works. But to humble yourself to receive such grace takes faith in God’s promise to exalt you. Therefore, grace and faith cannot be divorced. To be saved through faith means that you are saved by grace.
Now, how lowly must you humble yourself, so that you can be exalted by God? Jesus says in Matthew 18, “Whoever humbles himself like a child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Yet, truly, we must humble ourselves even lower, yes, even to death. Unless your sinful old Adam die, so that you can be raised again to new life by the Holy Spirit, you cannot be saved.
Our pride tries to save our old Adam. We want to say there is still something good in us that we can show to God, so that we don’t have to trust solely on his grace. But God says, “No, you can’t save the old Adam. He must be drowned. He must be crucified with Christ and be destroyed.” And this is why we return each week with the same confession, “I, a poor miserable sinner, confess unto you all my sins and iniquities...” The old Adam continues to rise again. This is why St. Paul writes in Romans 7, “I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is in my flesh.” And again, he writes in Colossians 3:
“For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desires, covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” (3-11)
So, we learn that we must die every day and take the lowest spot with full confidence that God will raise us up again through faith in Christ.
You can have such confidence that God will exalt you, because Christ Jesus humbled himself, even to the point of death on the cross. He had the right to claim equality with God, yet he took the position of sinners for your sake. And God has highly exalted Jesus, who plunged himself into the mire of your sins and into the pit of hell, as he suffered the consequence of your sins on the cross. Jesus did this confident that God would raise him from the dead and place him above all things. So, when you humble yourself by repenting of your sins and claiming nothing in yourself to earn your salvation before God, you join yourself to Jesus’ death. You trust that if you have died with Christ through faith and through Baptism, that God will surely raise you from the dead, just as he raised Christ Jesus.
Humbling yourself is scary if you don’t know if you will be lifted up. But when you look to Christ, who has been exalted by God, even after being smeared with all your sins, then you have confidence that you too will be raised. Christ is your assurance that God will tell you to move up higher. Your Baptism is a token that you can remember even now, your own personal rainbow in the sky, which assures you of God’s promise. When Jesus tells you to humble yourself, he is not telling you to grovel before the hangman in a last-ditch effort to spare your life. He is telling you to take off your dirty robes and trust that God will give you a princely robe. Trust not in yourself, but in God, who has promised you every good thing through the merits of Jesus Christ alone.
Through humility, you learn that God deals with you by grace, not according to your own works. This grants you great peace with God now and for eternity. Yet, humility also creates peace and unity here in the church on earth. When each person considers the other more significant than himself, peace is sustained. St. Paul writes in our Epistle lesson, “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
Humility, bearing with one another’s burdens helps maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. How easy it is to think of others and their need to repent when you hear the law preached. Yet, God wants you to examine yourself and think of your own need for repentance. Do not seek out the sins in others, but seek out the sin in your own heart, so that you can repent and be filled with the Holy Spirit. When you consider that your place in God’s kingdom is a pure gift given to you by grace, not on account of your own goodness, you cannot boast to be a better Christian than the other soiled lambs, who come to be cleansed in Jesus’ flock.
Humility leads us to forgive the fault in others, to strive for unity in Christ and not force our own ways upon others. When we trust in God’s grace alone on account of Jesus’ merit, we have no need to tear others down so to make ourselves look better. God will lift each of us higher than we could ever imagine for ourselves. And so, it should be a joy to lift others up now, knowing that we lose nothing from it.
When you rely on God’s grace you are able to focus on loving your neighbor. The Pharisees were offended that Jesus broke the Sabbath to heal someone, because they did not know that the law is subordinate to love. They used the law only to advance themselves, so that they could establish for themselves a higher seat at God’s table. But the law was given, that we might love our neighbor. Jesus fulfilled the law of the Sabbath by loving his sick neighbor. But this can only be understood if you yourself have received God’s love. This can only be done through faith when you humble yourself to receive God’s love.
He who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted. These are terrifying words to those who trust in themselves. But for us, who fear the consequence of our sins and trust in Jesus, these are the most comforting words we can hear. These words are a promise from God that he will exalt us, who trust in Jesus and not in ourselves. May we always believe this promise until God lifts us up to dine with him on the Last Day. Amen.

