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How Does Jesus Come to Us?

11/28/2022

Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem by Alexander Gibbs (1832–1886), Creative Commons

Advent 1
Matthew 21:1-9
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
November 27, 2022

O Lord, How Shall I Meet You by Paul Gerhardt is the perfect Advent hymn. Advent means coming or arrival. We Christians anticipate Jesus’ return. So, the hymnist asks the important question, “O Lord, how shall I meet You, how [shall I] welcome You aright?” Yet, in order to answer that question, we must first answer the question, “How does the Lord come to us?”

He comes humble and lowly on a donkey bringing salvation. It is the week of the Passover as our Lord enters Jerusalem on a donkey. And the crowds following Him and going before Him are singing the Passover Hymn, Psalm 118, “Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna!” They sing this psalm to Jesus, recognizing Him as the Christ. Yet, what they likely miss is what Jesus has come to do. If you continue to read Psalm 118, you hear the words, “Bind the festal sacrifice with cords, up to the horns of the altar!” (vs 27) And who is this victim, which will be bound and brought to the altar to be sacrificed? It is Christ Jesus, the Son of David, He who comes riding on a donkey. The first thing you need to know about Christ’s coming is that He first came to suffer and die for the sins of the world.

“A Lamb goes uncomplaining forth,
The guilt of sinners bearing
And, Laden with the sins of earth,
None else the burden sharing;
Goes patient on, grows weak and faint,
To slaughter led without complaint,
That spotless life to offer,
He bears the stripes, the wounds, the lies,
The mockery, and yet replies,
‘All this I gladly suffer.’” (LSB 438)

Paul Gerhardt wrote this hymn for Palm Sunday, the Sunday which takes us into Holy Week, when we focus on the suffering and death of Christ for our sins. Yet, this text was written for the same Gospel lesson. Jesus goes into Jerusalem as a lamb going to the slaughter. We cannot receive Jesus except as Him who died for our sins. We cannot welcome Him without gazing on those scars, which healed us from our sins.

God prepared the words the crowd shouted to Jesus during His triumphal entry. Hosanna, while it has become a word of praise means something different than Alleluia! Alleluia means, Praise the LORD. Hosanna means, please, save us now! When Jesus comes to us as the crucified one, who died to take away our sins, the appropriate response is, “Save us now, please!” Jesus comes to take away our sins, so we should repent of our sins and ask God for forgiveness and mercy. This is why we sing these same words before we receive the Lord’s Supper. We sing, “Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest” before we eat and drink the body and blood of the Lord, because this body and blood were given and shed to save us from our sins. Jesus comes to save us from our sins. So, we sinners receive Him by asking Him to take our sins away. If you feel no sorrow for your sins, if you do not desire Christ to take your sins away, then you are not welcoming Him rightly.

Yet, we do not welcome Jesus rightly simply by having sorrow for our sins. We welcome Jesus with confidence that His sacrifice on the cross truly made atonement for all our sins. Jesus’ blood washes us clean of all our sins. It is with that confession that we welcome our Lord.

First, Jesus comes humbly, bringing salvation with His bitters suffering and death for our sins. Second, Jesus comes to us the way he dictates. Jesus ordered His disciples to go to a certain village to find a particular donkey and her colt and to bring them to Him. He gave them particular words to say to the owner of these beasts when asked why they were taking them. And Jesus’ disciples did exactly as Jesus directed them to do. They didn’t ask why Jesus wanted to ride into Jerusalem on a donkey, when He had spent His entire ministry walking on foot, and had gone into Jerusalem many times without riding on a donkey. They didn’t refuse to carry out this seemingly superfluous task. They did as Jesus directed them. Jesus comes to us the way He directs.

This is an important point. Many people want to have a relationship with Jesus, but they want to have that relationship on their own terms. But it doesn’t work that way. Nowhere in Scripture does it say that Jesus will come to you on your terms or in a way that fits with you. Rather, Scripture tells us how Jesus comes to us. Jesus comes as He directs. Jesus sent His disciples out to every nation commanding them to make disciples by baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). He promises that this Baptism saves sinners (Mark 16:16). Jesus gave His disciples bread and wine and told them that they were His body and blood given and shed for them for the forgiveness of sins. Moreover, He commanded that we do this as often as we eat and drink it in remembrance of Him (Matthew 26; Mark 14: Luke 23; 1 Corinthians 11). Jesus gave His Church the authority to forgive sins (Matthew 16; 18; John 20), promising that whosoever sins His disciples forgive, they are forgiven before God in heaven. Jesus commanded that His Gospel be preached to all nations (Mark 16:15), and He promised that wherever two or three are gathered in His name, there He is in their midst.

It is no secret how Jesus comes to us in our day and age. Just as He gave clear instructions to His disciples to fetch a donkey and her colt, so that He could ride into Jerusalem, so Jesus gives us clear instructions on Baptism, Absolution, the Lord’s Supper, and the proclamation of the Gospel, what we call the means of grace. It is by these means of grace that Jesus directs that He will come to us and we will receive Him. Yet, those who claim to want to welcome Jesus despise Baptism and the Sacrament of the Altar and refuse to hear Jesus’ Gospel preached.

