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

My Thoughts Are Not Your Thoughts

10/19/2021

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commons.wikimedia.org, Copyleft
 Trinity 20 
Matthew 22:1-14 
Pastor James Preus 
Trinity Lutheran Church 
October 17, 2021 
 
Why do so many people not go to church? For the same reason why they should go to church. The LORD God says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9) People don’t go to church, because they think they don’t need it. They think differently than God thinks. People should go to church, because they should forsake their own thoughts and listen to God’s thoughts, which are higher and better than theirs.  


Parents don’t want their children to hang around kids who are trouble makers, because they might have a bad influence on their children. If their kids spend time with kids who cuss, talk back to their parents, steal, and commit other crimes, then they fear that their kids might do these same things. Husbands don’t want their wives hanging out with women who badmouth their husbands, because they fear their wives might learn to badmouth them. Wives don’t want their husbands to hang out with guys who get drunk and chase after women for the same reason. Yet, everyone seems quite comfortable with their own thoughts. They’re thoughts are safe. They won’t lead them astray. Others’ thoughts and opinions may be bad, but everyone thinks that his own thoughts are right.  


But what does Scripture say? God says through Isaiah that the unrighteous should forsake his thoughts (Isaiah 55:7). Who are the unrighteous? Scripture says that we are all unrighteous! (Romans 3:10-23) And Jesus says that out of your heart come evil thoughts (Matthew 15:19). So, if you are unrighteous, then your thoughts are unrighteous. And if your thoughts are unrighteous, then you aren’t going to make yourself righteous by means of your own thoughts! You must forsake your thoughts and listen to and believe God’s thoughts. That’s why everyone should come to church. The Proverb says, “Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment.” (18:1) Spending your time with your own thoughts is spending time with your most foolish advisor.  We must forsake our own thoughts, and run to God for his.  


Some of what God teaches, you can figure out on your own. Even unbelievers agree that you should do unto others as you would have them do unto you (Luke 6:31). Although, it is certainly advantageous to have Christian rulers, even non-Christian governments pass laws against theft, murder, and slander. Yet, you cannot figure out the Gospel on your own. It would have never entered your thoughts that the eternal Son of God would become a man, born of woman, born under the law for your sake, unless God had revealed it to you through his word (Galatians 4:4-5). The thought would have never crossed your mind that Christ Jesus, God’s own Son, after having fulfilled the Law in your place, who had no sin of his own, would take all your sin and die for it on the cross, unless God had told you (2 Cor. 5:21). Not in a million years of pondering and meditating could your thoughts have revealed to you that God desires to save you by grace as a gift apart from your own works, and that your eternal life has been bought and paid for, unless God spoke by his holy prophets and apostles (Romans 3:23-30; Ephesians 3:8-9). As St. Paul declares, “How can they believe in him whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? … So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10). Our thoughts are not God’s thoughts. Only God’s thoughts reveal the saving faith.  


When Jesus first told this parable, it would have been understood that he was preaching against Israel. For hundreds of years, God had sent his prophets to Israel, to invite them to be his people that he might be their God. But they ignored him. They went off to their own business, worrying about earthly things. What’s more, they persecuted and killed God’s prophets, from Zechariah to John the Baptist. And yet, God would not let this rejection leave his banquet empty. He sent his Apostles to all nations to baptize and proclaim the Gospel, so that his wedding hall might be filled (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 18:6).  


Yet, the message of this parable endures even to our day. God continues to invite people to his banquet, and people continue to reject his invitation. Although God offers the most priceless meal, a delicacy the earth cannot produce: free pardon of all sins, eternal life and friendship with God; and although he charges nothing for this precious gift, but gives it away for free to be received by faith, people continue to refuse his offer. They seek rather the transient things of this life. While others grow hostile, persecute and utter all kinds of evil against those who proclaim the Gospel, even kill the messengers who bring good news. God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, nor are our ways his ways.  


Yet, this reveals to us God’s thoughts. God desires to save all people. He offers salvation to those who reject it. He sends his prophets, apostles, and pastors to those who will malign and harm them for offering the words of eternal life. But this parable makes clear, no one goes to hell because God refuses to invite them. They go to hell, because they reject God’s earnest call.  