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Trinity 16: Jesus’ Word Conquers Sin and Death

9/17/2018

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Luke 7:11-17
September 16, 2018

Make no mistake about it, Jesus indeed felt compassion on this widow from the town Nain and he showed to her such mercy that neither she nor her son forgot it for the rest of their lives. Yet, as we consider that there were many more widows and mothers, who had lost their sons in Israel at that time and still today, you might wonder why Jesus chose to raise this son of this widow. No doubt, Jesus loved this particular widow, but he did not perform this miracle for her sake alone, but for the sake of many people, who would believe in him through it. The Holy Trinity orchestrated this event, so that these two great crowds, that which followed Jesus and that which followed the bereaved widow and her dead son, converged to witness this demonstration of Jesus’ powerful word. And as a result, many spread the news of Jesus and many believed in him.
And for a similar reason, the Holy Spirit caused St. Luke to record this very event, so that you too might hear it and believe that Christ Jesus exercises power over sin and death through his word. It is the word of the Lord, which conquers death. And we need to know how to conquer death just as much as those two crowds did.
The widow from our Old Testament lesson sobbed at Elijah, “You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!” And she was certainly on to something there. Death brings remembrance of sins. This is because death is the result of sin. St. Paul writes, “The wages of sins is death.” (Romans 6:23) and “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.” (Romans 5:12) Therefore, death is the greatest visible reminder of sin.
Now, if we are by nature sinful (meaning we have inherited our sinful condition from our fathers), that means that by nature we are spiritually dead! St. Paul writes in Ephesians 2, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked.” Dead! Spiritually dead! What can the dead do to help themselves? Could the young man wrapped in death cloths, his body cold and stiff, make an effort to come back to life? No! It was Jesus’ decision to raise him from the dead. It was the power of Jesus’ word, which enlivened his soul. It was Jesus’ work, not the work of the dead man. And so, if you are spiritually dead, then you can only be made alive by the will and working of God. And that is exactly how you are given spiritual life, St. Paul writes three verses later,” But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ- by grace you have been saved.”
If you are spiritually dead then you can only be saved by grace. Grace does not involve any of your works, otherwise it would not be grace. God made you alive when you were dead. And Jesus has demonstrated for all of us that he makes the dead alive through the power of his word.
And so, it is remarkable the resistance that stands against the power of Baptism to save. The main objection to the teaching that Baptism saves (Mark 16:16; 1 Peter 3:21), is that only faith saves and Baptism is a work. Now it is true that only faith saves, for Scripture says, “That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace.” And it is also true that Baptism is a work, but it is not our work. Baptism is God’s work.
So, let’s start from the beginning. What is Baptism? Baptism is not just plain water, but it is the water included in God’s command and combined with God’s word. You see Baptism is not just a sprinkling of water. It’s no ordinary bath. Neither is this just water alone, otherwise it wouldn’t be a Baptism. This is water joined with God’s powerful word! And what have we learned about the Word of God? It is powerful enough to raise the dead!
Baptism is pure grace, because in Baptism sinners are saved apart from their own works through the power of God’s Word. This is why St. Paul writes in Titus chapter 3, “He saved us, not by works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” Baptism is not your work. If it were, it would only be an imperfect work with no power to save. But Scripture says that Baptism saves all who believe (Mark 16:16).
Many are offended that Lutherans baptize babies, because babies can’t make a decision or confess their faith. Perhaps they’re also offended that Jesus didn’t ask the dead man if he wanted to be raised from the dead. But babies are not less capable to receive God’s grace than adults. In fact, Jesus says, “Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” (Mark 10:15)
Those who reject infant Baptism give too much credit to physical birth. Physical birth can never give you the kingdom of heaven. “That which is born of flesh is flesh and that which is born of Spirit is spirit,” Jesus says. “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” Here Jesus goes even further than saying that you must become like a child. He says you must become like a fetus, yes, completely redo your birth! No, not physically, but spiritually. You may have been born a healthy baby, but everyone enters the world as a spiritual stillborn. You are born dead in your trespasses. That is why Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”