But, if you want to receive Jesus, you must receive Him as He dictates that He will come. When emphasizing grace, we preachers will often emphasize that Jesus welcomes sinners just as they are. And that is true. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). We cannot make ourselves perfect before we meet Christ. Christ makes us perfect. Christ receives you as you are. Yet, it is equally important to emphasize that you in faith must receive Christ as He is. Jesus clearly teaches that he comes to us through His Word and Sacraments, so that is how we should receive Him. When you accept the forgiveness and grace that Jesus offers you in the Sacraments and the preached Gospel, then you are accepting Christ Jesus Himself. Saving faith clings to how Jesus directs that He will come to us.

Finally, when Jesus comes to us, He always fulfills Scripture. Jesus road into Jerusalem on a donkey before He was crucified for the sins of the world, because that is what the prophet Zechariah said would happen (Matthew 21:4-5; Zech. 9:9). Jesus died and rose for our sins in order to fulfill the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15). Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead in order to fulfill the Scriptures (Daniel 10; Matthew 24-25; etc). The Bible is the Word of God. Jesus did not come to abolish the holy Scriptures, but to fulfill them (Matthew 5:17). So, if you want to recognize how Jesus comes to you and how He will come to you, you must look to Scripture alone.

We cannot determine what we will believe or how we will worship Jesus or how we will prepare for His coming by our own emotions, thoughts, and imaginations. How we feel does not determine what is faithful. Holy Scripture determines what is faithful. And what we imagine does not determine what will happen. What Scripture prophesies determines how the end times will unfold. Scripture declares that Christ will come to judge the living and the dead (Matthew 24-25; 2 Timothy 4:1; 1 Peter 4:5). So Scripture warns us how we should behave. We heard St. Paul write to the Romans:

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. (Romans 13:11-14)

So, we welcome Christ by paying attention to His Word in holy Scripture and by daily repenting of our sins, so that we are not caught unprepared. Continuing in sin without repenting destroys faith. And if you have faith in Jesus Christ, you will repent of your sins and fight against your fleshly desires.

The city of Jerusalem was disturbed by Jesus’ arrival, and many citizens asked the crowd, “Who is this.” They gave an unsatisfactory answer, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.” However, we can give a much better answer. This is Jesus, true God and true man, who has died for all our sins. He comes to us in Baptism, washes away our sins and makes us God’s children. He forgives our sins through the mouth of His ministers. He feeds us His very own body and blood, which forgive our sins and strengthen our faith. He always stays near us through His preaching, and my heart receives Him through faith in His promise. He will again come to judge the living and the dead. For this reason, I should daily repent of my sins and seek Christ’s mercy in His means of grace by which He comes to me. Yet, I am not afraid of His second coming. He comes to set me free from sin, death, and hell. I welcome Him today in faith as He comes to me in His Word and Sacrament. And I will welcome Him when He comes to me in His power.

So can we answer the question, “Who is this?” and “How is He coming to us?” and “How shall we meet Him?” These answers have been given to us by Christ Jesus Himself in Holy Scripture. Confident in Christ’s Word, we know how to meet our Lord as He comes to us. Amen.

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As Much as You Did to the Least of These My Brothers

11/16/2022

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Second to Last Sunday of the Church Year
Matthew 25:31-46
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
November 13, 2022

The Gospel lesson appointed for the second to last Sunday in the Church Year focuses on the final judgment, which everyone should contemplate with great sobriety. Although many scoff and doubt that Christ will ever return and judge the living and the dead, this is a fact that Scripture repeatedly states. Christ Jesus will return and judge all nations. Some will go to hell to eternal punishment. Others will go to heaven to enjoy eternal life. Those who get distracted by the things of this world and ignore this teaching are in grave danger to be unprepared and sentenced to eternal punishment at Christ’s return.

What is interesting about Jesus’ lesson in Matthew 25, when all nations will stand before him and be separated to His left and right, is that it appears that this final judgment is based on their works. He tells the righteous that they will inherit the kingdom because they showed Him mercy, while He tells the cursed that they will go to hell, because they showed no mercy. And because it is always man’s desire to erase faith and the saving work of Jesus Christ and to promote the works of men, many modern scholars claim that Jesus here teaches that people will be saved and inherit eternal life if they will only show love and mercy to others. In other words, you don’t need faith or Jesus, you just need to do good works and you will be saved.

However, this teaching must be rejected. Scripture clearly teaches that sinners are justified and saved apart from their own works by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone, who has made satisfaction for their sins on the cross (Romans 3:23-28; Ephesians 2:8-9). St. Matthew records that Jesus would save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21; 20:28). Even in this lesson, Jesus teaches that the kingdom was prepared for the blessed before the foundation of the earth, which excludes any of their works. Jesus is not teaching that a person is saved by his works. Rather, Jesus teaches that a saved person produces beautiful fruit. He is pointing out the fruit of those who have been granted saving faith.

The fruit, which will give evidence of saving faith on the Last Day is showing mercy to one of the least of Jesus’ brothers. An important question is, “Who are the least of these Jesus’ brothers?” Those who claim that people will be saved regardless of their faith, if they show mercy to others, argue that the least of Jesus’ brothers are anyone who are downtrodden or suffering. And while it is true that Christians should love their neighbors as themselves, even love their enemies, and that some by being kind to strangers have even entertained angels unaware, Jesus never calls unbelievers His brothers. Rather, even when His biological   mother and brothers came to fetch Him, He asked the crowd, “Who are my mother and who are my brothers?” and then stretching His hand toward His disciples He said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” (Matthew 12:46-50).