We learn from Jesus’ parable that the banquet is filled with both bad and good. This shows that within the Christian Church on earth, there will be a mix of faithful Christians and hypocrites. People will always find false motives to openly join the church, while secretly trusting in themselves and rejecting Christ’s word in their hearts. Yet, God can see even the secret heart. The Church on earth is not charged to read peoples’ hearts but take their outward words and actions at face value. Our thoughts are not God’s thoughts. God will judge on the Last Day. In the meantime, we are to invite everyone to the banquet, to invite all people to repent of their sins and believe in the Gospel. Everyone, men, women, rich, poor, elderly and newborns, the disasters and the well-put-togethers are called to come to church and be members of it.  


If you want to be saved, it is of the utmost importance that you go to church to hear the Gospel of Christ, yet it must be said that not all who go to church will be saved. We see this in Jesus’ parable when the man in the wedding hall is thrown out for not wearing the wedding garment. No, we don’t throw people out of church if they don’t wear the proper uniform. Rather, this teaches how Christ will judge the secret hearts on the Last Day. There will be those who outwardly belonged to the Christian Church on earth, but who didn’t really belong, because they had no faith.  


The wedding garment this man failed to wear is the garment of salvation, which Christ gives to every believer. The Prophet Isaiah declares in chapter 61, “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness.” This robe of righteousness is won for the Christian by nothing less than Jesus’ blood. The elder declares to the Apostle John when he sees the heavenly vision in Revelation chapter 7, “They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” 


The man cast out of the wedding hall into the outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth, was a false Christian. He claimed to be a child of the light, but he clung to his own righteousness instead of Christ’s. His thoughts were not God’s thoughts. But when you stand before the judgment throne, you cannot bring any of your own works as a token to enter. You may not be clothed with your own righteousness. Your own righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). You must take them all off and put on Christ. You must repent of your whole self, your wisdom, your good deeds, your good thoughts, and be clothed in Christ’s wisdom, deeds, and thoughts. You’re not going to get into heaven because you’re a good co-worker, a good mom or dad, or because you put lots of money in the offering plate, but only through the merits of Christ alone (Philippians 3:7-9).  


And this should comfort you. Because this means that nothing you have done in your life can bar you from the heavenly banquet. As you must renounce your own righteous works to get into heaven, so must you renounce your sins. Repent of all of them. Place them all on Jesus. He will cloth you head to foot, so that you can enter his hall and remain his guest forever.  


“Many are called, but few are chosen.” This declaration of Jesus goes against the thoughts of men so much, that most will deny it. They’ll either deny that the many are truly called, or they will deny that the few are truly chosen. We have already learned irrefutably that God desires all people to be saved. He invites everyone to his banquet. Yet here Jesus says that those who are ultimately saved are chosen, that is, they are elected before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). God chose us. We did not choose him (John 15:16). Only those who are elected by God are saved. So, people protest: “Then he must not have desired all people to be saved, otherwise he would have elected them too.” But, no; Scripture makes clear that God desires all people to be saved. That is why he calls them so urgently. Then, people protest: “Then he must not have chosen the saved by grace, but rather chose those who chose him.” But no, Scripture makes clear that God chose us by grace apart from our works (Romans 11:5-6).  


How then can we explain this? How can God desire all to be saved, yet not all be saved? And how can he choose a few of whom he’s called without it being based on their works? God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, neither are our ways his ways. Some of God’s thoughts he reveals to us, and we must believe them. Other thoughts of God he keeps hidden, and we cannot reject what he has revealed in order to explain what he has not revealed.  