And so, Baptism is a new birth of water and the Holy Spirit, who is breathed out through the speaking of Jesus’ powerful word. In Baptism, you receive the birth your mother couldn’t give you, one of the Spirit, which gives eternal life. In Baptism, Jesus speaks and the spiritually dead is raised. And just as Jesus then gave the young man he rose from the dead to his mother, so he places all baptized children into the care of their mother, the church, who continues to nurture them with Jesus’ word and Sacrament.
Sin and death are inextricably joined together. You can’t conquer death without conquering sin and you can’t conquer sin without conquering death. This means that when Jesus raised this young man from the dead, or whenever he raised a person from the dead, he forgave his sins. This means that Baptism too is a lavish washing away of sins.
And Jesus’ word conquers sin and death throughout your life as well. The dead man was being carried to his tomb, where he would be locked up for as long as the earth remains. And so, many, who have fallen into sin, into spiritual death, are carried by their sinful desires into unbelief and ultimately damnation and eternal death. And here too Jesus’ words are powerful to save. He calls such sinners to repentance. And he forgives them with the breath of his mouth. Before they can be laid in the tomb of death forever, the Gospel gives them new life. And this is why we should never give up. Those, whom we love, who are caught in sin and unbelief can be turned to faith by the power of God’s Word. Before the grave devours them forever, Jesus can save them.
Jesus had compassion. And this is more than just a sad feeling we all get when we go to a funeral. Jesus actually felt her pain. More than that, he felt her sins which his death reminded her of. More than that, he felt the young man’s sins. And still more, he felt this young man’s death.
This is how God visited his people: he took on our human flesh, so that he could sympathize with our weakness. Although he never sinned, he felt the burden and guilt of our sin. And although he did nothing deserving of death, he experienced death and the punishments of hell on the cross. This is how God visits his people. This is what it means that he had compassion.
And likewise, God visits his people today through his word. Because the great message of God’s Word is that he sent his Son to bear our burdens, to be punished in our place, to devour death, so that it cannot devour us. That is what Jesus’ word communicates in the Gospel. That is why it is so powerful, because it is true. Baptism can join you to Jesus death and resurrection, because Jesus truly did die and rise for you. Baptism washes away your sins, because Christ’s blood provides the flood to do so. Jesus is able to command us to live forever, because he truly sucked the poison out of the sting of death by removing our sins from us. Where there is no sin, there can be no death.
Fear seized them all. That seems strange. Why would you be afraid of him, who did such a great deed? But it is not that they were terrified of some evil that Jesus would do or frightened of a ghost or zombie. Rather, they had been overcome with a childlike fear. God is in their presence! And he has demonstrated his power. This inspired awe from the crowd that no earthly father can instill in his children. And with such a holy fear comes an earnest trust. Childlike fear of one’s father is a fear that trusts in one’s father.
And so, we too should have such a childlike fear of our God. Afterall, he has come to visit us with his most powerful word. We should be at awe at the power performed in our Baptism and every time we receive the forgiveness of sins. And we should earnestly desire hear, read, and learn this powerful word. And above all, we should trust in it. When your conscience burdens you by the wicked thoughts you’ve had, let the remembrance of your Baptism give you confidence that your sins are forgiven. Trust that the body and shed blood, which you receive in the Sacrament will do what they set out to do. Trust in the words of forgiveness I speak, not as coming from me, but from him, who commands the dead to rise and they listen.
And this is the only comfort you will find as you face death head on. When your last hour draws nigh, your sins will try to scare you into spiritual death. But godly fear, which trusts in God’s word will give you confidence. The words of Jesus will give you comfort in your death and confidence to lie down and sleep. You will awaken again as surely as Jesus has spoken, “Your sins are forgiven.” Amen.