So, the least of Jesus’ brothers are Jesus’ disciples. Later in Matthew’s Gospel, after His resurrection Jesus tells Mary Magdalene, “Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee.” (Matthew 28:10) And later, when the eleven disciples meet Jesus in Galilee, Jesus tells them, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold I am with you always to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20) So, here, Jesus tells His brothers to go out to all nations, making disciples of them by baptizing them and preaching the Gospel to them and here at the final Judgment, Jesus will have all nations gathered before Him (the nations to whom He sent His brothers to make disciples), and He will say to those on His right, “As you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” And to those on His left, He will say, “As you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.”

If you give food, water, or clothes to one of Jesus’ brothers when he is hungry, thirsty, or naked, you have given to Jesus. If you visit and care for one of Jesus’ brothers when he is sick or in prison, then you have cared for Jesus Himself. If you welcome a stranger, because he is Jesus’ brother, then you welcome Jesus. This is exactly what Jesus said to His disciples when He sent them out to preach the first time, “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. … And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.” (Matthew 10:40, 42)

The least of Jesus’ brothers are His Apostles and disciples who proclaim the Gospel. Those who receive one of Jesus’ disciples, because he proclaims Jesus’ Gospel receives Jesus’ Himself. Whoever offers him a cup of cold water, gives a cup of water to Jesus Himself. By doing so, they show that they accept the Gospel that Jesus’ disciples preach.

This lesson from Jesus does not teach that we are saved on account of our works, rather Jesus points out the obvious good work that all His Christians will do. They will receive those who bring the Gospel to them. And it is important for both the hearer and for the preacher to recognize that the least of Jesus’ brothers are those who preach the Gospel.

It is important for the hearers, so that they know that salvation comes through hearing the Gospel and the Gospel comes through men preaching it. St. Paul articulates this in Romans 10, “For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’ But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?’ So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (vss. 14-17) If you want to be saved, you must have faith in Christ. If you want faith in Christ, then you must hear the Gospel preached. If you are to hear the Gospel preached, you must have someone preach it to you. To despise the preacher and the preaching is to despise Christ Jesus and His Gospel.

Second, it is important for hearers to recognize the least of Jesus’ brothers as those who preach the Gospel, so that they will support the preaching of the Gospel. When Jesus first sent His disciples out to preach, He said, “Acquire no gold nor silver nor copper for your belts, no bag for your journey, nor two tunics nor sandals nor a staff, for the laborer deserves his food.” (Matthew 10:9-10) Yet, he adds, “And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.” (Matthew 10:14-15) Jesus is not teaching that preachers should sell the Gospel, but rather that hearers should support the preaching of the Gospel so that preachers can focus on preaching and teaching. This is the way that God has designed for people to hear the saving Gospel. This also gives Christians the opportunity to separate themselves from their idols and prove what they truly find valuable. St. Paul explains it in Galatians 6, “One who is taught the word must share all good things with the one who teaches. Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows that will he also reap.” (vs. 6)

So, when hearers recognize that they receive Christ when they receive His preachers, they value the Gospel as their greatest treasure on earth and produce good fruits to the glory and expansion of God’s kingdom.

It is important for preachers to recognize that they are the least of Jesus’ brothers, first, so that they remember that Jesus is with them. A preacher should not fear to proclaim the truth, because Jesus is always with His preaching. Jesus will grant success to His preaching by the power of the Holy Spirit. And a preacher should not fear to be rejected, because it is not him they are rejecting, but Christ who sent him.

Secondly, a preacher should recognize that he is the least of Jesus’ brothers so that he always preaches the Gospel and never his own opinions. People do not listen to a preacher to hear his own thoughts. And Jesus has not sent them to represent themselves. A preacher is only good if he faithfully proclaims the Gospel that Jesus has sent him to preach. A congregation does not need a pastor’s personality. Pastors should be interchangeable. It is not them the people need, but Jesus. And the people most certainly need Jesus. St. Paul instructs Timothy to persist in paying close attention to the teaching, for by so doing he will save both himself and his hearers. The Gospel of Jesus which a preacher preaches saves souls. The preacher must never forget that.

Thirdly, a preacher must recognize that he is the least of Jesus’ brothers, so that he knows what he must be willing to suffer for the sake of the Gospel. Jesus doesn’t call them the least for nothing. They are the least, because the world hates them. Nearly every one of Jesus’ apostles was killed for preaching Christ. Throughout the history of the church, Christian preachers have been starved, imprisoned, exiled, and killed. And throughout church history, Christian preachers have had to depend on the charity of Christ’s flock to care for them in need. For a man to take up the task to preach the Gospel, he must be willing to go hungry, thirsty, naked, get sick, go to prison, and be a stranger for the sake of the Gospel. Christ will provide His remnant to care for His brothers in need.

This Gospel lesson demonstrates the difference between those who believe the Gospel and those who do not believe the Gospel. Those who do not believe the Gospel ignore Christ’s preachers. They do not value the message of Jesus’ death and resurrection. And they do not value those who preach it. And some even oppose the message with violence, reviling, imprisoning, and even killing those who preach it. Yet, those who believe the Gospel rejoice in it. They value it as their most precious treasure. They support those who preach the Gospel to them and share in their burdens. They support missionaries to proclaim the Gospel abroad. They believe Jesus’ words that when they receive those sent in His name, they receive Jesus Himself.