Election is Gospel. If God did not choose you, then you would reject him. Most reject Christ, because they have their own thoughts. Election should not make you doubt your salvation, but rather give you confidence. Your salvation is God’s work, not yours. How do you know you are elect? Because Jesus died for you and God has revealed to you that he forgives all your sins for Christ’s sake. The many who are not chosen do not believe this. All the elect believe this. Do you believe in Christ? Take comfort that God has chosen you before the foundation of the world. And seek to make your election sure by pursuing the thoughts of God revealed in his word and practicing them (2 Peter 1:10).  God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, but God has revealed his thoughts to you; thoughts of mercy, love, and salvation to all who believe. Amen. 
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Trinity 20: God Calls and Chooses by Grace

10/15/2018

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Matthew 22:1-14 
October 14, 2018 
 
In this Parable Jesus gives an historical commentary of the nation of Israel, revealing that the kingdom of heaven is not far off but here and now. God sent numerous prophets to his chosen people of Israel. But for the most part they rejected the prophets. Not even against Moses, the greatest of the Old Testament prophets, were they afraid to speak against him. And many they threatened and imprisoned and beat and killed. They were not afraid of the prophets, because they didn’t come to them with swords or clubs or chariots. They came armed only with words. And the people despised their words. It didn’t matter which words they spoke, Law or Gospel, the people despised them. If God’s prophets threatened punishment for their idolatry, the people gladly listened to false prophets, who told them what they wanted to hear. When God’s prophets promised that God would rescue them, God’s people sold themselves to foreign nations and trusted in their armies rather than the hosts of heaven.  
And so, as Jesus tells us in the parable, God the King sent his soldiers to punish the murderers of his prophets and those who refused to listen to the invitation to the wedding banquet. They did not fear the prophets armed with words, so God sent them men to fear, armed with swords and spears. Time and again God permitted Israel’s enemies to rout them. Yet, even in the New Testament Israel continued to reject God’s apostles, until in 70 AD Roman forces surrounded Jerusalem and burned their city. And having found those invited by the prophets and apostles unworthy, God sent his apostles and preachers into the roads and gather all whom they found, both good and bad, preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all nations, languages, and skin colors.  
God predicted that this would happen as we heard God speak to the Christ in our Old Testament lesson, “Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know, and a nation that did not know you shall run to you.” (Isaiah 55:5) This is a marvelous thing God has done, that through the disobedience of his people he has brought many more people into his kingdom. Yet, we Gentiles must not be arrogant. If the natural branches could be lopped off by their disobedience to the word, the disobedience of us wild branches, who have been grafted in can certainly cause us too to be removed from Christ. And indeed, this is the case. The Gentiles are not more faithful than the Jews. People continue to reject and despise the servants of God, who proclaim that the feast is now ready. While most simply ignore the preaching of God’s word and occupy themselves, one to his farm, and another to his business, others become hostile to God’s word and to those who preach it.  
People don’t ignore those, whom they perceive speak with power. You wouldn’t dare ignore a police officer, if he speaks to you, or ignore a notice from the IRS or a call from your boss. These are perceived to have power in this world. They have guns and authority over your money. But those who speak God’s word are often ignored. Few are afraid to dismiss their message or even to speak against it. This is because the word of God itself is despised. Jesus says, “He who rejects you rejects me and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.” (Luke 10:16) People fear swords and clubs, guns and human authority, but God’s authority is despised. And for this, God threatens the same punishment that he did against those of Israel, who did not believe. Not only pestilence and war, but condemnation and the removal of his word and Spirit from them.  
This is truly a tragic thing, because the Word of God is such a pleasant thing. It’s an invitation to a banquet that no money can buy. Jesus says, “Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.” Yet, they reply, “I don’t need your rest. I want to labor under my own load.” And that’s what people do. Even here in the Land of the Free, most people slave away, serving that which perishes until they return to the ground.  
Yes, it’s true that God’s word is often harsh. He convicts us of our sins, showing us where we’ve failed, hurt our neighbors and neglected our God. He tells us things that make us uncomfortable about ourselves, makes us face problems we’d rather not deal with and to take a hard, narrow road, which loses us friends and family. Yet, God is always slow to anger and quick to forgive. He does not always chide, nor does his anger remain, but he disciplines us as a loving father and forgives us more richly than we could possibly imagine. Our rejection of God’s word, because we find it too harsh or condescending or out of touch is like the rebellion of a teenager, who rejects his father’s wise words, so that he can embrace the lies of scoundrels and thugs.  