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Walking by the Spirit: Building up Others and Sowing to the Spirit

9/10/2018

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Galatians 5:25-6:10
September 9, 2018

“Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.” These words of St. Paul are directed specifically to pastors, who oversee the household of God, yet they are relevant to all who live by the Spirit. Here Paul speaks of what to do if you see one of your Christian brothers or sisters caught in sin. This is incredibly relevant, because we are all susceptible to sin and fall into temptation from time to time. And it is important for us to notice how the apostle directs us to address this recurring problem, “you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.”
“Gentleness” is a key word here. Meekness is another appropriate translation. Such an approach is not looked at as a winning strategy by the powerful in the world. Those, who are gentle, meek, and humble lose. They don’t win in conflicts. And your flesh will agree with the powerful. Your natural inclination when confronted with another’s sin likely won’t be to be gentle and meek. This certainly isn’t the case with many, who are charged to oversee the household of God! “Zeal for your house has consumed me!” is what many sons of thunder are eager to proclaim at the first sight of wrong-doing in the congregation. However, St. Paul warns against vainglory, that is, being ruled by the prideful flesh. He carefully uses the word for gentleness, because it is a fruit of the Spirit. And there are many good reasons to approach the sins of others with meekness.
First, meekness is an attribute of our dear Lord Jesus Christ. He did not overcome sin and conquer Satan by boasting or snapping reeds and pinching wicks. Rather, with meekness Christ bore the burden of our sin and trusted in God to vindicate him. Jesus dealt compassionately toward sinners, spoke patiently to them, taught them, corrected them, forgave them, and ultimately died for them. And so, when we approach those caught in sin, we should not do it according to our own righteousness, but submitting ourselves to the word of God.
Second, meekness is necessary because of the stated goal. St. Paul does not say that when you see a person caught in sin to seek and destroy. Rather he says to restore him. Now, I’ve worked both on demolition jobs and building projects, and demolition jobs are more fun. They’re also a lot easier. But the Holy Spirit doesn’t call us to demolish or win in a conflict. The Holy Spirit calls us to restore. This means that your goal is for your erring brother or sister to walk side-by-side with you in the Spirit and bond of peace, not to win an argument or prove yourself a better Christian.
St. Paul gives further reason to practice meekness when he says, “Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.” There is no sin that your neighbor has committed that is impossible for you also to fall into. It is only by the grace of God that you don’t fall into the sins you see in others. And when you examine yourself, you will see that even if you haven’t fallen into the same sin as your brother or sister, you have fallen into your own mire enough times. This is why our Lord instructs us to remove the plank from our own eye before we seek to take out the speck in our neighbor’s. No, sin still must be addressed, but we have good reason to be cautious as we address it.
We should also take note of the word choice of the Holy Spirit, which St. Paul records, “If anyone is caught in any transgression.” He speaks as if we’re talking about a fly trapped in a spider’s web or a child, who has fallen into a pit. Here Paul points out a reality not just about your neighbor, but about you yourself. You are sinner, inclined to sin. We fall daily. The situation Paul instructs us in here concerns not an unbeliever, but a Christian like any of us. Christians still sin! And Christians should be open to correction from God’s Word from a fellow Christian and especially from their pastor, who is called by God to do such a task. And so, pastors (and all Christians), should address the sin in others as they would want others to address their sin. With patience and toward the goal of repentance and forgiveness.
But those, who refuse to be corrected and stubbornly remain in their sins even after correction from God’s word are not to be called Christians. This is why sin still must be addressed. Gentleness does not mean that you forgo addressing the sin.
“Bear one another’s burden’s, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Yes, bear their sins. Sin isn’t just an internal thing in the heart. Sin is external and it hurts other people. And God is asking you to bear that which hurts you. That’s tough. No one wants to bear slander or disrespect. And it is because sin hurts other people that Christians often react pridefully with the intent to tear down instead of build-up. Yet, the Spirit moves us to be patient, that is, long suffering, bearing the burden of others’ sins as we work toward repentance, forgiveness, and restoration. And so, we see that forgiveness isn’t cheap. So, it is important to remember that each of us has been forgiven our debt of 10,000 talents and with this in mind we should be willing to bear the small cost of forgiving and bearing with others.