Those who believe the Gospel store up treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal (Matthew 6:20). Christ Jesus has purchased their salvation by His innocent suffering and death for their sins and His glorious resurrection, which proves that God is forever at peace with them. This means that sinners, who otherwise would be damned to hell, have certainty of eternal salvation delivered to them in words and received in the heart. On the Day of Judgment, Jesus will point out the obvious fruit, which proves that they have received this Gospel in faith. And they will inherit the kingdom, which God has prepared for them from before the foundation of the earth. And there, they will live forever. Amen.

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Now and Not Yet

11/16/2022

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All Saints Day (Observed)
Matthew 5:1-12
Pastor James Preus
Nov. 6, 2022

The theme that seems to permeate through every text for All Saints Day is now, and not yet. We are God’s children now, St. John says. Yet, what we will be has not yet appeared (1 John 3:1-3). St. John sees a vision in Revelation 7. He sees the saints gathered around the throne of God, clothed in white robes, praising God and Christ with a loud voice. Yet, this is a vision. When the vision ends, John goes back to the island Patmos (Rev. 1:9) on which he is exiled. And after reading this beautiful description, we look up from the pages of Revelation and see that we are still here on this earth, with sin and ills contending.

And Jesus embraces this theme of now and not yet in His Sermon on the Mount. Blessed are they now, for they will receive something later. His sermon is filled with reversals. The lowly will be exalted. The empty will be filled. The sad will be joyful. The poor will be rich. Yet, to all these future tenses, he places the present tense: Blessed are they. Blessed are those who mourn now, for they will be comforted in the future. Their comfort is in the future, but their blessing is now, in the present tense, even amid their mourning. They are blessed now, yet they have not yet seen the full content of their blessing.

To better understand Jesus’ sermon, we need to define His words. Nine times in this sermon, Jesus uses the word blessed. But what does that mean? Some modern translations have tried to update this text by translating it “happy.” But that says too little. Besides, those who are blessed are not always happy. Happy is an emotion. Blessed is a state of being. This means that Christians can be blessed even when they feel very unhappy.

To be blessed is tantamount be being saved. It means that you have an eternal reward. To be blessed means to have everything that accompanies eternal salvation: forgiveness of sins, peace with God, a good conscience, eternal life, adoption as children of God, and much more. It is a little word, a good word, but it means more than we can express in words. Those who are blessed are Christians. In this sermon, Jesus describes His Christians here on earth. He calls them blessed, meaning that they are saints even now, set apart by God. Yet, He also describes the cross they must bear on this earth before they experience their full blessing.

Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Here, Jesus doesn’t use the future, but only the present tense. The poor in spirit are currently blessed, because they currently possess the kingdom of heaven. But what does that mean? Who are the poor in spirit? To be poor in spirit means to be needy in spirit. It means that you’re a beggar. You don’t have and you know you don’t have. You’re humble, repentant, sorry for your sins and begging God to be made rich. Jesus speaks of the poor in spirit when he says, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick… I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:12-13) Jesus could just as well have said, “It is not the rich who beg for bread, but the poor. I did not come to feed the rich, but the poor.” The rich do not beg. But it is beggars in the spirit to whom God gives richly. The rich He sends empty away.

But what does it mean that the needy in spirit currently possess the kingdom of heaven? It means that poor repentant sinners receive God’s grace here on earth. Here, in church, spiritually poor, beggarly sinners come before God, repenting of their sins, and begging for forgiveness and eternal life, and God fills their open hands until they’re over flowing. He forgives their sins. He promises them eternal life. He calls them his children now, so that their citizenship is in heaven even as they live on earth. This is what God promises in Isaiah 66, “But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit. And who trembles at My word.” (NKJV) The spiritually poor live in God’s kingdom of grace today by faithfully receiving the means of grace, so that they will live in God’s kingdom of glory in eternity, seeing it with their own eyes.

The next six blessings are to those who currently suffer, but will rejoice in the future. Those who mourn today are blessed, because God will comfort them in the future. Those who are meek and lowly today are blessed, because God will bequeath to them the earth. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness now are blessed, because God will satisfy them. Those who mourn now are aware of the evil of this world. That can only truly happen when one’s eyes are opened to faith in Christ. Christians mourn the suffering of God’s Church, the corruption of His creation, the sin that soils every soul. Yet, these mourners God will comfort. He will wipe away every tear from their eye. They will enjoy eternal bliss with God their Savior.

The meek are the lowly. They are those who do not exalt themselves, but wait on God to exalt them. The meek are the spiritually poor, to whom the Kingdom of God belongs. God exalts the lowly, but casts down the proud. Being lowly in spirit often results in possessing less here on earth. Those who accumulate much property and wealth are often those who are not meek, but aggressive and who even claim what isn’t theirs. Yet, God promises the earth to His Christians. Jesus will raise the dead, and we will possess the new heavens and the new earth.

Those who hunger and thirst do not have what they hunger and thirst for, otherwise they would not hunger and thirst for it. So, this righteousness which the blessed desire is not theirs. The blessed are sinners. Yet, they desire to be righteous. And they want everything to be made right. Righteousness is often paralleled with salvation in Scripture, because God saves us by setting everything right. He does not ignore sin; he pays for it. He does not condone wickedness; he restores the sinner. We are righteous today through faith in Christ’s blood by which he washes away all our sin. Yet, in the future even our actions will be made perfectly right. Our salvation will be complete. God will satisfy our godly desires.