We learn in the Third Commandment that we should “fear and love God, so that we do not despise God’s preaching and word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.” There is no sin so devastating as the despising of God’s word. Murder, adultery and fornication, theft, and drunkenness are all dangerous sins that will lead you away from God and salvation. But none of these compares to despising and rejecting God’s word, because, it is only through God’s word that you can have any relationship with God. God will not speak to you in your dreams or come to you as you work in your garden or as you meditate on your own thoughts or any other new-age, recycled spiritualistic fad. God desires only to come to you through his word. That is how you know what he desires from you. And that is how you know what God promises you. Apart from God’s word you cannot know that God is merciful, you cannot know Christ and his forgiveness, and you cannot receive the Holy Spirit, who comforts sinners in their distress.  
When we think of the kingdom of heaven, we often think of the end of the world. It is a far-off thing. You have plenty of time to accept God’s invitation to his banquet. But you don’t. The kingdom of heaven is here and now. The Prophet says, “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near.” You do not know how many chances you will get to accept the Lord’s invitation. The soul of the rich fool is demanded of him as he sleeps and the Son of Man will return as a thief in the night. What you do know is that you are being invited now. The invitation is the Gospel that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. You accept this invitation by believing and trusting in the Christ Jesus.  
The king does not tell his messengers that the dinner will be ready 70 years from now or 50 or 20. He says, “Everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast!” God invites you to feast now, today. Jesus says, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” and “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” (John 6:35, 51) God does not invite you to a future wedding feast, but a present one for you to enjoy now in faith.  
If you do not feast on Christ today in faith, you will not feast with him in eternity. But what a wonderful feast Christ has prepared for us today. Christ feeds us with words that well up into eternal life in us. Although, we sin daily and deserve nothing but punishment, God forgives us for the sake of the precious suffering and death that Christ endured on his body and soul. All your sins are washed away and as certainly as Christ is risen from the dead, God has promised you eternal life. Christ promises to be with his people when they gather around his word. The almighty God and Savior of our race is with us now, here at this very moment! By the miraculous power of Jesus’ body and blood we are joined in a unity that no family, husband, or wife can enjoy as we join with each other in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord. Here, we get a foretaste of the feast to come. Dining here with our ears and mouths we have confidence that our seat is saved for us in heaven.  
It troubles many that the king casts out the man not wearing the wedding garment into the outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Yet, there is an important reason why Jesus includes it in his parable. Jesus notes that the servants gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. This means that in Christ’s Church on earth there are mixed both true believers and hypocrites. This means that the church is invisible, because we cannot see into people’s hearts. Only God can. And just because you go through the motions or are a member of a Lutheran Church, does not mean that you will be saved.  
So, what does it mean that the man was not wearing the wedding garment? It means that he relied on his own efforts and righteousness instead of in God’s free grace. The king invited everyone to his banquet for free. He wasn’t selling anything. Isaiah writes, “Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” Yet, many still try to enter God’s banquet hall on their own merits. They think they will go to heaven, because they are basically good, or at least better than others. But that is not the way that it works. You enter God’s wedding banquet only by the merits of Jesus, his death and resurrection. You cannot by your own reason or strength enter God’s hall.  
This is a strict warning to those, who rely on themselves and refuse to listen to God’s word and instead rely on their own wisdom. But for us, who fear our sins and regret them, this is wonderful news. Your sins will not prevent you from sitting at God’s table! God invites you by grace! He’s not selling you anything. He’s giving you a gift! God has prepared his dinner. He has sent his Son to take on our human flesh, to be sacrificed for us on the cross. Christ Jesus is prepared for us to be our Savior. You are invited only to come and eat. Feast on Jesus today in faith and be certain that you will be joined to him in eternity. Through the message of the Gospel and in Baptism, God himself clothes you with the wedding robe, as Isaiah proclaims in chapter 61, “For God has clothed me with the garment of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness.” Through faith in Christ Jesus and in him alone do you have confidence that you will sit at the Lord’s table in heaven and will never be cast out. Amen. ​
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    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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