We, as Christians ought to show such patience, because Christ has shown such patience with us and more. How many times in a day has Christ forgiven you? And how many more times will you need to be forgiven? And so, we approach one another as Christians in need of the same forgiveness and patience from Christ. The blood, which has redeemed you from sin and death also redeems your fellow Christian.
“One who is taught the word must share all good things with the one who teaches.” This Scripture passage, also included in the Table of Duties in Luther’s Small Catechism, instructs hearers to take care of their pastor’s physical needs. Pastors tend to avoid the topic of giving money in the offering plate, because it is an awkward topic. Pastors don’t submit invoices for services rendered. Instead, they live off the offerings freely given by the people of God. And so, pastors often avoid talking about giving to avoid seeming preoccupied with money or setting a stumbling block in the way of the weak. Yet, St. Paul does bring up the topic a number of times in Scripture and pastors shouldn’t ignore the topic completely for a reason that goes far beyond the church finishing the year in the black.
St. Paul writes, “God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” St. Paul does not write this only for the pastors’ sake, although that certainly is part of it. St. Paul wrote in Philippians 4, “Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit.” He writes this for the sake of the Christian. Why do Christians support the preaching of the Gospel? Because they believe it! They believe that the words of Jesus are the words of eternal life. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is worth more than life itself! And why do some not support the preaching of the Gospel when they are able? Because the temptations of the flesh have convinced them that their money is better spent elsewhere. Their flesh has convinced them to sow to the flesh instead of sowing to the Spirit.
When you willingly support the preaching of the Gospel, you confess that you are seeking first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and are confident that God will add the rest to you. It is an exercise of the Spirit, who lives within you. Exercises of the Spirit bear abundant fruit that money cannot buy.
To sow to the Spirit means much more than investing your money in the preaching of the Gospel. It is investing your time, energy, yes, your life in the Gospel. “Whatever one sows, that will he also reap” is such a simple concept. If you sow corn, you’re going to harvest corn. If you sow soybeans, you’re going to harvest soybeans. If you invest in the desires of your flesh, you are going to reap the reward of the flesh, which ends in death. If you invest in the Spirit, you are going to harvest the reward of the Spirit, which is eternal life.
And this applies doubly to pastors. If in their preaching pastors sow toward the goal of raising money, they’ll get riches that perish. If they sow toward temporary peace or bigger crowds, then they might just get it. But none of those things will grant a harvest of saints for the Lord. Yet, what does Scripture say if the preacher sows the true word of God? He’ll save both himself and his hearers and the Lord will harvest a crop some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.
So, what do you sow? Do you invest more time striving after money or seeking true riches that come from the teachings of Jesus? Do you invest more effort getting your children to all of their sporting events on time or having devotions with them, taking them to church and Sunday School? When you take time to pray and read God’s Word, attend Bible Study, speak to your children about Jesus and make sure they learn the Gospel, you are sowing to the Spirit. When you preoccupy all your time and energy on the needs and wants of yourself, you are sowing to the flesh. So, what are you investing in here on earth? In the that which perishes or in that which lasts forever? Are you working hard to satisfy the desires of the flesh or is the Holy Spirit moving you to do the will of the Lord? What do you expect to harvest in the end?
Sowing to the Spirit means to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. God wants you to trust in him, so he has given you a sure promise. He promises you that he knows what you need to support this life. He will not let you go cold or hungry or naked. He provides for all living creatures and he has not forgotten about you. And God promises this so that you can focus on sowing toward the kingdom of God and not fear that you will not also reap what you need for your body in this life.
Bearing one another’s burdens is tortuous and sowing to the Spirit is impossible unless you already have the Spirit. Unless you believe that God has forgiven the multitude of your sins, you will not be able to bear with and forgive others their sins. And unless you believe God’s promise that you will reap eternal life, you will not sow to the Spirit. It is only through faith in the Gospel that these things are possible. So, lest we grow weary in trying to do good, we must constantly return to the Gospel: return to Jesus for forgiveness, teaching, and strengthening in faith. This is how we receive the ability to do good to others, especially those of the household of faith, who have been built up, just as we have been built up, and who will reap the same reward as we reap on the Last Day. Amen.