The merciful are blessed now, because God will have mercy on them. In other words, those who forgive others their trespasses are blessed, because God will declare them innocent of all sin on the Last Day. We are indeed forgiven now. God’s absolution says so. Yet, we know we are forgiven only by promise. We have not yet stood before God’s glorious throne as Christ judges every person according to his deeds. So, Jesus has given us a sign for everyday uses. When we forgive others, we remember that God has forgiven us in Christ Jesus. As Jesus says, “He who loves much is forgiven much.” So, you confess that you are forgiven and that God has mercy on you today by showing mercy and forgiving others. In this way, you demonstrate God’s love to others and give courage to your conscience that God will do as he promises.

The pure in heart are blessed now, because they will see God. To be pure in heart means to hold Christ in your heart. Out of the heart come evil thoughts, Jesus tells us. Yet, faith holds Christ Jesus in the heart, forgiving our sins and causing us to bear good fruit. No one can see God and live, because sinners cannot behold the holy God. Yet, to those who have cleansed their hearts through faith (Acts 15:9), Jesus promises that they will behold God face to face with their own eyes (Job 19:25-27; 1 John 1:2).

The peacemakers are blessed, because God will call them His sons. Christians are peacemakers. If you are not a peacemaker, then you are not a Christian. Yet, we must define peacemakers. Peacemakers are not those who sacrifice God’s Word and teaching in order to keep the peace with unbelievers. Peacemakers aren’t cowards who avoid standing up for what is right in order to avoid conflict. Rather, peacemakers confront sin and error with God’s holy Word, yet in a spirit of gentleness (Galatians 6:1). Peacemakers attempt to bind people together with nothing less than unity of the Spirit (Ephesians 4:3). This means that when peacemakers seek to make peace, they always appeal to the blood of Christ Jesus, which was shed to make peace between us and God. So, when Jesus tells you to go and talk to the one who has sinned against you, between you and him alone, he is telling you to seek to be reconciled and to forgive for the sake of His shed blood.

On the Last Day, God will declare the peacemakers His children. Children mimic their father. Our heavenly Father has made peace with us through the blood of Christ. So, we prove ourselves to be God’s children by making peace with one another for the sake of Christ’s blood. We repent when we sin against others. And we forgive those who have sinned against us.

Finally, Jesus says that those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, that is, on account of Him are blessed, because God will reward them greatly in heaven. Christians recognize that suffering too is a sign of God’s love for us. When we suffer for the sake of Christ, the old Adam must die and the new self must rise up. We don’t get to choose our cross or who will revile us or for what purpose. Yet, when we are reviled and mistreated for standing on Christ’s Word, we know that our reward is great in heaven. This reward does not refer to salvation alone, yet it never excludes it. All who have faith in Christ will inherit eternal salvation apart from their works. However, Scripture also teaches that there will be additional heavenly rewards given by grace to those who suffer for the sake of the kingdom. So, when Christians suffer for Christ’s sake, they indeed have cause to give thanks to God. Suffering produces both temporal and eternal benefits for the Christian.

This theme of now and not yet should comfort Christians; however, the not yet often outweighs the now in our experience. We currently live in the valley of the shadow of death. We are preoccupied with what we are not yet and what we do not yet have much more than what God declares us to be now: blessed. And because the not yet seems stronger, even the blessed now seems faint. Rather, we focus on the other “nows” that we can see, hear, and touch. Our senses of hearing, seeing, and touching are often stronger than our faith. So, how can we assert that we are blessed now and be certain of the not yet?

Only in Christ. Christ became poor for us. He mourned for us. He humbled himself for us. He hungered and thirsted for our righteousness, so much that He fulfilled all righteousness for us. Jesus was merciful to poor sinners and shed His blood to forgive them. Jesus had no deceit in His heart as He went to the cross. Jesus made peace between the Father and us by the blood of His cross. Jesus suffered more than anyone for righteousness’ sake. And Jesus has received His reward for all this. He is declared today to be the Son of God, who reigns over the heavens and the earth. Jesus is comforted with His victory as all His enemies lie under His feet.

Our certainty in our present blessedness and our future reward rests in Christ Jesus alone. Every heavenly reward we receive from Him. He currently is victorious. So, we take His word for it that we are blessed now, and we look forward to receiving the content of that blessing in God’s good time. Amen.

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Can't Justify Yourself

11/1/2022

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Reformation 2022
Romans 3:19-28
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
October 30, 2022

The greatest task of the Lutheran Reformation was to properly distinguish between the law and the Gospel. If a person does not understand the difference between the law and the Gospel, then he cannot understand the Bible.

The law is what God commands of us: Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind and love your neighbor as yourself. Do not misuse God’s name. Don’t commit adultery, steal or gossip. This is the law of God. The law tells you to do, but it is never done. Therefore, the law condemns you as a sinner. Therefore St. Paul writes, “No human being will be justified by works of the law, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.”

The Gospel does not command works, but rather tells you what work Christ Jesus has done for you. The Gospel is the good news that Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the whole world. Being true man, yet without sin, he was able to suffer in our place. Being true God, his passion for our sins is a sufficient price for the sins of the whole world. The law tells you to do, but it is never done. The Gospel tells you to believe, and it has already been done for you.

