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

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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Trinity 15: God is God

9/25/2017

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Matthew 6:24-35

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The greatest way you can serve God, the only way you can make God your one and only God is through faith in Jesus Christ. This means that you hear Jesus' words and believe them. You find satisfaction in Christ's forgiveness, life, and salvation. Only Jesus can dethrone every one of your false idols. Only his blood can forgive your debt for serving the creation rather than the creator. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness is not like the demand material wealth makes on you, which demands that you labor until you die. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness means the same as when Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30) 

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

    Rev. Preus is the pastor of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ottumwa, IA. These are audio and text of the sermons he preaches at Trinity according to the Historical Lectionary. 

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