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Trinity 14: Walk by the Spirit

9/4/2018

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Galatians 5:16-23
September 2, 2018

Last week the Holy Spirit taught us through St. Paul that we receive the inheritance of eternal life in God’s kingdom by faith in God's promise and not by works of the Law, as we heard read, “For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.” (Gal. 3:18) So, it might seem inconceivable to some that the same Holy Spirit caused the same St. Paul to write in the same letter to the Galatians, “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, how is it that the divinely inspired St. Paul, who wrote that we inherit the kingdom of God by faith, apart from our works, now says that those, who do certain works will not inherit the kingdom of God? I thought works didn’t matter! Does this mean that we inherit the kingdom of God by our works after all? Some people think so. It is a popular teaching in many churches that God receives us into his kingdom by grace, apart from our works. Yet, in order to remain in God’s kingdom, we must continue to do good works.
However, this is a false teaching. God brings you into his kingdom by grace apart from works of the law. And it is by grace, not by your works, that you remain in God’s kingdom. Salvation cannot be both by grace and by works, as St. Paul says in Romans 11, “But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.” And St. Paul argues directly against the notion that those, who enter into God’s kingdom by grace then continue to remain in his kingdom by works, he writes, “Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (Gal. 3:3) No, Scripture teaches that having begun by the Spirit, you are then completed by the Spirit!
Of course, as with all difficulties people find in Scripture, the difficulty is not in the actual Scripture, but our in own limitations, because of sin. Scripture says that we are enslaved to sin and imprisoned under the law, but Christ frees us through faith in him. Yet, what should you do with this freedom? The sinful flesh asks, “Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?” “By no means!”, St. Paul retorts, “How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:1-2)
St Peter writes, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9) God has called you out of darkness. He has made you clean in the blood of Christ and has washed away all your sins. By grace through faith you stand righteous before God. God has justified you. You know what it means to be justified, right? It means to be declared righteous by God. To be righteous means to be in a right relationship with God. God also sanctifies you. Justification and sanctification cannot be separated. If you are justified, you are also sanctified.
To be sanctified means to be set apart. God sets you apart from sin by washing you clean in Jesus’ blood and giving you his Holy Spirit to lead you in the path of truth. The Holy Spirit gives you a new heart, that desires to do good, not evil. If you are rescued from the slavery of sin, why would you want to return back to sin? It is the sinful flesh, which tries to bring you back into slavery.
And here we are met with the problem St. Paul addresses in our text today. “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Sprit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” Christ has indeed forgiven all your sins through his death and resurrection and you receive this forgiveness freely through faith. And God has given you his Holy Spirit, who works in you to do good. Yet, sin still dwells in your mortal body. And it will continue to dwell in your mortal body until you die. This means, that raging within your very heart is a fierce battle between your sinful old Adam and your new man, made alive by the Holy Spirit.
St. Paul says the Spirit and the flesh oppose each other, “to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” Well, what do you want to do? According to your new man, you want to love God and serve your neighbor. It is your sinful flesh, which wants to prevent you from performing the love you desire, as St. Paul writes in Romans 7, “For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.” Now, if even St. Paul struggled so with his sinful flesh, what hope do we have? Our hope is in the forgiveness of sins and grace under which we live. God does not count our trespasses against us, so that St. Paul writes, “Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.” So, we Christians walk this earth with sin waxing and waning in our hearts, constantly rebelling against the Holy Spirit. And though this means that we do sin, God does not count these sins against us for Christ’s sake.
Yet, we must make a distinction between sins of weakness and ruling sins. When St. Paul says, “Those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God”, he is speaking of ruling sins. Sins of weakness are the sins that you hate, which you fight against, so that you don’t commit them and when you do commit them, you repent. Ruling sins are sins that rule over you. Your new man no longer fights against them. It is no longer a case of you doing what you do not want, but you doing exactly what you want, which is sin. Ruling sin is when the flesh has won the battle against your new man. It is to be an impenitent sinner. Impenitent sinners are not Christians. Their faith has died.
Your flesh works against your saving faith by luring you to do works of the flesh. When you let your flesh rule over you unchecked, eventually your faith dies. That is why St. Paul says that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of heaven. Those who do such things prove by their actions that their faith is no longer living. And because these works of the flesh are so dangerous, it is important for us to recognize them, so that they do not destroy our faith.