The purpose of the Lutheran Reformation was to keep these two teachings unmixed. The law condemns. The Gospel saves. The law demands works. The Gospel demands no works, but faith alone. Works must not be mixed with faith, otherwise faith is no longer in Christ alone. Yet, the purpose of the Lutheran Reformation was not to eliminate the law. Both the law and the Gospel have their proper place in the teaching of the Church. The law brings sinners to repentance, telling them that they have fallen short of God’s glory. The Gospel rescues sinners from despair by promising eternal life for Christ’s sake as a gift.

Today you will not hear so many direct attacks on the Gospel, at least not by those who want to be considered Christians. However, you will hear many attacks on the law. Have you noticed that the moral standard today is not the same as the moral standard fifty years ago? People have grown soft on the law. And why shouldn’t they? Isn’t the Gospel more important? So, the Third Commandment may still say that you should not despise preaching and God’s Word, which means that you should not skip church for frivolous reasons, but gladly hear and learn God’s Word at every opportunity. But we want to be a church of the Gospel, not the law! So, people skip church without qualm of conscience. The Sixth Commandment still forbids adultery, fornication, and homosexuality. But that doesn’t make us sound like a very loving congregation. Besides, everyone moves in together before they’re married. We can’t expect people to hold so strictly to God’s Law, when after all, we’re a Gospel church.

And of course, this brings faithful Bible-believing Christians to respond that we need to preach the law more! And they’re right. But we must remember what is most at stake: the Gospel. Why do people reject the law? No, it’s not because they prefer the Gospel. They reject the law, because they reject the Gospel. And in rejecting the Gospel, they become twice as much slaves of the law as they were before.

The chief use of the law is to show us our sin and need for a Savior. If you read through St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, you will notice that he spends the first two and a half chapters condemning everyone on earth, both Jew and Gentile, as sinners falling short of God’s glory. Why does he do this? In order to get them to despair of their own works and trust rather in the work of Christ Jesus. Your works are not good enough. If you trust in your works to be justified before God, you will be condemned to hell! You must stop trusting in yourself and trust rather in Christ Jesus, who alone has lived a perfect life and has paid for all your sins.

So, how is it that law-rejecters reject the Gospel? They don’t actually reject the law. Rather, they try to chip away at the law so that it becomes more manageable. Why do people now say that it is not a sin to skip church? Because they don’t want to be called sinners when they skip church. Why do people now say that it is not a sin to fornicate, cohabitate outside of marriage, practice homosexuality, gamble, get drunk, and so forth? Because they don’t want to be called sinners. Why don’t they want to be called sinners? Because they want to justify themselves!

To justify means to declare righteous or just. It means to declare a person innocent of sin. It is the fallback position of mankind to justify themselves. But in order to justify themselves, people don’t simply throw out the Law; they change the Law in their favor. They simply cut out those commandments that they break or change their meaning, so that they do not need to repent of their sins. In this way, they can continue in their sin with a clear conscience.

But all this is really a rejection of the Gospel. They justify themselves, because they don’t want to be justified by Christ. Those who supposedly reject the law are legalists, who block out the Gospel. You are not saved if you justify yourself. You are only saved if God justifies you. And Scripture says that no one will be justified by works of the law, even if you bend and shape the commandments, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. You will not be judged according to your loose interpretation of the law, but according to God’s strict interpretation of the law. Therefore, we should read the law in its clearest sense and not try to escape its judgment.

There is no other Gospel than that sinners are justified by grace, that is, as a gift, through faith in Jesus Christ alone. Only Jesus paid for our sins on the cross. Only Jesus is righteous. Only Jesus can grant us His righteousness as a gift. Therefore, St. Paul writes in the first chapter of Galatians, “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.” There is no other Gospel. You can’t find a better Gospel by cutting up the law and claiming that you aren’t that bad. You can’t find a better Gospel by trusting in your works. The only Gospel worth confessing is the one which proclaims Jesus Christ alone as the Savior and is received through faith alone. This is the only Gospel which saves.

In our Epistle, St. Paul says, “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.” Why does he say that the righteousness of God is apart from the law, but then he says that the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it? He uses the word law in two ways. The first time he means the Commandments. There is a righteousness of God apart from us doing the commandments, the righteousness that is received through faith in Jesus. The second time, he means the Holy Scriptures. The Law and the Prophets refer to the Old Testament. The Scriptures teach of a righteousness gained apart from the law, that is, apart from the commandments. Lutherans hold to Scripture alone. Only Scripture can tell us how to be saved. Therefore St. Paul says that even if an angel from heaven should preach a contrary gospel, don’t believe it, because Paul preaches the Gospel of Holy Scripture.

St. Paul says that God put Christ Jesus forward as a propitiation by his blood. The word propitiation can also be translated as Mercy Seat. The Mercy Seat was placed upon the Ark of the Covenant on which the blood of atonement was sprinkled once a year for the sins of the people of Israel, as Moses writes in the book of the Law (Leviticus 16). So, Paul teaches us that the Law and the Prophets, Holy Scripture, bear witness that God would put forth Jesus to be the Mercy Seat by His blood and in that way, he would make us righteous. This is the righteousness apart from the law, which the Law and the Prophets bear witness to. This is the only Gospel which saves.