The first is sexual immorality or fornication. It is not a surprise that this is the first one St. Paul lists. Desires of the flesh and sexual desires are often thought to be synonymous. Now, sexual sins are definitely serious. Fornication is a direct attack on marriage. Those, who have sex outside of marriage give away what they have no right to give and take what they have no right to take; they attack God’s perfect institution of marriage and its beautiful imagery of Christ and his bride, the Church; and they endanger future generations. And there are other forms of sexual immorality, which damage people and their souls, as St. Paul also lists impurity and sensuality.
Yet, works of the flesh do not stop at sexual sins. St Paul also lists idolatry and sorcery. These show a hatred and distrust of God himself. Enmity, strife, jealousy, and fits of anger: These works of the flesh attack the very Gospel of Jesus Christ, who makes peace, is patient and kind, and loves. Rivalries, dissensions, divisions, and envy: Me first, that’s what these say.
The works of the flesh do vary, so that no one young or old can claim that he is not tempted by them. For some sexual sins rise up from inside, while others, fits of anger or envy. Yet, what do all of these works of the flesh have in common? They all show a distrust of God and a hatred toward your neighbor, while being completely selfish. Those, who are ruled by sexual passion care nothing for anyone, except to fulfill their lustful desires. Those who are ruled by enmity and strife have no desire to be at peace and are comfortable hating their neighbor.
Contrast these selfish sins with the fruits of the Spirit: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. All these fruits are focused on loving and trusting in God and looking out for the good of your neighbor. They are completely selfless works. Love, αγαπη, is the selfless love that God had for us when he sent his Son to die for our sins. This love is produced by the Spirit, so that you look out for the best interest of your neighbor. Joy, not in your own advancement or pleasure, but joy that you have fellowship with your brothers and sisters in Christ; peace, which is gained by forgiving those, who sin against you; patience, that is, long-suffering, that means that you bear with your neighbor’s sins, not in anger, but patiently, bearing the cost out of love until he is brought to repentance. Goodness, delighting in what the Lord delights; faithfulness to God and to your fellow Christian; gentleness, that is, meekness, not boasting over others, but trusting in God’s Word to win over hearts; and self-control, that is your new man ruling over the old man, so that you do not satisfy his desires.
Notice that St. Paul calls them works of the flesh, but fruits of the Spirit. Your flesh works you as a slave until you earn your wages, which is death. While the Spirit works in you to produce good fruit, which manifest your saving faith within you. God uses these fruits of the Sprit to battle against the works of your flesh, so that these selfish and hateful works do not kill your faith and take away your salvation.
Now it is obviously beneficial for yourself to battle your sinful flesh, so that it does not rise up and kill your faith. But it is also necessary to battle your flesh for the sake of the Christian congregation. The Church of Christ is one body. And so, a Christian congregation must act as one body and each member as a member of that body. The left arm doesn’t rebel against the right arm nor do the fingers try to dig out the eyes. Each member is different, but each member is united under one head, who is Christ. But the desires of the flesh are selfish and divisive. If each person insists on his own way, seeks to be better than others, is impatient and unkind, refuses to forgive and holds grudges, then the congregation itself scatters.
Such divisions are inevitable. I will no doubt do things that annoy you. And you will no doubt do things to annoy others. And if we let our flesh have its way, we will bite and devour each other and tear the church asunder. But if we walk by the Spirit, and love one another, take joy in others’ salvation, seek peace and bear it when others hurt us, desire to do the will of God and are faithful to his words while not boasting over others and try to control our own flesh first and foremost, then divisions can be repaired and the body can be mended. It is by repenting of our own faults and being quick to forgive others that we walk by the Spirit and in Christian unity.
The fruits of the Spirit seem like law and for good reason. The fruits of the Spirit are all about love and love is the fulfillment of the law. But you do not produce fruits of the Spirit by becoming enslaved to the law, meaning, by trying to obtain your salvation by your own works. The fruits of the Spirit are produced when you have the Spirit. And God gives you his Holy Spirit through the Gospel, when you believe in the forgiveness of sins spoken to you for Christ’s sake. It is through faith in the Gospel that you are able to walk by the Spirit. This is what it means to dwell in God’s tabernacle and walk in his courts: to hear the words of Christ, to believe them, and cherish them. Then the Holy Spirit dwells in your heart. And if he dwells in your heart, he will produce in you fruits to the glory of God. Amen.

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

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Trinity 16: Jesus’ Word Conquers Sin and Death

Walking by the Spirit: Building up Others and Sowing to the Spirit

Trinity 14: Walk by the Spirit

Rev. James Preus

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