The problem with justifying yourself is that it is a lie. You must be just in order to justify. But Scripture makes clear that all have sinned and therefore are unrighteous. So, how can the unrighteous make rules in order to declare themselves righteous? That’s absurd! Yet, that is what every other so-called gospel does. Every false gospel is unjust people declaring themselves just for doing unjust works. But the true Gospel as revealed in Scripture shows the just God proving Himself to be just, not by condoning sin, but by making atonement for sin through the suffering and death of Jesus Christ the Righteous.

The most important article of the Lutheran Confessions, which really sums up what it means to be a Lutheran is Article Four of the Augsburg Confession, written in 1530:

Our churches also teach that men cannot be justified before God by their own strength, merits, or works but are freely justified for Christ’s sake through faith when they believe that they are received into favor and that their sins are forgiven on account of Christ, who by his death made satisfaction for our sins. This faith God imputes for righteousness in his sight (Rom. 3, 4)

The Gospel that sinners are justified before God, not by works, but through faith, when they believe that their sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake, who made satisfaction for our sins, was the center of the Lutheran Reformation. It was why so many were willing to be imprisoned and die rather than deny it. Yet, this Gospel is still the most important issue in the church today. If we lose this teaching, we lose our certainty of salvation. If we lose this teaching, we lose our faith in Christ, who alone can set us free from our sins. That is why we must hold to God’s Word so diligently now as ever. We can’t lose the law and hang on to the Gospel. If you lose the law, then you lose the Gospel. The law tells you that you are a sinner. The Gospel is only for sinners. If you refuse to repent of your sins, then you refuse to let God justify you with the Gospel. There is no other Gospel. Jesus is the only way, truth, and life. No one is justified before God the Father except through faith in Jesus.

Beware not to justify yourself with excuses that try to tame the law. Rather, let the law in Holy Scripture condemn you as a sinner. Then look to Scripture alone for the only Gospel which saves, the Gospel that proclaims that the just God declares the ungodly to be just through faith for the sake of Jesus’ precious blood.

Let us pray:
Heavenly Father, remove from us the delusion that we could justify ourselves, open our eyes to our sins that we might repent of them, and open our eyes to Jesus, who has saved us from our sins through His death on the cross, that we might be saved through faith in Him. Protect this faith among us, so that we might inherit eternal life. Amen.

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Feast of St. James of Jerusalem, Brother of Christ and Martyr

10/24/2022

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Matthew 13:53-58
Acts 15:12-22a
James 1:1-12
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
October 23, 2022

Perhaps the most unpopular statement Jesus ever said was, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:37-38) Perhaps, people can handle this if their parents, children, and spouse stay faithful to Jesus, but when a child or spouse strays from the truth, Jesus seems to be a wedge separating them. And Jesus himself says that he did not come to bring peace but a sword, which would divide households (Matthew 10:34-36). People don’t want to love Jesus more than their children and spouse. And when it appears they must choose between them, they rarely choose Jesus and his Word.

Yet, Jesus is not unfamiliar with the division faith in him can cause to a family. We heard today how Jesus was rejected in his own hometown. St. John’s Gospel tells us that his brothers did not believe in him (John 7:5). And St. Mark’s Gospel tells us that his brothers thought Jesus was out of his mind (Mark 3:21). For this reason, as Jesus was teaching the crowds, his mother and brothers stood outside and sent messengers to fetch him. And Jesus responded, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” and pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” (Matthew 12:46-50).

Jesus knew what it was like to be separated from his family on account of their unbelief. Jesus’ own brothers did not believe in him. And among these brothers was James. Yet, today we celebrate St. James of Jerusalem, brother of our Lord and martyr. By God’s grace, James was converted and reconciled to Jesus. St. Paul, when he lists the witnesses of the resurrection, specifically names James as a witness of the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15(:7). St. Luke tells us in Acts 1 that Jesus’ brothers were among those after Jesus’ ascension devoting themselves to prayer with the apostles and faithful women. And later in Acts chapter 12, after the Apostle James, the brother of John was beheaded by King Herod and Peter was rescued from prison by an angel, Peter ordered that the news of his escape be given to James and the other brothers. From then on, James the brother of Jesus is distinguished as a leader of the church. St. Paul calls James along with Peter and John “pillars” of the church. And we saw in our first reading from Acts 15 that James presides over the council of Jerusalem, being the first bishop of Jerusalem. And the historian Josephus records that James the brother of Jesus Christ was stoned to death in Jerusalem in 62 AD on account of his confession of Jesus as the Christ.

The story of St. James comforts sinners today, because he was an unbeliever estranged from his brother, who became reconciled. And then, we see in Acts 15 that St. James continues to work toward reconciling the church of God.

Reconciliation. That is a word you should all know well. What is reconciliation? What does it mean to reconcile? It means to make an enemy a friend. It means to make peace with those who hate you. St. Paul writes of reconciliation in 2 Corinthians 5, “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors of Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, to be reconciled to God.” (vss. 18-20). God reconciled the world to himself by putting those sins on Christ Jesus and having him die for them. Jesus was reconciled with his brother James when he showed him his pierced hands and feet with which he paid for the sins of the whole world. James was converted, and they were reconciled. You are reconciled to God when you have faith that God is at peace with you for the sake of Christ’s death and resurrection.

Reconciliation is something we should all desire fervently. We need reconciliation. We’re divided. We each go our own way. We don’t encourage one another in the faith as we ought. Christians feel torn between their devotion to God and their devotion to their family. And a common question among Christians is, “How can God forgive me if I can’t forgive those who have sinned against me?”

So, how can we be reconciled to those in our life who are at odds with us? How can we be reconciled with our church and our church family? How can we be reconciled with our spouses and children? The answer is faith. The reason we are not reconciled, is because we lack faith in Christ.

Now, St. James gets a bad reputation among Lutherans in regards to faith. In fact, many accuse St. James of having a different theology of faith than the Apostle Paul. They claim that St. James taught that a person is saved not by faith alone, but through faith and works while St. Paul taught that a person is saved through faith alone. This is because St. Paul wrote, “For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.” (Romans 3:28) while St. James wrote, “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. (James 2:24). This statement from James’ Epistle even led Martin Luther to deny that James wrote it. However, the evidence is strong that James the brother of Jesus did write it. But it would be absurd to conclude that St. Paul and St. James disagreed on the most fundamental point of Christian teaching: How is one justified before God?

St. Paul and St. James were in complete agreement. Paul tells us in Galatians 2 that James, the brother of Jesus, along with Cephas and John gave him the right hand of fellowship after he explained to them his teaching (Galatians 2:9). And in Acts 15, James expresses full fellowship with Peter, Barnabas, and Paul as they encourage the Jewish Christians not to trouble the Gentile Christians with regards to the observance of the Law.

So, if Paul and James are in full agreement, why do they make statements that seem to be saying the opposite? It is because they are using the words in different contexts and with different senses. When St. Paul says that a person is justified by faith apart from works of the Law, he is saying that a person is reborn and saved when he believes that his sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake and not on account of his works. To be justified for Paul means that God has declared you righteous and a child of God. By faith Paul means a wholehearted trust in Christ’s salvation for sinners. When St. James says that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone, he means that a Christian is validated as reborn through his works. By justified, James does not mean to be saved, but rather to have your saving faith proven before others. When he says not by faith alone, James here does not mean a whole hearted trust in God’s grace, but rather a simple knowledge of Christ. A person is not justified by a simple knowledge of Christ alone.

James clearly does not teach that a person is saved by his own works. James teaches in the first chapter of his epistle that God brought us forth by the word of truth, meaning that we are granted rebirth through his word, which is believed through faith (James 1:18; Romans 10:17). Again, in chapter one, James says that it is the implanted word, which is able to save your souls (1:21).

So, James does not deride faith in any way, but rather he rebukes weak faith. Again, in chapter one James warns against praying without faith, stating that the one who doubts should not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. So, when we read James, we need to understand the context. James exhorts us to have a strong faith. A strong faith is not simply knowledge of events. Saving faith is not simply knowing that Jesus died and rose. James tells us that even the demons believe that God is one and shudder! (2:19) Rather, James tells us that a true, living faith produces good works. St. James says, “Faith without works is dead.” (James 2:26) Amen, I say. And you know who else would say, “amen” to that? St. Paul! It is he who wrote, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:8-10)

Faith without works is useless, James says. Indeed, it is. If your faith isn’t producing good works, then you might have a dead faith! James understands this well. He was in Nazareth where his brother Jesus was rejected. And what do the Evangelists tell us? Jesus did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief (Matthew 13:58). Jesus couldn’t heal many people in Nazareth, because they lacked faith (Mark 6:5). Jesus couldn’t do many mighty works in his hometown, because, in part, his brother James did not believe in him. If you want mighty works of God to be done among you, you need to believe in Christ. No, not just mumble the Apostles’ Creed; not simply have a knowledge that Jesus lived and died and rose. You must trust in him! Lacking good works is a sign of a lack of faith, which alone justifies and saves.

The greatest work that can be done among us is to reconcile sinners to God. This is the work of God that is accomplished only through faith in Christ, who died for the sins of the world. Reconciliation is the greatest work that can be done. And if God was able to reconcile us miserable sinners with himself, who is holy and undefiled, with the blood of Christ, how much more can he reconcile us with each other?

We need to work on reconciliation in our homes, in our congregation, in our lives. How can we do this? Only through faith in the blood of Christ. Not a lazy faith. Not a dead faith. A living faith! This means that we need to hear the Gospel and believe it. We need to look at those scars of Jesus and trust that the blood that flowed from them washed all our sins away. And we need to insist on this blood of Jesus when we reach out to our family and loved ones. “Be reconciled with each other!” the blood of Jesus cries!

The early church was divided between Jews and Gentiles. For many centuries they had been enemies. But James preached that they should be reconciled. St. Paul explains it in Ephesians 2, “For he himself is our peace (meaning Christ), who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.” The dividing wall of hostility between Jews and Gentiles was broken down by the blood Christ. Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians are brothers and sisters in Christ. And so, we should regard each other the same. What divides us? What keeps us from being friends? What hinders our reconciliation? Is it anything that the blood of Christ cannot overcome? God forbid us to think so! It is a blasphemy! Jesus has taken away the sins of the whole world. It is sin that divides us. If our faith in Christ were stronger, then we could overcome every sin, which divides us.

When St. James was an unbeliever, he no doubt thought he had faith. But when he was converted by the blood of Christ, he realized that his previous faith was dead. So, St. James of Jerusalem, Jesus’ brother, exhorts us to a strong faith in Christ Jesus. And through this faith in Christ, the greatest work of reconciliation will be accomplished among us. Amen.

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

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Feast of St. James of Jerusalem, Brother of Christ and Martyr

Rev. James Preus

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